Her right leg had healed completely, there was no pain around the area, no itch or tightness, her scarred tissue closed up entirely and vanished like it wasn’t there, she couldn’t comprehend. She rubbed the spot, it was an odd experience, almost spooky.
[Slow regeneration *sparkle* ★*sparkle*, your first and most essential skill. Think of it like a living bandage, just barely keeping you from the land of the dead until you become normal again…] Sys-chan announced..
“Regeneration, So I have health points?” she beamed up, excited. Was she like an RPG character now?
[Silly Jun, This model of the system wasn’t primed to measure ‘health points’ because it is completely unrealistic desu~. You’re not in a MMO. What do you think? This is Femcel Simulator 2. The system is a sophisticated machine, already dumbed down to suit your needs. Want to play a guessing game? How many health points does your liver have? Psst.. It’s not much.]
“Ah…” Her smile lowered, and the excitement died down.She had hoped this whole thing would be more straightforward.
[For a better comparison, you’re durability and endurance, could determine how well you can withstand a knife attack. Right now a punch with a force of 5000 Newtons would send your skinny plump body straight to human heaven. ]
Why did she say it like that? It made it sound exactly like how people lie to children about dog heaven.
“Is that a lot?” she thought back to the day before yesterday, the car knocking her over sending her flying. “I survived the car.”
[Barely, you can thank your regeneration and me of course. Without the system you’d have been comatosed or paralysed.]
“Also why are you insisting on me going out tonight. It’s scary out there.”
[You're one of the big kids now Jun, New playing ground, new school. Better upgrade that meatsuit, or some villain will turn it a blood puddle. ]
She swallowed. She was skeptical, but she had no reason not to trust the fox entity. Quixis. Aliens…Seven years from now. She was still waiting for him to appear again. Give her the whole run down. She felt suffocated by events of the day. She almost never went out. Perhaps fresh air would do her wonders, leaving the ‘Neeting’ for another day. But the streets were uncharted territory.
[It’s decided then!!! Jun. You will go for a simple ‘walk’ and test your powers. And come back. Easy peasy, lemons…lemons…what was it again.]
Juniper chuckled. System chan was beyond absurd, her quirky dialogue made her forget the unease. Still she felt weird, her leg was in pristine conditions, a bit of extra muscle mass there too. She clearly wasn’t normal anymore?
She curled her toes, and kicked her bare legs around. No lingering anything.
She strapped on a dark hoodie, and started looking for some running sneakers she hadn’t worn in several years.
It was close to midnight, stepping out of her doorway, She tiptoed softly, slowly out the door, afraid of waking her siblings. It was clear no sounds, she marched out towards the front door.
Just before she reached it, footsteps behind her made her freeze in place.
“Juno, what are you doing? Where’s your crutch.”
Remy stood behind her, visibly confused. His eyes were weary, but sharp, staring at her leg.
“I'm just going for a walk, Rem” he frowned at her. Her heart raced “I told you doc said I wouldn’t need it very soon, well what do you know…”
He looked distressed. “A walk, so soon, after the accident. That’s out of character, Jun, you don’t do walks, you play games all day.”
She felt guilt.
She sighed, trying to stay level headed.. “Look Remy, a lot is on my mind, our future is on the line. I…need to clear my head, I need to think out there.”
He clenched his hands, fingers twitching.
“Don’t lie to me, I’ve noticed…” His voice cracked, started coughing, but broke through it. “Since the day I visited you I knew something was off, you stare in strange directions, have conversations with yourself, and now your leg is fucking healthy. You’re lying to me. Just come clean, are you even my sister?”
She’s never been questioned on the validity of being herself. It felt like a punch to the gut. It hurt.
“Remy…I can’t speak right now, I have–”
“Like you couldn’t explain where our parents went!” He raised his voice, something he doesn’t do ever, anger directed at her. “You didn’t even try stopping them. You just let them be taken away!”
Heavy thoughts hit, the images clear as crystal. The 2031st revolution, declaration of the Pacific states. Was a rainy day, political unrest in the city, A revolution in the making, her mother and father were involved, loaded into a truck. She never saw them again. Cornered her into a room shortly after, an Iron barrel held to her head, accusations, and threats.
“You don’t understand, there’s nothing I could do” she whispered, softly. “Had I fought back, They’d have taken you and Euphemia. We’d be separated.”
“Perhaps it would been better like this! I’d have never gotten sick!”
[Hey, this incredibly insensitive. 2 Am is the most dangerous time in Core Pacifica. You don’t have time for this, move your butt! ]
“We’ll speak tomorrow Rem, I promise.”
He settled down, regret on his face, he wanted to say something. She’ddeal with it later.
She walked out the door disheartened, closing the door, locking it, checking the lock. Banging the back of her head against the door frame, letting out an icy breath. The cool air outside, quite the relief in summer, a relief for her mind.
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She walked off slowly, going down the dimly lit apartment walkway. A light or two flickering giving out. Rent lady needs to pay attention or she’ll have angry tenants soon. Faint sounds coming from other apartment doors such as tv chatter, a spinning microwave and baby crying bloody murder.
The world outside hers was spinning, while hers came to lethal stop.
Spotting the old crone patrolling her grounds below , Juniper shifted the other direction, shifting from darkness to darkness in hopes of avoiding Ms.Louise. She really can’t get questioned by the woman she was as nutty as a werewolf on a full moon. She’d probably evict her if she thought she was up to no good.
Spinning around the building complex, she entered a narrow pathway behind it, an emergency exit in case something horribly and conveniently bad happens. It was alway open but the entrance to was hidden in the darkness, an outsider proabbably wouldn’t navigate it.
[So sneaky, we’re spy’s now.]
“Who’s we I’m doing all the walking” she muttered.
Stepping onto the street, which was strangely calm safe for the sounds of the nightfolk and audible turbulence caused by capes and planes alike.
[This is the best the place test that hearing of yours, btw do you wanna see your stats]
“I have stats? Would it not be redundant health points?”
[The focus is different, it’s still arbitrary in my opinion b~~~~uuuut, It’s a great way to start it, look!]
[Juniper’s Stats]
Power: 4
Endurance: 3
Dexterity: 6
Reflex: 4
Durability: 3
Energy: 3
She stared at the flashing menu in front of her, looking around really quickly to make sure no one was looking at her having a conversation with herself. No light reflected off the skill menus but they were as visible as day to her.
“Uhhh, are those good stats.”
[Sorry to burst the bubble Jun, But your basic bitch…for now.]
“And where the mental stats, charisma and intelligence as stuff. These are just physical.”
[All kinds of stats exist but you don’t need to see them yet.What are you gonna, going to raise your intelligence without some neural implant, can your brain even process anything faster than video game stimulus.]
Another screen appears to the side.
[Charisma 2]
She didn’t expect anything less. Shut in level charisma.
[Well there ya go, socially dumb, almost clinical. As for wisdom, there’s not alot there, you’re 22, almost still a baby, try in 6 years.]
She moaned, slammed her butt on the curb of the street. It was indeed too much for her to take in. Her mind weighs heavy on the sudden argument with Remy. She usually comofrted him, they almost never argued.
“Ah I guess I am just a dumb baby who never grew up.”
[Hey, kiddo, keep your head in the game, it may be time to start jogging, I heard humans like to exercise, it's great for brooding like a teenager or an immature adult..]
“You don’t know what it feels like to be human, you don’t. It’s suffocating”
The system ignored the message. [Stop wallowing. Listen to the vibrance of the city, I promise there won’t be a repeat like that of the hospital. Trust me.]
[Activate Super audition lvl2]
[Y/N]
She hesitated. “Yes.”
Uncontrolled chaos reigned, as the dozens of sounds invaded her sensory network. The reach stretched a little farther than before, a seemingly dead city came alive. There were patrol drones buzzing overhead, looking for any sign of trouble. Snippets of conversations, house to house. The sound of rats screeching and scratching below her inside the sewer, their jittery paws giving her the wrong kind of goosebumps.
[♬Ta ta da ta taaa ta da ta taaa♬ You have leveled a power]
[Super audition Lvl2>Lvl3]
[Range extended 3.6 miles
The range stretched again this time, she could hear honking cars blocks away the sound of a door being hammered down in the middle of the night, ashouting and screaming shortly after. A gunshot went off–
“Shut it off!” she started heaving. It became a bit overbearing again.
Blinking patrol drones hovered in the direction of it.
[Wait, check your stats first]
“I don’t want to.” she moaned.
Despite protesting. Sys-chan forced the screen again.
[Juniper’s Stats]
Power: 4
Endurance: 3
Dexterity: 6
Reflex: 12 (4)
Durability: 3
Energy: 3
Passive skills equipped
[Enhanced hearing]
[Heightened reflexes]
Seh straed at the changing numbers and values, discomfort making her wince. The enhanced reflexes made sense, she reacted before even registering what she heard.
“Shut it off now!”
[Chill Jun Chill out. You can just think it off, no need to ask.*drops a nervous sweat*]
She stood up, attempting to get her bearings together. The noise stopped but her ears get ringing.
“This is fucked up.”
[Cmon, you’ve seen the battle of Thermopylae, now kicking someone into a bottomless pit that is fucked up.]
“Shut up..” she started brooding.
What’s the point in exercising this power? Wouldn’t it be better if I just focused on the ability ones, like Helio's girl’s powers.”
[No, you're entirely missing the point. Other’s have walked the hasty path and gotten hurt, severely,the point is mastery, so can subconsciously tap into it. Without actively using it. Give it time and who knows you could become a god here. Remember 7 years.]
“So why don’t the quixis fox thingy take it to the government. Why not give everyone a system.”
[Horrible idea. The planet would be destroyed before the aliens can get here. You’ll destroy yourselves, like you do in most realities. Besides I don’t do politics, I'm here to make you stronger and your mental well being. Now to jogging!”]
She let out a sigh, just casually confirming a multiverse. Her thoughts shifted elsewhere. “What if I could share this power with my brother?”
[It’s possible, but it’s against the rules. You’d lose more than your access to it. You’d be forfeiting your life. Terrible trade. Focus on getting better care for him. ]
“Maybe that’s the best outcome for everyone…”
[Hey! Don’t even go there. Zip it. Don’t, now start jogging. ]
She felt a sharp jolt stabbing her brain.
“Ow!” she moaned.
[That’s what you get. No hangmanny thoughts.]
Recomposing herself. She slowly crossed the street, looking left and right despite cars being vacant. One car passed by and slowly cruising in her direction, slowing to a crawl and stopping next to her.
Her heart raced with fear, but she froze.
[Keep moving. Stay calm]
The window rolled down. An older man stared at her body..
“How much?” he asked.
“....huh.”
“How much for your services did I stutter.”
“I-am not a prostitute.”
The man slammed his steering wheel. “Then what the fuck are you standing around here like one for girly.”
“I…”
“You homeless?”
“No I…”
“Stop stuttering, why don’t come here for a bit, you got a tight throat!”
[Stop talking Scare him, immediately!]
[Activate Solar powered Sentinel lvl 1?]]
[Y/N]
“Yes.”
“You do? That's what I like to hear.” he laughed. His hands shuffling below his waist somewhere. She became angrier.
There wasn’t enough moonlight here, but it was sufficient to feel the flow of energy slowly charge into her. A faint comforting warmth from her head to her toes. She did her best impression of looking angry. Her hair started flowing in the air, lifting off the ground starting to levitate.Her eyes started glowing.
“SHit, cape!”
His predatory confidence vanished. His window closed up, fumbling with his gears and immediately revved his engine to flee. His car launched away but died once, and struggled to accelerate. .
She fell to the ground, from half a meter high, knees buckling, nearly losing her balance. She crept backwards, “man that was scary.”
The car was still insight, making his way out of the scene.
[Blast his ass with an energy wave. Make him learn his lesson]
“What I can’t thats–”
[Let him fear you!]
She hesitated, but the thought him approaching another vulnerable girl lingered. She focuses, condensing the energy to her hands, sending it after the car. It exploded on the ground, exploding light, illuminating the street. Loud enough that several people may have heard The car accelerating faster. Disappearing around a corner.
She stood trembling.
[Attagirl! Strike fear into these misfits!]
“I– need to start jogging.” Breaking into a shaky uncomfortable run. She hoped no one saw that.