And I'm back, yet again better late than never. This chapter would've been out much earlier if I hadn't fallen ill, but that's life. Enjoy!
Thanks to Robert Waldron, Jesse Garcia, LOLZMAN, Ragy, The-Anti-Akuma and Hydrolic for being patrons this month! I really appreciate the support!
The boat hit the water with a hefty thud, jolting the passengers hard as they too hit the deck, barely recovered from the free-fall.
Jaune was already gunning the engines, though, the pair immediately beginning to power the pumps that projected water out the jets, serving as the main propulsion, and Jaune was more than glad for the thrust, already feeling the craft picking up speed.
He turned his head, looking back out the door to the cabin and up at the massive floating island above them.
What had to easily be over ten million tons of rock and Dust did nothing to prevent them from seeing the floating mass of blood that was clawing its way out of the air dock.
All the passengers saw that at the same moment, and Jaune joined them in the moment of mute, stunned silence.
Then reality caught up to them, and Weiss grabbed a hold of one of the mounted weapons, bringing the AH-M72 rotary minigun to bear, squeezing down on the trigger paddle.
The immediate response of the spinning barrel spitting out 7.62x51mm rounds faster than Jaune could properly comprehend was as deafening as it was effective, and they watched as Khayin tried to block the immense volley of bullets, blood forming as solid a shield as it could, only to have it shredded underneath the intense barrage.
Weiss kept the trigger held down, and it was then that Khayin abandoned his chase, though not by any choice of his own. A figure in white appeared next to the bloody corpse-like man, floating in the air, and took him by the chest, both arms wrapped around his body, before they phased out of existence.
Weiss released the trigger shakily, slumping back against the bulwark, and Blake and Ilia joined her on the deck, loosening their grips on their weapons.
Jaune nearly did the same, were it not for the fact that he had to steer the seacraft, but he did take the pilot's seat and lean back into it, letting out the air he hadn't quite realised he'd been holding in, finally taking a breath of the fresh sea air, untinged by the thick scent of iron.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sounds of the boat's engines and rushing water, before Jaune spoke up. "Everyone okay?"
Instead of an answer, Jaune received a question, which he thought was only fair, and also sort of did answer his question anyway. "What on Remnant was all that?!"
The question came from Weiss, which he could understand, it had been her first time through a dungeon.
For once, though, Jaune didn't have a response, at least, not one that would satisfy the former heiress. "I don't know."
The System did, though, notifications startling the blond.
[Hidden Quest Complete!]
[Haemophobia]
[Successfully escape from Khayin, Oathbreaker]
[Rewards: Hellion Seacraft, Legendary Experience Orb, 1,000,000 XP]
[Quest Discovered!]
[One Of Us]
[Discover the identity of the System Wielding Oathbreaker]
[Reward: ?]
[Quest Discovered!]
[True Conspiracy]
[Uncover more information about Salem]
[Reward: ?]
[A Title has ranked up!]
[Pilot has reached a new rank; Adept!]
[You have unlocked the Advanced Dust Fuel Recipe!]
[You have reached Level 79 and gained +5 Stat Points!]
Almost all of it meant nothing to Jaune in comparison to the three words that left him stunned. "System Wielding Oathbreaker," he muttered, pushing sweat-slicked hair out of his face, staring wide-eyed at the floating notification boxes.
He'd suspected it, hell, they'd basically let him know that their fourth was a wielder like him, but this was direct, pure confirmation. The System was deceitless, it couldn't lie to him, and this was nothing but cold, hard evidence.
The latter of the two discovered quests grabbed his attention soon after, and Jaune was almost disappointed with what little guidance the quest provided. The only thing he had was a name, and even then it was a name he'd already gotten. Though, to be fair, knowing that name was what probably triggered the quest, and knowing that there was a quest associated with the name meant that it was important, so he at least had something to work with.
He wasn't going to get any answers in the middle of the ocean, though, so he refocused his attention on the current situation.
The boat they'd acquired was significantly more advanced than a simple outboard craft, and significantly more militarized unlike the larger passenger craft that he and Blake had taken to Menagerie. Comprised of a rigid, armored hull with an encapsulated, lowered cabin, the Hellion seemed very clearly not Atlesian in its design, though the universal affixing points for mounted armaments were very much the same, and the two AH-M72s, one starboard and the other portside, were undoubtedly Atlesian in make and model.
Inside the cabin was the main command chair, along with two secondary chairs for navigation and what looked like a gunner's seat almost diagonally down front from the command seat, which Jaune could tell linked to the craft's third weapon, the AH-C48 autocannon that was mounted above the armored roof of the cabin.
Jaune input a general direction into the autopilot, less concerned with exact coordinates at that moment, and stepped up the short stairs out onto the rear deck, checking over his compatriots with a quick glance.
Nobody was injured, which was good. A few scrapes and bruises that Aura would heal up soon enough, but nothing severe. For the significance of the threat they'd faced, they'd gotten out pretty much unscathed, which was more than Jaune had been willing to hope for.
He sat against the starboard railing, arms folded. "We're about two hours out from Argus. Get some rest, if you can."
"You owe us an explanation," Weiss pointed out, from her position sat opposite him, half-leaning against her partner. "Who were they? You have to have some idea, because they knew a lot about you."
"I don't know much other than what the System has told me. They're Oathbreakers, whatever that means, and they're dangerous, clearly. The one we just went up against, Khayin, was the lowest level of the four, at least, as far as I know. One of them was hidden the entire time, and their leader had a mask that prevented Observe from getting any information beyond his name."
"How do they know about you?" Blake asked, frowning. "They wanted to recruit you, Jaune, or at least convert you. You don't make that offer unless you know quite a bit about your target."
Jaune shook his head with a shrug. "I don't know how they know about me, but the one we never saw is a System Wielder, like myself."
The stunned silence that followed spoke for itself, so Jaune continued. "I don't think they can do the same things I can, though. I've spoken with prior wielders before, and according to them I've got access to the System in ways they've never had."
"Even so, that's a hell of a dangerous group," Ilia pointed out. "If their weakest member wiped the floor with us without so much as breaking a sweat, imagine what the ones that left can do."
"Their leader, Talon, his semblance lets him absorb Mana into his arm. I don't know what he can do with it once it's there, but I couldn't use any spells or skills that require Mana. Already that puts me at a major disadvantage," Jaune mentioned. "I can still use other skills, luckily, it's not a complete semblance nullification, but still…"
"Aside from that absolutely terrifying revelation, we did see their fourth member, the figure in white that grabbed… what was his name, Khayin?"
When Jaune nodded in confirmation, Weiss continued. "We know they wear white, unlike the two that teleported out of the dungeon, and while that doesn't exactly narrow it down, it's at least something."
"There's more," Jaune interjected. "They said they work for someone known as Salem, and I received a quest that confirms that. Whoever Salem is, to have people like that working for them…"
He let the unspoken point sink, and the four of them fell into silence for some time.
"If only Ozpin was alive," Blake muttered. "At least we'd have someone to ask for information."
Jaune couldn't agree with that sentiment more. If Ozpin was still alive, he definitely owed Jaune some answers of his own.
"Please tell me I haven't gone insane," the boy asked his reflection, green-hazel eyes meeting green-hazel eyes from behind black hair.
'You haven't,' his mind supplied, unhelpfully.
"Well, if I say so," the boy replied, shaking his head. He had, clearly, gone insane, because he was definitely hearing voices. Or rather, a singular voice, much older than himself.
'I promise, Oscar, you are not insane. This is a strange scenario to find yourself in, trust me, I understand, but you are perfectly in control of your mental faculties. You just happen to be sharing them now.'
Oscar ran the tap in front of him, splashing cold water on his face before slipping his gloves back on. "Sharing my mind. Right."
'I'm afraid that's not all that you must contend with, Oscar. As loathe as I am to bear bad news, much of the fate of the world now rests upon your shoulders. We must leave here, and head for Haven Academy. There is-'
Oscar shook his head violently. "I'm not going anywhere, voice in my head. I have work to do."
There was a moment where the voice in his head said nothing, before it once again spoke up.
'I see that you are not going to take my word for it, and I understand that. This is not the first time I have dealt with a reticent recipient, though I truly wish I didn't have to deal with any recipients. My name was Ozpin, and before that it was Osman, and before that it was Osiris, and so on. But, a long, long time ago, my name was Ozma.'
Oscar was silent, frowning.
'Every time I die, I reincarnate as a passenger aboard another heroic soul, to help guide and console them, to direct them to recognizing their true potential, and to help them save Remnant. Time and time again I have fought against the Grimm, against all manner of monsters that fight against humanity and the faunus, in the hopes that it will be the final time, the final bout, that the efforts we go to will change the course of not only history, but the course of my endless lives.'
"But why me?" Oscar interjected. "I'm not a 'heroic soul' like you said."
The voice in his head chuckled at that. 'The first step to recognizing heroism is recognizing humility. You would not have been chosen if you weren't capable, Oscar. My last incarnation was Headmaster Ozpin, and I led Beacon Academy, before it was attacked and I was killed, but I, or he, rather, was most definitely quite alike to you.'
"What if I don't want to be a hero?" Oscar asked, clenching a gloved hand into a fist. "I just want to help my aunt with her farm."
He could somehow feel Ozma shake his head, despite being only a voice. 'I'm afraid that you will have no choice in the matter, Oscar. There are people out there who will search for you, hunt you down, and try to kill you, all to delay and deny what we can accomplish. They will stop at nothing to hurt you, and there is no line they will not cross. If you stay here, your aunt will be in danger, as will everyone else in the nearby area. Our best chance is to reach Haven Academy as soon as possible…'
Ozma seemed to trail off, and Oscar could feel why. Something was in the wind, something harsh and sulphurous.
'Haven Academy is no longer as safe as we had hoped,' Ozma stated with true authority, and Oscar could do nothing but believe the voice in his head. 'We must make haste to Argus.'
"Why Argus?" Oscar asked. Something had clearly changed, even he'd sensed it, which gave some credence to what the voice in his head had been saying, but he wasn't aware enough to say what it was.
'Ozpin had some allies that are headed towards Argus as we speak. If we reach them, they will be able to protect us. To protect you. They will want answers from us, or rather, from myself, and I owe them that in the least. It is our best option.'
Oscar didn't know what to make of everything, and he sat down on the floor, leaning back against a post.
'I know this is a difficult situation, Oscar, and I truly am sorry it has been thrust upon you. Take pride and solace in the fact that the universe believes that you are truly the best option.'
The boy sat back.
"Okay then. How do I get to Argus?"
In stark opposition to the Bullhead, the Hellion was not quite the smooth ride that Jaune had been hoping for.
Sure, it was better than swimming, and likely beat out the four of them hitching a lift on the back of Jormungandr, but that didn't mean it was flawless.
The craft might have been heavily armored, but it wasn't a frigate, and every wave they crested sent them slamming back down against the water. It was as if the closer they got to the coast, the harsher the waves got, as well.
He could see the coastline now, though, and Argus just beyond it, tucked into the cove as it was, surrounded by the steep cliffs that formed its main defense from terrestrial Grimm.
Of course, that meant one of two things. Either they announced their arrival in Argus by sailing straight up and docking at the Atlesian Military base that formed the main sea defense for the port city, or they pulled up against the cliffs straight south of them, and scaled them, to flank around to the land entrance to the city.
Considering one of them was supposed to be dead, he supposed the subtle approach would be significantly more preferable in this instance, so there was no adjustment to their current course. They'd reach the cliff-face in mere minutes, so that was also a benefit to the plan; the less time Jaune spent on the Hellion the more his rear end would appreciate it. These seats needed to be improved, they were little more than metal frames with thin fabric stretched over them.
He had to guess that was in an attempt to make them waterproof, or at the very least easy to clean. The Hellion wasn't designed for long-range travel, that was for sure. It was a patrol boat at most, designed to be deployed and picked back up by a larger seacraft, or aircraft, depending. Without either of those, Jaune had strained the engines to push them as far as it had, and if it weren't for the fact that the vehicle had been full on fuel initially, he had no doubt they'd've been in a bit more trouble.
As it was, the vehicle was pretty low on ammunition, too. The 20mm autocannon had started empty, which came as no surprise to him, but the miniguns had started with around five-hundred rounds of 7.62x51mm, and Weiss had all but emptied one of them. Considering how fast they could fire, that was expected, but it also meant it was a costly endeavour to keep the craft loaded.
Gods, how he wished for an infinite ammo cheat. Or even just a way to manufacture ammo en masse. Actually, the ability to manufacture ammo at all would be appreciated.
He could probably do the latter, now that he thought about it, he'd just never properly tried. Considering his typical expenditure of ammo had been minimal at best up until today, he'd never really needed to create any for himself. Now, though… well, he wouldn't refuse the ability. It might even be a good way to make some Lien without grinding against Grimm.
Jaune's considerations were cut short as they neared the cliffs, and he cut the engines, letting the Hellion drift as it neared the coastline. "Rise and shine, we're here. Who's taking the short route up?"
Despite his initial words, no one had slept aboard the boat, instead it appeared his three companions had taken the time to reflect upon the situation that had unfolded, and to simply process the horrifying implications of the information they'd been presented with.
That and possibly trying to eradicate the memories of Khayin's terrifying semblance. Jaune wasn't going to try and guess at how that was working, but considering no one was feeling particularly spritely, he had to assume it hadn't worked out.
"If you tell me the short route is you throwing us, I think I'd rather climb," Ilia stated, before she properly took in the height of the cliff. "On second thoughts…"
Jaune didn't give anyone else a moment to consider their options as Shirdal and Apollo appeared, grabbing the three and carrying them up.
Jaune followed close behind, a quick Aura-powered Jump carrying him up and towards the cliffside, activating Surface Walk to stick to it, and then Flash-Step and Sprint carrying him upwards at top speed, practically chasing after his summons as the Hellion splintered into endless pieces behind him, being returned to his garage.
They reached the top of the cliff in mere moments, and Jaune thanked his summons, running a hand through each of their feathers, before dismissing them.
Blake and, to some extent, Weiss, were unfazed, dusting themselves off. Ilia looked a little more shocked, still not quite used to the whole 'summoned Grimm' concept, but otherwise she was fine.
"Argus is a short walk away, but Weiss, just… be careful. This is gonna be the first proper field test of your disguise, so let's not blow it already."
Weiss rolled her eyes, but took her mask off the hook on her waist, placing it over her face. "There, better?"
Jaune shrugged. "It's no Abominae Mask, but it'll do. Here's hoping we can get through Argus's gates without too much hassle. I'd rather they didn't ask for ID, but who knows these days. Atlas probably upped security after Beacon, so we may have to sneak in."
"I get why we don't want people knowing Weiss is alive, but why are we so concerned about them knowing we're here?" Ilia asked, cocking her head slightly.
"Because we're supposed to be searching for Weiss's killers, and us being here either means something fishy is going on, or we've followed their trail to Argus, which means the entire city is going to be on alert. I'd rather we didn't raise any unnecessary alarms, it'll make doing things in the city a lot easier, and they won't pay as much attention to Weiss if they're not looking for suspicious individuals," Jaune replied, quickly checking his map. "We're only a few minutes out. Let's get going. Any later, and we'll have to pay for a place to stay tonight."
The wilds around Argus were cold and wet, though it was warmer than Atlas and certainly slushier, but the wind was just as sharp, if not more so due to the coastal airflow, and yet again Jaune realized that, of all the perks he'd gained from his summons, none had quite come in as handy as his near immunity to the cold from his Bearskin perk.
None lately, at least. He hadn't had to breath underwater for some time, which he was grateful for, considering that even the frigid temperatures might pose a problem that might even best Bearskin, but compared to, say, Sixth Labour, which supposedly inflicted poison on melee hits, not that he'd seen it all too often, he certainly had more use for other perks.
Speaking of perks, Jaune brought up the perklist, checking through it, murmuring to himself in thought. After he'd improved his Strength, he wasn't too far out from getting another perk, that was, if the perks unlocked every twenty-five stat points. Considering Charisma had done so, he had to imagine it was the same for Strength, or any other stat, for that matter.
What was the seventy-five point perk for Strength, Jaune found himself wondering. Or Agility? He'd never really put all that much thought into his Stats, now that he properly considered it. He'd put points into them when he needed, but otherwise he'd been essentially hoarding the Stat Points, always concerned that he'd need them at some point.
It was the same kind of logic that he'd used when he was a kid playing those older Mistralian RPGs, when he'd get some kind of rare consumable. It was always an attitude of 'keep it for an emergency', and when he reached an emergency, he'd keep it, just in case there was a bigger emergency.
The benefit of those games was that he could die and respawn indefinitely. He couldn't do that in reality. Well, he didn't know if he could, and he wasn't planning on testing that any time soon. Hell, they nearly did test it, were it not for Ilia's quick thinking.
Stat Points were easy to come by, too. A single level up, which wasn't exactly a rarity, gave him five per level. With seven stats to spread them across, it was a losing battle to keep them even, of course, and also a rather poor strategy for someone specialized, but Jaune's whole schtick was being a jack of all trades. His entire team, Ilia included, were specialized, and his role as a leader was to help fill in those gaps left by those he led. With Pyrrha as their frontline, Blake as their hit-and-run and Weiss as their support, Jaune tended to fit the role of the tank, taking the focus of those attacking to keep their attention off his more vulnerable teammates.
With Ilia instead of Pyrrha, it was much the same, though they had less raw damage output as a whole. His role remained rather the same, however, he just needed to work harder with drawing attention so both Blake and Ilia could sneak up behind their opponents. Weiss had to work harder as well, not just as ranged support but also to watch their flank, which was a lot easier from behind Jaune than it was for him behind his shield.
Working with RRYN was a completely different tale, however. With Yang and Nora both serving as frontline tanks and Ren and Ruby acting as both their hit-and-run and ranged support, there was less room for a third tank, and instead Jaune became more specialized in area denial.
Something he sorely lacked in, now that he considered it. Both area denial and crowd control were crucial for both teams, and it was something that Weiss was the only person out of all of them who was truly capable of it. Sure, Jaune could bring his summons out and arm those who could wield weapons, but that didn't really solve the issue, all it really did was magnify the problem.
He had really only one area denial skill in Mana Calamity, and whilst it wasn't ineffective, it definitely didn't quite cover the bases he needed it to. It was a small DoT effect, and that was about it. Sure, he could infuse it with Lightning or Gravity, and it'd do something to help sway the conflict in his favor, but it wasn't enough.
Likewise he had no true crowd control skills, really. If a swarm of Grimm burst out of the treeline ahead of him, there would be nothing he could do to stop any of them from really getting close, and that was an issue.
Likewise again, if a massive Grimm burst out from that very same treeline, there wasn't much Jaune could do to prevent it from getting close, either. He could pummel it with high damage spells and gunfire, of course, but if it had more HP than he could deal damage, like the massive Lancer that had shot them down, well, he already knew how that all played out.
All of these thoughts essentially boiled down into two things. Jaune had a hoard, and Jaune couldn't deal with hordes.
Both of these would have to be dealt with before he found himself in another combat encounter, because if the Oathbreakers were any indication of the threats that he was yet to face out in the wilds of Remnant, Jaune was nowhere near powerful enough to combat them yet.
Jaune needed better skills, more powerful weapons, a set of proper armor, improved stats, and more summons.
Now all he had to do was hope that Argus would provide.
Not a massive chapter, I realize, but one filled with a bunch of little bits and pieces pertaining to the future of Systema. By the time you're reading this, I'll be waist-deep into reworks, new systems and bugfixes for the coming chapters. Parts of Update 2.1 have been released sporadically since the damage rework, but the biggest change has been to how Aura was calculated. To simplify, everyone now has a much larger pool of Aura, to fit with the adjusted damage, which is why it was so high for everyone last chapter, if you noticed that.
New, bigger concepts and ideas are coming, and I'm doing my absolute best to make sure that they all work and are balanced before I implement them, but that does take time. I haven't been able to uphold my weekly chapter deadline for quite a while now, and at this point I might as well not even mention it. I'll write until I have a chapter, release it, and continue onwards from there, rather than trying to rush chapters out that aren't of the quality I'd like them to be.
So, now that that's all out of the way, lemme respond to some reviews!
avidreaded: Whilst all that is true, I feel like regardless of efficacy, Jaune can counter any potential issues with his weapon proficiency skills, that give him a complete understanding and the required knowledge to use a weapon without trouble, making it far more effective than in the hands of anyone else with the same amount of experience. Also flails are cool. Impractical and near-useless in reality, definitely, but cool regardless.
jhett599: I never planned on including a party system, though after some time and a lot of thinking, I am working on a pseudo-party system to implement. It won't give anyone special skills or the ability to do what Jaune can do, don't get me wrong, I feel like that defeats the entire purpose, but it will have some significantly important functions. Jaune just needs to acquire a specific skill for it to come into play.
Argus456: I realize that, in hindsight, I may not have been as clear as I could have been, or needed to be, about which members of the Oathbreakers were wielders and which were not, but I did try to clarify that in this chapter. Khayin, Vox and Talon are not wielders, though they are no less powerful because of that. However, I have teased as to why they might be willing to join Salem in the past. More details will come, I promise.
Faranon423: Honestly, you're better off continuing to watch canon and catching up, cause it's worth it. I know a lot of RWBY fans have had less than stellar reactions to how the show has progressed over the years, but as someone who's always really enjoyed the direction the show has taken, especially in Volume 8, it's worth it to continue. Also no spoilers on the System :P
armentho: I've actually got a few different special Atlesian Operative equipment sets built and waiting to appear, one set of which we've already seen in the AAC armor from back during Operation Kingslayer. Others, like the Striker and Longshot sets, probably won't appear just yet, but they'll be seen soon enough. As for the Oathbreakers, well, I do have some decent reasoning behind that. Of course, that's all spoiler territory.
Temsen: Of course it's game logic, Jaune's life is a video game! I thought that cliche would really suit the whole concept of Systema, I couldn't resist.
gweenace: For one, word count means nothing to me. If all I was concerned about was the word count, Systema wouldn't be a very good story. For two, I always write minimum 4k word chapters, and that count is done before the edit, so ANs aren't included in that word count. For three, there has never been a single chapter where the AN is larger than the actual chapter.
The Qrow: I've said it once and I'm more than happy to say it again, I write Systema to develop my writing, not because I'm already a good writer. This isn't just my first proper writing project, it's also my largest, longest, and the one that has spanned the most amount of time. Early on, I wasn't anywhere near the level of skill that I am at now, and I imagine in another two years I'll be far beyond where I am now. It's a learning experience, and to learn you have to make mistakes. Sometimes, I write something, and as a part of this story, I don't go back and change things. Chapter 14 was written and released in 2018, before we even knew the names of any of Jaune's siblings. It was a long while ago.
NyaNyaKittyFace: I can confirm, Salem has no way of instantly countering the System. The Oathbreakers have no way of completely countering the System. If I'm right, then you saw what Talon's semblance was, and assumed it eliminated the System as a whole. This chapter I tried to clarify that, in case that was the mistake that was made. If not, send me a PM, lemme set your mind at ease.
Whew, that was a proper response one this time. A lot less shitty jokes on my part, which is a rarity, normally all my jokes are shitty. Well, we're halfway to chapter 99, to the three RS players that get that joke, and I'm already working on 93. I don't have a timeframe for it, but I'm hoping sooner rather than later.
If you ever wanted to support my writing in a more tangible wealth sort of way, I have a Pa Treon, which comes with benefits! I really appreciate everyone who's supported me on there, it's been absolutely stunning to know that people care that much about Systema.
And, as always, see you next chapter!
~AFatFlyingWhale
[Jaune Arc]
[Level 79]
[Professional Huntsman, Adept Pilot]
[XP: 730,219/5,916,468]
[HP: 925/925]
[SP: 1,850/1,850]
[MP: 2,080/2,080]
[AP: 35,051/35,051]
[STR: 67]
[END: 59 (54)]
[AGI: 50]
[INT: 52]
[WIS: 62]
[CHA: 75]
[LCK: 51]
[Stat Points: 48]
[Lien: 719,969Ⱡ]
[Corruption: 12/100]