AN: Hey guys, I'm back~! I really hope that you guys give me the same kind of positive feedback that the previous one did. And by all means, do think of this as an early Christmas present from me to all of you. And all that I ask in return, is that you guys and gals drop a review, and vote on the Poll on my profile, to decide which story idea will fill up the spot that Enduring Soul previously occupied.
Anyway, onto the story!
"Regular speech"
"This is a 'skill' understand?"
'Thought'
#Speaking through a Scroll#
[Game Data]
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"So, why did Junior and one of the twins look so surprised when you got a drop on them?" Yang asked as she swerved between the moving vehicles.
"Well, you remember when I said that 3-D-G could age things forward?" Edward asked in return. He had faith in Yang's ability to keep stuff like this a secret.
"Ya-huh." Yang nodded. It honestly sounded like a pretty scary ability, young and virile one minute, and then poof, you're nothing but bones and ashes. A pretty Grimm way to go.
"Well, it turns out that it's a bit more like time manipulation. In that particular case, rewinding time for my body by 3 minutes, thus erasing the damage I took during that timeframe. And I'd say that the ability only targets my body's physical state, as my memories remained untouched." Edward explained, oddly feeling like a bad joke was made.
"Come again?" Yang was a fighter and a lover, not a thinker, so the technical explanation flew over her head.
"Well, think of it like jumping to a previous save file after screwing something up, like not getting a specific item from a randomized selection."
"Oh, neat!" Yang nodded, understanding Edward's simplified explanation. An ability like that probably had some sort of a cooldown, since otherwise that would have been pretty unfair, and considering how Edward's Semblance was one that made the world around him work like a game, Yang felt confident in thinking that an ability like that would have something that stopped him from just no-selling all damage.
"Yeah, but it's not unbeatable. And keep your eyes on the road, please." Edward wasn't going to fall to the basic JoJo bad guy cliché of believing that his Stand was unbeatable, because 3-D's Grace was not unbeatable. Oh sure, it had a scary as hell ability, but just like any other powerful Stand, his had a limitation to its powers.
It definitely was not meant for drawn-out fights, the MP cost for the abilities beyond Break being way too costly and restricted to be of any use. "Life starts Now" could only rewind time by 3 minutes, with an absurdly long cooldown, and a hefty MP cost of 40. And "World so Cold" wasn't all that better, costing 30 MP per use, and only capable of targeting 2 people at a time. Definitely not meant to fight against a group of strong people.
Not to mention that it wasn't all that strong in the physical department. The only reason it managed to break those steel beams was because it aged it forward enough to rust them. So he definitely wouldn't be winning any arm wrestling competitions with it. And there might also be other limitations and weaknesses he had yet to discover.
"Oh don't be such a worry-wart, we're almost to the docks anyway." And true enough, after 10 minutes, they had reached the docks. Edward looked around, and spotted a rather average-sized vessel, with a dull grey paintjob with green highlights. He could see a few nicks here and there, probably from Grimm attacks or pirates, if they existed on Remnant, that is.
"[Observation]" Edward whispered to himself as he dismounted from Yang's bike. While he might not have seen Volume 4, he had seen the World of Remnant Videos, especially the part about "crazy fish stories" which translated to him as "big as fuck aquatic Grimm" and he certainly didn't want to become some freaky Squid-Grimm's chew toy because he sailed on some rusty piece of scrap.
[Observation]
Ferry Model: LPR45-131
A ferry that is used by the people who want to travel between Vale and Patch. Armed to take out any Grimm that might dwell in the shallow waters between the two, this ship model has proven itself time and time again by sailing from the island and back safely.
Armament: Dust-Bomb Cannon (6), Anti-Air Dust Cannon (1).
Durability: 25600/26000
Passengers: 25/40
'LPR45—Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.' Edward seriously hoped that the ship lived up to its namesake's fame. At least it didn't have a giant shell covering its poop deck.
"So, uh Yang, when is your little sis going to arrive?" Edward asked, un-equipping the spare helmet from his head, causing the helmet to shrink back down to its original size as he handed it back to Yang. He'd use whatever time he had to start formulating a game plan, since his current one was more like a list of objectives he had to accomplish, the main one being exterminating Cinder, Emerald and Adam. And no, that wasn't merely out of personal… dislike for the three individuals, no, it was out of necessity, the fact that he'd get to see them pay for the shit they were responsible for was merely the icing on the cake.
Killing Cinder would be important because that would send the Fall Maiden's power back into whatever odd circulation they followed. Emerald's illusion Semblance was a very dangerous ability that he couldn't afford for the enemy to have. As for Adam... well his Semblance being able to either completely wreck or bypass any defense that Aura gave, and neither one of the two concepts was something that Edward felt comfortable being in the hands of a madman out to cause human genocide, so he was definitely on his "clean-up" list.
"She should be here in about ten minutes, give or take," Yang answered, storing the offered helmet with in Bumblebee's compartment.
Edward nodded, as he started to plan how he should go about this monstrous task ahead of him. He could try enrolling at Beacon, and while that course of action carried numerous benefits, it also carried a big chance of him somehow fucking up the timeline, like him replacing one of the key members of either team RWBY or team JNPR. And while that might seem like a relatively harmless change, it could cause certain key events not to happen, like team RWBY catching wind of the big scheme that was being plotted behind the curtains, or even worse, Roman not causing the breach when he did.
If the throwaway line from Emerald was any indication, the breach was planned to happen when Beacon students were away on missions, thus causing more deaths, more panic and distrust towards the huntsmen, which would make it all the more devastating when the events of V3's finale would happen.
Speaking of which, he should probably do something to stop that, mainly Cinder's Virus, so that the last footage that the rest of the world sees isn't Atlesian Knights and Paladins firing on Vale Citizen's. Too bad he didn't know where Cinder got that, since neither her, or her little crew seemed to be competent enough in programming to make that kind of virus, which probably meant that Salem has some kind of a tech guy working for her.
So then, he'd have to start learning programming and hacking before the events of V2 rolled around.
'Actually what Skills do I have?' Edward wondered to himself as he leaned against a shipping crate. He knew that he had Observation, Axe and Gun Proficiency, Sense Danger and Meditation. Although he couldn't help but wonder if any he had any skills from before coming to Remnant, or did he just have the basic Gamer stuff.
"Hey Ed, mind coming over here?" Edward turned his head towards where Yang called, seeing that Ruby had finally arrived, who was looking at him somewhat nervously, not that he could blame her, he'd certainly be suspicious of a strange guy his sister was bringing to their home.
[Observation]
/Reaperette\
Ruby Rose LV: 18
EXP: 1200/1800
Semblance: Speed
Stand Potential: A
HP: 199
MP: 100
Aura: 362
STR: 19
INT: 20
VIT: 18
WIS: 34
DEX: 27
AGI: 62
Current Mood: Curious, Excited, Nervous
A second-year student at Patch's Signal Academy, Ruby Rose is among the top students of her year, blitzing around the battlefield with the combination of her Speed Semblance and sweet baby, Crescent Rose, a high-caliber sniper rifle/scythe combination which is sure to put down hordes of Grimm. However, despite her amazing skill on the battlefield, Ruby isn't what you'd call a social person, rather nervous of meeting new people, and somewhat of a klutz.
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
Silver Eyes{Locked}: The traits of legendary warriors who could kill Grimm with a single glance.{Damage dealt to Grimm +50%, Damage dealt by Grimm -50%. Damage dealt to Maidens +25%.}
Weapons lover: Seeing new weapons is like meeting new people, only better. {+50% EXP gained to weapon proficiencies and weapon-related Skills.}
Cookie Engine: {Cookies heal HP and MP by 20%, Chocolate Chip Cookies heal 50% and Strawberry Cookies heal by 100% and remove all status effects.}
Aura Unlocked: Your Aura has been unlocked, thus giving you limited protection from attacks.{Damage lower than your current Aura is deducted from your Aura, until it hits 0, then you will take damage normally.}
EXP Yield: 3600
Item Drops: Crescent Rose, 50mm Dust Round Cartridges x210, 2 Silver Eyes{Accessory]
'Oi, oi, what the actual fuck.' Edward thought to himself as he read RWBY's stat sheet, while walking over to the two. Oh, he knew that the Silver Eyes would hurt Grimm like a bitch, but he didn't know that they also fucked up the Maidens. Although, now that he thought about it, how else would Ruby have beaten Cinder, who even before stealing the other 3 quarters of Amber's Maiden powers was someone who could block shots from Glynda, and scare Adam (who seemed to have a boner for human genocide), into obeying like a scared dog.
But, he could definitely roll with this. He'd just need to train Ruby to Cinder's Level, or near that. Although, he couldn't help but wonder why his Observation gave him much more info about Ruby than it did about Yang or the Bear Gang boss trio? Perhaps it had something to do with the level difference, or the fact that all of them were confrontational on a certain level?
"Ruby, meet Edward. Edward, meet my little sister Ruby." Yang said, introducing the two to each other.
"Nice to meet you Ruby." Edward said, deciding to start things off rather casually as he offered his hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you too Edward." Ruby smiled, shaking the offered hand. He seemed like a nice guy, although Ruby did feel like he was reading her like an open weapons manual. 'Speaking of which, I wonder what kind of weapon he has?' Ruby wondered to herself. She didn't see him carrying anything, but he didn't look like a martial artist. Maybe his weapon's compact form was so small that he could just pocket it?
"So, uh, where are you from?" Ruby asked in an attempt at small talk.
Yang drew in a sharp breath. "Rubes, Edward… he has amnesia." She probably should have mentioned that
Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Isn't that what old people get?"
"No, that's Dementia. I've got Amnesia, and I can't remember anything regarding my personal life and history, only stuff that's necessary to survive." Edward explained, tapping the side of his head.
"That's horrible!" Ruby couldn't help but feel sorry for Edward. What about his parents, or friends? She couldn't help but wonder how worried they must be.
"Hey, it's not all bad, he certainly got a pretty useful Semblance." Yang said, in an attempt to see the positive side of things. Sure, not remembering anything but your name about your personal history wasn't anything to celebrate at, but he could become a great huntsman, and who knows, maybe doing that would get the attention of his family.
"Huh?" Ruby once again tilted her head in confusion. She really couldn't see a Semblance that could make up for losing the memories you had of your family, friends and all the good times you had with them.
"Ah, come one Yang, we shouldn't talk about it here." Edward said in an attempt to steer the conversation to a different direction. Oh sure, he intended to tell Ruby about his Semblance, but not in a public area like this, where people could easily eavesdrop on the conversation, or see him pulling stuff out of thin air.
Thankfully, a saving grace came in the form of the ferry's foghorn blaring. #Attention! The ship will depart in 10 minutes, so get yer keesters on, or be left behind!# A gruff voice spoke through the ferry's speaker.
"Oh right, the boat." Yang's bike quickly disappeared in a flash of pixels as she stored it into the shared [Inventory], and then grabbed both Edward and Ruby by the hand, leading them towards the ferry.
Looking at Ruby, Edward sighed. He really should have seen this coming. "Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, my Semblance grants me abilities similar to video game characters, RPG ones specifically." He explained, really hoping that his Stand would stay a secret for now at least. He'd rather not risk Ruby blabbing about her new friend having a ghostly buddy, especially to certain "visiting students".
Ruby's eyes widened as she took the info in. "THAT'S SO COOL!" So that's why she couldn't see a weapon on him, it was in his Inventory. But now that she knew that, she couldn't help but wonder what it was, since with a Semblance like that, it didn't have any size limitations. Ooh, maybe Edward's weapon was a giant chainsaw that could switch into a minigun, or maybe it was a giant railgun! Ooh, or maybe it was a bunch of drones that could fly around and shoot.
"But wait, if that's your Semblance, how did Yan-Oh my god, you have a Party mechanic." Ruby's eyes were shining with childlike innocence and enthusiasm, as if Christmas, or whatever the Remnant equivalent of it was, had come early, and her dad had given her the permission to open her present.
"Got it in one." Edward smiled as they came aboard the ship. It was honestly refreshing that he didn't need to explain it all, and if he was being honest, the innocent look on Ruby's face was pretty damn cute. Not that he would try romancing her, nor matter what kind of reward The Gamer would give him for succeeding.
"So, what kind of weapon do you have?" Ruby asked as she slightly calmed, but still excited to see what kind of weapon Edward had. And hey, if he didn't have weapon, she could help him make one.
"Aah, don't think it's a good idea for me to take it out right now. Don't want any trouble with security." Edward said, scratching the back of his head as he eyed the patrolling men in striped shirts and sailor hats that were making rounds around the ship, making sure that nobody was bringing any contraband items onto the ferry.
"Yeah, I guess that's a good point…" Ruby huffed, puffing her cheeks as she pouted. She had really wanted to see what kind of weapon Edward had. It simply had to be something super cool, something that would work well with his Semblance. Like a suit of power armor or something, like the Dust Man armor from the comics.
"Wow, I haven't seen Ruby this excited since Uncle Qrow promised to start teaching her how to use a scythe." Yang chuckled. She knew that the two would hit it off. Ruby could use some more friends, and Edward didn't have any friends, that he could remember that is, so why not kill two Nevermores with one stone?
"Yang, Ruby, there's something that I'd like to ask for the two of you to do." Edward announced, his tone shifting to a tad more serious one.
"Sure, Ed, what is it?" Yang was rather caught off-guard by Edward's demeanor. So far, he had been pretty chill, but now, he looked rather grim.
"I'll have to ask you not to tell anyone about my Semblance." He didn't want to risk either of them blabbing about it, and then him ending up chained somewhere, either by Atlesian military, or Salem's forces, and being reduced to nothing more than a handy power-up that would be spread around like the common cold.
Edward's request caught Ruby by surprise. "Huh, why not?" If it could give other people an Inventory and any other benefits, then wouldn't it be for the good of everyone if Huntsmen and Huntresses were told of his Semblance?
"Well… let's say that I do start sharing my ability. Eventually, some… less than noble groups, like the White Fang for example, would find about my ability and then send people to either kill me, or kidnap me." Edward explained, deciding to censor it so that Ruby would understand it. She didn't understand that the world had bad people in all kinds of positions, even among the military who were supposed to protect people, and he honestly doubted that she ever would.
"And before you say anything Ruby, would you feel comfortable with the idea of countless people getting harmed and injured, possibly crippled for life or worse, all just to keep one person with a useful Semblance alive?" Edward asked, shooting down any naïve retort Ruby might have had. He certainly wouldn't feel all that good about tons of people sacrificing themselves to keep him safe. And even if he did get caught by the White Fang, or by Cinder's group, they wouldn't kill him, not if they wanted their hands on the benefits he could grant them.
Although, he wasn't so sure about the chances of his survival if it was Cinder calling the shots, since even denying the Huntsmen access to his ability would be a victory to them. But, if he could get a Break mark on her, and possibly Emerald, then he'd consider it a mission accomplished, especially if he managed to keep himself alive for 3 days afterwards.
Yang looked downwards, understanding the true message in Edward's words. He was worried about Atlesian Military or some shadier Huntsmen coming after him to bolster their own power. While her uncle could keep his booze in check, he did tell him a few stories about Huntsmen and Huntresses who had "lost their way" and how some military people were more interested in the results than they were about ethics of what they did to get those results.
And that request also probably extended to his Arrow as well, which she would have no problems keeping quiet. Not only did that thing give people superpowers, but it also had a chance of killing people. Though, she would definitely feel better if it was destroyed, but she felt okay with Edward keeping it safe. He seemed to be even more scared of the thing than she was.
Although she did admit that the idea of getting a ghostly warrior did sound cool and tempting, but she didn't want to risk dying; not before she tracked down her mom for some answers, and definitely not before she knew that Ruby could take care of herself, or had people she could rely on.
"Okay, I promise not to tell anyone." Ruby nodded. She hadn't thought of the possibility of bad guys finding out about Edward's Semblance.
"Yeah, I won't tell anyone about your secrets unless you give the OK." Yang added, to which Edward nodded, catching the hidden message. Now he just hoped that they would keep their promise.
"Thanks guys, and before I forget, [Party Invite: Ruby Rose]." A blue screen appeared in front of Ruby, and with an excited expression on her face, she pressed the accept button.
"Okay, so quick run down, you might feel a lot calmer in stressful situations, and as far as I know, voice commands only." Edward said, giving a quick and basic rundown of how the system worked.
"Try out the voice command by saying Status." He added, deciding to make Ruby aware of her special eyes before the proverbial manure truck hit the giant-sized fan. Hopefully either Ozpin or someone in his crew knew how to trigger the silver eyes, and hopefully it didn't require a friend getting cut apart, before a terrorist attack, followed by another friend getting insta-cremated with an arrow stabbed to the chest.
"Okay, [Status]." Ruby said, another window appearing in front of her. Her eyes blazed through the stat sheet, stopping dead in their tracks as she reached a particular part of it, her eyes widening in shock as she read it. And Edward could kind of understand what kind of shock she's experiencing. A piece of fiction becoming reality, although in his case, this kind of situation had been theorized before, while Ruby's case was something that she hadn't even heard of before.
And not to mention, his situation was somewhat mitigated by his [Gamer's Mind] skill. Actually a part of why he invited Ruby to the Party was in the hopes of avoiding her freaking out when she eventually found out about the effect of her eyes.
[For planning ahead and taking advantage of the effect granted by The Gamer's Party function, you gain 3 WIS and 2 INT!]
"Ruby, what is it?" Yang asked in concern. She hadn't ever seen Ruby look so shocked before.
"If I had to make a guess, it's about the Silver eyes perk that she has." Edward put on a façade of ignorance as Yang's eyes widened, although far less than Ruby's did. And rather quickly, she moved next to Ruby, looking where the little reaper's eyes had stopped.
"Wait, so you knew about this? Why didn't you say any- oh right, the amnesia. Forgot about that." Yang realized as Edward tapped the side of his head. While the amnesia excuse was a hastily made one, by god, it was a convenient one.
"Let me guess, these "Maidens" are some people, women if the name is any indication, who wield some magical powers?" Edward asked, just to make sure that he didn't land in some bizarre-verse of RWBY where the Maidens are actually men. Regardless, he didn't need a complex and detailed explanation of the story, although he might have to check out a book detailing either the Maidens or the Silver-eyed warriors, to see if there was any hint of any specific weaknesses or explanation of why the Maidens had a weakness to the Silver eyes.
Perhaps some kind of failsafe made by the Maidens' benefactor/creator in case one or several Maidens went rouge? Or was it just some other magic mumbo-jumbo?
"Pretty much yeah, and the Silver eyes are pretty much explained by the stat screen, except for the Maiden part." Ruby confirmed, finally coming back to reality, although she felt a bit weird. When she first noticed the perk on the screen, she honestly felt pretty shocked, mostly due to the advantage the perk gave against Maidens, who are supposed to be heroes, so why did the Silver-eyed warriors do more damage to Maidens?
Did it mean that the Maidens are bad guys, or were the Silver-eyed warriors the bad guys? But neither one made any sense, both groups helped people, but then why were the Maidens weak to the warriors?
"Random shot in the dark here, what if one of the Maidens were to be turned against humanity? Or one of them had their powers stolen or something? Definitely seems like a possibility." Edward pointed out, deciding to cut Ruby's line of thought before it went too dark. No need to have the poor little reaperette think that either one of the heroic legends were lies.
The sisters nod, both of them understanding Edward's point, although Ruby believed that the second one was the true reason, while Yang saw both as things that could happen, especially with the existence of Stands, on the off-chance that there was one that could control people or absorb the magical energies of people.
"Anyway, there's another screen you can check out, called [Skills]." Edward said, causing another blue screen to appear before him.
[Skills:]
Gamer's Mind |?|
Passive LV: MAX
Gamer's Body |?|
Passive LV: MAX
Observation |?|
Active/Passive LV: 1
EXP: 20/100
ID Create |?|
Active LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
ID Escape |?|
Active LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
Firearms Proficiency |?|
Passive Skill Effect: {Increase the power of Gun-based skills by 18%. Reduce the Skill Cost of Gun-based skills by 18%}
Passive Skill LV: 9
EXP: 15/900
Axe Proficiency |?|
Passive Skill Effect: {Increase the power of Axe-based skills by 15%. Reduce the Skill Cost of Axe-based skills by 15%}
Passive Skill LV: 5
EXP: 5/500
Sense Danger |?|
Passive Skill Effect: {Allows the user to detect when something bad might happen. The higher the skill level, the earlier the user can sense danger.}
Passive Skill LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
Meditation |?|
Active Skill Effect: {The user regains 20 MP for every minute they stay put. If this skill is interrupted, then the user will have to wait for half the time they used before the skill was interrupted.}
Active Skill LV: 1
EXP: 10/100
'Well, I think I know what I'll be grinding up when we land.' Edward smiled as he read the list of Skills he had. With the plans he had for the future, Sense Danger was definitely a must, although he might have to rename it to something that rolls off the tongue a bit easier, and unlock the bloodlust-sensing version.
"Oh, neat. Alright then, let's see what [Skills] I have." Yang said, causing a window to appear in front of her.
"That's so cool! [Skills]." Ruby cheered, as a similar window appeared next to her, and she then started to read it.
While the two were absorbed in reading the descriptions of their skills, and seeing if they had any Skills they didn't know they had, Edward leaned against the ferry, planning on experimenting with Mana. If he wanted to survive and prosper here on Remnant, he would definitely have to start making some skills, mostly Energy Blast and such, so that he would have something to act as his "Semblance", instead of using his Stand, in case Maidens or proper Huntsmen could see them.
He did not want to tip his hand to Cinder or anyone in Ozpin's crew. Those dimwits would probably assume that he stole Amber's or another Maiden's powers, and then either send people to kill him, or knock him out, and hook him up to their Aura-transferring device.
'Let's see, Stand abilities use MP, so all I got to do is focus on the energy that I felt when I summoned 3-D's Grace.' Edward thought, focusing the energy towards his open palm that he held away from the two sisters, pointing it downwards. No need to disturb their little reading time while he played around.
And soon enough, there was a small ball of green energy, about the size of a tennis ball floating atop the palm of his hand.
[Through a specific action, the Active skill: Energy Blast has been created.]
Energy Blast: A skill where the user shoots a sphere of mana from their hand.
Active Skill Effect: {Damage is based on INT. Range: 10 Meters. MP Cost: 20.}
Active Skill LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
Wondering what else he could do, Edward disassembled the orb, channeling the Mana making it up around his hand to form a blade. Hey, if it worked for Vegito, then it would work for him. Besides, there was no way in hell he was going to risk fighting anyone or anything with just Verde Carnicero, or his bare hands if he had to go into Melee-range without it.
And while yeah, his Aura could protect him if he decided to go fisticuffs, but he didn't intend on wasting the Aura for something that could be solved with a simple skill and thinking.
[Through a specific action, the Active skill: Mana Blade has been created.]
Mana Blade: A skill where the user forms a blade of Mana, about 50 cm in length.
Active Skill Effect: {Damage based on WIS. Range is based on how much MP is used for the skill. Cost: 15, with each additional 20 cm costing 5 MP.}
Active Skill LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
Looking at the blade sprouting from his hand, Edward decided to play around a bit by changing the blade's shape, without lengthening it, and was pleased when his MP bar didn't drop any further. So, it didn't cost any additional MP to keep it active, just lengthening it would cost more MP. And the damage being based on his Wisdom stat kinda made sense, since Energy Blast wasn't anything complex, just shooting Mana at the target. It was raw power, thus basing its power on Intelligence while Mana Blade was a bit more about how you used the power, thus relying on Wisdom.
'Hm, I wonder if I can use this thing similar to the Scorpion Trigger?' He wondered as he dispersed the blade. Now that he thought about it, in theory, he could make his Energy Blast act like the Asteroid Trigger from World Trigger. Although, he severely doubted that he could make them track the target like Hounds did, or change direction after being shot.
Edward was broken out of his musings as he felt a tingling at the edge of his senses, and it wasn't the good kind of tingling, it was the kind that told you that there was danger coming in. And it seemed like that Danger was also noticed by L4PRS' crew as the claxon started going off.
#Ahem, dear passengers, please head under the deck as fast as you, as we have spotted a Nereus, and it seems to be heading for us.# One of the ferry's crewmen announced through the ferry's speaker system. The regular passengers followed the instructions, although their pace belied a sense of great stress and slight fear. And soon enough, the only ones left on deck were Yang, Ruby and Edward.
[Urgent Emergency Quest: "Thar She Blows!" has been created!]
A Nereus, a species of aquatic Grimm, has been spotted by the Ferry's crew. Help defend the ferry until it reaches Patch.
Victory Conditions:
-Enemy HP drops to 0{+1000 EXP}
-Enemy flees{+600 EXP}
-The ferry reaches Patch intact{+500 EXP. Increased friendship with [Ruby] and [Yang]. Increased popularity with [?], [?] and [?]}
Losing Conditions:
-Party Member's HP drops to 0
-The ferry's Durability drops to 0
"What the hell is a Nereus?" Edward wondered, equipping Verde Carnicero. The series hadn't really talked about any Grimm other than land-based and air-based ones, and even then, he doubted that those Grimm were the only ones. And considering how this ferry seemed to lack any real heavy fire-power, he felt safe assuming that this Nereus was that big of a deal, but better safe than dead. Plus, the EXP didn't hurt.
"It's a big fish of a Grimm that attacks from afar. And from the sounds of it, this one is bigger than what usually hangs around Vale and Patch." Yang supplied, following Edward, who was running to where he was sensing the danger coming from.
"Yeah, Nereids usually move in groups of four, attacking ships with their spikes." Ruby added, Crescent rose in gun form. Although Nereids were somewhat of an uncommon sight near these waters, sometimes Hunter Academies did get jobs to eliminate them before they grew big enough to sink ships on their own, and they usually only chose third-year students (Those lucky jerks) to carry out the task, as a sort of a test.
"So, this one could be compared to an Ursa Major or something." Edward said, trying to pinpoint the Grimm's exact location. If the Nereus was attacking the ship alone, then it must be big enough to be confident to sink the ship, or cause enough negativity to attract reinforcements. He severely doubted that the Huntsmen or the Government would allow older Grimm to inhabit the waters near Patch, or between it and Vale, so this one was more than likely somewhere in the middle-ground of an Alpha and a normal Grimm.
Too bad the sun wasn't up, since if it followed the basic colors that the Grimm had, then it would have stuck out against the water like a sore thumb. Although, the moonlight did somewhat help things, as Edward spotted the Nereus, or rather the top part of its head. It wasn't all that big, if he had to estimate its size merely by what was above the waves, it was maybe slightly bigger than a van, a bone plating covering its forehead, with spikes jutting out of it, the soulless red eyes of the Grimm glowed as it stared at the ship.
[Observation]
/Grimm\
Nereus LV: 14
Maturity: Juvenile
HP: 161
MP: 90
Nereids usually hunt in groups of four, but when they grow older, they tend to separate, confident in their capability to inflict harm to mankind with their poisonous barbs. Mature Nereids specialize in mortar tactics, shooting from afar to inflict panic and fear to attract other Grimm to serve as their guards from melee attackers. However, Young Nereids tend to ram against their targets, and then shoot their barbs at the target, which contain a slight paralyzing agent that hinders the movement of those who are hit by the barbs.
EXP Yield: 1400
Item Drops: Replica Grimm leather (x10), Replica Nereus Barbs (x30), Replica Grimm Bone plating{Medium] (x1)
"Ruby, you head upwards so you'll have a better vantage point to snipe this thing." Edward said, taking control of things. Yang couldn't hit this thing with her Ember Celica, and he knew that he couldn't bust the bone plating with his bullets, so the task would fall onto Ruby, her Crescent Rose being part high-caliber sniper rifle.
And while he probably could have reached the Nereus with his Stand, he didn't want to risk the Grimm being able to actually hurt it, let alone paralyze it. He'd rather test how badly Grimm hurt Stands with Beowolves and Ursai, since they were among the weakest of Grimm, with the Beowolf being the equivalent of a Slime.
Plus, 3-D Grace's main ability, Break, wouldn't help them at all, since unless he forgot something, Creatures of Grimm grew stronger, smarter and bigger with age. Now, he didn't know if the Grimm growing stronger and smarter was to be taken literally, or to take it as "Hey, these Grimm have survived fights with Huntsmen, so they're smarter and stronger from their previous experiences", but he wasn't in any real hurry to test that theory out on a Grimm that had home-field advantage.
"Got it!" Ruby nodded, jumping towards the upper deck. She knew that fighting a Nereus with a melee weapon while it was in the water wasn't smart, not unless you had a weapon and a Semblance that would even the odds. And while she may have loved her sweetheart, she knew that Crescent Rose would…problematic to use underwater. Plus, she didn't want any water damage onto her baby.
[Command deck…]
"Well boyos, it seems like we got some Huntsmen on-board." The ship's captain noted as Ruby landed onto the Ferry's upper deck, balancing her weapon against the railing, aiming it at the Nereus. Him and his crew were just starting to activate the ship's cannons, but if there were Huntsmen on board, then their help wouldn't be critical.
"But don't think that means that ye can just laze about! Keep an eye out for any other Grimm! And send out an SOS signal to Patch!" he barked out his orders. Just cause these Huntsmen-in-training would be taking care of the Nereus, it didn't mean that other Grimm wouldn't be attracted by the negativity the passengers might feel. So, the safest move would be to activate the cannons and send out a signal for help.
"AYE, SIR!" the crew shouted as one, activating the cannons. Sure, their cannons might not be able to shoot right behind them, but if the Nereus decided to try and attack them from the sides or an angle, it'd have a spicy meatball or 3 ready for it.
[Back with the fight…]
"Alright Ed, got a plan to take this thing down?" Yang inquired, sizing the Nereus up. While she wasn't exactly dead-beat tired from the brawl at Junior's, she wasn't doing so hot in terms of hands-on ammo, and she knew that fisticuffing with an aquatic Grimm in its natural element was practically suicide.
"To be perfectly honest with you Yang, no, no I do not." Edward answered, although he did consider strapping someone onto a long pole, and then wait and see if the fish bit, but he figured that would turn his acquaintance with Yang and Ruby rather sour. So, he'd have to go with an alternate plan.
He had heard the ferry open up its sides, more than likely to unsheathe its cannons, so the smartest plan of action would be to try and get the Nereus in the cannon's range. That however was the biggest problem, since he doubted that it would be dumb enough to come at them from the side, especially if it had survived a previous encounter with another ship like this.
However, Edward was broken out of his musings as the Nereus had decided to stop waiting around and launched its barbs at the ship, sinking beneath the waves to dodge a cannonball from the ship.
"Oh no you don't, [Mana Barrier]!" Edward threw his hand forward, a hexagonal barrier of mana appearing in front of him and Yang, and he hoped that the makeshift barrier would hold.
And it didn't seem all that good as the 20 cm-long barbs impacted the barrier, digging into it, but they soon enough lost their momentum, dropping onto the deck as Edward dismissed the barrier. From how his mana bar had dropped, the skill cost 10 MP.
"Okay then, you'll be the shield." Yang said, taking the surprise of Edward manifesting a barrier from his own energy in stride. Considering what Edward had shown her during the short three hours she had knew him, him being able to stuff like that didn't surprise her all that much. And considering that she didn't sense any Aura depletion, he probably used Mana, or MP as the stat sheet had shown.
"Got no problems with that." Edward nodded. If this Grimm kept going with these hit and run tactics, then they'd be taking some serious damage. And with his remaining MP, he'd only have enough Mana for six more barriers, if he didn't use any other Skills.
And it wasn't like they could play the waiting game with it, as the longer they took defeating it, the more negativity the passengers would be feeling, which would in turn attract more Grimm, possibly even older ones. A very bad scenario if he ever saw one.
"Anyway, wh-OH BLOODY SHIT!" Edward cursed as the ferry rocked wildly, and looking down to the rotor, he saw why. The Nereus had rammed itself into the rotor [21400/26000], attempting to hinder the ferry's capability to escape. And while the damage didn't stop the rotors from turning, he couldn't tell how long that would last.
In retaliation, Edward fired around where his [Sense Danger] skill felt the Nereus, hoping to hit the elusive Grimm. He wasn't sure if his shots had reached it, until he saw the dark red meter with a black skull on the other corner of his vision decrease a bit [-14 HP. 147/161].
Now however, the Nereus was out of his Skill's range, so he, along with Yang were pretty much in the dark on where the next attack would be coming from. On another note, Edward had found yet another reason to get more sensory Skills, namely that his current one did jack if the danger wasn't aiming to attack him, but instead the battlefield. And while he doubted that the same could be said if the attack activated some kind of a trap, the situation at hand was of more importance.
"Oh crap-baskets." Yang said as she noticed that the ferry was losing speed, and although the drop was pretty small, it could still mean the difference between them reaching Patch, and them becoming sitting ducks for any Grimm that happened to notice the vessel.
Edward chose to ignore Yang's censored cussing in favor of trying to come up with a way to get the Nereus out of its home-field, and onto the deck. Dragging it by hand was a no-no, he didn't want to find out if the poison even by-passed Aura. So, the only options left were a harpoon gun, something that he wasn't even sure would hit the bastard, and him making a Bind skill (which now that he thought about it, didn't sound like that bad of an idea). But that idea had the same problems as the harpoon had, he couldn't spot the Nereus, so he couldn't exactly hit the damn bastard with anything.
"Incoming!" Yang shouted as the Nereus shot another volley of barbs, prompting Edward to spawn another [Mana Barrier] to block it. But this time, the Nereus had shot the barbs in a more spread-out cluster, some of the barbs piercing the ferry's hull [20300/26000].
However, the Nereus had made one simple mistake after firing the volley, not diving beneath the waves. Something that proved to be a big mistake, as Ruby took the shot, the resulting impact tearing away the upper right corner of the Nereus' mask, and it made its discomfort known with a pained roar as it dove beneath the waves once more [-20 HP. 127/161].
"WOO, bullseye!" Ruby cheered, doing a small fist pump when she saw the Nereus run away from her awesomeness.
#While I hate ta piss on yer parade lass, we got one of 'em Shipbreakers breaching our bottom hull, so one of ye needs to head down below and get rid of it so that one of my boys can go and patch up the hole.# The apparent captain of the ferry piped in. While he certainly would take joy in seeing that overgrown, spike-covered balloon of a menace, they had other problems.
"Ed, you head down and take it out, leave the Nereus to me and Ruby." Yang said. She wasn't exactly the most… environment-friendly whenever she fought, especially if her sweet baby lost even a single strand. And the last thing they needed was more damage to the ship.
"O-Oi, shouldn't you be the one to head down below, you're the one who's a melee fighter." Edward argued back. He was the only one among them who could effectively block the Nereus' long-range attacks, so he should be the one to stay up on the deck, while Yang took out the Shipbreaker, whatever that was.
"Yeah but you're running low on MP, so you can take the chance to replenish it while letting your Stand take out the Shipbreaker." Yang pointed out, glancing at the blue bar above Edward's head. Besides, her aura should protect her from the paralyzing venom. Sure, it would hurt like all hell, but she could still keep moving.
"Alright fine, got any pointers for this "Shipbreaker"? I assume it's another aquatic Grimm?" Edward asked, seeing Yang's point. Besides, he could use this as an opportunity to test out an idea he had for stopping this tactical blitzkrieg bullshit the Nereus was pulling on them. Even if it didn't manage to take out even one of them, it was still annoying.
"Just avoid getting caught by the pincers and aim for the soft spots." Yang said. Edward nodded, already having some idea of what kind of Grimm would be waiting down at the bottom of the ship.
"Alright, but don't you or Ruby DARE to die to this thing!" Edward shouted as he ran into the ship. They both were too valuable to his plans to die here, especially to that baby of a Grimm.
[Inside the ship…]
"Oi, Huntsman lad, this way!" A scruffy seaman wearing a blue and white striped sleeveless shirt hollered over to Edward. A quick observation told him that the man was Level 8, no Semblance or Aura unlocked, and his history also didn't hold anything of any discernable worth, so he didn't bother reading the man's name.
"The cap'n sent me to lead ye down to where the scurvy beast is doing damage, the name's Adrion Odell, glad to meet ye." The man introduced himself in a hurry as he led Edward deeper into the ferry's hold. And as they descended lower, Edward could hear the faint sound of metal being torn and smashed apart, along with water splashing.
"Okay then, so we're in deep shit." Edward grimaced as they reached the bottom floor, and the door leading to where the sound was coming from, or the cargo room, as the sign on the door said. The Grimm was probably either wrecking the cargo, or even worse, making the hole even bigger.
The seaman nodded in agreement. Not only was their cargo in danger, but if the hole got bigger and bigger, then not only would they be taking in too much water, but the Nereus would also be able to enter the ship and do much, MUCH worse damage.
"Alright then, I'm going in. Do not come in unless I tell you to, unless you want to die." Edward said as he entered the cargo room, not giving the surprised Adrion a chance to come after him. For what he was going to do, he couldn't afford to leave any witnesses, and although he would appreciate the drops from the seaman, he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks this early.
As he locked the door with 3-D's Grace, Edward looked at the Grimm that was crouching in the middle of the cargo room, smashing its pincers against the metal to make the man-sized hole even bigger. Looking at it from behind, Edward could see that it resembled a humanoid lobster about a meter tall, with white bone plates protecting its back. From what he could see, the joints were unprotected by the carapace, shoving the black flesh underneath.
[Observation]
/Grimm\
Shipbreaker LV: 9
Maturity: Young Adult.
HP: 99
MP: 40
While Shipbreakers lack in size and speed when compared to some other aquatic Grimm, their pincers are powerful enough to cut into metal and their carapace is strong enough to block a bullet or a dozen. However, as these Grimm prefer to hide away as they mature, they lack the combat experience that other Grimm develop while fighting against Huntsmen and Huntresses, and thus are among the weakest of Grimm.
EXP Yield: 900
Item Drops: Replica Shipbreaker pincers (x2), Replica Grimm Bone plating{Small] (x10)
Summoning his Stand as he crouched down, Edward sent out his Mana along the floor, stopping as it attached to the Shipbreaker's feet. The Grimm didn't show any sign of noticing what Edward did. "Let's see if this works, [I.D Create: Void]." He quietly said as he hoped that his gamble worked.
"Bughee!?" The Shipbreaker screeched in confusion as it's pincer's failed to hit its intended target. In fact, the whole vessel of men was gone, replaced by a blank emptiness.
[Through a specific action, the Active skill: ID Trap has been created.]
ID Trap: A skill where the user drags other beings into their Illusion Barriers.
Active Skill Effect: {Drags targets within range into the user's ID. Any EXP to this Skill is also given to ID Create. Range: 5 Meters. MP Cost: 25.}
Active Skill LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
"YES, the plan worked!" Edward smiled as 3-D's Grace grabbed the confused Grimm in a full nelson, taking glee as the Grimm flailed around in vain as it attempted to free itself from the hold, but its pincers were unable to bend enough to even try attacking the Stand's arms. While he was trying to come up with a way to get the Nereus out of the water, he had thought back to the Gamer manhwa, more specifically how the characters in The Gamer could stumble into Illusion Barriers or get dragged into one, so he wondered: What's stopping him from dragging other beings into his Illusion Barriers?
The only qualm he had with attempting it before was that if he failed, the Nereus would be free to start peppering the ship with more shots, or possibly escape. However, in this cargo room, with a far weaker Grimm, he felt quite comfortable with his odds of success.
[For coming up with a new useful to use ID Create, you gain 3 WIS and 3 INT!]
Sitting down in a cross-legged position, Edward activated his [Meditation], keeping it up until he heard the satisfying ding of his MP fully recharging.
Smirking, Edward walked over to the flailing Shipbreaker, phasing through his Stand as he held both of his hands out, stopping when the Shipbreaker's head was in the space between them.
Then, he spawned two [Mana Blades], smiling in glee as the Shipbreaker starter screeching and writhing in pain as the blades dug into its eyes [-68 HP. 31/99], before Edward thinned the blades, twisting the blades backwards into the soulless monster's head [-52 HP. RETIRED!], causing the screeching and writhing to stop as the Grimm's body went slack, smoke coming off from the fresh carcass.
[Edward Smith has reached LV11]
Current EXP: 675/1100
Dispelling the blades and the Illusion Barrier, Edward had his Stand drop the carcass as he walked over to the door, and opened it, causing Adrion to jump back and pretend that he wasn't trying to listen through the steel door. "Oi, got rid of the Grimm, so start fixing up the hole." Edward said bluntly, staying with Adrion as the man nodded, running over to the hole with a blowtorch and steel panel in hand.
"Well, you did a damn fine job, now just wait for a couple of minutes while I patch up this hole." Adrion said as he started welding the steel panel in place. Edward took the chance to use [Meditate], recharging his MP as the man worked as fast as he could to tightly plug up the hole.
"Alright, it's all patched up, now go and help out the lasses." Adrion said as he finished the patchwork. It would hold for now, but if they kept taking hits like that, then they'd be up to their ears in crap.
Edward left before Adrion even had a chance to turn towards him, overlapping his own legs with those of his Stand to run faster than he could with his own.
And when he finally reached the top deck, he was pleased to find that Yang wasn't resembling a pincushion, unlike most of the deck, empty shotgun shells and the remains of shattered barbs littering the deck.
"Hey Ed, glad to see that you in one piece." Yang greeted, reloading her weapon.
"Hey, give me some credit. Anyway, what's the situation, did the Nereus damage the rotors even more?" Edward asked.
"Nah, the big guy's been hanging back and blasting us with barbs before diving, which is getting real annoying." Yang said, her lilac-colored eyes gaining a red tint to them.
"Well then, it's good that I got a plan to take the Nereus out of the water." Edward said, sighing in relief as Yang's eyes lost the red tint. The last thing he needed right now was Yang going super and accidentally wrecking the ship.
"I sense a 'but' coming…" Yang narrowed her eyes. Edward's tone didn't carry a sense of triumph when he said that he had a plan.
"Well, we have to be pretty close to it, five meters or less in order to get this to work." Edward explained, just as another volley of barbs started coming down on them, the two jumped away from the volley, the barbs burying themselves into the deck with a solid thunk sound.
"Well, I doubt that it'll come over if we just ask nicely." Yang said as Ruby took another shot at the Nereus, only for the Dust round to graze it as it dove under [-10 HP. 117/161].
"Yeah, so we need to draw it in closer." Edward scratched his chin in thought, trying to come up with a plan to draw the Nereus closer to the ship. The obvious idea would be to cause more negativity to draw it in, but that could attract other Grimm in the area, so that's a no-go. And it wasn't like they could just kill the engines, since being a sitting duck was NOT a good idea in this situation.
"Eureka!" Finally, Edward came up with an idea. "Oi Ruby!" he hollered to the small reaperrette on the higher deck.
"Yeah?" Ruby looked away from her scope to look at Edward.
"I need you to stop shooting at the Nereus." Edward said, drawing in odd looks from the two sisters.
"Umm… why?" Ruby asked, not understanding what Edward was planning. She could keep shooting at it when it tried to shoot at them, and Edward had could make those barriers, so why was he asking her to stop shooting at it?
"Well, I got a plan, and a Skill that I tested before, to get it out of the water. The downside is, I need to be at most five meters away from it." Edward explained. If the Nereus thought that they no longer had any ammo left, then the Nereus would come in closer to wreck the rotors for good.
"Oh, okay, we're setting a trap." Ruby realized, while Yang gave a thumbs-up of approval at the plan Edward was proposing.
"Tell the ship's crew to cut their rate of fire to half, we can't have the Nereus get suspicious about the lack of resistance." Edward added. Even if the Grimm wasn't old enough to form a complete plan, it was obviously smart enough to keep firing when he wasn't around to make shields, so he didn't want to risk the Grimm realizing that it was heading for a trap, not before it was too late for it to escape.
"Got it!" Ruby said as she ran to tell the captain what they were planning.
"So, you mind telling me about this super Skill that you're planning to use?" Yang asked in curiosity.
"Hmm, it's a bit hard to explain properly, but think of it as a fighting arena-like dimension that I can drag enemies into." Edward hoped that his brief explanation was simple enough for Yang to understand. He didn't know what kind of video games Remnant had, aside from that one Street Fighter-like one that Qrow played with Yang.
"Interesting…" Yang raised a single eyebrow at the explanation, noting to herself to ask what kind of enemies, if any, this arena could provide. After a while, beating in the heads of Beowolves and Ursai got pretty boring, so she was excited at the prospect of getting to fight something new.
And so, they waited, dodging the occasional barbs that the Nereus shot at them, before diving beneath the waves to avoid the cannons. This kept going on for a while, and Edward couldn't help but wonder if the Nereus had decided to escape rather than keep fighting.
However, that idea was quickly thrown away as his Danger Sense alarmed him of the Nereus approaching the rotors. He grinned as the situation couldn't be much better for him, with him being right at the edge of the ferry's rear-end, there being a three-meter distance to the rotors.
"You're in my range, [ID Trap: Void]!" Edward shouted, using his Mana to shine a blinding light from his hand as the world around him, Yang, Ruby, and more importantly, the Nereus was replaced by the blank void that was his ID.
[Through a specific action, the Active skill: Mana Flash has been created.]
Mana Flash: A skill where the user creates a flash bang-esque effect with their Mana, intended to use to blind enemy forces.
Active Skill Effect: {Enemies who see the flash have their accuracy reduced by 70%. Range: 30 Meters. MP Cost: 5.}
Active Skill LV: 1
EXP: 0/100
"Got you, you damn overgrown sushi dish!" he grinned as the Nereus flopped around on the featureless ground, confused as to how it got there, and where the ship full of humans had disappeared to.
However, the Grimm then something that Edward hadn't expected, and leapt towards them, intent on bashing his head in with its bulk. Too bad it wasn't faster than Yang and Ruby, who took full advantage of the Grimm entering melee range, Yang stopping its momentum with a shotgun blast-enhanced punch [-89 HP. 26/161], and Ruby bisecting it at an angle with her Crescent Rose's scythe form [-141 HP. 0/161. RETIRED!].
[Ruby Rose has reached LV20]
Current EXP: 350/2000
[Yang Xiao Long has reached LV23]
Current EXP: 52/2300
[Edward Smith has reached LV13]
Current EXP: 975/1300
"[ID Escape]." Edward smiled as the void around them, putting the trio, and the bisected corpse back on the ferry's deck. Sure, that fight might have been anticlimactic to say the least, but he'd rather not dilly-dally around in the ID, not when there were witnesses to see them disappear.
"YAY! WE DID IT!" Ruby cheered as the Nereus' corpse started to disintegrate into the black smoke that Grimm always did. Now that Edward could observe it in more detail, the Nereus looked like a combination of a stonefish and a lionfish, which now that he thought about it, made more sense, considering how it seemed to use its big fins to glide when it tried to leap at him.
"Huh, neat." Yang remarked as she looked at the level up notification that hanged in front of her.
#Well, I'll be a beringel's uncle, ye kids managed to butcher that big puffer real good. Anyway, we'll be arriving in Patch's harbor in a jiffy.# The captain's voice a carried a joyful tone to it as some of the crew came out, and picked up the Nereus' corpse, carrying it towards the water to toss it overboard.
"Say Ed, what was that thing you did?" Ruby asked as the Nereus was tossed overboard with a splash.
"Well, think of it as a pocket dimension I can access, and if need be, pick a version that has enemies in it." As Edward explained it in a bit more detail, Ruby nodded, understanding what he was saying.
"COOL! So uh, do these enemies drop loot? Like, perhaps some materials that can be used to make weapons?" Ruby asked, the smile on her face failing to hide her interest in building weapons out of materials not found on Remnant.
"Well, the two Grimms we took out did drop some crafting materials, so I'm sure that a crafter who knows what they're doing could make some weapons, or add-ons to a pre-existing weapon." Edward answered, a teasing smile on his face. Of course she'd be excited at the prospect of making a possibly mystical weapon with unknown properties.
"Hey, speaking of weapons, mind letting me take a look at yours?" Ruby asked, remembering that she hadn't gotten a good look at it with all the stuff with the Grimm attacking.
"Sure." Edward handed Verde Carnicero to Ruby, who started looking the weapon over with a critical eye, looking at it from different angles, shifting it from travel mode to axe form, and then to assault rifle.
'Hmm…the weapon seems to be in a pretty good condition, but something feels off…' Ruby had seen a number of weapons ever since she started studying at Signal, ranging from simple guns that had a blade attached to them, to a complex piece of art like her baby, but one thing was a constant among all of them. They all emitted a kind of a warmth that was the result of a lot of care, love and pride that came not only from the weapon being built, but also from being kept in good condition.
And yet, when she looked over Edward's weapon, she couldn't feel any of that warmth from Edward's weapon, only thing she could feel from it was cold indifference and bitter determination. And it definitely wasn't the result of a weapon being kept in bad shape, quite the opposite, the weapon looked just perfect, no sign of misuse or shoddy repair work anywhere.
This puzzled Ruby a lot, as even a freshly-made weapon should have some warmth to them, but the weapon in her hands felt completely numb in her hands. But aside from the little oddities, the weapon was definitely meant to be used in a fight, the amount of moving parts being rather small making it a sturdy, if not a bit simplistic weapon that could switch between ranged and melee pretty quickly.
"Something wrong, Ruby?" Edward asked, breaking her out of her thought process.
"Uh, it's nothing." Ruby said, handing Verde Carnicero back to Edward. The numbness probably came from his Amnesia or something, nothing to worry about.
AN: And that's all folks, and MERRY CHRIIIIISTMAS! But yeah, sorry you guys had to wait so long for this chapter, but I was sorta busy drawing the Grimms that were in this chapter (plus Pokemon Sun came out…). Also, can you tell that this was my first time fighting a seaside battle? Yeah, I'm not all that good when it comes to writing fights like that.
But anyway, to clear up some things, yes, this story is going to be different from the Canon, whether it be what effect the Silver Eyes have on Maidens to what Semblance Ren or Jaune may have. Granted, I could wait for those things to be revealed, but I don't have the time for that. Also, yeah, Ruby can sorta get a feel of a person by analyzing their weapon. Which would make sense, considering how most, if not all Huntsmen and Huntresses build their own Weapons, so their weapons are bound to tell a bit about their user, even something as insignificant as their favorite color.
Also man, I fucking love the RWBY content we've been getting, especially the WOR Videos, and speaking of which, Weiss' Grandfather is literally SANTA! Anybody else thinking that the only reason he's still in no condition to run the SDC is because Jacque is slowly poisoning him?
So yeah, feel free to expect chapters of this length regarding this story, and other stories that started with a chapter of similar length. And speaking of stories, I have a Poll deciding the story that will replace Enduring Soul, and it'll be up until the end of January, so drop a vote before it's too late.
Guest reviews answered:
PsionicsKnight(26th of October, 2016): Well, most of the chapter did take place in nightclub/bar run by a gang boss, so the swearing was a bit more present than what it would have been in other locations. And about Edward not changing things, yeah, well, this is only the start, so the changes will be coming a bit later.
Edward's Current Stat Sheet.
Edward Smith LV: 13
EXP: 975/1300
Stand: 3-D's Grace
HP: 150
MP: 95/120
Aura: 237
STR: 11
INT: 30
VIT: 10
WIS: 31
DEX: 12
AGI: 10
Points: 36
Lien: 26100
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
Aura Unlocked: Your Aura has been unlocked, thus giving you limited protection from bullets.{Damage lower than your current Aura is deducted from your Aura, until it hits 0, then you will take damage normally.}
And now for out new segment on this chapter, Grimm glossary, where we will be portraying the stats of each Grimm species as they appear, and the first entries will be the two Grimms created for this chapter. And first up is the Nereus, a Grimm that was created by HaveBookWillTravel, a great RWBY writer, and I highly suggest you go read his story.
Also, take note that these stats are a representation of the Grimm Species itself, and not the individual Grimm.
Grimm Glossary.
Grimm Entry: 01.
Grimm Species: Nereus
Power: C
Agility: B
Range: A
Durability: C
Precision: A
Developmental Potential: D
Summary: The Nereids are a species of sea-dwelling Grimm that fight primarily at a range, their poisonous barbs carrying a paralyzing toxin. Usually moving in groups of 4, they target civilian vessels, shooting at them to cause enough stir to attract more Grimm to the scene. Older specimen have been known to glide across the ground using their gigantic fins as they leap at their target when on land. However, the Nereids do this as a last resort, since their flabby bodies are not well suited to fight at close range.
And next off, we have one that was named by HaveBookWillTravel, and designed by me.
Grimm Entry: 02.
Grimm Species: Shipbreaker
Power: B
Agility: D
Range: D
Durability: B
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: E
Summary: While rather slow, the Shipbreakers are not to be underestimated, as their pincers can break bone, and enough blows can even break steel. However, despite their power, these Grimm would rather turn their backs to the fight rather than take it like a man, and considering their sturdy exoskeleton, killing them from the back is rather hard to do, but with a strong enough blow, the exoskeleton can be broken through.
So yeah, I might need to make a separate "story" for all the additional info, as these Author notes are getting a bit crowded, or is it just me? Oh yeah, and here's an explanation about the Grimm stats:
Power: Whether it be sheer physical power, or other dangerous elements meant to take down huntsmen, they'll be taken into account here.
Agility: Speed, how well the Grimm species in question handles the speed and so on.
Range: How far the Grimm species in question can reach with its attack
Durability: How much damage they can take before dying.
Precision: Are they a brute that's swinging madly, or are they a snake waiting for a weak spot to open up?
Developmental Potential: How intelligent, how much they change as they grow older.
Also, what do you think of the new skills that Edward made? The Illusion Barriers are always used in Gamer fics, but nobody that I have seen have thought of using them in the way that they seemed to be intended, to drag enemies into unfavorable battles. And yeah, I've been reading World Trigger, along with a few other Manga and Manhua.
And I also just watched JoJo4: DIU's finale, and dammit, it tugged at my heartstrings, definitely hungry for any news about Vento Aureo getting an anime release.
Anyway, here's the question of the chapter: If you could choose between having a Semblance or having a Stand, which one would you pick?