"Heya, Scarlet here. I came up with the blog idea, and am the main one using it! I use they/she pronouns. I'm one half of the Dynamic Duo! You'll know it's me by the red text!"
"Hello, Dew here. While Scarlet conceived the blog, I'm the one working on it in the background. I use he/they pronouns. I'm a traveling mantis, and the other half of the Dynamic Duo. You can tell it's me through the green text."
(Hey, @bigminiond here! I'm the one running the blog. OoC text will be in curly brackets. The blog is about my interpretation of a grown Grimmchild, as well as my personal sona, Dew (in the header image).)
Rules:
NO EXPLICIT NSFW ASKS.
"Seriously, please don't."
"Just...ew. No."
(The most I will allow is suggestive jokes)
(This blog will contain spoilers for both Hollow Knight and Silksong. You have been warned!)
Don't expect quick answers from us.
"Due to how frequently we're on the move, it's highly likely our internet will cut out."
"Yeah, and it completely sucks!"
(I am in my final year of high school, plus I have IRL responsibilities.)
Asks about relationships are okay, as long as they're lighthearted.
"I always love some good gossip!"
"Just please don't take it too farâŚ"
Other blogs are welcome to interact!
"Please! As fun as Dew can be, it gets so boring having only one person to talk to!"
"Is it really that bad...?"
(Interactions with other fandoms are welcome too!)
(Please donât try to solve the problems of the plotlines for the characters.)
Tags (All of this will be OoC):
Tagging system inspired by @child-of-weaver-and-wyrm
[Junior's Shenanigans] -- Junior is the one interacting
[Scarlet's Rebellion] -- Scarlet is the one interacting
[Dew's Ramblings] -- Dew is the one interacting
[Chalybsâ Word] -- Chalybs is the one interacting
[Xadus' Thoughts] -- Xadus is the one interacting
[Dynamic Duo] -- Multiple people are interacting
[Junior...] -- Posts relating to Junior's memories
[Scarlet...] -- Posts relating to who Scarlet used to be
[Dew...] -- Posts relating to Dew's past
[What Happened in Moorlane] -- Posts relating to the incidents that happened in Moorlane
[Scarlet the Girlfailure] -- Posts where Scarlet tries (and fails) to flirt
[The City of Steel] -- Posts where Dew and/or Scarlet are in or talking about the City of Steel.
[what] -- For posts that just have no words
[The Banquet] -- Posts relating to Willohâs Banquet
[OH GOD THE KING IS DEAD] -- Posts relating to the Pale King/Lurien/Radiance Debacle
[The Red Mist] -- Posts relating to Moss Grottoâs red mist
[Bleeding Roots] -- Blooming Beast of Root's Nosk Arc
[Burning Bridges] -- Posts relating to the Nightmare Heart conflict
[Curse of the Dream] -- Posts relating to the ???
[War of the Citadel] -- Posts relating to the Crust King's siege on the Citadel
[Hunt Down the Sentinel] -- Posts relating to Dew hunting down Trinn
[Spa Arc Come Home] -- Posts relating to the Spa Arc
[The Lost King] -- Posts relating to the Lost King Arc
[Light of My Life] -- Posts relating to ------- --- ----- -------- ------
[Thinking Out Loud] -- A drabble
[Sparring Match] -- Posts involving combat
[Hooded Figures] -- Answering anon asks
[Hey I Know You!] -- Interacting with other rp blogs
[Timeline Fuckery] -- Posts where the timeline is not linear
[Other People] -- Interacting with non-anon, non-rp blogs
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
The first Grimmkin is ripped to hell and back. It seems dazed, like it just woke up from a coma. Despite its state it rushes to pull its partner out of Scarletâs grip.
The eyes above the stage soften incrementally and the god succumbs to sympathy as the first kin flees behind the curtain. The peace does not last.
Grimmkin B: [6 damage, 10 accuracy = 6 damage!]
It hasnât the mind left to be cautious as it swings at Scarlet again. Something personal is bleeding through.
[Spotlight quickly summons a fire ball and throws it at Grimmkin B]
[Attack 1d20: 2]
[Accuracy 1d10: 10]
[Spotlight realizes mid throw that it probably wonât do as much damage as theyâd had hope, but it doesnât matter. They just need to either do enough damage so Scarlet and Crimson can take it out or distract it.]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 5)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11 - 5, 6!)
Crimson's main intention was to herd the final Grimmkin away from everyone else - they were acting on self defense. They really did not want further harm.
Their teeth had other plans, as mid-snap they accidentally catch and rip through cloth. They almost immediately let go and apologize for the accidental injury, before going right back to trying to herd to the best of their ability.
Thereâs a better way. You do not have to do this, Grimm thinks.
The Nightmare King does not care. He knows this has been coming. Always another way, when heâs been trying his damndest and never found one.
Grimm knoww this too well. Incubo is sick of Grimmâs faux innocence. Enough lying, enough warring. If he is too cowardly to truly die by his own claw, then he can at least let someone else be his executioner.
This is for the best, She was right about him.
Grimmkin B: [15 attack, 5 accuracy = 10 damage.]
It turns the stuffing leaking out of it into embers that singe Crimson in retaliation.
The Puppet Master: [17 damage, 5 accuracy = 12 damage!]
(91/100)
(1d20 Defensive Dice: 14, 17 - both damage checks passed!)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 4)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 12)
(12-6, 6!)
Crimson skitters back first from the embers, emitting a short baffled laugh of amusement and some form of quick learning - they can do that? Fascinating! - before snapping at the cloth again to try to herd the Grimmkin further to what they assumed to be safety, for them to regroup. Please regroup.
They quickly raise their head at the sound of the claws, and they quickly dart out of the way, sliding back on all four paws.
I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, PLEASE DON'T SWING AT US THREE PLEASE? OR GRIMM? PLEASE?
The remaining Grimmkin falls limp, its strings cut.
âYouâre right. Why keep a captive audience waiting?â
Grimm thinks this is good showmanship. And then he thinks âoh noâ. And then his thoughts are shoved aside.
The tendril holding him lets go and he hits the stage like a ragdoll.
Sunk cost is a funny thing. No matter how futile continuing is, you can never really end it.
Shiny red threads glint in the air as Grimm stands. Every movement is too choppy. The feeling of being guided in such a way is nostalgic. Old friends, back together.
Grimm: [210/210]
The Puppet Master: [420/420]
[12 attack, 5 accuracy = 7 damage!]
âGrimmâ limply lunges toward Spotlight, using his wings as a blade.
Spotlight freezes for a moment before raising their nail to block it at the last second]
[Attack 1d20: 8]
[Accuracy 1d10: 4]
[Result: 2]
[They hesitated as they went to strike. Spotlight had always wanted to rematch Grimm to test their strength after all these years, but this didnât feel rightâŚ]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 10)
1d20 Combat Dice: 17)
No.
This is where Crimson would usually tap out of combat. They won't. They can't bring themselves to. That old chant that they once heard rings in their head like a GONG, forcing their teeth and claws away from the main fight.
No.
They can do better. They have to do better. There is a better plan.
They watch the fight ensue. This feels wrong, so what is making it feel wrong? They want to move closer to the fight, but they're afraid they'll hurt either of them. The memory of the chant forces its way back into their head, and they have to physically shake themselves to clear it from their head, angling themselves closer to the sides of the fight to see if the light direction will be able to help.
No. They need to be careful, actually. That's the point.
They need to fight for everyone's sake.
He's trapped. Grimm's trapped. If mother was scared, so will he.
They save some embers for later, eyeing Spotlight and Scarlet's movements, before trying to push through every thought processing that is screaming at them to DO NOT-
They bite at Grimm's arm. Accidentally, QUITE hard, despite deliberately aiming for as little physical damage as possible. They look like they're about to cry while they're hissing out SEVERAL apologies to him.
The Puppet Master: [407/420]
âGrimmâ screeches as he rips Crimson from his arm and is yanked by his strings to dodge the fireball.
No, no, theyâve fallen for it! He wants to warn them that thinking the only way out is to kill is what Incubo wants.
Grimm manages to pull away from slashing at Crimson and redirecting to Spotlight instead.
Why?
You were all I had left, and then the illusion was broken. You never believed my life was worth all this, so why keep pretending? One way or another one party will lose this fight, and the victor can continue uninhibited. Isnât this for the best?
Was this Grimmâs fault? No, it couldnât be. Leaving Scarlet had to be the right choice. Incubo is fully wrong; heâs just doing this to torment them.
No matter how much he tries, he cannot summon rage. But it wasnât his fault.
[Spotlight quickly blocks the attack before going to strike]
[Attack 1d20: 16]
[Accuracy 1d10: 5]
[Result: 11]
<No, now isn't the time to hesitate. If we can get Grimm low enough, perhaps The Nightmare King will just let him go. It worked with the Grimmkin, surely it'll work here. After all, The Nightmare King might still need him...>
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 2)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11-8, 3!)
Crimson watches in increasing panic and horror as the claws that were meant for them swing at Spotlight instead, a retaliation bark sounding - one that was just simply defiance and a very much panic-twisted rage - not at anyone in particular, but at the entire situation. The wrongness keeps setting in. They have a violent need to get the blood off of their mouth NOW.
They spot the strings' glint - their angling proved to be a good choice after all, barring the fact that they had to bite for it. They have to get the strings notably away from Grimm.
A second wave of dread and anxiety hits them, very much recognizing that if they just snapped at strings without care, a second Incident may happen. They don't WANT a second Incident to happen, but it's either take several risks, or someone dies.
âŚNeither good options. But the fear of losing anyone here overpowers the entire fear of the Incident. They click the back of their mouth, firing off a fireball at where they hoped a string would be at. More accurately, a string that wasn't going to kill Grimm.
âŚ.And almost completely misses last second. Awesome.
Scarlet rushes in to strike with her firenail...around the same time Crimson's fireball comes to strike at the strings. She barely manages to swerve around it, rolling on the ground instead.
Grimm manages to avoid the brunt of Spotlightâs attack, choking out a âWatch it!â as Crimson touches one of his strings. âGrimmâ floats up into the air and fills the stage with his pufferfish attack in retaliation. (Targets everyone again.)
The Puppet Master: [403/420]
Incubo canât help himself. His nemesis writhing on the ground, practically begging to be ended. He slinks out from the stage and charges fangs-first. He is glad his visage still remains shadowed.
(81/100)
(1d20 Defensive Dice: 8)
(No combat rolls!)
Despite the, quite frankly, abysmal attempt at trying to swerve around fireballs Wolf had similar issues, don't dive underneath it won't save you- their head snaps to Grimm.
A VOICE!
I'm TRYING TO HELP! HOW CAN I HELP? PLEASE TELL ME HOW I CAN HELP. PLEASE.
They hold off on fighting, voice slipping in and out of hisses and panicked breathing. They wanted a solution, one that didn't involve losing anyone here.
They can't lose anyone here. They only just knew Incubo what, a month ago? Could they have done something then? They wanted to know more, dang it!
âŚ.Wait. Idea. Horrible idea, but.
They pull out the dreamnail, trying to gauge what to do. Using it as a weapon wasn't an option.
CAN THIS HELP?
Dew wakes to consciousness within a cage on wheels.
He's being dragged by a handful of Legion bugs. They are moving as part of one great caravan. Two heavily armored warriors with hooked polearms flank the cage.
As he stirs, a fluffy head and two red eyes peek down, hanging upside down from above.
"Hello. You're the Green Silence, right? You look less impressive than I expected."
"Ughhhhh..."
Dew is slow to wake up, trying to get a grip on their current reality.
Good, you're awake. I was beginning to think you were dead.
They'd know immediately if he was dead, and they know this. They take a look around the cage. Any idea where they currently are?
A cage.
Yeah no shit, but where are they being taken to?
If I were to take a guess? Probably the Legion's base.
Dew notices the fluffy head and backs away, instinctively reaching for weapons that were not there.
"You're in a cage," the moth points out helpfully.
They drop down, now standing on the outside edge of the cage, hands on the bars. The hands, in fact, are the first thing to draw attention. This moth's hands are made of scorched, black metal. They are sharp - each finger ends in a perfectly pointed talon. There is a heat that emanates from them, too.
The arms follow up to the shoulders, made entirely of this metal. Hollow on the inside, with holes that go through, they would have once been beautiful in their elegant simplicity. Now, they are beautiful in an entirely different way; melted out of shape, they exude strange menace.
The moth's body is covered in fluffy fur, mostly black with patterns of white and red - a thick scruff of bright red fluff surrounds their neck. Their face is a sheer white, aside from ritual scars. They faintly pulse red, and seem to extend across their entire body. Their eyes are vivid crimson, though a glow of golden orange shines from within.
They wear their wings around their body like a cloak, and seem to possess no other equipment or clothing. However, a few feet behind them, two large gauntlets made of the same scorched metal as their arms float. They hang down as if they were idle hands. They look deadly.
"What was your actual name? I've already forgotten. Oh, you asked my name right?"
They smile. Oh, dear, the moth has a mouth with teeth. Their voice is soft, with tones of something distantly hypnotic, but they speak with barely restrained energy.
"I'm Inferno."
[Images below cut! Art of Inferno, and an image of the kind of moth they are :3]
Art by @morphologist, my lovely friend and amazing artist, who you can also find at their toyhouse
Cecropia moth!!! The kind Inferno is meant to be :3
They poke one of their strangely long fingers through the bars of the cage to point at Dew.
"You are coming back with us! To Cinderhold!"
Letting go of the bars, their metal arms hang down. Even just idle like this - perhaps especially like this - they look like weapons.
They tilt their head, studying Dew. The way they look at him... This creature is dangerous. Yet they continue, in a cheerful manner;
"You didn't answer me, and I'm curious. What is your name? I'd like to know."
"Branch! Branch... Hm...."
They lunge at the cage suddenly, grabbing the bars. It shakes. The air heats up. The guards near the cage flinch.
"You hesitated! Tell me your actual name."
They pause. They tap the bars of the cage with their fingers, producing the sound of metal tapping on metal.
"... Well, it is fine if you don't. Everyone knows who you are, anyways. The Green Silence... what did you do, to get that title?"
They continue to consider the bug before them.
Then, they turn into a phantom of ash, slipping through the bars to stand in front of Dew.
"All I know is that you killed a general, once. I am not the one who holds this sort of knowledge."
The short moth sits down.
"... And I don't know why we're bringing you back, either! Alys, Deikora and Rattle have all decided something, but I haven't asked yet. I'd prefer to be surprised!"
Dew immediately backs away from Inferno as much as he can, reaching for weapons that aren't there.
"Wh-wha-huh-how-"
He's at a loss for words to describe what he just saw. Like, he's seen magic before and he's no stranger to it, but...something about Inferno...it's setting him on edge.
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
The first Grimmkin is ripped to hell and back. It seems dazed, like it just woke up from a coma. Despite its state it rushes to pull its partner out of Scarletâs grip.
The eyes above the stage soften incrementally and the god succumbs to sympathy as the first kin flees behind the curtain. The peace does not last.
Grimmkin B: [6 damage, 10 accuracy = 6 damage!]
It hasnât the mind left to be cautious as it swings at Scarlet again. Something personal is bleeding through.
[Spotlight quickly summons a fire ball and throws it at Grimmkin B]
[Attack 1d20: 2]
[Accuracy 1d10: 10]
[Spotlight realizes mid throw that it probably wonât do as much damage as theyâd had hope, but it doesnât matter. They just need to either do enough damage so Scarlet and Crimson can take it out or distract it.]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 5)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11 - 5, 6!)
Crimson's main intention was to herd the final Grimmkin away from everyone else - they were acting on self defense. They really did not want further harm.
Their teeth had other plans, as mid-snap they accidentally catch and rip through cloth. They almost immediately let go and apologize for the accidental injury, before going right back to trying to herd to the best of their ability.
Thereâs a better way. You do not have to do this, Grimm thinks.
The Nightmare King does not care. He knows this has been coming. Always another way, when heâs been trying his damndest and never found one.
Grimm knoww this too well. Incubo is sick of Grimmâs faux innocence. Enough lying, enough warring. If he is too cowardly to truly die by his own claw, then he can at least let someone else be his executioner.
This is for the best, She was right about him.
Grimmkin B: [15 attack, 5 accuracy = 10 damage.]
It turns the stuffing leaking out of it into embers that singe Crimson in retaliation.
The Puppet Master: [17 damage, 5 accuracy = 12 damage!]
(91/100)
(1d20 Defensive Dice: 14, 17 - both damage checks passed!)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 4)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 12)
(12-6, 6!)
Crimson skitters back first from the embers, emitting a short baffled laugh of amusement and some form of quick learning - they can do that? Fascinating! - before snapping at the cloth again to try to herd the Grimmkin further to what they assumed to be safety, for them to regroup. Please regroup.
They quickly raise their head at the sound of the claws, and they quickly dart out of the way, sliding back on all four paws.
I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, PLEASE DON'T SWING AT US THREE PLEASE? OR GRIMM? PLEASE?
The remaining Grimmkin falls limp, its strings cut.
âYouâre right. Why keep a captive audience waiting?â
Grimm thinks this is good showmanship. And then he thinks âoh noâ. And then his thoughts are shoved aside.
The tendril holding him lets go and he hits the stage like a ragdoll.
Sunk cost is a funny thing. No matter how futile continuing is, you can never really end it.
Shiny red threads glint in the air as Grimm stands. Every movement is too choppy. The feeling of being guided in such a way is nostalgic. Old friends, back together.
Grimm: [210/210]
The Puppet Master: [420/420]
[12 attack, 5 accuracy = 7 damage!]
âGrimmâ limply lunges toward Spotlight, using his wings as a blade.
Spotlight freezes for a moment before raising their nail to block it at the last second]
[Attack 1d20: 8]
[Accuracy 1d10: 4]
[Result: 2]
[They hesitated as they went to strike. Spotlight had always wanted to rematch Grimm to test their strength after all these years, but this didnât feel rightâŚ]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 10)
1d20 Combat Dice: 17)
No.
This is where Crimson would usually tap out of combat. They won't. They can't bring themselves to. That old chant that they once heard rings in their head like a GONG, forcing their teeth and claws away from the main fight.
No.
They can do better. They have to do better. There is a better plan.
They watch the fight ensue. This feels wrong, so what is making it feel wrong? They want to move closer to the fight, but they're afraid they'll hurt either of them. The memory of the chant forces its way back into their head, and they have to physically shake themselves to clear it from their head, angling themselves closer to the sides of the fight to see if the light direction will be able to help.
No. They need to be careful, actually. That's the point.
They need to fight for everyone's sake.
He's trapped. Grimm's trapped. If mother was scared, so will he.
They save some embers for later, eyeing Spotlight and Scarlet's movements, before trying to push through every thought processing that is screaming at them to DO NOT-
They bite at Grimm's arm. Accidentally, QUITE hard, despite deliberately aiming for as little physical damage as possible. They look like they're about to cry while they're hissing out SEVERAL apologies to him.
The Puppet Master: [407/420]
âGrimmâ screeches as he rips Crimson from his arm and is yanked by his strings to dodge the fireball.
No, no, theyâve fallen for it! He wants to warn them that thinking the only way out is to kill is what Incubo wants.
Grimm manages to pull away from slashing at Crimson and redirecting to Spotlight instead.
Why?
You were all I had left, and then the illusion was broken. You never believed my life was worth all this, so why keep pretending? One way or another one party will lose this fight, and the victor can continue uninhibited. Isnât this for the best?
Was this Grimmâs fault? No, it couldnât be. Leaving Scarlet had to be the right choice. Incubo is fully wrong; heâs just doing this to torment them.
No matter how much he tries, he cannot summon rage. But it wasnât his fault.
[Spotlight quickly blocks the attack before going to strike]
[Attack 1d20: 16]
[Accuracy 1d10: 5]
[Result: 11]
<No, now isn't the time to hesitate. If we can get Grimm low enough, perhaps The Nightmare King will just let him go. It worked with the Grimmkin, surely it'll work here. After all, The Nightmare King might still need him...>
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 2)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11-8, 3!)
Crimson watches in increasing panic and horror as the claws that were meant for them swing at Spotlight instead, a retaliation bark sounding - one that was just simply defiance and a very much panic-twisted rage - not at anyone in particular, but at the entire situation. The wrongness keeps setting in. They have a violent need to get the blood off of their mouth NOW.
They spot the strings' glint - their angling proved to be a good choice after all, barring the fact that they had to bite for it. They have to get the strings notably away from Grimm.
A second wave of dread and anxiety hits them, very much recognizing that if they just snapped at strings without care, a second Incident may happen. They don't WANT a second Incident to happen, but it's either take several risks, or someone dies.
âŚNeither good options. But the fear of losing anyone here overpowers the entire fear of the Incident. They click the back of their mouth, firing off a fireball at where they hoped a string would be at. More accurately, a string that wasn't going to kill Grimm.
âŚ.And almost completely misses last second. Awesome.
Scarlet rushes in to strike with her firenail...around the same time Crimson's fireball comes to strike at the strings. She barely manages to swerve around it, rolling on the ground instead.
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
The first Grimmkin is ripped to hell and back. It seems dazed, like it just woke up from a coma. Despite its state it rushes to pull its partner out of Scarletâs grip.
The eyes above the stage soften incrementally and the god succumbs to sympathy as the first kin flees behind the curtain. The peace does not last.
Grimmkin B: [6 damage, 10 accuracy = 6 damage!]
It hasnât the mind left to be cautious as it swings at Scarlet again. Something personal is bleeding through.
[Spotlight quickly summons a fire ball and throws it at Grimmkin B]
[Attack 1d20: 2]
[Accuracy 1d10: 10]
[Spotlight realizes mid throw that it probably wonât do as much damage as theyâd had hope, but it doesnât matter. They just need to either do enough damage so Scarlet and Crimson can take it out or distract it.]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 5)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11 - 5, 6!)
Crimson's main intention was to herd the final Grimmkin away from everyone else - they were acting on self defense. They really did not want further harm.
Their teeth had other plans, as mid-snap they accidentally catch and rip through cloth. They almost immediately let go and apologize for the accidental injury, before going right back to trying to herd to the best of their ability.
Thereâs a better way. You do not have to do this, Grimm thinks.
The Nightmare King does not care. He knows this has been coming. Always another way, when heâs been trying his damndest and never found one.
Grimm knoww this too well. Incubo is sick of Grimmâs faux innocence. Enough lying, enough warring. If he is too cowardly to truly die by his own claw, then he can at least let someone else be his executioner.
This is for the best, She was right about him.
Grimmkin B: [15 attack, 5 accuracy = 10 damage.]
It turns the stuffing leaking out of it into embers that singe Crimson in retaliation.
The Puppet Master: [17 damage, 5 accuracy = 12 damage!]
(91/100)
(1d20 Defensive Dice: 14, 17 - both damage checks passed!)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 4)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 12)
(12-6, 6!)
Crimson skitters back first from the embers, emitting a short baffled laugh of amusement and some form of quick learning - they can do that? Fascinating! - before snapping at the cloth again to try to herd the Grimmkin further to what they assumed to be safety, for them to regroup. Please regroup.
They quickly raise their head at the sound of the claws, and they quickly dart out of the way, sliding back on all four paws.
I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, PLEASE DON'T SWING AT US THREE PLEASE? OR GRIMM? PLEASE?
The remaining Grimmkin falls limp, its strings cut.
âYouâre right. Why keep a captive audience waiting?â
Grimm thinks this is good showmanship. And then he thinks âoh noâ. And then his thoughts are shoved aside.
The tendril holding him lets go and he hits the stage like a ragdoll.
Sunk cost is a funny thing. No matter how futile continuing is, you can never really end it.
Shiny red threads glint in the air as Grimm stands. Every movement is too choppy. The feeling of being guided in such a way is nostalgic. Old friends, back together.
Grimm: [210/210]
The Puppet Master: [420/420]
[12 attack, 5 accuracy = 7 damage!]
âGrimmâ limply lunges toward Spotlight, using his wings as a blade.
Spotlight freezes for a moment before raising their nail to block it at the last second]
[Attack 1d20: 8]
[Accuracy 1d10: 4]
[Result: 2]
[They hesitated as they went to strike. Spotlight had always wanted to rematch Grimm to test their strength after all these years, but this didnât feel rightâŚ]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 10)
1d20 Combat Dice: 17)
No.
This is where Crimson would usually tap out of combat. They won't. They can't bring themselves to. That old chant that they once heard rings in their head like a GONG, forcing their teeth and claws away from the main fight.
No.
They can do better. They have to do better. There is a better plan.
They watch the fight ensue. This feels wrong, so what is making it feel wrong? They want to move closer to the fight, but they're afraid they'll hurt either of them. The memory of the chant forces its way back into their head, and they have to physically shake themselves to clear it from their head, angling themselves closer to the sides of the fight to see if the light direction will be able to help.
No. They need to be careful, actually. That's the point.
They need to fight for everyone's sake.
He's trapped. Grimm's trapped. If mother was scared, so will he.
They save some embers for later, eyeing Spotlight and Scarlet's movements, before trying to push through every thought processing that is screaming at them to DO NOT-
They bite at Grimm's arm. Accidentally, QUITE hard, despite deliberately aiming for as little physical damage as possible. They look like they're about to cry while they're hissing out SEVERAL apologies to him.
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[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
The first Grimmkin is ripped to hell and back. It seems dazed, like it just woke up from a coma. Despite its state it rushes to pull its partner out of Scarletâs grip.
The eyes above the stage soften incrementally and the god succumbs to sympathy as the first kin flees behind the curtain. The peace does not last.
Grimmkin B: [6 damage, 10 accuracy = 6 damage!]
It hasnât the mind left to be cautious as it swings at Scarlet again. Something personal is bleeding through.
[Spotlight quickly summons a fire ball and throws it at Grimmkin B]
[Attack 1d20: 2]
[Accuracy 1d10: 10]
[Spotlight realizes mid throw that it probably wonât do as much damage as theyâd had hope, but it doesnât matter. They just need to either do enough damage so Scarlet and Crimson can take it out or distract it.]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 5)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11 - 5, 6!)
Crimson's main intention was to herd the final Grimmkin away from everyone else - they were acting on self defense. They really did not want further harm.
Their teeth had other plans, as mid-snap they accidentally catch and rip through cloth. They almost immediately let go and apologize for the accidental injury, before going right back to trying to herd to the best of their ability.
Thereâs a better way. You do not have to do this, Grimm thinks.
The Nightmare King does not care. He knows this has been coming. Always another way, when heâs been trying his damndest and never found one.
Grimm knoww this too well. Incubo is sick of Grimmâs faux innocence. Enough lying, enough warring. If he is too cowardly to truly die by his own claw, then he can at least let someone else be his executioner.
This is for the best, She was right about him.
Grimmkin B: [15 attack, 5 accuracy = 10 damage.]
It turns the stuffing leaking out of it into embers that singe Crimson in retaliation.
The Puppet Master: [17 damage, 5 accuracy = 12 damage!]
(91/100)
(1d20 Defensive Dice: 14, 17 - both damage checks passed!)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 4)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 12)
(12-6, 6!)
Crimson skitters back first from the embers, emitting a short baffled laugh of amusement and some form of quick learning - they can do that? Fascinating! - before snapping at the cloth again to try to herd the Grimmkin further to what they assumed to be safety, for them to regroup. Please regroup.
They quickly raise their head at the sound of the claws, and they quickly dart out of the way, sliding back on all four paws.
I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, PLEASE DON'T SWING AT US THREE PLEASE? OR GRIMM? PLEASE?
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
The first Grimmkin is ripped to hell and back. It seems dazed, like it just woke up from a coma. Despite its state it rushes to pull its partner out of Scarletâs grip.
The eyes above the stage soften incrementally and the god succumbs to sympathy as the first kin flees behind the curtain. The peace does not last.
Grimmkin B: [6 damage, 10 accuracy = 6 damage!]
It hasnât the mind left to be cautious as it swings at Scarlet again. Something personal is bleeding through.
[Spotlight quickly summons a fire ball and throws it at Grimmkin B]
[Attack 1d20: 2]
[Accuracy 1d10: 10]
[Spotlight realizes mid throw that it probably wonât do as much damage as theyâd had hope, but it doesnât matter. They just need to either do enough damage so Scarlet and Crimson can take it out or distract it.]
(91/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 5)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 11)
(11 - 5, 6!)
Crimson's main intention was to herd the final Grimmkin away from everyone else - they were acting on self defense. They really did not want further harm.
Their teeth had other plans, as mid-snap they accidentally catch and rip through cloth. They almost immediately let go and apologize for the accidental injury, before going right back to trying to herd to the best of their ability.
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
The first Grimmkin is looking rather torn, leaking stuffing and essence. Its puppeted body shows no signs of exhaustion as it tears itself from Crimsonâs maw and tries to shoot more flames.
[Attack 1/20 Accuracy 9/10
0 damage.]
The fire sputters out.
The second swings its torch at Scarlet.
[Attack 8/20 Accuracy 3/10
1 damage.]
Its ragged body cannot manage to put any force behind the blow.
Unsatisfied, the god backstage slashes at the group with its claws.
[Attack 15/20 Accuracy 8/10
7 damage.]
Grimm succeeds in holding them back. There is a future with everyone in it, he knows there is. The fighting will not bring the desired peace of mind.
(91/100)
(Defensive Dice: 6)
(Accuracy Dice: 1)
(Combat Dice: 10)
(10-9, 1!)
Crimson is WILDLY lucky, sliding across the ground and- almost feels guilty for the failed fireball. They almost click the back of their throat in an effort to help, but they are cut short by the claws appearing out of nowhere for them. Habit takes over, and aside from a scratch on one of their horns, ducking seems to have saved them from the majority. It doesn't feel awesome, having a scratch there, but they'll live. So long as it isn't-
They shake their head and snap teeth again at the first Grimmkin, teeth scoring against cloth but not catching.
Scarlet barely manages to hop backward, their arm getting scratched by the claw. They wince, but her manic grin returns again.
Scarlet: [131/150]
Instead of targeting the first Grimmkin like the others are, she instead lunges at the second Grimmkin, intent on ripping it to shreds with her bare claws. Her hunger grows by the second
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
Seeing its efforts against Spotlight fail it decides to go support its partner in fighting Scarlet.
[Grimmkin B: 73/100]
[Together:
A: 7-3
B: 14-2 = 16 (to both Crimson and Scarlet)!]
One of the pair summons essence pillars while the other sends out a flurry of fireballs.
Grimm can feel his body beginning to numb. Is this really Incuboâs attempt to kill them? Not exactly the sort of final dance heâd expect. There had to be some sort of reason Incubo was holding out on them.
Then, it strikes him: a good performer knows to build up tension within the audience. The Grimmkin are an appetizer; something to get his children angry. Best to leave them wanting for more before the main course.
They want to be down there significantly less after having caught fire directly to the face, only making one indignant fox scream back at the Grimmkin who shot fire at their face, watching their movements carefully.
They want to play like that? Fine. They'll come down.
They teleport- but almost directly on top of the Grimmkin that decided to shoot fire at them, biting at their arm and clinging on for dear life. Through the cloth and teeth, they manage to get words.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FIRE AT MY FACE PLEASE.
Scarlet ends up taking the full brunt of the attacks, sent flying into a wall.
Scarlet: [135/150]
She drags herself upward, a small amount of blood dripping from their forehead. However, instead of growling or screeching, she licks the blood with a manic grin.
"Haha...hahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
She wildly summons fireballs, flinging them at the Grimmkin that shot the pillar of fire.
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 7)
(7-2, 5!)
CURSES! Crimson hisses warily. They're lucky the focus was pulled off of them, but now not only is the entire notion that both kin in danger (and both WILLINGLY), they are no closer to solving either problem. A paw twitches to Grimm's direction, but they immediately hesitate. Not yet.
They still won't leave the ceiling, but they are planning, clicking the back of their throat to prime the next burst of flame as they reposition against the second Grimmkin.
They are forced to fight. They heavily do not want to, but they sure feel like they're forced to regardless. This particular internal voice thrums in their mind constantly as they shoot another fireball at the one focused on Scarlet. They need to get down from the ceiling, but they're trying to wait for an opening.
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[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
Incubo hears the satisfying thump of bodies hitting the floor and smiles to himself. This was an excellent plan, even if he did not account for Crimson sensing the rift.
âEager, are we? Well I am not one to keep an audience waiting. Our coexistence has harmed enough bugs. Consider this a balancing of scales.â Then, like any good performer, he bows. Heâs sure Grimm would too. He should be excited for a dance as high-stakes as this one.
A curtain of darkness covers the realm and then parts to reveal a massive stage. In the shadows behind it lurks the reason for all that stolen essence. The silhouette of a serpentine creature watches from backstage, its eight eyes gleaming like spotlights.
Basked in their glow are two Grimmkin Nightmares, strings gleaming like stars. They look like reanimated corpses, despite being the same sacks as usual.
(100/100)
(1d10 Accuracy Dice: 8)
(1d20 Combat Dice: 6)
(6-2, 4!)
Crimson sees the sudden (and potentially dangerous) situation. Grimm's there, but they're unsure if their own sense of stability will do much - plus, Incubo probably was going to see that as a challenge, and they knew even with possible backup, it'd be possibly the most⌠trickiest fight alive.
Spotlight appears to be at the very least distracted, and there's two (as opposed to Crimson's little group of three). It's a difficult decision.
Grimm can wait, no matter how much it hurts for them to think about it. Their siblings need help.
They angle their snout, seeking out the second one. They don't want to kill. They really don't. But the back of their throat starts clicking, trying to detangle their paws to safely move themselves to get a better angle. They seek that internal flame, and fire it in one singular fireball towards the second Grimmkin.
Whether it was a bait or not is up to Crimson and any following reactions.
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Incubo can smell the fear despite the distance. Honestly, heâs surprised the little group hasnât come running. Making this so much harder
Grimm is squirming uselessly. Surely he doesnât really think Incubo is going to kill him, does he?
He inhales despite not needing to truly breathe, committing the feeling of holding Grimm like this to memory. He feels strong for once after stealing that essence.
This is the last time he ever will
Incubo flips the realm upside down, funneling Grimmâs children toward him.
[Spotlight, immediately upon the realm being flipped, tries to catch themself on the wall with their claw to slow their descent, but their grip slips and they fall onto the slanted ground before sliding down]
There is the loudest, most fox-like alarm scream from Crimson as they quickly scramble to find a clawhold, ANYTHING, ANYTHING, to cling onto, latching practically all of their claws into fabric and almost just as swiftly CLIMBS, barking- or, more accurately, screaming "CLAWS! CLAWS!!" at Scarlet and Spotlight, hoping the message got across as they very frantically look around the area to try to follow any movement, flattening themselves against the- ceiling, now.
CAN YOU PLEASE NOT TRY TO KILL US I LIKE LIVING, THANK YOU.
Mother would have picked a fight on the spot. Crimson is not as brave and/or reckless. Probably both, now that they think about it.
They have to act fast, and they don't know what to act WITH.
Scarlet barely has any time to react, trying and failing to claw at the floor-turned-ceiling before tumbling down alongside Spotlight. However, she breaks into a manic laugh, baring her teeth and claws brandishing her firenail.
"BRING IT ON, NIGHTMARE KING! I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
[As Spotlight gets dragged back to the safe spot, they pause and just stand there. Every part of the is saying to just run after The Nightmare King, but ultimately they know that it may end up causing more issues than it could solve]
[With nothing else to do, they sit down and just stare at their free claw]
They can't tell if it's safe or not. Which is never good. The quiet is starting to get to them, looking back outside.
And then, a flicker of an idea. One that they.. do not know if it will work or not. But it is worth a shot, as they quickly spark a small ember, and then focuses on it. The small flame they summon, in turn, shifts to whatever they have on their mind, something low to the ground that shouldn't be easily traced back to them (though on how certain they are on that instance is⌠low). Something that they could use, hypothetically, to scout the immediate area to see if it was safe.
Once the flame 'scurries' just out of sight, there is a slight problem that Crimson runs into very quickly. They can'tâŚ. actually see through the flame. So, the internal plan diverts from scout to as a makeshift alarm bell for the immediate vicinity.
Stars, they hope it works.
They try to shove down their cannibalistic urges, instead focusing merely on making sure the Nightmare King doesn't come back, or at least making sure it hurts like hell if he does.
You can't ignore it forever, Scarlet. Sooner or later, you will have to face the truth.
Shut up. She's been running away all this time. She can keep running.
Dew wakes to consciousness within a cage on wheels.
He's being dragged by a handful of Legion bugs. They are moving as part of one great caravan. Two heavily armored warriors with hooked polearms flank the cage.
As he stirs, a fluffy head and two red eyes peek down, hanging upside down from above.
"Hello. You're the Green Silence, right? You look less impressive than I expected."
"Ughhhhh..."
Dew is slow to wake up, trying to get a grip on their current reality.
Good, you're awake. I was beginning to think you were dead.
They'd know immediately if he was dead, and they know this. They take a look around the cage. Any idea where they currently are?
A cage.
Yeah no shit, but where are they being taken to?
If I were to take a guess? Probably the Legion's base.
Dew notices the fluffy head and backs away, instinctively reaching for weapons that were not there.
"You're in a cage," the moth points out helpfully.
They drop down, now standing on the outside edge of the cage, hands on the bars. The hands, in fact, are the first thing to draw attention. This moth's hands are made of scorched, black metal. They are sharp - each finger ends in a perfectly pointed talon. There is a heat that emanates from them, too.
The arms follow up to the shoulders, made entirely of this metal. Hollow on the inside, with holes that go through, they would have once been beautiful in their elegant simplicity. Now, they are beautiful in an entirely different way; melted out of shape, they exude strange menace.
The moth's body is covered in fluffy fur, mostly black with patterns of white and red - a thick scruff of bright red fluff surrounds their neck. Their face is a sheer white, aside from ritual scars. They faintly pulse red, and seem to extend across their entire body. Their eyes are vivid crimson, though a glow of golden orange shines from within.
They wear their wings around their body like a cloak, and seem to possess no other equipment or clothing. However, a few feet behind them, two large gauntlets made of the same scorched metal as their arms float. They hang down as if they were idle hands. They look deadly.
"What was your actual name? I've already forgotten. Oh, you asked my name right?"
They smile. Oh, dear, the moth has a mouth with teeth. Their voice is soft, with tones of something distantly hypnotic, but they speak with barely restrained energy.
"I'm Inferno."
[Images below cut! Art of Inferno, and an image of the kind of moth they are :3]
Art by @morphologist, my lovely friend and amazing artist, who you can also find at their toyhouse
Cecropia moth!!! The kind Inferno is meant to be :3
They poke one of their strangely long fingers through the bars of the cage to point at Dew.
"You are coming back with us! To Cinderhold!"
Letting go of the bars, their metal arms hang down. Even just idle like this - perhaps especially like this - they look like weapons.
They tilt their head, studying Dew. The way they look at him... This creature is dangerous. Yet they continue, in a cheerful manner;
"You didn't answer me, and I'm curious. What is your name? I'd like to know."
"Branch! Branch... Hm...."
They lunge at the cage suddenly, grabbing the bars. It shakes. The air heats up. The guards near the cage flinch.
"You hesitated! Tell me your actual name."
They pause. They tap the bars of the cage with their fingers, producing the sound of metal tapping on metal.
"... Well, it is fine if you don't. Everyone knows who you are, anyways. The Green Silence... what did you do, to get that title?"
[Now Playing.]
Grimm finds himself on a floor of fabric. There is a tugging in his soul; something isnât right. A realm usually full of bustling Grimmkin and firelight is empty. Where is Incubo?
He is alone no longer as Spotlight, Crimson, and Scarlet come tumbling in. Grimm cannot bring himself to speak yet.
Most felines land on their paws. Crimson, despite notably not being a cat, was not the exception to this rule, crashing straight to the floor and also screaming in sheer panic. Luckily for them, the notion of landing on all four paws helped with the shock a little bit.
They don't even have time to point at Spotlight in equal confusion before following their line of sight to Grimm.
GRIMM!
They reflexively make a bolt to him in an effort to make sure he's okay, scrambling to actually properly run on TWO paws instead of all four like some kind of creature running up the stairs.
Grimm, you good?! Are you okay?- They quickly shake their head to properly get their thoughts in order. Are you hurt?
Unfortunately, despite becoming more and more feline due to the Curse, Scarlet is not as lucky as Crimson is. In fact, she ends up faceplanting onto the fabric.
"NYAUGH, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Groaning, Scarlet slowly stands up, using her firenail as support. As she glances around, she notices Spotlight and Crimson, as well as...
"...Oh you've GOT to be SHITTING ME."
The one person they wanted to see the least, lying on the floor.
Grimm gently presses on Crimsonâs head like one would to keep a cat away from their food. âI am fine, Crimson. Just a bit startled.â
He heaves a sigh upon hearing Scarletâs reaction, instead turning to Spotlight. âYou are all here. I do not know who or what summoned us butââ
The air he breathes grows heavy for a moment, a shudder wracking him. In a flash, so short he can hardly tell it happens, a smell tinged with essence engulfs him.
The droning whine from Crimson is more felt than heard, but they relent, and back up to let Spotlight have room. Perhaps Spotlight has a better frame of reference?
Not like they had much of a reference regarding the Grimm Troupe. Being raised by wolves does that, unfortunately.
Don't think about that. They look over to Scarlet, trying to gauge off of what they knew and also their sibling's reaction to the surroundings.
An arctic breeze. Thunderstorm rain. Burning forests. A field of dandielions.
All these smells and more filled Scarletâs senses, as well as the overwhelming presence of nightmare essence all around the air. Faintly, Scarlet could sense Spotlightâs dream essence.
Wait. How are they able to smell all of this? How can they even sense essence?
âSomething is not right. We need to keep moving.â
In the distance, a silhouette shoots long, fabric tendrils into the ceiling and flies up like a puppet on a string.
In its wake is something baring the shape of a burlap sack.
[Spotlight notices the figure in the distance and immediately draws their nail. Eyes made of fire appear in all four of Spotlight eye sockets and display a look of fear and determination]
Spotlight's warning gives Crimson enough time to tear their focus off of Scarlet, and onto what they're seeing. They're wary, cloak bristling slightly. Something along the lines of be willing to fight rings out in the back of their head - a secondary warning, built for the worst case.
They couldn't tell if there were any thorns in the area, but they slowly back up. They debate on whether a weapon would be needed or not, then decides against it. They'd probably need it later, and it's too soon to call the dreamnail in play. For now, they slowly back up, keeping themselves as low to the ground as possible, cloak bristling further.
Grimm steps closer and drags the sack over. Itâs a Grimmkin: devoid of essence. The Bad Feeling leads away from it and into the âskyâ like a trail of footprints.
Hunted? What could possibly hunt us here? Thereâs only us, The Grimmkins, and The Nightmare-
[Spotlight freezes immediately upon thinking of The Nightmare King hunting them down. The flames in their eyes go wide in fear as they remember the encounters theyâve had with them]
[Suddenly, the flames show a more determined expression as they ready their nail and conjure another fireball in their free claw. They didnât know for certain why they were here, nor why everyone present is potentially being hunted by The Nightmare King, but what Spotlight did know was that this was a chance to avenge a friend of theirâs: Tracker.]
Crimson sees Spotlight preparing to fight, and has a moment of mental dissonance.
Wha- hey hey hey what- what are you doing. Why are we immediately willing to pick a fight uhm.
They quiet down, really not wanting to get the most bombastic side-eyes from literally everyone.
Can- we talk about this, uhm⌠sir? Bestie, even? Can we talk about this? Can we maybe not have this come to blows? Please?
Despite their wariness, they're still willing to try to at least come to some form of understanding before trying out stabbing.
The insult cuts Grimm deeply, but he has no right to chide Scarlet. The Bad Feeling stirs the air as something serpentine drags its way out of the shadows.
Grimm can hardly smell anything past the smoke as eight red eyes light up the dark. Something weighs at the bottom of his soul before being crushed under bestial hunger.
Incubo remains somewhat shadowed but his presence is made clear. Suddenly everyone is very, very afraid.
Grimm can hardly hear himself shout âRUN!â before heâs sprinting away. The walls tighten, forming a maze. And the Minotaur is right behind the group.
[Spotlightâs scar shines a bright red in Incuboâs presence as they begin to breathe rapidly. The rising fear caused their stance to falter, the grip on their nail to slack. and the flame in their claw to dim as they take a few small steps back]
[However, they didnât run. They still kept their nail drawn and the flame alive, but their stance was still weak. Weak enough for anyone to drag them away]
Crimson almost initially backs up to run, cloak and fur bristling, and then is VERY painfully aware that Spotlight is going to be a potential casualty if they are left behind. They have next to no time to gauge their options, so they quickly latch their paws into their arm, claws digging as they try to get Spotlight to START MOVING.
DID YOU NOT HEAR- RUN!
Their voice is a pained mix of what a leader should sound like and the equivalent of a terrified cat, snapping teeth at Scarlet to ALSO start moving, quickly bolting after Grimm. SURELY he knows a way OUT, right? RIGHT?
The beast looks down at its prey, eyes beaming down. It stretches its malformed maw and attempts to bite Scarlet half-heartedly. But before its teeth can make contact Grimm pulls her away with his wings.
He somehow manages to keep pace with the others despite this little setback.
âI told you to run!â
The beast takes one giant stride for every three steps they take. Theyâre being herded like roaches.
[Spotlight was still being dragged by Crimson. They kept their nail drawn just in case, but now they were more focused on getting the hell out of here]
[At some point, they try to Void Walk so they could run without being dragged, but they couldnât use Void for some reasonâŚ]
Wh-whatâŚ
[They tried again, but nothing happened. So they just decided to continue running without being dragged Crimsonâs paw still latched onto their arm]
Eventually they do let go of Spotlight's arm, mostly to point at Scarlet.
SCARLET I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GODS ARE OUT THERE I- MMMMMMM-
They have to physically avoid shaking her, and the second there's a corner they practically bound right off of it to shave off a few seconds, rolling for a little bit before scrambling back up to keep up. They debated on whether not they could hypothetically deter the current issue with loud noises, they could get the designated fox scream down fairly okay, but they really didn't want to do that overall. In fact, they'd rather watch to try to get a better idea on how to solve this particular issue. Preferably from a distance, but that's beside the point.
Could burrowing be an option? Could they even dig through fabric fast enough to do that, let alone enough to fit everyone? Was it going to hurt Incubo? WHY ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT THAT?
They almost lag behind to test that by focusing a bit more on the fabric underneath them, then decides nope! Not Doing That! and manages to catch up.
Grimm can hardly feel his own limbs as his strings squeeze him tight but do not pull. Is Incubo enjoying this? Incubo seems fixed on hunting down Scarlet first and foremost, but is closer to jogging than sprinting. Grimm is able to make a few sharp leaps and turns and have the beast lost before he can warp the maze.
He ducks behind a fleshy wall, gesturing for the others to stay silent as he places Scarlet down. The beast laps around in search of them. Donât smell like fear. Donât smell like anything, really. Or He will find you. Where did he hear that? He has vague memories of sitting around a lantern with friends but it wasnât you not your face not your friends it never happened
With each thundering step Incubo takes he feels a tugging in his soul. Being bound to the god had its perks in this situation. Once he can no longer sense the beast he relaxes.
And then a dozen velvet tendrils wrap around him, yanking him away. Incubo seems to be in his normal form now. From here the rancid feeling is stronger than ever. He tries to reach out to Incubo, but internal communication is blocked off.
Luckily he has just enough of his wits about him to understand heâs being used as bait of some sort. But whyâŚ?
[Whenever they round the corner, Spotlight places a claw on the wall and begins breathing heavily while trying to figure out why they couldnât use Void. Was it connected to Shadelight? Do they need Shadelight in order to actually use Void??]
[Before they could truly want to figure out if that was the case, they notice Grimm being taken away by Incubo]
Part of them wants to hide. They can feel a portion of them wanting to shrink away, to hide underneath cloak and fur. They fight that want furiously, grabbing onto Spotlight immediately to pull them back into the safety of hidden.
WAIT.
They instead poke their snout out of the hiding spot, sniffing the air warily. They've crouched down enough to be practically on all four of their paws, and it was almost on habit for them on how steady the drop was.
Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I will see first to see if the coast is clear, and if it isn't, you will know.
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Dew wakes to consciousness within a cage on wheels.
He's being dragged by a handful of Legion bugs. They are moving as part of one great caravan. Two heavily armored warriors with hooked polearms flank the cage.
As he stirs, a fluffy head and two red eyes peek down, hanging upside down from above.
"Hello. You're the Green Silence, right? You look less impressive than I expected."
"Ughhhhh..."
Dew is slow to wake up, trying to get a grip on their current reality.
Good, you're awake. I was beginning to think you were dead.
They'd know immediately if he was dead, and they know this. They take a look around the cage. Any idea where they currently are?
A cage.
Yeah no shit, but where are they being taken to?
If I were to take a guess? Probably the Legion's base.
Dew notices the fluffy head and backs away, instinctively reaching for weapons that were not there.
"You're in a cage," the moth points out helpfully.
They drop down, now standing on the outside edge of the cage, hands on the bars. The hands, in fact, are the first thing to draw attention. This moth's hands are made of scorched, black metal. They are sharp - each finger ends in a perfectly pointed talon. There is a heat that emanates from them, too.
The arms follow up to the shoulders, made entirely of this metal. Hollow on the inside, with holes that go through, they would have once been beautiful in their elegant simplicity. Now, they are beautiful in an entirely different way; melted out of shape, they exude strange menace.
The moth's body is covered in fluffy fur, mostly black with patterns of white and red - a thick scruff of bright red fluff surrounds their neck. Their face is a sheer white, aside from ritual scars. They faintly pulse red, and seem to extend across their entire body. Their eyes are vivid crimson, though a glow of golden orange shines from within.
They wear their wings around their body like a cloak, and seem to possess no other equipment or clothing. However, a few feet behind them, two large gauntlets made of the same scorched metal as their arms float. They hang down as if they were idle hands. They look deadly.
"What was your actual name? I've already forgotten. Oh, you asked my name right?"
They smile. Oh, dear, the moth has a mouth with teeth. Their voice is soft, with tones of something distantly hypnotic, but they speak with barely restrained energy.
"I'm Inferno."
[Images below cut! Art of Inferno, and an image of the kind of moth they are :3]
Art by @morphologist, my lovely friend and amazing artist, who you can also find at their toyhouse
Cecropia moth!!! The kind Inferno is meant to be :3
They poke one of their strangely long fingers through the bars of the cage to point at Dew.
"You are coming back with us! To Cinderhold!"
Letting go of the bars, their metal arms hang down. Even just idle like this - perhaps especially like this - they look like weapons.
They tilt their head, studying Dew. The way they look at him... This creature is dangerous. Yet they continue, in a cheerful manner;
"You didn't answer me, and I'm curious. What is your name? I'd like to know."
Dew wakes to consciousness within a cage on wheels.
He's being dragged by a handful of Legion bugs. They are moving as part of one great caravan. Two heavily armored warriors with hooked polearms flank the cage.
As he stirs, a fluffy head and two red eyes peek down, hanging upside down from above.
"Hello. You're the Green Silence, right? You look less impressive than I expected."
"Ughhhhh..."
Dew is slow to wake up, trying to get a grip on their current reality.
Good, you're awake. I was beginning to think you were dead.
They'd know immediately if he was dead, and they know this. They take a look around the cage. Any idea where they currently are?
A cage.
Yeah no shit, but where are they being taken to?
If I were to take a guess? Probably the Legion's base.
Dew notices the fluffy head and backs away, instinctively reaching for weapons that were not there.
"You're in a cage," the moth points out helpfully.
They drop down, now standing on the outside edge of the cage, hands on the bars. The hands, in fact, are the first thing to draw attention. This moth's hands are made of scorched, black metal. They are sharp - each finger ends in a perfectly pointed talon. There is a heat that emanates from them, too.
The arms follow up to the shoulders, made entirely of this metal. Hollow on the inside, with holes that go through, they would have once been beautiful in their elegant simplicity. Now, they are beautiful in an entirely different way; melted out of shape, they exude strange menace.
The moth's body is covered in fluffy fur, mostly black with patterns of white and red - a thick scruff of bright red fluff surrounds their neck. Their face is a sheer white, aside from ritual scars. They faintly pulse red, and seem to extend across their entire body. Their eyes are vivid crimson, though a glow of golden orange shines from within.
They wear their wings around their body like a cloak, and seem to possess no other equipment or clothing. However, a few feet behind them, two large gauntlets made of the same scorched metal as their arms float. They hang down as if they were idle hands. They look deadly.
"What was your actual name? I've already forgotten. Oh, you asked my name right?"
They smile. Oh, dear, the moth has a mouth with teeth. Their voice is soft, with tones of something distantly hypnotic, but they speak with barely restrained energy.
"I'm Inferno."
[Images below cut! Art of Inferno, and an image of the kind of moth they are :3]
Art by @morphologist, my lovely friend and amazing artist, who you can also find at their toyhouse
Cecropia moth!!! The kind Inferno is meant to be :3
