I had wanted to get a second chapter of "One little Mistake" out first, but 1980's robot dialog is my bane, so this one got done first.
Just know I've not abandoned any of my three gamer fics, two of them are just fighting me to get written, and I don't want the third to get too far ahead.
"Great, I'm on a Deathworld..."
Quest Complete!
"Where am I?"
Discovered a clue showing you to be in the RWBY setting
Reward: 100 XP, Observe Skill
Observe:
Gives you basic information of a target by concentrating on them for a moment.
You have leveled!
To be fair, it's probably the closest thing to a family friendly deathworld that could ever exist, but that doesn't change the fact that it's covered with infinite spawning monsters who's sole purpose is to destroy. Not to mention two effectively immortal beings having a slap fight in the shadows.
All that aside, it's not too bad.
Granted I'm in one of the, less great, parts of the world. But Mantle is still better than Vaccuo or Mistral, just not as good as Atlas or Vale. I don't even want to think about the response appearing as a human in Menagerie would evoke.
On that note, if I was always going to appear in Mantle, It's really lucky I didn't choose the mystery race, it almost certainly was Faunus, and they're not exactly treated well here.
Okay, stop being an idiot standing the the street thinking to himself, let's get off the road and somewhere I can think for a little bit without sticking out.
Looking around at the nearby buildings makes it obvious I'm in an industrial area, everything nearby looks like a typical warehouse. However four buildings down, just where I can barely make it out, is a very small structure near the road with half a roof. Unless I miss my guess, that's a bus stop. I quickly walk down to it and confirm it is infact a small bus stop shelter with a bench inside. I sit down.
A guy standing on the street will draw attention, a guy sitting at a bus stop is just waiting for a bus.
Okay, now that I look like less of a crazy person, time to figure this 'game' out.
Would you like to run the Tutorial?
[YES] [NO]
Oh man, not tutorial hell... Fine, better get this done with. Yes.
And suddenly, I understand.
All of it.
Stats, skills, perks, affection, dungeons, the market, and about a dozen more little things this system provides. It's, a little overwhelming. I'm glad I sat down first, because I need a seat now.
I gotta say though, just dumping game mechanics into your brain? Best. Tutorial. Ever!
I check my inventory and find the only item preloaded in it. My Scroll. Guess the game wanted to make sure I had an I.D. since these things are used for everything on remnant. I also get my first good look at myself via the portrait next to my equipped items.
I'm very pale skinned, blue eyed and a platinum blond with a bob cut.
Okay, that hair style needs to go before I seriously interact with anyone, makes me look like an underdeveloped girl, not having that for long.
Of course the only thing in my inventory was the Scroll, so I have no money. If I remember correctly the local currency, 'Lien', works kind of like Japanese Yen, one Lien being roughly a cent rather than a dollar, so huge numbers are normally required for anything. A loaf of bread might be a few hundred, so I need money and I need it soon.
I could go strait into a dungeon, the mobs may or may not drop money, but they'll probably drop things I can sell, Mantle is bound to have pawn shops...
But I don't have a weapon, meaning I'd only be able to use my magic. But if I want a weapon, I need money.
Catch twenty two...
I'm fiddling with my Scroll as I think in circles, trying to see the latest news. Nothing I recognize. Nothing about the CCT network being run on backups or anything about the attack on Beacon, so that should mean I'm before that happens. Which is good. If I get powerful enough quick enough I might even be able to stop it. How about the Vytal festival?
That can't be right.
According to this the Vytal Festival is happening in two months in Atlas.
I don't know what the rotation was, but that means I'm at least two years before cannon starts.
Hang on a minute... Status.
Status
Name: Alabaster Frost
Age: 14
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Class: Wizard (Fire)
Level: 2 (2)
XP: 0 (0%)
HP: 80/80 (Regen 1 per hour)
MP: 360/360 (Regen 1 per minute)
AP: (locked)
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 10
Int: 16
Wis: 10
Chr: 11
Luk: 10
Available points 3
Skills:
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Instant Dungeon Create
Instant Dungeon Destroy
Instant Dungeon Traverse
Skill Creation
Observe
Crafting
Stealth
Ember Bolt
Control Flame
I'm fourteen. In two years I'll be sixteen, the age most people enter the huntsmen academy's.
I'm not only before cannon, I'm the right age to take part, with enough time before hand to level up and establish myself. Heck if I can be quick enough I might derail the whole thing by saving Amber...
Right, Dungeon it is then.
Wait.
One last thing before I go charging into the unknown. I try looking my name up on my Scroll, who is Alabaster Frost? Despite feeling weird for doing the equivalent of 'Googling' myself, I don't find much. After at least twenty minutes of searching the most I find is that the surname 'Frost' is commonly used in the kingdom of Atlas as a name for orphans of unknown origin.
The Game made me an orphan, could be worse.
Guess that means if I die in a dungeon today no one will even know I existed.
Isn't that a pleasant thought.
Okay let's take a look at this thing and see if I can't grind out a few levels before dealing with the city of Mantle.
Instant Dungeon Create
Dungeons Unlocked
[Zombie]
That's it? A lousy zombie dungeon? Fine, guess I'm gonna be braining undead for awhile.
Dungeon Created
Instant Dungeon Traverse
Select Dungeon
[Zombie]
Zombie
And just like that I'm no longer sitting at a bus stop in Mantle, instead I'm standing in a dark alleyway in some crumbling city. A bit of moonlight filters into the alleyway as I look around, and there lying in the middle of a beam of moonlight, is a stereotypical pipe, complete with a single curved fitting on one end.
Guess I have my first weapon. Observe.
Old Pipe
An old and battered pipe, repurposed as a weapon. Inflicts Str +5 damage.
Guess it will do. I shouldn't really focus on Melee as a wizard, but always good to have the option.
Crap, I'm going to have to hide my magic outside the dungeons aren't I? Unless I can pass it off as a semblance, but I need my Aura unlocked first to manage that much even. Ugh, think about that later, mindless grinding now.
After picking up the pipe I creep to the end of the alleyway, spotting, as expected, a single rotting Zombie facing away from me.
Observe
Zombie:
The most basic of undead, slow, stupid, and slowly rotting.
HP: 30/30
Good, that's around what I was hoping for. Sneaking up behind it is easy, it might be my imagination, but I can almost feel my stealth skill helping me. Carefully I line up a shot to the head.
Sneak Attack!
Critical Strike!
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
Melee:
You are skilled at using handheld weapons in close combat. Improves with level
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
One Handed Blunt:
You have experience using blunt weapons in one hand. Improves with level
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
Improvised Weapons:
Anything can be a weapon, and you can use that to your advantage. Improves with level
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
Called Shot:
With careful practice, you can hit specific parts of your enemies, for various effects. Improves with level
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
Sneak Attack:
Taking your enemies by surprise allows you to inflict increased damage. Improves with level
You have defeated Zombie earning 10XP
Would you like to loot?
[YES] [NO]
That's a lot to take in all at once. I quickly auto-loot, getting 83 Lien and a bit of 'Dried Zombie Flesh', which when I look at it in my inventory is listed as a 'crafting ingredient'.
At least this means I can earn money in the dungeon that I can use outside it. Not going to question where it comes from, I don't think I want the headache.
But I just beat a zombie to death with a metal pipe, and I'm supposed to be a wizard dammit! I better take a closer look at my one attack spell.
Ember Bolt: Level 1 (0%)
Fires one or more minuscule motes of flame at a target.
Fires ½ level bolts. Bolts inflict Int x2 damage. Has 1% per level chance of inflicting target with Burning status.
Cost: 25 MP
So, it's kind of like a fire version of magic missile?
And oh boy that mana cost, at my current stats I can only cast it eight times before I'm tapped. My regen means it takes almost a half hour to be able to cast each one after that.
Right, guess it does suck to be a low level wizard. I suppose that just means I'm going to need to become a high level Wizard fast as I can then!
That in mind I carefully pick my way along the ruined street looking for my next target. It doesn't take long before I spot another lone zombie. Focusing on it I raise my arm towards it. Ember Bolt.
A tiny marble sized mote of fire rockets towards the unaware zombie, punching a scorched hole clean through, the zombie dropping like a marionette with it's strings cut.
Through a special action you have unlocked a skill!
Fire Affinity:
Reduces MP cost of Fire Skills. Improves with level.
You have defeated Zombie earning 10XP
Would you like to loot?
[YES] [NO]
That's going to get old quick, but at least my single spell one-shots these things. Auto-looting I move on.
I take out another sixteen lone zombies switching between ember bolt and sneak attacking with my pipe, trying to let my MP recharge some.
Up until now I've been keeping myself roughly the same distance away from the taller crumbling buildings I see in the distance, but as I edge a little closer I run into what might be my first challenge. A pair of zombies stand less than five feet from each other, and I only have the MP for a single ember bolt.
Slowly, I sneak up on the pair, getting myself into the best position I can so that I can take out one of them without the other seeing me until it's too late. I brain the one I'm behind, bringing my off hand up as it falls. As the other one begins to react I quickly cast an ember bolt at it, dropping it dead.
You have defeated Zombie x2 earning 20XP
Would you like to loot?
[YES] [NO]
You have leveled!
I auto-loot the corpses, nice that it does both at once, and eager to see how I've improved look at my Status.
Status
Name: Alabaster Frost
Age: 14
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Class: Wizard (Fire)
Level: 3 (3)
XP: 0 (0%)
HP: 120/120 (Regen 1 per hour)
MP: 460/460 (Regen 1 per minute)
AP: (locked)
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 10
Int: 16
Wis: 10
Chr: 11
Luk: 10
Available points 6
Skills:
Awesome, looks like leveling refills my MP, probably HP too if it's anything like the MMOs I've played. Also looks like the game minimized my skills now that I have so many more. Good, I don't need a wall of text whenever I want to check things. Now I should have another spell since I hit an odd level. Tapping the three that represents my class level gives me my options.
New Spell(s) Available!
Please select two (2) spells.
Kindle:
Conjures a small flame suitable for starting a fire.
Cost: 1 MP per minute
Lesser Blast of Flame:
Imbues a melee weapon with fire, causing it to inflict +3 fire damage on it's next strike.
Cost: 10 MP
Burning Hands:
Projects fire from casters fingertips, causing 10 +Int damage to everything caught in it's arc. Caster must have both hands free and touch thumbs while spreading fingers.
Cost: 10 MP
Well, I'm definitely taking burning hands, it might not be enough to take out the zombies, but if I'm going to start running into groups, I need an AoE spell.
At first glance I would get rid of Kindle, because it doesn't seem to be much use, but I stop myself as I remember what other skills I have.
If I can use control flame on a flame conjured by kindle, it might just open the door to spell creation via my skill creation skill.
Lesser Blast of Flame has a poor MP to damage ratio anyway, and if the name is anything to go by, there might just be a 'greater' version in my future.
I select Kindle and Burning Hands before taking a look at my stats again.
Burning hands might not take out zombies as it is currently, but if I spend 4 points into Int then it will. That would also boost my ember bolts as well, not that I need it to right yet, but there's bound to be a boss fight in here eventually.
Screw it.
Status
Name: Alabaster Frost
Age: 14
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Class: Wizard (Fire)
Level: 3 (3)
XP: 0 (0%)
HP: 120/120 (Regen 1 per hour)
MP: 500/500 (Regen 1 per minute)
AP: (locked)
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 10
Int: 20
Wis: 10
Chr: 11
Luk: 10
Available points 2
Skills:
There, it gave me a little more MP too. Even with the increase I'm only able to cast twenty ember bolts, but fifty burning hands should make clearing trash mobs much faster.
It did make it much faster. Fast enough that I didn't run out of MP before leveling. I spent plenty of time spiraling my way around the ruined cityscape, working my way closer to the center. As I got closer the packs of zombies got larger, but not more powerful, so I just treated it like project zomboid... if that game had a flame thrower. Any time the pack was too spread out I would get their attention and kite them into a tight enough group to kill with burning hands. There were a couple of close calls with zombies I didn't notice before they noticed me, but nothing I couldn't handle.
I had lost track of time as I was clearing the streets though. I honestly couldn't say how long I had been in the dungeon, but I wasn't tired. The tutorial had made available features and their use almost instinctive, but hadn't really given me any deeper understanding of the nuances of skills and stat interactions. I knew that Int effects my MP, but I didn't know how much until I put points in. And in the same way, I don't know if Gamer's Body is making it so I don't need to sleep, or if it's just giving me inhuman endurance.
My original plan had been to clear mobs until I was tired, but I'm not even sure how long I've been in here, and I'm still not tired.
Then again, with two years before anything of importance comes along, what else do I need to be doing if not making sure I'm powerful enough to handle anything Remnant throws at me?
I had been ignoring the level up notifications while I focused on killing zombies as fast as I could, but I'm very nearly at the center of my spiral, and I feel like I might want to make sure everything is in order before I head in, I'm betting this place has a boss.
Status
Name: Alabaster Frost
Age: 14
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Class: Wizard (Fire)
Level: 8 (8)
XP: 690 (86%)
HP: 320/320 (Regen 1 per hour)
MP: 723/1000 (Regen 1 per minute)
AP: (locked)
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 10
Int: 20
Wis: 10
Chr: 11
Luk: 10
Available points 17
Skills:
Okay, if I drop some points into Wis it should up my MP regen, I'll put 10 in just to keep things even. That doubled my MP regen, still not much, but cutting my downtime in half is good. Now I have some spells to choose.
New Spell(s) Available!
Please select four (4) spells.
Lesser Blast of Flame:
Imbues a melee weapon with fire, causing it to inflict +3 fire damage on it's next strike.
Cost: 10 MP
Blast of Flame:
Imbues a melee weapon with fire, causing it to inflict +6 fire damage on it's next strike.
Cost: 20 MP
Flaming Grasp:
Ignites the casters hands, allowing his strikes to inflict fire damage.
Cost: 1 MP per minute
Fire Arrow:
Conjures an arrow of fire, inflicts level x10 fire damage to target.
Cost: 25 MP
Fireball:
Caster fires an explosive ball of flame inflicting level x5 fire damage to a 60ft radius.
Cost: 30 MP
Wall of Fire:
Summons a wall of fire that burns anyone passing through for Int x10 fire damage. Wall is 10 ft tall, 1 ft thick, and level x3 ft wide.
Cost: 5 MP per minute
Well I don't plan on getting into any fist fights so I can skip flaming grasp. Which means I just need to pick one other spell to skip. Logically I shouldn't need both of the blast of flame spells, but I can't help but wonder if I can stack them. They're not very efficient, but I'm hoping they'll get better when they're leveled. Wall of fire on the other hand seems a bit too situational, which isn't a good prospect for leveling it. Even that will only make it useful a little more often, not make it more useful. I can skip it for now.
Now I wish I had more targets to level up my new spells, but I'm pretty sure all that's left is a boss fight, but what am I going to see as a zombie boss?
Rounding a corner lets me into a ruined plaza, a single humanoid form standing in the center. Observe.
Zombie Master:
Advanced version of a zombie, raised by much more powerful magics. Quicker, hardier, and much stronger than its lesser brethren.
HP: 150/150
Okay, I haven't actually been hit by a zombie yet, but judging by that description, I don't want to get hit by this one. Of course it has five times the hit points, so I won't be one shoting it, spent too much time using burning hands, I really should have leveled up ember bolt. Too late now, I'll just have to deal with it.
New Quest
"Defeat the Zombie Boss"
Objective: Kill the Zombie Master of the Zombie dungeon (Normal)
Reward: New dungeon unlocked, Hard mode (Zombie) unlocked, 3 Gatcha tokens.
Accept?
[YES] [NO]
I mean, it gives me a choice, but is it really a choice? I have to do this to continue. Yes.
I pull my trusty pipe back out of my inventory, and cast both blast of flame spells on it, both of them settle in, proving I was right about being able to stack them. Taking aim, I start to fire off ember bolts as quick as I can, once the first one hits, the boss is running towards me. And I do mean running, it's a fairly normal speed run for a human, but that makes it many times faster than the zombies I've been facing.
A second one strikes, setting it on fire, good, the proc went off. I manage to miss my third shot, but the fourth one is nearly point blank so blasts it's hole neatly in the running corpse.
I swing my pipe, laden with fire magic, as hard as I can as it enters my range, smacking it in the side with a fwoosh of flame adding to the fire.
And then it hits me.
Hard.
I lose a hundred HP and am thrown backwards several feet, only barely managing to keep my balance on the cracked and broken ground. As the zombie master moves towards me again raising it's fist once more, it suddenly falls over dead. The fire damage from the burning debuff finally catching up to it.
Quest Complete
"Defeat the Zombie Boss"
Objective: Kill the Zombie Master of the Zombie dungeon (Normal) (Success)
Reward: Forest dungeon unlocked, Hard mode (Zombie) unlocked, 3 Gatcha tokens.
You have defeated Zombie Master earning 100XP
Would you like to loot?
[YES] [NO]
Ow.
The pain fades quickly, even if the damage doesn't, but I'm very much glad it didn't get the chance to hit me more than once. Let's see what he's got.
573 Lien
Dried Zombie Flesh x5
Minor Stat Crystal (STR)
Master Leg Bone
Okay, two of those are new. I'm guessing the stat crystal increases my strength somehow, figure that out in a minute, what's this bone? Observe.
Master Leg Bone:
The bone of a moderately powerful undead, fashioned into a makeshift club.
Str +15 Damage, 1% chance on hit to inflict the "Diseased" status.
Well, guess that's my new weapon, even if I end up fighting more undead it's an extra ten points of damage, and against something living? That diseased debuff might just win me a protracted fight.
Alright let's try out this stat crystal.
Minor Stat Crystal (STR) used!
+5 Str
Huh, looks like that's just a permanent increase. Neat. It's nice to have a way to increase my stats without spending points.
Alright, let's see what these Gatcha give me.
Extreme Stat Crystal (CHR)
Skillbook: Deep Thoughts
Skillbook: Focus
Hmm... Wish it was a better stat, but if a minor crystal gave me five points, how much does an 'extreme' one give me?
Extreme Stat Crystal (CHR) used!
+25 Chr
Holy hell that's a lot of charisma... That's like... more than twice the human average, as how much I've gained. I'm not really sure what it means, but that would make me close to four times as charismatic as the average person.
Too bad I'm not a charisma based caster.
Let's use these skillbooks and take a look at my new skills.
Deep Thoughts: Level 1 (0%)
Causes the targets mind to dredge up thoughts and ideas they've suppressed, distracting them.
Inflicts a 0.5% miss chance per level on a single target for caster level minutes.
Cost: 10 MP
Focus: Level 1 (0%)
Forces the target to focus on the caster, ignoring other threats.
Taunt: 10 seconds per level
Cost: 10 MP
And I get a pair of skills more suited to a tank. Great.
I should level them anyway, never know when they might come in handy. Being hit less is always good, and if I end up on a team it would be good to be able to pull what we're fighting off an injured team mate.
Guess I'll work them into my rotation, this last fight taught me that I need to level every skill I have if I want to be prepared for whatever I might run into. I might need to take the fights slower to let my MP come back, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.
Now, one last blinking Icon to check before I figure out what I do from here.
Dungeon Clear!
Would you like to reset the Dungeon?
[YES] [NO]
Sure, why not?
Suddenly I'm back in a familiar alleyway, and a familiar looking pipe lay on the ground in a beam of moonlight.
I smile.
Looks like I have some grinding to do.
[AN]: This chapter proves I hate writing dungeon scenes more than I hate reading them. I totally understand why they're needed, and I very much needed to include this one, but I'm going to do my best to skip them as much as possible from here on out. Grinding will be done off camera for the most part. Next chapter will see a return to Remnant post-grinding and things can start to get interesting.