I don't own RWBY.
Review corner :
- Q : Will there be romance in this fanfic?
- A : Yes a little bit.
When it comes to genres, this fic will kind of tick all the boxes. I know I picked adventure/fantasy for the description, but I'm not sure it fits. It's definitely not all I'm going for.
Hammer
Good quality back up hammer, for the school's janitor work.
It is in great condition and has not been used much. It deals great blunt damage but the range is somewhat short.
Effects: +3 Strength, +3 Vitality
[The Gamer]: +3 Strength, +3 Physical Resistance
Crowbar
A standard crowbar. It can easily be used as any lever type.
It is in great condition. It deals great blunt damage and has decent range.
Effects: +4 Strength, +4 Vitality
[The Gamer]: +4 Strength, +4 Physical Resistance
Wrench
A strong tool for turning nuts, bolts, and such.
It is in great condition. It deal decent blunt damage, but the range is short.
Effects: +2 Intelligence
[The Gamer]: +2 Luck
Screwdriver
A basic screwdriver with a flat-headed blade. It is commonly used for screws with straight linear intrusion across the head, but can also serve other purposes.
In medium condition. It has decent stabbing power.
[The Gamer]: +1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence.
Padlocks (x3)
A strong padlock, used to lock things.
Keys (x3)
A key used to open a padlock.
Plunger
A tool used to unclog sinks, toilets and such.
[The Gamer]: +1 Vitality
Fire Dust (type B) (x5)
Refined Fire dust crystals, type B, stored in a box. It is highly explosive.
Commonly used as source of power for heaters, stoves, and such.
Rarely used as a source of magic by Aura users.
Effect: +15 Fire Affinity(locked)
Physical Infusion: +50 Strength(1 hour), +50 Fire Affinity(1 hour)(locked),+20 Fire Resistance(1 hour)(locked), -50% Aura Control(1 hour)(locked)
[the Gamer]: +15 Fire Resistance (locked)
[The Gamer]: upon physical infusion, 10% chance of getting +10 Fire Affinity (new stat)(unique).
Lightning Dust (type B) (x3)
Refined Lightning dust crystals, type B, stored in a box. It is highly explosive.
Commonly used as a back up source of power for many furniture.
Rarely used as a source of magic by Aura users.
Effect: +15 Lightning Affinity(locked)
Physical Infusion: +50 Strength(1 hour), +50 Lightning Affinity(1 hour)(locked),+20 Lightning Resistance(1 hour)(locked), -50% Aura Control(1 hour)(locked)
[the Gamer]: +15 Lightning Resistance (locked)
[The Gamer]: upon physical infusion, 10% chance of getting +10 Lightning Affinity (new stat)(unique).
Ice Dust (type B) (x2)
Refined Ice dust crystals, type A, stored in a box. It is highly explosive.
Commonly used as source of power for fridges and freezers.
Rarely used as a source of magic by Aura users.
Effect: +15 Frost Affinity(locked)
Physical Infusion: +50 Strength(1 hour), +50 Frost Affinity(1 hour)(locked),+20 Frost Resistance(1 hour)(locked), -50% Aura Control(1 hour)(locked)
[the Gamer]: +15 Frost Resistance (locked)
[The Gamer]: upon physical infusion, 10% chance of getting +10 Frost Affinity (new stat)(unique).
Tarp
Duct Tape
Empty box (x4)
Broken Light bulb (x3)
Book
Old Atlesian Radio (x1)
Box of nails
Box of paperclips
A treasure trove. This is a treasure trove, I nodded excitedly to myself after I finished using [Identify] on all the items inside the shelf. And that was only what was inside that metallic shelf. There were still crates, counters, desks and other shelves that needed to be searched in the room.
Ding!
[Identify]'s level has increased to Beginner level 4!
So many items. And Dust! Finally, a potential decent weapon against Trolls. Lots of information in their description, too; there were many stats that I hadn't heard about, all locked. As for this physical infusion thing, the stats it gave were insane, but if it really was referring to injecting dust directly into one's veins, I was definitely not doing that shit. I heard that if it didn't kill people, it left them scarred or with a disability for the rest of their life.
With all this stuff, it would be faster to simply move into this room and make it our base, instead of transporting all useful items in our classroom. After all, this room had a sink, and that was reason enough to move here. It was a lot closer to the goblins, though. But the corridor could be easily blocked with all these tables, chairs, and desks. Considering how weak the goblins were, they would be even less likely to break through than zombies and infecteds.
Thoughts for later. Right now, we needed to clear the corridor. With all this gear, and the zombies' stupidity, I was pretty confident I could do it.
I grabbed a nearby broom, and taped the goblin knife to it with the duct tape.
You have crafted an improvised spear.
Improvised Spear
A goblin knife taped to the end of a broom's shaft.
It has decent stabbing power and great range, but the binding is fragile.
Effect: +1 Dexterity, +1 Strength
[50% Familiarity]: +1 Agility
[The Gamer]: +1 Strength +2 Vitality
Then I did the same with a mop and a screwdriver, making another Improvised Spear with various bonuses.
Good. I settled the twoweapons on the wall near the door.
Then, I pushed some tables against the metallic shelf and the door, stacking multiple layers.
Bang!
"GrrraaaAh!" The zombies growled impatiently.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I called with a malicious smile. "No need to get worked up."
I climbed on the table, and pushed the metallic shelf just a tiny bit away from the door.
Then, I grabbed the spear, and I reached my hand for the door's handle.
Boom boom. My heartbeat accelerated, fear and anticipation building up within me. I hoped this barricade was strong enough.
I gritted my teeth, resolved myself, and opened the door.
"GrraAAAGGL!" The zombies growled again, pushing against it.
Zombie (Faunus)
Zombie (Human)
Infected (Human)
I carefully stepped away as the zombies started pushing against the metallic shelf, and I raised my spear. Then, from a safe distance up on the table, I attempted a stab.
Schlark!
The goblin knife at the end of my spear stabbed one of them in the eye. I pulled away quickly, not letting them grab the spear.
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Human)
The zombie collapsed on a goblin zombie that growled angrily from under it. He was replaced with another, an Infected this time.
I raised my spear again.
Schlark!
Ding!
You have defeated an Infected (Human)
"AaArghl!" This time, a zombie grabbed my spear. Not panicking, I kept hold of it with one hand, and with the other, I grabbed the other spear. With a quick strike, I tried to hit the zombie's head, but my other spear and the zombie's arm were in the way. So I decided to aim for the arm instead, and successfully stabbed its wrist. Its grip weakened, and I was able to yank the spears back.
"Phew." I exhaled, and put the hammer away.
I resumed the methodical slaughter.
Ding!
You have defeated an Infected (Human)
Ding!
You have defeated an Infected(Goblin)
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Goblin)
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie (Faunus)
Ding!
You have defeated an Infected(Goblin)
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie (Faunus)
Ding!
The Dexterity stat has increased by one.
"Nice." I commented.
"GraaaAAh!"
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie (Human)
Ding!
You have defeated an Infected (Faunus)
"And... done."
Ding!
You have acquired a new skill: [Spear Mastery]
When I killed the last one, I gained a new skill.
"Skills."
[Skill: Spear Mastery (Passive)]
Level: Beginner Level 1
Rank: Common
Effects: Better and more efficient use of spears. +5% Strength and Dexterity when handling spears. +10 % Familiarity with spears.
"Huh…"
This skill was great. I assumed there was the same kind of Mastery skills for each type of weapon.
It would be best to chose one weapon type to specialize in, so that I could focus on training that one skill only.
In that case, I might as well try to unlock as many masteries as I could at Beginner Level 1, compare the bonuses and the weapons' uses through my experiences, and only then choose my weapon class.
Clink clink.
I suddenly heard the sound of cracking glass on the floor.
Behind me! I quickly turned towards the noise, my eyes widening.
Goblin Scout
Goblin Scout
"Kakah~!" They laughed, as if saying 'surprise~'. One of them drew a familiar dagger from its back while the other one finished stepping off the window.
Fuck! Of course, if we could use that ledge, then so could the goblins! Those little shits were smarter than I thought. Which meant… The three others weren't safe anymore. In fact, none of the classrooms were safe.
I changed my grip on my spear, raising it above my head like a javelin, and thew it at the nearest goblin.
I missed, but the goblins jumped back a little, their eyes widening. "Kah kah kah kah!" One of them laughed mockingly, pointing a finger at me.
"Kah kah kah!" The other chuckled along with his buddy.
Those fuckers were mocking me.
"…You…" My eye twitched.
"This is why I hate goblins", I thought with a scowl as I grabbed the crowbar.
They continued chuckling, raising their weapons, ready to fight and waiting for me to engage.
I stepped forward, and with my foot, reached under one of the table I was currently stepping on. With a quick move, I flipped the table towards them. Then I jumped behind it, and with a strong, powerful kick, I sent it sliding at them.
"Ka-kah!" The goblins panicked, one of them getting trapped behind the table, while the other stumbled to the left and cried in pain as he slid into the glass pieces on the ground and cut himself.
"Hah! Dumbass!" I laughed as I dashed towards him and swung my crowbar.
One hit on the head was enough to kill him, the crowbar breaking its skull.
Ding!
You have defeated a Goblin Scout!
I turned to the other, who was struggling between the table and the wall.
I walked to him and grabbed him by the neck with both hands. Then I squeezed.
Crack.
Ding!
You have defeated a Goblin Scout!
Breaking their necks didn't leave as much of a mess.
I let go of its body, and peaked my head through the window to look at the edge.
Goblin Warrior
"K-kah…?" The goblin smiled awkwardly at me as he was struggling to stay on the edge carrying his equipment, a shield and a short sword.
"I'll take that if you don't mind." I said, grabbing his shield and dropping it inside.
"Kah?" He couldn't do anything without risking falling.
Then I grabbed the little guy's shoulder, and slammed it against the wall below the window. After that, I lifted the creature and threw him inside, on the wall, with all my strength.
"K-kah!" He cried in fear as he flew, and died impacting the wall.
Ding!
You have defeated a Goblin Scout!
"Killing goblins should be a national sport." I mused to myself. "It is so satisfying."
I could have pushed him off. But then I'd have less loot.
I like loot.
I approached the bodies to search them, using identify on each of them.
Goblin Knife
A rusty knife, mainly used by goblins as a convenient tool. Goblins may also throw them if needed.
It is in poor condition, but it still has good stabbing and slicing power.
+1 Dexterity
[The Gamer]: +2 Vitality
Steel Dagger
An excellent dagger with a steel blade, in pristine condition. It was not made by goblins. They most likely stole it from someone else.
It has great cutting power but short range.
Effect: +3 Agility, +3 Dexterity
[The Gamer]: +3 Agility, +3 Dexterity
Steel Short Sword
A quality short sword with a steel blade, in great condition. It was not made by goblins. They most likely stole it from someone else.
It has good cutting power, with a decent range, a little short compared to other swords.
Effect: +3 Strength, +3 Vitality, +3 Agility,
[The Gamer]: +6 Agility, +3 Luck
Goblin Shield
A wooden shield made by goblins for their warriors.
It can withstand weak to medium blows. Heavy blows will damage it.
Effect: +5 Vitality
[The Gamer]: +5 Physical Resistance
Goblin Battle Ration (x2)
Flask of Goblin Poison
All in all, great loot. But what attracted my attention were two unknown flasks, one containing a black liquid, and the other a light red liquid.
Flask of Goblin Oil
A flask of highly flammable oil made by a goblin shaman.
The goblins use it as incendiary projectiles, or to light up a fire on their arrows.
Flask of Goblin Elixir
A minor healing potion made by a goblin shaman.
Used by goblin warriors to heal their injuries.
It tastes disgusting.
Effect: Heals wounds, +500% healing rate (5 minutes)
[The Gamer]: 5% chance to get +3 [Healing Affinity](new stat)(unique) when feeding the potion to another player.
[Healing Affinity]? Interesting… 5% was a pretty low chance though. But maybe with 11 luck I would get it. Judging by how many drinks I needed to get the poison resistance, which had required 30% chance, I didn't hold my breath.
"More importantly, this should help Sylvia recover faster." I mused. Would the additionnal effects of [The Gamer] skill be applied to her if I was the one feeding it to her? One could only hope.
My eyes were attracted to a glint below one of the corpses.
Hmm? What was that?
I moved the corpse, pushing it with one of my foot. It revealed some kind of crystal. A green crystal, glowing a green halo.
Dust? No, the crystal wasn't uniform… Unrefined dust, maybe?
'Identify'
Skill Shard: [Short Blade Throw]
A skill shard is a rare item that can drop from any monster, and even more rarely, from any player.
Skill shards contain a random skill from the monster/player that dropped it. Skills with a higher rarity rank have a lower chance to be contained in a skill shard.
Skill shards can be consumed to learn theskill contained inside. If the skill is already known, it will add XP to that skill.
Note: In Dungeons, skills shards can only drop once per monster class.
Effects: New Skill : [Short Blade Throw(Uncommon)]
Requires: [Throwing] Beginner level 3(negated), [Short Blade Mastery] Beginner level 3(negated), 40 Dexterity (-10)
[The Gamer]: +5 Dexterity(unique). 20% chance of getting +5 Accuracy (new stat)(unique).
"Oh shit. That's… That's good." I breathed as I read the wall of text. "Skill shards…"
This was probably one of the best items to use for powering up. It was a rare drop, but [The Gamer] had an effect that increased the effectiveness of [Luck] on item drops. Not only that, it also negated the requirement of knowing the [Throwing] skill and the [Short Blade Mastery] skill. Which… was absolutely insane, honestly.
As if it wasn't enough, [The Gamer] also reduced the Dexterity stat requirement, and on top of it all, I could get +5 Dexterity for free, and maybe even unlock the Accuracy stat if I was lucky.
"Man, this Gamer skill." I smirked, finally realizing its potential, "It's really going to carry me. And it's only at Beginner level."
As for the note about skill shard only dropping once for each monster class in Dungeons, it made sense, to make farming skill shards in Dungeons impossible, since monsters could keep spawning in spawn points. However, did it mean it dropped once per race, in which case we wouldn't be able to get skills shards from any Goblin anymore, or did it mean once per individual monster type, like Goblin Scouts, Goblin Archers, Goblin Warriors, etc?
I hoped it was the latter.
"Ghrrr…"
"Huh?" A nearby growl attracted my attention.
Zombie (Goblin)
I widened my eyes. That was one of the goblins I had just killed. His eyes were still closed, but the rasping of his breath betrayed him.
Not waiting for him to wake up, I simply grabbed him and threw him out the window.
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Goblin)
So, all corpses would rise again as a zombie… We were all infected. Fucking hell.
I quickly did the same with the other two.
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Goblin)
"Only one…?"
I frowned, remembering how I had kill those two. One, I had broken the skull with the crowbar, the other I had snapped his neck.
So, head shots were most likely necessary to prevent the corpses transforming into zombies. That was a classic, but still good to know for sure.
Ding!
The [Intelligence] stat has risen by one.
[The Gamer]'s level has increased to Beginner Level 3.
"Already?" I raised my eyebrows at the notification.
It seemed like the skill gained XP every time I gained or increased a stat or skill.
I did gain a lot of stats since earlier today. Mostly because of the achievements. It must have sent me quite a bit over level 2.
I checked the skill again. To my disappointment, it didn't gain any new effect. Only 5% to the other effects.
Which meant I now had -30% stat requirement to use items.
I checked the skill shard description again.
Requires: [Throwing] Beginner level 3 (negated), [Short Blade Mastery] Beginnerlevel 3(negated), 40 Dexterity (-12)
So now I only needed 28 Dexterity to learn it.
'Status.'
Dexterity: 9 (+8)
Man, that... that was kinda low.
Does the bonus in parenthesis count? I wondered, and grabbed the shard. I hope it does, or I'm going to need a lot of grinding.
Let's see. I had a malus from Weakened, a bonus from my title, some bonus from equipments... Ugh! My head hurt just thinking about it!
Yeah, no. I've never been good at maths. I chuckled to myself, instantly giving up on any kind of mental calculations.
"Use...!"
Ding ding!
Not enough [Dexterity]!
Too bad.
Oh well. Instead of trying to do maths, I was just going to try using the shard every time I gained a point in dexterity.
"I should get going." I mused.
I shoved the skill shard in my pocket, and put the Flask of Goblin Elixir in the bag, along with the dagger. Then I grabbed the crowbar.
I didn't need to take everything since we would come back here.
I pushed the tables away, and moved the metallic shelf by the door, just enough to pass through.
I carefully glanced in the corridor.
Nobody.
I listened carefully.
I was hearing sounds from the stairs, from down below. It sounded like goblins fighting something else. Probably zombies. Good.
I left the storage room, stepping over the multiple zombie bodies, and walked rapidly through the corridor until I reached our classroom.
With my drummer skills, I knocked in a quick succession to make a perfect recognizable rhythm.
I heard gasps from inside. I couldn't help but grin.
"Wh-who's this?" I heard a nervous voice inside.
"It's Zombie Shean, coming to eat you."
The door squeaked open, and I saw Ebony's blue eye take a peek at me through the gap.
She sighed in relief. "At least buy me dinner first."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, smart ass." I pushed the door and stepped inside. "Close the door, I've got good news."
"You found water?" Steele asked, his dog ears perking up.
"Better." I smirked, "I found a sink. On this floor."
The three of them gasped.
"We're moving there." I stated, "Pack your shit."
"What about Sylvia?" Ebony frowned, nodding at the brown haired girl lating on the ground, "She can't move."
I snorted and grabbed the flask of elixir from my bag, before walking to Sylvia.
I knelt next to her. "What's up?" I asked.
"Uh… You know. Lying around..." She sighed, trying to smile.
"Lying around? I've got something for you." I smiled. "This." I raised the flask of red liquid. "Drink it."
"What is this?"
"Basically, it's a healing potion."
"That's so cool!" Steele gushed, besides me.
"O-oh…" The injured girl widened her eyes at the flask, before looking at me. "A-are you sure? You're still injured yourself."
I leaned forward. "I'm very sure. I'll get Ebony to nurse me. We just need you on your feet."
Sylvia nodded, her expression relaxing. "Okay, I'll gladly take it then." She raised her arm to grab the flask.
I raised my hand away.
"H-huh?"
"You haven't said the magic word."
"Please?"
"Not that one."
"Uh… Thank you?"
"You're welcome. Was that so hard?" I asked her, and she blushed a little, looking away. It was nice seeing some color on her deathly pale skin.
"Sorry…" She apologized, and tried to grab the flask again.
I raised it away again.
"Wh-what now." She pouted at me, frustrated.
"I'll feed it to you." I declared, "Open your mouth."
"Wh-why…?" She blushed.
"I want to check something."
"You want to try to learn the nursing skill?" Ebony guessed, having come to listen to our discussion.
"Something like that, yeah." I nodded, shrugging. "Come on now. Drink up." I said, opening the flask and moving it to her lips as I carefully raised her head from the ground bu putting a hand behind her neck. "Fair warning, it tastes like shit."
Gulp gulp gulp…
"That's it."I encouraged, remembering the time I forced Carl to take medicine. "All of it."
Gulp gulp gulp gulp…
"Aaah…" Sylvia sighed after drinking the whole flask. "Pwah! Th-this.. this is vile!"
I sighed. No new stat. Well, 5% was a pretty low chance. Maybe next time.
"How do you feel?" Ebony asked.
"Better. Much better…" Sylvia said, and even sat up.
"Can you walk?" I asked.
Shakily, she tried to stand up. Ebony rushed to her to help her up.
"I-I don't think so… I'm exhausted." Sylvia said, sitting back down.
My eyes twitched in annoyance. She had barely tried.
"You know what? I'll just carry you." I decided, and grabbed her leg.
"Heeee!" She squeaked as I held her in my arms and raised her above the ground.
"Now, pack your shit. Let's go." I ordered the others. "Ebony, take the bow and quiver. Steve, take the spear and a knife. We'll come back to get the rest later."
"Ok!" They nodded and obeyed.
Looks like they were becoming proper minions, taking my orders seriously. Good.
Ding!
The Leadership stat has increased by one!
"Fucking finally." I groaned at the window. With all the shit I did, I was gaining a point in that stat only now? It was surprising, honestly. Maybe it was a stat that was very hard to grind.
"Wh-what?" Sylvia squeaked in my arms.
I glanced at her. The brown-haired girl was bright red, like a tomato, her blue eyes wide as she stared up at me.
I suddenly remembered that I was shirtless, and was carrying her bridal style. Was she angry about that?
Well, not like I cared how she felt. She would endure it. "Nothing, Claudia." I said, "Go back to sleep."
"I-it's Sylvia! Sylvia Lavender!"
Steele and Ebony giggled as they stepped into the corridor.
"Quiet!" With a glare, I quickly silence them. Outside the classroom, we were in danger. In fact, inside the classroom, too.
"It's that way," I whispered, nodding to the south.
We made our way to the storage room. As we walked, I reflected back on the name of the girl in my arms. Lavender, Lavender…. When did I hear that name before? I couldn't put my finger on it.
Bah. If I didn't remember it, it must not be important.
"D-did you… kill all of those?" Ebony asked quietly, eyes wide at the pile of corpses.
"Yeah." I muttered back to her. "It's easier than you think."
"…" She said nothing, staring at the corpses.
"What's that noise?" Steele asked.
"Goblins fighting, I think." I answered. "Get in."
We entered the storage room, and I put Sylvia down on the table while Steele started sniffing the air.
I hesitated a little, before saying to her. "About carrying you like that… It was necessary."
"I-I didn't mind at all!"
I stared at her. She blushed bright red again, making Ebony snicker.
"Stop." I demanded, pointing a threatening finger at the blonde girl.
"Sorry!' She stuck out her tongue, turning away.
I rolled my eyes, and walked to the window. I squinted, trying to see my reflection.
I raised my eyebrows at what I saw, surprised. Who the fuck was that? It actually looked like I had a decently healthy body in this reflection. Where was this coming from? Where did most of the fat go?
I mean, my vitality did triple, and my strength increased, and all my other stats doubled, but-
"…" I blinked. Well, when I put it like that, maybe it was understandable?
Well, it wasn't that much, but compared to how I was before I'd say it was a massive change.
"Need some nursing, big guy?" Ebony grinned, as she came up behind me, winking at me through the window's reflection.
"Sure." I shrugged, ignoring her antics. I did need a little healing still, and I was pretty tired. "But I really need to find some clothes. Steve!"
"Yeah?"
"Grab the corpses and strip them of their clothes. Wash them in the sink if necessary. Georgia, you help him."
"I said it's Sylvie!" She flushed, and paused realising what she said. "I mean, Sylvia!"
Steele laughed, "It's getting to her!"
"Oh, sorry, my bad" I smirked, "I'll call you Sylvie then."
"D-dammit!" She punched the table weakly, "I'm still tired…!"
This girl was starting to get on my nerves. "I don't care." I said, "I'm sick of seeing you sleep while everyone else is working hard. Do something."
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. "Wh-why would I do as you say anyway? You're a bully."
"..."
A heavy silence met her words.
I stared at her. "Because I'm the leader of this worthless little group. That's why. Without me you'd be dead."
"..."
"..."
"..."
There was a blank as everyone looked at each other tensely, not knowing what to say to that.
"Anything to say?" I asked, tapping my foot impatiently. "Say it now."
"No, I'm fine with that." Steve said.
"I'm… okay with it," Ebony nodded hesitantly.
"W-well, uh…" She blushed as she became the target of three par of eyes. "If you two are fine with it… I guess I'm fine with it too." She mumbled.
I blinked. Huh. That had been easier than I thought.
Ding!
You have gained a new title: [- Leader -]
Really easier, I blinked at the window, a little surprised. Even though I insulted them all – though, I only told the truth – they still accepted my leadership so easily?
"Well, get to work then." I said to the two as I laid down next to Ebony. Steele nodded, while Sylvia looked like she had just eaten another goblin ration.
"You know, it's a shame." Ebony sighed.
"…What?"
She grinned at me, wriggling her eyebrows. "We don't mind if you stay shirtless all the time."
"Stop." I groaned, shaking my head and trying to look annoyed as I glared at blonde girl. She simply giggled, glad to have eased the tension in the room.
Ding!
You are being nursed by Ebony Arc.
+7 Vitality, +140% Healing rate.
[The Gamer]: +7 Vitality, +7 Willpower, +7 Resistances(2)
"Your skill leveled up, I see," I remarked, changing the subject.
"Uhuh. I keep using it all the time." Ebony nodded.
"It's a pretty good skill."
"Yep."
Silence fell between us. I didn't mind.
Sylvia and Steele were muttering to each other as they busied themselves, throwing the corpses through the window once they were done stripping them. It was night now, and we hadn't dared turning on the lights, since the moonlight was enough to see decently. The curtains waved softly with the wind from the broken window. The room would be a little colder at night, but it was fine in the summer.
Overall, a nice atmosphere.
And it could be ruined at any moment by a goblin climbing on that ledge.
"You're going to need to start fighting," I declared eventually, "All three of you. If we want to beat this boss one day."
"We know…" Ebony nodded, uncomfortably. "It's… It's scary. We don't know how you do it."
"Willpower stat." I simply replied.
"Makes sense… but we don't have that stat."
"Don't you worry your pretty little face. I'm gonna show you how it's done. Teach you all." I said, "Tomorrow, in the morning. It's not that hard."
"…Thanks…" Ebony said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "…For, uh… everything."
"You better keep up." I warned, sending her a glare. "I can't keep carrying your sorry asses all the time. It's fucking exhausting."
"Even if it's this ass?" Ebony asked with a saucy wink, showing off her curves as she sensually caressed her thigh.
"...Fucking stop already." I groaned, as I felt some heat creep up my cheeks. "It's weird."
She just rolled her eyes at me with a knowing smile.
Fucking hell. I gulped, looking away, my mouth suddnenly dry. It was getting hot in here. Didn't she have a boyfriend? I would never be comfortable around her is she kept flirting like that.
If I was doing this whole leader shtick, I would need to act responsible. With her behaving like that around me, how was I supposed to make decisions with my head, instead of my dick? I was still a hormonal teenager going through puberty, for fuck's sake.
I certainly wasn't going to treat her any differently from the others, if that was what she was after. Or at least, I would try to.
This was going to be a problem, I could already tell. I had high Willpower to resist her charms, but still... Against a bombshell like her, everyone had limits.
"..."
I suddenly pictured my best friend Daryl's face, grinning at me with his crazy eyes and dirty smile.
'Bruuuh, you are so in! So IN! Pick up the hints already! You gotta go for it, dude!'
I snorted, smiling softly. That sounded like something he would say for sure.
If only he was here, I would be able to vent a little bit, and actually be myself for a change.
"…"
I stopped smiling, my expression turning nostalgic. Damnit. I hoped he was okay.
"…"
I missed him.
I missed Carl. I missed Mom. I missed everyone.
"Hey…" Ebony whispered, "You know, I'm still older than you all. So, uh… You don't have to take it all on your shoulders. If you need to talk… I'll listen." She offered, with a sympathetic look on her face as she stared into my eyes.
My heart almost skipped a beat.
Nice try, blondie. But I'm wary of you now.
I stared back at her with a surprised expression. "Wait. You're older than me?"
Her eyes widened, and I heard Sylvia and Steele snicker. "Y-yes! I told you! I'm seventeen!"
"I thought it was a joke." I shook my head, my expression full of disbelief, "Are you sure?! I mean, you're so…" I waved my arms at her, trying to convey what I meant.
"I'm older!" She insisted, "Two years older! I'm your senior! This was my last day of high-school and I've applied to a law school! Can I get some respect?!"
"All right. All right. I get it." I nodded at her. I smiled softly as she slightly panted, a pout on her face. I raised my arm to pat hers. "There you go, girl," I continued with a soothing, yet condescending voice, "That's it. Let it all out."
"Hnghr! Stop treating me like a child!" She threw her arms in the air frustratingly.
Sylvia and Steele laughed as Ebony lost her shit.
I simply smiled in satisfaction at the ceiling, having successfully dodged her offer, while at the same time having denied her age gap over me.
Good job, Shean. Good job.
While the others were chatting, I told them to keep their voices low, before taking a bit of time for myself.
During that time, I decided to check my new title.
I could only have one title at a time, so I sure hoped it was good.
'Titles.'
Title: Leader
You have been unanimously recognized as the leader of a group.
Effect: +10 Leadership, +10 Charisma (locked).
"..."
…It's trash !