Chapter 3: Do we throw Winslow High into the air ? Part 1.
Very few seconds before Sophia and Emma were beaten up by Holmes.
POV Harold Holmes-Hebert
Strangely enough, time seems to stand still, one of my perks has to be in charge.
These newly obtained gifts are much more different than the previous ones.
The first gift was the famous concealed blade, the iconic weapon of the Brotherhood of Assassins, used both for silent assassinations and in open combat. It was their most versatile weapon, with multiple upgrades and different forms of use.
It is a blade made of alloy steel, usually attached to a bracelet, that can be extended or retracted, making it a valuable tool for assassinations. The first concealed blade was usually worn by Assassins on the left forearm.
Now such a piece of art is in my cosmic storage, specifically in the garage next to the key to my [Introduce a hero name]-mobile.
The second gift is the problematic one, an entire year of training from a master assassin ...
XXX Beginning Memories
I remember walking the streets of Rome in the middle of the Renaissance.
I was studying to become a banker, but one day I got into trouble when I helped an innocent reach from some bad guys.
My rescue attempt was ending badly for me, but I was helped by a hooded angel dressed in white.
Using the least amount of movement he managed to knock all the bad guys to the ground in less than a minute.
He then approached me, reaching out his hand towards, helping me to stand up and introduced himself to me: " My name is Ezio Auditore from Florence ... "
So I met my mentor the infamous Assassin of Florence.
After the meeting I was trained for a whole year by Ezio.
I learned how to fight, blend into a crowd, the best ways to stab someone or scale a wall.
It reminds me vividly of when I received my assassin's weapon.
"The Concealed Blade has been our faithful companion over the years. Some say it is a hallmark of ours, and they are not entirely wrong. Without it we would not have achieved our successes." Said Ezio before handing the weapon to me.
The training continued, so did the study of the Brotherhood's philosophy until one day.
"When others blindly follow the truth, remember." Said Ezio Auditore.
"Nothing is real." I replied without hesitation.
"When others bend to morality or law remember. "Niccolò Machiavelli continued.
"Everything is lawful." I replied without fear.
"We act in the shadows to serve the light. We are Assassins." Said Ezio Auditore, announcing the end of the ceremony.
" Young Eagle make good use of my teachings." Said my mentor, pushing me from the edge of the building, allowing me to perform a leap of faith
XXX End Remembrance
What just happened !
I was in Rome ! At the beginning of the 15th century ! I trained for a whole year under the wing of a legendary master assassin !
This Celestial Forge is far more powerful than when fiction describes it.
I feel like I used the power OP Kaleidoscope.
That monstrous power not only attunes you to the fabric of space and time, but to the very essence of the multiverse itself. Putting all existing worlds, timelines, and possibilities at your door.
But it also allows you to copy alternative powers from itself.
I'm sure Celestial Forge did this for me. I got the memories and experiences of an "other me" who ended up as a member of the Brotherhood of Assassins.
But maybe there is another explanation but I can't find it. These teachings, these memories are rightfully mine.
I am reminded of my remaining gifts I just received, thank goodness none of them contain real memories, just knowledge, genetic modifications ... and mental abilities.
A sixth sense to make a perfect leap of faith. Ezio would be jealous of this gift, forget jumping from a cathedral is landing in a pile of hay. With this I can jump out of a plane and land on something soft and survive, I think ?
I have to do some testing, this skill will be very useful when he has to run on rooftops and jump into the void before looking.
Next gift, genetic mutations ... no, that's not an accurate description, I got more of the Genes of the First Civilization. This increases all my physical and mental abilities in a considered way, not in the realm of superhumans, but in the realm of the greatest Olympic athletes in history.
Maybe I can compare myself to Batman or Ezio in terms of raw strength/skill, I lack experience and wisdom, but I can certainly get to their level.
The last few gifts belong to the same constellation. One power that makes me sharper, more perceptive, and more knowledgeable than you would otherwise be, as well as tripling my already above average thinking speed thanks to the previous gifts.
Other is a slight increase in my Intelligence, as well as adding a "generic" knowledge of the world I'm in. Now I can pass a university entrance exam without studying, I will certainly not get a ten, but in the worst cases I get a seven in all grades.
The increase in thinking speed has been a stroke of luck, instead of being off my game for hours digesting "memories of my training" I'm taking a lot less time.
Time from my perspective seems to have stopped, no, it's going very slowly. Now that I'm no longer thinking about Ezio, Nicolo, Leonardo and the beautiful Claudia Auditore, I can notice that Taylor is about to get punched by Sophia.
Sophia's punch if it hits will break Taylor's glasses and give him a black eye, not on my watch.
Disabling the thought acceleration ability, I moved, using my right hand I intercept and stop Sophia's punch.
She is surprised, not expecting anyone to help Taylor, in fact not expecting anyone to stop her.
"Nothing is real, everything is legit." I stated, I don't know why I'm saying this, but talking to confuse the enemy is a tactic approved by my brethren and Spider-Man.
With ease, without even thinking about how to do it, I launch a powerful kick, aiming for a sensitive angle of Sophia's right knee.
Not only does it hurt like hell, but it hinders future movement thanks to the pain inflicted, bonus evidence of a loss of balance.
This combined with the surprise element I throw, a quick punch straight to the pancreas, causing further pain and internal organ problems, if I had my blade concealed on me, Sophia would already be dead.
But witnesses and lack of preparation prevents me from permanently eliminating one of Taylor's problems.
I am content to watch as Sophia in pain falls to the floor clutching her abdomen. This girl pretending to be a predator without her powers wouldn't last a week in Rome.
"What?! " Shouted Emma, in her annoying voice.
"To say that nothing is real is to understand that the foundations of society are fragile and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization.
To say that everything is permissible, on the other hand, is to understand that we are the architects of our own actions and that we must live with their consequences whether glorious or tragic." I kept talking, tossing in some of Ezio's pearls of wisdom. I'm thinking of using Reinforcement on the ice cream cone so I can make it a dagger.
But Emma isn't worth getting my blade dirty, she's a bitch, but also a victim. All caused by this society on the brink of anarchy. I blame the Cauldron for this problem, they are too much like the Templars for my taste.
The bitch stands still shocked, I lost my appetite for ice cream looking at her face, I have to use the cone for something I can't just throw the food away.
So I ran straight Emma using the ice cream cone to hit her straight in the head, I would have aimed for the eyes but making her half blind brings more trouble than gain.
" haaaaaaa!" Emma cried out in pain, but her suffering is not important to me.
I throw a "light" punch into his stomach, physical wounds can heal but mental wounds are a different story.
Emma has never fully healed and her hair is a pretty clear reminder of that moment, I target the hair
Using a strong grip I grab the red bitch by the hair, I may be ripping out a few strands of hair but I don't care, I drag her towards the artesian fountain where I push her in, if she drowns it's her fault for not learning to swim or having the good sense to stand up.
" What!?" Madison shouted, I forgot about little loli, what should I do to him ?
" H3 is an eccentric artist in both fine arts and martial arts." Taylor replied, as a result Madison ran off without a second thought. So little Loli is the inteligent one of the group. Keeping in mind that her competition is a delusional redhead and a raving lunatic it's no big surprise.
Shifting my gaze to the floor, I notice that Sophia has gotten up wobbly on her legs.
Her gaze towards me is full of hatred and contempt, only a Borzia fanatic has shown such hatred towards me.
How messed up is Sophia to foam from murderous rage, just for a kick and a punch.
" You're dead, I'm a predator and I can't lose." Sophia shouted, before running towards me. Throwing yourself blindly at an enemy from here you know nothing pure madness.
Taking a fighting stance taught by Ezio and perfected in Bartolomeo d'Alviano's hand-to-hand tournaments.
Noticing the possibility of doing something I have always wanted to do, I say: "I know Kung Fu! I know Kung Fu in the style of Ezio Auditore da Firenze !"
The "predator" ignored my Matrix quote, preferring to approach his planned beating.
Evading the path of his fist I managed to deflect it with ease, pulling out of my sleeve a pepper spray, received from Danny before leaving the house, I sprayed the substance right into Sophia's eyes.
Out of pure reflex Sophia covered her eyes, trying to mitigate the damage caused by the spray, this the uncovered rendering for my deadly right hand under her jaw.
The sound of a broken jaw was heard loudly, grabbing Sophia by the collar of her shirt I slapped her a couple of times before throwing her into the artesian fountain, so that her head hit the bottom of the fountain.
Sure I won the battle, but I need to make sure I win future battles even before they can begin.
I approached Emma who was paralyzed catatonic in the fountain. Seeing her "hero" defeated with ease must have shocked her to the core.
Ignoring the spectacle of bathrooms and tight clothes on a curvy girl's body, I grabbed Emma by the hair and pulled her towards me so I could look her in the eye.
" Delusional bitch, you're getting away with it today, but if I see you annoying Taylor or addressing them one more time, I'll finish what I started today. But next time we wouldn't be in a public space full of witnesses. Do you understand little helpless Emma Barnes ?" I asked in a serious tone that promises more beatings from me if the girl continues to be a bitch to me around.
The delusional redhead nods wildly, clearly scared and terrified of me, she's definitely going to stay away from Taylor for a long time.
Now that I'm done "sorting out" the trio of bullies I look around, noticing that more than a few individuals have taken pictures and/or filmed the entire confrontation, plus I can spot some security guards approaching.
" Tay-Tay, we need to get out of here right now! " I shouted before grabbing Taylor in my arms bridal style and running off, away from the mess.
" Put me down Harold !" Taylor exclaimed with a red face of anger or embarrassment, I'm not sure.
"First of all call me H3 or Holmes. I will only put you down when we are away from the mall, if I were faster I wouldn't have to carry ... Perfect, a storm is starting !" I shouted, looking up, seeing that the sky is darkening and starting to rain.
I don't run through half the city while it's raining with Taylor in my arms. Looking around I notice that we are still in the affluent part of town and we are close to a fancy hotel.
"Tay-Tay, have you ever been to a five star hotel? " I asked Taylor, as I run towards the hotel, ready to use one of my gifts to get a free room for me is Taylor.
" What ! Going to a luxury hotel with you ! You know how much it costs, we can't afford it !" I shouted Taylor, even more angry or embarrassed than before, judging by the growing blush.
"It's my problem not yours, let me talk to the manager, I'm very good at talking people down. " I explained, putting Taylor down before entering the hotel, carrying a minor girl in your arms in a hotel can bring problems.
A certain card is a tool not to be underestimated, all I had to do was approach the manager's office, show the "pass" and immediately I received a key to a double room of all things.
XXX
Now, while a downpour is offering pneumonia to all the unfortunate people who have not taken shelter in time.
I find myself sitting in an armchair with Taylor in front of me sitting on a very large and expensive double bed. Since we entered the room Taylor has not said a single is acting like Danny right now, processing everything that happened not even half an hour ago.
"Tay-Tay, do you want me to order something from room-service, maybe a lasagna or a chocolate cake with lots of cream." I proposed, hoping that would break Taylor's dumbness.
" Do you have any idea what you've done! " Taylor shouted, clenching her fists. Good news, the girl decided to talk again. Bad news, she seems to be angry.
" Did I help you with those girls ?" I proposed, not understanding why Taylor is angry, those girls will not be able to get near her again. The mean girls in high school have big mouths but when it comes to serious action it ends up worse for them.
The only one who is a threat is Sophia, technically her alter ego, Shadow Stalker, might come after me but she doesn't know who I am so I'm safe. But as a precaution, I need to set up some electric traps to fight/treat/eliminate Shadow Stalker.
" You didn't help me, you made it worse, when I go back to school on Monday, Emma will do anything to make my life hell !" Taylor shouted, with tears in her eyes.
I wonder if she realizes that her situation will get worse even if I intervene or not. If I leave her on her own, she is doomed to end up in a locker, followed by a long trail of bad decisions that will lead to her receiving two bullets in the head.
Part of me wants to slap Taylor and say that her helpless victim/I'm-better-than-them/I-don't-have-to-react attitude is part of the problem.
But I decide to be kind and use my heart instead of my head. Anime has taught me that emotionally/mentally unstable girls follow their emotions not the words of reason.
So I get up from the couch and walk over to Taylor and hug her strangely, I hope that helps.
" Tay-Tay we've only known each other for a short time but I've grown fond of you (not sure why or how), from what I understand you have issues with those bitches. I can't promise that everything will be okay, but I can swear on my honor that I will listen to your problems and help you as best I can." I meant it, using the kindest, most heart-to-heart words I know. I may have stolen a few sentences from fanfiction or anime, but I'm sure I can convince Taylor that I'm on her side.
" I'm sorry, since we met you've always been kind to me, today I had a blast a way, I can't remember how long it's been since I've felt this good. Then Emma, Sophia and Madison came along, they always ruin everything. You defended me from the trio and how I thank you I start screaming at you. I am a horrible person! " Taylor exclaimed, pleading on my shoulder.
My plan worked, although it's no surprise, Tay-Tay is ready to do anything to feel loved and accepted. In the original version she teamed up with criminals just to have friends her own age, though lies go to herself about being undercover.
" You're not horrible, just a girl in a bad situation. Can you tell me what happened." I asked, hoping this Prince Charming face and my gentle voice would still work its magic.
" It all started when ... "
XXX
" Tay-Tay is pretty when she's asleep." I muttered to myself, looking at Taylor's sleeping figure.
For the past few hours, I've been listening to Taylor Hebert's sad story straight from her lips.
Reading the web novel or fanfiction of makes you realize that Taylor has been through a lot.
For a while at the beginning when I didn't know much about Worm I thought Emma was a Master and took over the school or something. I digress.
Getting back on track, hearing things directly from Taylor, with tears on her face, is a completely different thing.
The emotions she showed, the fear, the sadness, the despair, made me feel unprecedented anger.
I will either kill Shadow Stalker with my own hands or personally throw her in the birdcage. Maybe before I decapitate her I'll rip off her arms and legs.
Too exaggerated, it may be. But the best kills are the exaggerated ones, so I stay with literally chopping her up or very large explosions.
After a lot of tears, moaning, screaming, I managed to get Taylor to sleep, I couldn't get him to change his clothes, but I could put a blanket over him and let her rest.
Borrowing the hotel phone, I called the dock workers office. Danny said he was going to his office to finish the paperwork. So I have a good chance of finding him at his office.
It took a few phone calls, waiting a few minutes, but I managed to talk to Danny.
Uncle was worried about us, when the storm started, I explained to him that Taylor and I are fine, there were some problems with an ugly black girl and we took shelter inside a hotel because of the downpour that became a very bad storm.
Danny wanted to come pick us up, but convinced him not to, that it's dangerous to drive in this bad weather, plus Taylor is sleeping so nicely it would be a shame to wake her up.
After saying goodbye and promising to call him in the wee hours of the morning, I went into the bathroom to think about what to do.
With the door locked, I stood in front of the sink, looking at my reflection.
Hours ago I got Esper powers by talking to my reflection to communicate with the Force behind the Celestial Forge, who is filling in very well, almost too well.
" Madame FC, Madison and Emma are out of the picture, but Sophia aka Shadow Stalker remains a problem. As one of the Protectorate's minor heroes, she will receive the best care or a date with Panacea.
She'll be back to full strength in a couple of days at most.
So I have until Monday, when school starts again Sophia will be at top strength and Taylor will be in the same building with that rabid lunatic. If she can't hurt me, she will definitely target Taylor, maybe, no, definitely using excessive violence.
How do I stop this from happening. I don't have enough time or the knowledge to find evidence that she broke the conditions of her parole.
It's not like I can follow her home, wait for her to sleep, then kill her in her sleep, such an act will be problematic if they find out who broke the unwritten rules.
I don't know how I can transfer Taylor to a new, less corrupt school. So what should I do, blow up Winslow High ?" I told my problems and thoughts to my reflection, hoping to receive a sign from the Celestial Forge.
The core of the Celestial Forge exploded, igniting several stars that seemed to be chosen to help me destroy Winslow High.
First gift is a magical motorcycle with powers of transformation and pyrokinesis.
Second gift is an infinite supply of cleaning equipment, great I can clean endlessly.
Third gift, a huge upgrade for my cosmic key, now I can close the door of personal reality, as well as open portals to all the doors where I have inserted the cosmic key.
Fourth gift, a sixth sense for finding imperfections and weaknesses in a structure, machinery or vehicle.
Fifth gift, the talent to build various gadgets with ease using junk and spare parts. When I have useful materials and tools at my disposal, I can build faster while consuming fewer materials than necessary.
Sixth gift, a kind of status effect that makes it much harder for people to guess who I really am. It's not perfect, but without hard evidence my identity will be incredibly difficult to discover.
Seventh gift, a bomb-building kit, a simple bomb-building kit, nothing less, nothing more.
Eighth gift, a very useful upgrade that increases my building speed, as well as allowing me to build all sorts of machinery.
Ninth is last gift, the most expensive I've gotten so far, long story short I'm now a bomber worthy of Deidara and Bakuda.
" Madame FC, I was joking about becoming a British Bakuda and throwing a school in the air. But you already gave me so I need it to accomplish the deed and get away with it. So let's go blow up Winslow High School." I said with a serious, pulling out the cosmic key and putting it inside the bathroom door lock.
I'm about to become a bomber, life gets you into strange situations. I guess I just have to get used to it, with a powers that be wanting me to get into a lot of trouble and promising to help Taylor, I have condemned myself to an abnormal and dangerous lifestyle. Clearly I've gone crazy, but this is Worm, everyone here is crazy.
He continued ...
XXX
Benefits / Article Jumpchain obtained:
Nice Bike (Ghost Rider) (Free): You have a nice bike; it is top of the line and decorated according to your taste. If you wish, you can import another vehicle for 100 CP, giving it an alternative motorcycle shape and also translating its capabilities. It comes with a matching helmet, not that you would need one. If you prefer, you can instead turn your vehicle into a horse. How do you translate lightning speed movement, concealment, and missiles into a horse? Hell if I know.
Cleaning Products (Personal Reality) (Free): Endless supply of cleaning products you may need to clean your personal reality. By default, placed in a specific cabinet, but can be placed elsewhere. These do not have actual chemical properties. Don't use it to get an endless supply of brooms or bleach. Completely safe for all complex life forms. Very not safe for viruses, bacteria , amoebas or household pests.
Key Link (Personal Reality) (50): With this access key upgrade, you can now lock your door while in Personal Reality and use your key in a special podium in the lobby to link your Personal Reality door to any door in your current Host Reality on which you have previously used your access key. If you have extra keys, you can access any open door from any of them. You can also use a recall feature to display a list of all doors that have been accessed with any key, allowing you to follow up with a buddy if you wish.
Analysis (Red Alert 3) (Knowledge Domain) (100): You can immediately identify any defects in hardware after a casual observation. This is effective on devices, vehicles, and buildings.
The Right Tools (Generic Cyberpunk) (100): They can be hard to find, but when resources are hoarded and hard to come by, you've learned to make do. You can easily improvise for tools and materials you lack by creatively using what you have, even if that means using scraps to build the tools you need. Even if you're lucky enough to have a fully stocked workshop or laboratory, this will come in handy, as you'll be able to do a lot more with what you have instead of having to commission or build specialized equipment for every little unique thing. You'll never be empty-handed and useless for long.
Secret Identity (Batman Animated Series) (100): Oddly enough, people seem to have trouble putting two and two together when it comes to your "civilian" and "costumed" identity. Even if you're the only person who fits the physical profile in its entirety, you can hide your identity by being dumb, wearing glasses, or even just doing a little curling. This won't help if they have irrefutable proof of your double life, but otherwise they'll think it's just a funny coincidence.
Explosives Kit (Assassin's Creed) (100): A bag containing bomb parts and designs for any time and place: smoke bombs, fragmentation bombs, tear gas, tazer, tar slick, fire or simple demolition. Additional ingredients sold separately.
Machinist (Gargoyles) (200): You are an expert mechanic. You can rebuild and upgrade a helicopter in 12 hours or create a functional motorcycle from spare parts. If honed, this skill will allow you to create almost anything from incredibly advanced robots to swarms of nanites in a matter of months.
Boom-Maker (Burn Warning) (400): Ah, Explosives. There's no problem that can't be solved by applying enough of them, or so the saying goes. And you, well, you certainly know what you're talking about when it comes to them. From molotov cocktails to elaborate, great work with plastic, dirty nuclear weapons or even tactical nuclear weapons, there's no form of "explosive" you're not a master of. You know all the physics behind them, how to create them, how to defuse them, and how to modify them into each other or use them for all kinds of purposes. Really, there's not much more to say here. You are the genius of geniuses when it comes to bombs. This skill naturally upgrades to any existing explosives in future jumps at the same level.
