Interlude A
I ducked under the punch that shot through the air above my head, and rolled to the left as the snap kick that followed tried to catch me in the chest. As the much Faster, Taller, and Stronger opponent once again closed in I kept my guard up and tried to look as dense and blocky as possible. A Jab was met with my guard being rushed into it as I moved out of the Following hook that rocketed into the space my head had previously occupied, and my body ached as the force of the Jab reverberated through it.
My Entire being shook, but I forced myself to power through the feeling just as I had for the past twenty minutes.
I knew that Nan was just trying to teach me how to dodge, but God Damn did she hurt. As I slipped into a sloppy backwards tumble before barrel rolling to the right to avoid a foot that slammed into the ground with a resounding Crash, I revelled in the strength that she showed. Even if she was horrible at controlling the speed and power of her attacks. I knew that I was losing strength faster than usual, as I always did when we fought or she was angry, but I powered through the effect as I knew I had to. Such overwhelming strength, such an overwhelming effect on her opponents, and speed to close the gap definitely explained why she had been the Chief of the Mount Glenn Huntsmen Corps for four decades.
Unfortunately for my literal crash course in dodging, the strength made my mistakes all the more painful as she hammered a fist into my side to fling me across the yard. I laid there breathing heavily and listening to the jeers and calls from the old codgers and young bucks lounging around the Huntsman Corps. I heard the Footfalls waltzing towards me and took a few moments of staring into the night sky before rolling up and stumbling to my feet and trying to bring my guard back up, no matter the ache in my bones or the throbbing of my muscles.
Then the nausea came over me and I doubled over at the waist and tried to keep my lunch down.
"Stand up Whelp, bending over doesn't help for nothin'," Came the Gruff voice of Titania Staín, my Nan, as I continued to slump over at the waist, and refused to make eye contact, "Oh, come now. I've only hit you six times now, don't tell me that's enough to take you out." When I didn't respond with anything other than a muffled gag she took two steps forward and forced me upright with a hand.
As my head snapped up I took the opportunity to use the momentum of her move to swing my fist up and out towards her face. I smiled a vicious smile as my fist slammed into her face, relishing in the fleshy feeling of her cheek as her head finally moved in response to my blow, before my cheeks bulged out and my tanned skin turned green. Yells, Jeers, and Cheers erupted as I fell to my hands and knees and unloaded my stomach on the ground while my Caretaker ruefully rubbed her Cheek.
After a moment I looked up at her only to be disheartened by the sight that awaited me. Her face, one side was far more coloured than the other to inflate my ego, was filled with a smile that was all teeth and no mercy. "Nice Shot, Austin. But if you're feeling well enough to fight me, you certainly must be up to some more conditioning," She finished the vindictive sentence by pointing to the Hill that marked the end of the Training Yard, "Time to do more Hills, seeing as you've so much Energy, Whelp."
I wiped my mouth of the acrid taste that was beginning to leave me and my energy began to refill me as the spar was deemed over. I stood up tall, flashed what I hoped was an irritating smile, and turned to begin running up and down the Massive but fairly gentle Slope.
As her charge ran towards the hill, she smiled at his back. She felt the bolstering effect of her Aura leaving her and the constant pain that she had felt for over a decade began to creep back up, and the smile dimmed by a margin in response. Her hand finally left her cheek as her Aura finally healed the bruising flesh, and her thoughts began to become unable to be silenced, 'Someone so young, so filled with vim and vigor, should be nowhere near an old hag such like me. I may have aged well, I may have had a strong body before all of this, but I find myself falling ill with no hope of recourse. No Antibiotic, no change of diet, and no neural treatment has yielded any result," She grimaced as the young man finally disappeared over the lip of the Hill and she felt the subtle lack of his presence within her range and the noticeable lack of ambient energy that radiated off of her ward, 'The only recourse has been to siphon a small amount of energy from those around me, and I find myself unable to subject others to that fate, no matter how much they may offer it to me. My life may be waning, but I will not leave behind someone unable to fight for themselves.'
I heard the huffing and puffing of a young man, determined to fight from the moment his eyes opened in the Hospital, running down the Hill to the Road below, 'It's the least I can do for Austin, even if he deserves much better, he chose to stay with me, and I'll be Damned if he leaves worse than when he came to.'
Interlude B
From the embers of the Burning wreckage of Mountain Glenn came survivors, but more importantly a story. The Military and the Council told theirs but they could not hold the tongues of the civilians that had lived it, and as they were asked time and time again the tale began to take on a life of its own.
Across the different stories only the ending stayed the same; When the world and those that were supposed to help them failed one the protected, a simple civilian just like themselves, rose to fight in their stead. Every single survivor could describe this man even they had forgotten his name, for none who he had saved could forget his countenance. They would speak of how every move he made or motion he acted out would come with the call of thunder and the destruction of steel and stone.
Some of the more realistic would end the story by describing a scene where he fought until the end of his life to protect the Tunnels from Grimm, some of the more pessimistic would claim that he failed or even had a hand in the events of Mount Glenn's Downfall to begin with, and the most Optimistic would claim that he escaped after closing off the tunnels to go onto to help some other poor souls.
These last people are humored and promptly ignored.
End of Interludes.
Skill Learned; Life on the Range, Level 5!
What more could you want, a nice night and a campfire are all I need!… The snow is trivial.
Earn 5% more Health when sleeping rough or on a Bedroll, and 25% more meat from when Disassembled, and 25% chance to wake up before an ambush.
Camping Tricks Learned;
-Starting a fire with a piece of metal and rock.
-?
"What do you mean, 'never chopped up an animal before?!'" I demanded of my traveling companion, as I waved my pocket knife towards her flicking blood away from her, "How in the Hell do you make food, Girlie? Does it just fall out of the Sky onto your table?" I was so glad to have anything other than a Fish I had shot in a stream we had meandered past that I was beside myself, but had quickly become angered upon a certain revelation
She was steadfastly standing with her back to the meager fire that I had managed to set up, all because she didn't want to watch me crudely skin the rabbit she had caught, a fairly large Hare that ran from predators that were not nearly as fast as Taylor. I had been on my own for a long time, but even before that I had cooked for half of the dinners of my childhood. Taylor on the other hand… "And why the hell have you chopped up a rabbit?! That's not a normal thing for people to do!"
I finished using my knife to break the cartilage of the joints, muttering a "thank you" to it for it's Bounty, and began to rip pieces off and spear them with a branch with many offshoots and held it over the fire as I lightly glared at Taylor's back, "You can turn around now, you pansy." She did so with a huff and immediately sat down in front of the Fire within arms reach. Even with her squeamishness I saw that she was just as glad, if not more so, that we were no longer living on berries that I had to test for poisonous effects each and every time we wanted to eat.
We were in a small clearing in the Forest, and by far the single biggest patch of ground that was cleared of snow, and I had managed to Start a fire in the clearing after only three tries. The only reason I even managed that was because we were in a Forest of trees that I happened to recognize, More specifically Cedar. The bark acted as though it were a rag soaked in oil when you tried to spark it.
We both sat in silence, as we had most nights once the Shattered Moon had reached its zenith, staring at the Fire. The only difference is that Now Taylor was watching the Meat that was being cooked over the fire, all measly half of a pound of it, with the eyes of a Predator. After I began to see the black of char and soot appear on the meat I waited a few seconds, warranting that Overcooked was better than undercooked in the circumstances, before I removed half of it and handed it to Taylor, who had barely removed it from my grasp to begin to tear the chunks of meat from their places among the charred wood.
She looked positively thrilled to eat what had to be gamey and bad tasting food, but I pulled up the Minimap to think about what we were doing instead of eating the measly meal. We were now three Months of running, or jumping in my case, away from the base of the mount, and the line on my map was telling me to go West, towards the general direction of Vacuo, but also towards the massive Frozen desert in the way.
I wasn't concerned about our chances of survival, not with our physical abilities, but I was concerned about our mental states devolving along the way. I was already seeing signs that the lack of any other conversation besides me leading to her talking to herself in my stead, as though it were my fault that I had nothing much to say beyond a comment on the current state of the woods or weather. It wasn't like either of us were sparkling fountains of conversation, but she had begun to complain frequently about my lack of entertainment value.
We had found a few smaller villages along the way that had shown distrust towards us, which I assumed they did to all fairly intimidating visitors, but were open enough to giving us food if we performed various menial tasks for them. It was on one such day that I learned that Taylor could not move bags of flour because she was allergic, but I still haven't figured out if that is to Flour or Bags that weighed three times as much as she did. The Villages were welcome additions to an otherwise monotonous trip, but we never stayed more than a day or two and kept moving as once we had learned the date we had realised that School would start in a little over three months, and we had to keep moving to make it. The pace had been grueling, and we had made quite a bit of headway, though the terrain wasn't exactly made for travel.
We had repelled an attack of Grimm every other Day that we had traveled for the past three Months, and cold river baths could only wash so much. Thankfully Taylor had found another road earlier in the morning and we had followed it the entire day. I was particularly happy to find tracks of Vehicles in the snow, which meant that there was a relatively large town along the road. I shifted about the spot upon which I was sat, glad to have [Iron Skin] as a skill, because it had been invaluable on the trip. the skill had been leveled modestly over the course of my journey, due to hitting branches while running or jumping and rocks while sleeping.
Another thing that had been happening more and more often was that Fenrir would contact me when he had pertinent information.
[According to the Notes in the system, which are oddly full when it comes to maps, you are about ten hours at your traveling speed away from a Town named Burgess.]
I nodded in acceptance while I began to eat, thoroughly unsurprised that the meal was bland and tasting of burnt wood, as The Map popped in front of my face and I Looked over the information that I was given while munching on my food.
"Thank the gods," came the insultingly relieved sigh from my traveling companion, "One more Knock Knock Joke and I swear I was gonna tear my own ears off."
I sent her a concerned look, not even bothering to spend a minute looking over the Large Town we had just walked into, before deciding to voice my concerns, "You were the one tellin' em, Girlie."
The look she returned was exasperated and probably, if I were to hazard a guess, a sign of jokes that went untold on our journey, "That was the fucking issue. Never in my life did I think that I'd be the one trying to squeeze conversation out of someone, but here I am, living and traveling with a gargoyle," She threw a hand in my direction with a look of disdain that was marred by the relieved smile on her face.
I smiled to myself, happy to see that Towns continued to bring her some peace, and made a show of pinching my skin to show that I was not in fact made of stone, "I prefer to think of myself as an Android, thank you very much. I'm more fleshy than those Craggy Bastards could ever hope to be," I smirked at the small chuckle, glad to see my penchant for horrible jokes still had the same effect.
'Comedy,' I pondered as we made our way down the freshly paved street, 'Is the true great equalizer, not dust or firearms. Thrown through time, displaced and without a thing to call your own, but a good joke can get you back on your feet in no time.'
As Taylor and I strolled with smile on our faces simply soaking in the safety and peace of our environments, I began to notice that none of the Citizens in view seemed to agree with our outlook on the place. They walked with heads down, hands in their pockets, and without a single smile to be seen, which I found odd as I couldn't feel a single hostile intent in the area, but the range of that skill was still lacking so maybe they had a reason. I let go of the thought to turn and inspect the surrounding buildings, noting that the further we walked the more industrial the town began to appear, with the more elegant and wooden homes being relegated to the portion of town near the gate, with all expansions in the area being squat, ugly Concrete buildings and apartments.
I was shaken from my thoughts when Taylor slapped my arm lightly and pointed at a White Van with a stylistically questionable Logo painted across the back of it as it cruised along down the street, but other than that I didn't see what was so important about it. Instead my eyes sought anything moving in the sky, and a smirk crept across my face when I saw a metallic shape rise from the other side of town and begin its journey through the Clouds. I didn't even wait to tell Taylor the plan, and I ignored the squawk that erupted from her as I crossed the street to begin and make my way towards the airfield.
Quest Updated; Feet were made for walking!
And these feet are starting to hurt.
-Having spent nearly a month in the wilderness making your way towards your objective, Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youths, You have decided to find a more economic route.
Rewards; + 2 Free points, and the [Travel Trance] Mechanic.
The Marker on my map switched from the vague direction of West to a oblong shape outlined on my map, and I let my eyes drift from the line leading me along to the people that were within sight once more.
I blinked as I noticed that they were all making a noticeable effort to avoid us, as in when we stepped up onto the sidewalk the three civilians there shot us terrified looks before crossing the street. Stores that we walked past began to close and lock their doors, with people in the apartments above closing the windows, and the people outside were walking briskly to the remaining open doors. Suddenly the block was devoid of people and a heavy feeling was descending upon the air.
I ignored it and kept walking, but I was stopped by a hand gripping my elbow nervously, "Dude, seriously?" I glanced back at her without concern, "The temperature drops ten degrees, everybody runs inside, and you're just gonna keep on walking?"
Before I could respond in a manner that could only be described as snappy the still air was disturbed by the sound of engines and tires on asphalt, and coming from the direction of the Airfield was a small convoy of white vehicles all of which were barrelling towards our position. The clouds of dust brewing behind them were telling of the speed at which they moved, and as they came closer I began to make out the details of the machines and increasingly militaristic look.
Taylor immediately tensed in place, all the while furiously whispering that we should leave, before leaping high into the air to land on top of a building overlooking our position. I decided against action, though I began to use [Osteogenesis: Hardening] as they rumbled closer, and with such an arbitrary time limit like "until next rest" I didn't see why not, especially as the effect stacked and compounded. My Bones may as well have been made of reinforced steel after the three stacks I had applied on the trip to Burgess, but I applied another one on my forearms as an added precaution.
Eventually the group of vehicles rolled up to a stop, fanned out on either side of the block, before massive wing-like doors opened up and Soldiers began to pour out wearing Shining White Armor with Helmets that looked reminiscent of Motorcycle helmets, and pointing high end Dust Rifles at me. By the end of the half minute the well practiced and orchestrated maneuver, I counted no less than sixty barrels pointed in my direction. I wasn't too concerned with them as they weren't acting aggressive towards me, other than the pointing of weapons, and instead focused on the one red dot on my map as it took it's time to come around the side of the vehicle.
The individual that was leaking bloodlust was a tall and slender man with wavy brown hair that came down to his chin that outlined his high cheekbones and cold blue eyes, and the mouth that sat under a pencil thin moustache was frozen in a sneer. He wore a crisp white uniform with a sheathed sword that hung from his waist and squeaky clean boots that click-clacked along the asphalt. As he came to a stop I noticed that every other soldier in the semicircle of firearms suddenly became tense and nervous, with grips on weapons being adjusted and stances fixed from textbook perfection to some unattainable position.
[Friedrich Hermann]
[Level 25 Soldier]
[Cold as Ice]
If I was supposed to be impressed by the figure he cut, he would be sorely disappointed. I watched impassionately as he clickity-clacked his way towards me until he stood only twenty feet away from me, staring down his nose at me. I felt my eyebrow begin to raise and did nothing to stop the utterly apathetic look that overcame my face.
He cleared his throat, and I was sincerely concerned that the sixty guns pointed at me were all about to erupt into a hellstorm of bullets, but they simply shifted uneasily as the man began to speak, "Stay right where you are, Visner. I have no idea why you decided to come to Burgess as though you were welcome but I am glad to state that you are not. Now, If you have come to turn yourself in I commend you for doing so, but if you have not…" He coughed and I heard every safety within earshot click off, "I truly must insist." The grin that mixed with his sneer was nothing short of Shit-Eating, and I simply stared back as I went over what in the world he was spouting.
And in all of my wisdom I somehow decided that I'd ignore whatever name he called me and focus on what he was saying instead. I narrowed my eyes at the Man, "And, what pray tell, would I be turning myself in for?" My hands balled where they were stored in the pockets of my ratty jacket. Stamina began to course throughout every part of my body as the white dots surrounding me swiftly changed to red, and I subtly began to shift my weight forwards as my Aura began to spike beneath my skin.
The haughty laugh that came from the man sounded like a horse chomping at the bit, and it was the only warning I had before a sword was hurtling towards my heart. My right palm tore through the material of my Jacket to catch the tip of the sword to hold him aloft in his thrusting position with a stunned expression glued to his face while my left hand rocketed towards his chest. The usual thunderclap that accompanied my blows resounded across the street as the man shot past the vehicles to bounce down the street, and I used the resulting silence that reigned from the abrupt violence to unfurl my weapon.
I heard the sounds of combat erupt behind me on the rooftops, and I knew that they had engaged Taylor. I decided that standing around would help no one.
I was already in the air by the time they opened fire on me, and the amount of damage they did was minor, with some of the smaller caliber rounds rebounding instead of piercing my skin. The terrified scream that erupted from my first victim as I slammed my knee into and through his chest armor brought me no pleasure, nor did the second Cry of Horror as I turned and scythed through the line of soldiers to my left. I ducked under a particularly gutsy Soldier's attempt to enter close range combat and slammed my fist into his sternum to send him flying through the ranks of soldiers behind.
When I saw them attempting to rally I launched myself into the air before activating [Smackdown] and landing in their midst to send them tumbling about. In under a minute I had laid waste to their ranks of Level elevens and twelves, mostly due to sheer force than anything else, and turned to face the actual threat once more. He stood fifty feet away holding his stomach and watching me, but when I turned towards him he started back to action and took a defensive stance.
"I may have underestimated you Visner, but I will not make the same mistake again. En Garde!" With a yell he aimed his blade at me and simply appeared in my guard, already moving well beyond what I was capable of. I swatted aside the last thrust of his saber and attempted to plant a foot in his chest, but only met air as he just as suddenly was twenty feet away looking mildly winded. He snarled as he slapped the guard of the weapon and the blade began to glow Blue before diving in once again with only a trail of ice where the tip of his sword traced through the air.
I threw up a block as he streaked by, and while the slice of the blade was dampened by the many skills I had the bite of Winter that bled through began to chew away at the bar of my health. Another streak of Blue appeared along my left hand side, and with it frost crept over my shoulder and arm. I growled and swung my chain above my head to gain momentum as even more blue lines began to appear around me and his marker on the minimap began to flicker about the area faster than I could register.
My Health was rapidly dropping as the temperature in my immediate area began to plummet and freeze over. As my health dipped past half I Activated [Project Bloodlust] and as the man came crashing to a halt I slammed him with my whirling weapon, sending him tumbling through the air to crash to the ground in a limp roll. I bared my teeth at the now well below half Health Bar that was flashing in my vision to make itself known as well as the pain that was erupting up and down my body, and I found that Apathy and irritation had been swiftly replaced with rage.
Now I needed to teach this pompous and violent ass a Lesson.
As Friedrich began to clamber up I pulled out my Pocket knife and broke the Ice that trapping me with my right hand and unholstering my Pistol with my left to pepper the man. The first round connected with his head in a flash of Aura and yell of outrage as he stumbled backwards for maybe two seconds, but that was all I needed to close the distance. With a [Lunge] I was within his guard with a knee buried in his right side, in the process smashing quite a few vials of what I assumed were Dust. In an instant a patch of ice about the size of a watermelon exploded out from the patch and froze everything within, including my knee.
I ignored the chunk of health that I lost as I was once more below half health by a sizable margin and grabbed his collar with my left hand and reared back my left as [Thundering Blows] and [Adrenaline Rush] activated as I sought to end this fight before he could freeze me solid for good. His eyes widened in a mix of pain and fear as he saw me bearing down on him, and even managed to swing his Saber once more at my face.
The only issue is that without Dust to empower it, it was a simple metal tool that dealt physical damage. The blade bounced off of me as my [Iron Skin] activated in response to measly hit. My fist slowed none as it honed in on the man's Nose, a target that I was sure not to miss due to its size.
Damage Calculation = (565*(872*0.013))*1.775 = 11367 Dmg
The Single Blow managed to pierce and shatter the Officer's Aura, as well as barely slowing my fist enough to not break the man's nose. It was enough however for the look of sheer terror to remain in his eyes as he stared up at me. I could imagine the thoughts going through his head; his sword now useless, his aura gone with the second landed attack of the short bout, and his entire force still trying to recover from their beatdown.
I thought that now, as our positions had been made clear, was the time to interrogate the man. I felt [Intimidation] Activate as I came to conclusion and growled at the man, who showed that he still held military bearing even if he was terrified as he simply swallowed and did not wet himself, unlike certain unnamed Dons had before him. "How about we start with why the hell you were attacking me."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at mine and he answered without even a waver in his voice, "Because you are Visner Branwen, A wanted Bandit who has been attributed to over a hundred crimes, though before now none were ever violent," He mulled over his words as I silently willed him to continue, before grudgingly letting out what I assumed to be his own opinion on the situation, "I had considered nothing more than a nuisance, though I see the mistake in underestimating your prowess."
I let out a rumbling chuckle before smirking down at him to respond, "I can understand mistaking me for a bandit, I know I certainly look rough enough for it, But I'm certain that I am hard to mistake for anyone else."
His eyes hardened as he sneered up at me, his royal features now twisted in anger, "Do not play with me, Visner, You may have beaten me but you will not fool me. You made a mistake in letting yourself be seen by our security cameras on your last Dust Raid," He smiled as I simply raised an eyebrow at him, "I saw it myself, and if there is one thing I remember it's those eyes, red as the night on the camera. It was why I put out the Watch for men with red eyes, and why someone called you in."
"If you've only seen his eyes on tape, how can you be sure it's this Visner you're talking about?" I asked calmly. I wasn't too concerned with this, though being a wanted criminal could be a major pain I was certain that I could prove my innocence or find some other poor sap with red eyes to blame it on. Might even find the true culprit.
His eyes narrowed and his sneer turned only into a determined frown, "My boss said that he had had run ins with the Branwens before, and that you had declared a family vendetta on the SDC and him specifically."
I thought about my options before dropping the man on shaky feet, "Then take me to him, and he can tell you that I'm not the man you're looking for," The man was simply blinking at me, and I thought I could hear the reverberating sound of a smack behind me, but I didn't see what was so odd about it. If the man knew who Visner was, then he'd know that I wasn't him. Simple logic, though Friedrich seemed to be having trouble accepting it, so I thought I'd sweeten the Deal for him, "I'll make you a deal; I go with you, into your Headquarters with you, to talk to your boss, and if you're right you'll have me dead to rights and I won't fight you. But if I'm right you give me and my friend a ride to where we're going and you owe me a favor."
"This is ridiculous," I heard from my shoulder as Taylor materialized to interject. I paid her no mind, only noting that her weapons were equipped and she was breathing a tad heavily. Friedrich's eye brows furrowed as he searched my face and only nodded his assent as he sheathed his blade and attempted to save face.
We were corralled at gunpoint into a small Office at the top of a rather large building emblazoned with the same logo that had been everywhere throughout the town, a town that Taylor had informed in transit was most likely a Company mining town for the Large Dust Mining Company. I ignored the barrel as it jabbed me in the lower back and simply continued to stroll at the same leisurely pace as I was assured of my innocence. Taylor stumbled as they did the same to her to which she responded with only a glare in their general direction, which was pretty mild for her, before resuming her march.
The only fixture in the entire office other than the large wooden desk with a sleek computer with a large imposing man behind it was a small picture frame that seemed to hold an award of some sort. The issue was that he was so large and imposing that he looked squished into the chair and bent over his keyboard unable to see the keys beneath his meaty hands.
It was comical to say the least.
[Klaus Spietzel]
[Level 59 Vanguard]
[Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright]
When he looked up and made eye contact with me, I saw an odd look come over his face for the shortest of times before it vanished and I was left not knowing what it had been. His eyes flickered over past me to rest on Taylor for a moment before continuing to the men now standing at attention behind us. "Dismissed. Hermann, You stay," I heard snappy salutes from behind me and the grunts walked out of the room, and only once the door had closed did he continue speaking, "Hermann, Report."
He nodded and began to talk, and I noticed with a little satisfaction his nose was still nasally from the slowly mending broken nose he was nursing, "Sir, There were reports of sightings of a man with red eyes near the Entrance, so I took my Platoon to investigate-"
His Boss interrupted him with a baleful eye and stern demeanor, "I assume that it was your men that were just admitted to the Corpsmen's Building, Correct?"
Friedrich turned red in indignation but answered calmly, if a little tersely, nonetheless, "Yessir. As I was saying, I took them to investigate the sightings and found this man standing on the sidewalk. When I engaged this man and tried to have him come in, he refused and we fought."
I smiled at the bear of a man that sat behind his desk, and I saw his heavily maintained Beard twitch in response. Klaus stared at the Friedrich, and I reveled in the way that he squirmed under the glare, before stating simply, "And according to your nose and state of dress I must conclude that you were not… successful in your attempt to apprehend this man? Because he surely looks better off than you."
This time there was no shame and little to no heat in the glare that was thrown my way, "Yessir. He agreed to come back here to clear his name, and as I had no other option I agreed to return."
Spietzel stared at him before an eyebrow quirked at him silently. I had to suppress a snicker as I recognized the expressions and mannerisms as some of the ones I had picked up from Nan and a few other crotchety Veteran Huntsmen. "I feel as though you are leaving something out."
Friedrich's face twisted into a look of utter disgust at the thought he was having, but he kept his head high as he answered, "Yessir. I have seen no uncouth behavior in the entire time observing him. I can gladly report zero casualties among my men, even though it seems he would easily have been able to kill them, and in fact had to hold back to avoid doing so. He had me dead to rights and released me without much of a fuss, and has displayed none of the characteristics of Visner that you have described in your briefings."
"I thought you looked bitter," Came Klaus's much more blunt tone as he rounded on me with a serious look on his face, "What he's tryin' to say is that he's sorry about attacking you, even if he's not going to say it."
As Friedrich began to splutter about justifications under law or policy, Taylor snorted and finally relaxed while I laughed a hearty laugh and joked back with him, "I've dealt with show not tell Women long enough to recognize that for myself," and I considered it a victory that a smirk appeared under the man's beard.
Friedrich stopped spluttering enough to form a coherent sentence to lay the matter to a rest before he completed his volcano impression, "Sir, do you recognize this man?"
I was surprised to see the man nod his head before answering the question, "No, though he seems slightly familiar, he is not in fact Visner Branwen, much too tall for that."
I blinked at the information, but shrugged off the confusion in favor of rounding on Friedrich in his vulnerable stunned state, "You'd better not welch on our deal, bub."
"He won't, the stick in his ass won't allow him to," came the sigh of his commanding officer. At this point entirely fed up with the insults being hurled his way Friedrich left in a huff that did nothing to avoid ridicule, and Klaus and I laughed openly once the door had been slammed. A moment passed before He waved us towards the chairs sitting in front of his desk, and once we were situated he narrowed his eyes at us shrewdly, "Now, first things first, I apologize for my subordinates behavior, and my inability to see his overreaction coming from a mile off."
I nodded in acceptance, while Taylor grumbled, though she had been doing so since we had entered the building. Her roughed up and in need of mending leather jacket moved as she shrugged her less than enthusiastic agreement with me, her eyes not leaving Klaus's. He continued, now moving in a much more concerted and meaningful manner as his hands came to steeple under his chin, "But now we must discuss why you were in our little town to begin with, and what you were expecting to do here."
I saw no real reason to lie to the man and shrugged before responding, "We've been on the road for a few months now trying to get to The Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youths, and we've been hoping to find a faster method of getting there than walking. We saw the Road and followed it here, and when I tried to get to where the Bullheads lift off and land at I was accosted by your employee," And for a moment his eyes stayed narrowed as he held my gaze, and I did so without anxiety or fear, even considering his Level and position. There was no reason to think he would be dishonorable or try and abuse us in the situation, mostly because of how he had responded to his man's report more than anything.
Eventually he nodded before pulling out a sheet of paper to begin writing. As he did so he continued to Question us, "Are you on your way to apply?"
I opened my mouth to answer but a hasty glare from Taylor stayed my mind long enough for her to take over our side of the conversation, "Yes sir, we're both on our way to apply. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to become a huntress, and Austin here is uniquely suited for the line of work." I snorted at the understatement, as literally since I could remember I had been fighting and she was more accurate than she knew.
His eyes shot up to meet hers before darting over to me and I saw the fire of recognition bloom on his face before he simply continued to write furiously with a nod, "And where are you two from?"
Once more I refrained from answering, allowing Taylor to cover the work of spinning a Tale for our supposed backstory just as she had in previous villages when the curious townsfolk would eventually ask. I found it odd that she had used a different story each and every time, and had claimed that one of us had to cover their tracks and it certainly wouldn't be me doing so.
Subtlety isn't exactly my strong suit.
"We came from a small trading village on the outer territories of Vale, well away from any city walls, and the place served more as a safe haven for weary travelers to restock on supplies than anything else. There was the pub, the Inn, the Meadery-" I heard her putting every ounce of Acting and storytelling ability into the performance, but was interrupted by her audience for another Question.
"And why are the two of you traveling together, beyond the trip to the Academy. As in, How do you know each other?" I saw the self-satisfied smile of a job well done flash across her face, before her face pulled into a surprisingly believable frown and her blue eyes flashed in the pale light of the office.
"We were the last survivors of our Village, the only ones to make it out. He may be an idiot, but he's all I've got," She said, and I smiled lazily in response to the statement. Even if she was just playing it up and we were still basically strangers even after three months, I feel like we had an understanding established. And we trusted each other enough to fight together, so what else more did you need?
"Right," Came the short reply, before he signed whatever he was writing, folded the paper before he pulled out an envelope to place it within. He sealed it with a stamp of some sorts and slid it across the table until Taylor tentatively stopped it and picked it up. He leaned back in his chair and met my eyes once more, "That is a letter of recommendation, as well as a signed letter from a SDC division security manager that states that your school fees should be charged to my personal account. It will help you immensely in your attendance to the Academy, as I know the Headmaster Personally she will no doubt call me to ask why I recommended you. I believe a description of the state of those you fight will suffice."
A large smile came over my face as I beamed in appreciation while Taylor suddenly looked apprehensive, but I paid it no mind. Like all issues she had, if it involved me she'd tell me and if it didn't she wouldn't. "I assume this is your version of a bribe to keep us from telling people the SDC attacked two civilians with deadly force?" She questioned with apprehension and a little bit of hope.
He smiled at her, a tiny thing full of mirth and understanding, "If that is how you choose to see it, you are free to do so. I, however, choose to see it as an apology to soothe hurt feelings over a misunderstanding," Then he winked and chuckled, as though he knew a secret that we did not, "But either way, admission starts at the end of the Week and I believe that your ride has been arranged by Hermann. He should be back in a minute to escort you to the Tarmac and maybe even apologize. I must return to my work, but I once again reiterate that I am sorry for the trouble that was caused."
I laughed as I stood, seeing a dot rapidly approaching the office, "Sir, Respectfully, I'm just glad I'm not walking the rest of the way." I turned and made my way to the door, unsurprised to see Friedrich open the door with a scowl on his face, "Freddy! There you are!"
The Scowl deepened as Taylor stood and shook hands with the security Manager, "I'd ask you to not butcher my name, as it is more cultured and noble than you could ever hope to be. Besides the point, I have fulfilled the terms of our deal. There is a Bullhead that will take you anywhere within six hours flight."
My smirk turned a tad vicious as I silently gloated about winning both the bet and our fight, but Taylor appeared at my elbow with a sour look on her face, "Stop with the bickering and lead us to the Airfield. I want to put this place behind me as fast as possible."
I faked an affronted look as we walked out of Klaus' Office, "But you were so happy when we got here, what happened that got your panties in a twist?"
Her face began to turn the shade of the sun as her eye began to twitch, before she slapped me upside the head, "That was before you decided to fight a Squad of SDC guards and make a stupid bet that nearly cost me my freedom!" As we continued walking and I continued to mess with her I saw that the Quest screen had once again popped, and smiled as I realized that the three month ordeal was almost over. But my eyes widened as another screen erupted next to the first, with startling information.
Quest Updated: Feet were made for walking!
And these feet are starting to hurt.
-Having secured a better form of transportation, continue on to your destination; The Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youth.
Rewards; + 2 Free points, and the [Travel Trance] Mechanic.
Quest Received: Making an Entrance!
"It's all about first impressions, Whelp."
Pass the Academy's Entrance exam!
Rewards:
Succeed; Increased reputation with [Taylor Chesterton], Access to the Academy Grounds, and 1000 exp.
Failure; Death, Maiming, and Tax reports.
'Death, Maiming, and Taxes,' I thought morbidly, remembering the time spent searching through the City Archives, 'Death by a million papercuts is not the way I wanna go.'
Interlude C
Klaus Spietzel waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps of the young pair that had been in his office before pulling the Bottle of Hundred year old whiskey out from under his desk. He poured himself a Glass and another for a Friend long gone. He looked up at the Single Decoration in his office before clinking the glass with his own.
In the frame was an award for Honorable Service to the Valean Military, a company patch, and a photo that showed him to be about a decade younger than the present. On the Patch was a Mailed fist erupting from the ground while on fire, and in the Picture was the man that he toasted to, his old Commander.
Klaus sipped from his glass, content that he had done his part to repay a debt long ago promised by a Dead man long gone, but not forgotten.
He had no idea how the Monster of Mount Glenn had arrived in his town looking the same as he had so long ago, but he wished him luck on his way. For wherever he went he was sure he would need it.
End of Interlude
Austin Stáin
Class: [Protector]:
Title: [Main Tank]
Lvl 17: 420/1700 exp to Next Level.
Hp: 25618/25618 HP Regen: 117 Hp/Sec
Stm: 1310, Stm Regen: 37 Stm/Sec
Str: (98) 101
Dex: 31
Con: (128) 131
Agi: 8
Int: 1
Wis: 5
Cha: 1
Res: 69
Free Points; 0.
Attribute Points; 0.
Atk: 565.4
Max Thundering Blows Damage: 10196
Pistol Atk: 202
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.
[Big Bad Wolf]; +2 to Con and Str per level, -15 to Cha. +100% to experience gain to the [Osteogenesis] Skill. Race set to [Half-Grimm]. Inherited from Fenrir.
[?]; ?.
[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].
[Guardian Angel]; + 10 Cha when interacting with those that you have saved before.
[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
Skills:
Combat:
-Brawling! Level 36, [Human] Skill;
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 19, [Human] Skill;
The Weapon of Goons world-wide, learn to be the ultimate goon.
+95% Atk while a Chain is equipped.
-Pistol Mastery, Level 4, [Human] Skill;
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, [Human] Skill;
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, [Grimm] Skill;
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 6.
Rip and Tear
Bonus Damage to Inanimate Materials, do 120% more with Thundering Blows.
-Blocking. Level Max, [Human] Skill;
"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, [Grimm] Skill.
Pain is as temporary as it is annoying.
Take 46% less physical Damage.
-Skill learned: Grapple, Level 2, [Human] Skill;
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 6, [Human] Skill;
Feel the Burn!
Burn Hp to restore Stm, ratio of 11 Hp:1 Stm.
Using over 81% of Health for this skill grants the Status [Strain].
-Skill Learned; Second Wind, Level 3, [Grimm] Skill;
Put me back in Coach!
Burn Stm to restore Hp, ratio of 1:3.
-Splash, Level 6, [Grimm] Skill;
Splish, Splash, I was takin' a bath.
Physical Attacks now have an increased area of effect.
Area of impact increased by a 1.3 Modifier.
-Osteogenesis, Level 10, [Grimm] Skill;
Cost to use, .90% 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 99%.
-Hardening; Temporarily Increase the Amount of Damage Limbs can Take by 50%. Lasts until next Rest.
-[?]
-Panic!, Level 2, [Human] Skill;
"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.
2% More Damage taken from and dealt to those with the [Taunted] Status.
Movement:
-Running! Level 17, [Human] Skill;
Run Bitch Run, Dey gonna get you!
Move at 320% of your base movement speed.
Costs 2 Stm/sec.
Maximum running Speed: 7.36 mph
-Skill Learned: Power Jump! Level 14, [Grimm] Skill;
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].
-Skill Branched; Smackdown, Level 3.
When landing deal Damage for the distance traveled; for every foot deal 6 Damage, in an area of Distance/97.
Detection:
-Skill Learned: Detect Bloodlust, Level 17, [Human] Skill.
Is it just me or does it feel a little Deadly in here?
Detection Range: 51 feet.
-Skill Branched: Project Bloodlust, Level 10, [Grimm] Skill.
(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 15 (Tier 2), [Grimm/Faunus] Skill.
My eyes are one of five senses I can use, so why rely on just one?
(Passive) Detection: 70% chance of detecting (increase to Passive 30%) [Stealthed] Units.
(Active) Detection*(1+.5*Level) = *8.5, move at ½ Movement Speed while Active. If still, double the effect.
Base Range = 150 feet.
Senses: Hearing, Smell/Taste.
Passives:
-Skill Learned: Physical Conditioning, Level 4, [Human] Skill.
Got Gains, Bro.
Increase Str and Con by Lvl %.
Current Increase = + 4%
-Skill Tree: Veteran Intuition, [Human] Skill:
.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 5: 2.5% increase, 1.25% decrease.
-Roamer-Type Grimm Level 4: 2% increase, 1% decrease.
-Trapper-Type Grimm Level 4: 2% increase, 1% decrease.
-Flier-typer Grimm Level 4: 2% increase, 1% decrease.
-Skill Learned: Intimidation; Level 7.
You don't want to see me angry.
For every 5% of health the target is missing, 7% more likely to answer a question honestly.
-Iron Skin: Level 4, [Grimm] Skill;
I heard that a master of this skill is so thick skinned that he could tank a million insults without crying.
Any Attacks that deal damage under the This Skill's Level times five are ignored for purposes of damage.
Threshold = 20 Dmg.
Tedium (No notification):
-Skills Learned: First Aid, Level 5, [Human] Skill;
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, [Human] Skill:
Should have listened to Nan.
Restore Cloth Item Durability 6% per Level, requires Needle and Thread
-Computer Science. Level 18, [Human] Skill;
+36% words per minute typed.
Words per minute =(1+.02(Lvls of Computer Science)(80+(Int*3)) = 112.8 Words per minute.
As you can see I have Labeled exactly where the Skills Austin has acquired come from, whether from his Human or Grimm Nature, which is fun.
Sorry about the how long it took and what I consider to be the weakest chapter to date, with quite a bit of lore building and explanation as well as a necessary timeskip, one that will referenced quite a bit by the two intrepid travelers. I'd like to point out that the snow that's on the ground is simply geographical in nature, not due to the season as it is now summer in the frozen desert of Vacuo. Next Chapter will be much more higher energy as he and his study Partner Fenrir take the Entrance Exam and the Combat portion of the exam, as well as the first part of the survival Test, which will be a testament to Austin's Protagonist Luck I assure you. Randomized encounters and he managed to get every single hardest challenge along the way.
It'll be chaotic.
The reason for the time between chapters was that I was hashing out the next Arc as well as planning in general, which is also why this chapter was an asshole to right, as the ideas for further along were clouding my mind and making it hard to write the relatively less important chapter.
Anyways,
Read and review the continually growing pile of trash that is this Fic.
Jericho out.