Fortune Favors The Prepared

Sometimes bad things just happen. It doesn't matter whether you follow all the rules, you can't predict the randomness of the world. 

It was a simple trip to the movie theater with my little brother. I followed all the traffic rules, I drove below the speed limit and obeyed the lights and signs…so why did a truck ram into us?! 

It wasn't there a few seconds ago!

All I felt was the pain of my body being squished for a moment before…nothing. Everything went black. 

The lack of pain is what caught my attention as I cracked my eyes open. Gone was the car and the truck that slammed into us. In fact, everything is gone. 

The sea vehicles of vehicles, the sounds of the busy city of New York, even the people are nowhere in sight. Looking around me, I don't see Marcus, my brother, anywhere. 

I attempt to force my pounding heart to relax to no success. All that is around me is the remains of what looks to be a destroyed city. Also important, it doesn't look like any city in New York for that matter. 

Pushing myself to my feet, I dust myself off, finding that I'm still wearing the same clothes. That's a relief at least. 

In every direction, every building looks abandoned or partially destroyed, some fully destroyed. 

Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I grimace at the shattered screen. Just great, no GPS for me. With a sigh, I pick a direction and start walking. 

——

I don't know how long I walked but it felt like forever. The silence was chilling and the howling of animals I heard in the distance didn't exactly make it any better. 

With great reluctance, I moved into one of the buildings that seemed the most intact out of all of them. 

Unfortunately, it lacked proper chairs so I settled for a large slab of stone to sit on. I'm at a loss, I don't recognize anything. 

That's a lie, there's a vague familiarity at the back of my head. I just can't place it. Apparently, the universe wasn't done messing with me. 

A low but clear growl echoed through the silence I have endured so far. Peeking out the window my heart froze at the monstrous creature across the street from my current resting point. 

Ink colored fur that seemed to absorb light, white bony protrusions on its body and a white bone mask for a face. Its body shape was that of a wolf, its glowing red eyes scoured the area, sniffing around. 

You've got to be kidding me!

It suddenly turned in my direction, clearing the distance at unprecedented speed. I ran just as it smashed through the window. 

I ran up the stairs, not looking back to see how close it was, the compromised integrity of the building long forgotten. My desire to live and the heavy footsteps behind were my motivation as I dashed up the stairs faster than I had ever moved in my life. 

I felt a crack under my foot as I ran, reminding me that the building was in ruins. Fortunately, my pursuer lacked the intelligence to realize that. The floor gave in when the creature's paw fell on it, the area around it failing as well, sending it crashing down. 

A section of the stairs fell apart, burying the beowolf under it. Only after seeing the emission of black smoke from underneath the rubble did I finally take a moment to breathe. 

My knees weakened, forcing me onto my back, panting heavily. What the hell is a Grimm doing here?!

——

I laid in that position for what felt like hours. My fear of another encounter kept me from continuing my search. It was only when night came and I saw the fragmented moon that I accepted the fact that I was no longer on earth. 

I'm on Remnant. Fucking hell!

My starving stomach is my only motivation as I sit upright. Rummaging through the pocket of the hoodie I've been wearing, I find nothing but air. Not unexpected. 

Just as I resolved myself to spend the night hungry, I felt a small bulge in my pocket. Pulling the mystery item out, I found a bunched up piece of paper that I don't remember putting in there. 

It was a form, in my handwriting for that matter. My eyes widened as I read the title written in bold 'Choose Your Own Adventure'. No sooner had I read it, the paper dissolved in a show of light, the light entering my chest, eliciting a sharp gasp from me.

When the light show faded, I was then made aware of the pool of energy in me as well as the sweat running down my back. 

I remember that form but I didn't fill it, at least not on paper. RWBY is Marcus' second favorite show behind One Piece. I didn't care for it but being the good brother I am, I was coerced into watching it with him. 

Dad wasn't around a lot so I had to step up a bit to be the male influence in his life. I still remember when he convinced me to fill out a form online to see whose was better. I was bored so I figured, why not?

Though, there was one condition; we couldn't add magic to our build. That did not age well.

Nobody ever filled those things thinking that they'd actually end up in my scenario. They just picked whatever felt cool. Maybe I would have made different choices back then if I knew this would happen. 

I had chosen a drop in with no background or identity on Remnant in mountain Glenn of all places just to get some extra points to spend. Thankfully, I had chosen to have an unlocked aura from the start, my aura capacity being just below Jaune when he first unlocked his own as well as an aura regeneration skill. 

I then took the skill [Mechanics], which gave me the expertise on how to build, maintain and repair weapons, machines and electronics. I paid a little extra for carpentry, blacksmithing and programming to be added to the mix. My being an engineering student had a great influence on my build. 

My selection of production skills rather than combat skills left me with a large amount of points to work with in making my semblance. I can imbue items and objects with aura to give them mystical properties or abilities.

A simple seeming semblance but its potential alone made it worth all the points it cost. It was my idea of compensation for not being allowed to include magic into my build. 

With the meager points I had left, I purchased a skill called [Artistry] that basically made me a master at drawing, painting, sculpting…basically anything that is classified as art. 

It was the only thing I could afford so why the hell not? Safe to say, Marcus thought my build was terrible. 

I wish I could hear him mocking my 'civilian' building one more time, his words not mine. Sadly, I doubted I'd ever see him again. 

The rumbling of my stomach reminded me that I was still hungry. I doubted I'd find food in a city that's been abandoned for years. 

With a sigh, I realize that I would have to find a solution quickly or I'd die, again. I found my answer in my faded memory of a dungeons and dragons website I scoured a long time ago. 

The only items I have on me other than my clothes are my phone, which was broken, my wallet and a ring. It's a stainless steel signet ring with a styled 'S' on it. A birthday gift from my brother who had a matching one. 

Pulling it off my finger, I tug on the pool of energy in me. My control over it is more instinctive than I thought it would be, the ring glowing slightly as I imbued it with aura. 

Outwardly, there was no change but as I slipped it back on, the effects were immediately felt. The hunger that prodded at me disappeared and the drowsiness that had been creeping up on me for a while went with it. 

A ring of sustenance; it allows the wearer to forgo the need for food, water and sleep for as long as it is worn. 

I let out a breath of relief at the banished hunger. Pushing myself to lean on a piece of concrete nearby, I grabbed the hoodie, channeling aura into it. 

The process of imbuing items with special properties was simple yet it had rules that it followed. Any ability that was imbued into an item had to have a source to draw power from. 

I could turn a stick into a lightning firing stick but without energy to draw from, it would still be just a stick. The proper way to do it was to give the stick the ability to generate and store its own energy or to draw from the wielder's own then give it the ability to shoot lightning. 

The ring is currently drawing from my own aura reserves but it's not an issue, something I'll adjust later. Another rule is that the material must be strong enough to handle the power. That could be partially solved by increasing the item's durability. 

Thankfully, that needed no power source other than the initial energy expended in increasing its durability. 

I couldn't quite feel the effects I had put on the hoodie but I knew it was working. I had first increased its durability before imbuing it with the ability to hide me from the senses of the creatures of Grimm. 

Thanks to my large aura reserves, these enchantments only cost a little. Small mercies. Now I can mourn my brother without being a Grimm magnet. 

The warmth in my eyes drew my attention to liquid streaming down my face. 

Tears. Oh joy.

——-

With no need to sleep, I found myself with a lot of free time to think. I'm under no illusion that I'm a genius who can go out there with just my fists and manhandle the grimm. 

What I wouldn't give to be a gamer…

Nevertheless, I need to decide what to do next. There's Salem, the immortal woman who wants to summon the brother gods to destroy Remnant in hopes that she will die as well. Then there's Ozpin, the ever incarnating ex husband of said immortal woman who has no idea how to stop her. 

Not really a tough call. As much as I would like to sit back and let the whole thing solve itself, I know it would only get worse. Ozpin and his group rarely had any true victories that stuck. 

Beacon fell, Vale was overrun with Grimm, Haven was unsafe with Lionheart's betrayal, Atlas fell and Mantle was destroyed. On top of all that, Salem got the staff of creation and the lamp of knowledge while riding into the sunset with Cinder. 

Speaking of Cinder, if I remember correctly, she had some plan with the White Fang and Torchwick here in Mountain Glenn. With no way to access information, I had no way of knowing if it had already happened. 

My phone was smashed and while I now knew how to fix it, I lacked the tools to do so. Even if I could get it working again, I doubt it would be compatible with Remnant's CCT networ-

I'm an idiot. 

Facepalming, I grabbed a thin piece of wood that was undoubtedly from some old piece of furniture. Channeling my aura into it for a moment with my desired effect. 

In a few moments, I had a rough wand of mending. Gently tapping it against the side of the phone, I felt it draw aura from me, the cracked screen of the phone repaired itself in seconds.

I smiled for what felt like the first time in ages as the screen lit up in a familiar display. My mood dipped a bit when I failed to find any signal but that was expected. 

Investing some aura, I made the phone able to generate power to fuel itself. With that taken care of, I channeled some more aura, giving it the ability to connect to any communication system within its range. 

Some more aura to boost its range and I was connected to the CCT network. I felt my body sag in relief as I opened a browser, not finding anything about an attack or outburst of Grimm in the city. 

The 40th Vytal Festival is a few months away, giving me an understanding of when I am. That still didn't answer the question of what to do. 

I could probably use the GPS and try to find my way to Vale or I could stay here and try to sabotage whatever Cinder's plan is. 

My morality and long term desire to live win in the end. 

Touching my hoodie, I take a few moments to imbue it with the ability to turn me invisible when the hood is up. Thankfully, its material held strong as the enchantment set. 

Stashing the enchanted stick into my pocket, I grabbed another one just in case, pulling my hood up and silently leaving the building that had been my resting point for the past twenty four hours or so. 

——-

Boredom is an enemy that I'm coming to know intimately. To my credit I managed to roam for about five hours before it struck. 

In that time, I had enchanted my pants to have a vastly larger pocket space and replaced my wooden stick of mending to a metal stick of mending. More like a broken iron rod really. 

There are a few other sticks and rods stashed in my pocket that haven't been enchanted as of yet. One can never be too cautious. 

That said, it's odd walking past the Grimm who don't react to me despite my apprehension. Once again I'm not a gamer who gets EXP from killing grimm so I'm not going to try to do that if not necessary. 

It wasn't until nighttime that I had any luck in finding someone in this place. My ears perked upon hearing low muffled voices in the distance. 

Still invisible, I crept forward, making sure to stay as silent as possible. Soon I saw two faunus in the familiar white fang garb and mask patrolling the area. 

"You really think someone could be out here?" One of them asked the other.

His partner sighed in exasperation. "I don't know, that's why we're here. Blame that Torchwick guy, he's paranoid."

"Still, I didn't join the white fang to start taking orders from a human." The first one complained.

I stalked closer to hear them better. 

"I hear you. But it's Adam's orders. He's got something big planned." The second one said. 

They continued to make idle chatter as they patrolled, unaware that I was following them, invisibly. 

I followed them as they walked around for a few hours before circling back to what I assumed would be their camp. 

That assumption was right. 

We soon reached one of the less destroyed buildings, the two entering and locking the door behind them. Cursing, I waited a full minute, grabbing one of the rods from my pocket and imbuing it with my aura. 

On the sixty second mark, I tapped the rod on the lock which immediately clicked open. Heart pounding, I slipped in and quickly shut the door behind me.

Going further in, I found a staircase leading down. Another door, another tap of the rod. Breath left my lungs as I took in the site of the underground city. 

Not only that but the amount of people in it. The place is crawling with white fang goons. Taking out my phone, I took a few pictures of everything I could see, the terrain, the white fang and their operation. 

Why I'm doing this is something I've yet to figure out but I do it anyway before tucking it back in my pocket. I leave through the same way I came. I need some time to think on how to proceed.