Finally did all the finished drafts.
Love the speedrun reference in the reviews. Added something of my own.
'Thoughts'
"Speech, different language"
"Speech"
[Remnant: Online]
[Outlands [?] Sanus Continent]
[Emerald Forest]
'It better not be over by the time I get there!' Kieran quickens his pace, acrobatically traversing over the torn forestry, leaping over fallen trees and craters. 'At least let three of the bounties still be alive!'
He lost track of his five bounties during a surge of Grimm swarming the Dead End fighters. The fighting was fierce with Dead End culling the entire horde, decimating the environment, and nearly exposing Kieran with several close calls.
This resulted in Kieran having to retreat lest he gets caught in the chaos. But he was unable to locate Dead End's members moving among the chaos and lost sight of his targets not soon after.
It didn't help that he got sidetracked, being caught up in the adventurous spirit and trailing off when he shouldn't. It cost him several minutes to locate Dead End, and it was due to the sudden influx of explosions and gunshots that echoed throughout the forest.
'Almost there!'
He reactivated his semblance and mobility skill before entering the fray, ensuring that he'll have some edge over his opponents.
Semblance [Invisible Waltz (ACTIVE) – The user becomes invisible to all forms of senses for 25s. Enters a 12s cooldown] [Costs 170 Aura]
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Full Sprint (ACTIVE)] [Level 10]
Kieran sprints through the icy fog that permeated the air, likely caused by whoever Dead End was fighting against. He assumed it's against another group of players since it sounds like Dead End is going all out. Whichever the case is, it'll be the perfect time to strike at Dead End in the back while they're injured or occupied.
For what were seconds felt like minutes to Kieran, finally setting foot upon the scene of the battle. His semblance kept him out of sight and out of mind, enabling him to mark out his bounties. His eyes briefly scan the battlefield and settle on his nearest targets.
[iCrossedBill Lv78]
Status: None
Aura: [86%]
HP: [100%]
[Battleking4PK Lv105]
Status: None
Aura: [70%]
HP: [100%]
Much to his glee, he could see two of his targets preoccupied in fighting an exhausted red-haired girl wielding a spear and shield.
Wasting no time, he moved in to make his kill, ignoring the dissipation of his semblance in the proximity of Battleking4PK's semblance.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Evened Field]
Aura: [84%] 12573/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
Already marking his victim, Kieran has set his sight on eliminating the long-ranged combatant, iCrossedBill, and lunged at him.
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE)] [Level 9]
His blade blurred into the base of his target's skull with a reverberating crack. Friction barely decreased the momentum of his swing, dragging iCrossedBill's frame with the motion; his eyes rolling back, mouth opening to make a shock and silent scream.
[Critical Hit!]
[iCrossedBill Lv78]
Status: [Debuff: Stunned]
Aura: [9%]
HP: [100%]
Kieran's hand shot out and grabbed iCrossedBill by the hair and drove his arming sword through his head, breaking his Aura and killing him instantly with a sickening pop.
[Critical Hit!]
[iCrossedBill Lv78]
Status: None
Aura: [0%]
HP: [0%]
[Aura broken! You gained 507 EXP]
[You gained 1014 EXP]
It's a shame that experience points gained from PvP are very low. The reasoning for this by the developer is to prevent players from EXP farming their friends.
[Bounty claimed: 89,950 Lien has been deposited to your bank storage]
Withdrawing his blade, he continues his onrush, drops of blood rolling off his blade and spattering the grass. The sudden and temporary death of iCrossedBill did not go unnoticed with Battleking4PK who raised the alarm.
"Oh shit! Bill's dead!" Battleking4PK promptly delivers a fierce kick to the red-haired girl's shield, spiraling her into a tree. "It's another player! I got this!"
Kieran reacted quickly, bring his arming sword up and quick on his feet, avoiding the heated embers fizzling in the air that singed his blade and parts of his clothes.
It turns out that Battleking4PK's mace also had some kind of ranged function, but that didn't stop Kieran's advance despite the difference in level. Ultimately, a player's level is not everything in Remnant: Online as many skilled veteran players could attest. It helps that the damage multipliers can also be very generous.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Evened Field]
Aura: [57%] 8532/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
Kieran readjusts his grip on his arming sword, finger resting on the trigger, and points his weapon at his opponent's center mass. A bang and blinding flash made his larger opponent stumble back, breastplate armor smoking from the shot.
The chamber of his short gunblade rotates with a click, outfitting a different type of ammo. He took aim and fired a blazing bullet into Battleking4PK's leg, nearly knocking Battleking4PK's legs out from under him. Limited to blindly swinging his weapon, the Dead End member wisely slammed his mace into the ground, rupturing and igniting the area around him.
[Battleking4PK Lv105]
Status: [Debuff: Blind]
Aura: [62%]
HP: [100%]
Called upon by its owner, the whirling ball of death dug its way up from a nearby crater and veered towards Kieran, making a terrifying rattling sound.
VRRRRRRRRRR!
'Whoa!'
Kieran jumped out of the way, rolls across the scorching ground, and scrambled to his feet. Hands freed, he fired a few more shots at his blinded opponent, shaving down his Aura. Out of ammo, he rushes at his opponent, blade shimmering smoothly.
Vision returning, Battleking4PK surged at Kieran, sweeping his mace at his waist, and discharged a fiery blast that nearly incinerated the teen were it not for his last-second knee slide.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Evened Field, Burning]
Aura: [36%] 5588/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
Steel glittering in the sun, blade glowing and imbued with Aura, Kieran lash at the Dead End fighter's underarm where his lack of armor, allowing him to deliver the most damage.
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE)] [Level 9]
Skill [Torpefying Strike (ACTIVE) – Your next successful hit will disable an opponent's semblance and prevent any skills from being used for 4s. Enters a 16s cooldown] [Level 14] [Costs 260 Aura]
Faint spectral chains infested Battleking4PK's Aura; like tainted veins, indicating that his semblance has ceased functioning.
[Battleking4PK Lv105]
Status: [Debuff: Silence]
Aura: [33%]
HP: [100%]
Without his opponent's semblance interfering with his, Kieran slips into darkness, intending to finish this duel once and for all.
Semblance [Invisible Waltz (ACTIVE)] [Costs 170 Aura]
Seeing that Kieran had suddenly disappeared and with no semblance of active skills to fall back on, the Dead End fighter became half-panicked, thrashing his weapon wildly at the spots where he thought Kieran would be.
"He's got an invisibility semblance!"
'Gotcha.'
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE)] [Level 9]
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Full Sprint (ACTIVE)] [Level 10]
A whish, then a crackle; he struck his panicked opponent on the left, driving his sharp blade at the neck, almost slitting Battleking4PK's throat in one go.
[Battleking4PK Lv105]
Status: [Debuff: Weaken, Silence, Bleeding]
Aura: [0%]
HP: [48%]
[Aura broken! You gained 683 EXP]
With a flick and rip of his blade, he finished the job, severing his opponent's head and leaving a fountain of digital blood spraying the charred ground.
[Battleking4PK Lv105]
Status: None
Aura: [0%]
HP: [0%]
[You gained 1365 EXP]
[Bounty claimed: 124,550 Lien has been deposited to your bank storage]
By now, the remaining Dead End fighters were aware of his presence and the threat he posed. Despite this, Dead End continues to fight a two-way battle, constantly being harassed by a battered group of colorfully dressed teens.
'Three left and some distractions!'
Kieran swiftly moves across softened soil while concealed by his semblance, reloading his gunblade and taking out a cylindrical stun grenade.
His next course of action is simple, cause chaos and pick off the ones who seem most vulnerable, and none presented vulnerability more than SmertDirt, who was fumbling with a small Mending Kit to replenish his Aura.
Muzzle flash, a bullet striking SmertDirt's hand, the field instantly went ablaze with gunfire from all sides.
[SmertDirt Lv77]
Status: None
Aura: [14%]
HP: [100%]
Dead End, Kieran, and the group of colorfully dressed teens all contributed to the chaotic fire show. Dust detonating, bullets flying, Kieran sild past the chaos and was upon SmertDirt, grappling the player to the ground.
"Hrmph?!"
SmertDirt managed a stifled shout before being silenced with a stab to the jugular.
[Critical hit!]
[SmertDirt Lv77]
Status: None
Aura: [0%]
HP: [0%]
[Aura broken! You gained 501 EXP]
[You gained 1001 EXP]
[Bounty claimed: 86,020 Lien has been deposited to your bank storage]
Quick thinking made him push SmertDirt's lifeless avatar to the right and tumbled with it whilst invisible, tricking Xtravert into attacking the left, allowing Kieran to pull the pin and lob the stun grenade at his enemies.
Unseeable while in his hand, the stun grenade became visible the moment it left his hand, drawing the attention of the last two Dead End fighters. They instinctively reacted, weapons pointed and eyes on the potential threat, just like Kieran wanted.
Upon seeing the stun grenade, Xtravert instantly jerk his head back and raised his arms as it exploded, blinding, and disorientating everyone within the vicinity.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: [Debuff: Disorientated]
Aura: [74%]
HP: [100%]
[Turtle18 Lv89]
Status: [Debuff: Stunned, Blind, Disorientated]
Aura: [48%]
HP: [100%]
The protection his mask offered nullified the effects of the stun grenade, letting him close the distance amidst the sudden abate of fighting while everyone else recovered their eyesight and a pull of his trigger, Kieran peppered Xtravert with all seven rounds to keep him distracted, dealing moderate damaged against the ensuring wind barrier he had cocooned himself in.
It was all that he needed to deal with Turtle18, who was stumbling blindly without direction.
Movement speed increasing exponentially, strength augmented, Kieran became a shadowy blur of death, rushing to claim his fourth victim.
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Inner Strength (ACTIVE)] [Level 9]
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Full Sprint (ACTIVE)] [Level 10]
His bloodied and lukewarm blade accelerated into Turtle18's throat, decimating his Aura. The blade briefly sparked on his scaly skin before puncturing through the flesh, putting an end to the fourth Dead End fighter.
[Critical hit!]
[Turtle18 Lv89]
Status: None
Aura: [0%]
HP: [0%]
[Aura broken! You gained 579 EXP]
[You gained 1157 EXP]
[Bounty claimed: 104,400 Lien has been deposited to your bank storage]
'One left.'
Even though he's in-game, Kieran's heart was pounding and his adrenal glands are working nonstop. He may be down to one bounty left, but Xtravert is allegedly a tough opponent in his own right. If his Intel is right, Xtravert's stat is mostly clumped into INT and WIS, meaning he's suited for ranged engagements and is dangerous with his semblance.
That doesn't mean he's weak in close-quarter combat. On the contrary, he's proficient in fighting with a spear, hence his deadliness with the rifle spear. Supposedly, he practiced HEMA.
"Bah. What a mess. It's a bad day." Xtravert swung his weapon at the group of colorfully dressed teens, throwing them around like ragdolls with his wind semblance. "You're pretty good. Did Avalon-Estria send you? Don't wanna mess with them again."
Kieran remains silent and concealed. He reached into his pouch, pulls out a Mending Kit, and crushes it in his hand. A cool then warm feeling washed over him, particles fusing with his body and replenishing his Aura reserve.
'Let's do this.'
Refreshing the duration of his semblance, Kieran darts to the right and prepares another stun grenade.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Invisible Waltz]
Aura: [84%] 12553/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
Xtravert felt movement along with the wind and acted immediately, tearing the field with a single swing, nicking Kieran by the neck. Three quick thrusts of his spear rifle quivered the air, pitching Kieran over his heel. Completing the combo with two wind imbued bullets whose rifling accumulated into a funnel-shaped vortex that sucked everything into its trajectory.
Kieran managed to hold his position at the cost of his stun grenade, burying one hand into the ground and digging his heel deeply into the soil. While he desperately clings to the ground for his life, he caught a glimpse of Xtravert's using a Mending Kit to restore his Aura.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: None
Aura: [100%]
HP: [100%]
'Damn it! This is going to be a tough fight.'
Pointing his gunblade at Xtravert's head, he pulled the trigger. A silver smear and orange sparks popped in the air and in return, five wind blades and three bullets were sent in Kieran's general direction.
Kieran leaped and rolled through the barrage, exchanging gunfire with his final adversary. Resorting to his usual tricks, he sprints in a zigzagged pattern and fired a single bullet tipped with an explosive magnesium reagent at Xtravert's face. The bullet crumpled to his spear rifle, releasing a brilliant light and sharp crack that made the Dead End fighter cover his eyes with one hand.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: [Debuff: Blind]
Aura: [99%]
HP: [100%]
Even when blinded, Xtravert is still able to sense the bullets flying his way and swung his weapon to intercept the bullets. Earth Dust bullets met Aura-enhanced blade, protruding spikey rock formations on Xtravert's weapon that encrusted his hand and weighted down his weapon.
Whatever curse that was about to escape from Xtravert's mouth was silenced with a frosty bullet freezing his entire head.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: [Debuff: Blind, Suffocating, Restrained, Semi-Frozen]
Aura: [76%]
HP: [100%]
This brief window of opportunity allowed Kieran to hound in, delivering three quick slashes before leaping back to avoid the sharp winds flowing outward.
Having broken out of his rocky restrains and pissed, Xtravert set his sight on Kieran and storms at him. A guttural battle cry erupted from Xtravert's throat, rocking Kieran's vision. Steaks of silvers shot at his chest in quick succession, knocking the wind out of him.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Intimidated]
Aura: [59%] 8831/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
Kieran shakily slides back, raising his gunblade to defend himself against the onslaught of thrusts and slashes.
Left, right, up, and down; Kieran's hand shook with each blow he managed to block as Xtravert rains down a furious wallop that blurred with feints. Scratches to his check, nicks to his neck, a stab to his pelvis, his Aura is closed to depleting and yet he can't help but grin despite his predicament. In the face of his much more experienced foe, he's easily overwhelmed in a head-on fight. Whether it's from afar or up close, Xtravert has the advantage.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: None
Aura: [11%] 1646/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
But even if his opponent is superior to him in many ways, they could always be tricked. All it takes is one good outcome and victory is his. His mind defaulted on a gambit that he once did, a bluff.
With a deft left hand, he yanks a compacted frag grenade from his belt, but didn't pull the pin, and charged at Xtravert with a hoarse shout.
Xtravert's reaction was instinctive, wind blasting Kieran and creating a considerable distance between the two.
Semblance [Invisible Waltz (ACTIVE)] [Costs 170 Aura]
Concealed from sight and sound with his semblance, Kieran couldn't help but laugh hysterically. He was enjoying the adrenaline rush and his desire to win this fight has never been more stoked.
Crushing another Mending Kit, he dodge a few strayed wind blades and laid low to wait for the right moment to attack.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Invisible Waltz]
Aura: [91%] 13621/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
He holstered his weapon and takes out his second and last compacted frag grenade, clutching the two grenades in both hands. Ducking over another fierce windstorm, he pulled the pin on his compacted frag grenades, channeled all his energy into his legs, and rocketed into the air.
This did not go unnoticed and Xtravert released a flurry of wind blades into the sky, counting on one of them to reveal the invisible assassin.
Kieran grimaced against the windstorm, withstanding several wind blades to the legs and shoulder. Still, that did not throw off his throw, chucking his compacted frag grenade through the air. The grenade was swiftly split in two halfway to the earth, pitifully exploding without causing any damage.
Xtravert prepared another air slash to cut down Kieran, shuffling his leg back to perform another powerful attack.
But before he could finish off the invisible assassin, he felt something roll and bump into his heel, making his heart jump. He had failed a spot check; too focused on keeping track of Kieran to notice that he had low-key rolled a grenade at him.
It was at that moment, that Xtravert knew… He had screwed up.
Xtravert was engulfed in a fiery eruption, Aura rapidly flickering and depleting amongst the blistering shrapnel embedding into his Aura at high velocity.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: [Debuff: Burning, Disorientated]
Aura: [12%]
HP: [100%]
Low on Aura and unable to go for a Mending Kit, the last Dead End fighter knew he was on the last of his legs.
He would not go without a vicious last stand, however, and matched Kieran's strike for strike, blades singing a gallant tune, ending when Kieran slice through Xtravert's torso.
[Aura broken! You gained 644 EXP]
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: [Debuff: Bleed, Dying]
Aura: [0%]
HP: [1%]
With a gurgling gasp, Xtravert stagger and fell flat on his back, digital blood feeding the soil.
"Haaah… That was a good fight, bro. Fight with brain. Very good."
"Thanks. I don't think I'd ever fought this hard before." Kieran grins and clutches his heart, breathing heavily even though he's not feeling tired. A strange sensation, but it's something all players of Remnant: Online had grown accustomed to. They simply don't tire. "Nothing personally. If you're wondering."
"You're after my bounty. I know." Xtravert sighs and shakes his head, "We won't be doing that again." He lets out a wet laugh that quickly turns into a groan. "Raagh… I hate how my blood is clogging up this thing… Should have taken the eyes and run… Good fight…"
"Yeah. You too."
Xtravert's HP quickly ticks down to zero, his player avatar going limp and eyes glazing over.
[Xtravert Lv99]
Status: None
Aura: [0%]
HP: [0%]
[You gained 1297 EXP]
[Bounty claimed: 157,000 Lien has been deposited to your bank storage]
Kieran internally celebrated his victory and begins to collect the spoils he earned, starting with Xtravert. He approached the player's lifeless avatar to remove the spear rifle from its grasp, then the bloodied respirator.
[You obtained an Equipment: Sako Keihäs II]
[You obtained an Equipment: Dead End's Respirator, Type 3]
Slightly disgusted with the blood-dripping respirator, he decided it would be best to use the [Quick Loot] feature instead of manually retrieving his spoils of war.
In the Outlands, players who died will have everything in their inventory dropped for others to loot. It's a hardcore death system, but the resources in the Outlands are often worth the risk. To offset the risk of losing something valuable, players will often switch out their typical gear for something expendable. It may not be of the best quality, but the items dropped from killed players are often of decent quality and price.
After stripping bare of everything on Xtravert's lifeless avatar, except for the default underclothes that no one could remove, he moved to loot the rest. His inventory quickly filled up with valuable loots prompting a warning message.
[Quick Loot]
[Quick Loot]
[Quick Loot]
[Quick Loot]
[Quick Loot]
[Warning! Your inventory is about to reach full capacity!]
He has no intention of staying in the Outlands any longer, eager to head back or he'll risk losing everything should he die out here.
His looting spree went without a hitch until he noticed that one of his target's weapons is missing. More specifically, iCrossedBill's railgun sniper rifle.
'Oh, no no no.'
If it's one thing he hated the most, it's people stealing his loot. His mind thought back to the group of colorfully dressed teens and became determined to find them.
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Full Sprint (ACTIVE)] [Level 10]
He blurs through the forest, searching for the thieves. It didn't take long before he encountered the battered group of colorfully dressed teens huddling underneath the tree shade.
Some looked heavily ruffled, others were bleeding and bruised, a few were lying motionless on the ground. They all brandish their weapons at him, tensed and fearful. Kieran was also on guard, not keen on losing all of his hard-earned loot to these ragtag and colorful bunch. His hand hovers over his loaded gunblade, ready to attack should they strike attacked first.
He honestly didn't know what to make of these teens who appears to be older than him by a year or two. He had initially mistaken them as players, but the system is marking them as NPCs.
This is a huge surprise since you don't normally see any NPCs in the Outlands. Especially these guys whose attires and weapons are something you'll expect from other players. You would expect to find these kinds of NPCs in large established cities with combat institutions, not out in the Outlands.
[Silvered-eyed Huntress-in-training Lv47]
Type: Human
Status: None
Aura: [19%]
HP [100%]
It's also very rare to find an NPC with silver eyes; most are hunted for their abilities to kill the Creatures of Grimm with a glare. At least, according to in-game lore. The eyeballs collected are then supposedly refined into a special accessory that mimics their power. It's a sad existence for those born with silver eyes which Kieran can at least pity enough to refrain from killing one out of his conscience.
His eyes scan and rest on a familiar weapon that's nestled behind the huddling NPCs. It was iCrossedBill's railgun sniper rifle, and it made him slightly upset that they would try and take what is his. Regardless, he has no interest in randomly killing NPCs or anybody for that matter, and would rather open a dialogue with them before resorting to violence.
"I believe you have something that's mine," Kieran said loudly and pointed at the railgun. "My kill, my loot. Hand it over."
The rest of the teens looked startled and conflicted, shooting glances at one another. It doesn't help that his blood-soaked visage is pulling his intimidation factor to a perfect nine.
"Did… You really kill all of them?" The red-haired girl asks him, looking a bit haunted.
If Kieran can remember, she was the one holding her own against Battleking4PK and iCrossedBill earlier.
[Red-haired Huntress-in-training Lv47]
Type: Human
Status: None
Aura: [19%]
HP [100%]
"All five of them. My best work yet."
They all grimaced and shivered at that.
"Y-you… Won't hurt us if we give this?" The silver-eyed Huntress-in-training softly asks. Her entire attire is like a gothic version of Little Red Riding Hood. "A-and you won't try to t-take my eyes too?"
"I'm not going to hurt you guys, nor take your silver eyes even if they're worth millions." He casually remarks and gestures for the railgun. "Give it here and I'll leave immediately."
After some hesitation, the silver-eyed girl picks up the railgun and sets it in front of Kieran. He grips the barrel of the railgun and transferred it into his inventory in a flash of blue light. The NPC teens, at least the conscious ones, all looked intrigued by the display but it wasn't his place to entertain them.
With his last loot accounted for, Kieran turned to leave.
Out of the corner of his mask, he spotted something quietly rustling in the tall grass foliage, right behind the group of teens. A creature bearing two bright glowing red eyes emerged from the foliage. A bipedal black fur wolf with a skull mask. A Creature of Grimm called a Beowolf.
[Beowolf Lv8]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP 212/212
Your average noob mob, though they do pose a threat in great numbers and the Alpha Beowolves can be formidable enemies. This one is a low leveled, hardly worth mentioning or a glance. The Beowolf growls fixated on Kieran, sensing his bright and vast amount of Aura. It got on all fours and charged at him, catching the attention of the NPC teens as well.
Before any of the NPCs could make a move, Kieran unsheathes his gunblade and put a bullet into the Beowolf's head, killing it instantly.
[Critical hit!]
[Beowolf Lv8]
Type: Creature of Grimm
Status: None
HP 0/212
[You gained 11 EXP]
The teens all paused and turn to him with a startled, but thankful look in their eyes. It seems that this particular course of action had put him in a slightly better light.
As Kieran was about to lower his gunblade, something struck him against the head, sending him sailing through the air.
He flips and lands while carrying a lot of momentum, skittering, and ruining the patches of grass. No time to think, he points his gunblade at his attacker and was about to fire before his entire body was suddenly pulled into the air like a puppet. His limbs were pulled straight and stretched, almost like he was to be crucified on the spot.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Restrained]
Aura: [62%] 9280/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
"Damn it!"
He struggled against whatever was holding him and glares at the person responsible for his predicament.
A stern, albeit hot, looking woman with blond hair and green eyes returns his glare, pointing her riding crop at him.
[Blond Huntress Lv159]
Type: Human
Status: None
Aura: [100%]
HP [100%]
With her other hand, she points a finger at his mask and wrenches it off his head, revealing a young teenage boy with black hair and pale blue eyes. A glimmer of surprise pass through her eyes, shocked that this blood-soaked individual is much younger than she expected.
Not that Kieran noticed. He was much more concerned about losing his loot and equipment. Especially the Red Fatui Mask that he had custom-made. It served him well for roughly two years now.
[Equipment lost: Red Fatui Mask, Anti C&F]
"Hey! Let me go!" Kieran angrily shouted at the woman, who merely blinks at his outburst. "Damn it, my mask… It's just one thing after another, isn't it?"
"Professor Goodwitch!" The NPC teens collectively and happily exclaim.
[Identification Updated]
[Professor Goodwitch Lv159]
Type: Human
Status: None
Aura: [100%]
HP [100%]
"Children, please hang tight. The medical team are on their way." Professor Goodwitch addresses her students coolly and fixed Kieran an analytical glare. "Now… Who are you and why are you covered in blood? Are you responsible for the injuries my student sustained?"
'Shoot. More trouble. What the hell is this? I need to get out of here.'
"I didn't do that. You can blame Dead End for that. They wanted that one's silver eyes." He nods at the silver-eyed girl and Professor Goodwitch turns to glance at the girl, showing concern for her student. "That, or they felt like killing something, probably both."
Wiggling against her telekinesis hold, his Aura form invisible tendrils around one of his ammo pouches and encompassed his last few magnesium reagent-tipped bullets, ready to set them off.
'This is going to hurt…'
[You gained +1 RES]
[You gained +2 WIS]
Name: Kieran
Level: 87
Alliance: N/A
Status: [Debuff: Restrained]
Aura: [62%] 9280/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
STR: 103
DEX: 220
AGI: 212
INT: 145
WIS: 192
RES: 60
Perks
Skills
Equipment
Inventory
'Oh, nice.'
Outside of obtaining boosting their stats with equipment or leveling, players can also gain a few extra points under specific circumstances. If he dies, at least he got something permanent out of this.
"Is that true?" Professor Goodwitch kept a steady eye on Kieran as she questioned the silver-eyed girl.
Before the girl could answer, Kieran tightly shuts his eyes, turn his head sharply to the side, and gritted his teeth, activating the energy propellant within his bullets.
The blast was instantaneous and violent with Dust powder igniting the magnesium reagent to create a blinding flash. The hold over Kieran vanished and he tumbles over the grassy ground, hastily picking himself up while blinking away the spots from his eyes.
Despite his blurred vision, his eyesight was able to pick out his red mask, foot carrying himself towards it and ducking low to snatch it up in his sprint.
Semblance [Invisible Waltz (ACTIVE)] [Costs 170 Aura]
Skill [Aura Augmentation: Full Sprint (ACTIVE)] [Level 10]
[You obtained an Equipment: Red Fatui Mask, Anti C&F]
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Invisible Waltz] [Debuff: Purblind]
Aura: [46%] 6885/14968
HP: [100%] 130/130
He didn't get far, immediately getting intercepted by something fast and green.
Streaks of green and black ping all over his chest and stomach at incredible speed, barely registering in Kieran's mind. One second his felt like the world he's standing on was being thrown into disarray, next thing he knew he was on his two feet staggering back and lurching forward.
Something solid plant itself firmly on his forehead, and before he could even make out his attacker, a powerful push snap his body back. His frame hit the ground, rolling over seven times before friction worked its charm, bringing his body to a halt.
His Aura flickers briefly before breaking and Kieran felt his entire being giving out.
[Kieran Lv87]
Status: [Debuff: Blackout, Stunned, Weaken]
Aura: [0%] 0/14968
HP: [97%] 126/130
'… Fuck…'
He cursed himself before losing consciousness.
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[World of Remnant]
[Sanus Continent, Kingdom of Vale]
[Beacon Academy]
All eight members of Team RWBY and JNPR sustained some form of injuries and were admitted to Beacon's infirmary with the prospect of transferring to the hospital should the conditions worsen for the more seriously injured members.
Lie Ren, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long were all unconscious and are carefully monitored by the medical staff, leaving the rest to tell their account of what went down in Emerald Forest.
It's going to be a big mess once the public finds out that the heiress of the SDC and the four-time champion of Mistral was severely hurt by unknown assailants. The press will have a field day with this and there's still the lingering questions of who were the people responsible for nearly killing his students and the blood-soaked boy they've captured.
"I understand that this may be difficult, but do your best to tell us what happened out there."
"Well…"
Ozpin listens intently to his students' accounts, hiding his frown behind his calm and stoic mask. His friends and colleagues, General James Ironwood and Professor Glynda Goodwitch, were also present to provide inquires of their own.
It started with Team RWBY and JNPR getting permission to enter Emerald Forest for training after being unable to find a training ground to train for the Vytal Festival. After looking for a suitable spot to train, they encountered initially four armed individuals wearing skull bandanas and dark-colored armors and assumed them to be students from the other Huntsman Academies. When one of them noticed at Ruby Rose had silver eyes, he asked her to confirm it which she did and caused them to attack her.
The fact that they knew the significance of having silver eyes is worrisome. Outside of a few fairy tales about the Silver-Eyed Warriors, there were sparse records and details about them. That's because something or someone has actively hunted them down, and in Ozpin's mind, there's only one person on Remnant who can be responsible for this.
It's likely that the assailants were sent by her. Another possibility is a third party involved and is aware of the abilities those with silver eyes possessed and seek to hunt them for their own gain. It's very unlikely, but not impossible.
"Your attackers. Did they say anything else?" Ironwood's expression was that of compassion, asking his questions softly. "Any names? Who they are? Mentioned motives? Are they're working with anybody else?"
Ruby shook her head, "No. Not that I could think of."
"Anything noteworthy?"
"They were… All of them were unnaturally tough. Not just tough, but strong." Nora spoke up, clenching the white bed sheet tightly that the whites on her knuckles begin to show. "We used everything against them: Teamwork, explosions, bullets, and hammer to the face… They kept getting back up and shrugged everything off." She curls up into a ball, resting her head on her knees. "I don't think they were really taking us seriously. It was like it's all a game to them."
A tentative silence breezed the room.
The girl, whose normally energetic and bubbly, was crestfallen for her injured and unconscious partner, Lie Ren.
Everyone in the room was worried about their friends lying unresponsive in their infirmary cots. None more worried than Ruby; both her sister and partner laid still, breathing softly through their nose.
From what Ozpin gather, Ren and Yang suffered a concussive blow to the head, and Weiss pushed her Aura and semblance to the limit to protect her teammates, causing her to pass out not long after.
"I share Nora's sentiment." It was Pyrrha's turn. She currently had a small arm cast over her left arm and a bandage on her forehead. "The entire time I fought against two of them, it felt like they were having fun. Until the boy, you arrested appeared and… And…" A pause, and a gulp. "Killed one of them before my eyes."
"He was like an assassin." Jaune shakily lifts his paper cup of water to his mouth to moisturize his dry throat. Half of his face was wrapped in strips of white bandages. "This entire time we couldn't do anything against them and he s-showed up and begins picking them off one by one."
"He's done this before." Blake quietly murmurs from her corner. "He even admits that it's his best work yet."
All three adults turn and look at one another, perturbed. Ironwood narrows his eyes slightly and was about to excuse him from the room to make a call to the security team that's in charge of watching over the boy.
"Ah! But he saved us!" Ruby quickly defends him. "He... Took care of the bad guys and wasn't interested in hurting us and was about to leave until… Well, everybody showed up and, uh… Attacked him."
Glynda shifts her footing a bit and crossed her arms, understanding that she could have made the situation much worse for her and her students.
It was a volatile situation, however, and no one could find fault in her for acting the way she did. A blood-soaked figure pointing a gun at their injured students would prompt any of them to vehemently protect their students.
"We had no knowledge of the situation and assumed the worst."
"It's alright Professor Goodwitch." Said Pyrrha. "You were concerned about our safety."
"Can you tell us anything you know about the boy I have in custody?"
"He can become invisible." Blake answers. "And he can make things disappear just by touching them. I think he has some sort of storage semblance."
"Then his ability to cloak must be from technology." Atlas has been working on cloaking technology for a while now and some of it had gone missing during transports. Ironwood wager that this boy somehow came into possession of one of their technology. The question is where it is among the items they've confiscated from the boy. "Anything else?"
"Nothing comes to mind right now…"
"Um, Professor Ozpin… What is it about my eyes that made them want to take it? Is it that expensive?"
All the adults in the room paused and frowned.
"Expensive, Miss Rose?"
"Yeah. That boy said it was worth millions or something."
"Almost like there's an illegal market for them." Nora's weary expression quickly morphs to anger. "What kind of sick people kill others just to sell their eyeballs?!"
Everyone in the room silently agreed. The implications were disturbing and if confirmed true, present some unpleasant revelations. It sounded like something out of a horror movie where a deranged killer has a collection of eyeballs of his victims.
Ozpin's mind wanders to a fairy tale he knows and one that Glynda recorded for him: The Warrior in the Woods.
A story about a silver-eyed girl who secretly defended the village from the Creatures of Grimm. Near the end, the silver-eyed girl was killed by some unknown force. Her body was never found, only blood and her discarded weapon…
"… I cannot say that I've ever heard of such a thing, and we do not know that just yet." Ozpin had heard enough for now and got up from his seat. "But we will get to the bottom of this. We shall continue this conversation later, please bear with it. In the meantime, I'd recommend you all get some rest. If you need anything, please let the nurses know. Be assured, the infirmity will be guarded by your professors, fellow Huntsmen, and Huntresses."
/-/
[Remnant: Online]
[Private Chat]
[Ian] Busted again? Lmao
[Ian] Lost all your hard-earned stuff?
[Ian] That's what you get for acting like an assassin
[Kieran] STFU I'm a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters are cool
[Kieran] Still have everything in inventory. Missing some of my gear because they took it. I don't even know what's happening. It's weird.
[Kieran] In a military airship. The prison cell is a safe zone and I can make a portal back. Weird
[Kieran] Not leaving without my stuff
[Ian] Did you read patch notes?
[Kieran] It's a text wall
[Ian] And you wonder why you're somehow busted in the Outlands
[Kieran] I hate the Outlands anyway
[Kieran] Don't enter it often
[Kieran] Does it have weird soldiers in blue uniforms?
[Ian] What?
[Kieran] Forget it. Easier to explain it to you in person
[Ian] If you get out
[Ian] Need me to bail you out again?
[Ian] Send me locations and I'll find some people to bail you if you can wait
[Kieran] k
[Kieran] How is everything over there?
[Ian] We snagged a large mountain range territory that's connected to the sea
[Ian] Detected good resource nodes in mountains
[Ian] Dust crystals and mines for metal ores
[Ian] A lot of weak Grimm tried to stop us
[Ian] Scouting team found a village. Luka being a neo-imperialist wants to assimilate the village
[Ian] Central Assembly in session to formulate plans
[Ian] Everything going well
[Ian] Planning on sending our floating fortress into the Outlands soon
[Kieran] Nice
[Kieran] brb
[Kieran] I think I can breakout. Guards are very weak and I can break out of my restraints
[Kieran] Marking location for reference
[Kieran] You guys will be interested in the place I was in
[Kieran] Jailbreak speedrun
[Ian] Going well?
[Kieran] Found my stuff. Going back
[Kieran] Safe! I'll catch up with you guys once I drop everything off!
[Ian] k
[Ian] btw villagers gave a map for the Outland region
[Ian] There's a kingdom. Four of them
[Ian] Area we're in is in a kingdom called Mistral. They claim a lot of lands
[Ian] Villagers said they're bad at controlling the ones outside their capital
[Ian] A lot of criminals and bandits
[Ian] Greenlight on committing war crimes
[Ian] Luka wants teams to explore the major towns and eventually the capital city
[Kieran] Sounds fun
[Kieran] Heading over soon
[Ian] Accept Mercenary role.
[Ian] You know Mockeyes and Huang
[Ian] They will let you in
/-/
[World of Remnant]
[Sanus Continent, Kingdom of Vale]
[Beacon Academy]
Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood silently filed out the infirmary bearing serious expressions.
"We need to interrogate that boy."
"We have no grounds to hold him custody for long." Ozpin didn't refute but made it clear that they cannot hold him indefinitely. "As of now, he's considered a minor and is the reason why my students are alive."
"Surely, you're not considering letting him go." A perplexed Ironwood stares at Ozpin, then at Glynda. "You heard what they said about him and what he did. He's too dangerous to be released and is in possession of stolen Atlesian technology."
"And what makes you jump to that conclusion." Glynda shots back, "For all we know, he could have made –"
A high pitch beep sounded off on Ironwood's scroll, startling the three of them. It was the emergency alarm call.
"General Ironwood! The prisoner has escaped!" The communication officer yelled over the airship blaring alarm. "We can't find him anywhere!"
"What?! Initiate full lockdown, now! Ozpin! Lockdown the academy!" Ironwood took off in a run, ignoring his colleagues calling after him. "I want all squads deployed and searching for the prisoner! I want ST3 and ST5 securing the evidence room!"
"Copy that!"
"ST5 is not responding to our calls!"
"ST3 on reporting in! The evidence room has been broken in. ST5 squad is down!"
After hours of searching, Atlas Military and a few volunteered Huntsmen were unable to locate the boy that had escaped their custody. To make things even worst, the bodies of Team RWBY and JNPR attackers all disappeared without a trace. This incident did not go unnoticed by the student body, and soon gossip spread, eventually picked up by the media.
To say that it was a massive headache for adults was an understatement.
Some mistakes up there. Please point them out for me so that I can fixed them.