Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY
Until this point, I still held out hope. That this world, although different then my own, would at least be similar. One that I could use my newfound powers to quickly obtain an ID and forge myself a fake history. After which, I'd simply blend in, living a nice peaceful life, an easy road with abilities to eliminate any obstacles I found bothersome.
A foolish optimism.
Instead, I'm in a death world. One filled with hordes of monster bent on eliminating humanity and a secret war spanning hundreds of years.
Even the humans are super powered beings, with forcefields protecting and powering their bodies to physical extremes.
Peace and quiet is no longer an option. I need power, preferably in multiple forms.
"You could just make it to a city and keep a low profile."
And simply hope I don't get caught in the crossfire of those with far more power and resources fighting on a scale that could destroy kingdoms?
No, I know how this ends. Vast destruction and death. A complete communications black out between ruling powers and an utter lack of safety everywhere.
I begin to pace back and forth, considering my options.
It'll be impossible to live comfortably with all that going on… is it possible to simply jump to a different world?
"No, I don't have enough strength."
How long will it take for you to recover enough to get us out of here?
"I'm not sure, definitely more than a year, assuming we don't strain the soul anymore."
We?
"Same soul remember? My strength is your strength now."
… I couldn't even fight off five beowolves without using my soul…
I sigh as I stop walking, shaking my head lightly as I do.
…so we're stuck here for at least a year… I suppose I should just make the best of it.
There are a few things I can gain from this world that should be useful regardless of where I end up next.
Dust can be a powerful material and I'm sure I could make something useful out of it with [Forge].
There's also the four relics left by the brother gods… which require a maiden to get… I'm going to leave those alone; I really don't want to be noticed by immortals.
Aura is probably the most useful thing I'll be able to get on this planet. Once I make it to a city, I'll have to find someone discreet to unlock my soul.
"…Unlock your soul?"
I give him a small nod.
It's how someone gains aura, the primary source of power in this world.
"Uh, kid? Remember how I just said how our soul needs rest?"
I raise an eyebrow.
Aura is used all over remnant, I've never seen anyone suffer negative consequences for having theirs unlocked.
"That doesn't mean that there isn't a negative side effect, and your soul isn't exactly normal to begin with. You're also basing the safety of this on what you saw in a cartoon?"
Anime.
"I really don't care what you call it. The point, is that you don't know for sure how it works. Just because this world seems like something you've seen before doesn't mean it's the same."
Alright, you've made your point.
I raise my arms in mock surrender.
"All I'm trying to say is at least confirm information to be accurate before making decisions based on it."
… I'll wait until I've made it to a city and properly gathered information before making any plans.
"That's all I ask."
I glance up at the sky and frown. It's getting dark, and that means I'm going to have to fight my way through an unknown amount of grimm in poor visibility without knowing which direction to head in to get to civilization…
Things just keep getting better.
After a moment of consideration, I walk over to the closest tree and begin searching the branches.
"What are you doing?"
Deciding which piece of wood I'm going to turn into a spear with [Forge]. If I continue using just destruction and [Null] to attack I won't be able to refrain from using soul energy.
"Haha no. Open your system and be grateful I had foresight."
… "Status."
Name -?
Title- 7th soul
Level- -1
Race-?
HP- 100/100
100/100
100/100
SP- 80/100
100/100
100/100
MP- N/A
STR- 3 (9)
VIT- 6 (18)
DEX- 6 (18)
INT- 30 (90)
WIS- 50
CHA- 30
I have health and stamina pools now, which is nice I guess… my strength and vitality both went up by 1 and dexterity went up by 2. I'm assuming that I retained some of the adaptation from the fight earlier.
"Yeah, but your status wasn't what I was talking about. Open system notifications."
I briefly consider responding with sarcasm but ultimately decide just to see what Third seems so pleased with himself about.
So I bring up the notification I ignored during the fight earlier.
*Ping*
Skill- [Destruction] has been created!
Skill- [Destruction] has been cast!
Skill- [Destruction] has been cancelled by Admin Third!
Skill- [Analysis Destruction] has been created by Admin Third!
Skill- [Analysis Destruction] has been cast by Admin Third!
New bio data added to system info banks! X4
Shard- [Forge's work bench] has been activated by Admin Third!
Shard- [Forge storage] has been cast by Admin Third!
Biomass has been stored on [Forge's work bench] as crafting material!
… I have several questions.
I scratch the back of my head as I think.
If I'm understanding this correctly, when I was killing the leader of the beowolf pack Third changed my attack into one that would gather me information on the destroyed target- which means I now know how grimm are made- …and then proceeded to store the chunks I was taking out of them. The pings must have been from the biomass being successfully stored because I don't see anything about exp, and I've apparently been making skills every time I've used the shards in a different way.
So why am I not getting exp? And what's the point of skills when I can just make and alter them as I please?
"Skills can be considered something of a shortcut, they remove the need to manually form your power, which allows you to perform more complex actions in combat while also keeping focus on your opponent."
And the exp part?
"I told you, your life isn't turning into a game- "
But I have a level, why would that be in my status if I can't increase it?
"… You can increase it, but not by exp."
Then?
"Look, I'll explain later, ok? It's a conversation that might take a while and I don't want to be interrupted by something trying to kill us while having it."
I let out a frustrated sigh.
Well, it's not like I could force you tell me if you don't want to.
"I'm being honest with you here; it's going to be difficult and time consuming to increase so there's no reason for us to spend time discussing it right now."
I roll my eyes.
So, biomass?
"Yeah, when you began fighting, I realized we needed to get a weapon as soon as possible. Your enemies seemed to have been made of decent materials and, as you might have already guessed, you can use organic matter with [Forge], provided its of high enough quality."
And so, you stored what I was destroying to make weapons.
"It would be wasteful not to."
I suppose it would.
I take a glance around my darkening surroundings before activating [Forge].
I expected to see a mental space obscure my vision as I started to make a weapon, instead I merely gained a sort of feeling. I knew the material I had on the work bench, along with the quantity and quality.
The stored mass was collectively labeled grimm, but it was actually three separate parts.
The first was the black substance that made up the bulk of the creature, ranging from fur to claws and teeth. It seemed like some sort of malevolent clay, able to change between hardness shape and texture a certain extent and was quite honestly bizarre to mess with.
The second was the bone armor that marked the only significant difference between each individual grimm. Unlike the fur, the bone could not change nearly as much. Rather, I could instead alter the density, making it both harder and heavier but leaving me with less to work with or I could lighten it and have more on hand. Regardless, its strength didn't feel like it would drop below that of at least a weak metal while fur seemed to cap at strong stone.
The third was by far the most interesting. It was a red glowing energy that seemed to shift between a solid, liquid, and gas. [Analysis] simply told me that it was the life force of grimm, the thing that kept them up and running, but that didn't really help me understand how I was supposed to use it.
I really wanted to invest some time experimenting with it but had to remind myself that I was still in a dangerous environment and therefore needed to hurry since the longer I stayed still the more likely I was to be attacked.
It took me a few minutes to actually work out how to start crafting and when I did, I found it to be a pretty straight forward process. I simply imagine what I want to make while pouring energy into [Forge] and it takes care of the rest, provided I have both the right materials and a large enough quantity of them for what I had in mind.
The first thing I made was a sword, and I was surprised at the sheer speed the blade was put together by [Forge]. The entire process seemed to take less than a second after I finalized the design, and I soon felt the weapon appear on the work bench. From there I simply willed the sword out like I did with Bio Gear, and it appeared in my hand instantly.
The sword's blade and cross guard where both pure white, with black cloth binding the grip. It was plain and simple in design and though I wasn't exactly an expert on swords, I could at least tell that it was well balanced. It was a decent enough attempt at making a onehanded sword… and the first grimm weapon ever made…
'[Analysis]'
Grimm sword-
A sword crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
Sharpness and durability of steel.
I'd be disappointed that a sword made from grimm doesn't have a powerful effect aside from being a high-quality blade, but I was expecting to have to go through several failed attempts to even make a functional weapon, so getting one that's razor sharp and perfectly balanced with the strength of steel is an exceptional outcome.
With my first weapon a success, I start working on clothes. I don't spend any effort making them 'stylish', opting instead to simply make it functional and comfortable.
A formfitting shirt and baggy pants, shoes modeled after sneakers, and a cloak that stops two inches from the ground with a cowl that should completely obscure my face in shadow when worn.
Most of it is made of fur intricately woven into cloth, similar to silk, with the cloak being made slightly thicker. The obvious exception being my shoes which are made of soft leather.
All of it just appears on my body where it's supposed to be when I bring it out of the work bench, which is the first time something has seemed to actually work like a video game, amusingly enough, and after I have it all equipped, I cast [Analysis] on it as a set.
Grimm clothing-
Clothing crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
Varying degrees of waterproof.
Durability of leather.
I suppose it doesn't really matter how strong my clothes are when I have an invisible shield protecting me and cloth having the durability of leather is pretty good. The design of my outfit is just as plain as my weapon and while I could add some bone to at least give it a second color, I also want to attempt to make a gun and I have a much more limited supply of bone than I do black cloth, which the gun will likely require.
With a design in mind, I pour energy into crafting and to my surprise, the rifle comes together with no trouble.
I mentally pull up the rifle and have it swaps places with my sword.
The swap is near instant and smooth, with the weight difference being the only telling feeling of having the object in my hand change. A curious phenomenon, likely to give me quite a bit of strategic options in a fight.
That aside, I curiously look over the gun.
Its barrel is white, but the rest is black, including the scope. The scope itself is variable zoom… I'm both in awe that the substance can be turned into glass and surprised that I can make something as intricate as a gun without knowing anything about them.
And once again I use [Analysis].
Grimm rifle-
A rifle crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
Has the capacity to shoot AP rounds.
Single fire.
Ammo capacity 5/5.
… It already has ammo? How is that possible? I'd need something like gunpowder for that to work, which was why I was only planning on trying to make the gun and if that worked, id prioritize ammunition once I arrived at a city…
I start crafting a second cartridge and since I'm paying more attention this time, I notice that it takes some grimm life force to make these bullets.
Which is just baffling. Life force used to launch bullets?
I throw out yet another [Analysis].
Grimm armor piercing rounds-
Bullets crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
Super charged rounds.
X2 damage against aura.
Inflicts poison if a non-grimm creature is hit.
A small smile creeps across my face after I finish reading.
I have a feeling that these will be incredibly useful once I make it to civilization.
Though I have to wonder, if I can so easily use it with something like bullets, can I make something else with it?
One more test then. I create a white bone mask but this time I imagine it infused with grimm life force.
I consider making it look like a human skull but change my mind and instead its oval shape and completely covers the face. On its surface there are three vertical slashes that all glow a dim eerie red, two of which I use to see through. It also has more black cloth that wraps around my head and neck tightly.
[Analysis].
Enhanced grimm mask-
A mask crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
Durability of steel.
Strengthens the wearer.
+1 STR
+1 VIT
+1 DEX
This time I can't help but laugh. Third is officially a genius.
"Pff like it was ever a doubt before."
I merely shrugged and put on the mask in response.
And then immediately freeze as another ping goes off in the system.
… I knew this was going too well.
*Ping*
Bio Gear has detected a compatible piece of equipment!
Temporary fusion is possible!
Do you wish to fuse?
Fuse Bio Gear to the mask? When it's made of grimm life force? …wouldn't that kill me?
"The system wouldn't prompt you if choosing to do so would kill you."
Yeah, because the system hasn't already chosen something that could kill me or anything.
"Oh get over it already. It could have been far worse."
It's been less than an hour since I almost died. And yea, it could have been worse, but if I were to tell you that you had an illness that could kill you, would you find it comforting that there are deadlier sicknesses out there?
"The difference here kid, is that you have power and can actively make choices that improve your chances at survival. So will you just fuse the mask already?"
…Fine, I should get moving soon anyway, its already completely dark now.
Mentally selecting yes, I wait to see what happens, and said wait is extremely short. Immediately the irritation I experienced earlier drawing out Bio Gear hits again and this time I don't have any reflective surfaces nearby to tell me what's happening. It's incredibly uncomfortable, increasingly so when it begins to spread away from my eyes. It's not spreading further down the sides of my head however, instead moving away from my face as it assumingly attaches to the mask. Seconds later the irritation disappears, and I'm nearly blinded as the forest goes from pitch black too bright as day. Everything is so clear and detailed; I can see the individual veins on leaves yards away and I'm sure that if there weren't trees, I could likely see for miles. It's almost disorienting.
Taking in my surroundings with my newly enhanced vision, I drop my gaze down at my rifle with a frown.
… With how far this lets me see, the scope on this is pretty much pointless. In fact, I wonder… can I?
I put the rifle back on the work bench and sure enough, it still counts as material so I can reforge/modify it. I remove the scope and replace it with hard sights as I nod to myself.
With all that done, I start walking.
Only to stop again when I realize that since I could modify my rifle to replace the scope, it was likely possible I could reforge everything I made so far with grimm energy.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I infuse everything all at once and give it all a glance over with [Analysis].
The weapons both gain extra damage to aura and poison application to non-grimm, making them extra deadly against humans, especially the rifle using grimm AP rounds, which deals quadruple damage to aura.
The clothes themselves give me fourteen stat points in STR VIT and DEX, which makes me faster than a beowolf without having to use [Adaptation].
A satisfying power boost.
Everything now glows an ominous red now as well, but my health doesn't seem to be dropping and I don't have any debuffs…
I'm hoping my weird powers have made these in a way where there's no negative consequences for using them…
I shrug. [Adaptation]'s passive will probably make me immune before anything happens anyway…that or turn me into a grimm.
…suddenly really don't want to think about this anymore.
I'm about to start walking again when another ping goes off in the system.
… It seems literally everything became compatible with Bio Gear when I infused it with grimm life force, even the weapons, which makes zero sense. The mask had to actually fuse with Bio Gear and having a sword welded to my hands seems…bad.
"They don't fuse the same way; the system just doesn't see the need to classify them separately."
How are they different?
"Bio Gear temporarily merges with clothing but with weapons its more of a communication thing."
… its talking to my weapons?
"… You infused your weapons with life force."
You're saying I made them living things?
"With a primal intelligence and unbreakable loyalty, yes."
This has been a very strange day.
Shaking my head, I decide to just fuse everything all at once and be done with this.
Which turned out to be a mistake as, for the next several seconds, I experienced the most uncomfortable non-itch itch I didn't know was possible, all across my body simultaneously. I could do nothing but twitch and squirm in place waiting for my clothing to finish connecting with each other.
Shuddering slightly as the discomfort slowly bleeds off me, I wait a few moments to try and feel any changes the fusion brought me.
As far as I can tell, there wasn't any real noticeable difference after it was finished, just an awareness to where my weapons were when I had them out and a mild feeling that Bio Gear was stronger like this.
Looking around again, I choose a direction and begin walking while trying to get used to the strength difference.
I'll look further into what fusing has done to the clothes and weapons while I'm moving but I've wasted too much time here as is.
And with that, I finally set off.
I traveled while taking care to make minimal sound, not wanting to attract attention to myself from the grimm I now know are wondering these woods with me.
Its proving to be more of a challenge than I originally thought it would.
As it turns out, multiplying your physical stats was rather difficult to adjust to, which I didn't expect since the stories I've managed to recall never described that to be an issue.
I have to assume that it's because of gamers mind or body that causes them to be able to shrug of their changing physical capabilities, which is honestly making me bitter that I don't have them.
It's been a frustrating walk, with some stumbling and displacing of small patches of earth as I either step too lightly or with too much force and I'm thankful to whatever gods are taking pity on me that I haven't come across any more grimm. Since even though I'm stronger for it, these changes would definitely cause issues with trying to defend myself before I'm used to them.
Hopefully [Adaptation] does something to fix this issue before it becomes a real problem.
"Since you're already using it for things it wasn't designed for, why don't you just keep [Precision] on all the time? Id hazard a guess that it'd fix this short term and help [Adaptation] fix it long term."
… that's actually a really good idea, why didn't you mention it until now?
"Didn't think of it until you brought up [Adaptation], [Precision] is supposed to just be a crafting resource anyway."
Fair enough, would it even work for this though? I used it for precise striking with psychic attacks but using it for better full body control seems like it would be… strenuous.
"Only one way to find out."
Grimacing lightly, I slow my stride.
Since I've discovered what world I'm in I've wanted to find a safe environment before I experiment with the shards more, but at my current pace it will take days to make it to civilization and, as I stumble again, I decide that it's an acceptable loss to my energy reserves to attempt to fix this.
Prompting the shard with my energy I feel it consume a chunk of it as it gets to work, my body instantly responding to my ability.
My steps become measured, graceful even, as [Precision] controls my movement for maximum efficiency.
I smile under my mask at the change and immediately quicken my pace.
It doesn't even take much energy after the initial cost to keep it activated, meaning I can just keep it up all the time.
Continuing onwards minutes pass without anything noteworthy happening and eventually I decide that while I can't risk testing the shards too much more until I get to safety, I can still get a better understanding of what exactly this 'gamer system' does.
Name -?
Title- 7th soul
Level- -1
Race-?
HP- 100/100
100/100
100/100
SP- 85/100
93/100
99/100
MP- N/A
STR- 3 (23)
VIT- 6 (32)
DEX- 6 (32)
INT- 30 (90)
WIS- 50
CHA- 30
Since I've been told multiple times you're not going to explain anything about my level, will you at least answer my questions about the rest of it? This doesn't exactly come with much of an explanation.
"… Just get on with it already."
Your enthusiasm is appreciated.
To start, do I have a class? Like warrior, mage, and rogue?
"No."
Disappointing… are you sure this is a gamer system? It seems more of just an information panel.
"Sixth put in a lot of work laying the framework of this system, in time it could very well reach the levels of other gamer systems but right now it's-."
In its infancy and needs to grow… right?
"No need to get all snarky kid, it's not like I'm intentionally messing with you here."
…I know but you understand how frustrating this is for me right?
"I can imagine yea."
I sigh.
Well, next up then. What about my MP?
"… You don't have any."
I suppose my mystery race doesn't possess any, another disappointment. Inventory?
"Doesn't exist."
Wonderful… wait, what about the work bench the grimm material and my sword is stored on?
"[Forge] stores one material inside of it to work with when making something, any other materials you'd have to have close by in order to use in crafting."
…but it has three different types of grim-
"It considers anything with the label of 'grimm' as one material type so It can store all of it at the same time but that's the only thing It will store at one time. If you were to store wood, for instance, it would let you store an entire tree, baring the leaves, on the work bench but it would instantly remove all grimm material upon putting said wood into the work bench."
What is the limit to the amount it can store?
"As far as I know it doesn't have a limit, it just all needs to be the same."
That doesn't make any sense, it can store a theoretically limitless amount of grimm matter, but I can't put a twig in without it throwing everything else out?
"haaah I never claimed to know how and why everything works kid, didn't even know you could use [Precision] that way until the wolf fight."
My shoulders slump.
Fair enough… what about my HP and SP bars? Shouldn't they have changed with the increase to my stats?
"Your VIT stat increases your durability and increases your stamina while STR and DEX have the added effect of decreasing your stamina consumption."
That doesn't really answer my question.
"Your HP is a measure of how much your body can take before you die, since your VIT just makes you take less damage it doesn't change, and SP stays the same because sixth decided things would look weird if it increased but HP didn't."
I guess that makes sense? How exactly does HP even work without gamers body anyway?
"Exactly how I said kid. If you get hit, your HP goes down. It reaches zero, you die."
So I can take a shot to the head or get stabbed in the chest and I won't immediately die?
"Since your conscience is located in your soul, getting shot in the head won't kill you immediately no, but it will disrupt your nervous system since its still technically the control center of your body. Meaning you will be effectively paralyzed until it heals. Similarly, if you get run through the heart you will be bleeding, a lot, which is the same as getting a damaging debuff. So, in both cases, you better have something planned to save yourself or you can consider yourself as good as dead. On that note, if you get your head cut off, you'd also be dead, there's no way you'd regenerate that before your HP reached zero so don't go doing anything stupid."
Honestly still better than what I thought it be when I found out I wouldn't have gamers body, getting a high VIT is going to be very strange… wait, did you say regenerate my head? Does that mean I have a healing factor?
"Yea, it seems to be the first discovery we've made on racial traits. It's not a huge healing factor but it will increase with VIT."
Racial traits huh? I don't suppose you can tell me what my race is?
"Your race doesn't have any previous members, so it doesn't have a name, and before you ask, I only know about the one racial trait because the system recorded it trying to heal your second body when it was getting mauled, so I have absolutely no idea what else your race does."
I wince slightly at the mauled comment before refocusing on my race.
The first of my kind, is it? the progenitor of a species… I really hope none of these 'traits' are harmful to me. It wouldn't be fun to suddenly discover I can only drink blood or have a weakness to silver.
I chuckle uneasily before putting it out of my mind.
I go back to looking at the status menu some more before I decide that I don't really have any more questions about it and go back to watching my surroundings in silence.
Time passes slowly while I keep myself preoccupied by entertaining a few different ideas on how I could use the shards, both in and out of combat and the different applications system created skills would have.
I don't make too much progress doing so, being unwilling to stop and use more energy than needed to test things, but it does make time seem to pass faster so it's not a total loss, all things considered.
Unfortunately, after a while, my luck good luck seems to end and another grimm triggers my motion sensor, and like last time, the second I psychically view it, it begins to rush towards me.
I tense immediately as it does but refrain from running. Even with my equipment I know that while I can outrun a good portion of grimm now, I can't just run from all of them. Ill eventually get tired and out in the middle of a forest with no safe places to rest id die before I ever reach a city.
I clench my fist.
I absolutely refuse to die because of misplaced fear, not to the cannon fodder of RWBY.
I quickly run and take cover near a tree with my rifle up and pointing in the direction the grimm is coming from as I brace myself for the upcoming fight. Luckily, it's alone so I should be able to take it down easily… hopefully.
To reassure myself, I throw an [Analysis] at it from my psychic view.
STR- 29
VIT- 37
DEX- 11
INT- 2
WIS- 2
CHA- 0
Damn, and this thing isn't even a major. I guess this is why the ursa was traveling by itself, it could probably decimate a pack of beowolves, especially considering said wolves lack the intelligence to actually use their superior speed and numbers.
Reminding myself that with my clothing buffing my stats, I'm not that much lower than it in power, I forcefully suppress my fear and take a few slow, deliberate breaths.
As my breathing evens out, I see the bear finally lumber into my physical vision.
The thing Is huge, easily twice the size of a full-grown man, with bone armor focused mainly on lining its massive arms and shoulders, like spiked plate pauldrons and gauntlets.
As its form becomes fully exposed to my line of sight; it slows to a stop and swivels its head to face my direction while I feel another pang of fear run down my spine that I hurriedly suppress.
It goes to move again as its gaze locks onto mine but pauses, as if confused.
For a second, I'm puzzled to, having not expected this reaction from a monster, until I remember that I'm dressed in a way that makes me look pretty close to a grimm myself.
With a WIS and INT score of 2 it's not much wonder why something looking like a grimm but emitting emotion is confusing the dumb beast.
Not waiting for it to figure out that I am indeed its target, I quickly take aim, my sights snapping immediately to the things face, hands surprisingly steady, I let out the breath I was holding and after confirming my target is lined up, I squeeze the trigger and fire.
Immediately I wince as a loud bang echoes out while Bio Gear's energy shield crackles an angry red around my shoulder, absorbing most of the impact but confirming that there's a large amount of recoil to the gun.
With my body being adjusted by [Precision], my shot easily finds it mark between the creatures' eyes and to my disbelief, it punctures all the way through the unarmored skull, leaving a golf ball sized hole in its head, killing it instantly.
I just stay there for a moment, dumfounded. Once again, I had expected to have a bitter fight on my hands and resolved that this time I might not get as lucky as to not having reinforcement show up, overwhelming me in sheer numbers. I expected that this encounter could very well be the end of me if I wasn't careful, instead, it ended as soon as it began.
I almost feel cheated.
Looking down at my weapon, I smile. I suppose this is the difference having good equipment and the right mindset makes in a fight.
Expelling the bullet casing, I give the rifle a fond pat… before flinching slightly as it seemingly begins to purr in delight at my praise.
I had forgotten the whole living weapon thing… still have no idea what benefit fusing it with Bio Gear has, aside from being aware of how much ammunition the cartridge has with barely a thought.
"Uh kid? You going to collect the bio data?
Oh, right.
Dismissing my rifle back to the bench, I run over to the corpse as it begins to smoke, quickly gather the materials for later, the familiar ping ringing out in the system as I do.
After that's done, I get up and start walking… only to have my motion sensor go off again.
I groan to myself when I look and see another three beowolves charging full speed in my direction.
Just… why?
"Not sure kid, I mean, all you did is shoot a loud gun in the middle of a forest at night when there's next to no noise for miles. I'm honestly as stumped as you are."
Oh god damnit.
I could probably add a silencer onto it… but with how silent things are it would probably still attract attention to my location.
Sigh.
Grimacing, I pull my sword off the bench as I reluctantly ready myself for yet another fight.
Hopefully, more won't show up after this.
Keeping sight on them through [Mind], I decide to take the initiative this time and slam into the front legs of the leader with a psychic blast.
Both of its legs splinter and break upon impact, the wolf falling forward and into a roll as it carries through with its built-up momentum until it crashes hard against a tree, effectively taken out of the fight completely.
… The target was both more than 40yrds away and out of line of sight…
The stamina cost of doing that was greater than when I used it on something right in front of me, but not to a detrimental degree and on top of that [Precision] assisted me even while maintaining my bodies control with no added cost.
That's actually a disgustingly powerful use of [Mind], attacking something while it can't even see you to retaliate? The shards are really trying to compensate me for how unhelpful the gamer system is.
The two remaining wolves finally become physically visible shortly afterwards, once again completely ignoring that their leader was incapacitated.
The second I see them I throw [Adaptation] on one of them- kicking myself for not doing so to the ursa- and readying my sword in front of me. The sword's aura seems to glow menacingly at the approaching enemies, as though eager to fight.
Disappointingly, the wolves don't pause in confusion like the ursa did at my appearance, and I'm not sure if it's because they can smell that I'm not a grimm, or they're just too dumb to even consider how I look since even the ursa was 2 INT and WIS.
The first one lunges at me and like last time I Immediately use [Null] on it, this time however, I use it to reverse the direction of its momentum.
Its thrown back by its own force as the second continues to charge, opting out of jumping itself and instead trying a very telegraphed bite.
… its movement feel so slow as it does.
Guess that's just the result of having my DEX buffed by so much.
As it attempts to bite me, I twist my body, easily dodging its attack and brining my sword slamming into the nose of the mutt.
It makes a noise somewhere between a growl and yelp as its nocked back but remains relatively unharmed due to the armor covering its face.
Taking two steps back, I look to the other wolf, which having recovered from [Null] has begun to run at me again.
Changing my grip on my sword, lowering it to my right side, I carefully watch the approaching wolf.
Sure enough, it leaps and having expected the move, I immediately move forward and slightly left before swinging my blade diagonally. I catch the wolf right across its unprotected stomach, cutting into it deeply.
It makes a loud 'thud' noise as it impacts hard against the ground behind me, tearing up the earth as it skids to a halt on its side, making no effort to rise after.
I look it over briefly to make sure it's dead and my sword's aura ripples in satisfaction of having made a kill.
Unfortunately, I can't really say I share the sentiment.
It would have been a rather satisfy killing blow, but outside of large packs the wolves aren't much of a threat, especially so since they seemingly only know two ways of attacking.
Rolling out of the way as the other wolf leaps at me like the first just kills my satisfaction even more.
These things are so stupid…
Actually… perhaps I should take advantage of that fact? Afterall, what better way for a beginner telepath to start practicing at messing with the mind than with a mindless creature?
… I did decide to stop experimenting…
…
… well, I'm already fighting so I might as well.
As the wolf turns around and prepares to run at me again, I dedicate one body to gathering its energy and invading the grimm's mind while keeping the other two ready to react if needed.
With an INT difference of 29, the resistance from the wolf was negligible and my mental probe easily dove into the grimms mind.
I can only liken the experience to diving into the ocean, with a mounting pressure as I continued deeper. This pressure not only continued, but was further complicated by the need of 'air', and if I wanted to maintain my intrusion, I needed to keep a clear supply line for more to enter from outside or send more 'bubbles' via extra assaults.
Rolling out of the way from another lunge I furrow my brow in concentration.
I'm in, but the creature isn't reacting any different, which means either the monster is too dumb to realize, or this isn't easily noticeable… I'm leaning more to the 'too stupid' side, but I'll need to find something else to test on to know for sure.
This also means that while I've gained access, I've yet to do anything damaging to it yet.
I continue diving further, searching for something that I could use. The pressure continues to grow as I do but it's far from unmanageable, once again the result of the INT difference.
After a while of dodging around and continuing my exploration, the 'water' abruptly changes, and I nearly withdraw entirely from recoil upon experiencing what I can only call the physical manifestation of anger and hate violently attempt to pressure me out, nearing a flat-out attack on my presence.
Sensing I'm getting close to something important, I rally my probes, having them join together in order to better defend and push forward against this hostile 'water' while outside of the beowolf I send even more probes as reinforcements.
Suddenly the march forward has become a battlefield, with progress coming to a crawl while I resist the emotion's onslaught.
Eventually, after spending a worrying amount of energy, I change tact and have my power attack the emotion that's attempting to blockade me.
Several interesting things happen at once when I do this.
First, the beowolf pauses its attack on me temporarily, twitching in place like Its having a seizure.
Second, the INT, WIS, and CHA of the wolf glitches briefly on the [Analysis] page before returning to normal.
And finally, the emotion resisting me immediately became less intense.
All of this happened the exact same instant I launched my attack and continued to do so when I attacked again.
The hate seemed to be a finite amount even though it pushed against me endlessly. It's a weird dual property where the amount that is present always exerts itself at its maximum.
After a short counter assault later, emotion has been completely destroyed and with it the wolfs movement have become more… robot like.
Before it was charging full speed, snarling and growling as it goes, but now it moves at a pace barley above a walk as it attacks me.
It seems to just be going through the motions now, like its simply obeying its programming.
… its possible I might have broken it.
Sprinting in a small circle as it follows me, I sigh.
These things were genuinely scary two minutes ago, now it's just… unnerving.
I mentally shrug.
These are the absolute weakest creatures in RWBY after all.
Delving even deeper, I soon discover another disturbance in the 'ocean'. This disturbance taking the form of a colorless, near invisible, rippling, semisolid space; similar to an orb. It holds no reaction to my presence as I swim close to it, as though totally at piece with everything happening around it.
Cautiously I will my power to reach out and touch it.
Immediately, my awareness of the mind scape is expanded many folds, spreading out instantly to encompass the entirety of the ocean.
Taking a moment to process, I come to the realization that I've hit the center, or core of the creature.
THIS is the control center of the mind, its will manifest. With this, I can see the entire mind of the grimm and alter the individual parts as I wish.
Seeing it like this, I can see that in other parts of the ocean are areas dedicated to more specific tasks, like movement and desire.
I must have missed all of it on my way down, not that I can be blamed, the dumb creature barley has movement control and a basic desire to devour humans as its core software, there's very little else in here.
Explains the low INT and WIS values at least…
Further interesting is the lack of mental facilities to generate emotion, the thing is literally incapable of feeling anything more than the rage and hate it was born with.
It's a real piece of work alright… why the do these things exist? Did the brother gods just like giving humanity the middle finger?
Frowning, I reach out to its movements and exert my will to freeze them, stopping the wolf from It's slow chase.
Well, I succeeded at my first attempt at mind control, overwhelmingly so, but what do I do with it now?
Browsing through the sparce components that makes up this things mind, my frown deepens.
The mind works almost akin to computer software, as far as I can tell, so does that mean I could perhaps reprogram it?
Hmm, this isn't really what I had in mind when I started this… well I didn't really have expectations at all when I started, I just wanted to gain experience with it, maybe get an idea on how mental attacks would work and perhaps even find a way to read surface thoughts…
Huh, I suppose I did learn all that, but how would I even begin to reprogram this thing?
I slowly circle the creature as I think.
Mmm. Well, the first thing that comes to mind is its 'kill humans' order, if I changed that to something like 'obey seventh' would that work? Or would It just completely break?
I glance over into the distance.
I do have another wolf a little ways off with two broken legs if I mess up with this one…
…let's give it a shot.
Pouring my intentions into my power, I let it decide how to best enact my will, seeing as how I don't have the first clue on how to actually go about this.
My power responds quickly and dives into the control core. As it does, I feel a sort of… pressure in my mind, as though its struggling to comprehend what's happening, and with good reason.
Within the center of the orb appears to be another 'ocean', this one operating on a completely different set of rules. Unlike how the first 'ocean' had a perceivable distance between the 'software', the orb does not, everything is separate and one in the same all at once, a labyrinth and straight corridor, and every other imaginable structural layout simultaneously. Its ever shifting, with parts and pieces I don't have the slightest idea of the function of.
Merely being here feels like knifes gouging into my brain and my eyes feel like they're burning.
-1 HP
-1 HP
-1 HP
…Great it's not just imaginary harm, I'm being physically damaged by doing this.
A bead of sweat rolls down the side of my face and using [Awoken soul] to full effect to reduce pain, I stare at my HP bar slowly tick down.
… If it goes below 90, I'm immediately stopping all of this, no way I'm risking hp damage out here in the forest, experiments be damned.
Clutching my head with more than a little regret, my power begins to pull, dragging me back out of the orb and I resolve to never go back into it if I don't have to.
Massaging my forehead, I glance back into the mindscape, noticing that my power is still active.
Infront of the orb a large tomb is being held, its cover black as coal and looking to be in pristine condition, like its straight out of the factory. Its front cover is blank, baring a blood red word consisting of five strange symbols that constantly change, written in a language I don't recognize, in fact, just looking at the softly glowing text is increasing my headache…
Wincing slightly, and growing a bit fearful, I hesitantly open the book.
…
… there's nothing… the page is completely blank.
Confused, I flip through a few more pages, only to find them blank as well.
… I'm completely out of my depth with this.
Which means I'm just going back to my pervious strategy, pour intent into the [Mind] shard and letting it work out how to get it done.
The energy once again moves in response, wildly flipping through the pages as they shimmer different colors, with altering transparency and texture; eventually coming to a stop on a page with actual writing on it.
At first, the writing is the same as it is on the front cover, and I groan as my headache explodes in pain. Until my energy lands on the page and interacts with it.
The way it does so is indescribable, mostly because I have no idea what it's doing, but after its finished, the text flickers, changing in the blink of an eye into something I can somehow read but is decidedly not a language I know.
Now that the book is readable, it becomes apparent what this page is for, that being the desire portion of the wolfs mind, all written in a barley understandable symbolistic runic scripture that conveys meaning from a pulse of faintly glowing light from each 'word'.
That's not to say that these symbols don't form sentences, no, it's that each sentence is both packed full of information, meaning many things simultaneously, and is written in some parts where the sheer complication of what's being said makes it incomprehensible, like an expert programmer explaining to a ten-year-old how coding works.
I'm not even going to bother trying to understand all of it, instead, I pour in more intent to find the 'kill humans' part of this mess and trust my power to sort it out.
The result of which is a single runic word highlighted out of the page filled with over a thousand others.
Examining it more closely, I soon discover that this word is vastly interlinked with the rest of what this beast is, with the 'meaning' of the word reaching out across the page, and even to other pages entirely, like a spiderweb with it at its center.
Looking over other words, I'm surprised to see that other words, or even sentences, also have a branching connection to other parts, though not nearly as far spread as this word is.
It seems that this is a core aspect of what this monster is…
Will that make this more difficult, or even impossible? How will replacing this word effect the rest of the attached words?
Cautiously, I once again will my power to action, this time asking it to replace the word with 'obey me'.
My power once again rallies to action, acting simultaneously as an erasure, pen, and ink.
The word comes off rather easily, and before the linked words cause problems, my power successfully manages to inscribe the new word without issue.
As the new word takes hold, the new 'meaning' causes a ripple effect to travel along the preexisting web connections, causing a great many of the previously observed words to change varying degrees in accommodation.
It's difficult to comprehend what all is happening with the shear amount of change taking place at the same time, but I can guess that since the word changed to be about obedience than the rest of the words changing are to allow that beast to actually be able to do as such.
A quick check with one of my minds monitoring the creature from the outside shows that its stat page now shows a CHA score of 1, which when you consider it being primarily a social stat supports my theory since communication between us would be necessary for it to actually be able to obey me in the first place.
It's absolutely fascinating that its even possible for its mind to change that much in an attempt at fulfilling a single command.
As the changes complete and everything settles back into place, I suppress my glee at the implications of what a success would mean and look over the unmoving wolf in quiet contemplation before backing up a few feet and unfreezing its motion control.
I still have a mental hand hovering over its motion controls, of course, but I need to see how it reacts after the change I made to know if this actually worked.
At first, the wolf remains motionless, taking a few seconds to even realize it can move again, and when it does, it merely turns towards me before slowly walking forward until its just out of arms reach.
I let a minute pass with it just staring at me before I hesitantly move forward and reach down, placing a hand on its head.
… it doesn't even blink, and petting it yields no response either.
Ah, I almost forgot that I destroyed Its emotion to get to the center of its mind, It doesn't have the ability to generate new emotion either so its now basically a reprogrammed robot…
Well, I wasn't interested in gaining control of it to take it as a pet any way so it doesn't really matter that it can't feel emotions, what I need to find out now is whether it can actually understand and obey my command-
*Ping*
Subservient creature detected!
Would you like to make it your minion?
…sure?
*Ping*
Please maintain physical contact while link is being created….
Link established!
Conducting full scan of new minion…
Scan complete!
Error!
Scan shows multiple mental defects that will inhibit minion's ability to properly function!
Checking for fixes…
Fixes found!
Checking stat requirements…
Requirements met!
Minion mental update available!
Would you like to update?
Mentally selecting yes, I withdraw my mind from the wolf's mindscape and shake my head.
Updating…
I don't understand the logic behind this gamer system. It doesn't have classes or quests; nor does it reward exp, item drops, or currency. It doesn't even have an inventory.
But a minion function? I mean, I'd understand that if it gave me the summoner class, or I had skill/shards based around the idea of throwing cannon fodder at my enemies….
Is this for [Create]?
"That would be my guess. Sixth likely designed it so that when you make something completely obedient the system would recognize it and link it to your soul for ease of managing."
…am I correct to assume that doing that isn't going to cause problems for my soul?
"If an action taken by the system had the potential to harm you, it would give you a warning in advance explicitly stating so."
Good to know. So, can you give me more details on what linking a minion does?
"Well, if you hadn't chosen to update it, all it would have done was let you look at its status and given you the option to store it in [Create], but since you did, it'll have the added bonus of being able to understand what you're saying and follow your orders, on top of having better mental stats."
Damn, sounds like it would have been useless otherwise.
"You've killed six of them and it hasn't even been a full day yet, it's still going to be useless."
I shrug.
I'll just need to gather enough of them for it to matter.
*Ping*
Update complete!
Do you wish to name minion?
… Minion #1
*Ping*
Name registered!
Name- Minion #1
HP- 100/100
STR- 11
VIT- 14
DEX- 28
INT- 2
WIS- 5
CHA- 5
And suddenly, this forest just became a lot less scary. Based on what I've seen of the mental stats of these monsters so far, it shouldn't be too difficult for me to enslave anything that attacks me. Hell, after a while it'll likely snowball-
*Ping*
What?
Bio Gear has detected a compatible creature!
Fusion is possible!
Do you wish to fuse?
I sigh in exasperation.
How is possible for this system to feel so lacking in features while simultaneously being in desperate need of a tutorial?
Which type of fusion are we even talking about here, the weapon type or the armor type? Furthermore, what does fusion do? Aside from the mask, I've discovered next to nothing of how this is supposed to benefit me.
"It looks like it's neither and both."
Meaning?
"The option to fuse for weapons and armor was temporary, meaning you could undo it later. This fusion is permanent… based on what I'm seeing it idles as weapon fusion with the option of a temporary armor fusion."
So it would be permanently communicating with the wolf, and id have the option of temporarily becoming some sort of wolf/werewolf grimm?
"Probably."
You don't seem very sure…
"Because I'm not, everything I've told you about this so far is based off what the system is telling me, and it isn't being very specific about it."
Didn't you make Bio Gear though?
"Yeah, but I let sixth make some modifications to it in order for it to 'work better with the gamer system'. All the fusion bullshit was added by sixth, damn thing is becoming a migraine to figure out."
Mentally selecting yes, I raise an eyebrow at the small red cloud that leaves my body and floats over to the wolf before slowly seeping into its body.
So, what did you work out on these fusions so far?
"Not much, all I've got is that you can give mental commands to weapon fusions and utilize their energy while armor fusions will lend their energy to you and Bio Gear."
And I thought the descriptions I was getting where vague…
"You're telling me, I've searched through the system twice over now and found basically nothing."
Hm, well I can understand how mental commands would work with the beowolf, but why would I need to give something like my sword a command? What kind of command could it even follow?
The energy part is also interesting. The phrasing makes it seem like they will do different things and I can kind of already tell what the armor does. The feeling I had earlier of Bio Gear being stronger was pretty clear after all.
"Well, the shielding it's giving you is stronger at least."
Hmm.
Looking back over to the beowolf, I notice that its finished fusing and is now patiently staring at me, its tail wagging in silent contentment.
Suppose ill have to put off studying this until later… really need to make a list at this point.
Are you planning to continue searching through the system for information?
"Not much else to do."
Nodding lightly in response, I refocus my attention back onto the wolf.
Well, to begin with…
'Sit.'
The wolf complies immediately, tilting its head at me slightly as it does.
I reach out and beckon it over with a 'come here' gesture and the wolf gets up and walk over to me.
So its able to easily understand and follow commands, and is smart enough to understand body language. On top of that, its capable of choosing to stop following a previous command to comply with a new one if it's obvious I want it to do so.
Good enough for me, that all I really need to know about it right now.
Locating the wolf I injured earlier with psychic vision, I start walking over to it, bringing up my status panel to check my energy as I do.
Name -?
Title- 7th soul
Level- -1
Race-?
HP- 100/100
100/100
100/100
SP- 90/100
65/100
80/100
MP- N/A
STR- 3 (31)
VIT- 6 (40)
DEX- 6 (54)
INT- 30 (90)
WIS- 50
CHA- 30
I grimace at the sight.
I knew I wasted a lot of energy during that mental intrusion since I didn't really know what I was doing but I didn't think it would be by this much…
Actually, I don't remember using my third bodies energy at all?
… and its just decreased by one… what?
… I… still have [Adaptation] on, don't I?
I facepalm and stop the [Adaptation], watching my stats plummet a significant amount as I do.
I sigh.
At least maintaining [Adaptation] for so long gave me 2 STR and VIT along with 3 DEX.
Honestly its beneficial in the long run this way. I just need to make sure I don't get into combat for the next half hour or so.
Actually, I'd probably still be ok even if I did get into a fight, since my HP has regened to full, and Bio Gear is apparently empowered by my armor to have a strengthened energy shield…
That's another thing to add onto the list of things to look into later, information on Bio Gear. Does it have a status page? If it doesn't, that bullshit because it's definitely important enough to warrant one, or at least it's shield's energy should be displayed on my status…
*Ping*
Request accepted!
Status page updated!
Name -?
Title- 7th soul
Level- -1
Race-?
HP- 100/100
100/100
100/100
SP- 90/100
66/100
79/100
BG- 100/100
MP- N/A
STR- 5 (29)
VIT- 8 (38)
DEX- 9 (41)
INT- 30 (90)
WIS- 50
CHA- 30
…
"I did say it was growing right?"
… for the sake of my sanity, I'm going to ignore this.
Reaching the still struggling beowolf, I dismiss the status screen.
The creature snarls angrily at me as it slowly pushes itself forward, using its back legs to slide its body along the ground.
I roll my eyes and command the growling Minion #1 to not attack.
It lowers its head slightly in a show of obedience, but I can easily tell its not happy about it.
After making sure my target isn't going to be mauled to death while I work, I turn my attention back to the matter at hand and begin to gather my energy together in preparation for my assault.
I don't bother to use probs like last time and instead form the energy into a single sharpened spear and launch it directly into its mind.
The spear arrives almost immediately in front of the control orb in the center of the monster's mind, having easily cut through the emotion blockade in the process.
Eyeing the orb warily, I reluctantly use it to pacify the wolf's emotion and freeze its movements.
And now all that's left is to replace one word in its programming and ill have Minion #2…
… I really don't want to go back into that orb…
…actually, maybe I don't have to? That was the point of skills, right?
"…That's not really what there for but it should work."
Excellent, now I just have to figure out how to actually use skills…
"Thinking 'skills' will bring up the list, after you found the skill you want to use, just think its name with the intent on activating it."
Bring up the skills page, I begin slowly scrolling through the surprisingly large list.
To be fair, it's still far from being daunting to navigate through but at the pace I'm going it won't be long before it's going to need filters and a search bar to find-
*Ping*
Reques-
-Using the search bar, I quickly find the 'mental' skill and begin to read through them.
Soon enough, I find the one I'm looking for.
-Skill: Minor Enslave
Level- 2
Active- Rewrite the targets mind, forcefully turning enemy to ally.
Conditions- User must be in direct contact with 'control orb'. Target must have an INT score lower than 10.
Cast time- 10s
Cost- 8SP
…
"Before you ask, skills level from use, meaning that as you use them, the system will discover new ways to improve the skill, or when you manually use your power in a way that was more effective than the way the skill does it."
My eyebrow twitches slightly.
…and none of this is relevant for increasing my level?
"No."
…Alright, and the reason its level two?
"Sometimes the system will discover a way to improve the skill as its making it, so it will start at a higher level, this will become more common as you get more INT."
Shaking my head and suppressing my annoyance, I turn back towards the orb.
'[Minor Enslave]'
As the skill activates, I brace myself in case the skill decides to take my conscience with it back into the orb for some reason.
Fortunately, the skill has mercy and dives into the orb by itself, and soon, the ten seconds are over and my power withdraws.
I'm further thankful that the book from before didn't seem to need to be dragged out for the changes to take place.
Unfreezing the wolf's movements, I withdraw my power and observe its reaction.
Minutes pass and the grimm shows no movement other than to keep its gaze firmly fixated on me.
It also notably no longer has any anger in its eyes.
It seems that without having humans as its core target for hate it no longer has a reason to be angry and has let its emotion dissipate.
Which means it feels nothing now since, like the rest of its kind, it doesn't have the ability to generate new emotion.
Cautiously, I approach wolf and lay my hand on its head, patiently waiting for the system to register it as a subservient creature.
*Ping*
Subser-
Yes.
*Ping*
Please maintain physical contact while link is being created….
Link established!
Conducting full scan of new minion…
Scan complete!
Error!
Scan shows multiple mental defects that will inhibit minion's ability to properly function!
Checking for fixes…
Fixes found!
Error!
Scans picking up crippling injuries!
Checking for fixes…
Fixes found!
Checking stat requirements…
Requirements met!
Minion mental update available!
Would you like to update?
Minion repair is available!
Would you like to repair?
Yes to both.
Updating…
Please maintain physical contact during repairs…
Repairing…
That's… different?
Why does it need me to-
Gwah!
I violently flinch and almost remove my hand from the wolf as I turn my head away from the massive glowing light that abruptly sprung up in front of me.
I place my arm in front of my face for a fraction of a second before I instantly move it back down to my side in regret after discovering that the light is emanating from my arms.
Eyes tightly shut, I immediately activate [Forge], crafting some cloth bindings to wrap around my arms and then alter it to also cover my hands just in case.
Confirming the design, I pour in the required energy and have them made and equipped a moment later.
I sigh in relieve as the light fades away and I'm no longer assaulted by the blinding glow.
*Ping*
Repairs complete!
…
I blink away the spots in my vision, I glare lightly at the system notification.
That… probably wasn't on purpose…
Taking a deep breath, I stand up and refocus on what's important.
What the hell just happened?
I glance down at the now fully healed beowolf before shifting my gaze back to my arms.
… Was it [Create]?
"Kid, how else did you expect the system to heal it?"
That's...
How did it even know how to-
I sigh.
It learned it from the bio data I've been collecting…
"Well, it would have learned it from the scans it performed but technically, yeah."
I see… now that I think about it, since I have the bio data, would I be able to use [Create] to make grimm biomatter?
*Ping*
Update complete!
Name- Minion #2
HP- 100/100
STR- 13
VIT- 15
DEX- 27
INT- 2
WIS- 5
CHA- 5
… It didn't even ask me to choose a name this time…
"You can do more than that kid; you have the full set of data on those monsters."
I- are you telling me I can make grimm!?
*Ping*
Bio Gear has detect-
Yes.
I wave off the notification dismissively as another red cloud leaves me to and soaks into the wolf.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, any of these creatures you collect the data of can be remade by [Create]."
… I'm a walking grimm pool…
I grin.
Oh this definitely needs to be tested.
Just as I'm about active the shard and begin, I remember that I just crafted a new piece of gear that needs to be enhanced and fused.
I hesitate for a moment, before shaking my head lightly.
I should deal with arm wraps I made first since I definitely won't remember to later.
Glancing back to my arms again, I activate [Forge] and reforge the wrappings into an 'Enhanced' version before waiting for the system to give me the option to fuse it with Bio Gear.
*Ping*
Bio Gear has detected a compatible weapon!
Temporary fusion is possible!
Do you wish do fuse?
I'm having a hard time understanding why a bunch of cloth is considered a weapon by the system, and since when does it bother differentiating between weapons and armors in its prompts?
"I have no idea, and to be blunt, I don't really care to find out either."
Fair enough.
Mentally selecting yes, I calmly wait for the fusing process to finish.
A short while later and I'm now the proud owner of sentient bindings.
'[Analysis]'
Enhanced grimm bindings-
Bindings crafted using [Forge] and made entirely of grimm materials.
X2 damage against aura.
Inflicts poison if a non-grimm creature is hit.
Durability of a strong leather.
I examine the softly glowing cloth curiously.
According to third, I should be able to give these commands since they fused as weapons.
Lets see…
Focusing on one finger, I mentally call out 'Extend'.
Slowly, the cloth on that finger loosens and shoots straight out, extending to the maximum range it can reach without taking more covering from my hand.
My eyes narrow slightly.
I command the bindings to return to their original position, this time using intent instead of giving it clear orders.
My eyes widen in astonishment as it swiftly does as its asked, and with complete accuracy as well.
This wasn't as simple as giving a 'mental command', it felt far more natural than that, like I was moving a newly grown arm.
It's a pity its limited on how far it can extend, it would definitely earn its classification as a weapon if it wasn't.
Crossing my arms, I frown in thought.
Maybe I can just adjust the length with [Forge] as needed?
Activating [Forge], I'm immediately hit with an error.
Apparently, I can't put fused equipment onto the work bench, which is a problem since there's no way id have time to defuse and refuse in combat.
Mmm. Can I edit things not on the work bench?
I activate [Forge] again and, as the parts of my binding currently touching the floor can attest, the answer is very much yes.
Although… the look of having all of this extra cloth draping down is…
"Stupid. You look stupid… and anyone who sees you extend your binding like that is going to be instantly on guard against attacks from it, it's completely telegraphed."
… what do you suggest?
"You can keep them long, just partially store them in [Create], that way, they are concealed, and you can have them even longer."
You can do that?
"It's technically not how your supposed to use it, but it should work fine."
Activating [Create] and taking a small amount of satisfaction when no light shines through the cloth, I tentatively begin to store some of the binding.
The extra cloth sinks seamlessly and smoothly inside and soon, the weapon is back to the way it was before.
Out of curiosity, I move some of the bindings away from the points they are entering [Create].
Unlike when [Create] is being used to destroy or heal, the runes storing the wrappings do not glow any color at all. Instead, they appear to have the qualities of a mundane dark gray tattoo, each rune looking almost identical to the next in shape and size.
Huh, I'm surprised that worked.
"I don't know why, [Create] can store anything that's biomatter, and the bindings are nothing but biomatter."
I suppose it would be pretty easy to store the bindings considering it can be used to store an entire beowolf.
Is it safe to keep them in [Create] though? Would I need to take them out after a while or risk them dying? How much can [Create] store?
"Everything stored in [Create] is put in stasis so they could probably remain there unharmed for years and there isn't a limit to how much it can store."
So long as it's the same material, right?
"No, it just needs to be biomatter."
Shame [Forge] doesn't operate that way…
Well, I guess I should just be happy that one of them isn't limited by the same type rule, it could have just as easily been both.
Regardless, the issue of my bindings has been resolved, so I should see about grimm creation.
Focusing on the shard, I begin channeling energy into it with the intent of making a grimm.
And the shard does nothing.
Moving the covering again, I confirm that my power is working normally, glowing that same blinding light it was earlier.
I stare at my arm in confusion.
The shard is active, but the power isn't creating any biomass…
Maybe it's because I don't know about the biomatter myself?
When I collected the data, the system stored it for me, but it didn't add the knowledge directly to my mind, so I don't technically possess the required information…
Guess ill need to somehow copy the information over.
*Ping*
Request accepted!
Preparing data for transfer…
Preparation complete!
Bio data ready for transfer!
Do you wish to transfer?
There it is.
I chuckle.
Ye-
"You don't want to do that kid."
Why?
"How much knowledge do you think is involved with learning everything about the biological makeup of these monsters?"
I thought you said the system would warn me if its actions had the potential to harm me?
"It wouldn't feed you the information fast enough to actually hurt you. The problem is you would have to be knocked unconscious during the transfer."
Ah, I can see how that would be a problem in a forest full of monsters. Guess I'll have to wait until I'm safely in a city before I have the data transferred into my mind.
I stand there for a moment deep in thought, before turning to look at my two minions.
Would it be possible to use a skill to substitute my knowledge?
"… I'll get the system to make the skills for it, but are you sure you want to do this kid? The created skill won't have a listed cast time or energy cost, we don't know how long this will take."
I nod.
If it's looking like it's going to take longer than… let's say, an hour, I'll stop.
You said biomatter stored inside [Create] was put in stasis, right? Which means that even if I have to stop early for some reason, I can just resume later.
"Yeah… what about the SP cost? I thought you were trying to conserve your energy."
I look around at the silent forest.
… an hour ago, I was.
But then I discovered that a single bullet can kill an ursa and I can easily enslave the grimm.
The skill could drain one of my SP bars completely and I'd still be able to defend myself without trouble.
"Sigh… Alright, just be careful."
Will do.
I open the skills and bring up the two new [Create] skills.
-Skill: Create beowolf minion
Level- N/A
Active- Creates a loyal minion.
Cast time- N/A
Cost- N/A
-Skill: Create ursa minion
Level- N/A
Active- Creates a loyal minion.
Cast time- N/A
Cost- N/A
Reading over the near identical skills, I pause briefly to consider which skill to use, before decisively picking the ursa.
Since both of the beast are made out of the same material, it's extremely unlikely that the beowolf's creation time would be that much faster than the ursa's, if at all, and the idea of having an ursa to use as shield is very appealing.
Having made my selection, I walk over to a near by tree and sit down, getting as comfortable as possible in preparation for the presumed hour-long cast time.
After getting settled into position, I have my three bodies fully separate from each other, with my first body remaining seated while the other two move to stand a few feet apart.
All three of my bodies grimace simultaneously, both from the disorientation of being in three places at once and at the sight of my unclothed bodies still looking malnourished.
I'm beginning to suspect that something other than stats are affecting my appearance, because there's no way I should look this unhealthy with a VIT of 8, even with a STR of 5. At worst I should simply look scrawny.
Putting that aside with a mental note to check again when my STR is close to ten, I have my third body make two sets of clothes while my second body keeps an eye on my surroundings.
After which, my first body refocuses its attention on the task at hand.
'[Create ursa minion]'
I stare down at my hands as the skill starts up and I feel new runes appear on my skin.
The runes fade in and out of existence as they move, with a constantly changing form across my arms in an indecipherable pattern.
Relieved that my binding being half stored in [Create] and fully covering my arms don't seem to be affecting the skill, I'm soon hit with a 'feeling'.
This 'feeling', much like how [Forge] felt, starts feeding me information on what's happening in [Create]'s version of the work bench.
The monster has slowly started to form, and my energy begins to drop, which means I now have an estimation on how long this is going to take and how much energy I'm going to be using.
On the bright side, its looking to be more around 30 to 40 minutes to complete the ursa, on the downside, it also looks like its going to drain 2 SP per minute as well.
Taking into account my SP regen, and assuming the SP to biomass conversion rate stays the same, my first body should have roughly 20SP remaining after the ursa is completed.
A ghost of a smile appears on my face.
This outcome is exactly the reason I was willing to risk one of my energy pools on this test.
By the time one of my bodies finish creating a grimm, the other two will have had sufficient time to recover their SP, meaning I can rotate which body is using [Create] and have a constantly increasing supply of minions at my disposal with the only downside being the need to protect the low SP body.
What's more, it should be possible to transfer minions stored in [Create] to [Forge] as needed, meaning I have essentially given myself an infinitely growing arsenal and army at the same time.
Shifting my position, I slowly begin to lift my body while monitoring [Create], before confirming that movement doesn't seem to disturb its work and rising to a stand, my back resting against a tree with my arms crossed.
I nod to myself in contentment.
Since it seems fine to move while using [Create], I wont even need to have a minion carry my body…
Guess I'll start moving again after I have the ursa made.
I grin.
Wonder if I'll be able to find an alpha beowolf along the way?
AN: Warning, this fic is set in an AU... things will be varying degrees of different from the show.