The past few days have been hectic; I have a wedding to attend on the 27th (I'm the best man). That's why there's been a delay in releases, things are a bit rushed here, sorry for the delay.
Well, as always, if anyone wants to support me or just read 3/7 chapters ahead of my two stories, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading my stories!
I'll update the rarity chapter tomorrow, improve it, I didn't like how it turned out.
That said, goodnight and happy reading!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
"You ran away!" - Those were the first words Yang shouted when the call from my phone connected to Ruby's Scroll, not hers.
"Running away implies I was in danger or trapped, which I wasn't." I walked calmly down the street in Vale as I responded.
After the brief conversation I had with Ozpin and Glynda, I bid farewell to them both before making my way toward Vale, catching the Bull-Head that was departing early.
Before boarding the Bull-Head, I pulled my phone out of the VoidBag and initiated the stream. I was a few minutes behind schedule, but nothing too consequential.
Among the first viewers to join the stream were the four members of Team RWBY, with Ruby being the first, which didn't surprise me, especially after seeing what her Semblance was capable of.
After a few messages here and there asking why I was inside a Bull-Head, I asked for their Scroll numbers to see if my phone could connect to their Scrolls, which it did, not that I doubted it would.
Ruby was the first to type the number, not taking even a second, but when I called her Scroll, it was Yang who answered.
"That doesn't change the fact that you went to Vale without us!" Yang's shout caught the attention of some people on the street where I was, in addition to those who were already paying attention to me.
It seemed that the video of my 'triumphant entrance' had gone viral. From what I had learned, although there were Huntsmen and Huntresses who recorded and posted their 'hunts' and were showmakers, most of them didn't have much skill.
These videos usually depicted battles against a few Grimm, which to a civilian might be impressive, as just a single Grimm could easily decimate an entire group of civilians without Aura, but to a true Huntsman? It wasn't really all that impressive.
The vast majority of skilled Huntsmen and Huntresses were more reserved, so to speak, preferring to get their job done as quickly as possible, without recordings or anything of the sort, then returning home as soon as possible to be with their families.
Those who didn't have families would typically go drinking or have one-night stands to unwind before returning to work.
So, it wasn't much of a surprise that the video of me fighting would go viral. What surprised me was that I had actually thought people in this world would be accustomed to this kind of battle, but apparently not.
Aside from tournaments where talents showcased their skills, like Pyrrha, from what I gathered with about five minutes of browsing on the CCT, this world's internet, or occasional videos here and there of a random battle that a civilian had managed to record of a Huntsman or Huntress fighting seriously from afar, battles like the ones that had occurred in yesterday's invasion were not often seen.
"You weren't expecting me to just sit around all day until your classes were over, were you?" I looked at the hologram above my phone showing Yang and Ruby's faces, with Ruby trying to snatch the Scroll back from her sister's hands.
Aside from the combat class where I would be the assistant teacher, I wasn't planning to participate in any others, or didn't really want to, for that matter. So, I asked Ozpin for some information, and he gave me a card with some Lien on it, which, in his words, was "my advance pay," and I came to Vale to buy some things.
I doubted the money he gave me would be enough, or that a single shopping trip would suffice for everything I wanted if I didn't literally rob the entire city in broad daylight and throw stores and stores into the VoidBag, but it was a start.
"Well... Yes. I mean, no! But that you'd do something inside Beacon at least, so we could go to Vale together later." Yang scratched her cheek as she responded. "Here, look what you did to Ruby!" She pointed the Scroll directly at her sister's face.
As if they'd done this motion thousands of times before, Ruby's face, which was scrunched up as she tried to climb her sister to grab the Scroll back, changed. Her scrunched-up face softened, and her eyes welled up, looking directly at the camera.
"I..." She sniffled. "I wanted to go buy ammo and weapon parts with you... Why did you go to Vale alone?" She pouted, trembling her lip.
... Whatever Qrow and these two's dad went through with them must be unimaginable...
"I was almost convinced." My tone was as dry as possible, causing both Yang and Ruby to click their tongues simultaneously at their failed plan.
I sighed, shaking my head.
"I'm not just going to Vale today, you know..." I had a whole month in Remnant; I didn't plan to spend that month confined to Beacon, or Vale for that matter; I wanted to see the other kingdoms too.
"... And I'm not just buying ammunition, weapons, and Dust; I want other things like books. I'll buy them today, don't worry." I had tens of thousands of HOTD books, but I wanted Remnant's too.
As much as I wouldn't have a use for the vast majority of these books, it's better to have and not need than to need and not have; that's because I was sure some of them I would use a lot, especially those focused on Dust, like how to use it correctly and its variations.
As I finished my sentence, Ruby's face visibly brightened, probably because she realized she hadn't missed the chance to show me her favorite stores for weapon parts and armaments.
As for Yang, she still seemed upset, but I could see that most of it was an act to see if she could get some kind of reaction from me or possibly a promise; she got neither.
"Quit the sulking and get changed already, we need to go to class," Blake's voice came from the Scroll. "You're not even that upset, you just wanted an excuse to skip class without getting reprimanded by Goodwitch."
"Tsk." Yang clicked her tongue again at Blake's words.
"A good reason to skip class?" Well, I guess guiding the 'being from another world' was as valid a reason as any.
"Speaking of which, Devas..." Blake took the Scroll from Yang's hands before she could react.
"Hey, I wasn't finished talking to him!" Yang yelled.
"Hey, that's mine!" Ruby yelled at the same time.
"... Here, I sent the location of the bookstores I usually go to and some others I know in Vale." The faunus cat ignored the protests of the other two RWBY team members and sent me a photo of a map with the locations of the bookstores.
"Thanks, this will help." I intended to wander for a while, going from shop to shop to see what I could find, but following a map wouldn't hurt either.
I quickly downloaded the file, pushing it to the top of the list of the thousands of other files I was downloading. In HOTD, I didn't have the opportunity, since the world had no internet after the apocalypse, not to mention the lack of time I had, but here, I would take advantage of the absurd memory of the phone after the stream modifications and download as much as possible.
Movies, games, documentaries, tutorials, PDFs, even books, although I would buy the physical ones.
No matter what it was, whether it was just entertainment like a random movie or had real utility like a tutorial on how to use Dust, as long as I was in Remnant, I would download as much as possible onto my phone.
I glanced quickly at my phone after Blake hung up the call when Weiss shouted that they were late. It was seven-thirty in the morning; I had a few hours before I needed to return to Beacon for my role as assistant teacher.
As much as accepting this job took away some of my free time, it was also useful for a few reasons.
The first of them, it allowed me to stay as close as possible to Beacon and the four, so I could act if something happened.
It wasn't a guess; it was a certainty that something would happen; the second part of the mission confirmed that.
-//-
[Emergency Mission! (Ticket) - (2/2 Part)]
Rarity: Amber World: Remnant (RWBY) Time limit: 30 days. (Max.)
Mission Description: Due to Ruby Rose unlocking her "Silver Eyes" earlier and using them in battle, the "Queen of Grimm" became aware of her existence and sent one of her most loyal pawns, Tyrian Callows, to hunt her down. (COMPLETE!)
Stop him before he can finish the mission the queen gave him. (COMPLETE!)
Reward: Vault Key (Random) (Single use) (COMPLETE!)
Note!: Emergency missions from an Emergency Ticket have reduced rewards!
[..]
Description (NEW!): Even though thwarting the impromptu plans of the "Queen of Grimm" to kill the "Silver-Eyed Girl," the world still turns, the seasons change as time passes...
Thwart the plans of she who wants to claim Autumn for herself, thwart the fall of Beacon that illuminates the fate of the world...
Reward: ???, ???.
-//-
For some reason, I was starting to collect keys to places I had no idea where they were...
"I'll see what this thing opens later..." I had to open the Bronze Chest and the Potion Recipe (Random) too that I hadn't opened yet in Winterhord.
I'll open those two and see what this key opens later when I return to Beacon.
I had some ideas of what this key could open, thanks to the information Tyrian had given me, but it was better to confirm later...
As the second part of the mission stated, someone, probably Salem or Cinder, probably both, wanted Beacon on the ground; the best place for me to be was there so I could act if something happened.
The second reason was for me to learn myself, even though I was the teacher.
As much as I could fight, it was improvising and following what I thought would be best. I didn't know any martial arts, whether with weapons or without.
Being a combat teacher, even if assistant, would help me improve in some areas I was bad at and would ensure me some experience watching different fighting styles of the students.
Fighting Yang unarmed helped me a lot; I felt less inhibited towards the end of the fight, my movements more fluid. If I had a few more spars like that, it would be a big help...
I followed the map Blake had sent me for some time, stopping at some bookstores where I bought as many various books as I could.
I managed to visit four bookstores before the money Ozpin had given me ran out.
"That took longer than I expected, actually..." I hummed, sitting on the park bench where I was. Was teacher salary being crap a multiversal constant too?
"Just in case, does anyone know a somewhat shady place where I can sell some stuff to get money or at least information?" I asked the (CHAT), or more specifically, the five Remnant people watching me.
Winter was an Atlas soldier and James's right hand? Yes, but I highly doubted she would arrest me for selling my stuff in Vale's underworld.
It didn't take long for some messages to appear in the (CHAT).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: Are you finally going to see those two rewards? Damn, it took almost a week, I thought you had forgotten! (Emote of a generic guy holding a sign that reads: Alzheimer?)
[YellowHuntressLive]: I may or may not know such a place, and it may or may not be a club called Junior's in the southern part of Vale, but nothing confirmed or that could put me against the authorities. (Emote of a yellow bear whistling calmly).
[(MOD)WhiteHuntressLive]: My sister won't arrest you for knowing a club, Yang, and even if she did, what proof would she use? That you admitted it on a device from another world? (Emote of Snow White sighing).
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: Wasn't that the place you destroyed a day before we came to Beacon? Does it still exist? (Emote of Little Red Riding Hood with a memory balloon recalling the scene).
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Snitched on by your own sister... I'm even glad to be an only child when I see these things. (Emote of Iron Man eating popcorn while watching the stream).
[WinterSchnee]: I have no desire or time to arrest a student just for frequenting unsavory places; my current mission takes precedence.
[BlakeHuntressLive]: I wonder what mission that is... Cough... Watch... Cough... stream... Cough (Emote of a black cat whistling calmly).
Junior's? Huh... A club wasn't what I expected, but it should do in this case, even if it's just for gathering information.
It was funny to see Yang being careful about typing things now that the four of them weren't the only ones from Remnant in the (CHAT), especially since Winter was a military and all.
But as Weiss had said, Winter seemed more interested in getting as much information as possible from the stream than arresting her.
"Typing 'Cough' isn't the same as coughing to hide speech, Blake." I commented, getting up, to which the faunus cat just sent more emotes of a whistling cat.
I shook my head and headed in the direction Yang was "theoretically" informing me, and I didn't take long to find the club she had mentioned.
To my surprise, the place looked pretty nice; the dance floor was big, the tables and chairs were clean, the whole place had a party atmosphere to it... Or in this case, post-party, if the people passed out at the tables and chairs were anything to go by.
"Busy night?" I asked the man behind the drink counter. The heavy alcohol smell wafting from the whole place said yes, but I asked to make conversation.
I would guess he was between thirty and forty years old, with a full beard and a serious look on his face; all this, along with him wearing a waistcoat without a jacket, gave him the 'air' of a bartender.
That and also because he was arranging things behind the counter, cleaning the glasses and the drinks.
"You have no idea. Nothing like a Grimm invasion to make people realize they can die at any moment and come to enjoy life." The man replied to me as he continued to clean the glasses quickly. I noticed he seemed to recognize me too.
"I imagine..." The notion that everything could end at any second was excellent motivation. "Devas, by the way." I introduced myself. "I suppose you're Junior, after whom the club is named?" I extended my hand, stating my guess.
Often the bartender was more important than it seemed; I had some movies I had watched to confirm this fact.
The man looked at my hand for a moment before extending his own.
"Hei Xiong, but as you guessed, everyone calls me Junior." He introduced himself, confirming my guess as he looked at my face searching for something, especially when he said his own name.
Finding nothing, because I really didn't know if this guy was important or not, he smiled faintly and pulled a glass, serving me a drink.
"Here, on the house." He slid the glass across the counter with skill.
"Do you usually offer drinks to everyone who comes through here?" I asked, swirling the drink in my hand as I analyzed it, when the stream confirmed to me that it was nothing more than a common drink, I drank it.
I braced myself for the alcohol kick, but I didn't even feel any burning sensation... It seems like if I want to get drunk, I'll need something stronger in the future...
It didn't even seem like I was drinking alcohol, actually; it was more like juice because of the fruits; at least it wasn't bad.
"Just to those who helped save the kingdom my establishment is in." Hei? Or was it Xiong?... Junior replied. "I didn't think I'd encounter the Deer Huntsman this morning; what brings you to my humble establishment?" He asked.
Deer Huntsman... Well, at least that title was better than what I got in Terraria; it even made sense, Bone Helm and all.
"An acquaintance of mine recommended the place. He said I might get some information here." I replied, before drinking the rest of the drink and placing the glass on the counter.
I made a point of not mentioning Yang's name since, from what Ruby had written in the (CHAT), it seemed like she had gotten into some trouble here before.
"Information in a club? With the bartender still? Sounds like your acquaintance watches too many movies." Junior laughed, neither confirming nor denying anything.
"What can I say, life imitates art." I shrugged and put my hand in my pocket, taking out some Lien I had won from poker with Qrow from inside the Voidbag.
The moment I put my hand in my pocket, I could feel Junior tense up, and some of the security, including the two twins I had seen at the back of the club, prepared for action before relaxing when I pulled out just a handful of notes and not a weapon.
Junior looked at the notes I had placed on the counter for a moment before picking them up with his hand.
"Wise words." He said, putting the notes in his pocket. "Tell me, what information do you think I might have?" He asked, returning to cleaning some glasses.
I didn't immediately respond; I took some time to pay attention to the Mini-map, where two yellow dots were at the table in the corner of the club... A table that was empty...
As much as I could feel the Aura of the two people at that table, smell the cigar one of them was smoking, the Neapolitan ice cream the other was eating, I couldn't see them with my eyes.
Curious... A Semblance? Probably, since I couldn't feel any kind of mana. The diversity these things had was infinite, wasn't it?...
"I'm looking for a person." I didn't pay much attention to the two invisible ones in the club's corner and finally spoke to Junior.
"Aren't we all?" Junior replied, changing from washing a glass to a plate. "Someone to be our other half. Some a woman, some a man; I won't judge if the latter is your case." He shrugged.
"Maybe in another life." I said amusedly. "No, I'm looking for a woman." I put my hand in my pocket again, pulling out the photo Ozpin had given me of Cinder's fake ID.
"This is the woman I'm looking for." I placed the photo on the counter. "She usually travels with two others, a gray-haired guy and a green-haired woman." I gave a vague description of the two teammates Cinder seemed to spend more time with.
To my surprise, when Junior laid eyes on the photo, I couldn't see any kind of recognition on his face... He really didn't know Cinder, a pity.
Well, I didn't expect to find a lead that easily anyway.
"She's beautiful, you have good taste." He replied, handing me back the photo. "But unfortunately, I've never seen her around here before. Does she have a name? Many names are spoken in a club like this; someone might have heard of her. Who knows?" He said not so subtly.
Well, it doesn't hurt to try.
"Cinder, her name is Cinder Fall." At least one of the names, since that name was probably a fake one, as it would be foolish to infiltrate Beacon with the real name.
When the name "Cinder" left my lips, the change in Junior's expression was instantaneous, the slight widening of his eyes, the surprise...
Not only him, but curiously, the two invisible people also seemed to recognize her name, as the one smoking the cigar coughed, as if he had choked on something, and the one eating the ice cream dropped the spoon in surprise.
"You've heard that name before." I asserted, looking at Junior who had recovered.
"No, I've never heard it, but I can ask around if you want." He lied, offering a cover for the lie. He was good, I won't deny.
I didn't respond to his offer; I just tapped my fingers slowly on the counter as I stared at him.
As the seconds passed, I could see that Junior became visibly more tense, with small beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Three people began to move as I stared at Junior, the two twins, who were closer...
"Any problem, boss?" One of them asked, I didn't know which, with a worried look on her face, giving me a quick side glance.
... And one of the invisibles, the one who was eating the ice cream before.
"No, just talking to our client here." Junior spoke, shaking his head. He seemed not to want to escalate things into a fight, which was logical since, as he himself had said, he recognized me as the 'Deer Huntmen'.
If Yang had destroyed this place before...
"Are you sure?" The other twin asked, looking at my face with the same concern. It seems like these two recognized me too and didn't want to fight me.
I only paid partial attention to the twins since most of it was focused on the short, quick, and light steps that I could hear coming towards me as the invisible person approached closer and closer.
Whoever it was, they were good, I needed to concentrate a bit to listen to their steps, even though the floor was made of glass, even their movements didn't produce much noise in the club's wind.
This person was armed too, I could tell using the Voidbag, with a damn umbrella that had a blade inside it, of all things.
This person's clothes were small too, in fact, all I could feel on this person using the Voidbag was small... What the hell was this? A gnome?... Were there gnomes in Remnant?
If I wasn't about to be attacked by a child of all things, this person was the smallest person I had 'seen' in my entire life.
I'm pretty sure I've 'seen' dwarfs larger than this, actually...
"Junior, I don't want trouble here, but you clearly recognized Cinder's name." I said, interrupting the conversation Junior was having with one of the twins, Miltia, from what I could hear. "The question is, are you allied with her?..." I asked, letting my voice fade with a threatening tone.
The air inside the club became tense the moment my words were absorbed. Even some people who were clearly drunk asleep had started to wake up because of the atmosphere, their bodies sensing danger.
"What will happen if I say no?" Junior asked, subtly moving his hand down under the counter, whether it was for the shotgun he had there or for the alarm button, I didn't care.
"If your answer is no, I'll pay you for any information you have on her and leave here peacefully." I replied, ignoring the urge I had to turn around and kick the invisible person who was just a few meters behind me with a blade pointed at my back.
My answer seemed to visibly relieve Junior.
"Just in case, what if I say yes?" He still asked.
"I'll still leave here with the information you have." I affirmed calmly, the threat of violence contained in my message wasn't lost.
"Good thing Junior isn't an ally of that cow." Another voice spoke, breaking the tension in the room. "Neither am I, actually." The male voice said.
I turned to see who was speaking, having heard the steps coming towards me for a long time.
He seemed to be about twenty-something, at the end of his twenties, I would guess, he was tall as hell too, taller than me by about two or three centimeters.
His hair was red, orange, covered by a black fedora hat with a red stripe, he also wore a white suit and black dress pants, along with brown dress shoes.
It wasn't a style I would personally wear, but he had a certain style, even though he looked like a pimp, but that must be because of the eyeliner on his eyes.
"Torchwick, I presume." I greeted the man before he even introduced himself, making his steps pause for a second before he started moving again.
"I see you've heard of me already. Was it on the news? Or did Red talk about me?" With Red, I guess he meant Ruby, who had also mentioned his name before.
It seems he had seen me talking to Ruby, probably during the invasion yesterday, I hadn't seen him, but I also wasn't very focused on my surroundings, but worried about the four and beating Tyrian.
"Something like that. I heard you're a thief, is that true?" I didn't deny or confirm anything.
As much as Ruby had thrown his name here and there, both in the (CHAT) and yesterday when he had fled, his description I had gotten from Tyrian, who said Roman had interfered when he tried to kill Ruby.
I was sure he hadn't done that out of pure goodwill, but still, I was grateful. After all, even if he wasn't, he had helped delay Tyrian.
Tyrian had also said that Roman had betrayed Cinder, being one of the few useful pieces of information I had managed to get from the psychopath.
Why did he know Roman's name and that he was allied with Cinder? I had no idea, but something told me that if I asked the psychopath, he would respond with something I wouldn't like to hear, probably involving plans of torture for the man in front of me.
I probably unintentionally saved Roman from a vacation in Tyrian's basement...
"Not a thief, but THE thief." He introduced himself, holding his hat and bowing artistically. "Pleasure, Roman Torchwick." Was he always like this?
The collective eye rolls from Junior and the two twins in his direction assured me that he was.
"Make me an Appletini, Junior." Roman ordered the bartender as he sat on the stool next to me.
"Did I hear a please?" Junior asked Roman.
"If you did, you're going crazy because I didn't say it." The man in the white suit replied without missing a beat. "Come on, come on." He waved his hand, making Junior mutter some very creative curses before turning to make the Appletini.
"So, Devas, wasn't it?" Roman asked rhetorically, but I nodded anyway, confirming that was my name. "Just to be sure, since you beat and captured Tyrian yesterday and all, but you're on Red's team, right?" He asked.
"You mean Ruby?" I asked.
"Yeah, the girl with the giant gardening tool, one meter sixty, red hood, you know, the girl the faunus psychopath wanted to kill yesterday." He gestured with his left hand, moving the cigar as he spoke.
Ruby didn't seem too happy with how Roman referred to Crescent Rose, if the emotes she sent were anything to go by... Wasn't she supposed to be in class right now?
"Yeah, I'm on Red's team, don't worry." I confirmed that I wasn't on the side of the woman he had just betrayed yesterday.
"Thank goodness for that, it puts me more at ease." Roman sighed falsely. As if it wasn't already obvious before that I was against Cinder.
After my confirmation that I wasn't on Cinder's team, the invisible gnome behind me moved, not to attack me, but to sit on the stool on the other side of Roman.
"Speaking of which, how's Tyrian? Being interrogated right now, I imagine." Roman asked after taking a puff of his cigar, blowing the smoke away, towards the twins who were listening to the conversation from afar, making them frown and glare at the man.
"Only if they can interrogate someone dead." Funny, I could.
My answer didn't surprise the (CHAT), I had already informed them that Tyrian was dead, but it surprised Roman, who coughed after taking too much of a puff from his cigar, making smoke come out of his nostrils.
Curiously, I could see the stool the invisible gnome had sat on trembling, as if the person sitting there was not laughing, but giggling with joy.
Roman coughed a few times before lightly tapping his chest before speaking.
"Well, I can't say I'll be sad about the psychopath's death." He seemed relieved actually. "Did you kill him yourself?" He asked, probably to confirm that Tyrian was dead.
"I can show you his head if you want," I pointed backwards, towards the door, as if the head were in the trunk of my car outside or something.
"No, no need, I'll take your word for it." Roman declined, waving the hand that didn't hold the cigar quickly.
Junior chose this moment to return with Roman's drink, a medium-sized glass with a green drink inside and a green apple on the rim.
"That's fifty Lien." Junior reached out his hand to Roman.
"I heard a 'It's on the house'? After all, I helped in the invasion yesterday just like our friend here." Romam pointed at me.
"If you heard that, you're going crazy because I didn't say it." Junior repeated the thief's words, making Roman purse his lips. "That's fifty Lien." He repeated, making Roman sigh and take the money out of his pocket to hand it to him.
"Are you going to count the notes in front of me?!" Roman asked with a yell when he saw Junior pass each note to make sure Roman had given the right amount of money.
Junior finished counting the notes quickly before putting them in his pocket and then replying.
"I am, oh self-proclaimed 'Thief'." Junior replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, before turning around, going back to arranging the counter.
"Your friendship is touching." I replied belatedly, making Roman scoff in mockery.
All this time, the chair behind Roman was shaking as if whoever was sitting on it was not laughing, but laughing with joy.
[...]---[...]
Yay! Here's the interaction between the characters that (I believe) you've been waiting for, Roman and the invisible gnome finally meet the Devas!
The next chapter will be a conversation, probably from Roman's POV, as it'll be more fun to read from his perspective (I think).
Oh, and about the Lien, the currency, I have no idea how much it's worth, so I just assumed it's the dollar of that world. Is 50 dollars for a drink expensive? Depending on the place, maybe... I guess? I'm not entirely sure, but I wrote the scene thinking that it might be.
Well, that's it, I won't ramble on here.
As always, have a good night and happy reading!