PseudoSims' Corner of Stuff

PseudoSim · Nov 21, 2015

Figured it was definitely time to finally get around to making a good place to organizing things.

Bare bones for the moment while I get things together. Making it now though so I dont put it off.

QQ's And Responses

Plot Bunnies:
∑>Rebecca Quest (Worm)
∑>Borrower (Worm)
∑>Oblique (Worm)
∑>Journal of a Wannabe Hero (Worm)
∑>Dungeon Crawlers (Worm)
∑>Second Chances Are... Frustrating (Worm/Marvel MCU)
∑>Displacement (Worm / Blue Steel)
∑>An Insane Intergalactic Terrorist(?) (Worm / Rick and Morty)
∑>Rhode To Tomorrow (Harry Potter / D-Grey Man)
∑>What a Blast (Worm / Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
∑>Lil' Armsmaster (Worm / Robot Chicken)
∑>Why Narwhal is Exempt From School Functions (Worm)
∑>Red (Worm)
∑>Fem Fatale (Worm)
∑>Toybox Technicians (Worm)
∑>The Save Scum Must Die (Misc)
∑>Transmission Vector (Worm / Last of Us)

Snips:
[ SB / SV ]∑>Why we cant have Pokemon (Worm / Pokemon)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Contracted Fear (Worm / Alt-Power)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Missy's Vacation Time (Worm/ AU)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Amnesia (Worm/ Alt-Power)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Mirror | rorriM (Worm/ Alt-Power),
[ SB / SV ]∑>Walker (Worm)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Dragon Gets a Friend Request (Worm / Portal)
[ SB / SV ]∑>My Madness Trumps Your Reality (Worm/ League of Legends)
[ SB / SV ]∑>How The WingedOne Earned A Million Infractions (Worm/PHO)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Displacement (Worm / Arpeggio of Blue Steel)
[ SB / SV ]∑>Hit The Road Jack (Worm / Fallout) (Raw)
[ SB / SV ]∑>'re-Borner (Worm / Nasu-Verse)

Threads:
[ SB / SV ]∑>Conjuration< (Worm / Zelda) [Active]
[ SB / SV ]∑>Trope< (Worm) [Active]
[ SB / SV ]∑>Taylor Hebert: Pokemon Master< (Worm AU / Pokemon AU) [Active] -
[ SB / SV ]∑>Ghostly Reflections< (Worm / Misc) [Active] -
[ SB / SV ]∑>Life in Blue< (Worm / Mass Effect) [Inactive/Editing] -
[ SB / SV ]∑>Galaxy Rising< (Mass Effect AU) [Inactive]
[ SB / SV ]∑>Kill the Save Scum (Fallout NPC / Misc)
[ SB / SV ]∑>A Grimm Tale (RWBY SI)

Quests:
[ SB / SV ]∑>A Most Greivous Quest (Star Wars / Mass Effect)
[ SB / SV ]∑>

Original:
[ SB / SV ]∑>Step Into The Black< (Original / Scifi) [UNPOSTED)
[ SB / SV ]∑>(Title Undecided)< (Original / Fantasy)
[ SB / SV ]∑>

Art:
[ SB / SV ]∑>Google Maps Brockton Bay Map Project
[ SB / SV ]∑>

STATUS:

Nope, nothing here yet. Still building. Come back later

PseudoSim · Nov 21, 2015

Something so there's actually something.

A kinda mostly ready prologue (that's subject to minor change) for a fantasy fic that I'm working on developing when the muse strikes.

Name: ????
Chap: Prologue (and Hook)

Golden eyes, sunken and tired from a night that had stretched on for far too long stared out past a few loose strands of greasy black hair toward the orange glow of the sun rising off on the rippling horizon of the ocean.

It was… a pleasant sight, and one far better than the usual that she could get from the city rooftops. However, the pleasantly calming balm that it normally brought on was overshadowed and diminished to little more than an ember by everything that had happened since she'd last seen it.

Now… now it was just a nice view, a view that was hopefully to be her last.

Her hands in her lap, she drew her hands across the black fabric of what had been a nice, shoulderless evening dress. Like her hair though, it hadn't really survived the night. It was almost in tatters with holes, cuts and tears scattered across it like a macabre horror costume.

The only real good thing about it left had been that the darker than black spots weren't quite as visible. And there were quite a number of them.

Briefly, she raised a hand and from her lap to finger a clean slit just above her navel; the material stiff to the touch while the skin beneath it smooth and unblemished. The only reminder that anything had happened being the hole in her dress, and the memory.

A knot welling in the back of her throat she let her hand go limp to fall on the mass of machined and stamped metal weighing down the fabric of her lap. Slowly, unconsciously, she trailed her fingers over every contour, line, groove and marking in the cold metal and over the textured wooden grip.

It was… chilling, still, just how much she could feel. Even after all she'd been through up till that point with it, and despite the familiarity it had taken on.

"Maybe it'll work, this time."

Glancing down toward her lap, she curled her fingers around the wooden grip of the revolver. It was still discomforting, but with fingers that knew what they were doing more than she did, she thumbed back the hammer; the muted clicking of the internal mechanisms locking into place echoing in the quiet of the dawn.

The innocuous sound, so ominous as it had been that night, barely even phased her now nor did it disturb any of the souls in the area. And those that it would have… well they weren't exactly in a position to complain about it. Not anymore.

Although, the same couldn't have been said for the echoing report of the weapon discharging. The sound rippling through the still air of the morning and across the small bay and dock that she'd found herself in; causing a small flock of birds to take flight.

][=[]=][

A bit of a darkish start, yes, but thats just because you dont have the rest of the chap. (context: my current favorite word.)

PseudoSim · Nov 28, 2015

Displacement
[Worm /Archipelago Of Blue Steel]

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One would have thought, that seeing a walking, talking, kung fu slinging teddy bear would have been something that sent someone running. And, admittedly, that was what everyone else in the hall was doing- this was Brockton Bay after all.

Me though, with my twisted leg pinned painfully under me as it was, that wasn't really an option. All I could do was watch as the little stuffed bear I'd picked up on my way to school that morning thrash Sophia like she was some thug. The difference between me and them though, was that all I could do was smile.

>|<

It was something of an odd coincidence, but at that moment you couldn't help but remember one of the words that was going to have been on your vocab quiz in English that day.

Escalation: an increase in the intensity or seriousness of something, an intensification.

And right now, coincidentally, Escalation was the perfect word for the situation you'd found yourself in as you watched the now fully formed, trenchcoat clad human version of Kirishima grin viciously as she relieved Armsmaster of his halberd and straight kicking him into and through a boarded up storefront before following after him.

Ah, Armsmaster, leader of the East North East Protectorate and your main recurring customer thus far besides his not-girlfriend. Really, under normal circumstances and if it weren't for the fact that you were practically fighting for your life at that point, you would have been horrified at what the Changer Woman-cum Teddybear had done.

He was a Hero with a Capital H after all, even if he'd attacked you without provocation… Well, legitimate provocation. You'd been in the company of the Teddy Bear that had brutally beaten down one of his Wards after all, so that may have counted.

As it was however, you literally had your hands full just fending off attacks from the local Heros and PRT to care all that much. And seeing a black hazmat suited trooper pop stand up from behind a parked car, you brought your hands up as the trooper fired off a salvo of containment foam grenades at you.

Really, at this point, you would have thought they would have learned that coming at you from range was an effort in futility. But nonetheless, they kept at it anyway. And while you couldn't really fault them for trying, you suspected that it may have become personal after making the pinch of thioacetone- which in retrospect may not have been the best idea, despite it being the least lethal.

But no matter, it was already done and not something to dwell on; as the moment the first of the grenades entered your field you twitched your fingers this way and that to swap around the internal and external construction of the grenades to release their payload back onto the street. Using your hands wasn't quite necessary, but gesturing helped somewhat with your stamina.

Feeling another, much larger intrusion into your field, you swept your foot back so you were facing the new threat and threw your hand skyward; forcefully re-arranging the the asphalts aggregate to rise up and create a thin barrier to intercept a stream of containment foam. A feint.

Narrowing your eyes, you followed the trajectory the foam had come in at; even as it expanded and hardened. Fortunately, you locked onto the source quickly, unfortunately for the sprayer wielding trooper though, they thought using the raised edge of a warehouse's roof as a barrier would be enough to protect them.

Fool on them though, besides me few enough gave a care about the docks and even fewer cared what happened to the buildings within it.

Curling your fingers into a claw, you sent the mass of containment foam back at the trooper on a thin column of asphalt and dirt that crumbled and broke apart even as it crashed into them. Escalation, it was certainly the name of the game today; and hearing the shouts and exclamations behind you from your new display, you spun back around and took a knee to slap your hands onto the cracked surface of the street. No need to hold back now.

It took a second of concentration, and in the next moment your field of control disappeared as you shifted from radial to contact control. You were defenseless and vulnerable to the troopers in front of you, technically. But a second later they became a non-factor as you brought up a wall between them and you that reached to the rooftops and stretched the width of the street.

The exertion was fairly minor compared to when you'd initially started out, barely able to turn a locker door back to its base element. But nonetheless, a small ache was spawned from the exertion and as if on autopilot you reached into your back pocket and extricated your repurposed Tic-Tac container. Popping it open with a flick of your thumb, you re-established your radial field as you shook out two of the faux-mints and threw them back; relief coming within moments of swallowing the bitter medicine.

Absently you wished you had some water to wash them down, but discarded the idea of making a glass as frivolous when you heard a crash of metal from behind you and a victorious shout of glee.

Looking back over your shoulder you saw Kirishima, standing over Armsmaster with the capes halberd still in her possession and resting casually against her shoulder a little ways away. Glancing at Armsmaster, in his battered armor, you had to wonder just how strong Kirishima was; strong enough evidently.

"Kirishima. How much farther do we have to go?"

Glancing over to me, the Changers eyes went a little blank as a pair of curving green markings appeared under her eyes. It almost looked like she was spacing out, something Armsmaster tried to suddenly capitalize on in a flurry of movement, but a harsh stomp of her booted foot onto his back said otherwise.

Frowning in consternation, she suddenly began grinding her heel against Armsmaster back and only stopped when the metal bucked sharply and the green markings flared before disappearing altogether. "It's not much farther, c'mon."

Nodding I stood and walked up to stand next to her as she stepped off Armsmaster. "The others still have a few things to get ready," she muttered quietly once we'd began walking. "We have to keep the attention on us so no one interferes, are you ok with that? You can still turn back."

"She's… right." You stopped in place, and apparently either Kirishima wasn't as quiet as she thought she'd been or Armsmasters' armor had better listening devices. Considering the amount of microcircuitry I could feel in the armor it may have been the latter.

"It's… not too late to turn yourself in, Refinery." His breathing was laboured as you looked over your shoulder to watch him struggle against his damaged armor to push himself into a sitting position.

Eyes narrowing, you stared hard at the Hero and thought of times you'd worked with him after your initial sales pitch. You had to wonder if he'd known.

It was a train of thought that had nagged at you since you'd watched Sophia try and turn into black mist in order to escape what you'd initially thought to just be a curio that you'd found on your way to school. You knew about hard decisions and the concept of sacrificing for a greater good, and from a logical standpoint you could admit its importance to an extent. The problem was that it was considerably more difficult to reconcile understand that when you were the sacrifice.

"I think... I think I can still respect you Armsmaster. I rather enjoyed working with you and Dragon, you taught me a lot- and I'm grateful for that. But at this point it's too late, you have Hess to thank for that."

Shifting around a bit of my mask so the man could see my bittersweet smile I dipped my head in respect one final time. And without another word, I turned away from the Hero and stepped alongside Kirishima as we headed farther into the docks.

>|<

Lips pressed thin, you watched as Hebert and the Unknown turned down a corner a ways down the street and disappeared; heading further into the docks at an all too casual pace. Not that it would have really mattered otherwise. With the capabilities that the Unknown had displayed, the two of them were nearly untouchable from range and them taking their time just served as a means to an end.

What a mess. You would have to look into what she meant about Hess, but from the connotations were disturbing. The thought that one of the Wards under his command- albeit indirect -caused what he'd wanted to prevent happening was not a pleasant thought.

Matter Transmutation, that's what her power had been classified by the Thinktank after her her offer of working with them on a contractual basis. You hadn't needed to read the potential threat assessment that they'd put together though, it hadn't even taken you a minute after considering the potential applications of what she'd shown.

On the surface, her power was somewhat weak compared to most. Looking at it deeper and even assuming- rightly so as was clearly evident -that she was holding things in reserve it was clear to see how dangerous she could be if she took on the right mindset. And now, thanks to their potential failure- his failure -she was now siding with an unknown… no, maybe not an Unknown, but maybe a changer. Maybe. Hopefully.

Blinking away a stack of error messages on your heads up display, you accessed your suits local memory and went back several weeks to the night you'd gotten a report of Lung fighting someone. It had ended with you arriving to find Lung bound and unconscious. With the culprit standing over him in her oversized overcoat. You remembered the disinterested stare she given you when you'd shown up, like she'd been expecting you. And pulling up a still of her, you accessed your combat footage from the last half hour and brought up a picture of the Unknown cape that Hebert had called Kirishima- a name that had already been confirmed by Control and Dragon to match no one in any of the available databases.

The Unknown girl, later designated Dreadnaught thanks to her overcoat and Assaults humor, had- except for the yellow coloration -shown the exact same markings under her eyes as the Unknown that had started this whole mess with Hebert.

Staring at the two images in growing worry, you opened a channel to Control. Hopefully, if you acted fast you could head things off before they escalated even further than they already had.

>|<
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Part one of a two-shot(thus far). Not quite sure where this would go after the ending. Was kinda thinking it could be the start of a quest, hence the 'You' but I don't really have much experience on that front.... also got a group report I should be working on due monday so... yeah

.

PseudoSim · Sep 2, 2016

Ive gotten didly done (though am working on things) so while im thinking about it, here.

How to clean up your index in a few simple steps... or maybe not, experiences may vary.

Instructions:
-Just quote this and edit the BLANK to make a title for each accordion then add the content.
Note: Liberal use of the preview function is advised..
-To add more categories just copy paste this ↓ into the end.

{/slide}
{slide=BLANK |center}

{/slide}

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[Title]

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PseudoSim · Oct 28, 2016

A Grimm Tale (SI / RWBY)
Tags: Why am I doing this to myself, RWBY, SI, Going Insane, Beowulf life, Madness is relative, That looks tasty

Welp... so it's finally come to this then has it? Well here we go then…

***

I groaned into my mercifully cool pillow and batted a hand back at the light tickling sensation in my ear. "Furgoff Tighler," Well I know I said that aloud, but all I heard was a muffled growl. Not the 'I am displeased' rumble that I was familiar with from FatFat or MurderBeast, but something rather more canine- had Nick finally brought his dog into the house? Poor big ol' puppy, having to be left in the truck whenever his daddy stopped by, never able to get any attention.

Reaching out to give the black lab some ear scratches I cracked an eye and- hmm? I flicked my one eyed gaze across the towering green trees, mossy rocks, and grassy forest floor before I narrowed my focus onto my outstretched arm. It was black. Not 'black' as in my arm was now dark skinned. But/No, BLACK. As in black like a crude oil spill. My gaze took in the thick, coarse looking fur that covered my arm before snapping to the series of thick bone spurs the jutted backward out of my forearm like a sawblade. Starkly white against the black, the bone spurs had a rough texture, and thin layers like shale.

I looked to my hand, seeing thick talons just like the bone spurs protruding out of my fingers. I clenched/made a fist and flexed my fingers. Checking that it was actually my hand. Then did it again to double check. Wiggling my fingers to triple it, and finally flexing the digits until they arced back a little and shook to be extra extra sure so I couldn't deny that this was my hand.

I stared at it for a few moments more before sitting up and staring at the soft looking pads of my fur covered palm as I started clenching my hand. It felt right, as much as a hand should feel like/like it should have- But what the actual fucking hell was this crap. Seriously, this was checking all the stereotypical body swap boxes- which was impossible!

I couldn't help it, I trembled a little as the situation sank in a little and put a crack in my self control. I hadn't lost control like this since- those had been extenuating circumstances- AND THIS WASN'T?!

Recognising that I was rapidly approaching the threshold of a panic attack, I desperately I tried to get a hold of myself. Regain my usual stoicism, be logical, do anything but have a breakdown.

I couldn't- but- I drew in a shaky breath. Just keep repressing, just keep repressing, just keep repress~ess~ess~ess~ing- channeling Dorry didn't help one-goddamn-bit.

The compounded stress I'd been feeling over my exams. Depression at having to watch Mom do her best to drink and smoke herself to death because I couldn't afford my own place. The increasingly hopeless sense of despair stemming from knowing enough to recognise that the country and world were turning into an increasingly out of control dumpster fire. And who the fuck knew what else leaked out.

Just a fraction of my pent up issues escaped the little box that I crammed it all into and sent my chest into convulsions. It wasn't a full blown episode, but I had no doubt that I was well on my way to a psychotic break if I fully snapped.

Almost detached from my breakdown, I absently recognized that the way my chest was convulsing made me think that whatever came out was going to sound rather crazed, and not a little unhinged… my stomach dropped out of my stomach though when it came out as a chuffing bark and the shock snapped me out of it.

And I was a mute. Wonderful.

This just didn't- I mean I liked SI stories, at least to an extent that my suspension of disbelief could handle. But this, if this was indeed what it was unless it was or some distorted form of reincarnation or punishment or...

I curled my toes and- Oh, and my toes were feeling a little off. Looking back I saw more bone spurs, and more black fur covering a pair of considerably thicker than human digitigrade style legs rather than the plantigrade that I'd had, oh, my entire life. A muscle movement, not unlike a spasm, in my lower back and a length of bushy black fur flicked up momentarily before flopping back down. I felt that, and now that I knew about it I noticed I could feel the shape of the ground behind me... I had a tail.

I sighed a sigh that came out as a raspy chuff; exhaustion shrouding me and sinking into my limbs like a leaden blanket as I ran my hand along the patch of grass I was sitting on on. Absently, I dug my taloned digits deep into the damp earth, just pushing them down into the dirt with the slightest effort and tearing out out a sizable clod before it fell apart into several chunks. Dumping the loose dirt, I grabbed at and started and squeezing at my trapezius, the nervous tic only giving me the barest level of comfort that it usually did.

Fuck my fucking life this was fucking bullshit. No, correction, fuck this fucking fucked up bullshit.

Idly, I ran my off hand across my chest, through the shaggy fur and along the grooves of the well defined musculature beneath.

So... what, was I a Lycan or some kind of Werewolf now? Or a Worgen- I shivered at the thought as I rubbed a lock of fur between the pads on my fingers. To hell with being a Worgen. Azeroth? Yeah, there were some safe spots but that whole world was an all around nope thanks to the Legion. No thank you. That was one universe pretty much on par with getting dumped into 40K. Just on a smaller scale with far fewer rocks to hide under.

If I really was in either of those places... then I think I was going to be seriously considering something drastic and save myself the almost certain agony of being murdered sooner rather than later.

But... none of those options felt quite right, the bone spurs nagged at something I really should have been able remember. It was on the tip of my tongue. What I was now, the name started with a B. I knew it, but I must have been really brain farting because no matter which way I came at it I couldn't remember the name.

A burst of cracking reports suddenly began echoing through the trees around me and I cocked my head, listening for the direction of the sound. If it had been one report, I could have assumed it had been a large branch that snapped. But I knew better. It had been some time since I'd gone shooting with the crew but I knew what a sub machine gun being fired on full auto sounded like when I heard it.

A low growling, shifting leaves, and breaking twigs from nearby made the hair on my neck stand on end and the addition of wet sniffling made me snap my head around and watch; realization dawning on me as to what I was as a dark furred shape clambered up onto a fallen tree trunk. Malicious red eyes glowed bright like embers in a bone mask embellished with curving red markings, bone spurs rose up along the top of its spine like a skinless fin with others popping out all across its body- and along it its arms, just like mine.

The Beowulf threw its head back and howled. The sound resonated in my chest, in my bones- reverberating through and around me as it echoed between the trees until it was picked up and answered by calls from the other Grimm in the area until it culminated in a call for blood and death.

I stared, still and silent, as I watched the Grimm rush through the trees toward the source of the gunfire; moving only once the hoard of black, white and blazing eyed monsters were completely gone and explosions had joined the gunfire that tore through the forest as the Grimm threw themselves against whoever was out there. Hesitantly I reached up and felt at my face, feeling the hard bone of the characteristic Grimm mask under my talons for a moment before going back to kneading my trapezius.

So I was in that Death World. Well… shit.

<><><><><>

I was a Beowulf… I was a Beowulf in the RWBY 'Verse. That... actually that wasn't all that bad all things considered. I was bipedal, had thumbs and was probably pretty damn strong from the feats I'd seen the pull in canon. Not that bad a package... except, of course, the issue that I was pretty much a kill on sight target for just about every sentient being on the planet.

Well, with an almost singular exemption and more than a few additions. I would have put money on most if not all Atlas robots being programmed to shoot Grimm on sight; and that Salem woman thing sure as hell counted as sentient- or at least highly intelligent if she was really a Grimm considering she was almost certainly the big bad of the story which I'd found myself a part of... a story that wasn't even finished or all that fleshed out.

Chucking sardonically- which came out as rough chuffing -I continued absently heading in the direction of the gunfire and explosions. Was what I was doing smart? Well I'll return to my previous observation about Remnant's population to answer that. But then again that was rather the point, wasn't it.

Not as if there was anything else for me to do. I'd tried to other methods- counting, poking my palm, flying. All had checked out, so unless this was all actually real- I chuckled a little

Couldn't believe I'd almost had a break down over thinking that. Really becoming an SI in something I came up with unconsciously… Normally I'd have enjoyed such a realistic world and exploring what my unconscious mind had pulled out its ass. Infact, I'd have loved it, getting out into the wilderness- even if it was fake -after not being able to go camping for years? Awesome. But not this time, this place… it was a bit too much. Hell, I'd almost thought it had all been real for a moment. A bit too close to nightmare territory for comfort, and those never turned out well no matter how they started.

So that pretty much left the nuclear method to get out of here.

Now hopefully whoever was out there would be good enough to help me end myself and not be some of those weaksauce Atlas Mechs. Otherwise… well I really wasn't up to a hyper realistic deathworld like Remnant when I could be in here for who knows how long. Better to just get it done with instead of living in here with the constant fear of what happens next. And that wasn't even taking into account whatever likely hellish pot of gold was at the end of Salem's rainbow.

No this… this was the best thing I could do.

Stepping over a gentle brook cutting through the forest, I paused to stare at the distorted reflection in the water and get my first look at... well, myself. Not much to look at that I hadn't already seen from the other Beowulf's though. I was tall, lanky but thick at the shoulders, black, and had a bunch of those stupid bone spurs growing out of my body. I was a Beowulf, the Creature of Grimm equivalent of a Slime Mob. Lowest of the low. Cannon Fodder.

Cocking my head, I looked down at my reflection- ignoring how it made me look -and stared at my luminous eyes before following the oddly graceful markings that curved out from my eyes and cut through the white of my mask. Rather than the burning ember red of a normal Grimm's, mine were the cool greyish blue color that my eyes had been and the color was reflected in the markings.

Curious, maybe the coloration was a reflection of the soul? Them being the window to the soul and all that.

Although that raised the question, if I did have a soul in here- no, what am I talking about if. This was supposed to be Remnant, where a good chunk of the populous used their souls to kill stuff and cause massive amounts of destruction. In canon they knew souls existed and could even rip someone's out with the proper application magi-tech and what was likely an exorbitant amount of money. So it wasn't a question if you had a soul or not if I was on Remnant. Except, of course, if you were a Grimm.

So then, presuming I did have a soul, then why weren't the Grimm on me like white on rice? Did I just arbitrarily not count like animals did? If I had a soul, then did that mean I could have an Aura? Did I have an Aura? Would an Aura even work since I was in the body of Grimm? If, Why, How; anything was possible, but those were the kind of questions that didn't really matter. And wouldn't matter soon enough.

Hearing a glee filled jeer followed immediately by an explosion I shook my head and continued on toward the fighting. Following the paths of broken branches and disturbed soil left by the other Grimm- other Grimm… was I really accepting this already? No, but it was technically the proper terminology for this… and now I was getting technical, just even more reason for doing it this way. I slouched a little in preparation of shifting into a loping run as I slipped through the trees and shrubbery; stopping just at the edge of the moderately sized clearing where the eternal battle between monster and man was being acted out.

Grimm were everywhere, both dead and dissipating into black smoke, and alive and attacking. And at the center of the mess, two slight figures bouncing around like pinballs with the visibly thinning hoard of Grimm acting like bumpers.

Both were dressed in loose fitting clothes, done up in earthy tones. With one in darker greens and browns that was dealing out bursts of mid range fire from a machine-pistol while mixing in some sort of martial arts to devastating effect on the Grimm. The other was on the lighter side of the spectrum, with a bit of pinkish peach mixed in with light tan and was going to town with what looked like… I narrowed my eyes in concentration as they twisted and a glint of silver flashed in the sun... Was that a hammer?

A high pitched cackle rang across the clearing once more and I concentrated on the the light colored source as it clambered onto the back of a Beowulf like a howler monkey and started choking it out with the long haft of a silver warhammer. All the while laughing a demented sounding witch's cackle even as the Grimm tried to throw... them… off…

...Wait.

The mounted Beowulf flailed. Swinging its long arms wide in its attempts to get at the rider on its back but they simply evaded the swings- the other Grimm that had been in range of its arms on the other hand- mostly other Beowulf's -weren't so quick.

Those colors, that cackle, riding a Grimm- the hammer.

...No.

Of all the people I could have encountered first it's these two? I snapped my attention onto the green figure; watching as they ducked low to dash in and slash at the ankles of an Ursa Minor in order to bring it down. With the bulky Grimm now crippled, the green figure kicked off from the ground before ricocheting off the head of a Beowulf hard enough that they snapped the monster's head back and decapitated the downed Ursa on their way past.

Crossing my arms, I momentarily forgot my plan and put my shoulder against the tree; taking a moment to watch as the duo ground through the Grimm that had by now stopped trickling in. They were like a well oiled machine together. Synchronized and covering each other without communicating- even if they were yards apart. And the entire time they keep the center of the clearing clear of the enemy in case they had to fall back or draw a Grimm in.

Ren and Nora, the chances of that were simply… well astronomical was the best word. Though Ludicrous worked just as well, as not even the all present Schwartz could have predicted this.

From the looks of their figures and clothes they weren't in Beacon quite yet, but were maybe a few years off at most. Not that I was 100% on that though since they barely stopped moving and I was a good ways away, but going by the size of the Grimm around them I was pretty sure they were shorter than the character height chart put them at. Not by much, but enough for it to be noticeable.

Despite being younger than in canon though they were good. Very good.

That… was probably enough observation though. I stood a little taller and prepared to enter the fray… hopefully, if I gave them a good opening, they were good enough to get it done in one hit. They should be able to, I was just a Beowulf afterall. But even if they couldn't, at least it would ultimately be a momentary bit of pain- if Grimm could even feel pain -would be better than looking over my shoulder for the years on end. That had only happened once before and a long time ago… but still.

I pushed away from the tree and- a car horn blaring over my lecture recording -my backward facing knees buckled and I fell forward- turning around in my seat to flip off whatever asshole -I reached out on instinct to catch myself as the ground rushed up- the old buick barreling through the intersection -my talons dug into the soil and I felt a series of heavy reverberations.

A tendril of dread curled around my insides, slowly squeezing them in a vice. No… Nonononono. If that really was- then this wasn't- that couldn't have been how I-

A deafening roar that eclipsed the calls of the other Grimm; The gleeful cackle turning into a surprised cry of pain; An anguished shout of, "Nora!"

Looking up I saw the light toned figure- Nora - be backhanded off her mount by a towering Beowulf Alpha that had gotten into the center and sent her flying across the clearing before she came to a sudden and immediate stop after hitting a boulder with a sharp crack. Her hammer having been sent flying along the way, the towering Grimm advanced on her while she lay stunned. Ren tried to divert but the other, lesser Grimm, sensed the opening and swarmed him en-masse

It hit me as thoroughly as that buick had. Nora, with how small she is- no, even if this is just before they entered beacon, she was still just a child. Some, most really, would have called it patronizing, but that didn't change the fact that that was still what they were. At least in my eyes.

Something twisted in my gut and I kicked off. Here I was, trying to throw away my second chance over a delusion; and there she was, a child, fighting for her life. What kind of despicable piece of shit am I that I'm about to throw it away. To take the easy way out.

I snatched up the hammer as I passed it by; not quite seamlessly transitioning from moving as a quadruped to a biped but forced through my stumble and pushed my new body to close the distance between Nora and I before the Apha could reach her.

I skidded to a stop at the boulder. Nearly loosing my footing as I decelerated and had to use my free hand to slow down; my talons raking deep gouges through the soil. It worked though, and throwing Nora over my shoulder, I began moving. Fortunately, my momentum hadn't been put to waste and I pirouetted on my toes as the Alpha loomed.

The Hysteria; The Stress, The soul crushing Despair- oh it was all still there, just held momentarily at bay by my desperate hold on the delusion of a lucid dream. Now though, it was all coming out whether I wanted it or not. But instead of bottling it up, I vented. I took all of that high blood pressure inducing self destructiveness and channeled it into something else, something constructive. So following the Immortal words of Cave Johnson: I Got MAD!

In my excitement and bloodlust, my maw slipped agape and my teeth glinted as I loosed a roaring battle cry and brought the hammer up in an underhand swing that smashed into the Alpha Beowulf's bone plated jaw with a thunderous crack!

***

...I'm afraid that little sleep and caffeine continues to be a source of yet more distractions.

Also massive thanks go to Ziel for betaing this for me and Shadenight123 for reminding me of some basic writing principles that I'd forgotten. If any of you haven't, you should really go check out his crack… ah, uh, I mean fics. Yeah, his fics.

PseudoSim · Oct 28, 2016

A Grimm Tale (SI / RWBY)
Tags: Why am I doing this to myself, RWBY, SI, Going Insane, Beowulf life, Madness is relative, Digging a hole in a rock to crawl under, That looks tasty

Part: 02

***

Usually, I managed to vent in the form of driving or picking a direction and going on a lone ride into the desert until it all bled out. But those options had not been available to me for years however and little by little it had all just built up with no outlet. Letting go and going FAST with several shots of risk, that had been my release with creating things coming in at a distant second.

Seeing a Beowulf moving to circle around and sneak attack Ren from behind, I stepped up and smashed Magnhild into its lupine head as it tried to rush past without taking me into account.

This though… this was working pretty well.

"Black!" Ren called out, using the name he'd started using to get my attention once I started covering his back and flank. "Boarbatusk, at seven o'clock!"

Looking back and glance checking the distance of the incoming Grimm, I turned on my heel and loosened my grip on Magnhild to let the hammer slide out appropriately as I spun to catch the spinning Grimm square in one of its tusks. There was resistance against the blow for a moment, but the tusk gave way for the hammer to smash into the swine's snout with a satisfyingly wet crunch before the the swine was sent reeling away uncontrollably and took out a Beowulf in a tangle of limbs and hooves.

I pounced. First stomping on the Beowulf's neck to keep it down, I raised Magnhild and dropped it like… well... a hammer onto the back of the monster's neck once, where it crumpled with a pained squeal before trying to rise, and then again to finish it off before caving in the mask of the Beowulf before it could reach around to start clawing at my leg.

Barking a thanks for the heads up- it all being in the tone -I backed up to continue defending the center for ren and, most importantly, Nora. Nora… oh Nora. If it hadn't been for her being in need Rena and I's partnership of convenience would have started way more rocky than it had. If there hadn't been any other Grimm attacking and if I hadn't just helped Nora… really if this had been anything other than a fight I would have been killed out of hand… as I'd been planning. Good thing Ren had a cool head on his shoulders, eh?

But yeah, that had been something of a tense moment after rescuing Nora( and driving off the alpha(?). Seeing his unresponsive childhood-totally-not-girlfriend-friend that was all but blood to him on my shoulder? The shoulder of the very thing currently trying to kill him? Yeah, tense. But hey, you take help wherever you can get it and right then his partner was down and he needed whatever help he could get.

Jolly Good Cooperation spurned on by sheer pragmatism. Yay. Although to be brutally honest it wasn't quite a one for one relationship and he was carrying pretty hard.

The slick opening hit I'd gotten in on the Alpha though? That had been me getting lucky. In fact, all around I was pretty shit and the only thing I had going for me were the hours upon hours that I'd spend of dreaming up fights and fighting styles; thinking about things in the minutia like how the fights would work, and how the people would move- presuming they were real.

So it helped a little that I had somewhat of an idea about how I should be moving and how I should be handling a big war hammer like Magnhild. Though that knowledge wasn't anywhere near as helpful as if I had been for a human… with a different power set… and had been fictional character created with a generous helping of authorial fiat that was completely and absolutely broken.

But hey, I wasn't going to be nitpicking.

Of course, in my defense I was also somewhat hampered with the job of keeping Nora safe which took up one of my hands and as a result I couldn't use the two handed hammer properly. Getting a bit creative and using it like a mace had helped, but not as much as I'd have hoped and it was a little awkward so I'd resulted to using exaggerated swings that relied on centripetal force to get in the bigger hits.

So yeah, overall I was only doing marginally well in my opinion beyond picking targets of opportunity; covering Ren's flank from attack from behind; getting lucky hits in on Grimm that ignored my presence; and holding the line. However long that would last though...

I flicked my eyes over to the Alpha, where it was skulking about at the edge of the clearing, watching, waiting.

After the first blow to its maw the Alpha had retreated and the canon-fodder were sent in while it watched from the sidelines. Oh no, it couldn't have left, that would have been too much. No… instead the big fucker was showing why he was a big fucker and wearing Ren and I down before rejoin the fray.

Disturbingly, its head was always facing in my direction whenever I looked at it. I suspected it had been caught off guard by me- well, me being a Grimm and attacking it with a Huntsman's weapon.

If it played the traditional part of the dungeon boss though… then it would be joining the fight any time now, having worn us down with the canon fodder. And while I was still relatively fresh I had Nora to deal with and Ren had been staggering.

Snorting in frustration I took my eyes off the Alpha and taking a testing swing at the last of the Ursa in the clearing, I shifted my grip on Nora a little and-

Lips smacked loudly and the figure wiggled a little. "Oh Renny, what are you doing touching me there."

I suddenly became uncomfortably aware of just where my hand was as the Ursa and I stared each other down.

"I'm not holding you Nora," Ren called back, voice flat as he pummeled to death whatever he was facing. A Beowulf most likely, there really hadn't been many others… I swallowed and quickly shifted my hand. I didn't know what their relationship dynamic had been, Jaune certainly hadn't known, and- hell no one knew, but I knew I wasn't upsetting the questionable sane girl.

From a little corner of my mind a voice reminded me about throwing stones in glass houses. I told that little voice to shut up.

Fingers started running through the fur along my upper back, pulling, then kneading. "Hmm… What am I- Ah!" She shrieked and and began squirming weakly on my shoulder. " Renny, save me!"

"I'm pretty sure it's on our side, Nora." And incredibly, he sounded almost bored as he said that.

Seemingly taking a few moments to process that she went quiet as I raised Magnhild when the Ursa took a step forward before beginning to circle around.

"OH! Ok," And like that the girl seemed to accept the situation as it was and before I knew it she had clambered out of my hold and onto my back- using my bone spurs as hand and footholds most likely. I couldn't quite feel them but there was a slight pressure where I thought several were.

She cleared her throat as I started using my other hand to help me swing the hammer. "All right then you! If you're using my baby then you're gonna do it right! Lesson One, you shall hold my baby properly- oh."

I snorted and shifted my stance as the Ursa took a heavy step forward, its tree trunk like arms spread wide like it wanted to give me a bear hug. I eyed its teeth, and its claws, and its size… I was suddenly and thoroughly reminded that I was very firmly at the bottom of the Grimm food chain and lifted Magnhild a little more as I tensed.

"Yes, well, no backtalk to to the teacher!" Nora declared and flicked an ear before clearing her throat. "Now for lesson two. FORWARD!"

***

PseudoSim · Oct 29, 2016

Kill The Save Scum! (OC NPC / MISC)

-----------

Settling down onto the commonwealth's dusty, hardpack and sun baked dirt he crawled forward into a scrub brush that overlooked the dilapidated bridge leading to and from the old world neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills. It was a quaint place, though falling apart just like everything else. Really not much there of note except for a somehow still functional Mr.Handy and that it was where She came from. The Monster.

Thus far, ever since he had... awoken, to the harsh and cruel reality that The Monster imposed upon the world, there had only been a three times everything had started over- Resets, he called them. Three times, and for each and every one The Monster took some different path to bring ruin upon his home.

But this would be the time he stopped her, he would end her before she could get too strong; Before she could amass her army and be crowned General; Before she could become the Master that controlled the other monsters of the Institute; Before she could ascend the ranks of the Brotherhood and strip the commonwealth of all it was worth.

But not this time. No, this time he would stop her before she could bring madness down upon the commonwealth.During the past two 'resets' she came through the same route, crossing the broken bridge leading out of Sanctuary Hills and heading toward Concord.

The first time he had rushed blindly out of Diamond city, running to try and end her with nothing but a butcher's knife. It had ended the same as every time he tried to go after her to try and stop her atrocities before and since. This time he would get her though, this time he was prepared, no way he would die from some filthy mongrel dog this time around like last time. No way no how.

Reaching back, he brought forth the customized hunting rifle he'd bought off Arturo and snapped out the bipod legs to prop it up before looking down the scope into the ruins of Sanctuary. Slowly, his gaze slid over the collapsed and crumbling buildings as he searched for her, looking for a flash of Vault Tec Jumpsuit blue among the brown.

There was The Monsters psychotic Mr.Handy, effectually cutting at a dead hedge with a saw blade. Waiting for its cruel master to return.

His crosshairs settled on the things dull metal shell. How many times had that thing cut him down? Its saw cutting and tearing- He leaned back and shook his head. He didn't even know, not how many times he had been dismembered by that thing and not how many times he had simply died. Too many, that was the answer, and the horrific fact of that made his finger tighten on the trigger… but he held off. It wouldn't do to spook Her.

Looking back down scope he shifted his aim to the Sanctuary side of the bridge and settled in. It shouldn't be long now, but in the meantime all there was to do was wait…

"CRACK!CRACK!CRACK!"

Gunshots, and close by! Jerking his head away from the scope and to the source of the he saw her- but she hadn't come over the bridge!

Frantically he hefted up the rifle and rising out of the bush he twisted to take a knee and aim at her as she knelt down beside a dead mongrel dog. Through the scopes magnification he saw its pink and mottled skin, the bloody holes in its head and the grey brain matter splattered out onto the pavement. Hers would be joining it momentarily.

I moved the crosshairs onto The Monster's Head and drew in a slow breath. He knew how to do this, how not to rush it, to take his time and so as not to tip off the monster to his presence.

His finger tightened on the trigger as she stilled and the tension increased gradually until- "BANG!"

A blur of Blue, the bullet taking a chunk out of the pavement- she'd stood! Looking out from the scope he caught sight of The Monster as he racked back the bol- He jerked back on the bolt to eject the spent cartridge but it just stayed locked tight.

ARTURO! You son of a bit- Down below on the old street, The Monster just raised her cheap little 10mm pistol, aimed down sights at him, and fired.

-----------

So this is Kill The Save Scum, based on this lovely piece:

I've had this in my docket for a while and now It's finally come up for writing. Rather shorter than I'd have liked, but for the time being Im going to aim for sustainability and get back into writing more on a daily basis so it'll likely be snippets like this for a bit or with each snip being a scene or something. Anyway yay! Even if its tiny I finally wrote something again...

PseudoSim · Oct 29, 2016

Kill The Save Scum! (OC NPC / MISC)
#02
-----------

When Gil woke up it was with his teeth grinding together in pain. The source, his tortuously uncomfortable bed, and the pain feeling like a knife was slowly being drilled into his neck. It had always been one of those things that he'd been meaning to get around to but, well, it had been something that really hadn't mattered for a long time.

He cracked his eyes to stare up at the water stained boards that had been laid together beneath a piece of almost rusted through corrugated metal that made up the roof of his dimly lit shack. Just like last time, every time, he died and woke up to stare at this ceiling. No matter what, it was always here. Ever since he'd 'Awoken'.

He could still remember it the first time, the morning that he'd had his eyes opened to the harsh reality of the living hell that he was living in. Just like now, he was lying in bed after waking up in pain when the weird little sign in the corner of his vision drew his attention before suddenly disappearing. 'Congratulations!', It had said, 'Your computer has successfully been Upgraded to Windows 10, with Cortana!'

If he had had to make a guess, which he had, as well as a few of the others he'd when he'd tried to tell them his story, then the… hallucination? Whatever it had been, had been the cause of his Awakening. For good or ill.

He still wasn't sure about things on that front, whether things as they were were a blessing or a curse. Knowing about the actions of the Monster and having experienced the other horrors that the wasteland had had to offer, things that none in Diamond City could have ever dreampt of in their wildest dreams or their most terrible nightmares. It depended on when he thought about it really.

But going back to the Sign. He knew what a computer was- knew quite a bit in fact -but Windows 10? Cortana? The former had sounded like a program and the latter like someone's name, albeit a strange one. For a short while his stomach had shriveled up into a bit of dried mute-fruit when he'd thought he might have been a synth.

For as uselessly corrupt as Diamond Cities Security were however, one thing they did well with was that they had busted up a synth. After seeing its insides full of metal shiny bits he could safely say that he wasn't a synth… or fairly sure at least.

A fresh surge of stabbing pain shot through his neck as he shifted. If he did end up being a glitching synth though? Then for all the horrors that the Institute had and could inflict on the wasteland then he would tip his hat to them for making him so realistic… Right, and if he ever got that chance then he would shoot, punch, or stab them in the face. Repeatedly.

Sitting up Gil ground the heel of his palm into the knotted muscles in his neck and grimaced- though not from the pain in his neck, but the rabid brashness with which he'd gone after the Monster. It had been too hurried, too sloppy. He'd gone into a battle against a 'person' that he had lost to dozens of times to before, with a weapon he haddnt worked on himself, and had gone into things expecting the Monster to act as she had in the past.

Stupid. Very stupid.

But… it had been a chance to end things early and stop the Monster before things could start going downhill for everyone. And he'd blown it like an overzealous Child of Atom with a nuke- no, even one of those loonies would couldn't have screwed things up so badly.

He closed his eyes as they began to burn.

"God dammit…"

- - - -
(Far far Shorter than intended but scrapping the first version and not wanting to have it drag on as an angsty pity party made me cut it short. Longer snip and showing how the commonwealth differs in this from canon in the next snip. A bit of bethesda wish fullfillment here)

PseudoSim · Nov 1, 2016

A Grimm Tale (SI / RWBY)
Tags: Why am I doing this to myself, RWBY, SI, Going Insane, Beowulf life, Madness is relative, That looks tasty
Welp... so it's finally come to this then has it? Well here we go then…

Part: 01
***

I groaned into my mercifully cool pillow and batted a hand back at the light tickling sensation in my ear. "Furgoff Tighler," Well I know I said that aloud, but all I heard was a muffled growl. Not the 'I am displeased' rumble that I was familiar with from FatFat or MurderBeast, but something rather more canine- had Nick finally brought his dog into the house? Poor big ol' puppy, having to be left in the truck whenever his daddy stopped by, never able to get any attention.

Reaching out to give the black lab some ear scratches I cracked an eye and- hmm? I flicked my one eyed gaze across the towering green trees, mossy rocks, and grassy forest floor before I narrowed my focus onto my outstretched arm. It was black. Not 'black' as in my arm was now dark skinned. But/No, BLACK. As in black like a crude oil spill. My gaze took in the thick, coarse looking fur that covered my arm before snapping to the series of thick bone spurs the jutted backward out of my forearm like a sawblade. Starkly white against the black, the bone spurs had a rough texture, and thin layers like flaking shale.

I looked to my hand, seeing thick talons just like the bone spurs protruding out of my fingers. I clenched/made a fist and flexed my fingers. Checking that it was actually my hand. Then did it again to double check. Wiggling my fingers to triple it, and finally flexing the digits until they arced back a little and shook to be extra extra sure so I couldn't deny that this was my hand.

I stared at it for a few moments more before sitting up and staring at the soft looking pads of my fur covered palm as I started clenching my hand. It felt right, as much as a hand should feel like/like it should have- But what the actual fucking hell was this crap. Seriously, this was checking all the stereotypical body swap boxes- which was impossible!

I couldn't help it, I trembled a little as the situation sank in a little and put a crack in my self control. I hadn't lost control like this since- those had been extenuating circumstances- AND THIS WASN'T?!

Recognising that I was rapidly approaching the threshold of a panic attack, I desperately I tried to get a hold of myself. Regain my usual stoicism, be logical, do anything but have a breakdown.

I couldn't- but- I drew in a shaky breath. Just keep repressing, just keep repressing, just keep repress~ess~ess~ess~ing- channeling Dorry didn't help one-goddamn-bit.

The compounded stress I'd been feeling over my exams. Depression at having to watch Mom do her best to drink and smoke herself to death because I couldn't afford my own place. The increasingly hopeless sense of despair stemming from knowing enough to recognise that the country and world were turning into an increasingly out of control dumpster fire. And who the fuck knew what else leaked out.

Just a fraction of my pent up issues escaped the little box that I crammed it all into and sent my chest into convulsions. It wasn't a full blown episode, but I had no doubt that I was well on my way to a psychotic break if I fully snapped.

Almost detached from my breakdown, I absently recognized that the way my chest was convulsing made me think that whatever came out was going to sound rather crazed, and not a little unhinged… my stomach dropped out of my stomach though when it came out as a chuffing bark and the shock snapped me out of it.

And I was a mute. Wonderful.

This just didn't- I mean I liked SI stories, at least to an extent that my suspension of disbelief could handle. But this, if this was indeed what it was unless it was or some distorted form of reincarnation or punishment or...

I curled my toes and- Oh, and my toes were feeling a little off. Looking back I saw more bone spurs, and more black fur covering a pair of considerably thicker than human digitigrade style legs rather than the plantigrade that I'd had, oh, my entire life. A muscle movement, not unlike a spasm, in my lower back and a length of bushy black fur flicked up momentarily before flopping back down. I felt that, and now that I knew about it I noticed I could feel the shape of the ground behind me... I had a tail.

I sighed a sigh that came out as a raspy chuff; exhaustion shrouding me and sinking into my limbs like a leaden blanket as I ran my hand along the patch of grass I was sitting on on. Absently, I dug my taloned digits deep into the damp earth, just pushing them down into the dirt with the slightest effort and tearing out out a sizable clod before it fell apart into several chunks. Dumping the loose dirt, I grabbed at and started and squeezing at my trapezius, the nervous tic only giving me the barest level of comfort that it usually did.

Fuck my fucking life this was fucking bullshit. No, correction, fuck this fucking fucked up bullshit.

Idly, I ran my off hand across my chest, through the shaggy fur and along the grooves of the well defined musculature beneath.

So... what, was I a Lycan or some kind of Werewolf now? Or a Worgen- I shivered at the thought as I rubbed a lock of fur between the pads on my fingers. To hell with being a Worgen. Azeroth? Yeah, there were some safe spots but that whole world was an all around nope thanks to the Legion. No thank you. That was one universe pretty much on par with getting dumped into 40K. Just on a smaller scale with far fewer rocks to hide under.

If I really was in either of those places... then I think I was going to be seriously considering something drastic and save myself the almost certain agony of being murdered sooner rather than later.

But... none of those options felt quite right, the bone spurs nagged at something I really should have been able remember. It was on the tip of my tongue. What I was now, the name started with a B. I knew it, but I must have been really brain farting because no matter which way I came at it I couldn't remember the name.

A burst of cracking reports suddenly began echoing through the trees around me and I cocked my head, listening for the direction of the sound. If it had been one report, I could have assumed it had been a large branch that snapped. But I knew better. It had been some time since I'd gone shooting with the crew but I knew what a sub machine gun being fired on full auto sounded like when I heard it.

A low growling, shifting leaves, and breaking twigs from nearby made the hair on my neck stand on end and the addition of wet sniffling made me snap my head around and watch; realization dawning on me as to what I was as a dark furred shape clambered up onto a fallen tree trunk. Malicious red eyes glowed bright like embers in a bone mask embellished with curving red markings, bone spurs rose up along the top of its spine like a skinless fin with others popping out all across its body- and along it its arms, just like mine.

The Beowulf threw its head back and howled. The sound resonated in my chest, in my bones- reverberating through and around me as it echoed between the trees until it was picked up and answered by calls from the other Grimm in the area until it culminated in a call for blood and death.

I stared, still and silent, as I watched the Grimm rush through the trees toward the source of the gunfire; moving only once the hoard of black, white and blazing eyed monsters were completely gone and explosions had joined the gunfire that tore through the forest as the Grimm threw themselves against whoever was out there. Hesitantly I reached up and felt at my face, feeling the hard bone of the characteristic Grimm mask under my talons for a moment before going back to kneading my trapezius.

So I was in that Death World. Well… shit.

<><><><><>

I was a Beowulf… I was a Beowulf in the RWBY 'Verse. That... actually that wasn't all that bad all things considered. I was bipedal, had thumbs and was probably pretty damn strong from the feats I'd seen the pull in canon. Not that bad a package... except, of course, the issue that I was pretty much a kill on sight target for just about every sentient being on the planet.

Well, with an almost singular exemption and more than a few additions. I would have put money on most if not all Atlas robots being programmed to shoot Grimm on sight; and that Salem woman thing sure as hell counted as sentient- or at least highly intelligent if she was really a Grimm considering she was almost certainly the big bad of the story which I'd found myself a part of... a story that wasn't even finished or all that fleshed out.

Chucking sardonically- which came out as rough chuffing -I continued absently heading in the direction of the gunfire and explosions. Was what I was doing smart? Well I'll return to my previous observation about Remnant's population to answer that. But then again that was rather the point, wasn't it.

Not as if there was anything else for me to do. I'd tried to other methods- counting, poking my palm, flying. All had checked out, so unless this was all actually real- I chuckled a little

Couldn't believe I'd almost had a break down over thinking that. Really becoming an SI in something I came up with unconsciously… Normally I'd have enjoyed such a realistic world and exploring what my unconscious mind had pulled out its ass. Infact, I'd have loved it, getting out into the wilderness- even if it was fake -after not being able to go camping for years? Awesome. But not this time, this place… it was a bit too much. Hell, I'd almost thought it had all been real for a moment. A bit too close to nightmare territory for comfort, and those never turned out well no matter how they started.

So that pretty much left the nuclear method to get out of here.

Now hopefully whoever was out there would be good enough to help me end myself and not be some of those weaksauce Atlas Mechs. Otherwise… well I really wasn't up to a hyper realistic deathworld like Remnant when I could be in here for who knows how long. Better to just get it done with instead of living in here with the constant fear of what happens next. And that wasn't even taking into account whatever likely hellish pot of gold was at the end of Salem's rainbow.

No this… this was the best thing I could do.

Stepping over a gentle brook cutting through the forest, I paused to stare at the distorted reflection in the water and get my first look at... well, myself. Not much to look at that I hadn't already seen from the other Beowulf's though. I was tall, lanky but thick at the shoulders, black, and had a bunch of those stupid bone spurs growing out of my body. I was a Beowulf, the Creature of Grimm equivalent of a Slime Mob. Lowest of the low. Cannon Fodder.

Cocking my head, I looked down at my reflection- ignoring how it made me look -and stared at my luminous eyes before following the oddly graceful markings that curved out from my eyes and cut through the white of my mask. Rather than the burning ember red of a normal Grimm's, mine were the cool greyish blue color that my eyes had been and the color was reflected in the markings.

Curious, maybe the coloration was a reflection of the soul? Them being the window to the soul and all that.

Although that raised the question, if I did have a soul in here- no, what am I talking about if. This was supposed to be Remnant, where a good chunk of the populous used their souls to kill stuff and cause massive amounts of destruction. In canon they knew souls existed and could even rip someone's out with the proper application magi-tech and what was likely an exorbitant amount of money. So it wasn't a question if you had a soul or not if I was on Remnant. Except, of course, if you were a Grimm.

So then, presuming I did have a soul, then why weren't the Grimm on me like white on rice? Did I just arbitrarily not count like animals did? If I had a soul, then did that mean I could have an Aura? Did I have an Aura? Would an Aura even work since I was in the body of Grimm? If, Why, How; anything was possible, but those were the kind of questions that didn't really matter. And wouldn't matter soon enough.

Hearing a glee filled jeer followed immediately by an explosion I shook my head and continued on toward the fighting. Following the paths of broken branches and disturbed soil left by the other Grimm- other Grimm… was I really accepting this already? No, but it was technically the proper terminology for this… and now I was getting technical, just even more reason for doing it this way. I slouched a little in preparation of shifting into a loping run as I slipped through the trees and shrubbery; stopping just at the edge of the moderately sized clearing where the eternal battle between monster and man was being acted out.

Grimm were everywhere, both dead and dissipating into black smoke, and alive and attacking. And at the center of the mess, two slight figures bouncing around like pinballs with the visibly thinning hoard of Grimm acting like bumpers.

Both were dressed in loose fitting clothes, done up in earthy tones. With one in darker greens and browns that was dealing out bursts of mid range fire from a machine-pistol while mixing in some sort of martial arts to devastating effect on the Grimm. The other was on the lighter side of the spectrum, with a bit of pinkish peach mixed in with light tan and was going to town with what looked like… I narrowed my eyes in concentration as they twisted and a glint of silver flashed in the sun... Was that a hammer?

A high pitched cackle rang across the clearing once more and I concentrated on the the light colored source as it clambered onto the back of a Beowulf like a howler monkey and started choking it out with the long haft of a silver warhammer. All the while laughing a demented sounding witch's cackle even as the Grimm tried to throw... them… off…

...Wait.

The mounted Beowulf flailed. Swinging its long arms wide in its attempts to get at the rider on its back but they simply evaded the swings- the other Grimm that had been in range of its arms on the other hand- mostly other Beowulf's -weren't so quick.

Those colors, that cackle, riding a Grimm- the hammer.

...No.

Of all the people I could have encountered first it's these two? I snapped my attention onto the green figure; watching as they ducked low to dash in and slash at the ankles of an Ursa Minor in order to bring it down. With the bulky Grimm now crippled, the green figure kicked off from the ground before ricocheting off the head of a Beowulf hard enough that they snapped the monster's head back and decapitated the downed Ursa on their way past.

Crossing my arms, I momentarily forgot my plan and put my shoulder against the tree; taking a moment to watch as the duo ground through the Grimm that had by now stopped trickling in. They were like a well oiled machine together. Synchronized and covering each other without communicating- even if they were yards apart. And the entire time they keep the center of the clearing clear of the enemy in case they had to fall back or draw a Grimm in.

Ren and Nora, the chances of that were simply… well astronomical was the best word. Though Ludicrous worked just as well, as not even the all present Schwartz could have predicted this.

From the looks of their figures and clothes they weren't in Beacon quite yet, but were maybe a few years off at most. Not that I was 100% on that though since they barely stopped moving and I was a good ways away, but going by the size of the Grimm around them I was pretty sure they were shorter than the character height chart put them at. Not by much, but enough for it to be noticeable.

Despite appearing to be younger than in canon though they were good. Very good.

That… was probably enough observation though. I stood a little taller and prepared to enter the fray… hopefully, if I gave them a good opening, they were good enough to get it done in one hit. They should be able to, I was just a Beowulf afterall. But even if they couldn't, at least it would ultimately be a momentary bit of pain- if Grimm could even feel pain -would be better than looking over my shoulder for the years on end. That had only happened once before and a long time ago… but still.

I pushed away from the tree and- a car horn blaring over my lecture recording -my backward facing knees buckled and I fell forward- turning around in my seat to flip off whatever asshole -I reached out on instinct to catch myself as the ground rushed up- the old buick barreling through the intersection -my talons dug into the soil and I felt a series of heavy reverberations.

A tendril of dread curled around my insides, slowly squeezing them in a vice. No… Nonononono. If that really was- then this wasn't- that couldn't have been how I-

A deafening roar that eclipsed the calls of the other Grimm; The gleeful cackle turning into a surprised cry of pain; An anguished shout of, "Nora!"

Looking up I saw the light toned figure- Nora - be backhanded off her mount by a towering Beowulf Alpha that had gotten into the center and sent her flying across the clearing before she came to a sudden and immediate stop after hitting a boulder with a sharp crack. Her hammer having been sent flying along the way, the towering Grimm advanced on her while she lay stunned. Ren tried to divert but the other, lesser Grimm, sensed the opening and swarmed him en-masse

It hit me as thoroughly as that buick had. Nora, with how small she is- no, even if this is just before they entered beacon, she was still just a child. Some, most really, would have called it patronizing, but that didn't change the fact that that was still what they were. At least in my eyes.

Something twisted in my gut and I kicked off. Here I was, trying to throw away my second chance over a delusion; and there she was, a child, fighting for her life. What kind of despicable piece of shit am I that I'm about to throw it away. To take the easy way out.

I snatched up the hammer as I passed it by; not quite seamlessly transitioning from moving as a quadruped to a biped but forced through my stumble and pushed my new body to close the distance between Nora and I before the Apha could reach her.

I skidded to a stop at the boulder. Nearly loosing my footing as I decelerated and had to use my free hand to slow down; my talons raking deep gouges through the soil. It worked though, and throwing Nora over my shoulder, I began moving. Fortunately, my momentum hadn't been put to waste and I pirouetted on my toes as the Alpha loomed.

The Hysteria; The Stress, The soul crushing Despair- oh it was all still there, just held momentarily at bay by my desperate hold on the delusion of a lucid dream. Now though, it was all coming out whether I wanted it or not. But instead of bottling it up, I vented. I took all of that high blood pressure inducing self destructiveness and channeled it into something else, something constructive. So following the Immortal words of Cave Johnson: I Got MAD!

In my excitement and bloodlust, my maw slipped agape and my teeth glinted as I loosed a roaring battle cry and brought the hammer up in an underhand swing that smashed into the Alpha Beowulf's bone plated jaw with a thunderous crack!

***

...I'm afraid that little sleep and caffeine continues to be a source of yet more distractions.
Also massive thanks go to Ziel for betaing this for me and Shadenight123 for reminding me of some basic writing principles that I'd forgotten. If any of you haven't, you should really go check out his crack… ah, uh, I mean fics. Yeah, his fics.
Note: also Im a gen1 grimm. Not liking the new versions too much(espescially for my chances at civil interation in this) so Im thinking there is going to be bit of speciation going on with them.
Note: Also if any of you could let me know what you thought that'd be awesome. Been a while since I started writing consistently and still getting back into the swing of things. (no need to be gentle or anything though if you let me know what you thought)

PseudoSim · Nov 2, 2016

A Grimm Tale (SI / RWBY)

Tags: Why am I doing this to myself, RWBY, SI, Going Insane, Beowulf life, Madness is relative, Digging a hole in a rock to crawl under, That looks tasty
(put the others in so 1 is not actually 1. Derp.)
Part: 02

***

Usually, I managed to vent in the form of driving or picking a direction and going on a lone ride into the desert until it all bled out. But those options had not been available to me for years however and little by little it had all just built up with no outlet. Letting go and going FAST with several shots of risk, that had been my release with creating things coming in at a distant second.

Seeing a Beowulf moving to circle around and sneak attack Ren from behind, I stepped up and smashed Magnhild into its lupine head as it tried to rush past without taking me into account.

This though… this was working pretty well.

"Black!" Ren called out, using the name he'd started using to get my attention once I started covering his back and flank. "Boarbatusk, at seven o'clock!"

Looking back and glance checking the distance of the incoming Grimm, I turned on my heel and loosened my grip on Magnhild to let the hammer slide out appropriately as I spun to catch the spinning Grimm square in one of its tusks. There was resistance against the blow for a moment, but the tusk gave way for the hammer to smash into the swine's snout with a satisfyingly wet crunch before the the swine was sent reeling away uncontrollably and took out a Beowulf in a tangle of limbs and hooves.

I pounced. First stomping on the Beowulf's neck to keep it down, I raised Magnhild and dropped it like… well... a hammer onto the back of the monster's neck once, where it crumpled with a pained squeal before trying to rise, and then again to finish it off before caving in the mask of the Beowulf before it could reach around to start clawing at my leg.

Barking a thanks for the heads up- it all being in the tone -I backed up to continue defending the center for ren and, most importantly, Nora. Nora… oh Nora. If it hadn't been for her being in need Rena and I's partnership of convenience would have started way more rocky than it had. If there hadn't been any other Grimm attacking and if I hadn't just helped Nora… really if this had been anything other than a fight I would have been killed out of hand… as I'd been planning. Good thing Ren had a cool head on his shoulders, eh?

But yeah, that had been something of a tense moment after rescuing Nora( and driving off the alpha(?). Seeing his unresponsive childhood-totally-not-girlfriend-friend that was all but blood to him on my shoulder? The shoulder of the very thing currently trying to kill him? Yeah, tense. But hey, you take help wherever you can get it and right then his partner was down and he needed whatever help he could get.

Jolly Good Cooperation spurned on by sheer pragmatism. Yay. Although to be brutally honest it wasn't quite a one for one relationship and he was carrying pretty hard.

The slick opening hit I'd gotten in on the Alpha though? That had been me getting lucky. In fact, all around I was pretty shit and the only thing I had going for me were the hours upon hours that I'd spend of dreaming up fights and fighting styles; thinking about things in the minutia like how the fights would work, and how the people would move- presuming they were real.

So it helped a little that I had somewhat of an idea about how I should be moving and how I should be handling a big war hammer like Magnhild. Though that knowledge wasn't anywhere near as helpful as if I had been for a human… with a different power set… and had been fictional character created with a generous helping of authorial fiat that was completely and absolutely broken.

But hey, I wasn't going to be nitpicking.

Of course, in my defense I was also somewhat hampered with the job of keeping Nora safe which took up one of my hands and as a result I couldn't use the two handed hammer properly. Getting a bit creative and using it like a mace had helped, but not as much as I'd have hoped and it was a little awkward so I'd resulted to using exaggerated swings that relied on centripetal force to get in the bigger hits.

So yeah, overall I was only doing marginally well in my opinion beyond picking targets of opportunity; covering Ren's flank from attack from behind; getting lucky hits in on Grimm that ignored my presence; and holding the line. However long that would last though...

I flicked my eyes over to the Alpha, where it was skulking about at the edge of the clearing, watching, waiting.

After the first blow to its maw the Alpha had retreated and the canon-fodder were sent in while it watched from the sidelines. Oh no, it couldn't have left, that would have been too much. No… instead the big fucker was showing why he was a big fucker and wearing Ren and I down before rejoin the fray.

Disturbingly, its head was always facing in my direction whenever I looked at it. I suspected it had been caught off guard by me- well, me being a Grimm and attacking it with a Huntsman's weapon.

If it played the traditional part of the dungeon boss though… then it would be joining the fight any time now, having worn us down with the canon fodder. And while I was still relatively fresh I had Nora to deal with and Ren had been staggering.

Snorting in frustration I took my eyes off the Alpha and taking a testing swing at the last of the Ursa in the clearing, I shifted my grip on Nora a little and-

Lips smacked loudly and the figure wiggled a little. "Oh Renny, what are you doing touching me there."

I suddenly became uncomfortably aware of just where my hand was as the Ursa and I stared each other down.

"I'm not holding you Nora," Ren called back, voice flat as he pummeled to death whatever he was facing. A Beowulf most likely, there really hadn't been many others… I swallowed and quickly shifted my hand. I didn't know what their relationship dynamic had been, Jaune certainly hadn't known, and- hell no one knew, but I knew I wasn't upsetting the questionable sane girl.

From a little corner of my mind a voice reminded me about throwing stones in glass houses. I told that little voice to shut up.

Fingers started running through the fur along my upper back, pulling, then kneading. "Hmm… What am I- Ah!" She shrieked and and began squirming weakly on my shoulder. " Renny, save me!"

"I'm pretty sure it's on our side, Nora." And incredibly, he sounded almost bored as he said that.

Seemingly taking a few moments to process that she went quiet as I raised Magnhild when the Ursa took a step forward before beginning to circle around.

"OH! Ok," And like that the girl seemed to accept the situation as it was and before I knew it she had clambered out of my hold and onto my back- using my bone spurs as hand and footholds most likely. I couldn't quite feel them but there was a slight pressure where I thought several were.

She cleared her throat as I started using my other hand to help me swing the hammer. "All right then you! If you're using my baby then you're gonna do it right! Lesson One, you shall hold my baby properly- oh."

I snorted and shifted my stance as the Ursa took a heavy step forward, its tree trunk like arms spread wide like it wanted to give me a bear hug. I eyed its teeth, and its claws, and its size… I was suddenly and thoroughly reminded that I was very firmly at the bottom of the Grimm food chain and lifted Magnhild a little more as I tensed.

"Yes, well, no backtalk to teacher!" Nora declared and flicked an ear before clearing her throat. "Now for lesson two. FORWARD!"

***
To hell with it. I'll finish off what I've started and figure it out from there.
Edit: again, any thoughts are appreciated.

PseudoSim · Nov 2, 2016

A Grimm Tale (SI / RWBY)

Tags: Why am I doing this to myself, RWBY, SI, Minecrafting it up in this bitch, Going Insane, Beowulf life, Madness is relative, Digging a hole in a rock to crawl under, That looks tasty, Worldbuilding

A Grimm Tale #03
***

At Nora's cry of "Forward!" the Ursa reciprocated with a spittle spraying roar of its own and dropping onto all fours it charged, massive talons on its paws just tearing up the ground.

While she'd been talking however, a plan had come together in my head. Little bits and facts about biology that I'd picked up despite never taking it.

"See, he gets it," Nora quipped into my ear. Ignoring the girl though I crouched to lower my center of mass and tensed up as the Ursa drew closer, and closer, and closer.

Nora said something and hit my shoulder a few times but all I did was keep focusing on the oncoming Grimm- gauging its speed and the distance between us so I knew to move in three, two… one.

See, interesting thing about about evolution and plantigrade vs digitigrade leg structures.

Plantigrade legs like I'd had before... they weren't exactly the best at sudden and intense bursts of speed. Rather, they worked best over long and protracted periods that required endurance. Humans, they were endurance runners.

Now Digitigrade legs, they on the other hand were great for sudden bursts of speed. Predator or Prey, most animals that had them had evolved them to get close to or get away from something and that was generally though with some variances between species... Alright that's a bit of an oversimplification, but that's about it and with the way the bones and the muscles and the joints were set up they worked almost exactly like a spring- and what happens when you release tension from a spring? It shoots off.

And that is exactly what I was did the moment the Ursa got close enough.

Releasing the tension I'd built up from my crouch I shot forward. But not right at the Ursa though, but to its side. Instead of meeting the lumbering mass of muscle, bone, and angry that outweighed me by the the ton in a head on charge I shot right past it with barely a hair's breadth between us. Then planting one foot I propelled myself back toward the Ursa before it could even begin to come about and my plan came together.

By all appearances, Ursa were pretty much Bears on Steroids with stupid bone spurs all over their upper back. So then assuming their skeletal structure really was similar then it should have worked about the same as well. And if that was the case then I could shatter the Ursa's lower lumbar vertebrae and cripple its mobility with one blow.

Then it would simply be a matter of finishing it off.

I'm not sure where I get it from though, this 'crippling enemies thing' though. I mean, it is a perfectly valid tactic. First hobble with a crippled limb then wail and wail on them until they go down if that wasn't enough. Basic as basic can get and follows the KISS principle: Keep It Stupid Simple.

Wow though. I mean, not sure what it said about me that I kept regularly having my Main Characters cripple their enemies. Nothing good probably, but it worked and now it was my turn.

Lips lifting to expose my canines in a toothy grin I swung the hammer back and, for the first time since the fight had started, I was able to really flex my new bodies strength and bring Magnhild down with as much force as I could. The blow connected on the Ursas' rump with a meaty thud that almost hid a muffled crack before the Ursa's legs buckled and it roared in what I had to assume was agonizing pain.

Stepping back from the crippled monster I had a moment of self congratulation when with the grace of an angry child Nora grabbed and ear and pulled.

"Are you STUPID," She all but screeched into my other, non twisted and non hurting ear. "Stop messing around and listen to your teacher, there's too much armor in an Ursa's back to do anything unless you use dust rounds. Way easier to just smash their faces in like I was telling you," harrumphing, she let go of my ear and pointed at the Ursa as it started to rise. "Go break its legs before it can get up though. Those are fine."

True enough, the Ursa was already starting to rise when she pulled her arm back. Well… shit, there goes me proving the expression about assuming right and making an ass out of myself.

Fortunately for me though Ursa are big- and by extension heavy -bastards so I had no problem at all stepping up and keeping true to form brought the hammer back while rotating my trunk thirty or so degrees, and swung the hammer in an outward curving arc that smashed square into the side of the Ursa's knee.

The wet sound of twigs wrapped in meat shattering into a thousand pieces combined with the Ursa collapsing onto that knee reassured me that this time I'd gotten it right. As I'd figured with my plan though, once the Ursa was crippled it hadn't been too much an issue to deal with and a few swings at its head put it down for good. It was an ok plan, it had just been based on assumptions.

Of course for as anticlimactic as dealing with the Ursa had been, there was still the bloodthirsty elephant in the clearing. Namely, the big ass Alpha Beowulf that had just loped back into the clearing.

Twitch glancing to my eyes about the clearing I saw Ren standing among the broken and dissipating bodies of several Grimm. There weren't any others in sight, the Alpha was the last of them.

Snapping my attention back toward the remaining Grimm I raised Magnhild, lowering my center of mass and putting tension on my legs. But I stopped, realizing that the Alpha was an elder of its ilk for a reason and it had been watching me so odds were that it wouldn't be fall for such a trick. And then the Gimm just stopped in its advance into the clearing stared as it snarled at us before it began… pacing?

Keeping its head facing toward us- though it sure as hell felt like it was staring right at me -it paced back and forth in a slow, loping walk that used all four of its limbs. Every few seconds it would tremble and shake, but it kept up its pacing.

"It's holding back."

Glancing down and to my right I saw Ren had sidled up alongside and was watching the Alpha as it paced. I chuffed an affirmative and went back to keeping an eye on the alpha, although I did relax my grip on the hammer a little.

As the seconds ticked by the Alpha continued to pace and Ren and I continued to watch it. The whole thing was kinda awkward really and of course it was Nora who broke it.

"Well I for one am feeling much better, Ren. Thank you for asking."

From my peripheral vision I saw Ren quietly sigh and finally take his pink eyes off the Alpha to look up behind me to Nora. "How are you doing Nora?"

"Hehe," Laughing a little she gently smacked my neck a few times. Vigorously. "Just peachy thanks to this guy! He kinda sucks at fighting," I snorted at at that, "but I think I was able to teach him some of my awesomeness."

Looking to me I saw Ren's lips turn up a little, "And you?"

It's a shame I didn't have actual eyes or anything because I so would have been rolling them. No way he didn't know exactly what Nora meant by 'teach', but it was still nice of him to ask and it did raise the question about how I was since I hadn't really been thinking about it- just reacting and keeping mobile, going from one target to the next.

But not that he brought it up… Honestly I wasn't sure. It didn't really feel like I was, but did the Grimm even get tired? Had I inherited that along with the body? I could feel some tightness in my arms and legs but that was about it. No real exhaustion despite the fighting that had been the kind of exertion that would have left me as a puddle once I got into a hot shower.

Mentally on the other hand, that was a whole other can of worms and one that could be pushed back for a bit. Nothing like a life or death situation to help you focus, eh?

Rolling my shoulders I answered Ren with a lazy shrug and turned my focus back onto the Alpha… who was still looking in our direction- in fact, I with how its head was shifting as it paced I would have gone out on a limb and said it was still looking mainly at me. Which was… just great.

Absently checking over his gun- a grey pistol a bit bulkier than a glock with an extended magazine and one of those stupid little tacticool bayonet knives -he pulled a spare magazine from a pants cargo pocket and paused. He glanced up at me then behind.

"How are you on Dust, Nora?"

"Clean out."

Seeing his eyes move back to me he seemed to be mulling something over before he dipped his hand back into the cargo pocket and pulled out a metal vial with an electric blue lightning bolt emblazoned on its side.

I could literally smell the ozone in the air as he handed it up to Nora. Lightning Dust, it had to be.

"Use this to refill Magnhild as much as you can then."

"But I could-"

"Nora," Ren interjected, his tone surprisingly serious, "can you honestly tell you'll do better than him in your condition?"

She grumbled and mumbled about it for a few seconds but nonetheless her hand smacked my shoulder.

"Black, If you could? It... won't be much but better than nothing."

Looking down at the boy I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning if he was seriou- wait, shit, I didn't have eyebrows anymore… well fuck there goes half my nonverbal methods of communication right there… and he was still looking at me.

Goddammit I wanted my eyebrows back.

I huffed.

This was a stupid idea, I knew it. The Alpha could attack while she was doing whatever she needed to, but…acquiescing I handed Magnhild back over my shoulder and kept a close eye on the Alpha. The thing could probably get to us in no time flat if it wanted to and better to keep an eye on it when it did. Hammer or not, the Grimm was going to attack, it was just a after of time. It had no reason to wait after all, and all what it was doing now was just benefiting us- or really Ren and Nora really as their Aura's replenished.

And Ren… I took a second to glance down at him. He needed the break. He was visibly tired, enough so that the Alpha could probably see it.

His shoulders were slumped, there was a slight sheen to his skin and glancing down at his hands I could see they were visibly shaking. And Nora, despite her saying otherwise she hadn't taken back Magnhild to fight herself or really moved all that much after climbing onto my back. I couldn't see her but I suspected she wasn't much better off than her partner.

But that's if it wanted to. Instead it was waiting, watching us. Giving us time.

But why? Waiting gave it no benefit.

Could it be waiting for reinforcements or... could it just be holding back to observe me? Grimm were supposed to get smarter as they got older and this was an Alpha so could a fellow Grimm siding with the Humans, using one of their weapons and defending on been enough to make it hold back and re-assess?

But that still didn't- unless there was something else behind that intelligence, or rather, someone.

I was suddenly even more leery of not having a weapon in my hands at that moment. Fortunately though, quicker than I'd have thought the silver metal of the hammer was being waggled in front of my eyes.

"Done," Nora chirped, "there was only enough dust for three charges so be careful. Oh! And you see the trigger?"

Briefly examining the haft of the hammer between keeping an eye on the Alpha I found it; a short, hand sized lever was now sticking out near the middle of the haft where before there had only been metal. I shifted my grip to the trigger so see how to best handle it but a sharp flick to my ear deterred me.

"Nuh uh uh. Not yet. You wont fire but the trigger is the safety. You squeeze and hit within a few seconds and the impact will set off the dust. Got it?"

I nodded and stared hard at the Alpha; taking the bone armoring over its ribs, knees, back and arms. Yeah, I got it. I had three hits that would do… whatever this version of Magnhild did- though presumably it had something to do with lightning dust. Not the best, but like Ren said, better than nothing and still better than what I'd had to work with before.

Although, I could probably improve my odds if I didn't have a backseat driver. Never mind the weight. So shrugging my shoulders a few times I reached back to make a brushing motion at Nora, trying to express my opinion that I didn't think she should stay on my back.

"I think he wants you to get off, Nora," Ren supplied.

"...I don't wanna."

Turning my head around far enough to see her over my shoulder I pointed a finger at the Alpha and snorted.

"I think he doesn't want you on his back for the fight," Ren added, translating to the rescue.

Nora just harrumphed however and shifted a little on my back. "Oh yeah smarty pants? And where am I supposed to go that would be safer? Well~," She asked in a smart alek sing song voice that can only be pulled off with practice.

"...She does have a point."

"And where my baby goes, I go."

God damnit.

I could have tried to argue that she should stay behind if she couldn't fight, that she was unnecessary weight, and that she could get hurt- except that I couldn't argue, because I couldn't exactly have an argument with gestures while keeping an eye on the Alpha. So I just dropped it and while checking over Magnhilds' trigger lever one more time I came to a decision and drew Rens attention with a 'hey' that came out as a quiet chuff.

Resting Magnhilds' head on my shoulder I jabbed a thumb at my chest- ow -and pointed at the Alpha. Then pointing at Ren I jabbed it at the ground.

"You want me to stay here?"

Nodding once, I put the butt of the hammer's' haft to the ground and scratched out a crude stick figure with a squiggly oval around them.

"And… you want me to wait until my Aura is replenished?"

Ah, good. His Nora Translation Software was compatible with my crappy scribbles then. I nodded.

"Nora-"

"Not happening Ren, I owe ugly some payback and Blacky's gonna help me get it."

Sighing a long suffering sigh he nodded.

"Just be careful."

Nodding again I stepped forward and taking that as some sort of signal the Alpha finally stopped pacing.

Drawing a deep, lung filling breath, I stood as tall as I could and gripped the hammer tight. Bravery ho!

The Alpha charged. I shot forward to meet it head on. Within seconds it was bearing down on me with with its cracked jaw bone leaking black as its maw opened wide and its long arms reaching for me with its dagger sized claws looking to dig deep into my hide.

… OhgodwhatthehellamIdoing!

***

Ugh. Writing Ren and Nora right was probably what held this up the most, and I still don't think I got them right. Also the whole one sided conversation problem... gonna need to find a fix for that.

EDit: Just #4 and #5 to go though and then I'll be off into the world and finding some rock to crawl under and try not to get murderized by a super powered passerby.

PseudoSim · Nov 12, 2016

Displacement
[Worm /Arpeggio Of Blue Steel]

----------------------------------------------------------------

One would have thought, that seeing a walking, talking, kung fu slinging pink teddy bear was the type of thing that sent people running. And, admittedly, that was what everyone else in the hall was doing- This was Brockton Bay afterall, one of the few cities in the US that could rival New York in its Cape to Civilian ratios.

But me? With my legs tangled up beneath me as they were, that wasn't really an option at the moment. Instead, all I could do was watch as the- obviously tinker tech -stuffed bear I'd picked up on my way to school that morning thrashed Sophia like she was some jumped up street punk.

The difference between me and those fleeing though? All I could do was smile.

>|<

It was something of an odd train of thought to have, but, at that moment, I couldn't help but remember one of the words that was going to have been on the vocab quiz in English that day.

Escalation: Noun: A rapid increase in the intensity or seriousness of something, an intensification.

Perhaps it was a part of me trying to reconcile how everything had spiraled out of control, but I don't know. What I did know though, was that right now, coincidentally, Escalation was the perfect word to describe the mess I'd found myself in.

A pained grunt and a victorious shout drew my attention away from the situation at hand, and glancing over my shoulder I watched as the now fully formed, trenchcoat clad, human version of Kirishima grinned savagely and kicked the blue power suited Armsmaster into- and then through -a boarded up storefront. Oh, and as she went in after him I saw she'd seized the Hero's signature weapon for herself, his halberd. His baby.

For a moment, I thought of trying to call Kirishima off or at least tell him to take it easier on him before viciously quashing it.

Armsmaster. He was the leader of the East North East Protectorate, A Hero of Brockton Bay, Premier Tinker and my main recurring customer behind his totally-not-girlfriend. But since school this morning, I'd added another name to his epitaph. Betrayer.

Really, even with what I had learned I would have been absolutely horrified by what the AI Tinker Tech-Changer-Teddy Bear Woman had just done. He was a Hero with a Capital-H after all, even if he'd attacked me without provocation… Well, legitimate provocation. I'd been in the company of the Teddy Bear that had brutally beaten down one of his Wards after said Ward had assaulted me after all... so that may have counted.

Now though, after quite literally fighting for my life, I really couldn't have cared less at the moment. And as it was I was quite occupied and had my hands full with fending off the attacks from the local Protectorate and PRT.

And seeing a black hazmat suited trooper pop stand up from behind a parked car at the edge of my vision, I spun and brought my hands up as the trooper fired off a salvo of containment foam grenades.

I wanted to sigh in exasperation as I eyed the grenades. Honestly, at this point they should have learned that coming at me from any range was an effort in futility- although that may have been the reason Armsmaster was now getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter for the second time today. But nonetheless, they kept at it anyway, harassing Kirishima and I while we headed for… wherever it was we were going.

Not that I couldn't fault them for trying, or Piggot to order them to keep coming after us. This was their job after all, going after parahumans and bringing them to justice and all that. Although, going by how some of them had acted it may have become personal after I'd made the pinch of thioacetone- which in retrospect may not have been the best idea, despite it being a non-lethal.

But no matter. What was done was done on both sides and not something I had time to dwell on as the first of the containment foam grenades entered my range. I felt the chemical composition of its payload, the mechanics of the grenades make up, and the way the shell was supposed to separate. With a twitch of my fingers I swapped it all around and while the grenade still released it's payload it did so in the wrong direction. I could have just made it a dud, but now- combined with the rest of the grenades getting the same treatment -I had an expanding roadblock that would hold the troopers up for a bit.

Lowering my arms I wrung out my hands and cracked my tiring knuckles. The hand gestures weren't exactly necessary, but they helped with stamina somewhat and let me keep some of my powers flexibility in reserve.

Feeling another, larger volume intrusion into my range of control, I spun so I was facing the new threat and threw my hand skyward; forcefully re-arranging the asphalts aggregate to surge up and create a thin barrier to intercept an expanding stream of containment form. A feint!

So, they were learning.

Eyes narrowing, I following the trajectory of the foam back to where it had come even as it continued to expand and harden on my barrier. Fortunately, I locked onto the source quickly enough. Unfortunately for the sprayer wielding trooper though, they thought using the raised edge of a warehouse's roof would be enough to protect them.

Maybe they thought it would be far enough away that I couldn't retaliate, or maybe they thought I wouldn't damage buildings that I'd repaired before coming out as a cape? Maybe the latter, but fool on them, besides me little few gave a care about the docks and even fewer cared what happened to the buildings within it.

The buildings had served their purpose in helping me figure out my power, but no way was I going to let my work be used against me like that.

Fingers curling into claws, I sent the mass of containment foam back at the trooper on a column of asphalt and dirt that crumbled and broke apart even as it smashed through the roof's edge and into them.

Yes, Escalation, I certainly was the name of the game today; and hearing muffled shouts and exclamations from the latest trick I'd pulled out of my hat I spun back around, took a knee, and slapped my hands down onto the cracked surface of the street. No need to hold back now.

It took a second of concentration, and in the next moment my range of control shrank to nothing as I shifted from radial to contact control. I was technically defenseless and vulnerable to the troopers in the street. A second later they became a non-factor however as I brought up a wall between them and I. Stretching the width of the street, reaching as high as the rooftops and about as thick as a car was wide it would be a feat for them to get through or over. No, they'd have to go around and by that point Kirishima and I would be gone.

Smiling to myself I took a moment to feel out the wall, even tracing a finger down it and feeling its composition. How far I'd come since I'd started out.

Whera's then I'd barely been able to turn a locker door back into its base components, now I could create things like this. And it was a fairly minor exertion. A sharp twinge stabbed me in the brain. Yes, a minor exertion, but one that was just added to the other thousand minor exertions I'd made today.

As if on autopilot I reached into my back pocket and extricated the repurposed Tic-Tac container I'd started carrying around for the past month. Popping it open with my thumb, I re-established my radial field while shaking out two of the faux-mints and threw them back; relief coming within moments of swallowing the bitter medicine.

The smile turned bitter as the taste of the pills slowly faded. With how much I'd grown, I could have helped the city so much. That had been the idea, but instead I was probably just being strung along and used. Whatever. They had made their bed and now it was coming back to bite them in the ass. I was… done. Brockton Bay wasn't may problem any more.

Sighing, I turned around again when I heard a shout of glee and the crash of ceramic metal alloy hitting the street. Kirishima stepped out of the store and stood over Armsmaster; the capes pilfered halberd in one hand while the other swept her brown hair over her shoulder. As expected, there wasn't a scratch or scuff on her.

Looking down at Armsmaster in his battered armor though, I had to wonder just how strong the woman was. And, just what she was. She hadn't quite gotten around to finishing her explanation about that yet.

"Kirishima. How much farther do we have to go?"

Looking up from Armsmaster the woman's eyes went vacant as a pair of curving green markings appeared under her eyes. Seemingly spacing out for a moment, Armsmaster tried to capitalize on it in a flurry of movement that would probably have been some impressive martial arts move had a harsh stomp from Kirishima not put an immediate halt to it.

Frowning in consternation, she began grinding her heel against Armsmaster back. Moving her front heel back and forth repeatedly and only stopping when the metal bucked sharply under it as the green markings flared before disappearing altogether. "It's not much farther, c'mon."a

Nodding, I stood and walked up to stand next to her as she stepped off Armsmaster. "The others still have a few things to get ready," she muttered quietly once we started walking. "We just have to keep the attention on us for a bit longer more so no one interferes."

"Ok."

Cocking her head a little she looked at me out the corner of her eye, "Are you really ok with that though? Where we're going- you can still back out."

"She's… right."

I stopped mid stride. Apparently, either Kirishima wasn't as quiet as she thought or Armsmasters' armor had better microphones than I'd have thought. But considering how little of his armor I could even understand I should have known better.

"It's… not too late to turn yourself in, Refinery." His breathing was laboured as I looked over my shoulder to watch him struggle against the damaged servos and mechanisms in his armor to push himself into a sitting position. Eyes narrowing, I stared hard at the Hero and thought of all the times I'd worked with him after coming in with my initial sales pitch. Had he known then? What his precious little ward was doing when her mask was off?

It was a train of thought that had nagged at me since Sophia had gotten desperate and tried to turn into the black mist that Shadow Stalker was known for in order to escape Kirishimas' teddy form. Academically I knew about hard decisions and the concept of sacrificing for a greater good, and from a logical standpoint I could admit its importance to an extent.

The problem was, it was considerably more difficult for someone to reconcile that when they were the sacrifice. If, in fact, he'd known and that had been the situation. And that was a big if, but, the thought was still there and there was no way no one in the PRT or Protectorate haddn't seen the warning signs.

"I think…" I sighed, "I think I can still respect you Armsmaster. I rather enjoyed working with you and Dragon, you taught me a lot- and I'm grateful for that. But at this point it's too late, you have Hess to thank for that."

Shifting around a bit of my mask so the man could see my bittersweet smile I dipped my head in respect one final time. And without another word, I turned away from the Hero and started walking alongside Kirishima again as we headed farther into the docks.

>|<

Lips pressed thin, he watched as Hebert and the Unknown turned down a corner a ways down the street and disappeared; heading further into the docks at an all too casual pace considering the situation. Not that it would have really mattered otherwise whether they were running or walking. With Hebert revealing a breadth to her power that she'd haddn't displayed before and the capabilities that the Unknown, the two of them were nearly untouchable from range and them taking their time apparently just served as a means to an end.

What had begun as a report about a suspected parahuman attack at a high school had turned into a disaster. You would have to look into what Hebert had meant about Hess with her comment, but from the connotations were disturbing. The thought that one of the Wards under his command- no matter how indirect -had caused what he'd been trying to prevent was not a pleasant thought.

Matter Transmutation, that's what her power had been classified by the Thinktank after she had come in for power testing following her offer of working with them on a contractual basis. At the time he hadn't even needed to read the potential threat assessment that they'd put together. After having worked with her only a few times it hadn't taken him long to hypothesize how dangerous she could be if forced into the proper mindset.

On the surface, her power had appeared somewhat weak compared to most. Looking at it deeper and even assuming- rightly so as she'd demonstrated -that she was holding things in reserve she could have become a threat he wasn't sure he could handle. And now, thanks to their potential failure- his failure -she was now siding with an Unknown… no, maybe not an Unknown, but maybe a changer. Maybe. Hopefully.

Blinking away a cascading stack of error messages on his heads up display, Armsmaster accessed his suits local memory and went back several weeks to the night a report had come in about Lung fighting someone. On arriving he had find Lung bound and unconscious and bound in power lines with the culprit standing over him in her oversized overcoat.

He could remember the disinterested stare she given him when he'd arrived on scene, like she'd been expecting him. Pulling up a still of the cape, he accessed his combat footage from the last half hour and brought up a picture of the Unknown cape that Hebert had called Kirishima- a name that had already been confirmed by Control and Dragon to match no one in any of the available databases.

One was short with blond hair done up in pigtails, while the other was tall with long brown hair in a pony tail. Both had pale skin and had asiatic facial features, but aside from that they had born no similarities that his recognition software would pick out.

However, the Unknown girl, later designated Dreadnaught thanks to her overcoat and Assaults humor, had- except for the yellow coloration -shown the exact same markings under her eyes as the Unknown that had started this whole mess with Hebert.

Staring at the two images as a knot twisted itself into existence in his gut, he opened a channel to Control. Hopefully, if he acted fast he could head things off before they escalated even further than they already had.

Hopefully.

>|<
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Some may remember this from a while back but since I'm hitting s dry spell I figured I would revise it and finish off the second part that I never finished. The 2nd part should be finished up in a few hours... maybe(crosses fingers)

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