"In these lands you are nobody. Just another suffering soul stuck in this god-forsaken world." Regent stated, repeating the words that once held such great weight to him. He drew out his Nodachi from the corpse below, the blade running red in blood. He looked around him, spotting Bones wiping his Heavy Jitte on one of the corpses that attacked them.
Regent spat down at the corpse, sneering at the Holy Nation insignia denoting his rank as a captain. Remnants they might be, but the Holy Nation was anything but dogged in their pursuit of revenge against Bones and him for slaying the Phoenix. Cracking his fingers, Regent waved Bones over.
The massive 2.3 meter tall Skeleton lumbered over, its chromatic and non-reflective black paint coating covered in a large amount of blood. From its metal arm spun a Heavy Jitte, a blunt weapon with a sword catcher hand guard that had instead been modified into a blunt cane. "Regent?" Bones asked, the Skeleton's three eyes staring down at the shorter man.
"We need to move, I was thinking about Heng being a good place to lay low for a bit." Regent explained, the skeleton nodding. "We will need to cross the Great Desert." The robot reported, "Our water and food supplies won't last that long as well. Recommended action would be to go to The Swamp and hang around Shark."
Regent frowned, "And get shot at by Shinobi?" He scoffed, "Besides, the fucking spiders and raptors would eat us alive." Regent shivered. He was skilled, powerful beyond imagine in this world. Having a super-power that allowed him to become a swordmaster in a few weeks would do that to a man. Yet, a man no matter how skilled or physically adept is still mortal in this world. Regent would be able to crush entire hordes of the bugs, and his medical skills would allow him to keep fighting for days, yet even he could get crushed under the weight of enough bodies. The Blood Spiders had bodies.
The robot tilted its head, "Heng might be hostile, we aren't exactly on great terms with the Union after assassinating their Emperor." Regent sighed, "Where else are we to go? Fishman Island? The Cannibal Plains? Or god forbid the Ashlands." This time the robot shivered. Regent sighed, "After killing damn near every piece of shit in this world, everyone hates us. Guess that's what happens when everyone else is also a piece of shit. Besides, we still need to rendezvous with Gold. She's likely hanging around Heng anyways." Regent muttered, feeling lost in this hellish world he once knew from a computer screen.
The robot rolled its arm, before crouching down as it ran through its processing core and data. Or rather, a wiped Cat-Lon processing core that had Bones' intelligence and personality was downloaded into.
As the two boogiemen of the Land of Swordsmen debated on their next move, a storm started to brew above. Lightning flashed, before storms of ash and acid rain pelted the two men. Regent sneered at the skies, feeling the acid burn his skin yet gave no other reaction to the damage. He opened his backpack and pulled out an Iron Hat. He started to unravel his blackened chainmail Tagelmust, before plopping the basket of the Iron Hat on his skull. He then tossed on a Dustcoat over his Assassin's Rags. His plated drifter leather pants would have to do for now, and his Geta Wooden Sandals did jack shit to protect his feet from the acid rain.
"Why is there an acid break here!" Regent shouted, his voice carrying through harsh winds, dust, sand, and more. He grabbed a pair of goggles and placed them over his eyes, and turned to see Bones merely bracing himself against the harsh and sudden gusts and gale force winds.
"This weather behavior is abnormal. Perhaps a volcano has erupted somewhere?" Bones stated, his voice increasing in volume, not tone or pitch that would be associated in shouting.
Regent grunted as he started to look around for some cover. "To the farm! The Holy Farm!" Regent shouted, Bones nodding and they started to make their way. Clouds of dust and sand covered their forms, blasts of lightning and rays of scorching heat pelted their surroundings. A ray fell on Regent, making him grunt out in pain, but he simply kept moving through sheer grit and will. Running through the winds, Regent looked forward and grimaced.
"Bones!" He shouted, the robot looking behind and dashing over to Regent. "We need to brace!" Regent shouted, running forward and using his body to steady Bones. The robot planted his Jitte into the ground, using it to steady themselves. Rocks and pebbles pinged and bounced off the metal chassis of the skeleton, its feet grinding into the baked ground saturated with acid rain.
Regent meanwhile supported Bones, using his body and his Nodochi's sheathe as another brace and hold. His wooden sandals dug into the earth, muscles straining as he held the several hundred pound body of his massive friend. A biblical gust of wind followed by an avalanch of sand buffed their form, sending them into darkness as light failed to penetrate the dust cloud.
For several minutes they braced, Regent grunting and groaning as he resisted the weath, yet something...strange happened. Their footing was removed, as if someone had pulled the world out from under them. The robot fell back, the man fell back, getting crushed by his friend. Soft grass tickled the man's neck and back, while the robot ran a diagnostic report in its sensory array.
Regent pushed the massive robot off of him, before rolling over and gaping at what he saw. "Grass? The fuck?" Regent exclaimed, pushing himself up, his head on a swivel. Trees, grass, a sweet and fresh scent in the air...
"Bones, report!" Regent exclaimed, wondering if he was high or had gone mad.
"My sensory array has been diagnosed to be one-hundred percent functional. We seem to have somehow traveled to another land in the blink of an eye. It is unknown how this is possible." The robot looked up into the sky, trying to compare the stars with those in its memory core. "...Scratch that, we seem to be in another world." The robot noted. Regent snapped his head to the sky and stumbled back. "How'd the moon break?" He muttered, "Where's Ronin and Shinobi?" He exclaimed, wondering where the two celestial objects that floated above the land of swordsmen were.
"It seems we have been...shanghai'd as you've put it before. I believe you once stated that when we were captured by Cannibals." Bones said dryly.
Regent snorted, "The Good Ol' Days." He snorted, the robot nodding in stonch agreement. Regent sighed, before opening up his Status Menu.
Regent froze briefly as the menu appeared in his own field of view and several calculations were ran when the robot noted new selections.
Regent
Attributes:
STRENGTH: 100
PERCEPTION: 89
DEXTERITY: 100
TOUGHNESS: 98
(NEW)SOUL: 0 (LOCKED)
(NEW)MAGIC: -1 (MISSING RESOURCE)
Athletic Skills:
Athletics: 100 (30MPH)
Swimming: 100
(NEW)Acrobatics: 1
Weapon Skills:
Katana: 100
Sabers: 100
Hackers: 78
Heavy Weapons: 100
Blunt Weapons: 100
Polearms: 98
Range:
Turrets: 34
Crossbows: 98
Precision Shooting: 37
(NEW)Guns: 3
Combat Skills:
Melee Attack: 138
Melee Defense: 123
Dodge: 134
Martial Arts: 100
Thievery:
Stealth: 154
Lockpicking: 100
Thievery: 76
Assassination: 100
(NEW) Aura Suppression: 0
(NEW) Magic Suppression: -1
Science Skills:
Medic: 334
Engineer: 223
Robotics: 245
Science: 100
Trade Skills:
Weapon Smith: 100
(NEW)Gunsmithing: 1
(NEW) Mechashift Smithing: 0
Armour Smith: 100
Crossbow Smith: 100
Laboring: 232
Farming: 123
Cooking: 221
(NEW)Supernatural Skills:
Aura Shield: 0
Aura Senses: 0
Semblance: 0
Aura Control: 0
Both Bones and Regent inspected the screen, a deep frown was on Regent's face. "Bones! How's your status look?" Regent asked.
Bones started to list his out, and Regent was happy to know that his was basically the same. "Interesting to know you have a soul." Regent said, "Bet the Holy Nation would kill themselves if they knew." Regent smiled, Bones nodding firmly.
"How do we unlock this stuff?" Regent asked himself, gripping his Nodachi as he mused.
Then the system froze and a new prompt appeared. "Unlock Aura?" Regent blinked. "Uh, sure?"
There was a bright flash, a purple and red sangria washing over Regent's body. Strength infused his limbs, he felt unstoppable. "Bones! Try this shit out!" He exclaimed.
Bones did so, a gunmetal gray film covering his black body. The robot clenched its fist, feeling the assistance of the energy in its limbs and servos. "This feeling..." The robot stated, "I feel powerful. Alive." Regent laughed, also feeling the sensation in his body.
As the two newly awakened souls overcame the high, their senses were alerted. "Three...four, one is hanging back." The robot noted, giving his Jitte a few swings as practice for the bot's new strength. Regent also flourished his Nodachi, the blade gleaming in the moon light. The two braced, before a trio of massive werewolves barreled into the small clearing.
Regent dashed forward, his blade hungering for blood. His aura spiked, infusing into the blade and carving into the beast's jugular. The large Nodachi decapitated the creature, leaving behind no blood. Regent then dashed towards the other, cutting off a limb and making space for Bones to plant his blunt into its back.
It howled in agony as bone broke, only to be cut off by a blade to the throat. Regent and Bones both could feel new experiences and understanding coming to them through the System. That brief exchange had leveled several skills up, granting them enlightenments regarding Aura and the Soul. Both also gained a few levels in Acrobatics, simple dodging and their new strength allowing for flashy and dramatic moves to avoid blows.
Bones, wielding his Jitte in one hand smashed through the skull of the remaining man-wolf creature, ending its pathetic life. Prying the bar from its skull and face mask, both turned to the forest and waited. Not a few seconds later, a massive beast charged from the forest and let loose a flurry of claws at Bones.
The metallic man batted away one swipe with his hand. He then shoulder checked the beast to the ground. The armored wolf snarled, only to loose its left eye and right side of its jaw to Regent's Nodachi. The beast lashed out, Regent dodging lazily and watched as Bones planted his Jitte into it's nape and neck. Bone snapped and flesh popped from the force of the blow, before wrenching the blunt object from the crater it created. The creature spasmed, falling to the grass below.
"We'd have been in trouble without these new powers." Regent said, a grim frown on his face.
"This power is likely why life on this planet exists, assuming it still does so. We know little about these beasts, their strength, their powers, or any supernatural ability they may possess." The robot commented.
"I wonder where we stand in this world." Regent said, looking to the sky, "In our last we were monsters, the boogiemen that destroy and kill at their pleasure, spreading anarchy and freedom where every we please." The man snorted. He looked at the Magic section of his stats. "Are we still those monsters, or are we just ants?" He wondered.
Bones nodded, thinking about their past and trying to divine a future. "We will need to find civilization, integrate ourselves and obtain information on this world." The bot said, "I suspect in our travels we will encounter man-creatures such as these." The bot gestured with his head toward the decaying creatures. "We should study their behaviors and weaknesses, while growing in power and skill with our Supernatural abilities."
Regent nodded, tapping the supernatural screen that was his system. "Soul can be increased through meditation, Aura Suppression can be learned through Control which is also learned through meditation; seems they are all linked." Regent said, trying to plan out how to grind his skills.
"We should first find shelter, food, water, and other mortal needs." The robot reported, tapping its metal finger on its right Masterwork KLR arm.
"Che, I'm not some weakling who needs to eat everyday." Regent scoffed, "Make sure you ration your repair kits, Bones. It'll be awhile until we can repair our limbs and bodies." The man added, looking down at his left KLR Masterwork arm.
"Let's move." The bot stated, turning to the moon and started walking.
The man frowned up at the moon, before following his friend.
...
Regent grinned, a massive smile on his face as he fought against a giant beetle-like creature. The black beast spat out globs of acid, forcing the man to dodge and weave. He lashed out in a flurry of after images. His blade carved thick and deep grooves on the beetle's face mask, making it spread its wings and flew back to avoid its eyes being carved out. Just as it did so a massive robot charged from the underbrush, its massive body cutting through the air as it slammed its Jitte into the bettle side.
The beast screamed a horid insectoid screech, falling to the earth and met an intercepting Regent. The creature slammed on its back, opening its stomach up for Regent to carve into with his blade. A dying shriek echoed in the forest as the man and robot recovered from the fight.
The skeleton rolled its shoulder out of simple diagnostic reflex, checking if anything was damaged.
"Damn! That one was fun." Regent laughed, a hearty smile on his face as he squatted down next to the the massive beast and watched its body flak away into the air. The two had been exploring the forest they'd found themselves within for the past thirteen days. There was plenty of game and streams of water for Regent to sustain himself off, while Bones didn't need sleep or rest so he could protect Regent' while his biology recovered.
"It was an enjoyable combat data collection period." Bones commented. "I have something to report." Regent rose an eyebrow and beckoned him.
"I believe I have found my semblance." The robot said, making Regent stand up.
"Really! Show me, show me." The man bounced, glee in his face. His recent emotional state was a complete 180 from his time in the land of Swordsmen. Superpowers, cool monsters that he could trounce on with said super powers, really, if anything Regent was burning stress by imagining the Grimm as Beak Things.
"Indeed, I call it 'Overdrive', or at least my system has called it such. Upon activation, my hardware and software all goes into an overclock that burns Aura. This increases my combat effectiveness by 121%." Regent whistled.
"Damn, that's dope as all hell." Regent said, controlling his aura to appear around his hand. The purple-red color roiled over his hand before fading away. "What's your Soul stat at?" Regent asked.
"67." The robot said, "I can hold my semblance for three hours and thirty three minutes." The robot reported. Regent's jaw dropped. "Uh, isn't that a little too long?" He asked.
The robot nodded, "As I increase my Semblance level, Overdrive gets more powerful. I am currently level 21, each level adds 1% more effectiveness at a cost of Aura. At level 100 Soul and Semblance, I will be 200% more effective for an estimated hour." Regent nodded, whistling at the power.
"Damn, wonder what mine will be." The man kicked a rock, a frown on his face.
"I found that deep meditation regarding the philosophical question of 'Who am I' works the best." The skeleton stated.
Regent rose an eyebrow and hummed. "Guard me." He dropped to his butt and started to meditate on that very same question. The robot nodded, not even reacting to the suddenness of the descicion.
'A survivor.' He thought, humming as he felt this was true, yet wasn't him. Living and surviving weren't the same.
'A warlord?' That was due to the situation.
'A warrior...no.' He was good at combat, he enjoyed it, but he didn't live for it.
'Who am I?' He thought back to his old life and sighed, remembering a name he once held, a family he once had.
'I'm a lost soul.' His aura resonated, and a mist started to spread around. It was a thick violet and dark crimson mist that soon started to encompass a massive amount of space. His mind started to expand, information, creatures, topographical data, and specks of life filling it. 'I want to go there.' A stray thought, before he vanished. Regent blinked, having teleported through his mist to the point he want to go. 'This is so cool.' He grinned, before teleporting back to Bones.
The robot flinched back as Regent materialized from a bloody mist. "Bones, slash at me." Regent ordered, the robot obeying and slashed at the man.
Regent manipulated his body and the Jitte just carved through bloody mist instead of his body. Regent started to cackle, Bones feeling something like second hand embarrassment as he watched his friend devolve into horrid laughs. "What has your system called your semblance?" The robot asked, wanting to end the eerie laugh.
Regent looked up and smiled, "The Blood of The Lost."
...
Regent barreled out of a forest and hit soft dirt, his Dustcoat flipping about. He sank his blade into the earth, a wicked smile on his face as his body leaked mist that started to spread around the area.
Bones charged after him, the robot blitzing at speeds unimaginable and hard to follow even for Regent. The Heavy Jitte was swung at Regent's neck, only for the man to materialize behind the robot and slash at it's back. It snapped back with a kick, the metal foot entering his stomach in a cloud and poof of red mist. Regent's attack scratched against the Overdriven skeleton, the bot's aura flaring, before he teleported away.
Bones' speaker voice box glitched with static: his 'growl'. The bot charged at the appearing Regent, his weapon flashing through the man and into the tree behind him. The robot ditched the weapon inside the ruined tree and started to send a fusillade of punches, kicks, knees, elbows, head bashes, and more against the man. Regent struggled to keep up, trying his best to get a hit in as the robot proved to find great defense in an overwhelming offense. Regent, even if powered by the supernatural, was foolish for trying to fight a creature as powerful as the skeleton in the front, and he knew that.
Bones had around ten to eleven times his stats, and while Regent's and Bones' base stats had recently started to break out of the hundreds and into the two hundreds, Bones had his semblance. An OP one that allowed those stats to go from 200 to 400.
Regent evened the game by also having a broken as fuck semblance. Even with those insane stats he could slowly chip down and play a game of one thousand cuts against the robot.
Bones' kick went wide as he tried to take Regent's head off, the metal foot cleaving through a tree and leaving a smoking furrow in the wood. At times his attacks would start to light on fire, such was the friction and speed his limbs were moving at. His optics analyized Regent's movements and could predict exactly what he'd do, only for him to pull off his space fuckery and disappear and stab his blade into a servo.
The man didn't show any physical tells of where or when he'd pull off his vanishing act, having his mind expanded to handle all the topographical information his mist pulls in. At times he'd only be an arm, a head, or a cloud of mist, stabbing and lashing out against the robot. Both of them were rather well balanced, their semblances countering most all possible avenues of combat.
Regent could just teleport a few kilometers one way, bait the robot, before teleporting a few kilometers the opposite way and vanish into the wind. Bones meanwhile was simply too powerful for a front on engagement, and Regent could only tire the bot out. Yet, one entire hour of fighting was a hellishly long time to fight.
Fifteen minutes was a battle of hundreds, an hour was reserved for tens of thousands, for both men to fight at 100% for an entire hour was an insane feat.
Regent couldn't predict a hit to the gut and was sent careening through the forest, back and aura bulldozing through a dozen thick and hard-wooded trees. He flipped into the air before landing roughly once again, spitting out some blood from internal injury. He picked himself back up, releasing some mist only to pause. He got up and put his hands in the air.
Bones charged out of the forest, Jitte at the ready, and was about to pounce on Regent again, but paused as he too noticed what Regent did.
A road.
It was a simple dirt path, very basic, but it spoke of civilization. Regent sheathed his blade, stretched and meditated on the spot to check his current Aura. "About a third, you?" Regent asked, checking his Aura Reserve.
"More than half." Regent clicked his tongue, but knew there wasn't any point in getting angry or envious over Bones' victory. Skeletons were quite simply superior to fleshy humans, and Bones had a broken as fuck semblance. "How many stats did you get?" Bones asked Regent.
Regent checked.
Regent
Attributes:
STRENGTH: 267
PERCEPTION: 113
DEXTERITY: 302
TOUGHNESS: 322
SOUL: 100
MAGIC: -1 (MISSING RESOURCE)
Athletic Skills:
Athletics: 321 (83 MPH)
Swimming: 100
Acrobatics: 100
Weapon Skills:
Katana: 100
Sabers: 100
Hackers: 78
Heavy Weapons: 100
Blunt Weapons: 100
Polearms: 98
Range:
Turrets: 34
Crossbows: 98
Precision Shooting: 76
Guns: 3
Combat Skills:
Melee Attack: 178
Melee Defense: 201
Dodge: 198
Martial Arts: 100
Thievery:
Stealth: 154
Lockpicking: 100
Thievery: 76
Assassination: 100
Aura Suppression: 100
Magic Suppression: -1
Science Skills:
Medic: 335
Engineer: 223
Robotics: 245
Science: 100
Trade Skills:
Weapon Smith: 100
Gunsmithing: 1
Mechashift Smithing: 0
Armour Smith: 100
Crossbow Smith: 100
Laboring: 232
Farming: 123
Cooking: 221
(NEW)Supernatural Skills:
Aura Shield: 100
Aura Senses: 100
Semblance: 100
Aura Control: 100
"Tough and Dex broke into the Three's." Regent grinned. Bones grunted, "They better have with all that beating." The robot said.
Regent chuckled. "Which way?" He asked, looking at the dirt.
"This way has the most traffic from the foot markings." The bot said after inspecting the road. Regent shrugged and started to walk with Bones following him.
As he walked, Regent shucked off his Dustcoat, revealing his bandaged arms and chest from his Assassin's Rags and Martial Artists Bindings. His face was covered in a Tagelmust, the chain cloth covering his mouth and head. He then started to beat some dirt, leaves, and resin off his coat. "Did you have to keep sending me through a ton of trees?" Regent asked, spitting on a rag to try and get the resin off his coat.
"It was that or the earth." Bones said, not missing a beat.
Regent scoffed, working hard on his coat.
...
Regent stopped as he turned a corner, the dirt path slowly becoming more and more developed and wider. A large settlement built inside a heavily wooded forest. The place was practically primeval with how wooded and forested it was, moss growing on the stones and cobbles that made up the road.
Bones' eyes scanned, looking at the settlement in front of them. "No walls?" The bot asked.
Regent sighed, "Maybe it's not worth the effort? One of those Beetles would tear through or fly right over." The bot nodded, but had a counter point. "What about the weaker ones, of which are obviously more populous." It stated, the two moving forward to if the sign placed at the entrance could be trusted was 'Ravenholm'.
Regent shrugged, "Maybe they have a way to track or sense them?" He sighed, "This is going nowhere, obviously they're still here and standing, so they have to be doing something right." The bot nodded, conceding the point.
They entered the settlement proper, and were noticed by a few people walking by. Many of them had strange features, others were simple humans. "Bugmen all over again." Regent muttered, looking at a man with a swaying wolf's tail. "It is unknown when or how the Bugmen came to be, although it is theorized that they were a biological race used as foot soldiers by the First Empire." Bones said, and Regent sighed. "You've told me this before." He stated dryly.
The bot shrugged, "Your meat mind tends to forget many things." Regent scowled and scoffed.
"Rust-Bucket." He called.
"Meatbag."
"Processing Unit."
"Brittle Boned Flesh Stick."
"Tin-Soldier."
They continued needling each other with slurs, their strange appearances and rough looks attracting attention by the locals. The two eventually realized they were a bit lost, and decided to ask a man where a bar was.
Getting directions, they made their way to the bar and found a place to rest. "We don't have any local currency." The bot noted.
Regent scoffed, "Yeah, that's why we're here. To get some."
Regent walked over to some men and started to ask around for people who might be offering up jobs. They talked back and forth, before Regent came back with a frown.
"Bounty Hunting is Illegal in Vale." He spat, a scowl coming onto his face. "There's an intense amount of paper work and legal processing one needs to sell raw resources and the like to make sure people follow safety procedures, so no going out and chopping down a bunch of trees or mining a node of ore." He sighed.
The bot lowered its own head, its way of sighing. Then its eyes spotted a peculiar person sitting by the bar. "That man has an aura unlocked." Regent looked over and nodded. "Wonder if he's some big boss or wandering warrior?" Regent asked.
The bot nodded, "We were the ones to hire mercenaries, but it seems this time we are the ones to offer our services." The bot stated, with Regent smiling wildly.
"Head over?" The bot nodded and they got up.
...
Qrow knocked back another gulp of watered down piss and venom, this shitty towns grog was...subpar to say the least. The Huntsman sighed and brewed on the information he'd obtained. The Fall Maiden, or at least a description of their target, was rumored to be on transit to this location and he was hoping to cut her off. He was lounging in the bar, waiting for some of his informants to send back a confirmation of this information.
As he swallowed another gulp, Qrow noticed two shadows suddenly darken his surroundings. His body tensed as he hadn't sensed Aura or footsteps. He looked behind him and couldn't help the quickening of his heart.
A massive well worn, and obviously experienced robot that was intimidating in its height. It wore clothing that could only be described as 'functional rags', it had a top-hat resting on its strange head and had three glowing lenses functioning as eyes.
Next to it was a large man of similar height to the bot, but smaller than the android. The man had black hair, and heterochromatic eyes, of which one looked like it was a robotic silver while the other was a soulful black. He had a 'devil may care, but I won't' resting bitch face going. He was dressed in a strange mix of rags, leather belts, and bandages that covered his lower face a bit. His head was covered in a strange warp of black chain, torso wrapped in yellow dust stained bandages. His arm was a notably cluncky prosthetic.
At his back was a Nodachi by its length and hilt, while the bot was carrying a blunt cane of some kind by its wrist. His own aura senses extended and he got ready for a fight when he sensed barely a hint of Aura from the men. Ghosts were what they were, and considering he still felt an Aura from the bot raised other concerns.
They stared down at him, before Qrow couldn't keep his silence. "You need something?" He asked, getting ready to fight for his life.
"Need some muscle?" The man asked, tilting his head to the side, "A grand every day on the job."
Qrow blinked, "What?" He asked.
The man furrowed his brows, "You're a warrior of some kind, right?" Qrow nodded, a bit weirded out.
"Need some extra muscle? Carry some shit around, kill some black beasts, wipe out a bandit clan. One grand for each day we follow you." Qrow started to understand.
"We won't raid any governments or large factions, don't want to get a bounty on our heads." The bot stated, crossing its arms.
"So, got a job?" The man asked.
Qrow stared at the men, but thought it over. 'Two men, able to sneak up on me, one a bot with Aura. Obviously foreign to...well everywhere if they call Grimm black beasts.' Qrow tapped his thigh. 'I could use some support, and one grand for a day of combat won't be too bad on my account.' Qrow sighed, actually considering hiring some random men. 'They might be Salem's agents.' A voice whispered. 'They'd never be this brazen.' Another stated.
"Sure." He sighed, taking a drink. The man's eyes crinkled with the bot flexing its arm.
"So, what's the job, boss?" The man asked, sitting next to him.
"I'm looking for a woman, she's kind of important for a select group of people." Qrow said, being vague.
The men nodded, "Is this a kidnap deal, or is this a 'run away noble's daughter'?" The bot asked.
Qrow blinked, and nearly choked on his drink, "No, we're trying to convince her to come with us. It's for her safety." Qrow corrected.
The man blinked, "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." He grinned, "Name's Regent, that's Bones." He jabbed his thumb at the bot.
"Are semblance's private information?" The bot asked. Qrow blinked, "Uh, sometimes?" The bot nodded.
"You may deny to answer, but what is your semblance?" The bot asked, trying to gather information on other supernatural abilities.
Qrow rose a brow, but answered anyway. "Misfortune." He said.
The bot nodded, "So you can curse foes, a useful support tool." It stated, a satisfied tone in its voice.
Qrow grimaced. "Nah, it's aura based, everything's effected and its a constant passive." The man and bot stared.
"That's an ironic amount of bad luck." The man said, rubbing his chin. Qrow grinned and chuckled.
"'Bout you two?" Qrow asked.
"My semblance is called Overdrive. It allows me to ramp up my systems and physical abilities by 200%." The bot reported. Qrow whistled, "How long can you fight like that for?" He asked, thinking it only lasted a few seconds.
"An hour." Qrow coughed and hacked out liquor from his lung. "An hour!" He exclaimed, "Fucking hell." He muttered, "How much aura do you have?"
The bot paused, "We are unsure of how to quantify aura numerically." Bones said and Regent nodded with him. Qrow hummed, knowing that these supposed out-landers wouldn't have that tech to measure their aura. "I'll let you use my scroll later." The two nodded, before Qrow turned to Regent.
The auburn man grinned, "I call it Blood of The Lost. I produce a ten kilometer wide area of thick blood and sangria tinted mist. I'm able to transform into the mist to phase through attacks, and teleport inside that ten kilometer area. I also get sensory information of things inside it." Qrow just stared, and was filled with a hint of dread and inferiority.
"We'll spar tomorrow to better understand our limits and abilities." Bones said, "This will allow us to work better as a team and unit. Qrow, we need to better understand your semblance, and hopefully teach you how to control it."
The man blinked, and chuckled, "Alright, see you two tomorrow?" The two nodded, got up from the bar and left. "We will meet at dawn outside this bar." Qrow frowned at getting up so early, but nodded.
...
Qrow scouted out the clearing, nodding his head and confirming it to be wide enough for a good spar. It was a few kilometers away from Ravenholm, making it a decent place to fight inside. The bot and man squatted strangely on the grass staring at Qrow.
"Who do you want to fight?" Regent asked.
Qrow hummed, "You." He decided. Regent nodded, pulling out his Nodachi and flourishing the blade. The clean and white blade glowed in the dawn light, before being pointed at Qrow. "Say when you're low." Regent said, before a wave of mist enveloped the entire clearing.
Qrow was trying to pick his way through a thick mist he couldn't even see a few feet through. His head snapped to and fro, picking up clicks, foot steps, and echoing voices. Then, a blade carved out from the wall of mist and cleaved into his shoulder. The Huntsman gasped as he tilted forward, only to receive a kick to the chin, a stab to the back of the knee, an elbow to the nap of the neck, and more. In a short barrage of impossible to dodge attacks, Qrow fell to the ground.
"Call!" He shouted. The mist receded, revealing Regent standing above him.
"Shit man, we need to train you up a bit." The auburn haired man chuckled, lending his metal hand out for Qrow.
The Huntsman grasped the offered hand and used it to prop himself up. "Damn, you are fucking terrifying." Regent cackled.
"I'm fast, deadly, impossible to fight back against without unrelenting force." Regent stated, "But Bones?" He jabbed over to the bot, "That guy wins 9/10 of our spars." Qrow paled a bit.
Regent chuckled, "Anyway, your aura is pathetic." Regent said, "How much do you meditate?" Qrow rose an eyebrow.
"Not often, like once a month." He admitted, not sure why his therapist's plan for helping him deal with trauma was being called out.
Regent scoffed, "You need to meditate more. Meditation will expand the soul, granting you larger aura reserves and strength. It helps you master your semblance as well." The bot walked over as well to add in its piece.
"When I first unlocked my semblance, I could only enhance myself by 100%. Through practice, I am now at 200%." Qrow gaped at the bot.
Regent also nodded, "I used to only have around a kilometer of radius to my mist, now I have ten. Although, that increase comes at more aura costs. But, with meditation you are expanding your soul, balancing your cost and expenditure."
"Anyways," Regent cut off, "We can discuss our rates for training later, you have a mission correct?" Qrow blinked and nodded.
"Let's get going then."
...
Three men, or rather two men and one robot ran down a rough trodden path. Gunshots and explosions sounded off in the direction they advanced toward, before they cleared a hill and peered down at the battle, or rather its aftermath.
Two women and one man were facing off against one women. "Amber!" Qrow shouted, only alerting his foes to his presence. The women holding Amber's throat threw the girl down and glared up at the three men glaring up at them.
She said some commands to the other girl, and suddenly Bones felt a sense of vertigo.
"My sensors are being interfered with!" Bones said, bracing with his Jitte.
"Shit!" Qrow stumbled, tripping on a rock and falling into the dirt.
Regent meanwhile started to spread his mist, only for the central women to suddenly spray out a massive gout of fire at the mist.
Regent hissed as he felt his mist get beaten back by the elements, finding his bane. He still teleported in, sneaking some mist to the fallen women's side and grabbing her. He couldn't teleport others though, and just started to sneak back through the forest.
The gray haired teen spotted Regent though, and charged after him. Only for Qrow to barrel into his side and kick him away, before getting a clean hit on his side with his massive blade. The teen was launched into a tree, shattering its bark with his back.
Regent handed the women off to Qrow, the man starting to retreat. He then teleported over to the green haired girl's side, and landed a sundering kick to her chin. Whiplash hit her like a bitch as she was sent into the sky, breaking Bones' from his error loops. The bot ramped up with Overdrive, charging the green haired girl still in the air and slamming his Jitte into her gut.
The girl was blasted in half, guts raining down on the raven haired woman fighting off mist and Regent popping in from areas she missed.
The woman screamed as she saw her minion die a brutal death, before lashing out with a massive fire ball that was dodged by the fast bot. Bones tried rushing the witch, but the flames she put out set his sensors alight with warnings and danger, and a gust of harsh wind picked the massive bot up and sent him into the sky.
Regent tried attacking and combating the woman, but found himself getting beaten back or forced to retreat from the blasts of what he assumed to be magic or a powerful semblance. With Regent unable to easily approach the woman without eating a ball of fire or lightning bot, Bones was focused on as the largest threat to her life as he was pushed back and stalled by great gusts of wind. She'd seen how fast and strong he was, and wanted nothing to do with the bot in close quarters combat.
As the battle continued, Grimm started to converge, attacking Bones and stalling him from attacking the big boss on the field. Regent was kept at bay by wide area effecting magical attacks, before a Nevermore swooped down and rescued the woman from Regent's on-roaching mists.
Regent and Bones started to fight off the tide of Grimm, more and more rushing into the small hill valley they fought on. Fifteen mintues passed of non-stop hordes, Bones turning his Overdrive down to a 150% stat increase and buying more time, with them soon finding an end to the wave of Grimm in the coming hour.
They found one of their foes, the gray haired boy nothing but a mulched and maimed corpse by the Grimm. The girl was also obviously dead as well.
"Well, that was a slog." Regent said, sheathing his blade.
"It was indeed. We are powerful and strong, but we are not without weakness." The bot noted. "The elemental effects of fire warded off your mist, while I was captured by a semblance effect that locked me in a loop of diagnostics. I have since started to build a framework to fight off against such effects, but who knows what other abilities these semblances might produce." Bones said.
Regent shook his head and sighed, "Let's go talk with Qrow, maybe get our first pay?" He asked. Bones nodded, turning to the two corpses. He cut off the girl's head, putting inside a sack, and did the same with the boy. They started off.
...
Qrow furiously texted Ozpin, his CCTS network strength not enough for a call. 'SOS, Maiden Down, Queen has Pawns,' and several other messages were written to his boss. He set his scroll down, sending his location for a bullhead and extraction.
They'd gotten there just in time, well, just in time for her not to die. Amber wasn't looking too hot, and Qrow honestly thought she'd be dying soon. He sighed, leaning back and sipping down some scotch as his nerves were on fire.
Two thumps on the door of the inn he was renting sent him into a brief panic, before he called out. "Who is it?"
"Qrow! You in there?" Regent called. Qrow calmed a bit, before opening the door slightly, shotgun at the ready.
Regent stood there, as did Bones. Qrow let the two in and sat back down on his couch.
"We took some evidence from the scene." Bones stated, dropping two blood stained sacks on the coffee table. Qrow grimaced, but a distant part of him knew that they'd be able to get an ID on them faster with the gruesome trophies.
Regent sat next to Qrow, pickpocketing the man's vest as he stared at the bloody bags for his flask. He sipped down some scotch and smiled. "This is pretty good." He noted, Qrow's head snapped over to him and snatched back the flask. He glared at the other man and sipped some down.
A chuckle left Regent's throat, soon infecting Qrow as they laughed a bit. "That mission was pretty difficult, hope you have some deep pockets for two prospecting mercs." Regent said, leaning back.
"I'll put in a good word with my bosses." He said, knowing that Ozpin would throw a massive amount at them for the two to join his little group.
Regent nodded, looking over to Amber. "A lot of effort for some girl." He noted, "Was the black haired girl a semblance stealer?" He asked.
Qrow blinked, but nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty infamous and well known to many people in the up and ups." Lying as he'd just now confirmed her existence.
The bot and man nodded. Time passed, Regent and Qrow talking some, before the noise of a Bullhead landing nearby sounded out.
A man dressed well with a green tie and black suit, holding an old cane exited the vehicle. Behind him stood a blonde women that was dressed like a sexy teacher. The two then entered the run down inn, and walked up to the room Qrow had messaged them to go to.
Qrow stood up, ready to carry Amber to the Bullhead, only for Bones to just sling her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Qrow gaped at the bot, before shaking himself.
Ozpin knocked, with Qrow opening the door. "She needs medical attention." He whispered, moving past the man and waving to his addons to follow.
Regent walked through, nodding to Ozpin, with Bones following as well. Goodwitch glared at the bot and his handling of Amber, but followed behind them as well.
They exited the establishment, before entering the bullhead. Bones sat the women down in a chair inside the vehicle, before moving away. Qrow and his boss talked, with Glynda listening in.
Qrow gave a rundown of the fight.
"Who are these men, Qrow?" Glynda asked, a glare directed towards the man.
Qrow shrugged, "Mercs, they offered their services in a bar. Thought, 'why not'." He took a drink. "Guy's are powerful, could put me on my ass in less than a minute." He shook his head. "Without them, I don't think I'd be able to extract the maiden." He sighed.
"Mercenaries stronger than Beacon's best?" Glynda asked with suspicion, with Ozpin raising an eyebrow as well.
Qrow shrugged, "They have stupid powerful semblances, the bot's stupid strong, and the man is beyond human with his blade."
As they talked, Regent walked over to Amber and started to inspect her. "Nothing." He noted, a frown on his face. He was 'The Medic', able to turn a quadra-aputee a few drops of blood from bleeding out and experiencing brain death into a healthy man. To not find any real wounds or injuries was disappointing. He sighed and walked over to Qrow and his bosses.
"Qrow." He started, the three pausing their conversation. "I've inspected the girl. She's got no visible wounds or anything. If she was bleeding out or had her brain leaking through her nose I'd be able to do something, but..." He shrugged, "I ain't experience in this soul-magic bullshit." He shrugged and walked over to Bones.
As he left to the otherside of the ship to sit with Bones, the three started to talk again.
"Does he know about the maidens?" Ozpin asked, catching how he called Amber's situation.
"No." Qrow narrowed his eyes, "Although, they are extremely foreign. They called Grimm 'black beasts' before I corrected them. They called Beowulfs 'Werewolves', Ursa's 'Werebears', and others just by their most obvious animalistic features. To many, Aura could be magic." The headmaster nodded, although Glynda wasn't convinced.
"Where are these men from?" She asked. "They just show up and offer to help you in a critical mission?"
Qrow frowned, but nodded as she had a point. "They really low balled when asking for a job. One grand for a day of combat and work. Bandit raids, moving shit, they'd do anything for that rate."
Ozpin rubbed his chin and proposed an idea. "Why don't we ask them what they needed the money for. They seem to be mainly motivated by wealth, and we can see what they plan on doing with it. It'd be easy to spot a lie."
Qrow hummed, "I can phrase it by 'negotiating prices'." The three nodded.
"Hey, Bones, Regent." Qrow waved over, the two standing up and walking over to where they were gathered in the bullhead.
"We were discussing your rates." Regent grinned while Bones perked up.
"We stick by our prices, by the way, but we want to negotiate a contract term. No spending 1k for a massive raid, and then cutting us off the next day." Regent stated.
Qrow nodded, "Yeah, we were planning on just paying you flat out for jobs." Regent perked up.
"You do Bounties!" The man exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "Yes!" He pumped his fist. They stared, and Qrow coughed.
"Anyway, you really lowballed earlier, any reason why?" Qrow asked.
Regent calmed down, and scratched his cheek. "Uh, what's the currency in this nation?" He asked.
All three of them blinked. "Oh." Qrow stated. "A good hot meal is about fifteen lien." Regent whistled.
"Like, a hot good meal? How long does this meal last you?" He asked, "A day, two days?" They once again stared at the man.
"The average citizen of the Kingdom of Vale eats three meals per day." Regent blinked. "Damn. Haven't had that in a while." He muttered. "How much is a gun?" He asked.
The non sequitur made everyone blink. "Four-hundred to a grand for a civilian model. Although for something like my Harbinger, that's in the hundreds of thousands." Qrow grinned.
Regent hummed, "Kenshi no Kuni didn't really have guns, we had crossbows and swords, but guns?" He shrugged. "Before some...events happened." He sneered, "Bones and I were some of the best swords, armor, and crossbow smiths in the land." He grinned, "We made some top quality shit, and when we first found about guns in this Kingdom, we wanted to learn how to make artisan quality weapons again. Like the old days." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head through his Tagelmust.
"Kenshi no Kuni?" Ozpin said, "That means The land of Swordsmen, correct?" Qrow nodded, knowing some Mistrali. "I've never heard of such a land." He admitted.
Regent nodded, "I'd be surprised if you did." He said, but did elaborate, looking out the bullhead window at the moon. He sighed, "It was a brutal place." He shook his head. "We're looking for further employment if you have the space and cash."
Ozpin smiled, "Well, I might have a position open for those of your talents. However, we have matters of greater urgency at hand. Like getting Amber to a medical facility."
"Great, we'll be hanging around Qrow. Find us whenever you need us." Regent said.
"Wonderful."
The trio moved away and started conversing with one another.