Chapter 227: Seventh Interlude – Autumn Rose

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the gorgeous bastard Ryuugi. This has been pulled from his Spacebattles publishment at threads/rwby-the-gamer-the-games-we-play-disk-five.341621/. Anyway on with the present…err learn.

Seventh Interlude – Autumn Rose

Father was gone, she famous, extra by feeling his absence than seeing something. Even after a number of weeks, sight was nonetheless one thing new to her, with the photographs produced by her modified ‘eyes’ seeming nearly indifferent from herlike one thing she was seeing as an alternative of seeing, solely within her head. That wasn’t an excellent approach of explaining something, however language was additionally new to her, as was conserving monitor of time in minutes and hours, days and weeks.

She may bear in mind most of her existence, since her father had given her life and a self. Again that, she hadn’t even been capable of grasp what it meant to have the ability to see or hearto her, there had solely been the ‘lights.’ Auras, as she now knew they have been known as, they’d known as to her since earlier than she even knew methods to query why. And the ‘gentle’ that had been closest to her, that had spoken to her, that had assured her {that a} world existed past the darkness of herself, had been her father.

And now he’d vanished. She could not assist however really feel a flash of fear at that factmore for herself than for him. She’d seen firsthand what her father was able to and shebelieved in him. Even understanding, nonetheless vaguely, what demise was, she was positive he’d be fantastic.

Would she be? Of that, she was much less sure. Being separated from him wasuncomfortable? Nervewracking? She wasn’t positive what phrase to make use of, as a result of she wasn’t positive what she felt. Raven had described her feelings by way of bodily responses, however hers have been restricted to what she created. She had no backbone for a shiver to crawl up, no coronary heart to race, no pores and skin to cowl with goosebumps, although she may make these issues if she desired. Her father had proven her methods to generate human responses, presumably for the sake of future social interactions, however she was good sufficient to knowthough it had taken a while to realizethat her father wasn’t an instance of normalcy in any sense. As such, she could not say how she was alleged to really feel.

All she knew was that it was ‘darkish.’

Possibly that was loneliness, she mused. It could make sense; if she got the selection, she’d quite be at her father’s facet. For a very long time, he’d been all that she may really talk with or draw consolation from, extra regular than the solar which she now knew rose and set. Her earlier recollections have been marked solely by intervals of his presence and absence, the occasions when he’d needed to depart her for the sake of his missions. When that occurred, she’d have solely Gou to maintain her consolation, till she’d realized to develop and work together with the world. Each time that had occurred, she’d been struck by what she may solely assume was worry, that the one factor she needed to really cling to would possibly vanish endlessly. He by no means had, however she’d nonetheless frightened.

However then, possibly the opposite a part of it was merely starvation. She knew that she was a ‘plant,’ or had been at one pointan organism that fed, partially, on daylight. She may do the identical, to a degree, gathering and storing minute quantities of vitality via her pure processes, however that wasn’t how she fed.

What she lived off of have been the identical lights she feltthe gentle of the soul. Her father had known as it Animasynthesis, however regardless of the time period, the actual fact of the matter remained. She drew within the energy that others shed and used it to gas her personal progress, gathering it inside her continuously. Some lights, these of the ‘regular’ or ‘unawakened,’ have been tiny; there, maybe, however like candles and sparks. Others, these she’d come to affiliate with ‘Hunters’, have been like fires, all of various sizes and colours and tastes. Some have been bonfires and others infernos, whereas others nonetheless have been extra akin to volcanoes erupting.

But when that was so, her father was the sunsomething immense, that shed energy at an unspeakable tempo, casting it off continuously. He emitted energy brightly sufficient that it had taken her time to understand that there was something however him. Even her guardian, Gou, had appeared like a bit of him greater than something unbiased; one thing tied to him, if in one other physique. The ability her father gave off each second had startled her from the primary moments of her existence, and had grown at an absurd tempo because the second she’d been conscious sufficient to look at. At occasions, he would depart for a day and return burning twice as brightly, burning energy sooner and sooner.

And he or she fed from that energy, drawing it in continuously.

Or quite, he fed it too her, serving to her develop. Till she’d grown sufficient, it had been certainly one of her solely supply of nourishment, together with the opposite vegetation she consumedand whereas she may feed from any soul, it was solely her father’s that would come near satiating her infinite starvation and maybe that is why she felt so chilly each time she was left behindThe supply of this content material nov(el)bi((n))

As a result of if there was one sensation she did acknowledge, it was starvation. For the reason that second she’d first come to know herself, if not earlier than, she’d felt emptywithered, worn, nearly as if she have been missing one thing very important that she wanted to thrive. That was why she drew within the lights of different souls, making an attempt to finish herself, however nothing made the starvation fade. Neither had the vegetation or the meat she’d consumed, nor the rest she drew into herself; nothing made it vanish utterly and solely Aura helped in any respect. The necessity to develop, to attach, that was why she drew different vegetation to herself, however the need behind it? Even a thousand forests would not be sufficient to fulfill.

Ultimately, when she’d realized the reality, she thought she may need understood the rationale why. She, Autumn Rose, was additionally anotherSummer Rose, her former self. A human girl, who’d had a life, love, youngsters, and a accomplished self, till she’d been damaged and scattered. Now, all that remained have been the items.

She’d been certainly one of them, earlier than. When her father introduced her to the others, she’drecognized them, by some means. Or possibly understood them. They’d been like her, calling outwanting to assemble, the place as soon as they’d been scattered. It hadn’t been a tough option to resolve what to do and he or she’d taken them into herself, hoping to be full.

It hadn’t labored. Not totally. There have been nonetheless items lacking and although the starvation had changedthough she had changedit hadn’t gone away.

There have been others like them, small creatures that stood out because the least, differing primarily in form and objective. Flying creatures right here, faster ones there, with bigger ones constructed to attract focus and crammed to the brim with the identical explosives for after they have been struck down. Among the creatures stood out from the remainder, but it surely was primarily a results of random mutationagain, her father’s work, protecting them with tumorous growths, enlarging limbs, and misshaping faces and mouths. Even so, they have been nonetheless a part of the pack and the primary wave.

Behind them got here higher issues. One, a popular of hers, started to tear up large tracks of earth because it rose from the bottom, every head ripping up a deep trench. The heads have been eyeless, possessing of solely mouths stuffed with huge, tusk like teethand it had seven of them, every so long as most of the bigger buildings within the metropolis. They have been bigger variations of the varieties she’d used beforehand, now modified barely after the ‘Hydras’ she knew they apparently resembled, and fast to give attention to her enemies.

Round it rose giants, roughly humanoid issues, a few of them headless whereas others had many heads or heads that did not match their our bodies. None have been as tall because the not-Hydras have been lengthy, however they have been wider, bulkier because of the completely different scale they have been constructed on. Many had arms that have been overly massive even for his or her our bodies, trailing all the way down to beneath their knees and large even for that, however many additionally possessed secondary armssmaller and thinner appendages, constructed for finer manipulations. Large bugs and gargantuan creatures grew beside them, considerably smaller in scale as they barely got here as much as the creature’s knees, however they have been nonetheless giants in comparison with the rank and file beneath them, and bigger nonetheless than the creatures that could not be seen.

Quickly, wherever there had been floor sufficient to permit it, there was lifefull grown creatures that moved on the Grimm as one. Even counting solely those who have been simply seen, there have been a whole lot of them, thousandsand all of their eyes, the place they’d them, have been silver, the very same shade as her personal.

However then, they have been items of her. Not her youngsters. Not her companions. They have been her arms and fingers, her flesh and blood, her mouths and enamel. They have been components of her and he or she may really feel them, even whereas they have been technically separate. She may really feel the sunshine on their pores and skin, see via their eyes, really feel it as they moved, as a result of they have been nonetheless one, nonetheless a lot of them there may need gave the impression to be. They drew from her properly, drawing out matter to form their varieties as they emerged and moved into the fray of battle, marching to her will.

She watched silently from above, not bothering to place expressions on her synthetic face since there was nobody round to see itbut she was happy.

The Grimm reacted rapidly, after all, turning on the brand new threats even because the creatures swarmed them. They targeted on the biggest threats first, the creatures that have been off a measurement with them, and the bottom cracked as they clashed. With half a dozen mouths, she sank her enamel into one of many creaturesthe Humbaba, she knew they have been known as, although she nonetheless did not see a lot level in naming issues they simply deliberate on killing. She assumed it was a communication problem, however she and her many our bodies did not have to share info between themselves so it did not actually matter to her. She knew the small print of its powers and that was sufficient with out bothering with something superfluous.

Extra importantly was the seventh head, with the creature had struck clear with ease, casing it apart earlier than specializing in sinking its clawed arms into the others. The loss wasn’t significant, granted, however she targeted on the discarded head regardless, prepared it to lose form and are available aside. It quickened oddly for a second, issues shifting beneath the pores and skin earlier than bits and items started to interrupt away in new creatures. She may have willed them again to their supply, however there was no pointthe Humbaba was rapidly tearing it aside, carving away complete tons of flesh with each assault, ripping away large chunks with its talons and protecting itself in its blood.

It did not want any extra assist. Its job was nearly executed, because the smaller creatures crawled up its physique, failing to do any significant harm whilst they began to cowl it. That was fantastic, as that was not their objective.

She waited calmly, shaping and reshaping her type to stay aloft whilst she watched them. In a matter of seconds, most of her bigger creatures have been ‘useless,’ broken past the flexibility of most creatures to operate. They fell, decomposing and coming aside rapidly into smaller issues, however she held them again, her forces already in place. Calmly, she targeted a number of of her eyes on her household, ensuring that they’d retreated out of vary; Raven was accustomed to this tactic, however her uncle was not. Regardless, they’d withdrawn considerably. Gou remained, if solely on the edges, watching over her fastidiously.

The place he was standing was a bit harmful, however then, it was Gou. One thing had torn out his throat lately, unleashing a waterfall of thick-looking blood that he was ignoring outright, ready for it to closeafter her father and probably herself, he was doubtless the least involved with issues of bodily hurt, with good motive.

She judged issues sufficiently clear and continued her technique, focusing her consideration on the cloak she wore. Although it was utterly white on the surface, the inside was sewn with numerous, advanced symbols, written into the material with Mud. It was a present from her father and he’d taught her the fundamentals of its use. This one was pretty easy, if doubtless impractical for most individuals.

Patterns started to glow via her cloak, layered over each other simply as the fabric itself was layered. There have been patterns in purple, blue, yellow, inexperienced, purple, and extra colours in addition to, till the unique with was hidden beneath a shifting kaleidoscopeand then those self same colours began appearing inside her lesser our bodies far under, nonetheless seemingly crawling ineffectually over the Grimm because it made them glow from the within.

A number of of the Grimm may need acknowledged the hazard and tried to reactbut it was quite late to do such a factor now.

The subsequent second, the battlefield was coated in explosions of lightsudden bursts of fireplace, ice, lightning, wind, and stranger results in addition to. House twisted because it was devoured by black spheres, odd smoke burst outwards to cowl the Grimm, odd ripples and waves flowed throughout the earth and air.

There was no level in smiling on the sight or saying something, not with nobody round to see or hear. As such, she remained nonetheless and watched the Grimm endure and die. A lot of the matter she’d used to form her our bodies had been broken and a lot of the traces of energy she’d drawn from the world had been exhaustedbut the outcomes have been adequate. Her household was already transferring to reap the benefits of the chaos and worsen issues for the Grimm, dwindling their numbers but additional.

She continued to drift within the air and puzzled when her father would come again.