Chapter 8: Silence of The Boarbatusk
In that replica of Forever Fall the sun began to rise on a new day, the lack of sound, and the light breeze fit beautifully with the sight of those crimson leaves. It would have been perfect, if it weren't for the gruesome sight on the ground below those leaves.
Multiple trees were either uprooted or knocked down onto the ground. The previously red grass on the ground below had been painted black by a strange fluid that gave off an odor of death and destruction. It was on that painted grass that there laid a small mountain of skeletons, each one belonged to strange looking animals, and they were all perfectly picked clean of any and all meat.
Next to that mountain there was a single skeleton that was more than ten times bigger than the others, and right in front of it was where I had slept.
To be more precise, I was cuddling up to the skull of that creature, and holding one of its broken tusk in my arms. My body was covered in that same strange fluid, and my clothes were torn to shreds, though, I surprisingly looked like I was having the best sleep of my life.
[NOTICE: It is time for the Host to wake up, as the sun has already risen]
"Mmm... No~... Let me sleep..." I subconsciously responded as I tightened my grip on the tusk, a crunching sound coming from it as I did this.
[NOTICE: Negative. The Host must awaken as they require new clothing and a bath]
"Wah?..." One of my eyes slowly opened as the sun's rays hit my face, only for the broken tusk to finally snap in half and fall on my stomach. "Agh fuck!!"
After a couple minutes of me clawing my way out from under that tusk, I finally noticed that I was practically naked and smelled of death. Which did make me gag and quickly head back to my 'house' to wash off all the black liquid that I was covered in.
"What the fuck happened to me!? Why am I covered in black, whatever the hell this is?!" I yelled out from the shower, as soon as I turned on the hot water and began to scrub the shit out of my skin.
[Answer: The Host slaughtered and devoured a group of Boarbatusk, followed by an Elder Boarbatusk, which is what caused the Host to be covered in Grimm Blood]
"Excuse the fuck out of me!?" I yelled even louder before scrubbing my skin harder, completely ignoring the first part of what the system told me. Because I didn't know what Grimm Blood was, but if it was anything like Grimm Liquid, I needed to get it off of me as fast as possible.
After, what must have been a whole hour of me scrubbing every part of my body like my life depended on it, and after washing my hair, I finally turned off the water and went to grab a towel to dry off. Since I ran to the shower before anything else, I didn't really get a towel beforehand, but because no one else was here, I didn't have to worry about someone seeing me naked.
It wasn't until after I finished drying my hair off, got out another set of clothes and underwear from my inventory, and sat on the couch, that I finally realized what else the system told me.
"Wait... did you say I killed and ate a bunch of Boarbatusk?... How the fuck?..." From my knowledge the Grimm should turn into a bunch of black gas and fade away after they're killed. So how could someone eat one?
[Answer: Affirmative. The Host finished the First Stage of their quest]
"...System, if you can... can you show me what happened after I blacked out?" I have no clue what the hell was happening at all, and desperately needed more information.
Because apparently I killed and ate a bunch of Grimm (something that should be impossible), and finished the first part of my quest, all while blacked out. At this point, without any knowledge of what really happened, for all I know I could've gone to Remnant for a bit and bitch slapped Salem!
[Answer: Understood, Host, the System will bring up the recording of the battle]
'Huh? Since when could the system do this?' I thought as it brought up a giant screen panel, which showed me a bit after I woke up and when I started feeling that unnatural hunger.
Though, any question I had about what else the system could do were completely forgotten when I saw, what looked like, black fire cover the entire room with me in the center. I guess it was my own aura that covered my vision, weird, didn't know it could do that.
I watched as the me on the screen slowly made her way to the kitchen, and when she did, I saw as she literally tore the fridge door off like it was nothing, and then throw it to the other side of the kitchen. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.
"The fuck!" I exclaimed as I looked towards the kitchen, only to see that the fridge was fully intact.
"Did the system fix that-? Wait, no! How did I even do that?!" Looking down at my small hands I couldn't possibly believe that this small body was capable of such a thing. Especially since I haven't even begun to train it, and I don't have a quirk or power that should increase my strength.
Looking back up at the screen I saw how I had ravenously devoured everything I could get my hands on that could be considered edible. It was odd how I didn't feel sick after eating raw ingredients like eggs and meat, or after chugging bottles of various sauces. But, I found it even more odd how I easily bit into frozen meats and other things, without my teeth shattering into pieces. It's like my mouth and stomach were turned into one big garbage disposal.
As the me on the screen finished eating everything in the fridge I saw as she desperately searched for more food, before heading out the door after finding nothing. It was then that I saw a system notification pop up on the screen, which I didn't know was there at the time.
[NOTICE: Due to the Host requiring more sustenance, the System will modify the Grimm to appease the hunger of the Host]
"Modify Grimm? System, what did you do to them?" Is that why I was able to apparently eat them? Did the system keep them from turning into black fog?
[Answer: The System focused over ten years worth of Boarbatusk into the ones the Host fought, making even their corpses too dense to simply disappear. Perfect for consumption, especially after the modification had the side-effect of giving the Grimm organs, which provided more for the Host to consume]
"Ten years worth?..." Did I kill and eat over ten years worth of Boarbatusk in a single day? How is that even possible? How would this effect Remnant, if it will affect it at all?
[Answer: Yes, over ten years worth. Thus making the Grimm over ten times stronger, faster, smarter, and overall dangerous. Which also resulted in an Elder Boarbatusk being born of the batch the Host fought]
'How am I even still alive!?' I questioned as I watched Boarbatusk suddenly appear in front of my on-screen self, before it charged at her.
"Meat?..." She said as she sniffed the air, the dazed look in her eyes making it look like she was on the verge of passing out.
"Move bitch!" I screamed as I saw the Boarbatusk close in on her, forgetting that I was essentially watching myself. But, I froze when I saw the slightest sign of smirk on her face.
"Meat..." It was then that it seemed like a switch was suddenly flipped, and the me on the screen felt more like a monster, rather than a person.
I watched as she rolled out of the way of that Boarbatusk like it was nothing. Before grabbing its tail as it ran passed her, and swung it over her shoulder in one swift motion, causing the Grimm to be lifted into the air and thrown onto the ground that it previously ran on.
It didn't even get the chance to realize what had happened before her aura seemed to glow a faint red, and she plunged her hands deep into the belly of the creature. There was no resistance from the skin or muscle at all, it was almost like she were just putting her hands into a pool of water.
The Grimm wailed as she started to pull out its intestines and devour them right before its eyes. It sickened me how she- how I, tore into its flesh and insides with a smile that showed pure bliss, as if I were eating the most delicious pork roast. This creature was supposed to be a major threat to Human and Faunus alike, and yet, it was being treated like it was just a meal for a much more dangerous beast.
It tried with everything it had to get her off of it, to try and survive for just a moment more, but she didn't even give it the chance to let it live another second. Because as soon as she felt the slightest amount of resistance, she plunged her right hand deeper into the Grimm and took hold of its heart, before tearing it out with zero hesitation.
While the light in the Boarbatusk's four eyes faded, she gladly crushed the heart over her face and let its black blood trickle down into her mouth. It was only then, when the final breath of the Grimm left its body, that I even noticed that there was now something on her arms (other than all that black blood).
On both of her hands there seemed to be blood-red gauntlets that looked sharper than SmallMight's jawline. The bits of armor on the arms looked liked they could be used to stab someone by brushing up against a person's side, the ends of it that reached the upper arms looked more like they would stab the person wearing them, yet didn't, somehow. And the hands. Oh those fucking hands! They looked like they would be more natural on a demon's skeleton rather than a person, because of the clawed fingertips, and the sharp spikes that came out from where the knuckles were.
"What the fuck?..." I watched her use the claws to easily tear apart the Boarbatusk and devour every last bit of it, until nothing but bones were left.
[NOTICE: That is the Semblance of the Host. It currently has no name. Would the Host like to learn its effects?]
"Yeah... I'd like that..." I said this while not looking away from the screen, as that me started to lick the bones clean of the blood on them. It was like a car crash, because I just couldn't look away from it.
_________
[Semblance:
Name - N/A
Description - The user can create red gauntlets and combat boots to use as weapons. While wearing them the user will not feel pain, their stamina recovery will increase dramatically, and they will naturally heal faster.
Drawbacks - The user will become extremely susceptible to anger, which could cause them to not be able to differentiate between friend or foe]
__________
"I... Holy fucking shit..." I leaned back into the couch and ran my fingers through my hair as I read what my semblance is.
"I don't know if I got lucky, or if I'm fucked..." This is basically like the terms, 'Too angry to die' and 'Fuck around and find out', got wrapped up in a tiny blonde package! Which, yeah, can be damn good in a fight to the death, but that also means I might treat any fight like its to the death if I get angry enough.
While I questioned how much I would need to train my semblance, until it doesn't make me a walking death threat to everyone I meet. I saw how more Boarbatusks seemed to spawn near my on-screen self just as she finished licking the black blood off the Grimm skeleton.
"More... I need... MORE!!" She yelled before charging at the fifteen Grimm that just noticed her.
As she ran towards them I watched as she spawned, what I could only assume where the combat boots the system told me about, on her feet. The boots had a similar look to the gauntlets, meaning they were sharp as hell and had claws at the end of them. Why does my semblance have to look like it would fit better as armor for a god of death?
The first Grimm in front of her, which was the unluckiest of them, was also the first one to find out just how sharp those claws on the boots where. Because, as soon as she was close enough to it she jumped up into the air and kicked it right in its snout, plunging those claws so far up there that it definetly hit the brain.
A split second later, that same Grimm was launched over the rest of them and slammed into a random tree. Judging by the sound of bones breaking, the fact that the tree it slammed against split in two, and the fact that it wasn't moving anymore, that thing was dead already.
This sight seemed to put the rest of the Grimm on high alert. Two groups of three split off started to go between the trees on both sides of her, while the other eight of them rolled up into balls and spun straight towards her. Looks like they're going for a version of a pincer maneuver.
"How in the world am I even doing this shit? Because if they're as dense as you say, I should not be able to just toss one onto the ground, or kick one that far." Logically speaking I shouldn't have been able to tear of that fridge door like it was nothing either.
[Answer: The strength of the Host was increased greatly due to a combination of the Curse of Gluttony going into 'Frenzy Mode', and the aura of the Host being active]
"Huh? Isn't that the thing that you told me about before? What is this curse, and what's this Frenzy Mode about?" Although I did know that aura should be able to give a bit of a strength boost, it shouldn't be capable of this. So, the most logical solution was that whatever this stuff is, should be what is allowing me to do this stuff.
[Answer: The Curse of Gluttony is one of the many punishments for breaking a Divine Law of Reality, laws that no mortal should be able to break without outside help. These punishments are given by the Old One's, creatures that have existed before existence itself. However, among these punishments, the most useful and painful ones are called The Sins of Creation, one of which is the Curse of Gluttony]
The system started as I watched my on-screen self jumped onto a nearby tree and climbed up it quickly, using the claws on her hands and feet to make it easier. After all, if she can't go left, right, or forward without getting ganged up on, the best solution is to go up and take control of the situation.
[The Curse of Gluttony was given to the Host after the tempering of their soul. The process of tempering ones soul is meant to eliminate the possibility of others manipulating the persons soul by any means. That process is something no mortal should be able to do by any normal means]
"The fuck?.... Why was that shit listed as just an option to unlock aura?!...." I was greatly confused by this information, and it made me more curious as to who the hell that Seria person that wrote that book.
The group of Grimm that were spinning towards her all slammed against the tree she climbed, in an attempt to break it and bring her back down to the ground. But she just got onto one of the branches and used that to jump to the next tree. She did this over and over, jumping from one tree to the next, until she got close to one of the smaller groups of Grimm that were trying to flank her.
[The Curse of Gluttony keeps its user from being able to grow physically stronger unless they devour excessive amounts of edible matter. If nothing nearby can be consumed as soon as the curse takes effect, the curse would make the user devour their own body. But, since the Host did have food nearby, this caused the curse to shift into Frenzy Mode to hunt the rest of the needed matter. Frenzy Mode greatly increases the strength, speed, and desire to feed in the user, all to aid in the hunting process]
As soon as she got to a branch above that group of Grimm she jumped down and stomped on its back with all her might. The spine of the creature immediately made a sickening crack, and that was the signal for her to slaughter them.
She jumped towards the next one and clawed at its face, braking the skull like armor of the Grimm, and making it scream in pain. After that she shoved her clawed fingers through its open wound, stabbing at its brain, killing it instantly. The final one shook in fear as she lunged at it and began to tear into its flesh like an animal.
[Though the Curse of Gluttony could cause the Host to die of hunger, or kill every living thing near them to get enough nutrients. This curse does give certain benefits, the first is Frenzy Mode, if trained and properly controlled the Host could willingly use it without fear of eating others. The second is that, no matter if it is rancid, raw, frozen, or cursed, as long as it can be eaten by some creature in the multiverse, the Host will be able to easily consume and digest it. The final benefit is that if the Host eats more than needed, the curse will increase the overall strength of the Host]
"This seems like its more cons than pros..." I said while my on-screen self climbed back up the tree she jumped off of, and went to do the same thing to the other group of Grimm. I let out a sigh while the me on the screen started to laugh like a phsychopath while she continued to slaughter the Grimm.
"I am so fucked with this curse... but at least black out rage drunk me seems to be having fun." I said while watching her finish the last of the flank squad of Grimm, before heading to main group, which had been trying and failing to run her down because she kept acting like a damn monkey on those trees.
As soon as she got over that group she jumped into the middle of them, this time doing something different than she did with the others. Which shocked me to my very core.
She fucking focused her aura on her feet, and created a shockwave, which broke the ground beneath and sent all those Grimm into the air! The bitch then proceeded to use the claws on her gauntlets to slice apart each of them as they fell to the ground!
What the fuck!? How can she do that?! How is this blacked out cunt using her aura as if she had it for fucking years! I can take her having absurd strength and physical capabilities because that shit can be explained by the curse and my damn semblance! But this is just bullshit, because I don't even know how to willingly activate my aura yet! This mother fucker has to be cheating!
While I was still at awe at the level of bullshit that I was seeing, after the me on the screen finished killing those Grimm, another notification came from the system in it.
[NOTICE: All Grimm on the field have been defeated. The Boss battle will now begin]
As soon as it said that, she seemed to get pretty angry as she was just about to devour one of the recently killed Grimm. Though that anger was quickly forgotten as a giant Boarbatusk spawned a few meters away from her. Now, it was replaced by a drooling look of hunger on her face that made it look like she was just placed in front of a feast.
Looks like it was time to see how the hell I beat this Elder Boarbatusk. I know it's me on the screen, and it's dumb to hope she gets hurt since, once again, it's me, but I hope this blacked out cheating bitch at least breaks an arm.