Walter managed to get the ship over to me the day after our little exchange, which I appreciated. I still had plenty of time to get things done, but the more time I had the better. The rest of the day was spent letting my more seafaring minions get acquainted with the ship itself while I had the manual that came with the ship copied a few times. One for me to absorb, got myself a Sea Vessel Mastery skill there, and plenty of backups placed in different areas of the ship. Just in case.
Things were quiet for the rest of the day and I decided to give most of my men the day off thanks to the success of my bank robbery the previous night. The entire day following my robbery had the news networks blown up with activity and my hasty spray painted calling card was spread all over Remnant's equivalent of the internet. My bounty even increased by twenty thousand.
I felt a good deal of pride in that.
The next day had come around pretty quickly, and I decided we should leave during the day after everyone I was going to bring along had enough rest. I stood at the pier and watched as some various cargo and empty wooden boxes (You never know when you'll need them, though I questioned the choice in the material) were being loaded into the ship as a couple of my men were hanging off the side of it and painting a new name over the old. I pulled the cigar from my lips and blew smoke into the air.
"Jerry, while I'm gone I'll be leaving around twenty men with you to guard the warehouse," I stated as I continued to watch some last minute cargo being loaded.
"Alright boss, anything else you need us to do while you're away doin'... whatever?"
I hummed in thought as I tapped my cane rhythmically on the ground, I shrugged as I glanced back at Jerry, "Keep constant combat practice going on, you guys really need it. Also, try and not draw any attention to yourselves, you won't have enough men to protect yourselves and the warehouse for long while I'm in Vacuo with the rest. That means laying low and no robberies unless you are one hundred percent certain it won't draw unnecessary attention, with no room for error."
Jerry nodded and saluted, "Aye boss, I'll have all of us trained up in no time and I'll be sure to keep us on the down low."
I nodded and turned back to the ship just as the last bit of cargo was loaded. I took off my bowler hat and stuffed it into my inventory, taking out a captain's hat in its place. Probably shouldn't use my abilities so openly, but Jerry didn't seem to care, or rather he's not paid enough to care. I placed the new hat gently on my head and started forward, "I'm off Jerry, you know what to do."
With that, the two of us parted ways, and I silently wished Jerry the best of luck knowing that there was a vengeful cop on the loose in the city.
Day one aboard the SS Dashing Rogue.
We left port and began our journey across the sea and I admit I was a little excited.
I stood on the bridge of the ship as my seafaring men moved around to do various important things that I didn't really care about. There honestly wasn't much to do at this point as my henchmen were handling the driving of the ship well enough for me to just stand around. For some strange reason, I was also still gaining experience in my new Sea Vessel Mastery skill despite not doing anything. Maybe it was because I was technically the Captain?
"How long until we reach Vacuo?" I asked one of my men.
"Should be about a week boss," he replied. I gave him a nod and he dismissed himself to go do something useful. A week on this ship...
I pulled out my scroll and glanced at the signal bar. "No signal, figures. We probably just left Vale's CCT range," I thought to myself, putting the small device away. Guess I won't be playing any online scroll games for a while, a shame.
There has to be something I can do around here…
Day two aboard the SS Dashing Rogue.
There's nothing to do around here and I can only practice my skills for so long before I just want to jump off this ship in boredom. I haven't even gained a level in anything yet.
Perhaps I should've packed a book…
Day three aboard the SS Dashing Rogue.
"So," I attempted to start a conversation with one of my underlings who was sitting on the bridge turning knobs and pushing buttons. "Anything new in your life recently?"
"Not really, just been doing some generic work around here," he replied.
"I see…" I trailed off, seems this venture wasn't bearing any fruit.
"I do have this weird rash on the underside of my-"
I placed a finger over his mouth and shushed him, "Let's have you keep that to yourself."
He seemed to understand and nodded and went back to work. This was awkward.
Day four aboard the SS Dashing Rogue.
"Ka-"
It was late at night and I was the only one awake on the ship right now, staring out at the deep salty sea surrounding the boat.
"Me-"
I was attempting to recreate a move I've always wanted to try.
"Ha-Me-"
I didn't know if this would even work. But I felt that it was my solemn duty to at least try, lest it plague me for the rest of my days. Or until I forget about it and remember to try it at a much later date.
I tensed my body as I continued to channel my Aura into my new attack, ready to unleash it on the final stretch of the technique. I thrust my hands out, one up and one down, both looking like claws. A wave crashed upward dramatically, spraying me slightly with sea water.
"Haaaa!"
My arms were outstretched and I released the energy I was holding back into one single attack.
Poof!
A tiny amount of smoke gently poofed from my hands.
You can not learn this skill!
300 INT required!
150 WIS required!
"Damn," I muttered to myself, dismissing the blue pop up. I wasn't too disappointed, however, the message gave me hope that I can learn the skill in the future. It might take a while, but I was confident I can get the stats required. The wait would make it all that much sweeter when I finally reach that point.
In any case, I took out my scroll and typed the numbers needed for the Kamehameha wave into a note on my scroll. I can work out how many levels I'll need to gain before I can learn it later.
Right now I need to see if I can become invisible, or at least go chameleon.
Day five aboard the SS Dashing Rogue.
After last night's various attempts to create an invisible skill I finally succeeded. Sort of.
Turns out total invisibility was beyond my ability to create at this point in time. But, during my many attempts, I did manage to accidentally make myself go chameleon a little bit. So it wasn't all bad. The new skill didn't let me go invisible, it just let me blend in with the background. It was expected, of course, so I wasn't mad. The chameleon probably wouldn't pass by unnoticed by anyone experienced at a close distance, but in the cover of night, it should be perfect. Unless the person I was hiding from was a Faunus.
The skill was pretty Aura intensive too, perfect for training.
[Chameleon Lv3 EXP:23.8%]
Allows the caster to blend into the background mostly unseen. Works best at night or at a bit of a distance, the closer a hostile is to your location the easier it is to be seen. The higher level the skill, the harder it becomes to be seen and the less damage moving will do to the camouflage.
Cost: 300 MP/Minute
I was happy after learning the skill and getting it up to level three. Despite how easy it was to level, it didn't seem to be as slow as Aura or Summon Elemental. Not that I was complaining or anything, I firmly believe that I deserved a break every once in awhile. So today was looking up and nothing can ruin that for me.
[You have come across a random encounter while at sea!]
"Grimm! Grimm coming from starboard!" One of my men down on the deck screamed, waving his arms in the air to try and catch our attention.
My eyes widened in surprise as I read the text on the mockingly blue box and I rushed to the window to get a better look at what my minion was yelling about, a rather large shadow was making fast pace toward us. I tsked in annoyance and turned to my men in the bridge, "Get the guns ready and fire on will!"
"I really should not have tempted fate…" I muttered to myself as my men quickly went to work, one of them activating the ship's alarm. None of them wanted to die out in the middle of the sea, I entirely agreed with the sentiment.
As the Grimm got closer to the boat, and the shadow got a little bigger, I jumped out the nearest open window that was more than big enough to fit through. I yanked out Melodic Cudgel from my inventory as I fell to the deck, making sure to keep a hand on my hat lest it fall off.
"Get ready!" I shouted at my minions who were rushing around on the deck to get to any sort of cover they could find. Most pulled out some sort of pistol or machine gun, a good thing because I was one hundred percent positive that they couldn't handle this thing in melee range, and ducked behind some crates or random barrels.
Just as my minions finished arming themselves the Grimm finally made itself known, with many small explosions of seawater pitch black bodies shot out of the water like they were launched from cannons. I stumbled back in surprise as I expected a large, singular Grimm to attack, barely managing to lean to my left and dodge one of the black missiles. As it passed by I got a good look at it, the closest animal that the Grimm attacking us reminded me of was a piranha mixed with a flying fish that was as long as my torso. Its face was a bone white plate, the eyes were the typical glowing red of the Grimm, and it had two small horns jutting out of its forehead.
The flying fish Grimm chomped the air where I was previously and flew off across the boat and back into the sea.
"Biters!" One of my men shouted at the others.
Now much more aware of what we were dealing with I was able to easily duck and move around the rather straightforward pattern of attack these Grimm seemed to have. I powered up a Power Strike and slammed my cane into one of the Biters, they weren't all that tough as that attack drained the Grimm of all its health. This species of Grimm must rely on an overwhelming amount of numbers to take out its prey.
My men were dealing with the attack in their own way, never keeping an open back and at least try and aim before firing. They managed to hit some of the Grimm so I decided they were doing a good enough job for now.
Tossing my cane up slightly I gripped it by the base and reeled it back like I was about to play baseball. I charged up a Far Strike with a little more power than usual and swung Melodic Cudgel in a nice horizontal arc, sending a wave of energy out that managed to cut a good number of Biters in half.
My sense danger skill went off and I ducked on instinct, one of the Grimm flew over my head as it tried to get me from behind. I growled in annoyance and launched my cane's hook at the flying Grimm. It caught the Grimm by its cheek and I reeled the evil fish in like a professional fisherman. When the Grimm finally got close enough I turned around and slammed the cane over my shoulder, putting the Grimm between me and the floor. The metal floor of the deck bent slightly, but the Biter was dead.
I sent another Far Strike out into the wave of Grimm, taking out at least ten.
I doubt that we could keep this up for long, I might be fine for the most part but my men were having some difficulty. Already I could see one or two knocked out, thankfully none of them seemed to be dead according to Observe. We need to find a way to kill most of the Grimm in one fell swoop or, lacking that capability, be able to kill a large number at a single time.
As luck might have it the guns on the front of the ship activated, swiveling on their base and pointing into the water. A loud boom shot from their barrels and the water where most of the swirling black bodies of the Biters still in the water exploded. I grinned and renewed my attacks with constant spamming of Far Strike, my men even gaining some more confidence with the main guns on the ship finally joining the battle.
Together we managed to keep the horde of flying death fish at bay and I let this battle be a learning experience for me when dealing with many multiple enemies at once as the Grimm still managed to latch onto me when my back was turned.
I grunted as one bothersome Biter managed to get ahold of my shoulder. "Persistent bastards," I said as I turned my head to the Biter chewing on my shoulder.
I observed the Grimm as I haven't done that yet.
[Wild Biter - Lv30]
A common species of aquatic Grimm that primarily dwells in the seas near Vacuo, though they have been known to roam the shores and waters of Mistral every now and then. They attack lone ships and use their sheer numbers to whittle down their prey's defenses before their Alpha finally makes an appearance. Aside from its alpha, this species of Grimm is not known for its ability to take punishment, but watch out for its bite.
HP: 300
MP: 0
STR: 60
VIT: 10
DEX: 120
INT: 2
WIS: 1
LUK: 5
Status: Grimm (Unable to have or use MP)
I hummed in thought as I casually brought up my cane and pointed the barrel at the Grimm's face. The shot from my weapon blew its head apart and the body fell to the deck, already beginning to dissolve. Thanks to its rather high for its level strength, as most of its stats were in dexterity presumably because its needs to move fast, the jaws of the Grimm managed to eat through a couple hundred points of my Aura. Despite its high dexterity it lacked the body type to make effective use of it outside of the water and only seemed to use it to propel itself faster, something I was happy to deal with in my own element.
[Aura has increased by 1 level!]
I should started battling with higher leveled Grimm and just let myself take punishment from them, Aura seems to level much faster when in combat with the Grimm. I shrugged and cracked my neck while I observed the battlefield going on around the deck and topped my aura off with an Aura Mend.
"We seem to be doing well enough," I thought to myself as I launched a few far strikes here and there to pick off any stragglers.
The waters off the side of the boat exploded once more, though it wasn't because of the ship's guns. A shadow fell over me and a few of my minions as a significantly larger Grimm jumped over the boat. My eyes widened considerably as I took in the size of the beast, it had to be three times my size in length and almost as wide as I was tall. It retained the basic look of the normal Biters but had segmented bone plating around its body, didn't seem to slow it down. I managed to snag it with an observe before it crashed back into the water.
[Alpha Biter - Lv 80]
The big boss of a school of Biter Grimm. Don't let the size of it fool you, these Grimm can be quite fast and can swallow a man whole in a single chomp. Their jaw strength alone can penetrate all but the toughest of armor, which makes them the sworn enemy of any submarine vessel that tries and invade their territory. They are much tougher than their basic counterparts.
HP: 10,000
MP: 0
STR: 150
VIT: 100
DEX: 320
INT: 30
WIS: 15
LUK: 20
Status: Grimm (Unable to have or use MP)
Shit, that is one big fishstick and those stats don't even add up to its level. Must mean that this Grimm, or maybe any Alpha in general, is supposed to be leagues above the normal rabble. Still, ten thousand health was a lot. Most of the lesser Biters were being picked off so I let my minions take care of them and I decided to give my full attention to the Alpha. I gripped Melodic Cudgel harder and kept my awareness up as I scanned the sea. Suddenly the water exploded on my left and the Alpha came straight at me.
I leapt to the side and smacked the side of the beast with a hasty Power Strike, the Grimm was heavy and I barely even budged it as it flew back into the sea.
[Alpha Biter's armor absorbed the attack!]
Damn… its armor actually does something. I needed something that can penetrate or bypass its armor. I glanced over at the ship's guns, they could work but they were too slow for such a fast target. With another burst of water, the Alpha leapt onto my boat and tried to gobble one of my men.
"Bind!"
With a thrust of my palm glowing chains shot out of my hand and wrapped themselves around the rotten piece of sushi, barely stopping my goon from becoming fish food. Wasting no time I quickly began firing my cane at the Grimm, the explosive rounds doing much better than smacking it with my cane. My men wasted no time gawking and turned their own guns on the Alpha, our combined attacks chipping its health away.
When its health dipped by a third the Alpha Biter let out a roar and jerked around hard enough to snap my spell off its body. Before I could cast another Bind spell on the Grimm it vanished over the edge of the ship and crashed back into the water.
"Is it gone?" Someone asked.
Before I could smack the guy for the stupid comment I felt the ship lurch and a bang ring from somewhere below the deck. "Fucking fish is ramming us!" I growled as I stumbled from one particularly strong one.
As I did not want my expensive boat to be sunk during the first time I rode on it, I rushed to the side of the ship and looked down, trying to spot any shadows. I was thankful that it was the middle of the day as I quickly spotted a large shadow moving around under the ship. Not wasting any time I jabbed my hand into my inventory and pulled out a few good sized chunks of some very high-quality lightning Dust I'd stolen from one of my earlier robberies. I infused them with my Aura and immediately fast balled them into the water.
I covered my eyes as a bright flash of electricity exploded where I assumed the Grimm to be, thankful that Remnant's modern sea ships were mostly shock-proof. I did not think the Grimm was dead, I wasn't nearly that optimistic.
When I looked back down at the water I was face-to-mask with the Alpha Biter as it shot out of the water. I swore to myself loudly as it slammed into me and sent me flying ass-backward into some crates. I knocked the storage boxes around like bowling pins as I groaned from the pain of my wounded pride. I heard a loud roar and glanced up to find the Alpha falling down from the sky at me like a large cruise missile as bullets bounced off its tough armor.
I rolled to the side and let the Grimm smack itself on the metal deck.
Quickly getting up I got a new look on the Alpha, it was much more damaged than I had given it to be. Its health bar showed it was barely clinging to life and it was bleeding the black smoke that all Grimm dissipate into. I didn't want to waste time and simply pointed Melodic Cudgel at its eye and fired. The round of my cane caved in its eye and made its head explode.
[Firearms Mastery increased by 1 level!]
When the Alpha finally died my men cheered in celebration as the minor Biters were already taken care of.
"Help whoever is knocked out and put the deck into some semblance of order," I ordered the nearest goon. "Then have fun for the rest of the day."
Perhaps a crime boss shouldn't be so nice and let his men party, but the Grimm were attracted to negative emotions and I figured letting small concessions here and there would be good to not attract them. Anyway, I decided to give myself a break and look to see if the Alpha gave me any loot.
I looked at the deck where the body was, trying to spot any loot that might have appeared as the body of the Alpha slowly disintegrated. I frowned as I didn't see anything. Then a blue box fizzled into view.
Congratulations!
You have completed your first random encounter and can now claim your prize from the loot window! Tap the "Accept Prize" button to claim it now!
This feels like one of those popup ads you get on a computer. Nevertheless, I tapped the accept button and the window fazed out and was replaced with a new blue screen.
You have claimed:
150 assorted Dust crystals
26 Biter fins
1 Eau De Grimm
Most of this wasn't anything extravagant, but that last item caught my attention. I stuffed my cane back into my inventory while searching through it to find this new item. I found it quickly enough and promptly pulled it out of my inventory. It was a little glass perfume bottle with a black little bulb you have to squeeze to spray it. Inside the bottle was a black liquid that slowly sloshed around like it was some kind of sludge. It made me queasy when I stared at it for too long so I shook my head and used Observe to see what all of this gave me.
[Eau De Grimm - Unique]
A bottle of very rare perfume worn by someone with a large standing within the creatures of Grimm. When sprayed on objects it releases ambient negative emotions into the air, making it easier and more likely for the Grimm to be attracted to that location. When sprayed on people without excellent control over their emotions or minds it makes them act and express their more negative emotions.
-Quality: Rare
-Current sprays left: 150
-Can be recharged by standing near negativity.
-Can be given as a gift to a certain individual to increase your relationship level, unlocks romance with that person.
That last bit… no, thank you. But I do have a good use for this thing, in fact, it makes my whole venture even easier.
After two more days of sailing, I finally made it to Vacuo, and I wasn't all that impressed.
(A/N) I'm still here, don't you worry.
Name: Roman Torchwick
Class: The Gamer
Level: 41 (Next Level: 30,560/85,100)
Title: Kingpin
Bounty: 58,000 Lien
HP: 2,764
MP: 5,391 [3,478 + 173.9(5%) + 1,739(50%)]
STR: 58.8 [Base 42 + 12.6(30%) + 4.2(10%)]
VIT: 71.4 [Base 51 + 15.3(30%) + 5.1(10%)]
DEX: 164 [Base 80 + 12(15%) + 24(30%) + 8(10%) + 40(50%)]
INT: 142.8 [Base 102 + 30.6(30%) + 10.2(10%)]
WIS: 56 [Base 40 + 12(30%) + 4(10%)]
LUK: 43
Elemental Affinity: Earth (10)
Attribute Points: 25
Lien: 2,418,690
Status Effects: Inactive Aura(Toggled Off)