Interlude A


I remember vividly the details of Nan's face when I came home with my first of several Black eyes, the lines on her face suddenly darkening as she took my appearance in, the way her eyes narrowed and flit about my face, and the slight scowl as she asked what had happened. I also remember the dressing down I received for not returning the favor to the insignificant little children that had so graciously gifted me with their present. How little I deserved the cruelty and their Violence. How anyone with her name, who had earned the name, deserved much better. That if anything was to occur it would be me crushing them underneath my feet and making it clear where they belonged.

I remember how she shook her head when I shrugged in acceptance of the missive, the woman turning and moving into the kitchen to grab what I assumed was liquor.

I also remember her face, her very angry face, that she stormed into the Principal's office the next day, after I had Beaten up my entire First grade Class.


End of Interlude.


"So what now?" I asked as I began to stretch on the rooftop, "You're just gonna follow me around?"

"You said you were gonna train, and I think I need the training," came the response form the young woman watching me stretch, not so subtly amused by my odd stretching behavior. 'My back had always been hard to crack, sue me.' She sighed before beginning her own routine of Warm ups to the side, "Especially if you can just laugh off a gang war so casually."

I barked a laugh as I began to Shadow Box and get into the Rhythm of punches, "Gang War implies two Gangs Fightin', this was a one-man War," and as I settled into the familiar rhythm of throwing hands I began to notice a difference in how I was moving. Sure, My hands moved much slower than the destructive power they were capable of suggested and the motions were an unplanned assault, but now it felt much more natural and Meaningful than in fights before the start of the Game, as I had taken to calling it.

It also had the added benefit of the [Splash] Skill, which broadened the Surface area of my fist by a relatively small margin, but for the purposes of Aerodynamics it was enough to create small gusts with each Punch. It was an odd experience to feel the world succumb to your will on such an observable level, to have the winds shift for your fists.

But then again, it was also odd to think that the hands that had once believed raw knuckles were a worry could now pulverise stone if they were put towards that purpose or that they had sent deadly enemies rocketing away with minimal thought. Just the single-minded determination to move forward that had brought me down my path and a little screen to help me find the most effective way of doing so had brought me far.

It was a little scary, but a whole hell of a lot cooler than that. I stopped shadow Boxing by dumping thirty four stamina, the amount I regenerated in a second, into each punch for the last minute, relishing in the effect of [Thundering Blow] as the small shockwaves split the night. As I finished the Routine I let my breathing return to normal and turned to my new Companion to see what her Warmup had been, but she was just staring at me from her awkward position in the middle of a stretch.

Maybe I took warm ups too seriously. I had been taught to never strain myself unnecessarily, and being impaired because I didn't warm up wouldn't have been accepted when Nan was Alive, so it wouldn't be accepted even if she was gone. 'Just Keeping the Tradition alive.'

Taylor stood from her stretch and crossed her arms over her chest as she gave me a look that read 'unimpressed,' which I thought looked a tiny bit brittle. "Alright, I know we've fought before, but I think one of us wasn't taking it seriously. I'd appreciate a little effort, so I can see what you can do. I'd also appreciate if we could start out with just Hand to Hand."

I smiled as the audible sounds of growls began to lilt past my ears, and as her fists began to ball I focused on being as non-lethal as possible. As annoying or obtrusive as her presence may have been, she was taking steps to become better or at least useful, which was to praised. With a yell she fell upon me, and as I slid into the motions of the Brawl I tried to understand the Style being utilized against me.

Precision and Speed, an unholy amount of fists, and brutal kicks aimed for vital parts of the body. She had a habit of evading my much slower attacks and attacking while I was unbalanced, but also over extending in her bursts of percussion, as though she hadn't even thought of how quickly I would retaliate. She also seemed to know her moves, because it felt as though each series of blows was practiced meticulously to allow for the most efficient flow of energy between them, but it also made her horribly predictable.

In line with me holding back, I tried to emulate the Level of Fitness I had in the first dungeon, barely above Civilian level strength and abilities, because this was an evaluation. Not an execution. And so I threw myself to the ground under her spinning roundhouse with a roll, that was just as clumsy as I had always been, before springing up with a jump. I anticipated her dodge before I even leapt, but the sheer speed that she shot off at was still staggering. Before I had even reached where she had been, she had already bounced off the nearest building and slammed into my side with a feral snarl.

As my Hp dropped about a thousand and I was sent careening into an abandoned building's third floor, I came to the realization that I might have said something wrong.

I laughed as I blasted the collapsed roof off of me, before picking up a piece of rebar and lightly throwing a foot or so to get the feel for it. I stepped towards the hole in the wall as I heard a thump in the distance. I threw the makeshift weapon like a javelin, not even bothering to use any skill, and hopped to the left of where I had been standing. As I landed, a brown blur smashed into the ground and I swung as she stood up.

As her style had suggested, she ignored the attack to press her perceived advantage, her hands adorned with Spiked Knuckles that looked wicked in the low light. They even seemed to glow gold as she attempted to slam combos into me, and on her feet were a similar set of boots with bladed ridges that had been hidden before the fight. Simple weapons utilized brutally, and had they had blades on the sole as well, my gambit to win the first fight would have been a messy affair.

But, seeing as I hadn't got as far as I had avoiding pain or risk, I Slammed my forehead into hers before rearing up my Right knee into her to make some space in between us. The dirt and dust caked floor left a dust cloud as she slid back from the force, and I leapt forward to deliver a flying knee to her chin. She crouched and surged forward to meet me with a vicious Punch, but I surprised her grabbing her arm and continuing my flight path without any noticeable difficulty. I landed in a spin before bodily throwing her by the arm through the outside wall.

Without hesitation I launched myself as well, not really caring about the building that was falling behind me, and zoomed towards her position where she had just come out of her death spiral. I caught her around the waist and, still without a means to slow my movements, dug an arm into the Bricks and Plaster. It may have hurt like hell, and I'm half sure I left most of my arm in pieces along the dozen foot long trench along the wall, but the frantic way that Taylor was freaking out in my grasp told me that it wouldn't have ended great for her otherwise.

"Y-You're fucking insane!" she hoarsely screamed as she tried and failed not to squirm as she looked down upon the hundred and twenty foot drop below us.


[Disarmed] Status Effect Applied!

Limb removed, restore 20% of Max Hp to Regrow.


I could only laugh through the pain in response.


The look she gave me when I said that the pulped remnant of my arm were "Nothing too major," was nothing compared to when she noticed that the muscle was visibly knitting itself back together, even as we lounged around the Building we had crashed into at the end of the Spar. She was speechless, which was odd for the short amount of time we had spent together, before she slumped over and hung her head in her hands.

I chuckled a bit, the bloody look reflected in a pool of water by my side that I was sure would put anyone off, before looking in disgust and curiosity at the sight of my arm healing itself, before noticing that the Healing wasn't even across the arm. Everything above the middle of my forearm had been gone, and it was healing noticeably fast, but the bones were lagging behind. I found that odd, and when I used Second Wind I was also irked to find that the regeneration was boosted to my entire arm, so the flesh healed even quicker than before.

I frowned at my slowly forming stump and concentrated on the feeling that Came with [Second Wind] and [First Aid], and focused my entire being on instilling the Feeling on my bone. My eyes closed, but I could feel the area being focused upon shrinking ever so slowly and before I could complete it I was out of Stamina, but I could feel the end and began to substitute Health instinctually as I inched closer past the gate of inspiration.

And then Suddenly, there was a flood of relief as the bone began to reform and my [Adrenaline Rush] cut out.


Skill Learned; Osteogenesis;

Due to Prior Experience, Level 7!

Cost to use, .93% of Health and Stamina per 1% of Bone Structure affected.

Known Effects;

-Regen; Replace lost Bone with your own vitality, decreasing Limb regen Effect Durations by 70%.

-Hardening; Temporarily Increase the Amount of Damage Limbs can Take by 35%. Lasts until next Rest.

-[?]


I blinked at the Notification, partly because it was a great Skill to have, but mostly because it said I had used it before today. Now, I didn't like to look back very often, as that was where mistakes lived, but I feel like I would have remembered Spontaneously hardening my Bones or regrowing an arm when I was younger.

"So," came the thoroughly deadpan voice from across the trashed room, "When were you Awakened?" I simply raised my eyes from the quickly regrowing arm as I regrew the two arm bones to stare at her quizzically, "How long have you been able to do this? I feel like I would've been able to tell you were like this in School. You aren't exactly subtle," she ended with a smirk in her voice.

"Eh," I stalled as I tried to remember and place things in my mind before just bringing up my Note on myself before shrugging my shoulders when it didn't say, "Not too long, I guess," It had certainly felt longer than ten days, "Happened during the Fall for certain."

She let out a whistle in appreciation, "You've come pretty far for such a short time, but if you gave me enough time I could still beat you."

I looked up from the Skills page listing how close I was to levelling up in each of them, "Is it like this for everyone?" Seemed like an oddity I hadn't heard about it in my entire time at the Preparatory School.

"Didn't someone, like your Grandma or whoever, explain this when they awakened you?" I simply stared at her as I tried to wrap my head around the thought of missing an Info Dump somewhere along the line.

"No one awakened me, I woke up on my own," and I had woken up on my own since I could remember, but I had an inkling of a feeling that she was referencing something I wasn't familiar with.

"Oof," she huffed in response, "I've heard those are always rough. I'm actually not very surprised you're so strong if you Awakened yourself, it usually happens when someone gets really close to Death, in one way or another."

She stopped to appraise me before continuing, "And that's probably to your benefit. I know we haven't really had time to talk about it, but How are you planning on getting out of here tomorrow?"

"Why would I be leaving Tomorrow?" I had planned on waiting out the siege, because I had never heard of a colony or town with direct access to a City actually lost to the Grimm.

"Because they're blowing the Tunnels tomorrow?" My eyes swivelled from my almost healed hand to meet her barely visible eyes in the Dark, and it must have been obvious as she physically flinched away form my gaze, "Guess you didn't know that, huh?"

"Why in the Hell are they gonna blow the Tunnels?" I growled, though I'm sure she knew the aggression wasn't aimed at her as she answered without any anxiety in her voice.

"They've been trying to blow them for the last few weeks, but The Don had been interfering while he insured he had a way to get him and his people out. And then you came along to throw a wrench in that plan, distracting the Syndicate for long enough that the Military finished moving their assets out of the City. Now they're ready to Leave, but they're not gonna leave the tunnels open for all of the civilians. Grimm would get in, too."

"That's…" 'My fault, Horrible, something I need to fix,' "An Issue. Looks like we've got things to do, Girlie." and with that I stood up, gratefully feeling the newly healed flesh settling and my Stamina coming to a rest at Full. I irritably swiped at the notification that had popped into existence, before addressing Taylor once more, "I need you to run an errand for me."


Quest Started: Landing the DisMount!

Asshats are running with their tails between their legs, remind them that they have people to protect. With your fists, most likely!
-Evacuate as much of the Civilian Population as possible, 0%/100%

Rewards; + 1 Free point per 10% evacuated, [Guardian Angel] Trait, and the ability to sleep at night knowing you tried.

Failure; Death.


I landed in a crouch in front of the Library an hour later, glad to recognise most of the Faces in the Place and not smell anything resembling Death in the Air. I stood and simply walked towards the Front door and the men standing guard seemed to remember me from before as they moved out of my way. I wasted no time and entered the Front Lobby as Calmly and quickly as I could manage, before Singling out a random citizen after seeing no sign of Team STRQ.

"Where's Janette?" His face visibly paled, and I felt my [Intimidate] skill turn on, but I focused instead on his finger pointing me to the second Floor. I heard the Door to her Office open, but I superseded her coming to me by Jumping to the second floor and bypassing the stairs entirely. I landed fairly stably in front of a very surprised Librarian, but I didn't let her speak first. "We need to Talk," And with a jerk of my head towards her Office I clarified, "In private, please."

She must have seen something grim in my face because she simply nodded in response before stepping aside to let me in. I Sidled past her and patiently waited for her to close the Door before Relaying the Bad news, that the Military had decided to cut its losses and leave the Mount to Rot. "And I've come to see if You have a way to get in contact with the Hunters-in-Training that were here last time, as I'm gonna need their help to try and evacuate the remaining civilians."

"But how are you going to get the Word out? There must have been thousands of people in the City, there's just no way you could contact each and every one of them."

I sighed as I ran a hand down my face, thoroughly not liking the words I was about to say, "I have a friend, a friend who is much faster than Me, who is going around town and spreading the word."

"That's a terrible idea! They're going to Panic, maybe even riot!" She hysterically hissed at me.

"That's… That's basically the plan," I confided, "The hope is that if enough people try to push through they'll be able to overwhelm the guards on the Valean Side of the Tunnels," Now for the Big reason I came here as opposed to anywhere else, and why she would most likely object, "And they're all being told to meet here."

Janette blinked before springing to life in a flurry of hand motions and began to grow red in the face, "Why would you tell them to come here?!"

"Look, you're the closest Active Community Shelter in the City to the Tunnels, and I believe that We have to at least move as a single group for it to work. And someone has to make sure that the children are taken care of, probably in a single group towards the front, far enough so they're not actively close to any fighting, but also close enough to be pushed through once the way is clear. And the only person I could even think to ask for help was You, so… Here I am."

I waited as her breathing evened out, before being on the receiving end of a frosty glare, "I don't like the fact that you made the decision without asking me, but I also see the necessity for Haste. Very Well, I'll do my best, though I do hope you try and give me the choice to decline if anything like this happens again."

I was pretty sure it wouldn't, but I nodded solemnly anyway as she huffed and exited the room, though I was surprised to find that I still wasn't alone.

"Hi," came the hesitant voice behind me, and when I looked over my shoulder I found that the young Girl I had saved was sitting at a table in the corner of the room, a table that was absolutely covered in Books.

"Uh, Hi there Girlie," I was once again faced with my inability to talk to children, "How's this place been treatin' you?"

She shrugged as she looked back down at the book she was reading with a slight frown, "It's been… Alright, I guess. Miss Janette has taken care of me, and the Books are fun to read tool," Then she looked back up at me, "But we're going to have to leave soon, aren't we?"

"Yes, though the City'll be filled with Books, and I'll make sure you'll get to read em."

She looked back up to me, her yellow eyes piercing me as she continued to stare at me before softly calling, "D'you Promise?"

I smiled, as Taylor had drilled into me that protecting the younger civilians was to be the priority. Something about galvanizing the Crowd, or something similar, but either way I agreed that they needed the most protection. "I promise," I said, somehow unsurprised that I found myself unable to even doubt the words that came out of my mouth. They should've been bullshit, they should've hurt my throat upon saying them or rotted the teeth in my jaw, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I'd try my damnedest.

She frowned for a moment, before smiling softly and nodding slightly in acceptance. She then looked up at me with a puzzled look on her childish countenance and asked, "Mister, why are you helping people? If I was able to do what you can, I'd have left a long time ago, but you're still here, helping," She shook her head a little bit, "Why do you care?"

I thought about it, but it wasn't a hard answer for me to find. "Because I don't like seeing people sad, it makes me feel bad," And I smiled as the backbone of my simple thoughts came to me, "I wouldn't be able to stand myself if I didn't even try, and Life is too short to spend it bein' sad. So I try and help others to let them know I'm tryin' to help."

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows at me, before simply nodding and smiling in acceptance. "Do you think I should Help, too?"

I laughed and hurried to answer quickly as I heard the click-clack of heels on the stairs behind me, "That's a choice for you, and you alone, to make. A lot of people don't help anyone, and some do. I can't tell you which one is right, only the one I chose," And she nodded in response before diving back into her book with a satisfied smile on her face. As I turned to the door I stopped mid-motion as I noticed all of her books were related to Grimm, but seeing no issue with it met Janette at the door.

"Sorry I took so long," Janette explained as she came back up the stairs, "I had to recharge the batteries on the Radio, which takes a minute. We have to use the Landlines and Radios since the CCT came down, and the amount of times you have to charge these things is ridiculous," She waved a metallic box with an antenna in my direction, "Use Channel 2 and you'll get in touch with Team STRQ as well as a few Teachers from Beacon, who've been helping around the City."

I nodded in Thanks before pressing the button and barking into the receiver, "Team STRQ, say something if you hear this," Who would have guessed, my etiquette was rusty.

The machine Crackled to life in my hand, and a static charged voice responded with equal care for formality, "What do you want?" a feminine voice I immediately placed as the taller Girl of the Team barked back.

"How fast can you get to the Library?"

"Within the Hour. Somebody dying?"

I snorted at the blunt tone, as well as the whining voices that were carried through, "Without your Help? Definitely."

The response came with little to no hesitation, "On our way."

Then the radio was silent and I assumed they began to move towards my position, but the Radio came to life with much less flare than before, "Hello, This is Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy, May I ask who is on this Channel?" I looked over at Janette who nodded before walking out and dealing with the rest of the temporary residents of the shelter.

I shrugged, as without Team STRQ (or more specifically a single member of the group) I had nothing else to do, so I answered, "Name's Austin."

There was a pause, and after a moment he came back on, "And why are you on this Channel?"

"Organizing a Mass Evacuation, and I need someone who can lead them better than I can," because leaving me to lead anything was a great way to get things messed up. I couldn't even talk to children, let alone a mass of full grown adults effectively.

There was another pause before the much smoother voice came back over the Radio with understanding, "So you called for Miss Rose, A good choice indeed. If me or my partner were not currently indisposed we would Help as well, though you'll have to excuse me if we are a tad late."

"Sure, but if you do find the time do make your way to the tunnels. Pretty sure we're gonna need all the Help we can get," and with that it laid silent once more, though this time was much more final as I walked out of the office and towards the front door. I had noticed during the brief exchange that a few of the dots outside had briefly lit up Red on my Mini-Map, so I wasn't very surprised to find a rather large scuffle breaking out in front of the building. Janette was attempting to get in between a few of the Attendees to tonight's Fight, but was finally pushed backwards and landed heavily on the ground by the bottom of the Stairs.

I set my face in my best Scowl and used [Project Bloodlust] on all those involved, and I was rewarded with the entire Crowd of Level 4's and 5's coming to a complete Halt, as well as a notification stating that it had leveled up. The Crowd began to Sweat as I continued to pump the Skill, before Suddenly stopping the Assault, with a sweeping sigh of relief from those who had been affected.

"What seems to be the Issue here?" I called as I calmly stepped forward, and the Guards of the Library backed off but the newcomers remained where they stood. One in particular took a few steps forward and pointed a thick sausage link of a finger at me.

"Someone said that they're blowing the Tunnels, and that the ones trying to get us out of here were in this building, but these Dickweeds wouldn't let us in."

I looked up at the Nametag floating above his head before even considering what to say, and the words told me everything I needed to know about the man.

[George Herder]

[Level 7 Driver]

[Dedicated Father]

"Alright, a few things first; The Tunnels and the easiest way to safety with them are being blown tomorrow, No one is getting out of here unless we work together, and I'm the fuck who called you here," I clarified as I stepped towards him and jabbed a finger into his chest, happy to see him only gritting his teeth at me, "Now, There is a Team of Hunters on their way here to lead as many Civilians as they can to the Tunnels leading to Vale. I'm going ahead to clear a path and remove any obstacles I can."

I looked around and noticed that the entire crowd, looking close to two hundred adults, were listening closely, but I decided to focus on Mister Herder in front of me instead, "Sir, why are you here? You got something to fight for?" I pointed out at the crowd and then the library, "So do all of the rest, and fightin' each other ain't gonna help anyone here."

I raised my voice to be heard above the din of the crowd, "Look people, I'm blowin' a hole for you all to get out through. I just need all of you to work as a unit, and get as many people as you can through to the other side. Anyone tries to stop you or anybody else, you stop them. I expect to see most of you on the other side," And with that I leapt out of the group, hurtling over their heads to get to my own job. Honestly, I wasn't built for Talking, but I was uniquely suited for my actual job.

I just needed to stop for some Gas.


It was a busy Base I came upon, all the vehicles gone or moving towards the entrance of the Tunnels, which were hidden behind stocky, squat buildings that practically screamed government funding. There were patrols of a few soldiers dotting the premises and they wore the standard drab grey and brown fatigues that the Valean Military wore. The base was sequestered against the Main Wall of the City, and from the Towering Wall came a smaller and less secure wall, meant more as a boundary than a true fortification.

The sounds of motions came from further down the Slope up to my ears, at the end of which laid the entrances of the Tunnels a good hundred or so feet below the Level of the rest of the City. The echoes of activity resounded past me and made it extremely easy to find the place even without any detection skills.

With a groan the overburdened Pickup Truck stopped moving just before the top of the Slope, and I began to prepare for the most vital part of any introduction; The entrance.

I grabbed the nearest few Bottles filled with gasoline from the stack and replaced the makeshift corks with a rag before placing it on the ground at my feet and spending the next few minutes removing caps and stops, and then dumping a can of Gas on the entire bed of the truck, which was currently holding just under a thousand pounds of salvaged Gasoline. I then unfurled the tarp I had… Stolen, like straight up took from someone's car, and tied the dull green sheet to the Back bumper of the Truck.

And then I stepped back and pushed the Truck over the edge of the ramp.

I could see the sentries watching the Truck as it began to pick up speed and careened towards the Front Gate. My assertion that the base wasn't exactly prepared for a full-scale Assault was verified by the fact that they didn't even start demanding the thing stop before it was seconds from impact, though that's more of a statement on the sentries. I then threw myself fairly close to the Front Gate and pulled out a lighter and setting the rags of my impromptu molotovs alight before throwing them at the Truck.

To their credit, the Guards on Duty had taken the initiative to start things off politely by taking potshots at me while I was lighting the things, but There isn't much you could do against what was equivalent to fifteen hundred sticks of Dynamite going off in their face. I threw myself to the ground and covered by ears as I braced for impact.

The shockwave of wind produced by the explosion sent me Tumbling a few feet backwards, and I was over sixty feet away from it. The entire Front Gate basically sublimated or evacuated under the force, and anyone unfortunate to be within forty feet of the explosion was was sent flying in various states of unhealthy. Those guards who had taken shots at me and the towers they had been in were no longer standing, and I stiffly pulled myself to my feet and watched on my map as the plurality of dots began to converge on one building in particular before heading straight towards the front gate.

A feral smirk came across my features as I launched myself up and over the now burning husk of Truck and landed on the opposite side of the compound, deciding to go as quiet as possible while they dealt with the mayhem. I landed in a roll on the roof of the first building I found and slipped off the side to land quietly and painfully on the ground near the door. I watched from the side of the building as all of the soldiers began to stream towards the Gate or other various Defensive positions, but on my Mini-Map I noticed a group of Dots that were both White and unmoving.

I decided to check them out, and after every dot had finally settled for a minute or two I quickly made my way towards the building, which was much more flat and spread out than any of the other BUildings on the compound. I ignored the Commands and orders being shouted out near the Orange pillar that was what was left of the Front Gate and stole away into the Factory lit building instead. I found a front lobby abandoned, but also a barred gate left ajar behind the Reception desk. Behind the Gate I could see cells upon cells, most of which were filled. I entered the Halls of what seemed to be a prison, finding many faces pressed to the bars of their cells.

"Who're you, our executioner?" came a gruff call from a nearby cell, as well as solemn chuckles from other inmates. Inside stood a man of about his forties with military length Blonde Hair and dull blue eyes, Standing a little taller than I did as well as a little wider in the gut, but he was obviously well built. His face was also showing his years, as well as the stress of being imprisoned.

[Charles Schug]

[Level 12 Commander]

[Moral Orienteer]

"I just came in here to make sure that I wasn't burning innocent people," I told him bluntly as I kept an eye on the door while making my way towards his Cell, "So what are you in for?" His eyes bore into mine when I looked at him, but I went back to staring at the door as I waited for an answer. My conscience was already going to eat me alive for burning a bunch of soldiers just for doing their jobs, so I was taking steps to try and be moral.

Finally after a moment her huffed a sigh and answered, "We're here because we refused to leave our charges to burn in a forsaken city, and for our punishments they're leaving us in these cells while they leave," His voice dripped with disdain, "They even took our Leader with them as a scapegoat, they plan on blaming him for basically the fall of the Mount," He turned to the side and spit before he continued in a low gravelly drawl, "The Fucking Cowards." The rest of the people in their cells grunted or voiced their assent, "And now I hear you're burning down the place, and the thought that all of my commanding officers might go down with it only brings me joy."

This got a response from the rest of his fellow inmates as some yelled or roared their agreement and some began to pound on their doors, and I smiled a vicious smile, "Sounds like you want out," The roaring grew, and the building that held no more than fifty inmates might as well have been filled to the rafters, but I turned to the Commander and addressed him directly. "I'm trying to clear out the route to the Tunnels for a group of Civilians bearing down on it, or at the very least distract those fucks guarding it. You guys want to help?"

The smile that came over Charles' face felt very familiar to me, as the corners didn't quite reach the eyes and the eyes didn't hold any happiness. It was the smile of a predator that promised pain and fury, and one I wore often. He answered slowly and carefully as he looked me in the eye and Nodded. I went back to the Front Desk and began rooting around to find a set of keys while the howling and baying of the dogs I was about to uncage reached a fever pitch.

Then I found a red button marked as Emergency: Fire and Pushed it like my life depended on it. The moment the button was pressed a claxon erupted in the building and I heard every single cell door slide open with simultaneous creaks. I saw upon my Mini-Map that a few Dots were now headed our way, and as they were soldiers I couldn't exactly expect incompetency on either side of this fight.

For example I heard the Commander begin to Rally his troops as he marched in the Warden's office and tear the place apart in search for weapons, so I decided to buy them time.

If the ground beneath my feet cracked when I initiated the [Power Jump], then it all but shattered and cratered upon my landing, as well as the unfortunate Soldier I had chosen to land upon.

The surprised gasps and intakes of breath went unheard as a inhuman roar of rage left my mouth and my weapon whipped into and through the nearest enemy. I felt my feral smile crawl back onto my face as every single red dot swivelled and began to move towards me.


Skill Learned; Panic!

"Well, you aren't the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I've also seen your mother."

Depending on relative level and threat level, as well as active Cha modifiers, targeted individuals will become aggressive towards you. Inflicts the [Taunted] Status.

1% More Damage taken and dealt to those with the [Taunted] Status.


"COME GET SOME!" I roared into the small army of soldiers flooding around corners, equipped with a variety of Weapons. With the amount of barrels being pointed my way, I was suddenly very glad to have taken the [Juggernaut] Perk.

And at least the Night was shaping up to be interesting if nothing else.


Interlude B


"Men!" Commander Schug called sternly, and every single one of the imprisoned men stilled and turned to listen. "We have been given a second chance this day. We were tricked into imprisonment, tricked into our early graves as those that were supposed to support us would leave us in this godforsaken town to rot while they gathered their precious things and left. Those out there made their choice just as we made ours, and now we've got to put ourselves behind our words. The world saw fit to send us our second chance, as we're free once more," The crowd of one hundred and six men and women, human and faunus, cheered in response to his words, he waited for it to settle before raising a hand to call for silence. As they settled down an unearthly roar rolled over the building followed by a hail of bullets and explosions, and while some looked rattled they soon rallied and he spoke once more. "Out there, there is a young man, the same one who just freed us, who is fighting for the same reason we were locked away. He seeks to open the Tunnels, or at the very least to get as many people through to the other side as possible, and I mean to help him along." The building was quickly filled with the roars of agreement and the sounds of makeshift weapons being beaten against bars, but they quieted enough for him to yell over him, his voice going hoarse, but he kept speaking, "I Mean to Fight!" Another Roar, and he echoed the noise before rushing out the front door with shock baton of the Warden in Hand.

What he found on the other side was mayhem, a pillar of fire and smoke erupting from the charred remains of the Front gate, a little under three hundred soldiers firing at one figure who went through the swathes of soldiers one at a time, and the unlucky few who were caught in friendly fire as soldiers tried to target their attacker. The young man took all the blows the Commander taught his soldiers to avoid, but retaliated in a way that left no room for doubt that he was the stronger. As some nearby soldiers began to take potshots he unholstered a Pistol from his Back and began to fire into the crowd at random, sending those fearing it diving to the ground or pierced by a Large Handgun and it's scything Counterpart.

As the newly freed 35th battalion charged towards the battle, all of their Auras climbing high as the Commander's Semblance kicked in, they saw that the battle was going in their favor, more due to friendly fire than anything else.

And then suddenly the footsoldiers quickly retreated from the Fight, and the Bloody Man stood in the middle of the Circle, with his head turned to the side and a look of confusion on his face. And then the 2nd Armored Division Came into view, their prototype Fighting Suits equipment being used to give them an advantage in Melee and Speed. The White suits let the men stand above twelve feet tall and cover great distances in a few strides, and they were the standard of Atlesian Eradication Units, renowned for their destructive capability.

The Young man wasn't military, and the Commander's eyes widened as his legs crouched down low and his weapon, a thick roll of chain, slowly curled back up his hand. He made to call out to the young man, to run before the threat, before he Launched himself the remaining hundred feet between himself and their Point Breaker, the Brigadier General Aurelio himself, and struck with the force of a wrecking ball. The boy sent the thing skidding back and cracking under the force of his blow before he was upon it with an overhead slam of his fists that flattened the Pilot's Bay in an explosive and slightly gory show of force.

As the rest of the Forty strong Division slowed as their leader was now dead or getting there, the Roar, which the Commander had thought to belong to a nearby Grimm, erupted from the youth and every troop in the Area covered their ears. He paid no attention as the source threw himself at his enemies, who were wearing armor strong enough to tank Boarbatusks going their max speed without a scratch, and toppling them with punches and kicks.

Suddenly he was dealing with the single biggest threat on the base, and the Commander took the opportunity to show the remaining footmen and leaders why they had to release knockout gas in his troops bunks to subdue them, as well as why they were known as the Burning Battalion.

A roar swept his ranks, and every surging aura became a fiery orange-red hue as one, before they were upon their enemies. Even with broken pieces of metal and then confiscated guns without ammo, his troop would win a battle. His Semblance removed the fear of death or worse as they gained his protection and boon, and began to rampage through the Soldiers, much in the same way their savior was making his way through the Armored Division.

Savagely.


End of Interlude.


Austin Stáin

Class: [Protector]:

Lvl 16: 1520/1600 exp to Next Level.

Hp: 21391.04 HP Regen: 96 Hp/Sec

Stm: 1215.4, Stm Regen: 34 Stm/Sec

(+4 per even Lvl, +5 per odd Lvl)Str: (90) 95

(+1 per odd Lvl, +2 per even Lvl)Dex: 29

(+6 per Lvl)Con: (118) 123

(+0 per Lvl)Agi: 6

(-2 per Lvl)Int: 1

(+0 per Lvl)Wis: 5

(-2 per Lvl)Cha: 1

(+3 per Lvl)Res: 64

Free Points; 0.

Attribute Points; 0.

Atk: 531.7

Max Thundering Blows Damage (Stamina Only): 9014.2

Pistol Atk: 190.9

Def: Phys; 70%.

Attributes:

[Iron Will]; 50% decrease of Debuff effects applied to Austin. Ex. [Cripple]; 30% decrease to speed → 15% decrease in speed. Inherited from Nan.

[?]; +2 to Con and Str per level, -15 to Cha. +100% to experience gain to the [Osteogenesis] Skill. Inherited from ?.

[?]; ?. Inherited from ?.

[Relentless]; Immune to [Fatigue]. 2*Str when Hp below 50%. Gained through Staying Below 20% Hp for 24 hours or more in one period.

[Self-Respect]; How can the World respect you if even you don't respect You? Gained Through The Little Things. [Hidden Modifier of +15 Base on Attraction Value].

[Regenerator]; When most people lose limbs it's permanent.

Regenerate a eighth of your Con score worth of Hp per Second, Quarter of your Con's worth Stamina per second.

[Enduring]; I can still fight...

Become 1% more resistant to Debuffs for every point of Res.

Once per Minute, upon hitting 0 Hp or lower return to 1 Hp.

[Juggernaut]; For Every 1 Str take .25% less physical Damage.

+5% Atk

Class Bonuses:

+2 Con, +2 Res, +1 Str, and +1 Dex Per Level.

+50% Movement Speed towards Injured Friendlies.

-2 Cha and -2 Int per Level.

-100% Renown points gained, Reset to Zero, Replaces Renown Title With [Helper].

-25% Monetary and Loot Rewards from Quests.

Skills:

Combat:

-Brawling! Level 36; 22% to next level.

I fight like I eat; Aggressively.

A sloppy Hand to Hand style focused on raw physicality over finesse.

Skill gives access to all Techniques used and observed by the Skill.

+180% to all damage done with this Skill.

Costs 2 Stm/second

-Chain Mastery. Level 18; 22.3%

The Weapon of Goons world-wide, learn to be the ultimate goon.

+90% Atk while a Chain is equipped.

-Pistol Mastery, Level 4;

The gun of Protagonists and Trash Enemies worldwide, I wonder which one you are?

+20% Atk With a pistol.

+40% Critical Damage with a Pistol.

+10% Accuracy with Pistols.

+Lvl/5 Extra Rounds per reload.

-Explosives Mastery, Level 11;

I actually wanted to be a Florist, ya know.

+55% Atk when using explosives.

+55% time when disabling an explosive.

-Thundering Blow (Tier 2), Level 6;

The World shall know the Strength of Storms in my Wake.

For every point of Stm spent, increase the physical damage of one Attack or Skill by 1.3%.

Skill Branched;

-Power Throw; Level 2.

Kobe for accuracy, Yeet for Power. YEET!

Thrown projectiles now have 55% of the Power Attack benefit.

-Rend; Level 5.

Rip and Tear

Bonus Damage to Inanimate Materials, do 100% more with Power Attack.

Triples Stm Cost.

-Blocking. Level Max;

"Did you tell her about your Herpes?"

The Art of Blocking an attempt.

(Active) Costs (Dmg-Con) Stm/Block.

Blocks 95% of damage on a successful Block.

-Skill Learned: Mitigation, Level 23.

Pain is as temporary as it is annoying.

Take 46% less physical Damage.

-Skill learned: Grapple, Level 2;

You're mine now, I've literally got you by the Balls!

Deal 90% less damage than a normal attack, but inflict [Grappled] Status upon foe.

-Skill Learned: Adrenaline Rush, Level 5;

Feel the Burn!

Burn Hp to restore Stm, ratio of 12 Hp:1 Stm.

Using over 77% of Health for this skill grants the Status [Strain].

-Skill Learned; Second Wind, Level 3;

Put me back in Coach!

Burn Stm to restore Hp, ratio of 1:3.

-Splash, Level 4;

Splish, Splash, I was takin' a bath.

Physical Attacks now have an increased area of effect.

Area of impact increased by a 1.2 Modifier.

Panic!, Level 1

"Well, you aren't the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I've also seen your mother."

Depending on relative level and threat level, as well as active Cha modifiers, targeted individuals will become aggressive towards you. Inflicts the [Taunted] Status.

1% More Damage taken and dealt to those with the [Taunted] Status.

Movement:

-Running! Level 17;

Run Bitch Run, Dey gonna get you!

Move at 290% of your base movement speed.

Costs 2 Stm/sec.

Maximum running Speed: 6.67 mph

-Skill Learned: Power Jump! Level 14;

If that bird shat on your car it'd dent the Hood.

Through pure physicality Soar through the Air.

Costs 37 Stm to jump your Str in Feet, Current base Distance 56 feet.

Costs 79 Stm to Jump twice your Str in Feet.

Costs 121 Stm to Jump Thrice your Str in Feet.

Stm = N*37 + (N-1)*5, where N is the Coefficient of your strength, to reach N*Str Feet. -Skill Branched: Lunge, Level 8.

Easy, Tiger.

Deal 180% of Attack after travelling a distance equal to your [Power Jump].

Detection:

-Skill Learned: Detect Bloodlust, Level 16.

Is it just me or does it feel a little Deadly in here?

Detection Range: 48 feet.

-Skill Branched: Project Bloodlust, Level 10.

(Res*2-EnemyRes)% Chance to Inflict [Stun] Status.

Target must have at least (20-.5*Lvl) 15 Wisdom to be affected.

Costs 20 Stm/sec.

+Skill Learned: Instinct, Level 14 (Tier 2).

My eyes are one of five senses I can use, so why rely on just one?

(Passive) Detection: 67% chance of detecting (increase to Passive 30%) [Stealthed] Units.

(Active) Detection*(1+.5*Level) = *8, move at ½ Movement Speed while Active. If still, double the effect.

Base Range = 140 feet.

Senses: Hearing, Smell/Taste.

Passives:

-Skill Learned: Physical Conditioning, Level 4.

Got Gains, Bro.

Increase Str and Con by Lvl %.

Current Increase = + 4%

-Skill Tree: Veteran Intuition:

.5% increase in damage dealt and .25% decrease in damage received from this Enemy type.

-Enemies Encountered;

Hooligans Level 21: 10.5% increase , 5.25% decrease.

Organized Criminals Level 14: 7% increase, 3.5% decrease.

Pack-Type Grimm Level 4: 2% increase, 1% decrease.

Roamer-Type Grimm Level 1: .5% increase, .25% decrease.

Trapper-Type Grimm Level 1: .5% increase, .25% decrease.

Flier-typer Grimm Level 1: .5% increase, .25% decrease.

-Skill Learned: Intimidation; Level 6.

You don't want to see me angry.

For every 5% of health the target is missing, 6% more likely to answer a question honestly.

Tedium (No notification):

-Skills Learned: First Aid, Level 5;

That doesn't look quite right, the arm bone connects to the Shoulder bone, right?

Heal yourself or another when not in enemy line of sight or sustaining damage.

Heal 25 Hp/Sec, requires appropriate medical supplies and 4 Stm/Sec.

-Sewing, Level 7:

Should have listened to Nan.

Restore Cloth Item Durability 6% per Level, requires Needle and Thread

-Computer Science. Level 18;

+36% words per minute typed.

Words per minute =(1+.02(Lvls of Computer Science)(80+(Int*3)) = 112.8 Words per minute.


To my dear Guest Reader Alex and any that think like him or have similar criticisms, I have decided to include a small note to readers to explain a few mechanics that were innate in the story and therefore not very well explained. Intelligence and Wisdom are actually the key perception stats of the story, not Dex and Agi as noted in the review, and any noticable change in views or perspective would come from these two.

Wis is also the main Stat involved with implementing Status effects, determining potency and duration for everything except for a few Status moves that do not rely on understanding to use. Int is the base stat for Elemental Damages, including Explosives, and governs that entire school of Damage.

Dex and Agi both have very different jobs in the Game System, Dex pertaining to both Accuracy and efficiency of movement or stability as well as the Critical Target and Damage Modifier, and finally the Damage of Projectile Weapons. On the other Hand, Agi has only one expressed purpose; The ability to go Fast. It controls the ability of the body to accelerate to and maintain speed and the universal cooldown modifier for physical Skills, as well as having a hidden modifier that is very useful; Momentum Modifier.

The Momentum Modifier is that which gives characters such as Ruby in the show and Taylor in the Story there Damage, as for 1 mph you are moving at the time if delivering an attack or the average speed over a "Casting Period" accrues 1% more Melee Damage upon use of a technique.

The Reflex Modifier is a combination of Dex and Agi and is the ability to react to unknown attacks or effects or the natural Dodge of a character, and is actually one of the most heavily used mechanics by the more lithe characters that will appear in the story. The Reaction is not based on perception and usually has the effect of activating the most used defensive skill in a character's repertoire, such as Austin frequently does with Block, though it should be known that his low Agi contributes to the amount of Damage that bleeds through on First strikes against him. This is due to the non-existent Cooldown modifier for physical Skills, as mentioned before.

This Follows with the way Damage is seen by the game, as the Hp Statistic is one that signifies how much force can be applied to an object/character before being Broken/Killed. In the same way that Damage could be used as a measurement of force as opposed to an arbitrary number relative to Hp Pool.

Also, in case the way that the story was written (from the perspective of someone who has little need for hindsight) Austin has the Worst case of Blinders I could make, and his history will continue to be unfolded along the story and is the most fun to write.

And in response to the Nerfing request, consider your request complied with, though not by any fault of your own. The Game has removed the Training Wheels from Austin, and it's not just an expression in this case. A Hidden Status effect to his person has been removed and now that he is outside of the Tutorial he will begin to Draw attention and Aggressive response to his actions. The Limb Damage Suggestion was a good one, and one I had considered before as I thought out the natural progression of his build, and even implemented to a smaller degree in Chapter 5. As the Arm is about ten percent of the body, breaking an entire arm is considered about ten percent of a character's Hp, and the time required to regrow it is equal to the time required to heal the Hp, along with an effect that disables the Limb from moving without losing Hp for it.

Hence why in the Fight against Sal he is left using only Left arm, as he busted the Right in the beginning.

Any way I hope that addresses the Review(s) of My boi Alex, and I further thank anyone who has decided to follow, favorite, or Review this Story.

For those not concerned with this aspect of the story or unconcerned with the ins and outs of a system you will never have to utilize, fair enough. For reading this Far I have decided to include a tad bit of trivia for the creation of the character in the middle of this story.

I rolled dice for the creation of the Main Character. It was a toss up between Austin, a dex and Cha based Bard/Rogue Build, the normie Int and Wis built Wizard type, and a Con and Dex Sniper Build. All of the Options would have had the +2 to their concerned Stats, and bonuses to a Skill designed to make their Builds more effective.

I then Rolled for the Inherited Trait/Caregiver, between the [Iron Will] Trait, a Trait that made it easier to go undetected and have a little bonus to sneak attack damage, a Trait that gave access to the [Bibliophagy] Skill, a trait that would have sped up the development of a few plot points significantly (and made writing this much easier), a trait that gave bonuses to the yet unimplemented [Crafting] System, and a Trait that would have decreased Stamina costs for skills.

Then I flipped a coin for Human versus Faunus, and had it landed Tails for Faunus I would have rolled for the decision of Animal Strain, which all have pros and Cons similar to the first choices.

And for the Record, I designed the system before I knew what direction I was taking the Character, so the fact that a system that was supposed to favor casters and Fast Individuals can be equally utilized by the Str Con tank (with extreme min-maxing) to the degree of being busted means that the other characters probably would have been even worse for the Viewing Audience.

On another note, and the Final One, Thanks for reading and giving whatever feedback you can. If you enjoy the story and would recommend it others on the Site, please favorite or Follow because it's basically an anonymous recommendation, and if you don't enjoy it feel free to leave a review telling me how I can improve.

Alright, I've said my piece. Jericho Out.