Here's the chapter, it was supposed to be out yesterday, but I had to go out, buy things for the holiday (Easter Sunday, which is today), and ended up not being able to post it, but here it is!
As always, if you want to support me, or just read 3/7 chapters of my two stories, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T).
If not, I still appreciate you reading, thank you very much!
That said, have a good night and happy reading!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
Having my Aura unlocked was curious; at the same time, it was almost natural. It wasn't like when I acquired my spiritual energy or nightmare energy, something coming from outside, or even similar to when I realized I had mana, which theoretically had been part of me for some time.
Aura was gentler, as if it had always been there; I just couldn't use it. Aura was the manifestation of the soul, wasn't it?
Had I really gotten used to having a soul, hadn't I? My body, my being, had become accustomed to having a soul, something that was once unnatural.
Having my Aura unlocked wasn't just like "discovering" a new muscle or limb, but rather as if a chain that bound me had been broken... Loosened would be the right word here.
I could hear much more, see much more, feel much more than before. My senses were already excellent before, but now they were better... Much better, to the point where I needed to concentrate and focus to avoid sensory overload.
"Wait a minute, Ruby." I waved to the girl with the scythe and sat down. Ruby waved back, sitting next to me while yawning.
I wasted no time in closing my eyes to concentrate. I didn't want to go into my mental landscape but to "see" my soul, the changes in it.
It didn't take me even a second to do that, already accustomed to the "path." I didn't have to look for what change had occurred; it was clear and obvious, my soul now had "muscles."
With each new energy I acquired, my soul seemed to improve, copying my physical body and adapting in the best way it could.
My mana was the "heart" of my soul and its "veins."
My spiritual energy and nightmare energy were the "brain" of my soul, and the outline of what looked like "eyes."
These were the main "organs," with the others being auxiliary to these energies, but with the addition of Aura, unlocking it, my soul had gained "muscles."
For my soul, Aura was a barrier, an outline that mimicked the muscles of my body, not only protecting it but reinforcing everything else.
The "veins" had become more resistant, the "heart" stronger, the "brain" faster, the "eyes" sharper, everything had been improved, fortified.
I also noticed that just like my first racial trait, which had taken residence in the "brain" of my soul, my spiritual energy and nightmare energy, my second racial trait did the same, but with my Aura.
"Ironic..." Speaking inside my soul was strange. "...But it was obvious in a way."
It was obvious that this racial trait, if it were to do the same as the first, would choose the "muscles" as its home.
I suppressed the second racial trait as much as possible to avoid any misunderstanding or end up giving a heart attack to an old lady on the street.
When I need to use it, I'll use it; for now, it would only bring problems.
I spent a few minutes "looking" at my soul before coming out, but even when I did, I still kept my eyes closed, getting used to the changes in my body.
I didn't worry about being attacked during the time I was meditating; Ruby wouldn't attack me, that was certain, Tyrian could, but only if he woke up and managed to free himself, which was difficult.
As for the "crow," some time ago, the point on the minimap representing him had turned green, which was good, but that wasn't what made me unconcerned about being attacked; it was me meditating; I could feel everything around me.
I could hear the sound of the wind, the leaves rustling, Ruby's breathing, her tired yawns.
Smell the blood from Tyrian's tail being cut. Even taste the air around.
Even without my sight and with much of my concentration focused on meditation, ambushing me would be complicated if someone tried... And even if they passed by me, I still had my "Informant."
("All clear in the area, Lucy's companion, I'll stay on alert!") My schizophrenia could warn me of attacks, incredible, right?
Lucy was funny; at first, I hadn't gotten used to her presence, but I won't lie, this maniacal axe grew on me.
When I felt that I wouldn't suffer sensory overload and got used to the "upgrades" that unlocking my Aura gave me, I opened my eyes.
"All good. Sorry for the delay." I apologized as I stood up. I'll see how much stronger I had become later; for now, I had company.
Ruby waved, barely seeming able to stay awake. She said she had been fighting since dawn, didn't she? She must be tired, especially after unlocking my Aura.
I didn't know how it affected her, but it seemed to take away the little energy she had... Well, that and running while escaping with Lucy.
"Get some sleep; I'll wake you up when the others show up." I didn't wait for a response and pulled a bed, blanket, and pillow from the VoidBag.
Ruby looked at the items that appeared next to her, half asleep and half confused.
"But I want to talk..." Ruby said with a dragging voice. "I don't want to sleep; I still want to show you the school's blacksmith shop..." She could barely keep her eyes open. "I also need to take a shower..."
"We can talk when you're not sleeping." I commented playfully. Even with my improved sense of smell, Ruby didn't smell bad.
Sure, she still had the scent of sweat, dirt, dust, but for some reason, she also exuded the smell of rose petals, a scent that covered the others, not making her stink.
Why the hell did this happen, I had no idea. Probably something related to her Semblance, which I also didn't know why it left rose petals whenever she used it.
"Here, sleep." I put my hand on her shoulder and gently guided her to the bed. "As I said before, I'll wake you up; don't worry." My second confirmation that I would wake her up seemed to be enough for Ruby to give up staying awake and fall onto the bed.
I noticed as I covered her with the blanket that she was hugging Lucy.
("Don't worry, I can blunt my blade, I won't hurt friend Ruby!"). Lucy provided the information.
I wasn't worried, actually; Ruby had Aura protecting her and everything else... But since when can this maniacal axe do that?
I hadn't conveyed my thoughts to Lucy, so I didn't get a response to my question and just finished covering Ruby, who slept with a faint smile on her face.
I stepped back from the bed and remained silent, the only sound in the room being Ruby's gentle breathing...
"Do you want to talk now?" I asked.
... And the footsteps of the "crow" that had transformed into a man in his forties.
"... 'Uncle' Qrow"
[...]
POV: Qrow Branwen.
"Ruby and Yang told you about me, it seems." I'm glad they remembered Uncle Qrow. "I guess we don't need introductions, do we?"
"Not necessary." Devas nodded, conjuring a table and two chairs out of thin air. "Want to sit?" He asked.
"A useful Semblance you have there..." I said as I sat down.
"It has its uses." Devas shrugged and took a seat on the chair across the table. Of course, it does...
We both knew that this ability, whatever it was, wasn't a Semblance. Damn, I had just seen Ruby unlock his Aura; I had to be stupid to think that...
After this short conversation, we both fell silent, observing each other. I had already watched Devas all morning, so I shifted my gaze to the sleeping Ruby beside me.
She really had done it, hadn't she? Unlocking someone else's Aura was considered a romantic feat, an act of extreme trust. After all, you would only touch someone's soul whom you love and trust, especially with your own soul.
Complete nonsense in my opinion, but I was never much into romance or any of that crap, but it seemed that Ruby wouldn't agree with that idea... Damn, she was so much like Summer, even their loving gaze was the same...
"So... Can the axe talk? How?" I didn't take my eyes off my sleeping niece when I asked the question.
I had heard the "voice" of the axe when Devas turned on that weird radio, damn strange sound.
Devas seemed puzzled by my question.
"Isn't this the time you ask some important question or threaten me or something?" He really seemed to be expecting me to do one of those things.
"This question is important." I answered honestly, turning my gaze to Devas. "I've never seen a talking axe before." Ozpin said Atlas had made a robot girl, Penny or something, but that and this were different things.
The first was a wooden axe that somehow seemed to talk.
The other was a super-advanced robot with some scientific nonsense to give it a soul, or something close to it.
I found the talking axe much weirder than the robot.
"To be honest, I still don't know exactly how Lucy talks." Oh right, there was that, wasn't there? The axe was a woman... "What I know is kind of complicated to explain, so I'll just say that she talks because she talks."
"Magical nonsense?" I asked. What I knew about magic involved cards, a top hat, and sometimes a rabbit.
Ozpin may have given part of his magic to me and my not-so-dear sister, but that was it, I turned into a bird; anything more escaped me.
"Not exactly." Devas laughed. "But something close. Again, it's complicated to explain." He shrugged. "Want something to drink?"
"No. Thanks." I declined. I had my drink in my flask. "About me threatening you, why do you think I would do that?" Technically, there were some reasons for me to do that, but I wanted to hear from him what he thought it was.
"What's the reason?" He hummed, the question was more rhetorical than anything. "Well, the reason is sleeping over there." He pointed with his finger to Ruby. I figured...
"Ruby and Yang had described you; in their words: 'Uncle Qrow is our cool and tough drunk uncle. The old man is one of the strongest hunters I've ever seen.'" Devas narrated.
Drunk, cool, and tough uncle?... Those brats. One of the strongest hunters they've ever seen?.
I had to restrain myself from letting my smile show on my face. But they were wrong in the part: "One of". I was by far the strongest hunter they had ever seen.
"I imagine someone they spoke so fondly of cares about family." He looked me in the eyes. "Or am I mistaken?"
"You're not." I didn't hesitate to answer. I had failed Raven and then Summer, damn, even with Tayang... But with Ruby and Yang, I wouldn't fail.
My Semblance was shit, but not all the bad luck in the world would prevent me from protecting those two girls... Curious... Speaking of which, my Semblance seemed quiet this morning. Weird.
"Well, there's my reason." Devas waved, finishing speaking.
"An excellent reason." It was true. "But I don't need to threaten you. Threats are made to get some information, intimidation..." Among many other things. "... I don't need that here."
I didn't have all the information I wanted from Devas, but I had enough; I knew he wouldn't harm Ruby or Yang.
I also don't think he'll be intimidated by a simple threat.
"Where I come from, crows are considered wise and intelligent animals; it seems the same here." Devas praised.
"No matter the place, the 'qrow' is always wise and intelligent." I mentally patted myself on the back before pointing at Ruby. "That said, hurt her, and I'll hunt you until the end of time."
That wasn't a threat; I didn't need any here; it was a fact.
Devas laughed, not in a sarcastic or depreciative way, but joyfully, as if he were pleased with the fact that I would hunt him down if he messed up.
After finishing his laughter, he didn't continue the subject but pulled out a deck of cards.
"Wanna play to pass the time?" He tossed the deck onto the table. "Ruby seemed tired, and from what she told me, the others might take a while."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a confusing guy?" If not weird.
"A few times." He shrugged. I looked at the deck for a few seconds before picking it up with my hand.
"Do you know how to play Five Card Draw Poker?" I asked, opening and shuffling the deck. They were good cards, better than the ones I usually played within the bars.
Well, they're not covered in whiskey, so they're already better.
"I've played a few times." Devas nodded. "Deal the cards; let's see how this goes." Confident, isn't he?...
"Wanna make a bet?" I asked, dealing the cards, five for each and placing the deck between us.
"We barely know each other, and you already want to cheat me?" Devas laughed, looking at his hand. "But sure, just don't blame me if you end up losing your savings."
"You're a few years ahead of that, kid." I replied with a laugh, looking at my hand. "I'll start low. A hundred Liens." I bet.
"Call." Devas accepted the bet without raising. "How many hundred Liens is that in grams of gold again?"
... How many hundred Liens is that in grams of what?!
[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
Qrow was a pleasant guy to talk to and seemed like a good person.
"Three hundred." Qrow bet, his neutral face carved in stone.
We were in the fifth round of our poker game, I had won three, and he two out of those five games.
I won't lie; I was kinda bad at poker, especially since it had been years since I played; I only won those three rounds because I was "cheating"... Well, in parts.
I could have put the stream camera behind Qrow to let the (CHAT) see his cards, but I didn't, just like I didn't swap my hand using the VoidBag; that would be cheating.
Is getting help from the (CHAT) cheating? Maybe, probably, but I, as I said, could have done worse.
[BestToadSannin]: He must have a pair of 2, an Ace, and a 7 and 6, maybe a 4 and 5 too, it's possible. Your hand is better. (Emote of a frog playing cards).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: You must be senile; he has three 2s, an Ace, and a 5. Your hand is better, but if he gets another 2, we lose this round. (Emote of Iron Man playing cards).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: You have a Full House, no way in hell he gets that other 2, double down this shit, and we take this round. (Emote of a generic guy betting everything).
[AinzOoalGown]: Calling here is the best option, just accept the bet, and we wait for the card exchange before deciding. (Emote of a skeleton playing cards)
[WiseWizardGleam]: I am of the same opinion as Mr. Ainz. We wait for the second round of bets to decide what we can do in this case. (Emote of an old wizard playing cards).
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]: By my count, the next card in the deck is an Ace, followed by an 8, and then a 2. Go ahead and bet; we're safe; your Full House is bigger! (Emote of a magical girl playing cards).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: No fucking way I trust that card count. Jarvis!
[(MOD)Jarvis]: Miss Levia-tan card count is slightly incorrect. The next card from what I observed will be an Ace, as Miss Levia-tan specified, but then a two (2) instead of an eight (8). (Emote of a butler robot dealing the cards).
Funny how everyone started taking the game seriously and discussing it like professionals.
Even funnier was that Serafall had somehow made Jarvis call her "Levia-tan" after she and Stark bet in the previous round, and he lost when she guessed Qrow's hand correctly.
It seemed that Stark was holding a grudge, as he had pulled the "card" Jarvis to help.
Now, what do I do here? Jiraiya was good at playing, but I felt that in this round, he was wrong... which made Qrow's hand potentially stronger than mine, especially since he was the one exchanging cards first in this round...
The right move here would be to listen to Ainz and Dumbledore. That or trust Serafall's count or Jarvis.
At no point did it cross my mind to trust Kazuma. The bastard had absurd luck, but his game sense was as good as his knowledge of quantum physics. He didn't know quantum physics.
If Serafall was right, even if Qrow exchanged his two cards, I would win anyway... If Jarvis was right, there was a chance everything could go to hell very quickly.
"Scared to bet?" Qrow taunted me.
"Just thinking about how I'm going to explain to Ruby when she wakes up why her uncle is naked after I've taken all his savings." I retorted without hesitation.
Qrow laughed before asking.
"About the guy there." He pointed to Tyrian, who was still unconscious. He had started to wake up some time ago, but another dose of chloroform had taken care of that.
Was it dangerous and harmful to the body to breathe so much chloroform? Yes, but screw it.
Anyway, I knew Tyrian wouldn't die or start drooling, not after I asked for help from the (CHAT) to give the "correct dose" of his "medicine."
Was his physiology different from what my "doctors" knew? Yes, but not enough for an average "dose" not to work. If not, too bad, he died, very sad...
"What about him?" I asked, looking at my cards.
"Are you going to walk around with him all day?" Qrow asked. "Why not hand him over to Ozpin? If you're afraid he'll escape, I guarantee the cell he's thrown into won't even have a window."
"Ozpin and not James?" I asked back. Ozpin was a headmaster, James was a general, from another country, or in this case, kingdom? Yes, but still a general.
"Ironwood is from Atlas; we're in Vale." Qrow shrugged. I felt there was something more to this answer, but I focused on the important part.
"Ironwood?" What the hell kind of name is that, is this serious?
Dylan's last name was Oakwood, which left some gaps, but he was a noble, and no one would try a pun when his mother, Helena, the damn Duchess, had the same last name as him... But in this case, it was a different story.
Ignoring the normal school, this guy was a general, so following the logic, he went to the army... Damn, I didn't know how armies were in this world, but on Earth, no one would let that pass.
The amount of bullying this guy must have suffered is no joke...
"I guarantee you that's really his last name." The amount of happiness in Qrow's voice was so much that if it were liquid, it would be dripping.
He and Ironwood... What the hell kind of shitty name is that? He and James probably have some history between them.
"I'll take your word for it." I nodded toward Tyrian. "As for our little friend here, I'll decline your offer and keep him."
"You know that by law, Ozpin or even I can force you to hand him over, right?" I didn't know. "Tyrian was captured inside Vale, so he, by law, is a prisoner of Vale."
"A law that I intend to ignore." I replied back. "Don't worry, I'm sure Ozpin will make an exception for me." Why would a headmaster of a school have political power? I didn't know, but the chances were higher for yes than for no.
Dumbledore had it; Ozpin probably has it too.
"I wouldn't be surprised; Ozpin likes to ignore some rules." Qrow seemed used to it. "But you seem confident, something involving that weird Scroll of yours?" He asked.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe it," I replied honestly.
Saying that I was from another reality and that this one was "just" a TV show would likely land me a ticket to the madhouse.
"After watching the video on my phone, Ozpin should explain why," Qrow seemed like someone Ozpin trusted, so I doubted he wouldn't share what he found.
"Fair enough," Qrow shrugged. "Keep the ham then." He looked at Tyrian.
"Is that all?" I asked. I thought he would insist more.
"I presume you'll give us any information you get from him?" he asked. I nodded. "Then, that's it." I must have shown something on my face because he continued.
"As much as I'd love to tear that psycho limb from limb myself..." The anger in his voice was significant. It seems he had been informed that Tyrian was after Ruby. "...I'll leave him to you. You probably have some magic that brings the truth to light or something." He laughed, his voice still angry but lighter.
I didn't verbally respond, just nodded in agreement.
I didn't have any truth serum or magic to do that, nor would I torture Tyrian, but I had something planned for him... a test, so to speak.
It wasn't something I would be proud of or like, but I would still do it...
"By the way, I raise," I said, throwing my thoughts away. Let's spice things up a bit here.
... It was fortunate that I was sitting in a way that my shadow was under the table; otherwise, Qrow would have seen it tremble as if alive...
Qrow and I continued playing for about two hours before I heard footsteps coming our way in the distance.
"We've got company," I warned, in case he didn't want his presence to be discovered. I didn't know if Yang or any of the others were watching the stream, but it didn't hurt to warn.
I knew it was them because of the color of the dots on the minimap and the quantity. There were three, all green.
Qrow waved but didn't move or transform into a bird.
It didn't take five minutes for all three to show up. Yang was the first to speak.
"Sorry for the delay, but perfection takes time," she laughed before realizing I had company. "Uncle Qrow!? What are you doing here?" Apparently, she hadn't opened the stream...
"Is that how you greet your favorite uncle, Firecracker?" Qrow laughed, standing up and going to her for a hug.
"You're my only uncle!"
While Qrow teased Yang, I looked at everyone's outfit change. It was still the same color palette, but less like they had just come out of a war zone.
Weiss had her long white hair in a ponytail, tied at the top with a hair accessory resembling a tiara.
She had light makeup on her cheeks in her skin tone and a shade of blue around her eyes, a darker tone than the blue of her own eyes.
As for her outfit, she wore a fabric on her shoulders and arms, detached from the rest of the outfit, fastened around her neck with a jewel clasp.
She wore a dark blue blouse that got lighter as it descended to her waist, where a white fabric was tied, serving as a belt.
On the lower part of her body, under the belt, her skirt followed the white and blue theme, starting with a darker color, continuing the tone of the blouse, and ending in a white tone with ruffles.
Finally, she was wearing light blue high heels with two straps tying her feet.
The appearance lived up to the name, or would it be the other way around in this case? Weiss Schnee, Snow White. She really looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Blake had the opposite color palette, wearing a gray blouse with the first two buttons open, and underneath, a light white T-shirt.
On her lower body, she wore black jeans and a purple belt, along with a pair of heeled boots of the same color.
Even in a more "casual" outfit, she looked like some sort of ninja, the ones who used stealth, not throwing fireballs and lightning.
I noticed at a glance that she was wearing a black bow on her head, the same color as her hair, to cover her cat ears.
Finally, Yang, who was being crushed by Qrow.
Her hair wasn't as long as Weiss's, but it was fuller and of a vibrant yellow color.
She wore an orange cloth around her neck and a coat that reached halfway down her belly, in a wine color with yellow details. Underneath the coat, a gray T-shirt.
On the lower part of her body, at the waist, she had a belt with two small brown pouches on the side and wore pants of the same color as the coat and yellow boots.
Like Weiss, she had light makeup around her eyes, yellow to match her hair, and purple with her irises.
If Weiss was winter, Blake autumn, Yang was summer, something that for some reason I felt wasn't a coincidence, especially since Ruby would be spring...
One thing I also noticed was that all, without exception, were armed.
Yang had her two gauntlet bracelets, Weiss her rapier, and Blake her katana and hand scythe.
Curiously, the second to speak was Weiss; then, while Yang was being suffocated, she walked slowly towards me and made a slight bow, exuding nobility in all her movements.
"Apologies for my lack of manners earlier; I will introduce myself again." She lowered her hands slightly in front of her.
"I am the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee. I would like to welcome you to Remnant, Devas Asura." What the hell?!
Weiss's movements and actions drew everyone's attention to her, and they had essentially the same reaction as I did.
"You do realize I'm not any kind of ambassador, right?" I asked just to be sure.
"I know, still, I thought it proper to treat you with the respect your status deserves." Weiss didn't miss a beat. I raised my hand, stopping her from continuing.
"Please, drop those mannerisms; I'm just me, and that's it." I knew being "The Streamer" was a big deal; that was obvious, the potential was clear, but I preferred to be treated normally.
Weiss hesitated for a moment before sighing and returning to her "normal" mode, without the noble mannerisms, which relieved me.
"What the hell was that, Weisscream?" Yang spoke before everyone. Blake seemed to share the same opinion, while Qrow looked at me as if reassessing.
"That was me treating Devas with the proper status, even if he prefers not to." Weiss replied calmly, but I could see the relief in not having to act like a "noble."
"Status? What statu-" Qrow's speech was cut off when his Scroll rang, their world's version of the phone. "One moment, I need to take this." He said after looking and seeing who was calling, walking away.
"Yang, can you wake up Ruby for me?" I took the opportunity to ask, pointing to Ruby in bed.
I would wake her up myself if Yang wasn't here, but since her sister was, I thought it best to let her do it.
Yang seemed to want to say something, probably continue asking why Weiss had treated me that way, but she nodded and went to Ruby, gently shaking her shoulder.
Two things happened at that moment:
The first was that Ruby woke up with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. It took her a while to fully wake up, but when she did, she looked around confused before looking at Yang and then at me.
I could practically see her brain turning on, realizing that I wasn't an illusion and was really here, before looking down and realizing she was the only "messy" one and disappearing in a trail of rose petals.
I could follow her movements with my eyes and noticed that she had a red face from embarrassment... She had taken Lucy...
The second thing that happened was that Qrow decided it was a good idea to shout after Ozpin probably called him.
"HE'S AN ALIEN?!" Subtle, Qrow, subtle...
It seems Ozpin and the others had finished watching the compilation Jarvis made for me.
[...]---[...]
Yay, a calmer chapter, interactions here and there, Devas exploring a bit (A very little bit) of his Aura, and... a second racial trait?
Well, Devas has 3, as it has been mentioned (I think? It's been a while since I commented on that). What are these other 2?... No spoilers!
Feel free to comment if you have any theories. Well, this time, curiously, a good day to everyone and happy reading!