Gaming Nightmare 2 - or 'The Tale of a Failed Path to a New Heaven gone glorious and legendary' (Erma Webcomic Gamer!Young!Insert)
Jumping can be quite tiring, but John didn't mind as the pure sugar rush of being Mario in this instance gave him all the energy he needed.
The boy was smiling eye-to-eye as any fright of facing these creepy mobs had completely disappeared from his mind. He got some close-ups in those few times he got a bit too cocky, but he was still untouched by any attack coming his way and-
LEVEL UP!
What made this 'game' Level Up system unique was that, while all stats are guaranteed to get a +1 boost from each Level Up, the player can use a special 'roulette' system to try their luck and give either a higher boost to it which could range from +2 to +5.
John decided to do it with POW as he wanted to have more Attack Power to beat his foes easier and he dared his luck to give him something nice-
A +2? That wasn't exactly lucky…
HP - 12
BP - 12
POW - 12
DEF - 11
SPEED - 13
LCK - 16
Huffing, the child was slightly annoyed by this, but this didn't deter him from finishing the job. He was mostly done with the Goblins, and he could tell that small boost still was good as it made his tiny '2's with his Jumps turn into a 3.
Small progress, but progress nonetheless!
The thorough exploration ultimately led to a strangely 'quiet' clearing. A bit too quiet. He was also about to call it a 'normal clearing' too if not for the large floating box that was being weighted by something green with a golden crown sleeping on top of it.
John glanced at this very element with confusion- was that an item box? It had a question mark, but it was a blue semi-transparent box with a white punctuation point. Maybe? Curiosity was what actually drove him to study it up closely before understanding what he had to do: jump and punch it.
The height between him and it was just enough for a proper jump to unlock it and- He did so. A single jump, the box was activated but… right as the box propelled the creature that had rested on top of it to the sky up above.
A single item came from the box, a… flower- No, not just 'a' flower, but The Fire Flower. The palette and texture was familiar, and John thought that the element would have instantly granted him the power to use the Fire attacks but-
New Battle Skill unlocked!
Fire Flower Rush (Basic) - 4BP
Oh.
It meant he couldn't use it outside of the battle? That was quite the shame. His 'mourning' was, sadly, brief as the thing he sent careening to the clouds was soon back to the ground, awake and clearly angry at him.
Reforming into a large chubby frog with a crown and a red mantle, the thing roared at John, rekindling a degree of terror within the boy's heart as it looked like a very scary monster. A boss?
[Battle Music: Boss Battle - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Music Extended]
Yup! The theme was familiar, and John focused on this battle.
King Froglin
HP: 40
It shouldn't be too difficult of a boss.
The monster roared again, attacking first as he pulled back and then… projected a large tongue with a spheric end to it. Like a frog, but it was slow enough for John to jump over it and deal a Counter-Attack.
5!
The Boss twitched in pain, but held strong as he was clearly stronger than a normal mob. John was about to attack himself, but then he noticed time slowing down like it happened with his first battle.
Anti-Jump Measures! Some enemies, mostly bosses, have the means to render your Jump Attack futile. Some may be mere barriers, but in this case it's a 'hurting spike effect'. The crown is considered a 'Spike Element' and thus able to return damage to any user jumping on them. Find a way to go around it.
Nodding, John decided to test out his newest ability. There was still something off about the Ability's description which left him confused, and it was the method of which this unfolded.
Fire Flower Rush (Basic) - Time your positions within those listed out by the ability to make the Fire Projection Rush hit harder.
He still selected it, dismayed over the fact there was no 'example view' to see what it was all about. Still, as he chose the ability, a copy of the Fire Flower he took appeared in front of him, rushing to his chest and filling him with a 'strong blaze'. His shirt turned white, and his pants a bright red.
This wasn't the only 'change' however. A reddish hue appeared around him, mimicking his body taking on several poses and… John moved to try to copy as many of those. He managed to get only four of the six available right, but the end result was-
AWESOME!
20!
The fire didn't spread beyond the Boss, burning against the mantle and, in the panic to try and put the flame away, the Boss dropped its crown. Grinning, John saw the Boss skipping his turn and gave the boy the chance to capitalize on the matter.
Rushing at it, the child jumped at the right time and landed a strong jump against the Boss' exposed head-
GREAT!
5!
But this was followed by, strangely enough, a forced second jump that landed even more damage!
EXCELLENT!
5!
John was growing ecstatic as he had brought the Boss' health to 5. He was so close to winning, and he saw the monster finally freed from the flames, his mantle ruined as he angrily glared at the boy and charged him.
Smiling, John timed his reaction again and masterfully jumped in time to not only stop the rush, but 'push it back'.
5!
In fact, the Boss rolled backward once hit by the jump due to the inclination of the counter-attack, sending it rolling fast towards some bushes behind him before exploding in brief stars that tore the natural obstacle.
LEVEL UP!
John beamed at the opportunity of rolling the roulette boost against and, this time around, he chose SPEED as he wanted to be faster with his attacks as the POW was just enough for now.
This time, much to his delight, the roulette ended with a +4.
HP - 14
BP - 14
POW - 13
DEF - 12
SPEED - 17
LCK - 17
As he finished doing this, he turned to where the boss had died, and he frowned as he saw the dark asphalt terrain beyond the bushes. A road of sorts that led to somewhere. The boy approached it, eyes staring with hope for anything that would suggest any potential sign that he was close to a town or a city.
He was greeted by a billboard with an arrow aimed at a nearby town.
Welcome to Blairwood (IL), Home of the Oddities - 100m
That was… English? Was he in the US? Britain? The boy was confused… and nervous. This was clearly far from home regardless of the options, so his parents were not within reach.
…Still! He could call them! He just had to find a way to get hold of a phone and then he would get them! Yes, that was going to work!
Soon the boy was marching towards Blairwood, his determination far from beaten down as he was ready to go through all options before conceding he was no longer able to see his parents.
But as he left, he failed to notice a figure had been seeing him deal with the Goblins from the bushes, the old man picking a smoke and shaking his head at the absurdity of today's world but… he knew this kid was going to be a different thing altogether.
As a detective, he had a hunch for this sort of thing.
The Comic Store had finished refurbishing, and a certain girl was happy to see that Warrior Unicorn Princess' latest issue was already out.
She was alone in the aisle, unwilling to let out the secret of her favorite show and series out to the general public. To some, this may seem like a childish thing, but to someone like Erma Williams, a 'unique child' in the mind of the crowd, this was a matter of 'reputation'.
Long dark hair that tended to shroud her cute face, a simple white robe acting as a dress, comfy black shoes and white socks… she was the purest example of 'little nightmare'. This hobby of hers couldn't be found out- period.
Right as she contemplated buying the piece now, Erma tensed up as she heard someone enter the store. Putting the item back to its shelf, the girl floated over the other shelves to see who had entered. Kid, boy, he was… not a familiar face.
Odd. She could remember many boys her age as they went to the same elementary school as hers. Blairwood had just an elementary school at that. Still, the spooky girl peered over him, at first glance seeming like a 'nobody' to those she may know and… granting her some relief.
Yet, something about this 'normal boy' didn't feel right. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what exactly had her senses confused, but Erma continued to stare as she saw the boy walk up to the counter and buy some candies.
The one thing that stood out a lot was that the fellow child wasn't talking at all, merely gesturing, appearing confused at some questions and then manifesting a wallet out of nowhere.
That last bit confirmed her sixth sense- this unknown boy was… interesting.
Erma decided that she would buy the comic at a latter date. She was definitely coming back, but right now she just felt this thing was more important. There was just something itching her to chase the boy silently, see what he was up to and, if possible, do the very thing that she had been working to accomplish in recent months.
Make some more friends.
AN
Lil' Erma being a bit of a Komi there. Still, next time… they will… do something! Clash? Fight? Talk? Or even… HUG?! GASP!