I don't own RWBY.
Review corner :
- Too many typos!
- A: I finally changed my browser's auto correct to English. So now there won't be as many typos as before. I also went back to correct all the typos I could find. English is not my first language, so I'll still make some mistakes here and there.
'Status.'
Status Window :
Name: Shean Mauve
Age: 15
Race: Human
Title: [- Goblin Slayer -]
Strength: 31
Vitality: 29(+2)
Agility: 17
Dexterity: 25
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 21
Willpower: 64
Leadership: 15
Luck: 4
Physical Resistance: 7
Poison Resistance: 34
Healing Affinity: 3
Status Effects: None.
Conditions: [Asthmatic]
Perks: None
Other Titles: [-Leader-], [-Dungeon Killer-], [-The First Player-]
Equipment:
- Grey Sneakers (+3% move speed, -5% footstep noise)
- School Bag (+2 Vitality, +5% weight reduction)
- Steel Short Sword (+3 Strength, +3 Vitality, +9 Agility, +3 Luck) (inactive)
- Steel Dagger (+6 Agility, +6 Dexterity) (inactive)
- Goblin Knife (+1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality) (inactive)
- Goblin Knife (+1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality) (inactive)
- Goblin Bow (+3 Agility, +2 Dexterity, +1 Vitality, +1 Poison Resistance) (inactive)
Overall, my growth was pretty impressive. Because of [The Gamer] skill, I had a bonus to grinding stats; add that to the effects of the Dungeon, which also increased the XP gained in stats and skills, and I was able to increase some stats that had been lacking quite rapidly. Dexterity were an example of that, having been raised from a single digit to 25.
So it would raise to 31 when I switched my title to [The First Player]. Thinking about it, that title was really amazing. Even if I started training seriously, my growth would slow down and my stats would eventually reach a ceiling. But thanks to the [The First Player], that ceiling was increased by 10.
The only stat that I wasn't able to train at all was the [Healing Affinity] stat. I had no clue how to train it. Could it even be trained at all? I had no idea.
As for the equipment, some items were inactive simply because they weren't used. If they weren't equipped in my hands or worn as clothes, their effects were inactive. The bow was hanging off my bag, the short sword were attached to my belt, and the goblin knives were in my pockets.
I started gaining Familiarity with these items, too.
For example, the school bag that gave me +2 vitality, was now at 50% Familiarity. So it gave me 5% weight reduction to the items carried inside. Which was nice to have.
The only other items I had some familiarity with were the Steel Short Sword at 30%, which granted me +3 Dexterity, and the Goblin Bow at 20%, which only granted me +1 Vitality. Very minor buffs overall, but it was interesting that the bag's bonus was something completely unrelated to stats, like my sneakers' decrease in footstep noise.
'Skills.'
Common Skills:
[Short Blunt Mastery]: Beginner Level 1
[Long Blunt Mastery]: Beginner Level 1
[Climbing]: Beginner Level 2
[Shield Mastery]: Beginner Level 2
[Spear Mastery]: Beginner Level 2
[Street Fighting]: Beginner Level 3
[Cooking]:Beginner Level 3
[Throwing]: Beginner Level 3
[Physical Conditioning]: Beginner Level 3
[Sneak Attack]: Beginner Level 4
[Nursing]: Beginner Level 4
[Long Blade Mastery]: Beginner Level 5
[Short Blade Mastery]: Beginner Level 6
[Withstanding]:Beginner Level 7
[Archery Mastery]: Beginner Level 7
[Sneak]: Beginner Level 7
[Drawing]: Beginner Level 8
[Drums Playing]: Intermediate Level 5
[Biking]: Intermediate Level 6
Uncommon Skills:
[Short Blade Throw]: Beginner Level 4
Rare Skills:
[Identify]: Beginner Level 9
Unique Skills:
[The Gamer]: Beginner Level 7
I was almost up to Beginner Level 10 with [Identify]… So it should go up to Intermediate tier.
I also reached Beginner Level 7 with [The Gamer]. So now I had -50% stat requirements, which was why I'd been able to learn [Short Blade Throw] with only 20 Dexterity, and then got +5 free Dexterity points from [The Gamer]. I wasn't lucky enough to unlock the Accuracy stat, though.
That being said, I had been level 7 with [The Gamer] for a while. It was starting to take awfully long to level up.
I wondered if I would get something special at the Intermediate level.
I sighed, and shook my head. Back to work. I walked up to the sink to splash some water on my face.
"So…" I spoke up, and turned to the others, "Who's going with me?"
"I'll go." Steele raised his hand. "My nose can be useful out there."
"All right." I nodded. "Ebony, Sylvia. Be careful of goblins. They might see us outside from the windows."
"Yes." The two girls nodded.
"Ebony. Anything to say?"
"No." She smiled at me, and squeezed my shoulder. "Just…Be careful."
"We will. Sylvia. Anything to say?"
"No… W-well. I got a [Staff Mastery] skill."
"Oh." I raised an eyebrow at her, "I thought you would get [Long Blunt Mastery]. And? Does it shoot fireballs?"
"Uh… No." she sighed in disappointment. "It's… it just boosts intelligence and agility."
"Ah. It's trash then." I snorted, and saw her pouting sadly. "Well, better than nothing." I shrugged, and ruffled her hair, "Listen to me next time, okay? Steele, anything to say?"
"N-no…" He said nervously, "Nothing to say."
"All right."
This was a technique that Sylvia had come up with.
Some people had trouble speaking up. Like Sylvia, actually. Because of their shyness. They waited for a perfect opportunity that never came, since they didn't want to bother me. I was still a little intimidating to them. Or maybe they felt that way out of respect?
Either way, she found the solution: I would ask them regularly, giving them the opportunity to speak once a day. And they were glad for it. Instead of coming to me and bothering me, they waited for me to ask them if they had anything to say.
Good minions, they were. It worked well with a group of four.
Sylvia had great ideas like that sometimes. She had a gift, that girl. Her mind was sharper than anyone else. I did not know how much Intelligence she had, but it would not surprise me if it was in the sixties or seventies.
"Let's do this then." I said.
We went on the rooftop. We checked each side of the building. I noticed an interesting spot on the east side. There were no windows all the way down on that spot, and it was opposite to the courtyard where the horde was. It was perfect. No troll would be able to see us through any window.
"Ebony. Rope."
Ebony nodded and grabbed the rope made of curtain pieces that we had crafted.
We would not take the stairs. We would go down with a rope, and back up with a rope.
There was a few simple reasons for that: zombies could not climb ropes. Also, we didn't have to worry about goblins and trolls on our way in and out.
I tested my grip on the improvised rope, finding it firm enough for my weight. Then I put my foot in a knot we had previously made.
"Lower it," I ordered.
And so, I was slowly lowered, like a package of meat into a pool of piranhas. There were five zombies below that raised their arms towards me, but I was still four floors higher than them.
"Ebony!" I called. "Zombies."
"I got it!"
Shtck!
One of the zombies dropped to the ground, an arrow in his skull.
I looked up. Ebony had stepped on the ledge of the roof and was aiming her bow and arrow at the zombies below me.
Shtck!
Shtck!
"Man, I love that critical strike sound." Ebony sighed above me. "So satisfying."
Shtck!
Shtck!
"Graaaahhh..." The last zombie sighed in disappointment and dropped to the ground.
"All clear." I called, "Lower."
Once I was low enough, I jumped down.
"[Sneak]."
"Aaaaargh!" A zombie growled at me.
"So much for that." I groaned, raising my sword at the three zombies that dashed towards me.
"Ha!" I slashed one on its leg, and stabbed another in the skull.
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Human).
As for the third-
A shadow crashed down on the remaining zombie.
Steele stood up on the body, raised his crowbar and slammed it on its skull.
I finished the last one who was crawling on the floor.
Ding!
You have defeated a Zombie(Human).
I stared at the Faunus.
"Did you just… jump off several floors?" I asked.
"Yep." Steele puffed out his chest, "It's a skill called [Aerial Take Down]."
"Nice. Let's shut up, now."
I looked around us at our surroundings.
Behind us was the wall of the building we had climbed down from.
In front of us was the teachers' parking, with a bunch of cars. Further away, the teacher's entrance, with the gate closed. And the dungeon's force field keeping us from leaving the school, of course.
To our right, up north, was an office building. There might be a break room with some food in there. It was also where the infirmary was, along with an amphitheater.
To our left, was the LRC. The Learning Resource Center. So, the media library, with a bunch of books and computers. Probably not much food in there, aside from a couple vending machines maybe. I never went to that place.
The broadcasting station was the building further behind the LRC, in the south-east corner of the school. According to Jaune Arc's information, they had secured one of the floors, but were otherwise surrounded by monsters. It was risky to go there.
"Where should we go first?" Steele asked anxiously.
"I wanted to check if I could get a car working…" I mused ,looking at the parking, "But for now, food really takes priority."
"Wouldn't we need keys anyway?"
"No. I know how to start them."
"R-really?"
"If you're a good boy, I'll show you how." I said, and nodded at the offices on our right, "Come on. Let's go."
We sneaked along the edge of our building until we reached the gap between the two buildings.
I took a peak around the corner.
No one, just like we checked from the roof.
We dashed forward to the offices' entrance.
The double doors were wide open. We stepped in.
"Smell anything in there?" I asked Steele, who started sniffing the air.
"Obviously there's the smell of rotting corpses. But there's also a weird smell. The air is very dry. Something is burning…?"
I frowned. We hadn't seen any smoke. Regardless, I took out my asthma medicine and inhaled a dose, just in case.
I looked into the hall at the entrance. The walls had burnt marks, but had clearly not been on fire. There were corpses lying around with burned marks on them, too, but they had clearly not been on fire.
…What's going on here?
My eyes fell on a vending machine in the hall.
"Oh shit." I grinned, "Jackpot."
One was filled with drinks, and the other with snacks.
"There's a lock…" Steele whispered.
"If we want to do this quietly, we should try to find the key…" I mused. "But… we might not find it."
"I could smash the glass." Steele suggested.
"…Too noisy… Let's explore the building first. Figure out if there's a monster spawn point."
"All right…" Steele sighed, disappointed.
We started slowly exploring the building.
As we did so, I used Identify, and finally reached Intermediate with it.
Ding!
[Identify]'s level has increased to Intermediate Level 1.
'Identify skill', I called mentally, eager to check out the skill.
[Skill: Identify (Active)]
Rank: Rare
Level: Intermediate Level 1
Effects: View relevant information on any target.
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Range: 20 meters
Any target. Including living ones.
I glanced at Steele.
'Identify'.
Name: Steele Yellowleaf
Age: 15
Race: Faunus
Title: [- Goblin Slayer -]
Status Effects: None
I still wasn't able to see much. But status effects and titles weren't too bad. In fact, I could even learn the name of any stranger now; I didn't need to personally know them like I did Steele.
"Shean!" Steele hissed. "I found it."
The door he was pointing at had a broken glass panel in it. I took a peak on the other side.
The break room. Two fridges, a microwave, a sink, a table and a shelf.
"Nice." I smacked his shoulder.
We stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind us. I opened the fridge.
A bunch of yogurts. A rotten banana. An apple. A bottle of orange juice. A beer. Some ketchup, some mayonnaise. And two lunchboxes.
Inside the first one was a peanut-butter sandwich and some cookies. The other was empty.
However, those lunchboxes were powered with ice dust. We could use them to store perishable food.
"There's not that much," Steele whispered to me, disappointed.
"The ketchup and mayonnaise have a lot of calories." I replied as I stuffed everything into the lunch boxes, "It'll help us more than you may think."
"I guess." Steele sighed, and opened a counter. "There's a coffee bag and some sugar here, too."
"Grab those."
"And tea bags…Ah, there's a saucepan, and a frying pan. Biscuits. Cutlery, too."
"Grab those too. We might need to cook something. Grab everything."
"All right…" Steele nodded, and started stuffing his bag with everything.
"Screwdriver," I asked, and Steele handed me one. I used it to unscrew the panel behind the fridge. There was an Ice Crystal and a Lightning Crystal in there. "Let's get those too…" I mused.
Then, we heard a weird noise.
It was, like, a loud snort. Coming from the corridor.
We froze, glancing at each other.
"The smell… It's a beast," Steele hissed, sniffing the air.
We looked at the door, and hid on each side of it. I put a finger on my lips, quietly telling the wide eyed Faunus besides me to be silent.
"…"
Sniff… sniff…
"Grrrr…"
A beast. Some kind of beast was roaming the building. Sniffing the air. It smelled us. Even though we had used the sinks to clean ourselves, we hadn't taken a proper shower in two weeks.
I gulped, hearing his soft footsteps on the ground.
Sniff… Sniff…
"Grrr…"
We couldn't stay like this.
Slowly, I took a peak through the gap in the door.
Thunder Tiger
A big tiger with white fur and black stripes. It had two horns sticking out from its skull. A spark lit up between the two, as if they were supercharged with electricity.
'Identify' I thought, and duck my head back to my hiding spot before the tiger turned its head towards me. The information popped up in a window.
Thunder Tiger
Status Effects: None
A type of tiger that is imbued with lightning. It can use lightning attacks with its horns and claws. Its roar sounds like thunder.
It has a weakness to water, as it can disturb the electrical current flowing through its body.
"Water," I hissed at Steele, who nodded and grabbed the saucepan from his bag. As he did, I drew my sword, and switched my title to [The First Player], internally thanking the gods for my [Identify] skill reaching Intermediate and giving me a weakness to target.
Sniff… Sniff...
"Grrrr…"
Oh shit. Those sounded like they came from right behind the door.
My eyes widened as I saw a big paw step on the door's window.
Sniff…
"Sniff this!" I groaned, and stabbed my short sword into its paw.
"ROAAAAR!" The tiger roared angrily, jumping back and taking my sword with him.
"Fuck!" My eyes widened as the tiger's horns started shining. I dove to the left.
Dzzzt!
BOOM!
A lightning bolt shot out of its horns and impacted the door, blowing it open.
The tiger jumped in, and dashed onto me. I rolled out of the way and kicked it in the face, causing another roar. It swung an angry claw at me, barely slashing my leg.
Dzzzt!
Electricity spread into my body from the strike, stunning me and causing me to fall on the ground. The tiger stepped on my chest and opened its mouth wide to bite my head off -
"Aaaah!" I heard Steele yell a battle cry, splashing the saucepan full of water onto the tiger's head. The beast roared in pain, and started trembling, apparently stunned, and I seized the opportunity to get free, stand on my feet and swing my dagger at the huge beast.
It slashed through the tiger's fur into its neck, and the animal yelped in pain, swinging a claw at me blindly. I easily dodged the sloppy attack by jumping back, and the tiger limped towards the door, trying to escape.
"[Short Blade Throw]!"
I threw my dagger at the beast, and it stabbed the tiger into its belly, making growl in pain and stumble. Grabbing my two goblin knives from my pockets, I used the skill two more times. The first knife missed, but the other one cut through one of its leg, and the tiger dropped to the ground, no longer able to move. Soon after, Steele was on him and bashed his crowbar on the tiger, and I soon joined him to fetch my short sword and slash its throat.
Ding!
You have defeated a Thunder Tiger.
[Short Blade Throw]'s level has increased to Beginner level 5.
The [Luck] stat has increased by one.
The [Luck] stat has increased by one.
"Bad kitty. Bad..." I panted, and wondered why I gained so much luck all of a sudden.
I took the time to bandage my leg which had suffered a minor wound. Then, I searched around the body for any loot, and grinned widely when I found a skill shard, made from a golden colored mineral.
"What's that?" Steele asked.
"A skill shard." I answered, "Wanna see it?"
"Y-yes!"
I let him take it and I used Identify on it.
Skill shard: [Lightning Discharge]
Compatibility: 10% (negated)
Effects: New Skill: [Lightning Discharge], +10 Lightning Affinity(new stat)(unique), +50 Lightning Charge(new stat)(unique).
Requires: 40(-20) Vitality, 10(-5) Lightning Resistance(locked)
[The Gamer]: +10 Lightning Resistance(new stat)(unique), +10 Lightning Affinity(new stat)(unique)
"What do you see?" I asked Steele.
"Uh…It looks like it contains a skill named [Lightning Discharge]." Steele said, "But it requires 40(+36) vitality and 10(+9) Lightning Resistance."
"So… 76? And 19?" I blinked at him. "What the hell? Really?"
"Yeah," Steele sighed, "It says there's a compatibility 10%. So I think it increases the stat requirement by 90%. So it goes from 10 to 19 for the Lightning Resistance, and from 40 to 76 for the Vitality." He explained. "That sucks, we don't even have the Lightning Resistance stat. We'll never be able to learn that skill."
"…Hmm…"
"Well, I guess it makes sense." Steele mused, "Our bodies aren't built to hold an electric charge that high."
But… In my case, the compatibility thing was negated by [The Gamer]. So did that mean I could learn any skill, regardless of race? Like, a dragon's Fire Breath skill?
That was fucking awesome. My best skill, coming in clutch as always.
"...For me, it says I only need 20 Vitality and 5 Lightning Resistance." I declared.
"Eh?" Steele gaped at me. "Why are you compatible and not me? That's, like, 150% compatibility. Is it because you're so big?"
"Doesn't matter," I shrugged, avoiding the question. "I can't learn it either. I have enough vitality, but I don't have the Lightning Resistance stat unlocked."
"Right…" He nodded, putting the skill shard in his bag.
"Is that all it dropped?"
"Looks like it." Steele said, looking around.
I looked at the bleeding corpse of the thunder tiger.
It was huge.
I had an idea.
"Hey…"
"What?"
"Ever wondered what tiger tastes like?"
"…"
"I bet it's delicious." I grinned widely.
Later…
Ding!
You have acquired a new skill: [Butchering]
"Finally," I panted, putting the first decent piece of meat in one of the lunchboxes. It was so huge it filled it completely.
'Butchering skill'.
[Skill: Butchering(Passive)]
Rank: Common
Level: Beginner Level 1
Effects: +10% meat extraction speed. +10% Dexterity and Accuracy(locked) when operating on bodies. Better at recognizing which body parts are edible.
A good skill to have for survival.
However, now I was covered in blood, having sliced through the flesh of the tiger unceremoniously. It was fucking disgusting. But it was necessary. And with my Willpower, as usual, I endured it; and I would soon grow used to it.
"Disgusting." Steele commented from behind me, as he was watching the corridor.
The little bitch was standing guard and letting me do all the work.
"No dinner for you." I decided, to which Steele spluttered in surprise.
"E-eh?"
"We don't feed ungrateful little bitches in this group." I said.
"Oh, come on…" He whined. I ignored him.
'Identify'
Thunder Tiger Meat
Edible, but dangerous uncooked.
Effects: +5 Lightning Resistance(6 hours).
[The Gamer]: 30% chance of getting +3 Lightning Resistance(new stat) (unique)
And there it was. Thunder Tiger meat was confirmed edible. So assuming there was a spawn point in this building, the Thunder Tigers were a renewable source of food! This meant that we wouldn't be hungry all the time anymore. I really hoped tiger tasted good.
In addition, [The Gamer] gave me a chance of unlocking the Lightning Resistance stat. Which meant I would eventually be able to learn the [Lightning Discharge] skill.
"You are what you eat," I chuckled.
I had also managed to harvest one of the horns of the tiger.
Thunder Tiger Horn
The horn of a thunder tiger.
Can be used as a short blade weapon. Can hold a [Lightning Charge]. If it is holding a [Lightning Charge], it may discharge it and deal lightning damage to the target.
Effects: +10 Lightning Affinity. +40 Accuracy(locked) when using a skill related to Lightning.
[The Gamer]: +20 Lightning Resistance
Apparently, these horns could be used not only as short blades, but also as batteries, and as a tool to improve control and aiming with lightning related skills.
"Those would make good ammunition to throw." I mused, "Even its shape if not making it very easy to throw."
"It's not aerodynamic." Steele corrected. "What you said. It's called aerodynamism."
"Nerd alert." I rolled my eyes.
As for the fur, I was not skilled enough to harvest it. Truthfully, I wasn't skilled enough to harvest 90% of the copse, and was lucky to have managed so much on my first try.
Still, I had harvested a big chunk of meat and that would be plenty to feed four people tonight. Then we could go back tomorrow to kill another tiger, possibly with the entire team. And as long as I continued to do it, I would increase my Butchering skill, and harvest more and more meat.
Ebony had mentioned she did some hunting with her sister… what's her name. Clementine. Didn't she? Could it be, Ebony knew the [Butchering] skill too? Could she be at a higher tier? If that was the case, I could ask her to teach me again.
And as a bonus, I'd get more one on one time with her...
...Wait. Since when did I start to look forward to my private meetings with her?
Well, she was basically a friend now. There was nothing wrong with looking forward to spending time with a friend… I kinda felt that way with Daryl, too. Bless him.
Anyway. With this, the sense of urgency that had plagued our group would be alleviated. I didn't know how much time we were going to stay in this fucking Dungeon, but it was nice to know that we would be able to stay indefinitely if we really needed to.
"H-hey…" Steele spoke up, "I'm gonna get to eat tonight, right?"
"… I still haven't heard an apology." I replied.
"O-okay…I'm sorry…" Steele sighed.
"All right. I'll forgive you," I smirked, "If you come to give me a big hug."
"Uh…" Steele froze, seeing me stand straight.
I was still covered in blood, from head to toe.
"…Do I have to?" He complained.
"Come here," I grinned widely, opening my arms.
He sighed and walked to me.
"E-eeewwww…" He cringed as I wrapped my arms around him and made sure to spread as much blood as I could on his clothes. And on his face, too, of course. "Ew, eeeeewww!"
Man, this guy was whining too much. It wasn't that bad.
Time to give him a lesson.
"Good!" I smirked, stepped away from him, and grabbed him by the neck.
"Huh…?"
With no warning, I shoved him into the dead tiger's guts.
He screamed in horror, struggling against my arms as I maintained him inside the bloody guts.
"W-waaah…"
When I extracted him, the little guy's body was shaking, and he was crying, his dog ears flat on his head.
I grabbed him by his collar and forced him to look at me.
"When someone works hard to put food on your plate. You be fucking grateful to them."
"O-ok…" He sobbed, nodding his head.
"…Stop crying!" I groaned, annoyed. "Fucking man up already."
"Y-yes..." He breathed heavily, "Yes…"
I pat him on the shoulder. "All right, that's it. You need to be a big boy now. Stuff like this? It's gonna happen all the time." I laughed, "I'm just helping you get used to it!"
"Yes…" He exhaled slowly, "Of course…" He blinked, slapping his bloody hands on his cheeks. "G-get it together..." He mumbled to himself.
I lightly slapped his back. He was still a wimp, but we might make something out of this little guy.
It made me wonder. I couldn't stand him in the past… But now I was relying on him more and more. He followed every single one of my orders without questioning them. So, why…?
"Why did you not defend yourself?" I asked him.
"Hu-uh?" He blinked at me.
"Before. Before the apocalypse. Before the System."
"You mean…"
"Why did you let people bully you?" I questioned. "Treat you like an animal. Why did you not fight back?"
"I…" Steele looked away, hesitating. "I was too weak…"
"Then just get stronger." I scoffed, "Besides, even weak people, when they fight back, get a little respect. So why didn't you?"
"Because…" He frowned, "My life was not threatened…"
"So people can shit all over you, as long as they don't kill you?"
"N-no…"
"Why then?"
"I… I'm a Faunus. If someone like me fights back… It'll just get worse."
"…" I gaped at him. "Did… Did you just really say that? Seriously?"
"U-um…"
"You see, this! This is why I can't stand you!" I pushed him, making him fall on his ass. "You just sit there and take it. You're smart, you're dedicated, you're loyal. But you're a fucking coward!"
Steele gritted his teeth, glaring at me. "If you were a Faunus…"
"Don't you fucking hide behind that!" I snapped, pointing a angry finger at him, "The White Fang are Faunus, and they're fighting to earn their place in the world!"
"You… You agree with the White Fang?!"
"I do!" I laughed. "Why would I not?"
"They're terrorists!"
"If I have to become a terrorist to not get shit on everyday, me, my family and my friends…Just because of some animal part I was born with? Then I'll become a terrorist. Because it's bullshit! If I was a Faunus, I would probably not enroll in the White Fang, it's too large scale for me. But I would still fight, somehow, some way, in my little corner of the world, to make people respect me."
"…"
Steele stared at me for a long moment, speechless.
"How is this any different?" I asked, raising my arms at my surroundings. "The apocalypse? The System? The world has become shit, sure! But for you?" I snorted condescendingly, "For you, the world was already shit."
"I…" Steele sniffed, unsure. "I… I don't know… I didn't think it was shit…"
"You were bullied every single day!" I raised my voice, pointing my finger at him. "And you just took it! Like a bitch!"
"I…"
"Why…! Why do you fight now?"
"Because… I don't want to die!"
"No!" I hissed, and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to look at me in the eyes. "I'll tell you why you fight now. You fight now, because you want to live! To live decently! To live a good life! 'Not dying'… what the fuck kind of shitty reason is that?! Why did you not want to live a good life before?"
"I was happy! I was fine with my way of life!"
"Then you were just a weakling!" I scoffed, releasing him.
"…"
We both stayed silent as I exhaled heavily, frustrated.
"But…" I shook my head, "You're not a weakling now… You're stronger now. You're fighting." I sighed, shaking my head. "I… I don't understand. I don't get it…"
"…We're only fighting monster and zombies…" Steele pointed out.
I froze.
"…Are you saying that… If we manage to make it outside, you're still going to take shit from people without doing anything?" I asked, eyes wide. "Are you still going to let people discriminate against you without fighting back?"
"…"
There was a heavy silence between the two of us.
"..."
He stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.
"…Have you no shame?" I whispered. "No self-respect?"
"…"
"What about the others? Sylvia, Ebony. Me. Or your family, your parents. If people disrespected us and actively, unfairly, made our lives worse, you'd just stand there and let them do it, huh?"
"…N-no, b-but… It's not that simple… There's a proper way to do things. You can't just-"
"You disgust me." I spat, repulsed.
"…"
He didn't say anything, and I turned away from him, shaking my head.
What good was he if he had the power to protect those he cared about, but never used it?
Fucking hell. I couldn't stand him. I could never be friends with him.
It was just impossible.
He was no good like this…
So I would have to change him. Change him for the better. Teach him.
And if he still wouldn't change? Then I would stop protecting him. Let him die, for all I care.
I wasn't going to waste my time protecting someone who didn't want to help his friends when they needed it.
Later.
We came back to the building, and wrapped the rope around the two lunchboxes and our bags.
Then, after we pulled on it twice to signal the girls, Ebony and Sylvia lifted the package onto the roof. Meanwhile, we stayed aware of our surroundings.
Should we explore more?
Check the infirmary? I had no need for medicine yet, I had plenty left. Go back for the vending machines that we had left behind, intact? No… Today had been a stressful day, but also a successful one… We should not ruin that by ending on a failure. We did enough.
And so, Steele and I climbed back on the rooftop, using the rope. I let the Faunus go first, just so I could catch him if he fell. Then I went last.
Ding!
[Climbing]'s level has increased to Beginner Level 3.
The [Strength] stat has increased by one.
"Phew," I breathed after finishing the climb.
To my surprise, I was welcomed with a hug from Ebony.
"You came back. Thank you."
"Uh…" I blinked, and she stepped back. "Thanks."
She looked me up and down. "All this blood... Are you injured? Do you need Nursing?"
"Only on the leg. I should be fine for now, but I wouldn't mind some Nursing later."
"Of course."
I noticed Sylvia staring at me. It looked like she was hesitating.
"What, am I too bloody to be hugged?" I joked. "Don't force yourself."
"…" She stepped forward and gave me a brief hug. "Welcome back…" She muttered.
"Adorable." I rolled my eyes, making her blush bright red and smack me on the shoulder. "Now... What the hell is that thing on your head?"
She was wearing some kind of weird hat on her head. It looked like a witch's hat.
"It's a hat that we looted from a goblin shaman." She flushed.
"Is that so...? You fought a shaman? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I kind of sniped him, and all the others fled for their lives." Ebony chuckled, "They're starting to fear us."
"Good." I nodded.
'Identify'
Elemental Mage's Hat
A hat stolen by goblins from an unfortunate mage.
It is in good condition. It boosts all elemental magic.
Effects: +5 Red Magic(locked), +5 Blue Magic(locked), +5 all elemental Affinities(0).
[The Gamer]: +5 Intelligence, +5 Willpower.
"Blue magic...?" I blinked, confused. "Another stat we can't access. Your hat is useless."
"B-but... It will gain more effects when I gain some Familiarity with it." Sylvia pointed out, pouting. "And... I like it."
"You look like a witch." I stated.
"I think that's exactly what she wants," Ebony giggled, "You are such a geek, Sylvia!"
"Hey. It looks cool." Sylvia crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at us.
"Have it your way," I shrugged.
"So…?" Ebony turned to me, and pointed at our bags and lunchboxes, "Is there food in there?"
"Yeah. We found a new monster: Thunder Tigers. We think there's a spawn point in the offices north of here." I explained, "We killed one, and I tried to butcher it to get the meat."
"Oh, so that's why you're covered in blood…"
"Yeah. There's a big chunk of meat in one of the lunchboxes. You got the [Butchering] skill?" I asked Ebony, who blinked.
"Uh, no. Clem and I usually sold the meat to the village's butcher…"
"Ah, man..." I sighed. "Bah. I guess I'll learn through trial and error. I got enough meat for four tonight, and we'll have some yogurt for dessert."
"Yes!" "Yeah!" The two girls cheered with joyful expressions on their faces.
Meanwhile, Steele was staying quiet.
He looked deep in thought. Probably reflecting on our last conversation.
Good, good. Very good.
Train that Wisdom stat, Steele. When you're ready, I'll be there to guide you.
Later.
We went back to our base on the fifth floor, and just as we were about to reach it...
"Goblins!"
Ebony instantly drew her bow and arrow, and shot somewhere behind us. We heard a goblin growl in pain and drop to the ground.
"Only one?" I asked, drawing my bow.
"There's another one. Behind the corner, in the staircase." She muttered. "At the end of the corridor. I saw something move."
"Got it," I nodded, drawing an arrow and aiming at -
"Woah!" A voice suddenly called from behind the corner. "Not cool!"
The four of us paused, glancing at each other in surprise.
"All right, listen…" The voice spoke up again, still hiding in the corner. "I haven't seen anyone in a week. I saw people climb that building from far away, so I thought I would check it out! If you don't trust strangers, I can just leave!"
"What should we do?" Ebony hissed at me.
I ignored her and lowered my bow. That voice, I recognized it. Was that…?
My heart skipped a beat.
"…Daryl?" I called, uncertain, with a trembling voice. "Is that Daryl?"
"…"
There was a second of stunned silence, before a familiar face peaked out of the corner.
Wild, spiky black hair and wide eyes, with a glint of craziness. Shirtless, as usual.
Daryl Crocus
- Slime Slayer -
It… It was really him.
He stepped away from the corner, lowering his baseball bat.
"…Ass-man?" He called, disbelieving.
The three others turned their heads to stare at me, silently judging me.
I grinned widely, "Goddammit, Daryl."
"ASS-MAN!"