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[Escape]
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| Minutes later… |
…
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, they're here... The consequences of my actions are here!!!"
"Stop right there, Mysterious Guitarist, or you'll be charged with fleeing the scene!" a voice crackled over a patrol radio as officers pursued a figure streaking through the sky.
I flipped them the middle finger as I flew away, all my equipment floating behind me.
[+15 Points in style]
"There's style points now?!" I blurted when the notification popped up.
[No, I was just kidding.]
"You flip between being a comedian and an emotionless system whenever you like, huh?"
[Better focus on getting away, eh, host?]
"Shut up. Everything is under contro—"
-Ratatatatata-
The sound of a helicopter closing in cut off my comment. I craned my neck and sure enough—a police chopper was hovering overhead.
"Oh, come on, man. The sky now too?!"
[Seems like you are not in control, eh, host?]
"You're not helping."
[The true aura farmer keeps his cool, even when annoyed by the voices in his head. I'm merely helping you train.]
"Can I turn you off?"
[No.]
"You suck."
"Stop, you vigilante—time to put an end to your delinquent-ish tendencies!"
While I was busy bickering in my own head, a figure flashed across my path: Pidgael, the pigeon hero, flapping his wings majestically.
God, what an awful name.
"Stop, or I'll be forced to—ACK!"
I just swatted him down with a push of aura, splatting him against the pavement below.
I cushioned the fall, of course—didn't want to be charged with serious assault on an actual hero. That would only make things worse.
[+35 style points!]
'You're still on that…?'
-Ratatatata-
Another helicopter screamed in. This one wasn't just monitoring.
"Damn you, vigilante! You actually struck a hero! Time to put you in your place!"
Hand Breakable peeked from the chopper hatch, Plasma Pop standing at her side. The chopper streaked, and they touched down on a nearby building, gearing up to intercept.
'They're actually turning on me now that the villain's down, huh?'
I clicked my tongue, changed direction, and flew away from that roof.
"Hey, where are you going? Come back here!"
I left them watching as I vanished into the distance. They couldn't fly like Pidgael or me, so they would need to wait for the helicopter to pick them up again if they wanted to resume the chase.
'Too bad so sad.' I snorted.
Slamming one hero against the ground was enough criminal record in my resume for today. So I wanted no more fights with heroes for now, regardless of whether I could win or not.
—at least that was the plan. Then I heard strange noises coming from my back, and froze.
I spun, and my eyes widened. "The hell...?!"
Hand Breakable was launching herself at me, one nail extending and thus propelling her off the building—then every other nail in her hand morphed and combined into a giant steel hammer swinging my way.
"Oh shit—!"
I tried to slow the hammer with aura.
"Kgh—!"
Sadly, its momentum and weight won. I was battened away.
—CLANG!!!—
-Bam!-
Moments later, I slammed through a building and landed in someone's living room. The family looked up from dinner as I collapsed across their sofa, winded and sore.
"That shit hurt…" I muttered and checked my status.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: 82
▸ Defense: 164→992
▸ Aura Projection: 1328→500
─────────────
Total Aura: 1328
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Skills:
▸Clean
▸Trouble Radar
▸Connoisseur
▸Pain is Just a Feeling
▸Innamovible Object
▸True Speaking
▸True Breathing
▸True Walking
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Good thing I'd swapped aura in time—otherwise I'd be already out and probably in the hospital. That had been quite a blow, after all.
I was sore, maybe a bit hurt, but still capable of moving. Still, I didn't want to think about what would have happened if I had taken the blow without my defenses boosted.
'Alright, now it's personal.'
From my sprawled posture on the couch I was laying on, I made a come gesture. My guitar and the speakers floated back toward me the next second.
I'd managed to grab onto them with the last sliver of aura projection I'd kept, despite being swatted away like a fly.
With my gear secured, I let the guitar and speakers float onto the couch where I lay and dropped them there. Why? Because I needed every ounce of aura to teach this bitch a lesson.
Instruments safe, I floated up and exited the apartment through the hole I'd made on the way in.
"Heh."
Standing on the opposite building, arms crossed and smirking, was Hand Breakable.
A vein popped at my temple.
'Alright. She asked for it. I'm gonna humiliate her publicly.'
Decision made, I beckoned to her with a hand. Her smirk froze.
"You little—!...Very well, if that's what you want… THEN HERE YOU HAVE IT!" she screamed.
She pushed off the building with one hand's nails and formed the giant steel hammer with the other, swinging it down at me and the apartment behind me.
'So much for heroes avoiding property damage.' I scoffed, my eyes going to the apartment behind me for an instant before returning to the incoming hammer.
But just before it could reach me—
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: 82
▸ Defense: 992→1492
▸ Aura Projection: 500→0
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Innamovible Object] (ACTIVATED)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
—CLANG!!!—
The metal hammer struck heavily, letting out a deafening ring that echoed for a few seconds before it ceased.
"...?"
Hand Breakable blinked, stunned that her attack had suddenly stopped, then her eyes fell on what her hammer had struck.
—only to find it stopped dead by a single finger of mine.
"Im-impossible!" she stammered, eyes trembling.
-Ratatatatata-
A helicopter drifted closer, carrying Plasma Pop and Pidgael, who looked roughed up but mildly fine, thanks to my cushioning. Soon, the chopper touched down on a nearby roof.
"Hand Breakable, stop! You're causing property damage!" a voice shouted.
"If you're going to fight, bring him down to the street; we've cleared the area!" another barked.
Hand Breakable snapped out of her daze and finally noticed the apartment hole behind me. Before she could react—
"Begone." I flicked my finger.
-Bang!-
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: 82
▸ Defense: 1492→164
▸ Aura Projection: 0→1328
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
With my aura back again, I sent her straight to a market full of stalls. She crashed into the tents, sending fruit and wood flying.
That didn't make it any less humiliating, though. Sent flying with a flick—that had to sting.
But that's what she gets for getting rough.
Next, I turned my attention to the helicopter and, without even the slightest hesitation, aimed my hand at it.
"Hey, what the hell are you—?!"
The heroes became startled as I began shoving it towards the building below with my AP, making land against the machine's will.
It resisted, of course. The propellers spun wildly and let out a weird sound as they fought to rise in the air again, but before it had the chance to—
-Crrkk!-
I closed my fist and crushed the propellers for good with the aura, basically trapping the heroes and pilot in the roof I'd made them land.
Pidgael still looked like he might move, though, since he had wings and all.
So before he had the chance, I flicked him too.
Where, you ask?
"Hahaha, did you really think one mere flick would be enough to defea—ACK!"
I sent him barreling straight into Hand Breakable, who was already coming back.
Both heroes collided and tumbled down to the street, leaving Plasma Pop stuck and looking dumbfounded between them and me in the nearest building, not knowing what to do or how to get out of there.
'Guess that's all from these heroes, huh?'
I sneered and waved a hand. My instruments floated back to me. With that, I rose in the air and began to drift away.
Sorry to the family whose wall I'd ruined, but that was on Hand Breakable's tab.
Time to go for good.
…
°
°
°
| Half an hour later… |
…
'Ugh, these guys are persistent…!' I muttered, staring at the cordon of police cars down below.
Why were they going this hard for a guy who just played a song and smacked a villain? Chill out!
With how relentless they are, how the hell am I supposed to stay hidden for ten minutes?
I sighed. Right now, I was tucked behind a car in a three-story parking garage, out of sight from the helicopters circling above.
As for my stuff, I had left all of it behind another car two or three parking spots away from where I was, hoping that, if they found it, that would delay them long enough from finding me.
I'd shaken most of the heat earlier and slipped in here during that opportunity—so even if they had a rough idea of the area, they didn't know I was in this building yet. That gave me a sliver of time.
I opened the mission window.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Sometimes those who shine too bright draw jealousy—and the desire to bring them down. Now, you face your first hurdle with society. Your moments of pure aura have displeased some people, and you've landed on their wanted list. Time for a tactical retreat!]
Conditions for completion:
▸Run away.
▸Farm aura while avoiding capture.
▸Evade the police's detection for at least 10 minutes. (2 minutes 39 seconds remaining.)
Reward: Aura gain (amount varies depending on how cool you look while escaping) | Skill gained: [Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Hiss.
"Can you hurry up?!" I muttered, annoyed that 10 minutes could be this slow.
My worry only intensified when I began hearing some officers sweeping the lower floors now.
"Already?!"
If they reached the one I was on, I was toast. They'd make sure to look at every single corner, including the one I was in.
"Please let them take their time…" I prayed, waving my two clamped hands up and down. "At least two—"
I forced my voice to a halt as I heard a bunch of cars coming up.
Slowly, I peeked from behind the car, squinting at what I saw.
A few cruisers were arriving at this level, lights from the cars cutting through dust as a bunch of cops stepped out and started turning on their flashlights while they began their search. I hugged the wheel well and hoped they'd just give a quick look and dismiss this place.
They didn't. The cars were parked, and I began hearing them look by foot carefully through each parking spot.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
I checked the timer.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
▸Evade the police's detection for at least 10 minutes. (1 minute 52 seconds remaining.)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Nearly two minutes.
Things weren't looking too bright. At the speed they were going, and judging by their numbers, I had around 30 seconds before they reached my spot.
Once they found me, the timer would reset, and I'd have to begin running away all over again.
'Damn it.' Panic flickered in me. 'What am I gonna—hold on.'
At that moment, a plan flickered, and a small grin adorned my face.
Using aura projection, I ghosted a walkie-talkie out of an officer's pocket without him noticing and guided it to me without anyone seeing.
Once in my power, I flipped it on.
"He's here, second floor—come quick!" I did my best impression of a panicked officer and fed it to the device. True Speaking coming in clutch for the impression.
"What?!" replies crackled. "You heard him, go go go!"
Officers scrambled back to their cars—most of them, at least. Two stayed. One of them realized his radio was missing.
"Hey, where did my walkie go?!" he barked.
"Crap, gotta tell the others it's a decoy!" the backup shouted, reaching for his own radio.
I couldn't have that. So, before he could reach it, I snatched the second walkie with my aura and sent it sailing against a wall.
-Crack!-
Next, it broke into many parts.
"That fucker…! Hey, come out wherever you are! That thing was expensive!" the cop shouted.
"Yeah, come out now, you're trapped!"
They were angry. Sorry, not sorry.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
▸Evade the police's detection for at least 10 minutes. (48 seconds remaining.)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Forty-eight seconds. The finish line was finally in sight.
"Hey, I think I heard a voice overlapping with the voice from the walkie-talkie earlier in that direction—come on!" one officer shouted, suddenly heading toward my corner.
"We got you now!" The other followed immediately.
Wha—why now?!
My teeth ground. Forty seconds. How do I make them ignore this stretch for forty more seconds? I could shove them away with aura, but that risked revealing my location, and I don't know if that counted as being detected. I'd already gambled on the stolen walkie.
I couldn't afford more luck tests. I had to find another way.
Footsteps came closer. They were heading straight for the car I was hiding behind, about to reach it.
'Oh!'
Then, another idea sparked.
Slowly, carefully, I lifted myself with aura, floating just enough not to touch the floor. Then, I slid along the side of the car, keeping its bulk between me and the officers. Silent as air, thanks to levitation.
But then—they split. One circled left, the other right.
Cutting off my escape.
'Shit!'
Desperate, I pulled my last card.
—Tack!—
I tapped the car opposite, just hard enough to make a noise, but not to make it obvious it was a diversion.
Did it fool them? Maybe not. But it made them pause, heads snapping toward the sound.
And that pause… was all I needed.
[Mission Complete!]
[Sometimes those who shine too bright draw jealousy—and the desire to bring them down. Now, you face your first hurdle with society. Your moments of pure aura have displeased some people, and you've landed on their wanted list. Time for a tactical retreat!]
Conditions for completion:
▸Run away. ✔
▸Farm aura while avoiding capture. ✔
▸Evade the police's detection for at least 10 minutes. ✔
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
<+Skill [Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!]>
Without wasting a second, I opened the skill description. If it was what I thought it was, it'd be exactly what I needed right now.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!](Active)
Description: A battle worthy of gods erupts—punches decimate buildings, kicks ravage streets, and the weak can only watch from afar as titans clash. Minutes pass. Hours. The battlefield becomes a wasteland by then.
At last, your rival lands a clean blow. You buckle, falling to one knee. His victory is certain.
But then… your body dissolves. A booming laugh echoes from above, freezing him in shock.
"Good job beating me… but that was merely a clone!"
▸ Spend a portion of your stats to create a perfect aura clone.
▸ Clones mirror you completely, personality and knowledge-wise, being fragments of your aura, and hence, of you.
▸Clones do not receive any of your stats, only your aura, so they have to make up for their lack of stats with it. So, have in mind they might need to spend a bit of the aura you give them to build their corporeal body.
▸ Once a clone is defeated/dissolved, you regain half the stats spent instantly; the rest return within an hour.
▸Clones can choose to dissolve if they deem it the correct choice.
▸You can dissolve clones on command.
▸Clones can only last up to a day.
▸Clones can receive only up to 50% of your stats, not more, for a clone cannot surpass the original.
▸You receive the clone's memories upon its cessation.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"Huh… well, good enough," I smirked.
Time to escape for good.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!] (ACTIVATED)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
The next instant, part of my aura split off and condensed beside me, slowly materializing into a literal me—same costume, same mask. He was standing there, calm.
"Freeze!"
The two police officers' heads snapped to him immediately. I sucked in a breath and glanced at my clone. He smiled faintly, then turned his back and ran.
"Oi, we told you to freeze!"
"The taser—use the taser!"
"Ah, crap!"
One of them fired a taser at my running clone, but with it using aura projection to block it, it stalled midair and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
The officers watched helplessly as my clone slipped out toward the edge of the parking floor, dove off the railing, and flew up toward a circling helicopter, flicking them the middle finger as he passed.
Meanwhile, the two cops bolted down the stairwell—probably to warn the others. Exactly what I needed.
-Phew...-
As they left, I eased out from behind the car, gestured for my instruments and camera, and had them float back to my side.
I opened my status out of habit.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: 82
▸ Defense: 164
▸ Aura Projection: 1328
─────────────
Total Aura: 1778→1422 (80%)
1st Clone's aura: 355 (20%)
─────────────
Skills:
▸Clean
▸Trouble Radar
▸Connoisseur
▸Pain is Just a Feeling
▸Innamovible Object
▸True Speaking
▸True Breathing
▸True Walking
▸Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
I raised an eyebrow at the percentages on what used to be my total aura, before upping my aura projection with the aura I had just gained, thanks to the mission.
Then, with that done, I crept to the edge of the parking level and peered out.
In the distance, my clone was already leading a convoy of helicopters and police cars away. He moved slower than I would have—no surprise, he only had 20% of my aura—so his capabilities were limited.
'Hopefully that's enough to keep them busy for a while.' I prayed inwardly.
Then, after a sigh of relief once everything seemed to come to an end, I turned and floated off in the opposite direction, soon diving off the railing just like my clone and flying away into the distance.
It was time to go home.
...
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: How was this chapter? A lot of tension, although not that many stakes. Expect a pov from mr. clone in the next chapter.)