Pilot
"All right, we're back on the ground. Make sure to check that you have all your luggage with you when you step off. I'm getting a little tired of throwing things into the Lost & Found."
I haven't even known this guy for an hour yet and I already love him.
Actually, come to think of it, his Observe description says he's Atlesian. Could this be the guy who pilots the cargo bullhead that Weiss makes her getaway in?
Nah, no way. The odds of that happening are one-to-some-obscenely-high-number.
Anyway, joke's on you, sucker - I don't have any luggage. Or, at least, not that you can see. It's all in my inventory.
It's less funny due to the other people who also don't have any luggage and are just visiting for a quick day trip, but shush. I want to have my moment.
Pilot
"Hey, buddy. You gonna just stand there, or did I miss the apparent fact that you bought a round-trip ticket?"
Aaaaaaand it's gone.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
NEW AREA DISCOVERED!
Vale
Landmark Discovered!
Bullhead Airport #5
+100 EXP
Jeez. I know I was prone to spacing out back on Earth, but it seems like it's gotten worse since I came to Remnant. Maybe it's because I have to really think a lot on how the mechanics of my power work and how I should handle going about different things.
But… wait. Haven't I gone on mental tangents like that while simultaneously participating in a battle?
...holy shit, how the fuck have I not gotten killed due to inattentiveness yet? Is the boost to my natural combat ability so ridiculous that it lets me fight completely on instinct and disconnects my thoughts from the combat so that I can rant inside my head?
If so, then dear god have I been failing to give the system the credit it deserves.
Or it could be the work of my increased DEX stat. If interpretation of the stat's description lines up with the way it actually works, then it would probably seem like the world slows down whenever I'm in battle. Naturally, that would allow me more time to ruminate on the rules and regulations before I have to react to an attack or some such.
...it just occurred to me that I may be spending a little too much time on shit like this.
But, gahh, if I stop now, how am I going to come across the sudden revelations that allow me to break the game in my favor?
Just letting you know, I would prefer if you stopped. We would like to keep everything here fair and balanced, after all.
Oi, shut up. That's bullshit and we both know it. You don't get a say in this.
Just letting you know.
And thou shalt go completely ignored.
Dick.
Don't care.
In any case, I should get my priorities straight.
What to do first…
I don't know if I'll be staying here or traveling to other places. That being said, finding a place to stay probably won't be very important. Besides, all I really need to do is find an out-of-the-way hotel and pay for a single night's stay if I really have to.
I think I'm good on gear for the moment. I doubt I'll be needing another weapon for a while, given how my present from Ruby is considered a personal weapon. I like my clothes the way they are, so no changes yet.
Hmm…
Well, I suppose I could just wander the city and see if I find anything interesting.
FIVE SECONDS LATER
Oh, hey, another Mach Speed Stage marker. Probably shoulda figured that there'd be one for the city itself, given how massive it is. Kinda like Spagonia, but bigger, and more like New Los Angeles in the visual sense.
Mach Speed Stage 2
Vale
"City Shimmy"
Best Time: - - : - -
Best Rank: -
Oh, let me guess: the track for this one's gonna be Rooftop Run, isn't it?
Play stage?
Yes No
'Yes.'
Loading…
I can only hope that the difficulty curve isn't too punishing. I never liked going from zero to one hundred in two seconds.
Loading complete.
STAGE 2
Vale
City Shimmy
Objective: Get a feel for the lay of the land in Vale!
Hoo boy. Alright, let's do this.
Track Cue: Rooftop Run - Day (Sonic Unleashed)
Called it. (Good thing I left out the specific version.)
Ready…
"Here we…"
Three, two, one…
"GO!"
No real exploration areas yet, just gotta make my way through this narrow alleyway…
And BOOM!
"WOOOOO!"
...oof. Hope I don't have to pay compensation for property damage. That's a lot of broken stuff… hold on, I get points for that?
Well, no better time to call upon my inner arsonist.
Wait. What the - you're telling me that Atlesian Knights are the enemies this time instead of the Grimm? Are you trying to get me arrested?!
SLAM! +1000
Oop. Well, I hope the authorities don't catch wind of that.
Hey, I'm on a highway!
Oh, that means I have to quick-step because cars, right? Yeah.
Left… right… right…
Wait, does that car have a BOUNCE PAD on its roof?
Lemme just homing-attack that… and now I'm grinding!
With loops and corkscrews and rings, oh my!
And it took me under the freeway, into an… industrial district of some kind?
Are those drones? Did Atlas build those under everyone's noses?
Well, doesn't matter now. All 4 of 'em are trashed.
Radical! +4000
Oh, and look, I actually get to run on rooftops! And a… that's a factory, right? It should be.
KRROOOOOOOOMM!
Hold on, is that a freaking missile coming out of that hole?
...I have to jump on, don't I? I mean, why else would a ramp be there? Alright...
WHOAAAAAAAA-is that a bullhead? Uh…
FsssssSSSSSHHHH-
...oooOOOOOOOOH SHIT SHIT SHIT JUMP!
KABLAM!
Okay, so the level wants me to homing attack the bullhead that literally just shot the missile I was riding WITH ANOTHER MISSILE?! SURE, WHY THE FUCK NOT?! LEEROOOOOOOY JEEEEENKIIIIINS!
Wait… riding on rockets… hanging on to short-lived transports… what the hell, I thought this was Vale, not Speed Highway!
Okay, jump off… now!
Skydiving section! Wheeeee!
Looks like I'm headed into what appears to be a residential district. Hope I don't inconvenience anybody.
Normally I'd be amazed at how I survived a fall from a height that would cripple, if not outright kill a regular human, but since when have platformers ever consistently adhered to the laws of physics?
AK-130s here, too? Either the government is really concerned with citizen safety, or the game is screwing with reality again. My money's on the latter.
SLAM! +1000
Sending fodder enemies flying will never get old.
Plaza up ahead. Perfect spot for a lockdown.
Yup. Five of the things. Not a problem!
5 HITS
AWESOME! +5000
There's the hook…
Huh, doesn't hurt nearly as much if you're prepared for it. Neat.
More blatant boost-to-win straight paths!
U-turn in three seconds, and… drift!
"Hup!"
SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH!
Nice, pulled it off without having to resort to the guardrail!
GA-SHANK!
Well, there's a Spagonian staple! Say hello to the Falling Spike Ceiling of Doom!
SMASH!
HA! YOU'RE TOO SLOW!
Oooh, a wall-jumping section! That means I just have to keep a rhythm of… jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! And… jump! There we go!
Midair ring trail? Why-oh, right, Light Speed Dash.
WHOA-HO! Now that felt weird!
Hey, another quick-time launcher! I think I'll go… up!
OK! +1000
Heh ha, found the grind rail!
Aaaaand it's another Chaser section.
But now it has actual robots! WITH REAL LAZORZ!
KAZZZZZZT!
"Whup!"
KAZZZZZZT!
MISS!
KAZZZZZZT!
"Are you guys even trying?!"
KAZZZZZZT!
I swear, balanced gameplay design turns all robots into complete idiots. And everyone else, for that matter.
KAZZZZZZT!
"Ahaha, no."
KRROOOOOOOOMM!
Oh, god, not another one!
"NYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH-!"
And a second bullhead-!
BVZZZZZZZZT!
AGAIN?! AND THIS TIME WITH A GOD DAMNED GATLING GUN?! FUCK THIS GAME!
Oh, well. At least it's good practice for the eventual moment where I'll have to rip off City Escape. Because there's no way this game would take so much inspiration from Sonic without including a nod to the iconic stage.
In any case, the ring trail's up ahead, so I need to jump… now.
Wait, am I air-dropping into Beacon? Were we really going that fast?
Well, whatever, because apparently I get to run up the side of the CCTS tower!
"HYEAH!"
Complete with a rainbow ring at the top - which means bonus points for midair styling!
Now it's four positions…
That's one!
Good!
There's two!
Great!
Three, oh yeah!
AWESOME!
And the finisher!
OUTSTANDING! +7000
And that is how you do it!
Now I'm on another rail. Going around, and around, and around… and then a BOUNCE PAD!
CRASH!
Ah, crap. Hope nobody was using that dorm room.
A ramp in that spot? Why does the game want me to break these windows?
SMASH!
More drones to chain attacks to!
A-one, a-two-hoo, a-three… a-BOUNCE PAD!
Great! +3000
So first I was running in a hallway, and now I'm running on Beacon's roof. Seems legit.
Now for another quicktime jump pad combo!
So first I go here…
Nice!
Then here…
Good!
And then here…
Great!
Another? Okay.
Awesome!
One more? Fine.
Super! +5000
And it has led me to… a BOUNCE PAD sequence!
Finished off with a mad dash up Ozpin's office tower…
Leading to the goal ring at the top!
Track Cue: Results Screen (Sonic Forces)
Wonder how well I did this time.
Time: 3:29
Enemies: 40
Rings: 283
Bonus: 27,000
Untouchable: 30,000
Rank: S
Oohhh yeeeaaaahhhh…
S rank! +2,200 EXP
LEVEL UP!
VIT: 80 + 5
STR: 80 + 5
INT: 66 + 4
DEX: 80 + 5
AGI: 80 + 5
RES: 47 + 3
LUK: 38 + 2
CHR: 38 + 2
Points: 70 + 5
Learned "Perpetual Advantage!"
Level Up at: 2,500
Stage Rewards:
"Cotton Grips"
"Target Scouter"
And up I go to sixteen. Check the skill…
Perpetual Advantage [Passive] - Level MAX
Veteran combatants are always able to turn any situation to their benefit. Grants different bonuses whenever the user enters battle.
If battle is initiated by the user: STR and DEX x 1.2
If battle is initiated by an enemy: AGI and RES x 1.2
If battle is initiated by neither: STR, DEX, AGI, and RES x 1.1
Oh, that's nice. If I had saves to work off of, that could become integral for pre-boss builds. Stuff like 'let it attack you for the speed boost' or 'attack it first for more damage and better accuracy.'
Wonder why that 'neither' option is there. Wait… maybe it's for duels? Because the battle is started by a third party instead of the fighters? Yeah, it probably is.
Here's muh loot.
Cotton Grips
A spiffy pair of cuffed white gloves. Great for all manner of occasions, such as fancy parties, business deals, or assassinations.
Prevents fingerprints from being laid.
Hmm… not half bad. I'll definitely be finding uses for those in the future.
Target Scouter
The lifeline of any fighter working under an Arcosian. Rumor has it that the Cornerian Army also offers them to high-ranking space pilots. Crushing it after witnessing an out-of-nowhere power-up is highly discouraged.
Can gauge a rough estimate of an entity's HP, AP, STR, INT, DEX, AGI, and RES.
Provides a 15% bonus to accuracy and critical rate when equipped while wielding a ranged weapon without a scope.
Bitch, please. You can't stop me from breaking this thing like a cheap toy. Not like I would lose much anyway - half of its purpose is rendered moot thanks to Observe. The only reason I'd wear it would be the coolness factor and headshot help.
Landmark Discovered!
Headmaster's Office
+200 EXP
I think it's been about a week since I last checked my page. Just gonna…
Zeiss Serven
Title: Child Cynic
Class: Drifter
Level: 16
EXP: 200
Level Up at: 2,500
HP: 850
MP: 700
BP: 100
VIT: 85
STR: 85
INT: 70
DEX: 85
AGI: 85
RES: 50
LUK: 40
CHR: 40
Points: 75
Status: Healthy
Lien: 2,500
I should really figure out where I need to put my points, and soon. Since training only gives EXP and not stats, it's pointless to hold onto them. The problem is knowing which stat will be useful in the future, and whether or not I'll find any perma-stat-boosters. I don't want to put a bunch of points into RES and then find a bunch of Dracoshield knock-offs that could have done the job for me and let me spend my points on something like LUK or INT to round them out.
Argh… I hate having to make decisions like these.
Okay, you know what? I'll just use them up if I feel I have to if I want to do something or win a fight.
Or… I could use them as a stand-in for the classic 'sudden power-up during a losing battle that turns the tide' trope.
Both of those sound like pretty good ideas. Those be going on the backburner.
Howzabout muh mad skillz?
Skills
Gamer's Body [Passive]
Gamer's Mind [Passive]
Observe [Active]
Sword Mastery [Passive] - Level 33/100
Fireball [Active] - Level 4/10
Adept [Active] - Level 4/10
ID Create [Active] - Level 4/20
ID Escape [Active] - Level 4/20
Resolve [Passive] - Level 2/5
Imbue [Active] - Level 4/10
Twirl Slash [Active] - Level 4/10
Poison Resist [Passive] - Level 19/100
Pistol Mastery [Passive] - Level 18/100
Alchemy [Active] - Level 10/40
Spin Cycle [Active] - Level 3/10
Unarmed Mastery [Passive] - Level 15/100
Thunderbolt [Active] - Level 3/10
Blacksmithing [Active] - Level 10/40
Restore [Active] - Level 2/5
Guard Stance [Active] - Level 3/10
Rifle Mastery [Passive] - Level 19/100
Allows the user to wield rifles of all shapes and sizes with increased efficiency. Each level increases accuracy and reload speed by 1%. Rifle Skills will be unlocked upon reaching certain levels of this skill. Note that some weapons may require a certain level or higher of this skill to use properly.
Sixth Sense [Passive] - Level MAX
Windblast [Active] - Level 2/10
Cost: 35 MP
Summon a forceful gust of air to blow your enemies away. Has a base power of INT x 1.3. Damage dealt multiplied by 2.5 when used against flying or launched opponents. Very accurate, rarely misses.
Vantage [Passive] - Level MAX
Iron Will [Passive] - Level MAX
The phrase 'give up' does not exist in the dictionaries of certain folk. Once per day, the user can survive a lethal hit and instead have their current HP reduced by half, while gaining a five-second period of mercy invincibility. If the user is already at 1 HP, the attack will miss instead. Cooldown period resets at midnight.
Disable Counter [Active] - Level 1/5
Adopt a defensive posture, then automatically dodge an enemy's attack and inflict Disarm on them. Has a base success rate of 60%. For every level your opponent has over you, the success rate decreases by 5%. For every level you have over your opponent, the success rate increases by 5%.
Corrode [Active] - Level MAX
Strike at an enemy's weapon and rot it away into nothingness. If weapon's Might stat is higher than enemy weapon's, deals damage to enemy weapon equal to the difference between user's weapon might and enemy's. If total damage dealt to enemy's weapon exceeds its might, the weapon will be destroyed. Certain weapons improve the effectiveness of this skill. Some weapons, like many Personal Weapons, are immune to this skill.
Perpetual Advantage [Passive] - Level MAX
Well, they ain't much, but they pay them bills.
?
"Might I ask what exactly it is you're doing up there, young man?"
Wuh?
Ozpin
Wonderful Wizard of Beacon
Archsage
Level ?
Oh, lol, hi.
"While I'd love to answer that question, there's a slight problem - I don't really know, myself."
Ozpin
"Hmm… quite the conundrum, I'd say."
"It is, isn't it? You'd think that someone who could climb the tallest building in Vale would know very well why he's standing on top of it. But, nope. Here I am, with no clue why I'm here or of what I want to do."
Ozpin
"Fascinating. Would you mind if I gave you a reason in the form of answering questions?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
Ozpin
"First off, how did you get up here?"
"I ran."
Ozpin
"You ran?"
"Really fast. Right up the side."
Ozpin
"I see. Next question, then - how did I, or anyone else for that matter, not see you running up the side?"
"Let me reiterate: really fast."
Ozpin
"All right, then. Number three - if you were going so fast, how did you manage to land on the roof of my office without punching a hole straight through it due to how fast you were undoubtedly going after launching yourself upward over the side and coming back down?"
"Parachute."
Ozpin
"Okay. And how did nobody notice the eye-catching image of you parachuting down to the top of this tower?"
"You'd be surprised at how seldom people tend to look up on a normal day."
Ozpin
"True. On to five: where did the parachute go?"
"I 'unno. I slipped out of it as soon as I landed. Who knows where it is now."
Ozpin
"Mm."
Silence…
Ozpin
"Well, I've got nothing."
"Seems like it."
Ozpin
"Care to come inside? I just had a new coffee machine installed. Simply divine, I must say."
"I don't drink coffee. And forgive me if I don't fully trust people who invite others into their home without even knowing their name."
Ozpin
"Ah, right, excuse me. You may call me Ozpin. Of course, most usually refer to me as 'Headmaster Ozpin' or just 'Headmaster', but I'm not feeling very formal at the moment. Might I ask your name?"
"Zeiss Serven. A pleasure."
Hmm. Seems like a standard enough grip.
Ozpin
"Make yourself at home. Regretfully, I have yet to restock my snack drawers, but the school kitchen is always happy to lend its services."
"Oh, no, I would hate to impose…"
Ozpin
"Nonsense. I firmly believe that guests should always be treated with respect and a fine meal."
"Quite an odd philosophy. You come up with that yourself?"
Ozpin
"No, actually. I picked it up from an old friend. Sadly, they're long gone by now, but not following in their footsteps in this manner would leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"Interesting…"
Huh. This chair's actually not as uncomfortable as I thought it'd be, despite not having a cushion. Weird.
Ozpin
"Say, Mr. Serven, if I may… what is your age?"
"Fifteen years. And please, drop the 'mister' bit. Makes me feel like I'm an adult, and if there's one thing I'm not, it's that."
Ozpin
"Hm. Any desire to become a huntsman?"
"Somewhat. Not really much else I feel like doing with my life."
Ozpin
"Would you be interested in attending Beacon?"
"Well, one of my friends will most likely be coming here in two years, and I have no doubts that her sister will follow in another two years. So yeah, I'd say I have proper incentive."
Ozpin
"Excellent. Are you attending a combat school of any kind at the moment?"
"Nope. As far as anyone's concerned, I'm a wandering orphan without a family. Too broke to even get a scroll, much less pay for schooling."
Ozpin
"Ah… my condolences. But I must say, you don't exactly look the part. To my eye, your garb looks hot off the presses - something that only a privileged child would have access to."
"Saw right through me, eh? I guess you're not the headmaster for nothing. Yes, I do have quite a bit of money, but the other part of my description is true. I don't really have a home, or relatives to call my own. As far as I know, every single one of them is dead. But that won't stop me, no sir."
Ozpin
"You don't seem to be lacking in conviction, I see. Will I be seeing you in a few years for the entrance exam offered to all hopefuls without combat school certificates?"
"If I'm not dead by then, and don't have anything better to do, then yeah, you will."
Ozpin
"Fantastic."
…
Silenceeeeeeee…
"Well, as riveting as this conversation is, I'm afraid I can't stay here. Places to be, people to see, all that jazz. You understand?"
Ozpin
"Of course. The elevator is just behind you."
"Oh, apologies, but I don't think I'd do well in something so… conventional. Besides, if the rumors are true, I could be stuck riding that thing for an hour or more before hitting the ground floor instead of doing something productive. Mind opening a window, please?"
Ozpin
"...well, if you think it wise, I won't stop you. Go ahead."
"Thanks. See you around. Oh, and if you see Qrow, tell him I said hi, and that I'm doing fine."
Ozpin
"...all right, will do."
Wheeeeeee!
Wait for it...
'Windblast.'
"ERUWINDO!"
That should negate enough fall damage to let me survive…
CRACK!
-600 HP
HP: 250/850
Wump-woomp-wup-wumm bowwwwrrrr!
OFFICIAL ZEISS FAIL COUNTER: 6
OHHOLYMOTHEROFPAINSOMUCHPAINFUCKSHITGODDAMNITPAINSUFFERINGWHYAGONYDYING-
And it's gone.
Landmark Discovered!
Beacon Outer Courtyard
+100 EXP
Oh, shut up.
Now…
'Imbue.'
+196 HP
HP: 446/850
'PotionPotionPotionPotion.'
+400 HP
HP: 846/850
There we go. Natural healing factor should take care of those last 4 points.
Time to head back to the city. I think I've had enough fun for one day.
A/N: These chapters are a little shorter than the first couple for a number of reasons, chief among them being that I wrote the first ones as a sort of continuous non-stop chapter rather than a series of shorter ones. Fair warning - I don't exactly get any better at this for a while. At the moment, I have about two larger chapters still in stock, and after that, it's back to the keyboard.
Anyway... what do you think of the anonymous pilot? Could he really by that pilot? I'll leave that for you to decide.
And with that, Ozpin himself has finally appeared. To my understanding, much of the fandom's reaction to him in the early volumes pretty much amounted to "he's a complete troll, but he's also smart and nice about it," so I just took that and ran with it. (I wouldn't know, I only got into this series around the time Volume 4 was ending.) Trust me - he may seem ordinary now, but when he comes back into play at a later date, you'll see what I mean.
Zeiss also now has an in with Beacon. (Well, not really, but the Headmaster knows he's in play, and has ties with Qrow, so it's a logical idea to put him in with the rest of the cannon fodder.)
That seems to be everything. Bye, then!
[TRANSMISSION ENDED]