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+421 DUST
I lowered my shield as the last of the Beowolves started turning to dust. It had been a group of three, all of them young, dumb and sadly not much of a challenge. The Dust they gave me was nice, but I couldn't help but feel that I was slowing down, a lot.
Jaune Arc
Level: 16
HP: 100/100
AP: 260/260
Vigor: 10
Mind: 13
Endurance: 12
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 10
Dust: 1439
The first night I had gone out, I had managed to net myself a whole 9 levels. Now, almost a week later, I only managed a single level per night. The Dust requirement was rising, but it wasn't linear. After reaching level 10, the cost had jumped up so much that I hadn't even managed to get a level last night, despite the fact that I was fighting way more Grimm than before.
If this kept up, I might not get strong enough at the end of the month, even if I went out every night. No, I couldn't think like that. I wasn't just going to give up, not now that I finally had a chance. Looking down at my watch, I could go out a little further today, where some of the more dangerous Grimm might be holed up. So far, higher level Grimm had given me more Dust, so it was safe to assume that I would be able to get levels faster if I fought stronger enemies.
I just had to make sure that I got back before anyone woke up. They most likely wouldn't check my room, but they would sure as hell notice me getting back, especially carrying something like Crocea Mors.
I hurried through the woods, careful not to trip and fall. I don't know if you have ever been in a forest, but popular media seems to think that running in a forest is normal. Personally, I think that unless you are being chased by a serial killer or some kind of Grimm, it's a bad idea. Even in those cases, the running might be a larger danger to your health than whatever is chasing you.
Tree roots, thick plants in the underbrush, small holes and dents in the soft dirt ground that are obscured by fallen leaves. They were all good ways to trip, fall and break something. If I hadn't had my aura unlocked, I would have probably broken my ankles more than once the first time I had gone out. One time, the fall had even sent me straight into a Beowolf, which then promptly tried tearing me apart while I was scrambling to find my balance.
All in all, you were better served walking briskly, while making sure to look at the ground almost constantly.
As I got further away from the town, the forest got thicker, and less moonlight broke through the foliage. I could barely see where I was going before, but now it was virtually impossible. I slowed down and unsheathed Crocea Mors before expanding my shield. With it being this dark, I would be lucky to see a Grimm standing two feet away. Something I wouldn't want to happen without my weapon at the ready.
My caution was rewarded soon after, when I heard a deep growl coming from right in front of me. I could barely see it, but it was huge. Easily four or five times as large as the Beowolves I had just fought, and probably about as mean. The only feature I could see clearly was its eyes. Two large, baleful red eyes glared at me through the barely visible bone mask covering its skull.
Ursa Minor
Level: 25
I barely got my shield up to block when I saw the red eyes getting closer, but I was glad that I had. Taking a hit like that head-on might have just broken my aura instantly. As it was, I saw my aura bar drop by almost a quarter as I rolled on the ground, the hit having sent me flying.
'Okay Jaune, dodging is the name of the game, I guess.'
And then it was on me again. Instead of weaving around the thin trees, it simply barreled through them to get to me as fast as possible, sending splinters everywhere. This time, I rolled out of the way as it tried stomping on me with a huge paw. As it turned to me, I scrambled back to my feet, making sure to keep my sword trained on it at all times. The damned thing was almost 10 levels ahead of me, I couldn't afford to get distracted.
It lunged again, for all that it was strong and pretty fast as well, the Grimm wasn't all that smart. Almost like the younger Beowolves I had encountered, all it did was run at me and hope to smash me into paste. But I guess if that works on anything you encounter around here, there's no real need to learn how to fight better is there?
I darted to the side, slicing through its thick coat of fur and scoring a cut on its flank as it barreled past me. It roared, and a wall of sound almost made me drop my shield. 'Get it together!' A part of me screamed as I ducked under a swipe and poked it in the shoulder.
Looking up, I saw its health bar. It was still almost full.
I barely had enough time to bring my shield up as it swiped at me while I was distracted. The blow knocked me off my feet again, but this time I was ready for the charge. I rolled aside, ignoring the thought telling me that if that had hit, I would probably be a smear on the ground, and hacked at its back paw. My strike connected, nearly taking the limb off at the knee, causing it to roar again.
When it turned towards me, it was noticeably slower on the approach. Instead of blocking the next hit, I parried it further away from me while I stabbed forward, lodging my sword deep in its shoulder. I tried to pull away, but the Ursa didn't retreat from what should have been a painful injury. Instead, it rolled, dragging my sword and I with it. We landed in a heap, the beast on top of me.
It roared in my face, blasting me with the scent of rotting meat and waste, probably from its last meal. Desperate not to become the next, I brought my sword up, the blade gleaming in the moonlight, and stabbed it into the Grimm's mouth as it brought a paw down on my shoulder.
I heard screaming, and after a brief moment, I realized that it was me. I briefly noted that the aura bar in the corner of my vision was empty, while the red health bar above it was uncomfortable low. Then, the pain hit. I was hot, and cold at the same time. Sweating and burning up but the droplets felt like shaved ice on my skin. I could see, more than feel my consciousness fading as large black spots took over my field of vision.
ENEMY FELLED
+ 3813 DUST
The last thing I saw before I passed out was a flash of green and gold.
Jaune Arc
Level: 16
HP: 100/100
AP: 260/260
Vigor: 10
Mind: 13
Endurance: 12
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 10
Dust: 5252
The first thing I saw when I woke up was my attribute page. The second was the amount of Dust I had, how had that gotten there. I went out last night, and I fought the Ursa. I fought a wince as phantom pain ran through my shoulder at the thought of what it had done to me.
I scrunched my brow as I thought back to how I had gotten home. I was clearly in my own bed, the poster featuring the latest release of Remnant Online was a dead giveaway. But I didn't remember going home. I had fought the Ursa, almost died and then passed out.
"Ah, so you're up."
Shocked, I looked to my left, and found Jade sitting on my desk chair with one of her signiature pistols-daggers in her lap, a short leaf-shaped blade 14 inches long gleamed in the early morning light. In her other hand, she loosely held a polishing cloth.
"Hey, uh, Jade. Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing in my room?"
My third oldest sister narrowed her eyes, "Why am I here? Well I thought I would stick around and ask my little brother what possessed him to go out hunting Grimm in the middle of the fucking night." She hissed. Suddenly, I was much more aware of the oh so familiar weapon lying across her lap.
Stunned, and more than a little intimidated, I didn't answer her immediately. For all that she was a fully fledged huntress now, Jade had always been the 'nice sibling' along with Saphron. She was the one that I went to when I needed help with my homework, she was the one who stayed up late and made me hot cocoa when I had nightmares, the one I had asked for advice on girls when I got shot down by my first crush in school.
I couldn't even remember the last time she had sworn.
A moment later, she was in my face, her dagger in hand. "Well? I think after dragging your unconscious ass home before you became Ursa chow for real, I think I deserve some answers, no?" She asked, though it might as well have been a command.
"I, uhm, that is –"
"You what, Jaune? What the hell made you think going out to fight Grimm, alone, in the middle of the night was a good idea?"
"I need to get better, okay!" I burst out. "I need to get into Beacon. I've finally found a way to get better, because we both know that training never worked, and I don't have fucking time to take things slow!"
"So you figured that killing yourself was the better option!? Yeah, suicide by Grimm seems like a great way to get into Beacon." She snarled, the muscle in her jaw twitching as she clenched it hard enough that I could hear her teeth grinding.
"WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO I HAVE?" For the first time in my life, I screamed at her. I had had rows and fights with all of my sisters, and even with my parents, but never with Jade. Not like this anyways, but I couldn't hold it in anymore. "YOU ALL CODDLE ME SO MUCH THAT I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT MY SEMBLANCE NEEDS ME TO KILL GRIMM TO IMPROVE. I'VE BEEN STUCK FOR YEARS, WORKING MY ASS OFF FOR NOTHING! AND IF I TOLD YOU ALL WHAT I WAS UP TO YOU WOULD ALL LOCK ME AWAY SO I WOULDN'T GET HURT!"
I was breathing heavily by the time I finished my tirade, and I could see the effect that it had on my sister. Her face was no longer red, the angry color had faded, leaving her pale as a ghost. She stared at me as she bonelessly collapsed onto the edge of my bed, slumping down.
"You could have come to me." She almost whispered. A pit opened in my stomach, it hurt to see her like this, but I wasn't going to back down now.
"No I couldn't have. I love you Jade, I really do, but none of you believe in me. Not mom, not dad, and not you. And that hurts much worse than some Ursa nearly tearing my arm off. So if that's what it takes to prove you all wrong, I won't hesitate to go out there again. I've made more progress in the last week than I have in the whole decade before that, and I'm not giving up my only ticket to Beacon for your peace of mind."
Without another word, I grabbed Crocea Mors and walked out the door, deaf to whatever Jade tried to say as she called after me. I couldn't hear it over the blood that pounded in my ears as I went to stash the weapon away.
Not even the rush of leveling up twice made the pit in my stomach go away.
Jaune Arc
Level: 18
HP: 100/100
AP: 300/300
Vigor: 10
Mind: 15
Endurance: 12
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 10
Dust: 1231
When I came down for lunch, I was fully prepared to be grounded until next century. If Jade had told mom and dad what had happened, there was no way that they would let me out of their sights for even a single moment.
When I sat down at the table, though, nothing was out of the ordinary. Rose and Indigo were arguing again, though I couldn't be bothered to actually listen enough to find what they were fighting about this time. Meanwhile, Violet and Lavender were braiding Sapphire's hair as she ate her scrambled eggs.
Mom and dad weren't there, though I could hear them talking in the kitchen. At first I thought it was about me, that I had been busted for sure. But when I listened in, they were simply discussing dinner plans for their date night tonight. I was cautiously optimistic as I grabbed myself a plate and filled it up with some hashbrowns and eggs.
I managed to get through half of my breakfast before Jade arrived. Her alabaster skin was pale as a ghost, and though she had tried to cover it with some make-up, I could make out the red puffy skin around her eyes. 'She's been crying.' The pit in my stomach opened back up, swallowing what was left of my appetite.
Mom was by her side in an instant.
"Are you feeling okay? Did something happen?" She held her hand up against Jade's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Did something happen with one of your friends? That boy Cole again?"
"Mom I'm fine, I just feel a little under the weather." She replied, gently pushing mom's hand away. She sat down and pushed around the food mom had shoved under her nose around for a little bit, barely taking a couple of bites of her toast before she pushed her plate away and went back up the stairs.
When I came back up to my room, I wasn't alone. Jade was there too, sitting on my bed. As I opened my mouth to speak, she gently patted the spot next to her, inviting me to sit. For a little while, we just sat there, neither one of us knowing what to say. But eventually, she broke the silence.
"Jaune, I – I know I haven't been the most supportive. None of us have been." She began, "We, we just – You never seemed to get anywhere with your training before, and no one knew why. So we all just assumed you would end up doing something else."
"And do what?" I challenged her. "All I've ever wanted was to become a Huntsman like mom and dad, and grandpa, and now you, Saphron and Sapphire. Was I supposed to just give up, leave my dream behind and go work some office job that makes me miserable for the rest of my life?" I asked, and I could see that it hit her hard.
"No, no. We hoped you would find something that would make you happy. Happy, and safe." She said.
"But I never did." She nodded along, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "You never did."
"So now what?" I asked, and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Just a whisper of what had happened reaching mom and dad would completely cut my chances of ever reaching Beacon.
"I won't tell them." She said, and I could almost feel the tension leave my body. "But," She continued. "But if you go out again, I'm coming with you." She said, and as I went to protest, she shushed me.
"I don't know how your Semblance works, but I'm not letting you go out there by yourself. You can kill all the Grimm you want, but if you're in too much danger, I'm pulling you out." She said, and judging by her tone, I knew that it was futile to argue.
"That's, okay I guess." I conceded.
She nodded quietly, stood up and walked out of my room. Briefly pausing at the door.
"I'm sorry Jaune."
And then I was alone.
A/N: Wow, pretty heavy for chapter 2, but I need to get most of this out now before he leaves for Beacon, which isn't so far off.
Fights with family are always the worst. Everyone cares about each other, and because of that, they all know what words will cut the deepest. It sucks even more because hurting them still hurts you, and vice versa. Every word is a double-edged sword that cuts you as bad as it does them.
Regardless, I was hoping to get some feedback on both the fight scene and the dialogue. I think I did alright with the Ursa, just basing it on real life bears and going from there, while also keeping the level difference in mind. As for the dialogue, I thought the clarity was okay here, but I would love to hear what you guys think.
To the anonymous person who left a review, it had some pretty important questions, so I think I will answer here for once since I can't PM you.
Yes, I like the themes of the Soulsborn games too, and they will play a part. As for absorbing Grimm bits, you will just have to see.
Magic, especially early on seemed a bit much, so I decided to avoid it entirely. At first I was planning to give him a locked Arcane stat (Which doesn't actually have anything to do with magic in the games, but I don't feel like incorporating extra stat procs beyond someone bleeding when cut) and repurpose it to serve as a magic stat when he unlocked it through something I hadn't decided on yet. Who knows, though, I might still do that.
As for the stat screens, I know it can be a bit annoying, and I'm trying to cut back on it. But I also kind of need to put the full one in when I level his stats to keep track. I can't just keep an excel sheet with his stats because I don't write all my scenes chronologically. Sometimes I write a scene that is going to happen 5 chapters from now, and if I have to adjust the stat sheet for that, then I have no idea where I'm at in the current chapter. That would make things a bit too much of a hassle, which is why I never really got into writing a gamer story before now. And also why I chose to take a system with simple stats and no skills, so I don't get lost in the numbers.
To the anonymous reviewer, nice catch on the typo and the stat increases. I forgot to adjust the MP values when I increased his Mind stat. Also, one of the few true game mechanics I have in here is that he recovers to 'full health' and thus loses his injuries after rest. Almost equating sleep to resting at a bonfire or grace. It can't be abused, though, since he can't 'rest' in the middle of a battle or a wasteland where he is constantly on edge, so this means he can't just randomly sit down and heal up.
Also, the Ursa's breath smells like a rotting corpse because I doubt that Grimm clean themselves after savaging someone. So if they ate/tore into someone relatively recently, the bear might still have pieces of the rotting corpse in its mouth and thus smell. Feel free to correct me if this is wrong though, then I might stop putting stuff like this in.
Anyways, I hope that answers your questions, feel free to leave more reviews and thank you all for reading.
Have a good one!
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