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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
1,306Chapter 8: On the Road 2
We played a couple of different card games, and I learned a few things. First, Jack is a dirty cheater who cheats in cards. I'm pretty sure it's his power. He was unstoppable at poker. Riley, incidentally, is complete garbage at bluffing. When we moved to a more kid-friendly, and luck-based game I learned my other tidbit. I apparently can't grind luck. At least not by playing cards. I idly thought of adding stakes to see if that might have an effect, but immediately discarded that idea. It's not worth the risk for anything I could lose, and there's nothing I really want. Gambling for more of our supply of chocolate doesn't seem important.
After an hour or so, I excused myself to spend time with Crawler. He hadn't strayed far from camp yet. "I've gotten stronger."
He perked up. "Show me!"
I nodded, planted my feet, took a deep breath, and threw a haymaker. It wasn't like punching a wall. His flesh was tough but flexible. Instead it felt as if I'd struck a pile of mud. The super-dense kind that only lets in a little water. I looked up at him. "Anything?"
"You're making progress, but there's still a ways to go if you want to match me."
"I figured. Still, it's a nice feeling."
* +5 reputation with Crawler.
"I get you." I was getting used to his 'voice'. "It's hard to put it into words. Having your flesh rebuild itself, but better." He stared at me with his front eyes. "Enjoy the easy gains while you can. I ramped up too quickly."
I patted him on the side, but I don't think he felt it. Crawler was another potential ally, but I doubted I'd be able to get enough reputation with him in a timely fashion. He was only out of his trailer during the night. Plus, he wasn't as open as Riley. Surprisingly friendly, but not friendly enough. There was also the fact that he'd been the one to murder my friends.
I moved back to the camp and considered other options. Mannequin? Where was he? I hadn't see the silent Tinker since I got on the RV. No possible way to make progress there. Mimi? The same boat as Crawler. While the pyromaniac was around during the day, she was listless. Hatchet Face? No. Shatterbird? It was an option, but I hadn't gained any reputation in our (admittedly short) interactions. The only one left was the Siberian. She liked eating me. Did I taste good? Did she just enjoy fresh meat?
No idea.
In any case, she was sitting at 320 reputation. A good amount, and I could get her up to 500 with a couple of days work. The problem was 'Master's Control'. She was a projection. She might be sentient, she might not. She might be following the Slaughterhouse Nine for her own reasons, or she might've been commanded to. I couldn't take that chance. It was too risky.
I went back to the fire. Riley was looking pretty tired already. "Before you fall asleep in front of the fire, wanna put my arm on ice for tomorrow?"
* +10 reputation with Bonesaw.
Riley's eyes snapped open as she jumped to her feet. "YES!" She blinked, and then coughed into her hand. "I mean..." The little girl then pushed her index fingers together while twisting her body back and forth. To add to the effect she lowered her head and looked up at me. "If you wanna."
Cute! I know it's an act, but acting to cover up her excitement is even cuter. If only she wasn't excited a the thought of taking my arm off.
I nod and ruffle her hair with the hand I'm about to have to regrow. "C'mon. The sooner we get it on ice, the sooner you can go to bed, and the sooner it will be tomorrow."
"Yay!"
Am I sure that Gamer's Mind is keeping me sane? Slowly getting used to being dissected should be alarming, but I regenerate and it hurts less and less. I remove my shirt, otherwise the Siberian will just tear it off along with my arm. Then I'd have to ask Jack for another one... boo!
"But you know ice isn't going to be good enough. We need to preserve it better than that. At the very least I need to drain the blood and prevent it from coagulating. Your skin and muscles are tough, so that should significantly slow decomposition. No, sealing it in a vacuum will work best. I doubt that will even cause the blood vessels to rupture." She continued muttering to herself as we entered the RV. She fiddled with her lab's control pad and a section of the wall slid open revealing a large glass tube attached to a device. "Ok Sibby, put it in the tube, and no snacking!" She waggled her finger at the single most powerful creature on the planet that wasn't an Endbringer or named Scion.
The Siberian took the 'scolding' in good humor, ripping off my arm with a single swift tug. She impressively turned it bloody-side down inside the container without spilling any on the RV's floor.
Riley smiled and manipulated the controls. Tubes with needles on the ends came up and inserted themselves into the bloody end. There was a whirling sound before the section at the bottom spat out 6 vials filled with my blood. The top of the tube closed and a louder whirling sound came from the bottom.
"There! That should do it!" She smiled up at me. "You can never have enough Brute blood! The attack spiders go through it so quick!"
Attack spiders? I haven't seen any attack spiders. I glanced around the room. I assumed all those failed perception checks were because of Mannequin. Did I have to worry about spiders now too?
*Arachnophobia (mild) condition negated by Gamer's Mind.
And I then calmed down. They probably weren't that bad. Right?
"And just think of what I can do with the muscles and tendons!" Ok, this was getting creepy. Well, creepier.
"Riley, dear, don't get all worked up. It's bed time." Best to nip this in the bud. I smiled at her while putting my shirt back on. At least my stump doesn't bleed, and I'm getting surprisingly good at dressing myself with only one arm.
"Awwww..." She did a cute little pout before putting my preserved arm and blood away. She then closed the compartment and yawned. "I am pretty tired."
"You had a long day. Now get some sleep. You can.." Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this. "dissect my arm tomorrow."
"Okaaaay." She shuffled to the back with her surrogate mother following her.
I sat in the living area and looked up at the sky. We were away from any light sources, so the starry sky was beautiful. I heard Riley whimpering in her sleep again. It was faint, but my hearing was pretty good since my perception had gone up.
I waited for everyone else to come in and go to bed before I started my nightly grinding session.
For 20 MP, I could summon a spider that lasted 1 minute. They were pretty big, and I could only fit one in my mouth. At night I was free to summon them inside my shirt. That allowed me to produce as many as I liked, as long as I had the MP for it. My HP came back absurdly quickly. It took less than a minute to go from zero to full. MP was slower. I bet there was a perk for it that I hadn't unlocked yet. Not that I had any extra slots available.
At 22 or 23 MP a minute, I was still grinding pretty quick. Meditation currently tripled that. So the end result was that I had 3 tarantula sized spiders under my shirt at once. I assumed they were 8-bit, just like my daggers. I hadn't had the opportunity to confirm that, since I needed to keep it a secret from everyone else. My 500th spider leveled me up.
*Your summoning skill has gained +1 level.
That pretty much confirms it. It's the MP spent, not the number of things summoned. That's great news. As my meditation goes up, so will my exp gain. Time for another test.
[Summoned knife
Str 110. Dex 105. Con 85.]
[Summoned knife
Str 105. Dex 110. Con 85.]
[Summoned knife
Str 110. Dex 110. Con 80.]
I could almost max out every stat at the same time. Now to confirm my suspicions on the formula. I assigned +1 Int.
[Summoned knife
Str 115. Dex 100. Con 85.]
Ok, now +1 Per.
[Summoned knife
Str 100. Dex 115. Con 85.]
And, +1 Wis.
[Summoned knife
Str 115. Dex 95. Con 90.]
Ok. So each stat allows for 5 more of the associated point. There were other limits. The knives so far could handle all the MP I could spend. The spiders had ability caps of 20, 100, and 80. Still impressive, but I had to wonder just how effective they would be. I mean, size was pretty important. They were incapable of hurting me, and I couldn't easily test them against anything else.
There was an extra 10 point limit that I couldn't account for. Was it a base value, or was another stat effecting things? I was level 11, so I didn't think it was that. Could it be luck? It was worth spending a point to find out. I assigned +1 Luc.
[Summoned knife
Str 117. Dex 91. Con 92.]
Would you look at that? +2 max stats across the board. 3 points in luck was more effective than 1 point in each of the other mental stats. The trade off was that I wouldn't be able to summon absurdly one-dimensional creatures.
Totally worth it.
Oh, nice! It also increased my HP and MP by 1 each. That's technically a worse return on investment since the other stats gave x5, x2, or x0. However, I was going to dump it all in luck anyways, so I'll just treat the HP & MP as a bonus. This should bring my theoretical limits to 299 Str, 299 Dex, and 274 Con. My practical limits were 140 due to how much MP I could add at once. Would that be enough to injure Crawler? I didn't plan on finding out. I also had to wonder what a mental stat in the 100's would feel like. Superhuman if I had to guess, with my Shard doing all the heavy lifting. I still wasn't comfortable with that amount of change.
Besides, as my dad often said: "I'd rather be lucky than good."
Wait. I was getting carried away with luck, but there was one other stat I hadn't tested yet. Could charisma be a hidden stat also? I allocated +1 stat to Cha. Nothing. Same limits. Same HP. Same MP. What was the point of Cha? It did nothing! Grumbling to myself over the wasted point, I assign everything else to luck.
91 points in luck brought it up to 96, and I felt the same. What did luck even do outside of boosting other things?
*New Perk Available: Lucky Fate
[Lucky Fate
Precognition targeting you has a 50% chance of being incorrect. Unlocks other Luc perks.]
That gives me pause. I was about to blow it off as useless compared to the other Perks I currently have available, but something stopped me. I don't have the points to waste on perks that are only situationally useful. But this? There weren't very many precogs in the world. The only one I knew of was the Simurgh. Would this affect her? I didn't plan on being anywhere near her if I could help it. The Endbringers were incredibly powerful, but their abilities weren't unique. Behemoth could control any type of energy, while Legend could 'only' manipulate light. That didn't mean that Legend was weak, or that there weren't other capes that could control energy. For crying out loud, Mimi was in the other room.
Could there be capes out there with precognition? Why would I get a Perk that was only useful against the Simurgh?
*Paranoia condition negated by Gamer's Mind.
Ok. Calm down. First, there probably are capes like that. Second, I don't need to worry about them just yet. After all, Jack doesn't have precognition and he's still running around after twenty years of having a massive bounty.
One last test. I summoned my highest str dagger, reached under my shirt, and poked my finger.
[Summoned knife
Str 140. Dex 5. Con 5.]
*Gamer's Body bypassed.
*Bleeding(minor) effect negated by Gamer's Body.
I blinked. That was NOT an outcome I was expecting. This had quite a few ramifications, and I'm not sure I liked any of them. I didn't know Crawler's strength, but I'm fairly certain it's around 250. Judging by how much damage I took once he stopped holding back, and my damage resistance at the time. I was also assuming that 1 str = 1 damage. Since other's didn't use my rules, I couldn't say with 100% certainty. In any case, I was sure that the knife's str was less than Crawler's. So how did it not only hurt me, but bypass my HP? Gamer's Body seemed to have a weakness to my own powers. Did that make me like the lion Hercules had killed? Do I have a pelt so tough that it can only be pierced with my own claws? Or the Siberian's claws, but she doesn't count. My previous attempts at hurting myself were ineffective. The only difference would be the knife's better stats.
That's another experiment I need to do. Figure out what that threshold is, and make sure I don't surpass it. A shudder ran down my spine. If Jack ever got his hands on one of my own knives... Best not to even allow that possibility. I waited for the knife to vanish from lack of MP. It didn't take long to figure out the limit. Any knife with a str of 131 or more would bypass Gamer's Body. 130 was double my str or con. So it's most likely related to one of those stats or both. I'd put money on con.
The problem was that there were now two effects that could ignore my (quite frankly broken) Breaker state. If it was only the Siberian, I wouldn't be worried. She was THE toughest Brute. No one could withstand her, so losing to her wasn't a surprise. A second power, even if it was mine, denoted a pattern. Well, I'm still one of the sturdiest people around. I should take comfort in that.
Satisfied by my gains, I decide to get 3 hours of sleep tonight.
I woke up, and felt regret.
An increased maximum for summoned objects was well and good, but I just realized that it didn't matter what my maximum was if I couldn't spend the MP to reach it. I should've raised my luck just enough to allow for maximum flexibility for level 3 Summoning. I could always raise it more when I got my next skill level. What if something happens in the meantime and I desperately need a boost somewhere else?
This is why I should think about stuff before committing.
* You gain +1 Wis.
And I don't need my power rubbing it in my face.
Oh? No reward for THAT revelation?
What am I doing? It's not like my power can talk to me. I'm just being stupid. Heh. Kinda surprised it didn't reward me for that deep character assessment. I shook my head. Nothing to do but keep moving forward. I wonder if my power can summon a working car? And if so, how fast would it be? For that matter, I didn't know the top speed of the RV. Considering who'd upgraded it, it might just be escape velocity.
Of course, I didn't know how to drive, so it kinda didn't matter.
I was feeling pretty good. I'm pretty sure I no longer need to eat, but some bacon would really hit the spot. I stretched and then went over to the kitchen nook. This is a surprisingly well stocked fridge. Bet they fill it up every time they visit a town.
*Melancholy condition negated by Gamer's Mind.
I found a pan and began cooking bacon. The aroma woke everyone else. Soon people were stealing MY bacon, so I had to cook more. Which just got poached in turn.
*By performing a new task, you have created the Cooking skill.
I object. I already know how to cook. Why wasn't it already on my character sheet?
*Your cooking skill has increased by +1.
Thanks.
I finally managed to get a couple of slices for myself, so I sat down at the table. The Siberian was looking at my plate.
"Here." I held out my left hand to her, while using the right to eat.
*Error! Gamer's Body negated.
*Moderate Bleeding negated by Gamer's Body.
*Your pain resistance skill has increased by +1.
* +10 reputation with Siberian.
Loosing my fingers had at some point stopped fazing me. So much so, that given the choice I went with bacon over them.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You offered up your fingers to save your bacon?"
"Wouldn't be the first time."
**Jack Slash is amused.
"Good one, Killer."
"I didn't mean it like that." I turned to look at him. "It's my day in the lab, and the Siberian is going to get my scraps anyways. At least this way I'll have a full stomach."
A light bulb seemed to turn on above Riley's head. "Digestion!" She wore a huge guileless smile. "I can watch how you digest food!"
This was a bad idea. "Uhm... Riley, weren't you going to watch me regenerate?"
"No, no, no! This is a much more interesting process! Just when does the food you're eating turn from regular matter to your Breaker state? You don't use the bathroom. Or I guess you might use it at night when everyone's asleep. It's nothing to be ashamed of you know. Everyone poops!" She paused and tilted her head. "Well, not EVERYONE. I don't think Sibby poops. And you might not either. I'll need to cut open every part!" She stood up and went to the kitchen. "You need to have a large meal, so we can check your capacity!"
Me and my big mouth. Note to self, be careful what you say around Riley. "I haven't used the restroom since I Triggered. Also, I ate nearly the entire stock of food at the Dollar Store over the course of six hours. So, I don't think I have a limit on how much I can digest?" Her eyes lit up. Why am I so stupid?
"In that case we need to examine your digestion while you're eating. If it happens so quickly, there's no other way!" She grabbed a handful of muffins. "We'll need to power through your Breaker state so I can cut you open. Then you can eat and I can watch what happens. I'll need to have a scope looking at the inside and outside of your stomach. No point in going any farther than that until we see exactly what's happening! C'mon, we need to get a move on!"
On one hand, I don't need to grind reputation with her any more. I could refuse... No. She's so excited. Turning her down would be like kicking a puppy.
*You gain +1 Cha.
**Jack Slash is happy.
Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. One day Jack. One day.
*Due to endured injuries, your Resist(Light) has increased 1 lvl.
-1 HP
"Riley, the laser is about to stop working."
She made a grunt of acknowledgment.
"Riley!"
"Okay, okay. I need more time. Heat, electricity, and now lasers." She crossed her arms. "If only Crawler hadn't ruined acid, disease, AND poison! How rude!"
"Yeah." I replied with a dry tone that was wasted on her.
"And I can't believe Mannequin doesn't have a radiation weapon! I mean really! You'd think he'd have something for cosmic rays or other background radiation if for no other reason than testing his armor!"
"Riley? It's been almost five hours, don't you have enough data?"
She huffed. "I can see the food break down. But it's instantaneous. One second it's glucose in your stomach, the next, it's a cube! How am I supposed to mimic that!" She threw her arms up. "Especially since I don't get meaningful readings from after the transformation. If only I had a chunk of your brain to trigger your power in the specimens I already have."
No. Do not engage. Just pretend she didn't say that last sentence. "I understand, but I'd rather not experiment with how my body handles having a my stomach on the outside."
She scowled. "Fine."
"Don't be like that, you got a lot of data right?"
"Yeah..."
"Then what you need is time to review it. You don't need me cut open to do that."
"I suppose." She replied with a small voice.
I reached over with my hand that wasn't currently being cauterized by a laser, and patted her on the head. "It's ok. You don't have to find the answers immediately. I'll be here and you can keep on dissecting me all you want." Why? Why am I so stupid?
She beamed at me. Oh, that's why. "Sure thing big brother! I'll have you put back together in a jiffy!" She began to hum to herself as she sewed me up. "I still think you should let me attach an arm or two. Wouldn't it be neat if they were added to your Breaker state?"
I need to shut down that line of thought. "Perhaps some other time." Argh! Why don't I have a willpower stat? Why can't I put points in that?!
*You gain +1 Cha.
She put down her needle and thread. "All done!" That was quick. "Now for the inner camera." She pulled the cord that was going down my throat. I felt like I should be gagging, but didn't.
"So what..."
She held up a single finger to her mouth and 'shushed' me. A few strokes on her computer followed and she turned and stared intently at my sewn up stomach. The laser turned off, and my HP began to tick up. "That. Is. So. Cool!" She jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "Your body just... absorbs the thread. It's the same way as when you eat. One second it's thread, and the next: Cubes!"
I rolled my eyes. I didn't understand her... appreciation of my power, but far be it from me to dissuade her.
"Whew. I'm hungry." She wiped her forehead. "Wanna grab lunch?"
"I can eat."
That earned me a punch on the shoulder.
* +5 reputation with Bonesaw.
The Siberian stood and stretched. Thankfully, I was wearing pants this time. She then moved to the operating table and sniffed it. She then turned and looked at my hand.
"What."
She licked her lips.
"Don't tell me you want it cooked this time?"
She smiled and I held out my injured hand. It was already damaged, what was a few more minutes of regeneration? I turned my head as she sniffed, licked, and then bit.
Huh? That was quicker than normal. She only ate the finger that the laser had been boring into.
* +5 reputation with Siberian.
She looked at me and smirked before walking out the door. What did THAT mean? Normally she eats them all. Is she being nice? Did the laser affect the taste?
I spent the rest of the day in the lab with Riley. I was now effectively immune to the damage that she could cause me, and therefore couldn't be dissected anymore. Still, I found her company enjoyable. A paranoid part of my mind wondered if Jack wanted me to bond with her. Could his power be manipulating me like that? I had Gamer's Mind, which should protect me right? No idea. I also wondered if his power could be affecting Riley? Making her open up to me? Making her behave in a way I found endearing?
No. To go down that path led to madness. I couldn't second-guess everything that I or anyone else did. Even if Jack was that powerful, playing it safe wouldn't get me out of this situation.
"...and that's why your blood will help the spiders."
Shoot. I wasn't listening. "Could you go over that one more time Riley? I don't think I caught it."
"Sure!" She looked up from... whatever she was doing with her spider creation. "I'll go slower this time, Kevin!" She smiled at me. The guileless smile of a child, not that I knew any other children. Riley was so... open and willing to share. It was all the more pronounced due to the other people I could now spend time with. "See? Spiders don't have muscles, instead they use pressurized fluid to make their limbs move. That's why Brute blood is so useful. Liquids with a high..."
I listened to her explanation. While I didn't get any of the details, the gist came through. Her spiders use blood, and it occasionally needed to be changed. Like a car's oil I guessed. Brute blood was best for... reasons. So having a supply of it from me was a windfall.
Well, as long as I was useful.
"We're going to camp here for a few days." We had pulled off the road by a forest. Which surprised me, I thought the only trees that grew in Texas were mesquite trees. Which were not a plant you wanted to get close to. "The heat will die off soon, and in the meantime some of us." Jack looked at Crawler. "Would probably enjoy some more space."
"Kevin, 'cmon!" Riley tugged at my hand. "Let's see if we can find some squirrels or bunnies!"
I let her drag me into the woods. It was nice to see her excited. I'd never had that level of enthusiasm for anything but video games. It was also cute that she wanted to see some small animals. Wait... "Riley, why do you want squirrels or rabbits?"
She looked up at me. "Because they're cute!" Oh thank God... "And they make great spies. Plus the more parts I have the more options! Just think how cute a two-headed squirrel would be? Or a squirrel with bunny ears! Or a bunny with a squirrel tail!"
Yeah, that's on me. I totally should've seen it coming. Still, we were alone in the woods. It was quiet, and Riley was my ally. I wouldn't get a better chance.
"Riley, I have a secret I want to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
She looked up. "A secret? What is it? What is it?"
I held up a palm. "First promise. I know you're a good girl and won't tell anyone if you promise." I felt like scum. I knew she had... issues with trying to be a 'good girl'. Abusing what I'd learned from her bio made me a horrible person. It made me like Jack.
"I promise." Her face grew serious.
"Not even Mr. Jack or Sibby."
She crossed her arms and nodded. "You can trust me."
I smiled. "I know I can. Here's my secret:"
*You have invited Bonesaw to join your Party.
*Bonesaw has accepted your Party invite.
Kevin ► This is my real power. We can talk like this, and no one can hear us. I'm going to say some stuff, but it's just in case anyone is listening.
I was glad the Party system included chat. Having this conversation out loud would've been more difficult. "I'm afraid of Jack."
"Oh." Her eyes scanned left to right. "That's nice."
Kevin ► Just try and think your response. My power should pick it up.
Bonesaw ► Like this?
Bonesaw ► Wow. I can see my reply in a blue window in front of me!
Bonesaw ► This is soooo neat! Why don't you want the rest of us to see this?
Kevin ► Like I said, I'm afraid of Jack. If he knew I was holding out on him...
**Bonesaw is scared.
Huh? A notification about Riley? I guess this is part of the Party system.
Bonesaw ► Yeah, Mr. Jack can be scary at times.
Bonesaw ► It's probably best not to keep secrets.
Kevin ► Probably, but you're the only one I want to talk to like this.
**Bonesaw is happy.
Bonesaw ► Really? That's nice!
Kevin ► It can be our secret. Just a way for us to talk privately.
Bonesaw ► Like a secret club!
Kevin ► Exactly.
Bonesaw ► The Best Friends Club!
Kevin ► Sure.
Riley was beaming up at me. I couldn't help it. I smiled back at her.
Bonesaw ► Lift me up! I can see better from on your shoulders.
Kevin ► Sure.
I picked her up. She felt light as a feather as I let her sit on my right shoulder.
Bonesaw ► This is great! We can talk at night without waking anyone else up! I can have you help me in the lab without needing to turn the machines down! If I could get a piece of your brain then I could... SQUIRREL!
A small shape jumped from a tree branch, and the chase was on.
We camped for a week before Jack decided the coast was clear. In that time I gained a significant amount of reputation with Riley. Even stranger, I felt a real connection in return. She tended to babble, but always listened when I talked. She was enthusiastic, smart, and cute. I'd never had a sister before, and I found Riley to be a good one.
She hadn't told Jack about my new power. She even confided in me one night that she was scared of him too sometimes. It was in the early morning that we spoke the most often. While spending most of the night awake grinding Summoning, I got numerous alerts from her. Riley did not have pleasant dreams. When she woke up, I tried to be there to help her calm down.
She'd twice woken up in the middle of the night and came to sleep next to me in the living room. It kept me from practicing Summoning, but I couldn't begrudge her. Any annoyance I might have had vanished when I got a notification about how happy or content she was.
The new day we were on the road again. After I'd cooked breakfast, Riley had started making meals as well. She turned out to be a pretty good chef. I was with her in her lab when an alarm beeped.
"It's lunchtime!" Riley said as she leaned away from... something. "Let's go!"
I nodded and stood up. It was strange, I could sit in the same position for hours now. I'd always needed to shift and move around before. "Sound good."
"Don't just stand there! I'll make you B.L.T." Riley grabbed my arm and started pulling.
"That sounds nice Riley. I think I know the sequence to close the lab, why don't you go on ahead?"
"Don't just stand there! I'll make you B.L.T." Riley grabbed my arm and started pulling.
"That sounds nice Riley. Just let me put my shirt back on first."
She giggled. "Do you need help?"
I shook my head. "No, I have most of my fingers, so I can manage."
"Okaaaay!" She called out as she skipped down the hallway.
I couldn't help but smile. Shaking my head, I exited her lab and made my way to the living area. Jack was already sitting at the table, playing with a knife. Ugh. I'd rather not sit near him, but there's only one table.
Jack vs. a B.L.T.?
Forget it.
Jack vs. a B.L.T. Riley made? She'd be upset if I didn't eat it.
Shoot. I sat down and pointedly looked out the window. Car. Car. Truck. I Observed each passing vehicle. Motorcycle.
[Harv Bundy
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Race: Human
Faction: The Fallen - Crowley Clan
Harv was born and raised in the Crowley Clan. Never a bright child, he accepted their world-view at face value. He went to school in White Crest, Mississippi, and graduated at the bottom of his class. He didn't care because he new the truth. The human race was doomed, and the Endbringers were going to usher in a new golden age.
He married his wife Jane as part of a deal with the Mathers Clan. She's been a good wife, but he does occasionally have to put her in her place. Most of the free time he has he spends with one of his Clan's biker gangs. They ride around, spreading the truth to those who will listen, and beating up those that won't.
In other words, he's a typical Crowley cultist. His political marriage is what sets him apart, but he doesn't realize it.
His ties to the Mathers Clan is why he was chosen to be part of the honor guard. He feels the cargo he's protecting is vitally important to the grand plan.
He's wrong.
The women he's escorting have no powers, and therefore are only important in keeping relations steady between the two clans.]
"Hey." I said to Jack. "What about them?" I jerked my chin at the bike gang passing us.
"Huh? What about them?"
"Look."
"Just some bikers."
"Look!"
Jack quits flipping his knife and turns towards the windows. His eyes narrow for a second, before widening. A sinister looking grin spreads across his face.
**Jack Slash is intrigued.
"I see."
"You see what?" Riley puts a plate in front of each of us before plopping down next to me.
"Killer has just chosen his first target. And it's an interesting one."
"What? Where?" Riley hops up and down - which really isn't a hop - she just rattles the table.
"It depends on where they're going." I say before taking a bite of the B.L.T. Hey, this is pretty good. What's that? There's a thin sauce. Mayo? Mustard? I can't place it.
"On where WHO'S going?" Uh oh, she's looking at me with those big round eyes. Fine, I can eat later.
"Those bikers." I point out the window. Jack has pulled out a remote and is fiddling with the controls.
"What about them?"
"You may not know it, but Texas and other places in the South sorta have a cult problem."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The Fallen, they worship the Endbringers or something. They were an annoyance until, I think it was about a year ago? They kidnapped a bunch of parahumans including a lot of wards."
"What?"
I nodded. "Yeah, made all the headlines when a few of the wards escaped. Turns out the Fallen were brainwashing them, and only a few managed to resist it and get away."
"What?" Riley's voice loses her normal inflection and falls about half an octave. I can see that as something that might strike a nerve with her. She doesn't consider herself a victim of kidnapping and brainwashing, but she still has some deep feeling regarding it. At least in regard to children I guess.
"Yeah, bad stuff. Got the Protectorate to crack down hard on them, but they went to ground." I motioned at the bikers. "Look at those guys, how they're dressed, their tattoos." I point from one biker to another. "See a theme?"
She nods her head. "So they've just been riding around to avoid detection."
"Hardly. I doubt those guys are important, and they probably lack powers. Just some of the low-level mooks. They personally haven't broken any major laws. There were some bills or something introduced to try and make them illegal, but I don't remember how that ended."
"You want to make a bike gang vanish? Ok. I can always use the spare parts." She bit her thumb. "The others might not go for it. Not much fun with only normal people."
I shake my head. "No. Look at their formation. They're escorting that car."
"Oh."
"Odd thing for bikers to do." Jack chimes in. "Not their typical M.O. from what I understand. So whatever, or whomever they're escorting must be important, at least a little."
I nod. "And if we follow them."
Jack completes my sentence. "Then we might find a bunch of folks who will be really interesting!"
**Jack Slash is happy.
**Jack Slash is filled with anticipation.
[Kevin Greenhouse (Killer)
The Gamer
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human (Parahuman)
Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine
Title: Murderer III (+150% damage to helpless targets)
Level: 11 (8,950/11,000 Exp)
Mover: 4
Shaker: 0
Brute: 5
Breaker: 10
Master: 5
Tinker: 0
Blaster: 0
Thinker: 8
Striker: 0
Changer: 0
Trump: 5
Stranger: 4
HP: 551
MP: 232
Primary Attributes
STR: 65
AGI: 32
CON: 65
INT: 21
PER: 21
WIS: 17
CHA: 14
LUC: 96
Unspent Points: 0
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: 7
Unarmed Combat: 32
Video Games: 26
Ongoing Quests:
Passing on the Torch
Best Served Cold
Choose Your Own Adventure
Escape From the Slaughterhouse Nine
Debuffs:
None]
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