RoninSword
Sky God
- Location
- Canada
Wait, is the moon shattered in Ciel's time yet?
I don't think we have gotten a description of it one way or another.
I don't think we have gotten a description of it one way or another.
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Devourer of Worlds - A Lavos Spawn Quest | (Chrono Trigger x RWBY Crossover) (AU Elements)
- Thread starter x50413
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- USA
I refuse to believe that the entirety of RWBY-P (or even just Blake when she was on her solo adventure) would not have noticed something so blatantly different.
- Location
- Somewhere
Still a question worth asking. Especially if they're not actually looking at the sky for whatever reason.
[X] Weave Blake's Aura. {With your examinations of the ebb and flow of Veve's soul, along with your observations of the Fall Mantle, the operations of Penny's Aura, and Blake's second Semblance... you should be able to work safely with her soul. With her permission, carefully reinforce her Aura – and in so doing, gain practice for whatever operations Veve requires.}
- Location
- Somewhere over the Rainbow
Also the comment about "it was a long time before she did" implies she took over for her father...
I have a feeling Dream of the Grimm would make our welcome run out early... the real question is how much the other two might do it.
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@x50413 mechanically, what's the difference between a Soul, an Aura and a Semblance. Am I right in saying that Aura is the soul made manifest, and a Semblance is the lines drawn onto the Aura? Or is a Semblance the lines drawn onto a Soul, and to activate a Semblance, Aura has to be poured into these lines? I'm just a bit confused on how it all works in this story, and what the differences are.
9.10 - To Temper
- Location
- United States
[X] Weave Blake's Aura. {With your examinations of the ebb and flow of Veve's soul, along with your observations of the Fall Mantle, the operations of Penny's Aura, and Blake's second Semblance... you should be able to work safely with her soul. With her permission, carefully reinforce her Aura – and in so doing, gain practice for whatever operations Veve requires.}
Even if Blake hadn't awoken alone in the Dream Sea, she would have known something was different. Obsidian... under normal circumstances, their connection was mostly dormant. She felt flashes from time to time, mostly of curiosity or interest, or flares of attention when Obsidian was watching particularly closely. But this... this wasn't a feeling she was familiar with.
"Obsidian?" She turned to the enormous watching shell. "What's going on?"
To disperse what has been done to the soul of Veve will not be simple, no matter what the source.
She nodded. "That makes sense. Even the simplest method... the way you described her, trying to undo it is going to be complicated. So: what can I do?"
There was an uncharacteristic silence for a moment.
The ability to manipulate souls is known to me.
"I remember." She glanced to the side, slightly uncomfortable at the memories of that conversation. Then, long experience kicked in, and she went back over that statement, filling in what wasn't said in contrast to what was... "Known to you. You've never used it?"
Modification has been unnecessary. It's mechanisms are known, but not understood.
"Even you need to practice, huh...? What do you need, Obsidian? We only have so much time. If you think it's important, then..." Blake shrugged.
To minimize risk and maximize understanding, familiarity with a soul is required.
Her eyes widened as she understood. "And the soul you're most familiar with is..."
Yours.
She turned, staring into the deep darkness of the Dream Sea as she considered that. It makes sense. We... after what happened in the Battle, there's no way anyone else could compare. Not to mention my new Semblance... For a moment, she thought about failure. If Obsidian weren't able to unravel the alterations made to Veve – the look on Salem's face... Her lips pursed and her brow furrowed. "Is it... do you think it's safe?"
...A small risk always exists. Efforts will be directed to managing it.
She took a deep breath through her nose, then exhaled sharply. "Okay. Tell me what you need from me. I trust you, Obsidian."
Meditate on our connection. More instruction will come as needed.
She nodded, curling her legs underneath her and not questioning the way she floated in the not-water above the ground. She reached inward, feeling for that core that had only grown stronger since the Battle.
It was... surprisingly easy to let go.
You trace your awareness along the familiar lines of Blake's soul, slowly expanding the influence of your power until she is submerged within it. Tendrils of her soul reach out into the sea of your power, connecting to you as she meditates before withdrawing to emerge in different locations and with different feelings attached. Very quickly, she synchronizes with your attention – your connection has grown strong, since your merge and her Dream of you.
For a moment, you aren't certain where to begin. How should you judge where to manipulate? It is a memory of Melchior that rises up in answer: no matter the craft, weaknesses shall reveal themselves under duress. You allow your power to flow inward, pressing into her soul from all directions, filling the channels of her Semblance and granting you complete awareness of her soul. For a moment, her meditation flickers as her focus wavers... and then she steels herself with a deep breath, and her synchronization with you returns. Yet, in that moment, you felt something. A flicker of a crack, a tiny fracture that disappeared the moment you noticed it.
Yet now you are aware of its existence, and nothing can escape you forever. You cycle your power through the soul of your Arbiter, diverting its flow when it becomes too stagnant and twisting its makeup when her soul adjusts too keenly. Those tiny fractures reappear in different places at different times, reacting to stimuli that at first glance have nothing in common... but, little by little, you begin to see the patterns. Your attention tightens, focusing in further and further as you chase the source of these imperfections, these ragged edges in Blake's self. Pain. Loneliness. Fear. Anxiety. Doubt.
There. This coiled, dark knot that buries itself in her soul even as you watch it. No; it is the soul that buries the knot, rather than the reverse. Some buried darkness that leaks constant weakness into the soul around it. You reach out to it, coiling your power around it and bracing to remove it. Yet... as you watch the rest of her soul tense up and feel the hitch in her breathing, something stays your hand. Something is wrong. You've missed something...
... Ah. How obvious. Did you not preserve this very thing, in the storm of your merger? Is it not a part of what makes up your Arbiter? To remove it is not the opposite of what was done to Veve's soul – it is merely a reflection. A removal of what should be, rather than an addition of what should not.
Yet, the fact remains that this dark thing is a weakness in her soul. Hidden during the day or not, sooner or later one of those fractures will widen and snap. Thus...
Blake.
Obsidian?
Your assistance is needed.
What do you need?
We must Dream. It will be unpleasant.
... Okay.
You pull on that dark knot, letting Blake's awareness be dragged in your wake as you dive deeper and deeper...
She went left, and he went right.
She went low, and he went high.
And, between red and black blades, the robots parted and fell. She breathed out, releasing some of the tension in her body without dropping her awareness, as Adam opened the door to the next car. It was devoted to a single large glass cylinder, inside which hovered a red-and-orange Dust crystal like she'd never seen.
"That's unusual," she murmured. "They don't usually display cargo like that..."
"Hmm. Must be important. See if you can get it out of there, Blake. I'll set the charges."
She nodded, stepping forward into the car and laying her blade against the cylinder. The terminal turned out to be relatively straightforward... right up until the password screen that denied her. She huffed in irritation, glancing at the glass to judge how thick it was...
Clink-clink.
Her ear twitched and she spun, blade pointing straight out and sheath in hand. The man in the labcoat raised his hands immediately, eyes wide and filled with fear. "W-wait! I'm not...!"
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the SDC badge on his chest. "Do you have the password to this terminal?"
"I..." His eyes followed the tip of the blade as it twitched and he swallowed heavily, leaning backwards. "Y-yes. I do."
"Open this up. Quickly."
For a moment, he did nothing. The moment she made to step forward, though, he nodded frantically. "Okay. O-of course. Just... please, relax. If you made it past the Knights, there's nothing I can do. I'm just... here to do my job."
"Right now, your job is to open this."
"Of course. Please... excuse me." He moved forward and she slid to the side, blade lowered slightly but still ready as he moved to the terminal to unlock it. His keypresses were unsteadied by shaking hands, but after several tense seconds the cylinder slid open to reveal the crystal to the world.
"There. I won't get in your way, so -" his voice cut off as
"I'm aware," she said.
Wait. This isn't right. I... I didn't - I wouldn't...!
"Ah. Good." Adam nodded to her as he entered from the engine side of the car. "Let's go, Blake. We've got... probably two minutes left to get off."
She nodded, reaching in to grab the
"If they don't..." he shrugged. "Next time, or the time after. Sooner or later they'll have to respond."
The jump from the edge of the train car was simple for them... but she couldn't deny the
No... no, I stopped this! This isn't me!
There was a flickering / tearing as Adam melted away like dust in the wind and she was left standing and staring at the ruined wreckage of the train, bloody sword in hand. "I... Obsidian, what..."
This is a fracture in your soul, Blake. It disrupts and weakens you.
She choked out a hollow laugh. "So, what, this is... a manifestation of my fears, or something? Like in a story?"
A Dream of them.
"Right, of course. And I'm supposed to do... what? Face my fears down? Beat them in Dream combat?"
It is a poison that hides, concealed by your own soul. It must be exposed so it may be corrected, and your aid is necessary for both.
"So that's why," came a voice that had Blake whipping around to face the treeline, shaking her head. Yang stepped out, a gentle
"Yang...? No, I - don't. Please. Go... go back to your own dreams. Obsidian, why would you -"
It was you who called for aid, Blake.
"So that's what I felt..." Ruby was next to appear. "This Dream feels... weird. Heavier than normal."
"Is that what it is...?" Yang mumbled to herself, stepping closer and ignoring the way Blake looked for an escape. "Partner. Come on. After everything... why are you so afraid?"
"I..." She couldn't answer that.
"You're nothing like Adam Taurus," Weiss' voice cut through and made her wince as her last teammate slipped through the trees. "That's something you should know very well, Blake."
"I..." She turned to stare at the burning train. "I could have been." As the rest of her team came up beside her, she felt... many things. A boiling storm of emotions that she couldn't even begin to pick apart. How many of these are the result of Obsidian's touch on my soul...? Does it even matter? She shook her head. How many times have I just wanted to talk about what happened...
She took a deep breath. "... I remember the first time Adam killed someone." She didn't turn to look at her team, didn't want to see the looks on their faces. She just spoke. "Our team had broken into a dust mine, one that had a ... pretty bad reputation. It was a raid, but Adam and I were mostly concerned about getting the laborers out. The mine paid SDC scrip, so if we didn't offer help to the miners there's no way they could afford to live, you know?" She ignored the wince she sensed from Weiss, eyes far away.
"We'd taken down most of the guards without much problem. Some of them even surrendered; one of them shut off some of the automatic defenses. I think he... I think he knew what we were going to find, at the end."
When she didn't continue for a moment, Yang laid a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't good," she said. It wasn't a question.
Blake shook her head. "There was a girl. Young, like us, up in the foreman's office. It looked like she maybe did office work? I don't know. I'll never know her story, because the moment the foreman saw us coming, he just..."
The burning train whisked away as her Dream conjured up the image she didn't want to see. Her younger self, there alongside a maskless Adam, charging down an office hallway. A round, mustachioed man looking up from his papers at them with disdain and hatred, and a brown-haired teenager with dog ears standing just behind him with fear and hope warring on her face.
The foreman just shook his head. "God damn traitors. Can't count on anyone." From the desk, he produced a pistol. Adam and Blake both tensed... but he turned to the side instead.
One bullet was all it took, for someone without an active Aura. By the time he turned back to the hallway... Adam was already there.
This time, it wasn't only Weiss who flinched. "That's..." Ruby's voice shook. "That's awful..."
Blake sighed, staring at the scene in front of her. "I didn't blame him, then. I comforted him afterward, when his hands were shaking... told him I understood. And I did, you know? I was right behind him, and if I'd made it first..." She trailed off, for a moment not willing to say the words. But... they needed to be said. "I would have done the same thing. If I had... if that had been my first, would things have been different? Would it have been him comforting me, would it have been him wondering where I went wrong? I used to be so convinced we were doing the right thing..."
She licked her lips, nervously. "I'm scared. It was so easy for him, you know? So many little steps until he couldn't even tell what had happened. What if..."
"What if it happens to you?" Weiss' voice was all sharp-edges... but Blake could almost hear her calming herself. "... It won't, Blake."
"How can you say that? Especially..." She turned to the ex-heiress, needing to see the look on her face... but the look in Weiss' eyes brought her up short.
"Because you're asking us those questions, Blake. You're worried about it. If we asked you to consider your actions, would you?"
Hesitantly, she nodded. "Yes, but... that doesn't mean I'll listen. You... definitely had concerns about Obsidian, and you had good reasons for them." Almost unwillingly, her eyes flicked to her partner.
Yang... just sighed. "Yeah. But... I was wrong. Heh." She shrugged. "That's not really the point, though. You don't always have to do what we think is right, Blake. You just have to listen."
"You're forgetting something, too," Ruby said with a flicker of silver. "You had the chance to... do those things. To go down that road. You chose not to." She smiled that gentle team-leader smile she got sometimes. "That's the thing that really matters, Blake. Even in the tunnels, when they'd stolen the Flame..."
Blake blinked, suddenly flooded with memories of that decision. Of how close she'd come to making the wrong one...
"Hey." Yang nudged her with a shoulder. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing in that dumb head of yours. Partner... you focus too much on what you almost did. If I did that... I don't think I'd ever make a decision again. What matters is what you do, and why you do it."
"And judging by that metric..." Weiss' voice was substantially less sharp, now. "You've made mistakes, Blake, but we all have. But I can't imagine this team without you."
Her hands clenched, and she squinted her eyes shut, turning away from her team as she sniffed. "... Yeah. I... yeah."
She wiped her eyes. "Thanks, guys."
"You know s'what we're for," Yang replied, and she could hear the smile.
Deeper in the Dream, a dark knot loosened and was smoothed away.
Unseen and unheard, in a small room in Ciel, a black Aura flickered once before it settled itself again.
One action remains until the infiltration of the Tower.
Depending on the outcome, your welcome in Ciel may run out.
Choose an action:
[X] Train the team in magical combat. {Your mortals are quite skilled at fighting, but outside of Spekkio that have rarely practiced with magic only. You will push them, improving their ability to confront a single, powerful magician - such as a Maiden.}
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.
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A special thank you to all of my patrons:
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FishforBrains
$20 Tier
wtungsten
$10 Tier
Saganatsu
TaliesinSkye
Zanarakin
alethiophile
Oscar Sampedro Lopez
$5 Tier
LordPanther
Darik29
Wordsmith
Gary Gonzales
Zerocastle
k5Josh
Aselia
Aabcehmu
Bertucchi
Nik
Kelly Harll
Captainwolf
VaultTec01
Jack of Olives
y
$2 Tier
Coty Malan
Roi
Niteflier
Kurip
edofthesquid
Vateke
PreciselyDefined
The Great and Powerful Leslie
Adeen Dragon
0Kanata0
Ricardo
Templar99
purple_shade
LiamOfOrmonde
Jaune Pendragon
Roxas902
Kevin Strandberg
obviousPenname
PbookR
Anthony Corcoran
Qwertystop
Brandon L Holland
Shade of Tyranny
- Location
- Places
Was there any text regarding a reward or summary of the outcome of the action? Or is that not something necessary in this case?
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
- Location
- United States
Part of the problem here is that the language used in the Quest is an approximation. Souls are a bit... metaphorical, in some ways, because humans aren't really set up to perceive them in the way that Obsidian does.
The "closest" way to think about it is... probably to think of the Aura's "origin" Obsidian describes as the heart or brain of the soul. Something absolutely essential to its function, the piece from which all else comes. The Aura is generated from that origin and is intimately connected to it, such that changes to the Aura can change the Origin but do not always. For example, damage in battle doesn't reflect back to the Origin.
A Semblance (or Nature) is like the fingerprints of the Aura, a sort of natural spell-like ability that activates when filled by the Origin.
Make sense? Probably not, because mechanically isn't exactly the forte of soul analytics.
- Location
- Florida
[X] Train the team in magical combat. {Your mortals are quite skilled at fighting, but outside of Spekkio that have rarely practiced with magic only. You will push them, improving their ability to confront a single, powerful magician - such as a Maiden.}
Such as a Maiden... Or a Queen.
Such as a Maiden... Or a Queen.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
[X] Train the team in magical combat
LiamOfOrmonde
67% lewd. Oh my!
- Location
- Florida Sometimes
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
Probably a good idea to make a start on our main objective, Ironwood was probably annoyed we chose to do this rather than go to other (and in his mind, more urgent) places so if we fight the queen and then turn up with nothing (and possibly a non-grimmy Salem depending on how FUBAR things get) then that'd result in a significant reduction in trust from him (and might nudge him towards the first step that led to what he did in canon during the Atlas arc).
Probably a good idea to make a start on our main objective, Ironwood was probably annoyed we chose to do this rather than go to other (and in his mind, more urgent) places so if we fight the queen and then turn up with nothing (and possibly a non-grimmy Salem depending on how FUBAR things get) then that'd result in a significant reduction in trust from him (and might nudge him towards the first step that led to what he did in canon during the Atlas arc).
- Location
- Pennslyvania
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
I trust them in combat, but we really do need to figure out what the hell is up with the Grimm, particularly since it seems that things are coming to a head.
I trust them in combat, but we really do need to figure out what the hell is up with the Grimm, particularly since it seems that things are coming to a head.
infinityDivided
Prince Of Doom
- Location
- USA
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
- Location
- Poland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Train the team in magical combat. {Your mortals are quite skilled at fighting, but outside of Spekkio that have rarely practiced with magic only. You will push them, improving their ability to confront a single, powerful magician - such as a Maiden.}
Going all in for the golden ending for Salem. Pretty sure a victory over the Queen will be important for that.
Going all in for the golden ending for Salem. Pretty sure a victory over the Queen will be important for that.
- Location
- United States
[X] Train the team in magical combat. {Your mortals are quite skilled at fighting, but outside of Spekkio that have rarely practiced with magic only. You will push them, improving their ability to confront a single, powerful magician - such as a Maiden.}
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
[X] Consider the Grimm. {You possess knowledge from the ancient Dream of the Ataxia and the Clockwork; with the Grimm of this era as a reference, you may be able to come to further conclusions about their nature, even from a distance and without direct samples. Reach out, Dreaming, and attempt to accomplish your mortal's original goal, at least in part.}
Babysharkdodo
I knew the song before it was recorded
- Location
- A place
[X] Train the team in magical combat. {Your mortals are quite skilled at fighting, but outside of Spekkio that have rarely practiced with magic only. You will push them, improving their ability to confront a single, powerful magician - such as a Maiden.}
I feel that they can use this with upcoming conflicts.
I feel that they can use this with upcoming conflicts.