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I rushed after the hyper-active fifteen year old who was now squaring off against one of Remnant's most wanted criminal, her scythe unfolded and ready to deal some massive damage, just like how it pierced that poor asphalt road.
Some of Roman's goons were waylaid by the side, their bodies stacked upon another. If I listened closely, I could hear some of them groaning. Yeah, being tackled by a speeding Ruby does that to you. Who the fuck cares if her build's on the slim side, try getting in the way of a girl who has her aura unlocked with her semblance being speed of all things.
I should know. I got tackled by her on the daily during our spars. What the hell has Signal Academy been teaching her?
Now that wasn't including her lethality with the scythe. I was pretty sure that if I didn't have my perks and my unlocked aura, I would've died a hundred times over by tanking that amalgamation of an oversized farming tool, but don't let Ruby hear me say that. She'd blow a gasket and go on a tirade about how beautiful her baby was, gun nut that she was.
Shit, I'm getting sidetracked again. Where was I? Right, Roman western stand off with Ruby… Should I even intervene with this? Since I want canon to go ahead so I could minimize the factors that could sway Cinder's decisions, thus making it easier to predict her, the logical choice was to let Ruby have her fight with Roman… But then Yang would literally tear me limb from limb if she found out that I let her baby sister fight all alone against one of Remnant's dangerous criminal…
Fuck, what should I do…?
[Quest Received]
[Torchwick Blues]
[Objective: Defeat Roman Torchwick]
[Bonus Objective: Do it alone]
[Rewards: 2 perk rolls, 2 item rolls, 20 stat points]
[Bonus Rewards: 1 epic perk roll, 1 epic item roll, 25 stat points]
… Welp, my decision is made, but fuck that bonus reward. Just seeing it makes my gamer brain go wee woo wee woo, but I sure as hell ain't completing that. Roman was able to hold his own against Blake and Sun all on his lonesome, to which Ruby was able to fight on equal ground against them, at least one on one. And even with using most of my bullshit abilities, I still can't beat her 100% of the time.
Anyway, Roman was busy locking on Ruby, that meant I had the element of surprise. His goons were faring no better, most of them being tossed around like ragdolls by the diminutive girl. I could see Roman's frown, but he couldn't see me.
I snuck behind him as Roman flicked his cigar to the ground and stamped it out with his cane. Ruby's eyes locked on me for a moment, but that was enough to alert Roman to my surprise attack.
He turned around and I pounced, his cane going for my gut while my arms reached for his neck. I let out a grunt as the metal cane stabbed me. My red aura flickered for a moment but was able tank the hit from a criminal on par with a Huntsman. That attack was enough to get my hands on his slim neck, thumbs pressed against his throat as I tried to choke the life out of him.
In my peripheral vision, I managed to spot Ruby rushing towards me with her semblance, turning into some kind of red comet that left trails of rose petals. Looking back at Roman, I saw him struggling to breathe, veins nearly popping from his forehead.
He maybe be more experienced than me, possibly even stronger, but there was some things I took pride in, and those were my submission holds and durability.
So imagine my surprise when I felt something hot blast through my aura and impact my chest with the force of a ramming truck. My hands nearly let go of the man but I managed to tighten my grip before I was sent flying.
Another impact and my aura flickered once more, my body screaming in unison as the pain assaulted my senses, but I refused to let go.
"Let go!" Apparently, I somehow stopped choking him when the impacts landed and the growl I heard coming from Roman told me I fucked up. I felt something press against the bottom of my chin and I saw his cane pointed right at it.
My eyes opened wide and I used all of my defensive perks to tank the incoming shot. A loud bang later and my head whipped up from the literal shotgun blast that came from the cane. My brain rattled within my skull, ears ringing as I lose all sense of direction.
I heard someone call something out, but my ears were still ringing like my tinnitus decided to drown me underneath the noise.
Fuck… What the hell happened…? What was I doing again…?
I blinked, eyes blurry as everything in my vision twirled like a fucking kaleidoscope. The pain was still there, but not as much as I thought. And then, I remembered…
Shit. Roman got the jump on me. That should not have been possible. I have bullshit perks at my side… Why did I not use them…?
Shaking my head, I forced the grogginess to the side, my ears still ringing like it was the fourth of July. I managed to see silhouettes battling out on the street, one a red blur and the other white.
Groaning, I tried to stand myself up, but stumbled when I got to kneeling. My face impacted the concrete sidewalk, the pain causing me to moan out loud.
Ah… fuck… Why is everything still ringing…? The movies fucking lied to me… Fucking Hollywood…
My arms pushed against the ground, and slowly but surely, I was able to stand myself upright. Didn't mean I walked straight, I was pretty sure I walked like a drunk, but that was enough.
My one perk that I practiced on my lonesome went to life, everything around me slowing down to a veritable crawl. My vision cleared and I saw Ruby with her face twisted in pure malice as she tried to cut Roman in half with her oversized scythe. Roman, meanwhile, looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, cane ready to parry the oversized farming tool.
I had three real-time seconds, but with Implant GRX, those three seconds were turned into 30 seconds. Enough time for me to get my bearings and rush towards the two. However, I needed to be careful… Moving at my peak speed with Implant GRX is incredibly dangerous for everybody around me, and that included myself as well. Why couldn't I just run at video game logic? Fucking physics.
Mind now clear, I jogged towards the fight, the two of them still going in slow-motion with Ruby's scythe now contesting against Roman's cane. How the fuck is that cane still in one piece?
It took a few seconds to finally position myself right behind Roman, just in time to see him parry Ruby's scythe away with a self-satisfied smirk. Said smirk slowly turning into one of horror as he turned around and spot me.
Okay, gotta admit, it was pretty funny seeing a face go from satisfied to complete horror in slow-motion. And since the only one around me is the one person I wanted to harm, I think holding back is quite unnecessary.
Clutching his face with my hand, I raised him up into the air, body flopping in slow motion, before I brought him down to the ground face first. The asphalt below us cracked and I saw his aura sputter before shattering, the wisps orange slowly dissolving into thin air. Just in time for Implant GRX to come to an end…
Everything went silent once the fighting died down. Roman was knocked out with his head smashed against concrete, Ruby was trying to get her scythe out of a building, and the bystanders slowly went out of their hiding spots to see the chaos that had unfolded.
And me? I got what I wanted, but I was fucking furious at myself for even doubting my capabilities.
[Quest Complete]
[Torchwick Blues]
[Objective: Defeat Roman Torchwick]
[Bonus Objective: Do it alone] (X)
[Rewards: 2 perk rolls, 2 item rolls, 20 stat points]
[Bonus Rewards: 1 epic perk roll, 1 epic item roll, 25 stat points] (X)
If I had just trusted myself more, I could've gotten the epic rolls and more stat points. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK! Shit, this is the last time I underestimate myself.
"Jack! Jack!" My self-derision was brought to a halt when I saw Ruby speeding towards me before enveloping me in a hug. "Are you okay!? I saw Roman explode your head!"
Oh, so that's what it looked like for her. No wonder her face looked that way in slow-motion.
"Relax, I'm fine." I sighed, patting the girl's head. "Yang hit harder than this sissy could."
I prodded Roman's unmoving body with a foot. The orange man uttered a growl and a sigh of relief escaped my mouth. Good thing he had aura, otherwise, that attack would've sent him to the afterlife, if there was even an afterlife in Remnant, seeing that the two Gods ditched this floating rock in space.
"Anyway, what're we gonna do with this dude?" I nodded my head to the prone Roman, Ruby separating from me as she glared at the incapacitated man.
"Call the cops, of course." Damn, I didn't think I would see Ruby actually loathing a person in the show except for Cinder. Ruby, probably the most gentle person in the entire series, giving somebody that isn't the most hated person in the world a fucking death glare.
Now I've seen everything…
"That won't be necessary." A mature sounding voice came from a street over, the clicking of heels echoing throughout the messy street. "Well, when I heard of Roman Torchwick robbing another dust shop, I didn't expect for two kids to beat him into submission."
"What can I say? I like subverting people's expectations." I grinned as the woman slowly strutted towards us, her riding crop swishing in the air as the piles of debris floated around her and slotted back into place, as if the destruction that happened earlier never happened.
A chill went down my spine as the woman glared at me, her imposing figure cutting a striking figure underneath the streetlamps.
"Hm, we'll see how your bravado holds up." Glynda motherfucking Goodwitch, please step on me mommy… "At any rate, please clear the area."
As she said that, I heard something crack. Eyes widening, I quickly looked towards the body lying on the ground, only for it to crack like a shattering mirror.
"Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me." I couldn't help but voice my thoughts due to how ridiculous that was. I forgot about Neopolitan and her bullshit semblance.
Glynda, bless her heart, immediately went into the offensive and threw a goddamn fucking boulder into one random direction. Thankfully, nobody was there… Nobody innocent at least, because the whole fucking boulder just went the other way, revealing a fan favorite of the series, her smug smirk coupled with her multi-colored hair making for one helluva design.
Glynda wasted no time and threw… whatever the fuck that was that turned into literal giant spikes. Was her telekinesis that precise? It started from tiny grains, after all.
Neapolitan, the tiny minx that she was, easily dodged them all while parrying some with her umbrella blade. Of course, this was simultaneously making sure her sugar daddy wasn't harmed in any sort of way. She also managed to glare ruefully at me when she got the chance, making her intent known.
Yep, Neo is gonna try and kill me, that I'm sure of it. I do not want that crazy girl on my ass, seeing how persistent she was in the series… Or was it with fanfictions? I don't know, and I sure as hell don't want her coming anywhere near me.
Screw those saying they could fix her. If they were the ones who saved her, maybe, but I didn't, and now a murder hobo is after my neck because I sent her sugar daddy to lala land.
Glynda continued throwing a bunch of spikes with her semblance and I felt something zoom past me. My mouth gaped.
"Ruby! No!" I reached out for the girl but I was too slow. If I used Implant GRX now, I would risk throwing Glynda off tempo or just cause even more destruction. Hell, I could even accidentally injure both her and Ruby if I was careless with that perk.
First RNG perks, now perks with built-in disadvantages? Damn, this ROB is pulling out all the stops to get me to hate him.
I grit my teeth, and watched as Ruby yelled while her oversized scythe swung upon Neo. I heard someone gasp, probably Glynda, and I saw Ruby get punted to the side after being tricked by Neo's illusions. Thankfully, her aura was still holding up and she managed to bounce back. My patience at this entire situation, however, dried up.
Fuck waiting and collateral damage. Neo is a menace and I sure as hell ain't gonna feel safe with her prowling unchained. Using Implant GRX once more, time slowed down as my perception increased.
With all of my perks reinforcing my body, I was able to handle the amount of force my body was going through with Implant GRX. Everything moved slower and this was the moment I had to finish this.
Fuck canon. I don't want to be living afraid of every shadow in every corner. I wanted to enjoy my life. My youth, and these fuckers are in the way of that… I don't care if they died right now, and I sure as hell ain't gonna hold back.
Putting the maximum amount of reinforcement I could get along my entire body, my nerves crying out in pain all the while, I roared. My claws extended and I stomped forward before I launched myself at the slow moving Neo.
Making use of my other perk, Earthen Channeling, I created a rock wall behind her. It jutted out from the ground, normal in speed from my perception, but undoubtedly fast for those without Implant GRX.
Even with my increased speed, she still managed to track me, but ultimately, she was too slow to avoid my attack. My claws raked against her aura, pink wisps of light blocking my advance, but I didn't stop there.
My other hand raked against it as well and Neo did her best to fend me off, but with me perceiving time at a tenth of a second as well as moving normally in that time, it was near impossible to block or avoid my strikes. But I had to finish this up, the moment Implant GRX wear's off is the moment Neo gets a chance to escape, and I'm not letting that happen.
I created a gap underneath her feet, causing the diminutive multi-colored woman to stumble, her eyes wide. I grabbed her by the back of her head and pushed her down, effectively burying her under a face full of concrete. Her aura flickered once more but it still wasn't enough to break it, so I did it again. And again… And again… Until her aura shattered and I stopped.
Letting her go, I feel the effects of Implant GRX wearing off, my breathing labored as I took a closer look at my handiwork. Neo's face was still in one shape, but the bruises and the blood leaking from the cuts made were definitely going to sting. Poking her with my foot, she remained unmoving, Roman just lying against a building with his eyes still closed.
Good, the murder hobo and thief were out cold. Looking back at Glynda and Ruby showed me first hand the effects of Implant GRX on the surroundings.
Ruby was clutching at her ears as she balled herself onto the ground, while Glynda was trying to fix everything that broke by my sudden boost in speed. Fuck, why couldn't I get the fucking Speedforce from DC? Ah yes, my shit RNG.
As I tried to get my breathing in check, I noticed Glynda approaching me with narrowed eyes. Giving her a tired grin, I waved my hand and gestured at the two out of commission criminals.
"Cleanup on aisle… wherever this is…?" The unamused scowl she gave me made me wince. She then ignored me and made sure both Neo and Roman were shackled to the ground by rocks, making it near impossible to get out of unless they had a semblance that allowed them to phase through walls.
The calls to the authorities were the next to go through. Well, I can now truly say that canon is well and truly fucked beyond comprehension…
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone