The camera sweeps over Vale, twisting and turning between the tall skyscrapers to eventually settle into a bird's eye view of a scene near the wall.
"Jaune 'Torga' Arc has been spotted among the wreckage and rubble of what is tentatively being called the Mountain Glenn Incursion. There was initial suspicion, though we have since received information that allows us to exonerate Torga of guilt in this situation, namely this piece of spectator footage."
A shaky bit of film, lesser in quality than before, shows an older faunus woman with small horns looking back at the cameraman. "C'mon honey, they say this is the best faunus-friendly restaurant in town!"
The camera shifts. "I don't know why you dragged us out here love, we get into any restaurant we want! Perks of marrying a human, right?"
The woman giggles, and punches his arm playfully. There is a faint rumble when she does so. She appears puzzled.
The cameraman speaks as he shifts the camera again. "Did you hear th-"
A rush of sound and light, smoke billowing, the camera shaking, the filmer yelling for his wife. He finds her, buried underneath rubble with her leg crushed. The camera focuses on her for just a brief moment, but the producers of the show censored anything too gruesome. The rest of the video is a group of people desperately trying to shift rubble, though in the background you could hear the sounds of fighting, the howling of the Grimm, the staccato shots of gunfire.
The camera shifts back to the narrator, the footage having ended. She appears slightly pale. "A Grimm reminder of what awaits outside our walls, and an even more important lesson in how vital the Huntsmen are to us. More than ever, the Vytal Tournament is needed to unify and show us just what our protectors can do!"
"However, you can hear that 'unified kingdoms' line any other channel. You tuned in here to watch our fractured family find a future, and do we have news for you!"
The camera cuts to a slightly familiar looking training ground. Torga and Ren stood together before one of the target poles. Ren appeared calm as ever, though Torga's face was hard.
"So, Torga, where were you the last month?"
"Undercover."
"Oh? And why was that?"
The conversation seemed off, almost scripted.
"Ozpin wanted to test me again, so he sent me out to Mountain Glenn. I found Grimm there but also White Fang. I was out of range of the CCT so I decided to follow and film them. I had the usage of an allies Hunting Dog, who helped me sniff out their operation."
"What were they up to?" Ren did not seem interested at all.
"Whole bunch of Dust loaded into a train. They detonated holes along the track to draw the Grimm, then broke through our walls. The White Fang just tried to raze Vale to the ground."
"You stopped them?"
Torga sighed heavily, his next words monotonous. "I did my best. Luckily Team RWBY was also on a mission in Mountain Glenn and were able to provide assistance. With their help, the incident was much less severe than it could have been."
"Good to know. So, you're back?"
Torga nodded, and looked straight into the camera with piercing blue eyes. "I will not leave my team again. Also, a message, if I may?" He waited for something from behind the camera, then nodded.
"Roman Torchwick. I know your name. I know you are responsible for this. Leave this city within three days. That is the only offer you will receive. If you are not gone by… Let's say Tuesday. It's Friday today. If any citizen of Vale see's this man-"
The shot cuts off to one side, and the other shows a well-dressed man with burning orange hair and a dapper cane.
"Please let us know immediately. Hopefully my producers can set up a tip line, because well-" Torga reaches behind his back, and pulls out a thick stack of notes, wrapped with the Vale Central Bank official band that denotes the bundle at 50,000L."-there's a pretty great reward."
I had returned to Beacon on Monday, with a small amount of fanfare. Surprisingly, Cardin Winchester let me know he had his family send out a private investigator to find me. It made more sense when he told me he was looking for a rematch, though I still recognized that his family put forth a great effort on my behalf. I made myself a note to remember this, and pay the Winchester family back in time.
Velvet Scarlatina was up and about, though her voice was raspy. I hadn't spoken to her yet, but the mountain of a man on her team had told me she was mending, if slowly. I was just happy she was able to recuperate.
Oobleck acted like I had never left, which I appreciated. It was those who treated me like an acquaintance I usually most wanted to see after something harrowing, and being a finger-snap away from death was definitely fitting of that quality. The Gamer's Mind did not allow me to feel fear in a tangible way, but every so often I thought of where I would be if Arthur hadn't stepped in.
Then I briefly wondered what would happen to such a strange body when I died. Would it even decompose?
Either way, Oobleck was able to ground me. His genuine questions, interest in topics, quick wit and understanding, all provided for somebody that I could talk to about home. Arthur just wanted to hear about the technology or magical items, when he ever picked up his Scroll. I found it much easier to just drop by the Professor's office, and if he was there, he was usually pleased to see me. My reputation with him had been risen to Friendly at some point.
"So the Nords, the northern Men, believed that this man rose to godhood through feats of mundane skill?"
I chuckled. It was odd, speaking to someone of Talos who did not yet have an opinion on Him. "From the mundane point of view, yes. It was much more spiritual than that. Like myself, Talos was capable of using the Voice, and like myself, he was a Dragonborn. In those days, however, he was known as Emperor Tiber Septim, or General Stormcrown earlier on. He was a great general and warrior, the first and only man to unite the entirety of Cyrodiil and conquer the known lands of man, mer, and the beast-folk alike. I am not certain on how exactly he ascended, as there are multiple accounts and I trust none of them. It is accepted, however, that after unifying the land and declaring the Third Age, Tiber Septim rose to Godhood, taking the mantle of Talos, or quite literally, Stormcrown. Before you ask, yes, I have proof. I have meditated upon a shrine to Talos while wearing his medallion, and he grants me a deeper understanding of my Thu'um."
"Your Voice?" He clarified, looking at me avidly while one of his hands scrawled into a notebook without looking.
"Same concept, different languages. Thu'um is the Dovah word for it, whereas our common tongue could not encompass the entirety of what Thu'um is, and so we use analogies. The Way of the Voice. Shouting. Things that touch upon the concepts but do not describe them."
"With the incident with Ms. Scarlatina, you told the other professors that when you utilize the Thu'um, you cast out your own soul and shape it to take effect?"
"In the simplest of terms, yes. My status as a Dragonborn - though again, that is simply the common tongue's word for the concept - means that rather than study and meditate on the Words, I am able to absorb the understanding of them along with the soul of the Dragon. I can learn in three days what it would take a cloister of monks years to learn, provided I have enough dragons to slay." I explained.
"Quite a cost for power." Oobleck noted, eyes fixed on me.
"There is always a cost for power." I answered. "The thing that differentiates power for its own sake is your intent on use, and your actions once acquired. For example: One of my first adventures was to delve into a tomb called Bleak Falls Barrow, fight through the bandits and the undead, desecrate the corpse of the lord who had the barrows commissioned, then loot the most valuable artifact of my time, at least within my own context. To an onlooker, I simply helped their souls move along and took some things nobody was using anymore. I obtained the knowledge we needed to prevent tragedy, and in doing so increased both my combat power through the gear I acquired, and my political power through doing a large favour for a Jarl. Was there a cost to this? Or rather, what would you place as the cost of this?"
Another reason I appreciated Oobleck was because he was a thinker, in every aspect of the word. If I asked him a question, he would ponder it. If I told him of a concept, he would come up with an outside viewpoint that quite frankly would have been impossible for the people of Nirn to come up with in such a short time. He did not disappoint here, as he took a full minute to consider the question.
"Very well. I believe I have it, if I may?" I gestured for him to continue. "You are a warrior. However, you were first a boy, then a man, but always a human. The human cost cannot be discounted. From the way you speak of these things, the Nords heavily revere their dead. It must have been a sort of spiritual conflict for you, plundering the ruins of ancestors long passed." I smiled, as he was quite close.
"Right course, Professor, but I did not venerate the tombs of the dead. I did not desecrate them without cause, but nor did I pay the tombs any more respect than an abandoned fort or an inhabited cave. These are dangerous places, not for exploring by the meek of heart." I hoped he would read between the lines. He did.
"Ah. A personal spiritual cost. You told me that was the location you took your first life."
A sad smile, this time. "It was."
"Do you wish you hadn't?" He was asking genuinely.
I pondered that for a moment. What would have happened, had I decided my part ended then and there in front of the Jarl? If rather than offering to help his court wizard, I reminded the Jarl of my own responsibilities acquiring lumber for the town of Riverwood and just went home?
Sure, the dragons would have come and likely won their attempt at the Second Dragon War, but until then? I would have had a year or two of peace. I could have finally saved enough money to build my own sawmill, one day. Yet…
"Desperately." I answered. "But only for a time. Now, I see it as the cost of the power that saved my world, and most of those I held dear. That bandit, with his ratty leather armour and his rusty iron sword, was not what gave me the power. My power came from the Divines, and through them the dragons. No, what that man did was let me test myself against another mortal where the outcome is death, use my own resources and abilities to overcome that challenge, and be the one left standing when my opponent has fallen before me. That very first fight, that first murder, was likely my defining moment as a hero. It was there I made the choice to use heavier weapons, to fight the greater beings of my homeland. It was there, as my axe cut right through his chest-piece, that I made the choice to be the most heavily armoured combatant in any room. Finally, it was there that I found my will to be the last standing, that depth of personhood where it is simply your actions that determine your fate. I determined my fate would be to stand, no matter what stood against me."
"Quite a militant outlook on things."
"My entire homeland was militant. It is part of my frustration here, in this city of soft people and petty problems. Back home, if someone were to insult you, you would fist fight them, with a wager. If I were to try that here, I'm told I would be arrested. What am I supposed to do in the face of disrespect? Your leaders say do nothing."
Professor Oobleck hummed, draining his cup. I stood, knowing that his time was done and he had to leave, so unless I wanted him to make me leave I should just go. As I stood though, I took a turn to ask him a question of my own.
"Professor, may I ask you a hypothetical question?"
"Why certainly, Mr. Arc."
"Were one to have an army, which Kingdom do you think would be most vulnerable to attack?"
He slowed down. "I highly recommend you shelf that thought, Torga, or any that stem from it. The Kingdoms have stood for centuries, and they will stand for centuries more."
I thought about the Breach incident. "Are you certain?"
I found myself outside his door, facing the west hall. Oobleck took a moment to poke around the corner and shout back. "We have to be!"
I did not hear about Roman Torchwick this day.
Tuesday was back to my regular classes. Velvet stopped by at the end of one of Ren and I's math classes. Typically, teams stuck together in classes, but occasionally exceptions and scheduling errors occurred. He kept walking when Velvet stopped me, but I noticed him waiting at the end of the hall, just out of earshot.
"You helped me." She said, her accent rough and voice gravelly. She was looking at me hesitantly, as if expecting something.
"I hurt you in the first place." I answered, not really knowing what she was looking for.
She didn't seem to agree, as she began to shake her head furiously. "I hurt me." She rasped. "You helped."
"Okay, I think I see what you're getting at here. I'm going to talk, and if at any point I'm off the mark you just poke me or something so I shut up."
"I can still talk." She coughed.
"Of course you can, and I'm honestly surprised. You're a lot stronger than you look. I just know it must hurt, so you shouldn't really have to."
She settled her weight back onto one leg and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at me. I took it as a sign to continue.
"We both know what happened in the Temple. We were running out of steam, and you saved our skins. You got hurt, copying something that you should have never been able to copy. I know it's your Semblance, and I know you have trained with it, but my power is… well it's not on a different level, it's just very separate. It's also incredibly personal, which is why I was initially upset when you used it. However, you likely feel like since it's your Semblance, you should probably know better than to copy something so unknown. I don't know if you know Ruby Rose, but she can quite literally turn herself into a cloud of super-speed rose petals. Things like that, you probably don't even try, whereas something like my Semblance, where for all anyone knows I'm just yelling the right words, seemed more mimicable."
She held a hand up with her fingers splayed, and waved it side to side. I figured this one out a couple weeks ago, it was a symbol for ' almost' or 'maybe'. I thought for a moment.
"Alright, is it a nuance I'm missing? Context?"
She punched my shoulder, which was currently covered in armour, and didn't even react.
"Ah. You thought you were strong enough to pull it off. You didn't know that to shout, you have to cast your soul - at least a part of it - away from you into the world. It is much more a spiritual or a mental skill than a physical one, though as you can tell it does quite the number physically."
She hung her head in her hands and shook it slowly. "Can I just tell you?"
"I mean, it takes away the entertainment of the guessing game, but sure." I lightly teased.
"We are Huntresses." I didn't correct her on the plural term. "Fighting Grimm is our job. I came to say thank you, for letting me keep my job."
"Oh." I responded, not having expected thanks. Considering where I even got that potion, I wouldn't have had it without her. "Um."
She punched my shoulder again. "Don't be weird." With that, she turned and walked away. I watched her until she turned the corner, not rubbing my shoulder but watching as my HP returned bit by bit until the red bar was full, after which it faded.
I was standing there looking into space when I got another punch on the shoulder. I glared at Ren, who shrugged. "She come all the way here to beat you up?"
I looked back to the hallway she had turned around, pondering. "She came to say thanks…"
He turned his gaze to where I was looking. "Huh."
Later this day, despite my message, I received no news of Roman Torchwick.
Wednesday was being looked forward to for a while. Both RWBY and JNPR had been ranked as the top two teams of the freshman year, and that was accounting for a month of me being gone. Now that I had returned, and with the Vytal tournament coming up, quite a few students and staff wanted to see just who was stronger.
I had other reasons.
[Quest Alert:] The Pre-Pre's!
Beacon is holding an informal preliminary bout, to determine qualifications for the preliminaries. Your team will fight team RWBY to blood or Aura depletion, with the victor being given a spot to compete in the tournament!
[Main Objective:] Win the bout.
[Side Objectives:] No Allies eliminated, ?
[Reward:] 50,000XP, Qualifying position in Vytal Festival Tournament, Public Reputation +5, Unlock Quest Line: A General's Game
[Failure:] Unlock Quest Line: Fall of Beacon
Accept? [Yes] [No]
Considering Beacon was where I was spending my week days, I did not very much like the idea of whatever it's 'Fall' may entail. True, I had an apartment and garage in the city I could use as back-ups but Beacon falling here would be roughly equivalent to the White-Gold tower falling in the Imperial City, which meant the surrounding lands would likely become a hotbed for bandits and opportunistic beasts. In this case, it was a given with the Grimm.
So, I had accepted the quest, and we were spending our free period this morning out at what had now been claimed as JNPR's field. Mainly, nobody else wanted to use the land with all the camera's set up to record it. I knew a small amount about RWBY's Semblances and capabilities, and we were discussing them now while we sparred.
It was at quarter speed, more so to keep our bodies limber than to actually practice anything, but it allowed us to talk without just standing in a circle.
"So," I grunted as I planted my shield in the way of a spear-thrust from Pyrrha, and the force of her attack pushed me back a foot. "I say we use Ren to counter Ruby's speed, as he should be able to sense her aura enough to keep up. Pyrrha, if you could pair off with Yang, we need to make sure she doesn't take too many hits until the end. Nora, that leaves you with either Blake or... "
"Weiss Schnee." Ren offered as he flipped over top of me, arms coming down to strike, but Pyrrha was already moving.
"Right, the Dust user. Actually, I think I'll take her."
"It isn't just Dust, Torga. She can create glyphs, a inherited semblance of the Schnees." Pyrrha explained as she twisted her sword in an odd pattern that slipped behind my shield and tapped me in the crook of the elbow. I stood high from my stance, and my team did the same when they noticed. Pyrrha was looking at me quizzically.
"You hit a vital point. Slice there, my arm would have been useless and you would have killed me in seconds. Victory is yours. Anyways, so she can do Dust and a little more. I'm sure I can handle something like that."
"Introducing!"
The small school arena had been set up again, one I remembered from my brief battle with Cardin Winchester. The bleachers were not as full as that time: I suppose a regular practice bout would not draw the crowd that my previous one did, but that did not matter.
"Our very own superstars, the Wardens of the Hunter's Gate, Team JNPR!"
The crowd gave a scattering of applause. This really was less exciting than my last match, wasn't it?
"Facing off against… the formidable Team RWBY!"
Some student had wanted to be the announcer for this event, and the faculty had let him. I personally had heard better introductions from bandits fighting their wolves against each other, but to each their own.
We stood in the circle of dirt, and I felt a little squeezed in. I knew for a fact that everyone on Team RWBY had highly mobile fighting styles, using their recoil and guns to propel them around the battlefield. How that would react with our own, objective based strategy would be interesting to see.
"Ready!"
I saw my team tense beside me.
"Set!"
Guns cocked and cycled, getting ready for action.
"Go!"
"FUS RO!"
Of course I lead off with my favourite shout, though the Schnee woman planted her rapier into the dirt and a wall of ice sprang up before the wave of force could hit them. The pillar shattered, sending ice flying in all directions, and a blur of petals pushed through the mist before it fell. Lie Ren dashed forward, met the blur, and all of a sudden was a whirlwind of martial arts barely staying ahead of the absolutely wicked scythe that Ruby wielded.
"My turn!" I heard Yang yell, then she too erupted from the mist. Her eyes were set on me, though Pyrrha stepped in front, caught her thrown punch, and used some move to send her flying back the way she came, dealing next to no damage in the process. That had been a good choice.
Nora was having a bit more trouble. She was landing hit after hit, but each time she did, Blake would be a step away from a shadow that faded. Occasionally, she would insert a Dust tinted shadow in, and Nora was working hard to avoid the effects. Eventually, she shifted her hammer to it's grenade launcher form, and started becoming more mobile herself, running, jumping, and shooting all the while.
I kept my team-mates' status at the forefront of my mind - considering they were in my party for this, it was simple - and saw Weiss Schnee, pristine and clear looking as ever, slowly strolling through the mist. My face split into a smile, and I matched her pace.
"You know I practically made this move where I'm from!" I warned her as we each started picking up speed. Leg after leg, slightly longer steps until you sort of just fall into a jog, then you pick that up until-
It was only as I was barreling towards her that I realized she was not only charging at me, but small glyphs were forming under her feet and she got a burst of speed at the last moment. I spun low for my attack, looking to get her airborne, and it worked. She performed a graceful twist and flip over me, planted her stance, then thrust.
Her eyes went wide and she tried to abort as she witnessed my spear not a hand's width from her stomach. The sword-spin into spear-thrust was a move that Pyrrha had taught me, but unfortunately I had yet to master it as I had just fallen short. That did cause her to stumble instead of thrust, though she turned the stumble into a rolling dodge when I stepped forward to thrust again.
With speed and poise she formed her posture, and a blur of thrusting attacks hit me one after the other. Weiss seemed puzzled by something, but giving me a quick once over swayed whatever held her thought. I had managed to get my shield up by this point, but she was striking with a power I never would have expected from her lithe frame. I shoved forwards with my shield, closing the distance between us, then dropped my sword as I felt whole once more.
My shield tilted horizontal, I smashed it at her face with two hands, edge first. She sprung back into a handspring with momentum. I picked up my weapon then shoved the pieces back together and shifted it into my longsword form, taking a ready stance. She squinted at me.
"You weren't taking it easy on me, were you?"
"No, girl." I answered.
"Are you waiting for something?"
I pretended to consider it, shifting my weapon to battle-axe so I could lean it on my shoulder. I saw Pyrrha take note. Good. "I suppose something like that could be said. Say, girl, could I borrow some Dust? I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here."
"No." She sounded almost petulant.
"Ah. I don't suppose you would stop using it then? I'm afraid my next technique will be dangerous, but I know I can't take you otherwise if you are using Dust."
"Dust is a tool of Hunter's and Huntresses like any other. You should have prepared."
"I did." I dashed forwards, and I saw my opponents weight shift as she attempted to leap back, but right as she put her leg back, a bronze shield flew through the space and pushed her leg to the side. She tried to pull her other leg back to catch herself, but that just ended up sending her to the ground faster. I was already leaning over, weapon dropped and each of my hands going for something.
My right hand grabbed her ponytail, and lifted. I wouldn't be able to hold her like this for long, but I could for a moment. The other shot out and grabbed her wrist tight. She struggled as I pulled her upright. "You stop manhandling me right this instant!"
"Dragonhandling it is." I grinned, making sure everything was clear both in my message and in my surroundings. I leaned in close, looked her in the eye, and winked. She shuddered, but had no time to process as I unleashed a Yol right into her fucking face.
I watched the scoreboard as her aura dropped, and dropped, until a buzz signified it was too low to continue. I dropped her pony tail, still holding her by the wrist as I redirected the rest of the fire upwards. Bits of her uniform were scorched and smoldering, but she was unharmed but for some soot. I tried to pry her weapon out of her grip. Despite her Aura being almost out, she was using what was left to hold on tight to it.
"Come now, girl. Don't be a sore loser. You are 'dead', remember?"
"You can't have my weapon."
I glanced around, though most of the other bouts were still in full swing. I had time. "I don't want your weapon, I want your Dust."
"Well, you can't even afford the Dust I have in here! What makes you think I would let you borrow an-"
Here comes part two of our plan, though frankly I'm surprised that Pyrrha's little trip maneuver went so well. No reason to change things up when we still have a path to follow.
"Leave her alone!" I heard Ruby shout as her mass of petals shot towards where I held Weiss by the wrist. I waited, hoping that this would work.
She formed just in time to take a massive swipe at me with her scythe, which I let go through my Aura. I had just a brief second of blinding pain and disorientation as I felt the wicked blade slice through my body from shoulder to hip, then the Gamer's Body asserted itself.
The skill 'Physical Endurance' has levelled up!
Still, I shuddered at the memory of feeling something cold inside me, if only for a split second, before my team came into play again.
Since Ruby had left Ren alone, he had gone over to help Nora with Blake. Blake was easily able to keep out of Nora's reach, continuously peppering her with bullets. However, when she hooked one of her ribbons behind her to pull back, she was intercepted midair by a brutal flying kick from Ren. I hadn't seen too much of the offensive skills of his martial art, but god's damn did that look awesome. Blake was slammed into the dirt beneath, and only just managed to use a clone to push herself out of reach of Nora's follow-up strike.
Her hammer cratered the ground, but I was drawn back to my own fight. After the initial attack from the scythe and seeing how much of my HP it took, I wagered I could take 3 more before I had to forfeit. The spectators were likely wondering why my Aura level didn't go down with that hit, though that was a problem for later. If anything, I would showcase my Become Ethereal shout to provide an alibi. For now, I backstepped until my foot nudged my weapon.
"Fus!" I Shouted, sending Ruby back though she was quick to whirl her scythe around and plant it in the ground, shifting it's form to start firing at me. I did not have time to block the first shot but the next three impacted off my shield as I switched into a spear-shield form. Good thing too, as that shot hit almost as hard as her scythe swipe did. Vibrations rang up and down my arm as the shield rattled under the forces.
Pyrrha was locked in combat with Yang, though I could tell at this point she wasn't going all out. Yang had yet to discover that her gauntlets were marked by Pyrrha's semblance, and she was growing more and more frustrated at her inability to land a strike. Pyrrha, for her part, was throwing easily telegraphed moves, feinting when it looked like Yang would try to take the hit. It was honestly a masterful level of denying Yang power and it reminded me that even with the levels my Gamer power gave me, she was still worlds away from me in personal combat.
Blake was on the defensive at this point. She was trying to make her way over to Yang to back her up, but every swing was interrupted by Lie Ren, and every pause ambushed by Nora coming from above with her hammer. She left a fire-clone that detonated and pushed my team back, but she only had a moment to breathe before she was set upon again.
I just had to hold out until Ren and Nora were able to deplete Blake's Aura, then we would have a two to one man advantage. It seemed easier when I initially made the plan, but now…
I was having trouble moving my shield fast enough to hit the blind spots Ruby was firing into, and was forced to take hits to my HP. I needed some AP left for our finale, if we got that far, but it didn't seem like we would. My HP was falling, Ruby was staying constantly out of reach and her face was writ with a determination I had never seen on her before.
I called out to her from behind my shield as two more rounds plowed into it, one a standard and the next a Red Dust round that detonated and slid me back on the dirt.
"Ruby!" I yelled. "Hold up!"
She had just moved to a location behind me and to my right, where my shield would have been furthest from. "We're in a fight!"
"I know!" I called back, watching as Ren went tumbling past before picking himself up and dashing back into the fray. "I love it!"
"Me too!" She moved again, not taking the open shot and coming around front to where my shield was resting. She fired a shot into it for good measure.
"Well, you beat me!" I called. "I don't have the speed or range to keep up with you, and you're fast enough to get around my defenses. In about 10 minutes, you would win."
Her posture released and she slumped slightly. "Ten minutes?" She was almost pouting. "That's no fun."
"I agree, but Weiss wouldn't lend me any Dust so I could keep up with you. I think she's a little hotheaded right now."
Ruby stifled a giggle at that. "Well, what did you need? Yang says you're pretty crazy when you get Dust so I don't want to shoot my own feet." She clicked her combat-heels together to accentuate.
"Well, Yang saw me using Wind and Electricity Dust. I've used Fire, too. To keep it fair, do you have anything I haven't tried? That way you can be sure I'm not trying to hustle you."
"Still kinda feels like you are." She noted, rummaging through her bag. She withdrew a magazine - that was what held the bullets, or rounds, for a firearm - and withdrew a single bullet, flicking it through the air at me. I would love to say I smoothly caught it, but I fumbled it and Ruby flinched, though it fell to the dirt with no adverse effect.
"Observe"
.50 BMG Ice Dust Round
One of the largest rounds available to fire from a man-portable weapon, this particular round is a home-modified variant utilizing Ice Dust. Damage is dependent on Weapon and Ice Affinity.
Ruby was smirking, with her incredibly powerful rifle still trained on me. I used my very limited Crafting skill to separate the dust from the round, which made the watching girl double-take. I then pressed the tip of the round into my palm, absorbing it.
It was really my fault for not telling her about my time with Ice Dust. She was unconscious for most of our brief time captured, and I had left her behind to go kill the White Fang members when her team had shown up. Either way, some Dust was better than none, and I absorbed it, letting it colour my aura. A frigid air surrounded me, the moisture cooling to mist and rolling away from my armour. I considered Enchanting something with it, but the Dust bar holding the Ice Dust was at perhaps a third of its capacity so I did not want to waste it on a half second display. Instead, I gripped my sword, sheathed it, and transformed the weapon into a longsword.
"You ready?" Ruby called, looking at me oddly.
"Let's find out!" I called back, finally feeling the proper chill around me that had been missing since I had arrived in this world. No slow charge this time, I tilted forwards and ran at her full sprint, sword held aside and ready. I was no faster, I was no stronger, but if I could land a hit, I might be able to slow her down and that would be as close to the same thing as I would get. So, I went hard. I had yet to try this particular move, as I wasn't sure that my body had the strength for it, even with Aura. My old armour had a brace on the right elbow for this specific move, and the brace would have been wasted on anyone without the Thu'um. If there was ever a safe place to try new combat techniques, though, it was in this school. All I had to do was get my hands on her.
So, I swung hard, beginning an intermediate combo that relied upon the enemy parrying all of your attacks. With Ruby's fighting style, I noticed it was largely circular and based on retaining momentum of her scythe, not unlike a warhammer. I adjusted the combo for the difference in length and striking power, then leapt into the spinning whirl of blades.
Overhand strike slipped to the right, the second batted away. An uppercut I stepped back, a horizontal blocked outright. I returned the strikes, utilizing any and every riposte position I had learned to try and slip past her overwhelming offense, though at best they skimmed off her Aura. Riposting against a scythe was absolutely brutal. I took my own fair share of hits, too, much more solidly connecting than the ones I dealt but I found if I let it slip through my AP and hit my body, it wouldn't push me away. So, I took hits rather than lose range again. She was typically mobile, but I could tell through gleams of whirling steel that her teeth were bared and a smile lit up her face.
Mine too. I placed my sword in position for a Strider riposte, and she compensated, having been scored by one of those not 3 seconds ago. Her gun fired, inverting the direction of her overhand strike into an underhand. While her scythe was behind her, I reached forwards and grabbed her shirt, locked the elbow, prayed to Talos that I wouldn't kill myself, then committed.
"Wuld Nah!"
It took both Ruby and I out of bounds, though I felt muscles in my shoulder and elbow tear and snap through the force of dragging someone along. We hit the wall, bouncing off, and Ruby immediately got to her feet, dashing over to the combatants waiting area where Weiss waited for us. I took my own time, making sure to keep my feet on the dirt and my eyes on my team, ready to call out if necessary. It was not typically allowed, and I knew that we would be disqualified if I did so, but with my Small Team Tactics perk, my presence was helpful in its own right. Especially if our plan kept going well.
And it did. Ruby and Weiss cheered and groaned along with the flow of the match, and at one point Yang managed to detach herself from the fight with Pyrrha just long enough to engage Ren, sending him out of bounds as well. Before she did so, she made sure to let him land a few hits, and now her hair started to glow.
"Shit." I muttered, as Ren strolled over to the spectators box. "What happened?"
"I lost myself in the flow of battle and forgot to account for my enemy rather than myself." He explained calmly.
"I see."
"It will likely happen again, though I will endeavor to prevent it."
"Don't worry about it too much. I think we won anyway."
"Yea right!" Ruby yelled, admitting her eavesdropping. "Yang will kick their butts!"
Weiss shook her head. "Pyrrha alone could have taken each one of us head on and won. Why do you think I planned to remove Ren first, then whittle them down?"
"Early bird gets the worm." I mumbled, nudging Ren. He was none too happy about being labelled the weak one on the team, but when he got the counter-insult I threw back, he gave a faint smirk.
"Hey! I'm not the weakest!" Weiss insisted.
"You objectively are, though. Your combat power comes from Dust, which anyone can use, and your Glyphs. You didn't even use a Glyph against me. Take away your sword, and what good are you against the Grimm? If I gave you a dagger, could you use your Dust? Your Glyphs?"
"I can use Glyphs without any weapons at all, thank you very much. Dust too. In fact, you beating me was nothing but a fluke of luck."
I turned to her. "Fight me."
She raised her eyebrow. "Excuse me? We just finished fighting."
I shook my head. "No, a real fight. No Aura, no weapons, just us and our bodies, fighting to see who comes out on top."
She flushed, slightly. "How barbaric! You would hit a woman?"
"Why wouldn't I?" I was puzzled. "Are women weaker in Vale or something?"
"No! You just don't hit a woman!"
I leaned over to Ren to ask a whispered question. "Is she still a woman if she acts like a girl?"
He shrugged with great amounts of regret, then nodded.
"Damn. Well, can I at least wager on Ruby to kick her ass in a fight?" I pulled a 10L note out of my inventory and waved it in the air.
"Ooo I'm betting on Weiss! Those heels would probably stab someone right in the face!"
I whirled over to see Nora standing beside Ren as if she were always there. Her hair seemed a little frizzy, and her clothes were damp.
"What happened to you?"
"Blake used a water clone." I linked the pieces together.
"That bitch."
Nora at least giggled, though Weiss did not. In fact she got quite angry. "She won fair and square, you have no right to insult her like that!"
She got a cross glance, but I made a point to not speak to her. "So anyways, Ruby? Do you want to be my champion in this match to determine whether I am stronger than Weiss?" Even saying that was so… wrong. Talking still felt wrong. I should have just started swinging when this entitled little girl started patting her own back, but… a different world was this, not one that rewarded material prowess for its own sake, and a different man I had to be.
I instead watched the glory of Pyrrha Nikos in full battle. She was not holding back anymore, could not afford to. Wherever she dodged or redirected Yang, Blake was moving in with a move to counter the end point of Pyrrha's move, and it soon devolved into a series of punches, grapples, throws, kicks, and rolls that I couldn't make sense of. Pyrrha would adjust her stance, see that Blake had taken a step backwards, and abort the move to make a lackluster thrust as a feint. Yang's gauntlet would shoot over her shield, seeming to go wide, while Blake spun her blade on the end of its ribbon, forcing Pyrrha to jump and tuck under Yang's punch. The fact that she could keep up, and was even landing strikes, was absolutely incredible.
Blake's Aura was already low, so when she swung high - not intentionally of course, but that's Pyrrha for you - her blade was knocked up and a spear thrust into her gut that sent her to her knees, her display on the giant tv flashing down to the red. She seemed winded, but a punch to Pyrrha's shield knocked her back and away and Yang was upon her again.
She kept her weapon in shield and sword forms, stepping back and deflecting punches all the while. Without Blake there, Pyrrha had a moment to breathe, and so it was not long before she unleashed a deadly combo that I knew would be the end.
She tossed her shield ahead of her like a discus, sending it rebounding off of Yang's head with a clang and spinning away through the arena. She charged with her sword making a series of slow slashes that were easily blocked until she shifted her pattern and each strike became two in the same amount of time. Yang was beginning to struggle to keep them back, when the shield finally completed its circuit, breaking some small amount of natural physics to do so.
It hit right in the crook of one of Yang's knees, forcing it to bend. It then bounced into the other leg, lifting it oh so slightly and sending it sliding an inch. Yet behind each of those strikes, Pyrrha's own legs followed and with a hook, bend, and twist, Yang was on the ground with a spear at her neck. She still had Aura, but not very much left until it was out. Her hair had stopped flowing too.
As I had told her, before anyone could react, she put her weapons away and leaned over, offering a hand to help Yang up. As soon as their hands met, those in the crowd stood and applauded. Yang and Pyrrha were speaking animatedly when they came over to the spectators booth. Blake had come over too, but was holding her stomach and looking at the ground in contemplation.
We had a brief moment to say our congratulations, and I had my own brief moment to wonder why my quest hadn't been updated. I checked, and it had. It was complete. So was the one I got from watching Zwei for Ruby. Both sat there with a small [complete] button highlighted, so I opened each and completed them.
My rewards went into my inventory, where I decided to sort it out later. It should just be Lien and a Skill Book about Youth.
My levels, on the other hand. I had received one from watching Ruby's dog - which was a piece of cake if you don't count when I brought him into a warzone - and two more from today's battle. My assorted physical stats have increased over the past couple of months as well. I resigned to place my now 25 STAT points when I got back to some privacy. I had decisions to make.
Importantly, I received a new Quest after completing the battle. Or rather, completing the Quest about the battle.
[Quest Alert:] A General's Game I: Coin Toss
Keep an eye on things. Something doesn't seem right.
[Main Objective:] Observe the Vytal Festival
[Side Objectives:] ?, ?
[Reward:] 500,000 XP, +10 Public Reputation, ?, A General's Game II
[Failure:] Quest Line: The Fall of Beacon
Accept? [Yes] [No]
I accepted, of course, because I intended on doing this anyway. However, it did worry me that this quest also had The Fall of Beacon as a failure questline. Does this mean I have to do everything perfectly or else Beacon will Fall? Is this fall inevitable?
I fought the instant urge to keep this to myself. That was a paltry grab at power, and one that would never last as it relied upon knowledge of an upcoming event that would eventually end. Thus, I was off to see the man in the high tower himself. Well, when this was over.
"-Thus, we have decided to label this match a draw!"
"What?!" I yelled, having only just tuned in.
Glynda stood from her spot in a judges booth. I hadn't noticed her there. "Mr. Arc, if you had not effectively suicided yourself to remove a combatant from the field, then your team would be the victor's right now. Had Ms. Nikos not fought Ms. Xiaolong to a surrender, then your team would be defeated. As it stands, we feel like this was equal. Thus, due to lack of interest in the civilian team slot, there is enough open space to offer a slot to both of you in the tournament. Unless you would like to fight again?"
"Yes please." I almost answered, though Pyrrha made her way over and elbowed me in the ribs as soon as Glynda was done asking her question. I held my tongue, conscious that my team perhaps might not want to do this again. To be fair, they wouldn't be back to prime within 15 minutes.
I was also fighting a small worry at the back of my mind, for I still had no news of Roman Torchwick. Thoughts of speaking to Ozpin slipped my mind, which was a large mistake of mine.
Thursday was a heavy class load, and I was in class from 8 am until 7 pm, with only a small break for lunch. Considering one of said classes was a double-period Grimm Studies, and Professor Port was only just now getting to the creepers, I felt no worries as I kept my hands clasped under the table, cycling my new Dust Factory skill to hopefully level it up.
It was slow going with only basic Dust, so I made a mental note to see if I couldn't acquire or synthesize my own Lesser Dust. Seeming as my skill was allowing me to forgo the most expensive part of Dust synthesis - The Fusion Dust - it was as easy as pushing the two types of dust into the same Dust bar.
I thought of the dust bars as tankards, to be completely honest. I typically had at least one tankard at half full, for emergencies. The type of Dust varied, on purpose, as while it did not have any skills attached, the various colourings did make me feel certain ways. Fire had me lively and aggressive, Ice brought me calm and clarity. Electric got me wired, while water imparted a willingness to adapt. Right now, I was using Wind, one of my favourites.
My hair occasionally swayed, but I made certain to not have enough Dust in my Aura to cause a commotion from my desk. I kept the bar as low as possible, though I again lamented how much Dust I just did not have. Synthesizing a small amount of acceleration Dust would be possible with what I had right now, but I didn't want to have the reaction that the synthesis causes. I was preoccupied with the pain on the train, but when I tried it again at the training field, it whipped up a whirlwind and small bolts of lightning scorched the ground. I was, however, grinding up my Aura Enchantment I skill.
I kept looking at the second skill. After all of my modifiers and cost reducers, it cost 372 AP to have a half second effect. The skill said the duration would increase with level, but I was only earning 10% of the required xp. So for every 1 cast it normally would have taken, I now had to use the skill 10 times. I imagined it would be in the thousands before the restriction was lifted, which would take weeks even if I did nothing but that and meditation. 2 Casts per 15 minutes, 8 per hour, 24 hours a day…. No, that was not an efficient method of training. Thus I hoped if I could level and promote my Aura Enchantment I skill naturally, it would remove the debuff on the next skill.
So, my left hand sat in my lap with my thumb pressed to my forefinger, emitting and reabsorbing a single unit of Wind dust repeatedly. The pinky touched the palm, where I had a unit of electricity dust. I could fuse them into one bar, but that would have provided the light show and pain that would have instantly given me away as not paying attention in class. My right hand sat on the table, idly spinning one of these 'pens' they use instead of quills, regularly enchanting the pen with my basic Aura enchantment. Part of me wanted to throw it at something, but I knew that even regular aura on a weapon can make it many times more effective. I still wanted to throw it. I even ended up getting an AGI point for my pencil twirling efforts. It must have been close to a level up anyways.
Class passed slowly like that, though eventually it let up. I began to make my way down to the Forge, and though I hadn't said a word my team followed me, chatting about something or other.
Me? I had a date with the most interesting girl in this place.
The Omni-Foundry was just as I remembered her from not a month ago, still gleaming lights and smooth lines that just made you want to touch it. Unfortunately, Ruby was not here yet. I set the foundry going, to churn out basic longsword parts I could use for crafting. With that one started and nobody using the other one, I had the second start working on spears. Pyrrha helped me choose a pahl-ee-eth-yul-een mixture that would be light for the shaft, and a good high carbon steel for the blade. I knew the value of refining steel, but steel itself can only get so strong. I was impressed by the durability of the other material Pyrrha suggested. Stronger than wood, lighter, and she told me it was very cut-resistant, if you applied a specific coating.
Disregarding the quality,these would be disposable weapons. I'm not sure what Ruby used for my own weapon but it was lighter and stronger than any material available here. With a slightly guilty conscience, I realized it was more than likely that she had put more effort into it than I had. I truly resolved to try and think of a name for it; The Hunters and Huntresses here named their weapons, so I would too.
I thought of previous named weapons I had come across. Dawnbreaker, the sword that split the night. Wuuthrad, elfsbane. Volundrung, the Hammer of Might. I would need to think heavily on my weapon, what I intend to do with it, and how it behaves. I made a note to meditate on it, then emptied the output trays of each of the Foundries and started them anew. The parts went into my inventory, where they were labelled 'Unfinished Longsword' and 'Incomplete Spear'.
I don't know how the spear was incomplete, considering it already had a shaft and blade, but my inventory said it was. In terms of my crafting, yes, these were little building blocks, but it was still a complete, functional spear, if bland.
My Crafting, while I thought about it, would be one of my harder skills to level up. Given it required materials to craft things, and I couldn't 'un-craft' objects back into their components for skill experience, it was only able to be trained when I had acquired the parts to make something. So, I was making the most expensive parts using the school's Lien, as there was nobody stopping me. I was sure I had the materials in my inventory to start crafting right then and there, but I have yet to pick up anything new since and I didn't want to just make more of the Boar's Tooth. I wanted something better. I had planned a couple of Hunts to acquire materials. I would fight another Giant Nevermore, and use those materials for the spear. Hopefully that would mesh well with the cloak and goggles I had received from the first one.
Then, there was the other materials I had received from the Forever Fall dungeon. Those in mind, I had the forge begin making an axe head, and in the other a helmet. The helm was crude, but still full plate. It would take longer than the axe head, which was almost complete by the time I had found the program for the helmet.
Ruby had arrived and was watching avidly. I gave her a small wave to invite her over.
"So you got started without me! Rude."
She was smiling, so I knew she was joking. "Had a few ideas I wanted to try out, and I'm about to do one now. Know how I made that sword out of the tusk before?"
She nodded, peering inside the small window into the flash forge. The light inside would have been blinding if not for the tinted windows. "You're making an axe this time? And…" She shifted to the other window. "A helmet? Why a helmet?"
I reached into my inventory and drew out two objects with a pang of guilt.
Blessed Wood (x13)
Crafting Material, Uncommon
Wood from the enchanted trees within the Forever Fall Temple. Used in weapon and armour crafting.
Mantle of the Woodland Fae (x1)
Crafting Material, Rare
The crown given to the protector of the Forever Fall Temple, in exchange for her protection of the glade. Used in armour and clothing crafting.
Wear to discover effects.
Ruby immediately was drawn to the crown. To be fair, it was a lot more striking than the wood.
Thin strips of ivy, bright green, were interwoven so tightly they were almost a cord. From here, two small twigs pointed up from each side, and various dark red and black flowers adorned the outside. I hadn't put it on, as it was much too small, but also I was hoping I could turn it into something else. It was the first thing I'd seen that was both a crafting material and its own item, as well as my first Rare material.
As the axe-head completed and the shielded door opened to reveal it, I grabbed it in one hand and a branch of Blessed Wood in the other.
You are in possession of multiple Crafting Materials. Would you like to Craft?
'Yes' I commanded internally, and the items scattered into an odd light that fused and swirled around each other, then materialized into an intricate weapon.
The axe-head had changed shapes, becoming longer and more elegant. A short beard extended the blade, and reattached to the haft about a hands width down. The wood was formed into a hand grip in that small space, to better use the axe for bashing and close-in work. The metal itself was no longer a steel, but a dark iron speckled with flakes of green and gold. The haft had been engraved with a series of vines and flowery motifs, and it shimmered when it caught the light.
New weapon acquired!
Axe of Forever Fall (Rare)
An axe imbued with the natural energies and blessing of the Forever Fall Temple.
Damage: 50
+50% attack power vs. undead
-50% attack power vs celestials
Grants Status Effect 'Roughing It'
I handed the axe to Ruby, as she was dancing in place while trying to get a better look at it.
Yet another status effect. This one, I was able to bring up in the item menu, unlike the Grimm sourced items. Was it because these items were created in a dungeon, by my power? So were the Grimm items, though.
"Pretty good work, Torga! Balance is a little bit head-heavy for me, but I imagine you did that on purpose to keep your momentum up. Why? When I fought you, it was mostly technique that got through my attacks, not power or momentum. Besides, if you just add a gun, you can boost your momentum whenever you need."
I coughed slightly as I took the axe back. "Well, the reason I fought like that against you was that you were too fast. Had I tried to keep up with the axe-mace form, you could have gotten too many hits in between my swings and that would have been that. I switched from the sword and board because… well because I'm not as good with a one-handed sword. You had me beat at range, and in the middle distance, so my only option was to get close and try to slow you down with the ice dust you gave me. I saw that wasn't working, so I threw us out of bounds."
"So… you have different fighting styles?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Different enemies call for different strategies. Different strategies call for different tools."
"Well duh, that's why we all have mecha-shift weapons."
"Luckily, I don't need mecha-shift weapons. I can just pull out an entirely new weapon." To demonstrate, I put the Axe of Forever Fall into my inventory and withdrew a Boar's Tooth, an unfinished sword, and an incomplete spear.
"Are you going to combine anything else?" She was looking over the building blocks, ignoring the Boar's Tooth. Once I had shown her that I had more than one, she lost most of her interest.
"Well, the helmet, when it's done. Should be my most interesting piece yet. I haven't crafted with any Rare materials before."
She nodded sagely. "Yes, you need some blue equipment before the mobs start to outlevel you."
"Sure." I answered, noting that nothing I owned except for these woven pants (jeans, I eventually learned they were called) was blue. "Anyways, I was considering trying to merge something with the armour I'm wearing, but I'm not certain what. If it's no good, I've ruined my armour. I was planning on a heavier set anyways… Something to think on."
A ding sounded, and within a second Ruby had rushed around, leaned the plethora of weapons up on a rack on the far wall, and placed the crown in one of my hands and the helmet in the other. The helm was still a little bit hot. I blinked.
"Do it!" She was bouncing on her toes, staring at my hands with visible excitement. I noticed that Pyrrha and Ren were at the shooting range, while Nora was messing around with the final computer. I shrugged.
You are in possession of multiple Crafting Materials. Would you like to Craft?
"Sure."
Again, the light, the disappearance of the weight, and then..
I almost fell over as the weight hit me, and the materials grew. I wasn't entirely sure was it was, as the helmet was gone and an oddly shimmering cloth was in its place. It felt lumpy, as if there were metal fastenings inside or some other form of addition. I wasn't able to find the top, so I threw caution to the wind and equipped it.
My shirt and chest armour disappeared, plopping themselves into my inventory as I donned my new gear.
Dryad's Embrace (Rare) (⅓)
The top piece of the Dryad's Protection Armour Set. This wrapping is imbued with the Divine and Natural energies possessed by the Dryad Guardian of Forever Fall Temple.
Damage Resistance: 44
Grants the ability to exclude your allies from the damage of an AoE attack.
+5% Damage Resistance for each member of your party that is a lower level than the user.
(⅔) +25% Damage Resistance for all party members against undead.
(3/3) +50% Damage Resistance for all party members against undead, +25% Damage for all party members against undead.
I found myself more distracted by the stats of this item than the actual form. I could fit 4 people into my party right now, which raises that bonus up to 20%. That… was a lot of reduction. I would need to out-level Pyrrha first, but I was getting there. The further implication was that this particular item came in a set, with increasing bonuses for each piece of the set. It seemed if I wanted the full set, I would again need to go to the Forever Fall Temple and somehow trigger that last room to… exist again?
I was dragged back to the present when Ruby started plucking and tugging at the garment. Luckily, one of the workbenches had a small hand mirror on it, and I used that to examine myself.
I was slightly confused about how a chest armour could come from a helmet, but it began to make sense. The garment was largely a cloak, though it attached at the top to a half helm that covered down to my forehead. Protruding from the front were two metal antlers, not a full rack but sharp and with three points each. The metal itself was that same dark iron with green-gold flecks that my new axe also possessed, and it was inlaid with more vines and flowers in a deep gold.
The cloak was the eye-turner, though. A shimmering forest green that shone gold when it caught the light in its folds. It extended straight down to the small of my back, where it faded to a patchwork of feathers in various earthy colours. It wrapped around the front, with a loop around each shoulder and two lengths of cloth crossing across my chest. My torso was otherwise bare. The get-up looked incredibly odd with jeans on, and I resolved my next armour piece would be a set of trousers.
I did a small turn. "So? What do you think?"
Ruby took a step back, and I noticed from the lack of shots that Pyrrha and Ren had paused their shooting to observe us. Nora was still busy creating something custom.
"Well, it doesn't exactly fit the school dress code…" She mumbled. "Doesn't look like it's very sturdy either.. Can I borrow that axe, again?" I let her, and she took it over to an empty forge, placing it on the rack within. She shut the safety-door, not the blast door, then set a program running. Soon enough, the computer beeped, and she handed my axe back to me while looking over the sheet that was printed out. She looks dejected for a moment, then spots something that has her eyes go wide. She took the paper and ran over to the work bench, pulling out a pencil and another sheet and beginning to scribble furiously.
"A bit drafty?" Ren commented, having made his way over to the bench I was at, still looking into the mirror.
"Not hardly." I replied. "Besides, I like the wind."
"So? What's it do?" Right, my team knew about all this stuff. Ruby was just nice enough to not prod too deep.
"Well, the armour is part of a set that gives extra bonuses, but for now it's got about 7 more damage resistance than my current chestpiece, I'll get damage reduction for every member of my party lower level than me, and it lets me avoid hitting you guys with AoE attacks. The axe is made to kill undead, though it does reduced damage against celestials, whatever those are. It also gives me a status effect, one moment…"
I took the axe and formally equipped it using my Inventory screen. I didn't feel much different, so I checked the status effect.
Status: Roughing It!
Nature was dominant, until the invention of the axe.
+10 to STR, VIT, and WIS when outside of a Social Hub.
"Huh, that's not too bad actually. If I leave a Social Hub, I get increased stats until I return."
"Not bad, considering there's only four kingdoms. That accounts for most of Remnant." Lie Ren noted. "But you can't wear the… shirt? Around the school. Might need to talk with the producers too, see if it's allowed on TV."
I looked around the open room. "Where have they been, lately?"
"No idea." Ren replied, seeming to be just as phased by this as I was. To be completely honest, I wasn't too pleased with this 'show' so far. The first episode had captured me, as I'd never seen myself fight from the outside before. Now, after sending out that message about Roman and receiving nothing in return, I was doubting how useful this thing was.
"Well, we should be seeing them tomorrow for the run-through." I changed topics. "So, I saw you looking a little frustrated over there at the range. What's up?"
He glanced down at his weapons. "They don't hit hard enough."
I quirked an eyebrow. "Really? You aren't really a hard hitter anyways."
He glared at me. "I know."
"You want to be doing more fighting, less supporting."
He nodded.
"Another trip to the Temple? Just you and I, we should be able to grind some xp and you can us-"
Two facts popped into my head, seemingly unbidden. Was this Wisdom?
The first was a reminder that, while I had been in the battle against Team RWBY, I had had my team join the party. If it all worked out like I thought it did, that meant that they would be getting a portion of the XP from that quest. Or would they get all of it? Who knew, but I did know how to find out.
Out here, on Remnant, their involvement in my party was about as useful as scrolls were. I could send messages, see their Aura levels, and that was about it. However, I remembered what I read when I first entered the Forever Fall Temple Respite:
You have reached a Rest Area! HP & AP fully restored! Status returned to 'Normal'!
You have come upon your first Rest Area! Here you and your party can take time to distribute status points, trade items, or even retreat from the dungeon.
WARNING! The next floor is the Boss Room. Once you enter, you cannot leave until the Boss is defeated. Should you retreat, all XP, Lien, and Loot will be returned to the Dungeon.
One part stood out to me: distribute status points.
"Another trip to the Temple is in order. We can go Saturday. Pyrrha? Nora? You guys coming with me?"
"Yep!" Nora shouted, finally pushing the 'Start' button on her program and walking over. "Where are we going?"
"Forever Fall Temple. We have ourselves an idea to test, and if we can beat the boss again I might be able to keep filling out this equipment set."
Nora huffed. "But those skeletons are so boring!"
I shrugged. "Then challenge yourself. Try doing the whole thing without Magnhild." She recoiled as if struck, then got a contemplative look on her face.
Pyrrha coughed. "You do remember the field trip is tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Yes, I do. We aren't going on that field trip. Well, you guys are welcome to, but Ozpin is forcing me to stay back and study."
"Then we stay and study." Pyrhha nodded once, and I felt great about it.
This was my team. These were my allies. Whether it's delving into a magical dungeon filled with the undead, or sitting around in the library trying to hammer the concept of algebra into my head, they had my back.
With a grin I turned to see Ruby standing behind me, with a sheet of paper filled with numbers and scribbles. She looked frustrated. "Explain to me how you managed to get this metal to chemically and magnetically bond on the atomic level."
Turning behind me, my team had gone back off to do their own thing.
Well, they had my back most of the time.
AN: Alright I feel like I need to explain something:
Chapters 1-20 were written like, 5 years ago. I was a trash author with no idea what I was doing. Currently, I am attempting to pull this story back onto some sort of coherent track.
That being said, I do not and will not see this as my main writing project, ever, so while I appreciate your reviews on styling and grammar, mastery of English, all that, I don't need any for content. I certainly don't need some mouth breather getting through the first chapter, then restating my authors note of: 'Yes, the MC will be backwards from a medieval society, and you shouldn't like him.' by telling me 'ew MC cringe dropped trash fic do better.'
No shit, Sherlock. I made him dislikable on purpose with few redeeming qualities. Not everyone wants to write a Gary Stu.
Life's getting easier. I'm not getting depressed when I think about my ex, and I'm starting to do the hobbies I enjoy again. Thank you to everyone who reached out. I won't do shout outs (for the same reason my A/N usually goes at the bottom of the chapter) but truly, you know who you are and you reached out when not many people in my life would. Thank you.
