《Semblance of Brutality》The New Guy
Advertisement
The walk to Haven was a long one. Though, I did get some insight into the four girls I'd met (whom I now know are named Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang). Ruby is the group's leader who, despite her clumsy and carefree personality, is actually a very competent one. Her sister, Yang, is hotheaded and oftentimes brash, but an incredibly skilled fighter. Weiss and Blake have a small, but noticeable, rift between them, likely stemming from their hugely different personalities. While Weiss is the daughter of an economic titan, Blake has struggled through her life just to attend the same school as her teammates.
When we finally reach Haven, all four of the girls decide as a whole that it's best for me to stay with Ruby and Yang's uncle while they figure out what to do with me. They bring me to a medium-sized house and knock on the door. The man that answers it is about 6'2" with greying black, spiky hair, and is well-dressed. Upon seeing him, Ruby immediately latches onto him.
"Uncle Qrow! I'm so glad I got to visit!" she exclaims.
"Ruby, settle down," Qrow says with a slight chuckle. "You saw me just yesterday, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but..." Ruby trails off and taps her index fingers together embarrassedly.
Meanwhile, Qrow produces a flask of alcohol from inside his jacket and takes a generous swig. He seems completely unfazed by the thickness of the beverage and swallows almost immediately. I silently wonder how long he's been able to drink like that.
"So who's this?" Qrow asks, gesturing towards me.
"We found him in the woods!" Ruby explains, completely unaware of how vague her answer is.
"He said he's from somewhere else, that he was sent here - to Remnant - by a malfunction in some type of machine," Yang steps in, explaining a bit more thoroughly than Ruby had.
Advertisement
"Uh-huh," Qrow replies, a hint of confusion in his voice. "So, why'd you bring him here?"
"We were hoping he could stay with you! Just for a bit while we figure out how to get him home? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"
Ruby is practically pleading with her uncle to let me stay here. Given Qrow's lax demeanor, I get the sense that he would've said yes anyways. Ruby clearly looks up to him, that's for sure. Why else would she treat her uncle more like a father? I notice that, in the time I spent thinking, Ruby has been dramatically groveling at Qrow's feet.
"Alright, alright. Geez. You girls are quite a handful, you know that?" he asks rhetorically before scruffling Ruby's hair. "Why don't you all go do something fun and leave the old man alone for a while?"
He tosses Yang a sack of coins.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby protests, "You're not old!"
"Right now I am," he says lightheartedly. "Buy yourselves some food or something. Yang's got the coins."
With that, the group waves bye to us and shuts the door behind themselves. Qrow is already sitting down on the couch and motions me to sit down as well. As I do so, he takes another swig of alcohol before twisting the cap back on the pocket flask. We sit in silence for a moment before he starts a conversation.
"Not much of a talker, are you?" he chuckles.
"Not really. I don't normally need to be."
"Why would that be?"
"Before I came here - to Remnant - I spent most of my time killing demons. From what I've seen here, though, demons don't seem to be a problem. It's the -"
"Grimm," we say simultaneously.
"Yeah. More of them come around every day, killing more people, causing more fear. What did you mean - you 'used to kill demons'?"
Advertisement
"It's exactly what it sounds like," I laugh. "I killed demons whenever they tried to get out of Hell. Even sometimes while they were still in Hell. I didn't even need any fancy weapons; I could normally make due with my bare hands and a trusty ol' 12-gauge."
Qrow's eyes widen in interest.
"You didn't even need your Semblance?"
"Semblance?" I ask, confused.
"Yeah. It's a special ability you're born with. Some people can absorb electricity, some turn into rose petals, and some are just born unlucky." Qrow became very introspective when he mentioned being born unlucky.
"I don't think I've got one. I'm just a guy with some guns and anger issues," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
"The more likely scenario is that you haven't unlocked it yet. It takes time and dedication to unlock your semblance. Maybe it just hasn't been long enough yet, or you haven't found what will trigger it."
"Well, what would trigger my semblance to activate?" I ask.
"Honestly, it depends. Some people are able to use theirs from a very early age, while others have to train extensively to even just activate it. Normally, though, emotions or adrenaline will do the trick."
"Well, what better way to find out than to start right now?" I ask rhetorically while standing up.
"You do that. I'm gonna go get some sleep. Just don't let my nieces get you into any trouble," Qrow chuckles.
With that, Qrow, too, stands up and heads towards what I can only assume is his bedroom. A painting falls as soon as he leaves the room, and I hear him mutter "Damn it." I show myself out and close the door behind me. I look around at the peaceful setting of the town and decide I should find the girls. With any luck they'd be able to help me figure this whole semblance thing out.
Advertisement
- In Serial27 Chapters
Fall of a Civilization - Modern Apocalypse
Today was an ordinary day. The same day as every day. The start of a monotonous day for some while being an exciting one for others. Today was supposed to be the latter for me. My first day in an abroad country, coming here for my studies. But everything changed when the world started spewing monstrosities, abhorrent creatures, and powers. This is the story following Rudy, who gets trapped in a foreign country when the world decided to metaphorically flip its table. If the [horror] tag didn't already tell you, this story tries to give more focus to the monsters than other Litrpg's and also intends to have a much more serious tone. My writing may be sub-par as I am a starting writer, but I promise to strive and improve as I keep writing along with your feedback and response. Updates will be at every 3 days.
8 162 - In Serial39 Chapters
Everyone's Lv Zero
Time swallows everything.When monsters disappeared from the world Jamaya, the average level of people dropped until it reached zero. The knowledge of levels was eventually forgotten, but the stats remained, shackling the people and their strengths. The classes disappeared and Professional jobs became harder to acquire. Artifacts became trash and materials lost their value. Empires fell and hard times befell the people, but they continued striving forward Eventually, hope was found in the form of skills that could be acquired by strengthening the physical, and the mental attributes to a certain threshold. Jobs became acquirable again, but not all was well. The shackles were still there, hard capping the strength one could achieve. Naturally, jobs associated with physical attributes mainly, blacksmithing, tailoring, hunting, and soldering grew in popularity, while those associated with the mental attributes lost value. Born in this kind of discriminating environment, Mannat, who had exceptional mental attributes compared to even adults, found living tough. boys his age called him a little freak, while the adults whispered behind his back. his parents loved him unconditionally, but he knew they feared for his wellbeing. However, oblivious to everyone, the illusion of peace everyone took lightly had already been shattered by a force in the shadows. Now it was only a matter of time before the need for those like the green-eyed boy, the heir of mana, would arise again. But would the boy help them?
8 245 - In Serial16 Chapters
An Otherworldly Tale: The Ark Saga
The Ark Saga. A tale of a contest between mages, and a group of friends who get thrown into the fray.
8 183 - In Serial6 Chapters
Gaston (Disney)
Gosh, its awesome to see him (Gaston). He’s never down in the dumps! Every guy here'd love to be him (Gaston) even when taking his lumps. There's no man in town as admired as him, he's everyone's favorite guy! Everyone's awed and inspired by him and it's not very hard to see why: No one's slick as Gaston. No one's quick as Gaston. No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston For there's no man in town half as manly! (perfect, a pure paragon) Ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley, and they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on! Who plays darts like Gaston? Who breaks hearts like Gaston? Who’s much more than the sum of his parts like Gaston? As a specimen, yes, he’s intimidating; my, what a guy, that Gaston! He doesn’t need encouragement, you boneheaded fools. The only ones who need encouragement is you! (Was that too much? I say no.) No one fights like Gaston, douses lights like Gaston. In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston! When he hunts, he sneaks up with his quiver – beasts of the field say a prayer! First he carefully aims for the liver… then he shoots from behind! Is that fair? He doesn’t care. No one hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston. In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston. (He’s especially good at expectorating!) Ten points for Gaston! When he was a lad he ate four dozen eggs every morning to help him get large. And now that he’s grown he eats five dozen eggs, so he’s roughly the size of a barge! Who has brains? Entertains? Who can make up these endless refrains like Gaston? (He uses antlers in all of his decorating!) Say it again: Who’s a man amongst men? Who’s a super success? Don’t you know? Can’t you guess? Ask his fans and his end(less) hangers-on! There’s just one guy in town who’s got all of it down! And his name’s G-A-S-T-O-N GASTON!
8 112 - In Serial6 Chapters
Heat and Growth
Jack, despite having greater than average aptitude, has never cultivated. Every time he has thought to try, he remembers the looks of hate and fear on the faces of friends and neighbors when they found out his affinities. When people look at him, all they can see are the faces of those they lost to the vicious Sunbelts, after their sect leader went mad and took the rest of the clan with him. When he recieves an invitation to become an outer disciple of Frigid Mountain, the cultivating sect that watches over the area, he leaps at the chance to leave his village and the people who view him as a remnant of a past better left buried. Watch Jack as he attempts to rise above the sins of those that shared his features, and seeks to become a force for good in the world, rather than destruction. ----- Photo used for cover by Oussama Elhaidi
8 216 - In Serial34 Chapters
The First Garden
In a distant world, one of magic, monsters and fantastical creatures, amidst the craggy mountains, dense forests and evergreen fields, is the world known as Elysium. An assortment of creatures inhabit the world, ranging from humans in their villages and settlements to vampires that have found comfort in the darkest of caves. Four human kingdoms stand in the four cardinal directions, each with their own personalities and cultures. Over time, Elysium has seen the rise and fall of empires, the birth and death of races, and it is no stranger to war or conflict. What is there to see in this large and unyielding world? What awaits for some is a journey of glory and riches, while all that awaits for some is death and despair. Amidst the storm of blood and swords, drowning in a sea of blood and despair, is a single man. A man whose fate is unclear, for he is neither bound by the strings of servitude or the threads of fate. Trapped between the doors of life and death, captivated by the world of men and monsters, prisoner to the scales of justice and evil. A man whose fate was never meant to be, but sometimes there is a thread whom even the fates cannot cut.
8 163

