79My phone buzzes as I near my building, pulling it out to see a text from Midoriya.
"Is it okay if I bring my trainer?"
I roll my eyes at that, obviously her so called 'trainer' is going to be All Might. Time to meet the man himself I guess.
"Course you can."
Stowing my phone away, I duck into an alley, heading towards that garage from yesterday. I committed a grievous sin, I left the corpses. Not only did they contain evidence of a glass manipulation villain, me, but I could also likely use the corpses for something. Even if it just ends up being for food for whatever creatures I manage to tame.
Taking care to equip my costume, I head inside, the stink of rot permeating the air. The corpses had already begun to decompose, flies buzzing about them as I resisted the urge to gag. There was no fucking way those were going anywhere near my inventory.
I let out a sigh. Either I risk letting the bodies stay here, or I put them in my inventory. Grimacing, I reach out to the shards of glass everywhere, if I'm leaving them then might as well speed up their decomposition.
The glass flies, shredding through the bodies. By the time my SP was drained the corpses were little more than piles of oozing blood and viscera. It also had the added benefit of making details of exactly how they died non-existent.
[Shatterpoint] Level Up!
Satisfied that I won't be discovered any time soon I leave, heading back to my building after I unequip my costume. Waiting in the apartment lobby, I pull out my grimoire, time to learn more magic while I wait I guess.
Spells Learned:
[Hellish Rebuke]
Range: 60ft
Costs: 200MP
Automatically targets the last being to harm you, burning them in retribution, dealing 500 Fire Damage
[Flaming Sphere]
Range: 60ft
Costs: 150MP
Creates a sphere of flame with a 5ft radius that can be mentally controlled by the caster, contact with the sphere deals 600 Fire Damage per second. The spell is maintained for as long as the Caster has concentration on it.
[Burning Hands]
Range: 15ft
Costs: 250MP/Second
Creates a cone of fire from the casters palm, dealing 700 Fire Damage per second
I smile as I put away the book, no new spells left to learn. Burning Hands is most certainly going to be my main spell for now. It's a flamethrower and that's amazing. Looking up to the door I see Midoriya walk in, trailed by a tall skeletal blond.
Yagi Toshinori
All Might
The Symbol of Peace
HP: 50
MP: 00
It takes a second to wrap my head around the fact All Might is so weak in this form, a strong punch would take him down easily. Shaking that thought out of my head, I wave them over, Midoriya smiling as she sees me.
"Glad you made it," I say, gently bumping my shoulder against hers. "And I'm guessing this giant is your trainer." I give him a long look, as he looks distinctly uncomfortable.
"Toshinori Yagi," he holds out a hand, and I shake it, the skin leathery and cold. Resisting the urge to wipe my hand, I lead them to the elevator, swiping a card to access my floor gets me a look of curiosity from Yagi.
"My house was secretly commissioned by some criminal when the building was built, but he got caught before it was completed. It was recently rediscovered, given some upgrades and put onto auction when I bought it." Perhaps not the most believable story out there, but it gave me some excuses on why I have a penthouse that technically shouldn't exist.
"That must have been expensive! How did you afford it?" Midoriya pipes up, leaning against the wall.
"Done Gate work before I came here, mostly E and D Ranks but I once went in a C-Rank."
I'm shoved into the wall, Midoriya holding my collar as she leans into me.
"Please tell me, pleeeeease!" she begs, causing All Might to chuckle softly as I try to get free.
"I'll tell ya later, alright?" I say, patting her fluffy hair as she blushes, realising the position we were in. The elevator pings and its doors open, leading to my home. Opening the door I enjoy the look of awe on Midoriya's face as she takes it all in.
"Gyms that way," I say, gesturing to the door, "It's got a shower room in it if you want to get changed." I look pointedly at her casual clothes, not suited for any sort of work out. I turn to the blonde, his blue eyes piercing as he looks down at me.
"Just make yourself at home for a minute, I need to get myself sorted." A shallow nod is his only response, as he perches on the edge of a sofa, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
Leaving him alone I rush to my room, Cinder sitting on my pillow as I walk in. Taking care to lock the door, I pat the small slug on the head, pulling clothes out with my other hand.
I didn't get anything too special, a pair of black shorts, and a navy blue t-shirt that clings to my body. I don't quite have muscles yet. But that's something I just have to fix.
I head over to my gym, Toshinori and Midoriya already there. Toshinori is standing in the middle of the room, looking at everything as he is clearly planning what he wants us to do, a small smile stuck to his face. It was honestly unnerving to see. I turn to Midoriya and freeze, blood rushing away from my head as I struggle to have a single coherent thought.
She was dressed in a pair of tight leggings in her usual green, emphasizing the curves of her bubble butt and her thick thighs, it's waistband creating an indent into her stomach. She wasn't overweight, she simply had some puppy fat left on her. Her midriff was left exposed by her black sports bra, the fabric molded to her breasts. Noticing me she blushes hard, looking anywhere but me.
+15 Aff with Izumi Midoriya [30/100]
For making her feel attractive for once
Reading the pop-up I have to suppress a growl, was she seriously so attention starved. Of course the answer was yes, and simply for being quirkless which she had no control over. Next time Bakugo tries anything, I'll destroy her. Walking over to her, I bump my shoulder into her, getting a small nervous bump back as Toshinori looks at the pair of us, his eyes glowing as he looks down at us, a near sadistic smile in place.
"I hope you two are ready," his mild voice was far more terrifying than it had any right to be, as I nod, hardly able to move as the man's gaze turns near predatory.
+5 END
+7 STR
+6 DEX
Staggering to my living room, I slump into a chair, Midoriya doing the same. Toshinori was brutal, pushing us to our absolute limits before we broke. My Stamina bar was still completely drained from the ordeal, and my body was aching all over.
Groaning, I force myself to stand, leaning heavily on the chair. "I'm getting myself a coffee, you two want anything?"
Midoriya gives me a grumble that could have been anything, as Toshinori nods. "Tea, milk and sugar please."
I wait to see if Midoriya makes herself clearer at all, leaving when it became clear she had nothing else to say. Taking my time, I freeze as a familiar voice booms through my apartment, "Excellent Work Today Young Midoriya, You Have Taken the First Step in Preparing Your Body for The Awesome Power of One For All!"
Does that man have no sense of secrecy, seriously blurting out secrets as sensitive as OfA in a complete strangers house. Heading over to my living room, I lean against the doorframe, my coffee in hand as I see All Might in his muscle form, flexing as Midoriya frantically gestures for the man to return to normal.
Taking a loud slurp, I relish the looks as they both freeze and look at me, their eyes wide. "So, I'm going to get your drinks, and then you're gonna explain exactly what's going on here. And I don't want any bullshit, am I clear?"
My sharp smile nearly falters as Midoriya curls in on herself and I shift my gaze to All Might, the giant avoiding my eyes, his smile forced.
It takes less than a minute to bring through a tray with the drinks, a hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream for Midoriya and a tea for Toshinori, milk and sugar set beside the cup.
Taking a deep slurp of my coffee, I sink back into my seat, looking at the sheepish faces in front of me. "So, start talking." Toshinori goes to speak, faltering as I shift my gaze to him.
"Midoriya, please."
She picks at her nails, struggling to find the words. "I've wanted to be a hero ever since I was old enough to comprehend what a hero was. I spend ages waiting for a quirk, anything, as everyone around me got explosive sweat or wings." She lets out a bitter laugh.
"When I didn't get a quirk, I was destroyed, ever heard of a quirkless hero? It didn't help when the other kids started to mock me, bully me for being different. But I never stopped wanting to be a hero."
Her head jerks in Toshinori's direction.
"Then I met him. He was the first to believe I could actually become a hero, offered to train me, and kinda give me his quirk?" She trailed off at the end, unsure of herself.
"Riiiiight,"I turned to Toshinori, "Well you're up Muscles, got some explaining to do."
The man took a breath, preparing himself.
"This story starts at the dawn of quirks, or close enough that it doesn't matter. A tale of two brothers. One was born with the power to take and give, any quirk he desired became his, any he didn't was gifted to a loyal follower, in that lawless time he ruled as a tyrant. His name was All for One.
Few stood before him, one more adamant than the rest. His own brother, quirkless yet his will was stronger than most. In an effort to quiet his brother All for One gifted him a quirk, a stockpiling quirk that slowly gained in strength over time. But the brother had a quirk, hidden, one that let him pass his quirk on. These two quirks merged and One for All was born!"
His voice boomed on the last line as a golden radiance filled the room. It was mildly impressive, or would have been usually.
"So, All for One?" I ask, swirling my coffee around.
Toshinori's face hardens. "Dead, I… dealt with him five years ago."
"You got the body?"
He freezes, "No?"
"Then he's alive. Given centuries to collect any quirk he wants? Frankly if it was his real body fighting you and not some clone puppet thing, I would be surprised."
Toshinori looked like a fish, his mouth agape as he tried to formulate some response.
"Okay, so he's maybe not alive, but we do need to operate under the assumption he is. BBEG's don't get taken down easily, and if they don't have like a dozen contingencies for dying then they aren't doing it right."
I lean forward, looking at Toshinori. "Which means you need to make damn sure you train her properly. If, and until we have proof we need to assume so, All for One really ain't dead, then he's had five years of being able to operate without anyone knowing about him. Who knows what quirks he's been able to steal since then"
"That is… very true I'm afraid. In the wake of my triumph combined with my injury, I failed to consider the ramifications of that." Toshinori's voice is low, pondering. He gives a long look at Midoriya before turning back to face me.
"Would it be possible to use your gym in future, I don't want to impose but if what you say has a chance of being true, then my original training plan will need changing."
"Sure, why not," I say, waving a hand around, "As long as you ask me ahead of time and I'm not busy that is."
Toshinori gives a shallow nod, "Then I'm afraid I need to leave for now. I shall be in touch, and Young Midoriya, well done." He stands, his joints popping as he does so, slowly walking out the door, it clicking shut behind him.
Midoriya mumbles something, her voice barely audible as she presses her knees to her chest, hiding her face in them.
"What was that?"
"I'm sorry, I should have said but All Might told me to keep One for All a secret and I didn't want to let him down, but I hated lying and I'm sorry," her voice borders on hysterical, as she rambles on.
Rolling my eyes, I move beside her, bumping her shoulder with mine. She stops her apology, looking at me with tears in her eyes.
I bump her shoulder again, a slight smile on my face at her confusion.
"I don't… what's…," she stammers, looking around her.
"I'm not stopping until you do it back," I say, bumping her once more as a look of understanding comes across her face.
She hesitantly touches her shoulder to mine, featherlight as I shake my head.
"No, come on, put some umph into it," bumping into her.
She does it back, harder this time, actually making me fall to the side slightly. I use my arm to push myself back up, smiling at the grin on her face.
"Better?"
She nods, wiping away the tears on her face.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I was getting worked up over nothing I guess. I was just scared you would hate me for lying."
"It's fine, it was admittedly a massive secret that I kinda forced out of you. It was a dick move on my part." I say, leaning back.
Midoriya giggles, before wrinkling her nose. "Actually, can I use your shower? I stink."
"Go for it, we both need a long one after what Toshinori put us through." She flashes me a grateful smile as she leaves, my eyes glued to the swaying of her ass. To whomever created yoga pants, you are a blessed person.
While I wait, I pull out my laptop, state of the art and brand new like everything in the apartment, and go through the tedious process of setting it up.
Finally finished dealing with the laptop I slump back, looking over to see Midoriya walking into the room, her hair a fluffy mess.
"Thank you so much, I feel like a bajillion times better."
"Don't worry about it," I chuckle
She drops down beside me, "So what are you up to?"
"Just finished setting this thing up."
"Cool, cool cool…." She trails off, clearly not used to keeping up conversation. Not that I was much better of course.
She soon lights up, "Have you heard about the new glass guy, people aren't sure it's he's a villain, or a hero or just some random person wanting to help deal with the gate but he was there. Magneto said he killed the boss, and he could move obsidian, an-."
She stops as I clamp my hand over her mouth, a bemused look on my face.
"You wanna breathe while saying all that?"
She flushes, looking down at her feet as I remove my hand. "Sorry. But if you go onto QTN I can show you the thread?"
"QTN?"
Her smile falters, as she looks at me confused, "Yeah, Quirk Talk Network, online forum, people discuss hero's, villains, gates and stuff like that. You haven't heard of it?"
I just shrug, "I never was into the whole online stuff," I say, lying through my teeth.
She goes to respond, only for her phone to start ringing. Looking at it she sighs.
"It's my mum, I need to go. See you later?" She asks, her voice hopeful at the end.
"Count on it."
She flashes me a blinding smile, almost skipping out of my apartment. Waiting for a few moments after I hear the click of my door, I begin to research. Time to present my villainous alter ego.
Hidden in the alley I look over to my target, the jewellery store calling to me. Glass everywhere for me to control, a decently high profile target and a high reward if I can pull it off. I'm definitely going to enjoy this.
Waiting a moment to equip my villain outfit, I stride across the street, the empty bag held loosely in my left hand. Approaching the door I give a slight wave of my hand, the door and windows shattering into tiny pieces.
The glass crunches beneath my boot, rising up behind me with an endless crystalline tinkling. The store clerk and her customers, a young couple looking at rings, stare at me with wide eyes.
"Stay back, stay silent, and don't try anything," the voice modulation from my helmet caused my voice to come out deep and gravelly, with an underlying echo.
Turning on my heel with a grand wave, all the display cases shatter one by one, the tempered glass no match for my quirk. Quickly opening the bag, I start to stuff everything in the bag, Shatterpoint letting me easily distinguish between a jewel or a shard of glass.
As I finish my sweep of the store I see the clerk holding a phone to her ear. Scowling at my inattentiveness, I flick my finger at her, a few shards of glass slicing open the back of her hand. The phone drops, as she clutches the hand, holding it against her as she looks at me with wide eyes.
"You shouldn't have done that." She whimpers in response, as I zip up the bag and sling it over my shoulder. I need to hurry, no doubt the police will be arriving soon and if I'm really unlucky a hero or two will be there.
Running across the road, I narrowly manage to dodge the pillar of flame that flashes before me, the sheer heat of it rapidly melting the tarmac of the road. Had I not dodged, or even had my fire absorption then I would be nothing more than ash.
The flames evaporate to reveal the hulking form of Endeavour standing before me, a dark sneer on his face as he glares at me, a flaming fist pointed at my head.
"Resistance is pointless, surrender scum." He growls, the flames burning momentarily brighter. It was impressive, and had I been anyone else I have no doubt it would have worked as an intimidation.
Quest Added:
[Survive]
"My name is Fracture," I bellow, putting all my force behind a punch as a tidal wave of glittering death shoots from behind me. I catch a glimpse of Endeavor's eyes widening before a wall of flame flashes to life between us.
Taking the chance I ran back into the shop, ramming open the door to the back room. The sole window breaks open and I jump through, rolling as I hit the concrete. I can feel the temperature skyrocket behind me, as I make a swift turn, the bolt of flame flashing along my previous path.
I slide under the half-open shutter door of some warehouse, pulling it shut behind me and stowing my loot in my inventory. I duck behind a large machine, staying in the shadows as I hold my breath. The door begins to glow red hot a few moments later, a hole starting to form.
I move, shattering a window as I pass it to try and cover my tracks. Ducking under a pile of pallets, I press myself flat against the rough concrete floor, hoping to not be noticed.
Skill Added: [Sneak] - Lvl 0
Minutes pass as the stomping of heavy boots echoes throughout the room, fading away as the so-called hero leaves. I let out a sigh of relief, slowly shifting to get out from my hiding spot.
Of course that is when shit goes sideways. A hand clamps down on my shoulder, and I am flung through the broken window onto the streets, rolling to a stop against a parked car.
Pain lances across my chest, bones shifting in ways they aren't supposed to as I'm struggling to get up, watching as Endeavour slowly walks over to me.
Unwilling to go without a fight, I start shooting glass towards him, windows nearby shattering from my call. Endeavour simply narrows his eyes as jets of fire shoot out, vaporizing the glass before it even got close. Finally reaching me, he reaches down pulling me by the collar. A crowd was forming nearby, watching the proceedings with obvious interest.
"Last chance, surrender and this will be over." His voice is implacable, yet certain of his victory.
I couldn't help it, a barking laugh escaping which quickly devolves, something hot dribbling down my chin. Leaning close, I mutter in his ear drawing my knife subtly.
"Why should I surrender to some half-rate hero," twisting at the same time, my knife slashing across his face causing him to throw me down and stumble backwards.
Endeavour lets out a roar of anger, as a tidal wave of flame erupts out, surrounding me. I could feel the flames rapidly advance my healing, bones grinding into place uncomfortably.
Grimacing, my Villain outfit gets unequipped, my normal clothes taking their place as I turn and run down the alley. I see a manhole cover, the dull metal near invisible in the dim light. Carefully lifting it, I clamber down the ladder, shifting it back into place as I descend. It seemed to be an old maintenance tunnel of sorts, rather than the sewer I expected. Leaning against the wall I suck in a shuddering breath.
That was close, far too close. While a fight between me and Endeavour may favour me power wise, he has far more skill and experience which makes my capture a likely scenario. And had it not been for my Fire Absorption I would have been dead.
Quest Complete:
[Survive]
Objective 1: Escape from Endeavour alive.
Reward 1: 1,000exp
Objective 2: Escape with HP at 90% or higher
Reward 2: 1,500exp
Hidden Objective: Severely harm Endeavour
Hidden Reward: 1 Gatcha token
I start to walk along the tunnel, a [Firebolt] held in my hand to provide light, the walls coated in flickering shadows. I stick to the main tunnel, ignoring any branches, my only goal is to get far enough away from the fight scene before going above ground.
One turn did however catch my eye, a purple glow coming from it. Looking round it reveals a swirling portal, a Gate hidden from people.
D-Ranked Gate
Common
Time until Gate Break: 00:13:36:12
The timer slowly ticks down, counting down the mere hours left before the Gate opens and lets everything out.
The smart thing would be to try and convince the police that a Gate is down here. But I really want the experience, and who knows what else I can find in there.
As I stand deliberating, I sense something hot, incredibly so, approaching from behind. Assuming the worst, that Endeavour had somehow followed me, I spun round, summoning my gun and aiming it at where his chest should be.
Only for it to not be him, instead a small orange slug his head on fire as he hops towards me, chittering in that strange language of his.
"Cinder, how the fuck did you get here?" I kneel down, holding my hand out to him. He hops onto it, and I lift him up, placing him on my shoulder as he chirps nonsense in my ear, clearly happy.
Grinning, I step through the portal, warm fetid air wafting over me, making me crinkle my nose in disgust. The Gate sent me to a vast fungal forest, mushrooms the size of trees dominated the landscape, light given off by odd crystals in every colour imaginable and far above in the distance I could just make out a rocky ceiling.
It was Cinder's chittering that brought my attention back, alarm evident in the tone of his chirps as a trio of ants surges toward us, the size of large dogs as the light shines on crimson carapace.
Fire Ant Worker
E-Rank Insect
HP: 60
MP: 15
Fire Ant Soldier
D-Rank Insect
HP: 100
MP:25
The soldier was in the front, it's head larger than the other two ants that followed it, powerful mandibles snapping at me as jets of flame blast out of its mouth. As my fire would be less than useless here, and a distinct lack of glass in the area, I fall back onto old habits. While it was less instinctual than before, it was simple to fall back into old habits, my body retaining just enough muscle memory to aim at the nearing enemies.
Skill Added: [Marksmanship] - Lvl 0
My finger squeezes tightly, the bang echoing throughout the cavern as the bullet shreds through the ants head. The two workers falter for a step, before resuming their march, undaunted by their comrades' demise.
I fire again, missing this time, a jet of dirt and stone shooting up and bouncing off of the ants exoskeleton. Squeezing the trigger again, I get a glancing blow off of the closest Ant, one of its legs snapping off with a hideous crack and a spurt of green goo, yet still it charges towards me, it's mandibles snapping at my legs as I kick it away, using my momentum to spin out of its reach and into melee range of the second.
My knife flashes out, burying itself in the second's head, the green goo spurting out as the ant spasms with its death. A sharp pain makes me drop to my knee, my leg caught in the razor sharp vice of the ants mandibles.
Skill Added: [One-Handed Weapons] - Lvl 1
Growling, I press the gun against the ant's head, blowing the insect's head apart. Gritting my teeth, I push myself to stand, leaning on my uninjured left leg to take pressure off my right.
+9 Gold
I send all three corpses to my inventory, certain I'll find a use for them somehow, and take to the sky, holding Cinder close as I fly.
Gaining altitude, I see a large group of the ants marching to my last location, and let out a groan. Unless they leave soon, I'll likely have to deal with them as I try to leave and ants, especially giant ones that are likely immune to my fire, are low-key terrifying.
A loud nightmarish buzzing sounds behind me, glancing back shows a massive hornet , it's stinger alone at least a foot and a half long, the entire body perhaps twelve.
Giant Hornet
D-Rank Insect
HP: 350
MP: 0
I tossed a firebolt at it, but the monstrous insect bobbed out of the way, as irritating to hit as its normal sized counterpart. It dashes up to me, grabbing my outstretched arm with its mandibles and ramming its stinger into my stomach.
I watch in mounting horror as my health pool slowly edges closer to zero, and a pop-up appears.
Status Effect: {Poisoned} inflicted
{Poisoned}: Those inflicted take poison damage equivalent to 1% of their total health pool every second.
Considering I only had 230hp left, plus I was still being attacked, meant I had less than half a minute left before I died.
Gritting my teeth, I snarl at the insect, blood spraying from my mouth as I grasp its head with my trapped hand, "Hellish Rebuke!"
The hornet twitched for a moment, before being engulfed in azure flames, a reedy screech of pain coming from it as it succumbed to my attack and died.
+6 Gold
+ [Venomstrike]
The slowly falling corpse got stored in my inventory, as I clumsily glided down to the top of a mushroom, the pain beginning to become problematic.
Dropping down, I pull out the shop menu, vastly aware of my health being only in the double digits, as I scroll to the most expensive health potion, a potion of Ultimate Healing, setting me back 7,500 gold.
[Potion of Ultimate Healing]
Mythic Consumable
Heals the user for their max health total and removes all negative status effects.
The large ornate glass bottle appeared in my hand, and after fumbling with the cork for a moment, I chugged the contents rapidly, the thick, glowing, crimson liquid tasting like hot chocolate strangely enough as I felt all my injuries heal nearly instantly.
Standing up, I feel my back crack in a satisfying way, as I pull out the new item I gained from killing the hornet.
[Venomstrike]
Uncommon Weapon
Deals (10+DEX Piercing) + 10 Poison DMG
5% Chance to apply Status Effect: {Poisoned} upon a hit
A dagger made from the stinger of a Giant Hornet, this blade still contains traces of the venom making its attack even more deadly
It wasn't incredible, but the extra damage alone made it better than my combat knife, plus the possibility to poison a target will make any drawn out fight a significantly more favourable match up on my end.
The weapon itself was simple, the blade obviously being the stinger of the hornet, a glossy black material, barbed on one side, it was very much a thrusting weapon which I would have to keep in mind. The handle was seemingly made from a bone, crudely attached with vine-like wrapping and a thick black glue. It was a primitive looking weapon, but it had a primal brutality to it that I rather liked.
Cinder poked out of my pocket where he had hid, hopping down onto the mushroom with a chirp of effort as he looked around the cavern, focus clear on his little face.
"What's up?" I ask, kneeling down beside him. I don't expect an answer, but he begins to chitter rapidly, gesturing upwards with his little nubblies. Squinting, I can see vague movement, but nothing clearer.
"You sure?" The slug nodded rapidly. Sighing in response, I scooped him up, and flew upwards. Slowly weaving between the stalactites, Cinder begins pointing forcefully, towards a colossal web.
"Fuck."
He yanked on my ear, pointing down at a bundle of web, humanoid in shape that hung on the end of a stalactite.
Taking careful aim, I launched a firebolt at the strand holding the web up, allowing it to fall a bit to be safely out of reach of any spiders before I caught it. The web felt like a thick steel cable in my hand, but brittle. It was clearly an old piece that simply had no need to be replaced.
Landing yet again on another mushroom, I gently laid the sack down, hearing an odd chattering noise coming from it. I steeled myself, fully prepared for an eruption of baby spiders, as I cut through the webbing. Well, it was more along the lines of applying enough pressure to snap the brittle webbing.
A desiccated husk was inside, wearing rotten robes that were vaguely oriental in design. On each skeletal wrist was a strange gauntlet. Yellow in colour, it had blue swirls across the main body. A pair of blade-like protrusions coming from the front and a blue glass canister in the middle.
[Twin Sparkwing SF Pro]
Uncommon Weapon
A wrist mounted Slug Blaster, this weapon can propel a slug to allow it to reach sufficient speed to turn into its Velocimorph form.
And along the belt of the corpse were four of those blue glass canisters, each one with a Slug inside.
Arachnet Slug
HP: 8/75
MP: 15
Rammstone Slug
HP: 17/225
MP: 0
Geoshard Slug
HP: 7/100
MP: 75
Armashelt Slug
HP: 16/150
MP: 0
They looked weak, clearly having been trapped in this web for days at least. I break more of the webbing, enough for them to hop out. They swayed about, unsteady as they tried to move around their fallen slinger. I quickly scrolled through the shop, buying a pair of the basic healing potions for five hundred gold each.
Cracking the corks off, I poured it over them. As I watched, the potions worked their magic, the slugs HP totals increased drastically as they looked far more invigorated.
The slugs had their heads bowed, clearly mourning the loss of their slinger as I knelt behind them awkwardly.
"Look, this probably isn't the best time, but I'm looking for slugs. If any of you want to join up with me and Cinder, then I'd be happy to take you with me."
The slugs didn't react for a while, leaving me to feel like a total idiot, then they slowly left the corpse, hopping over to me as they chittered in the same language as Cinder.
Quest Added:
[Gotta Catch 'Em All]
Objective 1: Collect one of every Slug
Objective 2: Collect one of every Ghoul
Reward: 50 EXP per Slug/Ghoul, 50 Gold per Slug/Ghoul, ?
I couldn't help the grin that slowly spread across my face, gathering a bunch of powerful little critters and getting rewarded for it, i would have to be stupid ignore that. I walked back over to the corpse, it had some stuff I needed.
It was difficult admittedly, but I eventually managed to remove the pair of blasters, putting them on myself. Each of the blasters fastened onto my wrist with a thick leather bracer, and three rings connected to thin chains come out of the front. It took me some time to figure out their use, but I eventually realised what each one did.
One ring, the one I slipped onto my index finger, controlled the blades, twitching the finger caused them to either fold back to the sides or snap back to the front of the blaster. The second ring, my middle finger, was the firing mechanism, you could hear the whoosh of air as I pulled on it signifying the slug being shot out. The final ring, my ring finger, ejected the used canister, allowing me to reload a fresh slug into the blaster.
It was going to take some getting used to, but I think I could manage. Going back to the corpse, I start searching through the bag strapped to its side. There wasn't much, simply a set of papers with blueprints on them, all written in a language that didn't look like anything from this world. Which considering the context made some sense.
They get shoved into my inventory for later, and I look at my newly acquired slugs as they chitter with each other. I click my tongue a couple of times, using my two brain cells to think. I kneel down, only for the Rammstone to bounce his head off my foot, his blue antenna flopping against the leather of my boot.
He hops into my outstretched hand, smiling at me with a single tooth sticking out of his mouth.
"You are gonna be Bonk," I say, sliding him into one of the canisters. The newly named slug gives a high pitched cheer, hopping up and down.
Picking up the Armashelt, I lift him up to eye level. "Bludger." Getting a firm nod in return, he hops down into a canister as I pick up the Arachnet and Geoshard.
The Geoshard gives me a little wave, happily smiling at me as I decide on his name. "Tanz."
I look at the last one to be named, the Arachnet swaying in my palm. This one was difficult, most of the spider or insect names I could think of were bad puns, and I definitely don't want to give him a bad name.
"Aron?" I ask, getting a slight nod in return. Content with the most arduous task yet, I half close the tops of the canisters, slowly taking to the air. I don't know how long I've been here, probably less than an hour in all honesty. But I also don't know how big the Gate is, or how long it will take to slay the boss, so it was in my best interest to hurry.
I head deeper into the cavern, the fields of mushroom overgrowth slowly receding into naught but rock, and in the distance I could see the crimson glow of exposed lava. Taking care not to harm my slugs, I land, walking along the dark rock.
My bark of laughter echoes out across the landscape as I reach out with [Shatterpoint], just like that Gate, this place is covered in shards of obsidian. Not as much admittedly, but more than enough to be useful.
The landscape was dotted by even larger outcropping of crystals, and far more frequently. Curiosity gets the better of me and I walk over to one of the nearby crystals that provide light. It was warm to the touch, and the hairs on the back of my arm raised, attracted to the crystal.
[Mana Crystal]
A crystalline structure made of pure magical energy.
The smile on my face grew several times bigger, these things are supposed to be extremely valuable, and who knows how I myself would be able to make use of them. The main problem is I don't have any gear to break the crystals into more manageable pieces.
The answer came to me quickly after, however, Bonk jumping up and down in his canister, screeching to get my attention. I can't believe I already forgot about them, after just getting them as well.
Loading him into the blaster, I aim, twitching my fingers to fire the slug. Bonk shoots out, an odd mechanical buzz echoing out as his body spins, rapidly elongating. His antennae grow into a pair of blue horns, stretching up a couple of feet long and his nubblies turn into muscle bound arms ending in rocky stumps.
He collides with the Crystal, the large lime green gem breaking cleanly from the base with a crack. Bonk arcs around, turning back into a slug above my shoulder as he beams with pride. Walking over, I press a hand to the Crystal, putting it in my inventory.
Large Mana Crystal added
Hopefully these are either valuable or useful in some way, I really don't want to be wasting my time collecting them. I suppose they are common enough that it isn't a great hassle, but rewards for my effort are certainly more enjoyable.
It was monotonous, walking across the vast rocky plane, firing Bonk at the Mana crystals and collecting them as I moved past. I did collect a lot, nearly two dozen by the end of it, and I hadn't used up much time either, only an hour and a half.
Aimlessly wandering through, I see a pair of massive mana crystals, each one a deep purple colour, framing a large cave entrance.
"Boss Room," I say, clicking my tongue as I pull out my weapons, "At least I managed to find this on time."
The slugs on my belt all begin whimpering, gesturing frantically for me to turn around, to run, to avoid whatever boss that claims this Gate as its own.
"Don't worry, I've got this." It was incredibly arrogant of myself, especially after almost dying to a Giant Hornet mere hours before but I always was cocky.
Punching forward, I send a Firebolt down the dark cavern, illuminating about a half dozen humanoid figures, one of their heads snapping towards me as it starts to shamble in my direction.
"Hah, zombies, I've killed hundreds of you. And I was hoping for a challenge. Wonder what the boss is though, insect controlled by that zombie mushroom stuff maybe?" I ponder, bringing my gun up to aim at the slowly shambling undead, firing at it as soon as I have a good shot.
It's dull eyes light up and a horrible rictus grin spreads across its lips as it moves, far faster than it had any right to, dodging out of the way of the bullet.
Snarling, I thrust my left hand forward, casting Burning Hands at it. Undead don't like fire much anyway, should have started with that. The swirling torrent of flame engulfs the zombie, blocking it from view as the smell of charred, rotten flesh permeates the air.
Only for an iron grip to clamp down on my wrist, a horrible burned face lunging out of the fire to bite down on my biceps. Yanking roughly, a huge chunk of flesh pulls away down to the bite marked bone, and it rams its fist into my stomach, sending me flying backwards towards the mushroom forest.
Struggling to stand, I pale as a litany of status effects appear beneath the rapidly draining health bar, my breathing coming short and fast. Glancing at the bite, it's already oozing black and yellow pus, and the veins along the arm are slowly turning back.
A harsh cackling laugh comes from the undead, slowly walking forwards, as the rest of them start to follow.
Veidrdraugr
A-Rank Undead
HP:11,000
MP: 000
Oh… Fuck.
I'M NOT DEAD.
Yeah, I'm back. I was wanting to write more but depression plus my work being understaffed so I was doing the load of three people doesn't help. But I'm back? Hopefully.
I've got stuff planned so I hope you all are willing to stick around.
And yes, this chapter was incredibly rushed but I had reasons. Even if those were to keep some meaningless stuff on a discord.
I also have two new Beta's, moving up in the world eh. So thanks to Hermes and Nekonomicon or Barbara or whatever you want to be called for this.
You can find me here.
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
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Of Fiction and Fuckups
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