Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Enter the Gungeon. They belong to Rooster Teeth and Devolver Digital respectively. The only thing I do own is my creativity and my lack of self-confidence.
Investigations and Anomalies
Luke jolted up in a panic as he frantically glanced around in the room. No white glowing cracks, no crumbling floors, and walls, everything was calm. Struggling to his feet, he slowly searched his surroundings for his father or the Lich. Nothing, only the small red leather book the Lich dropped. Eyeing it with suspicion, he cautiously picked up the book. The top of the cover depicted a Bullet Kin between two UZIs. The middle showed a revolver chamber with a strange symbol inside each circle. Finally, the title of the strange book was emblazoned in the front, 'Ammonomicon'. Quirking an eyebrow at the strange book, he tucked it into his pocket and walked out of the room.
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"Empty, empty, and also empty. Off to a great start so far," Luke said sarcastically as he walked down the hallway, looking into each individual room. If he was honest with himself, the silence was slowly beginning to unnerve him. He was used to the signs of life when he was searching for father, whether it is friendly or hostile. In a supposedly empty castle with no sounds other than his own footsteps, it was rather frightening. Walking down some stairs, he found himself in a throne room with a very familiar throne and a large set of wooden doors.
Luke pushed opened the doors to see a stone path breaking off and the beautiful night sky.
"Huh, it's nighttime right now," he commented as he gazed up at the stars and the broken moon.
Wait, broken moon?
Staring at said broken moon, he began to rapidly tap the side of his glasses, causing a holographic screen to appear in front of him. He quickly swiped through several screens until he stopped at a map the showed various stars and planets. After careful analysis, he can confirm that yes; he was on a totally different planet. One that was not recorded on any official records of listed planets, which was strange, since the Hegemony of Man would be over this in a heartbeat, claiming it as its own. Actually, where is he right now?
Looking away from his screen, he found out that there wasn't any type of land in his vision; in fact, all he could see were the skies and the stars. Walking, to the edge of the broken path, he looked down to see a city beneath his feet. The Gungeon was floating. He was no idea how this was and he had no desire to find out. Slowly backing away from the edge, he retreated back into the castle before anymore insanity found him. It was night time and he was way too tired for this shit.
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Vale: Morning
"Ozpin?"
"Yes, Glynda?"
"I am currently awake yes?"
"Yes, you are Glynda,"
"So the castle floating above Vale is not the result of many sleepless nights doing paperwork?"
"No, it is not Glynda,"
Ozpin and Glynda were currently located in Ozpin's office, staring at the Gungeon. It was a rather surreal sight, seeing a mysterious floating appearing out in thin air. It was something out of a fairytale or a storybook, something that Ozpin was greatly familiar with. In his head, Ozpin was skimming past many, many years' worths of memories to see if there was any mention of a floating castle, but nothing came up.
This worried Ozpin. Before, it was only a duel between him and Salem with pieces he knows. Now with an entirely new piece on the board, this could send some of his plans in disarray, or worse, give Salem the advantage. Luckily, this new variable appeared on his side of the battlefield. Hopefully, he would be able to sway the owner to his cause.
"Let's take a closer, Glynda," said Ozpin as he turned around began walking towards the elevator.
"Yes, sir,"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Gungeon briefly flickered showing a more ominous, evil structure. Ozpin froze and whipped his head back to the floating building once more, only to see nothing out of place.
"Sir, is something wrong?" Glynda asked as she turned around to see Ozpin staring intensely at the castle.
After a few moments, he turned his back to the castle, "No, everything is fine."
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"WOW! THAT'S SO COOL!"
"B-but! Th-this! H-How is this possible?!"
"Don't know Weiss-cream. Maybe really big engines."
"Unlikely, I don't see any."
Team RWBY was staring at the floating castle that decided to appear after last night. Ruby was gazing with wonder and excitement, Weiss was suffering from a world-class headache regarding logic and physics, Yang was grinning at the prospect of a new adventure, and Blake was simply impassive, merely deciding to roll with it. After dealing with the White Fang and a hijacked Atlesian Paladin, the girls were ready to have a somewhat normal day tomorrow, only for the floating castle to appear, much to Team RWBY (*cough* Weiss *cough*) chagrin.
"You girls wanna try to get up there and explore?" asked Yang with a daring grin as she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand.
"Hmm, it would be interesting to see what is inside," commented Blake.
"All right! All in favor of exploring an awesome looking castle!" asked Ruby with her hand raised.
Both Yang and Blake raised their hand along with a reluctant Weiss.
"In that case, how about I give you four a lift?"
They turned around to see Ozpin standing behind them along with Glynda and an excited Oobleck who was zipping up buildings in order to get a closer look at the castle, much to the annoyance of Glynda and the amusement of Ozpin.
"Really! You're going to take us up there sir?" Ruby asked excitedly as she pointed to a floating structure.
Ozpin nodded, "Indeed. However, we don't know anything about this castle. Despite its appearance, it could hold a monstrous beast and dangerous traps."
The mood slightly sobered as Team RWBY nodded with utmost seriousness. Ozpin silently reminisces about the last time he ventured into a castle. Hopefully, there wasn't a beautiful maiden stuck in there.
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*tap tap tap tap*
"Where is that blasted room?" muttered Luke as he attempts to backtrack his way to the room where he last fought the Lich with his father to investigate what happened. As he wanders around in hopes of accidentally stumbling into the room, his mind thought back to the battle. According to theorems about time travel he read a while ago, a paradox occurs when a future self goes back in time to kill their past self. When that happens, two scenarios occur, the collapse of a timeline or the creation of an alternate reality. It was hard to predict whether which one would happen, no knows what are the circumstances for each one to occur. But that's only when a future-self kill their past-self.
So what happens when a past-self murders their future-self?
The Gunslinger was pulled into a future where he conquered the Gungeon and ruled over it as the Lich. However, the future is always on flux, constantly changing or shifting based on the actions of others. Theoretically speaking, if the Gunslinger killed the Lich, the Gungeon wouldn't exist anymore. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. The Gungeon was created when the Great Bullet struck down from the sky. Soooooooooo, wha…?
Luke massaged his head as he attempted to deduct a reasonable answer for the timey wimey spacey wacey bullshit until he reached a familiar doorway. Upon entering, he scanned the room with a critical eye, even going as far to activate his sensors.
And…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
…nothing out of place.
"Throw me a bone here you stupid castle," grumbled Luke as he kicked a wall in frustration.
*click*
Turning his head towards the sound, he noticed a section of the wall swinging open into a room with a wooden box and a dull red lever. Beneath the red lever was an inscription written in strange symbols that displayed stars, guns, and bullets. Investigating the box first, he discovered a pleasant surprise.
"Woah, haven't seen these models in a long time ever since the company went out of business," remarked Luke as he delicately held aloft two seamless between a rifle, a wand, and a sword. The rifle part itself was just the handle and the butt of the gun, the barrel of the gun was blue metal, the hole where the bullet exit was instead replaced with a red gem, and finally beneath the barrel was a small compartment where the blade was kept hidden, ready to be jutted out in melee combat. (If you're having trouble visualizing this, search for gunlike rod and look at the images.)
Holstering both of them to the sides of his legs, he finally turned to the lever. The lever itself was simple and unassuming. However, he can't help but feel trepidation, as if this was an important decision he was making. Steeling his nerves, he grasped the lever and pulled.
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"Fascinating! Simply Fascinating! I say this building dates back to before the Great War!"
"Hey, Yang! I think the guns on this throne actually work!"
"Really! Let me see Rubes!"
"Girls! Get away from the chair at once!"
"I have seen lavish homes before but this one is rather homely for a castle,"
Ozpin couldn't help but smile slightly at the levity happening as irate Glynda pried Ruby off the throne with her semblance. The rest of the team was either admiring the design of the Gungeon or the throne itself.
"Professor, do you think someone lives here?" asked Blake as she glanced at the wooden doors just off to the sides.
Ozpin shook his head, "Unlikely, we scanned the entire castle for any Aura signatures. There was so sign of li-" he cut off as he suddenly gazed at the ceiling with a sharp gaze.
He could feel something was coming. This signature… magic?! But how?! Has the Brother Gods grant humanity their favor once again? No, the signature was foreign but was unmistakably magic. And it's coming closer!
"Glynda! Oobleck! Grab the girls! We need to leave now!" barked Opzin as he began to sprint towards the gate. Snapping to attention, both teachers quickly gathered the girls and started running alongside Ozpin.
"What's wrong?" asked Ruby as she ran.
Ozpin didn't reply as the group quickly got themselves into the Bullhead. As soon they took into the air, something large and heavy slammed into the Gungeon, emitting a huge shockwave that rocked the aircraft back and forth. As the Bullhead finally regained stability, they turned to the floating structure to see it completely changed. The once pristine and majestic castle was now an impenetrable fortress complete with rapports and battlements. But what caught the eye of the group was a giant-sized bullet that stuck itself in the center of it all.
Narrowing his eyes, he turned to Glynda, "Contact all pilots heading this direction. Tell them the airspace surrounding the castle are lockdown.
Little did he know, as Glynda relayed his orders, the Gundead began walking among the living once more.
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In a dark empty space, two figures sat facing each other at a small table. On the table was a chessboard that held chess pieces.
One of the figures, who was distinctly woman and wreathed in shadows, opened her mouth to speak, "Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past."
"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness — creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void." Continued the woman as she gently pushed a black pawn piece forward.
"However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named "Dust". Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."
The woman looked up from the board and faced the figure seated in front of her," But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return."
The other figure, covered in light rather than darkness, simply smiled in response, "But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul."
"Hmph. You wish,"
Turning their heads to the new speaker, they looked at a figure in a well-dressed suit splattered with every single color as if someone took multiple paint cans and splashed against his suit. However, the strangest thing about him was instead of a head, atop his body was a glowing 20 sided die.
"Sure, you may plan for the future and look back at the mistakes of your past, but that doesn't change anything. Nothing is ever set in stone." The strange figure continued as he materialized a chair and seated itself between them. "That's the thing about reality, nothing is really what you expected.
Waving its hand in a dismissive manner, the chessboard on the table disappeared and was replaced with a pile of dice. From the table two 20 sided die floated up and sent themselves into the hands of both the shadow woman and the light man, each glowing their respective colors
The figure with the die head folded its hand across its lap, "And of course, reality is a bitch. Now then, which one of you will roll for initiative?"