Hold It In (RWBY/Transistor)

Captain Clever said:

Oh that is interesting. Does that mean that armor damage effectively reduces someone's maximum aura? How does it account for attacks that bypass armor and aura both?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Removing someone's armour lowers their maximum Aura, and if an attack bypasses Aura, it accounts for it by adding a 'dead/critical injury' tag to them, usually. The entire point of the exercise is to equalise the damage output- so a Crash()-Breach() combo is always worth 30 points or more of Aura damage, for example. It's partially for the purpose of fine-tuning its own sensors so it eventually won't need to hijack people's scrolls to figure out their Aura, and partially a psychological thing for Jaune's sake.

It's so he's doing some decent damage against a much harder opponent, instead of looking like he's plinking away uselessly at a much easier opponent, then saying 'nah fuck this' and giving up that fight. It's a persistence tool- the problem is with the enemy's defence, not your attacks. I'm sure a psychologist somewhere just started crying, but EH

More seriously, that Dust Crystal took off about a quarter of his Aura, simply because it didn't have to deal with getting through the armour. Actually, if anything, it helped. The Dust crystal, that is.

Also you technically get two updates today, which is why this is so late.

|||

...

Nah. Fuck it. You're done. Lumen's sick, Ada's on the tail end of a mental breakdown, Creme... seems to be fine, you guess, but you're guessing she's just as tired as you are, and your legs can only just about keep you standing now. Three-quarters of you are not in fighting condition and the fourth will only make that worse if she gets hit.

"Personally? Lumen's sick, and you're going to transfer whatever damage you take to one of us, right?" You ask Creme, gently sidestepping whatever Ada's problem is.

"Not always. Or it might go back to Mini-Moss, that happens, sometimes." She replies somewhat defensively.

"... No. There's no point! It's-it's like Lumen said. Joint first... is still first. I'm too tired to care about pride. I don't know about you three, but I'm... I'm spent."
"Please listen to my sermon!" DC 8, roll: 10. Success!
Your teammates go quiet, looking at each other for a moment.

"... Yeah. Honestly, I just want to get out of here and get something to settle my sturrmach." Lumen tells you, a light burp causing him to wince slightly. Already, you can smell the slight acidity of his breath.

"I just wanted to take him down a peg, but after getting kicked in the face with fire, I'm... not feeling great either," Ada replies, shifting uncomfortably at the memory.

Creme doesn't say anything of her own but nods gently.

"So we're in agreement? No fighting?"

{Looks like it. Go do the talking, champ.}

Waiting a moment for that to be confirmed, you walk out of the circle to meet Salem. He begins to shift his sabre into a rifle, and you shift your sword to a reverse grip, lifting it high, then lobbing it to the side, letting it hit the ground with a little whomp and a puff of sand.

{DICK.}

"No. We're done." You announce to the short fuck in front of you, feeling your limp begin to act up as you lose your only crutch. "Lumen's sick, I can barely walk, let alone do any of the stuff I'd need to do to fight you, and the girls aren't much better off. We can't fight you, nor do we intend to." You turn to the audience, looking at the teachers in particular. "We yield!"

And then you're up in the stands, Lumen on your left, Ada on your right, and you sit down. After a moment, your sword is teleported up to the seat next to Lumen, leaving Salem alone in the middle of the arena, gripping his sword tight.

He takes a good, deep breath, before sheathing his sword and letting himself be swapped with Moss and Teal.

"... Well!" Moss starts, beginning to walk about, probably happy for the chance to stretch his legs. "That was... several types of interesting. I've never actually seen the arena in worse shape than this, honestly."

He looks around, actually taking in the scene in around him for a moment.

"... Good gods what are we feeding you kids these days- er, normally, you would be just allowed to home, or in the case of those injured, to the medbay for a once-over, but there are a few points I want to make about today."

And just like that, any kind of levity is dead and gone. He raises a single finger.

"One. Some of you may be angry at others for what happened. Don't. What happened in the arena stays in the arena. They had the same goal as you, they were simply better prepared, better trained, better equipped, better supported, or just luckier than you. Don't hold that against them, and instead strive to work together to become better than you could have ever been on your own. Huntsmen and Huntresses work in teams for a reason."

He raises a second "Two. Only two groups formed the standard team of four. There were a few pairs, and one group of seven, for some reason I cannot fathom. Of those two groups, one of them broke down due to backstabbing, which immediately backfired, and the other only formed after the maze. But, the majority of groups, were groups of one. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in you- we've trained you all in teams, and yet a large number of you seemed to be more infatuated with the idea of being the lone wolf, making it to the end by yourselves. That is the exact opposite of what this vocation is about. In Beacon, you will be sorted into groups of four, with a person you're paired with in the initiation. There is no choice. There is no way to guarantee who you're partnered with. It's entirely chance, and you will have to learn to work together, because this path, this world, is very cruel to the lone wolf."

Out of the bottom of your eye, you notice a few people's heads dip, unable to look their professor in the eye.

"Wait, but Mini-Mo- er, Salem was by himself, and he... well, he won." One of the girls points out, interrupting him.

Professor Moss smiles.

"Wait, no he wasn't, he joined me and Haru near the start, then he... disappeared..." Naia points out, starting strong then growing weaker, both in clarity and in conviction. His voice is hoarse, the Fire Dust obviously taking its toll on his throat even if it didn't break his Aura.

"Yeah, and he was with me in the maze, when my Aura broke." The girl with the shattered kneecap answered.

"Yes, my carbon copy was by himself. But, let me ask the class a question- raise your hand if you were personally saved by Mr Sini in some way."

It takes a few seconds, but hands begin to raise, Ada and Creme's included. After a moment, Lumen raises his too, gaining an odd look from Moss.

"Mr Tessaro, when did Salem help you?"

"He sideswiped Saff near the end. He probably didn't mean to, but it was still helpful."

That gets a small laugh from everyone, Saff's flipped bird garnering a larger one.

"Now, now, that's quite enough." Moss cuts through the giggling, some humour in his voice. "The point I wish to make is this- Salem was never on any team, but he made a point of never acting like he wasn't on any team. Transient alliances are alliances still."

He raises a third finger, leaving thumb and pinky curled. "Three... hrm. I'm not really sure if I had a third point I had to make..." He turns to Teal. "Did I?"

She freezes at the sudden attention but quickly forces a teacher's face on. "E-er, no, but... may I?"

I said she did it quickly, not well.

Moss smiles, and gestures to the audience, giving her the floor.

"... I... this, isn't the first time I've had to heal someone after a test. However, they aren't... horror story-worthy. In my time as a teacher, and a-as Signal's nurse, I have had to reattach fingers, limbs, repair arteries, and more bullet wounds than I can count. A shattered kneecap and a sliced forearm, while regrettable..." She takes a deep breath, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists as she looks away. "... are not the worst thing that could have happened. So, I ask both the injured and those who hurt them, please, don't hold this against each other, o-or Mr Mel!"

You blink. People begin to look towards Saff, suddenly remembering that, hey, yeah, that's his fault.

"No! Please, don't! I-if anyone should be blamed, we should, for not ending the fight prematurely once he rearranged the arena so much that Professor Moss couldn't use his Semblance! We should have... done more. We should have told you all that he can't use his Semblance if he can't see you, we should have ended it early, we should have moved so we could see in, we should have-" She begins to ramble, not quite focusing on the audience, not quite... not.

She stops herself, gripping the fabric of her ankle-length skirt, taking deeper, but shakier breaths as she looks away. When she continues, she sounds much more rigid than before, obviously trying to keep herself in check.

"... I know several trained Huntsmen who can't tell when someone's Aura has broken without a scroll. To expect the same from you, in a pitch black room, is simply unfair. As such, I believe no punishments should be handed down to those who caused the injuries."

She says nothing else, just biting her lip as silence follows.

{Sounds like she's seen a lot.}

You can't disagree.

Moss is the first to break the silence.

"... I can't say I disagree with her on this one. Anyway, that's really all I wanted to say. If you have any questions or concerns, I'll be in my class until around eight tonight, and Professor Teal's door is always open. Class is dismissed for the day- go home, go into town, but I wouldn't do anything too strenuous for the day. Ah, one thing though- Mel, Lye, my office before you go."

Saff and Emi both look at Moss, then at each other, trying to figure out their connection to each other, and everyone else stays still, looking at them too.

"... That wasn't a joke, people." Moss says after a moment, wondering why nobody's moving. "Go! Be free! Gods know you rush out of every other class like the room's on fire!"

Whatever tension was left breaks with that, and people finally begin to leave. Teal asks the injured and Naia to come by the medical room before they go, for a slightly deeper checkup, but aside from that, nothing else of note happens until you stand up. Your left leg, traitorous as it is, decides it wants to give out yet again, and you find yourself grabbing the person in front of you's shoulders for support.

"Hey! The hell, Arc?!"

"S-sorry!" You tell the redheaded boy, quickly shifting your grip to the seat. You grit your teeth and wince as the pins and needles flare up again, leaving you immobilised for a moment.

"Jaune? What's the matter, dude?" Lumen asks, concern obvious in his voice over his nausea.

"Leg's still useless. God, what did she do to me?"

Electric shock of around 100,000 volts at .5 amperes, cause of current inability to walk unknown- medical scan shows no logical reason for it. Current theory- psychosomatic. Suggest visiting nurse's station to talk to Professor Teal.

(Having her give you a once-over might help you feel better, at least.}

True.

You move to the edge of the arena, Ada and Creme following you, your sword floating to the edge with you. Once you're clear of the seats, Lumen shifts you, throwing one arm over his shoulders and supporting you before you collapse. Creme quickly moves to do the same, and you finally feel steady on their feet.

Ada just sort of hangs around you, and Lumen gives her a look.

"What? Do you want me to lift him onto my fucking shoulders or something?"

"... It'd be funny if you did."

Ada... seems to seriously consider that for a moment.

"You wanna go see Teal?" Creme asks, cutting off that line of thought before it goes anywhere.

After a moment, it's decided that most of your team could do with a visit to the resident healer, and you're on your way.

"... Uh, by the way..." Ada starts as you all try desperately not to get lost in the winding corridors of the academy. Even though you've all been here for, like, three years, you all manage to get a little lost anyway. "Thanks. For, not turning off the lights in the maze."

You blink, unsure how to react to that.

{'You're welcome' is a good start.}

"You're welcome. It wasn't like you were asking for an arm and a leg or anything."

She huffs a little, giving you a warmer smile than you've seen out of the girl so far. You take a moment to actually take her in, the raven black hair, surprisingly long, reaching down to her waist, the deep brown eye, the bandages not quite covering a nasty looking scar...

You stop looking at her before you begin to stare at it.

"It's just... I didn't really mean to ask for it, it just kind of slipped out, and I'm... I'm glad you did." She continues, a light blush tinging her cheeks.

Before you can respond, Creme suddenly drags you, and Lumen by proxy, down a hallway she recognises, claiming she knows the way from here. You spend the rest of the route chatting to them, listening to Ada and Lumen argue over every little thing, enduring exactly one question about your sword, warding off all others by immediately diving into specifics because dammit you're tired and not in the mood for an hour of question time, and generally...

Having fun. With other people.

... When was the last time you did that?

{Does it matter, if you're doing it now?}

It occurs to you, as you hobble along, that... no. It doesn't.

You're alright with this.

---

Full House!- Grab a team of four people and keep them all alive until the end of the exam. Somehow, this achievement is easier for an armed combat test than it was for my maths exam. 10 Fate Points added!

Almost-Superman- Don't fall below half Aura for an entire combat scene. 5 Fate Points Added!

I- you- HOW ON EARTH- Bat Naia's Dust crystal back at him, turning his armour into a furnace. 5 Fate Points Added!

WE'RE NUMBER FIVE! WE'RE NUMBER FIVE!- Place in the top six. It's joint first, but not first first. 10 Fate Points added!

New Fate Point total: 60.


Diplomatic- You prefer words and non-confrontation when dealing with other people, at least. +2 to all rolls to do with mediation and de-escalation.

---

... Look, I'll be honest. Like, super honest here.

I cannot make this next scene interesting to save my life, and after all that up above, that's saying something, so, interlude time. It's forced, yeah, but trust me, whatever I come up with here, it's better than the alternative. None of these are taking place at exactly the same time, you'll join back up with Jaune once he gets home, and finally... finally... this test will be over. Vote for up to three, if you wish. Three different ones.

[] Nobody
[] Unlikely Pair
[] Couple Of Lovebirds
[] small notreallyhere girl
[] Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer
[] Luxbrah
[] CARING NURSE SCENE OR WE RIOT

The Fate Shop has opened. New wares are available.

God help you all.