Yeah, I did see reviews about me getting the stat numbers wrong after the gala btw. Sorry for not responding but things were a bit hectic given my mother at the time. I've fixed the incorrect stats in this chapter and moving forward.


Cover Art: Solace o'Autumn

Chapter 22


Winter and her various soldiers naturally took him back up to Atlas once they arrived and found him hidden in the dog shelter along with the staff, with Penny heroically holding the entrance lest the White Fang try and attack further. Once everyone was accounted for, several soldiers remained to take evidence while others took Jaune's brief description of how the terrorist was dressed and then went to pass it on to other soldiers across the city.

Not that it would mean much. The terrorist would have obviously gotten rid of anything that could identify her by now.

Back up in Atlas, he was quickly questioned by Ironwood again – though in the man's office with a warm drink and a doctor to look him over. He kept assuring them he was fine, but they weren't taking chances.

Ultimately, he told them what he could but said he'd been more focused on escape.

A very reasonable decision, Ironwood had replied, before apologising for having such little control over his own city that this could happen in broad daylight. It was crazy a man already spinning thousands of plates would call this his own fault, and Jaune made it clear he didn't see it as such.

Besides, it wasn't like he was going to sue them.

When he was released, with assurances the terrorist would be found, he made his way back to Penny and Pietro's quarters and, after a lengthy attempt to explain his presence to security which involved Pietro having to be contacted, he was let back in. On the way, he got a notification from his Semblance.

-/-

Quest Completed:

You escaped from the dangerous terrorist.

Success: +Rep Atlas. -Rep White Fang. -Rep Blake Belladonna.

-/-

Only now? Did that mean he'd still been in danger until this moment or that there was some way Blake could have still harmed him? Or did this mean she'd "given up" and accepted leaving Atlas, and that he was therefore now 100% safe from her? He was definitely hoping for the latter.

I didn't get a level from this quest, though. Hmm. The others offered +EXP for their rewards but this one only gave reputation. That doesn't seem very common when every other quest has offered +EXP.

Perhaps it was because his Semblance hadn't initiated this; Blake had. Or maybe the assumption – from a gaming perspective – was that he'd have gotten enough EXP from defeating his opponent anyway. In a normal game this would have ended one or two ways – him defeating her, or this being one of those scripted losses.

No one expected the birds.

Not even me. Was this my Jaunedor Calls for Aid skill…? I guess it must have been. I wasn't thinking at the time but, looking back, I'd have expected it to summon Penny or Atlas. Did it pick who I had the highest rep with? Or did there just happen to be more birds nearby?

Because this was cute and all, and it worked, but if he was ever being held in a cage over a vat of acid then he wanted to imagine he could summon someone with opposable thumbs to help him, and not just automatically keep drawing every pigeon in the neighbourhood.

Not that he wasn't grateful.

The final door opened and Jaune's knees were assaulted by a big, shaggy dog.

"Who are you!? Threat? Danger? No, you smell good."

"Huh," he said, reaching down his hand to pet it and instead getting his hand attacked by slobbery kisses. "I guess Penny got her dog after all."

"I did!" Penny cheered – and for once her typical over-exuberance didn't come across as fake or robotic. Anyone having gained a new dog would have sounded just as delighted with life. "I'm calling him Buddie! Isn't he amazing!?"

Buddie, because a dog was a human's best friend so the robot who wanted to feel human would want to count a dog among her friends. Again, no one without the context of what she was would connect the dots. His Semblance was just making it easy for him.

"I cut back with Penny and a few guards after the White Fang issue was resolved," Pietro explained. The dog came over to him and jumped up on his legs. The disabled man laughed and scratched its nose. "Penny was quite insistent on adopting the oldest and most rejected animal there and giving it a nice home. I shall have to dog-proof the lab."

His voice descended into cutesy babble.

"But you're worth it, aren't you? Yes, you are. Good boy."

"I'm a good boy! Why don't your legs work? I'll help fix them." The dog began nosing at the man's legs. "Work! You're supposed to work!"

"Um—"

"Don't worry, I can't feel anything down there." Pietro didn't look or sound bothered by it. "I've told Penny she needs to attend some dog training classes with Buddie here. Why don't you and her see if you can teach him to sit while I decide which rooms need to be locked off from his curious nose. There's a lot of machinery here that could hurt an inquisitive animal."

Jaune nodded and followed Penny into what must have been their living quarters. There was a curious amount of family photos involving Penny, which he first assumed were just for cover but quickly realised were real. The smiles on Pietro's faces in those pictures made it clear just how much he adored her.

In the centre of the room lay a new box, freshly opened, and around it a dog bed, several toys, a packet of food and some other bits and pieces. Also, the dog magazine Jaune had bought for her.

"I have been studying hard!" said Penny, deadly serious. "And have consumed much media on training. But there is a problem."

"Oh?"

Penny picked up a dog treat and held it out. Buddie sniffed it but, tail wagging furiously, was much more interested in climbing up over Penny's legs and licking her face. Penny giggled.

"Buddie does not have a food drive as they call it, so he is not interested in treats as a reward for doing a good job."

"Ah, that sounds like it'd make things difficult." He'd never heard of a food drive before, but he knew the basic idea of training was to bribe dogs with treats. Buddie was much too excitable for it. "How far have you gotten?"

"Nowhere! Look at him!" Penny gently pushed him off her, still smiling. "Father thinks it may because he's too stimulated right now, and that he might calm down in a day or two. Being adopted and having a new environment may have him too excited to listen. I have been trying to teach him to sit. Buddie!" she said. "Sit!"

Buddie pushed his nose into Penny's neck. "Smell sick! Are you okay? Please be okay. I love you." He pushed his nose into her neck harder. "I'll make you okay. I'll protect you if you're sick."

A dog's hearing and smell were far above a human. With stories out there of dogs being able to smell cancer and strokes, it wasn't a stretch to say he could smell that Penny wasn't entirely human. Not knowing what a robot was, all Buddie knew was that something was wrong with his human. Evidently, he'd opted to decide she must be sickly and needed his constant care.

Should he corner and explain things to the dog?

Probably not. This whole area was bound to be under security review. Maybe he could pull the dog aside later during a walk outside and give him the explanation. And here I am planning to spill military secrets to a dog. This sounds like it could be the plot of a spy movie.

"You try it," said Penny.

"Okay." Jaune cleared his throat. "Buddie, sit!"

The dog sat. "Okay. But why?"

Penny's jaw dropped. "How!? Why did he obey you?"

"Uh. Maybe I just have an authoritative voice? Or maybe his last owner was a man."

"My last human was sad and had lost his pack. He would hit me to make himself feel better. It felt bad, but I knew he was hurting, and I loved him."

Jaune strained to keep his face calm and not start bawling.

"One day he started crying and wouldn't stop. He kept telling me he was sorry, and he loved me, then he ate a lot of the treats he kept on the shelf and went to sleep. He wouldn't wake up. The people came and took me after."

"C—Can I use the bathroom?" Jaune asked. "Where is it?"

"That door there."

"Thank you!"

One quick moment to himself and several cold splashes of water later, Jaune came back out less likely to feel awful. The dog would have a better life now, far better, even if it never deserved the one it had before. Penny was playing tug with it but, being a robot, simply wasn't losing to the dog at all, even when it started dragging her across the floor of the room.

"You're meant to let go."

"I am!?"

"Yeah."

Penny did so and Buddie leapt around victoriously, throwing his head around.

"The idea is to let them win so they're happy."

Penny made an understanding sound at the same time Buddie dropped the rope and looked at Jaune in shock. "They let us win!?"

Oops.

"You're right," said Penny. "This is very cute."

"They… let us… did he…? No. But my victories… years and years… I was the tug-rope champion…"

"Though you don't have to let him win. You're a lot stronger than the average person, so most people would lose in a contest of strength against a dog." He said it mostly to calm Buddie down, but Penny froze.

"Stronger? You must be mistaken, friend-Jaune. I am no stronger or weaker than any other person. I am totally average!"

Ah, crap. Jaune winced. "I didn't mean it as an insult, Penny. I just mean you're a huntress-in-training, so you've naturally done a lot more fitness and resistance training than the average girl. Huntsmen and huntresses are stronger than the average person."

"Oh!" Penny's entire body sagged in relief. "Y—Yes. Of course. That makes sense. I thought you meant— I understand."

Jaune gave her an out. "I guess being raised up here your idea of the average person would be a lot fitter and stronger than what's down on Mantle, right? Because you hang out with trained soldiers and people like Ironwood and Winter."

"Yes." Penny was all smiles, convinced she'd escaped detection. "You're right. I have gotten my standards mixed up because of my homeschooling. It's easy to forget the people up here are or all well-trained and capable military personnel." She changed the subject. "Come help me teach Buddie what the words mean!"

They spent the next hour teaching the dog words – and that was a lot more literal than she meant it to be because he could actually translate for the dog. He kept it subtle when he did, pushing the dog's hind quarters down and saying things like "that means sit like this" to make it look like he was just talking out loud.

Either way, the dog kept answering back and learning what the human words meant, because while he was speaking in human to Penny and anyone listening, he was also speaking in "dog" to Buddie. His Semblance not only let him understand the dog but allowed them to better understand him, so it was like he was speaking two languages at the same time.

When Pietro came back, he found Penny able to make the dog sit, lay down, roll over and heel – which impressed him greatly. Naturally, Penny gave all the credit to Jaune, which necessitated him to ward off any talk of a reward or payment.

"Penny is my friend, sir. I don't need to be paid to help her."

Pietro's eyes watered.

Penny gasped and covered her open mouth with both hands.

"Uh…"

"FRIEND!" she cried and leapt at him. Penny's mass was, ironically, not that much greater than a human's. What parts of her body were metal surrounded other parts that were empty, and not dragged down by tens of kilos of retained body water. Even so, Jaune's low Strength Score meant she flattened him. "Daddy, look! I've made my first friend! Can I keep him!?"

"CUDDLES!" shouted Buddie, seeing the pile of warm bodies – one with human warmth and the other with mechanical overheating – and leapt on. "I love cuddles!"

Pietro Polendina drew out his scroll and took numerous photos, which Jaune just knew would be joining the family ones in this room. "My daughter is growing up," he all but wept. "Oh, this is the happiest day of my life!"

"H—Help… me…" Jaune croaked, voice barely audible.

One minute later, Winter appeared at the door. "Did someone call for help…? I thought I heard something."

Through several layers of solid metal wall.

Huh. I guess my skill works on people too…

/-/

Given the attempt on his life, Jaune opted to stay on Atlas for the following days but there was plenty to do between training with Winter, watching the military going about their day and spending time with his new friend. He'd even introduced Penny and Buddie to Ren and Nora, who fussed over the puppy. Nora had badgered him to bring Penny into the group chat and Pietro had finally given permission.

Oddly enough, Penny found it easier to act human online than in person.

Maybe that wasn't odd, actually. She and Nora got on like a house on fire, which was a little worrying where Penny was involved, but no one had died yet. Nora and Ren also kept his secret as Guitar Cutie to themselves, and Ren send him a PM saying that any more incriminating details had been removed from the server.

Which was a relief because Penny could hack it – and probably would do so, without malice or even understanding why she shouldn't. She'd just detect some conversation happening in a private chat and casually insert herself in to say hi, downloading the whole logs in the process.

And while he doubted Atlas would take issue with him being Guitar Cutie – other than some weird looks from Winter – he didn't want it getting out there. It was too embarrassing as it was with Saphron and Terra knowing. He'd never live it down if his entire family found out.

Since then, he had found time to have a human-to-dog chat with Buddie about what Penny was and how she wasn't sick or dying, helped Penny take him on numerous walks, put up with hundreds of hardened soldiers turning to baby-voiced children as they fussed over him, and gotten a couple extra points in Constitution and Strength thanks to Winter pushing him to the edge and back.

-/-

Jaune Arc

Lvl 8.

Title: Bard

HP: 310/310

MP: 85/85

Str: 9

Con: 21

Dex: 6

Wis: 8

Cha: 147 (148)

Aura: Locked

Semblance: The Game

Perks:

Speak with Animals.

Bardic Skills.

Jaune-dor Calls for Aid!

-/-

His Constitutionlooked a lot healthier since dumping ten whole points into it after the attack at the gala and while the extra few points from training helped, they wouldn't make that big a difference.

More annoying still was that days of working himself to failure under Winter's guidance had only earned him +4 Constitution and around +2 Strength. In a vacuum, that sounded great. His Strength had been 7 before, so going up to 9 after a few days was like increasing your muscle mass by a third in under a week. Huge gains.

But the fact that his Charisma had risen 7 points in the same time, outpacing both combined and with no effort on his part, made it feel so worthless. He hadn't done much with his guitar other than play for Penny, Pietro and Buddie, and occasionally for Winter when she was there. Sometimes security listened in as well, but it was never a big audience or enough to give him any points.

And yet every now and then when he least expected it, the dreaded notification would hit.

.

Through performing for an audience, you gain +1 Charisma.

.

It could hit when he was out walking Buddie, running on a treadmill, tossing and turning in bed or squeezing one out on the toilet. The world didn't care for what he was doing and when, only that a few thousand more people had tuned in to have a listen – or a re-listen – to Guitar Cutie's latest update.

At least he hoped they were just listening but given the amount of thirst comments from guys, he dreaded the reality. At least his Semblance hadn't decided to really scar him and say, "Through aiding in the masturbation of numerous men, you have gained +1 Charisma."

But he had what Terra told him were simps.

He didn't get the term, having grown up in Ansel where the internet connection could generously be called spotty and more realistically be called a joke. The idea of having a connection strong enough to stream someone else in real-time playing a game (in a hot tub, apparently) was crazy.

Let alone the fact that their internet got throttled when more than one person wanted to use it, add in eight children, and the house would have become a warzone if he'd tried to watch anything like that online.

But, apparently, there were a lot of people desperate for pictures and vlogs and content from Guitar Cutie to the degree that Saphron and Terra were asking if he wanted to do a quick podcast when he got back.

Or, in Terra's case, if he wanted to do a photo reel for charity with some provocative but fully clothed pictures of him in a schoolgirl's uniform, a swimsuit, pyjamas and more. That call had ended with a panicked cry from Terra and a text of "ttyl little bro" from Saphron.

He'd talked with Pyrrha a little as well but kept Penny out of it. She kept asking about Weiss and how much she was keeping in contact with him, which was a grand total of zero texts, zero calls, and zero checkups. He didn't think they'd become friends so much as friendly acquaintances, but he'd gotten curious about how Willow was progressing and dared to send her a single text. He'd half-expected to find his number blocked or not get a response.

But she did respond after a few hours.

"She's been in an awful mood since you left. No surprises there. We still think it was the best idea. She's fallen back to drinking but not as much as before."

Jaune winced and texted back, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." It was, but Weiss didn't know it. "Willow drank before and drinks less now. That's objectively an improvement."

"Did our plan with your music replacing mine work?" he asked.

"For a while, but all she does is complain that I'm not as good as you and criticises me, telling me I should practice more – or give up entirely."

"I'm really, really sorry about that," he texted back. "Your singing is amazing."

"I don't need your pity, Arc. Ten record labels are enough to tell me that's not a problem. Mother is just obsessed with your music – or you. I think it best you stay away from the manor and my mother."

He wasn't sure if Weiss meant that to sound so critical of him, like he was a bad influence on an innocent young woman, but it felt that way. Jaune winced and told himself she was just being her usual sharp self, but it was still hard not to feel bad. Weiss was a better singer than he was guitarist, but his Semblance cheated and injected what might as well be addictive drugs into his music, at least when he activated his Bardic Music and played it to a person over and over.

It was hard not to feel bad for Weiss when she was trying so hard, though. Willow really ought to appreciate her more, but while he was tempted to reach out and ask her to – he knew it'd be a bad idea. Willow needed to get over him.

And soon he had something else to keep him distracted anyway.

/-/

"The beach…?"

"Yes." Pietro was smiling. "It'll be the first time Penny has ever been there – and you came to Atlas to travel and enjoy yourself, didn't you? Atlas has some rather unique beaches due to the cold waters, currents and northern position of the continent. Our southern beaches are what you're commonly used to – sand and warm waters – but our northern ones alternate between ice-cold waters and volcanic hot springs."

Could Penny work in water…? He didn't ask, couldn't ask, but had to assume Pietro wouldn't have brought this up unless he was sure she'd be okay. It looked like his helping Penny act more human wanted to be tested further. Or maybe they really did just want to help him.

"It isn't solely for your own fun," said Winter. "There's a training exercise taking place in the water. Aquatic rescue training followed by cold water terrain survival training. You won't be expected to take part in any of that and would just be tagging along with us." She smiled oddly. "Though you're welcome to enjoy our suffering."

"You'll be taking part in it…?"

"I'm not the one being tested but I'll need to provide demonstrations, so yes. This would be a good chance to take Buddie outside to stretch his legs – and General Ironwood did offer to show you some of what we get up to. It should be relaxing – fresh air, clean water, and we'll be bringing enough food and drink along to feed an army. It's also traditional to let the recruits have the evening off as a reward for their hard work, so they usually throw a beach party."

When one said "beach party" images of Mistral or Vacuo tended to come to mind, not Atlas with its strict discipline and sometimes arctic climate. In hindsight, it was a little silly to just assume no one in Atlas like beaches. They might be colder, but that'd just mean wearing a little more.

"Should I bring a swimsuit or would I freeze to death…?"

"You'll be fine during the day and the hot springs will be enjoyable to bathe in. I'd only avoid taking to the water at night – or going into any of the many lakes and pools that will be frozen over. We'll be using them for training."

Jaune winced. "Frozen water…?"

"Our troops need to know the danger of falling into them and how to rescue people from them – and when it is safe to do so. Don't worry, you won't be expected to go in any." Her expression turned to amusement. "Though I've heard some people extol the health benefits of an ice-cold bath, our highly paid medical and fitness teams here at Atlas don't agree it's quite as effective as the many fitness influencers would have you believe. It'll certainly wake a person up, but so will a bucket of ice cubes in your underwear. That doesn't make it a good idea."

"Yeah. Okay, sure. I'd love to go. Atlas had been interesting so far, but mostly interesting in the sense that everyone thinks weird stuff about me and your mom, and then I nearly got killed by terrorists multiple times. It'll be nice to have an actual holiday experience over here."

"Yes. And I am sorry about that."

"It's fine. Apparently, everyone thought I was bedding her."

"You could take it as a compliment," she offered. "That everyone assumed you'd have the… uh… what do they call it – swagger? – to accomplish that." His flat-eyed expression had her looking away with a chuckle. "I'll stop talking. Penny will come collect you for when we go, and I can guarantee there'll be no risk to you here. Even if Grimm attacked us, you'd be surrounded by armed and trained professionals."

"And the White Fang…?"

"Several unchartered and unregistered ships were identified leaving Atlas waters eastward towards Mistral. The White Fang – or at least those armed terrorists who struck the gala – have quit the kingdom."

Thank goodness. Maybe that was why his Semblance had finally deemed it quest complete on the Blake front. It must have known she and her allies were giving up and leaving.

Good riddance to them.


Next Chapter: 12th May

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