It's good that he has both resource generator and Bottomless Bucket. Why? With the resource generator, he can basically make any basic quantity of mundane metals. They all melt. The difference is the refresh rate. The resource generator is more like providing a bit of everything or a crate of starter stuff. It'll refresh in 24 hours.
That's great for getting you started on a project without needing to go looting. It's not so great if he needed lots of material to build something large. Heck, say he just wants to repave a roadway with titanium for some reason. That bucket would let him pour out the massive volume that he needs.
The more likely use of it will be copying magical liquids. Potions, elixirs, or ingredients can all be copied with it. I don't know the volume of most of the stuff, but say he was provided a quantity of 1 gallon of whatever source liquid. He could easily copy it and store barrels of 50-gallon drums.
Did I miss somewhere that he could make all the plants/animals from that death world safe to eat or just to exist? Isn't anything from that planet automatically an S-class extinction-level threat? I'd be beyond terrified/worried about making anything from it. He just has it out like it is of no issue whatsoever.
I had to look up Crystal Pelham's age. She's 19. So legal adult and fine for an early 20s guy. Your guy was a bit older. Even if he did get de-aged, he won't automatically think that is the dating range he should be aiming at.
To be honest, I'm fine with him avoiding the dating scene. He is having a blast playing hero at the moment.
I would love a Dragon interlude where she squees over the tech he just provided them. None of it is tinker tech, and all of it is able to be replicated.
So you decided to not get the free pet for a play on StarKnight?
Pets (50 CP, First Purchase Free to All)
You gain a small item that can be used to summon a pet. These pets are harmless, and do not
take up a companion slot. For an additional, undiscounted 50 CP , the pets can give off light,
which can highlight nearby treasure or valuable objects. See Pets for a list of possible pets. If
you already possess a small animal or similar creature that could qualify as a pet, you can pay
this cost to import it and gain a summoning item for it.
One of the pets is a star, though it doesn't give off light. Estee
Bayonetta, DMC, Warhammer 40 000.
You can imagine how to own firearms in close combat. Even standard weapons training in the army is part of Gankat.
For example
Those abrasives are almost always either lab-grown carborundum or industrial grade diamond. The hardest known materials mankind can access in industrial scale quantities.
That being said, even the harder abrasive still wears down with use, so that's not a huge problem here: you were having the tentacles scrape back at high speed against the IS and basically scuffed its paint. That much came across.
Wrong. Until I receive certain perks, ALL techs not written as mundane and understandable by modern science are considered as tinkertech because they should only work in other dimensions under different physics.
Thus the fabricator can't be analyzed, but the scooter is perfectly replicable if costly.
Yes, simply no interest for the story and not funny to write about in my eyes. I also bypass the other freebies because they complicated things without advantages or were completely worthless like the beginner kit.
I will examine them all and we'll see later. Most of those styles show the famous "two guns at the same time" and my favorite ranged weapon is the sniper rifle... Perhaps the Vindicare...
They are nice but what would be broken and useful is probably the Vanus Temple or the Maerorus Temple perk View: https://youtu.be/F0SQL40afRk
That shit is broken as fuck look at everything they had to send to just kill one. Also it would handle most of his survivability to everything but the biggest threats.
Yeah i agree but in all seriousness the Vanus & Vindicare Temples would be the best perk lines the Vanus jist for the fact that the biggest problem that the MC has is Information management and how to best use it something that even intelligence perks don't usually help with while the PDA is great he has tp be able to access it, there perk would handle that
Vindicare as you stated synergize well with how you like combat while also being the best way to handle alot of the threats in worm (Jack, Heartbreaker, warlords of Africa, etc..) side benefit is that some of the specialty bullets might even work on even Alexandria.
The cool thing is that both perk lines actually synergize really well with the each other. Though odds are he would only get one
Ah, the Khara infection? No, it's eradicated. The Jump document implies that the Khara is a drawback. I don't have this drawback.
Wrong. Until I receive certain perks, ALL techs not written as mundane and understandable by modern science are considered as tinkertech because they should only work in other dimensions under different physics.
Thus the fabricator can't be analyzed, but the scooter is perfectly replicable if costly.
Facepalms. O.k. I should have expected the jump doc to just magically handwave cure part of their biology. That's like handwaving away the biology that supports the Force in Force using species though. I understand why they did it. Laziness. Also, no one would willingly go to the setting if it wasn't handwaved away and fiated backed gone either.
It feels so wrong with the way you say that about the tech. I could buy it if it was magi-tech. If it required some exotic energy like chakra, aura, magic, or chi to build/run. Just being basic hard science doesn't mean tech from jump chains is black-boxed or requires special jump chain fiat to build, understand or run.
It's going to drive me nuts that you made that call. It's your fic and you can play things how you want though. I just needed to rant to get it off my chest. Heck, I wrote several pages whining about how hard science just works in damn near all settings. Unless your setting is magic-based and breaks tech, hard science is scan-able, understandable, and useable by standard techs and scientists. Sighs. That's what makes it hard science.
Must stop ranting. Breath. Deep breath. It's not that important.
Information first. Never strike in the shadows until you know everything.
Striking them like Coil would effectively prevent any gang war, but the authorities would never accept that.
In which version and domains of the CF do you find those perks, please?
That said, for now, Vindicare has the most appeal for me. I would need, because of Danzou, only any one perk having Warhammer 40K in the title.
Hum, Danzou could have the Vanus template since she can have any non-unique martial art..?
*shrug*
It's just convenient and simplifies the story.
Hum... Maybe looking at my Ultratech from GURPS to see what could be defined as Hard Science..?
Probably up to Tech Level 10, the robotic age. Seems reasonable..?
It doesn't look like the Imperial Assassins in the forge but if you want here is the jump doc View: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xPVyr91wknvt0tpvG7gl_EuC6bzZIVpD/view?usp=drivesdk
If they put it in it it would be in the Knowledge domain for Vindicare while the Vanus might be a mix of knowledge and intelligence. So you can add it if you want to make it into a possible Roll.
I should have expected the jump doc to just magically handwave cure part of their biology. That's like handwaving away the biology that supports the Force in Force using species though. I understand why they did it. Laziness. Also, no one would willingly go to the setting if it wasn't handwaved away and fiated backed gone either.
Actually, the Khara is just difficult to get rid of it you want the thing to survive. If you just want food it's easy. Also, he has access to everything from Subnautica, including an egg and the needed plants, so he could totally just make the cure.
I would say that its up to the author of the story whether or not to do such a thing, it like with some forge stories and getting certain perks will bring the related energy plane into the setting like "celestial Entertainment" (which brought the Warp, the Force, Pokémon, Moogles, etc...)when if taken how the perks are ment to this would not be a thing unless you get a perk that makes it so.
So i would say that if there is a jump with perks that you would like but aren't in the forge but stay in the theme of the Forge then it should be ok, since not all forges are the same and this is your story.
Coil's gang no longer exists. If you think the proxy team of the Undersiders then no. At least for now, Baran wants to avoid being with parahumans for too long because of the shard network and the risk to warn scion of his anomalous presence.
So i would say that if there is a jump with perks that you would like but aren't in the forge but stay in the theme of the Forge then it should be ok, since not all forges are the same and this is your story.
Hum... No.
It's a challenge for me to respect the rules of the CF that I wrote down at the beginning.
That said, nothing prevents me from somehow recreating the effects of those missing perks with other perks. The CF is about unlimited crafting including skills and whatnot.
Notes: While the "wall of text" exposition has been avoided, I find myself with a rather slow progression in the Celestial Forge where one of my goals is to have a solid foundation of low-level perks (50-200 CP) rapidly.
So… We are going to experiment. The idea is to have a maximum of 3 rolls per chapter. One at the beginning, one at the middle, and one at end of the chapter. If I roll a rather powerful perk or a perk with a vast potential for my current possibilities then I'll stop the rolls for the rest of the chapter.
Edit: I have a beta. Everybody thank Pietersielie.
Chapter 5: Lost in insurance.
Friday, January 2011, the seventh.
Even in the Subnautica future, they didn't make a decent ringtone for an alarm clock. I grumbled about throwing something through the window.
"VIDA reminds you that you are the one who programmed this alarm, that VIDA is fiat-backed indestructible, and that there are currently no windows in your base design."
And, oh yes, how could I forget my oh so lovely personal digital assistant? Thankfully, I did think about putting a tea/coffee machine in my bedroom. A little care about my appearance, damned bed-hair, and I went to the main living area of the base. I was betting myself that…
"Good morning, Master Baran." Yep, knew it. There, right outside my door, was my other lovely assistant, Danzou Katou. She was also the most dangerous person on Earth Bet outside of a fully unleashed Baran, Master of the Celestial Forge… I should test the tea for substances as my Chuunibyu was making more and more appearances.
"Good morning, Danzou. I trust you're well?" I went directly to the kitchen area. Time to make some magic with food.
"Danzou is functioning within normal parameters." She seemed elated to eat my cooking soon. Oh well, I was her Master, and feeding your Servants properly was a must.
I served the delicious dishes on the table and we dived into it with gusto. "And now that we're properly fed, what is on the table today?"
"Before the briefing, VIDA reminds you that you are officially registered on the PRT/Protectorate databases. VIDA is also monitoring the forums talking about you and most notably PHO. VIDA advises that an account to mark your existence and allow you to influence the public opinion is something that would help your survival."
I nodded. "Something to do after the training then. Thank you, Vida."
Danzou consulted her PDA. "The analysis of the data we extracted from Coil is continuing. Navi and I found a rather substantial amount of Top Secret information coming directly from the PRT and Protectorate computers. Mostly from the ENE branch, but there was a significant percentage coming from the central organization itself. The rest of the data is about contacts in most sectors of industry and law enforcement, blackmail information against many of the big players, financial and political, of the region, and a few in other states."
She smirked. "We also have the complete civilian identities of many villain groups, notably the Empire Eighty-Eight. A nice confirmation of your metaknowledge. But the cherry on the top is the list of all his moles."
She looked at me with laughing yellow eyes. "In brief, Baran, we have a massive amount of information that we were missing before. And although I'll have to replace almost all the players, we have the skeleton of a large and far reaching network. We can now plan more efficiently to save the world by using a villain's knowledge."
I chuckled. "Very well. I'm already playing Q, so why not M too."
She raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down. "Hmm… Sorry my Lord, but despite your physical upgrade, I can't see you as a credible 007." She blushed. "Although I would make a hell of a Bond Girl."
We laughed together at the image.
"NAVI would point out an overlooked advantage. The Celestial Forge can be called upon as long as 0.001 points of charge are remaining. Having most of the low-level perks rapidly would significantly enhance your survival chances. NAVI recognizes the difficulty to manage too many angles of CF-related perks, especially if you have to overhaul everything you've done so far. Put simply, continue with making at least one roll a day but impose a limit of three rolls on yourself. One at the beginning of the journey and one at the end of it. The last roll should be a floating one that you can use during a crisis or when you have a moment mid-day."
I scratched my head. "Hmm… Not bad advice, especially now that the initial shock is over, I should be able to manage the gifts easier."
Danzou nodded. "I approve, Master. You're still woefully underprepared and underpowered in many aspects. You have a decent base with your power armor and the Subnautica tech, but no crafting skills nor a sufficient foundation in magic."
I shrugged. "Okay, let's do it. Training will enable me to think on the next gift."
Do you wish to make a roll on the Celestial Forge?
Current charge: 15.620. Perk range: 750 CP.
"Okay, Danzou. Knock on wood, here we..?" I turned to her, flabbergasted. She just used her Karakuri Doll nature to make… the sound of knocking on wood. I was an adult, I didn't pout, I scowled and rolled up my eyes. "Luna, give me strength."
Current charge: 7.620. Perk range: 350 CP.
My eyes widened in dismay. "Oh, Luna… NO…!"
Danzou burst into laughter and smirked as she put on her glasses and assumed her Katou-sensei persona. "Oh, Luna. Yes!"
"Yikes!" I barely evaded the salvo of shuriken and quickly used my chakra to tree climb the cave wall to a less exposed position.
Katou-sensei's voice seemed to come from everywhere around me. "A Shadow Warrior stays silent in the shadow unless he wants to be heard."
Ha ha, very funny. When I received a complete Workshop in my Cosmic Warehouse, I also received a full introduction and the proper instructions on what the Naruto world is famous for: the ability to produce, control, and use chakra. This particular energy was akin to Ki and yet different and was used by the ninjas of Naruto's world to perform techniques worthy of a Dragon Ball Z episode.
First, chakra was, right now, only produced by me and Danzou… I didn't want to think of the implications that we could give this power to ANYONE simply by focusing chakra energy through their bodies and willing it so. At least, a receiver of this power couldn't transmit it to another.
We both received chakra coils in an internal network looking like the unholy union of the Chinese body meridians and the seven Hindu Chakras… Or a strange cardio-vascular system that could emit energy through pressure points or tenketsu.
Chakra was a blend of Physical energy, as in coming from a life form, and Spiritual energy, derived from the mind's consciousness. Add an elemental affinity to it, like Earth, Fire, Wind, Lightning, or Water, and you obtained a rather potent and versatile power.
That said, I disliked being forced to mold my chakra and thus unleashing a technique via two-handed hand seals. Each technique, apart from a few simple ones and the various martial arts, required a proper series of hand seals to perform. Of course, those seals were the equivalent of a bicycle's training wheels and a master of a technique could reduce the number of seals needed, use one hand only, or entirely disregard the hand seals.
Frankly, twelve basic hand seals, some unique or specialized ones, and up to 44 signs and more were required to do some techniques… Nope.
I extracted a few shurikens from my inexhaustible Ninja Tools Supply Pouch, a piece of very good free equipment here, and threw them at the possible position of Katou-sensei. I saw a flicker of movement above me and pulled on the almost invisible strings attached to my shuriken, altering their trajectory towards the kunoichi.
She replaced herself with the almighty Log and I followed in a succession of Kawarimi, each of us trying to stay behind the other. Ah, if only I could have used my fire affinity to ignite a spool of ninja wire… Curiously, Danzou had an earth affinity.
"Oof..!" The kick in my guts emerged right from my shadow under me. Damn Henge, she just imitated my own shadow while using a standard illusory clone, or Bunshin, to feint me. I used my knowledge of Judo to break my fall without damage but it was already too late. I stopped my counter-attack from the ground with a fistful of Senbon as her Kunai was already on my throat… Dead.
She held out her hand and I grabbed it. "Not bad, Baran. Not bad at all. We're going to make a real ninja of you even if I have to beat your tendency to scream your techniques out of you."
I blushed as she specifically restrained herself to techniques I could use during our sparring. The freebies from the Workshop were very useful and potentially powerful, but announcing the name of the technique was "in genre"… If only the Workshop was also useful.
I had a new part in my Cosmic Warehouse, which provided more space, with a Naruto-style workshop with EVERYTHING needed to produce ANYTHING from that world… And none of the required skills, not even a manual, it was just a facility with the materials. Oh, thanks to the freebie Ninja Academy-level of education, I had an idea about Sealing techniques, smithing, medicines and poisons, woodworking, and so many other disciplines. But, that was it: An IDEA!
I sighed both in contentment and dismay in my shower. A workshop able to make ninja puppets and thus finally something COMPATIBLE with Danzou and I didn't have the correct skills. A shot in the water and the perk was of substantial power, so I decided to wait until the end of the day. No need to make rolls out of frustration, I didn't think it would end well.
Oh, Danzou wasn't that limited as the database she gained had all those non-unique ninja techniques and martial arts. But she was alone and didn't have the Puppet Master Sasori's unique skills and techniques. She could teach me all that but it would take 6 months to a year to reach a decent level. Puppet mastery and Sealing techniques were notorious for being extremely difficult.
Well, to be frank, I didn't want Danzou to make alterations to her body without me being able to help her. And sealing any Shards like a demon would bring the full attention of all the big players on us too soon. However, right now, Danzou was occupied with sealing the whole base and Cosmic Warehouse against spatial and dimensional techniques, clairsentience, and precognition with existing designs so that was good for the long term.
I smiled since she would also put an Illusory Barrier, a Sensing Barrier, and a semi-mobile Five-Seals Barrier over the entry of the Warehouse. All three would activate whenever we open the door and thus prevent the detection of the Cosmic Hallway, entering it without disrupting its defenses, and using any Stranger-type technique to bypass it.
Shrugging, I clothed myself and prepared to "show the flag" by doing a little patrol outside. At least, this workshop was a magical facility with an auto-updating function, so it would also produce everything required for an Earth Bet Tinker, materials, and ingredients, as it considered the Shards' shenanigans with technology as magic. Curiously, it didn't update using the settings I already gained with the Celestial Forge… Very curious or was it because there were perks that could do it?
Meh. With the basic Academy hand-to-hand style I just got, coupled with the training from hell of Katou-sensei, my capabilities in melee combat just tripled. My hands could now qualify as lethal weapons. I supposed that a personal sealing charm for both of us against precognition and clairsentience should be possible but it would require research as Danzou didn't have an existing design.
And we weren't going to try a Summoning contract on Earth Bet without being sure that we could reach the proper realm.
I spoke to my PDA, "Alright, Vida. Can we establish two accounts without compromising this base? One for a civilian identity and the other for my hero persona. I wonder if Danzou did that already."
"Danzou Katou did create multiple accounts for passive surveillance of the social networks. VIDA can't hide our system from inquiries if we use any direct way to prove you're a Parahuman for PHO. Indirect ways will take time, a day to a week. Civilian accounts or passive accounts are not a problem."
I frowned. "Well, something to pray to the Celestial Forge in the future. Still, create two accounts for me. One as… Let's say ExaltedMoon and one as StarKnight. The last is for my hero persona so use an untraceable indirect way to prove it."
Ah, flying. The old dream of humanity since they saw a bird. And what a pleasure, the last two times I didn't appreciate the feeling of liberty from moving in the sky, free.
And, of course, my hypersensor reacted to gunfire. Not gunshots, gunfire as in two groups of people slugging it out right in the middle of a residential block. No group was clad in gang colors, although the Merchants didn't have any particular colors but a distinctive health state. I'd see when I got closer. But first, I focused my hypersensor on the scene.
Good, no bad surprise: No hidden capes, or at least none with masks and/or active powers. No heavy weapons or grenades, just an assortment of handguns, shotguns, and melee weapons… Was that a comb disguised as a switchblade? And the building in the East direction was abandoned and completely vacant, with no squatters.
"Police…? This is independent hero StarKnight. Shooting at Barley and Southhampton near the Biggles Park. Eleven people with firearms. No civilian victims so far but a few wounded among the aggressors. No gang colors and no capes either. I'm moving in for a citizen arrest and letting my comm line open."
"Roger that, StarKnight. Officers and ambulances are on their way." The policewoman on the line seemed surprised by my call.
I stayed in the air, using a burst of my thrusters to go where I had the eastern empty building at my back, and turned on my external speakers.
"Attention! Independent hero StarKnight! You're being recorded! You're under Citizen Arrest for Attempted Manslaughter! Throw down your weapons and wait for the police to arrest you immediately!"
Hum… You couldn't really have a spiffy introduction when making a citizen arrest… Well, at least, I hoped I wouldn't do a Sailor Moon speech in my future.
They're hesitating but I could now see, and my sensor confirmed it, that one side was Merchant goons. This wasn't going to end well. Then my hypersensor beeped an aerial proximity alert and I chuckled as a dumpster crashed between the two wavering groups.
She was a tall, platinum blonde, young woman flying above the scene. She wore a white onepiece dress that ended in a skirt at her mid-thigh with shorts underneath, an over-the-shoulder cape, high boots, and a golden tiara with spikes radiating from it.
"Police, StarKnight. Be advised that Glory Girl of New Wave is on site and assisting."
After the receptionist acknowledged, I could hear whispers in the background, about Collateral Damage Barbie. Poor Victoria Dallon, but it was true that right now she was rather prone to use excessive force despite being a genuine hero. The proof was the dumpster that made a nice and useless crater in the street.
Still, she was an experienced cape and we began to deal with the shooters. I was using my foam guns while she was catching the fleeing goons and threw them back, literally sometimes, into my restraining foam.
The only problem I had was her stupid aura. Pure awe raked over my mind a few times but the fire of my Essence was melting it instantly.
I informed the Police that all the suspects were under control and that I was waiting for the officers to make my statement before making a sensor sweep for surprises or dying goons and turning to her.
"Good morning, Glory Girl. And thank you for the assist."
She was still radiating Awe that shattered against my Will of Moonsilver. "No problem, StarKnight. Heroes have to help each other, right?"
She was so confident, I hated having to deflate it. I walked closer to not be heard by the captured criminals. "Please, miss Dallon. You're affecting me with your aura."
She went from Confident Heroine to Oopsy-Teenage Girl and cut off her aura. "Sorry about that."
I kept speaking softly. "It's okay, but you did nail me a few times during the capture. It will hinder anyone not prepared, even if fear is reserved to those who have a reason to fear you."
She winced and went contrite. "Please, don't talk about it. I still have some problems regulating it."
I nodded. "You have my word. But it's curious. I know you're a Fiss based on force fields like most of your family. You can't shunt your aura field to your other fields?"
She blinked. "My what? A fuss? What are you talking about?"
I guided her a little away from the foamed goons. Some were trying to listen in. "A Fiss. F.I.S.S. Flight, Invulnerability, and Super-Strength. I don't like to use the PRT Threat nomenclature or the Hero-naming convention that say you're an Alexandria package. That's demeaning to my eyes."
She seemed a little confused but nodded. "Like most of your family, everything you can do depends on your force field. Flight, strength, protection, and emotional aura. I thought you could shunt the energy you're using in your aura to the other functions of your force field. Like Manpower when he boosts his durability by reducing his strength."
She went pensive. "Yeah… He can do that…" She looked at her hand. "And if he can do that then either me or Crystal, even Eric… I wonder if…"
Oh, dear Luna. Baran, you idiot! You knew she was rather impulsive. "Err… Glory Girl? I don't think…"
Glory Girl suddenly disappeared into the sky at much more than her registered speed of 80 mph. Almost supersonic. I facepalmed. "… it's a good idea."
She came back as fast as she departed, laughing with joy. I clamped a hand on her shoulder and put a finger over my lower helmet. "Shush… We don't want to give away our advantages to villains, do we?"
Her eyes widened and she threw a quick look at the neutralized criminals. She giggled. "No, we don't, but… Oh, god. Shifting the power behind a function to another…" She nodded to herself. "Wait until I tell that to the others. Still, thank you for that idea, StarKnight."
I let her go and shrugged. "Just helping my fellow heroes, miss Dallon."
"Call me Vicky or Glory Girl, not that miss crap."
"As you wish, Glory Girl. Will you stay with me after giving our statement to repair a few things?"
She looked in dismay at the crumbled dumpster in the middle of the street. "Oh no… Mom is gonna kill me."
It went surprisingly well with the police. They took all the criminals into custody and accepted our statements and my recording of the fight. I then separated from Glory Girl and went with the officers to their headquarters as I agreed to answer a few more questions.
I had another goal and that was to forge a good relationship with all the public services within Brockton Bay. So I answered, demonstrated, and asked questions of my own. I thought I short-circuited their minds. It seemed that it was the first time that a parahuman cooperated that long and well with them since the days of the Brockton Bay Brigade. I wasn't insisting on the PRT taking jurisdiction and asked if they had any teaching programs for learning how to interact with the police as a parahuman. I even took off my armor within their building.
Overall, it went very well… Which meant that the other shoe wasn't very far.
I decided to go to the boardwalk for lunch and watch the Cape tourism. It was important to decompress like that… although I wasn't that satisfied with the taste of my meal. Too much fat.
Okay, I could think about what I have done, what I must do, and what I should and shouldn't do… A tall order. I think it went rather well so far. I didn't alienate the heroes and my war against crime was small scale and thus shouldn't direct too much attention on me apart from my status as a new parahuman in Brockton Bay… They had an average of 2 to 4 parahumans like that per month. Most died or went away in under 1 to 3 months. Despite what one might think, the gangs didn't recruit many capes except for the Merchants. And everybody absolutely hated little vigilantes or newbies with stars in their eyes as I could become.
My main advantage was my power armor but I was becoming more and more dangerous outside of it. Danzou was my most precious trump card on this death world. I internally shook my head as I sipped a nice cup of tea. I really needed a more solid foundation for my operations. The defenses were coming up nicely, but I still didn't have a production facility in either technology, magic, or techno-magic. Perhaps analyzing the weapons and other items looted from Coil?
Yes, I'd do that. And I would also begin to incorporate other weapons and accessories inside the slots of my power armor. They were there just for that and having a Stasis Rifle or a spool of titanium ninja wire seemed a good idea. Eh, I could see someone's face if I started to use ninja techniques and weapons in my armor… Wasn't there some sort of chakra-powered power armor in Naruto?
The afternoon began with my decision to visit the PRT headquarters just to be in touch and they would appreciate it if I warned them of my morning action myself. I also needed to make some inquiries with their services as I did with the police, like the communication protocols, how to coordinate with them, what to do with captured parahumans, and other things.
I called ahead to warn them about my arrival and subspaced my power armor as soon as I was in their lobby. I nodded to the receptionist and consciously ignored the various hidden defensive implements and surveillance systems aimed at me.
"Good afternoon, sergeant."
"Good afternoon, StarKnight. What can the PRT do for you?"
I waved away his worried tone. "I'm merely here to see your pamphlets about your classes in your communication protocols and everything a new hero should learn in your city. If I could also make some appointments for lessons, that would be perfect."
His eyes widened a little. "Ah… Of course. This will take some time. Do you wish to wait for a Protectorate Senior Officer?"
I shrugged. "I'm not in a hurry and they must have a hundred more important things than me. And besides, this will also enable me to hear about the follow up on my past interactions. Do you have good news about the teenage girl I rescued from the bio-contaminated locker?"
He smiled. "Ah, her. Yes, good news on that point."
And so we went about what I needed and gossiped about Brockton Bay and the Cape scene. I gave my imminent new internet handle and saw what kind of procedures I should use before receiving an official comm line. He was surprised when I asked for an aerial transponder since I could fly. It seemed that most flying capes didn't bother about it as they were considered like helicopters.
I purposefully bit the bait and informed him that my power armor was supersonic and thus was required by law to have a transponder just like I would have to write a flight plan if I left the city.
When we went about my morning action against the shooters, he asked why I didn't call the PRT. I feigned confusion and answered that as long as there weren't any capes, it was the jurisdiction of the police and not their federal agency. We then discussed the hot subject of minions and I replied that as long as they couldn't properly handle such a number of criminals, it was best to cooperate with the police who had the manpower and facilities. I then took a tangent on their protocols about the city public services, notably the fire-fighters as I had fire-fighting equipment in my power armor. And hop! Another discreet "unknown" leak.
I left the PRT from the roof pad in a good mood. I had confirmation about Taylor Hebert that "the poor girl had been healed by Panacea and she should join a better school in the future" and that I could visit her without problems. She was also a better person than her tormentors as she didn't want to sue them because of a past best friendship with one of them. Unfortunately, the adults dealing with her case weren't feeling that merciful. Hmm… Arcadia, Clarendon, or Immaculata? I wondered which she or her father would choose.
The sergeant spoke of three persons directly responsible for the locker but he couldn't name them since they were minors. Through the gossip, it seemed that Emma Barnes was "confirmed not psychologically responsible because of a past trauma" and had been remanded to the psychiatric services. Madison Clements "left the sinking ship like a rat and made a deal for a reduced sentence of community service for a few years" and having a big black mark on her school file.
The last unnamed girl, that I knew was Sophia Hess, provoked a curious reaction. The sergeant snorted and was visibly controlling his laugh as he said that she was already on probation and she went directly to Juvenile. I knew that Shadow Stalker was absent from the Wards, but what did they do? So far, I hadn't read about a new cape with her power or her cape name being transferred somewhere. In fact, many of the troopers in the lobby were repressing laughs and my Essence-enhanced ear could hear something about "pink" and "should have done that from the beginning".
For Blackwell and most of the staff, however, no mercy, especially from Taylor. They were adults and should have acted on her behalf. At best, they would be on a blacklist from all education services and work in fast foods. At worst… Prison, and not for a few years. Nevertheless, Winslow was gutted and would receive a long-awaited rebuild with new personnel and new equipment thanks to a federal-issued fund… Well well well, was someone in the background feeling guilty or afraid to be exposed?
I was very happy with Danzou. She plugged most of the holes in our security with those amazing Seals. Of course, she said it was nothing and that the materials in the Ninja Workshop helped a lot. She was also very enthusiastic about her spy network being formed and positively loved some new acronyms for her like Humint, Elint, Sigint, Opsint, Comint, Masint, and Imint.
I shrugged. We both took a Subnautica scanner and went to list all the equipment from Coil for a time.
I wasn't very happy as I read through the files produced by my scanner. "Meh, most of these things are military-grade quality but nothing remarkable."
Danzou shrugged as she looked at her PDA. "You're a little spoiled by the Celestial Forge, my Lord. But, yes, for some I was expecting a little more. At least we can make better versions of most US military and PRT gear."
I scowled. "As if I could use such material now without flagging a few alarms. No, it'll be for later." I shook my head. "You know, they wrote such hype in fiction about the infamous laser attachments of Coil's mercenaries and… that! They're a piece of garbage!"
Danzou raised an eyebrow and smirked. "They can slag an MBT, but I suppose that for someone having a Beam Rifle, they're a little weak."
I sighed. "Okay, okay. For a handheld weapon, they're powerful. Still, only one minute of continuous fire, and then they need to be replaced… A one-shot weapon… A sure way to kill most parahumans, even an early stage Lung, but that's it."
Danzou sent me a document on my PDA. "Oh, it's even better than that. Coil only had a limited stock as he killed the minor Tinker who made those lasers."
I shook my head in dismay. For someone boasting about his intellect, Coil was stupid in some areas. Oh well, I still gained some interesting blueprints for my fabricators. Tinkertech-made computers, programs, medicine, chemicals, power sources, sensors, explosives, materials, components, and more. Most of it was minor improvements over the current tech by less than a century, but could be useful nonetheless. In fact…
A few hours later, Danzou came into the Cosmic Warehouse to see where I was with my project. "So, Master? How is it going?"
I smiled as I finished embedding the last of my little products on the floor of the Warehouse. "See for yourself."
Danzou looked around and immediately saw what looked like a small circular panel of a transparent substance evenly spaced in the floor, the walls, and the ceiling of the Warehouse. "What is Danzou looking at?"
"Those are the apertures of a system under the full control of Vida and Navi and made by combining a PDA, a scanner, a limited fabricator, a Grav Trap, and some computer elements from Coil. In effect, they are a gravity-based tractor beam system that can manipulate the items and materials stored here and put them where they belong. All of this is thus analyzed and listed properly. The fabricators will even put them into crates, shelves, or any containers in memory. It's upgradable and auto-maintained."
I then pointed at my Subnautica Nuclear Reactor and the two 10 meter high Subnautica Alien Containment aquariums, one full of Bladderfish with proper flora for them, the other just clear water. "In addition, they run the water distribution system I implanted. It's based on a reservoir of clean freshwater supplemented by an automated system using the breeding Bladderfish to put in newly freshwater. A Subnautica Water Filter and one, more standard, from Coil's base completes the whole."
I tilted my head. "All this is still a little big and temporary, but without crafting Skills, I could only mix the existing blueprints. The Habitat Builder is a Luna-sent gift."
Danzou nodded. "Yes, I can already see they dealt with the mess I stole from Coil. Well done, Baran." She smiled. "I also discovered the big bath you put in the bathroom." She turned to me with a somewhat gluttonous look. "It's time for supper, Master."
I laughed. "Coming, coming. I wouldn't want you to miss the world tour of dishes. Which country, tonight?"
"Turkey."
"Okay, Manti and Baklava then. Even some Turkish Delight if you want."
"Oh yes, Master!" She blushed as she followed me to the dining area.
After a delicious meal, we went back into the Warehouse to make another roll on the Celestial Forge… Just in case.
Do you wish to make a roll on the Celestial Forge?
Current charge: 14.112. Perk range: 700 CP.
And this time I said nothing. Danzou felt a little smug nonetheless.
Current charge: 6.112. Perk range: 300 CP.
I blinked at Danzou and she blinked at me. "Well… I was already an Earth God of Cooking and now, I'm a Cosmic God of Tailoring…" I rolled up my eyes. "Considering that the canon heroine is named Taylor and has a talent for weaving spider silk, someone up there must be laughing at me!" I crossed my arms and scowled. "Surely Dahling Edna."
Danzou shrugged. "At least we won't have any problems with clothes, my Lord."
I sighed. "With clothes? I could clothe a whole solar system or Scion in its real form if I wanted. I could also..!" I stopped, eyes widening, and whispered. "I could repair any kind of rip or tear with just a needle and thread… Even at a conceptual or dimensional level."
Danzou looked sharply at me. "Including damaged connections between a Shard and its host?"
I nodded softly. I could save Noelle and even repair damaged psyches like that of Riley and Burnscar. I raised an eyebrow and put my hands on my hips – Danzou was looking at me and repressing a laugh. "Now what?"
"Well… Master, you remember what I told you about not being able to be James Bond this morning?" I frowned but nodded. She extracted a mirror from a pouch and turned it in my direction. "Well, that's no longer the case."
My eyes widened when I saw my new reflection. I was still me but… I was more handsome, as if I had been airbrushed. I could almost see myself making a roguish smile and talking in a suave voice.
I moaned in dismay and double-facepalmed. Danzou lost her fight and burst into laughter.
Notes: I really hoped I didn't hit the Exposition Wall.
Well, two medium-level perks and still NO technological or magical CRAFTING skills… Apart from Tailoring of course. A great surprise for some in the future.
I should remake my costume and Danzou's once I have a proper idea of what I can do. Just saying "I have a Cosmic-Level Costume" means nothing so far.
And Naruto entered the scene! Now, I have to deal with Chakra, Ninjutsu, and Sealing Arts. Very freestyle since it's coming from a GENERIC Naruto Fanfiction.
Although Danzou is going to have a spy network faster than expected since she can now use any kind of Naruto-style clones.
As always feel free to comment on anything and everything.
Current charge: 6.112. Perk range: 300 CP.
Perks gained this chapter:
Workshop (Generic Naruto Fanfiction) (400CP)
Going out and beating people up is not all there is to be a ninja, certainly not in the myriad worlds of Naruto fanfiction. There's a lot of space for less outdoorsy activities, such as seal-creation, weapons-forging, and so on. That's where this beautiful place comes in! It's the ultimate workshop, perfect for just about anything you may care to work at. It has a huge supply of papers and inks for your fuuinjutsu needs, herbs and plants for preparing poisons or medicines, a forge and metal supplies for smithing, timber for woodwork, and so on, for anything else you may care to work on. The quantities of the materials generated depend on their rarity and value. Something like ordinary paper and ink, or plain steel and wood, would never run out no matter how much you use, while things like paper from special, chakra-enriched trees would be in a far shorter supply. But no matter how rare something might be, so long as it's not absolutely unique, you can expect to find it here, and in sufficient quantities to work with. At the absolute slowest, for materials of priceless rarity like high-quality chakra-storing gemstones or metals, you could expect a supply to regenerate bi-yearly, and proportionately lesser times for less rare substances. In future worlds this workshop updates with materials and ingredients of the respective settings, with the same replenishment rules remaining in effect.
Chakra Coils- Free
The basic ability to use chakra, as represented by "chakra coils" that are a nebulous part of your body and/or soul now. You have top-quality chakra coils which would place you in the top 5% in this world in terms of both capacity and control.
After this jump, your chakra system and body continue to function just as they do in this world, along with any changes made along the way. You may also if you choose to, induce the development of chakra coils in other people simply by pushing some of your chakra into them.
Academy Training- Free
You already have all the basic training necessary to start your career as a ninja. Your physical stats and resilience are what civilians would call 'peak human' and you can mold chakra, use kunai and shuriken, do the academy three Jutsu (henge, kawarimi, and bunshin), and have learned a basic taijutsu style. You've even studied ahead a little and learned tree climbing, chakra-boosted jumping, and several D-rank techniques (Body Flicker Technique, Manipulated Shuriken Technique, Shadow Shuriken Technique, and Temporary Paralysis Technique).
Elemental Affinity (Fire)- Free
Not much to see here. You have an extremely strong elemental affinity in one of the five primary elements of this world, those being Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning. The first purchase of this perk is free, the second and onward cost 100 CP though you must purchase a different primary element each time. * Affinity was determined by an Internet Quiz.
Ninja Weapons- Free
You have a pouch full of all kinds of general use ninja weapons, like shuriken, kunai, senbon, each of multiple kinds and sizes, up to and including things like fuuma shurikens and the rest. It also has many spools of ninja wire, along with the other slightly niche materials, and everything is of the very highest quality, prime Higurashi product.
No matter how many of these you take out, there are always more, and you always pull out exactly what you were meant to. Strangely no one ever seems to question this, maybe they just think you have a lot of storage scrolls in there? The items you take out eventually disappear after use.
Superhuman Skill: Tailoring Cosmic Level (Generic Super Academy) (400CP)
You possess greater than human levels of skill in a single occupation. You could be a superhuman sniper, martial artist, mechanic, chef, or any other area of skill. You may purchase additional occupations for an extra 100 cp each. At Street Tier, you are slightly above what a normal human could achieve. This level in skill is equivalent to Bullseye's accuracy or Lady Shiva's fighting skill. At National Tier, you can achieve feats of skill that would normally only be possible with machine-like perfection. You could literally shoot the wings off a fly at 100 meters, perform delicate brain surgery with a shard of glass in a tenth the normal time, or write a song that inspires a national revolution within days. At Global Tier, the laws of physics become flexible when you practice your skills. You can bend bullets Wanted style, balance on a cloud, or swim up a rainstorm. At Cosmic Tier, things get a little ridiculous. Your skills acquire conceptual level effects. You could shoot someone by targeting their shadow, dodge bad luck, or repair spatial rifts with duct tape and baling wire.
Academy Graduate (Generic Super Academy) (Free for All Origins)
This is the very basics. If you didn't know this stuff, you could never graduate from the Academy at all. And, lucky you, you get to start with it. You have very basic self-defense training, enough control over your powers to not accidentally hurt yourself or others, a minor grounding in the science of metahuman powers, hopefully, enough knowledge of metahuman law to avoid going to prison, and basic general education to the level appropriate for your school. * All this appropriate if such an Academy existed on Earth Bet.
Most Common Superpower (Generic Super Academy) (Free for All Origins)
You have the incredible good looks that comic book heroes always seem to have. Chiseled features, defined muscles, perfect curves, flowing hair, no matter what you are at least an eight out of ten, and you stay that way no matter how dirty you might be or how much you might get beat down. You will retain your fit and attractive appearance, even without exercise or a proper diet, as long as you consume enough calories to avoid starvation. You will either heal perfectly, without any form of scarring, or your scars will enhance your appearance in some way. Even if your appearance is inhuman in some way, you still manage to be this attractive.
Required Secondary Powers (Generic Super Academy) (Free for All)
You have the often implied but equally often never stated ability to have your powers work in ways that won't hurt or adversely affect you. This works for powers purchased in this specific jump and for any future powers you gain that are at least superficially similar in nature to the ones purchased here.
Costume (Generic Super Academy) (Free for All Origins)
You have a costume of your own design that always looks good on you. It does not provide any powers, but it will never be harmed by your own powers or movements and will alter itself to always fit you perfectly. It will remember any upgrades you make to it and is self-cleaning and maintaining. * Assimilated into what Baran is clothed for his heroic persona.
Well, two medium-level perks and still NO technological or magical CRAFTING skills… Apart from Tailoring of course. A great surprise for some in the future.
Feels like second version of the Forge has too much aux items not locked behind actual crafting perks. Like Subnautica, that is totally not in spirit of the first forge. Sure it helps to build and make blueprints, but realistically it's not a crafting perk. Such a self centered, enclosed and idiot proof system should have accompanied some scientifical or crafting perk or has been dissected into something more scientifically/crafting focused (like personally knowing first principles behind everything that should operate under water).
Problem is that a perk with just that already exists...
I'm torn: Do I allow Danzou to teach the skill or do I force my character to gain it via the CF?
For now, I'm leaning on the fact it would take some time to learn the Jutsu, I'm not Naruto or Sasuke.
This particular energy was akin to Ki and yet different and was used by the Ninjas of Naruto's world to perform techniques worthy of a Dragon Ball Z episode.
To bad that naruto is lower power level the what you can reach with Dbz. Though the cool thing is that anything you see in naruto you can do in Dbz (most individuals just don't learn that stuff when all you need is MORE DAKA!!)
Edit: don't forget to put on Weights to get the most out of chakra's POWER OF YOUTH
Problem is that a perk with just that already exists...
I'm torn: Do I allow Danzou to teach the skill or do I force my character to gain it via the CF?
For now, I'm leaning on the fact it would take some time to learn the Jutsu, I'm not Naruto or Sasuke.
The Perk prevents you from killing yourself from using it and getting a headache from too many dispelling at once, so until you get the perk you have no protection from overtaxing yourself in either fashion. So don't try to be a Shounen Protagonist by 'pushing yourself harder' to create clones or trying to drown your foes in clones and you should be fine. The Perk also doesn't directly push the knowledge into your head, instead giving you a scroll that speeds up learning it.
Edit:
To bad that naruto is lower power level the what you can reach with Dbz. Though the cool thing is that anything you see in naruto you can do in Dbz (most individuals just don't learn that stuff when all you need is MORE DAKA!!)
Edit: don't forget to put on Weights to get the most out of chakra's POWER OF YOUTH
Jumpsuit of Training: This one piece jumpsuit was created through the use of cloth weaved from chakra, sweat from hard work, blood from injuries caused by training, and tears from getting injured while training. It embodies the phrase 'no pain, no gain' and the harder you push yourself the higher your gains are. Warning: May cause irresistible illusions to appear to others when your emotions are strong, including flames, a beach with sunset, and rain clouds.
I rather like your interpretation of tech working based of fiat effects. After all some jumps do call out that all the tech is mundane which should work in all universes even without fiat but all the other stuff comes from perks which means it is covered under fiat and wouldn't work without it even if you had the knowledge.
For example, someone without the IS perk couldn't do anything to the IS even if they knew all that knowledge as the fiat effects provided by the perk which let this exotic different physics tech work in this new universe would simply not be there.
So you basically get default conceptual level blackboxng for everything that is not called out as working based on mundane physics. Some stuff in the forge lets you bypass that but its rare, for example, eclipse phase tech is called out to be all mundane in its jumpdoc and the CF does have some perks form it.
Especially if Baran is in the Cosmic-Tailored green suit complete with leg-warmers, and, of course, screaming about the POWER OF YOUTH with a holographic wave crashing behind him.
And regarding the perks needed to bypass it, there is one that is a slider for technology that comes from black box to mundane science.
There is also a perk that enables you to make your tech impossible to analyze, impossible to use without your authorization, and even impossible to build even with the manual.
