Patch was not free from Grimm. Nowhere was free from Grimm, of course, but the point remained. Someone, or some people, had to be responsible for clearing them from the island on a regular basis.
Naruto had volunteered as soon as he could. He needed to get out of the house, and as welcoming as the atmosphere was, it was almost stifling. He had no real way to relieve stress, and killing Grimm was a great way to do so.
Ruby had offered to tag along, but Naruto had turned her down, his excuse of 'needing some time to think' being accepted with a kind smile, his girlfriend wishing him good hunting.
He had to admit, Patch was beautiful in a countryside kind of way. It wasn't anywhere near as big as Vale, and the surrounding landscape ended abruptly often, cliffs down to a roiling ocean giving the air that salty-seaside smell that made the air incredibly refreshing.
It was also plagued by some of the most annoying Grimm Naruto had ever come across.
The smallest Nevermore were, arguably, harder for him to deal with than the larger variety, because he couldn't hit the damn things.
They were remarkably low-leveled, only level 10, but he was starting to get really frustrated as the swarm of birds avoided another barrage of Mana Bullets, and he swore under his breath.
They weren't coming close enough for him to hit them with a Mana Blast or something equally close-range, instead pelting him with small, sharp black feathers.
How did Vale normally deal with these pesky birds?
The answer, and the answer to his own problem, came to him in a single moment. Vale used Anti-air cannons mounted on the walls. Or, rather, Vale had used them.
Naruto formed a Mana Bolt in his hand and, much the same as he had all that time ago, he morphed it, his control so much better than the first time he'd tried modifying a spell like this. His modification was much like a Mana Grenade, a compact shell of Mana surrounding much more unstable Mana.
He pointed up at the swarm, and released.
The Mana Flak fired into the air and splintered in a small pop that sent fragments of Mana throughout the air, superheated magic burning through black flesh and killing many of the damned Nevermore that had been plaguing him for a few minutes now.
He fired a second and followed it up with a third for good measure, and then relaxed. He'd never been more thankful for a new spell.
[Skill Created!]
[Mana Flak (Active): Thanks to the System, you can fire a bolt of Mana into the air, where it will explode into fragments of Mana. Useful for shooting down incoming aerial projectiles. Costs 150 MP per shot. Level 15; XP 35,700/40,500.]
[Encounter Complete!]
[You've gained 168,000XP and 6,000 Lien!]
[Loot Acquired: 2 Inert Dust, 15 Nevermore Feathers, 7 Nevermore Talons, 1 Nevermore Skull.]
[Rare Loot Acquired: 2 Anaxis Seeds, 9 Abiare Herbs.]
It'd been a small but productive encounter. Nevermore were good for XP, who'd've guessed?
Not only that, but the six-thousand Lien had just ticked him over the hundred-thousand threshold, and upgraded a title.
[Title Upgraded!]
[Silver Banker has become Gold Banker!]
[Gold Banker: All Lien gained is increased by 40%! Hold 250,000L to upgrade further!]
He definitely appreciated that. More Lien was always a good thing, he wasn't going to turn that down.
His patrol had taken him out along the western border of Patch, the less trodden parts of the island, furthest from Vale. All he could see to his west was the ocean, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was, all in all, peaceful, despite the occasional Grimm.
It was also devoid of people, something he was thankful for. No one was watching him, so he could relax and simply deal with threats as he needed to, without worrying about what people might think.
Then again, it wasn't like it had made a difference.
People he cared about had still gotten hurt, even though he'd kept his Semblance hidden. Did it really matter anymore?
People were going to get hurt anyway. Keeping it to himself was just going to get more people hurt in the long run, because he'd be limited.
"Screw it," Naruto said aloud to himself, kicking a small rock off the cliff edge and into the ocean below. "I'm done hiding."
He was, too. He wasn't going to go belting out his power to anybody even partially willing to listen, of course, he knew the strength of hidden tricks, but he was going to use those hidden tricks when he needed to, consequences be damned.
He kicked another pebble off the cliff, watching as it soared off into the distance.
Man, something had to be said about the healing power of ocean-side views. Looking at it now, he couldn't help but stare in amazement.
Remnant was dangerous. It was deadly, and it could be horrible to those that inhabited it.
It was also stunningly gorgeous.
Patrol finished, Naruto was on his way back to the Xiao Long household, fingers tapping a steady beat on the grip on Crocea Mors as he walked, humming to himself.
His other hand formed Soul Orbs slowly but steadily, as he had been for the majority of his patrol. Not only was it a good way to kill time, but it was a good way to help his summoning, too.
Perhaps when he reached a certain level with Soul Harvest he could figure out what to do with the Steel Puppet's Soul Orb that was sitting in his inventory.
He managed to make 31 Greater Soul Orbs before he reached the Xiao Long household, which was indicative of the current amount of Ambient Aura that lingered in Patch, and how far it was he'd patrolled. It was also enough to bring him up to Level 49, which he appreciated quite a bit.
He stepped into the yard and stretched his arms, a yawn escaping his lips. It was mid-morning when he'd departed, and mid-afternoon now, as he was returning, which meant, above all else, he was desperate in his search for lunch.
The door, well-made but still old, creaked as he opened it, and Ruby looked over from the couch, screen projecting some news she'd been in the middle of watching, Zwei in her lap. "Hey, Naruto. How was hunting?"
Naruto hung Crocea Mors up on the weapon rack, placing his boots by Ruby's own pair as he replied. "Good. Only really found a swarm of small Nevermore, but they're worth a bit of XP, so it wasn't all bad. Where is everyone?"
"Dad headed out to help Qrow at the evacuation center, and Ren and Nora said they'd go with him to help out. Yang's upstairs in her room. She's still not supposed to be up and about, or so says the doctor, and despite how much she says she's fine, she does need rest," Ruby answered, placing Zwei on the cushion next to her and getting up. "Want some food? I was just about to make something."
Naruto nodded. "That'd be great, yeah. Is Yang doing okay?"
Ruby gave a so-so motion with her hand. "She's getting there. The burns have all mostly healed, and it's just raw pink skin, but, well, she lost her arm. It's going to take some getting used to before she's back to full strength."
Naruto hummed in thought. "I don't think there's anything I can do to restore her arm, either, which is a shame. Still, there are plenty of Hunters out there who've lost limbs in combat. They offer a bunch of prosthetic replacements, or at least, most Kingdoms do. With Vale still undergoing repairs, I doubt that prosthetics are top of their priorities."
Ruby nodded. "Yeah, that's what I said. Yang said she'd think about it, though, so that's progress."
Ruby grabbed a bunch of things out of the various cupboards and some foodstuffs out of the fridge, setting about making some sandwiches. "Can you slice some of that leftover lamb?"
Naruto took the proffered knife and set about doing just that, slicing the roast lamb into thin slices as Ruby sliced some fresh bread into rough slabs before moving onto the cheese.
"So, what's next on your agenda? Figure you've always got something to do with your semblance," Ruby asked, assembling part of the sandwiches.
"More summons, I think," Naruto began, adding to the sandwich prep. "I've got a bunch of Soul Orbs from my patrol, and a few new Grimm drops, along with a Gravity Dust Crystal. Should be able to get three new summons if the costs aren't too high."
Ruby couldn't help the grin that formed on her face. "Yay, more furry friends! At some point you're just gonna be able to summon an army."
Naruto laughed. "Yeah, that's the plan. The unstoppable Uzumaki Armada. The Armada!"
"Please don't call it that."
Naruto took one of the finished sandwiches, biting into it and reveling in the satisfying taste. "Mmf. Good."
Ruby rolled her eyes at him, placing her own on a plate and the third on another. "I'm gonna take this up to Yang, see if she wants it. You gonna get started on the summoning?"
Naruto nodded as he swallowed the chunk of deliciousness. "Yeah, will do."
As Ruby took the stairs two at a time, plate in hand, Naruto made his way to the front door, slipping his boots on and stepping out into the mid-afternoon sun once more, taking another bite of sandwich as he opened his inventory.
First, Naruto picked out one of the Griffon Claws, placing it on the Terrakinesis-created pattern on the ground, and checked what the ritual would require.
He quickly followed it up with 10 Greater Soul Orbs, as the ritual demanded, and activated it.
The air began to shimmer as the ritual began, the glow expanding outwards until, standing in front of Naruto, was a golden-furred Griffon, blue eyes staring at his own from its bone-plate-beaked head.
A name floated into his consciousness, and he spoke, greeting the creature. "Hello, Shirdal. Welcome to the family."
It stood roughly up to his neck, so not exactly small, but still much smaller than a regular Griffon, so he withdrew another Greater Soul Orb and held it out to Shirdal, who quickly scooped it up in his beak and broke it, the shattered orb releasing a golden glow that encompassed the summon quickly.
The golden glow expanded, increasing in size until it faded, and Shirdal stood before him, much larger than before, golden feathers shining in the sunlight.
[You've unlocked a new Perk!]
[Aureate: Your connection with the soul of a Griffon gives you an increased Lien drop rate.]
Today's common theme was Lien, apparently.
Ruby stepped outside to see Shirdal, a stunned expression on her face. "Woah. He's big."
Said summon nestled his head into Naruto's outstretched hand, fading into nothingness. "Yeah, that's Shirdal."
He took another bite of sandwich as he checked what the next ritual would require, both eyebrows arching in surprise. "Huh. I don't have enough Soul Orbs for the next ritual. I'm gonna have to make more."
Ruby tilted her head. "I don't think I've ever seen you actually make a Soul Orb before. What's it look like?"
Naruto gave his girlfriend a cheeky grin. "This." He outstretched his hand, palm upwards, and Ruby watched in awe as golden-white energy seemed to swirl around, coalescing into a single ball in his hand.
He was going to make five more. Four for what the ritual required, and one to turn the next summon from Minor to Greater.
He made three before Soul Harvest reached Level 50, and then he realised that he was now capable of making Grand Soul Orbs. He didn't know if Grand Soul Orbs were compatible, so he decided to ignore that for now, and continue to make the remaining two he needed.
He placed the twenty-five Greater Soul Orbs on the dirt inside the used ritual circle, and with them he placed a Nevermore Feather, before stepping back, Ruby doing much the same.
The sigil, much like before, began to spin and glow, the golden-white energy forming the silhouette of a small bird, what looked like a raven, shiny black feathers glistening in the sunlight.
Another name, much like before, was suddenly in the forefront of his mind. "Hi Apollo."
Apollo cawed in reply, hopping forward, tilting his head to the side. A flutter of wings had Apollo hop from the ground up to Naruto's extended arm, perching there.
Naruto quickly finished the last remaining chunk of sandwich and used his now free hand to reach into his inventory and withdraw the final Greater Soul Orb, holding it out for the bird.
Apollo gave it a single peck, beak piercing the orb quickly, before hopping off Naruto's arm and landing on the ground with ease, even as his form was awash with golden-white light.
Naruto took a few steps back, and then a few more as Apollo grew larger and larger, until he was nearly the size of a Bullhead, the large head of the bird looking at him in curiosity.
"Wow, he got big fast," Ruby said, staring wide-eyed at the large bird that was even bigger than Alcmena, if only just.
"What the-" Yang said aloud from inside the house, having looked out her window, quickly sliding it open. "Naruto?"
"Hey Yang! Meet Apollo!" He replied, a laugh on the edge of his lips.
Apollo cawed loudly, and the laugh spilled from his lips. "Gods, you're big."
[You've unlocked a new Perk!]
[Shadowcloak: Your connection with the soul of a Nevermore allows you to almost become unnoticeable when in darkness.]
[Quest Complete!]
[Grimm Trainer]
[Have 8 Greater Bound Souls.]
[Reward: Choose from either Beastial Skill Book or Sentient Skill Book.]
Naruto quickly read through the notifications, putting the choice off to the side for a moment before dismissing Apollo, once again getting some breathing room in the front garden.
The door behind Ruby and Naruto opened and Yang stepped out, half-struggling to put her hair up.
Ruby quickly moved to help her sister, despite Yang's half-hearted objections, and Naruto quickly checked another ritual.
He wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.
"So, what's with all the summoning, pet-store?" Yang asked, and Naruto spared the time to glance at Yang with derision.
"That's the nickname you've given me now?"
Yang shrugged. "If the shoe fits."
Naruto turned back, recarving the ritual into the ground from where it had nearly faded. "I figured that I wasn't strong enough, back at Beacon. I spent so long trying to figure all of this out, and it cost me. No more taking it cautious, no more hiding. I'm going to get as powerful as possible as fast as possible. And if that means overwhelming people with a horde, then that's what I'll do."
He stepped back, one of the Grade III Gravity Dust Crystals and 5 Minor Soul Orbs sitting in the center of the ritual sigil.
It began to glow, the crystal expanding and growing, more expanding from the single, central core.
"Meet Gravitus," Naruto said, as the Gravity Elemental stepped out of the sigil, black crystals seeming to bend light around it's near eight foot figure, almost appearing distorted when they looked at it, like it had a layer of fuzz around it. Dirt seemed to float slightly off the ground near where its feet stood, too.
"You know, that's still really strange," Yang remarked, whereas Ruby was trying to contain her excitement.
"It's so cool!" She burst out, unable to completely contain it. She was, at least, not so out-of-control that she rushed over to hug it. Naruto wasn't completely sure what touching any of his Elementals might do, so it was best no one did that until he'd had time to test that.
[Skill Created!]
[Blackhole (Active): Thanks to the System, your Gravity Elemental is capable of emitting a gravitational pull that draws anything nearby into it, crushing them under immense gravitational force. Level 1; 0/12.]
Naruto dismissed Gravitus, the crystalline structure seeming to distort until it was no longer there, the gravitational anomaly that it was fading too, the dirt hitting the ground with a faint puff of dust.
He brought up the quest notification, staring at the choice of rewards. "Which sounds better, Beastial or Sentient?"
Ruby and Yang shared a glance of confusion.
"Beastial?" Ruby ventured. "You said a horde, so…"
Naruto nodded, accepting the reward.
A skill book dropped into his hand, out of thin air, startling Yang a little, though she'd never admit it.
Naruto was quick to read it, the book glowing blueish-white before disintegrating into the air, much to Naruto's shock. "Huh, they never did that before."
However, he was soon distracted.
[Skill Learned!]
[Beastial Bound Evolution (Active): Thanks to the System, you are able to evolve your Greater Bound Souls into a more powerful beastial version of themselves. Costs 1 Nigredo to cast. Level MAX.]
[Quest Created!]
[Soul Trainer]
[Have 12 Greater Bound Souls.]
[Reward: Sentient Bound Soul Skill]
Well, that was a lot to take in. Naruto didn't even know what a Nigredo was, but the word struck a chime of familiarity in him.
Suddenly, he knew why, as he checked through a few menus.
Right there, in his Alchemy list, of all the alchemical products he could create, was Nigredo, whatever that was. Apparently it cost 5 parts from any Grimm and an Alchemic Reagent.
So, Naruto was going to need alcohol and a chemistry station of some description. Something for later, he guessed.
"So, uh, now what?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.
Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. Movie?"
Yang left the two to enjoy the movie Ruby had picked, an action-filled film jam-packed with bad dialogue and even worse writing, something she normally would have enjoyed on any given day.
Now, though, she'd leave the couple to enjoy it together, instead choosing to step outside and walk over to the shed that lay in the backyard, crossing the well-worn dirt sparring ring her father had set up all those years ago and stepping onto lush grass, unlatching the lock with only minor difficulty.
She flinched as the reverberating bass of an explosion sounded from inside the house, followed quickly by Ruby's seemingly-animated cheering, voice carrying out over the yard.
The one-handed grip on the shed door relaxed, and Yang frowned as she stepped inside, fist clenched.
Inside were her two pride and joys, her bike Bumblebee, and her weapon, Ember Celica. Not that she could realistically use either of them, now. A motorcycle, sure, it was possible to drive with one arm, and sure, it was possible to punch with one arm, but both lacked the effect.
There wasn't all that much point in it, now, aside from keeping her attention.
She never had Ruby's pure genius when it came to mechanical engineering, nor her obsession with weaponry, but that didn't mean that Yang didn't enjoy messing with mechanics. Bumblebee was evidence of that, the bike sitting still and yet, at the same time, inexplicably expressing a number of emotions.
She needed a tune-up, that was for sure. The last time she'd ridden her had been back before the Vytal Festival, and she'd thrown her around quite a bit. There wasn't any visible damage, but Yang knew that there were a multitude of issues she'd have to iron out.
First, she had to remove the custom exterior panelling, which meant she had to reach underneath and unlatch each plate, which, when working with a single hand, was far more time consuming than it should have been.
At one point, simply because she didn't have another hand to brace the panel, it dropped to the ground with a clang, the edge bending in as it dented.
She swore under her breath, fist clenched. This was a learning experience. She was going to make mistakes. Costly mistakes, each of those panels were a pain to get replaced, and that was when Vale was still a bustling metropolis on any given day. Now, well, it was going to be a while before business was back up and running.
Now, though, she had all the panels off, which meant that checking every component for defects or damage was going to be much easier, because she could see it.
It was something her father had made sure to drill into both daughters heads. 'Preventative maintenance' he'd call it. At the time Yang had ignored the advice, figuring that if something went wrong, she'd fix it or figure something else out.
Now, though, she realised the truth. Sometimes there was no other way. Sometimes, it just had to happen that way.
She'd thrown herself in the firing line.
She clenched her fist again, fingernails digging into her palm.
She'd demanded that she go with Pyrrha. She'd gone down into that pit.
She'd been overwhelmed by that bitch of a woman Cinder. She'd had her semblance overwhelmed, unable to land any attack that wasn't redirected.
The entire time Ozpin had spent working away at that console instead of turning to help her. That hadn't exactly helped him in the end, either, and Yang didn't really care.
She'd expected help. From Pyrrha, or from Ozpin, or someone, anyone else. No one had been there. It was just her and the enemy.
And the enemy had wiped the floor with her, scattered her aside, and hit her with a blast of flame that, whilst not as strong as what she'd been told was used afterwards, was still enough to leave her with burns that she took with her arm first.
If she hadn't thrown her arm in front of her face Yang didn't know what would have happened to her. Serious facial scars, if she'd survived at all. She wasn't Naruto, she couldn't regenerate lost body parts, as much as she wished.
Yang relaxed her fist again, grabbing a wrench to loosen a particularly stubborn component. The air filter was damaged, something had skipped off the ground and bent a bunch of the fins inwards, sealing a part of the intake.
The burn scars itched still. It hadn't gone away, even when her Aura had returned to full. She wanted to scratch at them, but it would only exacerbate both the injuries and the itching. It wasn't like she could scratch at her torso, shoulders and arms all at once, either.
It was all she could do to keep her hands busy.
Hand busy. Still getting used to that.
"Stupid gods-damned-" Yang swore, twisting hard. The part refused to come off, and she nearly screamed, throwing the wrench out into the yard.
"You should be resting."
The voice was unexpected, and it caught the young woman off-guard. Yang spun, surprise on her face. "Dad? When did you get home?"
Tai shrugged. "Few minutes ago. Naruto and Ruby were asleep on the couch, so I figured I wouldn't disturb them, they need the rest too."
Had she really been in the shed for that long?
"I'm fine," Yang said, answering the unspoken question. "I just needed something to do."
"I get that, but you should be in bed. You haven't finished recovering, and-"
"I said I'm fine!" Yang exclaimed, turning back to her bike.
Tai quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, you sounded fine."
Yang curled her fingers into a fist, slowly uncurling them immediately afterwards, repeating the process. "I need to stay busy."
Tai stepped in the shed and leaned against the table. "Right. Less time to think about what happened. Because that would be healthy, talking about what happened. Better to just bottle it all up and never speak of it, that does wonders for mental health."
"Says the guy who won't even tell me about my mother."
Tai stalled at that, his pre-planned comeback dying on his lips. "It isn't-"
"I'm just working on Bumblebee, Dad. That's all. I'm not going out on patrol, I'm not throwing myself at anything and everything I can, I'm just doing some maintenance. That's all."
A few seconds passed before Tai spoke up, after letting out a lengthy sigh. "Okay. I'll be inside, making some dinner. Qrow's bringing the rest of your team back tonight, and we can all get ourselves properly up to speed on what's going to happen. If you aren't inside by then, I'll come get you."
Yang didn't respond with words, instead nodding.
"Oh, and you'll probably need this."
Yang took the wrench without looking.
Qrow staggered in the door with his usual lack of social grace, bumping against the frame as he nearly gouged a chunk out of the wall with Harbinger as he placed it on the rack, a tired Ren and a seemingly dampened Nora following him inside like two lost children.
Something hadn't gone to plan after Tai had left, obviously.
"What happened?"
The question left his lips and already he could tell he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Idiots, the lot of them," was Qrow's response. That definitely didn't hold any hope.
"That doesn't really explain much, Qrow."
"Murder."
His blood ran cold. "What happened. Details, Qrow, this is important."
"Nothing much to tell. Some asshole thought some other, much poorer asshole stole his stuff. The other guy, looked like a dog faunus, said he hadn't done it. Rich dude pulled a gun, started threatening the faunus. Faunus said he wasn't going to cower just 'cause some dude was threatening to kill him."
Tai paled.
"Rich dude didn't like that much, and he pulled the trigger. Clipped the faunus in the head, no Aura, dead in an instant."
Ren and Nora lowered their heads even further, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Shit," Tai swore, slamming one hand down on the bench. "What then?"
Qrow shrugged. "Rich asshole got tackled by the faunus's friends and beaten to death in response. So, good news, no one to arrest."
Tai had almost forgotten about Qrow's apathetic sense of macabre humor. Almost.
"Qrow."
Qrow was halfway through his flask before he replied. "Yeah, yeah. Clean-up's been practically abandoned. They're throwing everyone back into Vale with a bunch of hired guns to kill any straggling Grimm. Fend for themselves sort of thing. No more donating supplies we don't have, at least."
Tai ran one hand through his hair. "Kids, one of you go grab Naruto and Ruby, one of you go grab Yang, she's out in the backyard. Dinner's almost ready."
Tai knew that he needed to get these two to do something other than wallow in their own misery.
As Nora and Ren made their way out, Tai grabbed Qrow by the shoulder. "You didn't think of doing anything to help those two out?"
Qrow shrugged. "World's cruel. They'd better get used to that, fast, otherwise they aren't cut out to do this sort of work."
"Starting to sound like Rae."
The man's head snapped up in an instant. "You don't get to say that sort of stuff, Tai."
"Yeah? Well, the world's cruel. Get used to it."
Qrow scowled, but Tai was already turning away, reaching into the oven and withdrawing a tray of roasted vegetables. "You know what we have to talk about tonight, right?"
Qrow took another sip from his flask. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You're the expert, though."
Tai took another tray, this time laden with a roast chicken, out of the oven, placing it next to the prior tray. "Hardly. I barely know anymore than you do."
If there was one thing Tai had to give the young man, it was that Naruto had impeccable timing for moments like these. "Mmm, smells good."
Ruby, Naruto and Nora stepped into the main room, and Tai was glad to notice that the day's events seemed to be no longer in the forefront of the ginger girl's mind as she noticed the food.
It was only moments later that Ren, Yang in tow, stepped inside.
"Pull up seats, and dig in," Tai ordered, and the group quickly did so, slices of chicken joining roasted potatoes and other vegetables as they began to eat.
It was nearly ten minutes before Tai spoke once more. "Ruby, I've got something to discuss with you and everyone else."
Ruby, with a mouthful of roasted parsnip, looked up at her father in surprise. "Wha?"
Tai quirked an eyebrow at the girl, who promptly finished the mouthful. "Sorry, Dad. What is it?"
"It's about your eyes."
That grabbed the attention of the whole table.
Well, aside from Qrow, who was finishing his flask. Typical.
[STATS]
[Name: Naruto Uzumaki]
[Title Slot 1: Huntsman Professional]
[Title Slot 2: Soul Tamer Expert]
[Level: 45]
[XP: 113,595/1,093,500]
[HP: 785/785 (2.6/s)]
[SP: 1570/1570 (10.4/s)]
[MP: 2080/2080 (20.8/s)]
[AP: 4160/4160 (1.04/s)]
[STR: 53]
[END: 52]
[AGI: 31]
[INT: 52]
[WIS: 52]
[CHA: 36]
[LCK: 28]
[Stat Points: 40]
[Lien: 105,854L]