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A Toaster Story
Chapter 2: The Rules of Pinball

Chapter 2: The Rules of Pinball

The toaster started to sulk, after checking around in the nearest places he heard humans. Saving a few because he confused them as Mike, then actively ignoring them. The more it thought about it the more it realized he had no idea what Mike looked like. What the toaster knew was that he didn’t have fat in his chest, he had blonde hair, but he kept changing his skin, and skin color shedding on the ground every day.

Getting bored with this impossible hunt the toaster floated in a corner trying to train it’s new skill, mana manipulation, bringing up the the table the toaster mentally grumbled. Most of its skills seemed to be insulting, and it didn’t know why the system didn’t like it.

Skill Learned: Mana Manipulation

The ability to move and use mana in very basic ways. As a creature that uses mana to fly you would think that this would be a skill you’d pick up immediately. 

The toaster could tell that the system was taunting it, but it wasn’t like he could insult it back. So the toaster just started using Mana Manipulation in the corner of one of the hallways, pushing a zombie over onto its ass every time it got up.

Two zombies were watching him push over the other zombie, mildly interested in it before they turned to each other and started to physically push each other over. The two zombies slowly moved into something that could be considered grappling before one of them finally ripped out the other’s neck.

This made the toaster move a bit further away from the zombie now eating its comrade, he could tell some how that the zombie must have leveled up. The other monsters really don’t seem to mind much about the toaster’s prescience, but he knew if they were any smarter they’d of attacked him by now.

Mana manipulation raised to level five before anything changed around him. The zombie staring at him like some sort of anomaly raising its hands in front of it. It seemed like the zombie was trying to manipulate mana like he was, it was then a subtle breeze went along the toaster’s back.

Skill Learned: Teacher

It looks like you can teach others in one of the most brute force ways possible, repeating an action in front of them until they grasp it.

The notification confused the toaster for a second,‘I don’t remember trying to teach anyone anything..’ The zombie on the other hand was letting out small puffs of mana infused air around everywhere, toppling over things on the tables sporadically in the hallway. Then something happened that the toaster had never thought of, the zombie gathered a bunch of mana blowing the table away.

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‘Why… didn’t I think of that?’ The toaster thought, with a jealous look at the zombie. Now that the zombie had leveled, it would probably give it more points towards his next level. Pointing its horns at the zombie it charged up mana below it until the air behind the toaster was rippling from the magical power. The zombie curious looked back at the toaster, a look of shock and betrayal came over the zombie’s face.

Title Gained: Betrayer

Gain the trust of a sentient being before betraying it in the worst way possible. +1 Charisma per level.

The title popping up out of the middle of nowhere made the toaster release the mana a bit prematurely, sending it flying off into the distance missing the zombie. Crashing into its first wall, the toaster knew this wouldn’t be the last as it crumbled before his speed. Without thinking, it used mana to cover its body like a hardened shell as it bounced around.

Skill Gained: Mana Armor

Using mana like a barrier you block most incoming damage by depleting mana.

The blue screen went away rather quickly as it smashed through a dorm room, finding a sizzling end in a bed. Grime was all along to body, it had run into a bunch of squishy things on its travels, netting two more levels.

Title Lost: Betrayer / Title Gained: Inspiration

Seeing that you weren’t actually trying to kill it, the zombie now sees you as it’s mentor and will follow in your footsteps. +1 Charisma Per Level, +1 Constitution Per Level

Title Gained: Too Stupid to be Insane!

What the fuck are you doing?! -Goddess of Order +1 to Intelligence Per Level due to pity.

Skill Gained: Gore

Finally, you figured out what horns are used for!

Using its mana like this though, the toaster came up with ideas to use the mana manipulation as a weapon. With the mana shield this well as the powerful blast it has just learned it could reasonably call itself a cannon ball. Though it didn’t know the limits of its mana at least yet, as it’s only been about two hours since it became alive.

Forcing the shield forward off of its body the shield moved forward creating a bubble in the middle of the air. A goblin coming around the corner looked up at the bubble and took out its sword in confusion, it didn’t see any humans and it had only seen skills like this from humans. Using the same mechanics that it used to shoot itself forward the toaster shot the mana shield at the goblin. With a crunch the goblin started bouncing around like the toaster did when it used the skill on itself.

After two hits to the wall, the goblin ended up dead and messages started coming up for the toaster. Apparently using the mana manipulation in different ways raised the levels drastically. Also skills seem to be able to evolve! As mana manipulation evolved into Mana Control.