There's a certain charm to Patch at night, the type of feeling that you wouldn't get to experience without traveling dimensions. The streets were oddly liminal, not off-putting but just seemingly unending. Maybe it had to do with how much more aesthetic a broken moon was in comparison to a whole moon, or maybe it was the uniquely passionate and expressive architecture that highlighted just how more personable Remnant was compared to the bland architecture of Earth that prioritized efficiency above all else.
It could've just been all the little things that added up to make it feel so charming, but it could also be the adrenaline high I had experienced only a few dozen minutes ago against the creatures of grimm. It was something I was trying to pin down while I was strolling through the empty streets of Patch towards my hotel. I don't think my thoughts truly captured the essence of Patch greatly enough earlier because this place held an archaic-modernized beauty. It's weird to look at because it was a reminder that, despite all the technological advancements, this society was hardly several hundred years old. The known four kingdoms, five if you count Menagerie, were only three centuries old at the oldest.
In fact, checking my scroll for articles on Remnants history, all the history books point to Atlas for the technology they have despite Atlas only being officially the second oldest kingdom. The kingdoms are so weird, and I can only imagine that's because of how little time they've been around. Did you guys know that Patch was actually its own governing body until the King of Vale conquered it in the war effort during the Great War?
Oh, hold on, according to this page here, three of the main kingdoms didn't actually become official kingdoms until after the Great War. Mistral, Atlas, and Vale weren't recognized by each other, mostly out of spite, and all trade was actually done through Vacuan merchants because it was the only Kingdom recognized by the other three. Atlas became the second recognized kingdom after several cardinals from Atlas had traveled to Vacuo and provided aid during a particularly rough drought with help from several technologies such as special netting that collected morning dew for safe drinking.
"That is really interesting, actually."
A small look of genuine interest was on my face, no doubt. Man, I wished the actual story brushed up on this stuff it might have made the school bits enjoyable. But, alas, I had to somehow traverse dimensions, obtain a scroll, and use Remnants version of Wikipedia to learn these facts.
The rest of my walk to my hotel was undisturbed. Most of my stops along the way were just admiring the sights along my path. Much of my admiration did find its way to the night sky. Did I mention that Remnant, due to both not being old enough for fossil fuels and never discovering dirty fuels, had a completely unpolluted planet. Even light pollution was low, by virtue of conserving Dust and letting moonlight guide the way. The majority of the stars were visible to me, and even though my favorite constellations were gone, I could always find more to adore. But enough of that, it was time to sleep, time to rest.
I checked back into the hotel, nodded to the nightshift gaurd I happened to pass, and reached my room with zero interruptions. At least, that's how I wished it happened. Instead, when I walked into my apartment, I saw a man with slicked back hair, wearing a cape, a grey button-up, and black slacks talking to the man at the front desk.
_____________________________________________
Name: Qrow Branwen
Titles: The Omen, The Drunken Warrior, Grimm Slayer, Vale's Saviour, Protector of Maidens, Magic Vessel
LVL 208
AP: 30500/30500
MP: 100/100
Notable Features:
[Bad Luck Aura]
Causes anyone within 25 meters to experience negative 20% the Recipients LCK on top of a deduction of -20 LCK
[The Omen]
For every one person within [Bad Luck Aura's] range, the users own LCK increases by 10.
[The Drunken Warrior]
While under the influence of alcohol, gain a proficiency bonus in Swordplay, Dodging, and Fist Fighting.
[Great Weapon Master]
Years of wielding Great weapons has granted the user a proficiency bonus with weapons classed Great, Ultra Great, and impossibly Great.
[+3 More, Cont...]
_____________________________________________
'Oh. One, two, three, four, plus three more. Seven Notable Features, negative luck as well. Wait, am I in the negative?!'
_____________________________________________
[Stats]
Name: Lautrec Griscern
Title: The Fool
Level: 34
Aura: 450/450
Mana: 4000/4000
Money: 25100 Lien
VIT: 42
STR: 82
DEX: 45
AGI: 50
CHA: 46 [+9.2]
INT: 40 [+4]
WIS: 52
LCK: -100 [MAX]
Debuff(s): [Exhaustion 1] [Bad Luck Aura]
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Jesus, negative one-hundred luck? Holy shit, how bad is that? I, uh, probably shouldn't stay around for too long. I don't know how bad negative a hundred luck is, but I know how good positive five hundred is and if this is basically the opposite I'd rather not be around for much longer.
Shaking off my paranoia, I began silently walking back to my room. I only made it five feet inside the building when the light panel above me fell, a smashed into my head.
[CRITICAL HIT, -20 AP]
I swore, the glass panel shattered on me, causing more than enough noise to catch Qrow's and Busboy's attention.
"Oh my Oum, sir, are you okay?"
The frantic voice of the worker rang out, the sight of me crouching in pile of broken glass obviously didn't paint the best picture of health for the average person.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit unlucky how it fell on me right as I passed under it."
I said, rubbing away the dull stinging of where the pain stemmed from.
I took a glance up, Qrow looked at the scene with a grimace, probably thinking this was his fault
'In a way, it is.'
I shook the thought away instantly, it wasn't his fault that his semblance was an uncontrollable AOE effect.
"But it's fine. Luckily, I can cover the cost of the panel and had Aura to tank the hit. So no worries."
Standing up to face the worker properly, I offered him a small smile for confirmation.
"Um, well, I'll have to call the repairmen tomorrow morning, will you still be here tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I will be, I'm staying the night so if you could get that referral to me whenever they get here that'd be nice."
"And your name is?"
The worker pulled out a pen and notepad, likely to find where I was staying in the hotel.
"Lautrec Griscern, spelt L-A-U-T-R-E-C for Lautrec and G-R-I-S-C-E-R-N for Griscern."
The worker jotted down my name, thanking me again and clarifying that I'm okay before walking back to his desk. I, stupidly, hoped that'd be the end of it and continued to walk away.
_____________________________________________
Qrow POV
_____________________________________________
There was something with the kid that drew my attention. Something you don't see everyday, something you could go your life without noticing.
Magic.
If you didn't know what you were looking for and if you didn't already spend time with magic within you or around magic users you'd never be able to tell. But it was unmistakable, the presence of Mana was there, and I knew it.
It was what drew me to this hotel, the faint trace that some form of magic was used. Such use was wasteful and left a trail that a toddler could find. And now I had the perp, a somewhat tall male, decent amount of muscle, distinct white hair, and even more traces of magic leaking off him.
"Lautrec Griscern, huh?"
I mumbled to myself swishing my flask around, suprisingly enough, he had also seen dregs of magic on Yang and Ruby not too long ago. Asking if they had gotten up to something led Yang making a big scene of how Ruby had approached a guy.
A small frown took over my features, the bastard. Too important to just scare away and apparently acquainted with his nieces. What a fucking bind.
As much as he wanted to press the issue immediately, he'd need to be a bit careful of his approach. Saying that he knew the kid had magic would be a bit too far, especially if the kid had already been approached by less than savory individuals.
A new piece had invaded the board, a piece that has potential to be a player.
'Heh, chess analogies. Ol' Oz must be rubbing off on me more than I thought.'
With a small smirk and a gentle shake of my head, I said my goodbyes to the busboy and started walking to the room I had been assigned for the night.
_____________________________________________
Lautrec POV
_____________________________________________
There is no fucking way he tracked me down to spy on me. There's no fucking way, there simply isn't! How'd he even find me, I've barely been in this world for like eighteen hours! I seriously doubt I left so much an impression of either Ruby or Yang to get them to mouth off about me to Taiyang and Qrow.
'It's fine, totally fine, there's no reason to assume he's here for me, absolutely none! I mean, come on! What are the chances of that!? He just wants to mysteriously show up to spy on someone who's done nothing suspicious all day?'
_____________________________________________
Chance Encounter: As the Qrow Flies
Description: Qrow Branwen, member of Ozpins inner circle has found you and decided you are worth him looking into. You don't know why, but it happened and it will likely continue to happen.
_____________________________________________
'Okay, fuck, he was here for me. But why?! Did Yang seriously blabber about me to Taiyang and Qrow so much that Qrow tracked me down!?'
This was potentially not very great for me. Who knows what this could mean!
I walked into my room, closing and locking the door shut. Treading back and fourth, pacing or whatever, was what I had planned to do. However, I was instead forced to stifle another yawn.
I looked to the bed, and decided that maybe it's best I sleep, just for now. I had nothing I wanted to do other than study Remnant, I could just lay on the bed, wake up refreshed and start my research tomorrow morning.
'To sleep or to not sleep, that is the question of the hour.'
Pros? I sleep, get rid of that exhaustion debuff, wake up and probably more willing to actually read up on Remnant. Cause, admittedly, I don't really want to do homework the very first day I get Isekai'd.
'Cons? Well, I mean, Qrow might be spying on me. But, then again, wouldn't sleeping be the perfect cover? I'd sleep and he'd be like, 'Look at this very normal guy normally sleeping in his normal bed, clearly nothing is special about this guy.' And maybe that'd be enough for him to not investigate me?'
I shook my head and let my fingers pass through my hair.
'But what if he expects that?! Ugh, I'm over thinking it. I'll just go to sleep, it'll be okay. And if it isn't, I'll handle whatever comes in the morning.'
Before I could get to my bed, however, I went to the bathroom, Grimm blood may evaporate but I'm pretty sure a nice shower would make me feel a lot better. The grime of the night and overall just how spent I was would probably make the shower even better.
So bling bang bong, showered and hit the hay within forty or so minutes.
[Set time of sleep? (00:00) ]
"Oh you spoil me, Game."
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Time skip -- 9 hours
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Yawwwwn... cough."
With a slight popping of my back, I sat up and blearily blinked away whatever sleepiness was left in my eyes. I stretched out my arms and legs out and let my muscles tense and bend until they felt limber and were ready to move. Late nights, Early mornings! With last night's sleep, I'm basically a bundle of bound energy! I don't think I've ever slept so good in my life! Not that I really remember, but this is certainly a feeling I couldn't forget. I feel damn good.
"Now what's on the agenda?"
What to do... what to do... check my phone, or scroll, sorry, for notifications just in case I slept through a message from Ms. Bridget, that job was pretty much essential for getting the True Night's Edge early. With an over-the-top flair, I extended my arm and hand out, letting the scroll summon into my hand with a small blue light glimmering out into the air. I fiddled with the device, getting it to open with little struggle and looking around the device for any hint of notifications.
"And nothing. Okay. That's fine. She isn't obligated to send me a confirmation of if I got the job right away... I think. Not one hundred percent on that... maybe I should look up worker rights in Vale, or something."
I put the scroll down, a stood up from my bed. I won't lie, it was a pretty good bed. But I probably shouldn't get comfy here. I got quite a lot to do.
'Speaking of, what else CAN I do?'
I mean, there is one thing I can think of off the top of my head. A name that sparks equal parts fun and fear.
'I could message Ruby. She did give me her number, after all.'
It was rude, wasn't it? Brushing her off until the next day, that felt rude to me. I never liked the idea of just brushing off people in general, but it felt even worse knowing that Yang said I was the first friend she had outside of Signal. But wouldn't it be weird? I couldn't imagine some creepy old dude approaching me being like 'heyyy, how have you been young lady, haven't seen you in like fifteen hours or so.' But it should be okay, right? Because she gave me the number... but she's also thirteen!?
'Ugh, age dilemmas. Ruby is cool, don't get me wrong, but she's also a kid right now. Then again, it's not like I'm doing this out of romantic feelings, ew no. But still, even if I message her out of pure platonic feelings, would Yang see it that way? I sure hope so. Would Taiyang see it that way? Probably not, dad's are very protective and I am a boy who is also too old for the current Ruby messaging her direct scroll so he'd likely freak. Would Qrow... QROW!'
The line of thinking eventually led me to Qrow Branwen, the super high level huntsman that just so happened to reside in this very hotel. The very same that I happened to meet only ten or so hours ago.
'Okay, no messaging Ruby until I'm out of the way of the very dangerous and stealthy Qrow. I don't want the fact that I'm talking to Ruby in any form to make its way to Qrow. Who knows what that guy will do.'
I stood up from the bed and picked up the scroll as I did. The way scrolls opened was still pretty cool, the way they expanded with the clear blue screen.
'But I probably should go ahead and add her number to my ph- scroll before I forget. Wouldn't do well to forget and then, with my luck, bump into them and have Yang be pissed I ghosted them.'
With a few clicks and a few errors along the way, I managed to find how to properly add a number to my contacts.Thankfully, the method wasn't all too different from cell phones on earth. Just enter the number on the keypad and save it.
[New contact! Ruby Rose was added to contact list!]
_____________________________________________
[Quest recieved: The Tyro Trio!]
Objective: Message Ruby Rose to continue the quest!
Rewards: EXP, 20 Stat Points, L1500, ?, ?
Time left: 3 hours 27 minutes
[Warning; If you do not message Ruby Rose within the time limit, the quest will be voided and you will have to wait until another quest presents itself or you make one yourself]
_____________________________________________
Well, then. When life gives you lemons, I suppose. I do have four hours, so I guess I can get a work out in beforehand, maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to grind out some more strength or speed. Dodging was one of my weak points, at least, in comparison to everything else.
"Status."
_____________________________________________
Name: Lautrec Griscern
Title: The Fool
Level: 34
Aura: 450/450
Mana: 4000/4000
Lien: 25100
VIT: 42
STR: 82
DEX: 45
AGI: 50
CHA: 46 [+9.2]
INT: 40 [+4]
WIS: 52
LCK: 500(MAX)
Wild Points: 75
_____________________________________________
Okay, if I had to guess, Dexterity is my ability to dodge while Agility is the speed of my Dodge. Which means those are the two stats on gonna have to train. Which means...
"Ugh, cardio..."
My least favorite exercise. Cardio. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the burn and the challenge of it and the overall enjoyment of running. It's the after effects that suck. Admittedly, I don't have to worry about that too much given [Gamers' Body], but still. Kinda sucks that I'm gonna have to spend a few hours grinding it, especially stretching. Stretching is something that, realistically, can't be trained for hours. It's just not something I'm willing to do for such an extended period of time, you know?
With a hop, skip, and a new pair of... oh. I need clothes.
"I gots no shirts."
Ugh, where was the nearest clothing store? Mental note; get some pairs of pants, dress shirts, and workout clothes.
'Game? Can you ping one for me?'
I asked within my head, hoping for another little blessing from whatever the game really was.
[Really? A 5th dimensional being is being asked to ping a clothing store because a small 3 dimensional pleb is too lazy to do so?]
Another blue screen popped up, several emoji's surrounded the corners of the screen, visualizing the Game's displeasure.
"Come on, just this once? I don't feel like getting out my scroll and using their dog shit GPS."
As I plead my case, a ping sounded out. With hopeful eyes, I turned my attention to the screen that now floated in front of me.
_____________________________________________
[Quest recieved!]
[Paint the Town: Shopping Spree!]
Objectives: Spend L20,000 within two hours of shopping on Clothes, Armor, Workout gear, and other Miscellaneous items
Rewards: ?, ?, ?.
Penalty for Failure: Randomized Curse, Yearly Smite, I personally smack you.
Time limit: 1:59:47
_____________________________________________
"You fucking twat."
Spend four-fifths of my hard earned money on clothes? Workout equipment!? Fucking armor? You actually suck, Game.
[Ask and you shall recieve. I was feeling a bit petty after being degraded in such a way. Suck it, loser.]
"I asked you to ping a clothing store!? How is that degrading!?"
Maybe a bit of hysteria entered my voice, but this WAS ridiculous! I had two days to get L30,000 lien for the Nights Edge! How was I meant to do that, Game?
[Idk. Deal with it? Cry more?]
"You... fine. Fuck you."
So. Let's get moving. Hastily, I began moving out of my room, messing with my hair slightly to fix it up a bit before leaving. While I don't know much about fashion, I know enough to not wear bloodied clothes everywhere. I was lucky enough that the level up stitched my clothes back up enough to be wearable still.
Exiting the hotel was simple. What was less simple was finding a proper clothing store to go to. My gaze looked around, trying to find some hint of a clothing store. To my dismay, I saw nothing. The architecture was different than Earths in a way that made it pretty hard to spot shops, the only hint of shops was the stalls outside of them. So with hasty feet, I walked towards where a bunch of other people were, hoping the foot traffic was centered around the area of commerce.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I walked as fast as I could, though I had to move out of the way of other bystanders and other shoppers. And when it became apparent that I still had no clue where I was headed, I resorted to the only other method I knew of speedily learning where places were.
"Hey! Uh, do you know where the nearest clothing store is? I'm new to Patch, sorry."
Asking random people that happened to be passing by was my strategy. I had very little time to be messing around, not if I wanted to spend twenty-thousand lien. Thankfully, the people of Patch were pretty chill, and I can attest to that because the very first person I asked immediately pointed me in the right direction.
"Sure, honey, just keep a straight shot until you get to the second right, once you get there, make a turn and look for the dark brown hang-down sign. It should be a wooden one with yellow lettering on it. Should say 'Sams Shirts and Stuff', it ain't expensive, so you should be fine to shop there. Have a good day, tell them Eliza sent you, she might even give you a discount!"
The older lady walked off, oblivious to my frustration. I didn't WANT cheap. I needed designer or something, stuff that costed stupid money so I could get this done.
"Wait. Does she think I'm poor? Do I look poor?"
I looked down at myself and, you know what, fair. My shirt was dirty (like HUGE blotches of dirt) and had some bad grooves of stains that (hopefully) no one could tell was blood from me. Moving on, I need to get there fast. It's only been a few minutes, so I could just buy everything on the stores shelves and hope for the best.
I continued my walk, begrudgingly listening to the woman's advice and continued on straight. Again, these streets man, whew. They look amazing, the roads actually remind me of the renaissance roadways in England, the bricks were even the same dark gray and everything. Obviously, cause they didn't waste valuable material like paint on fucking..... bricks. My brain lagged, weird.
'Game, can I lag?'
The sounds of the denizens of Patch walking down the streets filled my ears as I made my way to 'Sams Shirts and Stuff'. The Game decided to ignore me.
'That'd be pretty weird, could you imagine lagging in real life. It'd be terrible, right Game?'
Another moment waiting a response and instead I got nothing.
'Okay, so we aren't on talking terms right now? That's fine, I can handle sleeping on the couch.'
Weird. Wonder what's holding the dude.
'Probably just being petty. Doesn't matter anyway.'
Step step step went my feet. It wasn't for another ten minutes before I reached the store. The low-hanging sign was exactly as the woman described it, a dark brown wood with weared down yellow lettering. Walking in greeted me to a surprisingly big shop, a few tables with jeans folded in top and their size being told on the stickers placed on them. Yeah, nothing of interest here, it's just a clothes shop.
"Welcome in! I'm Sam, owner of this establishment, what can I help you with today?"
I looked over to where the voice stemmed from, my eyes caught the figure of Sam. A shorter woman, maybe five feet and three inches tall, a slim build, short black hair that was pulled back into something similar to a bun or a wolf tail. I didn't tower over her persay, but I was definitely a good deal taller than her.
"Yes yes, um, I'm looking for some blue jeans, maybe some shirts as well? Collared shirts and T-shirts? I'm new to Patch, and don't really know much in terms of fashion here."
Sam nodded along, her gaze looking me up and down, a small smile on her face as she fully took in my disheveled appearance. She probably thought of me as a charity case, which, under normal circumstances, I'd be happy with if not for the fact I'm trying to spend twenty thousand lien within two hours!
"Oh, yes, you poor thing. Dont even think of paying me for this, you're covered in dirt and... is that blood?"
She spoke as she walked towards me, the concerned look in her eye being so very apparent. Her hands gripped the fabric of my shirt, feeling the rough patches that were undoubtedly covered in mud and blood.
"I- I have money. You don't need to give me charity. Please, let me buy from this place, it'd be completely wrong of me to not pay when I do have the means."
I actually pulled out a few one-hundred Lien bills, just to prove I did have the money to pay for whatever I bought. Though, Sam didn't seem to care, having pushed my hand down and away from her line of sight.
"Son, do you even have a place to stay? If you do, then I'll be fine to let you pay, but if not please don't let me take your money."
Ugh, she's so nice it's actually crazy. Too nice for me to even be frustrated with her in anyway. Damn the quest for making me argue with this poor woman.
"Yes, I have a hotel room not too far from here, I promise that I have more than enough money to pay for a few weeks of rent and I have a pending job application at The Weapon Rosary. I'm shoe in, I know I was good enough to be brought under her wing."
And I most likely was, even if I was still waiting for her to message or call me and tell me I was accepted. I made those damn bits perfectly.
'Ah, I probably should've asked Brigid what the pay would be like. Hopefully it isn't by commission, I'd probably sink rather than swim in that case.'
"Okay, then. Let's get you fitted, son."
The woman, Sam, dragged me around for about forty minutes, she proposed a dozen or so outfits, all of which I carried to the register. And with only an hour and nineteen minutes on the clock, I had spent.... a little over four thousand lien. Fuck me. Buying seven pairs of shoes, eighteen shirts, fourteen pairs of pants, four hats, twelve pairs of silk boxers, three pairs of glasses, a watch (I don't even wear watches it was just an expensive watch that would help me get to the goal sooner.), two necklaces, two eight packs of socks, a backpack, and even some dumb comb. I had spent only a fifth of the amount I was supposed to spend in almost half the time provided.
Leaving the store, I had to think, where else could I go that could let me spend copious amounts of money? Given my new clothes, I probably looked a lot better than I had when I left the hotel. I was now wearing a black collar shirt with a red embroidery of whatever brand it was on the left pec, a small silver necklace, some dark blue jeans, and some basketball shoes.
Maybe... I got it! The Weapon Rosary! I can put a down payment on the sword, that would help prove I was serious about buying it. And I can spend the remaining sixteen-thousand, because there is no way I'm gonna be able to spend it on a bunch of miscellaneous doo-dads across multiple stores when I had only...
[1:19:01]
'Well, actually. I still have a decent amount of time. I could probably spend a bit more at other places, I do need some stuff. Like, maybe some food. I'm feeling HUNGRY, bad.'
Which was weird. Wasn't hungry yesterday, not even a bit. Is this what the Game was preparing for after the tutorial? Like the game was less of a rewrite of reality and more just an expression of it? Now I can get hungry. What's next? Thirsty!?
Walking around Patch was still comforting, maybe slightly less so with all the people, if it wasn't for the damnable timer, I'd probably spend all day walking the streets, admiring the view, the spots, and all that jazz.
"What else should I buy?"
Wondering aloud was a bad habit of mine, one that goes way back, if I'm being honest. I'd always do it, even when I was a kid. But that's when all habits are formed.
'Agh! Off track!'
Shaking my head again, I tried to gather my thoughts. Armor, yeah, armor. That's what the quest wanted me to get. The faint cold of the beowulfs' claws covered my chest, my palm pressing against where they punctured through my chest. Those new scars feeling itchy, not too dissimilar to the feeling of fleas jumping under my skin.
"Some armor would do me some good."
Fuck me, that was only last night... I nearly died. My breath came out it shallow breaths, and I could feel my pupils dilate.
[Gamer's Mind has canceled out: Psychotic Break]
And just as soon as I lost my cool, a calm wave of what felt like a warm hug washed over me. My breathing steadied once more, my posture relaxed, and I could think clearly.
"Armor. Where can I get armor?"
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Perspective change: 3rd person
(A/N: I learned recently I prefer writing like this, expect much more 3rd person writing from here on out)
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Lautrec walked along the street, passing by the seas of nameless faces in Patch. With only an hour and a little over a dozen minutes, confidence wasn't at an all time high, but with a plan such as the one he had come up with, the young hunter was sure enough to continue on. There were many times in his very short stay on Remnant where he wasn't sure, fighting Grimm, talking to Yang, even getting a job funnily enough. All moments where Lautrec felt compelled to do something that he hadn't wanted to, but that worked to benefit him nonetheless.
One of those benefits was the fact he could waltz into The Weapon Rosary without hesitation, to speak to Brigid. The chime of a bell lightly rang out in the wooden building as Lautrec walked inside, a breath of clean wooden air and smokey charcoal like scent were exceptionally prevalent in the building. A thing Lautrec considered one of the charms to it. Sure, it might not have been professional, but it made the forgery seem all the more legit. Which it was, of course.
Just like last time, the sound of Brigid's rough and gravel like voice made itself known before she made an appearance. And just like last time, it was still a surprise to be reminded just how tall she was. Giant of a woman she was, had to hunch down to get in and out of the back forge.
"Hello! Welcome in, if you're here to apply for a job, you're out of luck. I just selected a candidate to... Ah! Lautrec, perfect timing, I was just talking about you."
She quickly took off her goggles before grabbing a towel to wipe her face, the soot and ash of flame having left many splotches on her face.
"You were?"
Lautrec paused, wondering what she meant. He walked over, producing a water bottle from nowhere and offering it to the dust-covered woman who took it with a hearty smile, pouring its contents on her face to help her wipe the ash off.
"Yep! You're in luck, the client was so pleased with how perfect those parts you made came out that they left you a little tip. Nothing too crazy, but an extra hundred lien goes a long way if you keep that consistency."
She reached into her pocket, producing a single card of one hundred lien, pushing it into Lautrec's hands.
"Actually, she's just in the back, currently looking at the forge. She was in love, I tell you. The girl has a real talent too. Hope you don't mind, but she'll be working with you."
He nodded, showing that he understood. He found his eyes looked to the back, attempting to peer inside to figure out who it was.
"Can I meet them? Just to get a feel before we actually start working together?"
Brigid nodded, leaning down once more to get into the back. Once she entered, the woman motioned for Lautrec to follow her in.
"Oi, Rose, here's your smith-in-arms. Hope you will get along."
Once Lautrec entered the room, his eyes locked onto the girl next to the Forge, low and behold, one Ruby "Crater Face" Rose.
"Lautrec!?"
"Ruby?"
"What are you doing here?"
Her squeaky voice was a stark contrast to Brigids', nearly a complete one-eighty. Her volume was also a bit much from the gate, causing Lautrec to squint slightly before looking to her a bit more relaxed.
"I work here, got the job yesterday. Isn't that great? I was meaning to message you and your sister later."
That particular sentence raised the eyebrow of Brigid, though she remained silent and watched the exchange. It was a lucky pull that they happened to know each other, to what extent she couldn't tell. Her eyes flickered between her two students and workers, appreciating that they weren't being awkward at least.
"Can I assume the two of you will be fine working with one another? A proper blacksmith needs to be able to work with their team to move efficiently."
The two nodded, both seemingly happy with each other. Lautrec offered the younger girl a fist bump and smile, which she happily accepted. His eyes looking back to Brigid.
"Yeah, we're happy. Actually, I came to ask about a few things."
"Shoot then, L."
"I wanted to ask, is there anyway I can put a down payment on the Nights' Edge? And maybe browse through some armor, I've been needing some better equipment for hunting than just a big sword or dagger."
Brigid's brow furrowed while Ruby looked surprised, the younger girl found herself tapping his shoulder rapidly
"You didn't say you were a huntsman yesterday! My dad's a huntsman, and my uncle! Everyone in my family is, it's soon cool. You said your weapon was a sword, can I see?"
Her eyes glowed, whether that was from the fact they were magically imbued eyes or not was up in the air, her smile was shining brightly as she looked up to Lautrec, wanting to hear more.
"Um, I mean, it's a recent development. I had a small adventure outside the walls, nothing crazy. A few Creeps and a Beowulf. It was really fun, in all honesty, I'd never had the chance to go hunting before."
The short answer pleased Ruby enough, given she settled down slightly and looked a bit more calm, if a bit happy to hear the approval of his experience.
"Lautrec, how much of a down-payment are you talking?"
Brigids voice echoed out, a bit melancholy at the idea of actually giving up the sword.
"And you said armor? You sure you have the funds?"
"Yeah, Brigid, I wanted to put down like... say... fifteen-thousand lien? Would that be enough. I have six thousand more for armor. Preferably something for my upper body."
The woman whistled, surprised by the amount. Taking a breath, she clapped her hands and walked the shelf where the Godly True Nights' Edge hung. Carefully, she grabbed the damaged blade, and took it down.
"Alright, here. One 'Nights Edge' for you, and fifteen-thousand lien for me. Fair enough trade. For now."
Brigid held out the sword in one hand, the other waiting for him to hand her the money.
Lien: [21008L] - [15000L]
Lien remaining: [6008L] !
He winced slightly, seeing how big of a dip his funds took, and how much more they were going to take today given his need for armor. But once his hand wrapped around the blades pommel, it was worth it.
_____________________________________________
[Godly True Nights' Edge *]
[Type Damage: Slashing, Magic, Corruption]
[Legendary Perk(s): Mending, Soul Rend, Vampirism]
[Abilities: Corrupted Whirlwind, Shadow Bite, Shadow Slash.]
[Affinity(s): Soul Magic [Up to Level 15], Shadow Magic [Up to Level 30], Void Magic [Up to [MAX] Level]]
Buff(s): Godly Rank, Blessing of Ebreitas
Debuff(s): Fractured [35% less effective than usual], Corrupted [Immunity due to [Gamers' Mind]], Unrestrained Power
_____________________________________________
"It'll be a shame to see it go, it was a hall mark of my forge. Even broken as it is, still a thing of beauty."
The tall woman sighed once more, a melancholic look on her face as she let go of the sword completely, letting it rest in the awestruck hands of Lautrec.
"If you'll come with me, you can look at some armors. There might be one you'll find interesting. And I'll get you a sheathe for that blade."
She walked away, crouching through the door and entering the front of the building. Lautrec was still entranced by the blade, his fingers tracing every crack and fracture. At every touch, the broken blade seemed to dimly glow a neon green. Thoughts shot out from his mind, wondering if he could just put a little bit of Mana into the blade, would it glow brighter?
Before he could test his theory, Ruby tapped his arm once more, the young girl also intrigued by the blade.
"Woah... you called her the Nights' Edge? Is that gonna be her name?"
Her childish voice came out in hushed whispers, the exotic purple metal of the Nights' Edge was her current micro-obsession. Lautrec nodded, bringing the weapon closer to her.
"Yeah, isn't it beautiful? I knew there was something special about it the very second I walked into this forge." He explained, still admiring the blade while looking to Ruby every few seconds. "Thirty thousand is more than a fair trade for this sword. I'm certain of it."
"It's kind of emo."
"What?"
"Nights Edge. That sounds pretty emo. Can I hold her?"
Ruby held her hands out, looking to Lautrec with her shiny silver eyes. The boy rolled his eyes, pushing the blade into her awaiting palms.
"It's not emo. It's edgy."
He smirked to the younger girl, the pun was unmistakable. Ruby pouted at it, having to deal with Yang was already enough of those.
"Ugh, bad puns. Is it contagious?" Ruby paused, thinking over her words. "GASP, WHAT IF THEY'RE CONTAGIOUS!?"
With Lautrec's newly acquired sword in hand, she sped to the other side of the room, biting her nails.
"Ruby! It wasn't even that bad, relax!"
"No! It starts out with dumb ones like that, then you start laughing at dad jokes, then you begin talking like a typical valean white man, then you start making puns every second." She pushed up her imaginary glasses before pointing to Lautrec. "I've seen it all before."
"In who? Yang?" Lautrec rolled his eyes, smiling at the banter. "She talks normal, doesn't she?"
"Only in public, at home she's all like, 'won't you be a dear and pass me my cellular device?' It's not funny, it's dastardly!" Ruby walked forward, handing the Nights' Edge back to him.
"Oi! You said you wanted armor, come out and buy some, I've set it up for ya!" Brigid yelled from the front, prompting Lautrec to walk out and Ruby to follow.
The counter Brigid stood over had several chest pieces, most of which looked pretty standard pieces of armor. Think of iron armor or nordic armor from Skyrim. Pretty basic stuff, but it'd be helpful. She had a few bracers on a side table, most of which looked, at risk of sounding like a broken record, very standard. But there was one piece of armor that stood out, a slight yellow glow outlining it. Lautrec's eyes locked on it, squinting slightly to [Observe] it.
[Lone Wanderer's Steel Bracers*]
[Legendary Perk: When you are near death, time slows by 70% for 20 seconds. (Five minute cooldown)]
"What's the going price on those?"
Brigid looked over to where Lautrec was looking, seeing the bracers. She nodded, approving of the choice. "Well, those there, a fine piece of work. Not to toot my own horn, of course. I'll say.... two grand. Those bracers are some of my best work."
Lautrec nodded, already reaching for the money.
Lien: [6008L] - [2000L]
Lien: [4008L] remaining!
"Thanks, again, Brigid. This is a huge help."
_____________________________________________
[Quest Complete!]
[Paint the Town: Shopping Spree!]
Objectives: Spend L20,000 within two hours of shopping on Clothes, Armor, Workout gear, and other Miscellaneous items
Rewards: Fractured Godly True Night's Edge, Lone Wanderer's Steel Bracers, 1 Perk Point, 500xp
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
[Quest Updated: The Tyro Trio!]
Objective: Walk Ruby back to her house, meet with Yang and Taiyang
Rewards: EXP, 20 Stat Points, L1500, ?, ?
_____________________________________________
The three exchanged goodbyes and thanks, Ruby and Lautrec walked put from the store not too long after he had purchased his items, the steel bracers being worn on his wrists. On his back, the faintly glowing purple sword hung in a loose sheathe.
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POV Shift: 1st Person (Lautrec)
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Sooooooo, what actually went down on your hunt?"
With the two of us walking together, it was only natural we started talking. It was slightly awkward, given Ruby was around five foot and I was six feet and four or so inches tall. I lowered my gaze, meeting her own curious eyes.
"What do you mean?"
She laughed, looking at me like I was silly. Her hand covering her mouth while laughing.
"Well, obviously something happened. Why else would you be getting new armor and a new weapon? Was there some super bad Grimm around, did it break your weapon?"
"Ah, no. Nothing like that. It's just... well, complicated? I don't really want to think back to it if I'm being honest, Ruby."
I lifted my hand, pushing against my face and scratching the smooth skin of my cheek. The image of a beowulf carving his chest was still ripe in his mind. And even if it couldn't drive him crazy, or give him PTSD because of [Gamer's Mind], it didn't make the image any less terrifying to remember.
"Awww, come on! You can tell me, I love stories! My Uncle always tell me what happens on their missions."
'Ugh, her pleading eyes are actually really adorable.'
The desire to share with her my experience was great, to bemoan the tale of me nearly dying and profess that she helped get it off my shoulders afterwards. But I couldn't.
It'd be impossible to explain. 'How'd you survive, Lautrec?' She'd ask, and then I'd have to tell her all about the [The Game] or make up a supposed healing semblance or something which is something I don't have any access to at all. So, relying on charisma, luck, and the goodwill I hopefully built with Ruby over our... two meetings. I lied.
"Well, I guess I could tell you a bit. You plan on being a hunter too, right?"
He looked over, hunching down to be slightly more on Ruby's level, smiling slightly. She nodded, her pleading look already trashed and instead a shine of excitement in her eyes as she waited for me to continue.
"Well, it all started the night after I met you and Yang at the gym. I'm very new to Patch, so I needed a place to stay, and with only a bit of lien to my name. I wandered around, meandered for a small while, bumped into a few random who gave me some advice for where I could sleep for the night."
"Ahh! Boooring! Get to the good bits!"
"Fine, fine. I went out past the walls, into the forest and actually had a really easy fight against a Creep. You know, those two-legged things with a fat tail?"
She nodded, likely recalling whatever curriculum she was made to learn about Grimm in Signal.
"Yeah, that thing was really easy. I actually acted as El Matador for a bit, letting it charge at me so I could dodge to the side at the last second, just barely letting the Grimm whiz right by me. That part was the fun bit of the night."
Ruby's head titled to the side as I spoke, her hand gently grabbing her chin and her brow furrowing.
"El Matador? What's that?"
This time, it was his turn to look confused. And it took an embarrassing amount of time before he realized why she didn't know, because Spain wasn't a place on Remnant.
"Aha! Sorry, its something I came up with awhile back when I was younger. It's like a bull fighter, someone who dances around a charging bull and stuff."
Despite the concept being foreign to her, she nodded slowly as the cogs in her mind slowly turned in her head.
"Anyway, it's unimportant! The reason why I came here today was because of what happened after. I ran into a really big beowulf, Rudy the Cow Killer. The monster was like seven or eight feet tall, covered in bone plated armor, and, worst of all, was somewhat intelligent."
Pausing for dramatic effect, he looked to Ruby as she made an 'o' face, enthralled by the the idea.
"I know, right!? My first hunt and I run into the deadliest Grimm on Patch! Can you imagine that?"
Her locks shook as she turned her head side to side at an alarming speed.
"What happened after that, Lautrec!?"
She grabbed his arm, shaking it back and forth as she excitedly smiled and demanded he continue. The look in those silver eyes brimming with anticipation caused him to smile widely and continue.
"So there I was, Ruby, in the dead of night. A small clearing of that dark and eerie forest, the shattered moon looming over me as if judging my every step. The world watched as I marched confidently into the Beowulf's territory, ignorantly and arrogantly. What I believed to be an easy hunt quickly shifted into a battle for the ages as a screeching howl pierced the night!"
He threw his hand to the side dramatically, speaking with a flamboyant flare as he embellished last night's tale for the young and aspiring huntress hanging off his arm. Her beaming eyes enough reason for him to keep spouting nonsense
"As quickly as I could react, I spun on my heel and faced it down as the Beowulf lunged from out beneath the shadowy brambles. I will be the first to say, it's shameful that Rudy managed to score the first blow. The beowulf lunged too fast for me to dodge, it's speed matched the light itself as it's arms dug into my sides and bit into my shoulder."
Ruby gasped, one of her hands coming up to her mouth, her eyes quickly trailed over both of Lautrec's shoulders. There was obviously not any missing chunks from them.
"But it couldn't get passed my aura that fast, and using my trusty knife, I slashed the beast what must've been a dozen times and then kicked it off of me so I could roll to safety. Me and the beast eyed each other before we charged, slamming my steel greatsword against his plated-bone. And while we had that clash, I dropped my sword and gave the beast the slip. I embedded my dagger into its jaw and slammed my fists into its chest to create distance. And the next part? Absolutely perfection, cause while Rudy was off balance, I grabbed my greatsword and swung with a speed he couldn't hope to react to. The poor sap was slashed in two, and that was all she wrote."
Lautrec took measures to embellish the story, not wanting Ruby nor anyone else to know he had nearly died in those woods to that beowulf. No one had to know. No one other than him. And it seemed Ruby enjoyed it, given how she excitedly began asking rapid fire questions about both the encounter, what he did after, and his two weapons. It was honestly very endearing, the two had made fast friends, and found dozens of things to talk about regarding Grimm, comics, and smithing.
For the rest of the twenty minute walk, Lautrec and Ruby just talked enjoying one another's company. The more mature Lautrec giving insights to books and fighting Grimm while Ruby took lead in any discussion they had regarding smithing.
Though, it wasn't long before they made it to their stop, the Xiao-Long Residence.
"Oh, Lautrec! I totally forgot, but Dad was gonna take me and Yang outside the walls today, you should join us. You can be a cool guide out there!"
Ruby said, excitedly as she suddenly remembered her plans for the day.
"Firstly, it's 'Yang and I'. Second, I'm not sure if I'd be a better guide than a proper huntsman out there in the wilderness, my skills have only been tested a few times and I'm barely killing Grimm as is."
"All the more reason to join us, us three can be a... a uh... a dynamic... trio. We can get better together, is what I'm, um, saying. We can all hang out, it'll be fun!"
He wouldn't admit it, but he found it funny how she sometimes stumbled over her words. It was... cute. In a way. Like a cat missing a jump or a dog falling over their own paws. A silly, whimsical little thing. Silly goose type of cute.
"Sure, if your dad is okay with it."
"Ah, he should. He's kinda over protective though, and probably might sorta interrogate you?"
_____________________________________________
[Quest Created: Survive the Onslaught]
Objective: Pass Taiyang Xiao-Long's initiation
Bonus Objective: Land at least five hits on Taiyang
Rewards: EXP, 5 stat points, 100L, +1 Perk Point
Bonus Rewards: Blessed Dew Talisman, EXP, 5 Stat Points
_____________________________________________
"Hm? What is it Lautrec?"
Her question rang out as I paled rapidly.
[OST - "Flamelurker" by SIE Sound Team]
The tree behind me shook, and I spun around while summoning my greatsword and using the flatside to catch whatever blow was coming at me. The force of the blow nearly snapped my arms, though I was lucky it only launched me through a singular tree my body embedding itself into the second tree, my aura nearly shattered instantly.
[AP: 119/450
MP: 4000/4000]
I looked down at my sword, a spiderweb of cracks and the sword itself bent at nearly a thirty degree angle.
"Ruby! You didn't say you were bringing company over, I almost took his head off! If I didn't pull my punch back, he'd have been old news."
The undeniable voice of Chruch, sorry, Taiyang sounded out. His words lightly echoing in the foresty area. Fuck, my sword was way too damaged to use now. The fucker really screwed me over badly.
"Dad! You can't beat up my friends!"
Ruby had said that, but when Lautrec looked up to see his opponent, Taiyang held a cocky smirk and cracked his knuckles. Yeah, he saw the resemblance in him and Yang. They were both cocky pricks who, unfortunately, could back up their talk word for word.
_____________________________________________
[Name: Taiyang Xiao-Long]
Titles: The Dragon of Patch,
LVL 181
AP: 50000/50000
Notable Features:
[Herculean Gene]
Being born lucky is a thing, and Taiyang certainly was. Born with exceptional strength and constant growth in regards to it.
[Twice-Critical]
Due to Mastery over Hand-To-Hand combat, there is a 10% chance of a hit to do double damage.
[Damage Negation]
Due to Mastery over [Aura Control], one in fifteen hits will be negated by anywhere between 30% and 90%
[Larger Aura Pool]
Aura pool naturally 15% larger
[Debuff(s):]
[Inactivity]
Taiyang, due to many years of not training properly and not sharpening his skills, has -60% in all physical stats and -25% in all intellectual stats
_____________________________________________
Okay. This was... kind of winnable. Well, not winnable winnable. But I could probably land a few hits if I was lucky enough. Wink. My legs pushed me back to my feet and my eyes narrowed as he took a step forward.
"So! You're the... boy I've been hearing about. Lautrec was it?"
"Yeah. I am. And you must be their Dad. Do you plan on trying to intimidate me or something? I'm not dating Yang, sir."
Taiyang's eyes narrowed further.
"And definitely not Ruby either! She's WAY too young, I like them older!"
The older man snorted and shook his head before a golden flame enveloped his arms. The aura was nearly blinding, the bright gold slowly formed into twin Neamen Cestus. And at my shocked expression, he laughed.
Plan, plan, plan. I need a plan. Big Sword is a no-go, way too damaged. Nights Edge, also way too damaged and also a few debuffs that are too unknown right now to risk, like Corruption and Unrestrained Power. But it also has Mending, so maybe.
So all I have is a dagger and my pretty good striking and decent wrestling against his fucking God of War gauntlets, his mastered Hand-To-Hand, and also his ginormous Aura Pool.
"Fucking hell man. This isn't winnable at all."
Those mumbles were the last words spoken between us as he rushed forward. And when I say rushed, I mean RUSHED. I never understood what it meant when people talked about speed-blitzing. Like when someone is so fast its impossible or nearly impossible for the other person to react. That moment, I learned. The ONLY reason I could dodge was because of [Flash Step]. One second he was there, the next his fist had pierced through my after-images' chest.
"Hah! You're fast!"
He said, a genuine smile on his face as he reset his stance. I didn't allow that, I used [Flash Step] once more, slamming my knee into his abdomen before he could react. My hands wrapped around the back of his head, entering a Thai clinch.
Though that was absolutely a mistake, as his next attack, a swift uppercut, caught me in the side and forced me to let go and scowl. The short blow broke through my aura and definitely cracked a rib.
And to make matters worse, despite his debuff he was still far from even a winnable fight for me as his other hand came over mine and his fist slammed straight against my cheek, snapping my head to the side a flinging me off of him.
[Lone Wanderer's Time Slow Activated!]
[Inflicted: Brain Bleed, Broken Orbital, Punctured lung, Broken Neck!]
[Hey, dude, you kinda gotta lock in here or else you will die. I'll make sure you get enough XP to Level up at least once, but depending on how much damage you deal to him during these next moments I'll give you xp based on that.]
'Fuck it. I'm gonna use the Nights Edge. I'm not winning unless I do.'
His mind made up, he reached into the sheathe and grabbed the blade
_____________________________________________
[Godly True Nights' Edge *]
[Type Damage: Slashing, Magic, Corruption]
[Legendary Perk(s): Mending, Soul Rend, Vampirism]
[Abilities: Corrupted Whirlwind, Shadow Bite, Shadow Slash.]
[Affinity(s): Soul Magic [Up to Level 15], Shadow Magic [Up to Level 30], Void Magic [Up to [MAX] Level]]
Buff(s): Godly Rank, Blessing of Ebreitas
Debuff(s): Fractured [35% less effective than usual], Corrupted [Immunity due to [Gamers' Mind]], Unrestrained Power
_____________________________________________
While he hadn't even the slightest clue how to even use the sword, he knew one thing. Unrestrained Power and a shit load of Mana would probably make a good combo for dealing damage. So without another thought, he flooded all of his Mana into the blade and swung it at Taiyang. Just like in the game, a spiraling green blade made of pure Mana shot at his opponent, slashing him a dozen times as the magic blade spun against him.
[-23000 Aura!]
With all of his MP spent, he ran at Taiyang on foot, and began trading with him. Taiyang, even having a 60% debuff on physicality and a 70% time slow on top of that, was still more than fast enough to keep up with Lautrec. Every swing of the Night's Edge was matched by a punch that cracked bone. But I WAS giving much more than I was taking. I could roll with the hits better, so I wasn't dying with every hit like I would be without the [Time Slow].
At near the 12 second mark of [Time Slow] being active, Taiyang dodge back and created distance and I allowed it given how damaged I was I took the moment to let [Gamer's Body] help me recover my breath. Popping [Observe] once more, I looked over his stat sheet.
_____________________________________________
[Name: Taiyang Xiao-Long
LVL 181
AP: 12867/50000
MP: 0/0
Debuff(s): [Inactivity]
Ailments: [Corruption (100 aura/sec)], [Vampirism(draining 200 aura/sec until you're full)], [Soul Rend(Fractured Godly True Night's Edge is draining half of [Vampirism] into itself until it is repaired)]]
_____________________________________________
'Holy shit. This sword is busted. Even if I were to hit him quadruple the amount of times with my normal greatsword, I'd have NEVER done this much damage. And these Gauntlets!? They are SO BROKEN'
My smirk was wide, I COULD win, I could WIN. So I rushed at him this time, taking advantage of how I was almost fully healed and how surprised he was, I charged head first at him and swung the pommel of my sword against his chest before slashing down with all my might onto his shoulder.
[-950 Aura!]
950 aura points that the sword gobbled up and fed me half, fueling my onslaught. More and more strikes started adding up against him, more and more time of Vampirism and Mending and Corruption worked against him. Even as my clock ticked down, I continued. I WANTED to break his Aura so bad. It'd be a moral victory for me.
But it wasn't meant to be.
At the peak of "Flamelurker" Taiyang decided it was time to stop fucking around and hit me. Full force. I don't remember it, if I'm being honest. One second he had 800 aura left and I was going for another slash, the next second I was launched through several trees and was looking up at the sky.
[Lone Wanderer's Time Slow deactivated]
_____________________________________________
Name: Lautrec Griscern
Title: The Fool
Level: 50
Aura: 0/750
Mana: 0/4000
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
[Quest Completed: Survive the Onslaught]
Objective: Pass Taiyang Xiao-Long's initiation
Bonus Objective: Land at least fifteen hits on Taiyang
Rewards: EXP, 5 stat points, 100L, +1 Perk Point
Bonus Rewards: Blessed Dew Talisman, EXP, 5 Stat Points
Secret Objective: Break Taiyangs Aura
Rewards: Grafted Dragon, EXP, 3 Hallowed Bars, Greatly Increased Rep with Taiyang
_____________________________________________
"You know, kid, that wasn't a bad fight. That aura trick with the glowing spiral sword or whatever was crazy!"
'Fucking blonde bastards, they are too much man.' I thought, breathing out and letting my head hit the forest floor.