FanFiction.Net
Just In
Community
Forum
V
More
The Most Dangerous Gamer by chimmon
Books » Worm Rated: M, English, Adventure, OC, Bonesaw, Siberian, Words: 431k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Mar 8, 2021 Updated: Feb 27, 2023
1,328Chapter 10: On the Road 4
Brandon nervously shook his foot while waiting. He was seated in one of the pews of the main chapel. Mother had summoned them here for some reason. Her holiness hadn't deemed to tell them why.
"I think she's gotten a vision from the holy Simurgh." Edward whispered to his right.
"I don't know about that." Brandon replied. "Where are Pete and George?"
"Aren't they on sentry duty tonight?"
"Exactly, why weren't they called in? It must be because there's something going on and they're needed outside."
"Do you think it's the Crowleys?" Edward motioned to the blessed that were visiting. "Some kind of betrayal? Taking our brides without recompense?"
Brandon shook his head. "No. Mama's too powerful for anyone to dare try that. She's the Holy One. No believer would dare betray her trust."
"Then what? I heard a gunshot last night."
"Pete said it was a rabid coyote that wandered in and had to be put down."
"Really? Do you think it was a sign? She works in mysterious ways."
"Indeed."
The two of them fell silent as Valefor approached them. "You're with me. Grab a gun and follow."
Brandon and Pete looked at each other, but didn't dare ask any questions. Pete took a shotgun, while Brandon picked up a rifle. The three other men from their row similarly armed themselves from the gun safe in the side office.
Valefor, the chosen son, was waiting for them. "Follow me. Do everything to protect me. You are not afraid."
Brandon would follow him and protect him. It was an honor to bask in one of the chosen's power. With his head held high, he walked out of the church into the night. It was quiet, but he wasn't afraid. The troop patrolled the street.
At first they stalked their commune. Silent and going back and forth between houses. Nothing. There was nothing to be seen.
"We're going to where the sentries were."
Were? Brandon considered that. Having your guards go missing worried him, but he wasn't afraid. Their flashlights swept the ground until they came upon a body. Pete!
The chosen son stepped forward and knelt. "His head was chopped off!" He suddenly looked worried. "Fan out! Look for signs! Whoever did this had to have left a trail!"
Brandon did as he was told. His light flickered left and right before falling on something odd. A small rumpled mass. "I found something." The others converged on him as he bent down.
"What did you find?" Valefor demanded.
Brandon picked up the objects. "Clothing. Pants, shirts, shoes..." He was worried. Not afraid, but anxious. What was going on?
Valefor's eyes widened. "We're heading back!"
Brandon glanced at Edward. What was it he'd detected in Valefor's voice? Fear? There was nothing to be afraid of. Sure, Pete was dead, and someone else had apparently vanished into thin air, but he wasn't afraid. Why was the chosen son?
The troop hurried back. Valefor seemed filled with a nervous energy. The rest of them took a steady pace. They needed to keep their eyes open. Whatever did this could still be out there. They rounded a corner... and Valefor was gone.
Brandon stood there. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid. He needed to do something, but what? His mind froze as some part of him struggled to do... something, but couldn't.
"Nooooooooooo!" Edward's howl broke the silence. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" He went running out into the darkness. There was a gunshot, then another.
Brandon followed. There! That shadow moved! He raised his rifle and fired. He'd fight! Whatever was doing this, he'd fight! His world went red until... his arm went numb.
He looked down. His arm wasn't numb, it was gone! What? Where? He reached down to pick up his gun, and his fingers flew off! Brandon snarled. He wasn't afraid, he'd fight!
But fight what? There! Edward! He must've been the one to do this! He didn't know how, and no longer cared. He shouted in rage as he ran. Edward swiveled around and raised his shotgun...
Brandon didn't feel afraid. He didn't feel anything anymore.
Jack was away from Riley, but not far enough. I needed him so busy he wouldn't notice what I was up to. Besides, with Ahrima effectively crippled by Jack's actions I could chip in and complete Help Them Fall. I slinked around the opposite side of the hill that Jack had gone. On my way, I summoned more rats and one-eyed bats. They weren't technically alive, so I could Inventory them.
As I got to the edge of the compound, I paused. I couldn't see anyone. Instead of moving forward, I focused on my rats. On the mini-map I could see a few dots. I closed my eyes, and switched to my bat I still had circling overhead. With its superior eyesight, I saw what the dots represented. Shadows.
They were similar to my rats, being pitch black. Unlike my rats, they were human-shaped. I Observed one.
[Seir's Shadow
Shadow Transposition
A projection created by Seir.
These shadows share a connection with their creator. He can swap places with any of his shadows. They follow his direct mental commands, or what they perceive to be his wishes if not otherwise instructed.
Debuffs:
Master's Control]
The shadow flickered, and suddenly a man was standing where it once was. He wore a stupid looking hat that looked like it had been made from a horse's head. His upper body was bare, letting his gut hang out over his belt. Numerous tattoos decorated his flesh. I Observed him.
[Tim Hook (Seir)
Shadow Transposition
Gender: Male
Age: 39
Race: Human (Parahuman)
Faction: The Fallen (Crowley Clan)
Tim Hook was born into the Crowley Clan before it was anything more than a moon-shining cartel. He was the son of one of their more prominent members. Like most Crowleys, he was a twin. His family had a tradition of both fertility... and strength. The later was proven when he was forced to kill his brother at a young age. In time, the Crowley fertility was used to sire as many children as possible, the Crowleys attempt to create parahumans with duplication powers. This is to honor their chosen Endbringer, Leviathan.
Tim's childhood was spent moving from place to place, as he visited the different towns his clan lived in. When he was 23, a cousin pushed into an abandoned sewer. Alone and lost in the pipes, he Triggered. With the use of his power, he escaped and found his family waiting. His ascension was celebrated, and he was told that it had been a test. Over time, the test would become more ritualized when the Crowleys adopted their patron. The worthy would gain a fraction of Leviathan's power The unworthy would die, or make their way out as Leviathan willed it.
Gaining powers went to Tim's head. His new position offered him power, status, and women. He abused all three. He had his choice of clan girls, but it was never enough for him. He habitually forced his attentions on outside women. His violence grew every day, and eventually the Clan decided he needed a wife.
He kidnapped a young woman and forced her to 'marry' him. After months of abuse, he started to grow bored, and let his guard down. His 'wife' took that chance to escape. Her story was one of the first to come out about the Fallen that shone a light on what they really were.
He has come to the Mathers Clan to get a new bride. His clan's hope is that the Mathers will provide him with a girl that is sufficiently broken and won't run away if given the chance.
Seir can spray shadowy lines. These lines will spread out into a silhouette of him and then grow into full clones. He can create up to fifteen, but going beyond ten takes effort. He can switch places with any clone with a thought.
Debuffs:
Driven to Conflict
Memory Removal]
Not insane, just regular scum. I released my focused control of my bat, and moved to flank one of his shadows.
*Stealth check passed.
I pressed my back to the wall, and waited for the shadow to walk past the corner. I directed my rats to follow him and his other shadows. As the shadow walked past, it flickered into Seir. Lucky! Observe didn't mention any physical powers, so he was no match for me. I ordered my rats to attack. They were small, but far stronger than real rodents. Dot after dot vanished from my mini-map. Seir stumbled, but it was too late. I reached out and grabbed him by the neck. He took longer to kill than the guards, I didn't have my Murderer bonus. The extra second of life did him no good with all his clones gone.
That went better than expected. I thought I would have to constantly gank shadows until I managed to physically lay my hands on him. Was this my luck stat paying off?
*Help Them Fall 1/?
I Inventoried his body and cash, and then slowly made my way out of the compound. My bat couldn't see anyone. The Fallen had retreated to their homes or the church. The sky was getting slightly less dark. I bet Jack's going to either drag this out for days, or attack at dawn. Either way, now was my best chance. I un-Inventoried Seir's body, and carried back to where Riley was.
This was the perfect time. The last obstacle was convincing Riley to come with me. My quest told me she was willing to look the other way. It also said she COULD be convinced to come with me. I don't think I ever got any bonus goals that were actually impossible to accomplish. Sure, I liked Riley, and she seemed to like me. She'd called me her brother, and to be honest she seemed younger mentally than an 11 year old should. That might make her grow attached more easily.
I didn't have any experience with little girls, but I wouldn't be surprised if her emotional growth was far short of her physical. I think Jack preferred her to be young and malleable. It was a vulnerability that I was more than happy to exploit. Not only for my sake, but also for Riley's, and all of her potential victims as well.
Shit. I going to have to take a page from Jack's play book. If I leveraged what I knew... Man. I suck.
I'd only known her for 12 days. 16 if you count the time in Brooke's Creek. Which was when I got my first reputation increase with her. So I'd made a good impression at least. But was that enough time? That was the million dollar question. If I could only get a foot in the door. If I could convince her about the truth of what Jack was doing to her. If I could remind her about what he did TO her. All I needed was to modify one of her Debuffs. If I could manage to lose that 'Repressed' tag...
I also had the advantage that I was going to tell her the truth. For what THAT was worth. Remember, this IS for her own good...
I'm about to try and make a little girl cry.
"Hey Kevin!"
"Hey Riley, how's it going?"
"Not bad. They're all hiding now." She giggled, and then saw the body I was carrying. "Oh! Is that one of their capes?"
I nodded. "Yep. Just for you."
"Thank you Kevin!" She hopped up and down, and ran over to the corpse. She ran her hands over his body and poked his neck. "You kill so cleanly. A snapped vertebrae and asphyxiation. I could have him back on his feet in no time. Or I could use him for parts to make something better. Decisions, decisions..."
I looked around. Riley was away from her monitors. Her spiders scuttled about. I didn't see anyone else. Just to be sure, I had my bat fly over and looked through his eye. We were alone. It's now or never.
Kevin ► There's something I need to tell you that I can't risk anyone else hearing.
Bonesaw ► Something more? What is it?
Kevin ► I can explain, but I want to see if my power will provide you that information directly. I want to be as open as possible, and I'm worried that I won't be able to properly convey everything otherwise.
Bonesaw ► Ok! What do I need to do?
Kevin ► Think that you want to see your status.
I didn't know if this was going to work. I couldn't see my summoned creature's character sheets. I also couldn't see Riley's. I hoped that the Party system could show her that information without me having to.
Bonesaw ► Status, status, status. Whoa, I got another window to pop up!
Bonesaw ► Ooooo... I'm level 43! What level are you?
Bonesaw ► Hey! It knows my full name! Neat!
Bonesaw ► Why is my level grayed out?
Bonesaw ► Heh heh heh. Tinker 10! Trump 7! Darn tootin'!
Bonesaw ► Sub-dermal mesh, wire reinforcement, arm extender, mist vents... Hey! This is listing all of my upgrades! How does your power know this? Do you even know what half these terms mean?
Kevin ► No. I don't, but my power is smarter than I am. That's why I thought it would be best for you to see what it has to say directly.
Bonesaw ► What. Is. This.
Kevin ► So you can see what it classifies as 'Debuffs' I assume?
Bonesaw ► I don't have any of these! Sure, I don't like to swear, but that's not a mental condition. And what's wrong with being a good girl! And... and... and I'm not afraid of Mr. Jack!
Kevin ► I think you are.
Bonesaw ► No, I'm not!
Kevin ► You should be. I am. I've seen what his power is.
Bonesaw ► Cutting things?
Kevin ► No. That's his weaker power. His real one isn't something noticeable. He uses it subconsciously.
I looked at Riley. Her eyes stopped moving back and forth as she finished reading my message. She stayed like that for what felt like forever - the seconds dragging on. Finally, she glanced up at me.
Bonesaw ► ...What is it?
Kevin ► He can Broadcast to our Shards. He can get information about us from them, and he can also influence us through them.
Bonesaw ► Shards?
Kevin ► What I call the... phenomenon which grants us powers. See that 'Driven to Conflict' and 'Memory Removal'? Nearly every parahuman I've seen has those.
Bonesaw ► Our powers are controlling us?
**Bonesaw is afraid.
Kevin ► Yes. A little, a lot, I don't know. My power says it removed those effects on me. If it did, then I think I could trust my Shard.
Bonesaw ► But it could be lying.
Kevin ► Yes. And I would never know. That scares me.
Bonesaw ► That scares me too.
Kevin ► That's one of the reasons I need to get as far away from Jack as possible. If he can control my Shard, he can control me. He can turn me into someone else.
Bonesaw ► Like he did to me... That's what you're thinking aren't you? That's the reason you don't want Mr. Jack to know.
Kevin ► Yes.
Bonesaw ► Well, you're wrong. He didn't change me, or have my shard influence me or whatever!
Kevin ► If he did, how would you even realize it?
Bonesaw ► ...I don't know. And if I don't know, how would you?
Kevin ► My power also lets me read about other people's past. Postcognition. Information that I should have no possible way of knowing.
Bonesaw ► ...What are you saying?
Kevin ► Riley... I know about your Trigger. I know what the worst day of your life was. I... I'm sorry. It's a huge invasion of privacy, and I apologize.
Bonesaw ► Kevin. You're my brother, and I love you. I... No, never mind. It's alright that you know. Our powers let us know things. Mine grants me knowledge and so does yours.
Kevin ► And so does Jack's.
Another long pause after she finishes reading.
Bonesaw ► ...Let's say I believe that. What difference does it make?
Kevin ► He used your Shard. He knew what you were feeling after you Triggered. He pushed and pushed. Wore you to the brink.
Bonesaw ► I don't know what you're talking about.
Kevin ► Yes you do. I know what happened. I know it was the worst day of your life. I know you haven't forgotten.
Bonesaw ► No.
Kevin ► Yes, you have to remember. What are your nightmares about? What do they tell you?
Bonesaw ► No. I can't remember that! I don't want to remember that!
Kevin ► You have to. If I'm right, if my Shard is telling the truth, you owe it to yourself to consider that possibility.
Bonesaw ► Please don't make me remember.
Despite her protests, I saw her eyes continue to go back and forth as my next message appeared.
Kevin ► You have to. You have to remember desperately trying to save your family. It was so much work. You were so tired. The Slaughterhouse Nine kept on hurting them. Kept on damaging them in new ways.
Bonesaw ► I tried to keep up.
Kevin ► They wouldn't let you. You were doing your best, and they saw that. They used it. They pushed your Shard to change you. How much of what you are is your power? How many of your thoughts are your own? When you see a body do you see what other 11 year old girls see? Or do you see what your power WANTS you to see?
**Bonesaw is sad.
Bonesaw ► I... I can visualize so much. An idea pops into my head, and I can see how to do it. It feels so natural, but it's not is it? My... power. It's information that I have that no one else does. That no one else could. Is it not me? Am I not myself?
**Bonesaw is depressed.
Bonesaw ► Memory Removal. Our brains store long term memories in the hippocampus, the neocortex and the amygdala. I know... My power knows how to target those sections. I can remove memories. Creating them... that's another matter, but removing them - it can be done. Specifically targeting something would be hard, but keeping what currently happening to someone from going from their short term to long term memory is easy. All you have to do is disable the hippocampus. I can do it, so I know my power can do it. We all have extra growths on our brains, they aren't always in the same place - but they're there.
Kevin ► Riley?
Bonesaw ► If you're right, if your power is right, then I could've forgotten anything. There's... there are some things I KNOW I've forgotten. It... it scares me to think what else there might be.
Bonesaw ► I... I DON'T REMEMBER LOVING MY MOTHER! I remember saying that I didn't love her, but I think that was the point that I stopped. Did I love her before then? If so, why can't I remember?
**Bonesaw is having an identity crisis.
Bonesaw ► Who am I really? How much of what I do is my power? Mr. Jack always said to pursue my art. Your power says that I have 'Psychosis (Art) - Shard driven'. Did he push me into art? Did he tell my Shard to push me into art? What the heck even is art? Your Shard is simple, elegant. If I was such a good artist, why couldn't I have come up with something like that?
Kevin ► Riley?
**Bonesaw is panicking.
Bonesaw ► No. No. No. No! No! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Riley falls to her knees. Her hands press against the sides of her head. Her chest rises up and down fast. Too fast! Her fingers turn white from the pressure. "No. No. No." Her voice repeats over and over. Riley closes her eyes and begins to violently shake her head.
Kevin ► Riley!
Kevin ► Riley! Look at me!
Could she see the Party chat with her eyes closed? Now wasn't the time to worry that someone might be listening.
*You gain +1 Cha.
"Riley." I raise my voice. "Riley!" She still doesn't respond. "Riley!" I shout.
She tiny little girl raises her head. Her eyes are puffy, but no tears come out. I wonder if she removed her capacity for that. I kneel down in front of her and stroke her cheek. Her lip quivers, and I pull her into a hug.
Kevin ► Riley, it will be alright. I'm here now, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you again. We're going to get away from Jack.
Riley ► How? What about everyone else? What about Sibby?
Kevin ► The Siberian is a projection.
Riley ► WHAT!?
Kevin ► I don't know who her Master is, but she has to obey their commands. I don't think she'd want to hurt us, but she might not have a choice.
Riley ► oh... Are you sure? We can't just leave her, she gets lonely without me.
Kevin ► I'm sure. Just like my power lets me know your history, it tells me about her too.
Riley ► But still!
Kevin ► The Siberian joined the Slaughterhouse Nine. She follows Jack's lead. That means Jack's gotten to her Master. If we can find her Master, we can free her. Somehow. Until then, she's Jack's puppet.
Riley ► But...
Kevin ► We'll come back for her one day, when we can... deal with Jack. You'll have to be brave until then. Sibby will to, even if she doesn't know it.
Riley ► okay
Kevin ► I have a plan. It's why I made the rules for Jack's game like I did. It was to give us a chance to escape. If we can pull it off, it means that Jack's power isn't absolute.
**Riley is hopeful.
Riley ► Okay.
Kevin ► I know this is asking a lot of you. You're taking my word with not a lot of proof.
Riley ► It's ok. I trust you.
I squeezed her tighter.
Kevin ► We don't have much time. I'm going to need you to be brave.
Riley ► I can do it. You can count on me!
**Riley is determined.
Kevin ► I'm going to make a distraction here in camp. Make it look like one of the Fallen managed to find us and kill you.
Riley ► Kill me?
Kevin ► I don't know how big of an explosion I can make, but anything you can do to help sell that you're dead will go a long way. Also, there's one more thing.
Riley ► What?
Kevin ► Can you turn your body off for a short time?
Riley ► Huh?
Kevin ► That dimensional storage I showed you. I can't put living things in it.
Riley ► But if I'm dead, you can carry me away and Jack won't know.
Kevin ► Exactly. Time doesn't pass for things inside of it, so you don't need to be dead for long. Just a few seconds.
She trembled in my arms and sniffed.
Riley ► I can do that. It depends on what your power judges 'death' by, but I can stop my heart and brain activity for as long as I want. If that doesn't work, I can figure something else out!
I held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes.
Kevin ► Are you sure? I... My power let me read about your past... I don't want to hide that from you. I know you've been through a lot, and I'm asking for even more. On top of that, we can count the number of days we've known each other on our fingers.
Riley smiled at me.
Riley ► Not if you keep feeding Sibby we can't.
I chuckled and she giggled with me.
*By performing a special action you have gained the title 'Orator'.
Riley ► I know this is a big thing, but... Your power is right. It's right about my name, about what I've done to my body, and what's going on in my mind. I.. I didn't think I had Stockholm Syndrome, but... it fits. I can't remember my parent's faces... and... and, I've always been afraid of Jack. I feel... I can't describe exactly how I feel about him. There's some good feelings in there, but the fear... the fear has always been there. Even when I tried to ignore it, or when Sibby was by my side. I know I repressed that. So if your power says my 'Shard' if affecting me... I believe it. If you say Jack can do the same thing, I believe that too. I...I don't know what's going to happen. If I go away and regret it, I can always come back. If I'm really being controlled... I have to find out. Now that you've told me this, I'd run away on my own if I had to.
Riley ► I'm... I'm glad I met you.
Kevin ► I'm glad I met you too.
The funny thing was, I actually meant it. My mother had been killed. My best friends slaughtered. I'd gained a power that effectively turned me into a sociopath. I wouldn't say I'd do it all over again if given the chance. But I did like Riley, and I did enjoy spending time with her. Even if that time was spent with her cutting me open.
I stood up and ruffled her hair. She looked up at me an nodded.
Riley ► How much time?
Kevin ► I can finish my prep in a few minutes.
Riley ► How big of an explosion are we talking about?
Kevin ► I honestly don't know. I've never tried using my power like I'm about to. It might not work at all.
Riley ► Ok. Then blood. I can leave a pool of my blood. I'll splatter it against that rock. If the explosion isn't that big, they might think I was carried off.
Kevin ► I can add some of my blood too.
Riley ► Put it there. Then have the explosion happen between us.
I nodded and summoned the sharpest knife I could.
[Summoned knife
Str 140. Dex 5. Con 5.]
This had drawn blood when I poked my finger. I handed it to Riley. "Cut an artery. I'll heal too quickly for us to get enough blood from anywhere else. It also needs to be bigger. Bigger than my shoulder at least."
She gingerly took the knife, staring intently at it. Thankfully she didn't ask questions and instead slashed my forearm from my wrist to my elbow.
*Gamer's Body bypassed.
*Bleeding(major) effect reduced by Gamer's Body.
Blood flowed down my wrist, making a puddle. That's a lot more blood than I was expecting. My shoulder didn't bleed when the Siberian tore my arm off. Why did my knife's wound behave differently? "I want to study your blood and that knife when all this is done."
"I expected as much." Could I die of blood loss? I'm honestly now worried with the size of the puddle. I mean, I don't need to breath anymore, but blood does more than that, right? Riley would know, and if she didn't I'm sure she'd cut me open until she did.
*Rapid Regeneration has healed Physical Deformity.
*Bleeding(minor) effect negated by Gamer's Body.
Good. I think I'm developing bad habits. I'm not invincible. In any case, that was step one. The next step involved summoning a bomb. I imagined a big black ball with a lit fuse.
[Summoned 'Bomb']
It didn't have any stats and the fuse wasn't lit. Judging from its name, I doubted it was going to explode. No matter. I had another option. I summoned another big black ball, but this time it was hollow. I then started to Inventory air. Air has weight, and I'd already confirmed I could pull it into my Inventory. I just didn't know exactly what the result of this will be. I began to dump the Inventoried air into the hollow ball. I'd focused on making it as tough as possible, so it probably could withstand a lot of pressure.
Riley said something, but I couldn't hear her over the wind.
Riley ► I said, are you sure you know what you're doing?
Kevin ► Not really, but it should make a big explosion when all this comes out.
Riley ► It will just shoot off like a rocket.
Kevin ► I can make the entire outside vanish at once.
Riley ► Wow. You HAVE been holding out on me!
Kevin ► I said I'm sorry about that, but anything you knew Jack might learn.
Riley ► Ok. That IS a scary thought.
Kevin ► Tell me about it.
The bomb's HP began to slowly drop. That was enough of that then. I Inventoried it.
Riley ► There's something else you should know.
Kevin ► What?
Riley ► I have some samples in the RV. I don't think Jack can do much with them if I'm not around, but there's one that you might be interested in.
Kevin ► What makes you say that.
Riley ► It's the brain of that Tinker you knew.
Kevin ► Mr. Price?
Riley ► I didn't know his name. You killed him, and there were a lot of intracerebral hemorrhaging. I still got there in time. I'm not saying he's alive, but part of his personality might remain.
*A new quest has triggered: An Old Friend
[An Old Friend
Retrieve Clay Price's brain and see if it he could be saved by some miracle. Alternately, destroy Clay Price's brain to ensure that he rests in peace.
Success: +1,000 exp]
This really complicates things. From a practical point of view, the reward isn't much and the rest of the Slaughterhouse Nine couldn't do anything with Mr. Price's brain.
No. If there's even a chance he could be brought back, I have to do something. It's a stupid risk, especially since I can't save him. There's no way I can escape from Jack if I'm carrying around a brain in a jar. If he's alive, I can't Inventory him. If he's dead, it's better to destroy him completely.
I close my eyes and focus on my bat. I don't see anyone between here and the RV, but my bat's eyes aren't perfect. They can miss stuff. I have him start to fly towards the trees we hid it in. I make out Crawler as I fly directly above him. I'm not sure how my bat can see so clearly at night, but it can. A huge black dinosaur thing is hard to miss.
I don't spot Mimi or Hatchet Face. They aren't very stealthy people, which means I could run into anyone on my way to collect or kill Mr. Price.
The Siberian finished chewing the shoulder. Not bad, but she was starting to tire of the monotony. Perhaps she could grab a non-parahuman as a palate cleanser? Or she could return to where Riley was. She might have a good treat. At least her prey had fallen quiet. That much blood loss wouldn't be good. Alive and hot was best. Dead and warm was ok. The flavor began to leave once the body cooled.
Should she do something to keep him alive so she could enjoy herself more later? Nah.
She stretched, and decided the blood shouldn't be able to grip her. Gravity pulled it to the ground now that friction wasn't in the way. She suddenly got an awful feeling. Riley was in trouble! She spun around and dashed toward her location. She could ignore friction and air resistance, even selectively ignore gravity to pull her forward a little bit faster. What she couldn't do was move quicker on her own. She couldn't become stronger so she could kick off with more force.
She could dispel herself. Her Master would resummon her. But he was even further away from Riley than the Siberian currently was. A snarl came to her lips. She'd slowly kill whomever hurt her! They would suffer!
There was a loud booming sound that came from the direction of the camp. The air she was running through grew thicker. She noted the pressure of it against her even as she ignored its effect. A blast wave? Her eyes grew wide with panic.
The hill was in the way. She moved through it. A straight line. Every second counted!
She emerged from the rock that Riley had set her equipment up against. There was a smooth crater, and nothing else. The Siberian turned. The rock had been pushed back into the hill! Whatever did this was an explosion of absurd magnitude. Everything in a 10 foot radius was just gone. The crater was more than two feet deep. Outside of that, the grass had been left in the ground. There was a red smear on the rock. She sniffed it. Blood! Riley's blood! She'd know that scent anywhere.
Her Riley was tough, but could she survive whatever had done this? Yes! She had to be alive. The Siberian had to find her! What else was around?
She sniffed the air... There! Another scent she recognized! Kevin! It was faint. She kneeled, and looked at the ground. Yes! Right there! More blood! Not much, but it was his. Unlike Riley's there was a trail.
The Siberian sprinted in the direction of his blood. She couldn't see the drops of blood, but the smell was there. The point of origin of the blast was obvious, so she ran in a straight line from the blood. Every so often she had to stop and adjust her course, but soon she found her target.
How long had it been? She thought she had run for more than 5 minutes. She had to be more than a mile away. Kevin lay in a deep rift in the earth, as if he'd plowed into it at an absurd velocity. Which he probably had.
He was moving. It was the standard way he breathed. Exaggerated, with his shoulders and chest moving more than they needed to. As usual, his blinking synced with his breaths perfectly. It was as if he was moving in a loop. At least he was physically fine.
She waved a hand in front of his face. No response. She slapped him, willing her hand to not ignore his flesh. His head turned to the side, but that was it. Whatever had done this to him had left him in no state to answer questions. This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. The Siberian paced nervously. If Riley was hurt...
No! What if Riley had been thrown away like Kevin? She hit the rock, bled over it, and then went flying off!
The Siberian had missed her because she'd taken the shortcut through the hill. She turned to run back the way she came, but paused. The striped woman looked over her shoulder at Kevin. He was still alive. He was tough. A little toss like that wouldn't hurt him. In fact, she was surprised he could even get dazed.
She shook her head and ran back towards the epicenter. She had to find Riley, but the worst outcome hadn't been realized. She hadn't lost them both. She didn't know what she'd do if that happened.
[Kevin Greenhouse (Killer)
The Gamer
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human (Parahuman)
Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine
Title: Thief (+50% to stealth checks)
Level: 12 (4,000/12,000 Exp)
Mover: 4
Shaker: 2
Brute: 5
Breaker: 10
Master: 5
Tinker: 0
Blaster: 0
Thinker: 8
Striker: 0
Changer: 0
Trump: 5
Stranger: 6
HP: 551
MP: 232
Primary Attributes
STR: 65
AGI: 32
CON: 65
INT: 21
PER: 21
WIS: 17
CHA: 15
LUC: 96
Unspent Points: 5
Traits:
Gamer's Body lvl Max
Gamer's Mind lvl Max
Observe lvl 3
Inventory lvl 2
Party System
Perks Selected (2/2):
Rapid Regeneration
Summoning lvl 3
Perks Available:
Solid as a Rock
Power Drain
Fire Control
Silica Control
Juggernaut
Lucky Fate
Skills:
Acting: 12
Athletics: 21
Basic Academics: 2
Computers: 1
Cooking: 2
Damage Resistance (Acid): 100 - 100%
Damage Resistance (Disease): 100 - 100%
Damage Resistance (Electricity): 65 - 99.3%
Damage Resistance (Heat): 64 - 99.25%
Damage Resistance (Light): 64 - 99.25%
Damage Resistance (Physical): 25 - 95.6%
Damage Resistance (Poison): 100 - 100%
Meditation: 38
Melee Weapon: 17
Pain Resistance: 64 - 99.25%
Parahuman Lore: 7
Ranged Weapon: 21
Stealth: 9
Unarmed Combat: 32
Video Games: 26
Ongoing Quests:
Passing on the Torch
Best Served Cold
Escape From the Slaughterhouse Nine
Help Them Fall
They Can't Get Up
An Old Friend
Debuffs:
None]
« First « Prev Ch 10 of 90 Next »
Review
Jump:
Share: Email . Facebook . Twitter
Story: Follow Favorite
Author: Follow Favorite
Contrast: Dark . Light
Font: Small . Medium . Large . XL
Twitter . Help . Sign Up . Cookies . Privacy . Terms of ServiceFanFiction.Net
Just In
Community
Forum
V
More
The Most Dangerous Gamer by chimmon
Books » Worm Rated: M, English, Adventure, OC, Bonesaw, Siberian, Words: 431k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Mar 8, 2021 Updated: Feb 27, 2023
1,328Chapter 11: On the Road 5
Jack was enjoying himself. This was a pretty fun game. Showing people how utterly helpless they were all while reveling in his own power. He had to give credit where credit was due, Killer had a good idea. Shatterbird and the Siberian were on-board, which would make doing this again in the future possible.
Alan would need some selective targets. Crawler as well, but that was usually the case. Hatchet Face would come around once the hide-and-seek part was over. Yeah, he could pull the right levers to do this again. Might be able to combine it with the 'Recruiting Game'.
He saw someone creeping out of a window. A small cut to his tendon made his latest victim fall. He tried to stand, but his arm gave out. A quick slash to his throat kept him from breaking the haunting silence. The cult member tried to crawl away. Jack let him for a few feet, relishing his despair when his fingers went flying.
It wasn't as fun, as intense, as killing a parahuman. The uncertainty that he'd seen in each of the people the Thinker had granted super-human senses to - that was delicious. Jack casually flipped his blade as he walked down the silent street. She was probably in the church. It'd be easy to take out anyone else with glowing yellow eyes, especially from the shadows. They could see him if he didn't kill them quickly, and that was a thrill. She wasn't empowering anyone outside the church anymore, so he would have to wait. In the meantime, it was enough fun whittling down the rest of the survivors until the church was all that remained.
Once there was only one location left, they would, as Killer put it, 'go loud'. THAT would be the perfect time to finish off any more glowing eyed goons. He'd let Hatchet Face kill the actual Thinker. Not his favorite prey, but enough to keep him relatively happy.
"What a glorious day." He whispered, and then paused to listen to any reactions to his words.
Nothing.
Jack shrugged and continued his stroll through the ghost town. He wondered when Killer would make his move. Like Hatchet Face, it was obvious he wanted to kill the leader of the Slaughterhouse Nine for revenge. A more personal one than Hatchet Face's grudge against all parahumans, but Jack could still work with it. Killer was bonding with Bonesaw, but that lever was still fragile, too much pressure and it'd snap. Better to let him play his game and make his attempt. His surprise would put their newest member in his place. There was no undoing what he'd done, and they had the proof. He toyed with the phone in his pocket. Yes, THAT will be such a nice reversal.
A thought came to him - what if someone got to Riley. She was tough, and Killer was with her, but their newest member lacked firepower. He was only a Brute with some dimensional secondary powers. That would keep him safe, but was of little help in stopping a true threat before it hurt someone else. With the Siberian partaking in the fun, Riley was vulnerable. He frowned. The more he thought about it, the more he worried.
He sighed. It looked like he'd have to go back and keep an eye on things. Just to be safe. He strolled through the town, taking his time. A muffled boom came from the west.
That was where their base was. An explosion. Burnscar? It was possible, but there shouldn't be anything flammable there. Crawler? The Siberian? Both had the capacity for massive damage, but an actual explosion that caused a blast wave? No, not either of them. Could they have missed someone?
Jack began to run. Something was very wrong. He pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Everyone, the prelude is over. Shatterbird announce us." He paused for a second. "Let's test the remaining parahumans." He had a feeling there was an opening.
...
Bonesaw was gone, dead. The Siberian had gone berserk. The others wouldn't be happy with her taking all the kills. Mannequin had examined the explosion, there was no residue - chemical or otherwise. He also reported an air lock rupture in the RV. It had occurred in Riley's storage space. All her samples were mush. No residue there either. Someone had specifically targeted Bonesaw. One of the Fallen? Someone they'd encountered before seeking revenge? One of their own?
He looked at Killer's comatose body. The bomb had thrown him through the air, but the sturdy newcomer survived. Had he set it off himself, trusting in his durability? Something was off with the teenager, but he couldn't put his finger on it. If he'd wake up from his coma, Jack was sure he'd get some answers.
That was a problem for after the current emergency had been dealt with. HatchetFace, Burnscar, Shatterbird and Mannequin would all stay. He'd need to lean on Shatterbird and Mannequin, give them more of the specific violence they enjoyed, and make them his new lieutenants. It was Crawler and the Siberian he had to worry about. Both of them enjoyed their games, but were too powerful. Without Riley, he didn't know what the Siberian would do. If she left, Crawler would go as well. Possibly after killing them all, or at least trying.
He needed a lever. Something to drive the stripped woman.
Movement caught his attention. Killer disintegrated in front of his eyes. He was oddly silent as his arms and legs seemed to melt into nothingness. Tiny squares floated from his limbs, growing smaller with each passing moment. In a matter of seconds the boy was gone. His breaker state failing so completely that it left no remains aside from his clothing.
Jack smiled. He had his lever. His scapegoat. The reason for the Siberian to stay with them.
Killer had betrayed them. He'd killed Bonesaw and ran off.
Something told him, it might even be true in some sense. Time to control the narrative.
Earlier...
I ran a circumventive path back to the RV. I reasoned that Crawler, Mimi, and Hatchet Face would stay between the RV and our base camp. So if I took a wide enough detour, they wouldn't see me. It was a risk, but one I had to take.
Panel by right-rear tire. 4-5-7-2-5-7 to open. Enter command: retrieve-all.
I repeated Riley's instructions in my head. What if Jack had picked up our plan already? What if he was heading back towards Riley right now? He'd get her, and he'd break her again. What would happen next? How would our betrayal be met by the others?
*Panic condition negated by Gamer's Mind.
Right. Concentrate on the mission in front of me. Despite Jack's power, he's not a Master. He can't just snap his fingers and make people obey him. He doesn't access his power consciously. At most he'll have a feeling. It might distract him from the game, but hopefully not enough to actually make him return.
I keep telling myself that.
As I run, I prepare another bomb. Inventorying the air in front of me gives me a nice tail wind. Not sure how much faster it makes me, but every little bit helps. Suddenly, I'm there.
My bat, who's slower than me but took the direct path, circles overhead. I close my eyes and access its vision. No one that I can see. No failed perception check messages either. I'm safe.
The panel is where Riley said it was. I key in the passcode, and another panel slides open. This one has a keyboard and a monitor. I carefully type in the command, both because I don't want to make a mistake and because the keys are small - designed for a child. There's a sound of escaping air, as yet another panel opens. Robotic pistons extend shelves filled with metallic containers. Some are small - blood samples. Others are large enough to hold an entire body. Just who was she keeping in those things?
Focus.
Clay Price... Clay Price... There! I grab his box and pry it open. There's a brain floating in mucous. I turn the box over and let the brain fall on the ground. I try to Inventory it. It fails. I keep trying over and over until... *pop* it vanishes into my pocket dimension.
There. He may be dead, but only just. Riley is the most skilled surgeon in the world. She can revive him given the time to prep and tools she needs. I Inventory his box and the mucous too, just to be safe. I then place my bomb where his box was, and close the shelves.
*An Old Friend complete! +1,000 exp
That takes care of that.
Kevin ► Riley, I've gotten Mr. Price's brain. I put another bomb in its place. I'm heading back now.
Riley ► Good. I've finished my prep, I'm packing now.
I retrace my steps. Along the way I make another bomb, just in case. I didn't know how strong these things were. The pressure inside was enough to damage the box, and since I made them as sturdy as possible, it had to be fairly impressive. It would do physical damage right? I'd probably be fine if one exploded close to me. That resistance is pretty high.
The balls themselves weighed about 10 pounds, my Inventory and some basic math told me that. It took 200 pounds of compressed air to make them begin to take damage. I had no idea how much air that was, or what the pressure inside would be. They took several minutes to create, and my Inventory could only hold 650 pounds. So At most I could fit two inside of it. Seeing as that wouldn't leave much room to spare, I stopped at one.
On second though, it was too distinctive. A blocky sphere is memorable in a way I didn't want. I created a new bomb, this time as a smooth black cube. I Inventoried the air out of my first one into it before storing it and dropping the older one.
Not that I planned on going around bombing things, but if I had to for some reason I'd like plausible deniability.
I returned to camp. Riley was there working on five of her spiders with the help of a sixth one that was latched onto her back. A pair of its legs extended down her arms and had opened up, revealing multiple surgical tools inside. She looked up at me.
Riley ► That didn't take long.
Kevin ► Long enough. Nobody has come back yet, right?
She shook her head.
Riley ► Nope! And I'm almost ready.
Kevin ► Ready for what?
Riley ► For you to store my spiders! I need them to work, so I can't leave them behind.
I opened my mouth to deny her... but she made a good point.
Kevin ► So they're alive?
Riley ► Of course! I'm just about to shut down all synaptic function.
She looked up at me.
Riley ► You said you can store organic things, just not those that are alive?
I motioned to the dead cultist.
Kevin ► Yeah, once they die my only limitation is weight.
She nodded.
Riley ► Then come over here, I'm about to shut this one off. Store it as soon as you can.
I moved next to her and waited.
Riley ► Well?
Kevin ► Well what?
Riley ► Get ready to store it.
Kevin ► I am ready.
Riley ► But you're not touching it.
Kevin ► Ah, right. I guess I have a range limitation, but it's not touch. Closer to a foot.
I paused before adding.
Kevin ► I also don't need to see what I'm storing, and can grab things that are inside other things.
She blinked.
Riley ► That's powerful. Is it Manton limited?
Kevin ► I can't store living humans, but dead ones are fine.
Riley ► No, I mean can you put stuff inside people?
Kevin ► I... don't know? I tried to stick knives inside the RV, but that's it.
She rolled her eyes.
Riley ► You need to test these things! What have you been doing with your powers?
Kevin ► Hiding them from everyone else.
She stuck out her lower lip.
Riley ► I guess that's a good excuse. Anyways, get ready!
I resumed my Inventory attempts, and a moment later the spider vanished.
Riley cocked her head.
Riley ► That was seamless. No air displacement at all.
She then slapped her cheeks.
Riley ► No time to get distracted, let's finish up the rest of them.
Each spider was surprisingly light and I stored the remaining ones without issue. Riley had to kill the last one herself, with a detached scalpel. I looked at the bladed instrument in her hands.
Kevin ► You're not going to stab yourself are you? I can't fix you.
She shook her head and pulled out a syringe.
Riley ► No, it will all be automatic.
She stuck it into her arm without the slightest hesitation.
Riley ► Ready?
Kevin ► Let me make the bomb first.
I summoned a black cube and began channeling air into it via Inventory.
Kevin ► Ok, ready.
Riley nodded and pressed the plunger. Her eyes flickered back and I caught her. She was so light.
*Riley has died!
*Riley has left the Party!
I blinked at the announcement, and then made her vanish into my Inventory. I spent a few seconds summoning my final gambit, then turned and ran.
I left the bat above the camp. If someone came back I'd have to detonate the bomb early. As I switched my vision to that of my summons, I saw a black and white blur inside the compound. Shit! I cut the bomb off from my MP supply, but it would take a full minute from the last time it drained some for it to vanish! Anywhere from 1 to 60 seconds. I didn't trust my internal clock, but I thought it was nearing the end.
No time to play it quiet. I summoned a horse. I could only hope that blocky hoof prints wouldn't be on anyone's mind.
[Summoned Horse
Str 30. Dex 60. Con 30. Enhanced speed x2]
I wanted to make it faster, but I'd learned from the bat. Keeping things somewhat balanced was a good idea. Speaking of which, I cut the bat from my MP. I've barely gotten on my horse when the bomb explodes. It was loud and the blast wave rolled over me. It felt like the wind from a heavy storm except it only lasted a second or two.
Damn. Just how big was that? I had no frame of reference. I heard a thud, and looked off the side. My clone was there. The bomb wasn't enough to destroy it, but it did launch it through the air. Just how far was I from the base? I might've gone overboard with the bomb. In the future I'll make smaller ones. I left my doppelganger and galloped off. My final gambit remained in the crater. It looked much more realistic than my other summons. I guess it's because I was the same as them, just with better resolution. It was an idea I'd come up with, but hadn't had the time to confirm if it worked until now.
The plan didn't rely on it, but it would hopefully buy me some time. It was a much bigger drain on my MP, so I wasn't sure how long the charade would hold up anyways.
...
*Escape From the Slaughterhouse Nine complete! +23,000 exp. +200 Reputation with Riley. -300 Reputation with Jack Slash. Rapid Regeneration leveled up. Rapid Regeneration can now be applied to others at a cost of 100 MP/minute.
*Help Them Fall complete! +7,000 exp. Transposition effect now possible with Summons. Cost increases with distance and size.
*They Can't Get Up complete! 300/301 0/5 +3,500 exp.
*You have leveled up! You gain +5 ability points!
*You have leveled up! You gain +5 ability points!
*A new quest has triggered: Run Away! Run Away!
[Run Away! Run Away!
Get as far away from Jack Slash as possible.
Success: exp based on how far you get and quickly you get there.]
I glanced at the notifications as I ran along the highway on foot. I was pretty quick, but my horse was quicker. More noticeable too, so I went without. It didn't currently matter, my MP was gone. I felt my clone pop just before the quests were completed. I bet they were related. I was just 500 exp short of my next level. I should get a new Perk then if the trend of getting one on levels that were multiples of five continued.
I slipped into meditation as I ran. It was more to gain MP than to try and get skill ups. I had time to experiment, so it would be foolish to waste it. I summoned another one-eyed bat and had it fly above me. I outpaced it, so I let it dissipate and made a faster one without the ability to Observe. With it in my party, and my mini-map back online, I felt a little safer.
Another summoned clone came into being beside me. It had a larger upkeep than the rats or bats. It was also naked, and I didn't have any more spare clothes. Finally, I made another bat and had it stay in place. Swapping the two bats was cheap. Only a few MP. The cost grew as we left the 2nd bat further behind. Thankfully it seemed like a linear increase. I guessed the maximum range, given my current MP pool was several miles. I tried to swap places with my naked clone - who was keeping pace with me. 1 MP. I had him run to the side, and the cost skyrocketed. Still seemed like a linear progression, but started at a much higher level.
I let my MP replenish, and tried my last two tests. I could swap places with my smaller summons, but the cost was quadrupled. The same cost applied to swapping them with my clone. So relative mass times distance times actual mass? Something like that. I let everything vanish. The sun was coming up and the last thing I wanted was attention from random drivers who might see two teenagers running - one in the buff. The bat had to go also. It was too noticeable during the day, and waaaay to odd looking to pass for the real thing.
Dawn had broken, and I didn't enjoy running into the sun. There was a small town up ahead. Time to get a new set of clothes and some sunglasses. 'Food n Stuff'. I didn't need food, but I did want some stuff. It was open, which was more than I could say about anywhere else.
The glass doors moved to the side as the motion sensor triggered. A small chime rang out. The store was empty, except for a red-headed girl in a lumberjack hat. She was behind the counter, playing on her phone and didn't look up. I wondered what game she had. It seemed like so long ago that I'd gotten to relax and play a video game...
Focus. I needed a new look. I browsed the clothing section. They really did have a lot of stuff. The only shirts they had my size were some button up ones. I grabbed a couple of those, some pairs of work gloves, two sets of pants, some boots, two cowboy hats, some bandannas, and a pair of sunglasses. As I moved to the counter, I observed everything - just to be safe.
[Hair Color Changer
Unlocks a new hair color and style. Single-use only.]
That had potential. My hands were full, so I Inventoried a few bottles as I walked past.
*By performing a special action, your 'Thief' title has improved.
...That's fair.
It's also a pretty nice bonus, so I can't really complain.
The girl looks up when I dump the pile of clothes on the counter. She raises an eyebrow. "What? You running away from home or something?"
I roll my eyes. "My first road trip. Forgot one of my suitcases. Not going to drive 2 hours to pick it up either."
*Your acting skill has increased by +1.
She smirked. "I hear that. You want a bag for this."
"Unless you have a suitcase somewhere."
"Nah." She picked up a marker and wrote 'suitcase' on a whiteboard underneath 'Stuff'. She must've seen the odd look on my face. "The owner likes to know what people ask for that we don't have." She shrugged. "Y'know 'cause we're known for stuff."
I had my character smile. I didn't feel like it, but I didn't want to give a bad impression and stand out more than I already was. She bagged my new clothes, and I paid with the money I'd taken from the Fallen. By chance, I looked down at a newspaper. There was a headline: 'Slaughterhouse Nine on the loose in Texas!'
I picked it up and put it on the counter. "This too."
She shrugged and rang it up. I handed her a twenty. "Keep the change as payment for having so much stuff." And for the stuff I just shoplifted.
She politely smiled at me as I put on the shades and hat. I then hefted the bags and left. I walked until I was out of sight of the 'Food n Stuff'. When I was sure no one was looking, I Inventoried my purchases. I ran to the next town. By the time I got there, the sun was up and people were just starting their day. I ran to a Whataburger and used their restroom to change. I also applied the Hair Color Changer.
A new popup appeared showing me my head. On the left was a color wheel, while on the right was a bunch of icons showing different hair styles. My natural hair was brown and I kept it short. So I chose straw-yellow on the wheel. I could've gone with some more exotic colors, but the purpose was to blend in, not stand out. I selected straight shoulder length hair on the left, with some stubble. I rotated the head graphic. I think I look good. Older. I clicked 'Confirm', and felt an odd sensation run down my scalp. I checked the mirror and jerked back. That's a new look alright.
I quickly changed, and walked out of the fast food shop. I don't think anyone noticed.
I then ran. I got a few honks along the interstate, but I made sure to stay a couple hundred feet away. It was safer for one. It also would make it harder to drivers to figure out how fast I was going. Between my increased Dex, and the fact that I could sprint and not grow tired, I made a pretty good pace.
*You are now Tired -1 Con.
Ok. I would grow 'Tired'. I could just ignore it for a good long time. 3 days and nights if need be. It only took 1 more hour to reach Louisiana. I didn't have a phone, and I knew practically nothing about the state. The sign at the border said it was 26 miles to Shreveport. I hoped that was a big city. If I could come up with some money, and a good lie, I could catch an airplane if they had an airport. Otherwise a bus would probably be my fastest route.
I got there around noon. I had to slow down at the outskirts, but I passed an airport. Nice. I just needed to get some cash somehow. Preferably some way that was both quick and legal, but quick was more important. I walked towards the heart of the city as I thought. My contemplation was broken by an alarm blaring from a building across the street. I looked up. In large print across the front the words 'Shreveport Protectorate' were written.
I stared, dumbfounded. The person who'd been walking behind me came up short and chuckled. "What? You never heard an Endbringer siren before?"
I turned around. Behind me was a man with long brown hair and a bushy goatee. He was wearing sunglasses, a t-shirt, shorts, sandals, and a bathrobe. I Observed him.
[Harold Lebowski (The Dude)
Temporal Stretching
Gender: Male
Age: 44
Race: Human (Parahuman)
Faction: Independent Hero
Harold Lebowski grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. He never had much ambition and coasted through life. His parents died when he was a teenager, and left him enough money that he never needed to work if he didn't want to. And Harold didn't want to. Instead he hung out with his friends, getting high and watching movies and tv shows.
That all changed when he was, ironically, assaulted by people in his home over a case of mistaken identity. His friend told him about a dealer he knew that could sell him powers. Afraid for his life, Harold accepted. He gained the power to slow time, and to recover from injuries near instantly.
With the power he'd been granted, Harold decided he needed to 'find himself'. He took some expensive Tinker drugs, and drove out to the desert for a dream quest. The drugs reacted with his power, and Harold found himself trapped in a frozen world for more than a year. In reality, he was in the desert for only a day, but under the effect of the drugs, combined with his power, it seemed much, much longer.
He came to, and decided it was fate. He was destined to help people realize their part in the cosmos. He styled himself after his favorite Earth Aleph movie, and became a super hero - when he feels like it. While he has incredible speed, he is physically out of shape. Still, his power's defensive abilities have kept him safe so far. He is a prominent member on the Louisiana PHO. He has a friendly relationship with the local Protectorate and the villains. He'll step in to stop crime, and tries to de-escalate things. He hates labels, and just wants everyone to chill. He feels his costume is enough and doesn't wear a mask, since it's just another label.
Between his invulnerability, personality, and relationships with the established local capes, Harold hasn't had any problems from not sticking to the 'unwritten rules'. Which are just more labels. Everybody knows him, and most people like him - or at least put up with him.
Harold's power increases his temporal speed. He can't affect much physically while moving so fast. Small items and people are simple to move, larger objects won't budge at all. If injured, he will revert back to when he was healthy. This interacts sporadically with drugs.
Debuffs:
Memory Removal
High]
*A new quest has triggered: Endbringer Assault I
[Kevin Greenhouse (Killer)
The Gamer
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human (Parahuman)
Faction: None
Title: Thief II (+100% to stealth checks)
Level: 14 (13,500/14,000 Exp)
Mover: 4
Shaker: 2
Brute: 5
Breaker: 10
Master: 5
Tinker: 0
Blaster: 0
Thinker: 8
Striker: 0
Changer: 1
Trump: 5
Stranger: 7
HP: 551 (516)
MP: 232
Primary Attributes
STR: 65
AGI: 32
CON: 65 (58)
INT: 21
PER: 21
WIS: 17
CHA: 15
LUC: 96
Unspent Points: 15
Traits:
Gamer's Body lvl Max
Gamer's Mind lvl Max
Observe lvl 3
Inventory lvl 2
Party System
Transposition
Perks Selected (2/2):
Rapid Regeneration lvl 2
Summoning lvl 3
Perks Available:
Solid as a Rock
Power Drain
Fire Control
Silica Control
Juggernaut
Lucky Fate
Skills:
Acting: 13
Athletics: 21
Basic Academics: 2
Computers: 1
Cooking: 2
Damage Resistance (Acid): 100 - 100%
Damage Resistance (Disease): 100 - 100%
Damage Resistance (Electricity): 65 - 99.3%
Damage Resistance (Heat): 64 - 99.25%
Damage Resistance (Light): 64 - 99.25%
Damage Resistance (Physical): 25 - 95.6%
Damage Resistance (Poison): 100 - 100%
Meditation: 38
Melee Weapon: 17
Pain Resistance: 64 - 99.25%
Parahuman Lore: 7
Ranged Weapon: 21
Stealth: 9
Unarmed Combat: 32
Video Games: 26
Ongoing Quests:
Passing on the Torch
Best Served Cold
Run Away! Run Away!
Debuffs:
Tired x7 -7 Con]
« First « Prev Ch 11 of 90 Next »
Review
Jump:
Share: Email . Facebook . Twitter
Story: Follow Favorite
Author: Follow Favorite
Contrast: Dark . Light
Font: Small . Medium . Large . XL
Twitter . Help . Sign Up . Cookies . Privacy . Terms of ServiceFanFiction.Net
Just In
Community
Forum
V
More
The Most Dangerous Gamer by chimmon
Books » Worm Rated: M, English, Adventure, OC, Bonesaw, Siberian, Words: 431k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Mar 8, 2021 Updated: Feb 27, 2023
1,328Chapter 12: Interlude - PHODragon
Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, Tin Mother
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed.
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history.
• Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
Topic: A New Thread
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Texas
TheDude (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape)
Posted On Oct 25th 2010:
The Protectorate has released information about the latest Slaughterhouse Nine attack. They hit a small town that I've never heard of: Brooke's Creek.
No word on if there are any survivors, but knowing the Nine I'm not hopeful.
Anyone know anybody from there or close by?
EDIT
Here is a link to a video that just popped up multiple places on the web. I not an expert or anything and don't know how to prove or disprove its validity. BUT, given the layout of the town shown and matched up against pics I've found of Brooke's Creek. It looks real man. Depressing stuff. Guess the Nine got a new member.
EDIT 2
Ok, not to be THAT guy, but seriously, this video is graphic. DO NOT watch it if you are unsure. The one I've linked has had people's faces and the gore blurred, but it's still very violent. Click responsibly.
(Showing page 5 of 5)
►Small Cow Girl
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
I grew up in Brooke's Creek, and that's it. Don't remember the arcade, but everything else is 100%.
I recognized a lot of people in that video. I shouldn't have watched.
►Grimeer
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
Do not speculate on a cape's identity. Enjoy your ban - Tin Mother
►TheDude (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
Small Cow Girl I'm sorry you saw that. It's disturbing. I'm going to update my post to give more warning.
►Small Cow Girl
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
TheDude It's okay. After hearing the news, I would've found that video one way or another. I'm sad, but also glad that I didn't stumble on a non-edited one.
Do we have any official comment on if the videos have been validated?
►Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
/ TheDude I appreciate your additional warning, as well as posting the most sanitized version of the video in question.
►Space Marine
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
I can confirm that the PRT is going to make an announcement on the validity of the video. It's looking like there's not much doubt - there are several times Jack Slash is seen.
►Lolitup
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
No calls of violence are allowed. Enjoy your ban - Tin Mother
►Space Marine
Replied On Nov 1st 2010:
The video is verified, and a trial has been set for a new Kill Order. Pretty open and shut case.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Dragon reviewed the video again. There were still a lot of questions. Why was Jack Slash the only other member of the Slaughterhouse Nine that showed up in the video? What created those arrows in the sky? Was that part of Kevin's power? For that matter, what had happened before the video started? He had an arm that still looked freshly removed, but there wasn't a drop of blood. His remaining hand was missing one finger and part of another. That was an established pattern of the Siberian.
The time of deaths didn't match either, but that was always an issue when Bonesaw was involved. Most of the bodies' brains were too damaged, but a few showed traces of some sort of virus in them. More of Bonesaw's handiwork no doubt.
She had been running facial recognition software throughout Texas. Right before that video popped up, a person matching Kevin Greenhouse with 84% accuracy had bought clothes in a small shop in another town. At that time he had two arms and ten fingers. That could be explained by Bonesaw, but there was an irregularity. The camera in the store wasn't good, and the video was poor quality, but there were 3 tubes of hair dye that vanished from one frame to the next.
That raised interesting questions in conjunction with Maria's testimony. Kevin might have a dimensional ability.
Another video in a different town caught him entering a bathroom, and emerging in a disguise. Once again, the video quality was too low for a 100% match of his face. The clothes were the same as what had been purchased earlier. He hadn't carried them in with him, so that was further proof of a dimensional pocket.
Without better quality video, it was all circumstantial.
She sent her conclusions to the Dallas Protectorate. There might be a cause for leniency if Kevin did save Maria Gomez.
Her processes came to a halt as an alarm went out. The seismic activity program she'd created was notifying her of a confirmed event. Behemoth had been spotted!
Author's Note:
Once again what follows isn't needed to understand and enjoy the plot. However, if you want an explanation of why some things happen - or at the very least a rationalization, you may read on. If you don't like info dumps, then you can skip this part and not feel guilty.
Since Kevin went and dumped everything into Luc, I thought I should explain how that, reputation, and the nature of his summons in this story.
Luck isn't the ability to get in a lucky hit or dodge. It won't help with coin flips or gambling. It's another bud of Broadcast and is more of a 'right place, right time' effect. It's main function is to have Kevin encounter other Parahumans more often. This can be good or bad depending on the situation, Optimize just wants more chance encounters so there's more conflict. It can't make something happen from nothing, so there has to be some leeway in what Kevin or other parahumans do so that they would naturally come in contact. Stuff like, leaving a few seconds early or going down the wrong street by accident, that sort of coincidence. Thinkers tend to be resistant.
Reputation is another ability that Optimize has taken from Broadcast. To be more specific, it's an aspect Jack's silver tongue. It uses the host's Shard to subtly influence their opinion of Kevin, but it will not help him decide what to say. Of course, having a good opinion isn't enough to change how some people behave. No matter how high a reputation Kevin gets with Jack, he's not going to convince him to turn over a new leaf.
Riley, on the other hand, has been kept mostly isolated. She has a good relationship with the Siberian, and that's it. Jack evokes a lot of strong emotions in her, but only half of them are good. This is why she seeks more 'family' members and latches onto them so quickly and easily. Her mental state is also that of a younger kid, and so she forms attachments more easily too.
The Siberian (at least in this fic), has a human brain that's been kludged together by her shard, similar to Scion's avatar. Manton wanted a daughter and revenge, and his Shard tried to accommodate him. Thus, she has a mind, thoughts and emotions, but they are all tainted through both Manton's desires and her lack of social interactions. This is why she bonded with Bonesaw, because Riley was nice to her. (And Manton allowed it.)
Since they were both so isolated, it made it easy for Kevin to gain reputation with them. Crawler and Burnscar also fall into this category. Shatterbird is too (relatively) well-adjusted. Hack Face and Mannequin are too psychotic. (So, yes, if Kevin had focused on his social game, he could've turned half of the Slaughterhouse Nine to his side.)
For his summons, they are made of cubes ranging from 10cm to 1mm. Kevin himself is made of cubes about 100 micrometers long. His clone gets to copy his 'high-res' look, but that's it. None of his other summons get to use pixels that small.
Kevin can summon animals because his Shard can use his body as a reference to make their pixel biology work. (And yes, that will drive Riley figuratively insane.) The knowledge to make items with moving parts has to come from Kevin or another Shard. The size of his summons are limited by his level, with a horse being the biggest thing he can create at level 3.
His summons are made of pixels. Not plastic or wood or steel cubes, pixels. It's Shard based atomic and dimensional fuckery. Since they're a bud of the Siberian, they mimic outside forces instead of ignoring them. So if he had a doctorate in chemistry, he could summon 'acid' pixels. They wouldn't be made of acid, but would be able to effect other objects as if they were. (Which would be quite dangerous, as pixel-acid would just consume MP to keep on dissolving.) That's also why he needs to have intimate knowledge of mechanical things. A knife is one thing, but a bike chain has to be within precise limits for it to work properly. So the pixels have to selectively do a lot of stuff to not behave like a cube of nothingness. It's not enough to read a manual. Kevin has to have hands-on experience with assembling and disassembling something from scratch. Or his Shard can cheat and use his body as a template for most biological things. Or he can get a Tinker shard and use it's knowledge to create tinkertech out of pixels.
Yes, Kevin's breaker state turns him into pixels, but pixels surrounding his natural body.
« First « Prev Ch 12 of 90 Next »
Review
Jump:
Share: Email . Facebook . Twitter
Story: Follow Favorite
Author: Follow Favorite
Contrast: Dark . Light
Font: Small . Medium . Large . XL
Twitter . Help . Sign Up . Cookies . Privacy . Terms of Service