Sarah "Seriously....that's it?! No descriptions? No info on the battle. Come on!"
A deep groan escapes her lips, a sign of her overwhelming disappointment. The once gleeful anticipation etched on her face vanishes in an instant.
AN "Apparently, he couldn't bother listing down the contents of the conflict nor the description of his kins. However, he did note a few interesting details."
Sarah "Oh...what is it?"
AN "So during the fight, Suntarus who is the eldest son of Lord Kin, wrestled head-on against the all-consuming turtle. A period during which he accidentally bit onto the surface of my planet. The impact apparently barely missed the first monarch of Caverrin who witnessed the gargantuan beast eye to eye in all its glory. An experience that dug a bottomless well of fear within him for decades to come. A fear so intense, he forced people to undergo an everlasting and unresting process of technological progress in the hope that one day his people could defend themselves against a similar disaster. Suntarus's action also left a gigantic valley that long ago was known as "Suntarus's Bite". Now the people of Caverrin call it, "Sun's Bite Valley", where her Empress's palace "Incaris" resides."
Dave "Woah! That's some insane history, bro. Also, this first monarch guy seems like a pretty smart dude."
Kanji "Yeah, it was pretty logical of him to take that course of action. Though the word "forced" does bring up some concerns."
Claire "Wait. Was he cruel or... what? You know what, I just gonna let you answer that."
Amelia "Same. You may continue AN, dear."
AN "No the first monarch didn't force them physically, he just mind-controlled them. However, there are certain things he did that might be hard to take in. Back then some people were religious and worshiped the ten kins as gods or divine beings. The emperor found this an act of madness, and so he had them tortured and killed. He ordered their butchered corpses to be placed on spikes lining every road and path in the kingdom. Men, women, and children anyone who had a fraction of belief in their minds will be culled without a second thought."
Claire and Amelia hide, delivering Sarah a tight hug. Sarah's face flushes crimson.
Sarah "G-Guys... please... get off me."
Claire/Amelia "No!"
In an act of retaliation, they tighten their embrace, determined to crush Sarah with their affection. Sarah's initial resistance crumbles under the weight of their insistence, and she surrenders to their tight hold.
Sarah "I see... so this what cause you to guys to be... you know like what you are now."
AN "Yes."
Kanji "I'm guessing this is not the end of it. There must be something else, right?"
AN "Ah, I guess my tone of voice gave it away, huh? And yes indeed there are. You see the aftermath of the skirmish caused the black hole entity to collapse on itself and release massive bursts of Hawking radiation. These bursts were powerful enough to impose a significant amount of damage on Lord Kin's children, leaving behind special triggers in our universe and other universes. There are certain actions that everyone MUST NOT DO AT ALL CAUSE. When the actions are done, they will come and destroy the initiators of said actions. Written here is a list of conditions that Lord Kin himself considered as triggers."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
-Suntarus's soul was fractured into trillions of neon orange shards, scattered across the universe. Breaking them would incur his wrath as destroying them all would mean his demise. Any attempts in uniting the soul fragments would lead to small and aggressive versions of Suntarus emerging from their crystal cocoons.
-Earthas's, Jupiteroth's, Neptunez's, and Marsagoz's minds were bound to four planets. Any wielders attempting to exit the atmosphere of the planets will enrage these four. Earthas is bound to Earth, Jupiteroth is bound to Granolith Prime, Neptunez is to Wal Tera, and Marsagoz to Caverrin.
-Venusith enters our world if one of the four intelligent species goes completely extinct. Pieces of her very being were fractured and shared among them.
-Saturnagator breaches in if anyone talks enough shit of Lord Kin. The insult must be very deep. Whatever the hell that means?
-Uranusava will come and fight anyone daring enough to wield a pair of ancient gauntlets. This weapon currently resides on a large motionless meteor in the center of the Universe.
-Plutoren will show its appearance to greet the one who discovers the Ultimate truth. This truth isn't mentioned.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Dave "Yo, that's fucking dank man! We should just hope we ain't fighting them anytime soon."
Sarah "Dave, didn't you listen? At one point we have to confront at least 4 of them."
Dave "SHIT."
Sarah "Yeah but I guess all this awesome shit is enough of a compromise for me to join guys. Count me in!"
Kanji "Glad, you decided to join us."
Claire "This is going to be awesome Sarah! We can get to you a little more personally."
Amelia "True, our interaction before was minimum at best."
Sarah "Umm...yes. Yes, it will be different... maybe I guess. I don't know."
Dave "Look what you did, dudes. You stunlocked her lol."
Kanji "I'm glad. Now then... It's time for AN to activate her powers."
AN spins the relic with unwavering determination and it lands on a symbol depicting a quill embedded in a fractured surface. The symbol begins to emit an eerie gray glow.
Without hesitation, AN plunges the relic downwards, and a panel bottom of Kanji's panel illuminates to reveal Sarah's image.
As AN watches, a cloud of prismatic gray aether envelops Sarah's body, causing her neck to turn black and become covered in unfamiliar symbols.
AN "Miss. Sarah, you are now # The aspect of Fiction #. I guess you already know why you are this aspect."
Sarah "Yeah it is... quite obvious."
She gestures towards the numerous drawings adorning her walls.
Sarah "Anyway, what can I do?"
AN "As the wielder of fiction, you can conjure up either an object, a beast, or transform into a character or creature from any fiction that doesn't have an owner."
Dave "Ah so this power has like copyright rules. Dang. Guess you can't become Cthulhu, Sas bro."
Sarah "Dave... that nickname... please don't say it again. It's weird."
Dave "No. Sas Sas."
Despite the overwhelming urge to slap his face, she exercises restraint and redirects her focus toward her newfound strength.
Sarah "So how does scaling work? Am I like Kanji, Dave, and Amelia or am I unique like Claire?"
AN "You fall into the latter. Currently, you can only choose one thing from a certain work of fiction and you can use only one of its many abilities. Each crystal you break add two more stuff for you to choose from and you unlock another ability for all of your possession. Also, the abilities you get will be randomized and the fiction has to be famous enough to allow you access."
Sarah "Umm...I see, but what fiction doesn't have an owner?"
Kanji "It's religion and mythology, obviously. No one officially owns them. Either that or you could create your own fiction."
Sarah's face morphs, a subtle shift that catches the attention of onlookers. In one swift motion, she springs away with a sprightly skip, exuding a playful demeanor. The Aspect of Fiction commandeers her computer, rapidly tapping out a message to her peons.
Sarah "It's time for project "Old One Order"."
|Dave's chat spams monkaOmega|
A grimoire lies nestled in her palm, the enigmatic object draws Dave's attention.
Dave "No. No...You couldn't have. You actually made your own edgy teenage forbidden book and you're trying to spread that damn thing."
Sarah "Err... Yeah. I'm just trying to make my fiction more popular so I can access it. I swear it will be useful in the future. So for now, I guess I have no choice but to choose an item from a religion."
Amelia "You don't want to become a beast or person...oh wait...I can see why that would be quite unpleasant."
Sarah "Yep, I am not comfortable with transformation unless it's a... you know."
Kanji "What should matter is the effectiveness of what you choose."
Dave "Maybe like Zeus's thunderbolt. Shooting lighting and shit is fucking rad."
Amelia "The Bible could be interesting. Who knows it could do something unexpected and awesome."
Claire "I think you should just choose what you want. I have no suggestion lmao."
Sarah "Thanks for pitching in guys, but I think I'm gonna choose Chinese mythology."
Dave "Patriotism 100 alert! Ha jk. Are you going to get Sun Wukong's staff or whatever its name is?"
Sarah "Ruyi Jingu Bang.... and no I'm not gonna choose that."
She decides and suddenly a bright light fills the room.
A furry orange bag appears in her hands.
Kanji "Wait..is that....is that Nezha's bag? Wow. That was quite surprising, but clever of you. This way you could probably get all of his many artifacts."
Sarah "Exactly... Now let's see which item I'm getting first."
Anticipation mounts as Sarah reaches into the fabled object, her companions watching intently. With a flourish, she withdraws a gleaming metallic disk, but upon closer inspection, it appears more like a ring than a traditional disc.
Dave "Wait. Is this the weapon that Nezha guy used to fight the monkey king? I don't know, I never watch Journey to whatever it was."
Sarah "It's Prince Nezha's Universe ring, Dave."
In an attempt to avoid her withering stare, Dave pivots sharply, distancing himself against the nearest wall.
Sarah "Humph!...... anyway what you should we do now?"
Kanji "We must prepare of course. I feel like soon we won't be as relaxed as we are now."
Claire "What do you mean Kaney?"
Kanji "You guys remember that guy that struck Amelia."
Tightly balled fists tremble with rage as Dave directs his frustration toward the wall.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Dave "Of course, I wouldn't forget that midget cape-wearing pussy son of a bitch! What's worse is that we don't even know the bastard's name so I can't fucking roast him more than this."
Amelia "Maybe AN would know. I am keen on paying back this injury ten fucking fold!"
Dave "Only shit Amby! You starting to use curse words, bro. Amber would defo be proud."
Claire "Oh nooo, Amy lost her innocence. Well, it's bound to happen with all of us fucking eventually."
Sarah "Wow... I didn't expect that."
Amelia "eh? what? No, wait guys! That was just an accident! I don't know why that happened!" "Looks like anger is key, nice job, Amelia."
Flustered and ashamed, she beats a hasty retreat under a nearby mound of pillows.
Kanji "Guys, let's get back to business."
They seat down and patiently wait for his words.
Kanji "I believe that AN would like to tell us that guy's name."
AN "Sorry to tell everyone this.... but I have no idea. I heard that a newly elected general has been assigned, but we barely have any intel on him. To be broader, we don't know any of the generals' names accept their titles despite being apart from our society's hierarchical system."
Kanji "Hmmm... that's too bad. I guess we just have to get it out of him ourselves. When we catch him next time that is."
Dave and Amelia are intrigued by Kanji's claim.
Kanji " You know for the past days, at one point of the day we were always attacked. But I believe today we won't be."
Dave "Wait, how would you know that bro?"
Kanji "We can assume that the guy is the newly elected general due to AN's input. Strangely, the leader himself decided to recklessly enter the battlefield. When we tried to attack him, he retreated immediately like a coward meaning he doesn't have the capability to deal with our front-on assault."
Dave "That means he must be a fucking dumbass, bro."
Kanji "Yes. Either that or he is scheming something. I believe that yesterday's attack may convince that asshole to try it again. He thinks that not attacking us right now will cause us to let out guard down for when he does attack."
_________________________________
TIN TIN "Master, why aren't we attacking those humans?"
KARNAT "OH TIN TIN MY BOY! YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY COMPREHEND MY SUPREME WAY OF THINKING EITHER DO THOSE MONKEYS."
TIN TIN "I see your knowledge has no bounds. You are a god!"
KARNAT "YES INDEED! THEY WILL REST THEIR TINY HEAD IN THE COMFORT OF SAFETY AND SOON I WILL ONCE MORE TAKE A SWIG OF MY SWEET NECTAR OF SUCCESS!"
_______________________________________
Amelia "How despicable! We can't just tolerate that and must take action."
Kanji "We will Amelia, and you are the key to our payback."
Amelia "Wha?"
Kanji "I see the guy as a person who takes even the slightest weakness into account to win. He probably believes that a blind person would be easier to kill. We can use this to our advantage because we are the only ones who know that she isn't blind."
_______________________________________
TIN TIN "So master. What will your greatness do?"
KARNAT "I'LL DEPLOY THE SAME TACTIC I MASTERFULLY ORCHESTRATED AND PLUCK THE FANCY DRESS FLENCHING FROM HER NEST."
_______________________________________
Dave "Dude what the fuck?! You are going to use Amby as bait! Not fucking cool!"
Dave seizes Kanji by the collar with a fierce grip.
Claire "Hey! Dave! Sto-
Kanji "Claire, it's ok."
He looks Dave dead in the eye.
Kanji "I of course wouldn't want my friend to get hurt. None of us would. But we must take risks to ensure further safety for everyone and so setting a trap for our prey would be the best solution."
Dave "Oh..."
He releases his grip and settles back into Sarah's bed.
Dave ".... sorry man. Fuck. I'm fucking losing my cool."
|His chat filled with D:|
Amelia "Don't worry, Dave. I can take care of myself. It won't happen again and you can bet on it."
Claire "Yeah! We will be by her side. Right, Sarah."
Sarah "Yeah... you can count on me."
Kanji "Now that things are clear. Next time..."
_______________________________________
KARNAT "NEXT TIME..."
_______________________________________
Kanji/KARNAT "... we will win!" / "... I WILL WIN AGAIN!"
Dave "Great now we need a place for training and prepare shit like that chamber from DBZ. This is what are you trying to say, right bro?"
Kanji " Yes and I actually got such a place. But be warned, everyone should stand back. Preferably against the walls."
Carefully distancing themselves from Kanji, the group watches as he takes out a small device and taps a button labeled "Storage".
In response, a massive spherical portal materializes, beckoning them forward. Entering its glowing embrace, they find themselves immersed in a vast expanse of infinite white space, cluttered with countless piles of objects.
Dave "Woah dude! Is this all your stuff?!"
Kanji "Yes, but we shouldn't plunder our time scouring my belongings..."
With a snap of his fingers, a pillar-shaped robot emerges from the chaos of objects.
Kanji "Tally, hide all of my inventory and bring me a Biome Ball."
As if by magic, the robot vanishes into thin air, and in its wake, the piles of objects follow suit, disappearing into nothingness. On Kanji's left lays a curious green glass orb. He holds it aloft for his bewildered companions to see.
Kanji "You guys seem to be quite curious. It will be very long to explain, but I will go with your decisions."
Dave "Nah man, I feel like my brain would fucking explode. So I'm out."
Claire/Amelia: "Same!"
Sarah "I'm..... a bit curious about what it can do."
Kanji "Ok. Basically, this space can hold items or objects and has a spatial distance of about 10 miles in diameter. With the ceiling reaching the same height as Earth's stratosphere. I can bring objects in and out using two other key buttons, Input and Output. I can also exchange an inputted item to duplicate an item inside this space with "Convert". And finally, I have "Compress" which squishes an object into this sphere I'm holding. Unfortunately, this process takes about two weeks to be done."
Sarah "I see.... can we use this place to escape?"
Kanji "No because the enemy can just enter after us. Secondly, it takes 20 minutes to recharge the portal and it only lasts like 2 hours in the real world. However, within this space, it lasts 8 hours. "
Dave "But earlier wasn't it like instant, dude? Also, can we like crush anyone with this place?"
Kanji "For some reason, the functions won't work on living beings. Well, except for cases. It is complicated. Also, I think you mistook activation time for charging time. You see the portal can last 2 hours, after that, it can't be accessed and it pushes out any life forms within it until 20 minutes are up. But enough of that, let's get started! When I count to three, everyone jump as high as you can."
Kanji "1.... 2....... 3!!!!"
With a burst of excitement, the group jumps into the air as Kanji hurls the sphere to the ground. Upon impact, the orb shatters, unleashing a deluge of dirt that spreads across the ground. Grass magically begins to sprout from the newly-formed soil, transforming the barren space into a lush and verdant plain. The friends land gently on the fertile ground, gazing out in awe at the space.
Dave "Dude I'm touching grass poggers."
|His chat replies with the same emote|
Kanji "Everyone listens up! Today we train!"
Sarah raises her hand.
Sarah "I was wondering before we start... aren't guys overwhelmed?"
Dave "What da the fook are you talking about, bro?"
Sarah "I mean... everyone except Claire and I has this weird skill system... and with endless possibilities. It seems... impossible to know what skill to create."
Kanji "So far we just kept skill points and adapted them to situations we ran into."
Sarah "That's smart... but what about when things are too hectic to think during the moment!"
Kanji "Sarah... you're right. I guess we need countermeasures for certain outcomes."
Dave "You mean like a super move or some shit. You should go for it man, there is more stuff you can do with your aspect."
Kanji "Fine, I'll try doing your suggestion. You and Amelia should go for new ways to attack or plan a way to get back at that bastard."
Dave/Amelia "Got it!"
Claire "I'm just gonna stay near the entrance, I already spent my slots on these. Speaking of which..."
With precision and agility, Claire launches a bar of mechanical soap toward Sarah. The mass hurtles towards its target, but Sarah's quick reflexes save her from the impending impact. In a swift motion, she dodges the flying object and darts away. However, Claire is determined to pursue Sarah.
Claire "HEY! Sarah! This is like training! It is so much fun lol!"
A flurry of cleaning agents flies through the air as Claire launches them in a cone toward Sarah. But Sarah was ready, conjuring her universe ring in a flash and swiftly hurling it at Claire's oncoming projectiles.
They flicker off Sarah's ring and scatter across the grassy terrain below.
Sa: "You're right... this is kinda fun."
Claire swiftly collects all the scattered bars of soap.
Cl: "Prepare for round two."
Sarah takes on a defensive stance, positioning her right leg forward.
Sarah "Bring it on."
Kanji observes the display of passive-aggressiveness with a hint of amusement. But he soon moves on, redirecting his attention towards consulting his current set of skills.
Kanji "To be blunt, all of my skills can become ultimate skills if infused with enough power. However, some might be less practical than others and could potentially hurt my friends. I'm gonna need a skill that can perfectly save us in a pitch and be utilized normally."
As time passes... Finally, after much thinking, he strikes gold.
Kanji "Got it!"
Kanji summons multiple dummies, strategically placing them around him. He takes a few deep breaths, centering himself...
Kanji "Ok, just enough to not knock me out completely."
A surge of energy courses through Kanji's body, causing it to glow with electrical power. As he releases this energy, a wave of electricity ripples outwards, crackling through nearby objects. However, to his dismay, the straw dummies remain unaffected by his attack, leaving the display somewhat anticlimactic.
Kanji "Humph! That doesn't matter. Cause the real test comes now!"
Kanji charges up his chain and disperses his body into the static ground. In a flash of lightning, he bolts from dummy to dummy, slicing through their fragile structures in mere seconds.
Kanji now knows
|5. Energy wave|
Again and again, Kanji charges through the dummies, slicing them with his electrified chain and honing his skills until his limit is reached.
Kanji "Yes! Test complete! Let's see how's everyone else going."
Kanji turns back towards Claire and Sarah. As he looks on, he notices that Claire has started firing her crossbow, while Sarah dodges and deflects the projectiles using her ring as a melee weapon. Kanji continues to survey his surroundings.
Kanji "Where's Dave and Amelia?"
They are sitting at the space's western border, savoring a tranquil picnic.
Dave "Man, these sandwiches are so good. You're the best fucking chef in the world, Amby!"
Amelia "Dave! Save some for the others. And shouldn't we start discussing our course of action?"
Dave "Don't worry! I figured it out. EZPZ."
Dave walks a short distance and lightly taps the ground.
Dave "Throw something to this spot right here."
She picks up his drone and hurls it. Upon impact, the ground erupts into a long and sharp spike.
Dave now knows
|5. Trigger|
Fortunately, his drone managed to dodge the impalement.
|The amount of MonkaDeath in his chat is staggering|
Amelia "I see that you created a kind of triggering ability."
She said trying to divert the conversation.
Dave "Amby, what the fuck?!.... Throw it harder so the spike could stab it."
Amelia "Eh???"
|His chat: D: and Weirdchamp|
Dave "Aw man, now I won't have an excuse to buy the latest recording drone!"
Amelia "Why don't you just do it anyway?"
Dave "Because I have an oath to never get anything new unless the things I have, are broken by someone else. Why? I don't know! I just fucking weird like that! We should probably get our asses back to Kanji."
Amelia "How about my new ability?"
Dave "Ummm....maybe like you switch people's field of view to confuse the fuck out of them."
Amelia "Dave I think you are very smart when it comes to fighting."
Dave "Well, I did spend like years fighting thugs or douches. Those guys were unpredictable as fuck."
Amelia "I see that is pretty cool."
Dave "Wow you're starting to sound a lot like Amber. Just kidding, you got a long way to go."
Amelia "Yeah, you're right."
Standing up, they rejoin the group. Dave proceeds to convey his plan to Kanji.
Kanji "I can't believe I have to say this but dude you're a genius."
Dave "Dammmmmn. Did you really just say that, dude? Who is this man and where is Kanji?"
Kanji "Stop with sarcasm. Anyway, our time is almost up."
Exiting through the portal, they step back into Sarah's apartment.
Sarah "What should we d-"
Suddenly, something hits the side of her head and she becomes encapsulated in a bubble, floating into the ceiling.
Sarah "Hey! Claire! That's unfair!"
From inside her backpack, Claire retrieves a fake elderly beard and puts it on.
Claire "Final lesson my Pinyine, the art of surprise."
Sarah "That's not how you spell "student" in Chinese... french girl."
Dave "Woah man, don't go there. I don't want to be banned from Twitchnet for the 18th time."
Amelia "What did you do to deserve such sentences?"
Dave "I tried to watch porn on stream. 8 times out of 10, I got terminated lmao! Other reasons would be chat's links."
|His chat spams Trollface|
Kanji "Wait what about the tw... you know what never mind. AN, are you there?"
AN "I have been trying to communicate with you through this artificial portal you created. Alas, my efforts yielded no fruit. For a human invention, this device shows a complexity much greater than our own."
Kanji "Do you wish to know its functions and inner workings?"
AN "As delightful as it is to learn about, I won't ask for it. For better, you should explain it to one of my colleagues, he is one of the greatest inventors in all of Caverrin. The thing is that he hates humans for their low intellect and doesn't want to talk to them. But I'm sure you know what I'm suggesting."
Kanji "Yes, understood. Welp...."
He turns to Dave and Amelia.
Kanji "... I wasn't finished with your plan. It has a huge flaw, we don't know what weapon he used against Amelia, it could possibly just slice through the spikes altogether. Amelia anything you noticed when he attacked you?"
Amelia "I remembered that the guy was moving very fast, I barely managed to see him holding what seems to be a turquoise knife. What boggled me the most is that the air around the blade seemed to rupture."
AN "Oh my god! He was using Neo Zanite! This is very bad!"
Kanji "What do you mean?"
AN "When Suntarus struck, he left behind three of his teeth which have the property to cut through anything in the universe. The largest of which currently sits behind the empress's throne, we rebels have the small one, and the medium one is nowhere to be found. The only thing that can block that damn weapon is with null rotatenium."
Kanji "What's rotatenium? Is it a type of metal?"
AN "Yes, it is basically the pillar of all of our creations. Using this material allowed us to achieve an unlimited amount of energy because it defies the law of motion. In short, the metal can exist in three states: Normal, charged, and Null. When it is normal, an object touching it would increase continuously by its initial velocity. Charged rotatenium increases an object's speed constantly by its current velocity. Lastly, null rotatenium completely negates any form of force or movement it attaches to or is struck by. To protect Miss Amelia, we need armor fashioned by laying null rotatenium on top of normal rotatenium. The problem is that this type of armor is only allowed to be made for the empress's generals."
Claire "So that's what that weird white cube was! You know the one inside the orbs of the soldier's weapons."
Kanji "Yeah, I'm guessing that the rotatenium is used as a generator for the plasma their weapons use. Man, there are a lot of things that don't make sense but I'll hold them off for now. So is there any way to obtain this equipment?"
AN "Oh... umm... we do have one armor, but it belongs to the guy I told you about. I'll try my best to get it and send it to you, but he won't be happy."
Kanji "That's understandable, please convince him."
AN sends a thumbs-up notification through the wielder's skill panel as Kanji stretches his arms and lets out a yawn.
Kanji "We can have time to relax."
Dave "Sweet dude! Finally!"
Claire "Oooh, we can go to a McDaniel. I'm starving!"
Sarah retreats like a cornered cat.
Sarah "I-I don't know."
Amelia "Sarah is there something wrong?"
Sarah "I-I...I work at a nearby McDaniel for a living."
Amelia "Gosh! that's awful! You poor lass."
Dave "Sas, we will treat you to the best fucking meal of your entire life."
Claire "Yeah! It will be awesome!"
Sarah looks at Kanji, who nods in agreement with their suggestion.
Sarah "Ha, fine... I guess I'm outnumbered."
They prepare to walk out, but something is still amiss.
Determined to find an answer, Sarah signals AN.
Sarah "Ummm.... the story you told us. What was her name, The First Aspect of Reality?"
AN "Her name was Mira......... Karlac."