Discimer: I just watched the first season of RWBY. It was intriguing, but so damn bare-bones!! At least this gave me some ideas on how to write certain characters. But by God does Ruby’s VA sounds so nasally and annoying. Please, someone tell me that she gets better?! I like Ruby’s premise as a character, but that voice? Just…no. On the other hand, Weiss is just “Chef’s Kiss”
On the bright side, excellent fight scenes and choreography. Makes my attempt at writing fight scenes seem dull and amateurish in comparison.
Warning: This chapter is full of exposition and an info dump. It’s the system tutorial.
Edited by: Gdiusx. Check out his awesome works on Harry Potter and ASOIAF.
Pain… pain, pain and more pain. That was all of Jaune Arc’s reality as he slowly and sluggishly regained consciousness. Every nerve in his body was tingling. Every muscle felt like it was stretched to its absolute limit and tore through those limits before getting shredded to bits. Even his bones felt frail and rattled.
But none of those were new to him. The worst was his throat. He tried to moan a curse out but only felt burning pain. His throat felt like it was ground to mush before it was drenched in acid. Even breathing was painful, the simple movement of his throat muscles as air flowed in and out was torture for the aspiring Huntsman.
He opened his eyes to see what he now recognized as Moon Rock. He didn’t notice earlier when he found the pedestal and Crystal, but there was a hole in the ceiling that allowed pure white light into the chamber. Moonlight perhaps? He tried to stand, but every fiber of his being screamed in protest.
Jaune had never in his life felt so much pain all at once. Pain, in general, was a foreign feeling for him. For the first sixteen years of his life, he had enjoyed a comfortable and easy lifestyle. Despite his arguments with his mother about the ck of training, he was not foolish not to enjoy the high quality of living that his family provided. It was only after he started training with his grandfather that he truly learned the meaning of pain and suffering.
Thinking of his grandpa had Jaune remember his lessons. Aura had a passive healing factor, if left alone, it would eventually heal even broken bones and torn muscles. Maximilian, after discovering how high Jaune’s reserves were, had abused that fact by literally breaking down Jaune’s body to pieces before forcing him to use his Aura consciously to heal himself. The action of tearing his muscles and breaking his bones before healing them again and again for weeks on end had turned his body into a killing machine. It also had the side effect of him discovering a way to shorten his need to sleep through Aura, thinking he would be able to make more leisure time for himself. At least until his grandpa discovered him and added more time to his training.
Sometimes, he hated his grandfather. Other times, like now, he couldn’t help but want to kiss the old fart. All that tortu-, no, training in a controlled environment had not gone to waste after all.
It was through his brutal training and this application of Aura that Jaune started fixing his body. He slowly cycled his Aura throughout his body, feeling out the pces that were most injured. The idea of dumping all of his Aura into his body all at once was tempting, but doing so would risk complications if he suddenly ran out of Aura mid-healing. Jaune had to heal the most injured parts of his body first before he gradually moved to the less dangerous wounds.
Then again, his throat and vocal cords were certainly important enough to warrant priority, so… yeah.
It had taken longer than he thought it would, but Jaune was finally capable of moving. He felt his Aura had plummeted again after he finished treating himself. It took a few minutes, but Jaune managed to stand up and lean on the empty pedestal. He then took stock of his situation.
He was nearly naked. His clothes were shredded, and pieces of his armor were strewn around the chamber, their leather straps completely eroded. Even his boots didn’t survive as they had holes from where he guessed lightning from the Dust had discharged. Looking down at his body, Jaune felt his breath hitch in his throat.
Scars. Angry red scars greeted him. It reminded him of pictures he saw of lightning strike survivors. The entire right side of his body, from halfway to his thigh all the way up to his liver, was covered in crimson, interconnected scars reminiscent of tree branches. Jaune was at least gd his family jewels were intact. There were lighter scars that stretched across his chest to his arms, all the way to his palms. The further they went from ground zero, his right pants pocket, the lighter they appeared until they were barely visible. He hoped that some of those scars would fade with time, but that brand right where the Dust crystal was, would most likely be permanent. The same Dust Crystal that was lying innocently on the ground, completely devoid of power.
He also appeared to have lost some weight, not that he had any kind of fat on his body anymore. Though, the past few weeks of travel had not allowed him to diligently follow his training regimen, so it would be understandable that he had put on a few pounds. Yet, it seemed that he had lost those along with some of his muscle mass.
‘Must be Crystal’s doing from when it was draining me.’
Jaune grabbed his throat in discomfort as he tried to speak out loud. He might have already administered first aid with his Aura, but even Aura had its limits. Only time and actual medical attention would fully heal him. He will have to stay silent for now.
His bag and sword were still where he left them earlier. How long was he out anyway? His gaze dropped to his scroll attached to his bag, and he had a sudden thought.
‘Was it still recording all this time?’
Jaune grabbed his scroll and turned off the recorder. He checked its battery and found that it was down to a fifth. A quick pyback of the video showed him his discovery of the cave, the epic/desperate fight against the Sulfur Fish as well as the loss of his control to Crystal as it drained him dry. All in HD resolution. It then recorded nothing happening for nine hours, as he was on the opposite side of the pedestal, which at least tells him how long he had been out.
‘Might be best to delete the part involving Crystal. Too embarrassing and too risky for anyone to find out.’
A quick application of an editing app had the video split in two, ending with him defeating the Sulfur Fish. Jaune stared for a while at the second video, which featured his breakdown. He sighed and saved it. It might be useful ter. Just in case, though, he pced it in a password-protected folder.
‘Alright, how can I contact Crystal now?’
Just like that, Jaune.
Jaune flinched badly, nearly dropping his scroll. He pced it back in his bag and took a deep breath to calm himself. He tried speaking out loud again, but all that came out was a croak and a painful grunt. Shaking his head, he opted to speak in his mind instead.
‘I take it you can hear my thoughts then?’
Indeed, I can. I am always with you. If you ever need to talk to me, you need only think about it and I will answer.
‘This is both convenient and creepy. You don’t actually hear all my thoughts, do you? Actually, don’t answer that. I would rather not know. Before we discuss or do anything, though, I need a change of clothes and a rge meal. Meanwhile, you could give me a breakdown of the system and its features.’
As you wish, Jaune.
“So to summarize my so-called physical stats; STR defines my muscle mass and explosive power, VIT is my stamina and overall health, DEX is my motor skills and finesse, AGL is my reflexes and speed, while PER encompasses my five senses vision, hearing, smell, sense, and taste. Did I get everything?” Jaune busied himself with his portable stove as he spoke in a low tone. A bit of Aura to turn on the ground Fire Dust in the stove, then some water from his hydro fsk and a gram of Water Dust to increase its volume.
Correct, although Perception also includes your budding ability to sense Aura as well as other sensing abilities you might attain. Furthermore, the numbers might not mean much without another person to compare, but allow me to elucidate on how the stat system works. 100 stat is the absolute limit of a human being. The average healthy human, or faunus for that matter, could potentially reach 100 at any stat so long as they train themselves to the absolute limit while following a strict diet. It would take many years, but it is still possible. I will say right now that, yes, you are capable of exceeding that limit. In fact, many people are capable of doing so and many of the renowned warriors and great men in history, as well as the finest Huntsmen today, have exceeded their limits in at least one stat.
“I see,” once the water started boiling, Jaune added a packet of noodles along with strips of jerky and some dried veggies. A meal fit for kings… or impoverished adventurers. “I take it that most of my stats were already over 100, but thanks to your… accident, they are the reason they are down now?”
Correct. Once again, I truly apologize for that happening, Jaune. Do not worry, though, you could still regain those lost stats and go beyond them once more. Although, do bear in mind that as you exhaust or overwork yourself, your physical stats shall decrease as well. For example, if you overexert your muscles, then your STR stat shall drop by a few points. Simir debuffs would happen to your other stats. Never fear, though, with your Aura recovery and excellent physical conditioning, it will be quickly recovered with a good night’s sleep. As long as you do not overwork yourself, of course.
“… If you say so. I do not need to check a data sheet to know all my physical stats lost a good twenty percent of their total from yesterday. That, and the effects of the Weakened debuff, has me feeling like a weakling. At least you didn’t drain my brain as well.”
You are surprisingly calm about this, Jaune. I figured you would have been furious at the loss of your progress. I have checked your memories, and I know the pain and suffering you endured with your grandfather to gain those physical capabilities.
“As I said, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do it intentionally, and it was my recklessness that caused this mess. What’s done is done, any anger on my part would serve neither of us. I’m still angry, of course, but more at myself rather than you.”
You are quite mature for your age, Jaune.
“Thank you. Anyway, you mentioned INT is not really how smart I am but rather my brain's capacity to learn and remember things. What about the special stats WIS and CHA?”
Special Stats are esoteric in nature and cannot truly be affected directly by the system. Wisdom is your application of the knowledge you have accrued in your daily life. The decisions you make and how smart or stupid they are. This is ultimately a matter of perspective though, since one could argue that it was incredibly unwise of you to travel on foot to Vale. Yet, the benefits so far in knowledge and experience have been more than worth it, don't you think?
Jaune chuckled at that, “True enough.”
Charisma is how people perceive you, especially on first impressions. It is dependent on your appearance, whether it’s physical attractiveness or your fashion sense, the way you carry yourself, as well as your experience in speaking and dealing with people in general. Particurly people your own age.
Jaune swallowed a scowl at the st comment as he gulped his food in record time before reheating the pot and making another serving. It’s not his fault that his parents, his mother more than his father, had refused to send him to any kind of school, and there weren’t many people his age back in Arcade. Even when he moved to Massalia with his grandpa, he never really had the chance to socialize due to his training as well as helping his gramps with his work. At least he officially joined the Adventurer guild and became a D-ranked adventurer, so there’s that. He looked at his pot in silence as he vividly noticed that this was his st meal packet. All he had left were a couple of beef jerky sticks and an energy bar. Barely enough emergency food for two more days. He should have been in Thornfield yesterday if everything had gone according to pn, but you can't put the moon back together.
Unknowing of Jaune’s thoughts, or perhaps purposefully ignoring them, Crystal carried on.
Both stats would fluctuate according to the situation, but ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, they are redundant and unnecessary aside from reference points. I would recommend ignoring them for now while focusing on the stats you can work on.
Jaune nodded as he turned off the stove and started on his second serving, “What about my Sembnce? I finally discovered it, but I feel like I barely scratched the surface with it. What do you know about it?”
I cannot answer that question, Jaune. It is up to you to discover the limits of your Sembnce and how best to use it.
“Fair enough. And Magic? It has to be something big, considering I only have three points of it. Two from you and one from my bloodline somehow.”
Magic is essentially divine ability. They cannot be expined with science or rational. It is the most esoteric of powers as well as the rarest. Normally, you could only gain magic through the blessings, or curses, of a divine being. In this case, you did indeed gain two points of magic from the Creator, but you have also gained another point due to an ancient blessing on your bloodline. I cannot divulge what divine being blessed your family, as that conflicts with my neutral parameters with the divines of this world.
Jaune thought about the history of the Arc family. He wasn’t that surprised about his family having some form of divine connection. Essentially, every noble family in Remnant with a long and celebrated history would cim to have some fairy tale like beginning to their bloodline. The Arcs were no different.
“It’s the Moon, isn’t it? Some kind of Moon Deity liked an ancestor of mine and blessed their entire line all the way down to little old me.”
Correct. I should have known you would figure it out so easily. Despite your low WIS, you still have very high INT. I believe I can accept this answer as you acknowledging the Blessings of the Moon. I have added its benefits to your status screen, if you would like to peruse it?
“Later,” Jaune finished the st of his meal and set aside the pot. He cleared his throat and tried his voice. It was better now, as he had been whispering this entire conversation with Crystal. He had really done a number on his vocal cords with his screams of agony, he probably would always have a bit of a rasp to his voice from now on.
He cleared his throat again and spoke aloud, “So, how can I use magic? How do I recover it? Is there a way to expand my meager reserves?”
Before you can use magic, you need to gain a magical ability first. Magical abilities could be compared to sembnces in some cases, and fantastical powers in extreme cases. They could be powered by Aura, but they need to be gained first. How you gain them is, like I said, through the blessings of divine beings.
Jaune nodded his head along with Crystal’s expnation as he moved tiredly to collect his armor bits and see which ones he could recover or reuse. His entire body still ached terribly, and he felt winded despite sleeping far more than he ever did in the past six months. So far, the only thing he could make use of was his breastpte which he turned into a make-shift buckler in pce of his damaged shield. “And how exactly would I be able to do that if the Brother Gods are gone from this world? Are there other gods still in Remnant? I already have the Blessings of the Moon, but the moon is shattered, I doubt whatever god that governs it still exists.” Jaune pced a hand on the Moon Rock. He could feel… something from the rocks. Or it could be a pcebo effect from him learning about the Blessings of the Moon.
You forget my very existence, Jaune. The two points you received are from the Creator, rather than myself. For I am but a tool for the Creator, and while the Creator is not present in this realm, his Will does exist through the System.
Jaune froze at that, “what exactly are you trying to say, Crystal?”
I am saying that the Creator, through the System, can bless you with more magic points. However, they must be earned.
Jaune gulped at the tone that Crystal inflicted at the word “earned”. He could guess that it would not be something as simple as praying daily to the Creator or singing a hymn to their praises. “What exactly do I need to do? Actually, no. Forget that for now. You haven’t even answered the rest of my questions.”
That is true. For every point of magic spent, you will recover one more every year. As you have three points of magic, then you will recover one point every four months. As for how you can use magic, you must purchase an ability from the System. I will give you a list of abilities that you could purchase with your avaible points, or you could test your luck and see if you could gain a random ability for one point instead. The random ability could be an extremely valuable one that would normally cost many Magic Points, or it could be quite mundane. What I can assure you, however, is that none of the abilities are useless.
Jaune thought deeply about this. Should he test his luck? Perhaps, but first, it would be prudent to check the catalog first. “What are the ranks of abilities anyway?”
Abilities range from D-rank to S-rank. D-ranks cost one point of magic. C-rank cost five. B-rank cost ten. A-rank costs one hundred, and S-rank costs one thousand.
“Quite the jump in prices here, don’t you think?”
Ranks D to B are abilities that could be replicated via sembnces. Ranks A and S are Divine abilities that could shape or destroy an entire pnet in extreme cases.
Jaune was shocked. Such insanity! And he could potentially gain such power? The very idea is utterly terrifying to him. He remembers his dad’s words about how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Though dad was talking about Atlesian society at the time, but still… He would rather not be in such a position. Regardless, the simple fact is that it's extremely unlikely he would ever be able to gain any such power.
Additionally, you are now considered a conduit for magic. This means you may also bless another being or thing with a copy of an ability that you own. Naturally, it will cost you a Magic Point per blessing.
“That's… quite insane, don't you think? I could start my own cult this way.” Jaune chuckled at the sheer versatility of him empowering his loved ones with magical power.
It is up to you whether you choose to hoard your power or share it. Ultimately, I am but a guide. I am simply doing my duty to eborate on how to make use of the System.
“Okay, back to the abilities thing. Will I be able to browse all the abilities I can buy? Maybe pn ahead to save up for the awesome powers?”
No. I will simply give you the choice between three random abilities that you could buy. Either buy all of them or just one of them, and you HAVE to buy something from that list, or else you will lose one point of magic automatically for accessing the store.
“…”
…
“… You’re shitting me, right?”
I am not
“… HUUUHHHH?! Sentient Rock says what now? What kind of bullshit sales pitch is this? The hell you mean I have to buy whatever you’re shoving down my throat?!! Who the hell decided on this kind of system?!”
The Creator
Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose and stared at the heavens, or the ceiling in this case, in defeat. “I take it the Creator has a wicked sense of humor? Or are they a sadist? A complete believer in making people's lives as interesting as possible?”
Yes
Jaune sighed tiredly, “Out of context question, but am I your first user, Crystal?”
Yes
“And you at least agree with me that this is just ridiculous, right?”
I am not at liberty to criticize the Creator’s thought process
“You know what? Fuck it. Spin the wheel for me, Crystal. I never pnned to depend on Magic to be strong in the first pce. So let’s see if Lady Luck will be on my side.”
As you wish, Jaune
Suddenly, a holographic roulette appeared in front of Jaune. It was rge, but Jaune could not make sense of anything of what was on it. It was absolutely filled to the brim with words on top of each other in such a haphazard way that he was unable to read any one of them due to how fast it spun. Not to mention, the spinner itself seemed to be shrinking to the base and expanding to the border of the roulette. It spun for about half a minute before it abruptly stopped on a tiny tile a third of the way from the base with a pinging sound.
Congratutions, Jaune. You have gained a new ability
“Observe” (D-Rank)
The most basic ability of the “Extrasensory Perception” ability tree. Allows you to view information on a target within your sight. Must have visual confirmation on the target. Range depends on Aura usage. Information gained depends on Aura usage. Can be supplemented by a simir ability of the same nature, to form a new and better ability.
“That's… actually pretty good? It's almost tailor-made for me with my low PER and massive Aura reserves. I take it back, that Creator fellow is a pretty chill dude.”
Of course. The Creator is most generous. The status screen updated. Would you like to peruse it now?
“Yes, please.”
Status
Profile:
Name: Jaune Arc
Age: 17
Height: 6’1”—6’3”
Build: Lean-Muscur
Stats:
Aura Points: 3000/10,000 (200/hr) (DEBUFF to 100/hr)
Strength (STR): 60/81 DEBUFF
Vitality (VIT): 73/98 DEBUFF
Dexterity (DEX): 63/85 DEBUFF
Agility (AGL): 47/62 DEBUFF
Perception (PER): 31/42 DEBUFF
Intelligence (INT): 93
“Remove the WIS and CHA from my status, please. They are distracting and unnecessary.”
As you wish, Jaune
Special Stats:
Magic (MAG): 2/3
Gained one point from awakening the System early.Gained one point from merging with the System.Gained one point from the Arc Moon Bloodline perk.Special Abilities/Perks (Stacks):
Arc Bloodline (inherent)----->Arc Moon Bloodline: The god of the moon has blessed your bloodline in ancient times. Grants bonuses to Vitality and Aura. May the light of the moon watch over you
Savant (inherent): Increased battle instincts and tactical awareness. Allows the user an easier time in learning skills and understanding concepts.
Lightning affinity: Your reckless absorption of a raw and unrefined high-quality Lightning Dust gave you a high affinity for Lightning. Makes Lightning Dust/abilities easier to use.
Aura Battery: You have survived forcibly expanding your Aura reserves. Increased Aura regeneration.
Sembnce (UNLOCKED): Your sembnce allows you to instantly refill your Aura to the maximum once a day with unpredictable side effects. More testing is required. It might have more abilities that are waiting to be discovered.
Observe (D-rank): The most basic ability of the “Extrasensory Perception” ability tree. Allows you to view information on a target within your sight. Must have visual confirmation on the target. Range depends on Aura usage. Information depends on Aura usage. Can be supplemented by a simir ability of the same nature, to form a new and better ability.
Status Effects:
Sembnce Activated: Aura recovery halved
Weakened: Some Stats are reduced
“By the way, why is my height not set?”
Due to the awakening of the system, you have automatically been given a minor boost in your growth and potential, dependent on your age. At seventeen, you are almost done growing, but there is still room for more growth.
“So that means I can expect my height to grow to 6’3” eventually?”
Correct
“Hmm, I wonder what other effects I would have gained if I was younger? Ah nevermind, How do I use Observe then?”
To use the ability, simply think about it and mentally allocate the amount of Aura you would like to spend on it. You do not need to channel Aura nor speak aloud the ability.
Jaune didn’t feel any different from gaining the ability. It is as Crystal had said, magic could not be felt or analyzed through mundane means. He unsheathed Crocea Mors and held it before him. He decided to use the bare minimum of Aura for the ability to take hold, which after trial and error, he learned was 100 AP. At least for Crocea Mors.
‘Observe’
Crocea Mors (? Rank)
The Arc Ancestral Sword. The Yellow Death. A hand-and-half double-edged sword, otherwise known as a bastard sword that could be used either one-handed with an offhand weapon/shield or two-handed for more power. A bit on the rger side for bastard swords. The bde is 107 centimeters, or 42 inches for the Vale-folk, and the hilt is 20 centimeters or 8 inches. Insanely sharp and durable, the bde does not need to be sharpened. Highly sensitive to Aura. Highly compatible with Arc Bloodline.
?
?
?
“That didn’t really tell me anything I didn't already know.”
Might I suggest using more Aura for Observe?
“No,” Jaune resheathed Crocea Mors before beginning to pack his meager belongings. He stared at the empty Dust Crystal that was the source of so much of his pain before storing it in his bag. It would serve to remind him of the consequences of being reckless. “I am already low on Aura and just wasted an hour’s worth of Aura regen to confirm information I already knew about my sword.”
As you wish, Jaune.
He double-checked his attire, khaki pants and his st Pumpkin Pete’s hoodie, along with a pair of bck sneakers. Jaune had managed to reuse his armor parts and turned them into makeshift bracers and elbow guards instead of pauldrons. His breastpte was too dented and missing its straps, so it will have to do as a makeshift shield. “I can’t afford to dawdle any more than necessary. Most of my food and supplies were in the saddlebags, and who knows where that old nag had run off to. The sooner I am out of this cave and make my way back to civilization, the better.”
As Jaune moved towards his belongings, he nearly tripped as a wave of nausea hit him. He felt light-headed and tired. Even after rest and food, he had barely recovered. Nevertheless, he had no choice. He must persevere.
Jaune secured his bag on his shoulders, his fshlight, and Scroll on either strap. He also took out his unused Medkit and strapped it to the bag with a carabiner for ease of access. That kit was the reason he didn’t have a gun, costing him a good 500 Lien, half of all his funds when he nded in Esmeralda.
Once he was done, Jaune pced his hand on the white walls of the Moon Rock. A pleasant feeling flowed through him, and he could almost feel someone smiling softly at him. Probably an ancestral spirit watching over him. After a moment of silent prayer, he finally moved away from the wall and made his way to the tunnel. Halfway through, he stopped and stared ahead at the many dark shapes waiting outside the tunnel exit, snarling and shifting around. The Grimm had been waiting for him, and as one, they all turned towards him. A slight use of his new ability at the lowest setting, costing him between 1 and 10 AP depending on the Grimm, showed him Creeps and King Taijitus but no further info. Thankfully he could not see the telltale tail light of the Sulfur Fish, though he won’t get his hopes up.
Understanding that he will have to fight his way through, Jaune brought out some fabric and string from what he managed to recover from his old clothes and tied his makeshift shield to his left arm. He did the same to Crocea Mors using his teeth. He could not afford to lose his grip on his weapons. “Why would they wait, though? Why not enter the tunnel and attack me while I was down? They didn’t seem to have a problem earlier. Crystal?”
I believe it was due to me absorbing the inherent power of the Moon Rock. It appears that Moon Rock has a repelling effect on the creatures of Grimm. Now that I have fully activated, the Moon Rock could once again release its passive aura that seems to disorient a Grimm’s senses. It might have something to do with the fact the God of Darkness supposedly created both the Moon and the Grimm. Please bear in mind though, that it would not work on determined Grimm that have already decided you are a target, considering the way those Grimm are looking at you.
“This…This is freaking huge! How come no one ever realized this? Granted, Arcade doesn’t get many, if any, Grimm attacks, but we always chalked that up to the happy mood we keep everyone in, along with the remote location. Could the Moon Rock be responsible instead?” Jaune absentmindedly turned on his Scroll’s camera with his left hand, learning from his fights was both entertaining and illuminating.
More snarls sounded outside, and Jaune could see some of the Grimm beginning to inch forward to attack. Jaune breathed heavily as he prepared for battle, fighting through his exhaustion. Before anything could happen though, a rumbling growl sounded from behind the Grimm, followed by the unmistakable sound of something rge stamping on the ground. Jaune was shocked to see the Grimm falter in what appeared to be fear and immediately backed away as a rge rumbling figure moved through their ranks towards him.
It was massive, easily twice the size of a Bullhead. It had four legs ending in massive paws with rge dull cws that Jaune would guess were perfect for digging or crushing anything in its path. Its lizard-like head had six horns, four rge eyes and a mouth full of dull fangs and a tongue-like tentacle that had its own set of teeth, though those were unmistakably razor-sharp. Its entire body was riddled with white armor and bck hide. Jaune could feel sheer terror attempting to take hold of him as he gazed at the monstrosity before him.
The beast stopped within lunging distance of the tunnel exit and gred balefully at him. Jaune was frozen in pce, and the beast seemed to enjoy the fear radiating out of him. When Jaune still made no move after a few moments, it roared in displeasure, the sound so powerful that Jaune felt his ears hurt and the cavern shake.
That roar did awaken Jaune from his stupor, though, “What the hell is this thing? It must be whatever dug that tunnel, but it's even rger than the tunnel itself!”
Jaune thought about his chances of facing that beast. It was old, very old. The way it stared at him in glee and didn't attack right away meant that it was intelligent enough to either assess his strength…
Or py with its food.
'Observe!'
Ugur, Drake Grimm
Age: 314 years old
Description: An evolution of an ancient King Taijitu that lost one of its heads but burrowed underground for safety. In time, and after absorbing and consuming other Grimm, it evolved to its current form.
Abilities: Retractable Tongue, Acid Spit, Tail Swipe.
Strengths: Immense Size, Extraordinary Physical Strength, Intelligent, Tough Armor.
Weaknesses: Poor Vision, Bright Light, Slow Movement, Arrogant.
Jaune had dumped 300 AP to get all the information he could from the beast. Now he's down to 27% of his max Aura and facing what will arguably be his toughest fight yet. He honestly was not sure if he could prevail against such a formidable foe, not to mention the other Grimm that would surely join the attack if they got the chance. He couldn’t even retreat to the chamber for fear the Grimm would flood it with Acid. In the back of his mind, he thanked the Creator that the information from Observe seemed to imprint in his mind and didn't block his vision with walls of text.
Panicking would not help him. Jaune remembered his training and took several deep breaths before staring at the Drake in defiance.
'Any advice, Crystal?'
Beware its smaller tongue and aim for the obvious weak points, like the eyes and underbelly. Some parts of its armor appear to be cracked or damaged. I didn't have a chance to expin how to gain Magic Points, but this will do.
Challenge Received:
Defeat Ugur, the Ancient Drake Grimm
Rewards: One Magic Point.
Bonus objective: Defeat all regur Grimm on your way to freedom
Rewards: One Magic Point.
Jaune smiled ruefully, 'Thanks, any st words of encouragement?'
Do not forget that your Aura reserves have climbed dramatically. You might be at a quarter right now, but compare that to yesterday, and that would have been the equivalent of half of your reserves. Though the downside is that your Aura control is shot as well.
Jaune snorted at Crystal's words. That truly did ease his worries slightly, despite the dig at his control. He slowly walked out of the tunnel while taking in as much information about his surroundings as possible. The cave was so massive that if it weren’t for the abundance of Dust lining its walls, he wouldn't have been able to see the ends of it. It wasn’t as bright as he hoped though, or that could be just the exhaustion affecting his vision. The ground itself didn't have as much Dust as the walls, but Jaune felt emboldened when he noticed most of the Dust on the ground was of the Earth variety. This had given him an inkling of an idea.
There were a lot more Grimm than he thought. Easily hundreds of them. Probably near a thousand. Nevertheless, their mere presence may be what saves him today. The undisciplined rabble would cause more damage to themselves than to him once they attacked. Jaune took another deep breath, trying to control the spasming of his muscles and sending a quick prayer to his family and ancestors.
And then, Jaune charged out of the tunnel. Ugur, the Drake Grimm, waited expectantly, only for Jaune to ignore it completely and turn immediately to its right, attacking the other Grimm, much to the Ancient Grimm’s displeasure.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire for our budding hero.
I was so tempted to write the system as this sassy asshole, but it would defeat the purpose of it being, in essence, an AI.
There can be no gamer-like system without Observe. This time though, I have pced some restrictions.
The system does not have Health Points nor a level up feature. Instead, Jaune’s own stats are a description of his overall health. As for level-ups, I never liked that. Too iffy to write in an actual story.
Comments? Criticisms? Leave a review. I read them all, even If I don’t answer them. If you do have any questions though, feel free to PM me. I will answer to the best of my ability without spoilers.
