Hollow Knight Oneshots (Requests open)

Female Grimm x Male!Reader Pt. 2

Second part requested by TheRealPapaScorch.

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Your PoV:

Instead of engaging in battle right away, you decided to rest at Dirtmouth for a bit. Sitting on the Bench with Grimmchild nuzzling you nonstop was one of the best breaks a bug could want. Feeling the soothing breeze against your shell, you thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to sleep. 

Sometime soon you woke up to the sound of soft humming. You looking around to find the source. Grimm was leaning against the side of her tent, humming a vaguely familiar tune. She stopped when she saw you staring.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked. 

"It's all right," you said with a yawn. You stood up. Grimmchild gave an alarmed squeak and toppled out of your lap and onto the ground. "I'm sorry," you whispered, picking up the bat-like creature. It gave you what it thought was a distrustful look, but you mostly thought it looked cute. 

"I should head off for the next two flames," you told Grimm. She nodded and headed back inside. 

"Safe journey," she called from inside. 

****

Timeskip

At last, you had three flames. You spent your time carefully, making sure to rest before fighting again. Now you only had to return to Dirtmouth. Feeling rather lazy, you rode the Stag there. This time, the lift seemed slower than usual. Maybe it needed to be oiled.

Once inside Grimm's tent, you looked around. There was a slight air of impatience hanging in the air. As you neared the main room, Grimm appeared in a flash of scarlet smoke. 

"Ah, there you are, Y/N. I hope everything's well?" She didn't wait for an answer, before her voice spiked dramatically lower and she continued, "I can feel it. The warmth of the flame you've gathered together. A masterful opening act. The air hums with excitement. Dear child, you've done so well. Let your fire burn even brighter!" You looked at her, waiting for more information. 

Grimm snapped and the Grimmchild suddenly became larger. The back of its head split into two black horns. It squeaked.

"Beautiful, yes. The child has grown, from idle youth to deadly companion. About these dangerous lands, its aid will no doubt be welcome. Just don't neglect our dance, for it too continues! Keep hunting that scattered, scarlet essence. When the child is filled with flame once more, return to the stage and the performance will begin." Your mind went in circles. You didn't process any of it except the last bit. 

Grimm looked at you. "Another three flames to gather. Take your time," she said, then vanished. With a sigh, you walked out of the tent.

"You seem tired," Elderbug commented. "Care to rest again?" He nodded at the Bench. 

"No, thanks," you said. Elderbug studied you for a moment.

"Well, if you ever feel stressed or anything, you can always talk to me. I may not understand, but I can try to help," said Elderbug. 

"Thanks for the offer, but really, I'm fine," you assured him. Elderbug sighed.

"If you say so."

****

This time, as you approached the torch, it turned into a being different from a Novice. This one had horns, was larger, and had a deeper laugh. What was wrong with these things, you wondered as it giggled madly before swooping at you. You jumped and swung down, but it missed. 

Fuck them. 

Then the Grimmkin shot several fireballs at you, which you wove between and stabbed it as hard as you could, dealing more damage than usual. However, while a Novice would have died, this one hissed in fury and charged even faster. Grimmchild didn't help much, save for the occasional fireball. How much health these Grimmkin have, you did not know. 

Luckily, the fight didn't last much longer. The creature gave a shriek and burst into flames and the Grimmchild consumed it eagerly. Greedy little thing. It seemed to you that every time you had to collect three more flames, the Grimmkin got stronger and faster. 

The next Grimmkin was the same as the previous, although perhaps slightly insane, as it swooped every which way, practically screaming with laughter. You killed that one with a similar process.

As you wandered listlessly around looking for a Bench, it was becoming harder and harder to move one leg in front of the other. Finally you had to sit down, unable to move an inch due to exhaustion. Grimmchild flew in circles around your head, spitting fire at any creature that came too close, sending it scurrying off in the opposite direction, if not enough to kill it. After you had decided you rested enough, you stood up and pulled out your map, scanning it for the location of the final Grimmkin. Indeed, there was a final flame symbol on the map of the Resting Grounds.

"How disrespectful, placing one of those maniacs in a cemetery," you murmured. You folded the map and tucked it into your pocket and stood up. "Come on, Grimmchild."

****

How you longed to hear the accordion in Grimm's tent again! Due to a lack of rest, you were almost incapable of fighting the final Grimmkin Master, like it was called in the Journal the Hunter gave you. You got hit by yet another stupid fireball, got ran over by the overexcited, wretched creature, and finally decided you had enough. 

Using the last amount of strength you had, you swung your nail viciously. It collided with the Master just as it let out another spiral of fireballs from its body. You wove between them and struck the Grimmkin several times, as it remained stationary. Finally, it screeched and the Grimmchild consumed the final flame.

****

The moment you reached Dirtmouth, you collapsed right onto the Bench. But no matter how tired you were, you just couldn't sleep. Why? You didn't know. Deciding that you had better finish this Ritual, as Grimm had told you before you left for the second flame, you went into Grimm's tent as fast as your exhausted legs could carry you. 

The air was filled with the scent. You pulled out a piece of cloth and held it to your mouth, looking around with stinging eyes for the source. Just then, Grimm appeared, looking disgruntled.

"Oh! I didn't know you were here," she said when she saw you. "I do apologize for the smell. A Grimmkin set a curtain on fire, and you know the smell isn't pleasant..." Grimm gave an annoyed sigh. Sure enough, one of the curtains were singed and hanging lopsidedly. There was distant laughter in the background.

You didn't know what to say. "Well, I assume the child's brimming with flame?" Grimm questioned after a while.

"Yeah," you said, coughing slightly at the end. Instantly, Grimm seemed massively cheered up by this piece of news.

"Well, this is a delight!" she exclaimed. "Now our performance shall be delayed no longer and the Ritual sees a distant end." You wanted to ask her what performance she was talking about, but didn't get a chance. 

She opened her cloak and somehow seemed to absorb the Grimmchild. Grimm turned away from you, the ends of her cloak twisting and moving as though being blown in an invisible wind. "Ah, this searing fire, it carries well the Ritual's promise." Turning back to you, she spread her arms wide in a dramatic gesture. 

"Dance with me, my friend. Show them you are worthy of a starring role!"

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Hi, I will definitely be writing a part 3 to this, hopefully coming in the next week. Also, thank you to everyone who commented, voted or requested, it means a lot to me. See you soon!