Embedded Files
Author's Note: This is just a bunch of random sidestories written through several character's POV. You can choose not to read it because it won't be contributing much to the main plot anyway...
....or will it?
Also the picture above is Post-Evolution Alistair
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"What uselessness" He sighed, staring deep into the crimson-colored wine of his glass, a disappointed look on his face. Lightly shaking the object in his hand, the man took a sip, savoring the deep flavor of alcohol as it seeped into his mouth
"Even with that amount of investment, the military can't even catch a single criminal, these people should be ashamed for calling themselves humanity's protectors"
"I'm sure hey are trying their best to do their jobs, Master Schnee" His butler, Klein, politely responded. The man is trying to defend them, he could tell
"If that truly is their best, then I'm just all the more disappointed" He drawled out, before turning to face his servant "Tell me, how many casualties, in Lien, has we suffered from their inability to catch the Grim until now"
"W-well, the Dust shipment stored at the Atlesian Headquarter for transaction has been wholly ransacked by the Grimm children after the massacre happened, and the other have been used up by them as 'explosives', which resulted in..." He gulped "...200,000,000 Lien worth of Dust being reportedly lost"
Since the SDC's biggest customer are corporate that uses weapons requiring Dust, such as the military or the Huntsman Association, having one of their headquarters, which is the main distributors, being blown up before transaction would be disastrous to the company itself
If anything, Jacques is secretly glad that he still had 3 other bases as spares. Who know what would happen if all of them were to be blown up at once?
"Anything else?"
"The Grim, our target, has been spotted wandering the ocean near Menagerie after avoiding a large-scale assault from the military. He is now reportedly the "Pirate Lord" as the previous one has been killed by him"
"Send our biggest battleship after him"
"Sir?"
"Send "King Jacques the I", our private battleship after him" A sneer crossed his face "If the military can't do anything about the Grim, then I'll deal with him myself"
He said as he put on his Infinity Gaun-
No wait, wrong script
Ahem
He said as he poured himself another glass of wine, before leaning back on his lush, fancy leather couch, holding the newly-filled container in his palm with a supreme confidence, one born from practicing being an asshole in front of the mirror 8 hours/day
A gentlemen must always be fabulous, he must always catch the crowd's attention and make sure they remember him
"If we managed to hunt down the criminal, our company's reputation will soar to a new height" He lightly shook it, enjoying the way the red liquid sloshed around the glass's edge "People would flock to us, money in their hands, while the others could only watch as we tore their customer away from them. It would be most profitable for the company when that happen"
Klein frowned at his master's use of the word "when"
"And what if we failed, sir?"
"That's not going to happen" Jacques let out an evil laugh "But if, and I said IF, the battleship found itself at a disadvantage, we can always retreat before any further damage could be done. Coincidentally, our relationships with other government will improve as well since they know we can always support them, either financially or politically whenever they found themselves backed into a corner. More partnerships will be gained, more customers will come, more profits into my pockets, more powers into my hand"
He raised his hands toward the sky, as though touching the stars outside the window, before clenching it tightly
"I've already calculated the probability of it all, our chances of success is over 99.999%. This plan of mine...is fool-proof!"
"Sasuga Jacques-sama, your intelligence never cease to amaze your humble servant!" Klein exclaimed in admiration as he took a deep bow, showing a sign of deep respect for his master
(Editor's Note: Fuck, again?)
"What use is there is there to stating such an obvious fact" The white-haired man scoffed, though his mustache quivered in his narcissistic pleasure "I am the most intelligent individual on this world after all"
Such praises are unneeded. The Grim is only one individual who tries to stir up some trouble for them, just how hard could catching him be?
"If there's no more questions, I'll leave everything to you then" Still laughing with his nose inflated, Jacques walked out of the room, glasses still in hand as a pompous air surround him
"Yes, I'll take care of the rest for you"
"...." A maid leaned in and whispered into Klein's ears "Sir, do we always have to do that? Praising our boss I mean"
"...Just endure it, the pay is good anyway"
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"Hey Raven"
"Yeah?"
"Do you still remember Willow's husband?" Summer eyes are narrowed. They are twitching in annoyance
"You mean that self-entitled, arrogant, narcissistic man?" The black-haired woman turned to her "Unfortunately yes, what about him?"
"I suddenly have this strange urge to go to the guy's mansion, skewer all of his servants, then give the guy a slow and painful torture session and watched him drown in his own blood as I slit his throat, before uploading the entire thing on Pornhub once I'm done chopping his body off and turn it into dog meat"
"...Hm"
They are standing at the top of the dock from Vale, overlooking the busy activities down below from the shadow; Newly-arrived Dust cargoes being moved and placed, ships boarding near the coast to unload their shipment, sailors chattering with each other, talking about their plan for the day...It was peaceful enough, far different from the cold and futuristic version of Atlas's dock which she has gotten used to in the past few months
Summer's cloak fluttered gently in the wind, a smile on her face as the woman seemingly blended into the shadow.
No, not seemingly. The Rose really is blending into the nearby shades as if she's a part of it. Though it may have something to do with the fact that she's an [Elder Vampire] now, a rare breed of Grimm that was apparently proficient in shadow manipulation from what she's been told
The Branwen, in turn, is a higher breed called [Greater Vampire] due to her power as the Spring Maiden. Specialize in assassination, her duty is to serve the Master she haven't met yet.
Forget your family, forget yourself, your only duty is to fight for him with all you have. That's what Summer had told her upon the woman's awakening
She, for some reason, had found herself listening to her friend despite the bizarre nature of that statement
"Summer...."
"I know I know" The woman waved it off, completely ignoring her "I must be agitated because of master's lack of presence, it's been so long since I last saw him"
That's not what she meant
"Nine days, Raven, nine days! I can't hold it at this rate anymore!"
She rubbed her legs together
"Blood....I need His blood" Summer licked her lips, her eyes glazed over "That divine juice, rushing through my veins and empowering me to fight for him, the binding between our bond..."
"Master's blood?"
"Yes, Raven, His Blood" She repeated "The same one I injected inside you that night. I extract it out of my veins and feed it to you, so that's the reason why you've been getting physically stronger, haven't you notice?"
What?
It's true that her strength has been increasing in leaps and bounds these past few days, fast enough for it to be called abnormal, but Raven thought it was just the effect of her turning into a Grimm, not by the indirect blood bound between Master and her
"...." Seeing her friend's confused expression, Summer could only shook her head
"Master possess the Emperor's Aura"
Raven's eyes widened in surprise at the name
Emperor's Aura, the Supreme Aura that reign over others, possibly more valuable than a national treasure by itself
But to think He of all people possess it
The reason why it's shocking is because only a dozens or so out of billions of people have a chance to manifest it. Often time when someone did managed to obtain Emperor's Aura however, it turns out to be only a weaker variation of the thing. Weaker effect, weaker range, weaker everything, to the point where some needs years of interaction with others for it to take effects
But even then it still enables them to accomplish God-like feats with their charisma alone, such as the terrifying power of this formless weapon
For one, every person who has this ability all made it into the world's strongest individuals. From kings, conquerors, warriors, leaders....all of them possess a variation of it, which helps them to influence other people to their wills
There was even that one man who manages to form a harem of 342 wives, being a father to 313 daughters and a grandfather to 278 granddaughters, all of which later became a part of his harem as well
That alone show just how world-changing this power is. No matter how trivial the tasks you use it are for, something will be affected by it for sure
But Summer said "the" Emperor's Aura, that mean His is the real deal, the purest of the pure, the strongest among all the existing users yet
The only two rumored 'pure' Emperor's user are the Two Brothers themselves. If their master are possess the same skill as them, just how powerful is He....
...No, the real question is what changes will He make to this world
Raven touched the side of her neck, the place where Summer had bit her
"Due to their superior quality, their blood will grant you unique powers, resistance against physical attacks, as well as giving you the ability to grow more quickly compare to human standard" The woman breathed in "Your cell will regenerate at a monstrous rate, which allows for quick healing, longer lifespan, and increased strength, as well as stamina"
"For someone who's always dreamed of reaching the top, to surpass the strongest of humans, aren't you happy with this?"
"Perhaps..."
"There's only one small problem you haven't mentioned, however" She smiled, looking at Summer who averted her eyes "Once you get it into your system, you basically forfeit your loyalty to them. If long-term exposure lead to gradual mental compulsion and a sense of devotion toward the host, direct contact with it will probably have an even stronger effect on the user's target"
The Rose's eyes widened at this
She didn't expect her friend to find about this so soon
"And that's not mentioning him turning us into Vampires would make us vulnerable to silvers, something which is not that rare nowadays"
"You're sharp, I'll give you that" Summer stepped forward, a delighted look crossed her eyes "But, what will you do about it, now that you know"
Before the other side could answer, her longswords appeared in the woman's arm as she held it under Raven's chin, the tip grazing her pale skin, not enough to draw blood, but still enough to make the Branwen uncomfortable by the itch of the metal blade touching against it
The atmosphere between them became tense
"Stay faithful to my Master and serve him with the best of my ability of course" She whispered
"Oh?"
A chill ran down her spine as Summer's eyes bore into Raven's, a silver glow escaping from it. That gaze is held with killing intent comparable to a trained killer, ready to dispatch you the moment they detected a lie being uttered from your tongue
Even if she have to kill her friend, Summer will not allow herself to displease her master, such is the degree of loyalty she held to him
The blade's edge pressed tighter against her jugular, pressing for an answer
Despite that, she remain steady, maintaining eye contact with her friend
"He is my master, and I'm his servant" Raven replied truthfully, a smile on her face as she pushed the blade under her neck away "A servant's duty is to serve their lord, are they not?"
"Even though you know your loyalty for him does not come from you, you would still accept it?"
"Just because it's fake, doesn't mean it isn't there. The Aura's effect will only give them a compulsion, but the choice is ultimately theirs to make" The Branwen traced a hand on her heart "As long as his blood ran in me, as long as I'm still a vampire, I will never betray him, just like you"
She lifted her eyes
"I'm Raven, but I'm not exactly the same Raven as before" The woman admitted "It's hard to describe it actually...I felt different from what I used to be, now that His blood is inside me, strengthening me, bonding with me...I'm confused as to what I actually am"
Is she the mother to Yang and a Huntress turned bandit, or is she the consciousness born from the darkness caused by Master's blood bound with her? Perhaps both of them, or neither of them?
Summer put a hand on Raven's shoulder, the woman is smiling now
"That doesn't matter" She said "He is our master, so we should only focus on serving him, that's all there is to it. Once you have come to term with what you are, you'll understand"
Summer didn't say it, but she is happy that the side-effect of His blood did nothing to cloud Raven's judgement at all
Her Master have no need for useless bitches, cock-hungry whores, or mindless puppets who can't even think for themselves dragging him down
(If he's going to make himself a harem, his servant Summer will make sure it's a useful one, goddammit)
Beside, one having an identity crisis is pretty much predicted, given that they retain their memories and experiences from their "past life". It's like a record, imprinted deeply into their soul that cannot be removed, since it is their own essence that made them who they are. Who they were, to be exact
As long as she does not lost sight of who she is, and who she is supposed to be, Raven should be fine
Soon enough, the connections they have formed, the friendships they have forged, the love they have shared, all the emotions that come with those memories will fade away in time, like watching a movie of someone else's life passing away in front of you..over, over, and over again, until you decide the outcome of it yourself
To be, or not to be. reflecting on one's action, then coming to accept it. That's how true loyalty was made
In a way, Master's blood bound could be considered to be more powerful than even her deceased cousin Itachi's Semblance, Izanami itself
"You're right" Raven sighed "But first, we'll have to know what He plans for us so we can properly help him. Otherwise we'll risk ruining what he's been working on"
Two hands clasped on her shoulder, making her looked up to see the other woman with a smile on her face
"Oh,I'm glad you ask, as I might have an idea as to what it is~" She said in a sing-sang voice, returning to her cheerful normal self
"You see, the day that you called me from Atlas to report about a strange Grimm from your area, you said that it healed you from a fatal wound, right?" The smirk on her face widened "If I remembered correctly, you said it used something akin to Aura, which restore your health, right?"
Nod
"We all know most Hunter dies not from blood loss, broken bones, or even damaged organs, as Port himself had often boasted about his countless injuries he obtained through his career. No, almost all of them got killed from Aura depletion, a state which lead to their regeneration process being hindered and overwhelmed by their enemy's number. From what you've told me, you were forced to exhaust all of your energy reserve to get away, thus unable to save yourself"
Raven gave another nod of confirmation. The one she was fighting with that day, a Grimm in the form of a small girl named Helen, have a unique ability of controlling space and time, thus cutting off her only means of escape from it through her portal
It was only thanks to luck that she managed to get away in time by turning to her other form
It's also the reason why she was surprised when another Grimm encountered and healed the woman instead, as there's no way somebody, let alone something, could recognize Raven in her bird form
"But the fact that this Grimm can heal you must mean two things" Summer raised up two fingers "One. He can amplify the rate at which you regenerate your Aura or have a healing Semblance" One finger lowered down "Or two. He channeled his own Aura to you, one which can effectively heal fatal wounds within a matter of seconds"
"Now where would I find a Grimm with such power, I wonder"
....
....Impossible
....H-have He already planned it all out the moment Master meet her?
The gear in Raven's head turned at an incredibly fast speed, before she denied the fact
No, not when He meet her, that is not possible
If things were taken into account, then the Helen girl could also be His subordinate too. That bring up the possibility of Him planning this before Master even meet her. Most likely, He already know she's a Maiden beforehand and devise a plan, co-operating with that girl to injure the Spring Maiden enough to temporarily disable her
Maybe that's also why He can recognize Raven even as a bird. Either He got it through Ozpin's personal intel, which is near-impossible with how tight-lipped he is, or the girl told him beforehand about her special ability
Why save her? That's just a diversion to His real goal a that time. By administering His Aura into her body, then tracking that Aura down, He is able to pinpoint her location and came up with another plan to turn her without turning Ozpin's suspicion to him, an impressive feat all by itself
The same can be say to Summer, turning her into a vampire, then purposefully let her return to Patch, where Raven has temporarily retreated to and subdued her
So the question remains, why her? Why Raven?
Because she is a Maiden
"You are correct" Raven's eyes shifted to Summer. The other woman is smiling "It is the Maiden he's after"
"Like Ozpin had once explained to us, they, along with the four Relics, are humanity's last hope against the impending darkness that is the Grimm. They are not to be used as mere weapons, but fail-safes when the Sevens decided to move. A weapon to be protected from their grasps, for when the time come for the God to pass judgement upon us, they shall be our only hope"
She raised her hands toward the sky in mock reverence
"The same Gods that abandoned this world" Shaking her head in contempt, Summer looked at Raven straight in the eyes
"It is no use relying on them, that's what our Master had predicted. Humanity and other races would be better off without these two Gods ruling over them, as only freedom would truly be their salvation"
Or their destruction, was left unsaid
"When we first met, Master's order for me is not to tell about his existence to anybody, and I should go back where I came from and live the way I have always lived before"
"However, that is impossible. A vampire cannot live without serving their Master. To reject them is nothing short of sentencing them to their own demise. That's what I have thought at that time"
"But then I realized I've misunderstood his intention!" Summer cried out "In my desperation, I have forgot the most important lesson taught to us Huntresses by our first year teacher at Beacon"
"In the Hunter world, those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash?"
"Wrong one, Raven. That's our Grimm study teacher"
"Sorry" She wrinkled her face "I've always wondered why he didn't make it to the Combat Instructor position. The man seems to be very strong"
"Probably because he's always reading porn novels in front of his students"
"...He did?"
Summer sighed
"To always look underneath the underneath. The trick to fighting is to trick your opponents into thinking they've tricked you when actually you've tricked them even before they begin tricking you into being tricked by them"
"He's testing my capability as his first servant, Raven. Master wants to know if I can truly understand the meaning behind His seemingly casual words at that time, a task which I failed at"
"His true goal in getting me turned is not to be a mindless killing machine, despite my complete ability in becoming one" She looked at her hand "Think. With my position, why wold he waste his blood to turn me instead of killing me? After all, a Silver-eyes user is considered to be a bane to all Grimm, so destroying me should be his priority first and foremost"
"But I should have known better than to think with such short-sighted thoughts"
"The reason is because he have a far better use for me" Summer's eyes snapped up to look at her friend's "'To return back from where we came and act like nothing had happened...he wants me to be an inside agent', providing him information from Ozpin and staying low at the same time, waiting for when he will need me"
"And with the Headmaster's recent mission to me, that will certainly convenient chance to prove my worth" She grinned "All according to the plan. His plan, to be exact"
"That's fine and all, but you missed the point" Raven eyed the other woman "What will we do now to help him?"
Kukuku
A weird energy started emitting from Summer
"So, here's the plan..." Summer grinned "You and I will split up...and then you'll"
For some reason, a chill went down her spine
Raven have a feeling where this is going
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"Hey miss!" Nora shouted, handing the woman a stack of her pancakes "You should eat more of these, they're so yummy!"
She looked at the young child with seeming confusion, before lifting one of them in front of her face and observed it
"...."
"Eat it! It's not poisonous, you know?"
"...."
"Nora, don't look at her like that. Not anybody likes pancakes"
"Wha-BUT PANCAKE ARE THE FOOD OF THE GODS!"
Shaking his head, Lie Ren could only stared apologetically at the woman as he offered her his bowl of soup "Please don't mind her, that girl can get strangely enthusiastic when it come to matters like these"
Shrugging, she downed the soup in one gulp, much to the two children's amazement
'Woah, she even swallowed the bones put inside them. The woman must be very hungry' Nora stared at her with wide eyes
'I wonder how many sausages can she fit in her mouth'
Meanwhile, the woman is still blissfully unaware of the girl's thought. Dusting herself off the clothes she 'borrowed' from her food, she got up and fixed her coat with a tug of her hand
"...Is Menagerie this way?"
They looked surprised
"That's to the South, so...yeah, probably" Nora tilted her head "Are you friends with the people there?"
"No. I'm looking for (Y/n)"
"Is he someone important to you?"
The woman tilted her head
"You could say so"
A sly smile appeared on Nora's face, only to be wiped off the next instant as Ren slapped the back of her head
"We'll see you later" He smiled "It's only thank to you that we survive the government hunting us down that day. Nora's been too open with her obsession until now"
"Rennyyyy~"
She only inclined her head in response "Goodbye Ren. Goodbye Nora"
"Goodbye Miss Gluttony, or whatever your name is!"
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In the Grimmland
Alistair tilted her head
The child before her, Cinder, mirrored her action in response
'Cute' The fox Grimm thought, unable to hide the twitching of her tails from behind 'This level of cuteness is so enviable. Is she (Y/n)'s mate? I know he likes them young judging from Helen, but to think they're this young...'
'Beautiful' Cinder stare wide-eyed at the charming beauty in front of her 'Is she (Y/n)'s girlfriend, or is she a part of his harem? The Lord really looks like someone who would have one'
'And her magic' They both thought, looking at each other 'Unique, that's all I can say about it'
A cough interrupted them. Salem was sitting there as she watched over both of them with an unreadable expression on her face, her fingers thrumming on the table in a rhythmic movement
Cinder's posture became ramrod straight, while Alistair gracefully stood up from her crouching position
"Cinder, go and train the other children. Tachanka's already got his hands full at the moment"
"Yes, my Lady" Bowing her head, the 15 year-old girl retreated back through the door, closing it shortly after with a click sound
"...." The silence enveloped the room. Neither of them spoke up as Alistair took a chair beside the Grimm queen herself
"Why have you come here?"
Alistair's face turned serious
"I come to talk about your son" She said bluntly
Salem raised an eyebrow in interest "Oh? Go ahead, then. What is it that you want to know about (Y/n)"
"The same thing Helen asked you that day" Her voice still held the same respectful tone, but the temperature around the room dropped several degree as her words left the Kitsune's mouth
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about"
"Please don't lie, my Lady. I have my own ways of deciphering the truth"
The older woman hummed, apparently unbothered by the girl's hidden hostility "And?"
"I'm going to have to ask you to specify which one you want to talk about"
CRACK
A hand slammed on the surface of the marble table, nearly crushing it in half. Large spiderweb cracks spread out from the spot of impact, leading toward her fist
Salem looked up and calmly meet Alistair's gaze, which was burning with a quiet fury behind it
"I'm not speaking to you as the Sin Of Pride, Miss Salem Lucifer" She whispered, her mask cracking in half "The person I want to converse with is my leader's mother"
"All I need is an explanation...as to what..."
"Why...." Her fist began shaking with rage, as the vixen's eye color turn to blood red "WHY IS (Y/N) A HUMAN?!"
"....."
Salem calmly took a sip of tea, savoring the taste of children's blood in it
"...Do you want to hear a story, Heiress of Envy?"
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Ding!
It has begun!
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Author's Note: And that's it for today, I hope you enjoy it!
Hmm, what did you say? Not enough (Y/n)'s POV?
Wa-No wait! Don't stone me to death!
Please! This Author beg of you!
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