A Tale of the Grimm Troupe

Wandering & Discovery

     Grimm had already ordered some of the Grimmkin to begin collecting the fire of other areas...the City of Tears, Greenpath, Crystal Peak, the King's Pass, the Resting Grounds and even Kingdom's edge.  Masters and Novices alike joining in their own part of the dance but only the Novices answering to the cries of the Grimmchild...they weren't even sure if the vessel had explored the majority of Hallownest.  However, the vessel had scars and scrapes along its shell and cloak from the battles against the husks down in the ruins but some looked too precise to be made by common husks.    

     Aspen wondered if it was Hornet who had created those marks, much as she had cracked his mask during their first meeting.  There was very little fighting against the troupe but she was adamant about defending the kingdom from people like the troupe.  Aspen's thoughts were soon drowned at by the sound of rain as he entered the City.  The eternal rain had always made him feel more at ease, something calming about the eternal pattering of rain on the roofs of the tall, gothic buildings.  

     "Ah, another explorer!?" Aspen quickly went into a ready stance, ready to burn the speaker to cinders, but was surprised to see the bug who had spoken.  He was lounging on a bench next to a window overlooking the city, his long nail at his hip and a strange helmet on his head.  Four marks adorned it as he looked at Aspen over his shoulder, marks that were all too familiar to Aspen.  "Sorry if I startled you, my friend.  I did not mean to."

     "It's fine," Aspen assured, relaxing.  "You look...familiar...as does your helmet."  The bug shrugged and returned his view back out to the rain over the city.

     "Perhaps we met outside of this kingdom," he postured.  "I don't remember being here before but something makes me think I have...perhaps I'm simply getting too old."  He laughed lightly which caused Aspen to smile.  "I've been sat here for a while now, wanting to go down into the city but something has been keeping me at bay...but I'm not sure what it is...."

     "The ruins of this kingdom are dangerous," Aspen countered.  "While I'm assured you are skilled with that nail, even the most skilled can be beaten."  The bug nodded in appreciation of Aspen's compliment and warning.

     "My name is Quirrel," he finally said.  Aspen's memory of this bug now flared to life.  A fellow student under Monomon, vanished shortly after Aspen himself did but for reasons unknown...and the mask of Monomon was gone with him.  "Well...no point in sitting up here and waiting for the world to move for me...."  

     "Agreed," Aspen answered, watching Quirrel stand and stretch.  "And my name is Aspen...magician of the Grimm Troupe."  Quirrel offered a hand and a friendly smile which Aspen returned  quickly.

     "Well met," he said.  "I hope that our paths will cross again...."  With that he left the room, leaving Aspen to his thoughts.

      "Perhaps it would be best if not," Aspen muttered.  He would have continued talking but the sound of music followed by the image of red dreamcatchers took his attention.  The vessel must be near by...and they must have found the Novice sent to the City of Tears.  Aspen began to move up towards the sound of the music but heard something else.  Mumbling...insane ramblings of immortality and the use of soul to attain it but alluring.  

     Aspen took his detour, traveling through the scarlet fire to find a corpse sitting in a room, rain soaking into the floor...and the shells of thousands of bugs in the room.  Aspen looked in horror at the shells stretching into the distance of the surrounding room  wondering where the voices came from until he noticed the larger shell beside him.  The mutterings were coming from the giant husk of a figure Aspen wasn't sure if he recognized or not.  He never journeyed much into the capitol, he wasn't even sure where he even was because there was little reason for him to have come here.  Aspen wondered if he should head back to the tent before the effect ended before something happened.

     The image of a spirit in the shape of the larger husk appeared above the husk, looking both extremely confused and enraged at the same time.  

     "Who are you?" it demanded.  Aspen looked deep into the apparition, trying to find something and finding nothing but an excess swirl of Soul.  It was more like an endless vortex that only wanted more and was still hungry for whatever Soul it could get.

     "What happened to you?" Aspen countered.  "The Soul in your body...it's...what in the name of the Wyrm happened to you?"  The spirit looked at him with continued disdain as Aspen looked around the room at the shells...remembering one of the original ideas to stop the Infection...through the concentration of Soul.  "What...did you...do?"

     "What the Pale King asked of me," the spirit spat.  "He ordered me to do research into the effects of Soul and then shut down a personal project of mine...the fool.  To believe that the Soul Master could not find a way to find immortality through the power of Soul...."  Aspen was struck dumb, unable to fathom what he had just heard.  The justification of killing hundreds...maybe more, all in the selfish pursuit of immortality.  "You think me a madman, Grimmkin?"

     "We might do terrible things," Aspen shot back, readying his hands, "but at least we can admit that to ourselves.  You've probably killed at least as many people as the Heart as enslaved...."  Aspen knew he wasn't right about that, but he also knew what they were doing...but didn't...care.  The spirit smiled as a look of understanding dawned on Aspen's face.

     "We are not so different, the Grimm Troupe and I," Soul Master chortled.  "The only difference is that you believe what we are doing is wrong...power is there to be taken by those who seek it...just have to take it...."  Scarlet fire appeared around the husk, Aspen intending to burn the spirit away but it had already faded...and the music and dreamcatchers were gone.  Some weird effect by the Grimmkin showing themselves to the vessel nearby had broken the barrier between this world and the realm of dream....

     'Return to greet the vessel,' Grimm's voice echoed in Aspen's head.  'He has completed the first part of the Ritual.  The Masters will be sent out once you arrive to the entrance to the kingdom, the burial grounds and to the edge of the world.'  Aspen vanished in a cloud of red fire, appearing next to his master who looked at him.

     "Welcome back, Aspen," Grimm greeted.  "You look troubled...as if you'd seen a ghost...."

     "The Novice in the City of Tears broke the barrier between the waking world and the dream world," Aspen explained.  "A spirit spoke to me...a horrible person in life slain by the vessel, ironically, in the pursuit of immortality...he said a few things about the Troupe and the Heart but my allegiance could not be swayed...."

     "It is good to know such loyalty comes from the members of this troupe," Grimm complimented Aspen.  Something about the way he said that made Aspen think that the Heart had told him the same thing it had told him.  "We will discuss that another time, magician.  For now...the vessel is on it's way...."