Gotham City Park
The homeless man sat in his usual spot next to a tree, reading a book about philosophy and basking in the sun. He closed the book and looked up as he heard a familiar set of footsteps.
"I didn't think you'd be back so quickly. Do you have your answer?" the homeless man remarked as he locked eyes with the teenager who came to visit, raising an eyebrow and sending him a quizzical glance.
He still didn't know the boy's name, but he didn't need to. Not when he saw Gray's physique improve faster than any human physique had the right to during the latter's runs for the past month.
"I already figured out the answer two days ago. I just had some loose ends to tie up..." Gray calmly replied, and the man, Richard, saw through it as an attempt to impress him but said nothing, merely nodding.
"Loose ends to tie up?" Richard remarked, crossing his arms. "What exactly do you think we'll be doing here?" he asked with a tilted head, slight amusement leaking from his tone, feeling the urge to mess with the boy.
"I don't know," Gray replied, shaking his head. "That's why I came prepared just in case," he added with a shrug, to which Richard nodded again, understanding where Gray was coming from and the meaning behind his words.
He was basically hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, meaning he had some doubts about Richard, but he still came nonetheless, likely expecting guidance.
"It's good to be prepared," Richard praised, holding back a smile as he watched Gray try to hide the happiness at the praise and do a decent job at it too, but it couldn't escape Richard's eyes.
Richard was many things during his eventful life; a thief, a warrior, a special agent, a killer, and finally, a martial arts instructor, giving him a keen eye for observing people and enabling him to train even the most troubled of men like Vic Sage, The Question, despite being in a wheelchair at the time.
Seeing through Gray was no more child's play to him, which is why he managed to so effortlessly leave such an impression on the teen, making Gray seek him on his own accord.
"But I must ask, why did you really come here?" Richard asked, gesturing questioningly with his right. "I'm a stranger, a homeless one at that. You only had my word to go on, so why?" he added, pausing to observe Gray's expression as the latter displayed a hesitant expression.
Seeing the hesitance in Gray's eyes and the likely significance of the upcoming answer, Richard gestured for him to sit down, to which he obliged with a nod of gratitude and devolved into silent thought.
Richard didn't say anything else, resuming his reading to allow Gray the needed time to put his thoughts into words. He knew better than to rush the young man.
"Don't you find it strange?" Gray asked, sighing after a couple of minutes of thought, prompting Richard to look up from his book as he turned to face the young man.
"What is?" Richard asked in genuine confusion. He expected a myriad of answers which Gray could give him, but he never thought his question would only be returned with another instead of a reply.
"This city... don't you find it strange?" Gray repeated, getting the same questioning look from Richard, prompting him to continue. "It's just weird how everything, everyone seems forced in one direction or the other here..." he added, a slight scowl of disgust appearing on his face.
"Whatever do you mean?" Richard asked, frowning as he felt his confusion only grow the more he listened, having no idea where a conversation was going for the first time in a long time.
"The people in this city; they are all rotten to the core with precious few exceptions," Gray replied, trying to describe his plight in a way that didn't reveal too much about his origin.
"The few people who aren't pure evil or pragmatic take it to the other extreme instead," Gray explained as he turned to the ground. "Like Dr. Thompkins. Despite her age, she doesn't rest, doesn't take breaks, and treats everyone who comes her way, fully knowing most of them are unrepentant criminals," he added, slowly shaking his head.
"Then you have Batman and his sidekicks, who refuse to kill demented psychopaths who'd kick infants for shits and giggles," Gray remarked as he turned to Richard. "They throw them into Black Gate or Arkham Asylum, knowing they would escape and start slaughtering people again, only to start the cycle anew..." he added with an amused smile that only looked maniacal in Richard's eye.
"They have been repeating the same process for years now, and they haven't made a single difference in this city..." Gray said as he sighed and looked away. "They are only humans, yet they don't break, bend, and never attempt to break the cycle..." he explained with a bitter chuckle that sounded more tortured than anything.
"They keep doing the same thing, over and over and over and over and over and over again, without fail, without tiring, all the while expecting a different outcome every damned time," Gray spat out every word with absolute disgust, turning to Richard an intense gaze that gave him pause.
"Humans don't work like that, you know?" Gray said, more twisted amusement leaking through his tone. "Knowing all of this, could you say they are real flesh and blood humans with any certainty?" he asked, and it was Richard's turn to look bewildered this time.
"Not me. When I look at people like Batman, I don't see human beings at all..." Gray said, dismissal gesturing to the side with absolute disregard.
"All I see is fictional characters put in the worst place, and designed to be selfless, destined never to bend or falter, simply to contrast this rotten city," he added, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"They are that way, simply because it makes more compelling and amusing characters. Even our encounter felt like something straight out of a storybook," Gray remarked with another chuckle.
"A mysterious homeless man, coming to rescue a youth on the verge of despair, giving the youth kindness and encouragement when he needed it the most," Gray said, his chuckle turning into a laugh.
"Doesn't that feel like a neat scenario for a hero's origin story?" Gray asked, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "And yet I came here nonetheless, fully knowing that I might be acting on a script, \not my own free will, if I have that even, because..." he added, trailing off as he exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
"For reasons I don't understand, you, your words seemed real to me, unlike everything and everyone I've seen so far, and that's why I came here without much hesitation," Gray concluded with a shrug, having regained the calm he lost while venting his emotions.
For the first time in a long time, Richard felt speechless after listening to Gray's rant, and he didn't have a reply ready. He had to think about it instead, prompting him to sigh.
"Sou you think that you, me, and basically every other human being is a fictional character, bound to a narrative or a scenario of sorts?" Richard calmly asked within a minute of thought, earning a nod from Gray.
"That's a hell of a thing to casually dump on someone's lap like that, kid..." Richard said, sighing in exasperation and scratching his head. "Still... I can't deny such a possibility, not after hearing that..." he added, as he observed Gray's expression, seeing the various, chaotic emotions he'd displayed earlier disappear, replaced by a mask of calm.
There was expectation beneath the calm that Richard would have the answer, that he would assure Gray and give him a purpose, a reason, anything.
Richard had no idea why Gray had so much confidence in himself, despite meticulously working to leave an impression on the boy, and Gray himself said he didn't know.
Perhaps it was this so-called script at work here, Richard mused, a sliver of doubt slithering into his impenetrable mind, but he quickly pushed it down.
He didn't know why the boy expected him to have an answer, but he'd be damned if he didn't give him one. His pride as a martial arts and philosopher depended on it.
"In the end, does it really matter?" Richard asked, resuming his carefree smile, much to Gray's confusion, disbelief, and disappointment at the answer.
"Whether or not something is controlling your every move and waking thought, you can only know for sure if you get on the same level as it," he added with a careless shrug.
"You only need to have enough strength to stand in the face of such a being and make it regret messing with you..." Richard stated as he stood up and approached Gray.
"There are ways to gain strength in this world, an infinite number of them, and even though I can't guide you to such heights myself..." Richard said with a smirk, trailing off. "I can sure as hell get you started on your way..." he concluded, reaching a hand towards Gray, which the latter only took after some hesitation.
"And if such a being that controls our lives does exist, do give the motherfucker a kick or two once you're finished with him, for my sake too."
...
Gotham City
East End
"So... what are we doing here, exactly?" I asked while keeping a mindful distance from the dark alley behind me. I inspected the area, trying and failing to figure out why the homeless man had led me here.
And oh my god! I just realized I followed a homeless stranger into the shadiest part of Gotham. Sorry, mom. You taught me better.
"You see that there?" the homeless man asked with a cryptic smile. I turned to where he was pointing and saw three very suspicious gaudily dressed men standing at the street's corner, chatting and snickering.
Why do I find them suspicious you might ask? Well, they're standing in a corner in a dingy street while chatting and having a fun time. In Gotham. If that isn't suspicious then I don't even know what is!
I nodded and turned to the homeless man despite having a terrible feeling.
"Those three are members of a drug trafficking gang, the Penitente Cartel," the homeless man said. I nodded again while sending him a confused look.
"They're the type to cut off a man's genitals just to make a point and send a message," he added, patting my shoulder. And I felt the bad feeling inside me get more intense with every word he spoke.
"I want you to go and pick a fight with them..." the homeless man casually remarked, giving my shoulder an assuring squeeze.
I turned to face him, unblinkingly staring into his eyes with the blankest expression possible. "I refuse," I said as I vehemently and slowly shook my head.
"I need to know what you're capable of if I'm gonna train you," the homeless man said with a chuckle. "It's not like you're afraid of them, I can tell, so stop complaining and show me what you can do," he added, crossing his arms.
[New Quest Initiated: Enter The Dragon]
...
Enter The Dragon:
The mysterious homeless man is a martial artist capable of rivaling the most competent fighters on the planet, such as Lady Shiva, Black Canary, and the friggen Batman himself.
He's powerful, mysterious, and capable of turning your sorry behind into a bona fide bad-ass martial artist. Enough said.
Primary Objective: impress the mysterious homeless man.
Bonus Objective 1: defeat all thugs.
Bonus Objective 2: don't get hit.
Rewards:
Primary Objective: your first mentor (hard is its own reward?)
Bonus objective 1: ?
Bonus objective 2: ?
...
[Accept quest? Yes/No]
"Fine," I grudgingly said as I accepted the new quest and selected Fighter as my new class. If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it properly.
I haven't chosen a class yet but now is the right time.
[Quest acepted]
[New class obtained: Fighter]
[+1 class level to the Fighter class, held back due to former class reaching maximum level]
[New skill obtained: Brawling]
[+1 skill level to the Brawling skill, added due to the host's experience]
[Brawling (level 2)]
[Fighter (level 3)]
[+9 stat points]
I took a deep breath as I started walking towards the thugs, turning to my stat points.
'The homeless man might notice if I raise my Body attribute too much, but three points shouldn't be too obvious...'
I allocated 3 points to my Body, raising it to 16. I closed my eyes with a wince of disgust when my muscles tightened, a sensation of strength coursing in my veins. And just like that, I was more physically fit than a top competitive athlete.
Although raising my Body attribute too much might make the homeless man notice, but my Mind Attribute was entirely different.
Firming my resolve, I allocated 10 points to my Mind attribute, raising it to 24. I felt a slight headache that quickly dissipated, and my eyes widened. I felt like I was seeing the world for the first time.
It was almost like the fog covering my brain dissolved suddenly.
The feather gently floating down towards the ground, how fast it was going, and how long it would take to hit the ground.
I calculated all of that and then some with a single passing look.
'So that's how geniuses see the world...'
I mused, taking a deep breath to compose myself. It wasn't like new information began flooding my brain, like when my crime skill increased. Raising my Mind stat enhanced my brain, allowing me to see such details for myself.
It was just as sudden as my increase in strength but different, exhilarating. I couldn't get myself to dislike the feeling.
'I could definitely get used to the feeling...'
I exhaled the breath I was holding back as I reached the thugs, my newly enhanced brain already formulating a plan of action. I said nothing as I stopped behind the nearest thug who had his back against me while chatting with his buddies.
I raised my foot and kicked the thug between the legs hard enough to lift him off the sidewalk.
I almost felt bad for the man when I heard his anguished scream, visibly shivering in pain. Almost. But his anguish didn't stop me from pushing the thug towards his buddy standing on the right as I tackled the third.
"What the fuck-" the thug I tackled started, but I quickly cut him off with a punch. He tried to resist, but I climbed over him, pushing him down with my weight as I punched him a second and a third time until the second thug pushed me away, making me roll on the ground.
Luckily the third thug was already out of the fight, and now I only had to worry about the second one who pushed me away.
"No one messes with the Penitente Cartel, pendejo, no one!" thug number three exclaimed and reached into his inner pocket, his expression twisted into a sneer.
I didn't panic. I calmly stepped back, raised my hand, and threw the rock I'd picked up while rolling on the ground, aiming at thug number 3's mouth. I winced at the sickening sound of shattering teeth as white shards and blood spurted out of his mouth.
'Now I really feel bad...'
I grimaced but tackled the thug to the ground and punched him until he was unconscious. Then I stood up and froze at the sound of a metallic click.
[+1 skill level to the Brawling skill]
I slowly turned around and raised my hands as I saw the man whose balls I'd sent to mars, one hand holding the gun he pointed at me, the other nursing his package.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you, puta," the thug hatefully spat, glaring at me like I'd just killed his son, which I technically did and in more than one way.
"Let's not get reckless here, buddy. How about you kick me in the nuts and call it even?" I nervously remarked with a hollow laugh, feeling my balls shrink at the very idea.
Did I mention how much I hated guns? They're basically my worst enemy at this point.
"Oh, it'll take more than that to call it even..." the thug replied with a dark chuckle, seemingly satisfied by my reaction. "I'll take my pound of flesh, and the other two will take there's..." he added, gesturing towards his downed buddies.
"And if there's anything left of you by then... maybe we'll call it even-" he added, likely intending to start a typical megalomaniacal speech. Luckily the homeless man showed up and shut him up with a well place karate chop to the back of the neck. Huh, so that actually works in this world?
[quest complete: Enter the Dragon]
[Bonus objective 1: fail]
[Bonus objective 2: fail]
"Thank god, I thought I'd have to listen to the guy talk forever," I said, sighing in mock relief as I lowered my hands. I knew the homeless man would come to my rescue if needed, but I still had to do my best to impress him.
He chuckled and crouched to inspect the downed thug's vitals.
"Not bad," the homeless man said as he turned to me with an approving nod. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, but you did decently for someone with no formal training," he added, to which I had to resist the urge to fist pump.
"We'll call it a day here. Come find tomorrow early in the morning," the homeless man instructed as he stood up and gestured for me to take my leave, which I didn't.
"Sure, but before I leave, do you mind if I...?" I said while gesturing towards the unconscious thugs. "It would be a waste to leave just like that, you know?" I added, awkwardly clearing my throat. I was pushing my luck, and I knew it, but I definitely couldn't leave without trying.
The homeless man sighed and shook his head in exasperation, catching on to what I said.
"Suit yourself," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. I immediately lunged at the thugs and started rummaging through their pockets. "But don't touch the guns," he added, causing me to sigh as I retracted my hand from a gun I'd been eyeing.
Knowing better than to push my luck, I quickly took all the money while leaving the guns.
"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning then-" I said, stopping halfway through as I stood up and sighed in annoyance as I found no trace of the homeless man.
"Yeah, sure, up and leave, why don't you? It's not like I was talking or anything..." I muttered, my eyes twitching as I turned to leave, kicking the nearest thug out of frustration.
...
I yawned as I jogged towards the park to meet my mysterious mentor, having woken up at 4 am.
Feeling the morning breeze that was only slightly less unpleasant than the usual smog-filled air I'd inhale at any other time of the day, I couldn't help but internally replay yesterday's events.
I'd actually surprised myself with how fearlessly I fought the three thugs, not to mention I almost won.
I guess dying, seeing Firefly burn a punch of people like a kid with a magnifying glass, burning ants in an anthill, and getting shot in a dark alley could toughen up anyone.
And yes, I do consider beating three thugs up with a wounded shoulder a win, despite it ending worse than I'd hoped and barely getting any sleep because the wound kept aching all night long.
God, or whatever equivalent there was here, knew I needed the win.
It didn't take me long to reach the park, and I found the homeless man waiting for me at the usual spot, no book in hand and leaning on the tree this time.
"You're in time. Good," the man said, nodding at me in greeting, which I returned as I approached him. "There's much to do, so let's not waste any time, but before that, I think proper introductions are due," he added, crossing his arms, and I realized (again) that I still didn't know the man's name.
"I'm Richard Dragon. I was once a thief in Japan until I met my teacher, O-Sensei, who took me in and taught me how to fight and live properly," the homeless man- no, my teacher, Richard Dragon calmly introduced himself.
"I'm Gray Whitlock. I'm a thief in Gotham..." I replied, trailing off as I thought of other details to add, but nothing came to mind. God, now I just feel lame.
Gods damn you, enhanced brain! You have failed me!
Sensing my awkwardness, Richard chuckled as he turned around and walked away from the paved path while gesturing for me to follow. I shrugged my shoulders and obliged.
After a couple of minutes of walking, I found myself standing in an open, grassy area. There was no living soul anywhere within sight other than Richard and myself, and all the sounds I could hear were those of nature.
"The road to strength is a long and arduous, Gray..." Richard sternly said, looking me in the eye. His tone and imposing figure radiated an undeniable aura of might and strength I'd never noticed before, causing me to gulp.
"However, you have potential, and I believe I can put you on the right path towards what you seek, granted you don't give up..." Richard stated, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "Which I know you won't..." he added, relaxing his posture and smiling at me.
And there it is again, the baseless confidence in me that made me unconsciously take his offered hand after my less than a pleasant encounter with Firefly first and ranting out my insecurities to him second.
Honestly, I had no idea what he saw in me.
The only thing I had going for me was the system, but he didn't know about it. The only thing I could think of to make him interested was how quickly my body improved.
But is that enough to not dismiss my words as the nonsense of a mentally ill man? Is it really enough for him to believe I could take on a god-like being if my theory is correct and there is such a being?
I didn't know or care about the answer. I desperately wanted to prove the man right and be worthy of such baseless confidence because I frankly didn't have that much confidence in myself, not with these odds.
That's all I knew, and It was enough. It had to be enough.
I displayed my resolve with a nod, and Richard faintly smiled.
"Then make yourself comfortable. We'll start with the basics, namely breathing," Richard said, gesturing towards the ground. I obliged, unconsciously taking a seiza posture under my teacher's amused gaze.
"You only need to make yourself comfortable; no need to take a special posture," Richard said, crossing his arms. "This isn't a kung fu movie, you know?" he added, lightly chuckling, and I felt my face heating in embarrassment.
"Are you really sure we're not in a kung fu movie? Because this sure feel's the setting of one..." I snarkily replied, not wanting to show my embarrassment. He stopped chuckling and scratched his head.
"Touché," Richard replied with a bitter chuckle, shaking his head in exasperation.
"At any rate, we've wasted enough time quipping. Let's get started," Richard said, crossing his arms and resuming the stern tone he had earlier while introducing himself. Gone was the carefree homeless man, replaced by a strict teacher.
"Close your eyes and take a deep breath," He instructed, and I obliged, feeling the kinda-fresh air filling my lungs. "Now let it out, and take another deep breath, but contract your abdomen," he added. I did as instructed and felt the air filling in the upper parts of my lungs.
"Good. Now let it out, and repeat, but expand your abdominal muscles when you exhale," Richard remarked after nodding in satisfaction.
Again, I obliged and felt the air fill the upper part of my lung and slowly depart my expanding lungs as I exhaled.
"That is called reverse breathing technique. I suggest you get used to it quickly because you will be applying it during training," Richard said, gesturing to the side.
"Now, start over, and don't stop this time..." Richard said as I opened my eyes to see his reaction, and I obliged again.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and started applying the technique, thinking it was a piece of cake.
However, It took me only five minutes of performing the reverse breathing technique to devolve into a violent coughing fit. My abdominal muscles cramped, and my lungs ached like someone tore them apart with a rusty kitchen knife.
"You lasted longer than I expected... rest up. We'll continue in 30 minutes."
...
Wearing the iconic Robin costume Jason Todd tiptoed his way through the batman cave from cover to cover. He nervously inspected the area and only sighed in relief when he saw no sign of Batman.
"Did you find any leads about the Sionis family?"
Jason's relief instantly turned to panic as he heard that ever-familiar stern voice coming from behind him, almost scaring the soul out of him. He turned to face the speaker and barely resisted the urge to curse upon noticing Batman's blank expression.
"Nothing yet," Jason replied, expertly hiding his panic as he turned to face his mentor and father figure. His shoulders and back unconsciously straightened.
"Why?" Batman asked, getting straight to the point, with no emotion whatsoever. Jason winced as he thought of the assignment Bruce had given him.
It had been almost three years since the billionaire took him in and inducted him into his crusade against crime. Although Jason had been praised for his talent for martial arts, his abilities as a detective were found lacking. So Bruce had given him the assignment to investigate the Sionis crime family, which he did to a degree of success, but one particular thief had ruined everything.
"I had a lead, a guy who belonged to the gang," Jason replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd been following the man for days, hoping he'd lead me to his bosses..." he added, sighing and trailing at the end of his sentence.
"What happened?" Batman asked in the same emotionless tone, unmoving, unblinking, and allowing no reaction to slip by his blank expression.
"He shot someone, and I had to interfere..." Jason replied. He wisely kept to himself the part where he wanted to keep watching and let the gangster walk away because he didn't want to compromise the mission if the thief didn't look like he was about to do something stupid and get himself killed.
"I see. Carry on and keep me updated," Batman calmly instructed as he turned to walk away, leaving a frustrated Jason to grit his teeth in silence, seething in frustration at the lack of reaction displayed by the caped crusader.
...
Gotham City
The Bowery, inside an abandoned warehouse
An enormous brute of a man wearing a luchador mask was pacing around the abandoned warehouse. He had transparent tubes all over his back and sides, a bright green substance coursing through them and into the man's towering body.
"Stop pacin' around, will ya?" said an older gentleman wearing a fine suit. However, he did not open his mouth. It was the puppet dressed as a mobster that did the talking instead.
"Da electric man said he'd be the distraction ya need, so he would," the puppet in the Ventriloquists's hand said, flailing its limbs.
"He ain't got the grains to double cross, or the guts for da matter," the puppet added with a light laugh. "My men gonn' be there, and ya'd have all the distraction ya need..." it concluded.
The hulking man grunted in response, going quiet for a moment to think.
"Fine, one week from now, we act, and I break the Bat."
...
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