If it ain't too much hassle, I'd recommend reading the AN down below.
We're Off To See The Wizard…
Yeah, so, if y'all ever actually have this happen to you, here are rules one and two:
1. Never, ever let your HP get under a quarter of your Maximum. Basic gaming tactics.
2. Don't let your AP drop either. Because you pass out.
I'm guessing it's probably based on your Max and your Passive Regen, which is why I took almost forty-eight hours to wake back up. By that point, Qrow and Amber had dragged me all the way to a village just outside of Vale's borders.
I woke up to the interesting experience of Qrow tending to my wounds. Well, he would have been, if I actually had any. As it was, he seemed to be trying to figure out how I walked away without a scratch.
"Hey, you're awake kid. How do you feel?"
"Fine, just a little groggy. Where are we?"
Qrow ignored my question, instead nodding his head and moving to close the door.
"Kid, you know we're gonna need to talk about what happened, right?"
I nodded. It made sense. Some random kid comes out of nowhere, manages to beat some serious muscle without a scratch, then passes out for no reason? Yeah, not the easiest thing to explain.
"First things first, what do you remember about the fight?" Qrow was sitting backwards on a little chair, for all intents and purposes looking like a crow perched on a branch.
"You and I were walking through the forests when we heard weapon fire. We ran towards the sound, you told me to stay out of it, and I didn't do that." I sat up on the bed, my left arm feeling a little numb, but otherwise fine.
Status Effect: Stage Two Muscle Fatigue- Reduced flexibility and strength from this appendage. (Time- 00:10)
Interesting anecdote, but I was more concerned with the look Qrow was giving me. If the show and my current world were similar, then Qrow was not someone I wanted to become a problem for. He may be on the right side, and definitely saner than his sister, but the old rogue had made tougher decisions than offing some upstart like me.
"Kid- Jaune. No games on this, I'm being serious. The people you fought, the woman we saved… What do you know about them?"
Qrow's scarlet eyes were boring into me. There was no chance for bluffing on this one, I'd just have to tell him the truth and hope for the best.
Well, I would, if I didn't have a skill specifically to help me lie and another to prevent me from cracking.
"Just that I saw three people ganging up on some poor traveler and that I was close enough to help. Though I didn't expect how well-trained they were. And given the power they were packing, I'm willing to bet that woman is a bit more important than you're letting on, isn't she?"
I stood up and closed the distance between me and Qrow. We stood eye to eye (thankfully the same as my original height), but Qrow had something else to him that let him win the standoff. People like the Branwen's have a certain quality about them. Some might call it Aloofness, or Detached, or just Weird.
I'd call it Lethality.
Something about them just made it very clear. 'This man can kill you with less effort than it takes for him to get dressed in the morning.' That kinda thing.
So naturally, I backed off. Thankfully it seemed like I had at least (somewhat) endeared myself to Qrow. The old man sighed and sipped at his flask, motioning for me to follow him as he left the room.
"Look, there's a lot going on. More than you need to know, and more than you should ever know. But you helped a lot more than you thank, and that earns you at least a little something in my book. That girl? Her name is Amber. She's barely any older than you, but she got a pretty bad shake at life. Suffice it to say she's important, and you saved her."
We walked into a small living room, Amber gently resting on the couch. I guess one of the villagers lent us a guest cabin of some kind.
"Kid. You've got something. I don't know what you'd call it, but you've got it. The same thing everyone looks for when they start out, and a lot of'em don't end up ever finding it." Qrow's voice seemed to have aged a couple decades since we started talking. It hit me that I never saw these parts in the show. It was just something fun to mess around with, and sure there were sad parts, but nothing quite like this.
A man just being broken.
"It ain't courage, it ain't hope, compassion, or any of those others. It's resilience. Being hit by things left and right, but keeping your head down and just moving on. I can see it Kid, right in your aura."
He stood again, walking over to the window and watching the small village go about their day.
"You said you were gonna be a huntsman, right?"
I turned to face him, still trying to understand what he was getting at.
"Yeah, I've already applied to Beacon."
"Congrats, you've just been accepted."
Didn't take us very long to make it to Vale. We were moving quietly, all of us staying in the shadows. By the time we had made it to our safehouse, I finally had a chance to look over the results of my fight with Cinder.
Name: Jaune Arc.
Class: Rogue Knight, Specter (Active)
Title: Heir Apparent, Little Light, Brother, Fount of Courage
Level: 40
HP: 8000/8000
AP: 16000/16000
Stats:
STR- 35
VIT- 45
DEX- 45
INT- 35
WIS- 35
CHA- 45
LUK- X
Skills:
Body of Code (Passive)- Due to unique events, your body doesn't process physical information in a standard way. Pain, Hunger, Heat, etc. will all be nullified into status effects. Can be manually disabled.
Mind of Frost (Activated)- The Game passively negates all mental effects, unless self-induced. When activated, no mental effect can be attributed to caster. All emotional response is negated, allowing the Gamer to focus solely on the task at hand.
Rallying Speech (Level 1)- A righteous fury fills your soul, granting your speech the words and aura to rally even the most cowardly of allies.
Will of Shadows- You may serve the light, but the shadows welcome you as their old friend. Conceal caster for up to sixty seconds or until concentration is broken via attack.
Sunder Bonds- Through tenacity, rage, and an unfortunate event, your aura was unlocked and given a unique ability outside of your semblance. Caster can remove all biological inhibitors, allowing for an increase to STR, VIT, and DEX at the cost of HP. Aura cannot be substituted. Caster will lose control over emotional output, the last designated target becoming their sole reason to live. Mind of Frost cannot negate this effect.
Rogue- Who ever said fighting was fair? User disregards traditional fighting styles, instead appropriating whatever resources are nearby and using them to their fullest. +10 to INT +10 to WIS +15 to DEX.
Specter- A thief in the night has nothing on me… User fades from surroundings, unable to be passively detected unless they reveal themselves. +20 to DEX +15 CHA
Items:
Crocea Mors:
Item Class- Hand and a half sword.
Bio- Forged in a war long forgotten and passed through the generations of the Arc family, this weapon is mostly thought of as a relic. But it is far more. It cannot dull, it cannot break, and any Arc can tell there's more to it than meets the eye.
Weapon Abilities:
Steal Forged- Focused on your opponent, you gain insight into their very soul. Match them step for step, swing for swing. Allows user to mimic targets style and skill for up to two minutes.
Rage of War- This blade was forged in a time where the light was lost. It was instrumental in recovering the light and bringing it back to man, but it is not of the light. It is of blood, pain, and gnashing of teeth. The user may allow the past wielders to guide the blade.
?- You're not ready to know of this skill.
Hunting Rifle:
Item Class- Bolt Action Rifle (.30-60)
Bio- Classic rifle. No fancy parts, just a reliable partner.
Weapon Abilities:
Oiled Receiver- Years of good maintenance has left this weapon in pristine condition. Weapon is immune to jamming, ejection failure, or any mechanical failure.
Gunslinger's Knife:
Item Class- Secondary weapon
Bio- A weapon from another world, a relic from another life. The edge is sharper than any normal blade, it's perfectly balanced, and the hilt feels like shakin' hands with an old friend.
Weapon Abilities:
Incendiary Blade- Coated with an unknown substance, if this blade is thrown and hits its target, target will combust. +5 flame damage.
Knife Juggler- No tricks up these sleeves. If target is downed with a headshot from the throwing knife, knife is instantly replaced to sheathe.
All in all, it was a pretty good haul for something that wasn't supposed to happen. The throwing knife from Destiny threw me for a loop, but it was the last one that really got me.
M6- Carnifex:
Item Class- Sidearm
Bio- Developed by a scientist during a manufactured plague, this weapon proved more effective than any scalpel. Though, there is weight to it that is unexpected. One that pulls on the soul…
Weapon Abilities:
Switch Up- User can switch between ammo types on the fly. Allows for AP, Incendiary, and Cryo rounds.
Mordin's Promise- The bonds forged in war are not easily broken. Weapon is immune to fatigue, damage, and status effects.
So apparently, it isn't just RWBY that I've stumbled into. It's a whole new universe.
Things just got a lot harder.
"Hey, Jaune. Qrow said it's time to move."
I looked up to see Amber offering me a hand. Despite essentially living with her for a week or so, we really hadn't interacted that much. Even still, I found myself appreciating her calmer quietness. Qrow's silence was too… heavy. My own was too contemplative.
"Right. Thanks, let's get moving."
She put a hand on my arm, staring me down. I could see the storm in her eye, that seemingly eldritch power pooling inside her.
"When we get to Beacon, I don't know what'll happen. But in case I don't get to see you again, I wanted to thank you. Again."
I smiled as best I could, my mind still trying to grasp my newfound knowledge, and grabbed the Maiden in a side-hug.
"It may not be easy to get word to me, but you can always call on me for help Amber."
I didn't quite manage to miss the soft "If only" as I walked away.
You ever get the feeling when you play a game or watch a show, where it's like, "Yeah, that place is pretty cool. Wonder what it'd be like to go there?" Well, I can tell you what it's like for Beacon.
Really, really, REALLY imposing.
I mean, seriously. The thing is a freakin' fortress with a giant emerald watch tower. And I actually know what sits at the top, and it ain't some coffee drinking old man. At least, not just that.
"Alright Kid, time for you to meet the Wizard of Oz."
OKAY. I'M STILL HERE. Wow, wasn't ready for college. Alrighty, this isn't entirely complete, but I'm throwing it together as I go. And I've felt super bad about leaving y'all without an update. So, here a quick few clarifications. 1) There will be plenty of crossover from lots of games. Feel free to suggest. 2) Next Chapter is getting to the story we all know. 3) I will probably be just as bad at updating this stuff until Christmas Break. Sorry. Alrighty, guess that's it. Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Arebus
