Opening File: Alchemy and Sorcery
It has a been a long standing debate on whether or not magic or any form of alchemy, magic and sorcery truly existed despite Earth's long standing struggle against the Grimm. One would normally consider the argument moot given the powers wielded by Earth's warriors but there have been claims of other forms of powers existing aside from Dust, Aura and Semblances. They are rarely seen and almost never recorded for some strange reason but the possibility of them existing has always been present even when the evidence has not. Whispers have been heard of strange occurrences in places like London in Great Britain or in small towns on the outskirts of America.
However finding actual proof is easier said than done.
Xxx
TOM closed the file. "And now the subject of magic. You ever have a magician for your birthday as a kid? Do you ever wonder if he actually used real magic or was he a fake? In this day and age magic can be seen as fake.
Or maybe it's another form of energy, capable of distorting the laws of physics and reality? Or maybe magic is a power found inside all us then simply the waving of a little stick and the saying of some fancy word. It's all about taking what we know of the world around us and perceiving it in a way we understand. What counts as magic in the world you live in?
First love? Major victory in any sport or game you've been playing for a very long time? Battling monsters and rescuing damsels? Whatever it is, just make sure it's one where you get the ending you deserve.
Good stands, evil falls."
Xxx
Journal Log
Grimm
Known as the Enemy of Mankind the Grimm have existed officially since the era of Feudal Japan and have spread to every known corner of the world. Though many have tried before to understand their origin and how to destroy them I have taken it upon myself to learn about the Grimm in my own way. First there is the matter of what they are made of which I have labeled as the Dark Substance so as not to confuse it with Dark Matter of physics. In its raw form the Dark Substance is very toxic and harmful to its surroundings.
Prolonged contact is lethal and history reports of the Pool of Darkness in Japan have claimed that is able to break down the environment itself: anything living in an affected area usually ends up dying, or mutating into unrecognizable forms, and the ground itself can crumble apart. Since the Grimm take on the forms of animals and have been said to avoid conflict with animals it is likely they retain some form of basic knowledge towards their animal counterparts. The Dark Substance evidently allows the Grimm to be immune to age and disease and even act as some sort of emotional empathy honed to sense negative emotions such as anger, hate, and misery.
It has been suggested the Dark Substance is a virus from outer space or even the remains of a God of Darkness and Evil that fell from the sky after falling in battle and the Dark Substance is its blood infecting the Earth. There is no possible evidence to prove any current theories but perhaps after I set up my lab in Oregon I will learn more about them. Strangely in the small town I have taken residence has some sort of energy field that repels the Grimm. An amazing discovery and one that I have been working to uncover ever since I first discovered it.
It explains how a town this remote has managed to survive without being overrun by the Grimm with no local Hunters to defend them.
Homunculi
Labeled as artificial humans created by science and alchemy but considered impossible to create Homunculi are considered mythical and a complicated concept. It is believed that an actual Homunculus cannot exist without needing the most important component for existence: a spiritual human soul. Therefore the subject is considered a dead end but I have come across strange alchemic symbols that a friend of mine has claimed to have worked long ago.
Further research is needed.
Ghosts
Considered as fictional as the existence of artificial humans Ghosts are in theory, manifestations of non-physical beings that appear in many forms, one being that some spirits retain human qualities of the dearly departed that have unfinished business, others could be born from pure thought and emotions from us and others similar to Gods and Demons. Though considered non-existent in the wake of seeing such monsters like the Grimm for a very long time now and the supernatural abnormalities I have seen here I cannot discount the possibility.
Aliens
Perhaps even more mythical than Ghosts and Homunculi is the subject of Aliens. The Grimm came from a comet that impacted the Earth possibly billions of years ago thus proving that in some way alien life does exist in some form. There have been confirmed sightings of locations with strange landmarks that do not resemble any form of Human, Faunus, or even Mobius structures and are in some cases carbon dated to be much older than most known civilizations. There was even the confirmed satellite imagery of a battlefield with millennia old weapons dating back before the Grimm emerged from the Pool of Darkness.
What does this mean for Earth if it is all proven?
Was the appearance of the Grimm influenced by extraterrestrial forces?
Was their intention to invade and colonize this world in a way that was similar to Britain's original intent with America?
Or was it their intention to protect us from what created the Grimm?
Vampires
Vampires, also referred as the Nosferatu are considered as much a myth as aliens and ghosts and yet there have been claims of them existing in the farthest reaches of the world. They look human but legends claim they have great powers that do not come from the use of Aura and are considered by some legends to be human manifestations of Grimm. The many abilities list shape shifting, super strength, immortality, and the ability to feast on the blood of all living things. Despite their powers they have a crippling weakness: sunlight.
Their skin has no defense or immunity to beams of intense photons, also known as sun light and it would instantly burn them into ashes. I do not place much faith in their existence but if they do exist I am only glad they are not located anywhere near this town I now live in.
Stanley Pines sighed as he closed the journal he had been using for the last thirty years to try and repair the portal machine his twin brother Stanford Pines had built and disappeared into. Unfortunately Stanley was not the genius his brother was and it was taking a long time to not only repair the portal machine but understand how it worked. Ford had spent years studying the supernatural phenomena in Gravity Falls and Stan was juggling between catching up with all of his brother's studies and running the mystery shop upstairs. When he came to this place he had nothing but a broken down van, a sack of fake IDs, and his personal weapon he had designed for defense against the Grimm, Fortune's Gambol.
It looked like an ordinary cane with an eight ball on top that Stan used every day when he was trying to attract customers but it was secretly a projectile weapon designed to fire shells of Fire-based Dust and was sturdy enough for close range combat. Stanley Pines was a scam artist, a liar, and a criminal forced to survive in a cruel world but there were lines he never crossed, including leaving people to die at the hands of the Grimm.
Plus whenever he busted some runaway criminal he got a big pay for it.
Still unless he had all three of his brother's journals he couldn't fix the portal machine and get his brother back.
"Thirty years and I got nothing to show for it. Might as well make a make-shift grave out back for both me and Ford because at this rate I'm never getting him back." Stan sighed, looking at the one journal he had.
Grimm.
Homunculi.
Ghosts.
Aliens.
Vampires.
He remembered him and Ford having dreams of chasing aliens when they were kids and Ford liked to study and learn more about the Grimm.
But ghosts, vampires and these ho-monkey things?
Just what kind of crap did his brother get mixed up in?
And if that wasn't enough he got a message from his relatives that he had not spoken to in decades.
They wanted to send their kids to his shop for the summer to learn how to more responsible.
In laymen's terms the kids were being a massive headache and their parents were dumping them on him.
He knew all too well what it was like. His father was exactly the same only he left Stan on the streets and never took him back.
He just hoped he wouldn't make the same mistake his dad did.
Xxx
Deep in a forest in one of the farthest corners of the world a man looked out the window of the large castle he resided in, sipping from his drink that was the color of blood from a very expensive looking glass, staring at the moon.
"My lord." A butler slipped into the room and bowed. "Your grandson is making progress with his shape shifting."
"Indeed…" The man smiled. "Your shape shifting is impressive for a novice."
The butler's eyes widened as his form morphed into a small boy. He had dark skin, dark hair, and wore all black with glasses.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"Your scent is still present and to a nose like mine it stands out." The man answered as he turned around. "It would have fooled a human but not a vampire. Your shape shifting will serve you well, especially against Hunters or Grimm. Our kind has always been few in numbers, forcing us to hide from the Humans and the Grimm."
"But we Vampires are so strong, Grandpa. How can the Grimm or Humans be stronger?" The boy asked.
Vampires, also referred as the Nosferatu are a little-known species, few in number but capable of many powers. Vampires are far stronger than a normal person and have an evolved sense of smell. They also possess marvelous fighting skills. So far, they have been shown to be vulnerable to sunlight, garlic, and stakes, which are classic vampire weaknesses.
Despite their powers they can be defeated by powerful beings such as Ghosts, Grimm, and even Humans. That is why they had retreated from the rest of the world, hiding far away from any known settlements.
The man smirked at his grandson's question. "It is not a question of strength, my grandson. It is a question of numbers. Humans are the largest species, rivaled by their animal-hybrid counterparts known as the Faunus and followed by the smaller third animal-hybrid race the Mobians. Then there are the Grimm who are the Enemy of all of us who seek to wipe us out.
The Huntsman, warriors of the Humans, Faunus, and even Mobians are formidable even to us Vampires. And the Grimm are also a danger to us. We Vampires are few in numbers and thus why we hide here in Transylvania, far from any settlements that might attract the Grimm and lead them to us." The man explained, sipping from his blood wine again.
"But can't we make more Vampires?" The boy asked.
The man nodded. "We can but it's not easy. They would have to be trained to become something entirely different, taking them from their families and their previous lives. It is actually more trouble than it is worth sometimes which is why we rarely do it. It is too risky." The man turned away. "It is important we keep ourselves secret from the rest of the world. Too many will want to exploit us for our powers and our immortality. Remember these lessons well, Irwin."
"All right, Grandpa Dracula."
Xxx
Irwin, grandson of Count Dracula left his grandfather's chamber, pondering his grandfather's words. Vampires were powerful enough to take on the strongest of the any lesser species on the planet but the Vampires were too few in numbers to actually take the world for themselves. It seemed unfair to the young vampire that his people were forced into hiding from the rest of the world. Vampires were stronger than Humans and they could fight the Grimm just as much as any non-Vampire could.
So why were they left to hide in a castle in one of the far edges of the world?
Maybe Grandpa Dracula was right about Humans being too troublesome to convert but maybe if he took it slow with people who were…Willing.
Irwin smiled as he got an idea.
Xxx
"The whole world…The entire world. All of us…Against the Grimm." A voice ranted inside a large basement resembling a lab.
The person who spoke was a tall boy thin, and extremely pale, with red eyes and spiky red hair. He was in his is mid- to late-teens and dresses in a "Gothic/Punk Rock" style, wearing a long, black coat with a high collar, black fingerless gloves, black pants, and black boots. Accessories included a strange backpack and yellow spiral goggles. He had black marks under his eyes, probably drawn on with make-up to go with the scar-like shape under his left eye.
As for why he was in a lab, surrounded by robots that explanation was pretty simple: He was a genius.
He had been one since he was little and he proved it by using his family's fortune to buy all the equipment he needed to set up his lab in the basement, built his robots, and even learn how to unlock his Aura and master his own Semblance.
And his plan: world domination.
Not for reasons like the typical bad guy but because he saw the world plagued by the Grimm and saw the current system of government useless. If all of humanity was united, Humans, Faunus and Mobians together they could have destroyed the Grimm centuries ago. Jack Spicer saw the world becoming rotten and it wasn't just because of the Grimm.
Humanity was in need of a major wake up call.
"I'll have to build up an entire armada though. Maybe find a way to sneak past the Great Wall of Japan to get a shot at the Pool of Darkness though." Jack mumbled, sitting down on his chair. "Or find a new power to wipe out the Grimm."
Jack spent the entire afternoon plotting and planning that eventually he fell asleep on his chair. When he fell asleep he found himself having a strange dream.
Jack Spicer looked around, seeing himself in space with math equations surrounding him . "Hey, what is this?"
"Just a little welcome gift."
Jack gaped as something appeared in front of him. It looked like a yellow triangle with arms and legs, a black top hat resting on its pointed top and black bow-tie under its single eye.
"Don't have a heart attack yet, Jackie. You're not a hundred and two yet." The thing spoke to him, floating around him.
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Jack asked.
"Name's Bill and I know lots of things." The creature tipped its hat to him as multiple images of places and equations appeared on its body. "Lots of things…But enough about me. Let's talk about you, Jackie and what you can do to save the world from those mean old Grimm." Bill snapped his fingers and a chess board between him and Jack. "Here, want to get know each other over interdimensional chess? We can have some dream soda here while we talk."
Jack looked at Bill and the soda before slowly sitting down and starting the game. "I'm listening," He said, keeping an open mind as he started off by moving a pawn forward.
Xxx
Monty Uno watched as the new boy named Wallabee Beatles sparred with Abby with Nigel and Wally's Uncle Lou watching next to him. It was obvious that Wally had experience and training given the mix of hand to hand combat mixed with street melee fighting style but Abby was far from helpless. In fact Abby had not taken a single blow since the match had started. Abby ducked under a blow and kicked Wally in the ribs, knocking him back but didn't capitalize on it, likely giving Wally a chance to recover.
However Wally leapt up and launched a spinning kick that Abby blocked with one arm and threw it out, knocking Wally back. Abby watched as Wally got back up again, shaking off his fall to the ground like it was nothing and moved to attack again but Nigel leapt in and launched several kicks that pushed Abby back. Abby fell back, back-flipping and somersaulting to gain some distance and recover but Nigel charged after her to keep her on the defense.
Abby preformed a hand stand and lashed a foot that Nigel hastily blocked before Abby fell and rolled back, leaping back onto her feet, smirking confidently.
Monty raised his hand.
"Enough!" Monty called out, earning the three children's' attention on him while Lou hung back. "Well, it seems all three of you have been practicing. So tell me, have you all had any ideas on what your weapons will be?"
The kids all shared a look.
"Remember, your weapon has be to something that you believe you will best suited to use. Imagine what it will look and feel like in your hands and what they will look like when you are not using them. I hope your studies into mechanics have been going well." Monty said with a smile. "Just imagine what form your weapon will be. Because once you do the real training will begin."
Xxx
As Monty was instructing the three young Hunters in training Marceline herself was receiving the same advice from Betty after another daily spar.
"When you hold your weapon it will be like holding your life in your hand." Betty instructed Marceline. "So think hard on what your weapon will look like."
Xxx
"It's got to be something is as unique as you." Jasmine Lee said, showing June the little workshop she had set up in her garage. "Your weapon will also be your fate."
Xxx
"Our weapons have always been traditional but over the years we've learned how to modify them." Genki Sanban said, showing her daughter many of the weapons that had been forged and wielded by their ancestors. "And each and every one of them was unique in their own way."
Xxx
"So the important thing is to see what weapon will suit you best." Pops instructed Johnny and Carl.
Xxx
"What should my weapon look like?" Marceline wondered, staring down at a paper in front of her. "Something that will make me strong in battle."
Xxx
"I already know what my weapon will look like!" Wallabee declared, punching his fist into the air. "Just like the ones my uncle uses! Punching the block off of any Grimm or dumb bloke looking for a fight!"
Xxx
"Are you sure I even need a weapon? I mean I can fight magical monsters, demons, and even Grimm on my own and I can always use any magical charm I got on me." Juniper said as Jasmine handed her a book on Aura Mechanics.
"In the outside world you can't rely solely on magic." Jasmine shook her head. "It's always safe to have a surprise."
Xxx
"Will you choose something like the sword?" Genki unsheathed her own personal weapon, a nodachi that could be modified with Dust. "Or a bow with arrows modified with Dust? Or maybe you prefer something more suited to close range?"
Kuki stared at a pair of fans on the wall in the center of the weapon's display. These fans were oldest of the Sanban family's weapons, going back to the time of the Emperor and her ancestor.
Xxx
"Or will you continue to lead the life of a couch potato, Ed-boy?!" Rolf barked, kicking over a bench which Eddy had been snoozing on while the Son of a Huntsman had been giving another speech to his pupils. "You wish to be a Huntsman, no? Then-"
Xxx
"-think for once in your life!" Pops conked Johnny on the head as he and Carl poured over different weapon designs from previous weapons made and modified by Hunters across the world, provided to them in the form of a three dimensional hologram projection which circled around them. "If you choose the wrong one you're-"
Xxx
"-placing your life in danger on nothing but faith in an unreliable weapon." Jasmine continued as Juniper settled on one page in a book filled with weapon concepts. "So do not make your decision in-"
Xxx
"-haste," Monty Uno cautioned the trio. "And don't ever be afraid if you can't think of some convoluted weapon that transforms into another weapon! That always gets the newer Huntsmen! Sometimes-"
Xxx
"-all that fancy mechanical garbage can go rot out back with the manure!" Scotty Blake barked as he watched Fanny working at a Weapon's Forge, assisting only when she needed some heavy lifting done. "The weapon ain't even everything! The only thing you can rely on in a fight is-"
Xxx
"Your wits!" Genki Sanban assumed a pose, balancing on one leg with the other bent and held parallel to the floor, one arm held overhead and the sword pointed out to the side. "Your strength! Your speed!"
Next to her, Kuki held the two fans she had spotted and mimicked her mother's pose, albeit with slightly less grace before she managed to hold the position and follow through the motions Genki was showing her.
"And most of all-"
Xxx
"Your creativity," Monty said, him and Lou nodding in approval as they saw Wallabee already hastily scribbling barely legible notes while examining the blueprints for a weapon shaped like a pair of spikes gauntlets. "Your ability to improvise!"
Abby rubbed her chin as she examined several chemistry notes on potential Dust applications as well as the blueprint of what appeared to be a sword…with a concealed pistol within it.
"Your determination!"
Nigel held up a small hand held data pad and tapped the screen, causing it to project a blueprint of a design which incorporated mechanical parts…turning a sword into a rifle.
Xxx
"Your will to protect others, no matter the cost." Betty said, setting one hand on Marceline's shoulder as she looked between notes on the interaction between different types of Dust and sound waves…before her gaze wandered to her prized guitar.
Xxx
"Even if it means layin' down your life for those dainty flower people!" Scotty shouted over the roar of the flames as Fanny brought her hammer down on the Dust infused metal blade. "So you'd better be ready-"
Xxx
"Because the life of a Hunter is never easy," Jasmine Lee cautioned as Juniper settled on the design for what looked like a set of boots. "Nor peaceful."
Xxx
"And that is why, pupils of Rolf!" Rolf held one finger up while marching back and forth down the line of five trainees. "That to be a Huntsman, you are sacrificing the easy life! The Son of a Huntsman knows the dangers that await you, has faced and conquered them…"
He pulled his shirt up, and five jaws dropped at the collection of scars across Rolf's body. "…and been marked by them." He finished darkly.
Xxx
Genki slid her blade back into its sheathe and set it back on the wall. Kuki did the same and then they both bowed to one another. "So tell me, Huntress in training." Genki said, standing upright. "Have you come to a decision?"
Kuki nodded. "Yes!"
Xxx
Nigel, Abby and Wallabee had made their decisions and were already going over a list of resources they would need to make their designs a reality, with some help from Monty.
Xxx
Fanny dipped the blade into water and looked away as steam shot up from it while Scotty looked on, arms crossed and an expression of pride on his face.
Xxx
Juniper rolled up several scrolls and bound them together with string. "I'm ready." She said confidently.
Xxx
Carl and Johnny both made their decisions at the same time. The former held one hand to a floating panel, causing it to break away from the rest and follow his limb as he moved it to the center of the projection, revealing it to be the design for a forearm mounted weapon of some kind. Johnny's on the other hand was a variant which had complex internal mechanisms focused around the idea of channeling, storing and then unleashing explosive amounts of energy.
"Looks like you two are ready." Pops nodded.
Xxx
Marceline held up her guitar and looked up at Betty, feeling uncertain before she steeled her resolve and nodded. "Ready."
"If you're sure." Betty nodded, and looked towards a collection of tools nearby. "If we're lucky, it'll still play regular music after we're done with it."
Xxx
A lone girl walked through a dark sewer, not even paying attention to the smell as she followed the sound of dark laughter.
"If they thought I was a freak before. Just wait."
The girl walked around the corner and found her target. A a thin and scrawny boy with shoulder-length black hair, pale skin and dark brown eyes with black-discolored marks around them. He wore a torn black T-shirt, black studded arm bands, brown cargo pants, black knee-length shoes, and a padlock necklace.
"I can't wait to see either." The girl said, earning the boy's attention.
"Who are you?!" The boy pointed his arm at her, a blast of fire appearing in his hand.
The girl didn't react to the flame, simply staring at the boy. "Just a lost little girl looking for a new best friend. Want to be my friend?"
The boy smirked. "Friend huh? Sure. Here, have a gift!"
He launched a fireball at the girl who didn't panic as she leapt over the fireball and rushed forward, taking the boy completely by surprise as she delivered a heavy blow to his torso, knocking him back. The boy groaned but got back up, growling at the girl as he tried to attack again. But the girl was too fast as she easily dodged all of his fire blasts and got in close, punching him in the face three times followed by kicking his legs out from under him. The boy fell onto the ground again and the girl brought her foot down on his chest to keep him down.
"Not bad. I've been in shorter fights." The girl said, her eyes flashing red. "Now that I have your attention though I'd like to reiterate my previous offer of friendship."
Xxx
Mandark smirked at the house the people he had manipulated into building with his Semblance. A large house with an even larger laboratory. He watched as two workers carried a large cryogenics tube into the lab being built for him. Inside the tube was his mother, her body carefully preserved from the Grimm attack on his former home.
It seemed dear Oceanbird had been carrying a new child at the time of the attack and thus was placed in a near death state so the new child wouldn't be harmed.
It was important since Mandark sensed the child had the same capacity for evil as him.
"A new home, a laboratory to call my own, and a new sister who will be just as evil as me. Everything is going according to plan. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Xxx
"Everything is moving now. Soon we will see the beginning of Humanity's destruction and I shall rise from the ashes."