《The Awakened One, Book 1: Remnant》Chapter 21: Thief in The Night
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The Grimm Reaper and his companion leaped from the edge of the building and landed softly against the ground. The streets were dark, and quiet, only being lit by the dim streetlights that lined the street. The only sounds that could be heard were the echoing foots steps of the ever-approaching Reaper and the demonic beasts that accompanied him. As the duo continued to walk down the empty street, they looked around and recognized the desolate buildings with all of their lights turned black, however along the long street there were a few stores with dim lights shining from there interiors. It was these stores that The Reaper and his pet came to claim, and they wasted no time in doing so.
As they slowly approached the first Dust shop, they came across, (Y/N) took hold of Scylla’s long black tail and in a silent red streak, he entered the lit store. Peeking out from the back was an old man, short in stature, with grey hair that was caused by aging. He watched, frighteningly, as the manifestation of his fears inexplicably teleported into his shop that he had worked so hard to build up. His mind went blank with fear, and he could only watch as the demonic figure stared holes into his soul through his masked face. The man took one large gulp, and willed his body to take a single, nervous, fearful, shaky step out from his hiding place. After his first step, he couldn’t make another move out of fear of getting too close to the deadly entity, so instead he chose to stand back and begin the exchange.
“I-I-did a-as you-a-asked, Mr. Grimm Reaper Sir.” After his first words, he took a moment to calm himself before beginning again. “All of the Dust that you requested is in those crates stacked in front of the store. Please take whatever you want, just don’t hurt me or my establishment.” The Reaper slowly tilted his head sideways creepily, which frightened the old man to the core. He quickly searched his mind for what he did wrong, and he quickly found his mistake and apologized for it. “I-I am so sorry Mr. Grimm Reaper! I meant to say your Dust is in those crates, they all belong to you! Please forgive my blunder!”
The Reapers head titled from right to left and he quietly spoke his first words of the exchange, “Value.”
“Huh?”
At the man’s ignorance, the Reaper took one step forward, causing the old man to fall on his back in fear. The pure shock and terror from the Reapers single step forced all of the card’s information back into his brain. “Value!” The Reaper spoke much louder this time.
The sound of his demonic voice boomed through the vacant store, forcing the old man’s response, “of course! The retail value of all of your Dust is $26,872 Lien, but we order it from the Schnee Company at about a third of the cost.”
The Reaper stopped for a moment, before he reached into his chest and pulled out a single black card with silver lining across it. He then placed the card in between his index and ring fingers and sent it soaring through the air. The card made its stop as it shallowly cut itself into the wall next to the scared shop owner. The Reaper then smoothly turned around and quietly spoke, “Pleasure.” That was all the owner heard as the Reaper walked into the crates, absorbing them into his body, and vanished without a trace.
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The old man slowly stood from his position on the cold floor, and he pulled the black card from the slot in the wall. He examined the weird object for a moment not exactly understanding the purpose of it, but as he checked the back, and thoroughly looked at the card’s designs, his eyes widened in shock. He quickly pulled out his scroll and placed the camera over the card. What appeared on his screen left him in shock, “$30,000 Lien?!?!?!” For a moment he thought that it must have been fraudulent, so he added attempted to add it to the stores cash deposit up front, and sure enough it was real. As he slowly slouched down to the floor in shock and exhaustion, “The Grimm Reaper, what is your goal?” He suddenly recounted the card that had been left in his store one week prior. “Abiding by my Rules will bring you fortune beyond belief. I guess this is what they meant by that.”
All across the district, The Reaper walked into various dimly lit Dust stores and committed the same actions. Some provided more materials, some chose to test his patience, and some couldn’t even speak in his presence. However, the encounter’s results remained the same, the people that he encountered were all stricken by terror as he entered but were shocked and confused as he left. He had given those that listened a massive pay day and for that a weird form of twisted respect and admiration had crept its way into their hearts.
Across the district, two women sat in a small office room, patiently waiting for a special guest to appear in their store. One of the women was incredibly calm, sitting at her desk, sipping on her coffee and typing away on her computer. On the other hand, across the desk was someone who was fidgeting with her fingers, and twirling around in her spiny chair, as she nervously waited for the inevitable. “Hey Boss Scarlet, do you think the Reaper is actually coming? It has been a while, maybe he forgot about us” the girl said shakily.
The much more mature woman turned from her computer to face her nervous right-hand women, “we know that the ’Reaper’ is coming. One week ago, today we found that letter, meaning that they are coming tonight at some point. Who would create such an elaborate calling card just to not show up on time to collect what the asked for? Nobody professional, that’s who, and this person is clearly at least thoughtful.” As soon as the mature woman explained why the Reaper was coming, the younger woman shivered and slouched down in her chair. “Rouge, calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen, we did everything they instructed us to do and we avoided all the things the Grimm Reaper told us not to do.”
Rouge rose from her spiny chair, and let out a long exhale, “yeah sure, but you think their gonna like the fact that you screwed them over? You are literally giving them like 2 pieces of gum, a used condom, and pocket lint in comparison to what we should be. You don’t think that they’ll notice?”
The Boss looked at Rouge with a proud face, seeing as she was able to properly assess their current position without her giving her any hints. Throughout the week, just as she predicted, Dust stores all around Vale closed down for the week, causing demand for Dust Items to skyrocket. And because of her stores already known popularity, and increase in demand for the products, Scarlet was able to almost completely sellout of all her products. In addition to that, she cancelled this week’s product shipment which would’ve come in the day before, meaning she had absolutely nothing to give the Grimm Reaper. If the Reaper had any intellect whatsoever, then they would be able to tell that they were being scammed. “You are completely right miss Rouge; however, you are not taking into account one simply idea. I believe that our Reaper is an honorable figure and will adhere to the rules that they set for themselves.”
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“And how do you know that?”
“A little bit of intuition and some basic word analysis.” Rouge looked at Scarlet with confusion, but she managed to accept her conclusion regardless. It wasn’t often that Boss Scarlet was wrong after all, her intellect far exceeded her own, or at least that is what she believed.
Even thought she accepted the conclusion, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to ask for an explanation. “But like, how do you actually know? Give me evidence, not intuition! I know you well enough to know you have a reasoning.”
Scarlet was about to begin explaining, but then she turned to the large, multi-screened monitor that was mounted on the wall of her office. On the screens were security camera’s that covered every surface of the building, minus of course the bathrooms. And dead center on the largest of the screens was an eerie figure, standing tall and still in the center of the store. Next to the figure was a large beast that looked like a Grimm, but one she had never seen before. She then turned back to her partner, and with a bit of excitement in her voice she said, “it seems that our guest as arrived! Let’s not keep them waiting!”
Scarlet then made for the door, but she was suddenly stopped by a terrified Rouge. “Miss Scarlet, there is a Grimm downstairs! That Reaper thing brought a Grimm into the city! Its too dangerous, we have to leave now!”
Scarlet exhaled slightly, and wrapped Rouge in a small embrace. “Listen Rouge, you will never be able to ascend to your full potential without taking a few risks in life. You are free to remain in this room where it is safe, but I encourage you to watch our conversation. It’ll be a great learning experience for you! You won’t be able to take over the store after me if you keep this attitude up!” Scarlet released the hug and moved her to the side, allowing her to freely walk through the door of her office.
Rouge stood still for a moment with shock on her face, “damn near none of that speech is applicable right now! You’re risking your life, not a couple Lien! But I’ll be damned if I can’t take this store from the hag if I don’t participate in this stupid exchange! Hold up Boss Women! I’m coming too!”
The two red haired women slowly walked down the steps leading to the first floor of the building they owned. As they reached the entry into the main store, Scarlet took a moment to fix herself before taking her first step into the opening of the Dust shop. “Welcome to ‘From Diamonds to Dust’, I am the owner of this store! My name is Scarlet Vermillion, and this is my associate Rouge Cardinal, it is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Grimm Reaper.” The Boss Women smoothly introduced herself, the store, and her partner with a bright enthralling smile. She bowed slightly in respect, as she fearlessly approached the glowing red and black figure with her hand extended looking for a handshake. “You may call me Scarlet, and if you would, please treat my partner Rouge with the same amount of respect you would me.”
(Y/N) couldn’t help but notice the mature beauty of the woman in front of him. She had wonderfully tanned skin, and very soft facial features giving her a natural air of elegance. Her Scarlet hair was long and glowing, flowing in a curly spiral over her left shoulder. She wore an extranigral expensive looking red dress that hugged her curvaceous from and accentuated her bountiful breasts and wide hips. The woman behind her was very similar to her except she had a much more childish air about her. Her hair was tied up in a very long ponytail that draped endlessly down her back. She wore a much shorter red dress that stopped just short of her thighs, showing off the black stockings that covered her legs.
The Reaper looked at her extended hand for a moment and (Y/N)’s mind began moving rapidly behind the hard mask. “This woman is not scared at all! Should I shake her hand? Wouldn’t that kinda ruin the entire vibe I’ve been rocking with up until this point? Fuck it, I guess we’ll be going with a different approach this time around.” The Reaper reached out his gloved hand, much to the nervousness of Rouge, and gently shook her hand. At the same time, (Y/N) decided to lower his mask into its half form, revealing his red eyes to the red-haired woman. “You May Call Me Reaper. This Is My Companion Scylla, It Is Nice To Meet You Both As Well.”
Rouge was shocked at the politeness of the Reaper, he gently shook her boss’s hand, and introduced himself in a very respectable manner. Scarlet shook the man’s hand in return, and turned to the Grimm by his side, “It is very nice to meet you as well Scylla.”
In response, Scylla let out another one of her ‘adorable’ cries, “Mwrgrawh!” The rumble from the growl shook the entire room and shot fear into the woman in front of them.
The previous fearless Scarlet, flinched hard backwards, taking a few steps away from the Grimm like beast. Internally (Y/N) chuckled a bit at their reaction to the adorable screech, but he recognized the fear status that emancipated from her voice. “It Seems That This Is Where Your Fearlessness Ends Scarlet. Do Not Worry, That Was Just A Friendly Greeting, She Means You Or Your Partner No Harm.”
Scarlet soon recovered from her fearful state walking confidently back up to the pair, “I apologize for that unsightly showing, there should be no reason for me to be fearful of two guests in my store.” The woman bowed with her apology, and she soon raised her head once more. “Please, follow me to my office, we can talk there about your Dust.”
(Y/N) considered her offer for a moment, he didn’t exactly understand why they needed to go up to her office to discuss it, but he figured that it had to do with the extreme lack of supplies prevalent in the store. He had noticed it when he first walked in, the entire store was completely empty, void of almost anything that held any value. He probably would’ve started threatening them for hiding stuff if he hadn’t already used his map to check for any items, of which he found none. They had simply sold out of everything, and as he began conversing with the beautiful woman Scarlet, he thinks that he figured out why. “Lead The Way.” He said calmly.
(Y/N) and Byakko then followed behind the two red heads as they walked up the stairs and into the small office. Rouge stood beside her boss behind the desk, and The Reaper sat down with Scylla quickly taking the opportunity to leap into his lap. Scarlet and Rouge took a deep breath as they were about to begin the discussion that should lead to the end of their lives, but Scarlet remained as confident and charismatic as she was before. “So, Mr. Reaper, there is a small issue regarding your Dust. You see, throughout the week demand was very high for our products, and since we had no idea whether or not your calling card was too be taken as an absolute priority, and you didn’t request a specific amount of Dust, we figured that it would be alright if we continued business as usual until you made your presence known. However, we ended up selling out most of our products, and this leaves us with tonight’s issue.” Scarlet then pulled a small lockbox out from under her desk and placed in gently on top of the table in front of the reaper.
“For an occasion such as this, we set aside as much Dust as we could and kept it safe up here in this lockbox. Its retail value is approximately $1000 Lien. Trust me when I say we wish we could give you more, but our product shipments have been delayed heavily, and I am unsure of when we will be in stock of any of our Dust products again. I apologize for the-“
“Don’t Bullshit Me Scarlet!” He spat her name out with venom, and even though he only raised his voice slightly, it rang like a roar and put fear in the hearts of the two women. “There Are Few Things I Hate In This World More Than A Lier! I Understand You Are An Incredibly Intelligent Woman, So Do Not Lie to Me About Your Plans.”
Scarlet and Rouge were stunned by fear, completely unable to respond to his accusation. The Reaper chose this opportunity to follow up his statement with an explanation of what he thought was going on. “You Chose To Remain Open and Sell As Many Of Your Dust Products As You Could To Ensure That You Would Benefit From My Threat To The Surrounding Stores. You Also Intentionally Canceled Your Shipment To Ensure That You Would Have Nothing To Sell Me, Because You Were Afraid Of A Potential Loss. Lastly, You Left Me This To Make Me Believe That You Tried To Do Right By Me, But The Expected Value I Got From Your Shop Was A Hundred Times Greater Than What You Have Offered Me. Am I wrong, Miss Scarlet?”
The women were stuck in shock at his deductive ability, he somehow figured out every step of her plan in the short while that he conversated with them. It was awe inspiring, but for both of them in that moment, it was terrifying. Scarlet slowly recovered from her shock and managed to calmly respond to the Reaper. “Yes, that is correct. It was my intention to swindle you and capitalize on your threat, to make the most profit possible. You were even right about the stores value, as if both shipments had managed to come in, and expected sales were to be believed, then the retail value of all the Dust products that we would’ve had left over would have been about $97,000 Lien. Do you mind me asking how you knew?”
The Reaper looked the distressed woman in her eyes as he responded, “There Were A Lot Of Things That Gave It Away, But If I Were To Identify One Main Reason It Would Be Simply,” he took a small breath before revealing his method, “I Would Have Done The Same Thing.”
Scarlet looked at the Reaper with a smile and started giggling. “Of course, I am sorry Mr. Reaper, I didn’t give you not nearly enough credit for your knowledge and intellect” she said as she finished up her little laugh. “Well, the only thing I wish is that you spare Rouge of any punishment you feel like dishing out. She had nothing to do with this, it was all me.”
As soon Scarlet said it, her right-hand woman tried to speak up in defiance at the idea, but she was shut off by a hand raised by the Grimm Reaper. “Punishment? I Explained That I Would Have Done The Same Thing. I Was Not Angry That You Did What You Did, I Was Angry That You Lied About It. No One Will Be Punished For What Has Transpired Today. In Fact, I Was Looking For Someone Like Yourself To Find A Way To Profit From A Scenario Like This.” Scarlet looked at him in confusion, she had fully expected to have her life forfeit after he discovered her motive.
“What exactly do you mean, Mr. Reaper?” Scarlet asked, clearly interested in his objective.
The Reaper let her question sit in the air for a moment, thinking deeply on how to answer her question. The two-woman watched with bated breath, waiting for his response. “I Have A Goal. And In Attempting To Complete This Goal, I need Trustworthy Individuals To Work With Me As Partners. I Believe That You And, Possibly Your Right-Hand Women, Could Be One Of Them.”
Scarlet and Rogue shared a glance before Scarlet turned back to the man in front of them, “your answer just provided me with more questions than answers. What exactly is this ‘Goal’ you speak of? And why would I want to help you with that goal? As far as I know your just another gangster that wants to run this city dry of all its resources.”
(Y/N) smiled slightly underneath his appearance, “I Cannot Tell You The Specifics Of My Goal, However I Will Tell You That It Is Noble In Cause. For Starters, I Wish To Take Over, And Thus Eliminate, All Criminal Organizations In Vale.” At his declaration, the woman reeled back in shock. That was quite the goal, especially considering the fact that the Mafia and various other criminal rings essentially ran the city. But before they could question him, he started again, “Before You Ask Any More Questions, Allow Me To Answer Your Other Inquiry. I Believe That You, Miss Scarlet, Have A Far Greater Calling Then Quietly Running A Business Of This Caliber. The Reason You Will Join Me Is Because You Already See The Potential Profit Of Working With Me. However, The Truth Is You Would Never Work With Anyone That Is Overly Selfish, Or Greedy.”
Scarlet interrupted his explanation, “I don’t understand what you're talking about Reaper. You sent a calling card out to various shops and then robbed them of their Dust products. You think that I would ever assist anyone who would do such a thing?”
The Reaper took a deep inhale, “Got her! It seems you misunderstand the purpose of the card and what I have been doing to Businesses tonight so allow me to explain.” Scarlet seemed interested in his quick change of tone. His new tone of voice made her much more comfortable than before, and she slightly relaxed in her chair to listen to his reasoning. “Firstly, I have not stolen a single cent of Lien, or Dust, during tonight's activities.” Rogue audibly gasped, but Scarlets eyes only narrowed slightly as he continued. “What I have been doing is buying all the Dust that the Stores provide me, that was the purpose of providing the retail value of the Dust in the first place. I wasn’t going to steal it and then sell it at the value that they presented me with.”
As he said it, the pieces then began to fall into place in Scarlet's mind, “that makes a lot more sense. Most gangs will just steal the Dust to increase their own arsenals power. And plus, they wouldn’t need a retail value anyway since selling it on the black market changes the price dramatically and if anyone sold black market Dust at retail value nobody would buy it.”
(Y/N) paused for a moment, allowing the information to settle into Scarlet's mind, before continuing his reasoning, “Secondly, the reason I needed Law enforcement not to be contacted is because I need to know who can be trusted.” A look of confusion made its way across Rouge’s face, but one of understanding carried across Scarlet’s. “The Police in Vale are essentially owned by the Xiong Family’s Crime Syndicate. If any shop owner felt comfortable telling the police about my coming, then they are either in bed with them, or they are ignorant to this fact. Either way, I cannot trust them.” It was a known fact that the criminal syndicates in Rwby were very powerful and had control over the cops in Vale. He naturally assumed that it was the same in the real Vale, and based on Scarlet's reaction, his assumption was correct. “The threat of death was necessary to make everyone take The Grimm Reaper seriously, and it also works as a warning against going against me.”
After absorbing the information, the Reaper had laid out for her, she came back with yet another question. “It seems as though you have all this figured out completely Mr. Reaper, but that allows one question to remain. Why do you need a partner?”
The Reaper sat back into his chair, relaxing into it, “I will answer this question because I trust the both of you. The reason I need a partner of great intelligence and loyalty is for a few reasons. The main reason being that I cannot be The Grimm Reaper at all times. There are times when I will not be able to uphold this persona and be the terrorizing entity that I have created. The other reason is because I have little knowledge about the interworking's of Vales business and criminal world. I know enough to get in, but I need someone who truly knows the ins and outs and is capable of using that information to their advantage. And you are that person.”
The room fell silent for a moment, allowing the red headed duo to fully absorb the information that the Reaper had supplied them. Scarlet quickly analyzed her current situation and made a decision that would alter the trajectory of her life immensely. “I will support you in accomplishing your goal, Reaper. What do you need from me right now?”
“Damn that was kinda quick, thank God for her work ethic. Tonight, I am going to complete my rounds of the businesses that I sent my card to. After that, there are a few plans that I will need to discuss with you before we get started. As far as tonight, I don’t need anything from you, just ensure that you are ready for me to come knocking on your door at any time.”
After he finished his explanation, Rouge took a step forward from behind Scarlet, “I will help you as well.”
Scarlet quickly followed up with, “no you will not.”
“But why?”
“You are far too inexperienced in this field, and plus I need someone to take over the store while I focus on this.” Scarlet explained to her protégé with a smile. Rouge seemed sort of conflicted by the comment, but she remained quiet for the rest of the exchange. After seeing her reaction, Scarlet turned back to the Reaper, “I'm coming with you. I would like to see how you operate and implicate myself as an accomplice to your escapades. If I will be handling this venture when you are unable to then I need my presence to be known at least as much as yours.”
(Y/N) couldn’t exactly argue with her, and he didn’t see anything wrong with her coming with him, so he obliged. “If you're going to come with me, then you will need a new identity. Meta, can you whip up an Appearance for Scarlet really quick? Even just a mask would be fine.”
[Meta can do that! But it will not function the same way as your Appearance works. Are you okay with that?]
(Y/N) took a moment to think about it, but he soon decided that the only real difference would be that the Appearance would simply function as normal clothing instead of a visual change of appearance that changed nothing about his actual form. “That’s fine, go ahead and make it.”
[Meta has made the Appearance using the same materials you used to make your Appearance! What would you like to name it?]
“Scarlet is fine since she’ll be the one wearing it.”
[Scarlet has been placed in your inventory and is ready for deployment!]
“Great job Meta!” The mental exchange was incredibly fast allowing very little time to pass in between (Y/N)’s comment about the new identity, and the creation of her new Appearance. As soon as Meta alerted him that it was finished, he reached into his chest, allowing him entry into his inventory, and inexplicably pulled out a neatly folded red outfit. “Here, wear this and come up with an alias.”
Scarlet watched in awe as she saw the man in front of her reach into his chest and pull an outfit from seemingly nowhere, but she accepted his gift without question. “I’ll be ready in a moment, but I’ll need a moment with my replacement before we go, if that’s alright.”
(Y/N) rose from his chair, allowing Scylla to jump from his lap to the ground, and turned towards the exit. “That’s fine, take as much time as you need. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
“Wait, before you go, this may be a stupid question, but do you still want the Dust in the lockbox? It is not that important to the company, and I figure it’s the least I could do” Scarlet asked.
The Reaper smirked under his mask, “No, that won’t be necessary. I have already gotten what I wanted from this establishment.” As he finished his sentence, he lightly held onto Scylla’s tail and used his Devil’s Step to teleport through the ground, and into the main floor of the store. His sudden disappearance left the women in shock yet again, but Scarlet remained composed as she turned back to her companion.
Before Rouge could even speak the Boss, Woman’s arms were wrapped around her in a warm embrace. “Listen Rouge, you are more than capable at running this business. You have far more knowledge and experience than I did when I first opened this store, and I won’t be far if you ever need me. For some reason I feel incredibly drawn to this Reaper figure and I think that I can accomplish great things by working with him. I won’t be leaving you in the slightest, just think of me as your consort or advisor. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”
In response to her declaration, Rouge hugged Scarlet back tightly, “alright boss! I promise I’ll make this store far more successful that it ever was! Just, promise me that you’ll be careful. I may not know much about the criminal syndicates in Vale, but I do know how dangerous they are to get involved with. So, please don’t die.”
Scarlet broke the long embrace and looked into Rouge’s eyes, “I won’t be dying anytime soon so don’t worry about that. And please, don’t call me Boss anymore, you’re the boss. Call me Scarlet.”
A small tear formed in Rouge’s eye as she spoke, “understood Boss Scarlet!”
Scarlet couldn’t help but smile at her usual antics, “alright call me whatever you want. You should probably head home and get some rest since tomorrows your fist day as the CEO of Diamonds to Dust. And I have to put on this interesting looking red outfit that the Reaper pulled from his chest. I’ll be seeing you soon Rouge.”
“You to Scarlet!” Rouge gave one more quick hug to the women who taught her so much, and walked out of the office doors, and into the night. At the same time as Rouge’s exit, Scarlet started getting dressed in her brand-new outfit.
“Now, how exactly do I get this on?” Scarlet picked the Appearance up in her hands and attempted to unfold the clothing to no success. “Huh? How am I supposed to put this thing on if I can’t even unfold it? Matter a fact, I don’t even know what this thing is supposed to look like!” In frustration, she moved to full length standing mirror she had in her office and stood in front of it looking at herself. She placed the cloth that she had been given in front of her chest as if she were checking to see if it would fit her. “I wish the Reaper would have at least given me some instructions on how to put this damn thing on.” She continued looking at the cloth through the mirror, letting her mind wander as she stood there. “What if this is another test to see if I can figure this out as well? Maybe this clothing is special in some way that only a certain caliber of person can where it? If that’s the case, then there is absolutely no way I am failing to put this thing on.” After her declaration, her mind began moving rapidly, completely analyzing the clothing in front of her and the entire interaction that led up to her obtaining it.
“If I can’t unravel it, but it is clearly more than a single thick cloth then maybe its special in some way that I am not understanding. The Reaper casually said wear this after pulling it from his chest and handing it too me. So, he clearly was overstating the ease of putting it on to throw me off and leave me thinking that the task would be simple. He said that I could take my time, but what if he plans on leaving without me after a certain amount of time passes?”
Scarlet let the thought sit for a moment, “no he would never do that especially not after his speech on hating liars. I guess he plans on waiting downstairs until I am able to put this thing on and if he’s waiting on me, then I can’t keep him for long.” The former boss took a moment to think before putting her hypothesis to the test. “He pulled the outfit from his chest in a very casual manner, maybe that was the hint he was providing me on how to put this thing on. So, I guess I’ll try replicating his action except in reverse.” At that thought, Scarlet began carefully pressing the scarlet cloth into her chest while thinking about how casual and natural it would be if the cloth just fazed inside of her. As soon as the cloth contacted the center of her chest, it began being absorbed into her, and, to her, the process felt as naturally as breathing.
The instant it had been absorbed in full, her entire appearance changed completely, and she looked in awe at her new figure. “Damn, I guess The Grimm Reaper doesn’t play around when it comes to hiding an identity.” After looking at herself in full, she quickly ran out of the room, down the stairs, and into the lobby of the store where the Reaper was waiting patiently for her.
(Y/N) turned around at the sound of the approaching clicking of heels against the floor, and he was incredibly surprised at the figure he saw before him. She was extremely demonic in figure and form with a bloody aura that radiated from her deadly physique. Her hair remained long, but the color changed from a bright Scarlet to a bloodshot red, and her eyes were now pitch black with red irises. On her face was a mask that depicted a wide permanently open mouth filled to the brim rows of razor sharp, jagged edged teeth that filled anyone who saw it with terror. Her neck, chest, and shoulders were covered in a black, thin, Spanx like cloth that hugged tightly to her skin allowing the cleavage underneath to still slightly show through. On top of that, she wore a short silky red dress that barely covered her plump ass, and a black scarf with intricate designs along it tied to her waist holding everything together. On her legs covering most of her soft tanned skin were long black boots that went all the way up to the center of her thighs, stopping short of the length of her dress allowing her thighs to show through. The bottom of the boots was long six-inch heels that gave her an incredible increase in height, making her that much more intimidating. Silky cloth draped over her shoulders that flowed through the air with every movement, and long black gloves that went up to her biceps covered most of her arm’s length. The tips of these gloves depicted long nail like claws that were colored in such a way that they seemed to be dripping endlessly with blood.
(Y/N) watched intently as the tall demonic women approached him, “you look phenomenal Miss…”
Scarlet quickly picked up on his meaning and finished his sentence with, “Hel. That is what you may call me.”
“Well Hel, you finished up much faster than I expected you to.”
“I couldn’t exactly leave my partner waiting for me now could I. However, you have quite an interesting way of showing a woman how to dress Honey.”
(Y/N)’s thoughts stopped for a moment, “Honey? I guess that’s the backstory was going with then, the Devil, his loyal pet, and his Mistress. That’ll work then I guess. Alright then my Mistress, let’s not squander the extra time you have allotted us in here. We have work to do.”
“Of course, Honey!”
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Grant, twenty years old, was tired of being a prisoner to his job, parents, and city. He had been fed to believe all of it was deserved. The thought of breaking free from his current life felt undeserved. But his ability to tolerate everything was wearing thin; he was about to crack. He began to wonder that maybe all the blame put on him wasn't entirely his fault. A coworker told him about a small village, Lyros, where he could move. The price seemed too good to be true. Despite that foreboding feeling, he decided to leave his previous life behind. Could Lyros bring him the freedom he pursued? Or was it just another place that would take hold of him, refusing to let go? Cover art by DaisukeSenpai1
8 80I can summon my past lives
What would you do if you were the only cultivator on the planet? What would you do if you could summon the soul bodies of your previous lives and leech off of their experiences? For the first time in my boring life, I finally saw the light. I was given the mission to become the strongest by any means necessary. Lucky for me, my past lives were quite badass in their respective universes during their prime until their untimely deaths...well most of them, I think. Their experiences remolded the current me to become their best version. I learned something: As powerful as they were, they still died for one reason or another until it was ultimately my time to live. In this life, I vow to learn from their mistakes and live forever. Besides, there must be a reason this {Requiem System} I got was given to me in this life. I am scared I am the last life to be reincarnated. If I die, there won’t be another do over. And why would I die if my reincarnations are also invested in this life as I am? They came with their powers intact...just that they lack a physical body which I am happy to share. With beings that strong at my beck and call, I think the bar that I must surpass had been raised a little bit too high. I am called Damon Kaze and I welcome you to this journey of my last reincarnation of mine. I can’t guarantee it’ll be your cup of tea, but hey, sometimes you never get what you wish for. You just have to live with it and hope for the best.
8 87The Periplus of Hanno
Considered to be Ancient Carthage’s Odyssey, the original Periplus of Hanno was copied from a Carthaginian temple and taken back to Greece. For two thousand years, it existed only as a copy of a copy, a brief, broken story that only hinted at a larger tale… until now. Hanno, King of Carthage, has just lost his queen, and the Council of Elders threatens to take his throne. In order to preserve his dynasty, Hanno must take the Libyan citizens of over-crowded Carthage on a journey West, beyond the fabled Pillars of Hercules, and to the uncharted African continent below. There, he will encounter terrible beasts, hidden magic, and legendary titans. But the Council of Elders refuses to just let him succeed, and threatens to unite with the powerful forces of this unknown land, and halt the Periplus of Hanno.
8 122Impossible Devices
Twenty years after the start of the new millenium, the world was largely at peace. Crime was at an all-time low in most nations. No large scale conflicts between countries currently existed, and the people of Earth had even begun to see hope for the future. In the year 2020, all of that changed. The first occurrences of the interdimensional reality altering zones occurred. Named 'Dungeons' these supernatural and alien existences unleashed monsters and mayhem upon the world. Only after considerable loss of life and adaptation to the new world order did people begin to rally back. The discovery of a strange artificact item in one of the dungeons allowed humanity to develop powers far beyond their wildest imagination. This device worked on principles considered to be impossible. It was not the only one. Items of super-science and magic were discovered inside the dungeons of the world that could not possibly work according to the known laws of physics. Yet, they did. A special school was built to train young people so that they could specialize in dungeon exploration, in the defeat of monsters and the acquisition of the Impossible Devices. Warning: Tagged as [18+] for mature content that includes Adult Situations, Sexual Situations, Graphic Violence, and offensive language. Further: This story is a work of comedy and parody. It is not designed to be a gloriously realistic story, even though there are a few deep themes and other mature concepts involved.
8 137Claiming New Boundaries
David Hart has been kidnapped from his world and conscripted in a war that's not his. He faces a new world and a new life, a life filled with magic and adventure without the comfort of junk food, electricity or even a toilet. He begins a journey to do more than just save that world, instead he'll change it forever. Thanks and credit to @burn_island for the cover art
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