Gotta preface this by saying I love this genre in webcomics and fanfics etc and one day this will look so unfamiliar to me that I can enjoy it as if I never wrote it at all. My yearning to read a man being put in a situation is beyond insatiable. The direction this will take is a mystery even to myself. Thank you.
I died.
A few seconds ago I died in a gruesome and horrific manner that doesn't bear describing, or remembering.
Yet.
I can hear the beeping of a heart monitor.
I DID die.
It's not like someone could have told me:
"Oh, you might have felt that way, but really you were alive by a thread."
That wasn't the case, I knew I was dead because the state my body was left in was, while not going into any detail, absolutely not a state anybody had ever come back from.
I can feel an IV drip in my arm though, and I can hear the aggressive whispering going on above my head. Whatever the conversation is about, it doesn't bear thinking about.
It's uncomfortable, the sensation of being taller than I was before.
I try cracking open a single eye, my eyelid is impossibly heavy. I don't recognise them at all, the doctor or the blonde woman wearing a strange mix of leather and fabric that stretched tight around her limbs. Her head immediately snaps in my direction and I can't help that the heart monitor skyrockets at my sudden panic.
My head's too heavy and I can't even register the speed at which the blonde woman reaches my bedside, she grabs my hand in a grip that makes both my eyes open in shock and wince, the doctor shouts something my ears make no effort to catch.
Her brown eyes stare into mine and she's saying something I can't for the life of me hear properly, as if I were underwater and my ears are clogged.
"-ine now"
"-here now"
"-eave you"
I could try and listen harder but it doesn't bear thinking about, I'm tired.
I'm so tired.
My eyes drift shut slowly but as they do, I catch sight of something:
INITIALIZING…
37%
A flat, rectangular blue screen hovers behind the woman's head as she keeps whispering in my throbbing and dull ears.
INITIALIZING…
83%
Every fiber of my being screams to stay awake now as I can feel the very seams of my thoughts tearing apart.
INITIALIZED.
I blink, which feels like vices clinging to my eyelids when I try opening them again.
WELCOME TO REMNANT!
You have been assigned the role of 'PLAYER' and will be issued Challenges and Quests in order to fulfill a grand and exciting 'DUTY'.
"Jaune!"
Everything goes black as I pass out, my face twisting into a frown.
My death was painful and prolonged. The events were easily predictable to an outside perspective, I can see that now as my dreams take me down an alleyway and into a grotty warehouse. Every beat of the story that led me there was cliche and embarrassingly obvious.
"My death doesn't bear thinking about." I said aloud in a flat tone.
As if agreeing with me, the scene of my dream warps before I enter the warehouse and find the result of my cliched death. I'm now not watching as a third party, but rather I'm looking through my own eyes, about a foot taller, at least, I can tell because of how much more I have to crane my neck down to see the tall grass I'm standing in.
There's a shuffling and grunting sound in the grass a few meters away from me, my grip tightens around the sword I realize is in my right hand. I immediately toss it into my left hand, the more dominant one.
TUTORIAL
Surrounding the events of Jaune Arc's hospitalization, there were several occasions that an aspiring Huntsman could use to learn crucial Skills!
A blue window appeared violently in front of my face, making me recoil.
QUEST
Survive the attack that Jaune Arc did not.
(This is not optional, take this opportunity to get used to the System and your new body.)
Y/N
The world is fixed in a frozen position while the window hovers in front of me. The tall grass isn't moving at all.
"Attack?" I ask aloud, nothing visibly dangerous was near yet. Or at least that stands above the tall grass.
I can make out the shape of whatever is approaching me from afar, parting the grass in its wake. It's small and wide, black or at least dark in tone.
Of course I had bigger questions, the Welcome To Remnant message, Jaune Arc; all of it is foreign to me currently, but the theme of a video game being played was painfully clear. The Tutorial seemed a little more purposeful too, the fact that it was describing the events unfolding as the attack Jaune Arc didn't survive indicated that it was relevant to me in some way.
I tapped N for funsies anyway.
The landscape around me vibrates violently, separating into pixels before reconstituting around me in the exact same frozen position of before. A new window pops up however:
NOT OPTIONAL
Y
"My bad."
I tap the only remaining option and the wind blows gently against my skin once more, the sound of grunting and snuffling coming from the tall grass.
NOTIFICATION
You can use the 'Observe' Skill to identify living beings and objects in your surrounding areas.
The tall grass parts to make way for the grunting mass which suddenly halts. It seems to be alerted to something, me, if I were reading the situation right. A spike of panic jolts up my spine as there's a loud pig-like squeal and the creature in front of me charges forward, ? hovers above its white bone adorned head, the big, gorging tusks are what concern me the most however.
My legs seize up as I try to dive to the side, the boar-like creature springs forward while spinning in a vertical whirl of momentum. It hits me square in the chest knocking the air out of my lungs and immediately losing hold of the handle on my sword. Lying on my back, the creature pins me to the floor with its forelegs as it bites down on my shoulder.
This wasn't typical boar behavior, I assumed.
That was the only thing I could think of as the ball-joint of my shoulder made a loud and wet snapping sound, the pain was like a searing fire as my muscles and bones were crushed under powerful gnashing teeth.
I look up at the sky and the question marks hovering above its head transform into a word.
Boarbatusk
As the Boarbatusk continued chewing on the flesh of my shoulder getting closer and closer to my neck, several of the translucent blue windows flicker in front of my face.
SKILL UNLOCKED
OBSERVATION - LVL 1
You can now identify creatures and objects in the world around you! Names and details will be provided about the subject depending on the Skill Level.
A little retroactively notified.
NOTIFICATION
You were struck by a powerful Attack! Your Constitution has increased by +1! Check your Status by calling the Status window, this can be done Verbally or through internal thought.
For all the good that did me now.
WARNING
You are being Attacked! Your HP and MP will now be available for display. To see HP and MP, simply focus on them and they will appear within your Field of View.
WARNING
You are being Attacked! Your HP has reached the Critical Low stage.
"AAAAARGH"
I can't stay quiet, screaming in agony as my shoulder is forcibly torn open. A terrible decision on my part as a hoof presses against my forehead and everything goes dark.
The field of tall grass forms around me once again with pixels slowly reforming the setting and once more a blue window appears.
NOTIFICATION
You Died! Death during the Tutorial, while embarrassing, has no impact on the completion of the Quest. Don't let this hold you back! Learn from your experience and try to get accustomed to occupying Jaune Arc's body.
I took in a gasp, taking in sharp breaths as I slumped to my knees.
Status.
Status View
Jaune Arc HP: 102/102 MP: 20/20
(No Title)
Level 1: 0/50 EXP
Strength: 9
Agility: 7
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 4
Charisma: 3
Stat Points: 0
Skills:
Observation LVL 1 (Passive): The ability to assess and view information about living creatures or objects in your line of sight.
"Why's my Charisma so low?"
The question is met with a loud squeal as the Boarbatusk leaps toward me with the same whirl of death move from before, this time I fling myself to the left, immediately abandoning the sword in my right hand.
The screen vanishes and I'm left with the Boarbatusk that regains its footing a few seconds after it touches the floor, I can see armored plating surrounding its outer body, its spine and flank.
"Do you have any plating on your belly?" I called out to the Boarbatusk, it in response digs its forelegs against the floor and readies itself to charge again. I couldn't help but notice how squeaky and hoarse my voice was.
Notification
You identified a Foe's weakness through deduction. Your Wisdom has increased by +1! Check your Status by calling the Status window, this can be done Verbally or through internal thought.
I took too long staring at the window, this time the Boarbatusk hits me a little higher than my chest, the pointed bone spines against my face doing all the work necessary to take my HP down to 0. The impact, sound and sensation don't bear thinking about.
Notification
You were struck by a Critical Hit! What constitutes a Critical Hit? Many different Criteria determine this, however the simplest understanding is that the target is struck while vulnerable in some way. Sorry for the inconvenience, all Notification windows will now freeze time around you until you have finished reading them (Rather than just important ones).
+3 Stat Points.
I stare blankly for a minute before seeing the Boarbatusk's outline headed towards me, the Boarbatusk name tag making it impossible to hide its position even if the tall grass didn't already give it away.
My instincts now screamed to run but in response I stayed firm. Running might be an option, possibly. If it was though I'd expect that the speed it launches itself to be more than sufficient to catch up with me.
Quest?
Nothing sprung up in my vision.
Quest Log?
QUEST
Survive the attack that Jaune Arc did not.
(This is not optional, take this opportunity to get used to the System and your new body.)
The Quest said to 'Survive the Attack'. Running could be an option then.
Even still I switched my Sword hand and dived to the left again. The weight around my waist was undeniable, checking while the Boarbatusk oriented itself for another spinning murder attempt, I grabbed at my sheath, it instantly springs outward fanning into a shield.
The Boarbatusk flung itself at me once again, in an instant I threw my shield away and dived to the left again. The monster veered midair somehow, or maybe it was just able to angle its launch to suit my anticipated avoidance. Whatever the cause, the Boarbatusk's pointed tusks speared through my waist, cutting through my flesh like I were made of butter.
"Ack!"
Focusing on just the injury conjured up my HP and MP bars.
HP: 22/102 MP: 20/20
Fine then.
I was hoping that maybe this was somehow still a dream but the fact that this was still happening and the sensation of death was still fresh in my mind meant that no amount of denial would get me out of this. The repeated refusal to gather my thoughts coherently played a part, I suspected but with the dread sinking in that I was about to die again I exhaled softly through my nose and set my gaze upon the Boarbatusk.
This was a Tutorial.
The blood soaking my hoodie and the pain rocketing up my body was real, the monster in front of me was real and the two times I'd died already were definitely also real.
But still it's just a game.
SKILL UNLOCKED
Fortitude
Through force of will, you can gain temporary HP equal to your Constitution Stat multiplied by X (X being the amount of multiples of 5 MP paid.)
Drawing inside myself, inhaling through my nose I felt my MP deplete to 0. It was like my stomach suddenly became empty and my breath became hollow.
HP: 22/102 (+44) MP:0/20
"I think I get it now." The pitch of my voice is an octave higher than I'm used to, and far raspier.
The Boarbatusk didn't care, already charging towards me again.
"I'm a character in a video game." I wasn't speaking to the creature of course, but rather in the hopes of letting the game know I understood.
The whole field was silent besides myself and my very silly monologue.
"A very reactive video game, giving me Skills based on what, my feelings?"
The Boarbatusk took a longer run up than usual, gearing up for a much more powerful spinning charge, too fast to avoid once it chose a direction to jump.
"I don't know if there's someone there that's watching or controlling this, but I just want to warn you."
Fortitude had become a Skill for me almost exactly the moment I'd started feeling self-conscious about my lack of HP. My urge to be sturdier had made Fortitude appear.
So my desire to hit the Boarbatusk head on?
With everything I could possibly give?
SKILL UNLOCKED
Strong Damn Fist
You can expend HP to add to your Strength Stat when charging a Punch*.
The Boarbatusk flung itself towards me with the force of a truck, spinning in a whirl of bony protrusions and muscle.
"I don't play properly."
A millimeter from my knuckles, instead of flinching, I gritted my teeth exhaling as hard as I could, rolling my shoulder to punch the Boarbatusk harder than it could've ever dreamed.
I threw a punch at the hunking mass of death spinning toward me in an overhand hook. I meant it from the bottom of my heart too, I just couldn't bring myself to play anything optimally.
A HP to Strength conversion was an incredible Skill to possess yet…
WARNING
You are being Attacked! Your HP has reached the Critical Low stage.
The shockwave from the collision shook through my body like a tuning fork, cracking the half-firm soil beneath my feet as the kinetic force expelled itself.
HP:0/100 (0) MP:0/20
Just before my vision can fade, the world freezes as my arm breaks in five different places, my fist is torn into bits, the Boarbatusk impacts the floor, bone shattered and black ichor erupts from its stupid mouth.
NOTIFICATION
You have defeated your first foe! Congratulations!
+10 Stat Points
+1 Strength
+1 Constitution
+1 Wisdom
QUEST
Survive the attack that Jaune Arc did not.
Completed
50 EXP
Title: Reckless
Title: Slugger
Title: Idiot
Skill: Unarmed Combat
WARNING
There will be very few opportunities in the future where dying will be reversible. Exercise caution where possible.
Time unstops and even as I fall to the ground in a pain beyond sensation, the field around me starts folding itself, particles erupting and separating into blackness.
A message pops up in a thick opaque red window, black text emblazoned in a font I find comforting.
ERROR
That was funny. Keep it up and I'll be nice to you~
Blood bubbles out of my mouth as I laugh, the world around me finally swallowing up my body.
Physical Therapy goes well, so I hear, my Observation Skill pays dividends with how quickly I'm able to pick up on things. The Skill went beyond its description, displaying how things were used in an unconscious kind of apparition. On top of that, eavesdropping became an excellent way to improve Observation's level.
"-be discharged so soon, Miss Arc."
I stare at the door to my sterile white hospital room, straining my ears to hear the conversation unfolding outside my room.
"-Signs of Aura? None?"
She's mentioned it to every Nurse or Doctor she's ever been able to corner. No one had mentioned anything called Aura to me, so it must've been a pretty important secret.
Conclusions I'd drawn about the world I now inhabited had earned me 3 points in Wisdom, by the time I'd established who Sapphire Arc was, I was as Wise as I was Strong. Still, a look in the mirror revealed that this skinny, gangly and lanky teen had more in common with a scarecrow than my original appearance. Well, my appearance a week before my demise.
It didn't bear thinking about.
The door flung open and I was too slow in slamming myself back into my bed and burying my head in the pillow. I lay on my back with my head to the side and eyes shut but the moment I heard the sound of boots hit the floor followed by silence, I wince in shame.
"So."
I try to stay quiet in hopes that she'll read the room but she doesn't, she never does. I hate knowing that. She's not my sister. I'm an imposter wearing her brother's skin like a suit.
"Jaune, would you stop pretending to sleep? You're getting too old for this." Sapphire Arc said, the sound of her arms folding was blatant even without my eyes being open.
My Intelligence and Wisdom Stats weren't doing much to help me here.
Status View
Jaune Arc HP: 105/105 MP: 21/21
(Reckless)
Level 2: 0/100 EXP
Strength: 10
Agility: 7
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 3
Stat Points: 13
Skills:
Observation Lvl 2 (Passive): The ability to assess and view information about living creatures or objects in your line of sight.
Unarmed Combat Lvl 1 (Passive): A heightened proficiency in hand to hand combat that grants the Player a greater ease in movement during combat.
Fortitude Lvl 1: Through force of will, you can gain temporary HP equal to your Constitution Stat multiplied by X (X being the amount of MP paid in multiples of 5.)
Strong Damn Fist: You can expend HP to add to your Strength Stat when charging a Punch.
Titles:
Reckless: Multiply damage dealt to foes by 1.3 with Skills that deal damage to yourself.
Slugger: Unarmed and Blunt Weapon attacks are more likely to deal Critical Hits while HP is below 50%
Idiot: Multiply EXP gained by 1.5. Intelligence and Wisdom Stat cannot be increased while this Title is equipped.
"Jaune."
My mind is pulled out of the Status window. My eyes open and my biological sister is standing at the foot of my bed, wearing denim jeans and a denim jacket over a white tee shirt.
"Double denim?" I asked out of desperation to try and throw her off whatever heavy subject she is about to drop on me.
"I pull it off." She retorted immediately.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You look great, sorry."
"All is forgiven, you nearly killed yourself. I feel like the defensive personality you've developed is a response to that trauma."
The woman stood in front of my bed, had her arms folded and her hazel brown eyes held a stern and unhappy glare.
'Sapphire Arc'
(Prismatic Star)
Level ?
I could see the resemblance, we both clearly have the same parents even if I haven't met them.
"Did you always talk to me in such a scathing tone?"
Sapphire stands still for a moment before falling into a storm of floor tapping with her heavy duty leather boots. Her eyes rove the floor as if something was interesting to be found there.
"The Doctors keep saying it's normal that physical trauma could affect your cognitive function." Sapphire murmured. "But this isn't like you."
"I'm sorry."
Sapphire's eyes snapped up to meet mine with an intensity I can't match, they're starting to water.
"Stop apologizing so much." She whispered, hardly audible from where I sat.
QUEST
Sapphic Icon
Get to know your oldest sister and make her life just a little less stressful!
Meet Terra Flora (0/1)
Go to Sapphire's favorite Restaurant (0/1)
Find a way to be less of a burden to Sapphire(i) (0/1)
REWARD:
Potential Unique Skills
+10,000 EXP
?
?
Y/N
Instinctively, with time frozen I tapped the little (i) symbol. Which expanded into a list of potential choices.
Reach Level 5 or
Get a Job (0/1) or
Make friends at Summer School (0/2)
The Quest wasn't exactly pulling punches when it came to its phrasing. Yet in doing so it helped me massively. First of all, Jaune must be or will be soon attending a summer school, secondly Sapphire likely had a girlfriend called Terra Flora if the Quest's title was to be read into even a little bit.
NOTIFICATION
Through paying attention to basic instructions, your Wisdom Stat has increased by +1.
Ohoho.
This game has jokes, huh.
I tapped Y on the Quest and it seemed to forcefully return my arm back to its original resting position.
"That's not what I meant." I replied without pause or hesitation from her perspective.
Sapphire started rubbing her eyes, looking at me with a frown.
"I uh, wouldn't apologize for something I don't remember doing." I said, gesturing loosely to the head hole in my hospital gown, the neckline was massive, hanging down to just below my collar bone, revealing the beginnings of the scarred tissue across the whole of my right shoulder.
"It's a good thing, I think." I continued, trying to gauge the emotional response I was getting back and failing.
"I don't remember what it was like" A half lie in that I didn't remember but I did literally go through the same attack from the same monster, a Grimm, three times until I won (If it could even be considered a win). "-And I don't remember what stupid thoughts compelled me to go off to a frontier town in the first place." I trailed off.
It bothered me that Jaune had gone past the point of obsession and left home to fight what I'd now discovered were creatures called Grimm. The fact that such a small portion of the planet Remnant was livable gave huge indication to how dangerous they were.
Had no one tried to stop him from doing something so reckless, or rather, had anyone noticed? Had he been arrogant or ignorant? It had to be one, the other or both. Were his, my, family too busy to notice? There were too many possibilities to guess.
Sapphire sniffed, bringing a hand to cover her mouth as she suppressed a hiccup.
"I'm sorry for avoiding you and not communicating with you for a week." I apologized honestly. "I think I'm just not built to deal with conflict."
"It's been a week and four days." Sapphire responded.
"Semantics."
"You don't seem like you're feeling guilty."
"I'm sorry."
"You're annoying me now."
"Sorry."
Sapphire unfolded her arms looking at me now with a flat glare. "You get discharged in three days, sooner if you feel like it. Your clothes are being kept behind the front desk. I've got work tonight so I can't really take you home on short notice."
"Is that what you came here to tell me?" I asked.
Sapphire approached the side of my bed, she reached into her pocket to hand what looked like a thin but solid, translucent plastic card. I accepted the card and upon doing so a window popped up.
NOTIFICATION
You have received Lien! This is the currency used throughout all of Remnant.
+1000L
Your current Lien amount will be displayed on the Status window.
"This should be enough to get yourself a cab home." Sapphire explained, handing me another card. "Our address is on this. Doesn't help that you need a new Scroll but as long as you keep that and get home, it won't matter what time I get back. There's a spare key under moms roses out front.
I stared at the address briefly, it meant nothing to me.
Reading wasn't difficult despite the fact that each character of the language was insanely different from the language I'd known before. The address itself looked equivalent to an IP Address however.
The characters on the card hovered up in front of my face, Sapphire didn't seem to notice at all.
INITIALIZING…
I keep my eye on the Lien card that's on the table whilst waiting for whatever it was that was loading.
"What's your job, anyway? I truly can't remember for the life of me." I asked.
Sapphire groans.
"I hope that's a temporary problem, do you know how depressing it's going to be to explain to Amethyst that you don't remember her birthday parties? Or Topaz' recitals?" Sapphire asked. All I could manage was a shrug but the tightness in my chest and the sudden dry throat made it apparent I couldn't just pretend that I didn't feel terrible about it.
"I'll try my best to catch up, even if I don't ever remember." I promised. My voice cracked while doing so, it did that a lot, another reminder that I'm in a body I'm not used to being. It was the closest thing to the truth I could muster, the truth being that I would likely never be able to remember every facet of the teen's life the way he lived them.
"Don't talk like that." Sapphire went to pat my shoulder but hesitated, patting my elbow instead, exhaling through her nose.
Sapphire pulled out her Scroll from her jacket pocket, pointing at her screen she looked at me with one last pitying kind of look.
"I've got to go. Take your time and get home safe." Sapphire waved, picking up the call from whoever it was that had called her.
I could have tried eavesdropping with Observation but at that moment the Initializing window seemed to stop loading.
Initializing…
Route Found.
A new window emerged presenting a small circle shaped map, a red line trailing across the roads leading to the destination Sapphire had written down.
QUEST
(MANDATORY)
Reach Jaune Arc's Home Address within the Time Limit!
71:59:59
REWARD:
EXP proportionally given based on remaining time.
Main Quest Continuation.
The Window flashed into existence and remained there until I consciously acknowledged it.
With a shake of my head it vanished although it felt present in the sense that I could faintly hear the countdown in the back of my mind.
NOTIFICATION
By holding a full conversation with another person, you have gained +1 Charisma!
Snorting I wave away the message, any improvement to my paltry Charisma was a boon though.
Taking a look at the map once again I could see several points of interest that had little markers on them to signify whatever they were meant to signify. Besides a books store and about six cafe's, with a book as a symbol and a teacup, what remained was kind of a mystery. What looked like a crystal shard with sand sprinkled off the top decorated the corner of a road a few streets away, a clenched fist covered a single building a short distance away and a set of sharp fanged teeth was placed in the far corner of the minimaps circumference.
"Probably not a dentist…"
Turning back to the task at hand, I had the means and the knowledge to complete the Quest I'd been assigned, which left only my concern regarding the opportunity to explore the new map I'd been presented with.
The first step was getting out of bed.
Step one completed.
The next step was…
"I've never checked out of a hospital before."
Asking someone in a uniform would probably be the right move but if I wanted to leave fast it would very doubtfully be through the proper channels.
Step two was getting my clothes.
Leaving my room, I followed the signs to leave the ward, a few glances my way seemed to indicate this was unusual behavior. The hospital gown I wore felt a little airy too but there wasn't much to be done about it without something to change into.
"Uhm."
The young woman behind the front desk to the ward stared at me behind a monitor, a Terminal.
'Eve Chartreuse'
(Temporary Employee Legendary)
Level 14
"Bathrooms are at the other end of the hall." The woman pointed down the opposite direction I'd walked to.
My immediate response had been, "I- no, I was hoping to get my clothes", but as the words fell limply from my lips, all movement halted, the atmosphere became stagnant and the smell of sterilizer in the air suddenly became impossible to exhale away.
A window with three options and a timer counting emerged.
00:59
"Thanks! I really gotta go, real bad."
"Fuck you, give me my clothes."
(Remain Silent.)
?
The options left much to be desired. A blue window appeared with a brief explanation.
Dialogue options will be presented during important interactions and these options, among other things, are determined by your CHA.
I could deliberate as long as I wished, as long as it was within the allotted 59 seconds remaining, which was nothing when presented with such awful options. Silence, in my own opinion, was worse than death, leaving me to stand there in a gown wordlessly, I'd have to break eye contact at some point too, which was going to be even worse. It felt like the kind of option that halted progress in order to ascertain more information, which I don't need or want.
Cursing at the person behind the desk wasn't warranted and absolutely would not get me what I wanted either.
Thanking her and admitting I needed to go real bad? It was the only option that didn't put this poor woman in a prolonged confrontation with me. It was also the most embarrassing choice on the list.
…
"Thanks! I really gotta go, real bad." The words spilled from my lips, involuntarily and without hesitation in their delivery. I watched in third person as any hopes of being seen as the kind of person with even a shred of dignity threw itself off the roof of a skyrise terrace.
The young woman's face grimaced in response, wordlessly awaiting my leaving. It took me a good few seconds of pause before I could muster the strength to break eye contact and walk down the reception hall, following the signs to the toilets, clenching a fist tight to focus on anything besides the queasiness in my chest that followed from the embarrassment I still felt.
Skill Unlocked!
Meditate Lvl 1
Enter into a state of dissociation that filters out unnecessary thoughts and feelings. Increases the Users MP Regeneration equal to the Users Intelligence Stat and Meditate Skill Level.
By sheer will and discomfort I unlocked the Meditate Skill. Great.
My next course of action was to find a discrete way out of the hospital without encountering any other dialogue options, which seemed easier said than done.
A single member of staff, an admin or nurse bumped into me as the Notification window appeared without pausing anything around me.
"Woah there, sorry." The man said, late thirties with a clipboard and earth-green cloth coat covering his torso.
Please no dialogue boxes. Please no dialogue boxes. Please no dialogue boxes.
"No that's my ba-" I begin to reply, taking in his features until my eyes meet with his and then flicker just a little higher, to his brown tousled hair… and floppy dog-like ears sticking out of his head.
'Mars Copperkettle'
(Hero of the People Legendary)
Level 21
"T-that was my bad, sorry sir." I finish, trying to recover as smoothly as possible.
"You're the kid with the bad shoulder, right?" The man asked, extending his free hand. Naturally I shook his hand without a thought, his grip was light but firm. "Among other things of course." He chuckled lightheartedly although the air of stern authority made me feel like I was talking to a teacher or my boss.
'Observe'
Internally activating the Skill for the second time since waking up in hospital, I was presented with a surprisingly intricate list of details regarding the man.
Human/Faunus
Age: 37
Mood: Stressed
HP: 58/58
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 37
Wisdom: 58
Charisma: 24
Affiliations: Vale Healthcare Services, White Fang.
Likes: Spicy Food, Professionalism, Citrus Fruits
Dislikes: Politics, Sweets, Racism
Biography: Mars Copperkettle has aspired to work in medicine for a large portion of his childhood, being raised by only his grandmother, Mars learned that his family's financial situation was not conducive to pursuing a career in medicine. Marrying his childhood sweetheart right out of highschool presented the opportunity for Mars to realistically pay for Medical School with the dual income of both his partner and himself. Encountering the many obstacles that navigating life in Vale being a Faunus entails Mars' worldview to appreciate the power of Professional courtesy. Despite the prejudice leveled towards Mars, he found that using his professional status as a stepping stone, he could force others that would otherwise slight him to listen to treat him with a base level of respect. (Read more…)
The word Faunus beside the word Human clarified that there was a different species and that likely explained the dog-ears? I couldn't really be certain at the moment but it wasn't exactly hard to guess. I reigned in the amount of shock on my face as quickly as possible, probably not fast enough but it didn't bear thinking about now.
I absolutely was not about to read some guy's biography though.
Affiliations were interesting, a healthcare system for the Kingdom was to be assumed, but the White Fang? I'd ask him later, maybe. Probably a club. I don't care.
"I'm sorry sir, I was looking for the bathroom." I begin.
"That way to the left, the signs point to it." Mars replied, pointing at the obvious and abundant signs hanging from the ceiling.
"I was also hoping to get discharged as well, I've never left a hospital before so I'm not sure how that's done." I explained honestly. If there was a chance I could leave normally without another incident, I'd take it.
Mars inclined his head, his dog ears flopping to the side. I realized he was examining a tag on my gown.
"I'll get that sorted for you…" He looked at me meaningfully.
"Jaune, Jaune Arc." I answered in my raspy pubescent voice.
"Come to the desk and we'll have the discharge notes ready." Mars stated, almost curtly as he continued on his way. I gave a small bow and a thank you, which even from the side I could see a smile on the edges of his face.
I entered the bathroom and immediately approached the mirror spanning across the wall where the sinks were.
I took in my own reflection, it took a while. I looked even paler than I thought, skin clinging to my face tight yet somehow doe-eyed, I was gangly like a doe too. I'd fill out eventually. It was the type of build that got you made fun of until suddenly one day you hit the threshold of 'looming presence'.
I'd never been this tall before the dying situation. It was kinda cool.
Jaune Arc
(Reckless)
Those words hovered over my head, reminding me relentlessly of my unique condition.
Calling up the status window again showed me my stats.
Status View
Jaune Arc HP: 105/105 MP: 21/21
(Reckless)
Level 2: 0/100 EXP
Strength: 10
Agility: 7
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 4
Stat Points: 13
Generally speaking, stats were more valuable in RPGs in the early stages, breaking thresholds that are much harder to achieve at later stages unless they were invested in right from the beginning.
I had no interest in learning what 'builds' I should consider working towards without knowing what in this world I would be fighting. There was no mistaking that I'd be fighting, whatever the hell it was; The design of the game I was a player in, the world having Grimm, other people having stats and titles, it all meant one thing and that was combat.
I took a deep breath and envisioned sinking the available points into my Constitution and it was even accompanied by a satisfying ding sound effect as each point raised the stat.
Status View
Jaune Arc HP: 105/105 MP: 21/21
(Reckless)
Level 2: 0/100 EXP
Strength: 10
Agility: 7
Constitution: 25
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 4
Stat Points: 0
I certainly felt heartier.
The mirror revealed to me nothing in regards to my Constitution doubling. No change in my body whatsoever and even worse, my HP hadn't gone up with what I'd assumed was my endurance stat.
Awful.
0 out of 10.
Whatever.
I left the bathroom without any further disappointment and made my way swiftly to the front desk.
Eve Chartreuse looked as frustrated as I felt when I showed up.
"You could've said you wanted to leave."
I raised my eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah?"
She slid a clipboard across the desk with a pen. I started filling out the paperwork instinctively, the language I was writing in with ease was absolutely not the one I had grown up with before being murdered. It didn't bear thinking about.
"I forgot to mention it, I needed a dump." I answered, doubling down on the lie. The wrinkle of the girl's face and her subsequent turning away to her terminal helped avoid further conversation.
A minute of half-assed box ticking and guesswork regarding personal details later, I slid the clipboard back to Eve and she placed down a labeled box with my personal belongings inside on the desk.
"Get changed in your room and you can leave." Eve said.
Out of curiosity I hit her with an Observe.
Human/Faunus
Age: 23
Mood: Repulsed
HP: 26
Strength: 7
Agility: 6
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 31
Charisma: 40
Affiliations: White Tiger Job Center, Vale Healthcare Services, From Dust Till Dawn Convenience Store, Premium Hotel(Read More)
Likes: Grape Soda, Escapist Fiction, Reading Comprehension
Dislikes: Crude Humor, Teenagers, Cats
Biography: Eve Chartreuse has lived a harder life than most girls her age, having been raised by her single mother, loans and debt were too common a concept for her. With a drive to find financial freedom from an ever growing pit of despair, Eve dropped out of Vale Technical High at the age of 16, finding the White Tiger Employment Agency (WTJC), an organization that continues to provide part-time work to little-to-no-experienced individuals. Ever since Eve has worked Part-Time in multiple jobs based on the highest available pay, giving herself a reputation as a well-versed and reliable member of staff and a mainstay at the White Tiger Job Center (WTJC).(Read More).
I absolutely was not about to read more. The Biography I'd just read was more than I was ever going to read about any stranger.
Repulsed was fair.
"Thanks." I said trying to figure out how to broach the next subject I had in mind.
"Do you know where I could go if I were looking for work?" I asked without any preamble.
Eve looked at me with her frown fixed on me.
"Look for vacancies online." Eve said curtly. I couldn't hide my eyes narrowing at her.
Gatekeeping? The Job Center was like the crux of her life story!
This was probably a Charisma thing. I just wasn't high enough in the Charisma stat, that was it. Yep. That's what it was. That'd keep me awake at night I think.
The disgust in her eyes was practically radiating.
NOTIFICATION
By picking up on social cues, you have gained +1 Charisma and +1 Wisdom!
"Thanks." I didn't wait for her to not respond, walking back to my room.
Getting changed and leaving out the front door wasn't the coolest exit I could've imagined. On the way out I wondered how hard it could've been to just leave in a hospital gown and maybe try to learn a Stealth Skill, or invest all my stat points into Agility and sprint home, maybe jump from building to building, do some crazy flips.
Stepping out into the sunlight I raised a hand to shield my eyes and give myself time for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
The front portion of the hospital had a bay for emergency vehicles to park in front and take patients in urgent need through to surgery. None currently seemed urgent, three or four weirdly shaped ambulances were parked stationary. In fact, even in the car park further ahead all of the cars were weirdly shaped. Yet another quirk I'd adjust to with time.
Taking in the sight of others there was a reasonable mix of people with dog ears I'd seen on Mars, but it wasn't just ears, there were just people walking around with bat wings, deer horns and rabbit ears. The term Faunus was becoming clearer to me, obviously meaning a person with animal features on them in some way. I wondered how subtle the features could get, or even how the mutation could've come about, if it was a genetic mutation.
Staring at a particular woman with rabbit ears as she gently but firmly guided her son into the parked car she'd opened the door to, I bumped head first into what felt like a wall.
"Excuse me" A deep voice murmured.
I immediately stepped back muttering my apologies but involuntarily I jolted when I actually saw the man I'd walked directly into.
Red sunglasses and imperious frowning eyebrows.
'Junior'
(King of Hospitality Legendary)
Level ?
The world froze again, the whistling wind and soft rhythm of feet against the pavement halted altogether.
00:29
"..."
"..."
"..."
With so much variety to choose from it was surprising it took me a second to choose my dialogue option.
"..." Without electing to, my vocal chords made a short strangled sound before I regained bodily function.
The man reached out cupping both hands on my shoulders, wiping down my arms and patting them, as if there was dust on me he was cleaning.
"All's well, I made worse mistakes at your age." The man said in his strangely smooth and gruff voice, an attempt at humor I assumed.
I chuckled weakly, for whatever reason my knees were shaking.
"I bet, ahahah." I choked.
Junior(?) gave me a thin smile and then continued walking forward. Passers by parted in his wake as he turned to enter the hospital, his massive frame hugged tightly by the black waistcoat and a red shirt.
I tried an Observe before he was out of sight.
This Character is unable to be observed any closer at the Observe Skill's current Level.
Entirely fair.
It took me less than a minute to find a taxi bay, confirming that this world of Remnant still had all the urban needs that my past life had been accustomed to.
I hopped in the back of the nearest cab, the driver peered at me as I entered, watching me through the rearview mirror.
'Gus Greenview'
(Exemplary Driver Rare)
Level 17
"Where to?" Gus asked.
"Ah." I hummed.
"One sec, I'll get the address." I answered quickly, scrambling for my pockets in my denim jeans.
Discreetly I consciously opened my minimap while opening this world's equivalent of the phone, the Scroll.
"" I said finally.
"Oh, you got the whole damn thing." Gus said in seemingly surprise.
I hid my shock at this too.
So addresses are probably given with less specific digits, maybe?
"Yeah well I haven't been in a while." I answered vaguely, best to avoid discussion on my subject matter knowledge.
"Oh sure, I get that." Gus replied gruffly, starting his engine with a surprisingly smooth hum.
"Special occasion?" Gus asked, turning off and entering the weak flow of traffic leaving the hospital.
"Oh yeah, I guess. I live there." I answered.
"Mhhhmm." Gus replied knowingly(?). I assumed he just didn't care.
"How much will this come to?" I asked.
"1120L" Gus answered.
"Ah…"
QUEST
(MANDATORY)
Reach Jaune Arc's Home Address within the Time Limit!
70:43:27
Jaune Arc HP: 105/105 MP: 21/21
(Reckless)
Level 2: 0/100 EXP
Strength: 10
Agility: 7
Constitution: 25
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 5
Stat Points: 0
Lien: 1000
Skills:
Strong Damn Fist: You can expend HP to add to your Strength Stat when charging a Punch
Observation Lvl 4 (Passive): The ability to assess and view information about living creatures or objects in your line of sight.
Unarmed Combat Lvl 1 (Passive): A heightened proficiency in hand to hand combat that grants the Player a greater ease in movement during combat.
Fortitude Lvl 1: Through force of will, you can gain temporary HP equal to your Constitution Stat multiplied by X (X being the amount of MP paid in multiples of 5.)
Meditate Lvl 1: Enter into a state of dissociation that filters out unnecessary thoughts and feelings. Increases the Users MP Regeneration equal to the Users Intelligence Stat and Meditate Skill Level.
Titles:
Reckless: Multiply damage dealt to foes by 1.3 with Skills that deal damage to yourself.
Slugger: Unarmed and Blunt Weapon attacks are more likely to deal Critical Hits while HP is below 50%
Idiot: Multiply EXP gained by 1.5. Intelligence and Wisdom Stat cannot be increased while this Title is equipped.