Saw's POV
I yawned as I woke up. The clock on the nightstand read thirty minutes til seven AM. Shit. Why do I always wake up so damn early?
I huffed. I wanted to turn around but I felt three out of the form arms of Scotch wrapped around me. I chuckled, gently moving my arm so I could hold one of his hands. I never thought I'd have… this again…
I enjoyed the morning like this, the alarm sadly bringing that to an end but that just meant the morning began. As Scotch woke up I turned around and gave him a kiss.
"Hm, and good morning to you too." He laughed lightly at my antics. "Up for long before me?"
"Thirty minutes. Better than the hour or two I usually wake up before you." I chuckled as I began to sit up.
"You really should take some melatonin to sleep deeper, babe." Scotch told me.
"Probably." I chuckled. "But then I might not want to wake up."
We got up and got ready before heading to the kitchen. Kids breakfast and all that. I'm really glad those Nexus Bases we raided had coffee. I have missed this stuff.
My mornings were simple, breakfast with Scotch, the kids, walk them all to school. And by walk I mean use that Warp quirk power to teleport them all there ten minutes before. Perks of this power.
After that I help Scotch in his temp workshop to unlock that Master of The Golden Smithy Ability. He was over the moon learning he could get it and has been working nonstop the last few days to get it.
I gave him a hug goodbye as I headed off for my usual Lunch with Hero at the Bar. Still not used to that round stomach of theirs.
As usual, Hero ordered that Katsudon bowl, and I ordered the same for a change. Once the food and drinks arrived, we got to talking.
"So, finally proposed huh?" I asked him.
"Yeah, finally proposed." Hero nodded with a smile. "Seeing her face when I did…priceless."
"Heh. And you were worried." I chuckled.
"It's not my fault I worry a lot." Hero huffed. "But…it was the best Christmas ever."
"Heh, yeah mine was good too. Scotch is over the moon about those Legendary Abilities he can get and the kids all loved their gifts. Have to say, surprised Kelly gave him so many of your tail feathers. Must have been a few-" I saw Hero turn rather red. "Ah… so that's how she got them…"
"Let's not talk about that okay?" Hero said quickly, looking embarrassed as all hell.
I chuckled. "Fine, but Scotch is rather happy about them. Apparently Phoenix Feathers, especially tail feathers are potent items used in crafting and other things."
"Glad he liked the gift." Hero nodded. "Now I at least know why she wanted my feathers…or at least, more of my feathers."
"Heh. Well that aside now that the Update is out, I got a lot of work to do to grind for EXP. Plus new dungeons and all that. Luna and I are gonna head out and see how much the local monsters are in terms of EXP now and- are you really pouting?" I asked as I began to bite into my meal.
"No, I'm just…thinking." Hero said, still pouting at that. "About the new update and me unable to go out and experience myself."
I rolled my eyes. "If it helps we will be writing down everything, Luna even got a Camera. Would you like that? Notes with photos to review?" I asked, using the kind of tone an adult tries to use on an upset child.
Hero looked annoyed, but pouted still and nodded. "Yes, cause unlike you I want to plan this out and make it easier on everyone."
"You mean like what Luna and I will be doing in fighting the local monsters to see what drops how much EXP?"
"Yes, and then there's the specific areas that they spawn in and…" Hero trailed off as they got their signature 'thinking' look before a mutter storm.
As usual when they get like this I nodded, ate, picked up on some key sentences, nodded again and eventually finished my food before they even finished talking. "You have been getting Cabin Fever haven't you?" I asked them.
"Mildly, also, did Scotch ever mention anything about Mob Spawners?" Hero asked me.
"Depends, genetic, magic, or passive?" I asked. Apparently there's multiple types.
"Didn't know there were three types, but cool…so you ever play Minecraft?"
"Yes, and that would be Magic type." I said. Perks of my adorable nerd boyfriend, I've learned a lot from him.
"Awesome, I have work to do with him and Saint to get a Mob Farm going." Hero said readily.
"Well he's working to get Master of The Golden Smithy right now so I'm sure once he unlocks it and gets it he can do that and then some." I shrugged as I got out of the booth. "See you later with a note book of info. Try not to drool too much before Luna and I come back."
"I don't drool over information."
"Well I'd worry about the seat but that's leather and easily cleaned." I added, using Warp and dodging a saw blade Hero shot out at me.
Hey, I'm happy, but I'm still an asshole. I am obligated to piss him off at least once every so often.
Warp brown brought me over to Luna's place. It's a lot like my old place but bigger. I knocked, the gun slinging Alicorn opening the door with her magic. "Ah, there you are. What took so long?" She asked.
"Hero went on another mutter storm. You know, standard protocol." I answered with a shrug.
"Oh goodie, what got his feathery butt into a mutter storm?" Luna asked.
"Us going out to check on the new EXP stuff and wanting to make a Mob Farm."
"Mob farm?" Luna asked. "Like…what? Monster Rancher or something?" She asked…oh yeah, she was around before Minecraft was a thing…poor girl.
"More like tricking game mechanics and features to send monsters either to their death to drop their loot or to a small space where you can kill them yourself." I said, giving a more general summary.
"Huh…that would solve a lot of problems instead of having to go out and hunt for the fuckers." Luna admitted.
"Maybe, but I think Hero just wants an excuse to not be home despite being pregnant." I shrugged. "Well come on, grab your guns and such and let's see what fuckers drop how much EXP." I said.
With a nod, Luna levitated some extra guns and ammo boxes to her, storing all but a revolver into her Assistant as we left.
I used Warp to send us to an Outpost a good forty miles from the Nightmare Leto Outpost.
Why? Simple. Good memories.
"Hunting for anything in particular first or just killing whatever and giving Hero his numbers?"
"Well this place is roughly just Leto from my home world, down to the creepy recreation of the jail cell I was in oddly enough… so I can think of a few places some neat monsters might be." I said as I started walking.
"What kinda neat monsters?" Luna asked, trotting by my side and her guns at the ready.
"Cerberus, Hydras, Dragons, Mantacores, Minotaurs, Lesser demons, lesser gods, animals made from the dead bodies of old gods." I listed off. "Heh. Hulda really had it all."
"Sounds like a fun time." Luna said with a smile. "And lot's of fun monsters to kill."
"That's the plan." I smirked. Especially if I get lucky enough to find replica or variations of the magic beasts that were used to make David and his friends. "So, just out of curiosity, what kind of monsters did you and your brothers hunt in your world?"
"Demon's, Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts, the usual menagerie of magical creatures." Luna shrugged.
"Huh. Neat." Hmm… I think Vampires and werewolves were a thing back home but rare. Ghosts… heard a few things but nothing I knew of personally. Huh.
The walk to Leto's outskirts was long and we spotted it. Hulda Forest. I took a look at this my first day in Leto… even here it looks the same.
I can feel the magic in here. A pulsating almost heartbeat-like magical force…
Where I religious, I'd say that was proof of God.
"Damn, the magic here is palpable." Luna said in surprise.
"That's Hulda." I chuckled. "A place like this is home to many powerful magical beasts and beings. Back home no one who ever entered it ever left… care to change that?" I asked Luna with a grin.
"Oh I'm more than ready." Luna said with a matching grin, her magic starting up as I heard the tell tale signs of many of her guns getting locked and loaded for our fun romp through the forest.
I smirked and we began our downwards decent into the-
[Notice! You are entering a Level 5 Dungeon!
Level Five Dungeon Hulda Forest!]
Huh… somehow that explains a lot about this place…
"Huh, a level five dungeon?" Luna hummed. "Want to test our luck?"
"Well either way I know I'll survive but uh… you don't have an immortality ability." I brought up.
"Uh…right, that is true…" Luna said carefully.
"Tell you what, I'll handle this place. You got the monsters that spawn in the city and with luck we both come out with good results and loot."
"Alright." Luna nodded. "Hope you have fun while I try to find something to kill."
"Heh. Here's hoping. I'll meet up with you in the city. If this gets too much for me I'll Warp out." I said as I headed down and took my first steps I to Hulda.
Alright… now then what is around here… hmm… should have asked for some alchemical ingredients or something from Scotch. For all I know some of these plants are valuable…
Alright let's see here… nothing, nothing, more nothing…
For a level five dungeon this is oddly… empty…
"Something's not right here…" I frowned, as I knew thing's this empty never meant good things.
I walked through the trees and small clearings I found-
I felt a skeletal hand touch my shoulder. I turned seeing a skeleton half in a tree, almost like the tree grew around/in them, was the culprit.
"Hey, watch the fur!" I huffed, shaking the skeleton off me.
To my somewhat surprise, the skeleton began laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked carefully.
"You…" The skeleton said, it's head lifting to face me with various cracks and snaps as two glowing eyes looked at me.
How typical of a skeleton that talks to have glowing eyes…
"Halloween was last year my guy." I said, pulling out my Sawblades. "Either fuck off or see what saw's do to bone."
It laughed again. "Hysterical. You, who lost everything. Your innocence, your childhood, your trust in others, the warmth of a loving family, your lover and even your humanity. Do you think the gods can't reach you here? You are their favorite little tragic story."
As it laughed again I retracted my saw blades and pulled out Bloody Mercy and with a swift swing, the Skeleton and tree it was in were cut in half. The sliced tree falling over and crushing the skeleton under it.
I then spat on the small bit of exposed bone.
"And I'll be excited to hear their screams as I saw them apart." I stated bluntly, moving past the killed skeleton and deeper into the forest.
Honestly, I'd give that a 3/10.
I walked around and through the trees until I came across a small clearing. Here I was greeted by even more skeletons. How original.
They either fucked up this forest making it a dungeon or it was just overhyped…
"I'm bored." I said, moving around and killing the Skeletons without much thought. "There was supposed to be actual dangerous monsters, not just basic ass skeletons."
What's weird is how weak they are too. I know Inko is boosting me with that Custodian thing but seriously? This feels weak for a level five…
"I know that the update jumped everything up to level twenty but…fuck, I wouldn't have gotten a notice about it being Level 5 without good reason." I frowned.
I walked through the clearing and into another-
"ROAR!"
I actually jumped at hearing the sudden noise. Crawling out of the trees before me was the biggest Manticore I've ever seen.
Well finally something interesting!
"Finally!" I said with a smile, deciding to Scan the thing just so I have some record of what I was about to murder so Hero wouldn't get too on my case here.
[Scan Complete!
Name: Elder Manticore King
Rank: S
HP: 1,500,000
MP: 500,000
ATT: 307,500
DEF: 308,000
Resistance: 450,000]
Oh and they're tanky!
"And all that tankiness is going to bite you in the ass my fine fluffy friend." I said with a smile, readying myself to start mauling this bitch.
I resummoned Bloody Mercy and charged them, using Warp to dodge a paw swipe and strike along their side. The attack hit and it's HP went down by fifty.
Heh. Finally. Something that can take a hit.
"Hopefully you don't go running scared when I'm gonna do some fun shit." I said happily, shifting into my new Lightning Ram form and firing off a bunch of Buzzsaw's, and I used Poltergeist to grab all of them, throwing them all towards the Elder Manticore King as electricity latched onto each of them as a giant buzzing electric net.
The Elder Manticore King roared in pain. Scan showed me it went down by five hundred before tackling me. The impact broke… a lot, but my Immortality Ability let me snap everything back into place as quickly as it broke.
Oh so kitty wants to play? Heh… let's play.
I shifted to my Fire Ram form as me and Hero absorbed Fire, Ice and Wind elemental Gems a while ago, sending out a dozen blazing hot Saw's as I dove down into the shadow's with Black and appeared right at its side and slashed with my keyblade to distract it from dodging the main attack.
Seven hundred more HP down. Heh, alright then. Let's see what else I can do to hurt this cat.
I swapped to my Wind form and flung blades of pure wind at the thing, seeing the air lightly color a pure white as it slashed at the Manticore King. "These powers are awesome." I thought to myself with a happy smile.
I kept up this admittedly cheese tactic and after some hours, dealt the final blow as it keeled over.
Man, Hero is gonna have a field day when they can come here and battle.
"Wouldn't be surprised if the entire forest suddenly gets leveled knowing how much they enjoy combining powers." I thought to myself. "Or just…using the power of a fucking Sun on the place…"
[Notice! You Have Slain an Elder Manticore King!
Received Title, Beast Royal Regicide!
Beast Royal Regicide: Proof you have slain a King or Elder King boss enemy!
Enemies with King in their name now take twice as much damage from you and deal half as much to you.]
Oh now that's useful… also how many enemies have the word King in their name to warrant a title like this existing?
"Well…I suppose King could be considered a template…" I thought to myself, as many monsters could have the 'King' modifier that would make them bigger and stronger.
Alright now let's see, my EXP thing was at zero out of a thousand to level up now let's see-
…
[EXP: 52,005/105,500
Skill Points: 211]
… Okay yeah that was worth a lot…
"Uh…okay…" I muttered. "And…I don't know how much each subsequent level took so…" I tried to math on how much experience it took to get to this much…cause this was ten and a half times as much…uh…
… Ah screw it I'll let Hero figure that out… Still, two hundred and eleven Skill Points. Time to upgrade stats.
Let's see… Split between Strength and Vitality, 106 to strength, 104 to Vitality, leaves me one left over… any abilities I can get with just one Skill Point… Hmm…
Oh, hello, what's this?
[Keyblade Skill Tree Command Styles Unlock: 1 Skill Point.]
Hmm… Welp, not sure what that is but it only costs one. I shrugged as I spent my last skill point on that.
[Commend Styles Unlocked!
User Can Now Activate Command Styles By Using Certain Types of Magic or Combat Abilities. This Branch Can Increase On Its Own or Can Be Upgraded Via Skill Points. Based On User Attacks and Abilities, This Branch Can Create Custom Command Styles For The User.]
Well that definitely sounds useful.
"Lets see…what sort of command styles do I have?" I wondered, searching up the thing to see what kind of 'styles' I had.
Hmm, looks like I have access to three right off the bat. Critical Impact, Fever Pinch, and Spell Weaver. Let's see…
Critical Impact seems to require me to use moves that are heavy hitting and physical.
Fever Pinch seems to require me to use moves that are fast and physical.
Spell Weaver requires me to use magic. Any kind in a continuous sequence. Hmm, I know I have a few 'spells' I can use thanks to Bloody Mercy…
"Well, let's test these out on whatever can last long enough…" I muttered, continuing forward through this dungeon.
As I walked past the corpse of the Elder Manticore King I noticed that next to them were some items. Oh yeah, I sometimes forget that the monsters in this reality drop stuff.
Let's see here…
A pouch of… woah, five hundred thousand Rem?! That's lovely.
Next this looks to be some bottles… Eh, Scan.
[Vials of Elder Manticore Poison!
The poison in these bottles deals 400 Poison Damage per second for ten seconds. Is ineffective if Poison Resistance is above 5,000.
Value: 24,000 Rem]
Huh. Useful. Alright.
The last thing I picked up was a small egg. Hm…
[Elder Prince Manticore Egg!
This Egg will hatch into a Companion Creature, the Elder Prince Manticore and will imprint on the first person it sees and consider them its owner/parent. When fully grown, will turn into a tamed Elder King Manticore.
Value: 300,000 Rem.]
Oh wow… hmm… Inko can use that Custodian thing on creatures… she's probably the best person to have this. I'll give it to her when I get back.
With that done I checked and it turns out that you can take the Elder King Manticore's body too, so I stored all that into my Assistant. Hopefully Scotch can take anything useful from it and with luck, if the meat is edible, add to the house food.
I walked myself through the trees into another clearing. I didn't see much but I did find one of the trees here was hollow. I looked inside, finding a rather decorative pen and blank book. Strange place to have a book and pen…
"Well…alright I suppose." I muttered, pocketing the pen and blank book. "Strange…" I muttered, looking around carefully to see if there was any trail a person left as it was rather weird to just forget or leave something like this just laying in a random ass tree.
I shrugged, putting both into my Assistant and continued on. Alright what else is here… come on something good- woah…
I actually hid behind a tree when I spotted that. Thankfully, it wasn't looking my way. Fucking Gorgon, really? Ugh, not sure if my Immortality Ability can counter turning to stone… and I'd rather not try it out. Took forever to take out that Manticore so if this thing, even if weaker just looks at me then I'm screwed.
"Shit…how the hell am I supposed to do against this fucker?" I thought to myself, not sure how Status Resist actually works and…again, I'd rather not figure out if that would mean nothing. "Hmm…well, might as well see how much health the bitch has…" I thought, sneaking around and using Scan on the Gorgon from a safe spot so I wouldn't get spotted.
[Scan Complete!
Name: Gorgon
Rank: AA
HP: 4,500
MP: 34,000
ATT: 12,000
DEF: 56,000
Resistance: 100,000
Special Ability: Curse of Petrification - The gaze of this monster shall turn all who fall victim to it to stone. Ineffective against a target with a Status Resistance of 5,000.]
Fuck. Well that's a definite no.
"Right…so still gotta sneak around this bitch for the time being…" I mentally grumbled as I snuck off away from this stupid thing.
I managed to sneak off and around the thing, Warp was really useful for this, and ended up in another clearing where a huge stone slab sat with some runes and such carved out here. A mummified corpse laid face down on it, dry blood on its hand which itself was sprawled out on the edge where the runes were, where more dry blood was stained on them.
Huh… weird.
"Uh…huh…" I muttered, immediately walking past the strange slab and mummy. "Don't care, here for murder."
As I was walking passed the whole set up I did spot something neat. Walking over I saw it was some kind of staff, made from really old wood and adorned with some strange leather and runework I recognized as something some Artifacts had back home. Well hello, what are you?
[Scan Complete!
Name: Staff of Memories
Rank: AAA
ATT: 0
MP: 450
DEF: 0
Ability: Memory Erasure: Can erase specific memories from the target. If Successful, User Receives 1 Skill Point.
Ability: Body's Gift Alteration - This item has been altered by one with the Body's Gift Ability. X145 to all the items stats when in use.]
Huh… neat.
"That's cool." I said, putting it away and continuing onward.
I walked through the trees and came across another Manticore. This one was just a normal one though and way weaker than the Elder King one, so it was dead in a few minutes and dropped some of the same things.
I made sure to check and it drops 10,000 EXP. Alright, writing that down. Honestly never expected to use this notebook Hero gave me.
Now then what else is around here. Preferable a Star Beast, Phoenix, Dragon, Mimic and Null something or other…
Still, not sure what the hell with this place. Only that Gorgon and Elder King Manticore have been an issue.
"Grrrr-AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
I dodged the sudden attack as something swiped at me, slamming the nearby tree and turning it to splinters.
The creature itself was some kind of six or seven foot hairy thing with a long body, standing both on all fours yet looked able to stand on two. Hands and feet ended in sharp talons and it seemed to have six wings. One small set on the head just behind four long ears, another large pair on its spine covered back. A final pair near the middle of its long tail with various spikes at the end.
What in the fuck is this thing? Never heard of something that looked like this.
I used Warp and got to a tree top a bit away from it, but I can still see it.
"Okay…very angry son of a bitch…" I muttered, using Scan on this sudden creature that tried to take my head off.
[Scan Complete!
Name: Volatile Nokori
Rank:
HP: 42,000
MP: 405,000
ATT: 55,000
DEF: 40,000
Resistance: 20,000
Ability: Magic Replication - Can consume a target and replicate any inborn magic their target has permanently.]
Oh fuck me! Also, Volatile Nokori?! When the fuck was this a thing?!
"Okay…so what in the actual high holy hell did I miss back home!?" I thought incredulously if this bitch was a thing. "Right…so it can consume and replicate any inborn magics…it's rather tough…hmm." I thought to myself. "I'mma kill it." I thought with a smile as I readied my Keyblade and jumped down and aimed my blade into the bastards head.
It looked up, roaring again before it's wings flapped and shot out blades of wind at me.
I used Warp and appeared behind it, striking it across the head before letting Bloody Mercy shoot out some of my sawblades before the hit finished, cutting the fucker's head up good.
It roared, trying to swing at me again. I used Warp again, appearing under it and this time, pulled my new Rip Coard.
The chainsaws burst out of me and right into it's stomach. I let the teeth spin and turn as it's blood and meat went everywhere. I hit the spinal cord and despite being just bone, it was durable, but I moved both the blades on my arms slam into it, cutting and snapping it in half as it was now in two and dead.
Well, that was easier than expected-
"RAAAAAAAAA!"
I turned, seeing one… three… nine… fifteen… okay that's a lot of Volatile Nokori…
"Okay uh…didn't expect that many…" I admitted carefully. "Good thing I am on such a stupid adrenaline high, so!" I shouted, revving up all my chainsaw's. "BRING IT ON MOTHAFUCKA'S!" I shouted as I lunged at the monsters.
This fight lasted a few hours, mainly because there were so many of them. Got worse when a few got a lucky bite on me and started shooting out their own sawblades.
On average each gave 12,000 to 15,000 EXP. They also came in a variety of species too, some with more limbs than others, most all a mix of two or more animals.
They really were Nokori. When it was finally over I was laying down in a pile of blood, loot, and Volatile Nokori bodies.
"That….that was fun but…fuck…" I panted.
I sat up, shaking off some of the blood and chunks that would fall off before huffing again. I pulled a scroll from my Assistant, opening it and once I did the magic inside activated and I was fresh and clean. Heh, Hygiene Cleaning spell. Thanks Scotch, this saves me hours of washing.
I got up and began collecting loot. It was mostly Rem, some Mana Stones, and something called a Lost Intelligence. Odd name for a weird looking stone but I put it all away into my Assistant and continued on.
"Alright, got all the stuff…time to find an actual Boss in this massive place." I hummed.
Alright come on Hulda, I know you got something here… Where is-
Thump!
I looked up and paused… It was like a silhouette brought to life, perched on a tree branch, wings spread out and staring at me with glowing yellow eyes.
Whatever this is, it looked like if David's shadow jumped off the wall.
"So what version of Shade are you?" I wondered, using Scan on this kind of being cause I remember the first version me and Hero fought in the Jail Cells.
[Scan Complete!
Name: Haunting Echo
Rank: SSS+
HP: 659,474
MP: 42,689,424
ATT: 1,318,986
DEF: 2,637,700
Resistance: 1,979,472
Special Ability: Echo Imprint - Shares stats and abilities with the form it takes.]
Oh fuck me that's basically David…
"Oh…shit…" I muttered. "Well…fuck it, we ball." I said, raising my Keyblade at the bitch. "Oi cunt! Face me!"
The thing that looked and was basically David raised their hand up and- oh fuck.
They snapped their fingers, an explosion of fire sent me flying back into the large mountain side road back into Leto's territory and outside of Hulda.
My body regenerated and I pushed myself up. That bitch…
"That…bitch…but…fucking OW!" I shouted in pain, cause while I was back to full health that still hurt like a bitch!
I huffed, but ran back into the forest. I'm not giving up just yet you fucking cunt…
I rushed back inside, finding that wannabe David thing and this time keeping focused, when I saw them ready to snap their fingers I used Warp and disappeared. I remember when he used that trick on me back in Leto. He has to see where I am to set it off. I reappeared behind them and slashed across them with a buzzsaw covered Bloody Mercy.
The gash across their back burst into flames and regenerated.
Damn it, it has that power too…
I used Warp again, when I reappeared I was grabbed by the throat by this thing as I could feel it glaring at me. "Pfft. Still a cheap copy." I spat.
Everything got rather red and rather hot for a while before I crashed somewhere distant and regenerated…
Okay… That one… Really hurt…
I coughed as I crawled out of the hole my impact made… fuck… how far did that shit head blast me? I pulled myself up and looked around… huh, this isn't Leto… it looks… familiar… Hold up…
I fully pulled myself out and looked around me. The roads, street names and buildings… This is San Ysidro!
That shitter blasted be all the way up back to south west north America in this damn place?!
Shit… Although, I was wondering if this place was here also…
"Motherfucker…" I growled. "Well…might as well check this place out…" I muttered, dusting myself off and going down the street to see how close this place is from back home…
I walked around, heh… there's the smoke shop I used to lift some… and there's the liquor shop where I stole my first can of soup. Heh, there's the alley I drank my first beer in. There's my favorite burger place. Heh, the manager there gave me freebies since I… took care of some jobs for him…
Wow this really is the old neighborhood…
Does that mean…
I took off, running down the streets, taking out a few monsters that appeared between me and my target.
I rushed all the way to the street… there it is…
The house I shared with Zach…
"This…takes me way back…" I muttered, moving closer to…to my old home…
I walked up to the front door, pausing before I grabbed the handle… last time I was here… Zach was…
I shook, feeling like gravity just got ten times heavier on me… Damn it…
I swallowed, finally taking the door knob and opening it. Inside was the livingroom. Everything was how I remember, and thankfully… I didn't see the noose or Zach's body hanging from it.
I let out a breathe I had been holding, catching myself on the wall as I was shaking. Fuck… This hurts…
I forced myself to look up, seeing the livingroom. It was mostly empty. An old couch bought from a second hand store, piles of DVD's and VHS movies, a few photos taped on the wall…
I walked over to those. Zach… He had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and almost pale white skin. Heh, in these parts he stuck out like a sore thumb. Still, he took to the roughness of the area and the people like second nature. Both impressed and pissed off a lot of people with that. Heh.
Next to him in this photo was me, back when I was human. I had a natural tan, dark black hair and green eyes. I used to have a nasty scar across my right cheek the fusion got rid of… Heh… This was taken on our third date… We snuck into some movies.
"How…is any of this possible?" I questioned to the open air, as…as this should be genuinely impossible, the details of…our home…the movies, the layout…this picture…how is this all here?
I put the photo down and… wait, if all this is here… then…
I quickly bolted, out the door and towards the one place in my old home I had only been to once…
I arrived, quickly looking through all the tombstones and…
'Zach Kelter.' The headstone read. It was small and there were still… the flowers I left him, right before I left to turn into a Nokori and was sent to Leto to… I took a deep breath and sat down in front of the headstone.
"Hey Zach…" I started. "Not uh… not to sure if you've been waiting long… between time that might have passed back home and… this… agh, heh… I'm with someone. His name is Scotch. You'd have liked him… you two are a lot alike. Cute, but tough and total nerds." I chuckled to myself. "I've been with him for a while now. It's like when we were together. I haven't been this happy in… so long that… We… Adopted some kids. Turns out the people that made me into this deadly plushie are doing the same here and, well, they're good kids. Hard to imagine things have been so… good." I sighed.
I looked to the tombstone, no words replied to mine… I just gave a smile and looked down. "I owe it all to this guy… shemale… they go by Hero now. He's a stubborn one, but I guess I can respect that. Broke me out of this prison of sorts. I won't lie, I owe it all to him. My home, Scotch, the kids. I have something we used to talk and dream about someday having, and I want to protect it with all I have… I wasn't strong enough to protect you… to save you… I won't fail them like I failed you. Please, if you're up there looking over me… help me protect the people I care about… I don't want to lose them like I lost you… I've lost too many… I'm done losing people I love."
I sighed, standing up and-
I paused, seeing that Shadow David thing standing right behind me.
Fuck!
"First, how the fuck did you get here, and two, you are not going to destroy my home!" I shouted angrily, ready to beat this bitch if he dares to harm what's left of my home and Zach's grave.
He stepped forwards, and passed me til he was standing in front of Zach's grave. I was already pulling out my buzzsaws when they suddenly kneeled before the grave.
I blinked. "O-oi, the fuck you doing?" I asked, caught a bit off guard by the kneeling but still ready to smack the bitch.
It stayed still for a while, then reached a hand up to where a mouth would be if it had one. I watched it grab and pull at what was I assumed akin to flesh for it and rip it off, revealing a pool of silver looking blood splashing out the sudden wound before teeth and lips regenerated in the wounds place.
"You miss them still?" It spoke… It was like a… corrupted version of David's voice…
"A-and what if I do?" I asked carefully. "Are you going to defile his grave and make him a monster?" I growled, knowing this bitch was a right fuckhead and to spite me he probably would…
It stood back up, turning to face me. "I am a Haunting Echo. I carry with me the stats and abilities of the one I take shape after, but I can only come into existence if someone has the Legendary Ability of the same name. I do, however, also have their memories… The ability of the same name, that David and his family all share, created I and the others. I might be a Monster… but I still carry with me, my source's memories and ideals…" They said, turning back to Zach's grave.
I blinked…honestly a bit shocked at this. "And…what can you do about Zach?" I asked carefully.
"... What do you want me to do?" It asked me. "I heard your talk. So tell me, Saw… what do you want?"
What I… want…
"Uh…" I blinked, surprised by the question and not sure what to ask. "W-well…why did you ask if I missed Zach?"
"Because I have all of David's memories… and I know his pain… the pain of loss so great, it's all consuming. Tell me, Saw… if you were to granted a wish, what would you wish for?"
A wish… What would I wish for…
"To keep my happiness." I said. "To keep what I have, and help it grow."
"Then allow me, to help it grow." They said. I looked at them and… they handed me… a ticket?
I took it. The words on it read 'one free wish'.
I looked at them… "What are you… really?"
"... I'm not too sure myself. One can argue I'm a copy, made to be some twisted reflection of David, but… maybe, I'm his agony manifest. All his memories, all his pain. I might be a monster, born into this reality as such, but I feel the others and I can be more… I'll be in touch." They said, wings spread out and flew off rapidly.
I looked back at the ticket. I smirked. One with huh.
"I wish to save people… protect them and make them happy. Heh, Scotch was right. I'm a bit like Hero after all." I chuckled.
The ticket faded into small orbs of light.
[Notice! The Power of The Wish Ticket Has Bestowed Upon You A New Ability And New Title!]
…And apparently I'm just as lucky as the birdbrain, let's see what nonsense I just got.
[The Wish Ticket Has Bestowed Upon To You The Title of Past Protector!
Past Protector: This title Recognizes you as a member of the Fourth Mother Run Guild, The Past Protectors. You are much more likely to recover Prize Pods while Dungeon Exploring.
This Title Bestows the Abilities; Gene Walker, Pod Locator, Isekai Locator.
The Past Protector Title Has Registered You As A Member of The Past Protectors Guild.
Received 1 Armor of The Past!
The Wish Ticket Has Bestowed Upon To You The Ability, Rebirth's Revival!
Rebirth's Revival: You can revive any corpse and the Echo(s) within complete with a Heart and Soul.]
…
…
Wat? I looked first at my new skills cause that at least would make a bit more sense out of all of this…
[Gene Walker: You can now effortlessly enter the Genetic Realm of an individual. While their memories stored in their DNA can be unlocked by you, as well as the removal and even disposal of all genetic based abilities, including Legendary.
Pod Locator: From now on, your Minimap will display the location of all Prize Pods within the maps range.
Isekai Locator: When an Isekai appears in the zone you are in, you will be notified with a location and an option to teleport them directly to you.]
"…Uh…okay…that's a thing…" I muttered, scratching my head as I tried to fathom how…any of this…okay, let's look at that armor to see what it does.
[Armor of the Past
PR: 2,300,500 MR: 950,545 ER: 1,480,980 Special Ability: Past Immunity - When Within the memories of another, Physical Damage is nullified completely, Magic and Elemental Damages are reduced by 80%]… I smirked. Hero is gonna be so pissed.
"Oh~ this is gonna be fucking fun." I said with a smile, donning said armor cause it's kind of stupid strong and I didn't really have armor due to immortality.
It wasn't much in terms of looks, a denim jacket that fit me pretty good actually. The back had a double helix spiraling into or out of a book. Heh, cool.
Alright… that just leaves… Rebirths Revival…
…
I looked over at Zach's grave… can I…
"I mean…his Heart and Soul are back home…right?" I wondered, as I was…already starting to dig up his grave…to…actually test this…
I'll admit, I've done a lot of fucked up shit in my life… most I'd rather not recall… this… this was a new low for me. But… if it works…
Will he hate me… will Scotch be pissed? Whatever happens… I'll accept the consequences.
I hit the lid of the coffin, and froze. I felt like time stopped. Part of me hoped I'd find nothing… no, all of me hoped I'd find nothing…
Okay… I… I can't see him… like this. Not again… Alright… hope this Ability works with him inside a closed coffin…
I opened my Skill Tree Menu and looked and found it. So, it's a Legendary One huh? Heh. Figures. Alright you… please work…
[Corpse Detected!
Scanning for Echoes…
1 Echo Found!
Name: Zach Kelter.
Begin Revival Process?]
…
I…I…I shook my head and began the Revival Process.
I activated the Ability. I could feel the ground shake, the coffin seemed to be glowing from the inside.
[Restoration Process Complete!
Generating new Soul…
Soul Generation Complete!
Generating new Heart…
Heart Generation Complete!
Cooldown… 15 Hours.]
The shaking and glowing stopped and I… stared at the coffin lid for a while…
Knock!
"Uh… hello?" Zach's voice called from inside.
I… froze up…
"H-holy shit…" I muttered, as I…I tried to process the fact that…that it actually fucking worked…this…"This has to be a dream…" I muttered, shakily lowering my hands and…opened the coffin…
Zach sat up from the coffin, looking me in the eyes as he did and he looked… confused. "Uh… who… and what are you?" He asked, rubbing his neck…
It still had the burns from the noose…
He doesn't recognize me… I mean, fair, I don't exactly look like he remembers me but…
I panicked, grabbed him by the shirt and used Warp.
I pulled him with me through it, appearing in the middle of town then Warped again back home.
I landed in the livingroom of my home with Scotch. My chest was pounding and… shit I can't breathe…
"Damn it…damn it damn it damn it…" I repeated, feeling my eyes sting as I tried to calm myself down…
"Saw, Saw!" I looked up, seeing Scotch kneel next to me. "I… what happened? You look…"
I… broke. I felt tears burn as they ran down my face. I haven't cried in… fuck… when was the last time I cried?
"S-Scotch…I…Zach's alive…" I said through my tears, through the hiccups as I…
"What?" He asked. "Did… is he Isekai like you or… did you find a Pod?"
"I…I revived him!" I answered, struggling through my tears and own shaking, panicking body to show him this…this weird ass Legendary Ability that let me do it.
He read it over, then looked back at me. "Okay, that explains a little, but how? This would require there to be a body- The… The part of the Nightmare you found that was like Leto from your home world…" He said, looking at me. "It was based exactly off your world wasn't it? You found your old hometown. His grave."
"It…it wasn't based exactly…it was my hometown." I said weakly. "Everything…everything was exactly the same…when…when I got to my old house with Zach…everything was the same, the furniture, the layout, all our favorite movies and music…even the pictures of us, of me before I became fluff central and…Zach…" I managed to explain. "I…I don't know how…"
"Babe, look at me." He said, two of his hands on my cheeks, another two on my arms. "It's okay. There's a lot of things that this reality just… doesn't explain. Heh, if I had a single Rem for everything I didn't understand I'd be loaded." He chuckled. "But you… take a deep breath."
I nodded, taking a few deep breaths and feeling… not better but… less… shaky.
"W-well…" I took a deep breath. "So…I fought a Haunting Echo of David which…is still really powerful…snapped his finger's once and I was unable to fight him for a bit…then tried again and…he blew me all the way to San Ysidro…which hurt like a bitch…"
"Right, and that's when you began exploring the area… found your old home and then Zach's Grave…" Scotch nodded. "Saw. I want you to be honest with me. Do you still have feelings for Zach?"
I felt… scared.
"I…uh…" I struggled…damn it, just speak! "I…I mean…maybe? I mean, you are my whole world Scotch, I-I can't just repla-" I felt one of his finger's on my lips to shush me.
"You're turning into Hero there with the 'long explanations'." Scotch said, making me lightly pout. He chuckled, taking his fingers off my lips. "Babe, for as long as we've been together I know how much you treasured your memories with Zach. He was important to you, your first real good thing in your life. I'm not mad, or jealous. If anything, I'm glad you got this power and revived him. It took a while, but you finally saved him, Saw. He's back and alive because of you. I just want to know one thing… would he be alright with sharing~?"
I blushed, wiggling a bit in his arms. I uh… oh boy…
"Uh…I mean…ugh!" I groaned, shoving my face into his floof to hide my embarrassment as I heard the doggo laugh.
"So, where is he?"
"I…uh…dumped him in the middle of town while…in mid panic…"
Again, Scotch laughed, lifting my face to his and giving me a kiss. I felt calmer when he did that. He helped me up and sat me on the couch. "Well then, I best go meet Zach and give him the rundown and other info I imagine he'll want to know. I'll be back later, with Zach. Try not to stress out too much while I'm out alright?"
"Don't worry babe, I'll only have a two foot deep trench from pacing in worry unlike Hero's…how deep was his latest trench again?"
"Not sure, think Luna fixed it." He chuckled, giving me another kiss before heading out.
Once Scotch was gone I… promptly screamed into a couch pillow.
Oh my fucking god my boyfriend and my formerly dead ex are gonna meet… what the hell is my life right now?!
"Someone, anyone, please! Commit the Unaliving on me…" I mentally pleaded to whoever wasn't laughing their asses off at my plight.
I can practically feel Hero giving me a shit eating grin already… not see, seeing it is obvious, I can hear him making the face… makes a really weird humm noise when he does…
Fuck how's this even gonna work! I've never had multiple partners! I mean, daydreams and pervy thoughts, sure, who hasn't but… agh!
…
I opened a Warp portal and shot a sawblade through it.
I could hear Hero yelp.
I then closed it.
Hero then Warped into my livingroom.
"You can just ask to talk to me you fluffed fuck." Hero huffed, holding the Sawblade I chucked at them.
"Well then stop being so smug at my plight!" I huffed back at them.
"No." The audacity of how fast Hero said that…
"You don't even know what's happening yet you have the audacity to be smug…"
"Because you are experiencing the same shit you tease and annoy me with, and now you understand my pain and I'm enjoying being this outlandishly smug." Hero said, as I looked over and saw that shit eating grin. "So, details." They said like some gossip hungry woman.
"... Alright. But before all that…" I said, smirking myself as I showed them my new Title and Abilities.
His smug smile dropped instantly.
"...HOW!?" Hero asked incredulously.
Not so smug now ya feathery bitch…
"Seriously, there wasn't a Fourth Mother's Run Guild, when the hell did that crop up?" Hero asked me…wait what?
"No idea, but I also got this cool armor. Try hitting me." I said, showing my new jacket off.
He raised a brow, but did use Steel/Harden and hit me.
I felt nothing. Wow it even protects me across my head and such! Cool!
I smirked before showing him the Armor's Stats.
"...I've actually seen stronger." Hero said, which made me pause. "Memories of both War's before this Reality came to be because of Izukie." He admitted. "But the ability is…wait…"
I huffed, but looked down and took a breath. "So… remember that Leto part of the Nightmare we found?" I asked. Hero nodded. "Well, I went back there with Luna, and I went into the Hulda forest. It's a level 5 dungeon by the way. It was… weird but all in all not too tricky until I came across something called a Haunting Echo-" I saw Hero jump. "Uh… you good?"
"Y-yeah… Hunter Shadow Memories… Haunting Echos are like a sister species to Hunter Shadows… Go on." Hero said.
I nodded. "It was a Haunting Echo of David. Had his powers, stats, and memories it seems… he gave me some kind of… wish ticket after blasting me a whole continent away into a part of that area of the Nightmare that… was my old home. My old neighborhood… fuck my old house with Zach and… Zach's grave…"
"That…it was as if…your old home was just planted here?" Hero asked, his eyes wide at the implications here.
"Yeah… Well, after I got that wish ticket I just… wished to save people. I don't want to lose anyone else… I've lost so much I just… I'm tired of losing people. I guess the wish ticket worked and… I then got this Title and the Abilities it came with… and the Rebirths Revival."
"Well…" Hero hummed. "Looks like you're becoming more like me by the day." Hero said, some small bit of their smug coming back as I threw a pillow at them causing them to laugh. "So…one thing this might help…is saving Jaaku cause my Keyblade Mastery thing is taking for fucking ever and…if you're able to delve into someone's memories and save them…"
"Huh, actually it might. I still feel like it's meant for something else but if it works then cool, I get to meet your cooler twin brother."
"Well, your ability is meant for Prize Pod People given you quite literally got a 'Prize Pod Detector'." Hero pointed out.
"... Wait, does that mean… it works on Delilah and all your partners?"
Hero got… rather quiet at hearing that.
"...That…that could happen…" Hero said carefully. "Is…wait…" Hero said, raising a hand up and getting a 'deep think' look again but…something about this felt…different than his other faces. "Is…can you?" Hero muttered without caring about being heard.
"Uh…can I what?" I asked, now a bit confused.
"So…there's this weird…interaction that I've had happen a few times with Todoroki-"
"Your sex life with Icy Hot isn't weird my guy." I teased as they huffed.
"My point is…I've shared…memories with her that…never happened." Hero said, which piqued my interest. "So…in my world, or at least a version of it…I was fighting her at a Sports Festival, the day she started to love me…Todoroki was a Prize Pod and I threw myself off a building way before that event was ever supposed to take place…"
"Hmmm… Well, I'll be honest, I am not smart enough to think about that stuff. Scotch is the one who loves Time Travel, parallel worlds and stuff in stories and such. But I will say that once things settle on my end, if you want and if they want I can try that Gene Walker ability on them, if you and they want… I guess if I owe you anything it's that."
"Thanks Saw…this is…this is going to be a whole new thing…" Hero admitted.
"No kidding." I sighed, slouching into the couch. "Scotch left to find and… inform Zach… I have no idea what's gonna happen…"
"How much did Zach love you?" Hero asked.
"He… was the first person to love me. He didn't care I worked for gangs, killed, sold drugs because he knew me and knew that… I wasn't the jobs I do… I just survived. He was the first person to know me…"
"Well, I know one thing for sure." Hero said readily. "And that's going to be a lot of hugging, crying, a date…and probably Scotch teasing the shit out of you with him giving Zach all the juicy details about your sex life."
"Heh… there are a few new things but, Zach knew most…" I sighed. "I just hope he isn't too weirded out by my whole new look… I mean, Scotch is used to this plus he's a born beastial… Zach remembers me as a human…"
"Was Zach a furry?"
"... I mean… Uh…" I hummed. "Uh… "
"Then not only will he be even happier with you, he'll also get to enjoy the wonders of Nokori floof which is…still stupidly soft for some reason." Hero admitted.
"Yes… also I'm still pissed you tried to sheer me that one time…"
"Firstly, you needed a good shearing…and two, it's not my fault that your fur is outlandishly soft and I needed to get some for Scotch to make into somethings."
"What did you use that for?"
"Well, party so I can figure out the specific makeup to actually just create said Nokori Fur." Hero said…wait what? "And with all that…haven't you noticed your bed sheets and blankets were suddenly a fuck ton softer and comfier?"
"Huh… Well at least you didn't use it for weird stuff."
"Yes, I didn't do anything weird with it." Hero nodded.
"Good…" I said, though with how fast he said that I'm suspicious… "In any case… oh yeah, Luna should still be out. I got a few bits of EXP stuff… killed an Elder Manticore King."
"Oh really? How much EXP did you get?" Hero inquired.
"Enough to make me earn two hundred and eleven Skill Points. I also used my last Skill Point after splitting that between Strength and Vitality to unlock something called Command Styles."
"Huh, that is really good if killing one of them gave you that much EXP." Hero hummed. "And Command Styles…Command Styles…" Hero thought, but then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, I know what those are…would use them more often but Quirk's tend to be really good when fighting things half the time."
"Yes yes you and your Quirk fetish." I said with a wave.
"Says the one abusing the Quirks I gave you." Hero countered. "How many times has it been where you used Warp for 'unintended' uses?" Hero asked.
"This coming from the man who has been using Frog and Pop Off for their own 'unintended uses'." I countered, seeing their face turn very red. "Delilah talks… especially when you make her happy."
"She needs to stop that." Hero groaned.
"And also your own 'unintended' usages of Warp." I pointed out.
"...Can Delilah stop…" Hero groaned as I laughed.
"Well, in any case, I'll see you around. Try not to stress out too much. Bad for your kids and all that."
"Same to you, please, breathe and relax, it's going to work out alright?"
"Yeah… yeah…" I said, taking a breath.
Hero used Warp and left. I sat and waited for a while…
Honestly, it felt like longer than it was. After a while, Scotch walked in, Zach close behind. He looked at me and I felt like shrinking…
"... Is that really you, Keven?" Zach asked.
"Yeah… I uh, I go by Saw these days… for um…" I said, popping one of my sawblades out of my arm and after letting it spin slowly for a bit, retracted it. "Kind of obvious why when you know…"
"... How long was I gone… before you arrived in this… place?"
"... I was in the slammer in Brazil for a few years, then showed up here somewhere else though and, well… how much did Scotch tell you?"
"More or less everything… some things I'm still wrapping my head around…" Zach said, scratching the back of their head, then feeling around their neck. "I… remember… did you…"
"Yeah… they paid for it…" I said.
"Thanks." Zach said as he awkwardly walked over to me. "If you're really you, tell me, how did we meet?"
"Pawn Shop. You were trying to steal a DVD of Wreck it Ralph. You weren't very sneaky though and… I offered to help you take it."
"And what happened after?"
"After we were out and gone, I gave you the DVD and you offered to have me watch it with you at your place. I just had to bring beer and snacks. I brought beer taken from the local liquor store and the various burgers I get free from the burger place." I said.
Zach smiled, taking a seat on the couch next to me. "Heh… I'm sorry… I was never as good a fighter as you…"
"And I don't want or need you to be." I admitted, carefully reaching a hand out…and putting it on Zach's. "Cause all I need is you."
"And me, I hope." Scotch spoke up as he poked in.
"I need both of you." I stated. "Cause…I have no idea what I'd be doing without either of you."
"Getting shitfaced in bars?" Zach offered.
"Oh that's how we met. Drunk bathroom stall sex was an interesting way to start a relationship." Scotch said.
"Seriously? Wow. Glad to know Ke- Saw, hasn't changed much." Zach laughed. "Does he still get all cuddly and giggly when he's really wasted?"
"Oh he's adorable when he does, but he's actually toned the drinking back a lot for the kids."
"You have kids?!" Zach said, looking between Scotch and I.
"Yes, we adopted them." Scotch said.
"Wow… and you were worried about getting a dog… no offense." Zach said, looking at me but then to Scotch at the end.
"None taken. We were gonna get a cat… and ended up adopting kids." He chuckled.
"Pfft. Wow. Respect, you got him more wrapped around your finger than I ever did… but, uh… are you sure it's alright for me to be here to… you two clearly have a life."
"I told you, it's fine. Multi partner relationships are rather common here and be honest, the second you saw him you wanted to cuddle that fluffy butt right?" Scotch asked.
"I'd be lying if I said his fluffy ass wasn't very cuddly looking." Zake nodded.
Huh… this must be how Hero feels when-
I used Warp and threw another saw blade into it, hearing Hero laugh.
"What was that?!" Zach asked as he saw that, the Warp portal closing.
"That was Saw using Warp to throw a saw blade at Hero for some reason. Don't worry, Saw and Hero are both good friends and immortal so, no need to worry." Scotch explained.
"Warp… wait you mean like My Hero Academia?!"
"Yes, Hero is actually a version of Izuku Midoriya."
"WHAT?!"