A Tale of Two Brothers
Hoo boy, this is not what I thought would happen when I did a CYOA for me and my brother. Now we're both stuck in the Worm-verse in body's seven years younger than we were, superpowers and no way home. This...is not going to be fun.
Because I feel guilty over treating so many Outsiders horribly, I've decided to do this. I also wanted to give a CYOA a try, so lets see what you think of the idea. I'll stick the choices at the bottom if your interested. For now, enjoy!
Chapter 1
"Theres something wrong with this picture," I thought as I stared up at the starry sky above me.
I was still half asleep, so it took me a moment to register just was was off.
"Wait, what happened to my ceiling?" I muttered.
Then, I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly as what I'd just said sank in. I wasn't in my bedroom, instead I was in a rather grimy alleyway, sitting on a pile of stinking binbags.
"Um...O...K?" I said slowly, "Where am I and how the fuck did I get here?"
I lifted my hand to scratch my beard, only to find my fingers touching bare skin. I blinked and quickly rubbed my cheeks, only to find a small amount of patchy fuzz.
"What the hell?" I muttered, more than a little put out.
I liked my beard damn it! I looked down and my frown deepened as I realized that I seemed to be a little smaller than I remembered. I was never a big guy, but now I looked even thinner and smaller than I had been the day before. Whats more, my clothes (which I thankfully had on since I normally slept in my undies) were a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt I recognized as being from my wardrobe. From about seven years ago. Even if I hadn't grown that much, it still should have been been a little tight.
"What the actual fuck is going on?" I muttered as I scrambled out of the pile of rubbish and made my way to the edge of the alley.
As I did, I walked past a patch of graffiti. Now, that normally wouldn't be enough to make me stop, but for some reason, the defacement made me pause and take a second look. It was a green and red chinese style dragon coiled up and spitting a fireball that formed the letters ABB. I stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out why that was so important. Then, it clicked and I went white.
"Oh fuck!"
I ran for the entrance of the alley and looked out. Across the street from me, the warehouse that had been stood there had collapsed, giving me an excellent view of the city across the massive bay, the large tanker sunk in the entrance and the floating, glowing rig in the very middle of the water. I took a moment to gape, before I pulled my head back and slumped against the wall.
"Shiiiiiit," I breathed, "Thats not good."
The sound of something clattering in the alley made me jump and spin around, just in time to see a head of brown hair pop out of the pile of bags with a look of disgust and confusion on his face. Despite looking about seven years younger than the day before, I still recognized my little brother as he looked around in confusion. A moment later, something else clicked in my head and I let out a groan. The sound drew Lucas' attention to me and he frowned.
"Mark? Is that you?" he asked.
"Yeah, its me," I said, rubbing my eyes in an attempt to stem the headache that was pounding in behind my forehead.
"O...K," said Lucas, looking around again, "Where are we? How did we get here and why do you look so young?"
I sighed deeply.
"You remember a couple of weeks ago when I told you not to blame me if we randomly woke up in Worm?" I asked, "You gave me a funny look and went back to playing Terraria?"
"Yeasss," said Lucas, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, apparently a ROB decided to take that as a challenge," I said.
I got a flat look.
"Random Omnipotent Being," I said, "Basically, its what's used as an explanation for dumping OC's in a world for a fanfic. Incidentally, the B can also stand for bastard."
"What do your Fanfictions have to do with anything?" asked my Brother.
"Everything," I said, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, we've been dropped into one I was planning on writing."
Lucas stared at me for a moment, but I ignored him as I closed my eyes and focused. If I was right, the two of us probably had the powers of the characters I'd created for a CYOA. If that was the case, I should be able to...ah ha!
I couldn't stop the grin that crossed my face as the world seemed to light up with a fairly large number of different coloured flames, including one a short distance away that was probably Lucas. Most of them were gold and burning steady, although a few were blue and guttering, while the one that indicated Lucas was crimson and resembled a blazing pyre. I focused on my Brother and, sure enough, found that the flames split into a few different shades, each indicating a different power that I could easily figure out just by looking.
"OK, now thats cool," I muttered as I opened my eyes.
I glanced over at Lucas, only to find him staring at me with wide eyes. I eyed him for a moment, before I remembered another thing I'd picked and groaned.
"The Case 53 choices have kicked in, haven't they?" I asked.
Lucas nodded slowly. I looked down and was mildly surprised to see that I was still Humanoid, although I was now sporting green scales on my visible arms that extended up to my elbows and, if the itching on my legs was anything to go by, was probably the same on my legs. My shoes and socks had been torn to bits by my changing feet, taking on a more reptilian form with three taloned toes that I was stood on rather than my whole foot. My fingers also had sharp looking talons, although I kept the full dexterity of my fingers. That was helpful because one of my powers was a Tinker based one and trying to build without full use of my fingers sounded rather unpleasant. I rolled my shoulders, feeling the larger scales on my back catch my shirt as I glanced around. Finding what I was looking for (which turned out to be a wing mirror of all things), I picked it up and examined my face. It was still recognizably me, but framed with green scales, while my eyes had turned a golden yellow and lizard-like and my ears had changed to almost resemble fins. Even my hair had changed slightly, becoming spiky and more akin to a spiny crest than actual hair. I opened my mouth and found that I had fangs and a rather long, forked tongue. Finally, a powerful looking tail waved behind me. Yeah, no one was ever going to mistake me for a Human again. I really shouldn't have taken those two points in Case 53, but I wanted the points damn it!
I sighed and tossed the mirror over my shoulder. Nothing I could do about it now, although I would like to know who thought it was a good idea to turn me into a giant lizard. I really hope I'm not cold blooded or winter was going to be hell. Still, the claws could be useful.
I turned my attention back to my Brother, who looked like he had no idea what to think.
"Um, are you OK?" I asked.
Lucas gave a slightly manic laugh.
"This has gotta be a dream," he muttered, although I could still hear him.
Enhanced senses, neat.
"Well, if it is a dream, I'm dreaming it to," I said, "Unfortunately, I don't think it is."
Lucas ignored me as he kept muttering. Then he started pinching himself, letting out little yelps as the pinches got harder and harder. I quickly moved forwards and grabbed his hands. As far as I could remember, he didn't have any powers that would be likely to hurt him (and a quick double check revealed that I was right), but I didn't really like seeing my brother hurting himself like that. We didn't always get on and I found him trying, but he was still my little brother.
"Lucas, calm down," I said, keeping my voice as level as I could, "Listen to me little brother, I know its a lot to take in, but we HAVE to keep our heads! This is not a world where we can just go off half cocked and expect to win just because we have superpowers. We need to stick together or we'll both end up dead or worse!"
Actually, I'd probably be fine and he had a decent array of powers that would make beating him a real hassle, but if he didn't know how to use them or what he was up against, it wouldn't take long for someone to off him. Or pressgang him. His power set would make him a deadly assassin.
Lucas flinched at my touch and started shaking his head, muttering frantically. I resisted the urge to scowl. I think he was going into a panic attack and I had no idea what to do. Suddenly I wished I'd taken first aid, but I didn't exactly think I'd need it compared with some of the other skills I'd picked.
"Lucas, calm dow…" I started.
"NO!"
FAZAP!
I jumped with a yelp of pain as my brother abruptly vanished in a flash of blue light and the smell of ozone. Oh yeah, I'd given him the ability to blink, hadn't I. Well, that was annoying. Fortunately, he could only teleport to a point where he could see, so he was still in my range. I could follow him easily. I nabbed a copy of his Blink and took off after him.
Unfortunately, I'd underestimated just how out of it he was. He kept blinking rapidly and I think he was also randomly activating his Mist Form, which made tracking him that bit harder, even with my ability to sense his location. To make matters worse, he was getting closer and closer to a signal that I really didn't want to be anywhere near. To my sense it registered as a combination of Pyrokinesis and power increase in response to stimuli, but to everyone else it was Lung. Considering I'd taken Worst day ever for both of us, twice, I didn't want us anywhere near him.
Of course, at that moment, I sensed Lucas' signal appear in close vicinity to Lungs. As in, directly on top of him.
"Oh shite, thats not going to end well," I muttered and sped up even more.
A moment later, I was proven correct as a roar of rage and a blast of fire erupted from a nearby building.
"Oh, buggering hell," I grumbled as I sprinted towards it, using Blink to cross the distance more quickly.
The fire wouldn't hurt Lucas, but that didn't mean that Lung couldn't squash him like a bug! I quickly scanned the available powers nearby and snagged the first one that looked good, only to nearly collapse under the sudden weight of the massive rifle that appeared in my hands.
"Huh, guess Miss Militias nearby," I muttered.
Then again, my radius of affect was about a kilometer, so nearby might be relative. I shook that issue off in favour of turning the rifle into a rocket launcher and firing it at Lung. What? I might be able to access and use the powers I copied to their fullest, but that doesnt mean I had any idea as to how to shoot a gun. Then again, I could have just stolen Lucas' Proficiency power…
It was a tad too late to do anything more subtle though as the rocket hit Lung in the face as he loomed over my brother, sending the hulking Brute stumbling back. Regeneration or no, taking a rocket to the face had to hurt like hell. I discarded Miss Militia's power and Blinked down to stand between Lucas and the rapidly recovering Lung.
"Oo 'he uk' a' oo?!" snarled the Dragon as he loomed over me, his voice already distorted from his transformation.
I gulped as I resisted the urge to cower, although I couldn't stop my crest from flattening against my head and my tail from stiffening in fear.
"Hey now, I don't want to fight!" I said quickly, holding up my hands, "I just want to make sure my brother doesn't hurt himself."
Lungs eyes lit up with fire as more of the stuff started leaking off him. I gulped and nabbed Lucas' resistance so I didn't start cooking from the heat.
"'Es oor uther?" growled Lung.
"Yeah, he had a bad experience Triggering and kinda went a little crazy," I said with a slightly strained laugh, "I've been chasssing him all night. He didn't mean any disssressspect teleporting in like that…"
I trailed off as Lung started shrinking while the part of my brain that wasn't busy panicking noted that I apparently hissed when I got stressed. I was a little relieved that Lung was no longer planning to try and burn us to a crisp (and likely squash us when that didn't work), but I didn't really like the look he was giving me. He shifted his gaze to my still muttering brother.
"You a Cape to?" he asked, his voice now recognizably Human, although he was still sporting scales.
I shoved down the urge to look down incredulously or call the scary rage Dragonman an idiot.
"Yeassss," I said, not entirely sure where this was going, but I had a distinct impression I wouldn't like it.
I slowly started coiling my tail around Lucas' body as I got ready to Blink away at the first opportunity.
"Intended or not, disrespect cannot be simply forgiven," said Lung, "You shall serve me."
He said it as if that was it. The sky was blue, fish swam and Lucas and I would work for him. Yeah, not a chance. He might be scary as fuck, but I could easily match and even surpass his power by simple vertue of stealing and combining the powers of everyone within my radius. Which incidentally, included Purity, most of the Protectorate, Skidmark, Oni Lee and, of course, Lung himself. Still, seeing as I would have a bit of a hard time vanishing, I wasn't about to piss him off more by attacking him. Not until I got some actual infrastructure built at least. After all, Lung might be able to turn into a Kaiju sized dragon, but Kaiju are no match for giant robots!
Ahem, sorry, Tinker powers talking.
"Ahem, at the risk of getting flattened by an overly aggressive rage dragon, I'm gonna have to say no," I said, "See, I already have plans and they don't involve working for another lizard."
I'm pretty sure Lungs nostrils flared under his mask, but I was already picking out the perfect spot to vanish to.
"You dar…"
Lung was cut off as I Blinked away, pausing only to smack Oni Lee over the head with my tail as he appeared behind me, and took off as fast as I could with rapid Blinks, blasting Oni Lee to bits with solid blows that managed to powderize stone and concrete. I think my new body was naturally stronger than Humans because, even if I had taken the Peak Condition power, I should not be that strong!
After what felt like forever, I finally managed to lose the teleporting suicide bomber by Blinking from one side of the Docks to the other and back again, smacking him to dust whenever he put in an appearance and doing my best to stay well away from Lung, who was looking for us as well. I think Oni Lee left because the Protectorate responded to the Dragon stomping around and he was needed to run interference.
Whatever the case, I was pooped and desperately wanted to rest, so I found the first warehouse that didn't look like it was about to fall down, found a relatively warm corner with some dirty tarps and curled up to get some sleep. I'd check on Lucas in the morning, but he had long succumb to his panic and passed out. I really should have thought to check that no one else was using the warehouse.
Well...that was certainly interesting. This is probably going to end up being both the closest and furthest from an SI at the same time for reasons that will become obvious later. Why? Well, most if it will likely be down to Lucas.
I honestly don't think he'd react like that to getting zapped into another dimension with me. Actually, he'd probably give me a funny look and wander off...only to walk straight into trouble because he knows precisely zip about Worm. Then again, he was de-aged to an 11 year old, so I guess he can be forgiven for not taking it well.
I...actually have a few ideas for this that I'm honestly not sure if I should use or not. Most of it boils down to playing fast and lose with the idea of alternate worlds and the alternate versions of people who live there. I need to do more thinking about that…
Here are the choices I made for both Mark and Lucas:
VICTIM THE FIRST!
Mark Redding, AKA, Lizard (general Cape name), Navi (for when operating on the net)
0 Cape 1 Shard
Gestation: 15 15
Villain All drawbacks give one additional point
Male, 15 (with memories of a 21 year old due to being de-aged to the age he would be in 2011)
Drop in (+3 +3)
No Identaty (+2)
None. As a Case 53, a costume would be a waste of time and he generally pilots one of his mechs or operates within the internet anyway.
Stealth (natural)
Martial Arts (-4)
Parkour (-2)
Tactics (-4)
Mechanics (-2)
Abaddon Trigger (-3 -3)
Follower (by brother) (-3 Cape)
Worst Day Ever x2 (+6 Cape +4 Shard) Manifests as getting deaged and having to save his Brother from getting eaten by a rage dragon.
Slaughterhouse 9 (+5 Cape +3 Shard)
Second Trigger x2 (-8 Cape -6 Shard)
Plot Convenience (-1)
Case 53 x2 (+4 Shard)
Power slot x2 (-2 Shard)
Interludes
Powers:
Robotics (-7) (second trigger
Machine Spirit (-7)
Power Hub (-3) (Second Trigger)
Pocket Room (-1)
Peak Condition (-1)
Undersiders
Money (-3)
Connections (-4)
Case 53 form: Lizard
VICTIM THE SECOND!
Lucas Redding, AKA, Pain
Vigilante (working with Mark)
Cape 1 Shard 5
Male, 11 (with memories of an 18 year old due being de-aged)
Drop in (+3 +3)
armour (Power armour/mech suit provided by Camalot) -5
Stealth (-3)
Martial Arts (-4)
Parkour (-2)
Stealth (-3)
Tactics (-4)
Abaddon Trigger (-3 -3)
Worst Day Ever x2 (+4 Cape +2 Shard) De-aged and getting attacked by Lung
Slaughterhouse 9 (+3 Cape +1 Shard)
Rough Start (+2 Cape) Connected to getting de-aged since not many people take an 11 year old seriously.
Noctis Cape (-1 Shard)
Case 53 (+1 Shard)
Second Trigger -4 -3)
Plot Relevance
Powers:
Proficiency (-2)
Peak Condition (-1)
Blink (-7)
Immunity (-1)
Animorph (-5) Second Trigger
Power sight (-1)
Anti-Villain (other than the Undersiders) (+3 +1)
Tool Belt (-1)
Blade (-1)
Probably over powered, but I cant bring myself to care.
Why did I make Mark a lizardman? Because I rolled a dice and thats what it landed on. Plus, it means I can insert a bunch of Taylor Varga jokes.
Right, now thats done, all that remains is for me to say leave a review and goodnight!