Ivona got along well with Ulfang who was acting as her butler, surprisingly Inzaka and Ulfang had humans forms. Ulfang was the butler while Inzaka was the chauffeur. What made Raven raise an eyebrow was seeing how Inzaka drove the car so easily.
"I used to drive cars bigger than your house. The dragon realm sometimes get lazy to fly. So we made vehicles." That was the answer that Raven was not expecting. What was important was that Raven was currently observing the training of the many Hunters at the RF base under Ulfang's tribesmen.
"Tank. Keep that shield up! I'm going to see your limit!"
"Yes, sir!" The tank took the beating from a werewolf monk, 10 hits and the Tank was pushed back. Falling on his knees, the werewolf helped him on his feet.
"Good. 10 hits from a B-Rank werewolf with high aura. It's a good start for a D-Rank. Take 5. We'll go again. This is the best training to keep your defense. Tomorrow we'll do combat."
"Yes, sir!" Turning to see a werewolf swordsman giving instruction to swordsmen Hunters. Correcting their postures, making sure that they were ready for whatever foe before them. He went into the training dungeon. Seeing Captain Max and Unit 17 face off against Ulfang. They felt death coming for them because of Ulfang's speed. The aura attacks and howl would break their guard and debuff them causing an even greater headache. Looking at the digital clock counting the time. 60 seconds and they were done.
"60 seconds. A satisfactory start." Ulfang gave his feedback, and in the eyes of the Hunters who were present. Hearing how Ulfang broke down his combat logic and philosophy had all of them thinking about what they needed to improve on. His advice to Max was to train martial arts to give her more options.
"Your mana control is the best I've seen out of the many humans I've met at the base. Combine it with martial arts, and you will never be disarmed or out of options. Sometimes using your first imbued with mana can do wonders." Ulfang spoke as he jabbed the wall with a fist coated in wind. Seeing the damage on the wall be a large sword like scar.
"Proper control of mana, allows you to even turn your fists into blades. If you have time, I will suggest you meet my best martial artist. The training will be difficult but it will be the best way for you to learn."
"Thank you. I'm sorry for troubling you."
"It's not trouble... Ah, Raven." Raven smiled as he showed the bags of meat he had.
"Hey Ulfang.I brought some meat. Pretty expensive ones too." Placing it in front of Ulfang who just ripped a piece, then seeing him put spices on it. Using his eyes to sear the steak according to his will. Then taking a bite.
"If you can fine control mana to this point, your attack intensity can be controlled. Your control is good but it's not refined to its optimum stage. Thanks for the meal, Raven. What about the others?" Ulfang inquired as Raven brought him a bottle of water.
"We got them food as well. How's the Black Wing members?"
"We took the weakest teams and the best teams in one go. I had my best swordsman, Garr face them. He's an A-Rank but he can handle S-Ranks. He's purely swordsmanship in terms of style, only using aura but never using a debuff."
"Any particular reason?" Ulfang chewed his state and gave a nod.
"Using his howl puts enemies into a frenzy. They forget friend and foe." That was a troublesome skill but it made sense. It would also defeat the purpose of training against Garr but the debuff needed to be used to increase their mental resistance.
"Mental resistance would be important at times Ulfang. Tell Garr to spend time to use the debuff. We need to train their resistance." Raven said as he went outside, stretching his limbs. Seeing Commander Shaw train the Hunters that use firearms the proper stance and reloading tips. Showing them how he cleared a rifle reload in 1.3 seconds.
"If you drop the magazine it'll be faster but it can cost us money to get new magazines. It's why I prefer having the fresh magazine in my palm, you place it like this." Shaw showed how the fresh magazine was in his palm, then using his fingers to swap the empty magazine with the new one.
"For rifles, keep the barrel up. It doesn't matter if your aim is off by a bit. As long as it's in the same direction as your enemy, it'll be enough for them to understand that you're not giving an opening. Keep practicing this." Shaw watched Raven with Howler. 15 round magazine instead of the usual 14 rounds. Having the Abyss Gaze in his possession meant that he had learned Dimensional Storage, whereby he can store items inside. But the weapons inside the gloves were a different matter entirely.
"I'm going out for a bit." Raven said as he left the dungeon, appearing back at Ashenworth Residence. He had another three weeks before his transfer to Rosenfelt. He needed to get back into the groove, going into his room as he glanced at the mirror. Thinking of the Persona he wanted, Scorpio the cyborg. He could not feel cold or heat. Glancing outward, he could see many things. Far greater than when he was human.
The Mirror of Possibility.
Your abilities as a Hunter have merged with your personas.
Each Persona has its strengths and weaknesses.
Proficiency Rate : 0%
When at 100% you will obtain following skills
Scorpio
Scorpio is primarily a ranged focused Persona.
Performs negatively at close range combat.
Excellent Marksman with various armed weapons.
Does not use explosive weapons well.
Can dash quick bursts and fly in the air thanks to the back mounted boosters along with thigh, shoulder and hip mounted boosters.
Can infuse aura and mana into weapons and for recovery.
Cannot cast magic or aura exclusive attacks.
Long Range Specialist Accuracy increased to the maximum potential Shock absorber Recoil will be decreased up to 80%. Strategic Strike When looking through the sights, you can see multiple enemy weak spots, glimmering in blue.
Chief of Durandal Section 1
Proficiency Rate : 0%
Chief of Durandal Section 1, (now referred as Durandal)
Durandal is primarily known for being an offensive vanugard Persona.
Combat wise, an all rounder.
Allows use of heavier types of equipment.
Handles heavy weapons without any restriction.
Not good for speedy engagements.
Serpent Blades Serpent blades are unique to this persona, blades that follow the user's mind to strike at the selected spots Weapon Deck Larger weapons that cannot be stored such as miniguns, artillery cannons and multi missiles will be stored in decks Heavy Weapons Specialist Negates accuracy
Smiling Mime
Proficiency Rate : 0%
Fast paced knife wielder, uses special karambits when attacking enemies.
Known as a perfect close range Persona in tight quarters.
Weapons not linked with this class will receive a major accuracy debuff. *-40% accuracy penalty*
Cannot use heavy armor or armor. Only light armor.
A thrilling performance The more enemies have their eyes on you, the better your damage output. Mutilate mastery Increases sharpness of knife weapons. Guarantees bleed status. Tender Foot Fast footwork, flexible bodies that let you be more agile than before. Cartwheels, flips and many more!
Abyss Gaze
Proficiency Rate : 0%
One of the most powerful Personas in your possession.
Cannot use aura or mana. (If used cost + efficiency will be different. Increased Cost and Decreased Efficiency)
All rounder combatant.
Able to move fast and handle enemies quickly.
Self taught weapon techniques
Does not wear armor, only his custom three piece suit.
The gloves that hold his weapon set.
Perfect Counter Counter attacks have increased critical hit chance and guaranteed critical damage. When critical hit is ready, weapons will have a glimmer of darkness moving about. Waltz in Black High dodge rate. Ranged attacks have a 90% chance of missing while close range attacks have an increased 25% chance to miss. Abyss's Weapon Set Specialized weaponry for Abyss. Cannot use any other weapons. Hatred Beyond Reason Enemies will feel fear if they cannot handle the bloodlust being unleashed. Gaze Into the Abyss Constantly glowing azure eyes that haunt enemies. If an enemy is in a state of fear, allows for Abyss to close in and deal a lethal blow.
"So this is what it is, system does it affect my stats as a Hunter?"
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
No.
But some skills will be locked out based on the persona.
With different bonuses.
When you reach the first stage of the Proficiency Rate, you can pick up the skills.
To increase the skill's efficiency you will have to do challenges to receive a better or upgraded version of the skills.
Personas can be used and synchronized at any time. Your personality may shift as a result.
From now on, the only way you can acquire skills is by increasing your Proficiency Rate with them.
Items in the dungeons have been replaced with fragments of Personas.
The stronger the Persona, the more fragments needed.
Higher Dungeons yield more fragments.
Scorpio faded away from his body, feeling his body return to flesh. Then putting on the Abyss Gloves. Where he watched darkness blanket his body, revealing a man in a three piece suit. Looking at the tired man in the mirror, as the memories flooded. A simple man who in his rage at the loss of his entire family, he massacred an entire city because of it. Not so different from the current Raven. Save for the hair that was just a thick, silky mane resting by his shoulders.
Raven separated the memories of who he is and who he was during his time as Abyss Gaze. Then he got a call, an unknown number?
"Hello."
"Hunter Raven Ashenworth."
"President Black. How can I help you?"
"The Executives of the Association are trying to make some noise about you and your brother. Same goes for some guilds. They might try to do things to mess with you. One guild in particular the Red Demons are keen on recruiting you. They may use force to do so. Another issue is that the Executives of the Association may try to use someway to mess with you. So avoid any association agents if they claim to be from the Special Suppression Bureau. Most likely they want to try and get that weapon of yours." Raven chuckled.
"Any legal way they can get me to go there?"
"If you harm a member of SSB they'll call you a dangerous Hunter and may issue a bounty on you. Not even your brother can stop them this time. The other way is to claim that the weapon is wasted in the hands of a rookie. So if you head to the Association, they'll make a fuss about it."
"Thanks for the warning." The president hung up, as Raven stepped outside. Things were going to get annoying and it might be better if he left soon, sending a text to Shaw. A brief rundown on why Raven needed to get flying to Rosenfelt soon.
'I understand. I've stamped the approval. You will fly in two days.'
'Sorry Commander.'
'No, I expected this. Black's an old war buddy of mine, that's why he put his foot down on the RF but if those guys are going do a lot to bother you. Might as well get moving, Phenom.' Raven sent the next set of texts to Aquila.
'President called. Said the Association might cause some shit with me because of Thousand Eyes. Red Demons might try to recruit me with force. I might need to go to Rosenfelt soon and then come back as a member of your guild.'
'Are you going to tell Shaw?'
'Already did. Two days. We may have prepared the best defenses for Ivona but that doesn't change the fact that they'll be careful if you and Dolores are not busy all the time.'
'Ivona.. She'll be a lil worried about you.'
'Tell her don't be, her uncle's a fighter.' Raven smiled as he lit a cigarette beneath the moonlight. Staring into the sky as he remembered the years of war he had faced as Raven. Then thinking of the same skies as when he was the other Personas. Within a blink of an eye, Raven was now at the airport.
"Take care uncle!" Ivona seemed much more cheerful, perhaps the presence of her new family being the tamed monsters has helped her bit by bit. Waving goodbye to Aquila and Dolores, Raven went over with his weapons stashed in a bag, save for Thousand Eyes, Raven's Eye and Howler that was bound to his soul. Taking the flight ticket which he used the chance to bump up to business class. Taking his seat by the window as the flight was going to be for 15 hours.
Enjoying himself with the drinks and meals. Fancy wine that he could barely pronounce, fois gras? Whatever it was, Raven enjoyed the richness of the flavors that it possessed. A single bite had him thinking about how many ducks would he need to slay to get this. Paired with smoked duck pieces, tender. A rich smoky flavor with a hint of spices that soothed his appetite. Noticing plenty of people staring at him, perhaps it was due to his hair that was tied into a tail? Or was it because he seemed out of place. It could also be the bandages on his face.
So for now, Raven would use the inflight enetertainment. Binge watching movies. Comedy, romance, action packed movies and going over whatever that he could binge on the flight. Time was passing slowly, Raven could see people walking around the cabin. Suddeny the plane started to shake violently. It wasn't turbulence because Raven felt mana overflowing from different places.
"Attention all passengers. There's a dungeon break happening nearby. Please return to your seats. In case of trouble." Raven glanced out to see wyverns flying in their directions. Raven got up, when a steward tried to get him to sit down. Panic had taken over the entire plane, but Raven needed to do this.
"I'm a Hunter. I'll handle this." Raven said as they see him carry Thousand Eyes. The wyverns were getting close, a short draw, just to get the blade exposed. The eyes opened up, the wyverns were erased, as Raven sheathed the blade.
"Hmm... Dragon blood. Now that has been a while since I had some."
"Eat your fill, Thousand Eyes. More incoming." Raven said as his eyes glowed azure, sensing the other wyverns swarming the plane. Raven kept the draw short, keeping it to only a fraction of the blade, but the eyes would reach everywhere. The flight continued on, where Raven saw people flying into the air. They were clad in armor but their skin was exposed.
"It's the Valkyries, mom!" A child spoke up, seeing the armored Valkyries fly into battle. Firing their guns, missiles and rockets at the oncoming wyverns. Raven took his seat, massaging the bridge of his nose as he glanced at their fighting. It was synchronized attacks, using hand gestures or codewords to force them into formation. Another squad flew to their side, flying close on protection detail.
"Attention Flight A4171. You will be rerouted to the nearest airport at Kleisser Outskirts. This is due to the dungeon break. You will need to be grounded." Then a large ray of light took down the Valkyrie on the left, still alive but falling to the ground fast. Rescued by another Valkyrie but what was the cause of that ray? Where they finally could see it, a large wyvern that was flying into view. That was going to be another troublesome matter.
"We need to get the flight out of here!" Raven went to the cockpit. Opening the door as the pilots turned to him.
"You can't be here! Sir, please step back to your seat." Raven did not say a word as he pushed them down. Then grabbing the radio.
"I've got an idea, but I need a Valkyrie"
"Who are you?"
"A Hunter from the RF. I was sent here on Commander Shaw's behalf." Raven said as they heard silence.
"What's your plan?"
"I'm going to step out of the plane via an emergency exit. I just need one of you to get me close to that damn thing."
"That's suicide!? For a Human!"
"Either that or I fire my sniper cannon and it'll blow a huge hole in the cockpit and may damage the plane. I'd rather these people land safely than be caught in this mess." The Valkyrie kept quiet, assessing their odds.
"I'm going there now." Raven said as he put the radio down, walking over to glance at the civilians who were terrified.
"I'm opening the emergency Airlock! Everyone stay in your seats! Stewards please keep them calm!" Raven said as everyone was buckled as they put on their oxygen masks, opening the door. Raven leaped out as a Valkyrie caught him.
"What's your name?"
"Eagle 1-5!"
"Alright 1-5, get me close to it." The large wyvern turned its attention to Raven, opening its mouth, unleashing plenty of rays that were going at them. Raven just readied the Howler pistol, firing shots that mimicked a werewolf's howl. The bullets hit the rays of light, erasing them as Raven swung the magazine as he used magic to reload the pistol. Swapping out the empty magazine for a fresh one, then using his thumb to flick the slide release. Eagle 1-5 was trying her best to close the distance, while the other Valkyries were providing cover. A ray of light grazed Eagle 1-5's wing. The were literally a stone throw away from the wyvern.
"No!"
"It's fine. I'll handle it." Raven said as he let go off her hand, body changing into Scorpio. Using a wrist mounted hook, firing it to the wyvern's neck. Seeing it rattle around as Raven's body was being reeled in. His entire body was machine right now, he won't feel any pain to the limbs. Reeling in quick as the Wyvern fired a ray into Raven's direction, Sacrificing the left arm as he brought out Raven's Eye. Reaching the wyvern's neck, driving the barrel into the wyvern's mouth as it bit into his body. Hearing the machines whirr as red coolant spilled out, Raven began firing the shots. Forcing the wyvern to open up its mouth in pain. Kept on firing repeatedly. Blood, guts and bile splashed over his visor. Where the visors glowed to
"Well. This can't get any worse." Raven said as he attempted to free himself from the dead wyvern's body. Crawling out as he glanced at the fallen arm, where he just grabbed it. Reattaching it as the cables linked into it. Taking a deep breath as aura and mana flowed to repair the suit, though not much can be said as Raven tested the motions of his hand. Seeing another group of wyverns incoming to their position. Standing on a desert sort of place which meant he was going to be way too far off from the airport the flight was redirected to.
Scorpio Proficiency Rate : 5%.
"5%? Pretty low for that kind of monster but... I see more of them coming here. So might as well."
Reloading Raven's Eye, he took his time. Injecting aura and mana into the bullets. Firing a shot. Dust kicked up all around him, as Raven's feet skidded on the ground from each shot. Watching wyverns be destroyed with a single shot. Leaving fountains of red spewing as Raven kept firing. The dragons were coming in as Raven just ejected the spent magazine then slapping in a new magazine.