New
So, with this chapter.I was originally going to put it all in one lump sum for the whole recovery period, but I decided to stick with the standard format in the end, because I just got inspired with some things while writing it. Plus, if I somehow lose it, it'd just be one chapter, instead of four! So, you know.
Here's the new plan for Sunday. Spoiler: The Plan of Monkeys and Scientists SUNDAY: CHOOSE 4 Worth of Action Points Below
[X] Bond with Wuya(Costs 1 Action)
[X] Bond with Kristen(Costs 1 Action)
[X] Work on Robot Design (Costs 1 Action)x2
-[X]Automatic Basic Jackbot Maker
-[X] Support Computer/AI. A system that works as a remote assistant for Jack on the field. To Labor intensive for Koga to give the clear on. Instead, look for Minions on the Web.
Hope you all Enjoy now!
SUNDAY:
As you were quickly finding out, being injured and not allowed to do anything was kind of a pain in the ass, if only for reasons you didn't expect.
Oh sure, it was kind of annoying not being able to do your usual things, but the problem more so was NOT BEING ALLOWED, capitalization needed, to not do your thing.
This was by no means the first time you had been injured in your life, especially in such a way that you had to sit around for a few days, but... things were different now.
Before, you were just a rich kid building things cause he could and dreaming of domination every other daydream. It was a fleeting thought that you were preparing for 'in the future'.
Now though, with Wuya teaching you about what amounts to the hidden side of the world, magical artifacts that continued to impress you from what you'd seen and heard, and even a band of 'rivals' who wouldn't tear you limb from limb, it felt like it was time to make your 'future' the 'present'. And every minute you didn't spend improving, it felt... wrong.
If you wasted time now... you would only fall behind, you would only-
"Waaaagh!" You screamed as you shot forward in your chair, resting on the edge of it precariously as your body jolted away from the unnatural source of the chill, which meant...
"Hello Hello Boya, I trust your recovery is going well?" Wuya chirped, now floating into your central view, and leaving her words to float from behind you somehow.
Yep, Wuya was about. There went that moment of complaining/introspection.
"Well? Are you going to answer me, or just stare like a particularly evolved fish?" Wuya stated with a flat grin on her mask, eyes at half brightness that you were now beginning to notice was her equivalent to half-lidding her eyes.
"Oi, isn't that kind of rude to say to an injured person? And where even were you, I haven't seen you since I got told the business about my injury yesterday." You shot back, jabbing a finger at the spectral hanya, which she merely floated around before reorienting.
"Oh please. I say what I mean, and mean what I say. If you look stupid, I say so, as your teacher and a passerby." Wuya snickered out as she floated closer, drifting almost lazily around you as you turned your head to keep her in view.
Eventually, she settled just three feet from where you had gotten your injury, and made a pointing gesture.
"As for where I was, not that it was any of your business what I do without you, I was merely talking with 'Koga' as you refer to him." Wuya stated after she had seemingly found whatever she was looking for, making a nodding/bobbing motion with her body, and then rising back up to eye level with you.
You perked up for a moment, now more solidly seated. Did that mean...
"You talked him into letting me do my normal things! Oh thank you Wu-"
"Actually, I agree with him completely. You are not to do anything strenuous for at least the time frame imposed." Wuya cut in casually, dashing both your hopes and your body as you faceplanted from your previously joy-filled leap into a pile of despair and mild pain.
"Wwwhhhhyyyyy?" You whined from your new position on the floor, head to the side with eyes pointed up shining with betrayal.
Wuya, it seemed, gave no fucks to your down formed.
"Because every point he has insisted upon and is holding you too is an accurate one. You have been doing too much, too quickly. This just happened to be the first time. Tell me, have you ever heard the proverb about the Candle burning at both ends? I know it is somewhat new, but-"
"Yeah, yeah, burns twice as hot but twice as fast, I know this come on, what's your point here." You deadpanned as you finally got off the floor. It was fun as a gag for a good minute but your floor was still a floor, and you didn't like putting your face near where feet tread upon regularly.
It seems that being interrupted was something Wuya did NOT enjoy, but come on, the point was obvious and you were wondering why she even brought it up now.
"My POINT, was that while it is good to push yourself, DO NOT do it with EVERYTHING YOU ATTEMPT. We grow in adversity, such is human nature, but too much too quick with break you." She continued with a small snarl to her words, making you flinch. Okay, no interjections during lecture period.
"Since you have apparently ALREADY heard my Candle metaphor, let me use a different one, that will hopefully MAKE ITS LESSON KNOWN IN YOUR SKULL. You are a lump of iron. You are blunt, heavy, and can knock people out if you are swung are or lucky enough. Are you following?" Wuya said, eyes tracking you form any movement of your mouth at all.
You just gave a little gulp, and nodded. Serious Wuya was kind of intense...
"Good. Now, you are a lump of iron no different from any other. A part of the mountain. But one day, a smith sees potential in you, and picks you up. They put you in fire, making you something MORE than you were before. But they do not leave you in the fire, that would only reduce you to nothing, simply slag for be rid of. Instead, They take the iron out of the fire, and make it take a new shape, before letting it cool. No longer are you a simple piece of scrap. You are a weapon, that which has purpose and can be more than scrap. Do you understand, Boya?" Wuya's stare was heavy as her metaphor, which you were really wondering if it was, hung in the air.
You gulped, before replying...
[] You mean... you see me as something with potential, and you want me to actually amount to something, instead of pushing myself and turning to nothing?
[] You mean... you want me to cool myself, step back from the pressures of... ALL THIS (Indicates room) And just... take my time?
[] You mean... you see me as a tool that lacks purpose? And that I need to find one to be useful?
[] Write-In
CHOOSE ONE
TIME SKIP:
You took a deep breath, before shakily exhaling it as you exited your room and headed upstairs for the main living room. Koga said that being cooped up in your lab would just make you antsy to work on something, so you were ordered to go literally anywhere else. Thankfully, the rest of the house was not lacking of anything, so you decided to try and watch whatever anime Koga gave you.
As you were just crossing the threshold however, you caught the sight of your big sis, hanging herself over one of the couches like a cat, with your one Dandylion matching her pose for pose on its opposite, if only for the sunlight beaming near it.
You had actually forgotten about the odd mix of plant and animal (Plantimal? Aniat? Whatever.) until now what with everything happening, but it looked...bigger since the last time you saw it? It's leaves had definitively grown a bit, and it's tail seemed to have opened up partially.
But you had bigger concerns at the moment.
"What the hell are you watching Sis?" You deadpanned from your spot in the doorway, refusing to come a step closer.
Kristen quickly fell over the other side of her couch, giving a little hiss of surprise even as she reoriented herself, glaring lightly over the back rim.
"Jack! What the hell! Don't sneak up on me when I'm watching shows, you know I get involved!" She literally hissed at you, using one hand to make clawing motions at you as the other fished for the remote to pause.
You just looked straight on at her, then back to the screen showing some magical girl you barely recognized, and then back to her. Somehow, your gaze felt heavier than ever.
It seemed to do the trick, attracting even the Dandy's attention, curious about the lack of noise.
Eventually, after a moment, Kristen too began to fidget under the two sets of questioning eyes, before anything was said.
"Well? What's wrong with watching Tokyo Mew-Mew? It's a totally legit part of magical girl history, and animation in general!" She defended, pointing a finger at you accusingly.
You stared some more. Then replied.
"For once, I don't know what that is. And I don't really WANT to know what that is. Just...please go back to watching your show, and I'll go watch mine somewhere else. Okay?" You asked, half ready to walk back the way you came.
Your sudden about face seems to have surprised Kristen quite a bit, if the way her eyebrows suddenly shot up was any indication.
Then, after another moment of silence, she carefully looked you over, then back to her show, then back to your eyes.
After a moment, you heard her sigh. Then, she turned herself fully to you.
"Listen, Jack, why don't you come sit in here with me and Lione so we can finish this episode, then we watch watch whatever you had. Sound fair?" Kristen offered with a sharp grin on her face.
Now it your turn to be surprised. Kristen NEVER shared the TV with you. It was part of the reason why nearly every private room had one, outside of the few maids and butlers who lived on sight and enjoyed their reality TV gambling pools.
"Uh, sure. Thanks Kristen." You were a little hesitant, but this was an open hand, and had no reason to refuse.
So there you were, watching a show about animal girls named after fruits fight Chimera creatures and bad guys named after pastries. It... was a ride, but surprisingly fun.
Still, now that you were finished it...
"So, Jackie-boy, what do ya got for picture day? Some big macho man Mech show for you to geek out over? Maybe a Isekai who wins every fight with simple forethought? Come Onn~ Tell me your poison!" Kristen practically sang, ripping through your pockets with outrageous speed.
Before you could even say anything however, she had already found the DVD Koga gave you, and held it aloft with a perky 'Ka-ching!"
"Ah-Ha! Lets see what's...on the..dock-et... *snort* Be- BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHat the Fuck! WHAT! THE HAHAHAHAHA, ACTUAL FUCK! KEIJO, WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL COPY OF KEIJO! HAHAHAH, Oh, OH God, My ribs, I can't stop. Tell me why, give me reaso-NHHHHAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kristen could barely break out before bellowing out in laughter, startling Dandylion who was apparently named Lione in your absence so bad that he shot pollen all over floor. You hoped to Kami that wasn't his equivalent to urine.
Still, you could already feel the blush on your face, and sought to speak as quickly as you could to stop this in its tracks!
"Ah, come on! Koga gave it to me after helping me work on this fighting move! I don't even know what it's about! Everyone I asked online just sent me laughter emoji's and said to me to watch it! And every review I looked up with any real detail was in Spanish, which you KNOW I can't read that well!" You tried to defend yourself, but if anything, it sent Kristen even further down the well, now sprawled off her couch and getting dangerously close to Lione's Dust zone.
"He gave it to you after helping you make a FIGHTING move? As in, IT MIGHT HELP YOU? Oh my god, we are WATCHING this NOW!" Kristen suddenly broke out of her laughter and launchered herself towards the DVD player you still had attached to this TV.
Before you even really realized what was happening now, you were just as suddenly pulled onto the couch that Kristen was now again occupying, an insanely strong grip on your shoulder keeping you firmly planted in the cushioned, matched only by the slasher-sized grin your sister now sported.
You gulped as much as you could. What had you gotten into?
Her grin only got wider.
"We are going to sit here. And We. ARE. Going to WATCH. EVERY. SECOND." She didn't say, so much as state, turning both her and your head manually towards the screen, which had the play button now selected by...a three?
Oh, your poor innocent mind.
By the end of it, Kristen was a pile of giggles, laughter, and red-faced from so many things, Lione had Dusted himself three more times and was staring intently at the screen as it went back to the default screen, and you were an empty husk, having learned SO MANY THINGS.
WHY, Japan, WHY.
Kristen RANK UP! Now Rank 5! New Ability Gained!
Cat's Grace: With New Insights into movement, and other such body motions, we are now much sneakier! We also have a better understanding of how to use force for and against the chest and waist area. Though the things lost for that knowledge...*Shudder*
NEXT Ability at Rank 8!
TIMESKIP
You collapsed bonelessly at your computer chair, officially done with today. What the hell was with today? You were supposed to be recovering, but instead you got intense talks about attitudes for the future and embarrassment that could cow the biggest of monsters. Your heart needed time to heal too, damn it.
Whatever, now you had nothing but the nice chair beneath you, and the refreshing background that was the google screen to focus one. But, there WAS one thing you had been meaning to do for a while now, ever since Thailand in fact...
A quick Search, and you were there.
[WELCOME TO HENCH FOR HIRE: FINEST MINIONS, HELPERS, AND FELONS FELLOWS THIS SIDE OF E-ARTH?]
You ignored the banner, you were more interested in...
[] The profile about the Man in an All Black Mask
[] The Panda riding the ball
[] The Guy wearing fur leggings and arms, but no shirt
[] Is that a Walrus with a headband?
] Tubbimura? The Fuck?
[] What the Fuck is THAT?
[] WHO THE FUCK IS THAT!
[] Maybe Set Up a Page for Cyclops? Make some money on the side and might give him some Experience Henching...
[] Write In an Anime or Manga Mercenary that you think would be appropriate. Please also include either a small bio of them or a link to a summary of them, please.
END OF CHAPTER
GAINS:
Kristen RANK UP! Now Rank 5! New Ability Gained!
Cat's Grace: With New Insights into movement, and other such body motions, we are now much sneakier! We also have a better understanding of how to use force for and against the chest and waist area. Though the things lost for that knowledge...*Shudder*
NEXT Ability at Rank 8!
END OF GAINS!
And there we have another chapter everyone. I hope you all ebnjoyed it, cause I certainly did writing it. I also can't wait to see what you all choose, it's defientely one of my favorite bits about running this quest. In fact, i'm gonna go back tonight and reread it again, comments and all, and experience just what it was that makes me grin so much. I hope you all do the same at one point or another.
Also, For those curious, here's the new plan set for the rest of the days until we're healed. Look Forward to those!
MONDAY: Choose 2 Worth of Action Points Below
[X] Try to Train Something (Costs 2 Action)
-[X] Ring of the 9 Dragons. Split in 2. Split on Physically active and Mentally active. Heavily rejected by Koga. Instead, you get to play vidya games. Through random selection, it will be...
TUESDAY: Choose 3 worth of Action Points Below
[X] BI-MONTHLY EVENT: Buy Food Supplies, Gain ?, and ?. (Costs 1 Action) Still Cool.
[X] Try to Train Something (Costs 2 Action)
-[X] Chi No enriching the soul today, instead, watch some Huloo There.
WEDNESDAY: Choose 2 Worth of Action Points Below
[X] Build Jackbots: 2 Builders(Costs 1 Action)
[X] Build Jackbots: 4 Flying (Costs 1 Action) And cancelled again. Instead, take a free Social. Rolling the Dice... MYSTERY GUEST!
At the Day's End, WE ARE HEALED!
And that's all for now folks! Cheers!