Bloody Evolution [RWBY]

[Enkida]

​

 

[Enkida]

The Power of Alcohol
by JukeBot​

You skulk out of the forest, eyes intent on the sleeping Beowulf lying prone in front of you. It was dumb and big and it reminded you of how cool you used to look, which made you sad and angry, and that made you want to cry. You let out a low whine of woe and lunge forward, sinking your teeth into its neck. The Beowulf let out a high-pitched yelp like a kicked dog and lashes out aimlessly at you like the dumb big dog it was. You spitefully snarl at it and pull it off the ground, throwing it at the Alpha Beowulf with the force of one single intoxicated angry bunny. That poor, poor Beowulf splatters all over the suddenly awake Alpha.

A bubbly feeling of rage and happiness comes over you, and you leap at the Alpha once, landing behind it as it climbs off the ground in order to fight the sudden threat. However, it is far too late for the Alpha, as you bite into its tail, steady yourself on the ground, and and swing it into the hunter Beowulf, which you have incorrectly identified as the biggest threat. However, your logic may be a bit faulty here, as dealing with the biggest threat shouldn't be done by using the second biggest threat as a blunt weapon. However, it seems to be working, so who are you to complain? You slam the Alpha into the hunter Beowulf once, twice, and a third time before the Alpha loses its tail and it falls onto the hunter Beowulf in a heap.

The Alpha, scared out of its mind by being used as a club against the hunter, cries and starts whimpering at you. You don't give it any time to become your minion because minions are lame and you are a single rage-filled bunny army, so you grab it by the leg and slam it one final time into the hunter. The Alpha's head came off this time, falling onto the forest floor. Despite this, you continue using the abused Alpha's body as a bludgeon and you smash the hunter's chest in one last hit before the Alpha's body disintegrates to a point it can't be used anymore.

Interesting. You are very interesting, my child. Come, attend me, your toys are finished.

You are finished with the poor Beowulf's now, and you know what you want. You want more alcohol. You would not have had such a brilliant idea to use the Beowulves as bludgeons before, nor would you have had the strength to pull it off. And you know just where to get it. Qrow, and his mystical flask.

It is not hard to chase Qrow, as you just have to chase the plaintive cries for 'bunny.' Qrow is sitting on a rock, drinking his sorrows away. That is… bad. If he's drinking the alcohol, what are you supposed to drink? Well, too late for regrets. You employ your exemplary stealth skills and sneak up on Qrow, getting caught almost instantly.

"Bunny! I thought you left me!" Qrow cried, cuddling you up to his cheek. You shiver at his touch and try to shake him off, to get to that beautiful alcohol, but alas, Qrow's grip is too strong. You decide desperate times call for desperate measures, and bite down on his hand.

"Agh! No!" Too late, Qrow! You've gotten to the alcohol! Your chubby little bunny paws hug around the flask, and you gnaw at the cap, completely failing to open it. "No! You can't have alcohol! Alcohol is for grown ups!" Qrow pulls you off the flask, putting you on his shoulder.

"Bun, sit here. Be good!" He is significantly more cheerful now, walking almost with a bounce in his step. You peer down his shoulder, alcohol-based worries out of your mind for the moment. Where is he going? Is he going towards town?

It turns out, he was going towards town. He is currently sitting in his hotel room, rubbing your belly with a single finger in a way you somehow found irresistible. It was almost drowning out the annoying voice that was insisting on you returning to it. Quite annoying.

Qrow hit that perfect spot once again, and your leg kicked out in pleasure.

"Aww… Bun-bun, you're the best! Ruby's gonna love you! Or, will she? Maybe… I should keep you!" He giggled at this in a remarkably girly voice. "You're the best!" He glanced around furtively. "I mean, I probably should clean you. You are very dirty, aren't you, bun?" Panic! He might get the right idea! You twist around in his grip, making a jump for the alcohol. If you can get to the precious reservoir of miracle, you can get out of here! This time, you don't bother with the cap and you bite a hole straight in the flask's side, drinking straight from the tap. It's foul, like you remember it, but it will save you! It must!

"Noooo! I'm a bad influence!" Qrow collapsed on his bed, crying melodramatically. You take the opportunity and run out of the room as fast as you can, which happens to be pretty slow. However, Qrow was still crying, saying things like, "Now Ruby will start!" and "I can't corrupt her!" Weird. You don't understand dumb hunters, but you know better than to antagonize your source of alcohol.

Much later, when Qrow recovered from his long crying fit that had transitioned from corrupting Ruby to not having as cool of a weapon as Ruby to Yang's bad choice in alcohol, he recovered enough to make a call on his scroll.

"So uhh… how is Ruby?"

"Fine. She's having some trouble in school with other students, but that's normal. Why do you ask?"

"She hasn't picked up any bad habits, has she? Please tell me I haven't corrupted her."

"Why would she have started drinking? Wait, Qrow, did you try to hide alcohol in my house again?"

"No of course not, why would I do that that sounds very dumb hahahaaa very funny!"

"Qrow! Get your damn alcohol out of my house!"

"Tai, please! I'm in Mistral! I can't do anything about it!"

"Fine! I'll throw it out, you layabout."

"...."

"...."

"So uh… do you think Ruby still wants a bunny?"

 

[Enkida]

The Manliest
by General Trash​

The scene was Emerald Forest. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and the Grimm were doing what they were want to do. Which is horrifically brutalize other sentient or non-sentient things.

However, today was different. Today, Peter Port was making preparations for his up and coming lessons. Which, in his class, meant capturing live Grimm. After all, the best way to study a Grimm was to beat it in combat! He had already brought back a young boarbatusk, several Beowulves, and a fledgling deathstalker. He had also killed several Grimm that he simply decided not to bring back, or that he felt like killing. Or that simply couldn't be contained, like the Geist he happened upon.

Next on his agenda to capture, was a Caerbannog. That species of Grimm were some of the most oft underestimated, and it would be wise to show to his class that such a thing is a folly. So he began his search, and some hours later, he found his quarry. But this Grimm was…

Unique.

That was the only descriptor Port had to the utter carnage he had stepped upon. Corpses of various Grimm littered the ground (and the trees), and at the center of the chaos stood an Alpha Caerbannog, a bipedal one, and beside it a shivering Blackhart, which was noticeably missing its antlers.

Port approached the creature, and begin the battle as he begins any other. He flexed mightily at the creature.

The Caerbannog… did not attack. It seemed to know that Port was well and above it's abilities, as impressive as they are. Instead, it looked at him, cautiously and angrily. The poor Blackhart looked about ready to pass out.

Then, the Grimm did the unexpected. It flexed back, copying Port's posture.

Port was taken aback. This behavior was extremely anomalous. Incredibly strange, worrying even, but also… IT WAS INCREDIBLY MANLY!

Port flexed even harder at the Grimm, who responded kindly in turn. They posed at each other for several minutes, Port changing his style of flexing, and the Caerbannog imitating him. Finally, Port broke the silence.

"Incredible! Truly incredible! To think, I would find a kindred spirit in a Grimm!" Port said, shirtless. "Come! We have many things to discuss!" Shrugging, the Caerbannog picked up the passed out Blackhart, and begun following Port to Beacon. This year… was going to be truly MANLY!

.x.x.x.​

"Peter?"

"Yes, Bart?"

"Can you please tell me why there is a Caerbannog next to you?"

Port twirled his mustache. "Well, it all started when I was but a lad-"

"Peter, can you skip to the point where you explain why you brought a Grimm here?" Oobleck said, taking an anxious sip from his thermos. "I don't have the time to hear the full story."

"Yes, yes, of course." Port nodded. "See, I encountered this fellow here-" Port indicated the Caerbannog, who was currently shaking the Blackhart, trying to get it to wake up, "-when I was out hunting in Emerald Forest for Grimm to use in my lessons, when I came across a most peculiar scene! The corpses of Grimm scattered across a clearing, and at the center of it, the Caerbannog and it's companion!"

"It's… unusual, to be sure." Oobleck conceded, "But by far not unheard of. I'm guessing there's more to it?" Oobleck said, as he eyed the Caerbannog and Blackhart cautiously, waiting for them to attack.

"Of course! As you know, I flex heartily before my opponents-" Oobleck nodded at that, "-but when I did, the most curious thing happened! It flexed back!" At this, Oobleck's eyebrows shot up, in shock and doubt. "I am not pulling your leg, my friend! Behold!" And with that, Port flexed with all of his muscles, of which there were a lot. Dropping the Blackhart on the ground, the Caerbannog mimicked him, muscles bulging.

At this, Oobleck's jaw dropped. "Peter, do you understand what this means?" He continued excitedly, speeding up his town. "You might have just found a friendly Grimm! Imagine the implications! Does this mean it has a soul, so it can feel?" Oobleck said rapidly, examining the flexing Grimm. "I have so many questions! Does it understand us? Can it learn to speak? Are there other Grimm like it? Why a Caerbannog?" Why-" Before Oobleck could continue, Port interrupted him.

"Slow down, Bart!" Port said, clapping Oobleck on the back as he laughed heartily. "He isn't going anywhere. For now, however, I think we should teach it how to write."

"Yes… Yes, you're right! We do need someway to communicate. But what language should we teach it? There're so many things, so many questions… We start it's lessons at once!" With that said, Oobleck grabbed the Caerbannog, Port, and the Blackhart, and made his way to a very private room to teach he Grimm in.

In their excitement, they completely forgot to think of telling Ozpin about this. But he knew. In his office, watching the feed of the camera, Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, and smiled.

"Your move, Salem."

 

[Enkida]

I Shall Not Bow
by Delta Prime​

"So, will you accept your task now, my little one, now that you've beared witness to the price of defiance?" questions the one known as Salem. While she would admit that the display in of itself was somewhat impressive, she had no use for disobedient children.

The caerbannog remains still for a moment, before it recomposes itself. It then stands tall and defiant, and growls out its proclamation. If said proclamation was put into an actual intelligible language, it would be roughly understood as "I shall not bow!".

Salem understood it well enough. "Hmm, a pity then," she mused,"I suppose I'll have to be more thorough,". The caerbannog felt the same oppressive force fill its being before the seers descended on it once again.

To Salem's surprise, it actually managed to somewhat power through its paralysis. Not enough to meaningfully escape its situation, of course, but it managed to fight back against the seers. Three went down before the seers managed to overpower it and tear off one of its arms in retaliation.

"Now, I trust you've learned the futility of your actions," Salem sternly proclaimed.

This launched a series of growls from the caerbannog that contained an air of dismissal.

"...Really now," while the willpower inherent in this disobedience was begrudgingly impressive, she was beginning to grow tired of it, "you are aware that your arm is the least of the damage I can do to you?"

There were no growls this time, instead only a look that contained the message 'the heck you talking about?'

"...Your arm, it's been torn off…," it was aware of that, right?

It briefly looked down at its removed limb, still smoking away into nothingness, before turning it attention back to her and uttering a sound of pure dismissal and self-pride.

"...Very well then, we simply have to remove the other,". At that signal, the remaining seers engaged. While the caerbannog was able to shrug off the pain of its dismemberment, along with some of the paralysis, it was clear that it was not as effective with only one arm. Only two seers are brought down this time before its remaining arm is restrained and then promptly removed.

"Now," she began, believing that her point was finally made clear, "I trust that-" and that's when it started kicking her seers. And while such an action would often be seen as a pathetic way to spite your enemy, Salem was quickly reminded that this was a caerbannog. If caerbannogs had one thing going for them, it was leg strength.

In the brief moment of surprise, it had managed to pulp two more seers. However, without arms to protect itself with, it was left vulnerable. It wasn't long before one of its legs was grabbed mid-attack, and then promptly ripped off.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Salem roared, her frustrations finally showing themselves in full force. "You will bow before me at once, and cease this futile resistance!"

The caerbannog hopped around for a bit, clearly trying to get its bearings with only one limb remaining, before it began crouching down. While Salem didn't let it show on her scowling face, she inwardly sighed in relief.

"Finally," she thought,"we can now move on wit-" and then suddenly two points of view for her were obstructed by sharp antlers, before they ceased to be all together.

Quickly recovering from its surprise launch attack, the caerbannog managed to knock down another seer with its antlers and hopped on it to death, before the last seer managed to grasp its one remaining limb and violently tear it free.

"I've had enough of this foolishness," declared Salem. What was once roaring frustration now replaced with cold anger. "The only reason you continue to exist, is because I can't help but find your will to continue intriguing. But it ends here. Bow your head to me, and I may yet prove merciful."

The caerbannog's head swiveled around, as if check to make sure it had no other limbs to attack with, before turning back to the seer… and lowering its head.

Salem waited a moment, waiting for its inevitable attempt to attack. When a minute had passed and that moment never came, she finally addressed the limbless grimm.

"Now-" and that was when it whipped its head back and throwing it forwards, launching its ears at ludicrous speeds. Its bony studs managed to pierce through the seer, and it evaporated soon after.

The caerbannog lied there on the ground, unable to set itself back up, and its strength finally depleted. Yet it lied there victoriously, its foes vanquished by its might and resourcefulness-and then 11 more seers rose from the pit.

As Salem gazed down upon it in disapproval, all the caerbannog could do was reassess the situation, and emitted a series of noises that expressed its desire to discuss terms.

"...No," and with that the seers moved in on the now hopeless grimm. However, before a fate beyond imagining could befall the black beast, the writer of this omake suffered a fatal heart attack and-HURK!

 

[Enkida]

DUST​

There are 5 base types of Dust found in nature. Dust can be combined naturally (rare) or artificially (more common) to produce new, stronger types of Dust. Dust is a limited resource mined out of the earth. Dust in its rawest form is a powder, though it is usually mined as raw crystals. It is activated by the auras of Humans and Faunus, and traditionally was used by individuals with great discipline either in raw powdered form, woven into clothing, or fused as crystals into their own bodies (very painful). In the modern world, Dust is commonly compressed into cartridges which act as magical bullets in firearms, thus creating a lower bar for Dust usage by less-skilled individuals with aura in general. The more types of base Dust that are combined into a new form, the more rare, expensive, and volatile that Dust gets.

DUST AND YOU
Grimm, lacking auras, cannot utilize Dust as individuals with auras would. They can, however, consume Dust and achieve temporary benefits from it. The purer the Dust, the more attractive the Dust is to Grimm -- artificially combined Dust is not necessarily stronger for a Grimm. Consuming Dust immediately damages a Grimm's body; by how much depends on the evolutionary level of the Grimm.

Consuming Dust during a battle will use up one of your attacks. If you have, say, 5 attacks per round, then consuming one crystal of Dust will leave you with 4 attacks. The amount of Dust you can consume per round depends on your Evolutionary level. The effects of Dust will only last for one round.

QM note: Since this is something of a large canon divergence, I'm letting "known" types of Dust be things I've encountered in the series / based on the RWBY Wiki page, not things your Caerbannog has encountered in this quest.

BASE DUST TYPES:

• Air [white] : + 1 TO HIT
• Burn [red] : + 1 TO ATK
• Water [blue] : + 1 TO DEX
• Earth [green] : + 1 TO CHA
• Gravity [purple] : + 1 TO STR

KNOWN DUAL COMBINATIONS OF DUST:

• ???
• Ice (air + water) [light blue]
• Lightning (air + gravity) [yellow]
• ???
• Steam (burn + water) [grey]
• Pressure (burn + gravity) [orange]
• ???
• ???
• ???
• Stasis (gravity + earth) [black]

KNOWN TRIPLE COMBINATIONS OF DUST:

• Time (gravity, air, earth) [gold]
• Energy (gravity, air, water) [cyan]
• ???
• ???
• ???
• ???

PEOPLE YOU'VE MET​

Nadir Shiko
Sekimen Shiko*
"Mom" Shiko*
"Dad" Shiko*
Professor Reseda*
Qrow Branwen
Salem
Cinder Fall
Emerald Sustrai
Marcus Black
Mercury Black

* = original character

KNOWN LOCATIONS​

Kuro Forest
A dense forest on the continent of Anima, full of both natural wildlife and Grimm. You were "born" in this forest from the remains of an unknown massacre.

The Warren
A large underground cavern somewhere beneath Kuro Forest. It used to be home to a large colony of Caerbannog, but now only seems to contain only a few stray Sepulcrum.

Sanctum Academy
An entry-level Huntsman training school on the continent of Anima. Notable attendees include the Shiko siblings as well as Pyrrha Nikos.

The Shiko Farm
A farm on the outskirts of Kuro Forest, home to the Shiko family (Father, Mother, Nadir, Sekimen, 2 dogs).

Himawari Village
A small village near Sanctum Academy, mostly formed to support the school.

Kuro Cavern
A Grimm-laden cave deep underneath Kuro Forest. Deep within its depths is a pool of ichor that can create Grimm and transport you to other locations.

Cinder's Base
A cave located somewhere in the wilderness of Mount Takaiyama. You have no further information about it, other than that one of Salem's transportation pools can be found here.

Mount Takaiyama
The mountainside where Marcus Black lives.

Marcus Black's House
The lonely, remote house where Marcus and Mercury Black live.

CANON DIVERGENCES​

- Consider this an AU where Grimm attack anything they want, then, if just for mechanical purposes: I created a set list of scaled enemies you can fight, and it includes everything from animals to airships. (But you don't need to eat food to survive, yes.)

- Obviously, YOU don't turn into black mist when you die. ... I wonder if any other Grimm have the same blessing...

- Nadir Shiko had a sister. You killed her.

- Qrow was sent by Ozpin to scout Pyrrha Nikos, roughly around the same time your colony attacked Sanctum Academy.

Spoiler: Salem, spoilers Vol 6

None of this Volume 6 "Salem was a jilted human lover who turned to the dark side" crap going on here. The Salem of this universe is a Grimm through and through, started as one, and will live or die as one. If you want to know what the origin of this universe's Salem is, it's the same as the one in my story, Sleeping Without Dreaming. Technically speaking, this quest could take place in the same universe as that story so long as you players don't kill (or save) any of the major characters in that set-in-the-future timeline. Bonus points if you read enough of the fic to understand the who what and why of Salem and the Grimm, Ozpin, and Silver-Eyed Warriors for this universe.

Spoiler: Mercury, spoilers Vol 6

has a Semblance

 

[Enkida]

CHARACTER SHEET

We are currently a Pack Leader Caerbannog:​

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: Wrath
[Salem's Anger: After each battle, your body no longer instantly heals. Unless you rest for 8 hours before your next encounter, you will start the next battle with your current HP or half of your total HP, whichever is higher.]
[Salem's Tolerance: Whenever you fight another Grimm, you automatically lose the initiative roll.]
STR: 6
DEX: 4
CHA: 3

Current HP: 80/80

SKILLS

Spoiler: SKILLS

Grimm
Grimm Vision: The ability to see in absolute darkness.
Grimm Revelation: The ability to sense and track negative emotions in other creatures.
Grimm Recovery: After a battle, your body will quickly regenerate to full health.
Free Will: You are no longer bound by the constraints of your Wrath. You receive +1 to your saving throw when other Grimm attempt to control you.

Racial
Hyperosmia: You have an abnormally acute sense of smell.
Aural Sensitivity: You have abnormally acute hearing.
Burrow: You possess the ability to dig with unnatural speed and efficiency.

Other
Subterfuge: You can manipulate others through devious methods rather than brutal honesty.
Literacy (1/10): You're learning how to read and write.

Special (omake bonuses)
Drunken Master: Getting drunk now nets you a 1d3 bonus to your strength.
Buff Minions: If you flex before a battle, your minions will gain a bonus to their attack rolls.
Just A Flesh Wound: Whenever you are defeated by an opponent, you get a saving throw chance to flee instead.

ATTACKS

Spoiler: ATTACKS

Claw: 2d10 (+3 STR dmg)
Bite: 1d16 (+3 STR dmg)
Horns: 2d14 (+3 STR dmg)
Spikes: 6 (1 DMG per hit, ranged attack) (+1 DEX to hit)
Battle Scream: Paralysis Effect for 1 round, 3 round cooldown between uses (no DMG)
* Battle Scream is modified by both CHA and Evolutionary Levels

OPPONENTS DEFEATED:

Spoiler: 18

1. Forest Rat (5 HP)
2. Ocelot (15 HP)
3. Grimm Grimble (15 HP)
4. Grimm Taijitu (5 HP)
5. Grimm Avis (5 HP)
6. Grimm Vermivious (10 HP)
7. Grimm Madfet (10 HP)
8. Grimm Jihlava (20 HP) !! LEVEL !!
9. Grimm Sepulcrum (5 HP)
10. Sekimen Shiko (20 HP)
11. Sheepdog (15 HP)
12. Fledging Caerbannog (20 HP)
13. Pack Beowolf (30 HP) !! LEVEL !!
14. Alpha Beowolf (50 HP) !! LEVEL x2 !!
15. Hunter Beowolf (45 HP)
16. Fledgling Beowolf (20 HP)
17. Pack Animal Death Stalker (12 HP)
18. Marcus Black (70 HP)

DEFEATED BY:

Spoiler: 04

1. Sekimen Shiko (20 HP)
2. "Father" Shiko (60 HP)
3. Pack Leader Caerbannog (80 HP) !! DELEVEL !!
4. Salem (???)

MINIONS:

Spoiler: Pack Animal Blackhart

LOCATION: Kuro Forest
Blackhart (MINION) (40/40 HP)
STATS: 3-4-4
Primary Attribute: Pride
Attacks:
Antlers: 2d12
Hooves: 2d3

Spoiler: Emerald Sustrai

Current Age: 16
LOCATION: Mount Takaiyama

Emerald Sustrai (MINION) (60/60 HP + 15 Aura)
STATS: 2-6-4
Handguns: 2d5
Sickle Throw: 4d3
Chain Drag: 1d20
Sickle Swipe: 1d8
Semblance: Trick: Auto-Initiative for self OR ally against 1 opponent

Spoiler: Mercury Black

Current Age: 16
LOCATION: Mount Takaiyama

Mercury Black (60/60 HP + 15 Aura)
STATS: 4-5-3
Leg Cannon: 2d8
Punch: 2d2
Cartwheel Kick: 5d5
Trick Kick: 1d5
Semblance: Curve (+2 to hit on leg cannons & cartwheel kicks)

LOCATION:

ERZFEINDE:

Spoiler: Nadir Shiko

Current Age: 16

EVOLUTIONARY LADDER:
You've managed to evolve 3 times so far.
The highest level you've managed to obtain is "Pack Leader."

You've managed to devolve 1 times so far.
You are currently a "Pack Leader."



COMBAT MECHANICS
Combat will work by a lot of dice rolling and me writing around the results, not me arbitrarily picking the results / putting them to a vote. The more detailed or thoughtful you guys care to make any write-ins, the higher your chances of getting saving throws or other bonuses for the rolls.

1. Combatant A To-Hit Roll (1D20)
2. Damage Dealt
3. Status Effects
4. Combatant B To-Hit Roll (1D20)
5. Damage Dealt
6. Status Effects
   ...etc

Combat modifiers do exist. One way to ensure you get them is to attempt to write-in a strategy when the option appears. Unless the proposed player strategy is completely outrageous and/or out-of-character, it will most likely bring some sort of bonus to your rolls if it wins the vote. Be warned that the opposite can be true if a willfully bad write-in wins, though.

Critical hits vary by level. You get a critical when you roll a 20 on your to-hit roll.

STR, DEX, and CHA bonuses do not apply to combat rolls at the Fledgling Level.
Evolutionary Level differences can apply modifiers to your rolls independent of your stats.