"Ugh.." a groan escaped a blond boy's lips as bright sunlight covered his eyes. A dank and pungent smell filled the air, causing him to cough in disgust. Holding his hands over his eyes, he was greeted with dark red skin instead of his white, and a smell even worse than the one in the air, causing him to swiftly move them further from his face. His hazy vision quickly replaced with a clearer one, and his mind finally started waking up. Blinking, he was greeted with a bloodied corridor and a man slumped right beside him. "Where..?"
Viscus's eyes shook as he recalled what he had done. He murdered. He did not have the chance to think about what he did that night as he sobbed himself to sleep just after the fight. He was tired since he was thrown into Remnant in the middle of his sleep, and he was hurt physically and mentally. His mind had shut down after he saw the screen signifying the death of the three bandits, and he fell into deep sleep. He took his vision off of the bloodied walls and placed it on the corpse beside him. The pool of blood had dried around the man, his skin looking as pale as a candle. Viscus couldn't help but feel nauseous at the state of the man's body. His face disfigured, neck cut and stabbed in multiple locations, and a handle sticking out from his side, which Viscus recognized as his starting dagger's handle.
Not knowing what to do next, he opted to check the System once again, and it responded immediately.
[Main Quest : Awakened In Remnant (Tutorial) - Complete (Reward Not Issued)]
At that moment, Viscus found out that the rewards from quests aren't given until he actively demands them. When he did, he felt his body awaken with vitality he had never imagined he would experience before, and a soft green glow was emitted from his body. Viscus pushed himself off the ground, the excess energy influencing his actions more than he would have liked to admit. He felt himself vibrate with energy that needed an outlet, but the feeling faded away as quick as it had come. Confused, Viscus stared at his body, still feeling something different, but not enjoying the same excess energy as a few seconds ago.
[Level Up +1] [Aura Unlocked!]
Two screens popped up in front of Viscus, startling him while also causing his eyes to widen. He quickly opened his 'Status', momentarily forgetting the state of the location he was standing in.
[Character Screen :
-Name : Viscus Lime-Level : 2 (15/80 EXP)
-HP : 30/30 (0.1/sec)
-MP : 30/30 (0.11/sec)
-AP : 60/60 (0.21/sec)
-Stats :
-STR : 10 (10)
-END : 10 (10)
-VIT : 10 (10)
-DEX : 10 (10)
-AGI : 10 (10)
-INT : 10 (10)
-WIS : 11 (11)
-LUK : 10 (10)
-Stat Points : 4]
Along with the new AP stat, Viscus noticed that his maximum HP and MP increased by 10 each. Adding to that, there were two values in each stat, which he didn't understand the reason for. Also, after the level up, he gained 4 stat points that he was unsure where he should allocate. Sighing, he decided to hold off on spending them until he had an idea of how he wanted to specialize himself. Another reason was that, if he was correct, he would be able to train himself to raise his stats without the assistance of the stat points.
"..." His thoughts were cut off as the smell became too unbearable for him to ignore. Hesitantly, he looked at the corpse and clenched his teeth. "Stats and whatnot come later." he resolutely stepped at the corpse and started looting it, finding a gun, which the system classified as yet another extremely low quality pistol of the .40 caliber, and a surprising 5 out of 12 rounds only remaining in the magazine. Viscus quickly pocketed it in his inventory along with 20 lien and stepped away to pick up the .357 magnum which he had dropped the night before.
He then headed toward the bandits' sleeping room where he found a corpse mostly untouched by blood, and bags sitting in the corner of the room. Staring at the dead bandit's body, Viscus realized that he was still in his pyjamas, and couldn't help but be filled with disgust at what his mind was suggesting. Hoping that he wouldn't have to do what he was thinking of, he kneeled at the duffle bags in the corner and unzipped them, finding some canned foods, bottles of water, a first aid kit, and a map. While the supplies were good news, Viscus's face couldn't help but darken. There was no extra clothing in the bags, meaning that he would have to strip the corpse.
Taking a deep breath, he started undressing the incredibly stiff corpse. Viscus's hands were shaky as he first took out any loot, then the only apparel that he was able to take off that were the gray cargo pants and thankfully fitting sneakers. Taking off the t-shirt was impossible due to rigor mortis taking its course, so he had to concede with what he had. Fortunately, this bandit also had another .40 caliber pistol on his body and 10 Lien. His current inventory looked like such : 60 Lien, two .40 caliber pistols, a .357 pistol with 10 extra bullets along with the 6/7 in the cartridge, and two daggers.
Not wanting to stay in his bloody pants any more, he removed his pyjama's pants and wore the cleaner cargo pants. Unfortunately, these cargo pants were not so clean themselves, being botched with a lot of dust and some tears that he had noticed while wearing, but it would do. "I haven't checked the skills yet.." he remembered the tab as he was throwing the duffle bags' contents into his inventory while leaving out a bottle of water and a can of food. Unsurprisingly, he felt parched and hungry, and was interested in whether this System had the ability to let him skip the whole eating and drinking manually spiel. Viscus pressed on the water bottle icon in the inventory, suddenly feeling his throat wet and water travel through his esophagus to his stomach, while the previously full bottle in his inventory instead appeared half-empty.
The sequence of events caused Viscus to shiver uncomfortably, but he realized this was the current best alternative. His hands were dirty, and he didn't know how to open the can of food, so he felt relieved at the same time. To get it done with, he tapped on the can's icon and saw it get replaced with an empty tin can, while feeling what he could recognize as beans from the photo on the can sliding down to his stomach. Viscus gave out a satisfied sigh, then took a look at the room's one and only source of light : a window.
Clear blue sky reflected in Viscus's gaze, with bright sunlight barely entering due to the position of the room. Unlike the window at the end of the corridor, it wasn't broken, only closed, so Viscus took the chance to open it and glance outside, blond hair followed by his blue pyjama's top.
The light caused him to squint momentarily, but he couldn't help but widen his eye at the scenery in front of him. Rows of half destroyed buildings spread throughout the nearly covered by sand streets, with even some buildings completely turned into rubble. The only remotely different object on the road was a desert Jeep, which still somehow looked different to what he had on Earth. The morning appeared young, and so did the weather. Viscus felt the temperature being higher than what he was used to, noticing the degree of insulation in the building. He even debated taking off his top, but held off until it felt unbearable.
He brought his body back inside the room and closed the window, savoring the colder temperature. Viscus finally opted to check out his skills, hoping they increased a little since the fights.
[-Skills :
-Gamer's Body LvMAX
-Gamer's Mind LvMAX
-Stealth Lv5 (4%)
-Assassinate Lv2 (87.5%)
-Dagger Mastery Lv2 (30%)
-Pistol Mastery Lv2 (12.5%)
-Aura Lv0 (0%)]
Unlike what he had yesterday, his new list consisted of 4 more skills, and an advanced Stealth skill. From what he understood, Stealth xp is gained by hiding and sneaking near someone, and Assassinate should probably be related to his stealthy takedowns, Aura, he didn't understand, while Dagger Mastery and Pistol Mastery seemed self explanatory. What wasn't self explanatory was the difference between having Lv2 mastery and none at all. To start off, he checked the leveled up Stealth skill.
[-Stealth Lv5 (4%) : Passive/Active
5% Less noise produced
5% Camouflage]
The amount seemed insignificant, but Viscus thought greedily about how strong this skill would be in its higher levels. "Imagine if I maxed it out." he licked his lips, but switched his focus onto the rest of the skills, lest he fell into a trance.
[-Assassinate Lv2 (87.5%) : Active
+4% Sneak Attack Damage]
While the skills directly told Viscus what they do, he would have hoped they had more personality, describing it, or adding a quote behind it. He shook his head and continued onto the next skill, Dagger Mastery.
[-Dagger Mastery Lv2 (30%) : Passive/Active
+2% Melee Damage
+2% Sharpness
+1% Durability while in use]
"Huh." The bonuses did not appear bad by any means, but he had to ask himself a question. What does "Damage" constitute? If he stabs a man in the throat, he dies, and if he gets a shallow cut on his arm, it would be nothing more than that, a shallow cut. Viscus couldn't imagine having such high quality items and strength that he would only need to scratch his opponents for them to die instantly. The thought was ridiculous, but if the System provided these bonuses, then there must have been a reason. Forsaking that question, he moved on to the second before last gained skill.
[-Pistol Mastery Lv2 (12.5%) : Passive/Active
+2% Pistol Damage
-2% Recoil
+1% Durability while in use]
The skill was not that different from the one before it, but it provided another question. "Could I become so strong that my current pistols would be able to shoot down vehicles and tear through walls?" The idea felt ludicrous and funny, but a part of him hoped it would be so. Sighing, he tapped on the last skill in his list, and one that he felt should benefit him the most.
[-Aura Lv0 (0%) : Passive/Active
Passively Shields Until Depleted
Passively Enhances Physical Functions by 0%]
Viscus couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What was this burst of energy I got when it got unlocked then, huh!?" he grinded on his teeth, but calmed down after remembering to be thankful for actually unlocking it. If the RWBY show's canon is true, then gaining it was a rare thing. Every advantage he would need, for this world was neither calm nor was it forgiving. It was a world where most of its populations were relegated to mainly living in large cities and a few villages scattered around the world desperately struggling to survive against the ongoing threat, monsters of the dark - Grimm.
From the traces outside, he would predict that this village was a victim of a Grimm raid that decimated what little the inhabitants had raised from the ground. The idea made Viscus's heart ache, but he shook his head once again, feeling like he had done so for the hundredth time since coming to Remnant. How these bandits managed to survive with three pistols and some short melee weapons was beyond Viscus's comprehension.
Taking a glance around the room for the last time, he made up his mind to get going. The smell wasn't getting any better, and he wasn't getting any closer to fulfilling his quest by sitting around doing nothing, despite all the hope he placed on that thought being every bit false.
As he was walking in the corridor, he noticed traces of his bloody footsteps that were slowly becoming more prominent as he inched closer to the stairs. A heavy sigh escaped him as he plodded down the stairs and his handiwork climbing into his vision. A man who had his feet in the air, his pelvis uncomfortably propped up by a stool and the back of his head on the ground facing the ceiling, his blank eyes and open mouth wide in shock. Unconsciously, Viscus averted his eyes and hurried to the glass door. He pushed away the glass door and was finally outside the building, away from the crime scene. His eyes squinted once again to adapt to the lighting, and he began to feel the heat surrounding him. In the corner of his right eye, he saw the yellow desert jeep that he quickly rushed to get inside.
On the seats, he saw other duffle bags that weren't carried inside the building. Curious, he unzipped one and found extra supplies, along with large canisters of glowing substances, which Viscus was able to predict was Dust. Concentrating his gaze on one rosy colored canister, he tried to find its type.
[Extremely Low Grade Combustion Dust]
He waited for more information, but that was as much as he was given. Viscus felt himself getting a tad annoyed at the system's way of describing objects. "Extremely Low, it says. Combustion Dust, it says." he grumbled to himself while throwing the contents of the bag into his inventory, only leaving out a Combustion Dust canister out. From the top of his memory, he remembered reading on how this Dust is used to power land vehicles, so he hoped to try and refuel the jeep before he would try to use it. He grunted as he held the canister in his hand, briefly noticing a small cylindrical shape at the top of the canister with a button on its side that Viscus predicted would be the opening through which he would open the canister. Revolving around the vehicle till he found the gas tan- dust tank's opening, he propped the canister on the ground then opened the hatch.
Viscus stared at the hatch for a few seconds while scratching his head. "So.. do I put the cylindrical part in this hatch or what?" he asked himself out loud then did it anyway. "Cool.." he breathed a sigh of relief since he had done the task correctly and stood waiting as the full canister started visibly emptying due to gravity and very apparent free space in the vehicle's tank. Only a quarter of the canister was emptied before it stopped, which Viscus took as a sign to pull it away and store it in his inventory, then close the hatch.
Working out his mind to see if he had anything else left to do, he came up with a zilch and finally got on the driver seat, the car keys somehow left in the jeep. Viscus didn't question the logic of leaving it outside for the entire night and ignited the jeep, feeling it vibrate below his seat. "Wait, do I even know how to drive?" he froze as he was holding the steering wheel, recalling a very important fact, "and do I even know where I am going?" he clicked his tongue and opted to solve the second issue first. He remembered pilfering a map from one of the duffle bags, which he took out and spread in front of him.
He saw multiple locations on the map, including a Vacuo (the city) in the distant lower right corner. Other locations included many marked as a skull, which he presumed meant dead, and drawn with an orange highlight was the route the bandits were supposed to take, and ticks on some parts in that route which he assumed were the places they had already passed by. The last location ticked was somewhat close to Vacuo, and he could only hope that this location was the one he was in.
He pocketed the map and held the steering wheel tightly, making up his mind to learn as he went, then aggressively smashed his foot on the pedal. The jeep shot forward, surprising him as he drove off into the distance, a scream trailing behind him.
Tried compressing the status and skill screens so as not to take so much space. Hope it's better for the eyes?