Less than a Hero, More than a Gamer
Chapter 15
Quick Reminder: Max, above all else, is an established asshole, and a Mafioso-in-training.
Let it be known that Max Argentum wasn't the type to wait around. The moment he got back from his little "test run" in the city, he raced to his quarters and dumped all thirteen of his unused Ability points into Spirit.
[Spirit: 30 » 43]
[Aura: 750/750 (100%) » 1075/1075 (100%)]
'That's weird,' though Max as his aura lazily shifted around, 'I don't feel any differn-'
It started off slow. At first he was mildly winded, barely noticeable. Over the next few seconds his breaths turned into pants, and from pants to strangled gasps for air. Waves of pain and euphoria assaulted Max's senses, driving him to his knees. The boy trembled. Was he going to die again!?
Cold…
Max panted shakily and clenched his fists. His body felt like it had been dipped in a pool from the arctic. His hair stood on end as his body shivered.
So Cold…
His aura spasmed and pulsed for a solid twenty seconds. The room was aflame with a faint silver glow that brightened and darkened frantically. Max wanted to lie down but just…couldn't. It was as if he was frozen in place with a massive load bearing on his shoulders.
And suddenly, as soon as it had came, the weight was lifted off of Max's body.
The pain seemed to melt away in an instant, and the cold flashes disappeared into nothing. He…wasn't going to die, he realized. It felt as if nothing had happened; he wasn't even on his knees. But the shortness of breath remained.
"*Pant* *Pant* What the *Pant* hell was that?"
Max was honestly confused. Stuff like that never happened when he boosted his stats, ever. Yes, there was usually some backlash whenever he boosted his stats or finished training. At worst his muscles would feel sore for a few hours, never anything intense as…that, whatever that was.
No matter how many times he strengthened his body, the results would be the same, without fail.
But this time was different. This time around he was messing with his Aura, the fabric of his very soul. Using the menu to change it not even a day after it was unlocked would obviously have some consequences.
Max looked at the fading ripples of power traveling up his arm. It hurt like a bitch, but he would be lying if he said he didn't like the results. He couldn't exactly put the sensation in words. It was almost as if his Aura had become…stronger? Bigger? Thicker? No, that wasn't the right word for it either…
The boy hummed thoughtfully. It would be a long time before he understood anything about this Aura stuff.
*Knock Knock* A strong hand banged against the door, putting an end to Max's pondering.
"Hey kid!" It was Roman, "You aren't jacking off in there, are you? Because if you are then hurry it up and get to my office ASAP!"
Max cringed and shouted back, "Can it asshole! I'll be out in a minute."
The man laughed, "Alright, Alright. Just remember to wash your hands before you touch any of my stuff." He finished and walked away. Max could sense a dash of irritation in the man's voice, but ignored it.
The silverette groaned and went to grab his jacket. There was no use in arguing with the guy who could kill you and out-talk you at the same time.
The boy tentatively picked up his gray jacket, truly looking at for the first time in a while. It looked like it was a decade old. The hood was dirty and missing several stitches. The arms were beaten and shredded to pieces courtesy of Neo and the back looked like someone had taken a whip to it.
"Meh," Max shrugged and threw it on anyway, "I'll just buy a new one later."
The boy walked into Roman's office with a tired look in his eyes. The whole Aura kickback thing was still affecting him.
Roman noticed the boy's entrance and motioned to a pair of chairs in front of his desk. Max got the orangette's message and sat down. He looked at the mafia boss curiously. There were periodic flashes of irritation flashing across the man's face. Apparently he was pretty annoyed at something, or rather someone.
A cold drop of sweat went down the silverette's face. Roman said there would be a penalty for showing up late to his meeting yesterday. He acted cool about the whole situation, but Max couldn't help being a little wary.
The man himself noticed the look on Max's face and rolled his eyes. 'That kid really needs to stop freaking out every time I call him. If I wanted to kill him for stepping out of line, I would've just slit his neck or something.'
Roman smirked to himself, 'Then again, one doesn't exactly stay calm in the presence of the great, powerful, and incredibly charismatic Roman Torchwick. He he he…'
Max's eye twitched at Roman's not-so hidden laughter. He knew that Roman wasn't exactly sane, no criminal of his caliber was, but the man's…oddities were just as confusing as ever.
The man's laughter ceased and his face settled back into annoyance. He took a few tired glances at the door, 'Where the hell is that little she-devil?'
As if on cue, the door swung open to the sight of a bored Neopolitan staring at her scroll. She looked like she wanted to be there less than Max did.
Roman groaned in relief and leveled a glare on the multicolored girl, "How wonderful of you to grace us with your presence Neo! Gods, where the hell have you been? I called you like an hour ago!"
Neo didn't seem to acknowledge him, staring even more intently at…whatever she was watching. She yawned and relaxed her shoulders, dismissing the indignant mob boss entirely.
Roman scowled and grabbed a filled cup on the edge of his desk. His eyes flashed and all of a sudden the scroll in Neo's hand short-circuited. Neo, rather than drop the scroll, glared at Roman, who had a shit-eating grin on his face.
The man feigned shock, even going as far as to dramatically hold a hand to his mouth, "Oh my, what an unfortunate and unexpected occurrence! You have my deepest sympathies, dearest partner of mine!"
Neo childishly stuck her tongue out at Roman and threw her (now-broken) scroll down on Roman's carpet, which left a wet stain as it bounced. She grabbed the chair next to Max, spun it around backwards, and sat down facing her boss.
Roman visibly relaxed in his seat, "Now that everyone's finally here we can get down to business," he pulled a cigar from his ashtray and continued, "You two haven't been quite…up to up to my standards recently. Nothing too serious for now, but pretty soon you'll need to be in tip-top shape, and you aren't going to cut it as you are now."
Neo looked bored, as this was nothing new to her. Max was quietly indignant, torn between curiosity anger and fear.
"Argentum!" Max's eyes snapped to attention. This was the first time Roman used his last name, "You're a tough little shit, but you've been slacking on your training, big time! If you had been giving it your all then I wouldn't have had to waste my time unlocking your Aura, but you already knew that, huh!"
Max blanched, he had noticed something welling up from inside whenever he was training, but always gave up well before it could come out. And now he was suffering the consequences.
"Neo!" the girl looked at the orangette blankly, "You can barely keep yourself under control half the time, you constantly abandon your grunt units, and almost screwed up your last mission! It's a miracle you haven't gotten yourself killed! Or even worse, gotten us found out!"
"I should take you two out right here and now," Roman took an especially long drag of his cigar, "But I just so happen to be a nice person, and I'm not in the mood of getting any blood on my nice new gloves, so consider yourselves lucky."
Neo rolled her eyes while Max inwardly sighed in relief.
"That being said, still have to punish the both of you. Can't have my subordinates think I'm going soft, you know." The orangette paused to let the message sink in, "That is why, effective immediately, Neo will be directly in charge of this brat's training until both of you meet my standards."
Max and Neo were in varying states of confusion, "Ummm," began the silverette, "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Neo silently wondered the same.
"It means that you," He pointed at Neo, "Are benched until further notice to get the silver brat up to my standards. No missions, no patrols, nothing until you get your act together!" There was no room for argument in the man's voice.
Neo shot to her feet, kicking her chair to the floor. Rage skewed her innocent-looking face into a nasty scowl. Her fists were clenched so hard that they would've bled had it not been for her Aura.
She didn't understand! Why was she of all people being put in charge of some…some weakling? He was somewhat tolerable, sure, but she had way better things to do than play tutor to some kid!
Neo's eyes angrily flickered between brown and white, unbeknownst to the small woman.
Roman glared at her, "And there it is! That look in your eyes is the exact reason I'm making you do this! You need to learn some control, and ain't no better way to do that than Aura teaching. That's what I did with you, after all."
The man's expression turned somber, "Not to mention you need to learn how to lead, to take charge and all that junk before it's too late. I'd rather not have all of our men killed because you decided to leave them for dead!"
Neo's eyes turned downcast. She slowly got her chair off the floor and sat down, normally this time around. Max looked at the girl curiously. She was an assassin, not exactly the type to care about goons to his knowledge. Did he…miss something about Roman's little tangent?
"And Max," oh, Roman was back to first names now, "Don't get it twisted. This may turn out to help you in the end, but you're still being punished," the man smirked, "Remember, you're dealing with Neo for as long as I see fit, and I'm sure she's not your…biggest fan right now. Try not to get maimed, brat."
Max at that moment decided that he hated Roman Torchwick…again.
And with that, Roman pushed the two out of his office and slammed the door shut, leaving the duo to not-so-subtly glare at each other. Neither of them were exactly enthused about Roman's "arrangement", albeit different reasons.
".…"
".…"
".…"
Neo was the first to break away from the situation, teleporting away in a shower of white, brown, and pink shards. Max groaned and palmed his face, making his Aura tremble from the impact.
'Just great, now I have to deal with that crazy midget every day, fucking hell.' He could feel the bruises forming already…wait, no those were just the ones from the other day.
'I need to stock up on meds.'
*RIIIIIP*
Max looked down at his left coat sleeve, which after months of unending torment finally decided to give up on life and pass on to the great fabric beyond. It would be missed…
'But first I need to stock up on jackets…'
"Ha ha ha!"
Max swerved around to see the taller of the Malachite sisters, Melanie, laughing her butt off at him.
"Wow, Max! That is like, a total fashion faux pas, For reals! Hahaha!"
Max stared at the girl blankly, "What the hell is a fow paw? Is it French or some shit?"
"What's French?"
The silverette's eye twitched,"...Damn it."
"Ignore my sister," a feminine voice monotoned from behind Max. The boy in question hopped away and slipped his hand near his 'Pocket', ready to fight.
'Oh,' Max relaxed, 'It's just Miltia.'
The red-clad Malachite sister continued, unaffected by the boy's outburst, "Sister likes to use weird languages to make herself look cool. She did it all the time when we were kids."
"Damn it Millie, Grimm Latin is real! You just refuse to admit it!"
"Whatever you say, sister." Was Miltia…smirking?
"Don't patronize me!"
"Whatever do you mean, dear sister?"
"You know what I mean, biatch!"
Max watched as the twins entered a small battle of insults and wits. Miltia somehow managing to hold her own despite her tone never changing. She lost in the end however, leading Melanie to triumphantly lead her sister outside to do…whatever they did in their spare time.
'What the hell is my life?' Max wondered as the sister duo walked away.
The boy realized that he would have to buy some huntsman quality clothes. Inevitably he would have to face off against huntsmen, huntsmen who wouldn't stop to make sure his clothes were in good shape in the middle of a fight. He couldn't afford to buy new outfits every time things got rough, which they definitely would considering his "occupation".
Hunter level clothes tended to come with a lot of extra features. Light Armor, weight holsters, and a boatload of extra pockets. The latter would prove very useful given his ability.
Unfortunately, Max had run into a problem.
The places that places that sold hunter-tier gear were typically run by huntsmen. They were almost always packed with huntsmen, cops, or crazy fashion Dust-tubers, all of which Max would rather avoid.
It took the boy until sundown to find a decent shop that wouldn't be swamped with hunters. The reviews on it shop weren't exactly great, but it would have to do.
Max walked through the door which opened with a little jingle.
His gaze traveled across the shop, roaming over the massive assortment of pants, belts, and other garments before landing on the shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with red hair, who was happily sleeping at his desk.
'Okay, the guy's asleep. Maybe I can swipe some somethin-no wait…he's obviously got cameras. Dammit. There goes that option.'
Max's eye twitched. He did not (literally) run here from the other side of the city, avoid eight police patrols, and run into a politician just to come up empty-handed because this shopkeeper decided to take a nap.
The silverette calmly walked over to the shopkeeper, duly noting a small puddle of drool coming out of the man's mouth. He not-so-gently prodded the man's shoulder.
"Hey. Hey, asshole. Wake the hell up. It's not even past eight dude, get your life together."
"Mmmm, Katie not so loud, you'll wake the kids. Heh heh heh…" The man mumbled in his sleep.
"Hmmm," Max sighed and slammed his hand down right next to the man's ear, "Wake the hell up!"
The shopkeeper jolted upright with wide eyes, "Ohgodsnotthereweneveragreedon-" the redhead froze when his eyes locked with Max's, whose brow was raised in curiosity.
The man gulped, red in the face and clearly embarrassed about…something, and asked, "W-what time is it?"
"Half past Seven."
"Oh, Gods Dammit! All I wanted was a twenty-minute nap! S-sorry kid, it's just been pretty slow week, I haven't gotten any new shipments, and my wife istryingto"experiment" ' 'tblameaguyforwantingtogetsomeshut-eye,righ-"
Max interrupted the man's rambling with a raised palm, "I don't really care dude, just chill out. And try talking a little slower, I can't buy shit if you suffocate or something."
"Oh, right. My bad," the man anxiously cleared his throat, "*Ahem* Welcome The Crim and Son's clothing Cache. Providing quality clothes at stellar prices for all your hunting needs since Nineteen Sixty Nine!" he said with a plastered-on smile.
"...What the fuc-"
"I'm contractually obligated to say that every time a customer comes in."
"I…Whatever. You got any coats left? I need something heavy duty."
"Sure," The man pointed to another section of the store, "T-they're on aisle four, right next to the gloves. Can't understand why you'd want one though. They've been out of season for a mont-oh, okay…just walk away. Not like I was trying to make conversation or *mumble mumble mumble*
'Looks like I came to the right place.'
The shelves were lined with all kinds of coats and outerwear, from light hoodies to massive parkas. Max wasn't sure what type he should get.
Parkas would be a little too bulky to move around in so they were out. Jackets were flexible but wouldn't provide much protection in the long run. Trench coats were out of the question, most of the ones in stock were too long for his tastes and way too easy to spot in a crowd.
Max scanned over the racks with 'The Third Eye' until he found something in particular that caught his eye.
[Fur-Hooded Bomber Jacket (Gray/Black/White) | Quality: Hunter]
[Durability: Rank V | Cold Protection IV | Fireproof III | Fur lining]
[Bonus Features: Large Pockets x6, Kevlar Fabric, Weight Holsters, Hidden ammo pouch]
[Price: 4,599 Lien]
It wasn't the most durable the store had to offer, nor was it the highest quality, but it was leagues ahead of his old gear. It was a bit pricey, but wouldn't been too much of a hit to his savings.
Max got the jacket off of its shelf and threw it over his shoulder. His little shopping trip wasn't quite over.
The boy picked up a few black and white T-shirts in addition to some extra jeans that went with his new jacket. He also grabbed a pair of gray steel-toed boots, making a complete outfit. However, there was one thing missing from his ensemble.
"You got any gloves left? I couldn't find any." he boredly asked the shopkeeper.
"O-oh, sorry kid, but we're out of standard-issue gloves. The only ones left are in the combat section of the store." the shopkeeper led Max to a locked away section of the store, "It's kingdom policy that the more advanced gear is locked away, to keep any ner-do-wells from getting to it and stuff."
'Well, it ain't doing a very good job at it.' Max thought as the red-haired shopkeeper led him inside.
The room housing the combat gear was pretty small compared to the rest of the building, barely larger than the barracks back at the warehouse. But it more than made up for its size in the sheer amount of stuff on display.
The walls practically glistened with all sorts of combat gear, gauntlets, heavy-duty vests, holsters, tactical plating. It was the definition of a miniature armory.
Large masses of gear were sectioned off by brand names, puzzling the boy. Since when did people produce combat gear like shoes. Sure it was extremely common for people to have some type of protective gear, even civilians apparently, but this was a bit…much. Were warriors like him really that common? The notion was humbling in a way.
'Now's not the time to get all introspective and shit. I've got gear to buy.'
The silverette glanced at the shopkeeper from the corner of his eye, who kept a strong eye on him, obviously waiting for him to cause trouble. It would be wise not to stay longer than he had to.
Max looked over the dozens of types of gear, having to suppress 'The Third Eye' to keep from getting a headache. He noticed a pair of gloves that had light forearm plating attached, and a magnetic back holster.
The boy stanched his items off the shelf, making sure the shopkeeper clearly saw him, and walked to the register, the redhead right behind him.
"A-alright, your total comes up to 11,483 lien. Are you using cash or card?"
"Cash," The silverette said as he dug around 'The Pocket' for his money.
"…"
"..."
"So…" began the shopkeeper, "T-that gear you picked up, and the look on your face…You're a huntsman in training, aren't you?"
"...Yeah…what about it?"
The man looked away abashed, "S-sorry…it's just…I really wanted to be a huntsman when I was a kid. Saving lives, Rescuing Princesses, it is…was my dream, my life's goal. My father-"
"Were you going somewhere with this?" The boy interrupted with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"R-right. It's just…heartwarming to see someone so young, someone who's trying to make the world a better place, buy their gear from my little store. It puts a smile on my face, y'know." the man laughed, "Gods I must sound like an idiot…"
The silverette looked away from him, "Whatever…" he mumbled quietly. He handed the man his lien and raced to the fitting room, more than eager to leave the conversation.
[Lien Total: 93,278 » 81,795]
"Hmm," the boy slid on his new jacket and stared at himself in the mirror. "Not too shabby." His new clothes were a little baggy, but that was far from a bad thing. The holster was a little snug but not uncomfortable.
He yanked Alpha out of 'The Pocket' with ease for once, obviously because of his new jacket and gave it a good once over.
It was in pretty bad shape. The blade was dulled and dented, the gun had long since jammed, and the pole was pretty beaten up. It was a miracle it hadn't broken in half.
'Isn't there a weapon shop across the street.' the boy wondered as he slipped his beloved weapon on his back, hoping that it wouldn't fall off.
Satisfied, Max began to walk outside, his old outfit discarded in a trashcan nearby.
"H-hey kid, Wait!"
Max looked back at the shopkeeper with narrowed eyes, "What do you want?"
"Y-you should really take that off. I understand being eager to wear a new outfit, but it's never a good idea to wear something that thick during a heatwave."
The silverette looked at the man oddly, "Heatwave? What the hell are you talking about?" It felt pretty normal outside to him.
The shopkeeper gaped at the boy, "You seriously didn't notice!? It's over a hundred degrees out there! You should've been sweating bullets when you got here, Aura or not! If you go out for even a minute in that thing thenyoumightgetaheatstokeorsomething! Youcouldpassoutorevendie-"
"Whatever, I'm out of here."
"Are you even listening to me!?"
"No, not really."
The silverette left the store, trying to banish the previous conversation from his mind. He would worry about the whole heatwave thing later. He had a weapon to get fixed.
'Huh, small world.' Max thought as he stood in front of the weapon body shop.
META'S METAL MAKERS: YOU DEALT IT, WE SMELT IT!
'I'm never going to get used to that stupid fucking catchphrase.' mentally groaned Max.
"Out of my way brat." A man in a black hoodie shoved past him, agitating the wolf faunus.
"Watch where you're going! Damn cockbite." Max growled, causing the man to look back at him.
The hooded man seemed to stiffen as he looked at the boy and his arms began to shake beneath his jacket. He looked absolutely livid, well about as livid as a man in a hood could look. A small flash of green could be seen beneath his hood.
The man clenched his fists and stormed off. Max heard the man mumbling under his breath as he walked away, saying things like "Furry Bastard" and "Wolf Eared Prick". The boy wondered what the man's deal was, but wrote it off as another douche being racist.
The weapon shop's door opened with a small jingle, alerting the Blacksmith of Max's arrival.
"Hello There! Welcome to Meta's Metal Makers! You smelt it, we-"
"I've already been here dude, just lookin' for some upgrades." He pulled Alpha off of his back and handed it to Meta as proof.
Meta carefully examined the damaged spear, "Certainly looks like my handiwork...but the metal isn't very high quality. It should take about an hour to reforge with the super smelter, two if I reinforce it. That alone should bring you to about seven thousand lien, eleven thousand If I use the good stuff. You wanted some upgrades too, right?"
"Yeah," Max paused to think, "You got anything that can speed me up a bit?" he'd need all the extra speed he could get if he was going to survive "training" with Neo.
Meta grinned, "Of course! I've got just the thing you need! Be back in a second." with a bright smile the man retreated to the back of the store. He quickly returned holding some kind of large metal cylinder with a strange opening on one end. The blacksmith sat it on the counter with shining eyes and hands proudly on his hips.
"Well!? What do you think?" the man was absolutely beaming. It was kind of unsettling to be honest.
"...What the hell is it?"
"Ohho~ Only the Merlot Series Propulsion Unit J6-24, Model eight point two! Produced by the world renowned RPC-Tour weapon supplier! It's got a Crystal Type Monopropellant-"
"In English!"
"What's English?"
Max groaned and pinched his nose, "Just…tell me what it does. And keep it short, I don't really give a shit about that other stuff."
The blacksmith slumped his shoulders, "*Sigh* It's basically a mini-rocket attachment. Helps speed up your attacks 'n junk. It's nothing too powerful, but it works. It'll cost you about ten thousand, give or take."
The silverette cringed. He knew it would be worth it in the long run, but still. That was a pretty big chunk out of his savings, but it would pay him back in the long run he supposed. The better his weapon was, the easier time he would have earning that money back.
Max nodded to himself, "I'll take all that stuff you talked about. Hell, add in an upgrade to my gun too."
"Alright!" Meta looked to be in a little better mood, "Reforging, Caliber enhancement, on top of a weapon attachment…That brings you to 23,851 Lien." The boy handed the blacksmith the money and, with a surprisingly heavy heart, Alpha.
[Lien Total: 81,795 » 57,944]
"Your order will take about three hours, closer to two if my apprentice shows up today." And with that Meta left for the forgery, Max's beloved spear in hand.
'Apprentice? Whatever, doesn't matter anyway.'
About an hour later
Max dug around the shelf in the center aisle of the shop, dead set on finding his target.
'C'mon, They've got to have at least one comic in this damn store!' He was so focused on his search that he failed to notice the commotion heading his way, despite his enhanced hearing.
"Yaaang, hurry up! We're gonna be late!" yelled an extremely energetic girl, whose voice carried all the way to the store despite being a good distance away.
"C'mon Ruby, we *Pant* still have an hour! Slow down!" pleaded an older sounding girl tiredly.
*SLAM*
The door was slammed open violently, a red and black blur racing through it.
"LOOK OUT!"
"The Hell-?" Max reflexively turned toward the panicked shout only for his vision to be filled with red. In a flash the red blur crashed into the silverette's torso, knocking the breath out of Max and sending both him and it flying in opposite directions.
"Gah!"/"Oof" both Max and the blur said respectively as they hit the ground.
The boy groaned as his vision swam. The impact didn't pierce his Aura, nor did it injure him, but it still stung like hell.
"Oh, my gosh! Ruby, are you okay!?" said a…yellow blob? No that wasn't right…
Max sat up on his elbows in order let his vision adjust and to get a better view of the speaker. The first thing he saw was the blob, no, person who ran into him. A girl with black and red hair who appeared to be a few years younger than him. She was nursing her obviously aching head while a girl, much closer to his age, with very long blonde hair stood over her worriedly.
"-Nothing Broken right? Right!?"
"Sis! I'm fine, geez. You're worse than dad sometimes." pouted the younger of the two as her sister helped her to her feet. As the girl caught her bearings she noticed Max, who was slowly getting up.
"*Gasp* Oh no, I'm so sorry!" she held her hand out to help the silver-haired boy up, "I was just in a hurry and lost control of my semblance and stuff and…and…Ah geez are you okay?" the girl trembled slightly. She was still new to the whole social interaction thing.
Max ignored the girls outstretched hand and dusted himself off. He leveled the silver-eyed girl with a light glare and growled, "Watch where the hell you're going!" He wasn't all that loud or nasty, but the red/black-haired girl flinched nevertheless.
The blonde next to her immediately jumped to her sister's defense, stepping up to Max, "Chill out, jerk! She said it was an accident! What the heck is your problem?"
"Yang, please. It's not that big of a deal." the silver-eyed girl pleaded. Her dad would be furious if Yang got into another fight this week.
"No, it's not. You apologized, the least he could do is respect that."
Max rolled his eyes, "Fuck off, Blondie." he went back to looking for comics.
"Why you-!"
The red one, Ruby, gently grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her away from the silverette, "Really sorry for the trouble," she smiled nervously and guided her sister to another part of the store, the girl in question giving Max a red-eyed glare.
'...Weirdos.' Pot calling the kettle black right there.
Another hour or so Later
"Alright, Kid. Here you go! One new and improved spear courtesy of yours truly! Careful, it's a little warm." Meta said as he handed the shining weapon to Max.
The first thing he noticed was Alpha's weight. It was heavier, a lot heavier, something Max attributed to the rocket. The metal felt different as well, cleaner somehow. He could swing it around well enough, but to would take some getting used to before he could operate it to its fullest.
There was a small slider added to the middle of the blade, most likely for the rocket attachment. It looked like a completely different weapon, to be honest.
[Alpha MK 2 (Silver Spear) | Quality: Hunter | Damage: x2.6 | (Stab/Slash/Shoot/Boost) ]
[Mecha-Shift: Shotgun-Spear (Pump Action 2) | Add-On(s): Mid-Tier Dust Rocket (Current Fuel 100% : Ice Dust Crystal) ]
[(Usable) Stat Requirements: 55 STR/62 DEX/ 48 AGL]
[(Optimal) Stat Requirements: 98 STR/111 DEX/ 82 AGL]
'At least I can move around with it this time.' Thought Max as he slid the weapon on his back. No more having to deal with his crappy old holster every time he wanted to get his only good weapon.
The boy cracked his neck and left the weapon shop with little fanfare, as there was nothing else for him to do. As he walked away, he received a bland goodbye from Meta.
"Thank you for coming to Meta's metal works. Stay safe out there." The boy noted that the blacksmith didn't say "please come again" or hand him a coupon like last time. He wasn't too broken up about it though, his only concern was getting back home in one piece.
Max saw a small crowd of people, most likely huntsmen in training, coming near and decided to take the alley across from Meta's. The fewer people who saw his face the better.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
The boy briskly walked down the alley. A bad feeling went down his spine. Something big was about to go down around here, and he didn't want to be around it see it.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Max's eyes shot to attention. Was he being followed or something? He looked behind his back, no one back there. So then where was that noise coming from?
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." chimed a vaguely familiar voice in a nasty tone.
The silverette looked forward. It was that weird guy he ran into in front of Meta's. Where the hell did he come from?
The hooded man clenched his fists just as he did before. Although this time instead of leaving, he decided to take a short step toward Max, loud enough to echo through the entire alleyway.
Max's hands subconsciously slid into his pockets, "Get the hell outta my way, Jackass. I ain't selling shit, so if you're looking for your fix then take your ass downtown or something." he growled out. He didn't have time for this crap. It was about time for his "training" with Neo and he did not want to piss off Roman again.
"You sound a little…tilted Dog Breath! Hehehe…" the man's teeth were visibly clenched, despite his laughter.
'Dog Breath?' That little insult sounded familiar. Did he…know this guy?
"Something wrong, Dog-Breath!? You lose your chew toy or something!? Bury you precious bone somewhere you couldn't find it!? Huh! HUH!" The man was beginning to pant from shouting so passionately.
"..." Max calmly gripped Alpha's handle. Looks like he might have to bust it out sooner than he thought.
"WELL!? What's wrong you canine bastard!? Too angry to come up with one of those shitty quips of yours!? Or is your little dog brain too dumb to make words anymore!? COME ON! SAY SOMETHING!" The man was worked up enough to make his hood fall off, revealing a very familiar-looking mop of greasy green hair.
'Dammit! Where the hell have I seen this guy?'
The greasy-haired man practically snarled at the look on the boy's face, "And you don't even recognize me! The man you humiliated time and time again! I bet you don't even remember my name! Hehehe….HAHAHAHAH!"
"..." Max shifted into a battle stance. This guy clearly had some screws loose. He was obviously preparing to attack, but didn't seem to care if Max noticed.
"It doesn't matter if you know my name or not!" The man tore off his jacket and balled it up in his fist, "Either way you're going straight to HELL!"
The man threw the balled-up jacket at Max with a surprising amount of speed. The boy easily dodged the projectile, already being used to reacting to faster things.
The jacket landed somewhere behind Max with a metallic crunch as if something were inside. The haggard man ran his hands through his hair and laughed. He reached behind his back and pulled out one of Junior's regulation swords and pointed it at the boy.
"This time will be different Dog-Breath! This time I'll make you suffer! No Junior to make me tap out! No Cage! No witnesses! Just ME AND YOU!" With that final proclamation, the man charged at the silverette, sword low ready to cut the boy in half.
'The Cage!? Wait a minute…that hair…humiliating him…I remember!'
Max removed Alpha from its holster and knocked away the man's blade with ease, eliciting a scream of rage from the man.
The greasy man attacked again, putting too much energy into his slash, allowing the boy to evade and slip behind him. "H-how did you-Gah!" Max interrupted the man by whacking him hard against the head, launching him back toward his jacket.
Max took this opportunity to activate the Third Eye while the man was down, confirming his suspicions.
[Gary Green | Level 12 | HP: 406/510 | Aura: Inactive]
"Gary…" he growled. Of all the people to show up and annoy him, he never expected this guy would rear his scrawny head again. Though scrawny wasn't an apt description anymore.
"So NOW you remember my name, mutt! A lotta good that'll do you!" Gary began to rummage through his pockets.
Max relaxed and rested Alpha's tip on the ground. The man clearly wasn't much of a threat. Hell, the boy could easily picture himself knocking the snot out of Gary without his weapon, not that he wanted to try.
"Are you dense or something? You can't beat me, you never will. Just save yourself the embarrassment and go home." The boy hoisted Alpha in his shoulder and walked away, not seeing the feral smirk that appeared on Gary's face.
"You stupid mutt! I'm not here to beat you. I'm here to KILL you!" A strange distortion appeared in the man's voice, prompting Max to turn around.
"What the hell?" The silverette gaped at his opponent.
Gary had some kind of syringe full of black fluid stabbed deep into his neck. He slowly pressed down on its plunger, wearing a Cheshire grin the whole time. His eye became even more crazed, the whites of his eyes rapidly turning black.
"Hahaha! HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!" His voice became more and more sinister and demonic as the mysterious fluid entered his body. Max could see veins on Gary's neck, face and hands begin to bulge out, slowly turning from the normal blue to a deep black.
The man threw away the now useless syringe and began to convulse and writhe. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was quietly groaning in pain, his body undergoing an excruciating transformation. But despite all this, despite the pain Max could smell coming off the man in waves, he still wore that same dammed grin on his face.
"GrrRRRAHAHAHA" Gary finally got back to his feet, groaning and laughing at the same time. Hie seemed to be getting taller right in front of Max's eyes, his already thin shirt being pushed to its limit as his muscles more than quadrupled in size in a grotesque display of growth.
All the while Max stood there gaping at the man, he didn't know what to make of this…this monster the formerly scrawny man became. It was no Grimm, sure, but it was still pretty unsettling.
Gary ignored Max's disgusted look, favoring the idea of examining his…improved form. He towered above practically everyone now, a giant well over seven feet tall.
The newly born giant clenched and unclenched his now-massive fists, awed by the power he could feel under his torn, reddened skin and the superhuman levels of energy he felt coursing through his veins.
"HAHAHA! What do you think of me now, mutt!? Taking me seriously yet!?" Gary rasped with a dark, cruel smile.
Max responded by getting back into his battle stance and channeling Hyper Awareness. He quickly activated 'The Third Eye' to get a read on his opponent.
[Gary Green | Level 12 | HP: 1546/1650 | Aura: Inactive]
Max broke out in a cold sweat.
'SHIT! Whatever the hell that stuff was, it gave him one hell of a boost! He's not as tough as Neo…' He braced himself and brought up Alpha defensively, 'But he could still kill me If I ain't careful.'
Gary smiled at the disturbed look in Max's eyes, "I'll take that as a yes!" The giant rushed the silver-haired boy with a shocking amount of speed for someone his size, hand reared back.
The boy brought up Alpha in defense, but the blow still knocked him back. Gary tried to launch another haymaker at the boy, which he dodged, if just barely. Max was still a bit faster, despite the man's "enhancements".
Max dashed under Gary's hulking arms and stabbed it deep in the man's side, bringing forth a guttural howl from the giant. The boy grunted and dashed just out of his range, firing the gun in his spear.
Gary took the blast right to the face. It definitely did some damage, but the giant didn't look like he was going down anytime soon
Max attempted another slash, but his weapon was caught and harshly yanked out of his hands by the giant. Gray just smirked and tossed the weapon over his shoulder like a used toy. "No weapons, mutt! Just you and me! Just like in the good old days!"
The man charged at Max with a quick shoulder bash, which the boy not-so-nimbly dodged. He ducked low and sweep kicked the Giant's enlarged leg, causing him to fall flat on his face.
Not skipping a beat, Max yanked a knife out of 'The Pocket' and stabbed it into the giant's back. 'That'll keep him down for a bit.' he hoped.
The boy raced over to his spear and cocked it, ready to end his opponent, but was surprised by a large hand wrapping around his neck and choking him.
The giant raised the struggling faunus in the air with an unhinged smile, "I said NO WEAPONS!" with that last word he slammed Max on the hard concrete ground directly on his tail. The man proceeded to grab the boy's head and slam it into the ground once more for good measure.
"*Groan*"
The man punched Max in the face, causing his aura to tremble, "USELESS!"
"*Gurhg*"
"PATHETIC!" Another punch, this time right on the chin.
"WORTHLESS!" The punches started coming faster and faster, whittling down Max's aura until it was almost broken.
"INSIGNIF-" The giant began, but was stopped when Max grabbed his fists, just barely holding him back. Gary smiled and increased the pressure, ecstatic at the sight of Max's trembling arms struggling to keep his as bay.
"WHO'S THE SCRAWNY ONE NOW MUTT!?"
"Still you, you damn Roid freak!" the boy grunted out. He couldn't hold on for much longer. He had to find an opening somehow.
'There!' Max realized that his legs were still very free and very capable of kicking. So the boy decided to go for the cheapest shot available and shot his knee up as high as it could go, which was fortunately right between Gray's legs.
"GAH!" The giant shouted in extreme pain, giving Max the perfect opening to push him away into one of the walls in the alley. The giant lost his manic grin, trading it for a livid snarl.
"YOU BASTA-"
*Bang* Max interrupted the man with a point-blank shotgun to the face, which despite everything didn't do much aesthetic damage. Max didn't let up, furiously stabbing away at the man's durable skin, turning his already burnt shirt to shreds.
"You-YOU MAGGOT!" The giant managed to gut-punch the boy between blows, giving that one extra push to break Max's Aura. The boy was sent staggering back, hit by a wave of exhaustion from his Aura being broken.
Gray tried to stand back up to his full height, but his knees began to buckle. The various wounds he sustained from Max, which were previously sealed up, began to bleed thick black ichor. His massive muscles began to tremble, slowly but surely shrinking.
"No, No NO NO NO!" the giant panicked"She…she said I had more time!"
"*Huff* *Huff*" the steadily shrinking giant glared hatefully at the panting Max, "What's wrong Roid freak? Havin' some performance issues?" Apparently Max had done enough damage to start undoing…whatever that syringe had done.
"Grrrrrr! Don't count me out just yet!" Gary shakily pulled a small object from his pocket. Another one of those syringes!
'Shit! Can't let him pop another one of those things!' Max looked down at Alpha and instantly activated his new rocket. Time for a test run.
Gary had the syringe up to his neck, almost ready to inject, when suddenly his arm was knocked away by Alpha with a flash of cold blue energy. More dark ichor leaked from the Giant's arm. He looked up and saw Max leaping toward him with his canine teeth bared.
"I-I WON'TBE-"
"Just shut up and go down already!" Growled out Max, Alpha's rocket roaring to life behind him and launching the weapon into the shrunken Giant's face, leaving a large trail of frost behind it.
"N-noooooooo…" With that final strike, Gary was down for the count. His body began to deflate, and the hideous black ichor on his body immediately hardened, sealing his wounds for the most part.
The remaining black ichor on the ground sunk into the earth, not leaving a single trace of it ever being there. Though Max didn't notice this, as he was too busy coming down from his battle high.
'I fight a guy twice my size and barely got roughed up…not too shabby, Max. Not. Too. Shabby.' Max inwardly patted himself on the back as he rested on his knees.
[Combat Ended: Gary Green ('Roided Up) Defeated | Rewards: 10,000 exp, 15,000 Lien]
[Max Argentum: Level 27 (10,357/22,000) » Level 27 (20,357/22,000)]
[Strength: 76 » 80 | Vitality: 90 » 93 | Constitution: 89 » 92 | Agility: [1]02 » [1]06 | Dexterity: 90 » 94 | Spirit: 43 » 44]
[HP: 1,200/1,260 » 1,200/1,290 | SP: 368/1,210 » 368/1,240 |Aura: 0/1,075(0%) » 0/1,100(0%)]
[Lien: 57,944 » 72,944]
'Alright then, time to end this.' Max slowly walked over to Gary's spot on the ground but ended up stepping on something hard and metallic sounding before he could.
"Huh" The boy looked down. It was Gary's jacket. Something bright red and shiny poked out from the inside. Curiously, Max picked the garment up examined the contents.
'What in the…Woah, these parts look expensive. Like, super expensive. I could get a boatload of cash for this!'
The silverette prepared to put the parts in 'The Pocket' but…
"THAT WAS SO COOL!" shouted a familiar energetic voice.
'Damn it!'
The girl Max ran into at the weapon shop ran up to him in a small shower of rose petals, 'Rudy? Rubie? Ah I'm too tired to care.'
"You were all like Wahh~ Chaa~ Hyaa~" The girl in red made a bunch of faux kung-fu-like noises. Chopping and slashing at the air with a sparkle in her eyes.
The girl's sister walked up behind her and gave Max a suspicious look. "Those were some pretty decent moves…but you mind telling us what went down before we got here?"
Max chewed on his inner lip before answering, "This prick tried to mug me, steal my weapon and shit."
"Swear Jar!"
"Rubes, not now!"
"I told him to back off, he refused, and the rest is history. Satisfied blondie?"
The blonde girl crossed her arms, "I was going to complement your skills, but clearly you're too much of an as-" she looked over at her sister, who had an aura of death around her, "Clearly too much of a butthead to appreciate it."
'She isn't exactly wrong…fuck I'm tired.'
The red/black-haired girl stood there awkwardly as her sister grumbled until she caught sight of the bundle in Max's lap. Eyes brightening, she snatched the parts up and…nuzzled them.
"MY BABIES! I looked for you little guys for so long you couldn't imagine! OH, I'm so glad you're safe!"
The blonde stared at the silverette with renewed suspicion and placed her hands on her hips, "Ya mind explaining?"
Max raised his arms up in "surrender", "They were in that guy's jacket, swear." Max didn't need to make up a lie for that one. "I was gonna drag the guy down to the police station. Y'know, bask in the victory for a second."
'Which I would be able to do if you decided to piss off.'
"Hmmm…okay. C'mon sis, let's get back home. Dad said that he had some Yang-Tastic cookies in the oven."
"Awesome! Race you to the airships!"
"Oh, come on, that's not fair! Wait up!"
Max watched the two sisters run away with a bored expression. "What a couple of weirdos…" Again, pot calling the kettle black.
The boy walked over to Gary and hoisted the man over his shoulders. Maybe Roman would know what to do with him.
He knew exactly what Roman would do, and it would be much easier to cut out the middleman and end the prick right there. But Max was already stressed enough for one day. Murder would only add fuel to the fire.
So he made another trek across the city of Vale that day, with Gary, who looked much, much thinner than before, on his back the whole time. This accidentally gave him an opportunity to get a close look at the hardened black goo covering the man on his shoulders. And with this opportunity came a question, one that would play in Max's mind on repeat for weeks.
'What the hell are you…?'
Alright So let me elaborate on a few things before I get a hate comment. Max is an asshole, that's his character. Everything and everyone in the story acknowledges this in some way shape or form. Max is an asshole who is training to be a Mafioso under Roman Torchwick, Ruby and Yang are genuinely good people training to become the world's defenders.
They're practically opposite characters, Ruby and Max in particular. Them getting along, especially after that 1st impression, wouldn't make sense, especially since Max knows jack shit about Remnant (or the Show) besides what he's learned in this story.
Rest assured, this won't become one of those odd Team RWBY/JNPR bashing fics. I like them all as characters and bash fics aren't my cup of tea. But expect there to be some kind of conflict between Max's group and the Heroes.
I'm definitely going to get some opposition/lost readers for this decision, which I understand and I will not exactly hold it against you if you are in that crowd, but I want Max to have a different dynamic with every canon character, and I feel like this is a good start to that.
Alright, that's everything I've got to say. Happy 2020 people. The calendar doesn't need glasses anymore…joy.