Proof of Love
"So then, you and Reid…" Yang grimaced, a light blush on her face.
"Yeah…" Ruby's face was as red as her namesake. "D-don't be mad! He wasn't trying to pressure me or anything. In fact, he told me the fact after we did it."
"I'm not mad, Ruby. I trust Reid to not pull that crap," Yang sighed. "It's just that uh, well, it's kinda hard to imagine."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we're gonna have to do it too if I want magic, right?" Her sister said. "And you're fine with it?"
"Well, yeah, I told you already," Ruby nodded. "I'm sure he likes you too. He wouldn't mind."
"Yeah, I'd rather take it slow first," Yang said. "I mean, I know it's inevitable, but I want to get to know him better?"
"Sure, but you're already really close anyway," Ruby shrugged. "I don't think he'd say no if you offered."
"You're awfully confident. that he's okay with all of this."
"Yang, he wants more girls in this relationship," She deadpanned. "Why would he reject you?"
"Right, right, the whole harem thing," Yang rubbed her neck. "I know and understand why he wants it, but it's kinda weird to hear."
Ruby had explained to her sister about everything she knows, from Reid's special magic granting powers to his harem plan. Unlike her little sister, Yang doesn't seem to quite mind it all that much. In fact, Ruby would say that she's even into it.
While yes, harems are common, especially for retired hunters and those of the higher classes, they don't exactly always work. Many relationships were broken over it, which was the main concern of Ruby. There was a possibility that this harem idea might completely destroy her relationship with Reid, and she doesn't want that.
He's an important person in her life. The idea of Reid not being with her anymore scares her more than most things.
Yang seemed slightly interested in this idea, a lot more open than Ruby. She didn't show it and was still apprehensive and kinda worried, but her little sister knew. It's not her place to judge. If the blond likes it, then good for her.
Yang also looked a little embarrassed at the prospect of making love with Reid to get her magic but wasn't against it. Ruby knows she'd jump at the idea, that if her boyfriend really tried, he'd get her in the bedroom in a day even.
She doesn't blame her. Having sex with an unnaturally handsome man who's also the Titan Slayer and getting magic out of it? Not many women would be able to resist the temptation, especially knowing how good it felt.
"Weird how?"
"I dunno how to explain it. I mean, he's a hero, the Titan Slayer, of course someone like him would have women flocking him everywhere and trying to get into his pants," Yang elaborates. "But when you know him personally it's… weird."
"I know, right?" Ruby grinned. "I was shocked, too. Maybe he thinks he'd be helping the world by making more magic users?"
"Or he's just horny," Yang mused, making her little sister giggle. "I know I'd do the same if I was in his place."
"I think it's a little bit of both," Ruby replied, face reddening a bit. "He can be a little hard to… um, you know, calm down."
Yang smirked at the implication. "Someone's getting a little naughty~"
"H-hey, it's natural for lovers to do it, okay?" Ruby crossed her arms with a pout. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough."
"I'm sure," Her sister chuckled, before looking over at the desk. "So you done making it?"
"Hm?" Ruby blinked, following Yang's line of sight before her eyes landed on the silver-colored mechanical gauntlets. "Oh, you mean the weapon? Yep, just need to add the finishing touches. Like paint and all that."
"Really?" Yang took a closer look, taking one to inspect it. "Damn, this is a state of the art kinda deal. You seriously made all of this?"
"You have no idea how hard it was to get all the materials I needed," Ruby sighed. "This is probably the most complicated weapon I've made."
"Even better than your 'baby'?"
"Of course not," Ruby frowned, redirecting her eyes to look at the fascinating wall of her bedroom. "...maybe a little."
"Heh, you're so in love with him."
"You're no better," Ruby pouted.
"So you're gonna give it to him once he's back?" Yang asked, putting it back down.
"Yep, I hope he likes it," Ruby smiled.
"I'm sure he would," Yang reassured her. "This is probably better than most high-end weapons. He'd be over the moon."
"Thanks, Yang," Ruby said, hugging the blond.
"Anytime," She patted her head. "C'mon, let's get you to bed. It's getting late."
"Sure."
Ruby was excited to see him again. It's been like, three days or something, but she missed him a lot. There's so much she wanted to tell Reid, like the whole thing with Yang and the new weapon she made for him.
He's always working himself to make sure everyone's safe. He spends a lot of his time in the research or factory sections of his place, but even then, he always makes time for them in training.
Of course Ruby wants to help. At least brightening up his day would do.
"Goodnight, Ruby," Yang said, kissing her little sister's forehead.
"Night, Yang."
With that, the blond left the room, closing the door behind her. Ruby turned and slept on her side, thinking about what she'd say when Reid came back. She missed him.
Ruby rubbed her thighs together as she bit her lips, her hand slithering down to her panties as she started to touch herself.
She missed him a lot.
This dungeon sensor perk must be one of my favorite perks so far. Finding dungeons is so easy now, it didn't take me hours and hours just to find one, and seeing how fast my bike is, I could zoom around the continent without issues.
After leaving the desert tomb, the first thing I did was of course take up Earth magic. The only reason I took it is simple - I need Nature magic for my crops, and the Game said that Nature magic is a combination of Earth and Water, and I already had the latter ages ago.
[Earth Magic Mastery] (LV 1/100)
Your skill in Earth Magic is that of a novice
Increase Earth Magic damage by 1%
Then of course, there were the fire magic perks. Like Alchemy and Golemcrafting, I've been given a few perks to choose from and not only that, but all my spells changed drastically. They don't have fixed damage anymore. It's tied to my INT now.
[Fireball] (LV 10/10)
Throw a fireball that deals INTx1.5 + 100 Fire Damage
Costs 10 MP
This is insane. My regular fireball deals over a thousand damage like this, as opposed to the first time I unlocked it which was fucking 50. My first ever spell is now over twenty times stronger than before.
Unfortunately, some spells were weakened as well, especially the Fireflash spell, but that's only because my INT isn't on par with it yet, but with this, my spells can basically grow infinitely powerful.
[Flashfire] (LV 2/15)
Unleash a powerful burst of flames from the palm of your hand that deals INTx15.5 + 2000 Fire Damage
Costs 11,700 MP
I'm satisfied, though. This motivates me to increase my INT as magic is absurdly powerful and versatile. I've been leaning on physical combat more, like Haki and martial arts, while magic-focused when it comes to crafting.
Alright, now it's time to choose a perk.
[Fire Magic: Offensive]
Fire Magic deals 50% more damage
[Fire Magic: Defensive]
You are 50% more resistant to Fire Damage
[Fire Magic: Versatile]
Making Fire Spells is 50% easier
[Fire Magic: Sparing]
Fire Magic costs 50% less MP
It's not really a hard choice here; aiming for more damage is my main goal. A whole 50% increase is huge considering how much damage I deal anyway. Cost isn't much of a problem, and neither is making new spells. Fire resistance is tempting, but I can just make armor for that later.
Seeing the obvious choice, I take the offense perk, feeling my flames getting significantly hotter. Can't wait to test it out later.
I found another dungeon thirty minutes after leaving the desert tomb, a common one which is perfect. So far, all the common dungeons gave me horde quests, like kill 100 wolves or 100 bears, and the place I fight in is a large, open area.
Best place to use my tokens. 24 Gacha tokens plus two new ones from this dungeon I just cleared, so 26. I've never had so many tokens before but seeing that they can be harmful, it's good to be prepared. Who knows, maybe snapping a token summons a meteor or something.
I'm strong, but not strong enough to deal with that stuff yet.
Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened, and I got a couple of good items. Most were junk, like low-tier magical weapons or paper towels, but I lucked out and managed to get my hands on a legendary item.
After the first few pulls, one of the Tokens summoned a few trolls, which I easily took care of with my fire magic. Of course, I knew the properties of troll blood, so I got a few vials I could use later for alchemy.
-Troll Blood x6
The blood of a large, dumb, and strong creature with a fast healing factor. Troll blood can be used in many potions, ranging from positive to negative. Sought after for its healing capabilities.
Can be used in Alchemy, Golemcrafting, Rituals, ?, ?, ?, and Cooking
Maybe I can improve my healing potions with this? Right now, the best thing I have are obviously my Senzu Beans, but they're not exactly easy to grow, nor do I have a lot of them. I'm not confident I can grow them yet - they're magic in nature, so maybe once I get some sort of a magical soil or something.
So making improved healing and regeneration potions would be pretty nice. Who knows, I might get them to 100% restore power with this. Once I get back, there's gonna be a lot of experimentation and research.
If I don't get sidetracked again.
...Though, I do want to move my research room to another place. Doing dangerous magical experiments at the heart of Vale isn't smart. I want to turn the place into a factory for potions and golems only.
Maybe it's about time I visit that mansion. I've been putting it off for ages.
Anyway, Troll Blood. Good stuff I can use.
I've also got this, and I'm not exactly sure what I can do with it. It's a strange, red orb of some kind, similar to that Orb of Darkness I got recently, but it's devoid of any kind of power. It's like an empty orb instead, and the description isn't really telling me much.
-Principle of Life and Death (Powerless)
Soul for a soul
Can be used in certain rituals when charged.
I'm not sure what I can do with it. The name of the item makes me think that it's not really something weak or easy to get hold of. I've definitely lucked out with it, but I don't know what it does.
And I don't know how I'm gonna empower it either. I'll check out the ritual books I have at home, as well as Sheekh's to see what I can get from them. Hopefully, there's some stuff in there that can explain it.
Alright, next item.
This one was a neatly shaped red crystal as if it was artificially carved to look this way. There were three, glowing white letters on it. S.T.R and I know what that stands for. It's something related to the strength stat.
-Imperfect STR Capsule
An artificial stat crystal made to temporarily increase one's strength when crushed.
Increases STR by 250 for two minutes
Yeah, I'm definitely not gonna use this. The things I can do if I could replicate it, or better yet, perfect it. A pro-hunter's physical stats are usually in the 130-200 range, so imagine hundreds of them with stats in the thousands? Excluding the temporary boost of potions?
This is gonna be a key item in turning the tide of this war. Taking care of two Titans isn't enough - I need to make sure that Remnant's hunters are powerful enough to push back on their own. Should I die, then at least they'll keep going.
Finally, the best item I got, and now that I think about it, it's pretty strange how all the good items I got are related to magic experiments. I guess I'm lucky. I'd take this stuff over weapons, to be honest - I already have my busted Katana and that water spear, Maliq. I should probably get used to it, it's as strong as Goldbrand at its weakened state. Who knows how strong it is when repaired.
-Ancient Dragon Blood - Legendary
Blood belonging to an ancient dragon. Filled with magical properties, Dragon Blood is considered top-grade material due to its rarity, power and flexibility.
Can be used in Alchemy, Golemcrafting, Rituals, ?, ?, ?, and Cooking
The things I can do with this. Fucking dragon blood. It's not something I can get in Remnant, and I don't think I'm fighting a dragon in a dungeon any time soon. Imagine draconic potions or Golems, hell, I can do something more.
Like, a permanent buff or something. To be completely honest here, I may be very skilled in alchemy, but I'm not exactly knowledgeable. Most of the potions I made were just me throwing shit together and hoping for good results.
If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm keeping it until I'm absolutely sure I'm ready to use it. Filled with magical properties means that it's highly volatile when used in magical experiments, and I don't want it exploding on me. I'm not gonna waste this because I was too impatient.
Maybe one day I can get a book for ingredients like this. I only have books about rituals specifically, nothing about alchemy. I also want to discover what those question marks mean.
I'll get there.
When I used the last token, I activated a strange event of sorts. I was gonna just snap the token and get out of there, but I decided to wait and see what would happen. It wasn't a dangerous event by any means, but I found it very interesting.
I lean against a tree as I see Gwyn stomping on a blue blob, prompting it to explode its chunks everywhere. More and more of these colorful blobs hop towards the bus-sized wolf as he smashes them with ease, not showing any fear or concern.
Instead, he was happily panting and swishing his tail. He thinks it's a game of some kind as he slaughters the slimes by crushing them with his paws. I didn't want to involve myself since Gwyn alone is basically overkill, and I find it amusing.
When I snapped the token, this message popped up.
Slime is raining from the sky!
It didn't take long for the 'King of Slimes' to appear, which was basically a very big slime with a crown on top of it. Of course, Gwyn easily killed it using his newly developed Semblance, which was honestly pretty powerful.
I want to say it's pure wind control, but it's clearly not that. He can't 'create' wind by any means, he just controls what's there already. He can either use it to increase his speed or form a shield around him that pushes all kinds of weak enemies or projectiles.
We tested it out a bit, and it doesn't seem like he can use the wind offensively. Well, not fully at least. The only thing that can be counted as an offensive move would be forcing his barrier to 'explode' and push everything back.
It's pretty good, though. Once Gwyn learns how to use magic, maybe he'd be able to use them together to make powerful combination attacks. Imagine imbuing this wind barrier with fire, for example, turning it into a fire barrier instead.
We'll see. It doesn't seem like he got the hang of magic yet. It's much more difficult than using Aura, because you at least instinctively know how to use that in its most basic form.
Once Gwyn smashes the final slime, he turns to look at me as if he was proud of himself. I walk towards him, rubbing his chin while patting his head.
"Good boy," I praise. "You had your fun yet?"
He nods.
"Alright, I think it's time we go back," I say, glancing at the crown left by the Slime King. "Let me just take that real quick."
I quickly send it to my inventory, thinking of taking out the gems to use for rituals later then smelting the gold. I'm definitely never selling this kind of stuff for Lien anymore, no sir.
Alright, there's one more thing I want to do, and it's regarding the Sharingan. The next two stages require completing challenges instead of leveling up, so I want to at least finish one of them.
Game, can I do it now? Is there a level requirement or something?
You may activate the challenge at any time. No level requirements.
What happens if I fail?
You'll forever lose the chance to upgrade it this way and might have to resort to the original way.
Doesn't sound too bad, to be honest. I can probably bypass the whole grief thing through magic if I research enough. After all, this Sharingan is magic-based, not Chakra, and magic is far more versatile than Chakra.
Alright, let's start the challenge.
Challenge quest added
[Mangekyo Sharingan] - Quest
Objective A: Defeat one Titan Grimm in five months
Objective B: When fighting a Titan Grimm, HP must stay above 50% the whole time
Objective C: When fighting a Titan Grimm, must have the Sharingan Active the whole time
Warning: When fighting a Titan Grimm, Magic Damage is reduced by 25%
Time Limit: 5 Months, 0 Weeks, 0 Days
I… huh, this is a lot less crazy than I thought. I mean, the objectives are very difficult, but I have a lot of time to finish them. Keep in mind that I got this strong in like, a month and a half? Or something. Five months is more than enough to get twice as strong as I am now and kick some ass.
Hmm, I guess it's hard, but not unfair. I can worry about it later I think.
I was about to leave, but I stopped myself as I looked at the chunks of slime all over the plains. I take a moment to contemplate before crouching down, my face scrunching in disgust as I grab the slimy substance.
Maybe I can use this?
Once I use Observe on it, I raise a brow in interest.
-Slime Gel
Flammable and tasty
...Huh. So it is an item.
What can I do with it, though…
Oh well, I'll scoop up as much as I can. I might have a use for it later.
The description does make me a little curious, so I shrug and take a taste, only to be surprised. Literally tastes like liquified jelly. Each color has its own flavor too.
So I can use them in cooking.
I think Ruby's gonna like this.
Once I parked my bike, I glanced around at the garage before sighing in relief. Finally, home sweet home. It felt like I hadn't been here for months when it was barely two days. Or three? I'm not sure. It's really hard to keep track of time while traversing dimensions.
Well, now I can stop worrying about being too weak for a bit unless I get another emergency mission that requires me to go through the dark continent for reasons. Considering my luck, I'm not ruling out the possibility. I hope everything calms down so I can finally focus on research without getting interrupted.
The past few weeks felt like years. If you think about it, I've only just been reincarnated not long ago, and I already got a girlfriend, became one of the strongest in Remnant, killed two Titans, met one of my heroes, befriended a lich, and became Vale's hero and a very important political figure.
Damn. Time is fucky, isn't it?
I honestly hope things calm down for a bit. I need to catch my breath and settle down for once. Everything is admittedly going too fast. Salem probably knows about the Tree Grimm's death, so hopefully, she backs off for now. Not counting on it though.
Hope for the best, expect the worst.
Two hands suddenly cover my face as I sense Ruby's bright soul right behind me. "Guess who~?"
"Yang."
"You jerk, I know you recognized me!" Ruby giggles, hugging my back. "Welcome home."
"You have no idea how much I missed you."
"It's only been a few days." She breaks the hug as I turn to look at her.
"A few days too long without you," I say, making her blush a little. "I was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms."
"You're just being dramatic," She rolls her eyes. "So how was your 'business venture'?"
"Great. Got a lot of useful stuff I can use," I respond. "How about you? How's your magic training going?"
"Hehehe, I can make spears and even shields now," She puffs her chest in pride. "I told you I'm getting the hang of it."
"Can't wait to see it in action," I pat her head, making her lean in closer. "What about Yang? She noticed anything unusual?"
"Uhm... " Ruby suddenly looks nervous, twiddling her thumbs. "About Yang…"
I can feel uncertainty, but also anticipation. Something happened while I was gone, not exactly bad though. Hmm...
"Actually, come in. There's something important we need to talk about," Ruby says, pulling me by the arm. "Yang is inside waiting for us."
"Alright then."
Ruby leads me to the living room, where Yang sat there looking a little nervous. She spots us and stands up, giving me a bright but uncertain smile. Something definitely happened while I was gone.
Ruby lets go of my hand and stands next to her sister, and I patiently wait for her to explain what's going on. Did she tell her about the magic core process? Did something happen between them?
I don't sense any kind of animosity from or between them, and the atmosphere isn't exactly tense either. Whatever Ruby's about to tell me isn't really bad, so I can at least relax in that regard.
"Is everything okay?" I ask with a raised brow.
"Oh, yeah, everything is perfect," Yang answers. "It's just that I… uh, well…"
She blushes a little. I don't need my Haki to feel her nervousness, though I used it to feel another emotion. One Ruby gives off constantly: Love.
"C'mon, Yang," Ruby says quietly.
Oh.
Oh, I think I know what's going on.
Huh, and here I thought Ruby wasn't all that happy about it. A few days and she's completely changed her mind. I know how Yang feels about me, it's obvious even without the system noting it.
One thing's for certain: She's a lot more subtle than her sister. The glances she gives me are more than enough to realize that she's into me, and the emotions I pick up from her are the confirmation I needed. She's jealous of Ruby but doesn't want to ruin it for her.
I admire her self-sacrificing nature, though I think she needs to give herself some credit. There were times where I felt her self-loathing.
"Ugh, why are you so nervous?" Ruby asks her older sister, who winced. "This isn't like you at all!"
"Put yourself in my own shoes, damn it. This isn't easy!"
"Well, if you keep acting like some blushing schoolgirl, then I'll do it for you," Ruby clears her throat as I stare at their banter in amusement. "Basically, Yang has feelings-"
"I have feelings for you!" Yang cut her off with a yell, her face red in embarrassment. "There, I said it."
"I see," I answer. "I like you too, Yang."
The quick and casual response made the blond freeze in her tracks as she slowly processed what I just said. Didn't think Yang would act like this; she feels more experienced? Didn't expect the whole blushing virgin thing from her.
You're the Hero of Vale. Cut her some slack.
Fair enough.
"Huh?"
"See, I told you he likes you!" Ruby grins. "You're a beautiful person inside and outside. There's no way he wouldn't love someone like you."
"I-I guess," Yang scratches her cheek. "I didn't think it'd go this well, though."
"Anyway, Reid, I thought about your idea about the harem for a bit," Ruby explains. "And I thought we could start slow? I mean, I have known Yang my whole life, and I think I'll be fine sharing you with her."
"Ah, so that's what's all about," I nod, looking at the red-faced Yang. "And you're fine with it?"
"Yeah, it's cool," She shrugs. "I'm not really the jealous type. I mean, if you'll have me."
"I'd love to," I smirk, making her chuckle nervously. "So you're fine with it, Ruby?"
"Yup, if it'll make Yang happy, then I'm happy too," Ruby smiles warmly. "I don't want to ever see her sad again."
God, this girl is way too nice. How she's not the popular girl everywhere is one hell of a mystery.
"Well, if that's the case…" I take a step towards Yang, who freezes on the spot as I caress her cheeks. "You don't mind, do you?"
A quick glance told me Ruby wasn't mad about me being close to her sister like this. So she's not lying to herself, she genuinely feels happy for Yang. She does look a little nervous, a little jealous too, but not hateful or angry.
"Not at all, buster," Yang grins, her face still beet red.
"Much obliged."
With that, I seal it with a kiss, making the blond moan slightly as she wraps her arms around my neck. It didn't take long for this to turn into tongue-on-tongue action, prompting me to rub her thighs. Yang breaks it off with a gasp, looking at me in surprise.
20 Affection with Yang Xiao-Long [50/100]
"You're really good at this."
"I had a lot of practice," I glance at the blushing Ruby with a smile.
"O-okay, that's enough," Ruby pushes Yang away from me. "It's my turn now! I haven't made out with you in days!"
"The horror," I chuckle, before being stopped as she smashes her lips on mine.
Yang only laughs at her sister's adorable antics, clearly enjoying herself despite Ruby's jealousy. Their relationship is way too strong for it to be broken by this it seems. Ruby only needs to get used to it for a bit.
As she pulls away, I pat her head. "You're gonna love the souvenirs I got for you."
"Oooh, that reminds me," Ruby steps back and holds my hand tight. "I have a surprise I want to show you! You're gonna love it."
"A surprise?"
"Yep, wait for me in the training grounds."
I blink in confusion as she lets go of me.
"I'll go get it," She answers my unasked question. "Be right back."
I glance at Yang, who shrugs. "You'll see. She worked really hard on it."
I hum and head to the training grounds, the blond following me closely. She suddenly takes my hand and holds it in hers, smiling at me softly.
And here I thought making a harem was gonna be a lot more complicated.
"I assume Ruby told you about it?"
Yang blinks at my question as she leans next to me. "About what?"
"Magic," I respond.
"Ah…" She awkwardly rubs her neck, which tells me enough. "Yeah…"
"You don't seem mad," I observe. "Knowing that Ruby and I… you know, fucked."
"I can't really say anything, Reid," Yang says. "You're a good person. I know you wouldn't lie about this kind of stuff."
I stay quiet.
"And when I look at her now, I can tell she's happy," She continues. "After mom died, Ruby has never been the same. I'd say she took it harder than dad."
"Sorry for your loss, by the way."
"It's fine, I got over it," She shakes her head. "Ruby hasn't though. You know, she wasn't always a social recluse. I'd say she was better with people than me at the time."
"Well, she was like four or something at the time, right?" I point out. "Kids that age are usually pretty social."
"Yeah, but she made a full 180. She stopped talking to people, she didn't want to make new friends, and was a loner most of the time," Yang sighs. "She healed with time, but the scar remained."
I wait for her to finish.
"The point is, whenever Ruby's with you, I can see her old self again," Yang explains. "You've made her happier than she's ever been in years, Reid. There's no way I'd stop her from being close to you."
"Is that why you hesitated?" I ask. "You thought Ruby being with me was perfect for her, and getting close to me could break it all."
"I… how did you…" Yang looks at me in shock before sighing. "Nothing ever gets past you, huh? You're right, polygamy might be common these days, but I didn't know how Ruby would react and that scared me."
"And now look at her," I grin. "Taking care of you as you're taking care of her. Lil sis got far, didn't she?"
"You have no idea how proud I am of her," Yang grinned back.
The door to the training grounds swings open as Ruby walks in, arms behind her back with a smug smile on her face. She was coming towards us, looking absolutely proud of herself. I glance at Yang, who's equally excited for what's to come.
Alright, now I'm really curious about this.
"Reid, can you close your eyes?" Ruby asks.
I do so, then she asks something else.
"And give me both your hands."
I raise a brow and extend my arms in front of me. It takes a second, but I feel something encasing both arms up to my elbows. Whatever it was, it's pretty comfy on the inside, and clench my fists to try get a better feel of it.
What the hell is this? I can feel its weight, and the noises it makes whenever I move my fingers sound… mechanical?
I quickly realize it is as a certain memory rushes back. Is this the weapon Ruby was making for me?
"What do you think it is?" Ruby asks.
"...Gauntlets?"
"Hole in one~" Yang says.
I open my eyes, and one of the coolest looking pairs of gauntlets greet me. White-colored mechanical gauntlets with glowing blue LEDs on the forearms. It looks like the arms of a mech suit rather than a weapon as if it's created after decades of technological advancements.
I was honestly awestruck. This was without a doubt something that far surpassed my expectation for a Ruby-made weapon.
"Holy shit," I utter. "You made this?!"
"Yep!" Ruby puts her hands on her hips. "I call these babies the 'Devil Breakers'. The best weapon I've ever made thus far."
-Devil Breakers
Mechanical gauntlets made by the talented Weaponsmith, Ruby Rose, for her lover, Reid Astera. Due to her love for him, she used all her life savings for the best and highest quality of materials and made sure to perfect it. Proof of her pure adoration to her significant other.
Gauntlets: Deals 600 + (DEX + STR)x4.5 Physical Damage
Bladed Whips: Deals 1200 + DEXx6 Physical Damage. Can extend up to five meters.
Bonus: Adding Dust will increase the Physical Damage of both modes by 10%
Good god. This thing is fucking busted.
"I-I can tell," I stammer a little, still shocked at the stats I'm reading. "So uh, can you explain how it works?"
"Of course. First, they work like any regular gauntlet. They hit hard and they're light for high-speed movement," She says. "They're also pretty durable, so don't worry about them breaking. If they do break, I can fix them right up."
"Okay," I throw a punch. "What else?"
"I remember you saying that you weren't good with guns, so instead, I added a whip mode for it," She says excitedly. "There's a small button on the palms that when pushed, it'll fling them out at high speeds. Oh, and don't worry about pressing them accidentally, I made them a little hard to push."
"I'm not good with whips either," I remind her.
Eh, well, I use the whips I make with fire magic, but I don't think those are classified as 'whips' by the system.
"Oh, that's fine. You don't need to be an expert at using them," She waves off my concerns. "As long as you know the basics, then you're good. The idea behind the whips is that you're able to drag any enemy who tries to retreat back to you, and since you're primarily a melee fighter, I thought it'd be perfect for you."
Makes sense. I can basically use my Sharingan to gain Whip Mastery anyway, so it's not really that much of an issue.
"Of course, that's not all," Ruby's grin widens. "If you hold the whips button in either mode, you'll use the Dust inside to coat the gauntlets or the bladed whips in whatever element currently in storage, adding extra power to your attacks."
First, I test out the whips, pressing the button as they suddenly shoot forward from the knuckles. They're pretty long too, and from what I can see, they're made of the same material. Holy hell this is cool.
"You really went all out, didn't you," I mutter.
"Yup, she worked day and night on it," Yang said, sighing sadly. "My gauntlets are nowhere near as cool as that. I demand an upgrade, Rubes. I can't be the only one without an upgrade."
"Yeah, yeah…"
I test out the Dust application of the gauntlets, and the whips suddenly burst in lightning. Yellow electricity dances around the blades, and looking for any weakness, I retract the whips back to see what would happen.
Only for the Lightning Dust power to transfer to the gauntlets. This is fucking amazing, holy crap.
"This is incredible," I say, honestly blown away. "I didn't expect you'd go so far to make a weapon like this."
Ruby giggles. "I knew you'd like it."
"Like it? Ruby, I love it. This is… wow," I chuckle, still at loss for words. "I knew you were good at making weapons, but this is unreal."
"Aw, shucks," She slaps my arm playfully. "You deserve it. A hero needs a worthy weapon after all."
"So what's with the name?" I ask in curiosity.
"Oh, well, remember the time where you killed those demons?" Ruby says, making me nod. Yeah, I think I understand. "I just thought it's a cool name. Unless you want to name it yourself?"
"Nah, it's good as is."
"Wait, hold on, demons?" Yang looks at us in confusion and concern. "You mean like, Grimm?"
"Oh no, actual demons," Ruby says. "Reid accidentally opened a portal to hell once. They're way scarier than a flimsy Grimm."
…
"...what?"
Ah, shit.
"Ruby!" I hiss, glancing worriedly at the horrified Yang.
"Ah, w-was that too much information?" She flinches as she realizes what she said.
Yang's horrified expression turns into a scowl as she looks at me.
"Explain."
Goddamn it, Ruby.
(Qrow)
He was being followed.
He noticed a while ago, but this person is very persistent it seems. No matter how many turns he took, they followed. They're either too dense to realize that Qrow knew, or they're very desperate. Whatever it is, he's planning to put an end to it right now.
Being positioned in Mistral has become one of his least favorite missions as of late. With Reid telling them that Lionheart was a traitor, Oz became paranoid. The attack and subsequent destruction of the Branwen Tribe only made him even more scared.
After a little investigation, Qrow discovered that their destruction was actually at the hand of the Caliban, the mafia organization of Mistral. It was weird; Raven knew that messing with them will bring down the wrath of their chairman on her head.
If there was one thing Raven was, it was cautious. She'd never try to attract such a big player like this to her doorstep, it didn't seem like something she'd do at all. Hell, knowing that she was the Spring Maiden was a shock.
Why would she try to get the maiden's powers? For sure, it's power which is the only thing that makes her panties soaked, but at the risk of attracting Salem? It didn't make sense at all. Raven wanted out of this shadow war completely.
Regardless, after more investigation, Qrow found something odd about Mistral. There seem to be fewer and fewer Hunters here - far less than there should be. Most are missing, some are dead, and others are apparently retired after crippling accidents.
Hell, even Vacuo had a lot fewer incidents like this. There's definitely something wrong about all of this. Some hunters began to suspect as such and left Mistral to work in another place.
Qrow is beginning to trust Reid's words more and more. Lionheart is definitely suspicious now. There's no way he's that incompetent, especially after the years of good work beforehand. People don't just go stupid like this.
Qrow whistled to himself and kept his casual pace, acting as if nothing was wrong before going into an alley. He quickly transformed into a bird and flew over the buildings around him, watching the suspicious individual enter the alley to follow him.
He turned back into a human and cornered the hooded individual, who froze as they turned around to see him.
"Mind explaining why you're following me?" Qrow raised a brow, grip tight on his blade.
"Finally done with this cat-and-mouse chase, eh?" A familiar feminine voice responded with an amused tone. "Too bad, I actually found it kinda fun."
"I'm too old for this shit, so I'll keep it clear: Do everything I tell you to do, and you'll keep your head," Qrow warned. "Capiche?"
"Alright, alright. Sheesh," She sighed. "Don't have to be so grumpy, old man. Didn't come here to fight."
"I'll be the judge of that," He replied. "Take the hood off."
"Aye aye, cap'n," She said.
Qrow paused as she obeyed, looking at the silver-haired woman in surprise. She had a smug, albeit nervous smirk on her face.
"It's you…" He muttered.
"It's me," Her smirk widened.
"The hell do you want?" Qrow narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to say sorry for what I did and all that. I felt pretty horrible about it all, y'know," She shrugged.
Qrow looked at her, bemused.
"...It's not too late to switch sides, is it?" She mumbled, nervously scratching her cheek.
...Well then…
Ozpin is definitely gonna be pleased about this.