I sped through the streets that lay between Calm Springs Asylum and the industrial area where I’d died, throwing caution to the wind and doing everything I could to increase the speed of my longboard.
While I slid along the façade of an apartment block only a few streets away from the kindergarten where I’d first met Bee, Panda told me to activate my Rules of Anarchy, since the Respawn was used up. All my other cooldowns had reset, but there was nothing that could take me there any faster.
“If only I hadn’t gotten rid of Backdoor,” I grumbled, as I landed on the asphalt and shot ahead with a new burst of speed.
[SEE YOU LATER, CROCODILE!]
The longboard disappeared below me and I slipped forward, hitting my chin against the rough pavement and sliding along it for several yards before coming to a stop.
“Argh! Fucking shitty board always runs out when I need it!”
The skin on my chin was worn away and I could feel my cold silver skeleton, when I touched the injury with a finger.
“I’m gonna burn my Time Save,” I said.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Panda scolded me. “I told you, use the Rules of Anarchy. I think the Commuter Pass can get you there faster than running.”
“Oh, right… Rules of Anarchy(Commuter Pass).”
Rules of Anarchy Activated!
Passive Selected: Commuter Pass
Description:
Public Transport will function as normal for you.
“Okay, I can work with this,” I said.
“I need a Bus!”
REQUEST RECEIVED!
Your current location has been added to the route of the nearest ‘Bus’.
Please wait patiently for it to arrive.
I put my pajamas back on and started blowing air into Brock, just in case the Pass didn’t work like I thought.
“Wouldn’t a Taxi have been better?”
“The Bus will protect me better than a Taxi,” I replied.
“Yeah, but it’s operating as ‘normal’ right, so do you really have a say in where it goes? Also, that Queenguard one-shot the last one you summoned.”
[YUMMY-YUMMY: A PASSENGER FOR MY TUMMY!]
“We’re gonna find out,” I said, as the sound of tearing and protesting metal announced the arrival of the Humanbus in the distance.
For the next minute, I could track its progress towards me by the sounds of all the cars and obstacles it shoved aside or destroyed.
Then suddenly it was just there at the end of the street, the massive hubcap-sized eyes shining its intense glow at me, while the mouth beneath salivated, and handprints pressed against the window above.
A release of air and steam came from a door in the side of its ‘head’ and I slowly approached it.
“Can you take me to the industrial area near the highway? There should be a gas station and grill in the area.”
[YUMMY-YUMMY: A PASS-HOLDER GETS TO DECIDE! NOW GET IN MY TUMMY!]
“Pretty sure that’s your head,” I replied, before placing my foot on the raised step in the doorway and using one of the hand-bars to pull myself up and inside.
Before I could change my mind, the doors slammed shut behind me.
Directly next to where I’d entered was the place for the driver, but that whole part of the interior was reserved for an enormous pink brain. Gloopy synapse arms connected to the rest of the interior like wires that crawled along the floor and ceiling.
[HAVE A SEAT!]
[ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL ARRIVAL: 15 MINUTES!]
[SIT BACK AND RELAX!]
I found an available seat, though many were already occupied by expressionless ghosts. The upholstery was clearly made from skin and there were ugly stitches criss-crossing the cushions and backrests, with small clumps of hair sticking out here-and-there.
“Ugh.”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
I sat down and, to my surprise, it was actually rather comfortable.
Then the whole interior lurched as the Humanbus coiled into a U-turn and began blazing down the street towards my destination, its countless feet pushing it to speeds that surpassed what even my longboard was capable of.
“Brock forgot to say, but he is now level 9.”
I looked at the balloon gauntlet. “Really? That was fast. Did the level-up requirements change?” I wondered, inspecting him.
‘Brock’ x
A purple balloon gauntlet that makes a noise when it hits something.
Any punch with this glove has quadruple the impact damage and impacts twice.
Doubled throwing speed and more accurate throws.
Creates powerful blasts of wind when punching the air.
Builds up static over time that is released upon the next attack.
Can be inflated using attacks to drain a lot of air from targets, or by blowing into the valve in the wrist, in order to increase damage up to quadruple its normal value for the next attack.
While this weapon is equipped, Purple Ultra is enabled.
Level: 9
World Boss Kills remaining until next Evolution: 3
Weight: 2.592 Pandas
image [https://i.imgur.com/FNrLSXm.png]
“It’s World Boss kills required now, huh? That shouldn’t be so hard to achieve.”
The level 9 upgrade window immediately appeared:
Brock — Level 9
Pick one of the following level-up skills:
Anti-Heal
Targets hit with Brock become unable to regenerate their injuries for 10 minutes.
Infection
Targets hit with Brock rapidly lose health for the next 20 seconds. Repeated applications stacks duration up to 10 times.
Eye-Opener
Targets hit with Brock receive +5% to their Insanity Gauge. Only affects Players.
image [https://i.imgur.com/k9EV31M.png]
“They’re all related to the Purple curse,” Panda muttered.
“I thought it already had the Infection effect?”
“Pretty sure that went away thanks to the All-Mother’s Pearnana counter-curse.”
“At any rate, I’m picking Anti-Heal,” I said.
The plushie nodded in agreement. “Good choice.”
I pulled out the Warden Juice I’d gotten from the achievement earlier and unscrewed the thin metal lid on the glass jug, before chugging the ‘juice’ within. Electrical zaps hit me as it ran down my gullet and into my stomach. I was fairly sure that, without my Purple curse, it would’ve tasted like battery acid, but instead it was just like a subtle note of eggplant, which was somehow worse.
Choose your reward! x
You’re going to regret drinking this in about 40 minutes, as Warden Juice is an extremely-powerful laxative. Basically, you’ll feel as though you’re being exorcised from the inside-out.
Until then, here’s three new Skills to pick between. Hope it was worth it!
Pick one of the options:
‘Zap’ | ‘Energy Lattice Prison’ | ‘Energy Leash’
‘Zap’ x
Ability
Sometimes it’s a little tingle and other times it’ll strip the skin off your body.
All your Abilities not currently on cooldown are put on cooldown for 10 minutes.
Zap a target for damage equal to (Number of Passives) to the power of (Abilities placed on Cooldown).
‘Energy Lattice Prison’ x
Ability
Like a portable jail cell that also executes its prisoner.
Fire off a homing energy charge that, on impact, creates a Lattice Prison of scalding energy to trap a target. The Prison shrinks until its duration expires.
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 15 minutes
‘Energy Leash’ x
Ability
Minor Wardens are really into bondage it seems, which raises some very uncomfortable questions about how they keep their prisoners in line…
Manifests a rope of energy that will coil itself around anything it hits and can be released again with a thought.
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 10 minutes
image [https://i.imgur.com/i1GBhXp.png]
image [https://i.imgur.com/elOjtWX.png]
image [https://i.imgur.com/0WDXwTM.png]
image [https://i.imgur.com/RcTREtC.png]
“Zap is really powerful, right?”
“Powerful but also debilitating,” Panda said. “Currently, its maximum potential power would be 1416, which seems just on the cusp of what the Adjudicator will have to deal with, but the issue is that if it fails to kill your target, you’ve voluntarily locked yourself out of all your abilities…”
“The other two options sound lame,” I muttered.
“They’re good utility. The Prison would especially come in handy.”
“I’m still picking Zap. I’ll just have to find Shellby and buy her Sea Urchin to turn it into something less detrimental.”
Panda frowned, but then nodded. “Fine.”
[YUMMY-YUMMY: OUR DESTINATION IS COMING UP ON THE LEFT! PREPARE TO EVACUATE MY TUMMY!]
----------------------------------------
Chapter -129 will be delayed until November 28th.
I am taking a brief (and much needed) vacation to Barcelona for a few days.
Apologies for the inconvenience.