Been a while, but we are back with another chapter with yours truly. I'm about to officially ORD (Operationally Ready Date) from National service in a couple of days and will be free to pursue further studies or work. But enough about news from me.
Another note before we move on to the comments and the chapter is that you may still decide on the new title for this story on the polls list in my profile. Or suggest yours as well. If I like it enough, I'll add it to the poll option.
Enough about that stuff. Reviews time!
Gadget boy: And thank you for giving your thoughts! This chapter will have more interactions between Lucia and team RWBY with JNPR. And don't worry. Luna and Penny will soon get their upgrades eventually.
Zekken182: Don't worry; I will move on to the StarCraft story after this. As for your suggestion about how, Lucia should 'negotiate' with Torchwick, I'm keeping my lips shut. No spoilers~
Maticore: While We don't really know if an artificial life like an android could actually develop a semblance since the example we had in canon met an unfortunate case of death (I'm sorry), I like to believe that they could since they possess an aura.
As for whether Alpha will develop a semblance, it is a maybe right now since how she and eventually Luna and Penny (once they are retrofitted with a new frame) are broken in terms of the power scale. However, that mentality might change as the story develops. And they still have their abilities to note as well.
Williamni123456789: Yup! And there will be more in this chapter! And I had already pulled the new Liv after dumping over 7500 black cards on it. Damn you, Gacha RNG. At least I got Flashbang Liv now!
Cedentas: Don't worry; there will be a climax soon enough~
TalonScythe: Wow. This means a heck lot to me, you know that? Part of the reason I make new stories is to experiment with them. As I think you and others would get, the idea of an android Si is unique and the idea of another person being SI before Alpha. And yes, the changes we have seen will only get bigger. A clear example is Watts, who is not on Salem's side.
Alpha is the original Lucia and did have black hair initially. Still found it interesting how you imagine her with black hair instead. Was it the lack of reaction from everyone about Lucia's white hair and heterochromatic eyes that made you think it that way? Just curious.
Beligor: Maybe, but this is Vol 1 Blake, and she can sometimes be pretty paranoid about her origins. And I might have phrased it wrongly, but you had my intention in mind. Blake would be suspicious of Lucia since she suddenly appeared, and Ozpin assigned her to her team. That and Lucia's from Altas, so that will also earn caution from her.
As for Lucia's auto system, it isn't perfect. With how it was programmed to ensure self-preservation first, it would always assume the worse from everyone. Even slight suspicions may be misinterpreted as potential hostiles by it. Part of the reason it kept on suggesting to Alpha to kill or take the most violent options. Also, partly her fault for taking it at face value.
And we're done with the comments. So, let's get this show on the word.
Like always, I do not own any of RWBY or their content. They all belong to their respective owners. Nor do I own any content belonging to Kuro Technology and their series Punishing Gray Raven.
At least one hour and seventeen minutes have passed since I let part of my frustrations out, and I soon found myself in the shopping centre with team RWBY and JNPR following me. Several things were of note to me that I observed.
The main thing was Blake's suspicion of me had lessened since my 'rant'. I can say for sure that it was less intense than before, but I'm detecting an increase in curiosity from her. Besides, things hadn't changed much except for my staring at all the plush toys on display. It shouldn't be worthy of concern, but the fact that they had Grimm plushies is kind of strange and adorable at the same time.
A tiny Beowolf plush that you can hug? Why not, right? This must be some sort of pop culture for these people to have Grimm plushies on sale. Perhaps I should get some and deliver them to Luna and Penny. I'm sure they would like it. You know… Sarah always likes bunny plushies… I don't know whether Luna would mind them, but I believe she would like them.
As for Penny… Perhaps a hamster plushie. I don't know. Or maybe a lucky charm of how literal she can be. Who knew getting gifts could be a pain?
I let out a hum as I grabbed a bunny plush the size of a small dog and a hamster plush of the same size. I also grabbed a whale plush for myself. Its size reminds me of Blahaj, which you can get at IKEA back on Earth, except it's a whale, not a shark. Now that makes me wonder if there is any furniture stall like IKEA in Remnant. It would be nice to personalise my designated dorm room in Altas. Currently, it is just black and white and highly simplistic.
[Searching through CCTs for similar furniture substitutes.]
RWBY and JNPR were also in the stall, looking at all sorts of nick-nacks they could buy. How am I going to pay for them? I got that covered with the Lien I brought, which I made with my laser-powered nano-assembler before arriving in Beacon.
Is this technically illegal? Yes. Yes, it's illegal by definition. But making Lien was outside my restrictions with what I couldn't use my printer to make. And I doubt the economy will notice a slight change with adding a few Liens.
Nevertheless, I'm going to keep this loophole away from everyone else—especially General Ironwood. I wouldn't want him to patch up that exploit. And who knows, there may be a time I have to print some more in the future.
"Who are you buying these for?" I heard Ruby asking me as I turned right to face her.
"For myself and my sisters back home," I explained as I resumed my search for something else I could buy. I never really had the chance to spend money on stuff like this, now that I thought through it. It mainly was waking up, going to work and coming back. And on the weekends, it is just me staying home to rest with the occasional spending my time with Sarah and her boyfriend.
And food.
"Oh?" Ruby looked intrigued at what I said. "What are you looking to get them? I can help." I could only simile at Ruby's willingness to help me. Thanks, Ruby.
"I was thinking of getting one of my sisters a key chain. Do you have a good suggestion of what kind I should get her?" I asked back as Ruby pondered for a moment, right as she disappeared in a flash of roses. 2.531 seconds later, Ruby reappeared beside me, holding a luminous alloy glass keychain in her hands.
"How about this?" Ruby asked as I took it off her hand and examined it closely. And by command, my Hud got to work.
[Size of Keychain. 20mm wide, 80mm long.]
[Organic Clover leaf encased in glass]
[Alloy used. Brass.]
[Suitable gift for Penny Polendina.]
[Cost. Acceptable.]
"This looks like a wonderful gift to buy, Ruby. Thanks." I smiled as Ruby gave me a beaming smile. At times I had forgotten how adorable pre-fall Beacon Ruby was. As I placed the keychain in my basket, I gazed behind Ruby to see a trail of roses and with an amused chuckle. "You might want to clean that up, Ruby." I pointed out as Ruby turned her head.
"Oops." Ruby let out a sheepish giggle as she sped off to clean up after herself.
With what I had in hand, I made my way and paid for it at the cashier. It turns out the others also bought some stuff for themselves. Nora and Ren were there as in their basket was a plushie toy. Jaune was just a short distance away with Pyrrha by his side, looking at clothes, of all things.
As for Weiss and Blake, they were done paying and were waiting outside for us.
Approximately 10 minutes later, we all were done shopping and gathered outside with questions about what we should do now. Several suggested going to the arcades, more prominently Ruby, Yang, Nora, Jaune, Pyrrha and surprisingly, Weiss. As a 26.5 years old woman in my previous life, I have no time for games thanks to office work.
But it should be fine to try it out and have some fun.
Blake wasn't happy and wished to go to the library; data suggest it concerns her enhanced hearing regarding her disgruntlement. I can't blame her. One reason I never bother going to arcades is because of how loud and overwhelming they can get. It must be a nightmare for Faunuses, thanks to their enhanced hearing.
And with the majority vote, we all made our way to the arcade Ruby suggested we should go to, which was called Ultra-Max. Not sure about the choice of name, but who am I to decide what they should name their stalls?
[Alert. Incoming transmission from Penny Polendina.]
"Oh? Penny calling me right now?" I thought in my head as I tuned my legs to follow team RWBY and JNPR before picking up Penny's call.
[Decrypting transmission.]
"Hello? Is this working?" I could hear Penny in my head. With this transmission decrypted, I greeted my little sister.
"Yes, sister, I can hear you well. What can I do to assist you, Penny?" I asked as Penny sounded enthusiastic again.
"Right! There are some things that need your attention in Altas! I heard you're staying in Vale for a while. How was it? It must be spectacular to see such wondrous sights! And Father and Dr Watts wish to analyse the data and run some tests on your new exoskeleton!" I'm glad I can process all that in one go.
So, Penny is made aware of my stay in Vale, huh? No surprises. General Ironwood must have informed them about it. And yes, Penny. Beacon and Vale are marvellous indeed. Letting out a soft chuckle of amusement at my sister's enthusiasm, I answered her.
"It has been a compelling experience away from Atlas, Penny. I'm sure you will enjoy the sights as I do; it's much different from Atlas. However, unless there is a direct order from General Ironwood, I will be unable to leave Vale until the start of the week. Then I will return to Atlas. Do tell your father and Dr Watts of the current situation Penny."
"Right, I can do that!" Penny responded as I asked another question.
"How is Luna currently?" For a moment, I could tell that Penny was thinking about how to answer my question.
"Dr Watts recently had a theory to help improve the effectiveness of Atlesian Knights Atlas. It, uh, involves Luna creating a local network to control and coordinate a squad of Atlesian Knights amid a battle. And it worked!" Penny continued explaining with renewed enthusiasm.
"The Atlesian Knights have shown to be much more effective and show signs of being more intelligent than those not part of her network! Some were even showing signs of sapience like us!" Firstly wow. I guess it makes sense for Watts to work on improving the Atlesian Knights. They can be bloody stupid at times. And yes, I'm aware of the irony present here.
The second point Watts had Luna create a network for knights to connect to, and not only did it improve their intelligence, but some showed some gaining sentience, like Penny, Luna, and I? How fascinating. He might be the first man to create actual artificial intelligence. Even more impressive was Luna doing it with her current frame, which isn't as advanced as mine.
And no. I, Luna and Penny do not count. We have auras and, thus, our own souls, even if Penny got hers from Pietro. That might explain how the Brothers managed to shove me into this body. I can't say I'm happy about coming to that conclusion.
"Continue…" I hummed in my head as Penny's voice lost its enthusiasm.
"Well… Whenever the network is active, Luna will experience intense system strain that gets increasingly severe the more prolonged it remains active. Therefore, General Ironwood has concluded that it was too risky to implement it without overloading Luna in the process."
"Is she well?" I asked with a hint of alarm in my tone. Yet Penny assured me otherwise, much to my delight.
"She is in good shape after some maintenance, Lucia." Good. I prefer not to lose Luna in an experiment. I know everyone will need her in the war against Salem. And… I don't want to know what it was like to lose someone. After a beat of silence from the both of us, I asked.
"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
"Yes!" Penny squealed out as if she had just remembered it. "Dr Watt's theorised that retrofitting Luna with the experimental construct frame would allow her to run her network without the risk of overloading! Isn't that fascinating?" Penny asked me as I unconsciously nodded my head.
From what Penny has told me so far, this is interesting. I don't remember Atlas's technology development moving this fast. Was this a result of my father's tech? I wonder… If that's the case, it makes me wonder how long it will take to develop a separate network for Atlesian Knights squads to act independently. Then perhaps those useless robots will be better against other foes besides the most common species of Grimm.
"And there's a chance that Watt's will petition to use the constructed frame?"
"Yes, Lucia! From what I can tell, Watts intends to send a petition to General Ironwood as soon as you return and perform some scans with father! It will be so cool to be equipped with a better frame and taste food for the first time! Oh, I can't wait!" Penny continued as I could only silently giggle at my little sister's enthusiasm.
"I must also tell you, sister, that several students currently escort me from Beacon at Headmaster Ozpin's request. I believe you will like them, sister." I explained as I sent some data to Penny on who they were. "Sending in data now."
[Sending data package of Team RWBY and JNPR to Penny Polendina.]
[Data Package sent successfully.]
As I waited patiently for Penny to process the data, my attention returned to team RWBY and JNPR, who was still happily chatting among themselves. It feels nice to take things slowly once in a while. Even if it doesn't last long once I get back to work. Best I make the best out of it. Especially hunting for Torchwick and Cinder.
Eh, I can work that once they return to Beacon. They have a 96.43% to have homework to do. Then I can begin my search. First, though… Ironwood still has the exact position and condition right now. I need to see if I can create false data to keep my intentions hidden. Or come up with a half-truth. That would also work.
[Beginning system diagnosis.]
Soon I heard Penny in my head again, who was intrigued by what she had read. "This is fascinating! You're friends with a Schnee and a Faunus! How curious!" Penny sounds giddy as she continues. "Oh! Oh! I see you allowed the girl called Ruby Rose to see Benizakura! And Nora Valkyrie sounds like a spectacular friend to be with!"
"They sure are. I am sure you will get along with them. But ensure that they never know your true identity. While there is an 87.731%, they won't mind having us as a friend despite our mechanical origins. Not everyone will be so forgiving after what I did 25 years ago." I lectured.
Sure, it seemed unnecessary, but I prefer to be cautious than caught off guard. Humanity and Faunuses still have a long way to go. I doubt they will react well to me or anything machine coming into the scene.
"I understand the significance of your words, Lucia." Penny's tone immediately became gloomy. Sorry Penny, but you're still young and have much to learn about how humanity can sometimes be foolish and short-sighted.
"One more thing, if nothing else, I bought you and Luna some gifts from Vale. Once I return, I'll personally pass it on to you and our sister." I said as Penny regained her curiosity.
"Thanks, Lucia! What is it?"
That got a soft giggle from me. "It wouldn't be a gift if I were to tell you now, would it?"
"Right! This is sensational! I can't wait to see what you bought for Luna and me! I'll go tell her right now!"
[Transmission lost.]
Ever adorable Penny.
Closing my eyes and shaking my head in amusement, we soon arrived at the arcades, and it was big, which makes sense now that I think about it. With how Grimm is attracted to negative emotions, negating them with entertainment would help keep the major cities safe from any Grimm attacks.
It still doesn't excuse some of those games are rigged to make you spend large chunks of your money on them. Nevertheless, we all had fun in it. Well, some of us had more fun than others. But, as a whole, we spend at least an hour in it, and I won't lie here.
I cheated and remotely unrigged some of their games to everyone's advantage. As it turns out, all of their arcade games are linked to a central server and not to my surprise, it had shit cybersecurity. It was too easy to gain access to it and, thus, modify the claw machines to be much fairer. And so Ruby, Nora, Jaune and Yang all won some gifts.
In. A. Row.
It got even funnier for me when the arcade employees were confused at some of our win rates and had to step in and 'shut' the claw machines down over it bugging out or something. It got to a point where I had to temporarily disable my emotions because I was so close to laughing at their confusion!
Overall, it was a great experience having a taste of the entertainment district in Vale. Is there anything else to try in Vale? And poor Blake looked overwhelmed by all the noise and made an excuse about not being used to noisy places. But, like all things, it eventually had to end. Unfortunately, they all had to go back to Beacon to clear their weekend homework, as I predicted. But to end it on a positive note. I chose to sponsor everyone's dinner.
You can guess how ecstatic they were to have free food. And the first thing that came to mind was ramen. And what do you know? It's run by that same shopkeeper who runs various jobs throughout the first few volumes. So how does he do that? But my questions don't go anywhere due to him not talking much.
Nevertheless, our delicious ramen came in, and we all enjoyed the tasty goodness of it. The soup was light and creamy from the pork bones! The noodles were even springy, and there was seaweed which I wonder where they got it from. Don't get me started on the pork meat!
But, my lord, is it tasty!
And while I was happily slurping up my noodles, I heard Ruby calling me. "Lucia, do you have any other plans today since all of us need to go do homework?" She asked as I stopped mid-slurp and shook my head. Since you and your friends need to do your schoolwork in Beacon, I'll probably drop by the CTTs and look for Cinder.
But I had my doubts about the whole thing. From what I know, Watt's created the virus Cinder installed in the CCTs in canon. But now that he is still on Atlas's side, there's no way for that to happen unless Salem found a replacement. My Hud suggested that Merlot could be Watt's replacement.
But he lacks the technical skills for it. And so, it came up with another potential person who could do the job. And that person would be Merlot's partner. But even that would be jumping the boat before it arrives on land without intel on who they are. The last suggestion that is said to be the most likely is that the fall will never happen to this Remnant, thanks to my father's influence on the world.
If that's the case, the timeline advantage I possess will be rendered mostly irrelevant. The data are still helpful, though.
Swallowing the rest of my noodles, I spoke to Ruby. "I don't have any plans for the rest of the day. Perhaps I can continue exploring Vale by myself, or I could come along and return to Beacon. I won't mind talking to your headmaster about some stuff. He makes good company."
"Oh," Ruby mumbled. "Thanks for paying for everyone's food," Ruby said as everyone thanked me again. As for me, I just waved it off like it was nothing.
"Oh, there is no need for that. I enjoyed the time we spent today. Paying for your food is at least something I could do for you all." I explained as I earned a smile before we all began digging into our ramen noodles again.
And once we finished our ramen noodles, I decided to come alongside them, and we talked more on the way back to Beacon. And once we did, I split off from team RWBY and JNPR. I need to confirm this detail.
And the CCTs will help me. After a short break to gather my thoughts.
Lucia walked through Beacon at midnight as she made her to the main CCTS tower. Most of its residences had already closed off to rest for the night. And much to Lucia's astonishment, there was a lack of security guards in the vicinity. Even using her x-ray filters reveal no one watching over the CCTs tower.
"Are these people serious? No security at all, and their CCTs had godawful cybersecurity defences? No wonder Cinder could sneak in without any problem. System suggests that there's 86.161% chance it is due to complacency of peace." So, Lucia thought to herself as optics began scanning for any nearby cameras.
Detecting several security cameras through the wall, Lucia notes that they were placed in awkward positions. Even if they were in her way, Lucia could simply hack into the entire system and set them to a loop, and they will no longer be a problem.
Rolling her eyes at Beacon's abysmal security measures, Lucia made her way into the CCTs and into an elevator that would take her to Beacon's terminal room. Lucia quickly tapped into Beacon's Wi-Fi system and made a loop of the elevator to ensure that no one, not even the headmaster himself, would know that she was entering a restricted zone.
As the elevator doors opened as she walked into a room filled with terminals and let out an intrigued grunt. "Mm… Looks almost the same. Just more terminals." Lucia walks towards the terminal in the middle of the room, and once she's closed enough to it, she rests her palm on the screen as her eyes flicker to green for a moment.
[Accessing Primary CCTs Network…]
[Primary CCTs Network connection established.]
[Searching for Cinder Fall scroll ID.]
[Cinder Fall's Scroll ID found. Hacking and piggybacking initiated.]
…
…
[System hacking and piggybacking successful.]
[Cinder Fall's current location locked in.]
[Lucia Alpha now has a full-life location and control of Cinder Fall's scroll.]
With a smile, Lucia removed her palm from the terminal as her eyes reverted to their original colours. She turned and left the room without looking back and with interest at the copious amount of data gathered from the CCTs. And once Lucia had officially left the main CCTS tower, she muttered at her discovery.
"Cinder Fall… Interesting… You have been in contact with the Fang recently, yet… your only objective is to have Torchwick gather Dust." Lucia's intrigued smile became a frown. "And it looks like the data is correct. Salem lacked any electronic specialists at the moment. The Fall cannot happen the traditional way."
Letting her breath out, Lucia turned and stared at the shattered moon in the sparkling night skies. "Looks like Merlot and his partner are priority targets regarding threat level. I feel things will get incredibly complicated in the future if Salem decides to convince either of them to join her."
Lucia closed her eyes as the cold winds of the night blew against her face. It's these moments that made her mind at peace, even with her systems constantly running and planning. With Cinder's constant movement and communications tracked, Lucia returned to her room and allowed herself a moment of respite.
Yet, as she returned to her room, Lucia's sensors detected someone hiding in a nearby tree. As if the intruder wishes to peek into her room. Upon closer analysis of the trespasser from a corner, Lucia recognised her on the spot. As it turns out, Blake tried her best to view Lucia's room through the windows.
And she was wearing her usual outfit with Gambol Shroud on her belt.
Lucia's systems predicted Blake would eventually try to dig in for information, but it was still surprising to see her try it. Yet, it was a situation that Lucia was looking for a chance to deal with as soon as she could, and she was not going to complain about it. While the logical side suggests directly confronting Blake, her human side presents a mischievous alternative.
What better way to catch a trespasser than to trick them into thinking that you don't know they're there?
With that in mind, Lucia pretended not to notice Blake as she entered her room. And once she closed the door and 'opened' her dorm windows to let fresh air into her room and a minute to feel the breeze, Lucia asked out loud enough for the spying cat Faunus hiding nearby to hear. "You know I can see you, right?" Lucia said as her eyes went straight to where Blake was hiding in a nearby tree.
Blake's body froze like a statue as Lucia's eyes landed on her hiding spot. Her instincts begged her to run. How did she spot her this quickly? She wondered as the temptation to book it and try again later grew inside, yet she could only remain still as the construct in hiding continued.
"I won't get you in trouble. If you seek answers from me. You could at least have the decency to ask me instead of spying." Blake could only ponder for a moment before she decided to trust Lucia's word and her gut. And so, Blake poked her head out of the tree to see Lucia brushing her hair to the side as her eyes glinted with interest.
"How did you know I was there?" Blake could only ask as she slowly made her way off the tree. As for Lucia, she leaned against the sill of the window and held her hand down for Blake to grab.
"I figure you would want answers," Lucia answered honestly. "You won't exactly subtle with your feelings about me the whole day. I caught you staring at me sometimes, and you were uncomfortable with me near you."
Blake's cheeks could only blush at how her suspicions were picked on. Yet Lucia ignored it as she shook her hand gently. "Come grab my hand, and I'll take you in."
Seeing no other choice, Blake ran up and caught Lucia's hand before she was pulled into the room. Inside, it was an extremely plain room, even by her standards. It only had a single bed with a table and a couple of chairs, and a closet, plus a door that led to the toilet. There were no decorations as Lucia closed the windows and walked towards a chair.
Blake followed after her as she and Lucia sat on the chairs. "Sorry about how boring the room looks." Lucia apologised, "I try my best not to rely on material comforts. I find them distracting at times. Not that I don't indulge in them." Lucia admitted as Blake remained tense.
A beat went by before Lucia let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll not hold you up forever. I know you got questions, so let's hear it." Blake furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Lucia adjust her sitting position, and the light-heartedness in her eyes faded.
"You found me suspicious, don't you?" Lucia began to speak softly. "I showed up out of thin air, and your headmaster assigned your team as my escort in my time here. Am I right?" Blake could only nod in confirmation. Yet Lucia didn't look convinced and took a breath.
"But I don't feel like playing a guessing game of why you see the need to spy on me. Care to tell me?" If Blake were, to be honest, this feels like an interrogation. Yet she couldn't find the will to argue.
"Was it due to my comment that I researched everyone before coming over? Or is it my fighting style during Professor Port's class that set off alarms in your head?" Lucia prodded as Blake remained silent.
Another beat went by fast before Lucia rolled her eyes as if she was talking to a wall. "Well, fine. You're right about one thing," Lucia leaned back as Blake perked up. "I am an ancient Atlas War machine pretending to be a human."
Lucia commented with pure sarcasm while Blake finally spoke up, baffled at how specific it seemed. "Your joking, right?"
"Trying to break the ice here." Lucia shrugged. "Look, I get it that you distrust anyone from Atlas, and I look suspicious since I seemingly appeared out of thin air. But I promise you. I did not come here to hurt anyone. Even with your shady background."
Blake immediately tensed as she prepared to stand and run, yet Lucia held her hand up gently. "As I said earlier, I won't hurt anyone here. Not even you. The fact that you bothered to leave them and come here to redeem yourself is good enough to me. Everyone deserves a second chance." Lucia gave a gentle smile.
"Even you deserve one."
Blake let out a sigh of relief as Lucia snapped her back. "After all," Blake soon saw Lucia's expression begin to show signs of guilt. "You're not the only one with sins crawling on your back, you know? I've done horrible things I wish I could take back, even till now. And those sins still haunt me even to this day." This was the first time she met Lucia yesterday did Blake see her so guilty.
From what Blake understood so far, Lucia was skilled with the blade and loved food judging from her eating habits. But, even then, she never saw Lucia this upset with herself, and it made Blake wonder what she did that haunts her to this day?
"Do you mean it?" Blake muttered. "About you not caring whether we're Faunuses or not?"
Lucia nods her head in confirmation. "Yes. I meant it. I never liked how some of humanity discriminated against Faunuses. After all, many of those who discriminate are humans. But not all humans discriminate against Faunuses."
Lucia quickly raised her hand again before Blake could speak. "But, of course, you could say the same thing about the Fang as a whole. Many of the White Fang's members are Faunuses, but not all Faunuses are White Fang. I know some Faunuses in Atlas, and they aren't that different from us, yes?"
Lucia asked as Blake nodded her head with a smile on her lips. She had to agree with her thinking here.
Taking a breath in, Lucia looked Blake in the eyes. "I hope this talk clears most of your suspicions, and if you still have some, talk it out." Lucia smiled. "It's late, and I recommend you go and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, Blake Belladonna. Have a good night."
With a nod and a small smile, Blake stood up and walked towards the door. But as she does that, Blake looks back at Lucia, still on the chair, "Good night, Lucia. Talking to you was interesting. I'm glad you're willing to clear some things out." And with that, Blake left Lucia's room.
As for our construct in hiding, she stood up and collapsed on her bed with a pleased sigh. "Glad that works out in the end. Now then, what to do for tomorrow?" Lucia muttered before her eyes closed for the night.
[New proposition available.]
Lucia POV
The following day around 1030, I sent a private text to both RWBY and JNPR teams to meet me at their Amphitheatre for private lessons with me. Yes, I am biased here, but all of them could take some training advice before I leave Beacon at the end of the day.
Ironwood had just recently contacted me and informed Ozpin about the sudden arrangement. Whatever the case, I had to accelerate my plans slightly before my due time to depart from Beacon tonight.
And here I was, waiting for them at their Amphitheatre in my default outfit, which I had taken from my ship early in the morning at 0300. Without the mechanical bits, of course. I can't spoil the surprise this early now, can I? But I had to wear some undergarments because I for sure that a certain heiress would complain about my lack of them.
While waiting for both teams to arrive, I leaned against the wall with my optics shut to calm my mind for approximately 10 minutes before they finally arrived in their combat outfit.
"Lucia?" I heard Ruby's voice as my optics opened to see all of them watching me with interest in their eyes about my clothes.
"I see you'll arrive here," I said as I pushed myself off the wall and walked towards them. "Since we'll be going through training, I believe it will be best to get into my outfit," I explained as I stopped in front of them with my arm resting on Benizakura.
What followed was a barrage of comments about my outfit, which I predict will happen, and I took the time to answer their curiosity. But mostly, it was about how cool my outfit was, with Yang commenting how Ruby and I had the same colour schemes, which we do.
Weiss questioned whether I was really from Atlas with such outfits, but I quickly countered that yes. I am from Atlas, and this is what I wear. Then again, seeing how Luna basically wears a dress over her combat suit, I shouldn't really say much.
Eventually, I 'coughed' into my hand to get everyone to focus on me again. "Alright, we can talk more later," I said as my optics scanned through everyone. "While it is true, I did my research on everyone here. I believe a hands-on approach will allow me to see your flaws and offer suggestions as to how you can improve."
[Notice. Avoid Pyrrha Nikos. Her semblance is a critical threat level.]
[Recommendation. Have her fight without semblance.]
[Her reliance on it makes her falsely appear invincible.]
[It will also prevent critical risks to Lucia Alpha.]
That is precisely what I was thinking. Am I becoming more attuned to my construct body at this point?
No matter. Focus Lucia.
"So," I smirked at my temporary students of the day, "Who wishes to go first against me first? Don't worry; I'll go easy for your sake." I said as I folded my arms while both team RWBY and JNPR looked at each other. Right as Yang took a step forward.
"You know, I've been looking forward to this since we witnessed your demonstration a while ago, Lucia. I'll be your first," Yang admits as she gives me a recognisable smirk.
With a simple nod, I accepted Yang's offer. "Very well. Can everyone back away? I wouldn't want you to get caught in this spar." Upon hearing my instructions, everyone moved back against the wall as I walked to the opposite side of the arena.
And once I was far enough, I turned and faced Yang.
[Reducing total attack power level to 0.5%]
[All attacks will no longer result in the risk of permanent injuries.]
[Strength levels now matched with average Huntsman.]
[Pulling data on Yang Xiao Long.]
[Data retrieved.]
"Alright! We may begin at once, Miss Xiao Long!" I called out as I watched Yang get into her stance as I did the same. The next second, Yang charged at me as she fired Ember Celia behind to propel herself towards me faster.
With the spar officially beginning, I kicked myself forward with my hand on Benizakura, and I was in Yang's face, much to her and everyone's surprise. Within a second, I swung Benizakura at the blond bruiser, who blocked my strike quickly with Ember Celia, but it left her exposed for me to knee her in the gut and a twirled kick to the side, which launched Yang back.
Yang's eyes widen in surprise as she lands on the ground on her legs and charges at me as her semblance activates. All was going according to plan as I watched as Yang roared as she swung her fist at me, yet I just danced around her punch with ease before my palm met her face and gave her a light bonk to the forehead.
I then kicked my leg against Yang's, which made her trip and kiss the ground with her face. "Fight smarter! Not harder! Swinging your easily telegraphed fists like a berserker and relying on your semblance to tank isn't going to work! If you want to hit me, you must think about how your opponent will react and counter! Any fight is a bit like a game of chess! Try baiting them into a trap!"
I yelled out as Yang got off the floor as rubbed the dust off her face. I watched as Yang glared at me as she got into her stance. "One of your flaws I manage to read on is your impulsiveness. Charging in recklessly makes you predictable, and if I were to use Benizakura seriously, you would be on the floor in a second."
I state my words as fact before raising my arms apart. "Now, try again! This time, combine your head with your strength and see what you can do!" Yang must have understood to take it as a challenge as her overall mode changed instantly. She soon dashed in and sent a volley of punches which I dodged easily.
Then Yang did something that impressed me. As her fist missed me entirely and I was behind her, she fired Ember Celica, and her elbow recoiled back into me! But I blocked it quickly because I could still process things at ludicrous speeds and had time to raise my hand. So then, just after Yang's elbow was caught by my hand, I let out an impressed whistle.
"Nice job."
"That was so cool!" Yang and I heard Ruby cheering in the corner of the arena, and I could see it in their expressions. All of them were in awe at what Yang just did.
"Agreed! That's some quick thinking there!" Nora was next as Weiss, Blake, and Ren nodded their heads.
"See? I knew there's more to you than what I read." I said as I walked back a bit. "Let's keep going and see how it ends." I smirked as I vanished from view and appeared in front of Yang with my fist drawn at her. Yang raised her arms as I sent her skiing back with my fists drawn.
[Total attack power level increased to 1%]
"And I won't hold back. So, give me all you got!" I announced as I charged in and swung at Yang, who expectedly dodged and threw her haymaker at me. All with the cheers of her friends in the background. As expected, Yang managed to take several hits from me and keep going.
And most of her attacks were easily dodged or blocked by me. But she's getting better, though. Yang's burning out fast with my poke shots at her exposed defences. Not bad. Not bad at all. You made me use 1% of my powers. Unfortunately, I have the others to teach before it hits the time for your lunch.
Taking it seriously now, Yang was roughly beaten down as I finished her smoothly off with a punch to the face that made her collapse as I stood over her, victorious and still brimming with energy.
"Good work Yang. I'm proud of your progress." I commented as I grabbed her arm and brought her back to her feet. All as Yang groaned with now slightly wounded pride and bruised body. "But see this as a learning experience and use it to grow stronger. Perhaps one day, we may fight again."
"You hit hard. You know that?" Yang groaned as I pat her gently on the back.
"Yup. Size isn't everything. You might encounter other smaller opponents, and they could cause problems if you are not careful with them." I explained as I looked at everyone else. "The same goes for the rest of you. Do not underestimate your opponents. No matter how weak or small they look."
"If Luna's here, she can take out everyone without batting an eye. Even without her upgrades. Not sure about Penny since her designs are different from canon thanks to more advanced robotics introduced by my father."
I got nods from everyone as I watched Yang shuffle her way back to everyone while rubbing her cheek. I might have gone a bit hard on her, now that I think about it.
"Now, who's next?" I asked with arms folded.
And we are done here! As I said earlier, you can decide on the new title for this story on the polls list in my profile or suggest your own title to me in the reviews! Enough about that. What do you guys think of this chapter? It's a continuation of the slice-of-life-like chapter like the previous chapter before we continue the plot forward.
Firstly, we have Lucia shopping with team RWBY and JNPR and buying gifts for Luna and Penny, followed by everyone going to the arcades. I, for one, enjoyed them but never liked how rigged they tend to be. Part of the reason I came up with Lucia fucking over the arcade employees for fun.
Next, we have Lucia tapping in and discovering some timeline changes now that Watts is on the good guys. And also tapping into Cinder's scroll to reveal some tasty information. With this, we can now officially say that it is unlikely the Fall will happen the same way if it happens.
And the conversation between Lucia and Blake. I wonder if I did it well and to fit Vol 1 Blake's personality and her general suspicion of strangers. What do you think of it? Did it work?
And lastly, Lucia gave team RWBY and JNPR some private training for all of them. I'll only show Yang's in this chapter, but I may go into further detail about what Lucia did with them in a report or something like that to Ironwood.
With that, I have nothing much to say either than a request for you to follow and favourite me if you enjoy this story! Do also leave a review of what you think of this chapter, as I enjoy reading it and giving replies to it!
And with that, I will see you people in the chapter!
RGQC out!