POV CHANGE!
Yeah...sorry, I really don't like limiting what I write due to keeping a limited first person perspective. I realized this while reading Reshuffle's "Autumn Days" (Which is an awesome fic mind you, definitely recommend you read it.)
So yah, again sorry if this interrupts the flow of the story but third person comes easier for me.
TTID
From meeting the beautiful angel known as Weiss Schnee and the supposedly famous Pyrrah Nikos back at the lockers, Jaune couldn't help but wonder how that lead to him plummeting at terminal velocity towards a Grimm infested area known as the Emerald Forest.
Normally he would be panicking right now but his «Gamer's Mind» ability had fixed that when he saw the others before him get launched and now he had a plan so as to get down but not without sparing one last glance at the man responsible for his predicament.
Turning his body to the side, the blond squinted at the man's direction and reread the man's info.
«Headmaster of Beacon»
Lvl ? Ozpin
This was the first time he had seen a level as a question mark instead of the title and name. Did that mean he was so strong that the system couldn't comprehend it? If that was the case then it would appear when he would;
a) Get closer to his level or
b) Level his observe skill to a high enough level.
'I should probably focus on my plan about surviving this fall.' Jaune thought to himself before opening his shield. Currently his luck is 10, the second highest stat he has along with wisdom. Hopefully it would be enough of a boost to proc his «Complete Block»'s 8% chance to negate his damage.
'Not like it says anything about what kind of damage right?' He continued his train of thought before turning back and aligning his shield parallel to the quickly approaching dirt. Well, if he fails he dies. He just hoped that there's some kind of respawn mechanism. The moment his shield hit the ground, he was so happy to see the words «Complete Block» in white bold letters float above his vision just for a second before the momentum of the crash continued to drag him forward along with a plethora of red numbers.
Pain racked his body as he stumbled to a stop a few seconds later, Jaune found himself on his back on the floor of the forest with a message box in front of him.
+1 Luck
"Really? After risking my life to this all I get is one point in luck?" He groaned to himself irritably. He couldn't believe it! With what was at risk in that bet, he thought he would at least have gained 10 points.
"Status."
Name: Jaune Arc
Title: Hunter in Training
Lvl: 3
HP: 62/120
MP: 40/40
Str: 15 (+3)
Vit: 9 (+1)
Dex: 8 (+1)
Int: 5 (+1)
Wis: 10
Luk: 11
Points: 0
Money: 2150 Lien
"That tumble really did a number on me." The blond mumbled. Another thing about his ability was that he never seemed to get injured. Yes, he can still feel pain but whenever he would get hurt the pain would disappear in a few seconds and the only thing that signified that he got hurt would be a drop in his HP.
"For your life to be dictated by numbers... I don't know how I feel about that." He pondered before standing up and dusting himself off.
'My health should regenerate in a few minutes, I might as well walk it out.'
A shuffle in the bushes caught his attention, causing him to stiffen before raising his weapons. He silently thanked the «Gamer's Mind» ability for his calm demeanor towards a possi-
He barely had the chance to raise his shield as a black blur charged at him causing him to stagger back.
-Complete Block-
Taking a look at his opponent, the blond could only blanch. In front of him stood a pure black wolf with white and red bones on it's head and shoulders. He already knew what it was but he had never seen one in person before.
"Observe." He commanded as another notification appeared in front of him.
Lvl 7 Young Beowolf
HP: 400/400
A soulless creature born from darkness that took the form of a wolf. Young Beowolves are known to be brash, their lack of intelligence makes them a straight forward enemy.
Jaune could only gulp in nervousness. This creature is two times stronger than he was and the fact that he's only at half health did not help him one bit. He knew that Beowolves did not travel alone, so he needed to end this quickly before the others showed up. This is his first time fighting something that wants him dead and he knew it won't be like his spars with his sisters.
No, it should...WOULD be easier.
Jaune charged with a roar with his shield by his side and his sword ready to swing.
'Make the first move, don't let the fight fall into the enemy's pace.' He recalled Saber's advice in their first spar. The blond swung his silver blade to bisect the Grimm, causing the wolf to jump back and howl in pain. The red bar on top of the beast falling at around 2/3.
'It didn't even attempt to dodge?' Jaune thought in amazement. Was this Beowolf really so young so as to not know how to dodge? He didn't ponder on it any longer as charged once more but this time, the monster decided to retaliate. A swing of it's lithe claws forced the young hunter in training to raise his shield.
-13 HP
Jaune smiled at the effectiveness of Crocea Mors before he bashed the Beowolf with his shield and followed it up with a quick thrust. The sword found it's way to the beast's chest. The monster's HP bar dropped to around a quarter before he dragged his sword to one side. He saw the HP bar hit empty right as the beast dissipated into black smoke.
~You have gained a level~
Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding, Jaune took a peek at his EXP bar.
30.7%/100%
'I gained 120.6 % of experience in that one fight, I wonder how much I would get now that I leveled up.' The blonde thought before opening his status window. It was common knowledge in video games that the higher your level, the more exp required to level up.
Name: Jaune Arc
Title: Hunter in Training
Lvl: 4
HP: 50/120
MP: 40/40
Str: 15 (+3)
Vit: 9 (+1)
Dex: 8 (+1)
Int: 5 (+1)
Wis: 10
Luk: 11
Points: 3
Money: 2150 Lien
'I'll save the points for later, I might as well finish this quest before I distribute it.' He dismissed the window before another shuffle caught his ears. Out from the same direction of the first one, two more Beowolves came out.
Lvl 9 Young Beowolf
HP: 470/470
Lvl 7 Young Beowolf
HP: 400/400
Dread wormed it's way through Jaune as he raised his family's heirloom once more. The blond thought about distributing his points now to help with his fight before a loud noise exploded and one of the monsters dissipated into smoke.
Another one sounded off before Jaune could even utter a word as the last one disappeared into smoke. It took Jaune a few seconds to realize that what he heard were gunshots and that he had just been saved.
"Are you hurt?" A cool voice spoke from behind him, effectively breaking the young knight out of his reverie. Turning to the direction of the voice, the young knight was greeted with the sight of the green eyed redhead wearing her golden armor and red waist cape.
«The Goddess of Victory»
Lvl 23 Pyrrah Nikos
'Level 23...' Jaune knew that out of all the new students in this forest that she was most likely the strongest. The blond saw the amazon squirm under his gaze and realized that he was probably staring, causing him to turn away in an attempt to pacify their situation.
"So, is there still a slot in your team, Jaune?" The blond couldn't help but smile as he sheathed his family heirloom.
Relationship level with Pyrrah Nikos has improved!
You are now Acquaintances!
A few minutes of following the fiery redhead gave Jaune the time needed to think things through. He knew that if he wanted to level up faster, he would need to grind out against enemies. He's had this ability for a long time, solely relying on chores and errands for EXP in hopes of leveling up but one Lvl 7 Beowolf was enough to raise his level by one and then some.
He could hope to grind out his skills in the process but it would be best to do that by himself, it's an added risk when fighting against Grimm. A risk he didn't want to take.
Another issue he needed to think about was what stat he wanted to raise. If he were a civilian then it would be obvious that he should raise his INT or WIS to land a good paying job but he already had a job waiting for him as a Hunter, not saying that INT and WIS aren't involved in that area but it also takes other stats into consideration...
+1 Wisdom
He would be constantly fighting, so VIT was needed if he wants the endurance and health to survive but then again he could end a fight quickly with STR and DEX combined, he had a shield to help with defense anyway. If he raised his DEX enough, he could block all attacks aimed at him...but he could also avoid as much conflict as possible by raising either his LUK or WIS.
Then there is also the matter of grinding his stats up. STR could be raised by weight exercises, he could probably raise his VIT with that as well if he did it long enough. DEX would be a bit of a problem, he had no idea what "flexible" training meant. He would need to study to increase his INT, perhaps VIT can help with his time spent on it. WIS is the only stat he can raise naturally through thinking so he didn't need to worry about that.
+1 Wisdom
He really wished it gave him more stat points for every level.
'Maybe I should focus on VIT for now, that stat can help me grind the other stats really w-'
-1 HP
"Pwaah!" Jaune cried out as something proceeded to slap him in the face, causing the bumbling blond to fall on to his posterior with a thud. Looking up, he saw an offending piece of foliage sticking out where his head used to be causing the young knight to curse under his breath. Through habit, the blond ordered his status window out.
Name: Jaune Arc
Title: Hunter in Training
Lvl: 4
HP: 83/120
MP: 40/40
Str: 15 (+3)
Vit: 9 (+1)
Dex: 8 (+1)
Int: 5 (+1)
Wis: 12
Luk: 11
Points: 3
Money: 2150 Lien
His WIS was moving along nicely at least and it should only take a few more minutes before his HP fills up completely.
'I should probably focus on the task at hand, I can just think later when I am in bed.' Jaune stood up whilst rubbing his cheek. The pain was gone but it still felt weird, it felt wet.
"Jaune, you're bleeding." Pyrrah walked towards him and inspected the cut on his cheek. Him? Bleeding? Jaune's finger immediately went to the source of the wet sensation and lo and behold on his finger was a dab of sanguine liquid. Jaune's eyes widened at the sight of the small drop of blood on the tips of his finger.
'Wh-what? A branch managed to cut me? H-how?' One time he cut himself with a knife...but all it did was drop his HP. No wounds, no blood, nothing. His brain racked at itself for an explanation. Did his «Gamer's Body» ability downgrade itself? No, no game should ever nerf something just because it felt like it. What happened? What cau- His eyes widened even further as an idea struck his mind like lightning.
'Events... cutscenes... this is an event!?'
+1 Wisdom
Events, a momentary lapse in a game's game logic to give the characters a sense of humanity or realism.
'What the hell? Now I know this isn't just the system... the sentience of my ability, depicting events, this isn't all me...someone...or something is controlling me. Controlling what I see, controlling what I get... a code.'
+1 Wisdom
"Why aren't you using your Aura to heal it?" Jaune was snapped out of his reverie at the sound of his partner's voice. Aura? The blonde suddenly remembered his eldest sister or more specifically, her title.
«The Blade of Aura»
"Aura to heal it?" The blond parroted stupidly as he stood up.
"Jaune, you do know what Aura is right?" The redhead asked, her voice laced with a mixture of concern and confusion. A part in the blond's mind all but shouted to act like a know it all so as not to be seen as ignorant or stupid but the rational 14 points in his Wisdom said otherwise.
The blond shook his head for a negative. The redhead released a sigh before smiling at the young knight.
"Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our heart. Everything living thing has aura; humans, plants, animals."
"What about the Grimm?" Jaune cut her off but in the back of his head he already knew the answer.
"No, the Grimm is the manifestation of unanimity in this world. They are the darkness and we are the light."
"Is that why we fight them?"
"No, it's not about why. It's about knowing, in order to manifest our aura we must understand both light and dark. After all, no person is completely pure. By bearing your soul outward as a force, we can deflect harm. All of our equipment and tools are conduits for aura, you project yourself and your soul while fighting." Pyrrha finished leaving Jaune to absorb all of what she said. Thankfully, the blond managed to catch up.
"So we use our souls to protect ourselves?"
"Basically."
'So this is basically armor. Something the enemy needs to take down before I take any damage to my HP.' Jaune jotted down in his mind before being broken out of it due to his partner's hands cupping his cheek.
"Close your eyes and concentrate." Jaune's cheek burst into a bright shade of red that he hoped Pyrrha didn't notice as he closed his eyes. The thought was swatted out of his mind as he felt something enter inside of him and stir.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality, through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
The young knight suddenly felt lighter, as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulder. His blue eyes cracked open to give way to the sight of his partner seemingly out of breath before being followed by a message box.
From the depths of your soul, a power has emerged.
+500 Aura
+110 MP
«Aura» Max Lvl (Toggle)
The manifestation of your soul.
Damage will be deducted from your Aura instead of HP until Aura is completely depleted.
«Aura Healing» Max Lvl (Toggle)
The ability to heal wounds using your Aura.
Heals 100% of Max HP over 10 minutes in exchange for 300 Aura points every minute.
This ability will automatically deactivate upon reaching full HP.
'300 Aura for 10% of my max HP for a minute. 12 points of HP for one minute but the healing factor is percentage type against the cost's flat amount...so if I increase my HP it will heal for more.' Jaune felt himself grin at the thought of being nigh unkillable.
«Mana Mastery» Lvl 1 (Passive)
The ability to manipulate Mana
Strengthens other Mana attribute spells.
"Hey Pyrrah, do you know anything about Mana?" The blond asked, the redhead had managed to catch her breath while he was reading and shook her head in response.
'I'll need to read up on this'
Relationship level with Pyrrah Nikos has improved!
You are now Allies in Arms!
TTID
A little bit more in my journey of settling everything before getting with the juicy stuff. This is the start of everything veering away from the canon story. It's quite fun to balance these abilities out.
As to why Jaune wasn't pinned to a tree upon landing? I believe that the only...well ONE of the reasons Pyrrha did that was because the blond was flailing around in the air but because of the Gamer's Mind ability, Jaune managed to steady his position so Pyrrha didn't feel the need to intervene and just went towards him.
Relationship levels differ with each character, still have no list for the levels. If you want to suggest a set of levels for each character go ahead via message or review.
Next chapter should be a long one as well...and an even longer wait.