Project Remnant
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I do not own RWBY
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"Thoughts"
"Speech"
'words with implied meaning.'
Regular text
Menu info
"Disembodied voice."
"Disembodied thoughts /Memories."
~ Ch 5 ~
~ Good mornings and unlikely coincidences ~
The soft tick of an analog clock was the first thing Blake heard when she woke up. "Mmm. Oh, my head." She rolled over in the soft sheets burying her throbbing head against the fresh forgiving sheet covering the pillow. She took a deep breath smiling softly at the smell of tuna and mozzarella cheese along with something that smelled suspiciously like salmon. Her mouth began to water, and she lifted her head, sniffing the aroma in the air. "Wait. Food? I'm not cooking right now, and I live alone. I was at Jaune's last night too. How did id get home?"
She sat up, pushing the sheets off and rubbed her eyes, feeling a pounding in her head. Opening her eyes with a squint, she looked around the room she was in, from her warm spot on the bed. It definitely wasn't her room.
She got a bad feeling wondering if she got picked up by someone on her way home last night. God, it was going to get awkward fast if that were the case. Her stomach curled when she realized what that might imply. She looked down at herself and saw herself fully clothed in what she'd worn yesterday but just to be safe. She sighed in relief when she slid her hand down her pants to feel nothing but dry cloth. "Dodged a bullet there." She looked at the door with a frown. "I just hope…"
Her eyes closed, and she wracked her brain, trying to search her memory for what happened last night. Memories of hanging out with Jaune came to her, but the last thing she could recall was smiling at him while her eyes drifted shut. "I'm in a bed now, so maybe I never left. But if that's the case, did we sleep together?" She shook her head and winced while laughed airily, her head pounding slightly.
She had to remind herself it was Jaune she was thinking about. He wouldn't do anything like that. Sliding her legs off the bed, she leaned forward, holding her head with a sigh and stood up slowly. She opened her eyes and noticed the blinds in the room were closed, and even the light in the hall was off. She smiled. "Well, he definitely knows how to take care of someone with a hangover. Now, if only." Her eyes fell on the TV tray next to the bed she'd missed somehow. On top lay a small medicine cup with some aspirin, a glass of water, and a note.
She smiled warmly, and took the medicine, crunching it in her mouth before following it with the glass of water. She almost instantly felt the effects as it went right to her head via the blood vessels in the roof of her mouth. With a sigh of relief, she set the glass down and lifted the note.
"Sorry about the hangover, hope this helps. Come to the kitchen when you get up."
She smiled at the note and then placed it back on the tray as she got up and stretched. Her head protested to the sudden movement, and she winced while massaging her temple. "I guess I can't just have a magical hangover pill, huh." She let out a defeated sigh. With that, she moved to the doorway and followed that heavenly smell out of the room and into the kitchen.
When she turned the corner, she saw that the kitchen was lit with a dim pink light that sat above the dining table. Nicely enough, it didn't hurt her eyes. She smirked at it and turned to see Jaune there in front of his stove, holding a spatula with a bunch of spices next to him.
She folded her arms lazily under her breasts, holding in a giggle. Jaune was wearing his usual blue jeans and a black shirt but with a pink apron saying don't do anything to the cook. The back of his hair was tied in a short lazy ponytail with his bangs held to the side with a bobby pin. He was singing along to what sounded like an old song.
~ Take good care of my baby, by Bobby Vee ~
Jaune flipped something in the pan before sprinkling spices, the smell of which made her mouth water and lifted the spatula to his mouth with a melancholy yet happy expression on his face.
"My tears are fallin'
Cause' you've taken her away
And though it really hurts me so
There's something that I've got to say"
He flipped the spatula back around and flipped the fish in the pan while swaying to the beat and shaking his head slowly. The smell of the spices and sizzle of the fish filling the air.
"Take good care of my baby
Please don't ever make her blue
Just tell her that you love her
Make sure you're thinkin' of her
In every thing you say and do."
Blake felt a big smile push it's way to her face as she started tapping a finger on her arm and nodded along to his rendition. He lowered the heat on the stove and lifted the pan, swirling the contents while sprinkling some more spices and throwing a bit of rosemary.
"Ah, take good care of my baby
Now don't ever make her cry
Just let your love surround her
Paint rainbow all around her
Don't let her see a cloudy sky."
It was almost too much. Blake leaned against the archway of the kitchen while getting lost in the music, and looked back too the table, seeing it set with two plates, napkins, silverware, and glasses. She rolled her eyes, feeling her smile broaden at the fact he was doing all this. He really was a special kind of friend to go through this much trouble.
"Once upon a time
That little girl was mine
If I'd been true
I know she'd never be with you."
She looked back at him, a grin spreading across her face as she silently crept up behind him. When she was right behind him, she could clearly see him lost in his rendition of the old song.
"So take good care of my baby
Be just as kind as you can be
And if you should discover
That you don't really love her
Just send my baby back home to me."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. How had Jaune not been more popular in school? And where had all of this been when they were kids? She looked at the back of his head and smiled warmly.
"Ah, take good care of my baby
Well, take good care of my baby
Just take good care of my baby
Oh, take good care of my baby."
As the song began to fade out Blake slowly wrapped her arms around Jaune's shoulder, pressing her body against his and hung off of him. "Good morning, Jaune. It smells amazing. What is it?"
He froze in her grip and looked over his shoulder, seeing her smile. "Uh, baby. I mean Bobby. I mean breakfast." He corrected himself several times with a shake of his head.
Blake looked at him, stunned, and then blinked. She looked down at the stove to avoid his gaze as she blushed and he felt her arms tighten around him as she got on her tiptoes and leaned over his shoulder "It looks good."
He grinned and moved the salmon around a bit as I sizzled on the pan. "Well, I hope it's to your standards. I don't usually cook, but anyway, morning KitKat."
Blake paused and turned from the food to look at Jaune, her expression becoming one of curiosity at what he'd said. "What did you call me?"
He laughed nervously and looked back at the pan, trying to focus on cooking. He flushed a little and spoke in a quiet tone. "You were making a purring noise last night when I set you up in the guest bedroom."
He felt her arms slide up to his neck. Her grip tightened further, making it hard for him to breath. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her blushing fiercely, her expression one of utter embarrassment. She buried her face in the nape of his neck with a groan. "Jaune, we never speak of this."
He nodded as best he could while strangling out a yes ma'am.
She nodded while still just hanging off of him, waiting for him to finish cooking when he patted her arm, drawing her attention. "Hmm?"
He coughed, forcing a smile to his face. "Alright. Blake, I need…to breath. Could you…let me go?"
Heat crept up her face as she realized exactly what she was doing and how she'd been there longer than necessary. With an embarrassed frown, she quickly let go and apologized to him while he rubbed his throat, giving her a nervous smile. "I'm so sorry, Jaune I wasn't trying to um. Well…Sorry?" She shrugged.
He laughed while taking in a big gulp of air, almost choking and worsening the problem. "It's alright, Blake. I thought it was kind of cute." She blinked at him curiously. "But in other news, KitKat, how did you sleep last night?" He asked, changing the subject while going back to cooking.
She looked down at her feet, feeling embarrassed at the comment about acting like a cat and being cute. With a shake of her head and the pounding almost completely gone, she let out a breath. "I slept pretty well, actually. Thanks, by the way."
She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest while shooting a weak glare at him. "And don't call me KitKat."
"Uh, hehe my bad. Won't do it anymore. Arc's word." He said, giving a nervous chuckle while crossing his heart before he turned the stove off and grabbed a big plate sliding the food onto it. He glanced over his shoulder at her with a confused look. "Um, anyway, you're welcome, but what are you thanking me for?"
She gave him a confused look and gestured to the hall. "For carrying me to bed last night, not to mention actually letting me use one." She folded her arms, a frown on her face. "Some people don't offer the same courtesy." She grumbled, thinking of a particular blond boxer she was friends with and the sleepovers or study nights they had where she'd ended up on a couch or the floor.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Jaune walked by her, the food passing right by her nose, making her mouth water. "Don't mention it, Blake. You're a friend. I care about you. Not like I'm going to let you sleep where you pass out unless I pass out right next to you. Fair is fair, right?"
She smiled, appreciatively at him. She felt she could get behind that notion if someone sleeps on the floor, they all did. Misery loves company and all that. She watched him put the plate down on the table, and a question came to mind. "Hey, Jaune." He made a humming noise and nodded in her direction, letting her know he was listening. "Why did you cook breakfast for me? I could have just gotten something on the way home, you know."
He looked up at her confused and walked back to the sink to put the dirty dishes in it and then rested his hands next to him on the counter while leaning against it. He was fixing her with a contemplative expression while he thought about how to respond. He'd gotten up early and started cooking so that he could surprise her. They weren't very close as far as he understood, but he'd always felt like he knew her more than he did. It was funny, really, but she reminded him of someone he used to play with as a kid, but regardless she was still a friend in his mind even if she had started as just a friend of a friend through Ruby and Yang.
They never really talked much over the last three years they'd known each other, but they had a good relationship in his opinion. What with their short small talk when he ate at Blake's job. After the incident with Ruby and Yang had been when they first really spoke at length. She'd asked him what happened, and he'd told her — not feeling any reason to hide anything. He knew she was friends with them and had probably already been told the story so there wouldn't be any use in lying or withholding information. He'd even told her he understood Ruby and Yang's reactions in the heat of the moment. Hell, if one of his sisters came out of her room crying after he heard yelling, he'd have punched some guy out too.
It was after the apologies that things had confused him. The two of them had been ignoring him for the most part, and he had no idea why. Blake had agreed with his reasoning for the outburst on ruby's as well as Yang's part, but it confused her just as much as him. Or at least that's what she'd said in her words. "You apologized, right? You meant it, right? Then it's not your job to keep apologizing. Some things take time."
That had been almost five months ago. After that conversation and a continued cold shoulder from the two, Blake had started delivering directly to his place. He knew it was pretty far out of their delivery route, so he'd taken to tipping her generously. He didn't want pity, but her actions were very much appreciated. Especially after everyone else had kind of put him on the back burner. That wasn't saying they were mean or anything. They all just sort of drifted apart after that. Sun being the thing trying to keep all of their groups together funnily enough.
Ever since then, his and Blake's small talk had turned into short conversations and then longer ones. Over time he'd come to think of her as a true blue friend instead of just a friend of one. He'd even helped out at the pizzeria a couple of times and volunteered on the holidays when they got busy.
His cobalt blues met the warm amber of hers, and he smiled at her. "I guess you could call it a thank you for being you. Thanks, Blake."
She blushed and looked away as he walked over to the table again, this time pulling out a chair and gestured for her to sit down.
She slowly moved over and took the seat, feeling funny. It was strange to think Jaune would thank her for such a small thing as being herself. She had to admit they'd been talking more too, but that was nothing compared to him. She'd started doing those things to make up for being a poor friend, which she didn't really have to, considering he didn't remember her, but then there he was. He'd tip her generously and even covered for her the few times when she got sick and couldn't make work. Honestly, he was a way better friend than she was. It made her feel off. She couldn't believe he thought this was the least he could do. All she did was make a ten-minute detour.
As Blake settled down, he pushed her chair in. "Hey, Jaune. Why did you invite me in yesterday?"
He walked around the table to his seat. He remembered the note from Penny. It was far from the only reason and not even his best for asking her to come in. He'd wanted to hang out with someone after Sun couldn't make it, so he supposed he was feeling lonely. It had worked out well and turned into an entertaining night of watching movies, eating pizza, and getting drunk without being rowdy. Completely different from any of his past weekends over the last five or so months. That was for sure.
As he sat down, he looked up at Blake and leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. "Well, I guess you could say I wanted to spend time with you," He said warmly while gesturing to the food."
She wanted to ask him just what that meant, but her eyes went to the plate, and he grinned softly. "Well, Blake, pick what you want and how much. Consider it my real apology for the hangover."
She licked her lips and glanced back up at him with a hungry look, a bit of drool falling down the corner of her mouth. "Anything and as much as I want?" He just smiled brighter and nodded much to her chagrin. She looked down at the plate seeing tilapia, salmon, and tuna with four small sandwiches. Cubanos. He'd cooked her favorite guilty pleasures. Had she told him about them before? With his unexpected comments about her interests last night, it was highly likely. She started dragging the biggest pieces of fish and the bigger Cubano with cheese on to her plate and then glared up at him with a glint in her eyes. "Never tell anyone how much of a fatass I'm being right now." She said while brandishing a fork at him.
He just nodded with that same warm smile that was making her feel all the more embarrassed while he took what was left digging in as she did the same with gusto.
~ 0 ~
They finished eating without any interruptions after that. Blake pushed her plate to the center of the table with a satisfied moan and lay down, humming happily while rubbing her stomach. "That was soooo good, Jaune. I didn't know you could cook." She turned her head to look at him and smiled. "You should invite me over more often." She said teasingly.
He flushed and let out a small laughed while getting up, taking both of their plates to the sink. "You think so? I'm flattered. I gotta ask though, is it just the food though?" He shot back with a grin.
She smirked right back and made a so so gesture with her hand. "Pizza, wine, hand made breakfast the morning after. You're going to spoil a girl Jaune." She sat up in her seat, leaning over the table lethargically while resting her head on her hand.
He rubbed the back of his head in that nervous tick that made her wanna slap his hand again, but she smiled while shaking her head and let it go. Looking back at him, she let out a content sigh. "Hey, Jaune."
"Mm-hmm?" He said while washing their dishes.
She paused for a second, admiring his ethics to clean right after eating. She was genuinely confused about how some girl hadn't swooped in and taken him yet. If she was being honest, he was a great friend. Was there when it counted and didn't overstep boundaries. Though at times he could be a little dense or insensitive, he meant well. That, along with his grades, habits, and potential prospects in life, he was a steal. Didn't hurt that he was well off by himself and had a nice figure. Nothing surprising, but respectable.
Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she started tracing the rim of her glass while watching him. "You know I have the day off today." He paused for a second and then kept washing, letting her go on. "So, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out for the day today." She sat still, waiting for a response.
He put the last dish away on the drying rack and dried his hands before facing her. He had a contemplative look on his face, but it quickly changed into a smile, and he nodded. "Sure. It sounds like fun Blake. What did you have in mind we do though?" He added nervously.
She grinned internally at having gotten his consent. She hadn't done much as a real friend for him, not compared to what he did, so she figured yesterday was a turning point. Now, what would he be interested in doing? A protest or reading in the library didn't fit him, and she hated to admit it, but she honestly didn't pay much attention to their conversations over the last few months. Then it hit her.
"Hey Jaune, remember that game we were talking about yesterday?" He nodded. "Well, I play it too, and I was wondering how you'd feel about spending the day together playing it?" He scratched his head, another look of debate crossing his features. She didn't want to let this opportunity slip through her fingers, so she pushed him a bit. "Come on. It'll be fun." He let out a sigh and smiled at her. She knew she'd won. Standing up, she smiled softly and moved over to his counter, where a notepad and a pen were. She wrote down her address and tore the page out then handed it to him. "Alright then, e-mail me when you get on, and we'll meet up."
He took the slip with a smile, and she nodded at him turning to leave the kitchen. "I guess I should get going then. Don't wanna waste any time, right?"
He followed her out and down the hall. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, the sooner you go, the sooner we meet up in-game." He sighed. "But the sooner you leave, the sooner you're gone."
She grabbed her coat and pulled it on, giving him a weird look. "What does that mean? It sounds kinda redundant." She frowned, seeing his expression fall a bit.
He shrugged and put the slip with her address in his pocket and leaned against the wall. "It's nothing. Just saying I enjoyed having you over, and once you walk out the door, it's over." He smiled sheepishly and laughed. "God, that makes me sound like a needy kid." He rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. "Forget that last part, let's just say I liked having you around, and before you comment about us playing a game later together, it's not the same."
Blake closed her mouth, having been about to say just that. She cleared her throat, feeling warm at his comment about liking the time they spent together and pulled her hair out the back of her coat, letting it hang freely. She fixed her clothes and checked herself in the mirror by his front door. Now Blake was a natural beauty not needing any makeup to look good save for her regular use of eyeliner. She only ever used a small amount of mascara and eyeshadow on occasion.
While fixing herself up, she saw Jaune watching her in the reflection in the mirror and paused. "Is there something wrong, Jaune?" She turned to see him still watching her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but he beat her to it.
"Beautiful."
Just one world. Nothing else. No sexual tension, no flirting, just a simple warm, beautiful. It made Blake feel self-conscious but in a pleasant way. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked away from him as a flush spread across her cheeks. She said something under her breath he couldn't hear, and he moved closer to hear her. To his surprise, she punched his arm. "Save it for your girlfriend, blonde." Her comment reminded her of what he'd said last night while they were drunk, which just made her blush harder. She quickly slipped her heels on and then slipped out the door with a wave and a nervous smile. "I'll be waiting, Jaune."
All he could do was blink and give a short wave as she disappeared.
~ 0 ~
Blake made her way out of the building into the crisp winter morning air patting her cheeks. "Come on, girl, get over it. It's not anything special. We just hang out yesterday afternoon and evening. Yeah, and you spent the night too. He also made you breakfast as a thank you just for being you and ARG! Stop it! Why are you doing this to yourself?" She stopped at her car and let her head bang against the side of it, giving an annoyed groan before getting in and starting it up.
~ 0 ~
Jaune stood there for a whole minute, trying to decide what just happened. With a final shrug and still clueless, he headed to his room, loaded up the game on his computer, put on the AVRH, and lied down as the feeling of weightlessness washed over him.
~ 0 ~
His eyes opened, and a yawn escaped his mouth as he sat up from the bed in the upstairs portion of the Emerald Dragon. Surprisingly he felt amazing. His body didn't ache; the dry throat and stomach pains were gone as well. "Man, amazing what some food, water, and a little sleep can do."
About five seconds later, he smacked himself in the face with a groan. "I can't believe I said that. It's like saying. Oh my god, I hit every green light and didn't have any troubles while going the speed limit." Feeling rather stupid, he got out of the bed and looked around, his eyes landing on the table he'd eaten on yesterday. Lying on top of it was his equipment stacked neatly with a note lying in front. He walked over to the table and picked up the note, a text box popping up in front of it
"Thank you again, and we hope it serves you well. Come back and let us know how it works for you. The total is around 200 million. Please try not to break it any time soon."
He smiled down at the note feeling good about having something he'd worked for. Granted, the money was gotten pretty easily, but hey, he'd hoarded those throwaway items in beta. Not his fault they became important. He could do as he saw fit with them. Putting the note down, he equipped his new upgraded gear and checked his stats.
~ 0 ~
Character name: Crocea Morse
Level: 75
EXP: 8,115,260
Next level: 33,585
~ 0 ~
"What? Why are my experience points at like 50 percent of what they were yesterday? I could have leveled up so much with those points like 20 levels!" He scowled, wondering what was up as he kept reading.
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Title: Unblessed
When not in a party, or if debuffs are active, gain 100% recovery rate to SP, AP, MP.
When Partying with one person, gain 50% recovery rate to SP, AP, MP. (NEW!)
Class:
False Hero: Intrepid blade (New!)
Acrobatic Skill:
Side kick: (NEW!)
Visceral Metronome: (NEW!)
Abilities:
Dexterity 100+
Hands of an artisan: Passive (NEW!)
Agility 100+
Adept: Passive
Evasion 100+
Artful Dodger: Passive and Active
Resilience 100+
Fear of the blood: Active
Resilience 200+
Fear of the flesh: Active
Combos:
For the damaged coda: (NEW!)
Promise Reprisal, Canceled Reprieve, Coda
Combo starter:
Promise Reprisal: (NEW!)
Combo booster:
Canceled Reprieve: (NEW!)
Combo finisher:
Coda: (NEW!)
Stats:
HP: 7500/7500 +50% = 11250/11250 (NEW!)
SP: 12862/12862 +50% = 19293/19293 (NEW!)
RR 190% of DEX every 10 second
(42 per sec)
AP: 8455/8455 +50% = 12682/12682 (NEW!)
RR 120% of AGIL every 10 seconds
(26 per sec)
Phys DEF: 1083/1083 +120% = 1624/1625 (New!)
Character Durability: 15000/15000 +100% = 30000/30000 (NEW!)
RR 300% of Resilience Every 10 second
(84 per sec)
Traits:
Dexterity: 160 +40% = 224 (NEW!)
Agility: 160 +40% = 224 (NEW!)
Evasion: 160 +40% = 224 (NEW!)
Wisdom: 55 +40% = 77 (NEW!)
Resilience: 200 +40% = 280 (NEW!)
Available trait points: 425 (NEW!)
Accessories:
Necklace: Pendant of the Unblessed
Level 2
EXP 0/100 (51% accumulated)
Effects:
Trait Thresholds gift additional abilities (NEW!)
Armor:
Chest plate: Pendragon Cuirass (NEW!)
Arms: Pendragon set (NEW!)
Waist: Pendragon Tassets (NEW!)
Legs: Pendragon set (NEW!)
Clothes: Pendragon Royal coat (NEW!)
~ 0 ~
His eyes grew wider and wider as he went down the page, and a small, confident smile spread across his face. Scrolling back up to his traits, he eyed the up arrow next to them. "Hmm. I think I remember what kind of character I was building now." He looked to his trait points and noticed that he'd gotten 50 from somewhere. About five minutes later, this is what he had, and he received a few notifications too.
~ 0 ~
Dexterity: 250 +40% = 350 (NEW!)
DEX above 200 points, ability unlocked!
DEX above 300 points, ability unlocked!
Agility: 250 +40% = 350 (NEW!)
AGIL above 200 points, ability unlocked!
AGIL above 300 points, ability unlocked!
Evasion: 300 +40% = 420 (NEW!)
EVAS above 200 points, ability unlocked!
EVAS above 300 points, ability unlocked!
EVAS above 400 points, ability unlocked!
Resilience: 285 +40% = 399 (NEW!)
RES above 300 points, ability unlocked!
Available trait points: 0 (NEW!)
~ 0 ~
His finger paused above the tab reading abilities. "I'll just read that later. Not like I'm leaving town yet." He looked at his side and frowned. He reached down, gripping empty air and sighed, remembering his broken weapons. Wherever they were, they wouldn't be usable. Turning to the door to the room, he exited and headed down the steps into the main shop. "Hey! Anyone home?" There was no reply. With a small smile, he returned to the room and left the money in the exact amount of 200 million gold with a note before he headed out.
Stepping out into the plaza, he was greeted by the sight of a pretty big crowd still outside the auction house. Though the noise was nowhere near as loud as yesterday, the crowd was definitely more prominent. He rubbed the side of his neck with a grimace. "So sorry, guys." He clapped his hands together. "Hope things aren't going to roughly for you."
After his short moment of apology, he opened his messaging tab and input Blake's address shooting off a quick message to her. He wasn't expecting an immediate response. She'd probably have a few things to do when she got home, so, for now, it was the waiting game, and he had a weapon to get.
After a few minutes of looking around the market trying to spot a weapons stand or shop, he couldn't find one. With a heavy sigh, he turned to the road leading out of the plaza. "Well, I guess I gotta find a shop."
~ 0 ~
After almost an hour of walking and asking around about any good weapons shops, he'd turned up diddly squat. The lower level people just told him he should get one every ten levels, most likely due to them being in the Vale faction and benefiting from its affiliation rewards. The higher-level people, on the other hand, told him to go to 'The Holy Palace' and get one from the Hunters guild. Sound advice from veterans, no doubt. The only problem was that when he tried getting into the palace, he'd been turned away by a jackass with a power complex.
The guy had told him he needed proof that he reached his level legitimately and wasn't boosted or power leveled. The guy also said he needed a referral from someone in the guild. Asking the guy how he'd go about getting that stuff had earned him nothing but a scoff and a shove along with the words, "Atlas trash, trying to sneak in. Fuck off."
Not knowing what the guy meant or what proof he needed or even knowing how to go about getting it or even a referral, he just wandered around Vale aimlessly. Not long after that, he found himself on the end of a bridge spanning a vast waterway overlooking the center of town. "Damn it. I don't have a sword, a shield, or anything." He pulled up his inventory and sighed at the 300,000,000 gold sitting there as he half lay half hung over the edge of the bridge's rail. "Damn…"
"Hey, please stop."
He blinked at hearing the voice call out from somewhere nearby. It was quiet and feminine with a decidedly Aussie accent. He looked around, trying to see where it was coming from.
"No Please stop. I already gave you and your friends free stuff. I was trying to be nice. You can't just."
"Awe, come on girl. Just lend us some more. It's not like it matters to you. You can just make more, right?"
Jaune quirked a brow at that. He leaned further over the rail, trying to find the people speaking but no luck. He listened harder and could hear two other people muffling their laughter.
"Yes, I can make more, but."
"See. Why don't you help us out then? Someone came up and PKed us and took everything you gave us. We're friends, right? Just lend us another set each. We'll make it up to you."
He heard scuffling and then a cry of pain as one of the guys shouted about her having a mean kick. "Fucking bitch, why did you do that! I swear I'm."
"Let me go I don't owe you anything! Now leave me alone!"
He felt something under him shake, and a crash resounded under the bridge that drew the attention of a few people. His eyes widened, and he grabbed the rail leaning so far over the ledge he could see under the bridge. His coattails fell around him as well as his hood, obscuring his vision. He heard more arguing but couldn't make out what was being said. He let go of the rail with one hand to move the cloth out of his face and way from his head, but at that exact moment, a shrill scream pierced the air surprising him, and he lost his grip with his other hand and fell off the bridge.
It was strange. Jaune felt like he should have had a hard, unforgiving landing with his head hitting the cobbled stone first, but something came over him, and he reached out, palming the ground as he made contact. His arm bent, absorbing the impact and then gave gracefully as he fell forward into a roll and sprang up onto his feet, coming to a stop right next to a group of four people.
There was a collective shriek, and the clattering of cheap metal as the three guys in the group fell back and stumbled over each other upon seeing him. He blinked a few times and looked from the three guys to the girl he'd heard and then back to the guys. His eyes widened, and he clenched his fists. It was Cardin, Dove, and Russel. He was willing to overlook their attitude in the field as playing the game, but this was a town. A town with a no-conflict rule, and guards to stop fighting and extortion. Yet here they were, bullying a girl and trying to extort her seemed like.
He fought the anger down and put on a happy smile while walking closer to the group. "Hi," He said with a wave. The three jackasses took one collective terrified look at him and dipped out of there faster than he'd seen any of them run a football back at Beacon. He stood there, feeling a little dumbstruck, and his forced smile became a real one as a light, airy feeling coursed through him. He started laughing and almost fell over due to the force. "I-I can't, haha, can't believe they just ra...hahaha...ran off like that. Hahahaha!" It was a different feeling, and he didn't know where it came from, but it was nice seeing them run from him like that. He hadn't even done anything.
"Um, excuse me?" A timid voice broke through his euphoric haze bringing him back to earth. Still holding his gut, he took a deep breath and turned to face the girl. He blinked at her in confusion upon really taking in her appearance. She was wearing black leggings covered by a pair of brown short shorts that had a tool belt strapped to one side and a tight black long-sleeved shirt with a brown vest on top. She had steel-toed leather boots in a dark brown color with a pair of thick oversized leather gloves on her hands.
On her head sat a pair of goggles that just fit. What was behind the goggles drew his attention, though. The two chocolate brown bunny ears sticking out the top of her similarly colored hair were moving and twitching slightly as if they actually worked.
He stared for a good half a minute, admiring the graphics when the clearing of a throat met his ears. Shaking his head in embarrassment, he looked back at the girl's face and saw her blushing while poking her fingers together nervously. "Um. I uh, well. Um, ah. Th-thank-thank you."
He blinked at her, tilting his head. Why was she thanking him? "For what? He looked down the alley after Cardin seeing him and his cronies turn a corner and then back at her when they were out of sight. "All I did as fall in from up there and say hi," He said while pointing up.
The girl looked up to the bridge above them and then back at him, smiling weakly while scratching her cheek. "Well, thank you for dropping in then."
He was about to say something when his eyes fell, and he looked dead into her eyes. "Was that a pun?"
The girl rubbed her arms nervously and nodded with a small smile. "Um. Well. I thought it was kinda funny," She said, folding her arms behind her back with a light giggle. He gave an amused sigh and shook his head good-naturedly. He couldn't fault her. He was the one who'd dropped in, figuratively and literally.
Looking back at her, he fixed his posture putting a hand on his hip. "So anyway, Are you alright? I didn't catch what was going on, but I could guess pretty close if I had to." He folded his arms and waited for a reply. She stood there looking like a nervous rabbit, the irony of which was not lost on him. She eventually nodded and then looked at him with a surprised look or realization.
"Um, hey. You wouldn't happen to be Crocea Mors, would you?"
He looked at her, surprised. How did she know his name? He hadn't seen her target him and nobody had mentioned it. "Uh, yeah. I am. Why?"
She beamed at him and jumped up, shouting. "Yes!"
He had no idea what she was so excited about but whatever. "Hey, what's got you all excited?" He looked down at himself. There was nothing special or wrong with him, and he didn't think he'd done anything note…worthy. "Hey, um…"
"Scarlet." She supplied happily.
He nodded. "Well, Scarlet, how do you know who I am, and why are you so excited?"
She paused and tapped her bottom lip as if looking for the right words to explain. "Hmm. Well, I guess the short story is you're a hot topic on the community forums right now, but if you want the long version, I'd prefer if we headed to my shop first." She started walking off and looked over her shoulder at him, gesturing for him to follow.
He quickly walked over with an intrigued look. He'd heard Cardin and them asking her for gear and gear included weapons, or at least he hoped so. "Hey, Scarlet, You wouldn't happen to sell weapons, would you?"
She looked at him, giving a small nod. "Yeah. I think I own the only weapons shop that isn't in 'The Holy Palace' here in Vale. All the good craftsmen and shops join the hunters guild and set up in there. It kinda sucks for newbies cause it makes it difficult for them to get the proper gear they need." She tapped her bottom lip and looked up contemplatively. "Though I guess they use this kingdom's affiliation rewards as a reason for doing so. Some political crap about kingdom wars and stronger people need better stuff and other bloody bullshit."
She gasped and covered her mouth, looking at him nervously. "Excuse my language."
He just looked at her with the most severe expression he could and patted her shoulder while giving her a nod. "It's bullshit. Don't worry."
The two stood there quietly and slowly but surely scattered chuckles and eventually full on laughter rang in the air around the two.
~ 0 ~
After getting to her shop, Scarlet closed the door and locked it putting a closed sign in the window. He watched her do so before his gaze slowly panned around the shop. He saw weapons and armor of all kinds taking up every bit of space imaginable. There were even things hanging from the ceiling. "Wow."
"Sorry about the clutter, but I can't exactly afford a bigger shop at the moment. Not enough clientele. Even harder when I give things away to new players that I feel bad for." She let out a defeated sigh and leaned on her counter next to a till, her expression falling before it brightened right back up and smiled at him. "But hey, I like to support new people. Even if this game is about PVPing, I still think there's plenty of fun to be had in the world."
She turned around and looked at a few weapons and armor in cases behind the counter. "This game used to be so much fun when I'd play with my friends, but then the kingdom wars started getting really serious, and it got a lot harder for new people to play. My friends and I started pretty early, though, so we had a good thing going at first."
She sighed and leaned back on the counter, her shoulders falling. "We made a guild that would help support new players and people who got PKed and lost all of their gear. It was great for a couple of months, but…" She turned to face him and shrugged with a sad smile. "My friends decided to join the Hunters guild and left. Our guild is just barely making it now. We've only got a few members, and bills are getting pretty high. A lot of the new members just take stuff and never come back too."
He gave her a sympathetic look and glanced back over the shop. Just looking, he could see better equipment than what he'd had before he upgraded it. Facing her again, he smiled, giving her a warm expression. "Well, don't give up. No doubt, there are people out there who need the help of your guild."
She nodded with a confident look. "You better believe I'm not giving up. The person who came up with the idea would never forgive me if I just let the guild die." She calmed down, taking a deep breath. "Well anyway, sorry for rambling like that it just."
He held up a hand. "Don't worry about it. I admire the character you have. I like how you're trying to be a source of good instead of just making equipment for the money."
She sniffed, making her nose wiggle cutely and then tilted her head beaming at him. "So, Scarlet, what are people saying about me on the forums?"
She clapped her hands together and pulled open her menu, hitting the forum tab. "Well, it's a lot of speculation mostly, but there are pictures and screenshots of you. Most of them have to do with The Ether of Naught in the cathedral and the new event that started last night." He looked at her curiously. "You see, this event started saying the grimm will spawn more frequently and in larger numbers because a seal has been broken. It has to do with the lore in the game. You can look at the forum or official website for more info. The forums mention you by name, though, and say it has something to do with what happened in the cathedral. Over fifty witnesses were saying crazy stuff too."
He folded his arms, thinking about what his being in the cathedral and that thing with the Ether or Carnage, whatever it was had done. He hadn't gotten any notifications of an event or anything like that. He hadn't even gotten another secret quest from the pendant yet either. "What are the event details?"
She looked back at her menu and hit another tab but then looked back at him in confusion. "Wait. Why am I doing all this? Aren't you an NPC? I mean you are Crocea Mors, you even said so. You must be an A.I. then if you know what the forums are and about the website. Are you an event character?"
Jaune felt his jaw twitch. Why did everyone think he was an NPC or an A.I? He was sure he acted like an average person. Hell, the Rens had even treated him normally. Thinking about it, he remembered when he wrote his character name down for Holy. She'd asked if he was serious, more or less. The voices of Dove and the people at the cathedral ran through his head too."He looks like him, the guy on the case."
Looking at Scarlet, he shook his head. "No, I'm not an NPC or an A.I. People keep calling me that, no idea why." The pendant didn't detail anything about making him more like an NPC, only that he'd feel everything more, and the game would be more realistic, survival mode as the pendant named it. "I won't say I don't have anything to do with the event though I'm pretty sure I triggered it, an event or something."
She nodded and then looked back at her menu. "Well, if that's true, then I hope you figure out what's going on. A bunch of people will be looking for you or hunting you in the fields once word spreads. Special characters drop very rare loot on death and even teach special skills, so you'll need to be careful." He blanched at that, his thoughts quickly drifting to his inventory. He needed to find a bank or get a player home to store his SDCs. They couldn't be taken on death, but you could still see them in his inventory.
Scarlet scanned the page on her menu and then stopped. "Ah, right here."
EVENT!
Event name: The beginning of the endgame
Event lore:
In the beginning, there was a vast expanse, The Ether of Naught. In this Ether, lay the abyss. Not evil nor malicious. The brothers, entities of unknown origin, found the Ether and saw that it was malleable. From it, they created many things, revealing our world; its name lost to history.
The brothers ruled over this world and claimed it as their own, but the Abyss stirred. The brothers gazed upon It, and unknowing of its nature flinched when It gazed back.
They had taken what was not theirs to take. This was not how things were meant to be. The Abyss cried out and came to lay deep within our world.
The brothers fearful of this new entity did what they could to subdue it and keep it at bay. But the world was not theirs, and The Abyss would not bend knee.
Those born of the Abyss could feel the draw of its power. It's soft, gentle call. And so they dug down into the world.
As humanity dug deeper to reach the Abyss, to find what called them, they found a world anew, twisted and treacherous. Creatures and monsters born of nightmares spawned from the dark recesses of their tunnels and valleys, things that not aught not exist. Many souls were lost. But from deep in the Abyss would a champion crawl, clinging to life as though a priceless artifact. Driven mad by their loss but with a single tale. Whispers of a reverent place, calm and forgiving. Of a dark beach with an eternal moon on the water's edge. Of grand structures and a palace of smooth white marble. What lay at the bottom of the Abyss. A paradise for those who walked through hell itself.
Proof of such a tale lay in the tomes of 1000. Grimoires, detailing the champions descent into madness.
Those who worshiped the brothers left in droves, and day by day, the stories grew. The brothers would not stand for this. This was their world, their creations. They would give nothing up and brought the flames of war to humanity.
Many were lost either to the treacherous journey to the shores of The Abyss or war.
In the Abyss, the truth was learned. Weapons were created that could fell the gods; humanity had hope.
But alas, they were all of them deceived. The Abyss was not a place meant for those who held humanity. Humanity must be lost. To lose was to find. To find in the Abyss, was to court madness. After all. Humanity was not born of the Abyss. We are a wretched thing, a blemish on its calm, forgiving shores. Some could cast off their ties to this world. They are the inheritors of the Abyss. They are the bane of Gods. They meant to sever the strings that bound all to this world, and it's creators. But alas, the price of freedom is steep.
One by one, the free lands fell to the power of the Abyss, but there were some...who resisted. A last alliance of Man, Faunus, Elf, and all manner of creature that refused to go gently into that good night; marched against the armies of the Abyss. And on the precipice, they fought for the freedom of all humanity. The world is changed now, I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. The once proud civilizations that occupied this world are now nothing but remnants of great accomplishments.
Though the Abyss still calls, it's cries fall on deaf ears. It lies in wait for those brave enough to champion the depths of this world; to embrace them at the end of their journey.
The brothers, fearful of what lay in the Abyss, have striven to safeguard their creation from that which would reclaim them. Those blessed by the gods are what remains in this world. Heroes, they are called.
...Or so say the records found in the fifth kingdom.
Though not all is lost, one so lucky as to be unblessed may tread where those blessed cannot.
Jaune blinked a few times, trying to picture a story to go with the lore, but it was pretty tricky. "Wow. I had no idea the game had a backstory like that. I thought it was just the kingdoms and the war that happened in beta." He looked down at the floor in concentration. The bit at the end though about the fifth kingdom and unblessed.
He looked up at Scarlet, and she blinked at him, offering a shrug. "It's a surprise to most of the player base as well. I don't know much because I just started back then, but apparently, there was an event at the end of the first month that let you explore the fifth kingdom. Screenshots, and what videos you can still find, showed it as more or less a ruined civilization. I think there was a guild called the Gallows that found the books detailing the lore. They changed their guild name to Gods Bane after that. They're pretty famous."
She then turned to look at the woman. "And you are the representative from the guild Gods Bane correct."
The memory ran through his head. "Did I…" He shook his head. "No, ignore that," He said, waving a hand. "What are the details on the event itself?"
Scarlet made an oh face and went back to the menu tab to continue reading.
Event details:
Something is wrong in the world. The grimm are spawning at a higher rate and in larger quantities.
Bosses will now spawn in fields regularly.
Minibosses will spawn where lieutenants spawned.
All classifications of grimm spawn in random groups now.
Loot drops have increased by 100%
EXP drops have increased by 100%
Enemy tactics have changed, New movesets for all grimm.
All grimm have become stronger and now have 100% more HP.
All grimm have become ferocious and will follow players until killed or lost by breaking line of sight for one minute.
Tasks:
Get last hit on elder grimm
2) Find and kill an elder grimm
3) Get last hit on 1 tier five grimm
4) Kill 10 tier five grimm
5) Get last hit on 10 tier four grimm
6) Kill 50 tier four grimm
7) Get last hit on 50 tier three grimm
8) Kill 500 tier three grimm
9) Get last hit on 500 tier two grimm
10) Kill 2,000 tier two grimm
11) Get last hit on 1,000 tier one grimm
12) Kill 10,000 tier one grimm
Rewards:
? - complete all tasks
1) Unblessed title
2) Character Respec
3) Avatar changer
4) Character rename
5) Special level 300 mount
6) Necklace voucher
7) Ring voucher
8) Clothes voucher
9) Armor voucher
10) Weapon voucher
11) Mount voucher
12) Airship VIP
Event run time: -00:00:00
Event will run until secret event quest is completed.
Event Quest:
Quest name: The Abyss
Objective:
Find the Abyss
No one knows where it is located. You must search all over the world of Remnant to even have a hope of finding it.
Time limit: none
Penalty:
Grimm will continue to spawn until humanity is overrun
Next spawn 13 hrs
Grimm incursion in 1 D 13 hrs
Completion: Enter the Abyss
Scarlet winced at the last bit. "You can't be serious. What about all the low-level players and newbies? Ohhh…" She closed her menu and slid to the counter miserably. "And just when things looked like they were sorting out." She gave a long boisterous sigh as she hung over the counter.
Jaune didn't know how to react, so he just watched her until she got up and gave him an apologetic smile. "My bad, it's just, well." She glared at him for a second and then buried her face in her hands. "I can't blame you even though this probably started because of something you did. Nobody knows what triggered it."
He shrugged sheepishly, offering a weak smile. "Sorry."
She screamed into her hands and then took a deep breath and stepped back, leaning against one of the cases behind her while watching him. "Alright, so I guess I told you what you wanted to know, right?" He nodded. "And I'm guessing you need a weapon seeing as you don't have one and asked me about them." He nodded again. "Well then, look around. I'm closed right now, but I'll make an exception because you helped me out earlier."
He grinned at her. "Thanks, I'll just be a minute. But um ah. Where do you keep your straight swords and such?" She gave him an exasperated look and rolled her eyes while pointing to a sign hanging from the ceiling. He turned and looked then laughed nervously while pointing at it. "Oh, yeah. Well um… I'm just going to, yeah."
~ 0 ~
After looking around for a bit, Jaune found a sword that he liked purely for aesthetics. It looked to be made out of a blue crystal, and when he held it, blue bubbles emanated from the edge along with a cold frosty mist. He grinned, feeling like a kid who just found a cool new toy and took a swing.
To his horror, he hit a barrel with a few broken swords in it, spilling them everywhere around him.
He quickly got on his knees, lifting the barrel and started putting them back when Scarlet's voice called from the back where she'd slipped off to. "Hey. Is everything okay over there? I heard a loud crash. Did you break something?"
He laughed nervously and called back. "No, I just tripped and knocked a barrel over that had some scrap in it." He didn't hear a response, but the sound of her boots tapping drew nearer. He grabbed the hilt of the last blade and lifted it, but it hit the shelf next to him. He blinked and looked down at it, seeing the blade under the shelf next to him.
He pulled it out while still kneeling and turned it over in his hands, inspecting it.
This one wasn't broken. It was a more or less simple design. The blade was longer than his silver sword had been, but it was still a one-handed sword. The entire blade was made of a dark iron colored material that had a red tinge to it. The peen Block was a simple small, and round thing. The pommel was shaped like a cylinder with a cone-shaped hilt that was covered in black leather that wound up to the guard, which was a simple rectangular piece of metal. The blade was made of a solid piece with a fuller that went about 16 inches up the blade before stopping and almost meeting the ridge. The last few inches then tapered into a decent point that wasn't exactly wide but certainly wasn't narrow. It resembled a regular straight sword.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but he liked it a lot. He tried swinging it a couple of times, and it felt great. Better than his silver sword had been. "Hey, Scarlet, how mu."
"Give me that!"
He was taken off guard and whirled around only to have the blade snatched from his grip by a wide-eyed Scarlet. She was inspecting the blade and muttering to herself about something, saying words like empty and nothing and if only. He took a step back and watched her curiously. "Um. Is everything okay?"
She froze, her body going a bit stiff, and then she looked at him while clutching the sword to her chest. "Yeah. Everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?" The look he gave made her sigh, and she walked back to the front of the shop gesturing for him to follow. When they got to the counter, she placed the sword down and looked at him. "Sorry about that. It's just. The sword isn't for sale, and it's…"
"Special?" He offered.
She shook her head and ran a hand over it. "No, nothing like that. At least not personally. It's… unique. It also has a passive ability on it that's detrimental to the wielder. Sorry again."
Jaune hummed while looking at the sword. "What's so special about it, and whats the ability that's detrimental to on it?" He looked back at her, actually curious. He'd never heard of an ability that was bad for someone. Yeah, some games had drawbacks for powerful equipment, but it couldn't be that bad, could it? I mean, it's a nice sword to. I like the way it looks a lot. "I'd really like to buy it." He said while holding her gaze.
She shuffled from one foot to the other while tapping her fingers against each other. "Well, you see, it's not actually finished yet." She looked down at it appreciatively and gently lifted it. "It's the first weapon that I ever made, but I just can't seem to make anything out of it. I don't know if you know this because not many players that aren't craftsmen do but weapons and armor level up too."
He gave her a surprised look to which she smiled at him and continued. "You see, items and equipment can be upgraded and repaired as everyone knows. What's not known anywhere near as much is that equipment can be leveled up. You see, when anything breaks, it has to be upgraded to repair it, right?" He nodded. "Well, you can break any piece of equipment and put items into upgrading it. Most artisans don't even know this next part because there aren't any indicators for it. You can put more than one item on them and buff them repeatedly. Raising their stats and giving them abilities when they meet certain requirements."
He nodded and looked down at the blue sword he'd grabbed when she pointed to it. "Like that one, for example. I put items found in the crystal mines and mountains of Atlas into it every time I broke it, and now it has a water and ice buff to it and even does exotic damage because of the crystal in it."
"Wow." He lifted the sword and looked back over to the barrel he'd hit seeing a thin strip of ice melting where he'd hit it, the surrounding wood was wet and frosty as well. "That's amazing, Scarlet."
She beamed at him and then gestured to the sword in front of her. "The thing is though that physical attributes decline as they get abilities and magic powers. Like this one, it's attack power is at 1 and won't ever get any higher unless it's through abilities, player skills, and other things like that. One last thing which some random people and those in the bigger guilds know is that all equipment has a crystal level."
He looked back to her from the swords and quirked a brow. "Crystal level?"
She nodded happily. "The crystal level is the amount of crystal in the weapon. When it reaches max, it can't be upgraded anymore and can't be broken. So in actuality, this game has a hidden level you can reach. If you stick with equipment for a long time and upgrade it with items instead of using an SDC, you can get it to be more versatile and effective than SDC weapons or armor."
Jaune's stomach dropped, and he looked down at his equipment. Had he just wasted their potential by giving them a solid boost? He sighed mentally, and facepalmed. Scarlet giggled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry if you have equipment that's already maxed out in crystal. You can just reforge it. It's like recycling, but you lower its physical stats to increase the crystal level of it. Although only one SDC can be used on any one item. Before there was the whole SDC scare, people tried it, and it didn't work." She said, holding her chin, striking a thinking pose.
He let out a breath and let out a relieved chuckle. "That's good." He patted his equipment. He'd already lost his sword and shield. He didn't want to lose anything else because he needed better stuff. He felt attached to what he had. He gazed back at Scarlet. "Thanks for the info. Who'd have thought I'd run into someone like you. You're amazing."
She blushed at the compliment, and her bunny ears dropped in front of her face while she looked away, trying to hide it. "Well, thank you." She touched the blade on the table again, drawing his attention to it. "I found out almost all of that using this sword right here. And the other one your holding. The only thing that's stumping me is that I can't upgrade it anymore because it needs a special item after it reached the threshold it's at."
"Threshold?" He said questioningly.
"Yes, mm-hmm. You see, there are different thresholds, like with traits. Every 100 levels, it reaches a new one. I actually got this sword to level 300, but I can't upgrade it anymore unless I have a certain item. It's reached a special class called a nihil weapon."
"Whats a nihil weapon?" He placed the blue crystal sword against the counter, genuinely getting into this topic.
"Nihil is Latin for nothing. Which makes sense considering its physical stats are all at 1 right now. When I try to upgrade it, it says they'll all reach zero. So basically, it'll become an ability stick though that might be because I don't know what item to use. The only way to upgrade a nihil weapon is with an item that nobody has found yet."
He picked up the red-tinted blade and looked at it. "What kind of item would that be?"
Well, there are three unique items listed under Ether in the material list. Items like potions use things called 'mind of,' insert monster name here. For armor, 'body of,' insert monster name here. They are concentrated crystal orbs that vary in color and sometimes size, but there's a third material for weapons listed under question marks. With the other two being mind and body, I assume it's a soul or something similar." She huffed. "The problem there is that grimm are soulless creatures, and players don't drop souls on death, so nobody knows how to get one."
Jaune's eyes widened and he opened his inventory. There at the bottom next to his elixirs, it sat. He tapped the item, and an information box popped up.
Item: Soul of Carnage
Item Type: Crafting material
Rarity: Exclusive
The flavor text was different than usual, written in a looping cursive that was very different from the rest of the game's text. The text box was also different. It was like he was looking at a torn page from a journal of some kind.
"I can't tell what the material is, but it moves. I don't know exactly why, but it feels…alive. It doesn't give off heat, but I feel warm when it's in my hand. I cannot ignore it either. It beats in my satchel like a heart, and it whispers to me. It tells me of things to come. It warns me of Him. Who? I cannot say. But He is coming."
The text was a little creepy, and it didn't have much to do with the item itself. It was more like someone's thoughts on the item than an actual flavored description. He tapped the soul of carnage and pulled it out of his inventory, letting it rest in his hand. He hadn't taken it out or examined it before, but he had to agree with the flavor text. As it sat in his palm, he could see the material it was made of slowly moving around. And not just the inside as if filled with a liquid. The outside seemed to shift. He reached up with his other hand to touch it, but he couldn't feel any difference as the material moved under his fingers.
Also, the same weightless feeling he'd felt before losing consciousness in the room with that girl came over him. It felt… warm. He pulled his hand away from him and offered it to Scarlet while still staring at it. "Is this… what you're looking for?"
She looked at the orb curiously and gently took it from his hand to inspect it. She pulled down her goggles and whispered a skill he didn't quite catch. Suddenly a loud ringing noise resonated through the shop, and both of them looked around. Scarlet jumped back as a plethora of notifications popped up in front of her. Neither of them knew what was going on, and Scarlet started freaking out when a pair of angel wings with a crown above them and a bell hanging between them appeared above her. A large number of exp popped up over her head, somewhere in the tens of billions.
"Holy shit," Jaune said quietly.
"Lord," Scarlet said, looking above herself. Her gaze fell back onto him, and he could see the shock in her eyes. "Who are you, and where did you get this item from?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but he paused and looked down at the sword. "I'll tell you and answer any questions you have if you finish the sword and give it to him."
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No! It's mine I won't just give it up like that."
He held his hand out to her, taking a calm breath. "Then give me back my item." She stepped away from him and went rigid as her hands moved behind her back. He just helped this girl out not too long ago, and they even had a pretty nice conversation. Not only that, it seemed like she just got a massive bonus of some kind, and now she wanted to take his item. The one he went through some serious bullshit for!
"Hey, it's not yours. Now give it back." She shook her head, and he frowned with a small scowl. "Look. I want the sword. And I'd like to have it upgraded. You want to upgrade it to see what'll happen. I have the only item that can do it. From what you said, nobody even knows what they are or how to get them…except me." She looked away from him, shrinking in on herself. "Now, we can make a deal if you want." Her eyes widened, and she looked back at him. "You finish the sword and give it to me. In return, I'll tell you where I got it from, and any more I get; I'll bring them to you."
She looked at him and then down at his hand, slowly reaching out and shook it. They looked into each other's eyes and nodded.
"Deal."
~ 0 ~
Authors notes.
~ 0 ~
A quick response to the person who guessed as to what kind of character he's building, you're very close.
~ 0 ~
Okay, I've gotten three reviews and a few PMs about Yang and Ruby, as well as Jaune, feeling guilty about what happened, so I'm going to address that here.
First, Jaune's feeling guilty. He doesn't feel guilty about what happened between him and Ruby or Yang. Its something else entirely. However, he does feel bad that his best friend has been avoiding him for 5 months.
He understands why she reacted the way she did, and he knows he should have been more tactful, that does not translate to guilt. He is being ignored by someone he's close to over something he believes is simple and has apologized several times for with no real resolution, which he doesn't understand.
He's just confused and feeling a little down because of it. The depression mentioned is not due to that. It has been ongoing for a while, as referenced by Blake in ch 4, and it just got more noticeable over the last 5 months.
As for Yang knocking Jaune out, let me explain. Ruby and Jaune are in Ruby's room, alone. Yang is in the house, hears yelling, and goes to investigate. She sees her little sister run out of her room, crying. Yang being a protective sibling, gets angry (Completely reasonable), Walks into Ruby's room to see Jaune on the floor. Yang being irrational, jumps to conclusions and hits him once in the head. (Jaune not expecting it and not bracing for the hit is knocked out.)
Now for Ruby. In this story, there are no special weapons, huntsmen, or anything like that. (Much like in ready player one and several manga/anime) Games are serious things that make money and are essential to people who play them.
Ruby's hobby is playing games instead of building weapons. It's her love and passion. Her character in the game she's playing is the equivalent of Crescent Rose, her babby.
Now it's implied that Ruby likes Jaune, enough to give him a limited beta key for the world's most anticipated upcoming MMORPG. After playing together for a while and building their characters up, they get killed, and it is implied they lose access for the last day before launch. That on top of Jaune telling her to grow up and that it's not a big deal is devastating.
This is because, as stated previously and in the story, games are significant and vital in the real world. Also, as I just stated, Ruby is passionate, and all about games, and her character was vital to her. Not just that, but you will get more details on why she reacted so bad in ch 6.
Ruby just had her best friend whom she has a crush on, (and they are in college mind you so not a silly kid school crush but something more serious) Just told her to grow up, "It's" not a big deal, and she needs to get over it. (Jaune doesn't know or remember what "it" is. He was talking about the game, but Ruby was frantic and talking about something else).
Anyway, that is not something you want to hear from someone important to you or about the things that mean the world to you. So her reactions are valid and reasonable. Also, connecting to Yang, Her continued behavior is understandable in part to Ruby's reasons for being upset.
And for the last point, you have not seen nor heard either Yang or Ruby in the story yet. All you know is how they reacted right after said event, and are both currently giving Jaune the cold shoulder. There are other reasons for their continued attitudes and behavior. It is not all just that one instance. That is simply the instance related to the game and story that is connected to Cinder.
I am not hating on Ruby nor Yang and have no plans to. Anyone reading and feels that I am, need to understand that they are college kids, and typical stupid drama will happen. Some people overreact, some hold grudges, but at the end of the day, people will be people. There is not a grand plan for every action; some things are just people being emotional.
So you'll need to continue reading to see what I mean and get the full story of Who, What, Where, When, Why, and how. Not everything will be explained or out in the open from the get-go.
Thank you, and I hope you all continue reading.
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Character name: Crocea Morse
Level: 75
EXP: 8,115,260
Next level: 33,585
Nationality: Vacuo
Affiliation: Arc Trading, Vacuo, Fifth kingdom
Title: Unblessed
When not in a party, or if debuffs are active, gain 100% recovery rate to SP, AP, MP.
When Partying with one person gain 50% recovery rate to SP, AP, MP.
Trait:
False Hero:
Grants access to no cost combos and increases effectiveness of traits without increasing trait level.
(More combos, skills, abilities and spells unlocked at higher levels)
Class:
False Hero: Intrepid blade
Knight: Tank
Secondary Class:
Adept rouge: Master of arts
Opening Skills:
Cutting Gavotte:
Two slashes followed by a downward slash that produces a wave of energy dealing magic damage that is equal to characters physical attack.
Can chain into combo finishers and finishing skills.
(If SP is below 10% launches foes back breaking your combo)
[Minimum requirement 150 DEX & AGIL, costs 1500 SP]
Acrobatic Skill:
Side kick:
Dodge around, away from or towards an enemy with a follow up side kick.
(SP above 30% breaks combos)
(SP below 30% halts attacks and stuns enemies canceling skills and combos for 10 seconds. Resets combo)
[Minimum requirement 250 AGIL 200 DEX, cost 200 SP]
Visceral Metronome:
Dodge in to an attack and deflect it. Can be repeated infinitely so long as SP is available. Release skill to striking back for 50% of damage of deflected attacks times every attack deflected. Max 6 stacks.
Cannot deflect magic attacks or attacks from uncanny or unique weapons. Scythes
Lances
Ultra greatswords
Bows
Crossbows
Some types of daggers
Throwing knives
(No auto targeting. Player skill required)
(Can chain into Finishing skill at the cost of 6 stacks)
[Minimum requirement 250 AGIL 250 DEX, 300 EVA, cost 200 SP]
Finishing Skills:
Eternal Refrain:
A devastating non elemental magic and physical attack that does direct damage to target.
(If SP is above 90% deals double damage)
[Minimum requirement 150 DEX, 150 AGIL and combined score of 1500 Phys ATK and MAG ATK, costs 3000 SP]
Abilities:
Dexterity 100+
Hands of an artisan: Passive
When using a skill SP consumption is reduced by 10%
(Stacks on top of other multipliers)
(+50% Ability Effectiveness)
Agility 100+
Adept: Passive
When in combat movement speed is increased by 40%
(Includes all movement. Can be stacked with Evasion abilities)
(+50% Ability Effectiveness)
Evasion 100+
Artful Dodger: Passive and Active
When in or out of combat acts of advanced gymnastics are achievable free of cost.
When in combat acts of advanced gymnastics accompanied by a guaranteed counter attack are achievable for 500 SP
(Cannot chain into combos or finishing skills)
(+50% Ability Effectiveness)
Resilience 100+
Fear of the blood: Active
when bleed is inflicted Resilience is increased by 50%
(Stacks with other Resilience abilities)
(+50% Ability Effectiveness)
[costs 10 AP per second]
Resilience 200+
Fear of the flesh: Active
When critical wound is inflicted Resilience is increased by 50%
(Stacks with other Resilience abilities)
(+50% Ability Effectiveness)
[costs 10 AP per second]
Spells: -
Combos:
For the damaged coda:
Promise Reprisal, Canceled Reprieve, Coda
Combo starter:
Promise Reprisal:
Grants hyper armor for a heavy stab followed by a punishing shove that knocks down opponent if not dodged. If dodged followed up with a spinning AOE attack that does 25% of base damage and stops followup attacks.
Guarantied hit on target, possibility of striking surrounding opponents.
(Cannot be chained into)
[No cost]
Combo booster:
Canceled Reprieve:
A spinning attack that is unblockable, but can be feinted in which case will execute a rising slash followed by a heavy down crack that armor breaks opponent for a short time.
(Cannot be used in the same combo more than once)
(If used after a spinning attack then opening spinning slash will deal 100% more damage)
[No cost]
Combo finisher:
Coda:
Guard break and grab target running them through the heart with your sword. Deals 200% critical damage through armor and resilience.
(Cannot be used in the same combo more than once)
(Cannot be interrupted or canceled)
(Player will take full direct damage from all attacks that land during this attack)
[No cost]
Stats:
HP: 7500/7500 +50% = 11250/11250
SP: 12862/12862 +50% = 19293/19293
RR 190% of DEX every 10 second
(66 per sec)
AP: 8455/8455 +50% = 12682/12682
RR 120% of AGIL every 10 seconds
(42 per sec)
MP: 365/365
RR 1% of INT every 10 second
(5.5 per sec)
Phys ATK: 899
Phys DEF: 1083/1083 +120% = 2382/2382
Mag ATK: 675
Mag DEF: 876
Character Durability: 15000/15000 +100% = 30000/30000
RR 300% of Resilience Every 10 second
(119 per sec)
Traits:
Dexterity: 250 +40% = 350
Agility: 250 +40% = 350
Evasion: 300 +40% = 420
Intelligence: 80
Wisdom: 55 +40% = 77
Charisma: 20
Resilience: 285 +40% = 399
Available trait points: 0
Armor:
Set: 14604/14604
Armor Set Effects:
Null.
Equip full set
Chest plate: Pendragon Cuirass
4400/4400
Effects:
Unbreakable
+100% Armor Effectiveness
+20% Resilience (x2)
+10% Character Durability (x2)
+15% Phys DEF (x2)
Arms: Pendragon set
2002/2002
Effects:
Unbreakable
+100% Armor Effectiveness
+20% DEX (x2)
+10% Character Durability (x2)
+15% Phys DEF (x2)
Waist: Pendragon Tassets
2002/2002
Effects:
Unbreakable
+100% Armor Effectiveness
+20% Wisdom (x2)
+10% Character Durability (x2)
+15% Phys DEF (x2)
Legs: Pendragon set
3600/3600
Effects:
Unbreakable
+100% Armor Effectiveness
+20% Agility (x2)
+10% Character Durability (x2)
+15% Phys DEF (x2)
Clothes: Pendragon Royal coat
2600/2600
Effects:
Unbreakable
+20% Evasion
+10% Character Durability
+15% Phys DEF
+50% HP
+50% SP
+50% AP
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