Hello Internet! Journeymen here, for another chapter of The Paladin's Game! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as well as accept my apology about the lateness of this chapter. Anyway, I do all hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Also, be sure to check out the poll for the new story you want to be posted. Also, I would like you all to say hello to my new Beta. Grano Onis! I hope you all accept him with open arms. Now, with that being said, let's hop right into shall we?
Beta: Grano Onis
Tsuyo no Seishin Comment: *Sigh* Jaune my boy will never be able to reach godhood will he? But yeah that would be to OP I will be sure to fix that. I thank you oh wise Mathematician/Divine Gatekeeper/Harem Advocate. I think I'm going to drop
Comment of the Week goes to...I Have Questions: Yes, you indeed have questions. And to answer them. Yes, Yes, Party Members Only, No, Yes, Maybe, Yes, Haven't really thought about that but Yes, Can't Tell Ya, He has the Main Title, and A Sub-Title that are both on at the same time….so yes? Yes, yes he can. Hope that answered all your questions.
Honorable Mentions:
Ardent Wanderer: Yes, yes it will
Zathol: Yeah, I love when the gamers form parties as well. Now, to answer your question about Ren. To put it simply, his class is a Rouge. And if you remember from the first chapter, Rogues have a debuff for Str and Vig. Sorry if it isn't that exciting. Now to the second part of your review, that will all be revealed later. But for now, spoilers. Also as for your take on semblances. I would just say, that while her speed semblance does let her do some cool if questionable things. Bringing back someone from the dead is different. You know how the Gods were about balance and how pissy they got when a grieving woman tried to get her husband back. That's all I am going to say about that. Also, he should but, teenage and hormones. You are indeed correct about the rep numbers. Indeed, Ren will do everything in his power to keep Nora away. For everyone's safety.
I do not own RWBY or anything else made by RoosterTeeth…
"You can do this, Jaune." Ren encouraged, though it felt hollow since he was at the opposite side of the room.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked, and Ren nodded.
"Yes, trust me. This will help improve your stats immensely." He said as he grabbed a pillow to give himself extra cover.
"Yeah," I hissed, "if I survive."
He simply responded with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Couldn't be worse than the first time," he said.
I sent him a glare, but his face was impassive as I looked back at my task: Trying to wake up Nora. Early. And on a weekend to boot.
"I highly doubt that," I thought as I got closer to the sleeping Valkyrie.
My heartbeat in my ears as I took a step closer.
"Nora?" I whispered.
She didn't move.
"You're going to have to be louder than that," Ren said, having now made a makeshift suit of pillow armor. I didn't even know we had that many pillows in our room.
"Why don't you come over here and do it?" I shot back.
He smirked.
"Because we're here to train you, not me." He said.
I sighed. For the past week, Ren and I have been going through different training methods. Some of them were regular stuff like going to the gym, running, or sparring in martial arts. Most of them, however, were unorthodox. Seriously, what kind of man would make someone wear weights while swimming across a lake? With a Gorsich on their heel? It was not fun.
Sadly, it seemed unorthodox was what worked best, and that meant I had to stick with it. Taking another step closer, I swallowed a lump in my throat. I took a deep breath.
"Nor-Gak!"
I was cut off by a hand cutting off circulation to my throat. Clawing at the hand, I looked in fear as Nora glared at me. Well, okay, that's not true. Her eyes were angry, but saying she was glaring would imply that she had a frown on her face. That would have been preferred.
"Trying to wake me up early without pancakes?" She said with a smile and angry eyes, " That's going to cost your legs there, Fearless Leader."
Any plea for mercy was trapped in my throat, both figuratively and literally, as Nora stood up and pulled out her hammer (I thought she kept that in her locker!). I saw it glinting from the light coming through the window.
"R-ren! Help…" I croaked out, looking to the monk.
He just looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
R: While this was supposed to train your Dex, I don't see why we can't train your pain tolerance as well. Who knows? It might even increase your Vig.
He sent the message through the Party Chat, something that the Game and I came up with. It's good for long-distance communication and stealth missions, but right now, I couldn't help but curse it as I glared at Ren. Then I was brought back to my reality.
"Well then, Fearless Leader," Nora said with her angry smile, "let's get this over with."
She threw me to the ground, raised her hammer into the air, and then brought the hammer down. I opened my mouth to scream, but a sudden sock in my mouth courtesy of Nora cut it off.
Congratulations! Pain Tolerance and Vig have increased by 1!
"Would you look at that?" I thought while tearing up a bit from the pain.
"Huh?" Nora said with surprise. "Your Leg healed right up!"
A quick looked affirmed that, as Nora had stated, my leg healed right back up from its broken state. I smirked at that... until Nora swung her hammer down on my leg again.
Congratulations! Pain Tolerance has increased by 1!
Once again, my leg healed.
"Fearless Leader," Nora said frowning, "why won't your leg stay broken?"
"It's another part of his semblance," Ren answered for me.
"That's awesome fearless leader," Nora praised.
I just gave a weak nod. I still felt the pain from my leg being smashed twice.
"That means I can use your legs like a stress ball!" She exclaimed, a massive smirk on her face.
My eyes went wide as I clung to the wall that was suddenly behind me. Thank you, Gamer's Body, for healing my leg. I only had to deal with the phantom pains my mind tried to insist I had from moving.
"Haha! I'm just joking fearless leader. I would never do that to a friend." She said.
I relaxed at that.
"But," she continued, her face suddenly covered in shadow, "if you ever wake me up early again without pancakes, your bones will be turned into dust."
I nodded my head frantically in understanding.
"Good!" She happily answered, immediately turned back to her normal self. She then promptly flopped back into her bed and passed out.
I spit out the sock and glared at Ren.
"You do not tell this to anyone. Especially Yang," I said.
The last thing I needed was to be teased because I had my shit kicked out of me by a girl in her PJ's. Yang had enough ammunition as it was.
"Got it," Ren said nodding. "But did it at least do anything?"
"Yeah," I said, "My Pain Tolerance has increased by two, and my Vig by one," I explained.
"Alright," he said, "Would you mind sharing your stat sheet?" He asked.
I nodded and willed the sheet to appear before both of us
Jaune Arc
Class: Paladin
Main Title: The Pretender
Sub-title: Acolyte of Light
Level 33
Exp: 11,567/29,616
HP: 10,567/19,894
AP: 5550/5550
SP:1345/1345
Str: 63 (107)
Dex: 60 (90)
Vig: 147 (316)
Int: 80 (136)
Wis: 60 (90)
Luck: 1 (1)
Chr: 96 (202)
Ren hummed before closing his tab, and I followed suit.
"How are your skills coming?" He asked. "Are any of them falling behind?"
"Not anymore," I said with a sigh.
Ever sense Ren had joined me, he had been a great help. He even helped me catch up on some of the skills I had been ignoring. I was now proud to say that none of my skills were below 10. I even maxed out Feather Fall at level ten. I didn't expect anything to get maxed out so soon, but I guess you could only get so good at falling.
Still, it felt good to have a maxed out skill. It made me feel like I did something productive.
"Wanna go kill some Grimm?" I asked.
Ren seemed to think about it for a second before nodding.
"Sure," he said before smirking, "but let's get something to eat first."
Oh, right. Food. I gave an embarrassed chuckle at that. I kept forgetting that even with some of my gamers power, Ren still had to do normal stuff like eating.
"Sure. Waffles?" I joked.
"Sure," He said, "Just don't tell Nora."
"Don't worry," I said while putting my hand on his shoulder, "I wouldn't subject you to such torture."
Despite the pain, he let me go through, Ren didn't deserve having his legs shattered twice. Heck, I wasn't sure if anyone deserved that.
With that, we made for the city to a waffle house to fuel up for some more grinding.
Later, Ren Pov…
I sunk my blades into the neck of an Ursa. The Grimm roared in pain, and I quickly jumped off to let Jaune decapitated the creature. Its body fell to the floor, already turning into smoke. A few seconds later, a few of its claws, a pelt, and some lien were left behind.
You have gained 1,440 Exp!
I closed the window before looking at Jaune.
"So, do you any idea what this stuff is for?" I asked pointing to the fur.
He shrugged.
"I think it's for crafting," he said, "but I haven't been able to craft anything, so I kinda just left it alone.
"Besides," He continued, picking up the fallen lien and handed me half, "I find that this is much more important."
I smirked and took the proffered lien.
"Still," I said, "I think the next skill point you get should put into Crafting."
He looked to think about it for a moment before nodding his head.
"I was going to get Meditating, but I guess that works too." He said.
I nodded. I could probably teach him that myself anyway, so investing one of his hard-earned skill points in that would be a waste. Besides, who knows what he would be able to create with these materials.
"Want to take a break?" I asked. We had been in the emerald forest for two hours already, and I wasn't exactly meant for endurance. Not only that, but there was also a lot of Ursa around for some reason, and they were very stubborn when it came to biting the bullet.
Suffice to say, I was starting to feel a little out of breath. I could definitely keep going, but it would be better to take a break just in case something really challenging came along.
"Sure!" Jaune chirped, taking a seat next to a tree.
I envied him a bit. As long as his SP was full, he never felt tired. I, on the other hand, still got tired. I just had a better gauge of my stamina, so I knew when to rest.
Looking at Jaune, I caste Observe and focused on his Title. He hasn't said a thing about it so far, and every time I looked at it I felt my suspicions grow. Just what could it mean? Was it possible that this wasn't the real Jaune? No one else here would have a past Jaune to compare him to. I only briefly saw him before initiation, and Yang has told us all about the source of his nickname, Vomit Boy, many times, and that had little experience with him until Initiation. The only one here who had any substantial time was Ruby, and that was still a couple hours at most. That was not enough time to know of any possible changes that could have happened after he came back to the land of the living.
There was a possibility that it could be nothing. But the main title, from what I gathered, was something that can define someone. So, for now, I would keep my eye on him. Who knows? Maybe he will tell me one day.
Looking at my stats, I noticed that My SP was back to full.
"Well," I said, "my SP has recovered. You?"
Jaune nodded.
"Same, want to keep-" He was cut off by a ding from his scroll.
He checked it and frowned for a second.
"Sorry," he said, giving me an apologetic smile, "Something just came up. Same time tomorrow?" He asked.
I only briefly hesitated before giving a quick nod.
"Alright," He said, "See Ya!" He left with a wave before running back to Beacon.
I waved back at Jaune, maintaining the smile on my face until he was out of sight.
While most of Jaune's odd behaviors suddenly made sense now that I knew of his semblance, this one did not. We had not let anything interrupt our usual grinding since we had started, something that was not easy to do until we were able to convince Pyrrha to help tutor Nora in that time under the guise of furthering team bonding. The only thing that I could think of was that whatever had caused Jaune to call it off early was for something quest related.
I was aware of quests and how beneficial they were to Jaune, but I would have thought that having me along would help speed them up and gain the benefits faster than if he were on his own. In fact, helping Jaune improve faster was the very reason he had shared the secret of his semblance with me. So if whatever it was that had prompted Jaune to end grinding early was quest related, why dismiss me prior to complete it?
"What secrets are you hiding?" I asked.
Jaunes Pov…
Walking around the streets of Vale, I went into one of the back alleys and opened my inventory to don on my Leon disguise. That done, I walked out of the alley while getting into the persona of Leon; forcing myself to stand just a little bit straighter, to carry a lot more swagger with each step, and to let loose any built up tension in my body while still remaining guard. By the time I had taken a few steps away from the alley, I had fully entered my Leon persona: A calm, cool, and collected individual.
Making my way to Juniors, I walked past the bouncer and into the very much empty club. It was still mid-afternoon after all, so the only ones who would show up would either drunks or people who had business with Junior. I had to wonder what he had for me. After all, I hadn't talked to him since our last... discussion. So that meant he finally had something for me. Would it be similar to what I did to the Yellow Snakes? Was I going to harm one of the bigger gangs out there? I guess I was going to find out soon enough.
Walking to the door that leads to the back of the club, I was surprised to find that I was unexpectedly gained an escort in the form of one of Junior's men tailing me. One would think that after I told him that I was basically going to declare war on all of the criminal underworld in Vale and then force him to turn straight, he would be a bit more apprehensive towards me and have more than just one guy doing this. Maybe this was be an attempt to make me lower my guard?
I shook my head at that thought. He would know that wouldn't work. In all likelihood, it was to have people keep an eye on me. Makes sense. Neither of us have done anything to earn each other's trust, and I literally threatened him after he betrayed my own trust. Though, to be fair, my trust was something that I shouldn't have given to Junior, who I had known was the head of a gang at the time. At least, I shouldn't have given him my trust so readily. I had, though, and I couldn't go back and change that. I just had to learn to be less trusting from now on.
I halted for a second at that before I remembered my escorts. Where did those words come from? Sure being more wary of people would undoubtedly be better for me in the long run, but why did I word it like that? And why did I feel so cold when I did? It almost felt like I wasn't human. I did not like that at all. Even if I had these powers, did that mean that the only difference between me and a robot was flesh and steel? The Game was an amazing boon that had been helping me achieve my dream, but was it also taking my humanity away?
"Jaune, A semblance can't bring someone back from the dead."
Ren's words echoed across my mind, chilling me to my bone. It forced me to think of all the things I have done so far that I wouldn't have done before the game appeared. I would have done more than apologize to that girl who's ice-cream I ruined - Neo I think her name was. I would have walked with her to the closest ice-cream shop and bought her a new one, talking and trying to make friends with her the whole way. I would definitely have not associated myself with Junior in any way shape or form. I would have contacted the police right away, or at least leave after I repaid my debt for messing up the deal. I would not have accepted becoming a lackey to some gang. It was now frightening how the Game has seemed to change me. I did not like it at all. I would not lose what made me human. No matter what.
"Here we are."
I just nodded at the escort's words as he opened the door for me. I stepped in and saw Junior standing in front of his desk. The door clicked shut behind me, and I choose to glare at Junior.
"What do you want?" I asked.
Junior scoffed. "Last time I checked, Leon, you wanted me to contact you whenever I had information for you."
I didn't let up my glare, but I did give an arrogant smirk, "Didn't expect it to take so long. I thought you were supposed to be the best in the business?"
The gang leader frowned. "Information isn't a cheap or instant, kid. You do well to remember that." He warned, tossing me a scroll.
I turned it on and was greeted to the image of a mug shot of a man who had long blonde hair that was pulled back, had a light tan, and a pair of dog tags around his neck. He was wearing a trench coat, but he seemed otherwise shirtless. To his right, there was a bio that told me his name, Jett, and his crimes, which were treason, attempted assassination, attempted murder, 1st-degree murder, aggravated assault, and a whole lot of other things that involved killing or causing harm in some kind of way. The most important information in the bio, however, was that he was the leader of the Bloodhound Gang.
"As you can see, the guy has a pension for violence." Junior said, "His father was a veteran and wanted his son to become the perfect soldier. After eighteen years and some pretty harsh training, he joined the Atlas Military. After finding that it needed some improvements, he decided to try and pull a coup-d'etat on the Atlas government and military. Try being the keyword. After that, he fled to Vale where he and his gang now works as mercs."
I nodded my head. That was in his bio, but I appreciated the summary Junior gave.
"So, why specifically this guy? I doubt you chose him just because he is a violent guy." I questioned.
Junior grinned. "This guy has just been hired by someone to attack us."
I nodded. "And you want me to find out who it is?"
He shrugged. "If you could also kill the guy, that would be much appreciated."
I glared at him. "I won't kill anyone. I am not an assassin." I said as I kept my smoldering gaze on him.
Junior face was blank of any emotion. "Fine," he said, "Turn him into the police then. As long as he is gone when you're done, I don't care what you do with him." He then waved his hand to dismiss me.
Side-Quest Received! Putting down the hound.
Objective: Take down Jett.
Bonus Objective: Take out his Lieutenants, don't kill anyone.
Reward: +5 affiliation with Junior, +5 affiliation with the Vale Police department; 10,000 Exp, 2000 Lien, +1 Hero Legacy.
Failure: Death (Possible), Arrested (Possible), Expelled from Beacon
Do you accept
Y/N
I was a little hesitant seeing as how there were some serious consequences if I failed. Sometimes, though, risks need to be taken, and Vale would definitely be better off if this guy was gone. So I mentally accepting the quest and looked at Junior with raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you going to tell me where he is?" I asked.
Junior frowned at me. "Any leads on to his location are on your scroll. If you need anything to help you, visit the storage room. Now go."
This time, I did leave. Figuring that some additional gear would be useful for this mission, I asked the escort if he could lead me to the storage room. He did, and I looked around.
The room looked about the same size as the dorm rooms in Beacon, only instead of beds, windows, dressers, and desks, it had shelves and stands with shelves all filled with weapons and crates, buckets, and packages filled with either bullets or explosives. I really didn't want to know why or how Junior got his hands on explosives, so I deliberately ignored those. Eventually, I came across a rather nice looking pistol. Taking a closer look at it, I cast Insight.
Beretta 92
Item Quality: Uncommon
Description: Made in Mistral, it has since been used by police and militaries around the world. It's classification as a military weapon makes it hard for civilians to acquire.
Base Effect: Deals 5% piercing damage
Modifier: Holds up to 15 rounds instead of 10
Base Attack Modifier: 0.5
Aura Modifier: 3
Range: 50m
Nodding my head in appreciation, I took the gun, a couple magazines of standard clips for it, and a couple of lighting dust crystals. I didn't really know how to use dust, but hey, I'm pretty sure shooting them will do something. Taking three crystals in total, I decided I had what I needed and had the escort guide me back to the entrance of the club.
After traveling a little ways, I pulled out the scroll with Jett's info to track him down. It seemed that he was last seen in the southwest part of the industrial district, where he bombed a warehouse Junior was using to store weapons about a week ago. I probably should start there and see if I could find anything that the police haven't.
Making my way to the now wreaked warehouse. Dusk had arrived when I made it to the actual district, but street lights had kicked in and lit my way to the warehouse itself. Though I think the term wreckage would suit it more.
The remains of the building were surrounded by the police tap, the roof had completely caved in, and there was only one wall left that was somewhat standing. The rest was either blown to bits, scorched, or some combination of the two.
Going under the police tape, I walked into the debris. I activated my Minor Radiance, the dim light effect making it so I didn't have to waist the battery of my scroll trying to see where I was going or stepping. Watching my step, it seemed that most of what could have been found lying on the ground looked to have been already picked clean by the cops, so unless I started moving things, I would get jack diddly squat. Putting my Str to the test, I moved the small debris first. That quickly proved fruitless, so I moved the heavier debris and kept on moving upward from there. After moving a sizable piece, I was greeted to a blue screen.
Congratulations! Your Str has increased by 1!
I closed the window as I pushed the hunk of metal to the side, and my efforts finally bore fruit as I was greeted to a severed arm. Successfully resisting the urge to gag at the sight (thank you, Gamer's Mind), I looked at the arm to see that it had a camouflaged sleeve with what looked like a military patch on it. Thankful that I had gloves, I picked up the severed arm and ripped off the patch before putting the arm back where I found it. The patch had a snarling bloodhound on it with the words Smell Them Out under the hound. Taking a picture of the patch, I put the patch in my inventory. However, before I could go back to my search. I heard a grunt of pain.
Thinking quickly, I turned off my glow before hiding behind the debris I had moved earlier.
"Hey, man you okay?" I heard a man ask in worry.
"Yeah, should have watched where I was walking." The guy, who I guess fell said.
"Yeah tell me about it. Feel like I'm going to step on a rusty nail at any moment."
"Heh, Yeah. Let's just find the body and get out of here."
Their conversation ended there as I heard them to start to move the debris. Sparing a look out of my cover, I was able to see two people in military fatigues each holding a pistol and flashlight. The two were sticking with each other, meaning that I couldn't take them out without the other noticing. It would probably better if I just ran, but they would undoubtedly hear me if I did that, and I do not want to get shot at.
Unfortunately, one of the flashlights moved over to where I was. I gave a silent curse before going back behind cover and hoping he didn't notice me.
"Hey! Whoever there, come out." The guy ordered.
I muttered a curse before following the order and stepping out into the light with my hands held up.
"Who are you?" The other asked. They both had their lights on me, which made it hard for me to see.
"Answer him." The guy who found me ordered.
"Are you guys Bloodhounds?" I asked while casting Insight on both of them.
Ross Amaryllis
Lvl: 20
Main Title: The Precision Dog
Sub-title: None
HP: 5000/5000
AP: 5200/5200
SP: 440/440
Str: 36 (44)
Dex:35 (52)
Vig: 40 (50)
Int: 42 (52)
Wis: 38 (48)
Luck: 3 (4)
Chr: 30 (38)
Born and raised on the streets alongside Jack, the two were picked up by Jett a few years back and have been loyal to him ever since.
Jack Lavender
Lvl: 20
Main Title: The Attack Dog
Sub-title: None
HP:8000/8000
AP: 5000/5000
SP:600/600
Str: 40 (60)
Dex: 38 (57)
Vig: 40 (50)
Int: 32 (40)
Wis: 28 (35)
Luck: 5 (6)
Chr: 20 (25)
Born and raised on the streets alongside Ross, the two were picked up by Jett a few years back and have been loyal to him ever since.
Looks like I'm going to have to take out Jack first. Luckily, these two have an aura, so I can be more aggressive with them without having to worry about hurting them.
"What's it to you?" Jack asked. I could see that from his silhouette that he had tensed up. That was probably the best answer I was going to get.
I used Flash Step Strike and Heavens Fury on Jack. Ross tried to give a shout of warning, but Jack wasn't fast enough as my fist collided with him, sending him crashing into some debris.
I then sent a Shockwave towards Ross, making him stumble and giving me enough time to pull out my sword and using Flaming Crescent on Ross. While he was stunned, I closed a screen that popped up to tell me I scored a critical hit.
My instincts screamed for me to dodge. I moved back just as the sound of a gun went off, the round landing somewhere behind me. I turned to see Jack standing up from my first attack with his gun pointed at me.
"That was a lucky hit punk." He said while breathing a little heavy.
"We'll see about that," I said. I sprinted at him and slashed him across the chest. His Aura preventing any serious damage, but instead of a grunt of pain, I saw him smirk. Before I could figure out what he was planning, he suddenly grabbed me, spun me around, got both his arms around my chest and his hands locked behind me head, putting me into a full nelson.
"Now Ross!" He screamed, and I saw with Ross charging at me with his fist covered in a spirling blue aura.
"Corkscrew Punch!" He yelled out.
Despite the situation, I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the guy had named his attack. I knew that I shouldn't let that hit me, though. So, using a technique Ren had taught me, I dropped my sword before I joined my hands together and moved my hips to the side, put my leg behind Jack, grabbed his now exposed leg, and sent us both to the ground.
This made Ross miss his and lose his balance as he appeared to have thrown everything, including his weight, into the attack. Before he could fall on us, I moved away from Jack and grabbed my sword before I quickly got up. This resulted in Ross tripping and falling on Jack, leaving them both on the ground with me standing instead of being sandwiched in between them.
Not planning on missing an opening, I used a Sundering Strike on their prone forms with Ross taking the brunt of the damage and Jack only getting hit by the AOE damage. However, before I could hit them again, Jack managed to aim his gun at me, and I had to jump back to avoid the bullet shot from the man's gun. He kept on shooting, though, and I was forced to try and block with my sword while I activated absorption shield. While I was able to block one bullet with my sword, the other two that he shot flew true. Thanks to Absorption shield, though, I took no damage to my health. I also got a blue screen.
Congratulations! For deflecting a bullet with your sword, you have gained the skill Deflection!
Deflection (Level 1) {0%}- I mean yeah it's going to be useful, but let's be honest: you're just going to use this to look cool (You are 1% more proficient in blocking projectiles)
I closed the screen with a frown, as my momentary distraction let the two get up.
"Hey, Ross, this guy sure hell packs on hell of a punch." He said.
Ross nodded. "Yeah, he does. Hey, kid what's your name?"
I considered the question for a moment before shrugging.
"Leon," I said simply.
"Well Leon, I hope you are ready. Cause you are about to face off against the Double Hound Duo. Second only to the Lieutenants of Jett."
I suddenly saw Ross's hands get covered in the blue spirling aura while Jack's feet were covered in a green aura. Suddenly both disappeared and reappeared in front of me, catching me off guard.
"Corkscrew Punch!/ Hammer Kick!"
It was only thanks to my reflexes, and them shouting out their attack names, that I was able to move out of the way in time to avoid their attacks. Said attacks kicked up a cloud of dust, and before I knew it, I was forced to duck as a slab of metal was sent my way. My head then quickly met the pavement as I felt a heel slamming it into the ground while a punch slammed into my back.
"There," Jack said, breathing a little heavy, "That should have done him in,"
"Yep," Ross said.
Then I used my Flash Step Strike to appear behind Jack.
"Nope," I said just before I hit him with Heaven's Fury. His Aura shattering on impact as he fell unconsciousness.
"Jack!" Ross screamed out. However, he recovered before I could take advantage of his concern for his brother charged at me with his aura fists blazing. I dodged his attacks for a while as I waited for my Aura to tick back up while also tiring him out. After about thirty seconds, I activated my Heavens Fury again.
Ross, wary of the attack, went on guard as my sword was engulfed in the flames and backed up. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't planning on attacking with my sword.I pulled out my Beretta 92 and shot at him using my Gun Proficiency, which I got while training with Ren. Going to have to thank Ren for letting me borrow Storm Flower for that. I shot Ross in the shoulder before charging in as the flaming bullet caught him off guard and hit him dead on, which then opened him up for a barrage of sword attacks until his aura broke. I then finished the fight with a kick to the head, knocking him out cold.
Breathing heavily, I looked at my two defeated opponents before a blue screen popped up.
Congratulations! For Defeating Ross Amaryllis you have gained 3200 Exp! For Defeating Jack Lavender you have gained 3200 Exp!
Closing the screen with a smile, I looked at the two unconscious bodies before grabbing one of their flashlights that was on the ground to look for something to tie them up with. After about three minutes, I found some decent rope that wasn't completely destroyed with the rest of the building. I sat them against each other and tied them up, getting a new skill in the process.
Congratulations! You have unlocked the skill Bondage!
Bondage-Kinky (Able to tie people up for various purposes)
"Did they really have to call it that?" I thought as my cheeks went red. Shaking my head, I focused on the task on hand as I searched through their pockets for information. Unfortunately, I found nothing but some lint.
"Great, so I'm going to have to interrogate you guys," I said. "Once you wake up of course."
I sat down and stared at the two men, waiting patiently for them to wake up. Of course, this lasted about two minutes before I became bored. So I started doing random things to pass the time. I looked at my stats, looked at my skill sheet, looked at all my potential skill trees, and I looked at a lot of my gamer stuff. When that became boring, I switched to playing with debris and even exercising. But that too became boring, but that had to have passed the time right? Looking at my scroll, I saw that maybe fifteen minutes have passed.
I fell on back with an irritated groan. "There has to be something that I can do," I said, looking to the two tied up men.
That's when it hit me. I could try and learn those techniques they used! As long as they weren't semblances, I should be able to successfully copy them and use them for myself.
With a grin on my face, I got up and re-ran the fight through my head. More specifically, when Ross used the 'Corkscrew Punch.' From the outside, it simply looked like he just made the aura around his fist spin around in a spiral and punched. But I knew it was not that simple. I remember how if felt when he hit me. It felt like I was getting stabbed, and the spiraling aura made it feel like it was almost drilling into my body like… well, a drill. It had acted exactly like a corkscrew. So, if that was the case. I just have to imagine the aura in my hand acting like a corkscrew right?
Testing my theory, I held out my fist and tried to let my aura flow into my fist, which was much harder than it sounds since my aura was acting like a five-year-old being dragged out of bed to get ready to go to school. It was taking an intense amount of focus just trying to make it move how I wanted it too. After maybe five exhausting minutes, though, my five-year-old aura finally gave in and started to move... only for it to switch into a teenager who was forced to get up after staying up all night studying or partying. Or would a better description be a young adult in a dead end job who has yet to have coffee? Either way, it was as slow as molasses, not to mention frustrating. However, I tried my best to focus on and move my Aura.
Just when I felt it around in my hand, any joy I felt vanished as my arm felt like concrete and my head was lighter than a feather. Taking a step back to rebalance myself, any focus I had vanished as I felt my Aura shoot back across the rest of my body. I groaning in frustration at the loss of progress. I was going to try again when I heard pained groan that did not come from me.
Looking to the tied up men, I saw that Jack was waking up. Slipping back into my Leon personal, I let a smirk come across my face as I walked up to the man.
"Well, look who finally woke up," I said in a mocking tone.
Jack seemed to suddenly realize what kind of situation he was in as he started to struggle against the ropes.
"I wouldn't try that if I was you," I warned, "Your friend there is still knocked out, and I was able to take out both of you."
He stopped struggling and settling for a glare.
"What do you want?" He asked.
I walked up to him and squatted in front of him. "Well, Jack it's simple. I like, everyone else, in the world want one thing." I said, trying to sound mysterious while also unsettling him by using his name.
"Money?" He asked.
The smirk I had turned into a frown. "No, the other thing." I explained.
"Women?" He asked his eyebrow raised.
"How could everyone want Women when half of them are women?" I asked a little annoyed that this man was running the tone I was going for.
"Hey, I don't judge." He said with a shrug.
I just sent him a glare and sighed. "Information, Jack, I want information," I said, completely done with this whole situation.
"Oooh," he said, "Well you ain't getting anything from me. My lips are sealed."
I let my smirk return. "We will see about that. Now first thing first Jack," I said, pulling out the patch of the Bloodhound gang out of my inventory. "I assume this is what you were looking for before our little tussle?"
The shock that took over Jack's face gave me my answer before he could even say anything.
"That's what I thought. Now here is the thing, Jack. I'm curious. Why was this here patch of your gang in the ruins of Junior's warehouse?"
Jack tried his best to school his emotions, but it was obvious he didn't have that much training in that department. "The guy was a rogue member who had a vendetta against Junior. We went to collect the body before we started a gang war." He said.
Now, while Jack clearly didn't have much training in hiding information, I had plenty of time to hone my integration skills thanks to my troublesome younger siblings. I nodded my head, looking like I was understanding what he was saying.
"Alright, that makes sense," I said, and relief came onto him all too quickly. "But the funny thing is that I have good information saying that your boss was hired to start a war with Junior."
Jack glared at me. "I don't know what you are talking about." He said.
I smiled. "Of course, I didn't expect you to. I just want to know where your guy's hangout is."
Jack was about to open his mouth, probably to talk about how he would never talk, but I cut him off. "Now, before you go and tell me how you won't say a thing, consider your position here. You are currently tied up, out of aura, your friend is still knocked out, and might have a concussion, and you didn't exactly come out of this without a couple nicks yourself. So before you waste both of our time, how about this? You tell me what I need to know, and you and friend can get some much-needed medical attention. What do you say?"
He went quiet as he thought about my proposal before he gave a small nod. "Go to the Bloodhound bar when there ask for a bloody mary."
I gave him a blank look. "Really? You guys are held up in a bar called the Bloodhound?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "It's where our zone is, yeah."
I raised a brow at that. "Zone?" I asked.
"Our lieutenants are each in charge of a piece of Jett's territory. Helps keep the gang running smoothly for when Jett ever has other business to attend." He explained.
"How many lieutenants are there?" I asked.
"Three."
I nodded my head. "Alright thanks," I said before getting up, pulling out my scroll, and dialed the number that was used to give anonymous tips to the police. "Hello? Yes, there are two members of the Bloodhound Gang currently in the ruins of the warehouse in the southwest of the industrial district. One is unconscious and might need medical attention. Huh-uh. Alright. Okay, have a good day." I finished clicking the hangup button.
Jack stared at me with shock and I just shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, I didn't tell you how he was going to get medical attention. Don't worry though. I'm sure the police will be nice to you." I said with a smirk as I left the pair before the police arrived. Couldn't get held up, after all. The night has just begun and there was a bar I had to get to.
Before I could get going, though, a blue screen popped up.
Wait!
What? Is there something wrong?
No, but I have to explain how Conquests works.
What the hell is a Conquest?
Well, if you wait I can explain it. A Conquest is another feature of the game, and a pretty cool one if you ask me. Conquest lets you take over sections of land, whether its kingdoms, towns, gang territory, whatever. All can be taken over by you. Now how it works is simple: before you can take control of a territory, you have to take control of a zone. Each zone has a boss that varies from territory to territory. For example, if you are conquering some unmarked land, the bosses will be Grimm. With gang territories and the others, you will more than likely have to fight humans. After you take all the zones in the territory, that place is considered yours and you can do whatever you want with it. You can give it away, you can build it up, anything. Pretty cool huh?
This sounds like you just took the formula of any strategy game ever and just changed a few things.
Whatever, I think it's cool. Also whenever you get access to an actual map, it will highlight who has who, and you can even choose specifically what you want to see. Also, your mini-map will tell you what territory you currently reside in.
Alright, that is useful. Also, with that in mind, I should try to get a map soon. Maybe I can turn it into a skill like my minimap? Would be useful to have a world map. First, though, I should get to work to take down the Bloodhounds.
With that settled, I activated Sprint with a grin on my face. I no longer had to worry about my SP running out thanks to my regen skill leveling up throughout the week. Again, I'm going to have to thank Ren later.
Later...
You know, despite it being a gang hangout, it actually didn't look that bad. Then again, I shouldn't really be that surprised. Junior's place was also nice- for a club that is. This place had the look and feel of an old-timey saloon. Well, except for the huge neon sign of a bloodhound that was in front of the doorway. Again, it was weird to see that a gang, which was run by ex-soldier, an Atlas one at that; had something that looks like something you'd only find way-back-when Vacuo was being rung dry by the other nations, which was even before the great war.
I mentally shrugged. Who knows why Jett made the place look like this. Maybe the guy was nostalgic. I walked in and amended my statement. Maybe the guy was really nostalgic. There was a guy playing old Vacuon music on a piano, barmaids that dressed just like old Vacuon barmaids, and, completing the whole atmosphere, the majority of the bar was filled with gang members, who were all drinking and having a good time. I even saw a few playing what appeared to be poker. However, there was also a modern feel to the saloon. Said gang members wore clothing that was obviously Valaen, most of the barmaids had sneakers, and there were plenty of pictures on the walls that were clearly taken with either a scroll or a modern camera. All in all, it was a mix of old and new that seemed to fit. Probably would have made for a nice movie.
I wasn't here to admire the scenery, though. Walking to the bar, I took a seat and motioned for the bartender. The man was dressed in the theme of the bar, seemed to be in his mid-thirties and was balding.
"What can I get for ya?" He asked while cleaning off a glass.
"A bloody mary," I ordered.
The man nodded his head. "We're running low on supplies at the moment so I'll go in the back to see if I can get that for you." He said with a slight bow.
I nodded my head as he left and went into the back room. A couple minutes, later he reappeared from the door, locked eyes with me, and gave a nod before gesturing me to follow him. I got up from my seat and followed him into the back room and then up some stairs until we reached another door.
"He is inside." The bartender said.
I gave a grunt of acknowledgment before stepping in. I was greeted to a man around six-three who looked to be in his late seventies with mostly grey-brown hair that reached back to the nape of his neck. He was wearing an old navy blue coat that was used by commanding officers during the Faunus revolution, and pure white gloves. Strapped to his right side was a revolver with an ivory grip and a saber on his left.
Insight.
Jonathan Blackwood
Lv: 25
Main Title: The Old Dog
Sub-Title: Quick Draw Jonny
HP: 11,100/11,100
AP: 12,600/12,600
SP: 450/450
Str: 36 (45)
Dex: 36 (50)
Vig: 46 (58)
Int: 68 (119)
Wis: 72 (126)
Luck: 14 (25)
Chr: 64 (112)
Born shortly after the great war, Jonathan was 14 when the Faunus Revolution broke out. Enlisting while underage, Jonathan was eventually promoted to a Commander before the war eventually ended. However, Jonathan found himself out of place in the world. Eventually, he made the gang called the Greyhounds, named so after his old battalion, which was eventually taken over by Jett to become the Bloodhounds.
Wow, this guy is definitely sharp. He even surpasses my Wis. I'm could probably take him down in a fight, but the room didn't leave that much breathing room, and that was ignoring all the gang members downstairs. I can't take all those guys, and all he would have to do is stall until his subordinates could get here. I had essentially trapped myself. Mentally berated myself, I looked towards the scowling man.
"Mr. Blackwood," I said with a small bow, "it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He remained impassive as he took a seat behind his desk. "Well, it seems there is a problem. You know my name but I do not know yours." He said.
"My name is Leon." I said with a small smirk, trying my best to keep my cool. Gamer's Mind helped in that regard, but you'd think Jonathan would be the one seeing as how emotionless he seemed.
"A pleasure." He said with a small smile that was so far away from his eyes that you could have sworn it was trying to stay away. "Now Leon, mind telling me what you are doing here?"
I resisted the urge to gulp as I looked into steel blue eyes. I couldn't fight this man, not in the physical sense. I'm going to have to rely on my Chr if I want to come out the victor in this. "Well Mr. Blackwood, I wanted to ask you some questions."
He gave an inquisitive stare before he gestured for me to go ahead.
"Now, " I said, "It is my understanding that this gang was once called the Greyhounds correct? Back when you used to rule."
I saw the man tensed slightly before quickly covering it up.
"That is correct, boy." He said giving me a glare. So he is sour about not being the leader anymore. That's good. I rose my hands in a disarming gesture at the man's rising anger. I would not like to be shot at after all.
"I was just curious," I said and the man glared at me for a little while longer before leaning back in his chair. "So, how was it that a war hero like you, could be defeated by some upstart guy like Jett?" I asked.
I could see his anger return for a brief second before he reined himself in.
"He challenged me for the position. He won, I lost." He said simply, the bitterness clear in his tone.
I nodded my head, and I looked at him curiosity flaring in my eyes. "You don't sound too happy about it," I questioned.
Jonathan's hands, visible on top of his desk, curled into a fist. "He won fair and square."
I leaned forward, a grin on my face. "Did he now?" I taunted. I could see Jonathan's fury light up in his eyes, and I tried my best not to seem intimidated. I had a solid momentum going, and I did not want to lose it when I was close to a possible breakthrough.
"Listen, boy," he growled, "I don't know what you are trying here, but it stops now."
I once again held my hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, just one more question." Jonathan kept his steel eyes on me before giving a curt nod.
"Do you want your old position back?"
He looked at me for a few seconds before leaning back into his chair. "So this is what you want, huh? To stage a coup?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "What do you get out of it?" He asked.
I smiled. "Well, besides the irony of it all, I would also like it if you stopped attacking Junior."
He looked at me up and down. "Didn't expect you to be working for Junior."
I shrugged, "Were more like business associates."
He glared at me for a second. "When do you plan on staging this coup?"
"Tonight," I answered.
His eyes widened slightly but he quickly went back to his cold stone expression. "How exactly do you expect me to help in such a short time frame?" He questioned.
"Simple," I said. "Just don't try to kill me when I take on your boss."
He looked at me like I was insane for a second before nodding his head. "Fine, I'll take part in this. But if things go south-"
"Yeah, yeah I know," I said waving him off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go take care of the others." I said, before getting up and walking out the door.
Your Chr has increased by 1!
Nice. As soon as I closed the door, I realized something very important. "Uh, hey," I asked Blackwood sheepishly after reopening the door, "Mind telling me where the other guys are?"
The man blinked a bit before he facepalmed. "I'm already regretting this." He lamented with a sigh.
I could only chuckle embarrassedly in reply.
Here we are after so long it feels good to finally get this out. Anyway, I would like to once again apologize for the long wait. But like I have said, the new job has made me have to redo my whole writing schedule. And thus I am now going to be a bi-weekly update schedule. But hey, if it makes you all feel better, next update will be chapter 13. Also, if you haven't yet go to the polls and vote for what story you want. Anyway, i'm just going to leave you guys here with an updated character sheet. If you liked the chapter be sure to leave a review. This is Journeymen, signing off.
Jaune Arc
Class: Paladin
Main Title: The Pretender
Sub-title: Acolyte of Light
Level 33
Exp: 11,567/29,616
HP: 10,567/19,894
AP: 5550/5550
SP:1345/1345
Str: 64 (109)
Dex: 60 (90)
Vig: 147 (316)
Int: 80 (136)
Wis: 60 (90)
Luck: 1 (1)
Chr: 97 (204)
~~Gamer's Mind (MAX)- You, my friend, are immune to being mind raped.
~~Gamer's Body (MAX)- Welp, There goes my arm! Oh, well, it'll come back with the HP I lost
~~Insight (Level 38) {35%}- You can see up to 50 levels above you, and can now see the quality of gear. As well as a quick background of things when casting Insight.
~~Aura (Rank 2)- All stats get a 50% boost
~~Detect Evil (Level 18) {5%}- Can detect a hostile presence within 10 meters. Range increases every level
~~Feather Fall (MAX)- Can completely control your descent, fall damage is reduced by 100%
~~Leadership (Level 18) {45%}- Gain a 5% bonus to Chr, and increase the chance people will follow you
~~Strategy (Level 22) {70%}- Able to make plans
~~ Cure Wounds- Can heal for 50hp [10 AP]
~~Acting (Level 16) {22%}- Able to put on an act to deceive people
~~Cooking (Level 45) {4%}- Able to make good food
~~Sprint- Doubles running speed [10 SP per sec]
~~Smooth Talker (Level 18) {10%}- Ability to talk your way out of situations
~~Precognition (Level 24) {64%}- Able to slow your perception of time to come up with multiple different strategies to defeat your opponent [Cost 100 MP]
~~Decipher (Rank 1)- Able to find the hidden meaning in anything
~~Shield Mastery (Level 29) {2%}- You are 29% more proficient in using shields
~~Sword Mastery (Level 26) {6%}- You are 26% more proficient with using swords
~~Shield Charge (Level 10) {12%}- Grabbing your shield with both hands, you charge at the opponent dazing them and have a 10% chance to knock them prone.
~~Shield Bash (Level 13) {22%}- When you bash someone with a shield perfectly when they try to attack you. You instead stun them for 10 seconds.
~~Resistance (Level 39) {5%}- 39% resistance to diseases and poisons
~~SP Regen (Level 26) {79%}- Regen .26 per sec
~~MP Regen (Level 22) {82%}- Regen .22 per sec
~~HP Regen (Level 24) {55%}- Regen .24 per sec
Home Repair (Level 18) {55%}- 15% decrease in time to repair buildings.
~~Jump- You have a base Jump of ten feet that increases by one when both STR and DEX and adding Aura will increase jump height 10 ft pure Aura point.
~~Divine Smite- Add a 50% damage bonus for a single strike. And a 100% damage bonus against grimm. [150 AP]
~~Sundering Strike- Add a x2 modifier and have half all total damage go into an area effect damage [300 MP]
~~Minor Radiance- Glow a dim light for 15ft and give a 5% debuff to all grimm
~~Parry- Perform a perfect time parry and stun them allowing you to deal double damage for a short time [50 SP]
~~Juggernaut- Gain a 50% Bonus to defense when wearing full heavy armor.
~~Shield Wall- When Blocking, you can erect a shield of Aura giving a 50% bonus to Defense [200 Ap a sec]
~~Haggling (Rank 1)- Gain 5% better prices
~~Crafting Basic Wares (Rank 1)- Able to craft items of Low Quality or lower
~~Holy Ember (Level 14) {69%}- Can Deal 5-10 damage to Grimm or unholy beings per sec. Can be boosted with a holy symbol [10 AP a sec]
~~Absorption Shield- For every point of damage you take when this is active. You can instead transform it to HP for either you or your allies. [1 point of damage=1 AP]
~~Taunt (Level 17) {40%}- Able to distract enemies from your allies and instead have them focus on you. The better the taunt the better the chance
~~Aura Sense (Level 22) {91%}- Allows you to see things that are masked in Aura in a 10 meter radius
~~Free Running (Level 18) {24%}- You are able to run across different terrains much easier.
~~Crit Seeker- Hitting Vital spots with the intent to do kill will automatically let you crit
~~Blazing Smite- Your next strike does ten times your aura modifier damage while also doing another 50% fire damage. And if you kill a Grimm with this skill. It completely disintegrates them, not letting them respawn. [100 AP]
~~Leap (Level 10) {35%}- You can leap at least 14 feet and increase the distance by using MP
~~Disguise (Level 12) {65%}-Able to use a disguise to hide your identity.
~~Sneak (Rank 1)- You are able 10% more effective in sneaking.
~~Climbing (Level 23) {44%}- You 23% more effect at climbing things. And it reduces the cost by 23% [77 SP a sec]
~~Stealth Takedown- Able to take down opponents without making noise. {Must be actively in stealth} [50 SP]
~~Pain Tolerance (Level 14) {88%}- Reduce all damage taken by 14%
~~Divine Power (Rank 1)- All attacks now do an extra 10% holy damage
~~Second Wind (Rank 1)- When you get below half HP and/or SP you gain 20% back to each stat
~~Toughness (Rank 1)- +10 Vig
~~Healer's Power (Rank 1) Healing spells heal 10% more
~~Shockwave (Rank 1) Send out a Shockwave that can temporarily stun opponents. And deal a small amount of damage [50 AP, more if you charge it]
~~Basic CQC (Level 5) {0%} You are able to perform basic CQC moves and unarmed attacks are 1% more effective
~~Blade Wave (Level 7) {0%} Shootout a wave of energy that does the same damage as a regular attack [200 AP]
~~Minimap- Adds a minimap to the top left of your screen
~~Healing Aura (Rank 1)- Your Aura heals other and yourself passively for 5%
~~Memorize- Get a photographic memory
~~Haste- Can double speed while sprinting. But will give you the status effect fatigue [20 SP per second]
~~Encumbrance (Rank 1)- Inventory space increased by 10
~~Acrobatics (Level 1)- Lets you do a acrobatic moves in combat
~~Flash Step Strike (Level 1)- Travel up to ten feet and strike [100 AP & SP]
~~Magical Resistance (Level 1)- You are 1% resistant to magic
~~Armor of Holy Radiance- Gives you a 50% bonus to armor [500 AP]
~~Grip (Level 1)- Are able to grab onto to something and depending on Str hold it in your hand.
~~Dragon's Grasp- Apply your Aura to add damage to your grip. The more Aura the more damage. [MP cost depends on input of aura]
~~Intimidation (Rank 1)- Use your Chr and Level to make yourself to appear more intimidating. Can cause enemies to gain the status wary, and a smaller chance for the target to become frightened
~~Heaven's Fury- Your next strike does twenty times your aura modifier damage, while also dealing a 50% more holy and 50% fire damage. And any grimm killed by this skill will not respawn [1000 AP]
~~The Way of the Divine (Rank 1)- Lets you gain access to the basics of The Way of the Divine Martial Arts Style
~~Flaming Crescent- Fire a crescent shaped wave of fire at someone, having them take their standard damage as well as 50% fire damage. And have a small chance to afflict the burned status effect [450 AP]
~~Bondage- Able to tie people up for various purposes
~~Deflection (Level 1) {0%}- You are 1% more proficient in blocking projectiles
Affinity Chart
-Pyrrha Nikos 20 (Has a small but growing crush on you)
-Ruby Rose 46 (Has a sizable crush on you)
-Nora 25 (Is gonna want pancakes for you waking her up)
-Ren 24 (Is worried for you)
-Yang 30 (Thinks there is something about you)
-Blake 30 (Respects you)
-Weiss 16 (Is not as bad as she thought)
-Cardin -50 (Hates You)
-Sky -5 (Following Cardin)
-Dove -5 (Following Cardin)
-Russel -5 (Following Cardin)
-Glynda 22 (Admires your work ethic and drive)
-Red Axe Gang 15 (See's you as potential threat)
-Junior 15 (Is cautious about you)
-Vale Police 5 (Appreciate you tipping them off to the Yellow Snakes)
-Velvet Scarletta 30 (Has a crush on you)
Just thought that I would give you guys the full thing for today, will give you more insight and what not. Hope you don't mind.
