To hell with this whole weekend, lol. Spent hours yesterday trying to talk to our sales director and she's hysterical. And my boss is telling me I have to fix it, of course. I've no idea how this coming week is going to go, lol.

Stress ho!

Cover Art: Solace o'Autumn

Chapter 23

There was always a beach episode.

That was an old saying he remembered hearing online, but he had a feeling his beach episode wasn't what anyone had in mind. Oh, there were athletic girls and buff guys all in swimsuits, but most of them were running up and down the beach or struggling to drag heavy objects through choppy waters.

Others were howling either in pain or just an attempt to warm themselves up as they climbed out of frozen pools. Meanwhile, he and Penny sat on a picnic mat on the sand watching the soldiers suffer and Buddie taunt them by running alongside them without ever losing energy.

The military swimsuits weren't quite bikinis and shorts, either. They were tight spandex-like wetsuits covering men and women both from thigh to neck, and Winter wore the exact same as she stood on a raised wooden platform organising the suffering of everyone.

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New Quest: Proving Grounds

Prove that you have what it takes and complete each task in turn, from sprints to water exercises and ice-cold water rescue.

Success: +EXP. +Rep Atlas. +Rep Winter Schnee. +Rep Penny.

Failure: Nothing.

.

Yeah, he was all right with not doing that, thank you very much. His Semblance liked to chip in with quest ideas that were downright impossible for him, to the point where he wondered if it just didn't know what scaling was or – more worryingly – if it wasn't scaling itself to his highest stat.

Penny was busy building a sandcastle for the first time in her life and being much too serious about it. If a bully had come along and kicked it, he got the feeling she'd call for their arrest. Her eyes were focused, her breathing non-existent, and she was working on battlements of all things. The castle was looking like one from real life.

The robot had come out with a full-body swimsuit of her own that Jaune suspected was to hide seams in her body or maybe a lack of certain parts of her body. It felt rude to consider it, but he also had to assume Pietro wouldn't have bothered with building her things like nipples, a belly button, or genitalia. Like a doll, Penny would probably be perfectly smooth all over with the assumption that clothing would hide most areas.

At least she was water resistant because they'd been for a swim. The water was cold, but not ice cold. That was reserved for the frozen pools. Luckily, the sun was warm enough even this far north, creating an odd climate of warm air and sun, but frozen pools and snow in the distance where the land rolled up toward the mountains. It was odd, but Atlas had to have some warmth or there wouldn't have been people who settled here in the first place.

"That castle is coming along well."

"Yes." Penny didn't look up from it. "I am going to take a photo once it is done and show it to my father later."

"I'm sure he'll be impressed."

"Hm. I should thank you for teaching me about sandcastles. This is a fun hobby!"

He wasn't sure if most people classed building a sandcastle as a "hobby". It was just a thing you did when you were at the beach and didn't have anything else to hand other than vast tracts of sand. Then again, there was no reason it couldn't become a hobby. Maybe there were some people who took it more seriously and entered competitions. Come to think of it, couldn't that just be called art and sculpting? Maybe he should introduce her to art as a hobby she could play at in the lab.

Would that be ethical to other artists? Penny was a machine with so many advantages both of reference material, precision and she could crank out work 24-7 without rest. It almost felt like she'd steal opportunities from other people who had dedicated years of their life to master the craft.

I guess it'd be fine if it was just a hobby, and she wasn't trying to make money from it…

"Out of curiosity," he said, and waited for Penny's hum to continue. "How important is all this freezing cold, aquatic training to the military? I know Atlas is an island and all, but I somehow doubt the army does a lot of fighting in the water."

"You'd be right. Though Atlas does have a navy that defends shipping lanes from Grimm and pirates, the main focus is on defending the city and surrounding settlements. Almost all our combat takes place on land."

"Then what's the point?"

"I am told it is attitude and elitism."

"Elitism? Like arrogance?"

"No. Pride. Satisfaction. The army has many different tiers within it. The Specialists is one you will know from Winter, but there are also other branches like Sentinels, Lancers, Fast Response and more. They come with differing responsibilities but almost always higher pay and are therefore seen as elite and respected. They have very stringent requirements to get in, both in terms of military record, written exams and – most recognised – physical tests."

"They create an artificial element of elitism by putting forward physical challenges that are incredibly difficult and only accepting those few who can pass them. It is an ambition of almost every soldier to reach one of these elite units not only because of the pay, but because of the perceived glory and elite nature of their membership."

"Ahhh. And they have weird and crazy tests like this?"

"Yes. This is a Specialist test because you never know where a Specialist will be deployed. That is why Winter is in charge of it. And even if it's highly unlikely they would ever be deployed into situations like these, the Specialists need to be kept at relatively low numbers."

"Why is that? Wouldn't it be better to have more?"

"Economically, no. Also, there must be some common soldiers to take care of less dangerous responsibilities. The Specialists would not be seen as so elite if there were thousands of them as well."

"I guess that makes sense. Are you allowed to tell me how many there are, or is this a military secret?"

"The exact numbers would be a secret and I don't know them anyway." Penny didn't sound too worried as she said it. "But it's common knowledge in Atlas that there are never more than two hundred Specialists at any one time. The current serving number is probably a little below that. The other branches have more, I believe, but that is because the Specialists are the top branch to apply for."

"It sounds pretty cool when you put it like that. And if they didn't have stupidly difficult tests, there'd be thousands of people applying for them."

"Almost a hundred thousand," said Penny, shocking him. "Almost every soldier would gladly become a Specialist if they could. Glory aside, the pay is almost twice as high from what Winter tells me."

"The missions must be more dangerous, though. I guess that's another reason to make sure you only take the best of the best."

"Yes. That and equipment. Specialists get access to more equipment given the danger of their missions. Every branch of the military will have a budget drawn from taxpayer money. I don't think Atlas could afford to increase that budget ten times over to raise Specialist numbers to two thousand, let alone raise it a hundred times over to scrap the physical tests."

That was the economic angle, then. It made a lot more sense when he remembered that Atlas was a country and that the salaries for these soldiers came from the people. More Specialists sounded like a good idea until you factored in not only their wages, but all the costs involved. For every officer in Atlas' army, there must have been an accountant busy factoring in the tens of millions spent each month and trying to balance the numbers.

.

New Quest: Become a Specialist

The exclusive unit calls to you. Embrace your destiny, become a Specialist today!

Success: +EXP. +Rep Atlas. +Title: Specialist

Failure: Nothing.

.

Yeah, no. He was fine just being a travelling bard.

"My work is complete!" Penny announced. "Look, Jaune! A sandcastle!"

It was a sandcastle alright. Not a solid blob of sand with four towers like he was used to, but a sculpted recreation of an ancient castle she must have found on the internet with its own bastion wall, keep, buildings on the inside, battlements and even a drawbridge. Penny had even drawn lines to simulate each and every brick used in the construction of the walls, up to and including some damage on one of the towers where a siege weapon had hit.

"That's definitely something, Penny. You'd best take a picture before Buddie comes back and sits on it."

"Buddie is a noble soul and would never do such a thing!"

"Didn't he knock over Pietro's breakfast?"

Penny stuck her jaw out. "No. Father's breakfast sought to trip Buddie up but failed."

"Uh-huh. I'd still take that photo just in case."

Penny had obviously already done so with her own internal systems but caught his subtle hint and pulled a scroll out her bag to "pretend" to take one the old-fashioned way. He wouldn't be surprised if she had a scroll built into her so she could photograph, record, but also speak to her father on command.

But he wasn't supposed to know that, so they played their parts.

/-/

The various tests and brutal training regimes went by through the day, broken by the shortest of lunches. The soldiers were made to jog miles and then recite random trivia at the end – how many mountain caps, what was the temperature, how many times had Winter said the number six during the run.

It seemed impossible to answer the questions, and yet she told them all that such attention to detail was expected in the Specialists – that they could not afford to run without focus when the safety of Atlas rested on their shoulders. The worst part was testing them without them knowing what they were tested on, but he supposed that anyone could force themselves to focus if they knew they were being graded on it.

For a unit like theirs who wanted the best of the best, they needed people who would be capable of extreme focus without the threat of someone looking over their shoulder judging them for it. The fact that focus was demanded after a hellish morning only seemed to reinforce how demanding the unit was.

There's no way I could get into it, thought Jaune. These people have years of training before applying. What is my Semblance even thinking with these quests? Is it even thinking? Or is it just throwing out random opportunities?

He doubted Winter would even let him apply. Oh, she might let him join in here because it was harmless and he'd just give up when he was exhausted, but in the miraculous chance he passed, he wouldn't be welcomed in. He had no military training or experience, and they hardly knew him.

The random kid who played guitar and was friendly with Penny was innocent enough, but that kid suddenly passing a Specialist selection course was suspicious. Not that it mattered because he knew for a fact he wouldn't have been able to keep up with these people. He did wonder how many levels he would have won, however.

He'd been promised +Exp for tasks in the past and it usually meant a level. Presumably, it didn't mean +Level or it would have said so. But since he was a low level, he was probably in that part of an RPG where your exp requitements for the next level were so low that just about every quest was enough to give one.

It'd only make sense if becoming a Specialist came with a lot more +Exp than he'd gotten for talking down a single robber in Ansel or escaping Blake when she tried to capture him at the dog shelter. If he could complete it, he figured there'd be a lot of levels in it. Maybe more than five in one quest.

But then there might be just as many if he went out and fought a Grimm, too.

That didn't make it a good idea to try.

Eventually, Winter took pity on her people and the exercise was called to a close. Food was produced, most of it consisting of raw meats and vegetables, and barbecues were brought out, and soon a bonfire was made, and all the exhausted soldiers were allowed to have the evening off. Winter had been right when she said it'd probably mean a beach party, because the soldiers instantly turned it into that.

The Bullheads opened their cockpits to blast loud music and soldiers began to dance. Somehow, somewhere, alcohol had come into the mix. Jaune didn't understand with it being military and all, but he suspected Winter had known and allowed it, maybe even provided it, to help everyone relax after. Or to commiserate those who hadn't made it – which was about 99% of everyone who had come.

Apparently, it was hard to feel too bummed when so many people had failed. Rather than feel like they alone had lost out, they were surrounded by people in the same boat, which washed away any feelings of inadequacy.

I wonder… if I'd played Motivational Song for them, could they have passed…?

It was just an idle thought since the talk with Penny had made it clear mass passings would be a bad thing. Besides, it wasn't like he'd always be there to play for them, and they might go on a mission too dangerous for them if he helped them cheat their way through. He was just curious as to whether it would have worked and how much of a "buff" his Semblance provided.

Was it based on his Charisma?

Was it based on their metaphysical stats?

Was it a percentage of their capability or a flat bonus?

It'd be strongest if it was a flat bonus based on his Charisma, but that'd also be the most noticeable and weird. If he could buff a baby to suddenly have +20 Strength and life its mother with one hand, then that'd be a little weird. Boosting someone by a percentage of their own ability made more sense, but also meant the scaling wasn't on him at all. If that were true, then he might as well forever be a lvl 1 bard supporting a powerful huntsman.

And it was a shame he couldn't reliably test it all without anyone knowing the truth.

Should he consider telling…?

Penny and Atlas were out. They'd want to know more and would almost immediately see the tactical benefit of it. He didn't think they'd kidnap him or anything, but they would want him to stay and try to pressure him to join up, because even if he was weak, one parade march to an army before deployment might mean a victorious campaign. It'd be stupid of them not to try and keep him in Atlas.

His family would keep his secret but might also want to keep him safe. Nicholas Arc would recognise the danger and potential and might even train him, but he'd also want to keep Jaune locked away in Ansel where unscrupulous people couldn't find him. His mother would agree. Hell, he agreed with it being a good idea as well, but that didn't mean he wanted it. He could maybe get away telling Saphron and Terra, but they wouldn't be of much use. Buffing them wouldn't mean much given they weren't fighters.

Nora and Ren, maybe?

He felt he could tell them, even trust them, but they were far away in Mistral.

I guess there's no rush. I can tell them when I swing back to Mistral before Beacon, and we can do some tests. It's not like I need to know the answer right now before we go fight the BBEG. My Semblance may be based on a game, but there's no big evil or questline I'm locked on.

There was time – and he could always feel out Pyrrha when he went back to Argus before continuing on the next step of his journey to Vacuo. Pyrrha would know the importance of secrecy, and she'd also be perfect at judging her own strength. This was someone who regularly kept track of her metrics for competition purposes. She probably had a strict training regime where they could easily check and compare the differences in performance with expensive training equipment.

The more he thought about it, the more the idea grew on him. Pyrrha would be perfect for this – and he could see her long before he'd see Ren and Nora again. It was the best of both worlds.

Right. I'll tell Pyrrha the truth when I go back to Argus and then we'll test it!

With his plan made, he glanced around for Penny and noticed her being taught to dance by some soldiers. She was having fun, and Buddie was joining in, so Jaune slunk off to the outskirts where he'd noticed Winter sitting alone with some cooked meats.

"Hey," he said, pausing a small distance away. "Is it okay to talk?"

Winter turned and smiled faintly, motioning to sit by her. He'd half-expected her to be lost in thought but she seemed to be in a good mood. "You're welcome to join me," she said. "I'm only sitting out here because I'm the enemy today and don't want to ruin their fun."

"Enemy—? Oh, you mean because you failed so many people?"

"Did Penny tell you about it being a selection test?"

"I'm sorry. I dug—"

"It's no great secret. Don't worry. And I didn't fail them, they failed themselves, but it's tradition for the ranking officer in any scenario to turn a blind eye to merrymaking like this. Officially, we're supposed to crack down on it, so it's an unspoken rule that I pretend I haven't noticed, and they pretend they did it out of sight of me."

Jaune snorted. "Sounds complicated."

"There are a lot of rules in the military, most of which make a lot of sense in crisis situations. In times of peace, however, we're encouraged to loosen a few if it means keeping morale up. We can't get rid of them, though, so this is the middle-ground. It's the same as how a teacher in a school will pretend he doesn't hear his students chatting in the back."

"I get it. As long as you're not too loud or too disruptive, it's allowed."

"Yes. Though volume in this case is less of an issue compared to indecent relations. I'll step in if this starts getting a little too rough or rowdy."

"No relations in the army, then?"

"That's another official and unofficial thing. Officially, we disapprove. Unofficially, we don't care what you do off the clock and in your own time and place. As long as it doesn't interfere with your training or duties."

"Hmm. And the rules can't just be changed?"

"If a war were to break out then the rules would be needed and enforced, and it's best for them to know what will be expected of them in times of chaos than it is for us to change the entire system to accommodate peace. Prepare for war, hope for peace. That is our motto. Though sometimes it feels like Atlas' motto should be – have the biggest stick so no one will want to go to war in the first place."

Jaune laughed. "Should you be telling me that?"

"Again, it's no secret. Our military is used against the Grimm but for the most part it's a deterrence. We'd much rather have an army and not need it than not have and need. Though, and I will thank you to keep this quiet, it's frustrating to see the other kingdoms react to that by disbanding their own armies and just trusting we will keep the peace for them."

"They do that?"

"Oh yes. Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo have no standing armies. It's fortunate for them we have no interest in conquest because we could easily accomplish it. But what aggravates many of us is that maintaining an army like this isn't cheap, and the other kingdoms are basically dumping that burden on us." Winter sighed and said, "But you needn't worry about it. It's just something that annoys me."

"I can see why to be honest. You'd think armies would be perfect against the Grimm."

"Hmm. Huntsmen and huntresses obviously take priority, but our military supports them. By defending villages and towns, we free them up to do other tasks – making their lives easier. Did you know Atlesian huntsmen have the highest life expectancy of all the kingdoms?"

"I didn't."

"It's because our military supports them. If a huntress is injured, we'll dispatch a squad to recover and support them. If a village is under threat, instead of a team being forced to split in half to protect it and hunt the Grimm – placing themselves at risk – they can call on us to send squads to hold the village for them, then hunt the Grimm responsible as a full team. The best they can hope for in the other kingdoms is to call on other huntsmen to support, and there are never enough. I know the academies act as logistical hubs. Huntsmen in Vale can call on Beacon and ask for aid, and Beacon will try to contact nearby huntsmen and direct them to do so, but it's hard when there are so few huntsmen and so many Grimm. Sometimes, help simply isn't available."

"Why don't the other kingdoms adopt something similar?"

"Economics and politics. The tax burden in Vale is 35% for the average earner. Here, it is 60%."

"Holy crap."

"Yes." Winter chuckled. "Our people pay for safety and typically enjoy it, but it'd be hard to convince other people in other kingdoms to pay almost twice as much in tax for a benefit many of them don't think they need. They would see the current system as more than good enough, never really understanding how much harder it is for huntsmen on the ground."

"Or how painful it is for them to lose people."

Winter nodded. "Indeed. It's easy to only see the world around you, to never think of those who put their lives at risk to buy the peace you take for granted."

It didn't feel like Winter was trying to lecture him, and there was no call to action on his part. It was just her sharing thoughts with someone outside the chain of command, the only person here she could say these things to without it being unprofessional.

And he couldn't disagree with her. Maybe it was because he didn't pay tax or have household bills – though Terra and Saphron must have been paying tax on his videos. Either way, it was easy for someone who wasn't used to having to earn a living to criticise the people of Vale for selfishly caring only for themselves.

But the world was infested with Grimm. This was a fact. And the kingdoms not having armies to work alongside huntsmen seemed so silly.

Not that there was anything he could do about it.

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New Quest: Long Live the King

Vale's political structure prevents it from protecting its people. Lead the revolution and overthrow its corrupt council to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity. Use such power to overthrow the shackles holding Remnant back and cast the Darkness away. Usher in the Light.

Success: +EXP. +Title: King of Vale.

Failure: The continued stagnation of Vale.

.

Jaune winced.

Again? And what was with these quests? They were getting less and less logical, practically throwing him the most bizarre and pointless challenges they could. How Winter talking about her dislike of the politics of other countries could lead to this, he didn't know, but it was like his Semblance was trying to bury him in quests.

As if it were getting desperate. As if it had its own personality.

As if it wanted something of him.

Next Chapter: 19th May

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