A/N: I didn't expect the overwhelming support I got for the first chapter. I greatly appreciate it! I fully intend to keep writing this story, so I hope you enjoy!
After that, it was back to work until the day was out. Luckily, that wasn't very long after Cinder and I had our talk.
I couldn't quite get over how bittersweet it was, I had the sneaking suspicion that this kind of thing was entirely new territory to me. I couldn't say for certain if I had ever experienced anything like this in my old life, but my ongoing assumption was 'no.' Here I thought the first blooms of romance were supposed to feel great. Some of it did, the butterflies in my stomach, the fluttering of my heart, but the sinking feeling about just what kind of fire I was playing with kept me from enjoying it fully.
Not that I didn't enjoy it at all, if I didn't I don't think I would have accepted her offer with as big of a smile on my face as I did.
Once everything was squared away, I followed her lead and we left. Part of me worried that in spite of how she felt about me, she might just try to kill me once we got up the trail. However, I saw the genuine, if small, smile on her face as we walked and she asked me, "Do you go on many walks, Neve? You seem to be in fairly good shape."
'Fairly good' was a relative term, sure I wasn't overweight, I was fairly average in build in fact, but it still took a lot for me to do…most things. "I don't, actually… I'm usually too busy." That was half-true, I was busy most of the day but afterward if I really wanted to I could have gone on walks, but I just sat on my scroll.
I hadn't really gained any serious weight since I started working in spite of my laziness, I had a feeling that the amulet's powers had something to do with that. I'd have to ask Assistant later, when I wasn't…well, going on a walk with Cinder Fall of all people. I still had trouble really processing that.
Cinder tutted and shook her head, "That's going to have to change, if you're going to Beacon. Aren't employees like you supposed to be in decent shape, can you lift fifty pounds?" Her tone was somewhere between serious and joking and I wondered exactly why she was putting me on blast like this.
"Uhm…Not really, no." I huffed as I rubbed the back of my head, "When I first came here, I had to help June carry some boxes, and by the time I was done my arms were burning." That was a consequence of having the strength stat I did, along with…Most of my stats.
Cinder covered her mouth and giggled, "I see, I see. Well, that won't do now will it? How are you going to kill Grimm if you can't even lift a box without being exhausted?" We continued on through the streets, drawing closer to the trail she mentioned. I imagined curated nature trails were at a premium in Remnant, when actually going out in nature was a one-way ticket to an early death in the jaws of the Grimm.
We headed up through the commercial district, and I silently wished that I had some kind of map function. Maybe I needed to find an actual map first? That would make sense, I guessed. Although there was still a lot about this power that I had absolutely no idea about. It was only when we reached the exit to the city that I saw that we were on a trail in, fittingly for Cinder, Forever Fall. The eternally red-top trees that never lost their leaves and the grass was forever red and autumnal. It made sense that this place would have Cinder's favorite nature trail, given her last name, so perfect she must have picked it herself.
Cinder and I continued as she explained, "This part of Forever Fall is kept safe by huntsmen, lest you worry. As if I couldn't dispatch any of the Grimm that might attack us." She smirked and spoke with bravado, "Just rely on me." Was she…trying to impress me? Flex her proverbial muscles? I supposed if anyone would do that, it would be her, it meant I'd appreciate her power.
'You can't just be strong, you have to be smart!'
Words yet to be spoken, Cinder's greatest sins were always pride and avarice, to her detriment most of the time. In spite of any ulterior motives she might have had for boasting, I couldn't help but want to take it for what it was on the surface: playful, perhaps even flirtatious, banter. My face dusted red as we continued on the path, "I…uhm, I'll do that."
I wished that I had the wherewithal to say something witty or teasing back, but while I wasn't shy, I was certainly awkward. That one point of Charisma I got helped, but not much. Eventually, Cinder decided to divert from the path slightly, and while I had no idea what her plans were at the time, I followed. She began to explain, "Your goals are…noble." It took her a moment to admit that, "But if you rush into Beacon without training, you'll die before you can even pass initiation."
We arrived at a clearing, and once we were in the middle, she turned towards me, her glowing Amber eyes might as well have been looking straight into my soul when she met my gaze, "I'll be damned if I let that happen to my coffee boy." The determination and possessiveness in her voice took me by surprise, and caused my face to heat up more. She must have caught onto how it sounded as well, because her own face started turning a dark shade of red, "That's…I didn't mean for it to sound that way."
Her voice was awkward and unsure, emotions I never would have expected to hear from her, but Cinder was full of surprises. If I had the composure to, I might have wondered what caused her to be so…different, from the version of her I had seen on the show, but I not only lacked composure, I also lacked focus. This only compounded as she started to walk closer to me until she was scarcely a foot away. She explained, "I need to unlock your aura. You're not going to last five minutes at initiation without it."
My mind flashed to Jaune's initiation, his aura only being unlocked during the whole thing. I honestly always thought that part never made any sense, if it was so important how could he have not heard of it before? I supposed it didn't matter, it was, after all, the first volume, "Uhm…okay. What do I need to do?"
"What do you need to do? Nothing. Just stand still." She stepped closer still and placed one of her gloved hands gently on my cheek, causing my already red hot face to heat up further. She seemed to be in much the same boat as her orange-colored aura began to manifest.
Her pupils dilated before she closed her eyes, and I followed suit. I listened as she spoke, her voice resonated with the strength of her aura, made all the more so because of the Maiden powers I knew she had, "For it is through power that we achieve recognition. Through this we gain the lives we deserve as paragons of unfettered ambition and drive, immortal through story and song. I release your soul, and by my hand, grant thee strength."
She let go and I opened my eyes, she looked a bit worn out for a moment but quickly got over it. I supposed all that extra power meant she didn't feel too drained from awakening an aura, although that wasn't the part that surprised me, "Where'd you learn that mantra?" I asked out of sheer curiosity, "I've never heard it before."
"I…adapted the one that was used to awaken my aura." She explained hesitantly, although I knew there was more to the story than that, "It's mostly of my own making." She changed the subject, smirking and crossing her arms, "I see that it worked."
Sure enough, I was glowing an icy blue, the same as my eyes. A text box appeared in front of me not long after.
Aura Unlocked!
Your aura is a projection of your soul, capable of many different things. Shielding, healing, climate projection, and more. The more experienced you become with it, the more powerful and diverse your skills with it will become.
Aura Capacity
100/100
Aura Skill Level
1/100 (Inexperienced)
I dismissed the notification. Thankfully, Cinder didn't notice me reading through it, or if she did, she probably assumed I was just getting used to the feeling of my aura. It receded back into my body not long after and she smiled, "Good. Now, Beacon initiation is in one month. You can easily apply and claim to have been mentored, it happens all the time, if I remember correctly they test those without transcripts in combat trials just a few days before initiation. You have until then to get into a passable state."
Before I could react I felt a sharp impact on my cheek, causing me to stagger backwards and fall on my ass. Before I could even blink Cinder had delivered a hard right hook to my face and holy hell it stung, but I knew the inevitable bruise wouldn't last very long. At least, not if my aura did its job. I rubbed my cheek and looked up at her as she smirked deviously then dropped into a fighting stance, "I'm going to get you as prepared as possible. So you'd better prepare yourself. I have expectations, make sure you meet them. Otherwise, you're better off sticking with making my coffee, Neve."
I swallowed a lump in my throat before I nodded and got back on my feet.
This…was gonna hurt.
And hurt it did. We trained for a couple hours, but if you asked me to tell you how long it had been, I would have said at least four or five hours. Cinder had to help me limp back home, and she promised that she'd bring some weapons for us to train with the next day.
I could have never anticipated my day going like this, nor did I ever expect Cinder to want to put the effort in to help get me to a passable state for initiation. Yet once more she defied my expectations and left me with so much to think about.
So, now on my own, I staggered up the stairs of the store after relocking it and to my apartment. I practically fell forward on the door to get it open but caught myself on the doorframe. Once I was inside, I closed the door and sighed heavily. I was incredibly sore, sweaty, and yes, bruised. Although the bruises would be gone by the morning.
I drank a bunch of water and took a long shower that night, I certainly needed it. After all of that was said and done, I laid in bed and groaned as my muscles released all the built up tension from the day's labors. I could tell from my Body ability (I refused to call it Gamer's Body, it just felt…weird) that while I was extremely tired and worn out, I wasn't actually injured in any way. That was reassuring, at least Cinder hadn't broken any bones. I should have just accepted that and gone to sleep, however, I couldn't go to sleep completely just yet, I had things to do.
I thought of my skills, and focused on the new skills rather than any of the old ones that had no bearing on my efforts.
Skills
Hand-to-Hand Combat
4/100 (Inexperienced)
Dodging
4/100 (Inexperienced)
Blocking
4/100 (Inexperienced)
Aura Usage
4/100 (inexperienced)
That was it?! I felt like I was pushing myself to my absolute limit! If I needed to be at average skill at least by the time initiation rolled around, I was going to need to find a way to make things at least marginally faster! Especially since I knew skills slowed down their learning as you got better at them…
As if sensing my discontent, my amulet began to glow. I expected to be pulled into whatever strange pocket realm the Assistant lived in, instead a blue fog appeared not too dissimilar to Jinn or Ambrosius. Once they finished forming, I saw them standing next to my bed, dressed and looking about the same as they did before. I was grateful that they wore clothes at all, given that Jinn and Ambrosius both seemed to lack the concept of clothes.
Assistant smiled gently down at me, "Feeling a bit lost?" I nodded, and their smile grew, "I know. I could sense it. Now that you're locked into the path of a hero, you're going to need even more explanations than you did before."
Locked in in part thanks to them, I wanted to say, but they knew that. There was no real reason to bring it up. They placed a hand on their hip and began to explain, "So as you know, while you are able to pick up on things slightly easier than the average person right now, your abysmal intellect and mind are stunting what might normally be exponential development. However, there is something that can be done to offset this disadvantage, skill books."
Did they just call me stupid?
I mean…I was pretty stupid, actually. I only survived because Remnant was so technologically advanced that even someone like me could perform a job like a barista with minimal effort. No counting change, no needing to clean the coffee machine, things like that. Just smiling at people and manual labor.
Either oblivious to my internal dialogue or choosing to ignore it, they continued, "Skill books are very important to your progression. There are two kinds, the first kind is the most common. It will give you a small boost to the skill, one and done, unless you're already beyond what it's teaching, in which case it'll be useless. The second kind is more unique, books that are meant to be studied over time, like a textbook or instruction manual, will give you a boost to earning the skill until you reach a certain point in your progression, rather than a flat bonus."
I blinked tiredly and nodded, "Alright…Where am I supposed to find these books? Is there anything else that can help me? I've got a month to get at least as good as Jaune was at the start of the show…"
The Assistant giggled, "Oh worry not. With Cinder's assistance I think you'll be far better off than he was in that timeline. I have to say, out of everyone that could have helped you, Cinder was perhaps the last one I expected."
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah…It's strange. I'm not really sure what to make of her. I can tell she's younger than she was in the show, around my age if I had to guess? I'm not gonna ask her, I'm pretty sure that'd be rude. I…might be able to guess but…I'm not sure. My mind draws a lot of blanks right now."
They nodded, "Expected. Your low mental stats aren't helping you there. You haven't really had to do a lot of critical thinking this past month…That will have to change. If I had to offer you some advice, maybe head to the library, or a bookstore, and try to find skill books. It'll make everything far less painful in the long run. Contrary to your current circumstance, I'd try boosting your intellect first and foremost, followed by your combat know-how. One begets the other."
Before I could respond, they poofed away, and I was left to think on what they said. They were right, I needed to get smarter, at least smarter than I was now. I was certain Jaune would do better than me in classes right now, and if that was the case, I needed to give my all to preparing myself.
If I was going to be forced into this life, then while I couldn't be as good as Ruby by initiation, I was going to make an effort to be better than Jaune at the start.
As if to punctuate my thoughts, I got a new quest.
New Quest Initiated!
Training Montage
With such little time to earn entry into Beacon, you've turned your attention to gaining as much knowledge and skill as you possibly can within that short timeframe. There's nothing like a good training montage to display progress!
Rewards for Completion
+1 in every stat, 100 Lien, a feeling of pride and accomplishment in your work, not dying because you couldn't gain entry to Beacon, Cinder will be impressed.
Well, these were for the most part already stated objectives of my own, but the extra stats and Lien would be nice, and impressing Cinder? I doubted that would actually come to pass, but who knew at this point?
Maybe I was being a bit unfair to Jaune, he was a nice guy with great drive, he just…really should have prepared more before going to Beacon. At the end of that arc, as well, he managed to carry on despite everything that happened to him. If the Jaune in this world was anything like the one in the show, he would do just fine, great, even, and maybe, just maybe, I could do something to help him without him even noticing. Him and Pyrrha always both deserved better, after all.
I dismissed the text before finally, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall asleep. Tomorrow was another busy day, even though it was the weekend and the shop was closed.
After I woke up, got dressed, and ate breakfast, I saw that I got a text from Cinder. We had traded numbers yesterday, since it would make arranging these training sessions a lot easier.
Cinder: "We'll train tonight. I'll meet you at your place around five. Be ready, swordfighting is no easier than fistfighting."
I winced as I thought about it. Good thing I had my aura…
Me: "I'll have a frappe ready for you, see you then."
I had to repay her for all of this somehow, free drinks seemed the least I could do.
Not long after that I headed out and used directions provided by my scroll to head to the nearest library. I was going to need to do a lot of reading if I was going to start making inroads into improving myself…
After I arrived at the library, I found that to my surprise many of the books were glowing in some way or another. I would have to focus on that later, the first thing I did was get a library card so I wouldn't have any problems checking out books.
Once that was done, I began to browse. When my eyes rested on a particular book, I would get a small pop-up telling me what the book was about, and if I could get anything from reading it. Most of them held no significance to me, at least not now, but there were a few that I decided to grab.
A hefty textbook that the system said would give me a boost to increasing my intelligence, another that would give me a few points in sword fighting, one on modern day fist-fighting that promised points in that, a book on aura usage, and a few more civilian books that promised more civilian skill increases. A cookbook and a guide on urban exploration, specifically.
I collected the stack of books and when I was done took them to the front and checked out. I struggled to carry the things with how heavy they were when stacked together like this…It took me a lot longer to walk back than it did to walk to the place, given that every so often I needed to stop and rest the books on something to give my arms a break.
I just hoped that this, in some small way, would boost my strength stat.
Of course, it didn't.
At least on my way back I made the effort to try to raise my perception stat by looking carefully at things. Although I wasn't sure it was a big help, considering I wasn't studying things with any intent, just sort of…trying to see more detail than I usually did and make note of it.
Either way, once I got back to my apartment I sat on my bed and leaned against the wall it was pressed against and started to read, beginning with the book on sword fighting and going from there.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, and even if I got bored of it at times, I pushed on because I knew the rewards would be worth it. I was only able to finish the book on sword fighting before it was almost time for Cinder to come by again.
The reward was a great motivator to keep reading more.
New skill!
Sword Fighting
The art of fighting with swords is as old as time itself, and while some might prefer more intricate weapons, a good sword doesn't jam.
Current Skill Level
5/100 (Inexperienced)
That was already a day's worth of training just from a few hours of reading a book! If that wasn't worth it, nothing was.
I went downstairs and prepared Cinder's drink and not a few minutes after that she arrived, I gave it to her and she drank it while we were heading to Forever Fall. She had the twin swords of the metal version of Midnight on her back, along with the glass ones at her sides. That was surprising considering that I was pretty sure those were destroyed well before this point in the timeline. Another difference, I supposed. While we were walking, Cinder asked, "What were you doing today? I hope it was productive."
Oh she had no idea, "Reading a book on sword fighting. Figured I'd get a head start." I smiled nervously, "Even if I know it's no replacement for reflexes and muscle memory."
Cinder nodded, seeming pleased with my answer, "Good, you're taking this seriously. If you didn't, I couldn't keep teaching you." I knew she was right, I couldn't imagine how frustrating it would be to try to train someone who didn't actually take anything seriously.
We didn't talk all that much until we got to the same clearing we used the day before, given the time of day I knew that it'd be dark by the time we were finished, thankfully scrolls had flashlights. I was sure she had her reasons for needing to schedule it so late in the day, probably something to do with her 'job'...
I tried not to think about it. The more I did, the more I understood just how truly diametrically opposed we were. She would help me now, she might even…have a crush on me, now, according to the system, but she wouldn't hesitate to kill me if it came to it. I thought so, at least, and I had no reason to not disbelieve it.
It just added all the more irony to the fact that she was training. I just hoped it would never come to what I feared would happen. The worst case scenario where only one of us would come out alive.
'Who will you see? There in the darkness, when no one is watching!'
I found myself humming that song to distract myself, even though I was sure that if some Remnant equivalent to it existed, it probably hadn't been produced yet. My humming got a look of curiosity from Cinder, but she didn't say anything, thankfully, I wasn't sure how I could explain I was singing a song that didn't exist yet. If it would ever exist, in this universe.
My hope was that it wouldn't have to, my fear was that it would regardless.
I tried to push these worries out of my head as we got closer to the clearing we used last time. When we were there, I made an observation, "You know I've been thinking. Your last name is Fall, you've got the seasonal aesthetic down, orange aura and amber eyes. I've got a light blue aura and eyes, like winter…"
Cinder smirked at my observation as she took the metal versions of Midnight off her back and held them out for me to take, "I noticed that as well. It's poetic that fall teaches winter. Preparing winter to make its approach, so to speak."
I took the two blades, they were light, just as I imagined they'd be. I tried not to think about how these blades had without a doubt killed several people and played a part in Cinder getting half of Fall's power. It added a sort of heft to the grip, like the weight of its actions were enough to weigh on me. Still, I was also thinking about what Cinder had said, "That means fall is over…So I guess, after fall-"
"Comes winter." She finished with a nod, "Keep that little mantra in your head, it'll inspire you. Although don't expect me to be going anywhere anytime soon. Fall always comes around again." She stepped back and drew the tempered obsidian blades of the version of Midnight that would one day kill Amber. If she ended up letting me keep these blades, I would need to rename them.
Maybe Dawn would be a good name?
I didn't have time to think about it before Cinder began to instruct me on proper form. Luckily, thanks to the book I read I already had a head start on a lot of the basics, so we were able to get into actual training a lot earlier than we would have otherwise. I was sure there was a moral in this somewhere, 'remember kids, reading isn't just fun, it's useful!' or something, but I certainly wasn't going to be the one to compare getting stat increases to reading without such an incentive.
Cinder seemed somewhat impressed with my quick picking up of what she was teaching me, although of course she'd never admit that. At least, I didn't think she would. I had no idea what to expect of her honestly, that in and of itself was a little terrifying.
I had a few stat increases during the time we spent training, although I decided I'd check them after I got home. Today hurt about as much as yesterday did, and again Cinder had to help me home, although it hurt marginally less than it did the day before. When we got back to the shop, and we were standing outside the front door, Cinder was about to leave when I spoke up, "W-wait, Cinder…"
She stopped and turned towards me, one eyebrow raised. I smiled through the exhaustion and spoke genuinely, "I-I uhm…I just wanted to say thank you. You don't have to do all of this, but you do. It…It means a lot. I…I don't know how I'll repay you, but I will, I promise."
Cinder seemed taken aback by my genuine words, for one reason or another. Her eyes widened and her face heated up. I wondered exactly how often people did something as simple as thank her, genuinely, and not out of fear. She looked away, "...I simply want to make sure you don't die. You make good donuts and drinks. I don't want to lose that." Her excuses were easy even for me to see through, but I wasn't going to press her on that.
I kept my smile as I started to unlock the door, "If I'm ever facing certain death, I'll make sure to think of you, then, that'll give me a reason to keep going. Seriously though, it's…hard for me to describe how much this all means to me. Even if you're just doing it for coffee." I meant that, as absurd as all of this still felt to me, and how fleeting it was, I didn't think I was ever going to forget what she had done for me. Separate from whatever was to come.
I saw her reflection in the glass of the shop window, she looked dumbstruck. Once again, I wished that I could read thoughts. She looked like she was about to say something, but she stopped and sighed, "Good, make sure that you do." Whatever she actually wanted to say was hidden under that sentence that sounded like it took great effort to say. We bid farewell, and after I got inside, I wasn't able to stop thinking about that look in her eyes.
So much unsaid, but perhaps that was for the best.
I checked my stats and skills that night while laying in bed, just to check on how I was doing overall.
Stats
Vigor - 7
Mind - 6
Charisma - 7
Endurance - 7
Strength - 6
Dexterity - 6
Intelligence - 5
Skills
Sword Fighting
8/100 (Inexperienced)
Fist Fighting
5/100 (Inexperienced)
Dodging
6/100 (Inexperienced)
Blocking
6/100 (Inexperienced)
Aura Usage
8/100 (inexperienced)
Cleaning
30 (Average)
Cooking
30 (Average)
Urban Navigation
5 (Inexperienced)
Perception
8 (Inexperienced)
Well, I was better than I used to be, but still nowhere near where I needed to be.
It really was time for a training montage…
So began weeks of training, be it in sunshine, rain, or something else we went to Forever Fall to practice. It just became another part of the routine. Her training was welcome, even if it left me exhausted and worn out almost every night. Once I mastered one concept, we moved on to another, like clockwork.
My stats went up, especially as I read more books to add to that learning. Although, as I knew they would, my skill increases slowed down as I reached certain thresholds. My stats themselves were improving. I made it another habit to read at night, either by studying textbooks (and actually doing any problems they might provide for a prospective student, gasp!), reading manuals, books, or otherwise.
Overall I got the feeling that I'd never been this productive in my old life. I guess the prospect of dying in a fiery explosion was one hell of a motivator. However, training wasn't the only thing that happened during the month.
I started to remember some things about my old life, piece by piece, moment by moment. I still had no idea what happened to me, or even what I was really like back then, but I had regained some skills that I had before. Nothing amazing, and none of it was particularly high-leveled, but I found I was pretty good at video games, gathering information, and somewhat observant. These things added skills or boosted the ones I had already. However, it wasn't just a positive thing.
There was one night in particular when that was more apparent than any other.
After a long day of working and then training, I started to have flashbacks. The faces were almost impossible to make out and the situations were varied. I fought them off until I was certain I was alone. Once I was back in my bedroom and Cinder was gone for the day, I almost lost balance as they began to overwhelm me.
Visions of important events, like birthdays, graduating high school, going to college, the faces were blurred, but I knew who they were, at least, in some small way. Friends, family, a partner…Did I have a partner? Maybe. I wasn't sure.
My memories were kept from completion at first because the God of Light felt it was a mercy, but that didn't mean it spared me. If anything, it made the way I felt all the more frustrating. How could I move on if I couldn't remember what I was trying to mourn?
This wasn't anything like the shows I used to watch…
The protagonists of those shows had no family, no friends. I wasn't like them. I had people I cared about, people that…loved me. People that I loved, and I couldn't even remember their names, which felt like the biggest slap in the face.
The worst part was that the flashes of memory didn't seem to want to stop. More events, more faces I couldn't see, more names just on the tip of my tongue, and yet my heart felt the sting all the same.
I took a long shower to try and get a hold of myself, but once I was done and dressed, I still found myself sitting on my bed and burying my face in my hands and sobbing to myself. What else could I do? I knew I didn't die of natural causes, something killed me, took me away from everyone and everything I had known and loved. How was I supposed to smile in the face of that?
I grew comfortable here in Remnant, in this coffee shop in Vale, sure, but in spite of what I told people, it didn't feel like home. There was something missing. Something I couldn't put my finger on, and that maybe I would never really know what it was that was missing. It was like there was a hole in my heart, and all the pieces I had didn't fill it properly.
Like trying to fit a square in a circle.
I couldn't tell you how long I stayed like that, but eventually I ran out of tears and just sat there against the wall, staring at the ceiling, tired and yet unable to sleep. I wished desperately that I could talk to someone about all of this, yet I knew I couldn't. As much as I wanted to vent my troubles, I knew that at best they'd think I was lying and at worst think I was crazy.
All I could really do was try to keep these feelings under control, buried deep away. There was no going home, and I had a duty, whether I wanted it or not. I needed to learn to fight, and I needed to get into Beacon. Not just to stop myself from blowing up, but to do my part in keeping people safe from the storm that was approaching, even if it was possibly years off from now.
With that in mind, I laid in bed and fell asleep after an hour of staring at the wall.
Thankfully, life wasn't all bad.
Other than Cinder continuing to make her regular visits to the shop between training sessions, a couple weeks before I was set to take the combat exam I met a rather interesting individual who also left me questioning a lot of things.
It was a slow day in the cafe, and Cinder had already left, citing that she had work to do. I had resigned myself to a boring afternoon staring at my scroll until I heard the door open. I expected one of my regulars, instead I saw someone new, and she immediately caught my attention, for more than one reason.
The first thing I noticed was how tall she was. Six feet, if I had to guess. Her blonde hair was done in a single braid that rested over her shoulder. She wore a hoodie with what I recognized as the pumpkin pete bunny logo on the front, a pair of jeans, and running shoes. Her blue eyes scanned the place excitedly, and she wore an equally excited smile. She was cute, there was no denying that.
I felt like I recognized her…Still, I cleared my throat and greeted her with a smile and a casual tone, having found through recent experimentation that customers in Vale tended to prefer me being more normal around them, rather than overly friendly, "Welcome, how can I help you?"
She turned her gaze to me and hurried over, "Hi! Yeah, I heard you guys have really good frappes and a cute barista! Uhm, I guess that's you, hi again!" I furrowed my brow in confusion as I blushed, were people really saying that about me? That was a confidence booster if I'd ever heard one. She changed the topic, her mind seemed to be in a million places at once, "Uhm, can I get the unicorn sparkle cotton candy frappe? I heard that's reaalllyy good."
She didn't seem to mean anything by her earlier words, so I put it out of my head. She wasn't the first really eccentric girl that'd come in here asking for an extremely sugary drink, "Right away. Do you want your name on the cup, Miss…?"
The next words she spoke almost made me gasp in shock, "Jeanne Arc! Smooth, rolls off the tongue, boys love it! Nice to meet you…." She squinted and looked at my nametag, "Neve!" Alarm bells went off in my head, this wasn't normal, not normal at all. Was she Jaune, or did Jaune have a sister? I'd need to figure this out, because it meant there was more off about this timeline than just Cinder being more of…well, a person.
While I was working on getting her her drink, I decided to ask her some questions, however before I even could, she started to talk while leaning on the counter, "Man, I'm so excited! My brother and I got into Beacon, although we're not the best fighters…Still, I think we'll be more than able to make it! Have you ever thought about going to Beacon, Neve? It's super cool!"
So Jaune did still exist, he just had a…twin? They looked very similar, twins made sense. I thought about this while I responded, "Actually, I have a combat exam to check if I'm qualified next Friday." That was the last Friday before initiation, if I passed then the day after I would need to board the ship that would carry all of the students to Beacon.
Jeanne seemed even more interested in me now that I told her that, "Ooh, cool! Good luck, and uhm, you know, if you need any help, you can always ask me." As I turned to give her her drink I saw her flex her arm, which was covered by her hood. I couldn't help but smile at how silly it looked, "I'm really skilled, y'know. Super cool, and…stuff."
Well, if nothing else the brother-sister duo took after each other. This was more or less how Jaune acted at the start of the show, from what I remembered, but flipped on its head, "I appreciate it but I'll be fine, I've got a tutor already." I set the drink down and she quickly took out her card and paid for it.
"Awh, oh well." She took her drink and her smile brightened after she took a quick sip, "It's just as good as I was told it'd be! I'll have to come here more often." I had absolutely no idea how someone could tolerate that drink, it was nothing but sugar! I tried it once out of curiosity and boy that was an experience I certainly didn't want to repeat.
She started to look around the place, and while she was, I found myself wondering just how skilled she was exactly. Were they like Jaune in the show, or were they something else?
My curiosity was rewarded with a new ability.
Ability Unlocked!
Observe
You will encounter many people on your journey whom you might grow curious about. Rather than awkwardly asking them what they're capable of, the ability Observe allows you to view the current stats and skills of your target. The more you use and train this ability, the more you will be able to find out at a glance!
Current Level
1/100
That was followed by the very stats and skills the textbox had mentioned.
Jeanne Arc
Level 4 Knight
Vigor - 10
Mind - 5
Charisma - 6
Endurance - 10
Strength - 10
Dexterity - 6
Intelligence - 5
Aura
Not unlocked!
Skills
Sword-fighting
10/100 (Novice)
?
Her aura wasn't unlocked?! That didn't bode well, even if her stats were better than I had anticipated them to be.
The image of seeing her splat on the ground because she had no aura to break her fall was gruesome. Even if I had only known her for a few minutes, I couldn't in good conscience let that happen. I would never be able to forgive myself, "H-Hey, uhm…" She looked over to me, still sipping on her drink, although her eyes showed her curiosity, "I can see that your aura isn't unlocked. You won't last five seconds at Beacon without it. Do you want me to…unlock it for you?"
Jeanne seemed confused, "Aura…? Oh! Right, I remember it now! U-uhm, yeah…Jaune and I never found anyone who could unlock it for us…" She blushed and looked away, "If you want to, I'd be really grateful!" She walked over and set her already half empty drink on the counter.
I took a deep breath before nodding, "Right, let me just…" I stepped out from behind the counter, "Just, uhm…" I knew physical contact was needed, but there was no way I was going to do what Cinder did, so I thought up something else and said, "Hold still, and close your eyes."
She did so and I closed mine as well, trying to focus my aura. I managed it, and then I opened my eyes again and stepped forward, wrapping her in a hug. I felt her tense up as I did so, and I couldn't say I blamed her.
I spoke the first words that came to mind and hoped that they worked, "For it is in our lowest moments that we are open to the greatest change. In our darkest hours, our chains are broken and our souls freed. I release your soul and with all my being, protect thee."
I let go and stepped back, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit me as I leaned on the counter to steady myself. She was glowing a bright white, and when her eyes fluttered open and she looked at her hand, she gasped, "This is what aura is like?! Wow…I really have been missing out. Thank you!" She grinned at me, "Maybe we could be partners when it's time for teams to form?"
Based on what I knew about her, that wasn't exactly a great offer, but skills could be improved, I was proof enough of that. So, I smiled, "Maybe. We'll see where the chips fall."
That seemed good enough for her as she picked up her drink again and began to sip it. Much like her brother, she also had a massive amount of aura, although for as similar as they were, I could tell there were differences. I don't think Jaune would have allowed himself to be caught dead in a place like this, for example. I was sure there was more, but I couldn't exactly tell from the brief interactions we had.
So far this world had left me with question after question and I had gotten no answers in return. It was clear that I was going to have to start looking for the answers more proactively, once I was at Beacon.
For now though, I had to return to my shift. Jeanne stayed for a few more minutes and then had to leave after getting a text from her brother, and after that I was left without any distractions other than my scroll.
The final weeks went by regrettably fast. Routine had a funny way of making the days bleed together, even when your routine was spiced up with books and combat training. Jeanne continued to come around, much like Cinder did, although she was infinitely chattier than the former. Cinder asked me about her one day, and I just mentioned that she was a fellow future student who really liked frappes and talking.
That worked for her, and honestly it was the truth. I wasn't sure what to think of Jeanne, really, it might have been because every time I saw her she was infusing herself with an unfathomably large amount of sugar, but she was a lot more hyperactive than Jaune was.
Jaune was more flirtatious as well, if I remembered correctly, considering he spent so long pining after Weiss. Jeanne, in spite of her introduction, didn't seem to have any ulterior motive in her behavior. She was just a bubbly, friendly person who liked talking about anything under the sun.
Honestly, it was a bit refreshing, considering that neither I nor Cinder were very talkative people, normally. Having a third person around to brighten the mood was nice, although if I spent longer than thirty minutes around her I usually ended up exhausted just by proximity.
Cinder texted me the night before my combat trial telling me that she'd see me off, for good luck. That was encouraging, although having her around Beacon brought up some unsavory memories.
I just hoped that if I couldn't turn her away from her current trajectory, I might be able to stand up to her and prevent any massive loss of life.
While I waited for her, I checked my stats to reflect on how much I'd improved since all of this started.
Neve Cadere
Level 5 Wanderer
HP
80/80
Aura
100/100
Stats
Vigor - 9
Mind - 14
Charisma - 15
Endurance - 10
Strength - 8
Dexterity - 20
Intelligence - 10
Skills
Sword Fighting
30/100 (Average)
Archery
30/100 (Average)
Fist Fighting
15/100 (Novice)
Dodging
30/100 (Average)
Blocking
28/100 (Below Average)
Aura Usage
30/100 (Average)
There were about a dozen other completely meaningless skills that I just sort of glanced over before closing the dialogue box. The system loved giving me new skills for the smallest coincidental action. Watch a bird for a second? Bird watching! Jog for ten minutes? Cardio! I was surprised that I didn't get a skill for every other word I spoke as well.
At least I was no longer totally incompetent, and I was passable at holding a conversation. Although that didn't stop me from tripping up in certain instances, I wasn't exactly a master at talking or anything.
I waited in the empty shop, and when I saw her walking to the door I stood up and raised an eyebrow as I saw she was carrying some things in her hands. I could see her old swords on her back, but other than them, there was…something else. Clothes?
Curiously, I walked over and opened the front door. Sure enough, Cinder was holding a neatly folded set of clothes, before I could say anything, she held them out, "Here. You can't go to Beacon dressed in those…civilian clothes."
I took the clothes in my hands, my eyes wide in shock. I was about to ask her if she made them, but before I could, she waved me off, not meeting my gaze as she looked away, "Go put them on, you've only got so long before you're expected there."
I knew that when she got evasive like this it was best to not question anything and to just accept it, so I nodded, "R-Right." I then quickly headed to the back and upstairs to both change into and get a look at this outfit.
It started fairly simple, a pair of jeans, a dark-blue shirt, and a loose black turtleneck that went over the shirt. The most stand-out thing of the initial ensemble was a pair of leather sheaths that crossed horizontally over the small of my back, there was also a quiver above both sword sheaths, meant to hold the arrows for the bow form of the weapon. Where it got more intricate was…everything else.
A belt which had two satchels attached to it, the buckle was one of those kinds that clicked together. It was only when I did that, that the middle began to glow a light blue, in the shape of a hollow circle. The boots were black and almost reached my knees, they were lined with white fur at the top and two six-point snowflakes on the top of the tongues. The lacing was a bright orange color, contrasting the black rather nicely as it formed several orange X's all the way down.
Then, on went an orange scarf that I could wrap around my neck a few times, I let it loosely hang after that, with the rest of it dangling off to two separate sides. The ends had loose black fabrics, and either end looked to have three ice dust crystals infused into them above the black fabrics, just visible enough to shine in the light. The scarf was finished off with a single black echelon above the crystals.
After that, on went a white open-front cloak that fell to just above my feet and had long sleeves that went down to my wrists with snowflake designs sewn into them that also seemed to glow a light blue, although it was dim. The part on my shoulders was layered, with the bottom layer being like the rest. Above it was a layer with more intricate snow-flake patterns that reminded me of a snow-flurry, or a blizzard of some kind. There was a fur-lined hood that rested on my back and could be pulled up easily. I could weather any storm with this thing!
Finally, on went a pair of black gloves, followed by a pair of light blue vambraces, the insides of the vambraces had what I recognized as Cinder's symbol on them, two heels pressed against each other in the shape of a heart, although the heels were colored like glass instead of red. After I put them on, I saw there were intricate linings in the shape of… fall leaves and snowflakes? The leaves glowed orange, the snowflakes glowed blue.
I had to say this was the most amazing gift I'd ever been given, I could only look at myself in the mirror with wide-eyes and marvel at it all. I looked so…cool! Like a real huntsman. It was a good thing that my aura kept me from getting too hot, otherwise I'd probably sweat in this thing for most of the year. I couldn't believe that Cinder had put all this effort into making something like this for me.
The very thought of it made my heart flutter and my stomach tie itself into knots. She made this for me, all of it, and she infused it with dust too! The vambraces were also endearing, I didn't know that she had a side like that to her, but it was…wonderful.
Not for the first time I'd found myself losing my ability to care about the things she had done, and might do. This kind of thing just strengthened my resolve that I had to turn her away from Salem, she deserved so much better.
I finally headed back downstairs, and I saw her standing inside, looking at the stairs. She smiled when she saw me, one of satisfaction, she must have been proud of her work. Once I was down the stairs I started to approach her, and she began to speak, "Much better-"
However, she was cut off as I wrapped her in a hug. I didn't care if she might punch me for it, I just felt such overwhelming gratitude that I did the only thing I thought appropriate. She gasped as soon as I pulled her against me, her hands hovered as she struggled to figure out what to do with them for a few seconds before she eventually wrapped them around my back.
I spoke softly, "Cinder…Thank you. This is… the best gift anyone has ever given me. I'll always treasure this, and everything you've done for me. You're…You're amazing. I hope you know that."
Her breath hitched before she let out a soft and shaky sigh. She still didn't speak, instead resting her chin on my shoulder. I could hear her breathing so clearly, and it just emphasized how shaky it was. She tried to speak, "I…I…" Yet for once, Cinder Fall was speechless.
We held the hug for what must have been a full minute. I started to pull away, and yet her arms remained tightly around me, so I stayed. It was only after another few moments that she finally loosened her grip and I was able to start to pull away. Even then, as I let her go and stepped back, her fingers dragged gently along my back, then my shoulders, onto my arms, before she finally let go. It was like she desperately didn't want the hug to end, but she knew it had to.
Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly ajar as she looked into my eyes, her face dusted a light red. It was as if this was one of the first hugs she'd gotten, part of me wondered if that was the case. How often was someone close enough to her to hug her, let alone willing to?
She finally seemed to catch herself, she took a deep breath before pulling her gaze away as she looked to the door. It was as if she had to force herself to do that, "W-We should go. It's almost time for your trial, and it wouldn't do for you to be late." As if catching that she was missing something, she took the metal version of Midnight off her back, "Here. I don't need these anymore."
It had become increasingly obvious over the past several weeks, all the way back to when she first used them even, that she was probably going to give them to me. After all, if she was training me to use them, and she had a different version of it, why not give these to me? Still, I couldn't help but have my smile brighten as I took them, "Again…thank you."
She huffed and turned towards the door, "You can thank me by not embarrassing me and passing." Then she started quickly to the door, pushing it open. I followed suit, and together we headed for the bullhead landing that would take me to Beacon.
She explained to me on the way there that she would be off on business after she saw me off, and that this would be the last time we saw each other for a few days. However, she said she'd try to check in on my training whenever possible, claiming she didn't want me to get sloppy just because I was surrounded by 'inferior styles.'
When we finally got to the bullhead landing, she looked like there was something she wanted to say, but as was often the case, she kept it short, "Don't fail." After I smiled and nodded, she turned and started to walk away, "I'll see you in a few days." It was…interesting to know that she was so dead set on seeing me still, I would have assumed that she would want nothing to do with me at this point, and yet Cinder continued to defy my expectations.
Riding a bullhead for the first time was an interesting experience. It was a lot smoother and quicker than I anticipated it would be, still, while I was waiting for it to ferry me off to Beacon, I checked Cinder's opinion on me.
Cinder Fall
30/100 - Good Friend (Tier 2)
90/100 - Crush (Tier 1)
I continued to experience the running theme of fully expecting something like this and yet still being surprised. Maybe it was because of how ingrained my worries were, who she was and how deep into the darkness she might slide.
I dismissed the dialogue box and sighed, this just meant I'd need to try harder. For both of us.
The bullhead landed and I departed, waving to the pilot as I did so. Beacon was…even more impressive in person. Grand, stately, so many other words…It would get repetitive to try and list them all.
The combat exam was taking place in a coliseum-esque building, and the walk there was silent and devoid of any wandering staff or students. It was the calm before the storm that was initiation, I was sure once classes started up this place would roar to life.
I checked my satchel, having felt something in there earlier, and sure enough there were a bundle of dust-infused arrows. I smiled and slipped them into the quiver under my cloak and pushed into the building. There was a hallway before I got to the actual arena part of the building, with one path going straight ahead and two forking off in opposite directions, likely for spectators.
The actual arena was made in a fashion that reminded me of the Amity Arena, except I doubted the white tiled floors would turn into a fiery caldera or frozen tundra like Amity could. There was an observation booth overlooking, against the wall opposite to the way I came in. Inside, I saw who else but Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch.
It was weird seeing Ozpin alive and well. I remembered Oscar, and I just hoped that today was the first step in making sure he didn't have to get dragged into Oz's secret war if he didn't want to be.
I stopped in the center of the area and Ozpin pressed a button on the terminals that were in front of him, under the window I was looking through no doubt, "Neve Cadere, I hope the trip was agreeable. Are you prepared?"
I took a deep breath and nodded, reaching under my cloak and pulling the two halves of Dawn, "The trip was smooth. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I rested with both blades at my sides, there was no real set battle stance for fighting with Dawn, it was very freeform, meant for adaptability. However, either way, I was going to have to rely on my speed more than anything else.
Ozpin responded politely, "Very good. Then let's not waste time." He pressed a button and a buzzer went off, several metallic pods rose up out of the ground, having been previously concealed by the tile. Once the doors of the pods slid open, they revealed a whole assortment of combat androids. Some had guns, others had swords.
I sprung into action, I was still not the fastest, but I was fast enough. I rushed to the first set of androids I saw, ones with guns, and delivered a quick slash to the one closest to me. Its head quickly separated from its shoulders, and to my right were the rest of its pals, three of them, raising their rifles to shoot me!
I swung with both my blades, cutting into each of the droids and disabling them in no time flat. Unfortunately for me, they weren't the only ones. Shots rang out, one connected with my back and caused me to gasp in pain, but ultimately it didn't do any damage to me.
Not for the first time, I saw in the bottom left corner of my vision a few of how I was doing. My aura was still mostly full, 95/100, everything else was completely in the green.
Turning my attention away from that, I rolled out of the way of another series of shots. I couldn't prioritize the ones shooting at me from the opposite side of the arena, however, as there were more with swords racing towards me!
Five of them. Using the momentum from the roll I stayed low and slashed upwards as I cut the first one to reach me in half, another closed in right behind it and I managed to lean away from the slash it tried to deliver.
I thought quickly and hacked its arms off, then I spun it around and kicked it forward into its approaching friends, sending them onto the ground.
Four of those left, still working on getting up, three with guns further away. I quickly merged Dawn into its bow form and, as fast as I could, nocked an arrow tipped with fire dust and drew back the string, using my aura to activate the arrow before I loosed it.
A few more of the shots hit me, causing me to groan in pain. I wasn't fast enough to stop that, but at least I shot the arrow! It flew through the air and hit its target, the android in the middle of the shooters, the arrow promptly caused the droid to catch fire. Its robotic body must have reacted badly to fire, because the thing exploded and took out the other two with it!
Well, I didn't expect that to happen, but I wasn't going to complain!
The four that were previously knocked over had gotten back on their feet at this point. I broke apart Dawn again and jumped back a step as one tried to swing at my stomach. Too close for comfort! While its arms were still outstretched and before it could react, I stabbed outward with both my swords, piercing its chest before kicking out with my foot and pulling my blades away while it fell backward.
Three. They came at me all at once this time. I did the best thing I could do in that situation and started to backpedal away from their swings, looking for an opening in the flurry of slashes and stabs they made.
Well, now was as good a time to try out the dust-infusions as any! I channeled the ice-dust in my bracers, causing them to glow. The dust flowed through my clothes and into my weapons which I then swung upward and sent out two waves of ice dust which did their job in painting the ground blue with ice and freezing over the three droids legs. With their momentum killed, they started to fall forward. The only reason they didn't was the ice around their legs.
This gave me the opportunity I needed, considering they were rooted to the ground. I practically walked around them and then delivered a slash in either direction with my blades, cutting all three of their robotic heads off in one fell swoop.
I was starting to get tired, it hadn't been that long but I wasn't that energetic yet…I needed to work more on that.
Luckily, Ozpin spoke over the intercom, "I've seen enough. You still have the hallmarks of an amateur huntsman, but a huntsman nonetheless. You've passed. Congratulations, Mr. Cadere." Even up above and through the glass I saw him smile, "We will email you the details for your upcoming initiation shortly. For now, you're free to leave."
Well, that was quicker than I thought it was going to be, and yet I supposed this could have easily gone terribly wrong if I hadn't been prepared. I had Cinder to thank for how well I performed, "Thank you, Headmaster!" I called up to him with a grin before I slipped the blades back into their sheaths and started to leave, still panting as I did so thanks to the exertion.
As soon as the doors shut behind me, I got two quest completion notifications.
Quest Complete!
The Shining Beacon!
After a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, you were able to pass the combat exam and have officially secured your admission into Beacon! Your life is no longer at risk of ending in a fiery explosion, and you have earned your place fighting for the future of this world.
You Receive
100 Lien, Survival, Loss of Reputation with Cinder Fall, New Acquaintance: Ozpin, Enrollment to Beacon, Reputation Gain with Jeanne Arc, Reputation Gain with Ozpin.
Quest Complete!
Training Montage
Now completely on the other side of your training montage, you can safely say that you're better and stronger than you were when you started. Be warned, though, this was the easy part!
Rewards for Completion
+1 in every stat, 100 Lien, a feeling of pride and accomplishment in your work, not dying because you couldn't gain entry to Beacon, Cinder will be impressed.
Well, I guessed those two reputation changes with Cinder must have balanced each other out somewhat, right? The stat increases felt nice, literally and figuratively. I knew my debit card was going to have some extra spending money on it, and to finish off my updates, I decided to check my relationship with Cinder again.
Cinder Fall
28/100 - Good Friend (Tier 2)
87/100 - Crush (Tier 1)
I couldn't help but sigh in relief. Well, I guessed Cinder was as conflicted as I was, if this was the result.
I dismissed the dialogue and started back to the Bullhead landing so I could head back home and celebrate not dying.
The quest called this the easy part, I had a feeling it was right.
Once the semester started, things were going to get a hell of a lot more complicated.
A/N: If there's any worry, don't expect Neve to become a walking god, he has his own strengths and weaknesses, and I firmly believe that making him too strong would take any tension out of the story. He will still get stronger, of course, so don't worry about that either! I just believe that balance is important for a good story.