Yes, Skull's luck will constantly be getting him into trouble. ...Pray for this man, ladies and gentlemen. Pray for him.
yvonna: I know right? Poor lonely, bullied Skull needs more luuuuv! XP I disagree that there aren't a lot of gamer/KHR stories, though. It's just that most of them are about Tsuna. :P
Elioenai: And I think that there are actually some animals out there that can biologically live forever (too lazy to look up which ones they were), so Skull is probably kind of like one of them now. XD
XXX
Restart and Try Again
Chapter 4: Dungeon Crawling
XXX
"Okay... Okay... Just calm down... Calm down..." Skull said to himself as he looked around the unnaturally quiet forest. "This is like the first dungeon of a game, right? So there's not gonna be anything too bad in here, right? Right?!"
Who knows?
"Okay, you're an asshole," Skull shouted at the god, not even bothering to use their mental link anymore. "What do you even expect me to do?! I don't even have anything to fight with!"
Heads up, here comes an enemy!
"Wait, what?!"
Before he could get out any other reply, there was a sound of something wet thumping on the forest ground. He swung his head around wildly, trying to find the source as the sound kept getting closer and closer
"Wh-Where is it-" Skull froze as something shot right past his face and splattered across a nearby tree. Quickly turning to look at it, his eyes widened when he saw an orange, gooey substance now sticking to said tree. Looking closer, he could see a strange vapor being emitted from it and quickly realized that the tree bark was slowly beeing disintigrated by the slime.
"...Holy fuck, that could have been my face," he muttered in disbelief as the wet thumping sound stopped behind him. "What the hell is..." He turned to face whatever it was and his eyes widened in shock and horror. "What the fuck is THAT thing?!"
Across from him was an ball of oozing orange slime with two gaping holes on either side of it, each pulsating with a malicious red glow. Both lights focused on it, making Skull realize that they were in fact eyes, as a third hole, much, much bigger than the other two, opened in the middle, revealing what he could only compare to a black hole. It let out a sound, a mixture of crying babies, snarling monsters, and people screaming bloody murder.
Skull's eyes widened. "NO SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!"
Use your Observe skill! It's what it's there for!
"Dammit! Observe!"
A screen instantly appeared before him.
Orange Slime Lv. 20
"THIS IS WHAT SLIMES LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE?! THIS THING IS FUCKING TERRIFYING!"
Looks like it's going to attack again. You ready to fight?
Within the Slime's gaping mouth, the ooze started to gather up and form a ball. Skull glanced at the tree, then back at it, then back at pool of sludge forming beneath the tree, then back at it once again.
"ALL OF MY NOPE!"
And with that, he turned around and ran like Reborn himself was on his heels.
XXX
You know, Slimes are pretty slow. You probably didn't have to run that fast.
"Screw *pant* you *pant*," Skull said, leaning against one of the many trees.
Why didn't you fight it?
"Fight it how exactly?! I don't have any weapons!"
Hand to hand?
"Oh, sure, punch something that can melt of your skin, I bet that'll work!" Skull snarled back sarcastically.
Hmmm... You have a point there.
"You are still completely useless... And that 'Gamer's Mind' thing is completely useless, too, by the way. I flipped the fuck out back there."
Well, to be fair, that ability depends on how much confidence you have while you're in whatever situation you're in.
"That's stupid," the future Arcobaleno sighed as he looked around. "...Hey, didn't I get a new menu before I came in here?"
Yeah, the "map" menu.
"Well, I got away from that abomination, so let's see here. Menu," Skull called, and as soon as the screen appeared before him, he was attacked with yet another alert box.
Alert:
You now have access to the "Quest" menu!
Skull blinked. "...Okay?" He mumbled, getting rid of the alert screen and looking at his menu. Between the Skills and Pets menu were now the words "Map" and "Quest." Curious, he reached out and tapped the Quest menu.
Current Quests:
"Through the Woods We Go": Find the exit out of Evergreen Woods!
Reward: ?
"Whoa, I get a reward for getting out of here?" Skull asked, arching an eyebrow. "What's with that quest name, though?"
Why, would you prefer something boring?
"No, it's just...never mind. Map!"
Yet another screen appeared, this one showing a large white area with a purple dot in the middle. The white extended upwards a bit into another area where a red dot stood, slowly moving around from time to time.
Skull hummed in contemplation. "It looks like I have to explore the area in order to add to the map... That purple dot is obviously me...but what's with that red one?"
The red dots are enemies you've encountered. So that's the Slime you just ran from.
"Oh, god, no," Skull shuddered. "Gonna stay far away from that thing..."
You should expore the rest of this dungeon. Who knows, you may find something you can use as a weapon.
"Really? I guess it's worth a shot..." Skull started, then froze when an ominous moan-like sound filled the area. "What the hell?"
Monster at three o'clock!
Turning to his right, he immediately saw a giant tree with dark hollowed eyes, a large gaping mouth with jagged sharp teeth, and long, clawed arms slowly making it's way towards him. It opened his mouth and let out an indescribable sound.
"...Nope."
XXX
"You know, this is the first dungeon. Couldn't it be filled with...I dunno, bunnies or something?" Skull grumbled.
Maybe if you were level one, but you're level thirty-five. This dungeon is a bit more your pace.
"...You have a point, but fuck you anyway." Skull looked around for any more approaching monsters as he made his way through the strange forest. He arched an eyebrow as he spotted a small patch what could only be described as blue sunflowers. "There are some reeeaaaally weird plants here... This isn't anything like the real world."
It's called being creative. You are kind of in an RPG now.
"So this is my life now, then? I don't know whether to cry or laugh..." He mumbled before a flash of red caught his attention. He immediately tensed as he turned to face it, but instantly felt relieved when he saw that it wasn't a monster. Instead, it was... "...Is that a treasure chest?"
Geez, you act like you've never played an RPG before.
"Fair enough," Skull said as he jogged over to the shiny, red treasure chest. Taking hold of the lid, he started to slowly lift it open.
Dananana dananana dananana dananana...
"Stop that," Skull said, rolling his eyes slightly as he swung it open.
Oh, come on, lighten up.
"I just got attacked by a fucking tree. I am in no mood."
Boooooo, fiiiiine.
Looking into the chest, Skull blinked when he saw a rather plain looking knife inside. "What the? Observe."
Dagger-Like Knife: It's really more of a kitchen knife, but better than nothing, right? Attack +7
"..."
Hey, you got a weapon now! Congrats~!
"..."
Now you can go fight some monsters~!
"..."
...
"..."
...Skull?
"..."
...Oh, shoot, I think he short-circuited...
XXX
"Seriously... Of all the weapons to find..." Skull glared down at the innocent not-dagger. "It's not even a real weapon, it's a fucking kitchen knife..."
Well, it is your starting weapon. I'm sure you'll find something better eventually.
"Seriously, I have the worst luck!" Skull grumbled. "And I still haven't found the goddamn exit..." He froze midstep when a nearby bush started rustling. "Oh, god, what is it now?"
Instantly, a white blur jumped out of the bush, growling at him. It was bigger than the real thing and had teeth, claws, and even a few spikes jutting out of it's back in a few places, but there was no doubt what it was.
Hey! It's a bunny! You got your wish!
"Holy crap, I was fucking kidding when I said that! And this thing is not any less terrifying than the other monsters!"
Said "bunny" glared at him with slitted crimson eyes, it's fangs bared and saliva dripping from its mouth in a long string. It hunched down a bit before springing towards him, claws glistening.
Skull's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck!"
As the rabid rabbit closed the distance between then, Skull quickly took out his kitchen knife and shut his eyes as he shoved it forward. His eyes snapped back open in surprise when he heard the creature let out a snarl of pain and jump away from him. Looking back at it, he saw that he had accidentally stabbed it in it's eye, which, instead of bleeding, was now glowing red and pixelated. Seeing an opportunity, he quickly shouted, "Observe!"
Demon Rabbit, Lv. 23
His eyes widened and he quickly got rid of the screen and rushed aside as the monster rabbit lunged for him again, claws glowing red. Seeing an opening, he quickly ran towards it as it landed on the ground and slashed at it's side, leaving a deep gash just above it's right back-leg. As he widened the distance between it and him once again, he was bombarded with alert screens.
Alert:
You have unlocked the Passive Skill "Dagger Mastery!"
You have unlocked the Active Skill "Knife Throw!"
"T-Tet, how do I use this skill?!"
It tells you in your Skills Menu!
"DAMMIT, MAN, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ RIGHT NOW!"
Look, you're going to have to read your menu in between battles all the time. Might as well get used to it.
"Dammit, fine! Skills Menu!" He shouted, dodging yet another strike from the vicious bunny rabbit.
Knife Throw: Hurl your dagger at the enemy.
Power: 25
MP Cost: 15
Screetching to a stop and turning to face the deadly bunny, he aimed his kitchen knife. "Alright, I got this shit now! KNIFE THROW!" He shouted, hurling the kitchen utensil at it.
As the knife hurdled towards the rabbit, a faint violet sheen sturrounded it, causing to leave a glowing trail behind it. It approached the monster...
...And completely missed it, impaling itself into a tree behind it.
"...Are you fucking KIDDING ME?!"
Oh, wow, you need more dexterity...
"NOT NOW!"
He didn't have time to say anything more as the monster ran for him and clawed at his side, leaving a gash.
"Ow! FUCK!" Skull yelped, immediately rushing away, towards where his knife landed. Once he was a safe distance away, he looked down at his wound, sighing in relief when he saw that it was stitching back up. "Thank god for Cloud Regeneration..." He mumbled, grasping his knife and pulling out of the tree bark. "Now, let's try this again... KNIFE THROW!"
Once again, he threw his knife towards the monster. This time, though, it hit it's mark, stabbing it right between the eyes.
Headshot!
Ignoring Tet, he watched as the rabbit fell to the ground before bursting into pixels and disappearing. "...Oh, thank god that's over with," he sighed, walking over to retrieve the knife.
You did pretty good for your first battle. Good job, Skull! It was pretty funny, too. I'm so glad I chose you as my Ability User~!
Skull groaned in irritation and was about to retort when a screen appeared before him.
Level up! You've earned 3 Status Points!
"Status points?"
Ah, yes, that. Status points are what you use to increase your attack, defense, whatever you want.
"Oh, that's pretty cool... Let's see. Status menu!" Once his screen of choice appeared, he looked over his stats thoughtfully.
Attack: 35
Defense: 43
Intelligence: 38
Special Defense: 39
Agility: 30
Vitality: 35
Dexterity: 30
Luck: 10
"Hm... Well, I don't have any magic attacks or whatever yet, but I may get some in the future, so I'll increase that by one point..."
Intelligence: 39
"Definitely gonna increase Dexterity so shit like that doesn't happen again..."
Dexterity: 31
"Aaaaaand, attack."
Attack: 36
You're not gonna increase Luck?
Skull arched an eyebrow. "Why? Critical hits are good and all, but they're so unreliable! I'd rather have high attack."
...Wait, what are you talking about?
"My critical hit ratio. I don't really care how high it is."
So...you think Luck has to do with your critical hits?
"Yeah. I mean, doesn't it?"
...Yes. Yes it does. You should never increase it.
Skull just huffed in annoyance. "I won't. I've got more important things to spend my points on."
And it just got that much more fun~.
"Wait, what was that?"
Oh, nothing~.
Skull frowned in thought before shrugging. "Whatever, man."
XXX
As he wandered around the forest, Skull had beaten three other rabbits along with a tree monster, which, through Observe, he now knew was called a Possessed Tree. Most of the map was cleared up except for one area, which he was now headed towards.
"Figures that the exit would be in the last place I look..." The Cloud sighed. "Seriously, why am I so damn unlucky?"
Beats me~.
"Well, whatever. We're here." He stopped and looked around the final area. It really looked no different than the rest of the forest, except for the large, swirling blue portal in the middle. "That must be the exit! Finally!" Skull said in relief as he started to speed walk his way towards it. Before he could even get close, though, the portal suddenly dulled into a gray color and something started to come out of it. "...Tet, what's happening?"
Dungeon boss time!
"...Fuck!"
Something burst out of the portal and landed in front of him. Seeing what it was, Skull stopped panicking and blinked. "What the? The boss is another freaking bunny?!"
Indeed it was. Although it was a bit larger, it's fur black, it's eyes yellow, and claws and fangs slightly sharper, it was another rabbit.
"Observe!"
Boss: Bloody Rabbit
"Okay, the name's a bit unsettling, but other than that... Whatever, let's just do this!"
Good luck!
"...Why are you laughing while you say that?"
Oh, no reason~. Heads up!
"Oh shi-"
The rabbit rushed forward and tackled him straight in the stomach sending him flying backwards and slamming into a tree and then onto the ground.
"Ooooooow..."
Whoa, are you okay?
Hearing a bit of actual concern in Tet's voice, Skull bit back the sarcastic 'Oh, yeah, I'm fan-fucking-tastic!' he was about to say and instead said. "Yeah, I'm fine..." Shoving himself back onto his feet, he glared back at the monster challengingly. "Bring it on, you bitch! I've come back from worse than this!"
The rabbit roared in response and dug it's paw into the dirt like a bull, getting ready to charge again.
"Knife Throw!" Skull shouted, throwing his knife towards the monster at the same time it started running towards him. The knife dug into its chest, causing it to growl in pain, but it didn't slow down. Skull's eyes widened and he quickly jumped aside as the rabbit slammed into the tree. Seeing it momentarily stunned he yanked the knife out of its head and ran towards the other half of the clearing. "Okay, Knife Throw is not a good idea!"
Alert:
"Oh, god, what now?!"
Dagger Mastery increased!
You have unlocked the Active Skill "Dagger Barrage!"
Skull blinked. "Oh, hey, just in time. Skill menu!"
Dagger Barrage: Hurl multiple daggers at the target.
Power: 35
MP Cost: 20
"But I only have one knife!"
Just give it a try! It might surprise you!
Skull glanced at the rabbit, which was charging towards him once again. "Well, if you say so. DAGGER BARRAGE!"
He threw his kitchen knife once again towards the enemy. As the knife was in the air, orbs of violet light appeared around it, each forming into an exact copy of the original, and they all plunged into the monster, sending it flying backwards for a few meters before breaking into pixels. Once that was done, all the knives disappeared save for the original, which landed back on the ground.
"...Holy crap, that was awesome!" Skull exclaimed with wide eyes.
You did really well in your first dungeon, good job!
Before the future Arcobaleno could respond, yet another alert appeared.
Level Up! You've earned 3 Status Points!
"Oh, sweet! This place is awesome for level grinding!"
What are you gonna increase now?
"How about... Attack, Special Defense, and Dexterity!"
Attack: 37
Special Defense: 40
Dexterity: 32
"There we go. Now then..." He turned back to the portal, which was now back to it's original blue color. Walking towards it, he managed to get right in front of it before yet another screen popped up.
Quest "Through the Woods We Go" complete!
Reward: Dagger!
Dagger: A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a weapon.
Attack +14
"Holy crap, an actual dagger! I never thought I'd be so happy about something like this!"
See, you're not completely unlucky! And you can finally get out now!
"Yeah, I can finally..." Skull started, taking a step towards the portal, but then he trailed off and took a step back.
Skull?
"...Actually, there's something I want to do first," the violet-haired boy stated, bringing his map up for a moment before turning around and heading back into the forest.
What are you gonna do?
"What I should have done a while ago..."
XXX
Back in the beginning of the dungeon, a certain pile of ooze was waiting patiently for its target. Hearing footsteps behind it, it turned around to see the violet human boy, glaring at him with a new resolve in his eyes. It turned around and started forming a ball of liquid ooze as the boy held out a dagger in front of him.
"Let's do this, you orange pile of shit! Dagger Barrage!"
Skull blinked as the daggers buried themselves into the Slime, which then burst into pixels.
"Oh...that was easy."
Well, it is the lowest-level monster here.
"...Meh, whatever. Revenge complete. I'm outta here."
I really don't understand why you wanted to come back for this in the first place.
"It's a pride thing."
XXX
Man, this chapter was TONS of fun to write. XD Seriously, pray for Skull, he REALLY needs it. The poor bastard. XP And, holy crap, Tet, you are such a troll. Seriously, I'm having so much fun tormenting Skull that I can almost understand why the Arcobaleno do it. XD
The way Gamer's Mind works in this fic is that Skull's level of calmness depends on how much confidence he has currently, so he's still very much prone to panicking and flipping out. Let's face it, a calm Skull is not an amusing one. XP