(A/N Hi! First off thanks for reading the first chapter and making it here. I have a few things I need to tell you, the reader. One, this is my first fanfic and as such it might have some weird pacing. Two, I don't plan on becoming OP at least not yet. I already have a few things prepared, okay, a lot of things prepared. Three, I have made some changes to canon RWBY, mostly because its kinda stupid to have such glaring weaknesses that are just overlooked like the CCTS. Four, this is my perspective of a roleplay campaign I'm running, I won't be running into the party anytime soon but I do plan on being a rival to them using an alter ego I come up with in this chapter. Five, I will be giving kinda large blocks of lore whenever applicable or just when I'm doing research. I have 9 pages on JUST LORE FOR FUCKS SAKE. But I digress. Six, For those of you wondering what system I'm using for the campaign, I'm using the RWBY Unofficial Tabletop RPG created by Andrew Diederich. Go check it out! He has a reddit page for it that you can find if you just google RWBY roleplay system, its the reddit page. Seven, I am borrowing a lot of world building from other fanfics, the biggest contributors are The Name of the Game, and Remnants of Another World. Check them out! Eight, I'm going to be trying for weekly updates, but if all else fails, I will be uploading at minimum every two weeks. That should be everything… So without further ado, enjoy the chapter!)
It's been about a week since getting literally dropped into Remnant, since then I've been getting more acquainted with some of the nuances of Remnant compared to Earth. Aura and Dust being the biggest differences. And Grimm, but I shouldn't have to deal with any yet. Regardless, Romans training is hard. The only thing I have that can even compare would be JROTC back in my freshman year of High School. He hasn't taught me any combat yet, just how to steal, Roman style.
There are a few things Rooster Teeth doctored with the release version of RWBY or just never mentioned. Like, take Aura for example. Aura is commonly used by Huntsmen and Aura Healers. Aura is used mostly to protect the user and heal any minor to medium injuries although a strong enough Aura can regrow lost limbs. Aura has many ways to be boosted but the most common is using your Aura to heal someone else. This is known as an Aura Transfusion. Aura Transfusions are admittedly rare as its used as a last ditch effort to save someone. The transfusion always results in completely random side effects for both donor and recipient. Another common use of Aura is to boost ones physical capabilities by channeling Aura to the part of the body that needs boosting. For example, channeling Aura to the legs to jump higher. Aura is also used to unlock the power within Dust. Aura has one last common use. That being Semblances. Semblances are, to put it bluntly, superpowers based off of the users personality. All of these upsides must have a few downsides. Those being Aura eats calories like there is no tomorrow and makes the user a beacon to any Grimm. Studies have shown that simply awakening your Aura will increase your daily calorie intake by 1000 calories. That's your BMR. As most people who use Aura are Huntsmen, they tend to eat roughly 4000 - 5000 calories a day. Aura does have a "hibernation mode" as Huntsmen like to call it. It is basically relocking your Aura for a set amount of time. There are a few ways to unlock ones Aura, intense training, a life threatening situation, or someone else unlocking it for you.
That felt weird. Huh, now I know how Neo felt earlier this week. Anyway, today's a special day as my weapon is arriving. Hopefully. Any minute now.
The doorbell goes off in Neo's apartment. Getting up and walking over to the door, I take a quick peek through the doorscope (A/N yes, I had to google that) to see… nothing. Well, nothing of interest at any rate. I undo the lock and open the door to greet the package waiting for me. And there's no package.
"Neo? That you?" I ask while turning back towards the couch to see Neo ripping open a box. Wait, thats my Box!
"Neo~, give me my box, babe~." Neo obliges me by throwing the box, now empty, at me.
'What I do for love…' I sigh as I make my way to the couch with Neo. She's holding a black katana/revolver hybrid. The katana has a dragon motif along the blade. What? I thought it looked cool. And I'm not purposely ripping off Genji. Neo also puts it through its transformation, which is the blade simply shifting out of the way for the barrel of the revolver, before putting it back to sword mode.
Taking the katana to hold it for myself, I take a few practice swings before tossing the box into the air and cutting it in half.
"Not bad, I could get used to this." I idly wonder how much this costed as my gaze shifts to the sheath. The sheath actually reminds me of Adam's in a vague tangential sort of way. That might have something to do with the fact Adam's weapon is a katana. But my attention again shifts to another box, one I hadn't seen earlier. Neo is prying this box open as well. This is starting to get old, and when the non-descript winter holiday rolls around I'm beginning to suspect Roman has to hide her presents in order to keep her from spoiling the surprise.
While that thought runs its course in my mind, Neo pulls out what's within the box. It's a black, no wait, deep blue suit with what looks to be harnesses on the chest.
Neo holds the suit up to herself and asks, "Babe, what do you think?"
"I don't think it would fit you… It looks too long for your tiny legs." I tease.
"Hey!" Neo lets out a huff.
"Don't get mad at me for telling the truth." I state defensively.
"I know, I know…" Neo states dejectedly.
I take the suit from Neo's hands and put it up against myself.
"It looks like it'll fit me, you reckon Roman got it alongside the katana?" I ask.
"Probably, Roman was always the one to think ahead." Neo… actually being serious? I never thought I would see the day.
"Is there anything else inside the box?" I question.
Instead of answering, Neo just reaches in and pulls out a helmet. The helmet in question is a full head covering helmet, in the same color scheme as the suit. There are a number of visible features on the helmet itself, like a built in flashlight. But putting on the helmet reveals a whole suite of other features, like a HUD, an Aura meter that looks really reminiscent to the shields from Halo, an active radar system, a basic electronic warfare suite, and…
"Hello!"
"AHHH, WHAT THE FUCK?!" I throw the helmet is surprise.
"Babe, you good? What happened?" Neo asks worriedly.
"Umm, did the helmet just talk to me?" I mumble mostly to myself. Hey, my voice likes to carry even when I mumble.
Going over to where I threw the hemet, I pick it up, inspect for any damage, then put it on again.
"Hello! I am Flyss, your Smart Helm(™) assistant. I will be helping you to set up the Smart Helm(™), and from there assist in anything you may require of me!" Flyss helpfully explains.
"Huh, so Neo," She humms her acknowledgements,"the helmet did speak to me. Well, not the helmet per say, but the AI in the helmet. She called herself Flyss. ...Apparently I have my own adjudant." I attempt to put the AIs information into words.
"Now thats cool." Thanks Neo, for stating the obvious.
"Yep, remind me to thank Roman next time I see him." I state in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Seeing as Neo doesn't respond, I turn to face Roman standing behind me, again. I consider myself fairly perceptive and hard to sneak up on! How does he keep doing this? I thought I locked the front door? Actually, he might have a key to Neo's apartment. If not, he probably just picked the lock. Or came in through the window. Or he's been here the whole time… that last ones just creepy.
"Well? I'm waiting for that 'Thanks' you know." Roman says with a shit eating grin.
"Thaaaaaanks." I state with the most sarcasm I can muster.
"Neo, there's still something else in that box." Roman warns as I turn around to see Neo about to toss the box out. Neo, confused, shows the empty box to us. I realise what Romans done however. I reach in and tear out the false bottom to reveal a knife. Wait, is that…? Holy shit, it is. That is a data knife straight from Titanfall.
"I don't see what's so special about the knife, Roman." Neo states, oblivious to the fact that this is going to be SO HELPFUL!
"If you don't, it appears your 'hubby' does." Roman states slyly.
"Roman." I state seriously, "You glorious bastard, I could kiss you." I state while a massive grin stretches across my face.
I had done my research. These things are damn expensive and extremely rare. I haven't the faintest clue how the hell Roman got his hands on one. While I prefer the Icepick variant of the data knife, the normal data knife is still extremely useful. Actually the Icepick variant is technically illegal. Only technically. Not that we care in the slightest. Now that I think about it, I'm actually really close to being a Pilot from Titanfall. I'm just missing the parkour kit and a Titan.
"I know that helmet has some hacking gear in it, but I thought a little something directly from the factory line would be better." Roman states.
"I'm still confused, what is it?" Neo asks innocently. Can a psychopath be innocent?
"Neo, this," I raise the knife. "This, is a data knife. It's only the top of the line in electronic warfare used by Atlas's special operatives!"
"You see Neo? He gets it!" Roman exclaims.
"Okay? I get it's expensive, but how does it work?" Neo asks, still confused by Roman and I's excitedness.
Deciding against a verbal answer, I hit a button on the handle which extends the connector and show it to Neo. She takes a moment to inspect the knife.
"So, do you just stab it into a computer and it just works?" Neo questions.
"Yeah!" I exclaim while nodding vigorously.
"Well, it obviously hacks things, but what does the hacking do?" Neo continues her questioning.
"It depends on what's being hacked, for example, if I'm hacking an Atlesian Knight it will change its friend/foe targeting software to target its former friends. If I'm hacking a computer, it will give me access to its files and allow me to transfer them to the helmet, hopefully." I explain, while a separate thought is running through my head.
'What about the helmet? Can I link it to my data knife? Or my suit? Maybe both? Things to test I suppose.' I wonder absentmindedly.
Neo's voice snaps me from my thoughts, "Hellooooo…?"
"Got lost in my thoughts again… What are you doing?" I ask.
Neo is staring me in the face, she shouldn't be able to as I am six foot and she is somewhere around four foot eight. Sighing, I flick Neo's forehead, causing her to shatter. That reveals Neo, at her normal height, standing on a chair.
"Neo, I know you like being tall, but I'll always be taller." I tease.
Neo gives a pout as I muss her hair.
"Okay, lovebirds, we get it. Can we get to the next part of training?" I forgot Torchwick was still in the room.
"What's the next part of training?" I ask as I lift Neo off the chair to put her on the ground. Neo's surprisingly light by the way.
"Combat." Roman explains without really explaining anything.
(Line Break)
Suited up in what amounts to spandex with a sword on your back and a very expensive helmet, I actually look kinda good. Like Genji if he wasn't painted silver and actually stealthy. Just standing in the shadows of this warehouse makes me really hard to see. That's just the suit breaking up my silhouette. Although, it does look like somethings missing. That'll need to be fixed soon.
I'm currently watching two of the grunts in Torchwicks gang sparring, no weapons, and they are really going at it. Its like watching the David versus Goliath fight considering one of them are large enough to wrestle an Ursa. About as nimble as an Ursa too.
"The larger man is losing."
A sigh, "I know Flyss." I state.
This isn't the first spar I've seen today. Actually the first one I saw was a group brawl between a number of them. Roman had to break that one up. I've never seen him truly mad before. He can be absolutely scathing when he tries to.
"Alright, Shiro, you're up." Roman announces.
(A/N Ill be fast, I am rolling this in accordance with the unofficial RPG guide)
Nodding my acknowledgements at the alter ego I created, I head down to the arena. Across from me is the man who won the previous spar.
"Hey, before we begin, I'd like to let you know that you're already something of a legend among the Pumpkins here. Catching Neopolitan's eye at first glance is no small feat." I raise an eyebrow at that, despite the fact he can't see it. "A number of the men here have tried, and failed, to win her heart. I'll take pleasure in beating you senseless here." As he finishes he pulls out a tonfa.
"You done? I'd like to get onto the next idiot sometime this week." I taunt.
He merely growls in response.
"Begin!" Torchwick announces from his position above the arena.
I let him start off the fight by charging me. It appears my taunting worked. I sidestep the elbow he throws at me and give him enough of a love tap on the back of the neck to throw him off balance. He throws the other elbow as I dodge out of the way.
"My turn." I tell him as I draw. He blocks it using the tonfa. I swing again, aiming lower this time and graze his leg.
"Gonna have to do better than that!" He taunts.
"I've actually hit you so far!" I rebuke.
He jabs with his non tonfa hand, only for it to pay as I smack it with the blunt end of Odenta. Yes, I named my weapon. He throws the tonfa elbow next, only for that to be swatted as well. Now that his assault is broken again, I press my advantage. He redirects the first swing, but I break the melee and go at range. The revolver cracks across the arena and hits him, just grazing his arm.
"Really? Resorting to guns? What happened to our melee?" He taunts again.
"I was winning that melee, and you know it." I counter.
As he doesn't have a gun, he charges me again. He throws a haymaker that I see coming from a mile away. Ducking under the punch, I slice upwards, only grazing him again. I'm still getting used to the length of this, okay? That's what Neo said. He tries for a kick at my legs, seeing this I counter with my own kick to his kneecap. Taking the opportunity as his guard is down, I swing in a downwards stroke getting a good hit on his aura. I try to fit another attack into this opening, but it closes as fast as it came as his guard is back up for the second swing.
"That actually hurt, you know. Now, I WILL HUMILIATE YOU!" He shouts at me.
"Bring it on, buttercup." I taunt. I note that his aura rises to just under half, thanks to my handy helmet.
He throws two more punches with a lot more anger behind them. Tsk, anger will only blind you. They are countered no problem. Eyeing a gap in his defense I swing twice more, the first one deflected off the tonfa, while the second blow sneaks through his guard and shatters his aura.
"I don't want to have to knock you out here, you still have work to do for your boss." I reason.
"I DON'T CARE!" He shouts at me. Jeez, what's got him so riled up? Oh wait, it's me.
Another flurry of punches and he manages to sneak a good hit to my torso. I mean, aura absorbed it, but ow. Ow does it hurt. Aura might negate any damage done, but it does nothing for the force behind the attack. Deciding to end it here, I catch a break in his flurry and strike with the flat end of Odenta. The strike is true as it hits him square on the head, knocking him out.
"Good. Jim, go get sack of rocks there." Roman commands. I on the other hand, leave the arena and join Roman on the catwalks above the arena.
"So," I begin, "What do you think?"
"Not bad for a beginner, but you will need some work. Like that stunt with your revolver, if this building wasn't sound proofed, we could be expecting blue shirts right about now." Roman analizes.
I'm kinda proud of how well I did, although he's right, I will need to improve in melee if I want to be able to take down guards should it come to it. While I'd rather be in and out like a ghost, that won't always happen. I am happy I took some fencing classes in my previous life (dying is still weird to me) as I doubt I could have won without the basic swordplay I learned there.
There's a loud snap that comes from the arena, which reminds me I need to be watching the spars. And that guys arm is not supposed to bend like that and he's still fighting? Crazy man.
(Line Break)
Stretching as I enter the living room of Neos apartment, there's a third box on the coffee table with a note on it. Interested, I look at the note, which reads, 'Z, It's been bothering me that you don't have a scroll! This fixes that! I've taken the liberty to add myself and Romans number to your contacts. -Neo'
'Well that's nice of her. I wonder what she put her contact name as… Hold on, there's more to the note.' I interrupt my own thoughts to continue reading.
'PS. I've also removed the stupid tracker that's on all of these things.
PPS. There's also a date in your calendar, be sure to check it!'
I open the box, and sure enough, there is a scroll. Scrolls have an interesting blend of Iphone, Samsung, and Android software on them. Actually, it's the same OS that the computer in our room uses. It's not at all hard to understand, but I check through all of the preinstalled apps anyway for anything of interest and to familiarize myself with the software. There's the usual things, like an app store, calendar, clock, things like that. There's even a few pre installed games, like some bejeweled clone. I do make a trip to the contacts list and Roman has been plugged in as 'Roman Torchwick' but Neo is in as 'Ice Ice Neo'. It's a bad joke, but it still gets me to chuckle. Checking the calendar next, I do see the date that has been put in. It's… interesting.
'Fun Time w/ Neo!' At 7pm, a few days from now.
There's a few things that could mean. One, sex. Two, we're going out to dinner. Three, we're going out to steal or murder. Possibly all of the above or any combination of those three. Thoughts for the future I guess. Sleep now. Tired.
I don't even make it to the bed before passing out.
