Chapter 3: The begining of the end (Or at least to those who are rich)
After getting a good night's sleep after all of yesterday's madness, the first thing that I did was research the superhumans called Hunters.
I found that the thing that allows Hunters to achieve all their superhuman feats is called an aura, the mysterious power that comes from one's soul.
Which, first of all, holy cow, souls are real!
As someone who never cared about religion, this little bit of information brought out the sceptic in me, but a few videos of people doing the impossible and what I witnessed the previous night convinced me that it didn't matter whether these Hunters were religious paladins or eldrich warlocks.
Yes, none of it mattered because what did matter was that I could get those very same powers for myself!
From humans to Faunus, the animal-eared people I've been seeing around the place, anyone with a soul can use aura.
The only problem, however, is that it needs to be activated by someone. And not any random hunter you meet in a gang would do, but a professional.
The legitimate way of doing things would be to go to the hunter equivalent of a primary school.
There are two such schools in Vale, Signal and Phoros Academy, which are primary schools, despite the name. Then the graduates would go to an actual academy called Beacon Academy.
The problem with going to them is that besides the fact that I don't have any documents on me, I would also need to register my aura. From what I have read, aura is something personal and akin to a fingerprint, and while challenging, it is possible to identify an aura from a distance.
That is something I very much do not want to be dealing with, with the kind of plans I have in mind.
Besides, how hard would finding a hunter who knows how to unlock aura be?
~o~
After three hours and the same number of raided gang hideouts later, I finally had an answer to that question.
Very hard.
Only now did I realise how much I took my information network back home for granted.
When I approached the gangs this time, I even managed to endure their vulgar language enough to ask if they could unlock auras, but the moment they learned that I was an "ordinary" woman, they all pounced on me.
Or, at the very least, tried to.
On the bright side, my bank account now had 40k more Lien.
Whatever the case, it looked like small-time gangs, despite usually having one or two hunters in them, were not going to be the answer to my problem, so I needed to look for larger organisations.
That is how I ended up in front of an old brick building called The Club.
A uniformed bouncer stood in front of the entrance while giving only a token effort at concealing his weapon. His black and red uniform marked him the same organisation like the ones from yesterday's robbery. Thankfully he didn't seem to recognise me as I calmly walked past him into the club.
While the outside of the building was barely distinguishable from its surroundings, I knew that such places operated more on reputation than flashy neon signs. My theory proved correct, as the moment I entered, the old bricks of the industrial district gave way to crystal floor tiles and smooth matte-black walls.
After paying the receptionist the entrance fee, I walked past two circular double doors and arrived at the club propper, where it seemed the DJ was trying his best to give noise-induced hearing loss to his patrons. Even though I myself was the owner of a successful nightclub, I could never understand how people managed to enjoy their music this loud.
The club's interior was enormous, with a dance floor surrounded by crystal pillars as the centerpiece. Like the room before, the matte-black walls and crystal tiles seemed to be the theme of this place.
Large light installations on the ceiling were spinning around, flashing and occasionally turning red, changing the theme from black and white to red and black. Despite being only a little past noon, the dancefloor looked almost full, meaning this club had a good reputation.
The DJ was across the dancefloor, and a large bar area was to the left of it. Looking around, I couldn't spot the backroom entrance, so I went to the bar instead.
As I walked, I passed a dozen guards equipped with fire axes, of all things. And while they all kept their eye on me, it looked more like weariness than hostility, which hopefully meant they didn't know I was involved in yesterday's robbery. I still mentally prepared myself just in case I was wrong and had to fight my way out.
Two dark-haired women were sitting in front of the bartender, chatting. They wore matching dark-red and white dresses, and looking at their faces, I realised they were twins.
They would have looked adorable if not for the deadly-looking claws attached to their arms and legs.
"Hunters."
They seem to notice me as I near them and exchange glances with the bartender, a large and rugged fellow with a white shirt and black vest combo, "the boss pretending to be an employee, classic." They also give me the same weary looks like the guards around us when I sit next to them.
"What a warm welcome," since they seem content to observe me, I try to break the ice with a smile, "it usually takes a little time before people start giving me those kinds of looks." Moment of truth, do they know me or not?
Thankfully, instead of a sneer, the man just shakes his head with a tired chuckle, and I know I'm in the clear, "Sorry about that, we ran into some trouble a couple of days back, and everyone is still a bit on edge," he finally said. The weary look on his face turned into a more professional smile, "but never mind that, why don't you tell me what I can get you instead."
"No drinks for me, I'm afraid," I lean on the counter, carefully maintaining a friendly and relaxed posture, "I was actually wondering if you could satisfy my curiosity instead."
This place was obviously a decent-sized organisation, yet the boss was not behind closed doors but with easy access to anyone. This means that he provides a service that requires frequent face-to-face dealings.
"He's an information broker!"
"Did you now?" My theory was proven correct when his eyes took on a calculating glint, "and what exactly are you curious about?"
"Well, since you don't appear to be lacking in hunters," I gesture at the twins, "I was wondering if you could hook up a gal with someone who knows how to unlock it?"
He seems slightly surprised before quickly schooling his expression, "Well, there's the Signal Academy, Phoros-".
"Come now," I interrupt him, "do you really think I would have come here if I wasn't looking for something a bit more... unofficial?"
His eyes slightly narrowed, "So you know who I am?"
I couldn't help but laugh before motioning at all the armed guards around us, "Was all of this supposed to be discreet?"
The twins by the side snickered at that, so he shot them a glare, "Well then, if you know that, you should also know that a proper answer is going to cost you," he crossed his arms and straightened out, "one grand, and I'll get you an introduction."
I blinked at that because "That's it?" I take out a yellow Lien card and toss it over to him. He catches it and scans it with his phone before putting the card in his pocket, "... alright, well, you're in luck because I am the one who knows how to unlock aura."
"Fair enough, I suppose," I say with a chuckle, "but since I already paid, can I assume you're also willing to do it?"
"I sell information. Other services come at a premium." it looked like the man was waiting for some response, but I just motioned for him to continue, "ten more."
I saw the twins stiffen at those words from the corner of my eye, which probably meant this price was much higher than the standard rate. But I don't pay them any heed because it takes all I have to not break out in a massive grin.
"Holy cow! Superpowers just for ten thousand Lien?!" if this were back home, I wouldn't have minded paying ten million for this kind of thing!
It is sometimes easy to forget what ordinary people consider a large amount of money when you're used to moving millions at a time. But thinking about it rationally, ten thousand Lien is not usually a sum one could get after an hour of work.
Maintaining a polite smile, I took out ten more cards and spilt them on the counter. I pointedly did not say anything, and if the man was surprised, he hid it well as his hands calmly checked each card with his phone.
"Everything seems to be in order," he finally said after storing the cards away somewhere under the counter, "so do you want to do this in the back?"
"I've read that this could be pretty flashy," I point to the flashing light installations spinning wildly on the ceiling, "but is it going to be more flashy than this?"
"Heh, I suppose you're right," he then waved off the twins and any other guard too close to us, giving us as much privacy as a famous club could allow, "alright, now give me your hand and concentrate." We griped hands across the counter, and he closed his eyes.
Then after a second of nothing happening, he started glowing.
It was a stable, warm brown colour, unlike the flickering of a broken aura I saw from the hunters I killed. But before I could look at it any longer, my attention shifted to my hand because it also started glowing.
A dark, gunmetal grey light shone not only from the hand that the man held but from my whole body. However, I reign in my curiosity as I somehow feel that the preparations have finished, and I focus instead.
"For it is in glory that we cheat death." He started speaking, but besides the voice coming from his mouth, I also heard it from inside my head, "Through this, we become a harbinger of change so we could step above all, unceasing in seeking we're stopped by none." I felt warm energy flowing through his hand into mine, stirring something similar deep within me awake, "I release your soul and by my hand unleash thee."
The aura unlock chant is a personal matter that can give someone a glimpse into the heart of the one doing the unlocking. I probably would have been a bit more intrigued by this, but as it was, I was much more interested in the newfound power flowing around inside me.
It was simultaneously both familiar and unfamiliar because while it couldn't be compared to anything I had ever felt, I somehow already knew how to use it.
Grabbing the edge of the bar counter, I squeezed with all my strength. Predictably nothing happened because the counter was made from a thick piece of glass, but instead of feeling disheartened, I tried doing something else.
Feeling the warm energy flowing inside me, I directed it into my hand. I tried squeezing again, and the moment I put strength into my hand this time, the flawless counter shattered.
*ahem!*
But before I could admire my handiwork, the man cleared his throat and snapped me out of my daze, "You do realise that this is my bar you're breaking, right?"
I felt a slight blush creeping up my cheeks when I realised what I had just done. "Sorry."
~oxoxo~
How was Junior's aura mantra? I entered a massive writer's block when I got to that point, and I'm still not sure if I'm completely happy with it, but I made the executive decision to forcibly finish it or I felt like I would enter hiatus hell. Better this than no chapter at all, right?
How do you feel about chapter titles? Should I add them to the other chapters?
Rule 5 (I think?) - Our protagonist will start out with as much aura as a basic grunt, but it can be trained like any other stat in the game. Let's set the max to somewhere around Qrow's strength.
Thanks for all the comments! I really love hearing your thoughts, so keep them coming!