- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
Then give him about a week to lament and start to figure out what to do from there, then pop up behind him and take him for a ride on the murdertrain.
Greg Veder vs The World (Worm x The Gamer)
- Thread starter ZFighter18
- Start date
- Crossover
-
- Tags
- worm greg veder gamer (litrpg)
Then give him about a week to lament and start to figure out what to do from there, then pop up behind him and take him for a ride on the murdertrain.
Cutscene: Introspections
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
I'd like to thank all those who pledged to me on the site known as Patreon.
Jack, Roman Krupkin, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Alec, Spooky Bones, Christian Schroter, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Yobthog, Zach Collins, Ryan, Lazysailor, Lyte, Binary Giant, e-addict, Erik Mickiewicz, James Carl Henderson, Liam O' Neil, Mathieu Martineau, Sackthanaban Kounlavong, Cedron Spaulding, Silver W. King, TM, Chris, zdront, Door, NexusClown, Brandon Dayne Baugh, AntaeusTheGiant, Mira, Jacek Blonski, Sartek, ALEX, and Benjamin Helkey. And of course, I can't go without mentioning Segev, who does a great job of Beta as well.
Thanks to my other Betas. Kenmadragon, Dasstan, and the Fanciest of Molasses. Seriously, I appreciate all of you guys for your help and I want to make sure you know that.
Cutscene: Introspections
April 18, 2011
2:57 PM
"-he PRT still refusing to confirm or deny allegations of ABB influence in these attacks desp-"
No.
"-ougarton Abbey star, Courteney Dockery, in financial hot w-
No.
"-ext time on Law & Order: PRT. Check your loc-"
No.
"-ove it, I sawed this boat in half! And repai-"
No.
"-oes Mayor Christner intend to address the attacks on this city with his current st-"
No politics.
"Tonight on Mock Trial with Judge R-"
No.
"-scape from Protectorate custody, with the aid of subordinate Oni L-"
No news.
"-eath toll from what is being called "The Brockton Central Hospital Massacre" has been lowered from the initial estim-"
I said, no news.
"-st time on Los Amantes Clandesti-"
I don't speak Spanish, so no.
"-agic in a coral reef is not just the reef itself, but the importance it holds in the entire tropical ocean eco-"
Nothing educational, please.
"-ime Scene: Scene of The Crime, a Chad Dylan Cooper producti-"
Terrible.
"-es irae, dies illa, Solvet saeclum in favilla, Teste Dav-"
… Ughh, no classical right now.
"-ttle Legend: Superhero Adventures right here on Disney Ch-"
Definitely not.
"-nother episode of Young Eidolon right here on Cartoon Ne-"
Hmmm...
A set of stormy gray eyes blinked slowly, allowing another thought to penetrate the assembly line of rejections. The image of a boy in a bright green cloak, tattered jeans and a metal mask striking a pose surrounded by several other colorful characters was reflected in those same eyes as triumphant music blared before fading out.
...Why not? His bored expression shifted slightly, the sides of his mouth rising up as something occurred to him. On second thought, let's ask the expert.
Turning away from the television in front of him, gray eyes dropped to the floor as Theo cast a glance at the infant within the colorful confines of a bouncing walker, her legs softly kicking as she slowly made her way around the space in front of the couch. The baby continued her babbling and cooing, utterly oblivious to her older brother's growing smile as he watched her play.
"What do you think, Aster?"
The ten-month-old let out an odd squeaking giggle as she looked up, attention drawn by her name. The amount of dribble escaping her mouth was plentiful as usual, droplets trailing down the sides of her mouth already adding a glistening shine to several of the brightly colored plastic knobs and toys that adorned the front of her walker. Tilting his head at an angle as he leaned forward, Theo continued his thought towards his sister, still smiling that same soft smile.
"What do you think, Aster? Do you want to watch Disney Channel or Cartoon Network?" His question was replied to with a spiel of infantile babbles, the little blonde baby's attention no longer on him, as her focus was now occupied by some colorful rubber toy in her hands, the thing positively bathed in her drool.
"When you're right, you're right." The older boy nodded sagely, treating the nonsensical babbles with as much seriousness as he could despite the smile on his face. "Disney Channel is for babies."
It was a curious hand that lingered on the remote, finger hovering over the volume button for a few moments as he held his gaze on the screen. As of right now, it showed a commercial of several young children of different ethnicities bouncing through the air for some pointless reason. Theo didn't pay it much mind apart from wondering in what fictional universe could a group of children so excited about easy-peel tangerines be found?
His eyes glazed further over as he eased back onto the couch, some annoying TV spot about bullying coming up immediately after and doing its utmost to send him to sleep. He let out a yawn, a free hand rising up to scratch his butter blond hair as he placidly waited for the commercials to pass.
In a few moments, they would be airing a rerun of Young Eidolon, a cartoon all about the titular Triumvirate member's heroic misadventures as a preteen wannabe hero named Eddie Long, the entire thing set in a more modern environment than the famous hero's actual late 80s debut. More than likely, it was one he hadn't seen yet.
The idea, design, and even the animation style of the show had been shamelessly copied from the production company's equivalent on Earth Aleph; the original was some weird show involving aliens. Rip-off or not, the show was still one of Theo's favorites, not that the teen had much time to watch it in the first place.
Really, it wasn't very often that Theo Anders found himself in front of a TV, especially not with any sense of freedom to watch what he wanted. His father made very sure of that. After all, why rot your brain with pointless entertainment when he could be bettering himself, 'proving himself worthy of the Anders name'? Theo took a moment to think, idly wondering how many times he heard that same phrase till he finally realized that would never happen, at least as far as his father was concerned.
The chubby boy fought back a scowl, expression blank as he tried very hard not to glance over at his violin case propped up in the far corner of the living room. The television screen faded back in after yet another pointless advertisement and a title screen of neon green and gleaming metal zoomed into view to fill as much space as possible. Upbeat rock music played as the opening began, the images on screen bringing another small smile to his face once again.
The opening soon neared its end and Theo found himself singing along to the last of it in a rather low tone of voice, his head moving slightly in time with the music. "... Armed with powers, he's on the case, fighting off evil, he'll make the chase, he'll never stop till he makes them pay, 'cause he's the baddest kid to ever save the d-"
Theo found the words dying on his lips at the sound of a closing door and the tap-tap-tap of nearing footsteps, smile dying away as his face shifted into something that looked more at home on a marble sculpture than a fifteen-year-old boy. It was with this expression that he muted the television and looked up into the face of his once-stepmother as Kayden made her way into the living room, dressed in nothing but a white bathrobe. Her steps rang of a slightly hurried pace and Theo caught sight of an expression giving off an air of slight nerves on her face.
That changed as she stepped into the living room proper, her face brightening with the beatific bliss that only mothers could have. Kayden bent at the waist, crouching as she paused in front of Aster, the baby's cooing and giggling ratcheting up in volume as she caught sight of her mother. Those drool-covered hands reached out insistently and Kayden obliged, Theo watching placidly as the brunette cooed back at the blonde infant now in her hands.
A few long seconds of baby-talk between mother and daughter passed that way, Kayden delivering kisses all over Aster's face as she did so, before she gently lowered the baby back into her bouncer-walker, the hesitation in her actions almost screaming of reluctance.
As Aster began bouncing again, her mouth now occupied with a rubber toy, Kayden finally glanced back up at the other person in the room, shooting him a smile that Theo doubted was as earnest as she wanted it to be.
"Theo?"
He blinked once, mouth remaining in a thin, inexpressive line as he replied with a simple "Yes," the word obviously not a question.
"Well, I'm going to be heading out soon. Are you okay?" She tightened her arms around her chest as she spoke, Theo's expression dimming as he noticed that the white fabric didn't seem to end at her bathrobe, the snowy color becoming skin-tight as it left the confines of the robe all the way from her neck down to her fingers and toes.
He fought the urge to roll his eyes, sinking further back into the couch instead. It's not like I didn't expect it. Deciding to answer the vague question, Theo gave her a slight nod, replying with the usual and well-practiced, "I'm fine."
Her smile seemed to tighten as he said that, the pudgy blond not even bothering to raise an eyebrow in confusion as he cast a quick glance back at the television. Kayden was never as good at hiding her emotions as she thought she was, leaving no surprise as to why she and his father's marriage lasted for so little time.
The brunette was clearly doubtful of Theo's words, obviously hoping that he would say more. "Well, um…" she began again, "Hopefully, I'll be back before it gets dark but…" Kayden gave a light shrug, almost as if unsure where to go from there.
Theo raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to continue, her smile tightening for a moment before she began to speak again. "In case I don't get back before… Well, before midnight, I left some money on the kitchen table. You know what for. I don't know if anyone's delivering right now but if not, there's plenty of food in the fridge." Theo could only blink in response as her smile brightened in an obviously forced action, the expression only making him uncomfortable.
"Okay," he answered back, voice as slow and measured as he could make it. Silence followed his one-word reply, the lengthening quiet only broken by the sound of Aster's babbling and the energetic sounds of her walker.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Kayden asked, an attempt to break the tension that she had repeated several times in the past week. He never bothered to answer though, well aware that the entire point of the question was simply to bait Theo to say something… anything.
So, he simply stayed quiet, shaking his head. Kayden tended to do this often, far too often in his opinion; attempting to connect with him despite his many polite attempts to avoid any such thing. They were never close during the short period that she was legally Mrs. Maxwell Anders and with her having been married to his father for so little time before their, to him at least, expected divorce, Theo had never even gotten around to thinking of her as anything more than another girlfriend of his father's, even if she was more public than the others.
A girlfriend that happened to be the mother to his sister, but still, for Kayden to assume they had been closer than they were or for her to feel she could build such a bridge when Theo knew very well what kind of person she was…
Well, it said a lot about what kind of person she thought he was.
Despite all that, the idea of asking her where she was going did occur to him, if only to be polite, but both of them were well aware he already knew. Anyone with a TV or internet connection in the city knew that Purity had been making a lot of appearances against the ABB for the past week, after all. And now with Empire back-up once more: that little note in the news spoke volumes to Theo. He supposed he could ask the question simply to be polite, an attempt to keep up the appearance that their situation possessed even a semblance of normality… but that would just be pointless.
"Okay, then," she spoke up after a few moments of silence between them, "Wish me luck."
"Good luck." It was only through force of will that he didn't stumble over the words as they passed his lips. Every single time, she asked him to say that when they both knew. Although, he was the only one that cared. The false emotion he placed into just those two syllables was enough to make him sick with how dead they made him feel.
Judging from Kayden's expression before she turned around to leave, he very much doubted his insincerity went unnoticed. As the door closed behind her, Theo took it upon himself to sink back into the couch, a finger finding the mute button without so much as a glance.
"-me on, Lee! We've got to stop Alexa before she takes out the wrong bad guy!"
An excited squeak burst from Aster's mouth as the return of sound drew her attention back to the colorful moving pictures on the TV, the ten-month-old waving her hands excitedly at the sight of it. Gray eyes brightened ever so slightly as a blank expression turned upwards at both ends.
Jack, Roman Krupkin, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Alec, Spooky Bones, Christian Schroter, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Yobthog, Zach Collins, Ryan, Lazysailor, Lyte, Binary Giant, e-addict, Erik Mickiewicz, James Carl Henderson, Liam O' Neil, Mathieu Martineau, Sackthanaban Kounlavong, Cedron Spaulding, Silver W. King, TM, Chris, zdront, Door, NexusClown, Brandon Dayne Baugh, AntaeusTheGiant, Mira, Jacek Blonski, Sartek, ALEX, and Benjamin Helkey. And of course, I can't go without mentioning Segev, who does a great job of Beta as well.
Thanks to my other Betas. Kenmadragon, Dasstan, and the Fanciest of Molasses. Seriously, I appreciate all of you guys for your help and I want to make sure you know that.
Cutscene: Introspections
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
April 18, 2011
2:57 PM
"-he PRT still refusing to confirm or deny allegations of ABB influence in these attacks desp-"
No.
"-ougarton Abbey star, Courteney Dockery, in financial hot w-
No.
"-ext time on Law & Order: PRT. Check your loc-"
No.
"-ove it, I sawed this boat in half! And repai-"
No.
"-oes Mayor Christner intend to address the attacks on this city with his current st-"
No politics.
"Tonight on Mock Trial with Judge R-"
No.
"-scape from Protectorate custody, with the aid of subordinate Oni L-"
No news.
"-eath toll from what is being called "The Brockton Central Hospital Massacre" has been lowered from the initial estim-"
I said, no news.
"-st time on Los Amantes Clandesti-"
I don't speak Spanish, so no.
"-agic in a coral reef is not just the reef itself, but the importance it holds in the entire tropical ocean eco-"
Nothing educational, please.
"-ime Scene: Scene of The Crime, a Chad Dylan Cooper producti-"
Terrible.
"-es irae, dies illa, Solvet saeclum in favilla, Teste Dav-"
… Ughh, no classical right now.
"-ttle Legend: Superhero Adventures right here on Disney Ch-"
Definitely not.
"-nother episode of Young Eidolon right here on Cartoon Ne-"
Hmmm...
A set of stormy gray eyes blinked slowly, allowing another thought to penetrate the assembly line of rejections. The image of a boy in a bright green cloak, tattered jeans and a metal mask striking a pose surrounded by several other colorful characters was reflected in those same eyes as triumphant music blared before fading out.
...Why not? His bored expression shifted slightly, the sides of his mouth rising up as something occurred to him. On second thought, let's ask the expert.
Turning away from the television in front of him, gray eyes dropped to the floor as Theo cast a glance at the infant within the colorful confines of a bouncing walker, her legs softly kicking as she slowly made her way around the space in front of the couch. The baby continued her babbling and cooing, utterly oblivious to her older brother's growing smile as he watched her play.
"What do you think, Aster?"
The ten-month-old let out an odd squeaking giggle as she looked up, attention drawn by her name. The amount of dribble escaping her mouth was plentiful as usual, droplets trailing down the sides of her mouth already adding a glistening shine to several of the brightly colored plastic knobs and toys that adorned the front of her walker. Tilting his head at an angle as he leaned forward, Theo continued his thought towards his sister, still smiling that same soft smile.
"What do you think, Aster? Do you want to watch Disney Channel or Cartoon Network?" His question was replied to with a spiel of infantile babbles, the little blonde baby's attention no longer on him, as her focus was now occupied by some colorful rubber toy in her hands, the thing positively bathed in her drool.
"When you're right, you're right." The older boy nodded sagely, treating the nonsensical babbles with as much seriousness as he could despite the smile on his face. "Disney Channel is for babies."
It was a curious hand that lingered on the remote, finger hovering over the volume button for a few moments as he held his gaze on the screen. As of right now, it showed a commercial of several young children of different ethnicities bouncing through the air for some pointless reason. Theo didn't pay it much mind apart from wondering in what fictional universe could a group of children so excited about easy-peel tangerines be found?
His eyes glazed further over as he eased back onto the couch, some annoying TV spot about bullying coming up immediately after and doing its utmost to send him to sleep. He let out a yawn, a free hand rising up to scratch his butter blond hair as he placidly waited for the commercials to pass.
In a few moments, they would be airing a rerun of Young Eidolon, a cartoon all about the titular Triumvirate member's heroic misadventures as a preteen wannabe hero named Eddie Long, the entire thing set in a more modern environment than the famous hero's actual late 80s debut. More than likely, it was one he hadn't seen yet.
The idea, design, and even the animation style of the show had been shamelessly copied from the production company's equivalent on Earth Aleph; the original was some weird show involving aliens. Rip-off or not, the show was still one of Theo's favorites, not that the teen had much time to watch it in the first place.
Really, it wasn't very often that Theo Anders found himself in front of a TV, especially not with any sense of freedom to watch what he wanted. His father made very sure of that. After all, why rot your brain with pointless entertainment when he could be bettering himself, 'proving himself worthy of the Anders name'? Theo took a moment to think, idly wondering how many times he heard that same phrase till he finally realized that would never happen, at least as far as his father was concerned.
The chubby boy fought back a scowl, expression blank as he tried very hard not to glance over at his violin case propped up in the far corner of the living room. The television screen faded back in after yet another pointless advertisement and a title screen of neon green and gleaming metal zoomed into view to fill as much space as possible. Upbeat rock music played as the opening began, the images on screen bringing another small smile to his face once again.
The opening soon neared its end and Theo found himself singing along to the last of it in a rather low tone of voice, his head moving slightly in time with the music. "... Armed with powers, he's on the case, fighting off evil, he'll make the chase, he'll never stop till he makes them pay, 'cause he's the baddest kid to ever save the d-"
Theo found the words dying on his lips at the sound of a closing door and the tap-tap-tap of nearing footsteps, smile dying away as his face shifted into something that looked more at home on a marble sculpture than a fifteen-year-old boy. It was with this expression that he muted the television and looked up into the face of his once-stepmother as Kayden made her way into the living room, dressed in nothing but a white bathrobe. Her steps rang of a slightly hurried pace and Theo caught sight of an expression giving off an air of slight nerves on her face.
That changed as she stepped into the living room proper, her face brightening with the beatific bliss that only mothers could have. Kayden bent at the waist, crouching as she paused in front of Aster, the baby's cooing and giggling ratcheting up in volume as she caught sight of her mother. Those drool-covered hands reached out insistently and Kayden obliged, Theo watching placidly as the brunette cooed back at the blonde infant now in her hands.
A few long seconds of baby-talk between mother and daughter passed that way, Kayden delivering kisses all over Aster's face as she did so, before she gently lowered the baby back into her bouncer-walker, the hesitation in her actions almost screaming of reluctance.
As Aster began bouncing again, her mouth now occupied with a rubber toy, Kayden finally glanced back up at the other person in the room, shooting him a smile that Theo doubted was as earnest as she wanted it to be.
"Theo?"
He blinked once, mouth remaining in a thin, inexpressive line as he replied with a simple "Yes," the word obviously not a question.
"Well, I'm going to be heading out soon. Are you okay?" She tightened her arms around her chest as she spoke, Theo's expression dimming as he noticed that the white fabric didn't seem to end at her bathrobe, the snowy color becoming skin-tight as it left the confines of the robe all the way from her neck down to her fingers and toes.
He fought the urge to roll his eyes, sinking further back into the couch instead. It's not like I didn't expect it. Deciding to answer the vague question, Theo gave her a slight nod, replying with the usual and well-practiced, "I'm fine."
Her smile seemed to tighten as he said that, the pudgy blond not even bothering to raise an eyebrow in confusion as he cast a quick glance back at the television. Kayden was never as good at hiding her emotions as she thought she was, leaving no surprise as to why she and his father's marriage lasted for so little time.
The brunette was clearly doubtful of Theo's words, obviously hoping that he would say more. "Well, um…" she began again, "Hopefully, I'll be back before it gets dark but…" Kayden gave a light shrug, almost as if unsure where to go from there.
Theo raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to continue, her smile tightening for a moment before she began to speak again. "In case I don't get back before… Well, before midnight, I left some money on the kitchen table. You know what for. I don't know if anyone's delivering right now but if not, there's plenty of food in the fridge." Theo could only blink in response as her smile brightened in an obviously forced action, the expression only making him uncomfortable.
"Okay," he answered back, voice as slow and measured as he could make it. Silence followed his one-word reply, the lengthening quiet only broken by the sound of Aster's babbling and the energetic sounds of her walker.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Kayden asked, an attempt to break the tension that she had repeated several times in the past week. He never bothered to answer though, well aware that the entire point of the question was simply to bait Theo to say something… anything.
So, he simply stayed quiet, shaking his head. Kayden tended to do this often, far too often in his opinion; attempting to connect with him despite his many polite attempts to avoid any such thing. They were never close during the short period that she was legally Mrs. Maxwell Anders and with her having been married to his father for so little time before their, to him at least, expected divorce, Theo had never even gotten around to thinking of her as anything more than another girlfriend of his father's, even if she was more public than the others.
A girlfriend that happened to be the mother to his sister, but still, for Kayden to assume they had been closer than they were or for her to feel she could build such a bridge when Theo knew very well what kind of person she was…
Well, it said a lot about what kind of person she thought he was.
Despite all that, the idea of asking her where she was going did occur to him, if only to be polite, but both of them were well aware he already knew. Anyone with a TV or internet connection in the city knew that Purity had been making a lot of appearances against the ABB for the past week, after all. And now with Empire back-up once more: that little note in the news spoke volumes to Theo. He supposed he could ask the question simply to be polite, an attempt to keep up the appearance that their situation possessed even a semblance of normality… but that would just be pointless.
"Okay, then," she spoke up after a few moments of silence between them, "Wish me luck."
"Good luck." It was only through force of will that he didn't stumble over the words as they passed his lips. Every single time, she asked him to say that when they both knew. Although, he was the only one that cared. The false emotion he placed into just those two syllables was enough to make him sick with how dead they made him feel.
Judging from Kayden's expression before she turned around to leave, he very much doubted his insincerity went unnoticed. As the door closed behind her, Theo took it upon himself to sink back into the couch, a finger finding the mute button without so much as a glance.
"-me on, Lee! We've got to stop Alexa before she takes out the wrong bad guy!"
An excited squeak burst from Aster's mouth as the return of sound drew her attention back to the colorful moving pictures on the TV, the ten-month-old waving her hands excitedly at the sight of it. Gray eyes brightened ever so slightly as a blank expression turned upwards at both ends.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
It's usually portrayed as Kayden being uncaring of Theo and unwilling to reach out, not the other way around. Neat.
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
I thought so at first and actually, this chapter was written that way at first but Interlude 3 1/2 says pretty much the opposite. Theo is an emotional "stone wall" and Kayden tries to connect with him or at least get him to talk to her.
Crake
I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
- Location
- USA
@ZFighter18 But isn't it implied that Kayden meant more to Theo than he was willing to say? I mean, that might have just been Aster, but he triggered at the idea of being abandoned by them, and he's smart enough to know infants can't really abandon anyone.
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
Yes, that is true.
However, this is a few days after Interlude 3 1/2.
I left some hints as to why Theo is feeling a bit more frosty towards Kayden than usual.
Plus, Theo's trigger had more to do with being alone completely, considering that everyone he might have ever considered family would be out of reach.
Theodore Anders - Appearance
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
Theodore Richard Anders
Age: 15
Height, 5 ft 6
Hair Color: Blond
Eyes: Gray
Theodore Anders, son of Maximilian Anders and the late Heith Anders, is the average teenage son of a multimillionaire, if there is such a thing.
Measured, adaptive, and possessing a cunning intellect that matches his father, Theo lacks both the motivation and the force of personality that would allow him to make something of those rare qualities. Instead, he simply does his best to go through each day making as few waves as possible and doing his best to be unobtrusive in the hopes that he can make it to adulthood without drawing too much of his father's attention or ire.
I chose the image because while playing Prompto's DLC in Final Fantasy XV, his younger self reminded me a bit of Theo.
Age: 15
Height, 5 ft 6
Hair Color: Blond
Eyes: Gray
Theodore Anders, son of Maximilian Anders and the late Heith Anders, is the average teenage son of a multimillionaire, if there is such a thing.
Measured, adaptive, and possessing a cunning intellect that matches his father, Theo lacks both the motivation and the force of personality that would allow him to make something of those rare qualities. Instead, he simply does his best to go through each day making as few waves as possible and doing his best to be unobtrusive in the hopes that he can make it to adulthood without drawing too much of his father's attention or ire.
I chose the image because while playing Prompto's DLC in Final Fantasy XV, his younger self reminded me a bit of Theo.
- Location
- Erebus
The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
- Location
- Austrlia
In canon, it took a lot of pressure, first by Jack Slash, then help from Taylor, but he evenulay became a top tier hero.
Once he found motivation, he went far.
Yes, pretty much this. Theo, rather like Kayden actually, is totally defined by his relationship with Max. He won't really be trusting Kayden with any of himself so long as she's sliding inexorably back towards the Empire and his father, and he may not trust her until Kaiser is dead.
The question, of course, is why we're seeing this interlude at all. I presume it's just a way of foreshadowing an encounter between Greg and an Empire patrol.
- Location
- Italy
In canon after Lung capture Kayden started attacking the ABB the same exact way Greg is doing right now, an alliance at this point it's pretty likely, especially now that all those "Parkour is a nazi" jokes looks more and more as foreshadowing.
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
I can't recall if it is this way in canon, but I seem to recall that Kayden isn't actually a Nazi (anymore) and while she does still harbor racist thoughts and instincts, she's actively trying to move away from them.
That may be from some of the fanworks I've read though, as it's been a while since I re-read Worm proper.
- Location
- Earth Prime
Our first introduction to her in canon is her interlude, wherein we find out she's been trying to be a hero, but has been attacking only non-Empire criminals due to feeling awkward attacking those she used to work with. This has led to her appearing to many to just be doing a half-hearted effort and maybe still just working for the E88 while pretending otherwise. And she is shown to struggle with racist thoughts and ideas, though she is struggling, recognizing that it's wrong and not the way a hero thinks. But at the same time not being able to shake it.
Then, in that same interlude, Max asks her to return, promises to turn over the Empire to her after the crisis is over, and threatens to take away Aster if she doesn't cooperate. She goes along with it, making her once again E88 officially. And every time we see her she's backslid a little more, and she's more and more miserable because of it.
Mob 5.10
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
I'd like to thank all those who pledged to me on the site known as Patreon.
Jack, Roman Krupkin, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Alec, Spooky Bones, Christian Schroter, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Yobthog, Zach Collins, Ryan, Lazysailor, Lyte, Binary Giant, e-addict, Erik Mickiewicz, James Carl Henderson, Liam O' Neil, Mathieu Martineau, Sackthanaban Kounlavong, Cedron Spaulding, Silver W. King, TM, Chris, zdront, Door, NexusClown, Brandon Dayne Baugh, AntaeusTheGiant, Mira, Jacek Blonski, Sartek, ALEX, and Benjamin Helkey. And of course, I can't go without mentioning Segev, who does a great job of Beta as well.
Thanks to my other Betas. Kenmadragon, Dasstan, and the Fanciest of Molasses. Seriously, I appreciate all of you guys for your help and I want to make sure you know that.
Mob 5.10
April 19, 2011
4:47 PM
For its location in the Docks South, the Royal Dragon's Oriental Palace was a rather popular Chinese restaurant. Known by many in the area, it had a good reputation and received regularly appreciative reviews, which was somewhat confusing for a place directly in the center of Northern ABB territory. In fact, if you asked most people what they thought about it, your first two answers would be something along the lines of 'great food' or 'excellent service'.
Again, very, very, odd for a place so deep in ABB gangland.
Interestingly enough, asking certain other people found you receiving remarkably different results, to say the least. Far more informative answers like '...big boys in black suits all over the place', '...lots of money comin' in that ain't from dim sum' and, most damning of all, 'Where you think the Bad Boyz keep the bodies they drop?' came from the least likely of places.
His informant was… unexpected, to say the least.
As in, Greg didn't expect her.
Literally.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Things had started off predictably, with Greg once again roof-jumping every which way in search of more ABB locales and hideouts. With Sparky's well of information having run dry with PHO currently focused on Lung's escape to the detriment of other things, Greg had decided to put boots to the ground, forgoing the use of his aerokinesis in order to further level his Acrobatics. Going after Lung wasn't even a thought on his mind right now; the blond was too focused on putting an end to these bombings as soon as possible to even humor the idea.
Well… maybe, he had thought about it for just an instant.
Possibly a few seconds more than that.
Maybe.
Either way, Greg was nowhere near Lung's reputed location so the violent fantasy in his head remained just that. According to Sparky, the draconic cape had apparently fled Southeast with Oni Lee covering his tail, the pair of them heading towards the larger section of massed ABB nearest to the bombings plaguing the center of the city by the Downtown Coast. Trailing after the two were several Protectorate capes along with a small army of PRT officers, all of them storming the Downtown Coast on a dragon hunt.
Sparky had even heard rumors of some Empire capes — Purity, Hookwolf and Stormtiger in particular — being seen near the action. What he did know for a fact was that Squealer had been seen tearing down there with Skidmark and Mush in tow, the three of them riding in something that looked like the offspring of a monster truck, a tank and an ATV. Greg wasn't sure how that last bit worked in that combination but just hearing about it was almost enough to make him consider making a beeline to where the action was to try and take down Lung himself.
Almost.
The teen hurled himself over the gap of an alley, spinning through the air with an utterly unnecessary flip to land on the next rooftop. Gravel flew from under his feet as he touched down, the particulates sent hurtling from the force of Greg's landing as he skid slightly forward. He prepared to shoot forward again only to halt as the sound of annoyed cursing hit his ears, a feminine voice from the street below.
Curious, Greg made his way over to the edge and glanced down, frowning slightly as he spotted a woman leaning against the alley entrance, a dwindling cigarette between her fingers. As his eyes took in the incredibly tight top and what had to be an uncomfortably short pair of cut-off jeans, it didn't take Greg long to draw a conclusion as to who exactly he was looking at.
Granted, he also didn't feel like being wrong either. "[Observe]."
Satisfied, the blond made his move, starting by taking two calm steps over the edge. He made the fall look effortless, landing almost perfectly on the sidewalk with only a burst of wind to cushion his sudden drop.
Also, it looked very intimidating.
At least, Greg hoped it did. Judging from the slightly raised eyebrow of the prostitute in front of him, she didn't seem to think it was all that impressive.
Doing his best to loom over the slightly shorter woman, Greg frowned behind his mask and took a slow step forward. He raised a hand, pointing a single finger in her direction as he opened his mouth to deliver a threat. "H-
"Forty for a windy, fifty for a handy. Everything else is a hundred for an hour, fifty for half. Which d'ya want?"
The boy in black froze before he could say anything, stunned by the words that came out of the woman's mouth. He blinked behind his mask, unsure of how to respond to that. "W-what?"
"I said, which one you want?" Ji-Yun raised her head as she took another drag from her cigarette, red-rimmed lips opening just wide enough to blow the smoke into Greg's face. "I ain't got all day, cape."
"You sure?" The eyebrow rose even higher as her gaze trailed up and down his body, Greg taking another unintended step back at the sudden gleam in her eyes, her flat expression shifting up into a smirk that could only be described as predatory. "From what I hear, I'm pretty good at it."
It took tremendous force of will for Greg not to back away again. Hands tight at his side in balled fists, the teen instead took a decisive step forward and shot as heated a glare as he could manage at the older woman in front of him. "Listen," he barked out, actually having to struggle to work a growling undertone into his voice, "I'm not here to play games. I w-"
"I'm not here to play either," Ji-Yun interjected, calmly taking another puff of her cigarette as if she wasn't in the middle of being threatened by an unknown cape. "Not unless you pay for my time. After that, we can play whatever games you want, little boy."
Jesus f- Greg screwed his eyes shut as the words left her mouth, her tongue darting out across her top lip in a way that Greg couldn't help but assume came from practice. Fighting the urge to go down that train of thought, the blond opened his eyes again and shot the smirking woman another harsh glare, suddenly deciding to let his anger show. That's it! What the fuck would Sophia do right now?
Ji-Yun let out a sigh, glancing down at her garishly colored nails before looking back up at Greg's masked face. "Listen, kid, either you want to have some f-"
"Hey! Bitch!" The blond grit his teeth as he shut down whatever the street girl was gonna say next, quickly forcing his voice into another guttural growl. Strangely enough, the action came across far easier the second time around. "Let's make one thing clear right the fuck now! I'mthe only one allowed to run his fucking mouth right now, you understand?"
The prostitute's eyes actually widened in slight shock before she caught herself, expression slipping back into amused boredom. "Oh, little puppy can bark n-"
"I said… Shut. The Fuck. Up," Greg barked again, advancing forward enough that it was now the woman's turn to take a step backward. Unfortunately for her, her back was already against a wall, a startled expression replacing her cultivated mask of boredom as she realized her situation. She tried to quickly step to the side only for Greg's arm to block her path as he struck the brick wall with a gloved palm, the woman shrinking back from the sudden movement. "What's so goddamn hard to understand about not opening your fucking mouth, huh?"
It took effort to not be the one to flinch as the last bit left his mouth, the reference to U & L's most infamous episode somehow taking precedence in his thoughts. Did I really just say that? Jesus...
After a few moments of silence, the street girl's frightened expression began to fade and she stared back at him with something that looked remarkably close to defiance. Seemingly regaining her composure, Ji-Yun pulled herself up to her full height and stuck her chest out defiantly as she spat back, "Cash up front."
"What?"
"I told you before…" She smirked back at him, not even flinching at the growl Greg forced into his tone anymore. "I'll do almost anything as long as you can pay for my time and I only take cash up front." A pale hand stretched out towards him, palm facing upwards.
Greg stared back at her, fingers twitching as he looked into the street girl's overmade face. I swear to God, she better not be serious right now.
As Greg would quickly find out, she was being absolutely serious and no amount of threats or intimidation would get her to back down. Ignoring that, though, she seemed to be a good source of information, willing to provide what little she knew as long as Greg was willing to pay for anything she told him. Considering his situation, the teen found the agreement somewhat understandable and quickly agreed, throwing in a few packs of cigarettes to sweeten the deal. (- Red Apple™ Cigarettes x 3, - $200)
Long story short, Ji-Yun knew absolutely nothing about the ABB's new boss or anything about the bombs. In fact, her exact words on the question were, "I get paid to make something blow, but it sure as hell ain't bombs."
Even then, Greg didn't find himself regretting the purchase… much. At least, he hoped he wouldn't end up regretting it. This better be worth that money. Blue eyes narrowed with that thought as the teen stared at the three-story tall restaurant from the building across the street, struck for a moment by how ridiculously cheesy it looked. Golden dragon sculpture on the roof, yin-yang symbols on the walls… Greg rolled his eyes at the sight of it. What is this place? A kung-fu temple from a 90s movie?
Really, with it's red painted walls, gold tiled roofing, and bright red paper lanterns hanging from several surfaces, the entire place from the outside was so stereotypically Chinese in design that Greg couldn't help but hear the Oriental Riff playing on repeat in his head. Although, with a name like Royal Dragon's Oriental Palace, I don't know what else I expected.
After a moment of confused staring, the blond shook his head and frowned again, hands tightening at his sides. I better not regret this.
Still, it could be worse. He wasn't sure if it was the ringing in his ears, the ruptured eardrums or simply the fact that he had gotten used to the noise but he was no longer flinching at every gunshot, despite how unbearably loud they were.
The explosive sound of gunfire continued above his head, fragments of golden tiles splintering onto him from all sides as his attackers continued their onslaught. Repeated clanging of bullets hitting metal warned him that their shots were getting closer to home, multiple shots making contact with the gold dragon sculptures resting on top of the set of half-walls he was crouching behind.
Really, it had only been sheer luck and trusting in his Danger Sense that had saved him from getting shot even after nearly a full five minutes of being shot at. He wasn't going to deny it now.
Voices cut into the hail of gunfire, rapid-fire Chinese barely audible over staccato bursts from several different weapons.
Shit. He grit his teeth at the sound of dress shoes clicking against the tile floor amid the very short pauses of gunfire. Shouts in broken English and quick spurts of Chinese told him nothing at all but he didn't need to understand them to understand the situation.
They're making a move. Shit. Shitshitshitshit…
The blond's eyes widened as the careful clicking of leather on tile turned into rapid taps, a hail of footsteps quickly getting louder. Shiiiit!
It was a burst of movement that saved him as he felt the sudden urge to move, the blond immediately acting on the impulse. He threw himself to the opposite wall directly behind the pillar and hugged the bullet-riddled wall as closely as he could.
The action came not a moment too late as a shuddered burst of gunfire came far too close for comfort as one of his attackers charged around the corner, the ABB member in a suit almost skidding into the wall from his uncontrolled charge as he fired wildly at where he assumed Greg was.
Was being the operative term.
Greg surged to his feet, body charged with a golden glow and fists already in motion as he threw a vicious punch directly at the man's face… only to miss.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
The shock on the teen's face was almost palpable as the ABB stumbled backward to catch his balance from his sudden rush forward, dress shoes coming to his unexpected rescue with their spectacular lack of traction acting in the thug's favor. A glowing fist met the bullet-ridden wall, slamming through the coating of red paint and sending white dust and drywall shrapnel flying with the force of his strike. Fighting the urge to scream in frustration, Greg reacted as the man tried to recover from his stumble and sudden surprise at the explosion of drywall, a curse on his lips as he tried to aim the sub-machine gun in his grip.
Tearing his hand from the wall, Greg grabbed the goon's wrist past the gun and jerked it clear of him — painfully, if the sudden scream meant anything. Mind racing, he reared his own head back. Greg's skull snapped forward a moment later only for him to flinch back in shock almost instantly as the expected noises of pain and smashed cartilage were drowned out by the thunderous din of an Uzi going off very, very close by and a quickly silenced scream.
Letting the possibly concussed ABB in his grip fall to the ground, Greg blinked at the sight to his right, the entrance to his hiding spot filled by the still-standing form what Greg assumed was once another ABB… at least back when the majority of his face was still present. The blond's gaze flicked between the gun in the unconscious ABB member's grip, noting the slight curl of smoke as it left the barrel before turning back to the image of gore now lying at his feet, noting how well the blood disappeared into the scarlet wall and carpet it landed on.
The gray matter, on the other hand… Yeah, that's gonna be hard to get out.
Already in motion from the moment he felt it, he swung his legs over the short wall with a hurdle that would make an Olympic hopeful proud, only for his eyes to widen as a searing pain tore through his left leg.
Before he could even take a moment to answer that rhetorical, he found his eyes widening even further as several dozen guns of different shape and size turned to face him, Greg once again reminded that the entire restaurant was still full of armed criminals. As if the ones surrounding him on the first floor weren't enough, the teen couldn't help the slight twitch in his eye as he noticed several of them on the second behind the railings, those of them without guns already moving towards him in packs.
... Fuck me running.
The sight and sound of several guns being reloaded only drove him to repeat the thought as he took a step and shot forward, speed coming to his rescue again. He barely caught the shouts of the suited ABB as he charged across the bullet-riddled remains of a once-luxurious dining area and tackled the one nearest to him before he could react.
It was like a professional linebacker drilling a small child from the blindside, a shoulder hit that was anything but clean from the way the thug's spine arched backwards. The gun in his hand clattered to the floor as the man flew into a table, the force of his flight sending another gunman to the ground with him. Yeah, they got guns. No need to hold back as much, right?
Chest pounding as his insides burned with equal parts anger, rage and pain, Greg spun on his heel and drove a sharp cross into the chest of another before slapping his right palm onto the man's face, the gangster's nose shattering with a sound like gravel underfoot. Right.
It was, in fact, a length of metal chain.
One that was being swung towards Greg's head at that very moment.
"Really? You've gotta be joking right now? Don't you guys have Tinker-Tech?" The blond couldn't help the note of incredulity that made its way into his voice as he lazily ducked the weapon and sneered back at another suit-wearing ABB, the man's face contorted in rage as he pulled his makeshift weapon back and stared Greg down. "How come all I've seen so far is guns and chains and that one guy at the beginning with the nunchucks?"
Cursing in some language Greg didn't care about, the goateed man swung his chain wildly, eyes darting around to glance at his armed friends a good distance away, possibly to make sure they didn't shoot him while taking shots at the blond, before jerking back up to glare at Greg with a good deal of fury in his eyes.
"Speaking of that guy with the nunchucks, how's his knee?" Greg asked rhetorically, his voice a mocking laugh as he danced in and out of the chain-wielder's wild swings. The blond flipped head over heels, turning a quick jump into a backflip as the chain crashed through another table setting, sending the whole thing to the floor as Greg's feet touched the ground again. "Don't tell me he's up and running again? I can't tell. You guys all look the same to me."
Mouth open to continue taunting, Greg froze for an instant, blue eyes widening as he quickly sprung back and jumped away, gaining more ground with a back handspring. A second later, he landed on two feet a few meters away, hands already in fighting position before the chain could swing at him again. This is just too easy.
Another pulse went off in his head as Greg watched the incoming weapon, the teen simply stepping to the side of the errant swing only for yet another warning sensation to pass over him. Wait. Why do I keep getting warnings when I can dodge this thing n-
"Ahhhhhh!"
I get it now. Fighting the urge to throw up, Greg's head snapped back up with renewed intensity in his gaze as he realized why this one man had been willing to get in close with him with such a ridiculous weapon when so many others had guns. A distraction, huh? I'll show you something distracting.
"Hey, chain guy!"Greg called out, the carefree tone in his voice undercut by the obvious fact that he was obviously forcing it. The man in question gawked as fire burst to life in Greg's right hand, a small tongue of flame turning into a baseball-sized sphere in under a second. Rearing his hand back, Greg let it fly towards the man who had the balls to come after him with just a chain. "Here's a ticket to the burn unit!"
For a third of a second, Greg let himself be surprised at how rapidly the flame grew as it found something to burn before quickly getting back into gear as he spun away from another hail of bullets.
One of them quickly flicked out his gun, the others still trying to get a bead on Greg as he zig-zagged from side to side with his innate, unnatural speed, doing his best to give those shooting at him from a larger distance something to work for. Blue eyes narrowed to slits as he spotted a finger twitch, the gangster in front moving to fire his own weapon. Let's try something out.
An intense look in his eyes, Greg Veder halted his movement and came to a sudden stop directly in the middle of the restaurant, seemingly discarding his evasive tactics as he thrust himself into their line of fire. Wait for it…
The surprise on several faces was obvious, each one likely wondering what was going on. That didn't last all too long as most took aim again. Wait for it…
Fingers flexed around triggers. Wait…
He felt it coming, of course; that sudden pulse. Expecting it, anticipating it, he was ready when they pulled the trigger. Burst!
BANG.
The sound drove itself into his skull as pistols, semis, and SMG's fired in unison; hot lead racing at supersonic speeds towards someone who was already gone. With a burst of energy into his legs, the blond exploded forward, body aglow as his speed made the world narrow in his vision. He was already next to his closest targets before they even realized he moved.
His fist met the first thug's torso in a literal instant, an audible crack signifying contact for the barest of moments before his target went flying ass over teakettle. The second didn't even see the elbow that collided into his jaw, losing consciousness before he could feel the teeth loosen in his mouth. The next four went down one after the other, struck so fast that they didn't even realize the cracking sound had been their own ribs until they were more than halfway across the room. Greg intercepted the last as the Burst died down to nothing by grabbing hold of his arm past the pistol in his hand. He tugged hard on it with both of his own and, ignoring the painful snap sound the limb made as he tugged on it, sent the screaming thug flying in the direction of one of the restaurant's gilded stairs.
Although, it wasn't like he needed it.
He moved like a blur as he jumped, the blond running on air as blue light seemed to burst and shatter under his feet with each step. Clearing a gilded railing with one final jump, Greg drove a foot into some poor fool's face with uncaring ease before flipping backwards to smash a fist into the nearest gangster's head, his closed hand a hammer as it drove into the soft spot high on his temple.
Just like all his other gangster friends Greg had seen in the restaurant, the man in front of Greg wore a black suit, red shirt and a bright green tie to complete the ensemble. Unlike the last few, though, he held neither a gun nor a chain, the weapon in his hands nothing but a short rectangular sword.
The blond took a moment to sigh, shoulders slumping with the movement as a growing sense of annoyed frustration continued chipping away at his forced cheer. "If you're gonna attack me with a weapon, could you at least fit the theme?"
He snorted a moment later as the thug froze, confusion etched across his face. "We're in a Chinese restaurant. A tanto is Japanese. Come on, it's sad that I'm the one telling you this."
"Shinee!" The scream turned into a charge, the man's approach almost in slow motion from the cape's perspective.
Just for that, Greg took the time to appreciate the look on stunned rage on the gangster's face moments before it bled into shocked pain as the bones in his arm snapped in two.
Thirty seconds later, the next thug was laid flat, knocked out by three blows to the gut, sternum and nose, before Greg moved on. It was a matter of moments before he was upon the next gangster on the upper-levels and flipped him over the railing, sending him screaming to the piles of shattered furniture and tableware below. Greg cracked his knuckles - main dining area downstairs was cleared — time for the balcony level.
"Seriously."
Behind the mask, Greg Veder could not help but blink, a flat expression on his face as he stared at what stood in front of him. A part of him tried to reconcile what he was looking at with the previous events of today and, to Greg's chagrin, somehow seemed to make it fit.
"I'm gonna assume everyone in here is actually in the know about this whole thing. Am I right?"
No one moved or spoke, telling him everything he needed to know about that. The blond let the silver double doors close behind him, shoulders slumping even further as he realized he'd have to finish this mess now before going anywhere else. Two of their number already lay at his feet, groaning in pain from a simultaneous punch Greg had unleashed into their faces on instinct the second he walked through the door. Glancing back up, he let out a sigh, fists loosening as his arms fell down to his sides, Greg once more repeating the same word as he shook his head.
"Seriously."
The group of men in all white stood in front of him, cleavers and steak knives in their grasps glinting in the fluorescent light of the kitchen as they held them ready. From the fact that they had been ready to attack him from the moment he entered the kitchen, two of them launching a surprise attack from both sides implied a lot.
Blue eyes narrowed as Greg focused his attention on the man in front, a bald man with a Fu Manchu of all things, as well as a face so scarred that it would be a chore to determine whether the man was twenty-five or forty-five. He was a big man, with an impressive build that would look more fitting anywhere else but a kitchen. [Observe.]
Of course. Greg blinked slowly, not even surprised at the flavor text simply from looking at the man. Of fucking course. The sound of boiling water, simmering sauces and what had to be a steaming kettle sounded off, acting like unintended mood music to set what Greg couldn't help but feel like a ridiculous stage. None of them moved, each one likely waiting for the cape in front of them to make a move as the blond simply stood there with his arms folded.
Fuck this. Fuck this completely.
Greg let out a sigh as he raised his head, giving each single one of the armed cooks and kitchen staff in front of him a glance before opening his mouth.
"Look… guys, before you do anything you'll seriously regret in about thirty… thirty?" The blond sighed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds about right… Before you do anything you'll regret in about thirty seconds, I'm gonna give each of you one chance. One chance to put down your various cooking implements and just tell me what I want to know."
Silence.
"I'm offering you a literal once in a lifetime deal." Greg unfurled his arms, opening his hands out in front of him as if offering each one of the grizzled gangster cooks a hug. "It's either this or spending the next few months in the hospital. Possibly, eating through a straw."
Silence.
"The burn unit even."
Silence.
"The morgue is also an option," he continued with a laugh that was not at all forced. "Honestly, today... I'm finding out that I'm really not that picky on the issue."
One of them twitched at the casual threat to his continued existence, the serrated knife in his hand visibly shaking. Several others seemed to be reconsidering this entire fight, likely taking note of the few groans of pain still audible from the main dining area. All of that ended the moment Four Fingers shot each one an intense glance, his fingers tensing around the incredibly sharp cleaver in his grip with each man he looked at.
Greg sighed at the renewed glare from all of them, realizing what this was going to be. "All right."
The blond spread his arms out again, blue eyes flickering with manic intensity as flames burst to life in his open palms. "Don't say I didn't warn you about the burn unit."
There was a blur of motion and the kitchen echoed with screams.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
10 Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Born to Japanese parents on the island country a good ten years before capes had become more than mere fiction, he rarely had much patience for his own culture, preferring the seductive appeal of Western life. Even now, decades since his arrival in Brockton Bay, he could barely speak Japanese anymore, preferring to use English in almost every single situation.
He never cared much for Japanese cuisine even as a child, an unchanging attitude even as he grew up that led him to open his own Chinese restaurant almost as an act of spite as much as it was one of business. His parents had attempted to instill him with a 'traditional' discipline — forcing him to eat what he didn't like and blindly obey their every demand. It was no surprise that as soon as an opportunity presented itself, he left Japan behind and never looked back. Even when Leviathan turned the island upside down, Ken barely considered it any of his business, so far divorced was he from anything Japanese at that point in his life.
His life as a restaurateur in the 80s and 90s was nothing but ostentatious suits, pretty girls and a great deal of other things that his parents would have cursed him for. A shame on the family name, and all that. Frankly, he would have cursed them right back.
But as it stood right now, Ken would do anything to be back in Japan, sitting patiently on a tatami mat in seiza as he listened to his parents lecturing him on how he was a failure as a first son.
"You know, Ken..."
At the very least, he wished he had followed his first instincts and called for back-up.
"When I broke down your door… I honestly didn't expect anyone to be in here," the sentence was accompanied by a sweeping gesture around his office. Located on the third floor of the restaurant, it was outfitted with a very large window behind his rich mahogany desk, allowing him to feel like one of those extremely wealthy businessmen he had only ever seen on TV and in the movies.
At least, not before Lung took a shine to him.
"But here you were, Big Kenny..."
Ken didn't bother correcting the cape, despite the involuntary flinch he made at the childish twist to his chosen name. His eyes darted over to their periphery, hoping to catch another glimpse of the young cape in almost all black, his curiosity warring with his fear for a moment. The cape must have been through a lot downstairs, Ken could tell that much. If not from the gunmen, then from the kitchen staff, at the very least. Of the would-be vigilantes that occasionally cropped up over the years and earned the ire of the ABB, quite a few had met their end at the hands of those cooks.
Handpicked by Lung himself, they were prison-hardened and vicious in ways that Ken would prefer never to have witnessed. The dishwashers by themselves were trained to some degree in martial arts, and every cook and chef were experienced killers. Four Fingers alone was enough to give him nightmares, the man having the worst habit of bleeding traitors and snitches in the kitchens with his special cleaver as well as removing the fingers of those men who made the mistake of failing Lung.
The cape's mask still had bits of pepper stuck to its surface and stray noodles clung to his chest as well, with Ken unable to not notice what was likely clothing damage caused by boiling vegetable oil. An entire sleeve hung loose where it had been obviously cut to ribbons by the kitchen knives and cleavers, drenched with blood, and yet the cape held the gun with casual ease. His boots were drenched in soy sauce, mustard seeds and scraps of half-cooked meat. There were too many bloody holes in his suit for the cape to have not been shot, even amidst the numerous slash marks and tears. On top of everything else, the scent of burnt leather was all too horrifyingly reminiscent of his occasional meeting with his own boss after an unpleasant scrap. And after all that, the cape looked fine. Like he hadn't been shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burnt, blinded with pepper and spices, and carved up like a choice fillet of fish.
"Here you were… hiding under your desk." The cape scoffed, hand shifting ever so slightly forward and making Ken lean with it as the portly man let out a slight whimper. "Like a bitch."
The whimper that left his throat was utterly unintended but the man couldn't deny that it was a true marker of how he felt right now.
"I don't know a lot about this thing, if I'm gonna be honest," the cape continued further, "Not really." There was an almost glib tone to the way he spoke, almost as if none of this even mattered to him all that much. Ken couldn't deny the fact that it terrified him almost as much as the weapon in the cape's hand. "I mean, other than how to aim, shoot and reload, of course. Oh, and how could I forget?"
There was a click from the weapon that almost made Ken dive under his desk again, fear instincts nearly overriding common sense. "How to turn off the safety."
Big Ken couldn't manage to fight the trembles that stirred the gun pressed up to the side of his head, the cape in all black holding the weapon firm and steady as he continued to speak. The coldness of the weapon couldn't be understated, the sensation of it contributing to the ever-approaching specter of death that he could feel in the casual tone of the young parahuman in the room.
"I mean, I'm definitely better than you when it comes to actually shooting. I mean, come on. Two shots point blank and I didn't even move. You shot your own TV, Kenny. That's… that's just pathetic." There was a sound like a snort before the cape spoke again. "Frankly, I took the gun away more for your safety than mine."
Another whimper passed his lips.
"It's not like I even need a gun, if we're being honest. But it makes a statement, right?" There was that tone again. "It's very final… y'know as a symbol."
He was going to die soon, he was sure of it.
Right here in this chair.
Just from the way the man was shaking and the pallor of his face, the blond wouldn't really be surprised if the fat Japanese man didn't have a heart attack right in his comfy-looking chair.
Despite that, the teen didn't see it as any reason to stop.
"You know, I almost wondered why you didn't call the police when you heard all those gunshots," Greg continued, standing above the seated businessman with gun in hand. "Then I realized that just how many ABB happen to work for you. Not to mention those guys with the guns."
It was almost surprising how the man reacted to that sentence, stiffening up like a statue the way he did. If Greg hadn't seen it right in front of him, he would have doubted a normal human being could get anywhere near that pale.
Greg couldn't help the smile on his face as the restaurant owner seemed to crumble before his eyes, mouth open as he gasped silently like a fish out of water. "I even found where you keep the guns too. Didn't take that long either, honest. A minute… Two tops. I mean, not once I got that last cook to crack."
After a moment of tense silence, Big Ken finally spoke up for the first time since Greg had dragged him out from under his desk by his feet. "L-look, I only… o-own this place on p-p-paper. It's a-all over m-my head."
"Your point?"
"I-I only h-handle the m… the m-money."
"Still not getting what your point is, Kenny."
"J-jus..." The older man paused as the words trailed away, taking in another shuddered breath before opening his mouth again. "P-p… please d-don't… don't kill m-me…"
Greg's grip instinctively tightened around the Glock in his hand, the pitiful attempt at begging making him regret actually turning the safety back on. Here he was, trying to be a good guy by fighting the temptation in the first place...
"You're asking a lot from me, Kenny." Greg lifted the gun from the man's skull, eliciting a relieved sigh from Big Ken for a moment, before quickly lowering the gun to his chin. The look of returning terror only intensified as the blond used the weapon to prod Ken's face into looking over at him. "Asking a hell of a lot."
"O-okay..."
"See, your life isn't worth a thing to me so the million dollar question here is…" Greg began with a slow nod, eyes narrowing behind his mask with each word. "What's it worth to you?"
"I-I-I…" Big Ken began shaking again, repeating the same syllable over and over like a broken toy. Greg prodded the portly man's face with the empty weapon again, stilling him into silence with just that.
"I don't have the time to waste on you using your last two brain cells to answer my questions." The slight smirk behind his mask grew, Greg unable to deny that Sparky's insults were as brutal as they were cutting even when he was the one using them. "Here's what I want you to do, big man."
Using the hand not currently holding a gun, Greg gestured towards the computer on Ken's desk and cleared his throat. "You're gonna give me what you have on the ABB."
Big Ken drew a shuddering breath, the man's chin trembling as he began to work his mouth again. "I… I d-don't," he attempted to speak up, sweat visible as it trailed down his forehead in fat, rain-like drops. "I d-don't have anything l-l-like th-" The gun under his chin shifted, words vanishing as Ken began to gasp again.
"Don't give me that, Ken. I know you have something. Their bases, where they keep their weapons, I want it all printed out." The blond paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side before adding, "Preferably in twelve point font."
"P-please. I… I h-have a f-family."
"And I'm sure they'll miss you." Greg found the humor disappearing from his tone as Big Ken continued to beg, his hand raising the weapon back to the man's temple.
Big Ken didn't take very long to decide after that.
Despite that, Greg couldn't deny that he felt a good deal better about the situation now than he had several hours ago.. Really, he had the big man to thank for that.
While Big Ken had admitted — admittedly, under duress — that a good chunk of the documents he had in his possession were mostly just false leads, a lot of it consisting of nothing but listings of empty warehouses and abandoned office buildings to keep the police and PRT off their trail, he had been knowledgeable enough about the ABB to offer up some other prime information.
In fact, the restaurateur went so far as to personally write out some locations for Greg to go after, admitting that he knew of these because he had been there in person. If that wasn't enough, Big Ken was even willing to open his personal office safe to the young cape, trusting Greg with all the money that was to be laundered through his restaurant for the month.
Truly, the man was dedicated to bringing the ABB to justice. In the end, Greg almost felt bad about leaving him tied up in his office for police to find, office computer open to the most incriminating documents the man had to offer.
Almost.
With all this in mind, it was a much more relaxed Greg Veder that stood atop the restaurant rooftop several minutes later, the blond in his usual crouching position on one of the four golden dragons that fit the place's name. It had been at most two minutes since he called the police but, while the blond still intended to wait and make sure the ABB were all arrested, he didn't expect them to arrive anywhere within thirty minutes.
Letting out another sigh, Greg lowered the bottom of his balaclava and visibly relaxed as the brisk New England air met his skin, the scent of Chinese food carried by the breeze a pleasant addition. Or maybe that's just me, Greg thought to himself a moment later.
With the slightest roll of his eyes at the thought, the blond allowed himself a slight smile only for the expression to freeze on his face as he glanced back at the skyline, open hands shifting to fists at his side as he spotted a multitude of explosions tear through several buildings just a few blocks away. What the f- The colorful detonations and distortions in space surrounding what appeared to be normal flames dotting the entire block only confirmed what he knew of the Tinker explosives.
However, it raised another question.
An important question.
"Why would the ABB set off bombs in their… " He muttered the words to himself as he stared, almost transfixed in his confusion. "...in their own t-"
The words disappeared from his mind, Greg's train of thought derailing entirely as a railroad spike worth of pain drove itself directly into the base of his skull and a set of blue eyes widened in sudden alarm. His body tensed and Greg recoiled, the blond instinctively recoiling away from incoming danger as a backwards dive immediately became a flip towards the center of the roof.
The moment he landed upright, an overhead light seared itself into his vision like a microcosm of the sun itself, forcing him to shut his eyes. The instant he did, Greg Veder felt the world slow down, mouth open in a silent scream as something violently slammed into him with immense speed.
-258
The teen felt his chest buckle inwards, breath vanishing as his heart pounded frantically against his screaming ribcage. Blue eyes sprang open to face the light, Greg suddenly faced with the realization that the ground had vanished from beneath his feet. With that thought in mind, Greg Veder could only stare in shock as he fell to the unforgiving asphalt below.
Jack, Roman Krupkin, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Alec, Spooky Bones, Christian Schroter, Agamnon Solarion, Weise, yosef vicars, Yobthog, Zach Collins, Ryan, Lazysailor, Lyte, Binary Giant, e-addict, Erik Mickiewicz, James Carl Henderson, Liam O' Neil, Mathieu Martineau, Sackthanaban Kounlavong, Cedron Spaulding, Silver W. King, TM, Chris, zdront, Door, NexusClown, Brandon Dayne Baugh, AntaeusTheGiant, Mira, Jacek Blonski, Sartek, ALEX, and Benjamin Helkey. And of course, I can't go without mentioning Segev, who does a great job of Beta as well.
Thanks to my other Betas. Kenmadragon, Dasstan, and the Fanciest of Molasses. Seriously, I appreciate all of you guys for your help and I want to make sure you know that.
Mob 5.10
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
April 19, 2011
4:47 PM
For its location in the Docks South, the Royal Dragon's Oriental Palace was a rather popular Chinese restaurant. Known by many in the area, it had a good reputation and received regularly appreciative reviews, which was somewhat confusing for a place directly in the center of Northern ABB territory. In fact, if you asked most people what they thought about it, your first two answers would be something along the lines of 'great food' or 'excellent service'.
Again, very, very, odd for a place so deep in ABB gangland.
Interestingly enough, asking certain other people found you receiving remarkably different results, to say the least. Far more informative answers like '...big boys in black suits all over the place', '...lots of money comin' in that ain't from dim sum' and, most damning of all, 'Where you think the Bad Boyz keep the bodies they drop?' came from the least likely of places.
His informant was… unexpected, to say the least.
As in, Greg didn't expect her.
Literally.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Things had started off predictably, with Greg once again roof-jumping every which way in search of more ABB locales and hideouts. With Sparky's well of information having run dry with PHO currently focused on Lung's escape to the detriment of other things, Greg had decided to put boots to the ground, forgoing the use of his aerokinesis in order to further level his Acrobatics. Going after Lung wasn't even a thought on his mind right now; the blond was too focused on putting an end to these bombings as soon as possible to even humor the idea.
Well… maybe, he had thought about it for just an instant.
Possibly a few seconds more than that.
Maybe.
Either way, Greg was nowhere near Lung's reputed location so the violent fantasy in his head remained just that. According to Sparky, the draconic cape had apparently fled Southeast with Oni Lee covering his tail, the pair of them heading towards the larger section of massed ABB nearest to the bombings plaguing the center of the city by the Downtown Coast. Trailing after the two were several Protectorate capes along with a small army of PRT officers, all of them storming the Downtown Coast on a dragon hunt.
Sparky had even heard rumors of some Empire capes — Purity, Hookwolf and Stormtiger in particular — being seen near the action. What he did know for a fact was that Squealer had been seen tearing down there with Skidmark and Mush in tow, the three of them riding in something that looked like the offspring of a monster truck, a tank and an ATV. Greg wasn't sure how that last bit worked in that combination but just hearing about it was almost enough to make him consider making a beeline to where the action was to try and take down Lung himself.
Almost.
The teen hurled himself over the gap of an alley, spinning through the air with an utterly unnecessary flip to land on the next rooftop. Gravel flew from under his feet as he touched down, the particulates sent hurtling from the force of Greg's landing as he skid slightly forward. He prepared to shoot forward again only to halt as the sound of annoyed cursing hit his ears, a feminine voice from the street below.
Curious, Greg made his way over to the edge and glanced down, frowning slightly as he spotted a woman leaning against the alley entrance, a dwindling cigarette between her fingers. As his eyes took in the incredibly tight top and what had to be an uncomfortably short pair of cut-off jeans, it didn't take Greg long to draw a conclusion as to who exactly he was looking at.
Granted, he also didn't feel like being wrong either. "[Observe]."
The ABB title in her name didn't exactly do much to endear her to him in any real way and the red font above her head just screamed 'Enemy'. Above all else, he needed information. Greg raised a hand to his face, adjusting a skull mask that already sat perfectly on his face before dropping low to the long red scarf around his neck. She's a… He let out a low breath, trying to push down the simmering anger he could feel at just those three letters. She's not a gang member. They make her do this. Just try to remember that.
Satisfied, the blond made his move, starting by taking two calm steps over the edge. He made the fall look effortless, landing almost perfectly on the sidewalk with only a burst of wind to cushion his sudden drop.
Also, it looked very intimidating.
At least, Greg hoped it did. Judging from the slightly raised eyebrow of the prostitute in front of him, she didn't seem to think it was all that impressive.
Doing his best to loom over the slightly shorter woman, Greg frowned behind his mask and took a slow step forward. He raised a hand, pointing a single finger in her direction as he opened his mouth to deliver a threat. "H-
"Forty for a windy, fifty for a handy. Everything else is a hundred for an hour, fifty for half. Which d'ya want?"
The boy in black froze before he could say anything, stunned by the words that came out of the woman's mouth. He blinked behind his mask, unsure of how to respond to that. "W-what?"
"I said, which one you want?" Ji-Yun raised her head as she took another drag from her cigarette, red-rimmed lips opening just wide enough to blow the smoke into Greg's face. "I ain't got all day, cape."
"I…" Greg found himself blinking again, mouth suddenly uncomfortably dry under the street girl's unflinching stare. The situation was odd enough as it was, a cape approaching what could be politely termed a 'lady of the evening'. Ignoring the fact that it was still far from dark outside, it was only made far more uncomfortable by the fact that her clothes were unsuitably tight and the pose she held against the wall only seemed to accentuate that.
Clearing his throat, he took a slight step back, annoyance falling away as Greg suddenly became unsure of himself. The woman continued to stare at him with a disaffected expression as he spoke up again. "I'm… I'm not… here for anything like that."
"You sure?" The eyebrow rose even higher as her gaze trailed up and down his body, Greg taking another unintended step back at the sudden gleam in her eyes, her flat expression shifting up into a smirk that could only be described as predatory. "From what I hear, I'm pretty good at it."
It took tremendous force of will for Greg not to back away again. Hands tight at his side in balled fists, the teen instead took a decisive step forward and shot as heated a glare as he could manage at the older woman in front of him. "Listen," he barked out, actually having to struggle to work a growling undertone into his voice, "I'm not here to play games. I w-"
"I'm not here to play either," Ji-Yun interjected, calmly taking another puff of her cigarette as if she wasn't in the middle of being threatened by an unknown cape. "Not unless you pay for my time. After that, we can play whatever games you want, little boy."
Jesus f- Greg screwed his eyes shut as the words left her mouth, her tongue darting out across her top lip in a way that Greg couldn't help but assume came from practice. Fighting the urge to go down that train of thought, the blond opened his eyes again and shot the smirking woman another harsh glare, suddenly deciding to let his anger show. That's it! What the fuck would Sophia do right now?
Ji-Yun let out a sigh, glancing down at her garishly colored nails before looking back up at Greg's masked face. "Listen, kid, either you want to have some f-"
"Hey! Bitch!" The blond grit his teeth as he shut down whatever the street girl was gonna say next, quickly forcing his voice into another guttural growl. Strangely enough, the action came across far easier the second time around. "Let's make one thing clear right the fuck now! I'mthe only one allowed to run his fucking mouth right now, you understand?"
The prostitute's eyes actually widened in slight shock before she caught herself, expression slipping back into amused boredom. "Oh, little puppy can bark n-"
"I said… Shut. The Fuck. Up," Greg barked again, advancing forward enough that it was now the woman's turn to take a step backward. Unfortunately for her, her back was already against a wall, a startled expression replacing her cultivated mask of boredom as she realized her situation. She tried to quickly step to the side only for Greg's arm to block her path as he struck the brick wall with a gloved palm, the woman shrinking back from the sudden movement. "What's so goddamn hard to understand about not opening your fucking mouth, huh?"
That's what I'm talking about! Leaning his masked face closer to hers, Greg tried not to enjoy her flinch but he didn't really try all that hard. "Listen up and listen good, bitch," the teen paused, blinking slightly as the sickly sweet scent of her perfume invaded his nostrils, his sudden closeness forcing him to take the brunt of it. "I… I want info. Tell me what you know and I… I might not, uh… show you what I learned from Uber & Leet!"
It took effort to not be the one to flinch as the last bit left his mouth, the reference to U & L's most infamous episode somehow taking precedence in his thoughts. Did I really just say that? Jesus...
After a few moments of silence, the street girl's frightened expression began to fade and she stared back at him with something that looked remarkably close to defiance. Seemingly regaining her composure, Ji-Yun pulled herself up to her full height and stuck her chest out defiantly as she spat back, "Cash up front."
"What?"
"I told you before…" She smirked back at him, not even flinching at the growl Greg forced into his tone anymore. "I'll do almost anything as long as you can pay for my time and I only take cash up front." A pale hand stretched out towards him, palm facing upwards.
Greg stared back at her, fingers twitching as he looked into the street girl's overmade face. I swear to God, she better not be serious right now.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
As Greg would quickly find out, she was being absolutely serious and no amount of threats or intimidation would get her to back down. Ignoring that, though, she seemed to be a good source of information, willing to provide what little she knew as long as Greg was willing to pay for anything she told him. Considering his situation, the teen found the agreement somewhat understandable and quickly agreed, throwing in a few packs of cigarettes to sweeten the deal. (- Red Apple™ Cigarettes x 3, - $200)
Long story short, Ji-Yun knew absolutely nothing about the ABB's new boss or anything about the bombs. In fact, her exact words on the question were, "I get paid to make something blow, but it sure as hell ain't bombs."
Even then, Greg didn't find himself regretting the purchase… much. At least, he hoped he wouldn't end up regretting it. This better be worth that money. Blue eyes narrowed with that thought as the teen stared at the three-story tall restaurant from the building across the street, struck for a moment by how ridiculously cheesy it looked. Golden dragon sculpture on the roof, yin-yang symbols on the walls… Greg rolled his eyes at the sight of it. What is this place? A kung-fu temple from a 90s movie?
Really, with it's red painted walls, gold tiled roofing, and bright red paper lanterns hanging from several surfaces, the entire place from the outside was so stereotypically Chinese in design that Greg couldn't help but hear the Oriental Riff playing on repeat in his head. Although, with a name like Royal Dragon's Oriental Palace, I don't know what else I expected.
After a moment of confused staring, the blond shook his head and frowned again, hands tightening at his sides. I better not regret this.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Five Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Five Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
A scream leapt from his mouth as Greg Veder dove behind a golden-tiled pillar, quickly ducking into a roll as he came to a stop behind several waist-high walls of the same design. Gunshots rang out — far too many for him to even count — as the space where his body just occupied a moment before was quickly littered with bullets. His hands rushed to his head, the blond clutching his ears in a futile attempt to muffle the deafening noises each bullet drove into his skull. "J-jesus…"
Still, it could be worse. He wasn't sure if it was the ringing in his ears, the ruptured eardrums or simply the fact that he had gotten used to the noise but he was no longer flinching at every gunshot, despite how unbearably loud they were.
The explosive sound of gunfire continued above his head, fragments of golden tiles splintering onto him from all sides as his attackers continued their onslaught. Repeated clanging of bullets hitting metal warned him that their shots were getting closer to home, multiple shots making contact with the gold dragon sculptures resting on top of the set of half-walls he was crouching behind.
Uber & L33t did nothing wrong. Really, they're heroes. Blue eyes darted from side to side behind a silver skull mask as the shots began to slow down just enough that the blond began to make out other sounds, that of cursing and movement, in between shots. If that wasn't enough of a warning, he could feel that familiar tingle at the base of his neck, the subtle warning that rarely told him as much as he really needed acting up again.
Really, it had only been sheer luck and trusting in his Danger Sense that had saved him from getting shot even after nearly a full five minutes of being shot at. He wasn't going to deny it now.
Voices cut into the hail of gunfire, rapid-fire Chinese barely audible over staccato bursts from several different weapons.
Shit. He grit his teeth at the sound of dress shoes clicking against the tile floor amid the very short pauses of gunfire. Shouts in broken English and quick spurts of Chinese told him nothing at all but he didn't need to understand them to understand the situation.
They're making a move. Shit. Shitshitshitshit…
The blond's eyes widened as the careful clicking of leather on tile turned into rapid taps, a hail of footsteps quickly getting louder. Shiiiit!
It was a burst of movement that saved him as he felt the sudden urge to move, the blond immediately acting on the impulse. He threw himself to the opposite wall directly behind the pillar and hugged the bullet-riddled wall as closely as he could.
The action came not a moment too late as a shuddered burst of gunfire came far too close for comfort as one of his attackers charged around the corner, the ABB member in a suit almost skidding into the wall from his uncontrolled charge as he fired wildly at where he assumed Greg was.
Was being the operative term.
Greg surged to his feet, body charged with a golden glow and fists already in motion as he threw a vicious punch directly at the man's face… only to miss.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
The shock on the teen's face was almost palpable as the ABB stumbled backward to catch his balance from his sudden rush forward, dress shoes coming to his unexpected rescue with their spectacular lack of traction acting in the thug's favor. A glowing fist met the bullet-ridden wall, slamming through the coating of red paint and sending white dust and drywall shrapnel flying with the force of his strike. Fighting the urge to scream in frustration, Greg reacted as the man tried to recover from his stumble and sudden surprise at the explosion of drywall, a curse on his lips as he tried to aim the sub-machine gun in his grip.
Tearing his hand from the wall, Greg grabbed the goon's wrist past the gun and jerked it clear of him — painfully, if the sudden scream meant anything. Mind racing, he reared his own head back. Greg's skull snapped forward a moment later only for him to flinch back in shock almost instantly as the expected noises of pain and smashed cartilage were drowned out by the thunderous din of an Uzi going off very, very close by and a quickly silenced scream.
Letting the possibly concussed ABB in his grip fall to the ground, Greg blinked at the sight to his right, the entrance to his hiding spot filled by the still-standing form what Greg assumed was once another ABB… at least back when the majority of his face was still present. The blond's gaze flicked between the gun in the unconscious ABB member's grip, noting the slight curl of smoke as it left the barrel before turning back to the image of gore now lying at his feet, noting how well the blood disappeared into the scarlet wall and carpet it landed on.
The gray matter, on the other hand… Yeah, that's gonna be hard to get out.
A pistol clattered to the floor as the body fell to the ground in a heap, almost as if it just realized it was missing chunks of it's most vital organ. The blond didn't even bother to look as it fell, far too preoccupied with the pulse in the back of his head warning him again to move.
Already in motion from the moment he felt it, he swung his legs over the short wall with a hurdle that would make an Olympic hopeful proud, only for his eyes to widen as a searing pain tore through his left leg.
"Jesu-gAAAAH!" Stumbling in shock and pain, the blond glanced over his shoulder, looking back long enough to lock eyes with an ABB member visibly bleeding from his forehead as he clutched a gun in one hand. I thought he was knocked out! Stifling a scream with an angered grunt, Greg tucked himself into a dive roll before jumping back to his feet with only the slightest stumble and a sharp hiss. Why does it never stop hurting?
Before he could even take a moment to answer that rhetorical, he found his eyes widening even further as several dozen guns of different shape and size turned to face him, Greg once again reminded that the entire restaurant was still full of armed criminals. As if the ones surrounding him on the first floor weren't enough, the teen couldn't help the slight twitch in his eye as he noticed several of them on the second behind the railings, those of them without guns already moving towards him in packs.
... Fuck me running.
The sight and sound of several guns being reloaded only drove him to repeat the thought as he took a step and shot forward, speed coming to his rescue again. He barely caught the shouts of the suited ABB as he charged across the bullet-riddled remains of a once-luxurious dining area and tackled the one nearest to him before he could react.
It was like a professional linebacker drilling a small child from the blindside, a shoulder hit that was anything but clean from the way the thug's spine arched backwards. The gun in his hand clattered to the floor as the man flew into a table, the force of his flight sending another gunman to the ground with him. Yeah, they got guns. No need to hold back as much, right?
Chest pounding as his insides burned with equal parts anger, rage and pain, Greg spun on his heel and drove a sharp cross into the chest of another before slapping his right palm onto the man's face, the gangster's nose shattering with a sound like gravel underfoot. Right.
A strangled scream burst from the man's throat, the gangster slumping to the ground as the pulse in Greg's head went off again. The cape in all black quickly spun away, his eyes widening as several links of thick steel rushed towards him in slow motion. A chain?
It was, in fact, a length of metal chain.
One that was being swung towards Greg's head at that very moment.
"Really? You've gotta be joking right now? Don't you guys have Tinker-Tech?" The blond couldn't help the note of incredulity that made its way into his voice as he lazily ducked the weapon and sneered back at another suit-wearing ABB, the man's face contorted in rage as he pulled his makeshift weapon back and stared Greg down. "How come all I've seen so far is guns and chains and that one guy at the beginning with the nunchucks?"
Cursing in some language Greg didn't care about, the goateed man swung his chain wildly, eyes darting around to glance at his armed friends a good distance away, possibly to make sure they didn't shoot him while taking shots at the blond, before jerking back up to glare at Greg with a good deal of fury in his eyes.
"Speaking of that guy with the nunchucks, how's his knee?" Greg asked rhetorically, his voice a mocking laugh as he danced in and out of the chain-wielder's wild swings. The blond flipped head over heels, turning a quick jump into a backflip as the chain crashed through another table setting, sending the whole thing to the floor as Greg's feet touched the ground again. "Don't tell me he's up and running again? I can't tell. You guys all look the same to me."
Mouth open to continue taunting, Greg froze for an instant, blue eyes widening as he quickly sprung back and jumped away, gaining more ground with a back handspring. A second later, he landed on two feet a few meters away, hands already in fighting position before the chain could swing at him again. This is just too easy.
A second warning interrupted his own thoughts as the chain spun for his face, Greg quickly ducking back and letting the thing pass over him.
Another pulse went off in his head as Greg watched the incoming weapon, the teen simply stepping to the side of the errant swing only for yet another warning sensation to pass over him. Wait. Why do I keep getting warnings when I can dodge this thing n-
"Ahhhhhh!"
Je… Jesus… Never stops hurting. He fought the urge to stumble as blood dripped from his shoulder, ringing in his ears ascending to new heights as he bit down on his own tongue to stifle his screams. Despite the pain or maybe because of it, his brain seemed to latch onto something, an idea coming to mind.
I get it now. Fighting the urge to throw up, Greg's head snapped back up with renewed intensity in his gaze as he realized why this one man had been willing to get in close with him with such a ridiculous weapon when so many others had guns. A distraction, huh? I'll show you something distracting.
"Hey, chain guy!"Greg called out, the carefree tone in his voice undercut by the obvious fact that he was obviously forcing it. The man in question gawked as fire burst to life in Greg's right hand, a small tongue of flame turning into a baseball-sized sphere in under a second. Rearing his hand back, Greg let it fly towards the man who had the balls to come after him with just a chain. "Here's a ticket to the burn unit!"
For a third of a second, Greg let himself be surprised at how rapidly the flame grew as it found something to burn before quickly getting back into gear as he spun away from another hail of bullets.
Acting quickly before he could be punctured any further, Greg dashed to his right and leapt up, scrambling over the nearest table and overturning it in his wake. The sound of ceramic and silverware clattering against the floor behind him was drowned out by the din of hot lead tearing through wood just moments after, the scattered jackhammer of gunfire tearing up the space behind him motivating Greg to not waste a moment as he continued his mad dash to the largest group of dapper, black-suited ABB he could see; a group of over half a dozen men looking half-terrified.
One of them quickly flicked out his gun, the others still trying to get a bead on Greg as he zig-zagged from side to side with his innate, unnatural speed, doing his best to give those shooting at him from a larger distance something to work for. Blue eyes narrowed to slits as he spotted a finger twitch, the gangster in front moving to fire his own weapon. Let's try something out.
An intense look in his eyes, Greg Veder halted his movement and came to a sudden stop directly in the middle of the restaurant, seemingly discarding his evasive tactics as he thrust himself into their line of fire. Wait for it…
The surprise on several faces was obvious, each one likely wondering what was going on. That didn't last all too long as most took aim again. Wait for it…
Fingers flexed around triggers. Wait…
He felt it coming, of course; that sudden pulse. Expecting it, anticipating it, he was ready when they pulled the trigger. Burst!
As far as Greg Veder understood, his reinforcement increased his physical abilities by a factor of roughly two and a half, at least when he pushed the current level of it to the maximum. Burst Reinforcement, on the other hand, increased what would already be his maximum while under reinforcement by two and a half again. Granted, it was a bit painful and the enhancement only lasted for about a second, but even then… Greg couldn't deny that it was worth it.
BANG.
The sound drove itself into his skull as pistols, semis, and SMG's fired in unison; hot lead racing at supersonic speeds towards someone who was already gone. With a burst of energy into his legs, the blond exploded forward, body aglow as his speed made the world narrow in his vision. He was already next to his closest targets before they even realized he moved.
His fist met the first thug's torso in a literal instant, an audible crack signifying contact for the barest of moments before his target went flying ass over teakettle. The second didn't even see the elbow that collided into his jaw, losing consciousness before he could feel the teeth loosen in his mouth. The next four went down one after the other, struck so fast that they didn't even realize the cracking sound had been their own ribs until they were more than halfway across the room. Greg intercepted the last as the Burst died down to nothing by grabbing hold of his arm past the pistol in his hand. He tugged hard on it with both of his own and, ignoring the painful snap sound the limb made as he tugged on it, sent the screaming thug flying in the direction of one of the restaurant's gilded stairs.
Greg knew his job wasn't done, barely having a moment to relax as nearly a dozen guns swiveled toward him from a variety of locations on the second floor. "How easy is it to get a gun in this city?!" His shout ended an instant before he moved, the back of his head pounding a warning as bullets raked the walls behind him. Each hole in the wall followed his motion like a trail, Greg screaming in his own head in an attempt to vent some frustration at not even having a moment to catch his breath.
Although, it wasn't like he needed it.
He moved like a blur as he jumped, the blond running on air as blue light seemed to burst and shatter under his feet with each step. Clearing a gilded railing with one final jump, Greg drove a foot into some poor fool's face with uncaring ease before flipping backwards to smash a fist into the nearest gangster's head, his closed hand a hammer as it drove into the soft spot high on his temple.
Danger Sense blaring a warning, the blond dropped to the floor and fought the urge to wince as a hail of bullets passed over his head. These assholes never quit! Jumping to his feet in a rush of motion, Greg chose to ignore the ones he couldn't reach from here as he darted forward towards the ABB thug nearest him.
Just like all his other gangster friends Greg had seen in the restaurant, the man in front of Greg wore a black suit, red shirt and a bright green tie to complete the ensemble. Unlike the last few, though, he held neither a gun nor a chain, the weapon in his hands nothing but a short rectangular sword.
The blond took a moment to sigh, shoulders slumping with the movement as a growing sense of annoyed frustration continued chipping away at his forced cheer. "If you're gonna attack me with a weapon, could you at least fit the theme?"
He snorted a moment later as the thug froze, confusion etched across his face. "We're in a Chinese restaurant. A tanto is Japanese. Come on, it's sad that I'm the one telling you this."
"Shinee!" The scream turned into a charge, the man's approach almost in slow motion from the cape's perspective.
Just for that, Greg took the time to appreciate the look on stunned rage on the gangster's face moments before it bled into shocked pain as the bones in his arm snapped in two.
Thirty seconds later, the next thug was laid flat, knocked out by three blows to the gut, sternum and nose, before Greg moved on. It was a matter of moments before he was upon the next gangster on the upper-levels and flipped him over the railing, sending him screaming to the piles of shattered furniture and tableware below. Greg cracked his knuckles - main dining area downstairs was cleared — time for the balcony level.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
8 Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
8 Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
"Seriously."
Behind the mask, Greg Veder could not help but blink, a flat expression on his face as he stared at what stood in front of him. A part of him tried to reconcile what he was looking at with the previous events of today and, to Greg's chagrin, somehow seemed to make it fit.
"I'm gonna assume everyone in here is actually in the know about this whole thing. Am I right?"
No one moved or spoke, telling him everything he needed to know about that. The blond let the silver double doors close behind him, shoulders slumping even further as he realized he'd have to finish this mess now before going anywhere else. Two of their number already lay at his feet, groaning in pain from a simultaneous punch Greg had unleashed into their faces on instinct the second he walked through the door. Glancing back up, he let out a sigh, fists loosening as his arms fell down to his sides, Greg once more repeating the same word as he shook his head.
"Seriously."
The group of men in all white stood in front of him, cleavers and steak knives in their grasps glinting in the fluorescent light of the kitchen as they held them ready. From the fact that they had been ready to attack him from the moment he entered the kitchen, two of them launching a surprise attack from both sides implied a lot.
Blue eyes narrowed as Greg focused his attention on the man in front, a bald man with a Fu Manchu of all things, as well as a face so scarred that it would be a chore to determine whether the man was twenty-five or forty-five. He was a big man, with an impressive build that would look more fitting anywhere else but a kitchen. [Observe.]
Of course. Greg blinked slowly, not even surprised at the flavor text simply from looking at the man. Of fucking course. The sound of boiling water, simmering sauces and what had to be a steaming kettle sounded off, acting like unintended mood music to set what Greg couldn't help but feel like a ridiculous stage. None of them moved, each one likely waiting for the cape in front of them to make a move as the blond simply stood there with his arms folded.
Fuck this. Fuck this completely.
Greg let out a sigh as he raised his head, giving each single one of the armed cooks and kitchen staff in front of him a glance before opening his mouth.
"Look… guys, before you do anything you'll seriously regret in about thirty… thirty?" The blond sighed again, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds about right… Before you do anything you'll regret in about thirty seconds, I'm gonna give each of you one chance. One chance to put down your various cooking implements and just tell me what I want to know."
Silence.
"I'm offering you a literal once in a lifetime deal." Greg unfurled his arms, opening his hands out in front of him as if offering each one of the grizzled gangster cooks a hug. "It's either this or spending the next few months in the hospital. Possibly, eating through a straw."
Silence.
"The burn unit even."
Silence.
"The morgue is also an option," he continued with a laugh that was not at all forced. "Honestly, today... I'm finding out that I'm really not that picky on the issue."
One of them twitched at the casual threat to his continued existence, the serrated knife in his hand visibly shaking. Several others seemed to be reconsidering this entire fight, likely taking note of the few groans of pain still audible from the main dining area. All of that ended the moment Four Fingers shot each one an intense glance, his fingers tensing around the incredibly sharp cleaver in his grip with each man he looked at.
Greg sighed at the renewed glare from all of them, realizing what this was going to be. "All right."
The blond spread his arms out again, blue eyes flickering with manic intensity as flames burst to life in his open palms. "Don't say I didn't warn you about the burn unit."
There was a blur of motion and the kitchen echoed with screams.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
10 Minutes Later
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Big Ken Nagaoka was a man who managed to thrive off his own self-hatred.
Born to Japanese parents on the island country a good ten years before capes had become more than mere fiction, he rarely had much patience for his own culture, preferring the seductive appeal of Western life. Even now, decades since his arrival in Brockton Bay, he could barely speak Japanese anymore, preferring to use English in almost every single situation.
He never cared much for Japanese cuisine even as a child, an unchanging attitude even as he grew up that led him to open his own Chinese restaurant almost as an act of spite as much as it was one of business. His parents had attempted to instill him with a 'traditional' discipline — forcing him to eat what he didn't like and blindly obey their every demand. It was no surprise that as soon as an opportunity presented itself, he left Japan behind and never looked back. Even when Leviathan turned the island upside down, Ken barely considered it any of his business, so far divorced was he from anything Japanese at that point in his life.
His life as a restaurateur in the 80s and 90s was nothing but ostentatious suits, pretty girls and a great deal of other things that his parents would have cursed him for. A shame on the family name, and all that. Frankly, he would have cursed them right back.
But as it stood right now, Ken would do anything to be back in Japan, sitting patiently on a tatami mat in seiza as he listened to his parents lecturing him on how he was a failure as a first son.
"You know, Ken..."
At the very least, he wished he had followed his first instincts and called for back-up.
"When I broke down your door… I honestly didn't expect anyone to be in here," the sentence was accompanied by a sweeping gesture around his office. Located on the third floor of the restaurant, it was outfitted with a very large window behind his rich mahogany desk, allowing him to feel like one of those extremely wealthy businessmen he had only ever seen on TV and in the movies.
At least, not before Lung took a shine to him.
"But here you were, Big Kenny..."
Ken didn't bother correcting the cape, despite the involuntary flinch he made at the childish twist to his chosen name. His eyes darted over to their periphery, hoping to catch another glimpse of the young cape in almost all black, his curiosity warring with his fear for a moment. The cape must have been through a lot downstairs, Ken could tell that much. If not from the gunmen, then from the kitchen staff, at the very least. Of the would-be vigilantes that occasionally cropped up over the years and earned the ire of the ABB, quite a few had met their end at the hands of those cooks.
Handpicked by Lung himself, they were prison-hardened and vicious in ways that Ken would prefer never to have witnessed. The dishwashers by themselves were trained to some degree in martial arts, and every cook and chef were experienced killers. Four Fingers alone was enough to give him nightmares, the man having the worst habit of bleeding traitors and snitches in the kitchens with his special cleaver as well as removing the fingers of those men who made the mistake of failing Lung.
The cape's mask still had bits of pepper stuck to its surface and stray noodles clung to his chest as well, with Ken unable to not notice what was likely clothing damage caused by boiling vegetable oil. An entire sleeve hung loose where it had been obviously cut to ribbons by the kitchen knives and cleavers, drenched with blood, and yet the cape held the gun with casual ease. His boots were drenched in soy sauce, mustard seeds and scraps of half-cooked meat. There were too many bloody holes in his suit for the cape to have not been shot, even amidst the numerous slash marks and tears. On top of everything else, the scent of burnt leather was all too horrifyingly reminiscent of his occasional meeting with his own boss after an unpleasant scrap. And after all that, the cape looked fine. Like he hadn't been shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burnt, blinded with pepper and spices, and carved up like a choice fillet of fish.
"Here you were… hiding under your desk." The cape scoffed, hand shifting ever so slightly forward and making Ken lean with it as the portly man let out a slight whimper. "Like a bitch."
The whimper that left his throat was utterly unintended but the man couldn't deny that it was a true marker of how he felt right now.
"I don't know a lot about this thing, if I'm gonna be honest," the cape continued further, "Not really." There was an almost glib tone to the way he spoke, almost as if none of this even mattered to him all that much. Ken couldn't deny the fact that it terrified him almost as much as the weapon in the cape's hand. "I mean, other than how to aim, shoot and reload, of course. Oh, and how could I forget?"
There was a click from the weapon that almost made Ken dive under his desk again, fear instincts nearly overriding common sense. "How to turn off the safety."
Big Ken couldn't manage to fight the trembles that stirred the gun pressed up to the side of his head, the cape in all black holding the weapon firm and steady as he continued to speak. The coldness of the weapon couldn't be understated, the sensation of it contributing to the ever-approaching specter of death that he could feel in the casual tone of the young parahuman in the room.
"I mean, I'm definitely better than you when it comes to actually shooting. I mean, come on. Two shots point blank and I didn't even move. You shot your own TV, Kenny. That's… that's just pathetic." There was a sound like a snort before the cape spoke again. "Frankly, I took the gun away more for your safety than mine."
Another whimper passed his lips.
"It's not like I even need a gun, if we're being honest. But it makes a statement, right?" There was that tone again. "It's very final… y'know as a symbol."
He was going to die soon, he was sure of it.
Right here in this chair.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Big Ken was going to die soon, Greg was sure of it.
Just from the way the man was shaking and the pallor of his face, the blond wouldn't really be surprised if the fat Japanese man didn't have a heart attack right in his comfy-looking chair.
Despite that, the teen didn't see it as any reason to stop.
"You know, I almost wondered why you didn't call the police when you heard all those gunshots," Greg continued, standing above the seated businessman with gun in hand. "Then I realized that just how many ABB happen to work for you. Not to mention those guys with the guns."
It was almost surprising how the man reacted to that sentence, stiffening up like a statue the way he did. If Greg hadn't seen it right in front of him, he would have doubted a normal human being could get anywhere near that pale.
Greg couldn't help the smile on his face as the restaurant owner seemed to crumble before his eyes, mouth open as he gasped silently like a fish out of water. "I even found where you keep the guns too. Didn't take that long either, honest. A minute… Two tops. I mean, not once I got that last cook to crack."
After a moment of tense silence, Big Ken finally spoke up for the first time since Greg had dragged him out from under his desk by his feet. "L-look, I only… o-own this place on p-p-paper. It's a-all over m-my head."
"Your point?"
"I-I only h-handle the m… the m-money."
"Still not getting what your point is, Kenny."
"J-jus..." The older man paused as the words trailed away, taking in another shuddered breath before opening his mouth again. "P-p… please d-don't… don't kill m-me…"
Greg's grip instinctively tightened around the Glock in his hand, the pitiful attempt at begging making him regret actually turning the safety back on. Here he was, trying to be a good guy by fighting the temptation in the first place...
"You're asking a lot from me, Kenny." Greg lifted the gun from the man's skull, eliciting a relieved sigh from Big Ken for a moment, before quickly lowering the gun to his chin. The look of returning terror only intensified as the blond used the weapon to prod Ken's face into looking over at him. "Asking a hell of a lot."
"O-okay..."
"See, your life isn't worth a thing to me so the million dollar question here is…" Greg began with a slow nod, eyes narrowing behind his mask with each word. "What's it worth to you?"
Yeah, Greg nodded to himself, he's nice and ready. Time for the closer.
"I-I-I…" Big Ken began shaking again, repeating the same syllable over and over like a broken toy. Greg prodded the portly man's face with the empty weapon again, stilling him into silence with just that.
"I don't have the time to waste on you using your last two brain cells to answer my questions." The slight smirk behind his mask grew, Greg unable to deny that Sparky's insults were as brutal as they were cutting even when he was the one using them. "Here's what I want you to do, big man."
Using the hand not currently holding a gun, Greg gestured towards the computer on Ken's desk and cleared his throat. "You're gonna give me what you have on the ABB."
Big Ken drew a shuddering breath, the man's chin trembling as he began to work his mouth again. "I… I d-don't," he attempted to speak up, sweat visible as it trailed down his forehead in fat, rain-like drops. "I d-don't have anything l-l-like th-" The gun under his chin shifted, words vanishing as Ken began to gasp again.
"Don't give me that, Ken. I know you have something. Their bases, where they keep their weapons, I want it all printed out." The blond paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side before adding, "Preferably in twelve point font."
"P-please. I… I h-have a f-family."
"And I'm sure they'll miss you." Greg found the humor disappearing from his tone as Big Ken continued to beg, his hand raising the weapon back to the man's temple.
Big Ken didn't take very long to decide after that.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
With a sigh, Greg Veder landed on the golden-tiled rooftop, his reinforced jump providing just enough power to let him make the leap from ground level with ease. With over two hours left till sunset, it was clear to see that the city in general was pretty much still a mess, plumes of smoke still dotting the skyline across the Bay.
Despite that, Greg couldn't deny that he felt a good deal better about the situation now than he had several hours ago.. Really, he had the big man to thank for that.
While Big Ken had admitted — admittedly, under duress — that a good chunk of the documents he had in his possession were mostly just false leads, a lot of it consisting of nothing but listings of empty warehouses and abandoned office buildings to keep the police and PRT off their trail, he had been knowledgeable enough about the ABB to offer up some other prime information.
In fact, the restaurateur went so far as to personally write out some locations for Greg to go after, admitting that he knew of these because he had been there in person. If that wasn't enough, Big Ken was even willing to open his personal office safe to the young cape, trusting Greg with all the money that was to be laundered through his restaurant for the month.
Truly, the man was dedicated to bringing the ABB to justice. In the end, Greg almost felt bad about leaving him tied up in his office for police to find, office computer open to the most incriminating documents the man had to offer.
Almost.
With all this in mind, it was a much more relaxed Greg Veder that stood atop the restaurant rooftop several minutes later, the blond in his usual crouching position on one of the four golden dragons that fit the place's name. It had been at most two minutes since he called the police but, while the blond still intended to wait and make sure the ABB were all arrested, he didn't expect them to arrive anywhere within thirty minutes.
Letting out another sigh, Greg lowered the bottom of his balaclava and visibly relaxed as the brisk New England air met his skin, the scent of Chinese food carried by the breeze a pleasant addition. Or maybe that's just me, Greg thought to himself a moment later.
With the slightest roll of his eyes at the thought, the blond allowed himself a slight smile only for the expression to freeze on his face as he glanced back at the skyline, open hands shifting to fists at his side as he spotted a multitude of explosions tear through several buildings just a few blocks away. What the f- The colorful detonations and distortions in space surrounding what appeared to be normal flames dotting the entire block only confirmed what he knew of the Tinker explosives.
However, it raised another question.
An important question.
"Why would the ABB set off bombs in their… " He muttered the words to himself as he stared, almost transfixed in his confusion. "...in their own t-"
The words disappeared from his mind, Greg's train of thought derailing entirely as a railroad spike worth of pain drove itself directly into the base of his skull and a set of blue eyes widened in sudden alarm. His body tensed and Greg recoiled, the blond instinctively recoiling away from incoming danger as a backwards dive immediately became a flip towards the center of the roof.
The moment he landed upright, an overhead light seared itself into his vision like a microcosm of the sun itself, forcing him to shut his eyes. The instant he did, Greg Veder felt the world slow down, mouth open in a silent scream as something violently slammed into him with immense speed.
-258
The teen felt his chest buckle inwards, breath vanishing as his heart pounded frantically against his screaming ribcage. Blue eyes sprang open to face the light, Greg suddenly faced with the realization that the ground had vanished from beneath his feet. With that thought in mind, Greg Veder could only stare in shock as he fell to the unforgiving asphalt below.
– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –
Greg Lucas Veder
Student
Level 21
Title: Ninja - In Training
XP: 12000/35000
Age: 15 (and three-quarters!)
HP: 1409/1667
MP: 505/505
Will: 573/573
STR: 66
SPD: 63 (+2 [65])
VIT: 98
INT: 51
WIS: 18 ((-12.6) [5])
CHA: 25 ((+9) (-90%)
Unspent Stat Points: 27
Unspent Perk Points: 1
Cash: $505,700.82
Student
Level 21
Title: Ninja - In Training
XP: 12000/35000
Age: 15 (and three-quarters!)
HP: 1409/1667
MP: 505/505
Will: 573/573
STR: 66
SPD: 63 (+2 [65])
VIT: 98
INT: 51
WIS: 18 ((-12.6) [5])
CHA: 25 ((+9) (-90%)
Unspent Stat Points: 27
Unspent Perk Points: 1
Cash: $505,700.82
Nerd-Geek Hybrid: Your obsession with video gaming, computers, fantasy/sci-fi literature and 80's/90's pop culture has left you in the rare middle of two circles; the obsessive fandom-loving geek and the intelligent, knowledge seeking nerd. Sadly, your hobbies have left you with an aversion to physical exertion. (50% bonus to INT gains, -50% penalty to STR, SPD & VIT gains.)
Asperger's Syndrome: Ever since you were a little kid, you've always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you're a bit of a weirdo. You now know that you have Asperger's Syndrome. Thanks to the help of a PRT doctor with good advice, you're now more aware of your own mental state. (-70% reduction to overall WIS, -90% reduction to overall CHA.)
Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don't hurt either. It's how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that's what he always told you - even when you didn't ask - all the time. (+ 9 CHA)
Dragon-Blooded
Fire and fury flows through your veins, blood of the dragon.
The mythical hero Siegfried was baptized in the blood of a magical dragon and became nigh-invulnerable, immune to nearly all forms of damage. You, on the other hand, were splattered in the blood of a not-so-magical dragon. (+ 250 HP, + 10 STR, + 10 SPD)
Dragon-Souled
For some, baptism by fire tends to be a symbolic term. Not for you, though.
Facing the heat of Lung's flames head-on has purified the strength of your will and the power of your soul. The beginnings of draconic power grow throughout your being. (+250 MP, +250 Will, +10 INT, +10 VIT)
Peak Human
What is peak human, anyway?
Somehow, you have surpassed the physical threshold of humanity, surpassing those inherent limits man is beholden to. (Unlocks perks for STR, SPD, VIT and INT once a stat crosses a benchmark of 50 pts)
Asperger's Syndrome: Ever since you were a little kid, you've always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you're a bit of a weirdo. You now know that you have Asperger's Syndrome. Thanks to the help of a PRT doctor with good advice, you're now more aware of your own mental state. (-70% reduction to overall WIS, -90% reduction to overall CHA.)
Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don't hurt either. It's how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that's what he always told you - even when you didn't ask - all the time. (+ 9 CHA)
Dragon-Blooded
Fire and fury flows through your veins, blood of the dragon.
The mythical hero Siegfried was baptized in the blood of a magical dragon and became nigh-invulnerable, immune to nearly all forms of damage. You, on the other hand, were splattered in the blood of a not-so-magical dragon. (+ 250 HP, + 10 STR, + 10 SPD)
Dragon-Souled
For some, baptism by fire tends to be a symbolic term. Not for you, though.
Facing the heat of Lung's flames head-on has purified the strength of your will and the power of your soul. The beginnings of draconic power grow throughout your being. (+250 MP, +250 Will, +10 INT, +10 VIT)
Peak Human
What is peak human, anyway?
Somehow, you have surpassed the physical threshold of humanity, surpassing those inherent limits man is beholden to. (Unlocks perks for STR, SPD, VIT and INT once a stat crosses a benchmark of 50 pts)
Baby Steps (1/3) [Ranked Skill]
With Catlike Tread...
Allows very light movement across surfaces, allowing you to move or stand on surfaces that would normally not support your weight.
Bulwark
Facing off against an opponent who far outclassed you has given you an ability to withstand impossible pain in the face of impossible odds.
Takes 50% less damage from opponents over five times your level.
Catch Your Breath
Endurance is patience concentrated.
After forcing yourself to move under extenuating circumstances for a long period of time, your willpower recovery rate has doubled. (1 Will per 5 Seconds)
Danger Sense (4/10) [Ranked Skill]
My common sense is tingling.
You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.
Developed Mind (1/10) [Ranked Ability]
I like to think of myself as enlightened.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 MP for each rank of this perk.
Dragon Blood's Gift
What is a knight without armor? A dragon without scales? A lion without teeth?
All equipped armor and gear is self-repairing at a rate of 1% a minute, so long as it is constantly being fed mana or will in some manner.
Fire Dragon's Aura (1/10) [Ranked Skill]
"Bathed in Dragon Fire and Blood, I shall fear no flame"
At a rate of 1 MP per second per rank, draw upon your pyrokinesis to generate an aura of fire. Your equipment and body are immune to the heat, of it and anything cooler than it. It is, however, actual fire, so try not to burn down your house. In addition, you can literally breathe fire instead of air while this is active.
Growing Will (1/10) [Ranked Ability]
Some people say you're rather willful.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 Will for each rank of this perk.
Keen Vision
20/20? That's weaksauce.
The range and clarity of your vision scale with your INT by a ratio of 2:1. (100%)
Lifegiver (5/10) [Ranked Ability]
Health is more than just not getting sick.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.
Not Quite Dead
People die when they are killed… usually.
Survive after your HP sinks below 0 and a harmful status effect is active.
10% Chance to recover with full health when HP drops to 0.
Quick Healer
Don't worry, it won't scar.
You heal rather fast, at a rate of a tenth of your VIT every fifteen seconds.
Surefooted
I don't trip.
Allows perfect traction over any solid ground, eliminating the chance of slipping and falling over your own feet.
Swift Learner (2/10) [Ranked Ability]
You're no idiot.
You gain an increased amount of experience, increasing by 10% for each point in this skill.
Toughened Body
Charles Atlas would be proud.
Simply put, you're already tougher than most people. Now, well, look at the title of this perk. All physical damage is reduced by half your level number, in addition to all other damage reduction.
Transformation Sequence (1/3) [Ranked Skill]
"It's Morphin' Time!"
By willing yourself to transform, you can equip any full outfit within your inventory, transforming in a flash of blue light, mana glitter and/or a whirlwind of aerokinesis obscuring you.
With Catlike Tread...
Allows very light movement across surfaces, allowing you to move or stand on surfaces that would normally not support your weight.
Bulwark
Facing off against an opponent who far outclassed you has given you an ability to withstand impossible pain in the face of impossible odds.
Takes 50% less damage from opponents over five times your level.
Catch Your Breath
Endurance is patience concentrated.
After forcing yourself to move under extenuating circumstances for a long period of time, your willpower recovery rate has doubled. (1 Will per 5 Seconds)
Danger Sense (4/10) [Ranked Skill]
My common sense is tingling.
You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.
Developed Mind (1/10) [Ranked Ability]
I like to think of myself as enlightened.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 MP for each rank of this perk.
Dragon Blood's Gift
What is a knight without armor? A dragon without scales? A lion without teeth?
All equipped armor and gear is self-repairing at a rate of 1% a minute, so long as it is constantly being fed mana or will in some manner.
Fire Dragon's Aura (1/10) [Ranked Skill]
"Bathed in Dragon Fire and Blood, I shall fear no flame"
At a rate of 1 MP per second per rank, draw upon your pyrokinesis to generate an aura of fire. Your equipment and body are immune to the heat, of it and anything cooler than it. It is, however, actual fire, so try not to burn down your house. In addition, you can literally breathe fire instead of air while this is active.
Growing Will (1/10) [Ranked Ability]
Some people say you're rather willful.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 Will for each rank of this perk.
Keen Vision
20/20? That's weaksauce.
The range and clarity of your vision scale with your INT by a ratio of 2:1. (100%)
Lifegiver (5/10) [Ranked Ability]
Health is more than just not getting sick.
Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.
Not Quite Dead
People die when they are killed… usually.
Survive after your HP sinks below 0 and a harmful status effect is active.
10% Chance to recover with full health when HP drops to 0.
Quick Healer
Don't worry, it won't scar.
You heal rather fast, at a rate of a tenth of your VIT every fifteen seconds.
Surefooted
I don't trip.
Allows perfect traction over any solid ground, eliminating the chance of slipping and falling over your own feet.
Swift Learner (2/10) [Ranked Ability]
You're no idiot.
You gain an increased amount of experience, increasing by 10% for each point in this skill.
Toughened Body
Charles Atlas would be proud.
Simply put, you're already tougher than most people. Now, well, look at the title of this perk. All physical damage is reduced by half your level number, in addition to all other damage reduction.
Transformation Sequence (1/3) [Ranked Skill]
"It's Morphin' Time!"
By willing yourself to transform, you can equip any full outfit within your inventory, transforming in a flash of blue light, mana glitter and/or a whirlwind of aerokinesis obscuring you.
Dragon-Blooded Knight
My body bathed in the blood of dragons, my soul forged in the hottest fires, my skill honed in battle, I have been reborn.
Title grants +10% overall Damage Resistance in addition to all regular resistances one has with an additional 10% resistance to fire, +10 to VIT, + 5 to STR, + 100 to Health and +50% Damage against any creature bearing the form of [Dragon].
Fear Bringer
Who puts that scare into people?
Strikes fear into enemies equal or below 25% your level.
Man Slaughter...er
It was an accident... right?
Direct physical attacks on an enemy with VIT equaling or below 5% of your ST has 5% chance of causing instant death.
Ninja-In-Training [ACTIVE]
It's my ninja way!!!
Increases the effectiveness of Evasion, Acrobatics and Stealth-based skills by 25% and + 2 to SPD STAT.
Punisher
Never stop making them pay.
Increases all forms of damage by 5% to those who do damage to your allies.
Squire
Training to be a knight, I see?
Title grants +15% increased damage with a sword and 15% increased physical resistance when equipped with a sword.
My body bathed in the blood of dragons, my soul forged in the hottest fires, my skill honed in battle, I have been reborn.
Title grants +10% overall Damage Resistance in addition to all regular resistances one has with an additional 10% resistance to fire, +10 to VIT, + 5 to STR, + 100 to Health and +50% Damage against any creature bearing the form of [Dragon].
Fear Bringer
Who puts that scare into people?
Strikes fear into enemies equal or below 25% your level.
Man Slaughter...er
It was an accident... right?
Direct physical attacks on an enemy with VIT equaling or below 5% of your ST has 5% chance of causing instant death.
Ninja-In-Training [ACTIVE]
It's my ninja way!!!
Increases the effectiveness of Evasion, Acrobatics and Stealth-based skills by 25% and + 2 to SPD STAT.
Punisher
Never stop making them pay.
Increases all forms of damage by 5% to those who do damage to your allies.
Squire
Training to be a knight, I see?
Title grants +15% increased damage with a sword and 15% increased physical resistance when equipped with a sword.
Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv. MAX
Allows you to live life as if were a game.
Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects.
Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. MAX
Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional and mental trauma and severely dangerous emotional states.
Basic Aerokinesis Lv 16
"Winds, guard me!"
Exert the force of your air control over a range of 40 meters. Grows by 10 mph and 2.5 meters every other level. (160 mph)
Cost: 20 mp per second of sustained use at max range & power.
Basic Pyrokinesis Lv 7
Burn, baby, burn!
Generate and control flames up to a range of 5 meters. Increases in range by 1 meter every other level.
Cost: 20 MP per second of sustained use at max range.
Dash Straight Lv 11
Force equals Mass times Acceleration.
You may suck at physics, but you know that much.
Through reinforcing the body, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance moved. (1.5x Damage Cap)
Damage: 165
Cost: 25 Will + 2 Will for every meter power sprinted
Mana Glitter Lv 9
Sparkle like the pretty bishounen you were always meant to be. Or a princess. Or a pedophilic slightly-rapey vampire. Who's judging you?
Release particles of mana from your body in the form of iridescent sapphire sparkles. Max Range increases by half a meter per level. (5 meters)
Cost: 1 MP per second
Mana Platform Lv 3
I call it walking on air.
Using raw mana, you create semi-solid platforms under your feet that last only as long as you remain still. Platforms double in size every five levels. (.25 m)
Cost: 1 MP per 2 seconds
Observe Lv 14
A skill to find out basic information relating to the chosen object.
Cost: 1 MP
Raging Combo Lv 13
A blistering barrage of belligerent blows built to batter baddies.
By repeatedly using weaker forms of Angry Straight, you pummel your target with raw frustration and anger. (36 Hits)
Damage: 390
Cost: 65 Will
Reinforcement (Apprentice) Lv 21
A discount version of the Kaio-Ken for the squishy wizard.
Increases your effective strength, speed and resistances by 5% per level with this technique from a base of 50%. Does not increase actual points of vitality or willpower. Improved control means that weaker usages of Reinforcement is within your grasp for lower costs. (155%)
Cost: 5 Will every 2 seconds
Warning: Overuse will lead to HP damage.
Surface Adhesion Lv 11
You ever wanted to be Spider-Man? Don't lie. Of course you did.
This skill allows you to stick to walls and hang on to ceilings and vertical surfaces without a risk of falling. While not denying gravity, this allows you to adhere to surfaces unaided.
Cost: 2 MP per second
Structural Analysis Lv 13
Judging the concept of creation, Hypothesizing the basic structure...
Grants the ability to gain a rudimentary understanding of the internal structure and functional design of simple, non-living objects.
Cost: 2 mp per square half-meter of object.
Conceptually do twice as much damage with a weapon. Broken?
What's that mean?
Boosts weapon damage x 2.
Length of charge increases by 1/2 second for every level. (8.5 sec)
Cost: 8 MP
Allows you to live life as if were a game.
Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects.
Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. MAX
Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional and mental trauma and severely dangerous emotional states.
Basic Aerokinesis Lv 16
"Winds, guard me!"
Exert the force of your air control over a range of 40 meters. Grows by 10 mph and 2.5 meters every other level. (160 mph)
Cost: 20 mp per second of sustained use at max range & power.
Basic Pyrokinesis Lv 7
Burn, baby, burn!
Generate and control flames up to a range of 5 meters. Increases in range by 1 meter every other level.
Cost: 20 MP per second of sustained use at max range.
Dash Straight Lv 11
Force equals Mass times Acceleration.
You may suck at physics, but you know that much.
Through reinforcing the body, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance moved. (1.5x Damage Cap)
Damage: 165
Cost: 25 Will + 2 Will for every meter power sprinted
Mana Glitter Lv 9
Sparkle like the pretty bishounen you were always meant to be. Or a princess. Or a pedophilic slightly-rapey vampire. Who's judging you?
Release particles of mana from your body in the form of iridescent sapphire sparkles. Max Range increases by half a meter per level. (5 meters)
Cost: 1 MP per second
Mana Platform Lv 3
I call it walking on air.
Using raw mana, you create semi-solid platforms under your feet that last only as long as you remain still. Platforms double in size every five levels. (.25 m)
Cost: 1 MP per 2 seconds
Observe Lv 14
A skill to find out basic information relating to the chosen object.
Cost: 1 MP
Raging Combo Lv 13
A blistering barrage of belligerent blows built to batter baddies.
By repeatedly using weaker forms of Angry Straight, you pummel your target with raw frustration and anger. (36 Hits)
Damage: 390
Cost: 65 Will
Reinforcement (Apprentice) Lv 21
A discount version of the Kaio-Ken for the squishy wizard.
Increases your effective strength, speed and resistances by 5% per level with this technique from a base of 50%. Does not increase actual points of vitality or willpower. Improved control means that weaker usages of Reinforcement is within your grasp for lower costs. (155%)
Cost: 5 Will every 2 seconds
Warning: Overuse will lead to HP damage.
Subskill: Burst
Cast from hit points. Yeah, it's one of those skills.
- A short, yet extremely concentrated and focused burst of reinforcement applied to the extremities for an insane burst of ability lasting 1 second.
- (x 2.5 top Reinforced SPD/STR)
Cost: 20 Will, 40 HP
Subskill: Layer Reinforcement
- Increases the quality of non-living items, increasing their sharpness, durability, and hardness.
- This form of reinforcement can be used on non-living substances for a base quality increase of 250% Each level improves this by 25%.
- (750%)
Cost: 2 Will every 5 seconds.
Surface Adhesion Lv 11
You ever wanted to be Spider-Man? Don't lie. Of course you did.
This skill allows you to stick to walls and hang on to ceilings and vertical surfaces without a risk of falling. While not denying gravity, this allows you to adhere to surfaces unaided.
Cost: 2 MP per second
Structural Analysis Lv 13
Judging the concept of creation, Hypothesizing the basic structure...
Grants the ability to gain a rudimentary understanding of the internal structure and functional design of simple, non-living objects.
Cost: 2 mp per square half-meter of object.
Subskill: Physical Analysis
Allows an innate understanding of the human body with the levels of complexity based on the progression of the primary skill, Structural Analysis.
Weapon Charge Lv 17Conceptually do twice as much damage with a weapon. Broken?
What's that mean?
Boosts weapon damage x 2.
Length of charge increases by 1/2 second for every level. (8.5 sec)
Cost: 8 MP
Acrobatics Lv 26
Parkour!
An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.
Awareness: Mana Lv 11
Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, thaum, spiritual energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.
You have gained awareness of Mana, the spiritual energy found within the human mind and soul. Gaining awareness of your magical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.
Awareness: Willpower Lv 7
Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.
You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.
Ballroom Dancing Lv 1
I wouldn't call it dancing yet. More like a full-body dry heave set to music.
Represents your skill in the art of dancing in a fancy, romantic manner when with a partner.
Anatomy: Intermediate Lvl 2
The quickest way to a man's heart? Directly through his ribcage.
Gain a more experienced understanding of the human body and how interconnected systems function.
[Status Effects] become easier to inflict in melee combat by 2% every level. (4%)
Basic: Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10% per level. (100%)
Beginner Combat Lvl 12
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
The next level of combat, Beginner Combat is a fusion of fighting and footwork into the ability to learn new styles of combat, fusing them into a novice martial combat capability.
Increased bare-handed damage by 2% per level. (24%)
Blunt Weaponry Lv 5
Carry a big stick. Speaking softly is optional.
Measures your skill with using a blunt weapon.
Increases damage with a blunt weapon by 2% per level. (10%)
Breath-Holding Lv 14
Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.
Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level. (7 min)
Bullshitting Lv 6
First, you tell a lie; then you believe it; then you become it.
Increases chances that any lie you tell is successful by 2% with every level. (12%)
Cooking Lv 1
Some people are just born to cook and talk.
People have been cooking since the discovery of fire. Who knows what you could create if you put your mind to it?
Disarm Lv 6
Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.
Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level. (12%)
Driving Lv 4 (XP: 25%)
NASCAR, here we come.
Measures your skill at operating a four-wheeled motorized vehicle.
Gunplay: Handguns Lv 8
Possibly more than the automobile, the handgun is synonymous with America.
Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a handgun by 5% per level. (40%)
Improves damage with a handgun by 2% per level. (16%)
Gunplay: Rifles Lv 4
Slightly better than a stormtrooper.
Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a rifle by 5% per level. (20%)
Improves damage with a rife by 2% per level. (8%)
Intimidation Lv 7
If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid
Strike fear into the hearts of man and throw them off their guard, allowing you to score critical hits much easier. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by 1% every level. (7%)
Kissing Lv 8
Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.
Represents your skill in the art of smooching.
Language: Japanese Lv 8
Gratuitous Japanese indeed.
Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Japanese language.
Meditation Lvl 12
Breathe in the good shit. Breathe out the bullshit.
By finding your inner focus, you push out all earthly distractions and enter a state of mental and physical harmony, allowing a greater understanding of your mind and body. While meditating, your Mana and Will recover at a rate of 10% faster per level into this ability. You retain this bonus for a period of ten minutes post-Meditation. (120%)
Parry Lv 11
To deflect an attack is a double-edged sword;
Risking more damage for the chance to inflict the same.
Increases the effectiveness of any attempt to divert or deflect a physical attack by 2% with every level. (22%)
Reflexes Lv 15
DODGE!
Decreases innate reaction time by 10% per level and increases innate perception speed by the same amount. (150%)
Resistance: Biological Manipulation Lvl 5
Some people like to work with clay, or glass, or wood. Others prefer the mutability of flesh.
Measures your ability to resist any attempt to directly control your physical form, referring to skin, nerves, organs or otherwise. Increases by 2% per level. (10%)
Resistance: Blunt Force Lv. 64
Going from punching yourself in the face to actual self-mutilation?
Bold move, Veder. Let's see if it pays off.
Reduce all blunt force damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (48%)
Resistance: Cold Lv 8
The cold never stopped bothering you.
Increases resistance to cold temperature by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)
Resistance: Electricity Lv 8
Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.
Increases resistance to electrical damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)
Resistance: Heat Lv 47
"You have to respect anything that can just stand there, on fire."
Increases resistance to heat damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (47%)
Resistance: Piercing Lv 33
The thrust or stab is risky because it can kill and yet not stop
Reduces piercing or stabbing damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (23%)
Resistance: Poison Lv 4
I wonder what counts as a poison...
Reduces damage and effects caused by poison by 1% every level that will cause damage less than 100% of your health, in any way, shape or form. (4%)
Resistance: Slashing Lv 17
The cut will stop but not kill.
Reduces slashing or cutting damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (12.75%)
Seduction Lv 1
I didn't mean to turn you on… or did I?
Manage to draw the attention of a member of the opposite sex using your innate attraction skills. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by .5% every level. (.5%)
Singing Lv 2
Stick to doing musicals in the shower for now.
Represents your ability to hit the correct notes, harmonize and anything to do with the art of vocals.
Sneaking Lv 15
Ugh… stealth missions suck.
Allows for 2% quieter movement per level while trying not to be heard. (30%)
Stamina Lvl 20
Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.
Increase Will by + 5 with every level. (100 Will)
Swordplay: Single Blade Lv 25
All swords are the same.
Represents your martial skill with the art of a single blade.
Increases damage with a blade by 2% per level. (50%)
Taunt Lv 10 (XP: 10%)
"And this! Is when I taunt you!"
Draw the attention of a target through nonsensical, idiotic, but occasionally piercing, verbal attacks. Increases chance of Critical Hits on enemies by 2% with every level. (20%)
Thrown Weapons Lv 4
Throwing your sword always works. Except, you know, when it doesn't.
Increases the skill, range and force by which items and weapons can be thrown by 2% with every level. (8%)
Parkour!
An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.
Awareness: Mana Lv 11
Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, thaum, spiritual energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.
You have gained awareness of Mana, the spiritual energy found within the human mind and soul. Gaining awareness of your magical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.
Awareness: Willpower Lv 7
Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.
You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.
Ballroom Dancing Lv 1
I wouldn't call it dancing yet. More like a full-body dry heave set to music.
Represents your skill in the art of dancing in a fancy, romantic manner when with a partner.
Anatomy: Intermediate Lvl 2
The quickest way to a man's heart? Directly through his ribcage.
Gain a more experienced understanding of the human body and how interconnected systems function.
[Status Effects] become easier to inflict in melee combat by 2% every level. (4%)
Basic: Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10% per level. (100%)
Beginner Combat Lvl 12
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
The next level of combat, Beginner Combat is a fusion of fighting and footwork into the ability to learn new styles of combat, fusing them into a novice martial combat capability.
Increased bare-handed damage by 2% per level. (24%)
Blunt Weaponry Lv 5
Carry a big stick. Speaking softly is optional.
Measures your skill with using a blunt weapon.
Increases damage with a blunt weapon by 2% per level. (10%)
Breath-Holding Lv 14
Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.
Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level. (7 min)
Bullshitting Lv 6
First, you tell a lie; then you believe it; then you become it.
Increases chances that any lie you tell is successful by 2% with every level. (12%)
Cooking Lv 1
Some people are just born to cook and talk.
People have been cooking since the discovery of fire. Who knows what you could create if you put your mind to it?
Disarm Lv 6
Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.
Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level. (12%)
Driving Lv 4 (XP: 25%)
NASCAR, here we come.
Measures your skill at operating a four-wheeled motorized vehicle.
Gunplay: Handguns Lv 8
Possibly more than the automobile, the handgun is synonymous with America.
Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a handgun by 5% per level. (40%)
Improves damage with a handgun by 2% per level. (16%)
Gunplay: Rifles Lv 4
Slightly better than a stormtrooper.
Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a rifle by 5% per level. (20%)
Improves damage with a rife by 2% per level. (8%)
Intimidation Lv 7
If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid
Strike fear into the hearts of man and throw them off their guard, allowing you to score critical hits much easier. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by 1% every level. (7%)
Kissing Lv 8
Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.
Represents your skill in the art of smooching.
Language: Japanese Lv 8
Gratuitous Japanese indeed.
Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Japanese language.
Meditation Lvl 12
Breathe in the good shit. Breathe out the bullshit.
By finding your inner focus, you push out all earthly distractions and enter a state of mental and physical harmony, allowing a greater understanding of your mind and body. While meditating, your Mana and Will recover at a rate of 10% faster per level into this ability. You retain this bonus for a period of ten minutes post-Meditation. (120%)
Parry Lv 11
To deflect an attack is a double-edged sword;
Risking more damage for the chance to inflict the same.
Increases the effectiveness of any attempt to divert or deflect a physical attack by 2% with every level. (22%)
Reflexes Lv 15
DODGE!
Decreases innate reaction time by 10% per level and increases innate perception speed by the same amount. (150%)
Resistance: Biological Manipulation Lvl 5
Some people like to work with clay, or glass, or wood. Others prefer the mutability of flesh.
Measures your ability to resist any attempt to directly control your physical form, referring to skin, nerves, organs or otherwise. Increases by 2% per level. (10%)
Resistance: Blunt Force Lv. 64
Going from punching yourself in the face to actual self-mutilation?
Bold move, Veder. Let's see if it pays off.
Reduce all blunt force damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (48%)
Resistance: Cold Lv 8
The cold never stopped bothering you.
Increases resistance to cold temperature by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)
Resistance: Electricity Lv 8
Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.
Increases resistance to electrical damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)
Resistance: Heat Lv 47
"You have to respect anything that can just stand there, on fire."
Increases resistance to heat damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (47%)
Resistance: Piercing Lv 33
The thrust or stab is risky because it can kill and yet not stop
Reduces piercing or stabbing damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (23%)
Resistance: Poison Lv 4
I wonder what counts as a poison...
Reduces damage and effects caused by poison by 1% every level that will cause damage less than 100% of your health, in any way, shape or form. (4%)
Resistance: Slashing Lv 17
The cut will stop but not kill.
Reduces slashing or cutting damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (12.75%)
Seduction Lv 1
I didn't mean to turn you on… or did I?
Manage to draw the attention of a member of the opposite sex using your innate attraction skills. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by .5% every level. (.5%)
Singing Lv 2
Stick to doing musicals in the shower for now.
Represents your ability to hit the correct notes, harmonize and anything to do with the art of vocals.
Sneaking Lv 15
Ugh… stealth missions suck.
Allows for 2% quieter movement per level while trying not to be heard. (30%)
Stamina Lvl 20
Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.
Increase Will by + 5 with every level. (100 Will)
Swordplay: Single Blade Lv 25
All swords are the same.
Represents your martial skill with the art of a single blade.
Increases damage with a blade by 2% per level. (50%)
Taunt Lv 10 (XP: 10%)
"And this! Is when I taunt you!"
Draw the attention of a target through nonsensical, idiotic, but occasionally piercing, verbal attacks. Increases chance of Critical Hits on enemies by 2% with every level. (20%)
Thrown Weapons Lv 4
Throwing your sword always works. Except, you know, when it doesn't.
Increases the skill, range and force by which items and weapons can be thrown by 2% with every level. (8%)
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ScottotheUnwise
Verified Crack (fic) Dealer
- Location
- Mulberry, Fl
Just guessing here, but Miss Militia taking a shot at a maniac terrorizing the city in the middle of an S Class Bakuda hunt is right on top of the list. Viktor is a possible second, assuming the figure is an ABB cape GUARDING the restaraunt.
- Location
- America
Wait... Bakuda did you just BOMB MOST YOUR OWN BASE JUST TO GET GREG!? Also all the capes who are investigating some of the bases they are at. That or someone killed the bitch and triggered all of her bomb.
