Chapter 4 – Chi no Sadame
"In a jungle untouched, a lone boy sets his pace,
No footprints before him, just nature's open space.
With a heart full of wonder, and eyes open wide,
He walks through the wild, where life thrives and hides."
"Underneath the canopy, where sunlight filters through,
He's writing his own story, with every step that's new.
A world without highways, or city's constant hum,
He's found his own rhythm, his wild kingdom come."
"He's the jungle's own child, spirit running free,
Exploring emerald wonders, a life of mystery.
Building shelters from leaves, 'neath the moon and sun,
In this human-less haven, a new tale's begun."
"With every rustling leaf, and every creature's call,
He finds his sense of purpose, in this wild, beautiful sprawl.
No need for modern gadgets, just nature's company,
He's learning from the wild, setting his spirit free."
"As the stars paint the night sky, in constellations bright,
He's embraced by the wild, in the soft moonlight.
No need to rush or worry, no clocks to obey,
In this untamed paradise, he's found his own way."
"He's the jungle's own child, spirit running free,
Exploring emerald wonders, a life of mystery.
Building shelters from leaves, 'neath the moon and sun,
In this human-less haven, a new tale's begun."
"But when the time is right, he may choose to depart,
Carrying the jungle's wisdom, close to his heart.
Back to the world of humans, with stories to share,
A boy forever changed by his wild, soulful affair."
"He's the jungle's own child, spirit running free,
Exploring emerald wonders, a life of mystery.
Building shelters from leaves, 'neath the moon and sun,
In this human-less haven, a new tale's begun."
"So let's celebrate the boy, who ventured in alone,
In a world without humans, a spirit brightly shone.
With the wild as his guide, and memories to save,
He'll cherish his jungle days, even beyond the forest's wave."
(A/N: I won't be counting the song for word count. This is just a little present for all those who really liked the last song.)
With the Sun shining high, in the middle of the sky, I continued jumping along the thick branches of trees, occasionally coming back down to collect some twigs in my backpack and snack on some wild berries. Parkour was fun. Sure, I wasn't really doing anything acrobatic and was mostly relying on my supernatural strength and small size, but it was still fun.
'Maybe becoming a 12-year-old wasn't such a bad thing?'
Evidently, I also hadn't gotten tired of utilizing my new ability to sing.
"*Haah* I didn't know I needed this until I actually did it."
Taking a break from Earth-Bet and just exploring the forests of the [Mundane Supply World (The Celestial Foundry)] did wonders for my nerves. I only realized how stressed I was, after I'd stepped through the portal in my Personal Reality and left the dying civilization of Earth-Bet behind.
I knew that I had to go back, that the door wouldn't close until I returned, but it was a nice thought, not having to deal with everything on the other side for a little while.
Of course, the wilderness meant that there were a lot of bugs that would have probably gotten into my Reality, but the Magic Bug Spray was enough to keep them out. Using it for something other than Taylor was surprising. Not that I had to worry about her right now, I'd only entered here after she left the house. She'd left with Kurt, but I didn't really catch what for. It was still nice to see her getting along with people, reduced my own guilt without having to do anything myself!
Before I could truly explore I'd used the tools I'd 'borrowed' and Bound to my Workshop, to harvest some wood and make some crude spare doors I'd stored in my Personal Reality. Plopping down a little twig trap door on the floor of the backyard shed was better than just using my Access Key on any door in the house.
The tools weren't heavy power tools, only basic stuff like saws, hammers, chisels, axes, etc. But they were still something I now had in my Workshop. My strength made working with the tools quite easy, so the work was a breeze.
Sensing movement from a berry bush I was about to target for tasty treats, I tensed and took out a stone from one of my pockets as a small white silhouette came jumping out.
Without much thought, my hand whipped forward, and I hurled the stone at the creature.
"*Squeak*!"
Miraculously, the stone hit it straight in the head and the creature whom I could now identify as a rabbit, fell to the ground.
Rushing down to the furry creature, I realized that it wasn't dead, but didn't look like it would make it. I wouldn't make it suffer.
"Shit! I've seen a documentary about this! OK, I have to do it like…this! *Crack!*"
Grabbing the back of the rabbit's neck with my right hand, I pushed its head up with my left palm with a good amount of my strength until I heard a crack, and the creature went limp in my hands.
I'd never hunted an animal myself, but growing up going to the butcher's shop with my Mom and seeing chickens and goats being killed had desensitized me to the death of the animals we eat.
'Bill said he went hunting right? Maybe he could do something with this?'
Just as I was preparing to grab my haul and head back to the temporary camp I'd set up, I heard more movement behind me.
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Instead of immediately attacking in a panic like I'd done with the rabbit, I equipped a stone but kept my hand.
A small, furred head popped up to gaze at me. After observing me for a while, the little critter slowly made its way to me, sniffing and softly chittering all the way until it reached where I had crouched down.
"*Chit-chit-chit…*"
"Hey there little guy. Are you a minx? Or was it a ferret? You're quite fearless huh? I guess you've never seen a Human before, is that why you're so brave, or is it that you're curious?" I spoke softly, at about the same volume as the ferret so as to not scare it, and watched as it came close to and sniffed the hand I'd laid onto the ground for it to approach.
Slowly I extended my hand and began stroking its fur, which eventually devolved into outright scratching as it rolled onto its back and started chittering loudly.
"*Chit-chit! Chit-chit-chit!*"
"Hahaha! You wanna play huh? Hey! That tickles!" Giggling, I tried to grab the ferret as it climbed my arm and ran circles around it as I tried to catch it.
D38 Roll Result: 24
D36 Roll Result: 27
As I played with the ferret, I felt the Forge reach out to me with a star. It felt more powerful than any of the previous ones, and I surprisingly had the ability to take it immediately, leaving me wondering where all of it came from.
"Video games aren't just video games anymore. In this world, the nerd who lives in his Mom's basement to play games is the real winner in life."
As the memories from the new Perk flowed into my mind, I was left awestruck. This was big. It was a Perk that would change everything.
Sure, the perk had given me enough designing and programming knowledge to single-handedly create amazing video games, but that wasn't important. What was important was the ability to use the power of Human belief and the divine spark of the Human Soul to turn a digital, fictional world into an ACTUAL REAL WORLD!
"Do you understand what this means little guy?! This changes everything! The game has quite literally changed! I've flipped the fucking board! I don't have to go on a hopeless chase after Space God Worms anymore!"
Hurriedly, I calmed myself down. Yes, everything had changed, but it wasn't going to be easy.
This would no longer be a mission that could be completed with brute force.
No, if the Forge gave me something I could use to kill all the threats on Earth Bet then that would also be an option. But it wasn't the only option anymore.
I could create video games that would allow everyone to escap—NO! It wouldn't be that easy. I didn't know exactly how much power it would take to create a World from the power of Human Souls and their wishes.
It had to be ONE game. A single game that everyone would love and pour their emotions into. That everyone would play. I couldn't allow the power of Belief to spread across different games.
Even with the knowledge gained from the Perk, this wasn't something I could do instantly. After all, I'd never even heard of a Game played by everyone. It had to capture the interest of both young and old, male and female. To make them wish the created World was real. A World that was better than Earth-Bet in every way.
I had to experiment. I had to…start a Video Game company. Make myself a popular, global brand.
It was something I always wanted to do when I was younger, at least until real life hit me and told me I couldn't do it.
"Ha-ha! The power of video games might just save the Universe…"
The hardest fights I now foresaw were those of bureaucracy. Just how would I start a global company in this broken world as a 12-year-old? Could I convince countries like China where the entire government was corrupt, to sell my games? How would I ensure that every single person was capable of and willing to play my games? Just how much money and resources would go into this and how would I ever get enough?
The more I thought about it, the harder this endeavour looked. But…I'd finally got it. A concrete way to save Earth-Bet. To truly save it and not just destroy its problems.
The physical planet itself might still be doomed but…
"Home is where the Heart resides. Isn't that right little guy?"
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Earth-Bet wasn't just a place, it was a people. People I had a chance of saving in a way that truly agreed with me.
"*Chit-chit!*"
"You know…I can't keep calling you little guy. How about a name, huh? Hmm, I think I'll name you after a powerful Spirit Beast from one of my favourite Chinese novels. Yeah, that's a good name! From today, you my friend are called Flower Fox Ferret! I'll call you Fox to keep it short! You like that?"
"*Chit-chit-chit!*"/ 'I'll take that as a yes.'
(A/N: The name Flower Fox Ferret comes from a Spirit Beast that appears in the Carefree Path of Dreams. It's one of the first Chinese novels I'd read, written by the same author of Warlock of the Magus World. I think I've written a review for it on NovelUpdates, you can decide whether you want to read it that way.)
Eventually, as I'd absentmindedly been playing with the ferret for a few minutes, the ferret discovered my prey and latched onto it like a limpet, refusing to let go while staring at me even as I shook the rabbit.
'Cute.'
"Hey! I don't mind giving you some, but I haven't even skinned it yet! Yeah, that's right let go of i—Huh?! What are you doing?!" Unexpectedly, the ferret let go of the rabbit and climbed into the hoodie I wore, climbing up until it was hidden in the hood.
For the third time that day, I heard movement from behind a set of bushes. This time, it was a whole lot louder than the other two.
Turning, I watched, frozen, as a large figure clad in golden brown fur prowled into the clearing.
Chuffing and breathing with enough force to visibly puff air, the huge Grizzly bear, regarded me closely, before slowly rising to its full height. Standing on its hind legs, the beast was almost twice my height.
"H-hey…? Y-you're nice r-right?"
"*G-r-r-r-r….ROOOOAAARRR!*"
"GYAAAAA!"
With my flight response triggered, I didn't even think twice as I fled the clearing.
It was barely a dozen seconds into running that I was tackled to the side by the swipe of a claw.
Despite my superhuman abilities, the physical abilities of a fully-grown Grizzly bear couldn't be underestimated. [Roman Holiday (Fate/Legends - Empire of Antiquity)] was something that gave me the ability to train and reach great physical heights, but I had never trained at all.
Bears were said to have run speeds of up to 40 mph, while my own top speed was only around 25 in the unfamiliar forest terrain.
Rolling, I reached into my back pocket and retrieved a simple old hunting knife I'd taken from many of the old boxes in the Hebert home. Panicking I inspected the area where I'd caught the Bear's claws and blinked in surprise.
Despite the claws easily tearing my clothes, where I'd expected to see torn flesh and broken bones, my skin only had slightly deep scratches that weren't even bleeding profusely,
'That's right…I have the body of a Nasuverse Spartan. They sent their kids to do crazy shit all the time! This overgrown carpet rug isn't going to scare me! I still have too much shit to do to die here!'
Palming my knife, I hurriedly sat up and glared at the bear that was moving in circles around me.
"Let's do this you piece of shit!"
I charged.
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"That's right! Run along you coward!"
Throwing stones after the Bear, I watched as it retreated, limping through the forest, with multiple stab wounds on its limbs and sides, a missing eye and a few broken teeth.
I myself was in much better condition, but the fight was in no way easy. It was only my small size and better agility in close quarters that saved me from major injuries. Leaving me with only bruises and deep scratches. Despite its claws and muscle strength not being lethal to me, the Bear's bite strength wasn't something I would have been able to resist, luckily I'd avoided it and broken its teeth so it wouldn't try again.
"I let my guard down thinking this world would be a safe place. Never again! Nature can't be underestimated."
"*Chit-chit!*" Fox peeked out from my hoodie.
"You're still here, huh? Wait! Were you running away from that asshole bear in the first place?!"
"Gah! It doesn't matter, I have to go to school tomorrow and deal with a horde of actual 12-year-olds. I came here to blow off some steam and then this happens. It's sad that tomorrow I'd probably feel like fighting a bear was better than dealing with kids." Saying so I made my way back to my camp, where the door to my Personal Reality and hence Earth-Bet was.
Fox didn't seem to like he was leaving me anytime soon. In fact, he was eyeing the rabbit I'd retrieved from the ground again.
"Sheesh, calm down you glutton. You'll get some food once we're home. I'll have to look up what's safe for you to eat. I'm sure Danny won't mind you. You're pretty small after all, and the backyard is all cleaned up now so you can hang out there."
'Animals are good for therapy too right? Maybe Fox will be good for Taylor.'
D38 Roll Result: 30
D72 Roll Result: 38
Another star from the Forge that I didn't have the power for, yet I reached out to keep it regardless.
When I perceived it hovering just beyond my reach, waiting for me to gather enough power to claim it, I couldn't help but have a bad feeling about it. Shrugging off a shiver, I decided to ignore it and move on to tend to my injuries and come up with a good excuse for my state when the Heberts saw me.
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The drive from the Hebert house to my new school saw me fiddling with my phone as Danny drove.
Now, while I would have immediately started using the skills I'd gained from [Programming Miracles (Alterworld 2.4)] to begin creating games and prepare to dominate Earth-Bet's video game market…I'd been stopped by a quite basic issue. I didn't have the tools.
Oh sure, it was just software. But even creating something as simple as Flappy Bird would require actual Game Design Software (Something like the Unreal Engine that I'm sure every gamer has heard of), Graphic Design Software (like Adobe Photoshop), something for audio, and even more!
It should have just been a matter of money. Just buy the software and start creating…Only Earth-Bet didn't have that…because Earth-Bet didn't have a video game market.
Everything on the market was something taken straight from Earth-Aleph or shitty illegal copies, someone, somehow made without there being any prerequisite software on the Market!
'That's right I'm looking at you! Fucking Tinkers. What happened to the NEPEA bullshit?!'
The shard fuckery probably allowed them to skip needing any of those essential tools, allowing them to satisfy the depressingly low demand for video games on Earth-Bet at a pace that pretty much killed any normal human competition.
Since the necessary tools were literally a world away, I knew that I needed to build them myself. Which is why I was looking up what kind of programming languages I had at my disposal.
Looking at the ugly UI of 2011 Java, I could only cringe in disgust.
Shaking my head, I put away my 2019 iPhone 11 which people here would mistake for an expensive DragonTech phone – a status symbol.
The situation was even worse than I thought. Being in the past sucked ass.
It was official. I had to start with creating an entire High-level programming language.
While such a thing might not have normally been in the purview of the kind of Perk I'd received, creating Software Tools that would help me create Video games better, faster and more efficiently, was something I could do. Even if it was creating something as basic as a programming language.
Of course, using these tools for something other than creating video games would work, but it would be troublesome since they were optimized specifically for that purpose.
All of this work would take so much time! More importantly, I would also have to find a powerful enough computer with a flexible operating system, or I'd have to make that from fucking scratch too!
'Why the fuck couldn't the Forge work like Tinker powers?! Then I'd create works of God from a trash can too!'
Gnashing my teeth, I looked out the car window to cool my head.
I didn't have a chance to be frustrated for long. The minor panic attack I received after seeing Arcadia High right next to my middle school flushed out any of the previous emotions from my system. I was right next to a nest of government-sponsored baby capes.
"Chit-chit."
"Gah! Fox don't scare me like that! And stay hidden! I don't wanna get caught with you on the first day! I only took you along because it's easy enough to stash you in the Personal Reality with the small door I made!" I whispered harshly as the car came to a stop in front of my school.
"All right, here we are, Daniel. Crestview Middle School. Are you sure you wanna go in alone for the first day? You fell down the stairs just yesterday. I know it wasn't as bad as it looked, but…Well, I worry. I know I'm going to get called for the parent meetings and such, but the first days are important you know?"
"Eh… It's fine. You know how kids can be. If they see me with my Da—Uncle, then uhh…you'll be cramping my style?"
'Waaah! I almost called him Dad. It's like that time I accidentally called my teacher Mom in 4th grade! I'll never forget that kind of trauma!'
At that, Danny gave me a weird look, but then just chuckled and shook his head.
"You're a kid too you know? Also, isn't that one of those online memes? I think Alexander showed me—Ah! It's already almost 8! Your classes start at 8:30, and you still have to meet the principal before starting! C'mon, go, go, go! You don't wanna be late on your first day!"
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What is it with these rich people and blonde hair?
I knew I'd be walking into big-money territory. My own 'parents' in this life were supposed to be rich, there was no way Danny could afford to send me here without the funds they'd set aside for my education.
But this city had actual Nazis, so seeing so many kids looking like poster children for the Riech really set me on edge, only slightly less than the fact that I had to interact with actual children like I was one.
Passing by another girl with blonde hair, I had to double-take after seeing a face so clearly Asian that I could feel the high math grades radiating off her, it didn't help that I saw her walking into the library with a math textbook in hand.
'Is this some 9000 IQ level play by the E88 to get supporters? Or some stupid trend among rich kids?'
Setting aside my conspiracy theories, I looked up at the sign in front of the door I'd stopped at. 108, that was my classroom.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.
I dreaded standing out here with my slightly tanned skin and dark hair that would only set me further apart from the pasty white kids. My supermodel-level looks would only make it worse.
'Well, I suppose it already has. Maybe I'll go with the pretty wallflower personality, find a dumb kid or two to latch onto and then avoid everyone else.'
Already, I had some kids gawking at me. Maybe it was their upbringing, but it wasn't as bad as when I'd gone to buy Ice cream at the Boardwalk with Ben, I really had to tune out the stares then, some rando had even tried taking a picture! At least these kids were acting with a lot more decorum.
Before I could get further lost in my thoughts a stern, brown-haired woman sitting at the front of the class caught my attention.
"Ah, Mr. Daniel Hill? I hope it wasn't too difficult to find the class on your lonesome. I understand that you've started the term a little late, but circumstances cannot be helped. We've begun roll call already, I'm sure you can find out the names of your classmates who already spoke later, but for now, I'll call you out last and you can go ahead and introduce yourself to the class at the same time. Find yourself a free seat and prepare your study materials for the day.
Continuing. Mr. Trevor Beaufoy…." / "Present!"
Nodding to the teacher, I maintained a neutral expression and found myself a seat between two blonde girls. In a way, I was starved for choice, since the exact same description could be used for the other two free seats.
The reason I chose to sit between this particular duo of blondes, was because one of them didn't seem to react much to my presence at all. The mousy-looking 12-year-old continued to doodle in her notebook with her tongue stuck out at an angle while using a textbook to hide her actions.
The other girl was taller than the artsy girl, at around the same height as me. She looked athletic and sat with her arms crossed and head held high. Occasionally I saw her leg twitch, like she wanted to kick them up onto the desk and lean back, instead, she just bounced her foot up and down. She gave off the feeling of a rebellious teen pretty well. Unlike some of the other kids here, she was pretending not to stare at me, taking quick peeks and looking away when she thought I noticed her. She wasn't very good at it.
While these two were perfect for desk neighbours, they weren't the kind I'd want to use as social meat shields.
I'll observe the class and pick one later, for today I'll avoid all of them and spend my free time entertaining Fox in the playground.
"Mr. Daniel Hill. Please introduce yourself to the rest of the class."
Standing up, I maintained my neutral expression and avoided looking at anyone in particular.
"Hello, as you heard, my name is Daniel Hill. I'll be turning 13 later this year and look forward to my time at Crestview. Thank you for having me."
'Maybe I spoke a little too eloquently for my age, but I'll be getting shitty grades on purpose anyways so hopefully that would be enough to allay any suspicions on me. '
"Thank you for your introduction Mr. Hill, you can take a seat. Today we'll be starting with Integers. Can anyone tell me what they are?—"
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Lunch break couldn't come fast enough.
7th-grade math was incredibly boring. Acting like I had trouble with such basic shit was extremely demeaning, but I didn't want to stand out, and most of the kids actually did need help with this stuff so I silently played the part.
At least my introduction and generally blank expression paired with my looks seemed to have intimidated the kids who would have normally chatted up the new guy. So, I didn't actually have to deal with any of them today unless there was a team exercise or something.
"Chit-chit-chit! Chit!"
Watching Fox jump around the tree I was sitting under as I ate my lunch was a therapeutic experience after today.
I'd elected to hide away in a small patch of trees bordering Crestview's absolutely huge, stadium-sized playground for the remainder of the break.
"Come down here boy! I've got your own special lunch box too!"
I must have looked like a moron, waving a piece of cooked chicken around in my hand, but my flailing around and screaming like a little girl after getting startled was definitely worse.
"Hey, what 'cha doin'~?"/ "JESUS FUCKIN FUCK?!"
The bear incident really had made me wary of anyone sneaking up on me.
Peeking around the tree was a head of long dark brown hair. Behind the curtain of hair bright green eyes, glimmering with mischief stared me straight in the eyes, hiding a damnable smirk I just knew was there.
Stepping out from her hiding spot allowed me to get a good look at the one who almost gave me a heart attack.
Straightening out Jump Scare-chan painted a pretty good picture of a rich middle schooler. With hair and clothes that somehow stayed straight and looked freshly ironed this far into the school day.
With her hands behind her back, swaying left and right, walking in the way only a girl her age could, the brat sauntered over to where Fox was nibbling on the chicken I'd dropped to the ground in fright and crouched down to look at him closely spoke without turning my way.
"You shouldn't swear you know. Crestview actually has written rules against it. "
"Yeah well, have you ever considered not being a little shit?" Huffing, I knelt down to tear the pieces of chicken into little bite-size pieces, so Fox would have an easier time. Plus feeding him from my hand felt weirdly satisfying and helped bring my heart rate down.
"Hehe, you're acting so different now! You looked so serious and scary in class; Nancy thought you were a Ward."
At that, my heart rate spiked again but managed to hold in my reaction.
"Y-yeah well she's stupid and you should tell her that!"
'Why the hell do I sound like an actual 12-year-old?!'
"Well, I did, but I worded it nicer than that. I told her she was being silly."
"Enough of that! Why are you here Jump Scare-chan? The way you're eyeing it…You didn't come to steal Fox's food right? Cause he might look small and innocent, but he's a vicious mother fu—flipper! He's even indirectly responsible for the possible death of a Grizzly bear!"
Standing back up with a spin, the girl pointed a finger at me as she spoke.
"Well, you looked interesting…is what you thought I'd going to say right?! Hehe he, you might've thought you hid little Fox really well, but everyone behind you could see her in class, at one point she even ran around the back of the class! I wanted to pet her so I came to find you…So, can I?"
"What do you mean everyone saw her?! Wait! Her? What do you mean her?"
"Well duh, she's a girl, didn't you know that?"
Now that she pointed it out…I realised I'd never even checked.
"Pshh! I knew that…I was just testing you…"
"Uhuh, sure you were." She gave me a knowing look, with a small smile filled with the patience of a thousand bodhisattvas.
"…How did you know that anyway?"
"Oh. My parents and I ate one in a fancy restaurant. They had a lot of facts about them there."
"What?! Why would you eat a Ferret?! Can't you see how cute h-she is?!" Picking up the weapon of mass cuteness, I held Fox tight against my chest, protecting her against the monster in front of me. Though Fox didn't seem to care that she was in the presence of a predator of her kind, continuing to stuff her cheeks with her cooked chicken.
"…Rich people eat weird things sometimes?"
"Did you just stereotype yourself? And why are you asking me?! Also, by your logic, Elon Musk would be eating newborn babies!"
"Musk? Isn't he that guy with the funny name the Simurgh killed some years back? She electrocuted him with something weird, I think it was called a Tesla wire or was it a coil or something? He showed up in a documentary they showed us in school."
'Irony? No, I'm going to ignore that to preserve my sanity…'
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I looked at my stalker with suspicious narrowed eyes.
"…You really only came here to meet Fox?"
"Yup. She looks really soft." She said, popping the p, and rocking back and forth on her heels, looking at me expectantly.
Looking at her more carefully, I realised that despite her mischievous streak, the girl was quite well-behaved in certain aspects. Despite getting so close to Fox, and looking at her with such excitement and longing, not once did she attempt to touch her without my permission.
"…And you really didn't come here to stalk me?"
"Phhh! No way! You might be really pretty, but my Uncle told me to look beyond superficiality. He also said that pretty people have big egos, maybe I should have told you why I came here immediately? *Flick* Ya-owwww! What was that for?!"
Taking my hand back after flicking her forehead, I held Fox towards her and spoke. Immediately I could tell that she was forgetting my reflexive action and completely focused on melting her hands into Fox's fur.
"Nothing, nothing. You had a mosquito on your forehead. Also, you don't use 'pretty' when describing me. I'm 'handsome'. Expand your vocabulary, brat."
Sticking her tongue out she snatched the remaining pieces of chicken from my right hand, tucked Fox in her left and took off running into the open playground.
As she ran, she yelled back at me.
"*Bleh* M' not a brat! If I'm one, then so are you, pretty boy~! My name is Dinah Alcott! Better remember it!"
"…Ah fuck."
"No swearing!"
Just as I was about to chase down the (possibly) precognitive bringer of misfortune to take back Fox and run as far away as possible, the star from the Forge clicked into place and memories started flowing into me.
Looking past the running girl, I saw the street beyond the Playground walls. There on the corner of a small street, I saw a nondescript van with its engine running, but no other movement at all.
[URL unfurl="true" media="youtube:9yGGNohmAT0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yGGNohmAT0[/URL]
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[https://i2-prod.mylondon.news/incoming/article24394251.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_GettyImages-1233483197.jpg]
Just as Dinah had reached the other kids in the playground, jumping around and showing Fox off to them, the van got out of parking and took off down the street. Following the vehicle with my eyes until it I couldn't anymore, I felt a sharp pain in my hand.
Looking down I realised I'd balled my fist as hard as I could, digging into my palm, drawing blood. Painting my palms crimson.
If I was superstitious, I'd take that as a bad sign.
I wasn't, but the Hamon energy now flowing through my body had a certain way of reminding me that Fate was fucked up.
'…Chi no Sadame…'
It means 'Destiny of Blood' for all you non-weebs. Please just watch JoJo, cause I'll rarely ever explain stuff like this in the future.
"…Double fuck."
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Perks Gained this Chapter:
* Programming Miracles (Alterworld 2.4) (600CP): The metaphysics of this world allows for some interesting things to happen. Creating a fully realized dimension with its own malleable laws and rules is something common place though such a thing was never intentional. The Perma Effect caused many new worlds to spring into being from the playgrounds of humanity, video games become more than their intended distractions from reality and become real in themselves all through the power of belief and the divine spark of a human soul. By buying this perk you can take a little of this divinity with you, and you become an able game designer and programmer. Someone who could create entire worlds from scratch with amazing amounts of detail. People would be astounded to see the worlds you create. This on its own is amazing but that is not all, by merely getting enough people to willingly play your game in your world you can slowly split it off into its own self-contained world. The numbers are not low, requiring a large number of people to play for extended amounts of time before your world begins to go from unreal to real. A minimum of 200,000 souls all playing in your world all believing in it and wishing it was real will be your lower threshold for such a feat, that is your minimum threshold to start an unreal world down its path and become a real world of its own. Surely you can pull that off, yes? You can toggle this effect if you wish to simply craft some of the best games around and not have them become miniature worlds of their own, I guess. If you were into that.
* Infusion (JoJo) (400CP): Besides infusing your body with Ripple, you can now direct the flow of energy at will. This will lead to a variety of effects, such as using Ripple to mend an ally's wounds. Also, you can infuse Ripple into objects. This improves existing qualities and makes them deadly to the undead and living alike.
* Steady Breathing (JoJo) (Free): In training your ability to manipulate the Ripple, your breathing patterns are maintained at a steady, rhythmic pace. Strenuous activity and quick movement do not inhibit this breathing practice & it even seems to empower your physical ability, as well as enhance other martial arts.
* Calisthenics (JoJo) (Free): An innate attribute of the JoJo-verse, you gain an impeccable sense of balance, poise, and grace of movement. You can pose with the best of them, and all actions gain an air of... Fabulousness. Yet manliness at the same time.
* Dynamic Entry (JoJo) (Free): Along with innate Calisthenics, you gain the ability to make every entry into a conflict or scenario a dramatic, flamboyant affair. Whether it's crashing through a skylight or dropkicking someone from the side, your introductions look good.
* Joestar Secret Technique (JoJo) (Free): When a situation seems truly hopeless, you can activate the Joestar Secret Technique at will. You gain the ability to run in the opposite direction from danger at ridiculous speeds. Said quick escape has to be done in a comedic power for the technique to truly be revealed.
* Dramatic Persona (JoJo) (Free): The essence of both fabulousness, manliness, and complete gutsiness has enveloped your being. Everybody accepts the posing, the spontaneous sparkles (which can be turned off), the everything. It's either because they just accept it at this point. or fear the consequences of insulting you.
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