Greed and Revelations | Day 2 Part 1
Ein's eyes gently opened to look at... Leaves? 'What happened... I thought I was dead...' The last thing he could remember was instinctively (Creating) a campfire and a tent.
He stays still for a moment., just lying on the ground. 'My injuries... They're gone... And I'm fairly certain my clothes were all ripped up from last night... What happened?' He finally sits up with a grunt before opening his Menu.
That was when he was bombarded by notifications.
"Ack! Jesus christ!-" The quiet environment was replaced with obnoxious beeping coming from the panels.
It was quite the long list of notifications. It also gave him two very valuable information. (Safe zone)s, and Grimm drop items.
'Damn... That's cool as fuck.'
Doesn't explain how his clothes are back to normal, but he'll check it later.
He keeps still and silent. He got his revenge, so what else comes after? 'I... I need to know why I'm here in the first place. Maybe go back to my old world, but... I'd at least like to know.'
He needed closure... But closure does not come easily. It requires progress, and what better way to progress than a checklist?
...
...
...
"Alright! That should be good." He looked upon his handywork. The wall had been scratched into a makeshift checklist.
<Ein's 2 checklist of crap to do! Day>
*Get a Research Table
*Find a way to use Grimm drops
*Find some kind of society
*Get a training schedule up and running
Masterpiece.
He already had the wood needed for the Research Table, but he had a few issues. That being literally every other material. Except for maybe the feathers.
"Where the hell am I gonna find Ink?! And how am I meant to get paper?!" Ein says as he ruffles his hair in pure frustration.
"Ok, Ein... No need to get angry... I just need to find civilization. Then after that, I'm golden."
Although, immediately after that, his stomach growled. "Ah, right, that too." He can't believe he forgot his hunger.
...
...
...
[RAW BEOWOLF MEAT (x33)]
[FRESHNESS: PRIME]
[STATS: (POISON), -20 HP]
[DESCRIPTION:]
[AN IMPOSSIBLE MEAT, THOUGH IT HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE HELP OF (REBIRTH). POTENTIALLY LETHAL IN ITS CURRENT STATE. DO NOT EAT.]
"Well that's encouraging." He's so glad that items made by (Rebirth) can be identified. He does not want his second death to be from eating Grimm meat carelessly.
He extends his hand out to his (Camp fire). "Interact"
[CAMPFIRE]
[CRAFT]
[COOK]
A relieved *Phew* came from Ein. He was so glad (Rebirth) could cook for him. He presses the cook option only for a 3d holographic... Well, Hologram of a picnic table to appear before him with a panel to its side.
[WELCOME TO THE (KITCHEN). IN THIS OPTION, YOU ARE ABLE TO COOK DISHES FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT, GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE THE ITEMS NEEDED TO CREATE IT. TO GET STARTED, JUST PICK ANY INGREDIENT, THEN WHEN YOU'RE DONE, PUT ON THE LID AND LET THE MAGIC HAPPEN.]
Ah, thanks tutorial.
"So do I just..." He expunges 3 (Beowolf Meat) into the pot and puts the lid on. Moments soon after, it begins to... Cartoonishly let out steam, and Ein sat down and waited.
...
*Ding!*
A sound of a service bell caught Ein's attention. Looks like his meal's done cooking. Surprisingly, it only took 5 minutes, and he was 100% ready to eat.
[WULFYSTEAK x3]
[QUALITY: HORRID (TIER 1)]
[STATS: +1 STR AND VIT FOR 3 HOURS, +10 HP]
[DESCRIPTION: A STEAK MADE WITH BEOWOLF MEAT. CREATED BY THE HOST AND BLESSED BY (REBIRTH), IT IS ABLE TO GIVE THE CONSUMER ENHANCED STRENGTH AND STAMINA.]
"It even gives stats? Hell yeah." He immediately digs in. It tastes... Not all that bad? Not gourmet, sure, but definitely not bad either. It tastes just like your average beef steak. It's filling too, so plus points on that as well.
[YOU CONSUMED x1 WOLFYSTEAK.]
[YOUR STATS HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY BOOSTED FOR 3 HOURS]
[YOU ARE NOW (WELL FED)]
[YOU CANNOT EAT FOOD FOR ANOTHER 3 HOURS]
Ein slumps his head down. Here he thought he could abuse the food system. 'Whatever, It's not that important anyway.' He sits up, readying his Flint spear and preparing himself for his first ever expedition!
He holds his spear in front of him vertically, allowing the butt of the weapon to touch the ground. "Where shall I go, friend?"
He could feel the emotion of his weapon, telling Ein that it understood the intend and that it was ready. At that, Ein let go of the spear and it falls over, its tip pointing to the west of his current position.
"Thanks, bud." Ein picks the weapon back up before heading towards that direction. With caution heeded of course.
...
...
...
After about 3 full hours of walking, picking up items along the way, and also dodging Grimm, he was beginning to think there was nothing in this direction. 'Well, at least I gain experience from this.' He sighs. However, he worried for nothing. He steps out of the grassy clearing and what he saw made him smile with glee.
'A village! Yes!' He thought excitedly. "I knew I could trust you, dude." He says to the spear on his back as he stores it into his inventory. After all, carrying a flint spear would be really odd. Considering how concerningly available heavy weaponry is on Remnant.
If it's a pistol, it's also a rifle, a staff, a sword, and a scabbard too for good measure.
He walks towards the small village's entrance. At the entrance he noticed two guards on post and they seem to have noticed him too. "Stop right there." One of them points his spear to Ein. Ein puts his hand up. "Woah, officer! Let's not get hasty!" Ein tries to joke, much to the guard's irritation. "What's your business here?" The guard asks the admittedly suspicious Ein. "I'm here for an errand." He lied as naturally as he breathed.
Both of them stood at a standstill. "Scroll?" The guard asks. 'Oh shit.' (Calm Mind) activates before he could lose his cool. "My family's extremely rural, so we don't own one. Not even for ID purposes." The guard furrowed his brow, but the guard that had been quiet until now just grabbed his shoulder. "Let it go, man." He says before turning to Ein. "Just be out before nightfall, alright?" He says, to which Ein nods. "Sorry about that, by the way. With the situation between the kingdoms being so... Prevalent, it's hard to trust anyone. You seem like a good kid." Ein smiles before nodding as he walks through the gate.
'That was... Harder than it should've been. But a situation, huh? I wonder what that's about.' Ein passes by a person. He looked pretty young, about the same age as Ein himself. He also looked like someone who'd get simped on if he was on Earth. Unfortunately for him, the beauty standards of Remnant is incredibly high so.
"Hey man." The teenager jumped at his call. "O-Oh, hey." Despite the shock, he greets Ein. "Sorry for startling you." Ein chuckles. "Do you know where I could find a..." Ein trails off for a moment before realizing.
'Wait a second... I don't have any money!' He wanted to facepalm right there and then, but kept to himself. "Find a?" The boy asks, knocking him out of his stupor. "Ah, yeah right. Sorry, I was just thinking of the word." Ein rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. "Just,- Somewhere I can sell wood."
"Uh... Why do you need them?" A reasonable question from him that is thankfully easily to answer. "I got sent here by my parents for an errand." The boy nods and points to a direction. "It's that building right there."
"Thanks!" Ein runs off. 'Huh... He seems familiar... Where have I seen him before?' The guy he spoke to was blonde and had an air of doubt to him, yet at the same time some sort of hidden potential. He doesn't know why. Maybe it was that emblem on his-
Oh. Right.
'Holy shit that was Jaune! God he looks so different animated than in real life...' Ein is freaking out in his own mind, his thoughts drifting into a spiral of Ein calling himself a dumbass. We was so deep into it he didn't even notice the wall he was about to collide into.
"Agh, damn it!" He ran face first into that wall, flattening himself on the wall like a pancake, causing some nearby bystanders to laugh and point at his apparent misery. 'Fuck me... I've embarrassed myself for long enough. I just need to get Lien, buy ink and feathers, and get out.' He stands up and dusts himself off.
He enters the store. The inside of the building was quite serene, smelling of sawdust and varnish. He could almost forget what he was here for in the first place.
All over the place, there were wooden sculptures. Beautifully and masterfully made, they were. Even someone like Ein, who had little to no knowledge in such crafts could tell they were made with an unbelievable mastery.
Then behind the counter, the door to what he assumed to be the backroom opened with a creak. "Hey there. Welcome to Artie's Artisan Workshop." The middle aged man, Artie, said. He spoke with great experience despite only looking like he's just approached his late 30s. He wore rounded glasses, an artisan's apron, a blue polo shirt, and jeans.
He looked normal at first sight, but Ein was observant. His hand was scarred. Not scars from any woodworking accidents, but battle scars. He wasn't the only one who felt like that. His spear in his 'Port' also felt a dangerous aura from this man. Whoever Artie was, they were much more dangerous than they seemed on the surface.
"I was told that this place was taking wood for Lien." Artie nodded, crossing his arms. "In that case..." Ein extends his hand out as he said, "(Porter)"
[??? WOOD x20]
[QUALITY: ???]
[DESCRIPTION: ???]
-(INTERACT)
-(CRAFT)
-(CREATE)
Artie's eyes widened in recognition. Not at the wood, but rather Ein's skill. "How'd you do that, kid?" Artie's eyes narrow. His glare felt like it could puncture his skull. "Oh, it's my... Semblance." Ein could feel himself starting to sweat bullets. Against the pressure of this man, he struggled to lie.
The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "Kekeke..." Artie begins to giggle before evolving into full on cackling. "Gyahahaha!!!" Ein looks at him, concerned but afraid. 'Has this guy gone all looney on me?!' His concerns were dismissed shortly as Artie calms down with a sigh.
"Hah... Kid. You're a transmigrator, aren't you?" Ein's eyes widen in shock. "H-How did you know?! Who are you?!" Ein didn't wanna take his chances anymore. He takes his spear out of his 'Port' and points the spear at the man.
"Calm down, kid." Artie walks up to Ein with an unreal amount of confidence. It was enough to make Ein freeze up. He felt powerless. Artie's overwhelming pressure was too much for Ein to even be in his vicinity. Artie walks to him, pushing his spear aside. "I'm not gonna hurt you. After all..." Artie snaps his finger and a masterful wooden sculpture materializes out of nowhere. "We are one n' the same."
"I am a transmigrator too./So you're a transmigrator too." Ein couldn't help but suspend his mouth open. He couldn't believe it! There was someone from earth besides himself! "Jeez, kid. Close your mouth. You're gonna swallow a fly." Ein stares for a moment before shaking himself back to reality. "Sorry... I'm just shocked." Ein rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Don't sweat it kid. I had the exact same reaction back then."
Ein laughs awkwardly as he puts his spear back in his inventory. "So... About the wood?" Ein says, trying to shift the topic. Thankfully, Artie caught on. "Right right. These Oak logs are pretty low quality, but their size is decent. I'd usually give 100 Lien a log for this much wood, but I like you kid. I'll give you 150 a piece. How's that sound?"
[NEW INFORMATION RECORDED.]
[OAK WOOD x20]
[QUALITY: HORRID (TIER 1)]
[DESCRIPTION: A COMMON TYPE OF WOOD COMING FROM A COMMON TYPE OF TREE. THE USAGE OF COMMON HARD WOOD SUCH AS OAK HAS LONG SINCE BEEN REPLACED BY EITHER METALS, OR SELECTIVELY BRED 'SUPERWOOD'S IN THE WORLD OF REMNANT. HOWEVER, IT STILL HAS ITS MANY USES.]
-(INTERACT)
-(CRAFT)
-(CREATE)
'I see... That's how I unlock more information.' Artie sticks his hand out for a handshake. "Sure. Even if you were scamming me, I don't even know the economy of Remnant. I just got here a day ago." Ein jests, much to Artie's amusement. Ein shakes his hand, confirming the deal.
"A day ago? How do you know what this world is called when you just started yesterday? Did you land in a town or something?" Artie asks inquisitively. "Oh, I learned it from the show, RWBY." Artie raises his eyebrow, then he puts his hand to his chin, now clearly deep in thought. "I see... So that's what you're doing, Claire..." "Claire?" Ein overhears his quiet mumbling. His question knocked Artie out of his trance. "Ah... It's nothing important. At least not right now." Ein decides to take his word. He merely nods his head.
After that talk, Artie decides to finish their transaction. Artie gets 600 Lien from his cash register and gives it to Ein. "Thanks, Mr. Artie." Artie simply nods and waves as Ein leaves the shop. "Come back soon, you hear?"
Ein left the shop with a thoughtful look on his face. The thought of there being others like him excited him. He wouldn't have to survive alone... Probably. While the people of remnant looked nice, he was afraid he would have no one to relate to. He didn't grow up in Remnant, not even close. He can't relate go their plight and they couldn't relate to his. He would be alone, and the mere thought terrified him. 'Well, whatever. At least now I know.' He couldn't shake the thought no matter how much he thought he did.
Ein walks about in town before encountering what seemed to be a convenience store. 'Domremy Convenience store' it was called.
[NEW INFORMAITON RECORDED]
[WELCOME TO DOMREMY]
[POPULATION 53]
Ein entered the store. Thankfully, unlike the last store he went into, this store was actually normal with a normal looking clerk and normal people looking around.
He probably shouldn't be surprised, but this world's convenient stores really were unlike his own. Where you would usually only find snacks and such, there was also lubricant, cardboard boxes filled with steel and wood, welding tools, and other such likeness. There's even dust! Probably not enough to power a weapon, but it seemed enough for home use. Honestly it looked more like a miniature department store rather than anything else. Ein couldn't help but snicker at the display.
'Cater to all consumers, hm?' It only made sense, really. With how common Huntsmen are. Nonetheless, he was here for only one thing. He looks over more shelves, and there it is.
Ein grabs one of the bottles of ink on the shelf with a sigh of relief. 'Thank god. I did not wanna get ink on my own. Not that I have that skill in the first place.' There wasn't a feather, but that only makes sense. It's a convenience store, not a barn.
With everything he needed, or in this case, the one thing he needed in hand, he buys the items, handing over the Lien to the cashier. Ein leaves the store, happy with himself.
[MASI INK BOTTLE x1]
[QUALITY: HORRID (TIER 1)]
[DESCRIPTION: THE LABEL READS: 'Masi Ink for Huntsmen and Huntresses! Apply to a wooden surface and wait for the magic to happen!']
"Alright. One more item to go." He says to himself before setting out, though he did notice the time. It was almost dark out. He hoped the locals are gonna be willing to house one more person.
…
…
…
"Sorry kid, with tensions between the Mistral and Vacuo so high, I- We are not willing to risk our families to getting executed for housing a spy…" The man said before closing the door in his face. That was the fifth time now. Looks like he has no choice. He had to run back as quick as he could, and Artie's shop was already closing, and he didn't want to be a bother.
He grits his teeth, swearing at himself. "Damn it…" He clenches his fist. He hopes he makes it without dying again. (Calm Mind) Activated, his anger at himself and his fear of dying again, suppressed. But not for long as the emotions once again cloud his mind. Yes, he understands that he does respawn at the beginning of the day, but that didn't make death feel any less scary.
Death sucked. A lot. The feeling of the Grimm's sharp claws digging into him, their maws ripping his flesh from his bone, getting dismembered. It was all fresh from his mind. He felt nothing but primal fear of those creatures.
He quickly consumes his last Wulfysteak from his inventory, scarfing it down as fast as he could.
[YOU CONSUMED x1 WOLFYSTEAK.]
[YOUR STATS HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY BOOSTED FOR 3 HOURS]
[YOU ARE NOW (WELL FED)]
[YOU CANNOT EAT FOOD FOR ANOTHER 3 HOURS]
He bolted out to the woods, rushing to get to his camp about 8 kilometers away. He looked up and scowled. 'Damn it! I need to be faster! But I only have so much stamina!' It was already about 18:00, he guessed. Maybe a bit past that. At the moment, he had 16 stamina. Enough for only 8 seconds of sprint. It's not at all worth it.
12 minutes since he began to run back to camp. Whatever (Rebirth) was doing to keep him from getting exhausted, he was thankful for. He was also greatly thankful for his skill, (Calm Mind), allowing him to sneak by the Grimm he has encountered so far.
However, there was a feeling of anxiety, he seemed. It was like something was watching him. Then suddenly…
"Caw!!" A loud noise came from above him and a harpy like Grimm struck his shoulder!
[HOST HAS BEEN STRUCK]
[(7 + 11) x 1 – 0]
[18 DAMAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED.]
"Gah!" Ein shouts loudly. That was over three quarters of his health gone in an instant! "Shit that hurts!" He exclaims in pain, looking up to see the swarm of harpy like Grimm. There was at least ten of them. 'Fuck… I really did just jinx myself earlier…'
[ONE CONDITION FOR (FIRST BLOOD) HAVE BEEN MET]
[-WHEN IN A FIGHT TO THE DEATH, THIS SKILL GRANTS +4 TO ALL STATS EXCEPT FOR LUCK]
[HP: 52/70]
[STP: 32/32]
[ONE CONDITION FOR (CALM MIND) HAVE BEEN MET]
[WHEN IN A FIGHT TO THE DEATH, NUMBS USER'S EMOTIONAL QUALITIES.]
Just as quickly did his fear appear, it went away, replaced by a piercing cold glare. He holds out his arm to call his spear to him and grips it tight. Another of the Harpy Grimm dove at him with their talons. Before the bird's razor sharp talon could connect, he poked his spear out, piercing the bird's wing.
[RAZORWING HAS BEEN STRUCK ON ITS WEAKPOINT.]
[(4 + 11 + 4 + 0 + 0) x 1.7 – 0]
[34 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[RAZORWING: DEAD]
[SUPER OVERKILL BONUS: DOUBLED DROPS]
He wasn't done yet. Not even close. He spins around, flinging the corpse of the now known Razorwing to another of its kind which was diving towards him to take a bite out of him.
[RAZORWING HAS BEEN STRUCK]
[5 + 5 – 4 + 4]
[10 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[RAZORWING: DEAD]
'Good.' He thought as he ran forward, avoiding any attack he could. Some of them certainly hit though. How did he know? Oh, you know, probably sharp talons the Razorwing digging into him.
[HOST HAS BEEN STRUCK]
[(7 + 11) x 1 – 0]
[18 DAMAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED.]
Ein growls in pain and frustration, but accepting the results. It could've been worse. He was on 34 HP. He clicks his tongue, seeing the eight remaining Razorwings.
It was at that moment that he had a very dumb idea. His greed took over his logical thinking. He grinned as he stops running away, to face the Razorwings. They were decently low to the ground, yet remaining unreachable by normal means, even accounting for his spear. He looked around as he dodged for some sort of way of defeating them. It was after a while of nothing but dodging did he notice a certain behavior to the Razorwings. 'Perfect.'
Behaviour one, They always attack in pairs. Behaviour two, they only attack while he had his back turned. Lastly, Behaviour three. They had a really hard time changing the orientation of their dive.
He faced his back to the Razorwings. After a bit of waiting, the wind howled as if something was rushing towards him. He really couldn't help but grin as he activates (Sprint) and dodges aside, the harpy crashing into the dirt. Just as quickly he stomped on the Grimm, He turned his spear and let its pair dive towards him and impale itself on the spear.
[RAZORWING HAS BEEN STRUCK]
[DAMAGE CALCULATION (FOR LOWER BODY BASED MELEE ATTACKS):]
[50-100% AGI + (SPEED/2)} + WEAPON STAT BONUS + ARMOR BONUS + SKILLS) x WEAKPOINT BONUS - ENEMY ARMOR]
[(12 + 14 + 4 + 0 + 0) x 1 -0]
[30 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED.]
[RAZORWING: DEAD]
[SUPER OVERKILL BONUS: GUARANTEED RARE DROP]
[RAZORWING HAS BEEN STRUCK.]
[(5 + 11 + 4 + 0 + 0) x 1 – 0]
[20 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[RAZORWING: DEAD]
[OVERKILL BONUS: +10 LUCK FOR THIS SPECIFIC DROP]
Indeed, his rewards would be great. Now, six remain. He repeated the process, then four remained. Then two.
[23 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[OVERKILL BONUS: +10 LUCK FOR THIS SPECIFIC DROP]
[27 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[OVERKILL BONUS: GUARANTEED DROPS]
[22 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[OVERKILL BONUS: GUARANTEED DROPS]
[22 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[OVERKILL BONUS: +10 LUCK FOR THIS SPECIFIC DROP]
[39 DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED]
[SUPER OVERKILL BONUS: +30 LUCK FOR THIS SPECIFIC DROP]
"And then… There was one." Ein grinned. His eyes showed a darkness, and an odd feeling of pleasure. Toying with the creature. The vermin. All alone, struggling to fight back. A sinister smile forms on his face as the Razorwing, in a desperate last stand, dives into him once more. But it was all for naught. Ein has long since deactivated sprint. Once Razorwings were alone, they were easily dealt with.
He sidesteps out of the way. The moment the Razorwing had impacted the ground, Ein steps on the creature, leaving it with a literal sliver of health remaining.
[RAZORWING: CRUSHING]
[-1 HP PER SECOND BY THE WILL OF THE INFLICTOR]
[RAZORWING: NEAR DEATH]
Why was he feeling like he was in heaven? With his foot on the barely alive harpy, he wonders. His mind wanders back to those memories once more. Memories of these Grimm, mercilessly tearing him apart… Yes, he understands now. Vengeance. For that pain, he inflicts back. "I think it's time to be put out of your misery." He raises his spear, preparing for to strike the lone Razorwing
But the strike never came.
[HOST HAS BEEN STRUCK ON HIS WEAKPOINT]
[(10 + 11) x 1.7 – 0]
[37 DAMAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED]
[HP: 0/60]
Ein stood, astonished and in pain, yet no scream came out. His chest had a bony claw protruding through it. His eyes shrunk in horror.
The last thing he heard were the rustling of leaves. Probably from approaching Grimm. Looks like he's gonna die again.
[DEATH OF HOST DETECTED]
[REWIND INITIATED]
[PREVIOUS SAVE FILE RELOADED]
[PREVIOUS STATS TRANSFERRED]