Nothing is owned by me
Chapter 7
A Mortician Talent 1: Summoning Grimm
The first step of a grimm mortician is the art of summoning grimm
Steps:
Spill the Grimm liquid.
Hypothesize the grimm structure
Sympathize with the experience of its growth.
Reproduce the accumulated years.
Understand it's soul
Recipes Available:
Boarbatusk - 1 Bottle
Beowolf - 1 Bottle
Whitley raced away from the Alpha Beowolf, desperately consulting the instructions in his hands. He had three bottles of Grimm Liquid, enough to summon three Grimms of his own. Glancing back, he could see Poppy valiantly attempting to save her carry bags, Ivori and Kobalt. Despite being the greatest illusionist in the Grimm Kind, her physical strength was still lacking; if he didn't act soon, she would be overwhelmed, with potentially devastating consequences.
Spill the Grimm liquid.
He gripped the bottle of grim liquid tightly in his hand and unscrewed the cap. With precision, he poured every drop of the liquid onto the ground, his gaze fixed intently on the task at hand.
Hypothesize the grimm structure
Two shapes suddenly materialized in his mind: one resembling a wolf and the other a boar. He focused intently on the boar shape, sharpening its contours in his imagination.
Sympathize with the experience of its growth.
This step required more focus from him. He understood the significance of it; he needed to convey grim emotions. Emotions that are gained through experience. Emotions that define one's existence. He was not a Grimm, so he could not say what a Grimm truly felt, but he could give it the emotions they were known for: anger and hatred. He thought about the worst experiences he had ever faced and poured them all into the Grimm.
As he did so, the Grimm liquid on the floor began to spread and form into puddles, from which Grimms were known to take shape.
Reproduce the accumulated years.
Once more, a difficult task lay before him. He had to recreate the entire life cycle of his Grimm, from its birth to the present day. He had done his utmost to give his Grimm an advantage, but unfortunately, the challenge was too great for him.
Understand its soul
He was not able to even grasp this step. How can one understand the soul of creatures who are said to be soulless. This was beyond him. Thankfully this was not the necessary step and grimm still can be summoned with it
In front of Whitley, the puddle on the ground rose up and transformed into a Boarbatusk. It was a typical specimen, comparable to most Boarbatusks found all over Remnant, but the most remarkable feature of this Grimm was its eyes - blue with a hint of silver, instead of the usual red.
The entire process took about five minutes in real time, but to him it felt like an eternity. He could feel all of his energy being sapped away, and that was just for a single Boarbatusk. After this, he was confident that he could write a best-selling book on Boarbatusks alone.
Whitley looked at his creation which was growling menacingly and waiting for his command. He looked at the alpha Beowolf and his Employee Poppy who was distracting the Grimm
"Poppy fallback! Now my grimm it's your time to shine. Show to the beowolf what a Boarbatusk can do" Whitley Shouted
"BOOARBAAA…BOARBAAAAAAAA" The Grimm understood him and charged madly at the alpha beowolf
"What is that Boss?" Poppy asked as she saw the mad Boarbatusk charged at alpha beowolf
"That's a Boarbatusk Poppy, our friendly neighbourhood grimm" Whitley replied as he saw the mad Boarbatusk jumped on the alpha beowolf twice his size
"Boss," Poppy said with a hint of surprise, "I've never seen a Grimm so angry and hateful. Even the mad ones I've encountered were much tamer in comparison to this one."
Whitley again looked at his creation. He remembered he poured all his life sorrows and hatred into that grimm.
Did he overdo it? His life experiences are not that bad right?
The frenzied Boarbatusk continued to charge at the alpha Beowolf, without any hesitation. He could see that, in terms of raw strength, his Boarbatusk was giving the alpha a run for its money; however, the alpha Beowolf was an alpha for a reason. The battle-hardened alpha was able to outmaneuver his Boarbatusk and land devastating blows. With only five minutes left on the timer, if this continued, his Boarbatusk would not be able to survive.
His gaze lingered on the two carry bags of poppy, Kobalt and Ivori, not on them specifically but on the dust they had. He remembered the book saying that Grimm liquid could be combined with dust to create Grimm-based products. He didn't have the strength to create an entire Grimm again, but he was sure he could give it a try. He approached ivori and kobalt and without any shame stole away every dust crystal he can find on them.
"Just consider it as a payment for saving your lives" Whitley said to the fainted boys, trying to justify his actions
He held few dust in one hand and the bottle of grim liquid in the other. With a steady hand, he opened the bottle and poured the liquid directly onto the dust crystal. After creating the Boarbatusk, he had a better understanding of the process. The grim liquid was a malleable substance that could be molded with emotions and energy. When creating the Boarba, he had used his own internal energy, but this time he was going to use the energy stored in the dust crystal. He poured all of his life's miseries into the grim liquid, thinking of his financial problems, the loans he had taken, and how he was unable to pay his workers' salaries. The energy from the dust crystal seeped into the grim liquid, making it shine brighter and brighter until there was a loud crack and, before him, a red pill appeared.
The black scroll ringed
Misery Pill: The Misery pills are special brand of pills created by grimm morticians. This version can increase a grimm strength by 2x for some period of time
"Congratulations! You have discovered a grimm product. Misery Pill"
Whitley looked at the burning red pill in his hand, and he knew exactly what to do. As an avid scroll game player, he was able to understand this mechanic just by the look
"BOARBAA TIME to LEVEL UP" he shouted at his Boarbatusk, throwing the red pill in its direction. The Boarbatusk, struggling to hold its own against the alpha, looked at the incoming red pill, its eyes shining brightly.
The Alpha gazed at the red pill with a hint of apprehension, attempting to take it for himself, but there was no stopping the oncoming Boarbatusk of Whitley's. The Boarbatusk devoured the pill, its menacing gaze fixed upon the Alpha who had dared to take its treat. In an instant, its size doubled, its tusks sharpened and glowed with fiery intensity, and its eyes shifted to a deep, sapphire blue, with a silver hue radiating from its body.
"BOARBAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Whitley's Boarbatusk shouted. Now it was alpha turn to run. Against the raw strength of Whitley's Boarbatusk the battle experience of alpha seemed insignificant. Boarbatusk now easily able to slam the alpha on ground and get a hold of him
Whitley cheered with pride as he watched the performance of his Boarbatusk. His eyes had the same look of a proud father when he saw his son hit a home run in a baseball game. "See, that's my Boarba" Whitley said proudly
Poppy also looked impressed by the amazing Boarbatusk, the only one who is not impressed was the alpha who was facing the amazing Boarba. Yesterday the same alpha that was giving Whitley his worst nightmare, was now running away from his Boarba boy.
So, what Zen and Azure left, now he has Poppy and his Boarba boy. With their combined skills, he was confident that success of his haunted house was imminent. You see that 'Black scroll' his Boarba boy can alone deal with one of the greatest in threat in Remnant. What else you can do now.
"Thanks for your patience. Please step back the Grimm is being banished from this floor"
"What...? Oh yeah, the time limit!" In front of him, a large crack appeared in the scenario. The crack kept expanding and started moving towards Alpha and his Boarbatusk!
"Move, my dear boy, move! Leave the poor Beowolf alone!" Whitley shouted, but Boarbatusk's sole focus was maiming the Alpha Beowolf.
Alpha also saw the crack, but instead of running away from it, he decided to jump directly into it. Anything was better than this mad Boarbatusk.
Boarbatusk does not want to lose alpha and just jumped in the crack behind alpha
"BOARBAA!" Whitley shouted in despair as he watched the crack close, trapping both the Alpha Beowolf and his beloved Boarbatusk. He slammed his fist against the ground where the crack had been, mourning the loss of his newfound companion. Though it had only been five minutes since they had met, it felt as if he had known the Boarbatusk his entire life.
"Oh…Boarba...my...Boarba, why you have to do that" Whitley cried as he saw his Boarba sacrifice
"Congratulations! You have completed the Special mission: Save and Survive. As an award you have won 5 bottles of grim liquid"
"Congratulations! You have successfully created your first grimm product. As a reward you have given the recipe of death pill"
"Congratulations! As an additional reward you have received a help book: Finding Peace: Exercises to Help Heal the pain and loss (Grief Guide)"
"I hate you black scroll!" Whitley said looking at the messages on screen
He recomposed himself, and looked back at the Poppy who was unusually quiet seeing this scene
"Let's bring our guests outside, Afterall we have a debt to collect from them", Whitley said with a not so happy look.
…
"Flynt…Flynt…Wake up" Flynt jolted as some wet splashes of water fell upon his face.
He felt disoriented and confused, struggling to recall what had occurred.
"Where am I?" Flynt wondered, surveying his unfamiliar surroundings. From looks of it, he was in an infirmary. What had happened?
"Flynt!" He heard Neon call his name, and as he turned to face her, a sudden pain shot through his head, accompanied by a flurry of images that flashed before his eyes.
The world in front of him distorted. Neon eyes turned pitch black as he was again backed into his worst dream
"Flynt, are you dead or alive?"
"AAAAHH!" Flynt immediately recoiled, pushing her away as he scrambled to the edge of the bed, closing his eyes.
"Flynt, Flynt! Are you okay?" He heard voice her voice laced with concern.
Flynt came to his senses and slowly opened his eyes. Instead of pitch-black eyes and the creepy smile, he saw the worried look on his partner face
"Neon, is that you?" he asked carefully.
Neon was taken aback, but quickly regained her composure as she moved closer to check on her partner.
"Yes, Flynt, it's me. Why did you scream?" Neon replied.
Seeing that his partner had returned to her usual self, rather than the otherworldly monster he had imagined, Flynt released a sigh of relief, his tension dissipating.
As he was about to say something to Neon. The door of infirmary slammed open and from came the source of all his current problems "Whitley Schnee"
"Mr. Coal," the young Schnee's voice emanated with a sweet yet sharp edge. "I heard you were awake. How are you feeling now?"
Flynt gritted his teeth, taking all of his years of mental training to keep himself from lashing out right then and there. Neon also kept her glares fixed on Whitely, trying her best to intimidate him. However, Whitely seemed unfazed, continuing on without giving their looks any thought.
"I hope my haunted house wasn't too much for you," Whitley said, giving Team FNKI a knowing expression. "Truly you hunters are truly brave, most first-timers would have taken ages to wake up!"
"Schnee…" Flynt hissed through gritted teeth; his anger palpable.
"Hey!" Neon shouted, not appreciating the hidden sarcasm in his words.
At that moment, a voice called out behind them, prompting Flynt and Neon to look outside. To their horror, they saw their friends Ivori and Kobalt bound and struggling to break free from the grip of a young girl with bright red hair and freckles.
"Oh, don't worry about them! Just a few troublemakers. Our staff is trained to handle such situations. You don't want to get involved," Whitley said with a smirk.
"Now! If you are awake, we also have a few things to discuss"
Flynt had reached his breaking point. He advanced menacingly towards Whitley, bellowing, "What is the meaning of this, Schnee?!"
Neon also looked very angry, her voice rising as she demanded, "Why have you done this to our friends?!"
Whitley smiled as he saw both Neon's and Flynt's reaction, clearly enjoying their distress.
"Friends? you mean the ruffians out there, believe me when I said you don't want to get involved with them" Whitley again postered, making Neon and Flynt more angry
Flynt gestured for Neon to stay back; his fear momentarily forgotten as his sole focus shifted to Whitley Schnee. His voice was stern and authoritative as he spoke, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Schnee this is my first and last warning. If you don't release my team now, I have to take you in the custody immediately. According to the Atlas hunter regulations, a life sentence is mandated for any physical aggression committed against an active huntsman on duty."
"Life imprisonment!" Whitley exclaimed, feigning shock. "But aren't you a Huntsman in training?" he asked skeptically.
Flynt's eyes burned with a deep hatred, as if he had never felt such loathing before. "According to the Seventh Amendment," he began, his voice growing more menacing, "if a team of students feels threatened, the team leader can act as a temporary Huntsman, though they must take responsibility for the actions of their team and inform their mission in charge."
Flynt groaned in frustration, his grip on Whitley's shoulder tightening. "I have full support of General. I can him right away and he won't hesitate to send you behind bars, even if you're a Schnee," he threatened.
Whitley's expression shifted to one of confusion, then a sly smile spread across his face. "Oh, really?" he replied.
"Poppy! You can release Mr. Ivori and Mr. Kobalt. As per Mr. Coal here, we can put Attempted homicide charges on him, along with the vandalism charges that I was going to discuss with him." Whitley said to the girl holding their friends in her grip
"Sure boss!" Poppy, who had been looking at the boys with absolute contempt, replied cheerfully as she dropped them on the ground.
"Neon! Flynt!" both Kobalt and Ivori came running towards their friends.
"Mr. Coal," Whitley began, "I would be most appreciative if you could call General Ironwood. Surely his involvement will make thing faster. As you know, I have a business to run and there are still many visitors waiting outside."
Both Flynt and Neon were taken aback by the 180-degree turn in the situation.
"Attempted homicide?" Flynt, who had been angry at Whitley before, replied weakly.
"Vandalism..." Neon was also unable to process the information.
Seeing their confusion, Whitley clarified, "These ruffians - I mean, Mr. Kobalt and Mr. Ivori - have been charged with the attempted assassination of one of my haunted house employees." Whitley pointed his finger toward the boys.
"You are also responsible for the destruction of private property. Your escape attempts have caused several damages to my haunted scenario, which require fine mistral craftsmen to repair. And, as you said, your team action is your responsibility, so you are hereby charged with the attempted assassination of one of my employees, plus the vandalism charges that you are responsible for."
"What?" Flynt was not able to utter anything as he looked towards his friends
"LIES ALL LIES" Ivori shouted
Both Ivori and Kobalt were shaking with rage, ready to take a swing at Whitley. But before they could, Poppy again stepped in and pushed them both to the ground. Neon, seeing this, drew her weapon, ready to take matters into her own hands.
"Poppy, stop!"
"Neon get back"
Whitley and Flynt both shouted.
Flynt then turned to Ivori. "Ivori, can you explain? Did you really try to..."
"Grimm! It was Grimm, Flynt! Don't believe this liar!" Ivori answered his voice full of conviction.
"There is a Grimm down there in this haunted house and it attempted it almost killed me, not the opposite" Ivori screamed
"There is a Grimm down there!" Neon exclaimed
"Neon not just any grimm but an alpha Beowolf. Me and Kobalt just barely escaped it" Ivori said in a pleading tone
"Is it?" Flynt gave a look towards Whitley "Now how do explain that Mr. Schnee, if there is really a Grimm down there my teammate just tried to perform his duty and not tried to murder anyone"
"Are you keeping a Grimm in this haunted house?" Flynt sharply asked Whitley
"Ha Ha Ha" Whitley just laughed like someone has told him a great joke
"A real grimm? In this haunted house? No way!" he lied casually, though he knows a real grimm is standing a few feet away from them in a form of young girl name poppy.
"Mr. Coal, I am a normal businessman, I don't even have aura or any combat training. How can I have a talent to keep a grimm in this house? And why should I even keep grimm? Fear with Safety is the motto of my haunted house. Maybe you huntsmen are so much in your prejudice that you cannot even identify a difference between real grimm or a fake grimm played by an actor"
"This is a haunted house, Mr. Coal," Whitley added with a hint of sarcasm. "A house of ghosts. What else could be lurking down there, if not them? But sadly, your team didn't need to meet them to get scared."
Flynt clenched his jaw. "You..."
Ivori, Kobalt and Neon are also shaking with anger at Whitley comment.
"I do have some questions to ask Mr. Ivori and Mr. Kobalt to make sense of this situation, if you allow" Whitley said
Ivori was not willing to answer but Flynt prompted to continue. He wanted to see what kind of game this Schnee is playing
Whitley seeing Flynt approval continued
"So, Mr Ivori can you pls describe how did you see the grimm in haunted house"
"I was standing in front of mirror, and grimm appear from behind me and attacked"
"So grimm appeared from mirror?" Whitely asked with an understanding tone
"Yes..." Ivori grunted
"And what about you Mr. Kobalt did you also saw the grimm appearing from mirror?" Whitley questioned Kobalt
Kobalt hesitated before replying, "I did not see any Grimm, but I did see Ivori standing in front of the mirror and then I lost consciousness. I was attacked from behind; I cannot exactly figure out who but probably it was the grimm".
"So, creature of darkness who hates humanity, now knocks people down, interesting" Whitley added as he looked towards Ivori
"So, Mr Ivori if Kobalt have seen you then you should also able to see him also, right?"
"I have seen him … and he turned into the grimm" Ivori forcefully replied, knowing how bad his argument sound
"Is it?" Whitley pondered
"Then what did you do? Seeing this big grimm you probably would have tried to escape" Whitley asked
"I was not able to the mirror me came alive and held my legs, and I tried to use my weapon.."
"Oh, you used you weapon, interesting, interesting, Mr Coal what did that atlas law said, that you can't wield your weapons on someone private property unless its an emergency, isn't that right? Poppy add it to list of charges on Mr. Coal"
"It was an emergency asshole! if not the grimm and mirror me would have killed me" Ivori shouted
"From the looks of your face Mr. Coal you also seem to have understood the situation" Whitley looked towards Coal
"Grimm coming out of mirrors, People turning into grimm, isn't that complete nonsense, who the hell came out with these things, one would be a complete bonkers to be believe such story" Whitley spoke calmly
"Hey what do you mean by that!" Ivori anger flared up
"Unless … Mr Ivori has been influenced!" Whitley looked at the four people in room
Ivori expression also turned from angry to confused
"You see Mr. Ivori, human mind is fickle thing, it can be influenced and programmed by various factors in our environment, such as social norms, media, advertising, and cultural expectations. These external factors can shape our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours in subtle ways, often without us even realizing it. For example, the clothes you are wearing maybe it is not the most expensive, but isn't it most from most popular Adel brand that usually advertise how hunters should dress or the dust you are using, SDC may not be your first choice but it also true that you chose SDC dust because you knew more about it"
"Schnee, come to the point" Flynt called from side, not wanting to listen his rant
"What I mean to say is that, Grimm coming out of mirrors, People turning into grimm, Mr. Ivori does not saw any of that in my Haunted house. These are all part of advertisement video of that I uploaded yesterday night, which Mr Ivori and probably you all have already seen. Mr. Ivori was probably so much affected by the video, that when he saw the mirror, he was not able to differentiate between reality and false video. He started hallucinating making him act irrationally. He attacked his teammate Mr. Kobalt and on top of that he attacked my innocent haunted house employee, who was just doing his duty." Whitley said with stern voice
He turned towards Flynt, who was grinding his teeth unable to find fault in Schnee logic
"I was not hallucinating!" Ivori shouted
"Schnee ..." Flynt moved towards Whitley "Let's say for one second I believe whatever nonsense you are putting; how do you explain what I have seen down there …" Flynt said as he gave a look to Neon
"I remember I saw something like … Neon … down there. Surely, I can't be also hallucinating" Flynt asked with hesitation
Whitley laughed at this question, making Flynt more angry
"Mr. Coal, as I have told you before, Schnee House of Horror is the house of the unexplainable. What you encountered may have been a fabrication, or perhaps a genuine ghost lurking in the shadows. If you saw something like Ms. Neon, why don't you ask her? She may be able to provide insight into her experience," Whitley said, turning to face Neon.
Neon suddenly became very quiet as the attention of the room shifted to her. "Well...when we were down there, you...I was," she said, shifting her gaze from Flynt as she tried to form her words.
"Neon, we can discuss that later if you're not comfortable," Flynt said.
"Mr. Coal" Whitley interrupted Flynt in a sharp voice. "As per the 3rd Huntsmen Amendment of Atlas, if any huntsman on duty is found assaulting any ordinary citizen, they are to be sent to a minimum of three years imprisonment and have their huntsman title stripped away forever. Additionally, as per the 12th Amendment, vandalism and destruction of private property by huntsmen actions that are not related to grimm in the province of Mantle should be repaid double to the original owner and also require one year of community service."
"I have already sent the case details to one of the best lawyers in my family" These words shook the entire team FNKI
Whitley then added, with fake tears for extra effect "It pains me to do it. As a citizen of Atlas, I know the value of brave huntsmen and huntsmen-in-training in our society and how this one case can ruin the reputation of the entire Atlas Academy... But … as a 'Boss', I also cannot ignore the pain of my employees. My poor employee is mentally tormented and has now locked himself deep underground. The scars of the body can heal quickly, but the scars of the mind remain forever. As a boss, it is now my duty to take his place and carry this torch of justice to give him internal peace so that he can recover."
Poppy also faked some emotions, coming forward and wiping the fake tears from Whitley's eyes.
"You are so great Boss" Poppy added
The color drained from all FNKI members' faces as their worst nightmare seemed to be coming true. Atlas was a military-based society with laws and rules far stricter and more severe than anywhere else in Remnant. Allegations of harming a common citizen were not taken lightly and could easily ruin their careers before they had even begun. They knew the General would help them, but if the case went public, it would be a huge disaster
Seeing the situation at hand and faces of his teammates , Flynt swallowed his anger and said slowly, "Schnee…We can talk this out…"
"Yes, Mr. Coal, what did you say? Can you speak louder?" Whitley said still acting like he was in deep pain
Flynt took a deep breath.
"Schnee…Whitley Schnee, let's talk this out…there is no need to be hasty." Flynt replied with a force smile
"Boss!" A young sheep Faunus walked into the room. "The crowd is getting rowdy out there. They want to know what happened to Team FNKI."
"Of course, of course. Aren't our brave team of hunters right here? There's no need to be hasty." He pointed to Team FNKI and gave them a smile that to them looked more like of a devil's laughter.
"F**ing Schnee's," Flynt, Kobalt, Ivori, Neon all grumbled internally.
Next update: 9 March 2023