January 23rd, 2011 Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant, 11:00 AM EST- SP:20,400
Becoming whole again after fragmenting like that was…jarring. People talk about Id and Superego all the time, but they rarely mention the Ego in the context of the three parts of the mind. It was something I'd almost forgotten, and honestly that I hadn't really been able to process when I'd JUST been Ego.
The Ego was the calm, logical part of a person influenced by the other two portions of the mind. Basically a meat computer that made rational decisions that got run through filters of Id and Superego.
Which meant when both were out I was…off. Not a sociopath, because even they felt gratification. Just a machine of flesh and bone. I was ALSO one of THREE fucking versions of me. Versions with all my powers and access to my gear. Considering how high my power ramped, being able to work in triplicate was pretty fucking impressive.
So when I stood across from Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl, ready for our fight, I was actually pretty excited. I'd been dying to test myself against someone strong now that I had both power and safety. Granted, the Aura actually limited my abilities in this case, because I couldn't just tank hits all day and let my healing and immortality no sell them. If my Aura broke I would have lost, which meant I had to fight smarter, not harder.
"I hope you're ready," said Pyrrha in a kind but confident voice. "Because here I come!"
She blurred forward, weapon coming straight at me, a picture perfect lunge that went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye.
I'd been stoking my flames since before the match started, and I knew that with my Aura up, my power would be mostly useless. Pyrrha's weapon would take a huge chunk out of my new shield, and while Aura could be used to boost physical prowess, it was mainly effective for strength, which meant it wouldn't be much use getting out of the way.
So…I dropped it. That wasn't something that happened in the manga. No one ever dropped Aura, because it protected you from harm and why would you turn OFF your passive energy shield.
Pyrrha certainly wasn't expecting it, and her horrified expression when her spear impaled me through the throat was a clear indication that she had no clue how to react to the sudden absence. Blood pumped out of the wound, but almost immediately slowed as the flesh began to knit back together even around the spear. My left hand came up, slapping it out of her trembling fingers as my right smashed into her sternum, turning my Aura back on to supercharge the punch.
The red haired spartan was thrown bodily across the room, speeding toward the wall and a probable ring out. Before she crossed the line of the platform though, she stopped in midair, hanging above the edge before dropping down into a crouch.
Pulling the spear from my throat, I flexed my mouth as I let the muscles in my neck knit together. "Ow," I said casually. I glanced down at the spear, which had held up pretty well under the heat, though it was a little pitted. "Sorry, but I didn't have a blade. Hope you don't mind if I borrow yours."
She smiled tightly. "I'm afraid I'll need it back." She yanked a hand, and I had to pull hard against the sudden jerk on the spear, but I managed to stay standing. Her brow furrowed.
I just grinned at her. "Magnetism, right?" I played it off like an observation. "When you caught yourself before that ring out your armor stopped but your body kept going for a second. How's your aura level?"
"Sixty percent," she said lightly. "I bled off some of the force by throwing myself backwards. People don't usually fly so far, not even when you hit them that hard."
"Good note," I said with a nod. "As for this thing…" I held up her spear. "Can't have you pushing it around when I'm fighting, so I think I'll leave it here." I held it up and slammed it down into the stage, sticking it deep enough that even a strong tug wouldn't pull it out. Of course, she could work it free if she had time, but I didn't plan to give it.
Pumping my Aura, I felt my body roar with power, and I threw myself forward at her like a wrecking ball.
I felt invincible, unstoppable, like I could take on anything. Pyrrha was strong, but my extra power made me even stronger. Based on what was said in the manga, Aura wasn't a passive strength buff as much as a knowledge based one. Sort of a skill for manipulating energy. But I WAS already seeing a blanket increase in my power, and that was on top of my normal enhancements.
My strength outstripped hers by a decent margin, and I knew I was going to take her apart…except I didn't.
My fist sailed through empty air, then my leg as I launched a sharp kick. My limbs flashed out in a blurring combo, fuelled by my flames and by my Aura, but no matter how fast I attacked, I couldn't land a fucking hit.
Pyrrha floated smoothly out of the way of my strikes, returning them with quick jabs. I couldn't drop my Aura because the added power was the only thing even letting me get close, and her hits were small but starting to add up. It was frustrating to be just out of reach of my target, but I just COULDN'T close the gap.
After a minute or two of this, it became very obvious what the problem was. First of all, she was using her semblance to keep up with my brute strength, pulling herself aside before my hits could land, and second, she was just BETTER.
Pyrrha wasn't just strong and impressively powerful, she was also skilled. She trained constantly, fought for a fucking living, and was a natural genius at combat on top of it. I was strong and fast and durable, but I was an amateur. I'd had a few lessons with Kim in unarmed combat and made good use of them, but it was like being a kid who took one art class and tried to compete with Picasso. I just didn't have the chops.
Frustrated, i slammed my foot down on the stage, hoping to unbalance her, but she just leapt gracefully over my head, using her magnetic powers to drag herself further up, lengthening her arc over me to avoid my attempts to grab at her.
She landed on my other side, blurring away from me when I spun to defend, and with a quick jerk of her strong arm and powers both, freed her spear from the ground. She also removed her shield from her back. She'd had both arms through the straps, wearing it like a backpack to make it easier to use the metal to maneuver herself.
"Impressive," she said confidently. "You power is staggering for someone so new. I've met battle hardened veterans with years of Aura training who can't enhance themselves so thoroughly. Sadly, brute force does not win battles."
"I bet if I throw a bullhead at you that might change your mind," I said with a grin.
She laughed. "It might," she admitted. "Sadly you don't seem to have one handy." She spun her spear between her fingers. "Disarming me like that was brilliant. I've never seen anyone willingly drop their Aura to take a spear to the throat. I was completely caught off guard. It won't happen again."
I nodded lazily. "I believe you. Unfortunately, you've made one very crucial mistake. One that I believe will bring this match to a quick and satisfying conclusion."
"Oh," she said with a raised eyebrow. "And what might that be?" She sounded excited, almost manic. I could tell she was genuinely having fun. The whole arrogant trash talking thing wasn't either, she was trying to point out genuine faults in exchange for the fun she was having. Sadly, I was a sore loser.
"Simple," I said as I held out my hand. "I said I didn't have a BLADE, not that I didn't have a weapon." An invisible Lucky dropped the plasma pistol he'd been holding out of phase right into my grip, and I jammed the trigger, firing off a blurring volley of plasma bolts at the red haired warrior.
Her eyes widened and she whirled her spear, shield coming up. She actually caught two shots, denting her bronze shield, and deflected a third with her slightly beaten up spear, but sadly, I'd fired eight times. Three of the shots missed, and two hit home, one in her knee and one in her shoulder.
She was so distracted by the hits she didn't remember to guard against me, which was why she didn't notice Vagabond behind her, grinning viciously as he stomped on the back of her buckling knee, dropping her into a kneeling position before rabbit punching her in the base of the skull. A loud buzzer went off, signalling the edge of the match.
He looked like he might've gone further, but I dismissed him, letting my Id rejoin my main body. He might've killed her if I hadn't. I made a mental note to work on trying to restrain my other selves, maybe use that mental connection to share some of my traits. Regardless, the fight was over, and no one was the wiser about my almost slip with my new semblance.
I walked over and held out a hand. "Sorry, that was a cheap shot. But the rules said weapons were allowed, including your fancy mecha-shift stuff. Seemed like my robot cat was a viable resource too."
She grinned ruefully as I helped her up. "You saw a deficiency and worked to correct it. I can hardly complain. Victory is its own evidence. It was a well fought battle. You acted strategically and with forethought, and you come out ahead. It was an excellent fight."
"That was AWESOME!" shrieked Ruby excitedly as she literally appeared next to us in a puff of petals. "You were like 'I never said I didn't have a weapon, pew pew pew'. What is that gun? Where did you get it? Can I see it? Can I use it? Can I TAKE IT APART?" Her eyes were so wide I was worried they'd fall out of her head, and I took an unsettled step back as Yang sighed and put her sister in a headlock.
The cape was up over her head, and she struggled against the blonde's grip, but couldn't escape. Yang gave me a wry smile. "Gotta keep the midget in line. When she gets too twitchy it goes bad for everyone. Weapons are kind of her thing. Cool gun though, I definitely liked the light show. Where can I get one?"
"Nowhere near here," I laughed. "It was made by a friend of mine. It's…uh, lightning dust. That's why there's electricity at the end. Don't ask me how it works, no idea."
I was pretty sure plasma was at least RELATED to electricity, though it was also its own state of matter. I was just trying to be cagey. Nora, sadly, got super excited because her power let her absorb electricity, and she kept insisting I shoot her with it, despite Ren's strenuous disapproval.
We finished the rest of the class (not much left) and then headed for the cafeteria, anxious to get some food. As we left though, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. A dark haired, amber eyed girl in a tight red dress, watching me with interest and maybe a little hunger. She had a silver haired guy and a girl with mint green locks standing next to her. Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. I'd officially gotten their attention with that little performance. Interesting. It might be time to make another purchase or two. My combat skills needed some tuning up.
January 23rd, 2011 Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant, 6:00 PM EST- SP:20,600
I needed a martial art. Not a cultivation style martial art really, though one of those would be cool to get eventually. I needed an actual fucking combat style, and something that could be learned basically instantly. I didn't have time to dick around in a training montage.
My main issue was that all the skills I could find like that were cultivation style combat techniques, which were basically just fucking spells. Spells were cool, but they didn't show me how to punch someone properly. Or how to not GET punched myself. I scoured my book collection looking for pretty much anything.
I found books covering a breathing technique for gaining power from the sun, a mana affinity skill I would definitely be getting later, a statue that could impart a mark called the "Burning Sun's Blast" that would store and expel powerful fire attacks, and about a dozen other useful but ultimately wrong items.
Finally, I found myself one that would work. Or at least, one that would HELP. Digging through an old litrpg from Aleph called The Land, I found a reference to an Unarmed Combat skill book.
I had…no fucking idea how that would manifest for me, but leveling the skill did help you obtain more information on combat, so even getting to level on should make me a better fighter, even if I had no way to progress it. I hoped that wouldn't be the case, since grinding combat like that would be a really quick and useful way for me to get stronger, given my immortality and ability to duplicate myself, but I'd have to try it and find out.
On the upside, it was the most basic bitch combat technique in the world, so it was cheap, but…that left me with a problem. Unarmed Combat was only one option. Small Blades, Staves, Axes, I could theoretically learn any kind of weapon. And there were a LOT of magic weapons I could get access to that would boost my combat effectiveness later.
In the end, I decided to go with Unarmed for now. The books were cheap as dirt, only D-class and a hundred points, and I could always get another one later if Unarmed worked out.
[Sufficient point total! D-class educational item. Unarmed combat skill book. A book containing the magically bound knowledge of unarmed combat techniques, portioned out over a measured growth system.]
The book dropped into my hands instantly, and I examined it slowly. It wasn't unusually heavy, radiating any kind of energy, or being struck by an errant beam of golden sunlight. It was just a book. Said unarmed combat on the front cover.
Shrugging, I opened it. Inside was just words. Nothing crazy, instructions on how to stand, how to punch, how to grapple. I realized before long that I was turning pages. Fast. I wasn't really reading the words anymore, they'd turned gold and begun to pour into my eyes, erasing themselves from the page as they went, and I sat and pored over the book until I finally reached the end and the whole thing disintegrated, blowing away in a shower of golden dust. There was a slight zap of electricity from nearby, and it took me a second to realize what it was. Lucky was nearby with my Silvertongue Book.
Taking it from him, I flipped it open, and rather than be greeted by my first page of story, something new was there. An almost blank page, only my name at the top, and just below it, a single line.
Unarmed Combat- Lvl 1 (0%)
That was…kind of awesome. It made sense. The Silvertongue System WAS a system, so being able to host skills from other systems was a reasonable ability, especially given what bullshit it was. Or maybe it just showed the progress of the skill that the book had magically engraved on my person.
Hopping up, I strolled out of my room, passing the book back to Lucky as he resumed his translucent form. Heading out of the dorms, I crossed the campus, ignoring most of the students. Sadly, the students didn't ignore me. Lucky alerted me to catching a tail about two minutes after I left the dorm building.
Snagging my book, I stepped behind a small outbuilding and read out my Nightfall gear…then promptly turned into a bat.
As I flew away, I was able to use my new powers of echolocation to pick up my pursuers. Namely a pair of students, one with a familiar semi bobbed haircut that I knew to be mint green (no color in echoes) and one with spiky hair that was definitely silver. Emerald and Mercury.
They weren't looking for a bat, obviously, so I flew right past them, flapping leisurely over the grounds toward the edge of campus, and from there, toward the Forever Fall forest.
Once I'd entered the tree line, I banked off towards the cliff the Beacon Students had been launched off for initiation, transforming back and catching myself on my bat cloak as I glided smoothly down towards the ground.
I honestly could have just dropped and taken the impact on the boots, but I tried to avoid overloading them. I wasn't sure my wrench could fix an object that had been entirely destroyed.
Once I got close enough to the ground I dropped, landing seamlessly in a crouch. It was dark around me, and the cloak of the bat helped me blend, so I left it on. Taking a long breath, I inhaled the sharp, clear scent of a forest at night. It was beautiful, really. No pollution, be it scent, light, or noise. Just peaceful woodland atmosphere and…wait, no, I could hear things creeping up on me.
With my ideal evening stroll cancelled, I shrugged, then decided to test the next step of my plan. I triggered my semblance, and a pair of other me's manifested. I glanced around at the other two shapes. "So, I assume you're aware of your tasks?"
Vagabond snorted. "Kill shit, get hit. You want us to beat down a bunch of Grimm with our bare hands. Shouldn't be too tough. You sure this'll work?"
"Not even remotely," I admitted without an ounce of shame. "I suppose we shall see." I turned to Nightfall. "I don't suppose you have an issue with this assignment? Given how readily he accepted it, I'd have expected you to complain."
Talking to them like this was…well, it was nothing. I felt like it should be weird, but I was ambivalent. I didn't feel particularly strongly about anything, and the longer I let that go on, the less it bothered me. It was like the lines between my three selves were growing clearer as we spoke, like it took a second to differentiate.
Back in the combat class, I'd seen through all three pairs of eyes at once, but now I only had the one visual input. I suspected I could have accessed the other two, but it didn't seem important.
Nightfall shook his head. "We're helping clear out Grimm. I have no issues with that. I DO think we maybe should have told someone where we were going. At least Blake if no one else. If something happens to put us out of commission for a while she might get worried."
"Don't be a pussy," snapped Vagabond. "You just want a bitch tier excuse to watch that fat ass wobble in the moonlight. Not that I blame you, I know how to make it wobble nice and hard, if you know what I mean." He winked behind the mask, and Nightfall rolled his eyes, ready to deny the accusation.
"Enough," I cut in. "You know the job. Get it done. We disperse. We kill Grimm. Lucky will follow us one at a time with the plasma pistol on hand. You kill a Grimm, you fire a shot in the air. This way, I can track our experience gain as we each kill. We need to find out if splitting up is as efficient as I suspect."
Vagabond snorted. "You know, you are the opposite of fun. You're less fun than he is, and that's saying something." He jerked his thumb at Nightfall. I retrieved my book from Lucky, pocketing it as my cat returned to his invisible state, preparing for the missions as I ignored their bickering.
My Superego sneered at him, the disdain obvious in his voice. "Why? Because I disapprove of fucking around behind Kim's back? She's gorgeous, brave, intelligent, and kind. We SHOULD be satisfied with her, not sticking our dick in everything that moves because she doesn't want to put out right away."
"I'd ask if you've felt Shego's cunt, but I know you have, which is why I'm fucking mystified at your pathetic bullshit." My Id was clearly getting annoyed, and I turned resolutely and started to stride away. "Wait, shit, which one of us has Lucky?" He called as I walked purposefully into the woods.
Turned out it was Nightfall. I was about five minutes away when I saw a plasma burst go up to the northeast of me. I opened the book, checking the value.
Unarmed Combat- Lvl 1 (8%)
I nodded resolutely. Excellent. The plan was going exactly as predicted. I waited for Lucky to locate Vagabond, my Id performing the same test, then firing the pistol.
Unarmed Combat- Lvl 1 (17%)
I fired the pistol once myself, the third burst the confirmation to the others that this exercise was a success. With that accomplished, I turned my attention to finding my opponent. I inhaled deeply, listening to my surroundings, trying to pinpoint any movement. Once I found some, I began to slowly inch toward it, keeping my own volume as low as possible.
With a quick push, I left the ground, landing silently and easily on a branch as I stared down at the spot where I'd heard the noise.
It took a minute of waiting, but finally, an animal emerged. Or rather, something shaped like one. A boarbatusk, hog like Grimm that were known for their charging force. Confirming it was coming toward me, I waited, then, when it was beneath me, I dropped from the tree, my boots silently arresting my fall as I pushed forward, throwing a crushing haymaker at the beast's side.
My fist crashed into the boarbatusk, which staggered sideways, surprisingly not dead. I tapped into my Aura to enhance my strength, but realize quickly it was draining faster than it had in the sparring match. All three of us were using it at once. Inconvenient.
Dropping the shield, I strode forward to meet my prey. As it rushed me, I stepped forward, allowing the horns to perforate my chest. It was the most expedient way to arrest his momentum, and once the spurs of bone were lodged in my sternum, my hands hooked behind the Grimm mask and tore the beast's face off of its amorphous black body.
Without the mask it simply dissolved, and I pulled the mask from my chest. I stared at it, interested in what it might do. I attempted to put it on, but it was the wrong shape for my face. I read it into the book, replacing the hundred points I'd spent on Unarmed Combat easily enough.
Then, I continued my hunt. My percentage had gone up to twenty six so far, and I was sure it would continue to rise. With all three of me out here hunting, we would decimate the population of Grimm in this area. An entire night of such carnage would push my Unarmed Combat to acceptable levels, and I wouldn't need to worry about my inexperience anymore.
In the morning we would rejoin and head back to Beacon, perhaps in time to attend breakfast. For now, I'd spotted an Ursa Minor not far off through the brush, and it was my mission to destroy it. I headed out to battle.
January 24th, 2011 Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant, 6:00 AM EST- SP:20,800
I was exhausted as I dragged myself back to the school. I'd run out of Grimm to kill. I'd been under the impression strong souls lured them in, but apparently there was a range limit. I'd killed a LOT of the bastards. Dozens. Hundreds maybe. It was hard to keep track of what all three of me remembered once I reconstituted.
Once again I shuddered at the feeling of being JUST an Ego. It reminded me of a quote from a show I used to watch. 'A true ruler is as moral as a hurricane, empty but for the force of his gale'. I felt like that. Empty.
Not at the time. Nothing made me feel uncomfortable when I was my Ego, but looking back on it made me shudder.
Three times the exhaustion meant even my indomitable immortal body couldn't overcome the mental tiredness plaguing my mind as I dragged myself up the cliff and back down the path to Beacon, ready to pass out in my bed without even taking off my clothes.
"I found him!" shouted a frantic voice. There was a burst of petals and Ruby appeared, looking somehow both relieved and terrified. "Simon!" she wailed, throwing her arms around me. "What happened to you? Did you get kidnapped? Your clothes are torn to shreds and you're covered in blood and burns!"
I wasn't, actually. My clothes WERE though. The flame based healing abilities that kept me alive singed the shit out of my gear, and I bled copiously. Ego Simon was indifferent to self harm, and he saw no issue taking hits to give them. I could be reckless in my normal state, but that guy made me look healthy and well adjusted.
Of course, it had been worth it. The whopping level fourteen in unarmed combat after just one night attested to that.
Still, it felt weird for her to be so worried. I barely knew Ruby, and while I liked her well enough, the edge of panic and concern in her voice felt…confusing. I wasn't a monster, I got being worried about friends, but to get so attached so quickly. I guess that was just Ruby though, socially awkward cinnamon roll extraordinaire.
"Um…no," I said lamely, grinning sheepishly. "I went out to train and lost track of time. I ran into a few Grimm.
Well, they'd run into me. And over me. And in a few notable cases THROUGH me, some of those Grimm were fucking BIG, and fighting them barehanded wasn't always a smart move. Ego Me didn't seem to mind though, he just kept pushing, grinding away until they died. Since I was literally unkillable, he had the leeway for that kind of determination.
I was actually really relieved I'd unlocked my Semblance after becoming immortal, because I was pretty sure the neutral version of me would have killed me out of sheer apathy at least twenty times last night.
All the fighting had been educational as hell though. From the Skill, for sure, but also just testing my limits. I knew what kind of Grimm I could easily beat head on (anything smaller than a Death Stalker) and what kind of Grimm to avoid fighting directly (Nevermores, because not being able to fly when fighting a bird is a HUGE problem, even if you can glide).
My processing was cut off by a distressed sound, and I looked down to see Ruby staring up at me worriedly. "Simon, did you go out into FOREVER FALL at NIGHT? That's crazy. Grimm are ten times more active at night. You're lucky you weren't killed!"
"I was careful," I lied blatantly. "This looks worse than it is. Most of the blood isn't mine. It was from the Grimm."
She gave me a flat look. "Grimm don't bleed." Then she paused. "At least…I don't think they bleed? They kind of leak sometimes. But I don't think it's blood. And it's definitely not red. That's mostly red. Except the burns."
"Ok, fine," I admitted sulkily. "I got a little banged up. I'm fine now, it's no big deal."
"No big deal, huh?" came an icy purr from behind me. I grimaced, then turned to see Blake glaring at me. "You look like you went through a woodchipper," she said archly. "You do get that we like you and seeing you beaten, burned, and bloody is distressing for us, right?" There was a snort from behind her, and she whirled on a snickering Yang. "How are you laughing at this?" she demanded. "He looks like a murder victim!"
Yang just grinned. "It's just a little funny coming from you kitty cat. Running around at all hours of the night running yourself ragged chasing down the White Fang. Before Simon showed up I was worried we'd find you dead in a ditch somewhere."
"That's…" Blake started angrily, then trailed off. "That's fair," she admitted quietly. "Maybe. A little." Her eyes flashed as she whirled on me again. "But I have good reasons for hating the White Fang! Why did you go out there and risk your life? Because you almost lost to Pyrrha? Is your ego that fragile?"
I snorted at that, but she didn't see the humor and stepped forward like she was going to slug me. I put my hands up peacefully. "I wasn't laughing at you. Sorry. What you said, about my ego. That was kind of the problem. I was experimenting with my Semblance and it sort of…got away from me. My Ego, that's the part of me left over when I split my clones, it doesn't really…feel things. Like self preservation. Or worry."
My Semblance wasn't a secret, really. It would be obvious later on when they MET my clones, and anyway I'd be leaving Remnant soonish. No need to worry about what a bunch of people in another universe knew.
She softened a bit. "I…I didn't know that," she said a bit apologetically. "Yang has some problems with her disposition when she uses hers too. It's never been a problem for me, but I guess I forgot you just awakened yours yesterday. Just…maybe bring someone with you next time? To watch out for you when you can't?"
I held up three fingers. "Scout's honor. Sorry. I guess I didn't expect you guys to notice."
She blushed a bit. "I wasn't looking for you or anything," she said in an embarrassed tone. "But you weren't around for breakfast so Ruby got worried."
Yang snickered. "Don't let her fool you," she stage whispered. "She was frantic. She said you seemed weird after the match and just ran off. I thought that was dumb because you won, but I admit, guys CAN be dumb about fighting."
"Sorry," I chuckled. "I just realized exactly how much I had to learn. I ran off to get started. I should have mentioned something to someone."
Weirdly, I could almost hear Nightfall in my brain, telling me I needed to be more considerate, before Vagabond told him to shut up and said I should convince Yang to suck my dick because her lips looked like shiny pink pillows. That was concerning.
Yang, oblivious to my vivid daydreams of her fellating me, smirked at me in a way that made them much worse. "If you were REALLY sorry, there IS a way you could make it up to her."
Blake's eyes narrowed. "Yang, no!"
"Yang YES!" crowed the blonde. "Tall dark and smouldery is going to take you to the dance! It's perfect because you'll actually GO! Or are you going to say no to the handsome book nerd you go out for romantic moonlit jaunts with?"
Blake threw up her hands. "We did CRIME!" she said despairingly.
"Crime is very romantic," Yang said smugly. "Just the two of you, alone against the world. How scandalous."
"It wasn't like that!" Blake said hotly. "We're just friends. I mean, not that I wouldn't be interested-but we didn't do anything like that! I don't have time for a dance! I need to stop the White Fang!"
I remembered this. If I didn't push it, she'd end up there by default with fucking SUN. I shrugged pseudo-nonchalantly. "I mean, a dance sounds like fun. You guys did invite me to see Beacon. This is a Beacon dance, right?"
Vagabond crowed his triumph at the idea of seeing Blake pack that fat shelf of wobbling wagon into a tight dress, and I didn't object. Notably neither did Nightfall, though I couldn't tell if that was because even he was looking forward to it or if it was because I was literally imagining the whole thing and no one was talking in my head at all. Very concerning. Not to self, maybe don't leave my clones out QUITE so long next time. Or work up to it at least.
Blake stared at me, seemingly torn. "I…I guess we did want to show you the school," she hedged, her cheeks red. "And we did strike quite a blow against the Fang the other day. Can you even get a suit in time?"
"Trust me," I said with a chuckle. "Getting myself an outfit is nothing I'll struggle with. Only if you want to go though. If it sounds like a bad time I can just go solo, I get we've been spending a lot of time together."
Look, I was playing dirty. Guilt trip sandwich with a heaping helping of self deprecating sheepishness. Blake was still reeling from Adam, who had been all about the steely resolve. Uncertainty was a change of pace for her, giving her the chance to chase a bit, though not enough that she doubted my interest. It was why she took so long to say yes to Sun. He was shooting himself in the foot by being so cocky.
She bit her lip, which was gorgeous. "I guess I could spare a night," she said shyly. "I mean, I would need a dress…" Weiss almost fucking materialized next to her, and Blake winced. "Damn, I forgot saying that summons you."
"Snarky cool girl glibness later," said the white haired heiress. "Dress now. Yang! We've got work to do." Blake shot me a panicked look as the ice queen dragged her away Yang cackling as she followed. The last thing I heard was Weiss telling her. "We'll need to get something tailored, of course, they don't make off the rack dresses for rears like yours."
Ruby giggled at the cry of despair that issued from the cat girl. Smiling at me, she shook her head. "Thanks," she said warmly. Then her face got pouty. "I'm still made at you, but I've been really worried about her."
"She seems like the type to take the world on her shoulders," I said wryly. "I'm familiar."
She looked confused. "Is that what you're like?"
"Gods no," I snorted. "My mom is a doctor. Now, I'll eat breakfast with you if you have time, to make up for worrying you. But I need to stop and shower. Blake wasn't wrong, I DO look like a murder victim."
She patted me on the shoulder consolingly. "If it helps, you look like a very healthy murder victim. The healthiest murder victim ever."
"Thanks," I said dryly. "I feel so much better now."
I followed her back to the dorms, listening to her chatter on about a dozen random things, and honestly it was kind of soothing. It gave me time to disengage my brain, sorting through all the inputs from last night.
By the time I got back to my room, showered, and joined Ruby for breakfast, the voices in my head had calmed. In retrospect, they may have just been leftover remnants of scrambled thoughts from my night as three people. I made a note to include some meditation in my training regimen, and to get back earlier next time. After all, I had a pretty kitty who might worry about me. As I wolfed down some waffles though, I heard a small, whispering voice that sounded an awful lot like Vagabond wonder if Blake would be wearing panties under her dress. I had to admit. It was a good question.
January 24th, 2011 Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant, 7:00 PM EST- SP:20,990
"Damn, I look good." I said to myself as I looked in the mirror. Normally, this would have been a euphemism or an idiom, but there actually WAS another version of me in the room, lounging on my bed looking bored.
Vagabond yawned behind his hockey mask. "Isn't vanity supposed to be an Id thing? With only the wet blanket rattling around up there I'm surprised you can even admit that."
"A healthy self image is perfectly socially acceptable," I corrected him. "Plus my Ego tempers him at least a bit. I'm NOT Nightfall, I'm just a nicer version of me. Speaking of versions of me, you know your role tonight?"
He snorted. "I'm you. Just because I'm hornier and a bit more violent doesn't make me stupid. I know the drill. Normal black clothes, no identifiers, and no heating things up. I'll use Aura."
"In my defense, Cinder is objectively very attractive," I pointed out. "It would be classic you to do some dumb shit to try and get in her pants."
Snorting again, he just shook his head. "This is why you need me. The wet blanket doesn't know shit about girls. Bitches like that are all about the power. Smack her around in battle and step on her throat and she'll be face down and ass up for me the second she sees me again."
"NEXT TIME being the operative words," I stressed. "Her plan is progressing smoothly, which means she might launch that stupid train if she hears about us robbing Roman. Once was a fluke, but if we want to hit the rest of his deposits, we need to slow her down. I don't care if she strips naked and begs you to mount her right there, get your JOB done."
He just sighed. "And meanwhile you'll be failing to seal the deal with meow mix-a-lot in a party dress."
"I like Blake," I said with an eye roll. "Like, actually like her. For reasons besides how easily she can make her ass clap and throw it in a circle. Honestly, NOT having you around for this might be more conducive to us eventually having sex with her. Even as an objective observer I can admit her butt is alluring, and having to deal with seeing it packed into a tight dress with you riding shotgun might blow the whole thing."
It was weird. I was currently just two thirds of a whole, but I was still ME. I still felt emotions like anger and lust, just…muted. Not all passionate feelings were societally rejected. I had a healthy appreciation for the female form, I just didn't drool over it like Vagabond did.
My Ego seemed to temper Nightfall's absurd goody goody nature too, keeping my Superego's objections to things like robbing a warehouse to a minimum.
"At least convince her to blow you," he said in exasperation. "It's a school dance. They were invented to give teenage guys a chance to get sucked off. You're both consenting adults. What's a little facefucking between friends? Besides, you know you kind of want to tug on those cat ears while she's going down on you."
Even without a particularly strong sex drive, that did sound kind of neat. But not enough to dissuade me from sending him, which was his whole point. "We're not switching. I'm not going to the dance without either of you because Ego me is a fucking douchebag, and I'm not going with just you because I'll probably try to start an orgy on the dance floor. Deal with your role."
Standing, he stretched languidly. "Fine. But I'm going to sell some of that dust in the pawn shop. I'm pretty sure there are hookers in Vale with Aura unlocked. At least one of us is getting laid tonight."
I just waved him off, ignoring him as he vanished into the night through the window. Lucky phased out of thin air, meowing in annoyance. "I'm sure he won't take THAT much," I told him consolingly. "We stole a lot of dust. More than you'd ever need really. Honestly I kind of want to find a way to condense it into higher grades. Wish I could merge things together with magic or something. That would be way more convenient than just pulling shit out books."
He meowed again, then vanished, and I chuckled. My feline friend was awfully possessive of his food supply, but I think he was also worried about what Vagabond might do. Truth be told, I was somewhat concerned myself. My worse half could be quite violent when he was motivated. The near miss with Pyrrha proved that.
Still, I suspected it would be fine. I hadn't argued with his prostitute idea specifically because it would give him an outlet. As long as he saw something to gain he'd behave, especially since I wouldn't let him out again if he fucked this up.
I smoothed down the lapels of my tuxedo. I'd snagged it from a copy of a Bond novel I'd had lying around. It wasn't magical or enhanced, and had only cost me ten points, but it was very well made and fit me wonderfully. Looking my best for my date was the least I could do, given how excited I knew she was for this.
Lucky had checked in on Blake, and reported back that she was quite nervous, but very pleased about our evening together. She really was a lovely girl, and I planned to make sure she had the best night possible.
Nightfall was a bit uncertain about the ethics of this whole thing given our relationship with Kim, but since we'd already made a commitment my better angel had given his full support to me making sure Blake enjoyed herself. To that end, I decided to bring her flowers, and reached for a copy of the Inheritance Cycle.
[Sufficient point total! D class metallic flora. Living metal flowers- a beautiful flower with white gold petals and a golden stem. Ruby pistils adorn the bud, but despite its metallic nature, this flower still lives. It can be planted and continue to grow, as well as produce more flora of the same type if given proper conditions to reproduce.]
I pulled free the flower with a warm smile. It was gorgeous, I was sure Blake would love it. I needed to start making inroads with her if I wanted her to come back with me when I returned home.
Blake had a life here, friends and family, but she also had dreams. Not just the dreams of a vigilante or a huntress, but the dreams of anyone who loves to read. To see other worlds, to explore things she'd never find anywhere else. I knew from a bit of spoiler commentary on the forums Blake ran away from Beacon after the first season, back home to her mother and father.
Had Vagabond been with me, I'd have no doubt been daydreaming about Kali Belladonna, but for the moment I just considered the impact she'd had on her daughter. She and Ghira had made Blake a dreamer, and that was something I could use.
I wouldn't manipulate her into leaving, as much as my worse half might wish me to. It had to be her choice. But I really did think this was the best thing for her. We could always come back to visit. Not to mention if my plans went well, chances were good Beacon would be in a much better position before I left, so she wouldn't have to feel bad about a vacation.
Before I could delve any deeper into the next steps of my plan, however, there was a knock on the door. Adjusting my bow tie, I headed for the exit to my room, pulling it open to reveal…art.
Even without Vagabond, I was dumbstruck by how lovely Blake was. Her purple silk dress flattered her fit figure, setting off the amber in her eyes, and her lipstick drew attention to her generous mouth. Her eyes were ringed in kohl, or whatever women used to ring eyes in Remnant, and it gave her an exotic, mesmerizing quality that really drove home that she was essentially royalty.
I found myself too tongue tied to speak, and so I proffered my metallic flora, hoping to buy my brain a few seconds to recover from exposure to such beauty.
Her eyes widened, lips parting in surprise. It gave me enough processing time to reboot my mouth. "You look exquisite," I said warmly. Judging it wouldn't be too forward, I took her hand, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of her knuckles and enjoying the pink of her cheeks as she blushed.
"Thanks," she said shyly. "You look nice too. Sorry about showing up like this, I know that it probably throws off your plans."
I smiled reassuringly. "Your presence couldn't possibly make my evening anything but better. I got this for you, by the way." I gestured to the flower, which was still in its pot. "It's still living, and will continue to grow. I wasn't sure if you were allergic to any biological variants, so this seemed the safest option."
Her lips quirked wryly. "Sure, because the fact that it's somehow made of solid gold and has gemstones GROWING from it didn't come into play at all. We can drop it off in my dorm on the way. Thank you, Simon. It's beautiful."
"It is the second most breathtaking thing I've seen tonight," I told her with a grin. "And I'd call it a distant second."
Contrary to Vagabond's opinion, not ALL aspects of romance were byproducts of crudeness and sexual appetites. In this particular state, I was actually excellent at flirting, especially as I was unburdened by sexual impulses pushing me to influence me to put my foot in my mouth.
Or at least, I thought I was. As Blake turned away, I caught sight of the way her backside was lifted and presented by her dress and heels, and I was surprised to feel a flash of possessive lust push through my otherwise clearheaded state. I ignored it, and it passed, but it was certainly interesting. Apparently, some things were alluding enough to drag the odd base urge through my connection to Vagabond. How fascinating.
She caught me looking, glancing over her shoulder. I looked away, clearing my throat. Her smile was a little naughty as she fluttered her eyes at me. "You're being quite the gentleman so far, but I already said I don't mind you looking. Keep acting like you have been and the occasional lingering glance won't bother me at all." She bit her lip coyly. "It's nice to know how much you appreciate this dress."
Turning away, she unlocked the door to her team's room, setting the pot with the golden flower next to her bed, and making sure to bend over at the waist as she adjusted its position for far longer than should have been necessary.
Flipping her hair as she stood up, she sashayed past me like a panther on the prowl, hips swaying, and I adjusted my tie again, sweat beading my forehead. My reaction to that hadn't been as extreme as she'd probably expected, but it hadn't been nothing either.
Mentally, I hoped that Vagabond finished his task and came straight back. I had a feeling if the night went as I intended, he might have a bigger role to play than expected. Hopefully that comment about prostitutes was just a joke.
My logical brain and my better angels quickly quashed the flash of lust, allowing me to focus on catching up to Blake and putting an arm around her thin waist. Whatever happened later, it didn't matter at the moment. I had a lovely lady to entertain. As I started chatting with her about her current favorite book series, I let myself relax. I deserved a night of fun.
January 24th, 2011 Beacon Academy, Vale, Remnant, 7:00 PM EST- SP:21,090
I was a bit surprised at how elegant the decor was when we entered the ballroom. My first move was to immediately scan the room looking for Cinder. Vagabond was supposed to be stopping her from infiltrating the CCT, but if she'd decided to miss the opportunity to upload her virus, I might need to replan things.
Luckily, I didn't see her. I did see Emerald and Mercury, skulking around like antisocial weirdos. Admittedly, Emerald made it look much better, though I mostly had eyes for my own date. At least…until I noticed someone ELSE.
The silver haired man with the round lensed sunglasses and green scarf was hard to miss, especially given he was staring right at me.
"Oh, BLAKE! You came! You look so pretty! And wow, Simon, I really like your suit!" Appearing before us in a burst of rose petals, Ruby grabbed our arms. "I don't think you met the Headmaster, Simon. Come on, I'll introduce you!"
I approached the old wizard casually, trying not to look as tense as I felt. Ozpin was scary. I legitimately had no idea how Cinder had beaten him. During the explanation for mastery of Aura, they'd used his silhouette as an example, and from the brief portion of their fight I'd seen, there was no realistic way for her to have pulled it off.
Manifesting small aura shields to intercept projectiles without fully exerting himself, creating an aura shield around himself in a dome that extended out about ten feet in every direction. Ozpin was a fucking MONSTER. And that was JUST Aura. The guy was a fucking immortal wizard.
He smiled at me as I approached. "Ah, young Mr. Collins. I've heard of you from several of my staff. I admit, I've been hoping to meet you myself. It's a rare warrior who can best Miss Nikos."
I shrugged modestly. "Best is probably a bit of an overstatement. I was a little sneakier, and pulled off a win. I still have a lot to learn about combat before I can claim to be at Pyrrha's level." I offered my hand. "It's nice to meet you though."
He took my hand, squeezing a bit, and I felt…something, run through me. I half expected my snowdrop to protect me, but it seemed his magic wasn't considered dark. Still, this was probably better. I didn't want a piece of that scary bastard. If he needed to magic scan me to prove I was on the up and up, I was fine with that.
Along with Cinder's plan, this had been the OTHER reason I'd let Vagabond go it alone to the CCT. I couldn't account for Ozpin's abilities. I didn't know what he was capable of with his magic at all. But if he had a way to scan me for my intentions, I was currently pure as the driven snow. With all my negative emotions traipsing around looking for a certain hothead to take down, and sort of divination or intent scan should show me as firmly on the side of the angels.
Behind his round shades, I felt his eyes studying me, but before he could respond to my greeting, Blake cleared her throat. "Excuse me, headmaster. I was hoping for a dance with my companion."
Blinking away his cautious curiosity, he shot her a doting smile. "Of course, Miss Belladonna. This evening is all for you students to enjoy yourselves. Please, don't let me keep you. Perhaps Mr. Collins and I might speak another time. Would you be free for a cup of coffee tomorrow?"
"Sure," I said cheerfully. "That sounds like fun. I hear it's really good here."
We passed him, and Blake dragged me out onto the dance floor, molding her body to mine. "So," she said teasingly. "Mind telling me why you tensed up so much when you saw the Headmaster? I know what a mouse looks like when it's being stared at by a cat, and you were definitely giving me vibes."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're annoyingly perceptive?" I asked her lightly. "You're already beautiful, intelligent, and kind. You should leave some virtues for the other girls. It's unfair to hog so many of them."
She gave a deep, sultry chuckle. "You're excellent at flattery, Simon, but not quite as good at deflection. What's up?"
"It's nothing," I said dismissively. At her arched brow I rolled my eyes. "It IS," I insisted. "I've heard of Ozpin. He's a scary guy, that's all. You don't get to be the Headmaster of a Hunter Academy by collecting bottlecaps. I didn't love how interested he seemed in me, either. People that strong taking an interest rarely goes well for the weaker party."
She grinned at me. "Nice to see there are times when you're appropriately concerned for your wellbeing. I was beginning to worry that you were just completely oblivious to you own mortality."
"Oh, I AM oblivious to my own mortality," I said with a chuckle. "But that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I'm not invincible. Just VERY hard to kill." Impossible, really, but there were worse things than death, and Ozpin was one of two people I knew of strong enough to overpower me to the degree needed to inflict them on me.
"Well, don't worry," she said with a laugh. "I'll protect you from the big bad schoolteacher. I have to say, I kind of like this side of you. It's cute. Your unerring confidence gets a little obnoxious after a while."
Leaning in close, I stared right into her amber eyes. "You think so? I thought you liked that about me."
She bit her lip, breathing speeding up a bit. "I don't hate it all the time," she said huskily. "Sometimes it can be…intriguing." We stayed like that for a minute, eyes locked, and I was about to lean in to try for a kiss when something shook the ground. We were sent stumbling, though I caught her easily enough with my superior balance.
"What the hell?" I asked in confusion. There wasn't supposed to be an attack on the dance. Cinder was planning to use it as a dist- I froze, then bolted to the balcony, Blake hot on my heels.
Sure enough, when I reached the outside and peered out into the campus at large, a particularly noticeable tower in the middle of the school was pouring smoke. If I'd had any of my Id in me I'd probably have been cursing and howling in frustration. As it was, I was just exasperated as I stared up at the CCT tower.
With a flex of my will, I dismissed Vagabond, feeling him rejoin my consciousness instantly. I closed my eyes, only having about a half hour to process, and managing to sift through the memories pretty quickly.
Vagabond had fought Cinder, who, while not Ozpin level, WAS half maiden. He'd been losing, his combat skills not enough to bridge the gap. So he'd…blown himself up. Given our immortality, he'd decided to use his best asset against her and pulled out a fucking grade 3 fire dust crystal, tricking her into detonating the damned thing.
She hadn't managed to plant her virus…because the fucking CCT was a bombed out husk now. It would probably take fucking weeks to fix.
Granted, it DID stop her from hijacking the Atlas fleet, but it also made her aware there was an active force working against her. If we were lucky she'd blame Ozpin and get VERY careful for a while, but it was hard to count on that.
Blake looked tense, amber eyes locked on the distant tower, ears pinned down and teeth bared. "The White Fang," she hissed. "This has to be them. I knew I shouldn't have-" I reached down and covered her mouth. She stopped, but glared at me for a second, until finally slumping, going silent so I could remove my hand.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I said bluntly. "We just need to step up our dust reclamation operation. TOMORROW. They're unlikely to do anything particularly brazen tonight after a statement like this."
Part of me (the Nightfall part mostly) felt guilty for using my own attack to stoke her fury toward the fang. But in the end this was for the best. It was the same thing anyone would assume, that the party stealing all the dust was using it for a terrorist attack. It would keep Ironwood and his asshole patrol off our trail going forward too.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cinder slip inside. She looked mostly fine, but I caught a slight limp and couldn't help but smile. I needed a better offensive weapon. The Burning Sun Blast should work. I'd been considering that one up to this point anyway. It should only be C-class.
Blake, seemingly taking my smile as reassurance, leaned into me, letting me put my arms around her. My hand ran up her back sliding through her hair to stroke her ear, and she purred lightly, nuzzling into me. My other hand, driven by now returned with a vengeance lust, slid further down my fingers spreading and digging into thick, pillowy flesh.
Swallowing hard, Blake stared up at me. Pupils wide with lust as we met each other's eyes. "Sorry, not the time for this?" I asked softly, but I didn't remove my hand.
Her eyes locked on my lips as I spoke, leaning in to press her own against them. I tasted blueberries on her lip gloss, yanking her hips against me tightly as my first hand dropped to join the other on the opposite ass cheek, grinding myself into her.
Her hands ran up my chest, fisting in my hair and pulling herself against me, her legs wrapping around my waist as she hopped up, letting me push her back and perch the ass I'd been dreaming about and the hands I was groping it with on the bannister of the balcony. I pulled back, grinning at her wolfishly. "I take that to mean you don't mind my timing."
Heels digging into my back, she yanked me against her. "I'm just…sick of being so fucking burdened," she panted. "I can't do anything without thinking about my past, thinking about the Fang. I've been eating badly. Sleeping badly. And the only thing that makes me forget about them for a bit is spending time with you."
"Now THIS happens, when I'm taking a night off," she jerked her head up toward the burning tower, a small crowd forming around us, staring up at the CCT in shock. No one was paying attention to us really. "I just don't want to think about it. I don't want to think at all. Can you make me stop thinking, Simon? Can you turn off my brain?"
Pulling her off the bannister, I grabbed her hand, dragging her off the balcony and through the ballroom, ignoring the people crowding in the direction we'd just left. "Trust me, kitten," I growled as I dragged her with me. "When I'm done with you, you won't remember your own name. Assuming you're ready for that. Just to be absolutely clear, I'm going to fuck you unconscious tonight if you let me."
Her breath hitched, and when I looked back I saw her face turn red. "I know," she muttered. "I trust you."
She probably shouldn't to be honest, but I knew what she meant. Blake spent most of her time reading porn. She wanted a guy who would treat her well most of the time and tie her up and beat that big jiggly ass in the bedroom. I was fantasizing about alternate uses for that silk ribbon attached to her gun when we reached my dorm room.
Pushing the door open, I shoved her inside, closing the door behind us. I wanted to toss her on the bed and get to work, but I forced myself to stop. I raked my eyes over her body and gave her a slow smile. "Strip for me, kitten." I was going to take my time.
As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent hope everyone enjoys.