Chapter 11: Barely Even Human

Location Unknown

Doctrine is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

This sort of belief was what guided most of Mankind no matter where they might be. It led to dogmatism, which eventually led to fanaticism. However, to say that doctrine itself was the problem would be a lie. In the end, what drove people to such an extreme was the desire for belonging and purpose in a world that was becoming increasingly more complicated with each passing day. With so many options available, many of them overwhelming to the average person, it was easy to fall in line and follow doctrine, no matter how inconvenient at certain times. It was in human nature to be told what to do.

That was where Gilgamesh came in. Freedom, in his eyes, was the greatest lie ever invented by Mankind. He said this because he knew the objective reality of the universe and all of its mysteries and he wished that he didn't. Even for someone of his caliber, it was so much for him to ponder and he doubted that he would be able to sort through all of his knowledge and come to a conclusion that satisfied him. That was exactly why he groomed himself to be Mankind's ruler. If they knew what he did, chaos would erupt, order would all but crumble into dust; it would be the end.

Naturally, the King of Heroes would not allow that outcome to pass. However foolish and utterly irredeemable humans were, they were all he had to work with and he intended to wring them out for all they were worth. If he had to cause some death and destruction along the way, then so be it. If it would affect a greater outcome, he would sacrifice half the population on this planet in the blink of an eye.

Convincing anyone but the most unusual of individuals would be challenging, so naturally, he would need to give some incentives for Mankind to heed his words. Right now, as things were, peace makes people compliant, forgetful of past horrors and the struggles that older generations once faced. It was a cycle seen so many times in history.

Hard times create hard men.

Hard men create good times.

Good times create weak men.

Weak men create hard times.

And Gilgamesh would be the harbinger of the hard times to come. Already his plans were in motion and there would be no stopping it. In fact, he would go so far as to proclaim that no matter the outcome of what was to come, he would always come out on top the winner. There were some things greater than physical victory and he had found what that was.

There was only one little problem that he needed to deal with personally before he could execute his plan. Once the relics were in his possession, he would need to take down the only two entities that could challenge him in any meaningful way.

The Brother Gods.

Facing them brought with it some additional concerns. It had been some time since he had faced deities and he was out of practice. The limited information that he did know didn't paint much of a picture as to the full extent of their power, but they were potent enough to create Remnant and all of its inhabitants as well as the Grimm. As much as he criticized them for their predictable natures, they were more than capable of being flexible when the situation called for it. The creation of Mankind was proof of that.

But with the experience that the golden-haired man did have, he could say that no being in the universe was truly infallible. All things had weaknesses, including himself, much to his chagrin. Whatever they might be, he would find them and he would use the appropriate means to annihilate them.

The Gate of Babylon afforded him more than enough means to combat gods of all sorts. Even with all the use that he had seen with the Noble Phantasm, he still had many treasures which had not seen use in live combat. Even when he battled with Ishtar, he kept many of his cards in reserve. He would have been a buffoon for going all in without any sort of backup plan, at least that's what his mind told him, but as a young and impetuous man back in his ruling days, mere confidence drove him.

Gilgamesh took in a breath, then eyed the room that he was standing in. There was no one around and not for the first time, he entertained the possibility of bringing in some new occupants to keep his boredom at bay. A few pets might be nice, maybe some women so that he didn't have to travel for his carnal pleasures, and some interesting minions that were brave enough to challenge him from time to time.

Just like in Uruk.

Well, it would be exactly like his former stomping grounds, but nothing ever would be and now that he gave it a second thought, building a kingdom here didn't exactly inspire his ultimate goal any further. If anything, all of that was a distraction, something he did to temporarily take his mind off the tedious and grueling tasks set before him. If he had to do away with all the pleasures in the world, he would find a way to cope.

Besides, he had his pseudo-Enkidu to train. He called her that because for some ungodly reason, the girl was now trying so hard to develop a personality not unlike his own. It wasn't even flattering from the start. It just annoyed him that she dared to try and copy him like the faker replicating his treasures, but for all of his annoyance, he couldn't bring himself to punish her in any significant way.

Gilgamesh could scold himself for growing so lenient, but again, he did nothing against himself either. The implication behind his inaction was easy enough to figure out. He wanted this to happen.

Lily would never be Enkidu and it seemed that in one way or another, she had come to realize that she needed to be a person with her own unique goals and ambitions and the like. Granted, what she was trying to do right now was nothing short of annoying, but he simply ignored her behavior right now. Once she found her groove, he would render a new judgement. She had important tasks ahead of her that he needed her to complete.

But not yet. Roman Torchwick had reported an unusual amount of activity at Beacon Academy, too much so for his infiltrator to move freely around the academy. Locating the relic had been temporarily delayed until a new window presented itself. This was unpleasant news and it only made the King of Heroes irate.

On the other hand, concerning the Spring Maiden, securing her cooperation had been a pedestrian affair. Raven Branwen was a simple woman. Finding her achilles heel was no trouble at all. A few threats pointed in the right direction and she had played right into his hands. For all of the rumors and stories telling of her brutality and cruelty, she had only proven herself to be a coward.

As for Winter and Summer, their whereabouts remained unknown still, but there was no need to worry about them right now. For now, having even one of the maidens and by proxy, the relic within reach, he effectively held Beacon Academy and Ozpin by the balls. The old wizard wouldn't be so foolish as to provoke an enemy that had his precious maiden.

Gilgamesh spotted his many creations roaming the grounds of the castle. The destruction of the Creatures of Grimm was near complete. It would soon be time for his evolved Grimm to teach the world about what it really meant to fight. He was looking forward to this, to seeing what sort of heroes would try to stand up and fight back.

He anticipated a high fatality rate especially among the huntsman community and with a fresh batch of students soon to arrive at each of the four academies, this number would only increase. Even seasoned veteran hunters would be hard-pressed to attack and defend against his creation.

Because he had managed to make it this far, he was now on his guard. At critical times like this, he could fall into arrogance easily. That would be his downfall unless he took steps to make sure that he wouldn't make the same mistake three times in a row.

This was all going so well that unless something spontaneous happened, this would turn out exactly as Gilgamesh expected it to. The headmaster of Beacon Academy presented himself as a man of intellect, strength, and connections, but deep down, he was just a man pining for love that had soured. For a man who presented himself as an example for the younger generation to look up to, his true actions indicated a very flawed man.

Pathetic.

Fate/Stay Night - - - RWBY

Ruby Rose was a simple girl with simple dreams. She wanted to save the world and help people, just like her mom. She wanted to be like the knights in fairy tales that swooped in, being all heroic and noble, a shining example for everyone to look up to. Maybe her actions might inspire someone else to do good too. That was also something that her mom would probably do. Well, there were a lot of things her mom would probably do that could be considered heroic. She was just that kind of woman.

But the point still stood. The girl of fifteen years wanted to follow in the footsteps of her late mother and become a huntress. It was a path that not only was a life filled with heroic opportunities but also a chance to do so many other things. She could travel the world, meet new people, see new cultures, understand the broader scope of the world, and so many other things. Really, it felt like a waste not to take this path. The potentials were limitless in her eyes and that was the best thing ever.

There was also the fact that this path, while dangerous, had many perks as well. A person didn't have to be a Grimm killer all their lives to save up enough lien to retire comfortably. Her dad was an example of that. He had long since retired from being an active duty huntsman and was now a teacher at Signal Academy, yet still the house that her family lived in was the only one she had known her entire life.

Ruby had a feeling that for her, being a huntress was going to be a very long career for her. If she thought to herself about how she saw herself in ten years, even twenty years from now, she could still see herself fighting the good fight. She didn't think herself very wise or all-seeing, but her path in life was one that she took with pride and certainty. If she couldn't be confident about anything else, this was one place that she could be sure. So assuming her career to be as long as she anticipated, money wouldn't be much of an issue. Maybe she wouldn't even get her own place until she retired and Gods knew when that was going to happen.

All of this was her plan, but right now, it looked like that plan was about to receive some major modifications.

As of late, there were many news stories going around that all across the world, Grimm were migrating in massive numbers to the currently unpopulated continent located to the northwest of Vale and to the north of Vacuo. Multiple confirmed sightings also spotted extremely rare Grimm types within those mass movements, types that had only been seen once every decade, maybe even longer. Places that had never had any major reports of Grimm activity were seeing species awaken from the natural landscape to join the travelling hordes as well. These staggering numbers of monster congregations were causing more than a fair share of panic and dread.

What was even more shocking was that despite the increased anxiety all across the world, not a single attack had been made by the Grimm. It was almost as if Mankind and the Faunus didn't exist in their eyes. This sort of behavior was unprecedented in all of recorded history. Even the earliest known records acknowledged the Grimm as monsters that assaulted the living on sight and without hesitation. Now that the black monstrosities were straight-up ignoring everyone was arguably worse than outright conflict.

Ruby could understand this sort of mentality, even agree with it on some level. There was a reason to fear what the Grimm were doing. They were the single greatest threat to all of civilization. Even huntsmen and huntresses, for all of their power and skills and experience, were hard-pressed to defend the kingdoms from their onslaught. This was a game-changing event never-before seen. What it meant for the months to come was anyone's guess, but the general consensus was that something was going to happen, and soon.

Another part of the red reaper was bummed out. Her dreams of slaying monsters and being a hero looked to be taken away from her. She had always wanted that kind of life and if things kept like they did, she wouldn't even be able to get her foot in the door. She couldn't even take her anger out on the local Beowolves because they were gone too.

"You're doing it again, sis." Yang, her older sister, snapped her from her reverie. "Remnant to Ruby. You there?"

"Huh? What?" Ruby intelligently replied. "What'd you say, Yang?"

"Just wondering what's got thinking all deep." Yang commented. "I don't ever see you like this. It's kind of new and weird."

That's right. Before she descended into her thoughts, she had been doing some homework in the kitchen while her sister was cleaning up a bit. Even with events in the world happening as they were, combat school was still underway. Unsurprisingly, some changes needed to be made in order to accommodate the shifting times, but wasn't that sort of thing expected whenever new things came up?

"Yang, what do you think's going on with the Grimm?" Ruby decided to consult the blonde girl. "You think it's all bad like everyone's saying?"

"I don't think so." Yang shook her head, all smiles and sunshine. "And even if the Grimm are going, it's not like huntsmen will stop getting work. You do know that the pros take all sorts of jobs. Bodyguards, security escort, government contracts, PMC's, some even go full military."

"Yeah. Actually, I forgot about those options." Ruby took in those words. "I've always been about killing Grimm."

"Well, that's what we're supposed to do on paper." Yang agreed. "But in our field, the scope's pretty wide. Maybe you should think about what to do if bashing Grimm skulls doesn't work out."

Logically, the silver-eyed girl knew that her sister was right. Things in life didn't always go as she expected or wanted. She needed to be flexible to an extent in order to facilitate her greatest goal. That's what her family had always emphasized when it came to her life. As important as it was to have dreams to work towards, it was also just as important to remember that the world was constantly changing. An inability to adapt could be disaster-bringing.

Regardless, it was a hard pill to swallow, accepting that maybe she couldn't live her life exactly as she envisioned it. All the time training with Uncle Qrow, all the effort she spent crafting and perfecting Crescent Rose, all the hours spent refining her combat technique, she didn't want any of that to amount to nothing. That would be the worst feeling ever, at least she thought so.

"C'mon, Rubes." Yang grabbed her baby sister's cheeks and made a smile. "You'll be fine. You don't have to be a hero by killing Grimm. You can save people other ways too."

"Yang, stop." Ruby didn't really much care for this treatment. "This kind of hurts."

"See?" Yang let go. "You're just fine."

"I get it." Ruby rubbed her skin. "I won't mope forever, okay? Just give me my moment. I didn't think this was going to happen."

"Hey, who did?" Yang shrugged. "I don't think anyone was expecting this, but it's not all bad. If the Grimm are gone, then life gets better, yeah?"

"I hope so." Ruby said. "At least people won't have to worry about life and death situations constantly."

"Yeah." Yang put away the last of the dishes before striking a pose. "Okay, I'm done. This might be a good time to do some training. How about it, Ruby?"

"Yeah!" Ruby felt her spirits lifted. "I'll get Crescent Rose!"
"Ah ah ah!" Yang grasped the shorter girl's left wrist. "No weapons this time. We'll be doing hand-to-hand."

"NONONO!" Ruby's protests were instant. "You know I don't do unarmed fighting! I'm no good at it!"

"Exactly why you need to get better at it." Yang declared pointedly. "You should be prepared for the possibility of not having your baby on hand."

"But I always have my baby with me." Ruby argued back. "I never forget her."

"You never forget?" Yang's skepticism showed. "Need I remind you about last week?"

"I-I was distracted, okay?!" Ruby threw her free hand up. "Besides, it was cookies and strawberries! It's a good excuse."

"Suuure." Yang drew out. "Anyway, outside. Now."

"Yang!" Ruby whined. "Don't make me do this! It's inhumane!"

"You'll live." Yang remained impassive. "Let's go."

And so the two sisters proceeded to fight on the flat terrain close by to the house. This place had seen countless hours of training and practice. It was here that both of them first learned to hold weapons. It was here that they threw their first punches and kicks. It was here that they first mastered their favorite moves.

A lot of memories came from here.

RWBY - - - Fate/Stay Night

General James Ironwood's life had taken a turn, in his opinion, for the worse. As one of the top military leaders in all of Atlas in addition to being the headmaster of Atlas Academy, he was in charge of a significant amount of the fighting force that came out of the most technologically advanced kingdom in the world. However, without the proper information, he wouldn't be able to wield his piece of the war machine with any sort of precision.

And recently, he had almost no information regarding certain recent events.

It had started about two weeks ago. The first report of Grimm activity in areas usually not occupied by the monsters wasn't particularly alarming. At the time, there were more pressing concerns such as the initiation of the freshman students as well as his duties to the military. He heard the report and soundly forgot about it. Once was happenstance.

Then a similar-sounding report came in the following day. The details were different, but it heavily resembled the previous day's report. The Grimm were again spotted in parts where they had been no sightings before. Again, the general had heard the report and gave little more though to it. Twice was circumstance.

The day after the second report, a third report came, almost mirroring the previous two reports. The black and white beasts were once again on the move in places that didn't have any precedence for their presence. Hearing this for the third time, Ironwood decided that an in-depth investigation of the matter was warranted. Three times was enemy action and he knew perfectly well who the enemy was.

Well, it turned out his decision to listen to the matter was the right one. The reports provided a lot of detail regarding how Grimm species normally known for sticking to behaviors associated with the animal they corresponded to were acting out of the norm, moving into places they normally would not travel, congregating in a manner never sighted before, and most worrying of all, not attacking a single human or faunus.

The last part particularly caught Ironwood's notice. It was a basic rule of life on Remnant that regardless of the type of Grimm, they immediately went on the offensive. That was how it always was, no questions asked. The notion that they would ever ignore people was absolutely absurd no matter who said it, but now that was the new reality.

For many, it was a cause for celebration. Not only were there no attacks to speak of, there were no more Grimm periods. Places and locations once notorious for being hotspots of activity were now vacant as if there had never been anything there in the first place. Overrun land was now able to be entered. Unexplored regions could now be explored with a far greater risk reduction. For many, the sentiment that this could only mean good things.

But James saw it differently as did many of the other general officers in the Atlesian Armed Forces.

For one thing, the one thing that anyone could discern as strange was that in all the history of Mankind, there was not a single instance where an interaction between Man and the Grimm had not ended in violence between both parties. This act of non-aggression by the latter was completely unprecedented in the entire known history of civilization on Remnant. That was more than enough reason to be paranoid.

Secondly, this reduction in Grimm activity would also directly affect the work of huntsmen and huntresses all across the world. Many men and women who had dedicated their career solely to hunting and killing monsters would soon be out of a job and would need to tailor their skills for different work. That would create some new power dynamics domestically and internationally.

Even assuming the Grimm were gone for good, which was unrealistic idealism, there would be questions as to how the most prominent warriors on Remnant would get used to a world not constantly fighting to maintain the borders of the four kingdoms. What would be their purpose? Where would they go? Where did that leave everyone else?

All of these were legitimate questions that needed answers because depending upon what happened, the rise of new tensions in the world were likely to happen sooner rather than later. Conflicts never seen before in history could give rise. In a worst-case scenario, another Great War could erupt and it could be worse than the one eighty years ago.

Third, the concept of a world without Grimm gave rise to dangerous prospects. Land previously unattainable could be seized, resources out of reach could be taken and utilized, and even new nations could be formed given time and the right conditions. The kingdoms and their councils would be fools not to reap the rewards that such untapped potential could give rise to. That was exactly what made this idea so hazardous; when people fought for things they wanted, politeness and courtesy could often be thrown to the wayside.

Of course, General Ironwood was merely forming hypothetical scenarios based on what information he had now, but he should be focusing mostly on right now. The Grimm were travelling in massive numbers to the continent west of Atlas and they were not attacking anyone. That was what was most important.

This begged the question: what exactly was Salem up to?

Whatever the witch's plans were, her actions were having many effects on the entirety of the population of the world. Whether her actions were meant to stir up such emotions he could not say, but he wouldn't rule out such a possibility. His best guess was that pulling back all of her Grimm was merely an action meant to buy time or lure everyone into a false sense of peace, further incurring complacency.

The headmaster of Atlas Academy had become so occupied with formulating ideas regarding how to piece all of this together that he had obtained a notebook for the sole purpose of jotting down theories about what could happen and the probability of his simulated scenarios based on the most current information. That has been his life since he began taking all of this seriously.

"Sir, you asked for the latest reports?" That was Specialist Winter Schnee. "I have them right here."

"Thank you, Specialist Schnee." James nodded his head. "Anything new to report?"

"Nothing that isn't already public knowledge." Winter replied, albeit with an expression of contemplation. "There are some additional details as to patterns that were discernible in the Grimm hordes, but still no reason as to why any of this is happening."

"I see." General Ironwood kept his disappointment hidden, regarding his subordinate insead. "You seem distracted, Winter."

"I apologize, sir." Winter redoubled her efforts to remain at-attention. "Personal matters have been occupying my mind as of late."

The soldier was trying not to speak of what she was thinking, but it was clear to the general what was on her mind.

As the former Schnee heiress to the SDC, she was a very important figure to have by his side. Normally, enlisted personnel didn't work so closely with general officers. Even lower-ranking non-commissioned officers didn't get many chances to work with general officers, but there was a reason for keeping Winter close to the chest. Even if she had willingly forsaken her inheritance, she was still a Schnee by blood.

There was also the fact that Jacque was still on Ironwood's case about "stealing" his daughter and even if the SDC head didn't want to admit, he wanted his daughter back in his clutches. The man certainly loved having things and people under his thumb.

James couldn't say that he wasn't guilty of having ulterior motives himself. Having the huntress turned soldier at his side was beneficial for political reasons, so his criticisms of Jacque were not without some hypocrisy on his part.

But even if Winter was technically free from her family, she still wasn't in many ways. Because she still had her family name, great expectations were still placed on her. Not only that, but many fellow servicemen and servicewomen were partially wary and resentful of the status granted to her simply by being a Schnee. In that sense, she had to work ten times harder to prove that her place wasn't simply earned by her name and even if she did her very best, it would never be enough for many.

Not that pleasing everyone was possible in the first place.

"I don't suppose you know anything about how the SDC is responding to recent events?" Ironwood questioned her. "Perhaps you've heard something important?"

"I have heard many things, sir, but they are rumors at best." Winter commented with a thoughtful look. "Although some of them have a bit of merit given the state of Remnant."

James raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Winter took a moment before answering. "I've been hearing whispers about the most recent shipments of dust being moved to projects that have been denied these resources many times over."

This would be a long discussion.

Fate/Stay Night - - - RWBY

After her little accident trying to find out who she was, Lily took care to never overextend herself to the degree that would render her unable to act in an emergency. She had learned this lesson the hard way. Her days were not spent boldly yet practically testing her skills on some of Gilgamesh's creations.

Predictably, they were much more of a threat than the Grimm, but she found her own motivation to grow stronger. These things would be the dominant enemy now and out in the wilds, there was no telling whether or not they would be as obedient as the ones that were contained within this domain.

To further supplement her training and spars, she did her own physical exercises. Her big brother had always stressed the importance of physical hardiness and especially now when he wasn't around to coach her, she had to find her own way to motivate herself into doing the hard stuff.

Lily wanted to get stronger for a reason that was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't figure it out. Yeah, she liked the idea of helping her brother, but until that time came, she would have to find something else to think about. The trouble was that she wasn't smart or a deep thinker. She just did things if they felt right and avoided things that didn't make sense to her. That was just how she worked.

She could only spend so much time coming up with new catch phrases and words that would make her stand out. No matter what she came up with, Gilgamesh was never impressed, so she just had to brainstorm something to say when she would go out and face off against another enemy.

Yes, she thought about how she had killed people, the ultimate wrong according to many people. Killing meant that she was bad according to what normal people said, but her guardian spoke of killing as a right, not something to be shunned or discarded. It was useful to kill certain people, he said, and sometimes it was fun.

Personally, Lily just wanted to live long enough to know what all of this meant. Her ignorance was a considerable hurdle to work with. She had tried to listen to the golden-haired man as he explained his plans to take over and she almost fell asleep immediately. None of the words made sense.

Even as she trained her body and her soul, she still had enough thinking room to be pondering on the greater mysteries in life. That probably wasn't a good thing for her to be doing. She might do something stupid if she wasn't paying attention.

And Gilgamesh did not care for actions born of idiocy.

The month prior without an update was on account of me needing to take a step back with ideas.

Also, I'm joining the US Army, or I hope to during the summer. See my profile for details if that interests you.

I don't have much to say about this chapter, or anything at all. It is what it is.

Please review and leave feedback.

Thanks for reading.

"You cannot tailor-make the situations in life, but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations."

Zig Ziglar