I don't own RWBY.
"Make her a splint," Jaune ordered to one of the Faunus that had opened the barricade for us. He handed Sophia to him.
"What about them?" The Faunus asked.
Jaune looked back at me and Sebastian. "I'll deal with them..." He turned to Steele. "You can go, Seal."
"It's Steele!" The Faunus barked, frustrated.
"Uh," Jaune blinked, "Sorry. You can go, Steele."
I nodded at Steele, who looked around with wide eyes, not knowing where to go.
"Shean, if you can just… keep a hold of Sebastian, and follow me." Jaune requested.
"Sure." I nodded and followed after Jaune, still holding Sebastian close to me.
"In here." Jaune said, opening the door of a small storage room. Inside were a bunch of shelves, a table and two chairs.
We stepped in, and I sat Sebastian on a chair.
"Y-you'll see…" The guy panted, "I'm not infected."
"You're delusional." I replied, rolling my eyes.
"You're gonna let me go… after some time, right?" Sebastian asked Jaune.
Oh fuck no.
"Sure!" Jaune nodded, grabbing a notebook and a pen.
"…" I stared at the blonde, wondering if he was serious or lying.
"What's your name?" Jaune asked kindly. "Your full name."
"Sebastian… I'm Sebastian Mason."
"Sebastian... I'll just call you Seb." Jaune chuckled, writing it down on his notebook. "It's short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. I bet the ladies would love it!"
"Ha…" Sebastian chuckled, his posture relaxing a little bit. "Not really, but... Sure…"
"So Seb! Do you mind if I record this?"
"…Why?"
"To leave a trace. And that way, if you really die… we'll give the tape to your friends and family, if we find them."
"Oh…" Sebastian blinked, "Okay…"
"All right." Jaune mumbled, setting up his scroll in front of him, so that it was pointing straight at Sebastian. "Hmm, hmm hmm… Let's turn this on…There!" He nodded, and leaned back in his chair. "Need a drink?"
"Y-yeah… I'm pretty thirsty." Sebastian nodded gratefully.
"Tea or water…?"
"Water."
"All right. Shean, there's a bottle and some plastic cups behind you… Do you mind…?"
"Uh… Sure." I nodded, and poured a cup of water. Then I helped Sebastian drink it.
"Mhg… Thanks." He groaned.
"So, what's your thing, Seb?" Jaune asked, "Tell me your story!"
Then, Sebastian started talking about his life, and how he fared in the apocalypse.
As he spoke, I met Jaune's eyes. He quietly nodded towards the door, prompting me to leave.
He wasn't going to restrain him? Bind him to the chair? No, nothing? Okay…
I stepped outside the room, closed the door behind me, and paused for a moment.
I had met Jaune Arc for five minutes only, but somehow… It was enough.
I got it. Why so many people followed him and believed in him.
Jaune Arc was a leader who did things the human way. Granting Sebastian some peace in his last moments, chatting with him like a friend reminiscing of his life.
It was something I wouldn't be able to do…
Which might be the reason why Jaune hadn't dismissed me like he had Steele. He wanted to show me this. He wanted to tell me, 'this is how it works here.'
"M. Mauve." An old voice stirred me from my thoughts. "It is good to see you survived."
I widened my eyes.
Jacques Bronze
[- High-School Principal -]
A black-skinned, bald old man with a walking stick was standing in front of me.
The principal. He somehow survived. Unbelievable.
"Principal Bronze." I greeted, smirking. "How is the alcohol addiction going? Not good, I imagine."
"Rough." The man chuckled. "What about you, M. Mauve, are you still as irritable and violent as usual?"
"The fact that I'm standing here talking to your corrupted ass says it all." I replied. "Doesn't it?"
I could never stand the guy. He was always the one punishing and lecturing me and Daryl. Me, about my violent tendencies, and Daryl… for being Daryl.
He hummed. "Nice to see the apocalypse has done you good." He chuckled, "Would you walk with me, then?"
"Sure." I nodded, and we started walking. "So… This community. Pretty impressive."
"Indeed. M. Arc made us start barricading the stairs very early. And we had the chance of having access to a storage of food products on this floor. Those would normally be used for school trips or to hold afternoon tea or morning breakfast. So I'm afraid we don't have healthy food such as vegetables or fruits… But it's enough for now."
"Hm." I grunted, "That is lucky."
"Let's meet everyone, shall we?" He smiled, and we stepped into a big classroom.
It seemed like everyone had regrouped in there for come kind of announcement.
Wait, was I the announcement?
"Everyone," The principal raised his voice, "I'd like to introduce some new survivors that made it here. As always, the more we are, the higher our chances of making it! Welcome, Steele, Sylvia, Shean, Daryl and Ebony!"
Everyone cheered, clapping their hands and looking at the five of us who were spread around the room.
"Welcome!"
"You've made it!"
"Glad to have you!"
"Now, it is my regret to inform you that our esteemed ace, Sophia Celeste, got injured, so we'll need to take a moment to treat her. As for M. Arc, he is busy talking to another survivor." The principal continued. "We will decide on our next step after that."
Everyone nodded and started chatting quietly among themselves.
There seemed to be about thirty people in total. With us, thirty-five.
Most of them formed small groups of two to four people. Friends and family staying together, I assumed.
Fucking hell. So many people. I didn't like it…
I watched people lining up a bunch of heavy weapons on the wall. Swords, axes, war-hammers, heavy shields. On another table, various pieces of light and heavy armor were lined up. Some were made of leather, others from some kind of dark-green metal. Looted from Orcs, most likely.
The smell of cooked bacon strips suddenly came to tickle my nose, and my stomach growled.
"Want some?" A guy asked me, raising a plate full of bacon strips towards me. "Whoa!" He widened his eyes at me.
"Sure..." I groaned hungrily, grabbing a bacon strip and taking a bite. "...What?" I frowned, glaring at him. "Do I have something on my face?
"Sorry! It's just... You must get that a lot, but... Your eyes are, like, really intense!"
I raised an eyebrow at him as I munched on the meat. Was this guy actually hitting on me?
Levi Bubbles
[- Not title -]
"Not really." I grunted at him, "They're just green."
"Uh, no," He stared at me, confused. "I'm pretty sure they're blue."
"Huh?" I blinked at him, equally confused. "I know the color of my eyes, okay?... They're fucking green."
"Nu-uh," He insisted, "They're, like, sparkling with electricity. Crazy!" He laughed. "Anyway, I hope you feel welcome here. See you later!"
He walked away, continuing to offer bacon strips to the people around him.
"..."
Blue? My eyes, fucking blue? No... Did the Lightning skill change the color of my eyes?
I spotted Daryl waving at me, sat alone in a corner of the room. I was relieved to see him.
"Daryl… What's up?" I walked up to him and sat down.
"…Hey ass-man…" He smiled at me sadly. "Doing OK. I don't see Maya around here…"
I reached my arm to pat his shoulder. "We'll find her, Daryl. I'm sure she's okay."
"Yeah…"
"…"
"…"
"Hey. Are my eyes weird?" I asked him suddenly. "Are they still green?"
"Hm?" Daryl raised an eyebrow at me, and leaned closer, looking into my eyes. "No, they're still green," He said, and I sighed in relief. "Wait, no... It's weird." He leaned to the left, and to the right. "There's, like, a white-blue spark in them. It depends on the angle... When I look at them from that way, they look blue."
"But they're actually still green, right?" I asked him again.
"Well, yeah." Daryl nodded.
I channeled [Lightning Discharge] into my eyes a tiny bit. "What about now?"
"Whoa. That's cool! Yeah, they're glowing full white-blue now!"
I hummed, turning off the skill. If my Lightning Charge stat was empty, my eyes would probably go back to being green.
"This is unlike you, ass-man." Daryl chuckled, "Why are you so insecure about this all of a sudden?"
"Hey, you can change whatever you want about my body. But don't touch my eyes, OK?" I groaned, a little embarrassed. "I got them from my old man."
"Oh. I get it." Daryl nodded in understanding.
That was about the only way to get me emotional, really. I almost never cried these days... But if you took me to watch a movie, and that movie had a good father-son relationship going on? I would tear up, every time. I knew it was cheesy, but I just couldn't help it; it was my one soft spot.
"...So. Did you have trouble out there?" Daryl spoke up again, and I was glad he changed the subject. "With the horde."
"A little bit," I nodded, "But we handled it." I paused, remembering something. "There was this weird goblin I saw…"
"Hmm?"
"Don't remember his name… But, well, he had a name, which is weird enough! With "Elite" written next to it."
"Ah. I met one of those, too." Daryl nodded.
"You have?"
"Elite monsters… They are a step above the rest." Daryl explained. "But, it's weird that yours was so far from the goblin spawn point. The Elite "King Slime" that I met was hanging out in the slime spawn point."
"Is that so… Did you kill it then?" I asked, "Does it give some kind of special reward?"
"I managed to kill it… It was tough." Daryl grimaced at the memory, "The loot was decent, and it made the spawn point disappear."
"I see…" I nodded, frowning, "We might need to kill all of them to get access to the boss. Or he's just roaming around the school… Imagine that."
"Maybe. But enough about that." Daryl waved his arms at the classroom, "What do you think of this place?"
"It's good…" I mused, "We have to protect it."
"So you want to stay?" He frowned.
"Not necessarily… We can still explore the school and try to find Maya." I said, "But we have to protect this place. These people will help us fight the boss."
"I guess… Maya is my priority, though."
"I get that. We'll search for her. I promise."
"Thanks, ass-man." He smiled at me gratefully, "Hey, why don't you walk around a bit. Take the time to greet everyone."
"What? Screw that…!" I groaned.
"You're just gonna ignore everyone? Even I introduced myself at least, you know?"
"I'm not gonna walk up and introduce myself to everyone here. For what? Exchange a bunch of platitudes? If I'm true to myself, they will hate me anyway." I scowled, "And I will not put up a fake front for their sake. No… It's best I just don't talk to them. Spare me and them the trouble."
"But… There are so many girls."
I almost face-palmed when he said that. Of course that was what he was thinking about.
"So much pussy in this room." He continued, gaping at me. "And you're just gonna ignore it all? This is the apocalypse, ass-man."
"Bah." I shrugged, "I'm sure I can ask Ebony if I need some."
"You're fucking lucky. Would you be up to share?"
"Uh… No, thanks. I'm not into that shit." I snorted, "Not with another guy, anyway."
"Really?" he gasped, "Even if it's with me?"
"…Especially with you. Fuckface."
"You can't be serious!" He scoffed, upset. "I thought we had the same kinks!"
"All right, I'm leaving." I chuckled, standing up. "I need to find the other three…"
"You traitor!" Daryl exclaimed, "I thought we were brothers!"
"We are! And I'm not into incest!" I replied, causing some people to look at me weirdly. "Goddammit, Daryl…" I groaned under my breath, and noticed Sylvia waving at me.
Gladly, I walked up to her. She was chatting with two blonde cuties with twin-tails.
Sylvia Lavender
[- Prodigy -]
Pia Arc
[- Master Prankster -]
Lia Arc
[- Master Prankster -]
"Hey, Sylvie… Pia and Lia, I assume?" I asked them.
"Yep! That's us!" Pia grinned at me.
"And who might you be?" Lia asked.
"This is Shean Mauve," Sylvia introduced me. "He saved me and Ebony and… we would be dead without him. He was the leader of our group."
"Was?" I raised an eyebrow at her, crossing my arms. "I'm still responsible for you all. I'm not throwing the towel yet, you know?"
"Oh, you're sweet, Shean." Sylvia grinned at me and pat my arm. "But you don't have to… I've talked to Lia and Pia. This is a safe place. You deserve a little rest, after all your hard work."
"We'll see," I replied, not liking how comfortable Sylvia was getting in this place.
"Well…" Pia grinned, "Any friends of Sylvia and Ebony…"
"…is a friend of us!" Lia nodded along.
"I'm Lia," Pia added, "Nice to meet ya~"
"And I'm Lia… Wait, no." Lia frowned at her sister, unsure. "You're Lia? I thought I was Lia…?"
"No, you silly. You're Pia." Pia rolled her eyes. "I'm Lia."
"You know that old joke doesn't work anymore, right?" Sylvia pointed out, grinning widely. "I can see your names on top of your head."
"Yeah, but he can't!" Pia pouted, poking me with a finger.
"I actually can." I smirked. Intermediate level [Identify] did that : I didn't need to know people personally to see their name and title anymore. "Nice titles, by the way. [-Master Prankster-]. I'll need to be careful around you."
"Aw… shucks." Pia sighed, disappointed. "He already knows."
"Not fair." Lia nodded along, "But don't worry," She smiled at me sweetly, "We'll find another way to prank you."
"Don't mind them, Shean," Sylvia laughed. "They're like this with everyone."
"No, they seem fun." I smiled. They kinda reminded me of Daryl with their craziness. Maybe I should ask Sylvia to introduce them? "But, I can't stay to chat, I need to check on Ebony and Steele."
"All right," Sylvia nodded.
"Wait," Pia called, making me pause. "I need to ask." She giggled, "Did our sister really…"
"…with you?" Lia finished, a hand on her mouth, pointing at me.
"Yes." Sylvia sighed, answering for me. "She did."
"I guess there was an apocalypse and all." Lia sighed. "She's always liked to sleep around."
"That's just who she is." Pia agreed, "But now that you're all here, that may be about to change. Sorry, big guy!"
"What?" I frowned, confused for a moment, before I realized what they were talking about. "Ah, let me guess, the fabled boyfriend here?" I asked, rolling my eyes.
"You mean, the tenth one?" Lia chuckled. "Or the ninth one? Cause they're both here! Or… Well, they're not really here, here. But they're still here."
"Lia!" Pia hissed, slapping her friend on the head. "Shhh! Jaune told us not to tell them yet."
"Sorry!" Lia stuck out her tongue.
"Secrets already, huh…" I frowned, unamused. "I see how it is."
"It's not really a secret." Pia shrugged.
"But Jaune wanted to be the one to tell your group." Lia added.
"I guess we'll wait, then," Sylvia nodded, accepting the answer easily.
I narrowed my eyes, my frown deepening. I wanted to know more.
"...But, ten, really?" I asked carefully, trying to lead the conversation in the direction I wanted. "Ebony sure doesn't mess around."
"Oh yeah." Pia nodded, giggling. "That's a lot, huh?"
"Well, most of them were just a giant 'fuck you dad', more than anything." Lia added. "So. There's that!"
"Oooh. Daddy issues?" I smirked, "Something we can bond over."
"I'd advise against that, playboy!" Lia warned, "Cause even if you survive the dungeon, you won't survive our dad."
"That bad, huh...?" I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Yeah..." Sylvia nodded.
"He's so overprotective, it's annoying," Pia complained. "One of our sisters even fled to Mistral to get some air!"
"Even Jaune was planning to leave," Lia nodded. "But yeah... If you really want to date Ebony, you'll need our dad's permission."
"Assuming a whooole lot over here." I chuckled, "I'm friends with Ebony, and nothing else. I'm not planning on dating anyone."
"…Uhuh…?" Pia and Lia said at the same time, pausing to stare at me with disbelief.
Even Sylvia looked at me skeptically.
It surprised me, honestly. Was it really that hard to believe?
"Hey, your competition is tough, you know." Pia snorted. "Dawe has done things properly."
"What's his full name?" I asked.
"Dawe Desmond," Lia and Pia answered me eagerly, and I made a mental note of it to search for him.
It seemed like these two sisters were salivating at the idea of witnessing some drama. They were going to be sorely disappointed.
"Unlike all the others, he actually got our father's permission and blessing." Lia continued, "So as far as we're concerned, it seems like they got a pretty serious thing going on. Well, until the apocalypse happened at least... Now... We'll see what happens."
"Where is he?" I questioned.
"Ah, you know...he's... around." Pia dodged the question awkwardly. "You'll see him soon."
"PIA!"
Ebony suddenly called, walking menacingly towards us.
"Uhoh," Pia giggled.
"Here she comes," Lia laughed.
"Pia! Arc! Why the hell did you announce to the entire school through the speakers that I sleep around?!"
"That wasn't me!" Pia exclaimed, "That was Lia!"
"What! No, she's lying!" Lia gasped with wide eyes, "It was Pia, I swear! She faked my voice!"
"You both have the same voice!" Sylvia pointed out, grinning widely.
"Oh, you know what, I'm just gonna punish both." Ebony decided, and the twins burst out laughing.
"Nice meeting you!" Lia waved at me. "Later, playboy!" Pia added, and they ran away.
"Nice, a new nickname." I sighed, "As if 'ass-man' wasn't enough."
"Don't let them hear Daryl call you that," Ebony giggled, "They're definitely going to pick it up if they do!"
I looked at Ebony. "So, did you have time to reunite with your family?"
"Yeah," She smiled at me, "I've been catching up with everyone I know."
"Including…?" I prompted her.
"Uh… Including…?" Ebony repeated, confused.
"...Nothing."
Sylvia and I exchanged a worried look.
Ebony didn't even know that Dawe was here? Nobody told her? Not even the twins?
What the fuck was going on...?
They did mention Jaune wanted to be the one to inform us... But, to keep it from her, wasn't that a bit much?
What did that mean, exactly? I wasn't too sure. But for now, I would carefully abide by his rules.
"But man. I'm so happy we made it here," Ebony grinned widely. "Back with my family... Thanks for everything, Shean. We wouldn't have made it here without you!"
"Yeah, you're probably right." I nodded, "Sophia and I almost died out there, you know."
"R-really...?" Ebony sighed, patting my shoulder, "You shouldn't push yourself too much, you know...? It's fine to run away and save yourself..."
"I'm not a coward."
"I know... I'm thankful for that." She smiled at me, "If you need anything from me, just ask, okay? I owe you so much."
"I'll make sure to remember that." I simply nodded.
"Anyway, I'll see you two later. I need to find Lia and Pia to get revenge!" Ebony grinned, and walked away.
"..."
"...You should have told her," Sylvia said. "That Dawe is here."
"I don't know. Jaune wants to be the one to inform us." I shrugged. "There has to be a good reason."
"Since when do you care about what others say?" Sylvia questioned me, "The right thing to do is to tell her; it's as simple as that. I thought you were better than this. I thought you were an honest guy who did things right."
I snorted. "Then go tell her. Go ahead." I smirked at her.
"..." She narrowed her eyes at me. "...Just... Why do you not tell her yourself?" Sylvia frowned. "I don't get it. There has to be a reason."
I sighed, looking around the room. "...Tell me, Sylvie. Have you actually seen Dawe Desmond yourself?"
"...Well... No." She admitted, "But, Pia and Lia said he was here... Somewhere."
"Hmph...They did. But look around you. There is something weird about this place. It's like, an untouched haven." I said, and stared into her eyes. "The guy might be on a loot run that he didn't come back from, and he's actually dead, but they don't want to say it. I don't know. I'm trusting my gut." I shrugged, "But you don't have to. Go tell her if you want."
Sylvia paused for a moment, staring at me. "...No," She eventually shook her head, "I... I'll trust you, Shean."
Ding!
The [Leadership] stat has increased by one.
"That's my girl," I grinned, patting her shoulder.
"I'll try to investigate, then." Sylvia nodded, smacking my hand away. "I'm on the case! See you later, Shean."
I smiled as I watched her walking away. I was glad I could rely on her to trust me like that.
I looked around the classroom once again. I noticed Sophia lying on a table near the entrance, with a splint on her leg. It seemed like they had done what they could to heal her calf.
Where was Steele… Ah, he had gone to sit next to Daryl.
As for Jaune, it seemed like he hadn't come back yet. Might as well kill some time, then.
I walked up to Steele and Daryl.
"So, what's up, ass-man?"
"Nothing much." I shrugged.
Daryl hummed, staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"No, it's just... I wanted to ask you something, but... I decided I'm not gonna."
"Good." I nodded. I had a feeling he was going to ask about Ebony and me.
"What about you, Steve?" Daryl asked him. "Is there anyone you like in particular?"
Hah. I knew it.
"W-well.." the boy flushed, embarrassed. "There is…"
"Oh? Who is it?" Daryl grinned at him, "Who's the lucky girl?"
"I'm not going to tell you," Steele looked away from him, annoyed.
"It's Sylvie, isn't it," I asked with a teasing smile.
His ears flattened on his head, his face glowing like a giant tomato. "D-don't tell her…!"
"Hey, I won't. Don't worry."
"We're all guys here," Daryl nodded, "We don't snitch to the hoes."
I snorted at his antics. Steele seemed to relax a bit when he heard that.
"Eh, I can see it," I nodded, looking at Sylvia who was chatting with the Arc twins.
"I don't know, she's like a six, at best." Daryl shrugged.
"I think…" Steele spoke up, still blushing, "Th-the hat… It's…"
"Oh, you like the hat, huh?" I smirked, nudging his shoulder. "It is pretty cute."
"It's OK." Daryl said, unimpressed. "But I don't think you can come back from such a flat chest, really."
"Stop," I deadpanned, slapping the back of his head. "That's Steele's sweetheart you're talking about."
"All right…" He rolled his eyes. "What other girls do you like, Steele? What's your type?"
I smiled and leaned back against the wall. I let the two of them chat, and took the opportunity to scan the room with Identify.
Name: Pia Arc
Race: Human
Age: 15
Title: [- Master Prankster -]
Status Effects: None
Name: Lia Arc
Race: Human
Age: 15
Title: [- Master Prankster -]
Status Effects: None
The Arc twins. They were chatting excitedly with Sylvia.
They were almost identical. They were much smaller than Ebony and Jaune, but slightly taller than Sylvia. They had twin-tails, and were both pretty cute.
Name: Jacques Bronze
Race: Human
Age: 59
Title: [- High-School Principal -]
Status Effects: None
The principal of General Lagune Highschool.
Of course, the man remembered me and all the problems I and Daryl had caused.
He was probably going to resent us. I didn't trust him one bit.
Name: Jenny Wells
Race: Human
Age: 33
Title: [- High-School Teacher -]
Status Effects: None
The only other adult, a teacher I didn't know about… She seemed like the strict type. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she wore glasses.
Name: Jay Diamond
Race: Faunus
Age: 17
Title: [- Dungeon Killer -]
Status Effects: None
Name: Dave Diamond
Race: Faunus
Age: 16
Title: [- Dungeon Killer -]
Status Effects: None
Those two Faunus brothers were the ones that closed the barricade behind us. Their title instantly put me on edge. Did they kill by necessity or self-defense?
I would have to keep an eye on them.
Name: Sophia Celeste
Race: Human
Age: 16
Title: [- Aspiring Huntress -]
Status Effects: [Fracture(splint)](right calf)
The 'esteemed ace' of the community, as the Principal described her. She was still lying on her table, resting.
Name: Rose Bubbles
Race: Human
Age: 16
Title: No Title
Status Effects: [Weakened], [Nursed(by Levi Bubbles)]
This girl attracted my attention because it seemed like her health wasn't good. Her skin was extremely pale. She must have some kind of sickness, and so, some guy was nursing her.
Name: Levi Bubbles
Race: Human
Age: 17
Title: No Title
Status Effects: [Nursing(Rose Bubbles)]
Good to know someone else had the [Nursing] skill. With this many people, it was going to come in handy.
I continued scanning people, but didn't find anyone else of interest. Not did I find any Dawe Desmond. Could he be away on some kind of loot run?
No one had a noteworthy title, either. It was weird. As if everyone had kept their head in the sand and continued to live normally in this safe haven. Something was wrong with this place.
Then my eyes fell on someone. I almost missed him, hidden in the shadows, alone away from everyone else.
Name: Tyrian Titanium
Race: Faunus
Age: 16
Title [- Zombie Slayer -]
Status Effect: [Poisoned (minor)]
The guy looked like shit. He wore dirty clothes, and had a large sword and a long bow leaning on the wall right next to him. He had a vicious scar on his face, and his greasy black hair was long enough it almost hid his eyes, but I could still see how he looked at people.
He looked at them like they were weaklings, all dreaming of the old world. Just like me.
Our eyes met. We stared at each other from across the room.
I nodded at him. He scrunched his nose and showed me his teeth. Crocodile teeth, that could easily bite off a limb.
I grinned at him, making my eyes light up with electricity. He scoffed and looked away.
…I liked this guy, I decided.
I continued looking around the room, until my eyes fell on Sophia again.
She had no one next to her to take care of her.
I looked back at Ebony. She was chatting with the twins and Sylvia.
I frowned. Maybe she should be making herself more useful. There was clearly an injured person over there.
Well, fine… I'll do it myself.
"I'm gonna do something useful for a change," I told the other two. "See you later."
"See you around, ass-man."
"See you, Shean!"
I walked to Sophia's table, and sat on the chair next to it.
"Hey," I greeted her.
"Hello again…" She sighed, giving me a forced smile as she sat up on the table.
"How's your calf?" I asked.
"It's hurting… but it's healing… slowly. With Aura, it should be healed in a couple of weeks."
'[Nursing].' I thought, activating my skill.
"Oh… Thank you." Her smile turned genuine. "Maybe it won't take that long, then!"
"Does no one else have a Nursing skill around here?" I asked, looking around us.
"Well, the only other person who has it, prefers to use it constantly on his sister who has poor health."
"I see…" I mused. The Bubbles brother. So it was really only one person then. "But Ebony has it, too. At a much higher level than me."
"Ah, Jaune's sister… She just came back." Sophia waved it off, "I don't want to keep her from reuniting with her family."
"Oh, come on. You can't be serious." I rolled my eyes. "You should take priority. You're much more important to this community than anyone else. You're an Aura user."
"…That's…"
"The principal called you their 'esteemed ace'. You've been carrying this whole place on your shoulders alone, haven't you?"
"That's just not true." She frowned at me, "Jaune and Tyrian help me a lot."
"But when it comes to the fighting. Who does it?"
"…Me, Jaune and Tyrian. The Diamond brothers, too."
"No one else? There's fucking thirty people in this building. And only five are fighting?" I questioned, anger surging up within me. "Are you kidding me?"
"They're civilians… They don't want to fight. And I won't make them. I don't know how to unlock their Aura."
Fucking civilian mentality. Always used to have Huntsmen around to save them from the Grimm. With a title like that, everyone had probably relied on Sophia way too much to help them.
"I would." I replied. "I would make them fight."
"Good thing you're not the leader then." She chuckled, but I noticed her eyes slightly narrowing at me.
"Well. Doesn't matter. You're not gonna be alone anymore…" I groaned. "We're going to help you clear this building, kill the boss, and escape from this dungeon. We're going to fight."
When she heard that, it seemed like her body relaxed a little bit.
"You don't have to…" She sighed. "You're a civilian. It's OK to be scared."
"It's not OK, no." I laughed bitterly. "My group and I, we were out there. We're not weaklings like the rest of them."
"…Is that how you see them all?" She shook her head, "You're just like Tyrian."
"…"
Ding!
[Nursing]'s level has increased to Beginner level 5.
Ding!
[The Gamer]'s level has increased to Beginner level 8.
Oh, nice…
Seeing the notification reminded me of something. I put down my bag, and grabbed a goblin elixir from it.
"Here…"
"What is this?" Sophia asked, confused.
"It's an elixir made by goblins. It helps healing wounds."
"Really…?"
"Hey." A voice growled from behind me, and a strong hand slammed on my shoulder, making me jump in surprise.
It was that crocodile guy, Tyrian. He narrowed his eyes at me.
"You OK…?" He grunted at Sophia.
"Yes," She smiled at Tyrian. "Shean was just offering me a healing potion."
The guy snatched the potion from my hands.
I smirked and crossed my arms, watching him opening the flask and sniff it.
"Drink it." He grunted at me.
"Nah, I can't. It's actually poison." I joked, "I'm gonna die if I drink it."
"…" Tyrian glared at me.
"What? You got a problem with me?" I asked him.
"Drink it." He repeated.
"It's fucking precious, dipshit. I only have two more of those in my bag, and I don't need healing." I pointed at Sophia, "She does."
"It's OK, Tyrian." Sophia spoke up, "He already risked his life to save me once."
"…Hm." Tyrian grunted reluctantly, and handed the potion back to me. "I'm watching you," He growled, and walked away.
"Man. That guy's Charisma must be in the negatives." I snorted, feeding the potion to her.
Gulp…
"You're one to talk," She sighed, after drinking the potion.
Touché.
"…Shean?" Ebony spoke up behind me. "You're Nursing her, right? I can take over if you want."
"Sure," I nodded. "Took you long enough." I grunted, standing up.
"Sorry, I... got a little caught up in the atmosphere." Ebony grinned awkwardly, "People are so easy-going here. It's crazy."
"...Yeah, well. Maybe they're a little too easy-going." I replied. "I'm tired of waiting. I'm going to check on Jaune and Sebastian."
"All right," Ebony nodded, "See you later, Shean."
"Thank you, Shean." Sophia called after me as I left.
Later.
"Twenty-six minutes," Jaune said. "That's all it took to turn him into an Infected."
"Grrraah!" Sebastian protested angrily, bound to his chair. "RraaaaAAhh! GrraAaah!"
"I told you. I told you he was infected." I said, crossing my arms.
"You said you had a skill to see it?" He asked.
"Yes. It was a status effect called [Necro-Virus]."
"The Necro-Virus… I guess we have a name for it now." He chuckled wryly. "What about now? Can you still use that skill on him?"
"Yes. [Identify]."
Infected (Human)
Name: Sebastian
Race: Human - Undead
Title: None
Status Effect: [Necro-Virus] (Final Stage)
Description: A human infected with the Necro-Virus. It can be commanded by a skilled Necromancer.
Infected are resistant to disease and poison, and they feel little to no pain. Their intelligence is greatly reduced. They possess a regenerative ability, and their senses are enhanced.
Once dead, the corpse of an Infected is reanimated by the Necro-Virus, turning it into a Zombie.
I narrowed my eyes on the status effect, and a new window opened up.
Status Effect: [Necro-Virus] – Final Stage
A virus engineered by a talented necromancer with Green and Black magic.
The first variation of the virus, a dormant strain, is airborne. It is only awoken upon death or with external magical stimulation.
The awoken variation of the virus can then only be transmitted by fluids, most of the time through bites, via saliva or blood.
Effects: +30 Vitality, Regeneration, Eyesight, Olfaction, Hearing, Instinct, Wakefulness, Undead Affinity, Disease Affinity, Disease Resistance, and Poison Resistance. +100 Pain Tolerance. -100 Intelligence, Wisdom, Willpower, and Charisma. + [Night Vision] perk. + [Flesh Eater] perk, + [Bloodhound] perk.
Goddamn... That... That was a shit load of stats!
And magic, again? How many types were there? So far, I knew of four: Black, Green, Red and Blue.
And the fact that the virus had been created by someone... It could mean that the Zombies and Infected weren't even supposed to be part of the apocalypse in the first place. Who would do something like that?
"That's a lot of info... We already knew dead Infecteds turned into zombies," Jaune nodded when I read him the description. "Same with dead people that weren't bitten. But I didn't know the Infected had so many stats… Like… Holy crap. I don't even know what half of those do!" He laughed.
"Me neither…" I admitted, and touched the bite on Sebastian's arm, rubbing my hand on his skin, making growl at me. "Look at that. His deep wound has completely healed," I remarked, pointing at Sebastian's arm. "In twenty-six minutes… That's impressive. Having a Regeneration stat has to help with that."
"We already knew they had some kind of regenerative power, too. Same with the [Night Vision]. We're pretty sure that Zombies don't, though. I think it's safe to assume the Zombies don't get the same status effect."
"I'll have to use [Identify] on a Zombie to make sure, then." I nodded.
"As for the symptoms of the Necro-Virus," Jaune continued, reading something he had written on paper. "They seemed to be… Coughing. Perspiration. Slow movement, slurred speech. Increased heart rate. Increased aggressiveness. And finally muscle spasms, and coma."
"Good to know..." I nodded. I was probably going to forget half of those; I would need to write it down somewhere eventually.
Jaune and I fell into a silence, staring at Sebastian.
"Grraaah…" The Infected growled at us.
"…You think they can be healed?" Jaune eventually asked me.
"…Uh… No." I answered flatly, looking at him as if he'd asked me if I believed in Santa.
"Why not?" Jaune frowned, "It's a Status Effect. Not a Condition. By definition, it is not permanent; it can be cured."
Caitlyn's face suddenly surged up in my mind.
Could it be, I hadn't needed to kill her? Could I have spared her?
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest, and I gritted my teeth, anger rising up from my stomach.
No fucking way!
"You can't be serious." I shook my head, scowling. "My skill clearly says that this thing has been made with Black and Green magic. There is no scientific cure to this. It is beyond science."
"You don't know that there is no cure. We haven't seen how the outside has fared against the apocalypse." Jaune replied, turning his head to narrow his eyes at me. "For all we know, they might have already started to rebuild civilization. We have enough food to last a while. So we should save them while we can. That's why, we already have six of them that we keep locked away."
"…What…?" I gaped at him, not sure I heard him right. Did he just say…? "You… You… What…?"
"There aren't many of us left in the school." He continued, "I don't know if you've noticed, Shean, but the majority of the Infected have died already. They've all become Zombies. So it's not like we'll get overwhelmed by numbers. See, every life counts. I want to save as many people as I can."
"And… You're feeding them?" I asked in disbelief. "The Infected. You're keeping them locked, and feeding them?"
"If they're not fed, they starve to death and become zombies." Jaune nodded, "We feed them every couple of days or so. Most of the time we feed them monster limbs. Something we can't eat. Once in a while though, we give them some of our food. Something nicer than just dead flesh."
"You… You can't be serious…" I breathed, searching for the hint of a prank on his face.
"…"
"…"
I stared at him for a long moment, a cold chill running down my spine.
… He was serious.
He was fucking serious. What madness was this?
"Dawe Desmond…" I breathed the name. "Is he…?"
"Infected? Yeah... Ebony doesn't know yet." Jaune sighed sadly, "I'll tell her myself."
"…"
...Shit. Thank god Sylvia and I hadn't told Ebony that Dawe was alive and well... That was fucking close.
But man... This was insane.
"Well, they're not really here, here. But they're still here."
"Ah, you know... He's... around. You'll see him soon."
I remembered the happy faces of the Arc twins, talking about Dawe as if he was alive, as if he was going to be fine eventually, describing Ebony and Dawe's relationship as if he wasn't fucking DEAD already. What the fuck was wrong with their brains?
This was really bad! It was like they all lived on another planet. Everyone was delusional in this community. Not only did they let five people do all the fighting while they stayed safe inside, but they were also feeding a bunch of Infected as if it was the right thing to do, expecting them to be cured as soon as we beat the Dungeon.
And this guy… Jaune Arc, allowed this to happen.
Sure, he might have some social qualities that I was missing to lead a large group of people, and he did make an inspiring speech, but he… he wasn't good enough. Not by my standards. He was too idealistic. Keeping Infected locked like that… Feeding them, even? What if one of the Infected spat into someone's eye, for example? It was too risky. He was going to get everyone killed.
Thankfully, I was here.
Here to set him straight. To change him and force him to open his eyes to this new, ruthless reality. Someone had to make him see… To make them all see. To make them stronger.
And I was the only one who could do it. The only one who would do it, the only one with enough Willpower to dare face the consequences of speaking the truth and yanking them out of their cosy dream.
And if Jaune Arc couldn't, or wouldn't change?
Then he would have to step down as a leader... So I could take his place.
I lost this chapter and had to rewrite it in its entirety. So I couldn't upload it last weekend. I was very tilted.
So this week, I'll slow down a little. Only one more chapter this week. Should be on this weekend.