Aggro 4.2

"Empire?" was the only thing he could get out before Shadow Stalker struck him again, his jaw still smarting from the boot to the face. The punch landed dead on, the metal gauntlet smashing into his face like a bat with all the force that would entail.

-11

"Son of a-" Greg reeled from the strike, eyes going wide as he spotted another punch aimed right for his face.

Quest Created!

In Brockton Bay, Shadow Boxes You!

Details: Resolve the situation with Shadow Stalker, through words or violence.

Success: + 4 Stat Point, + 2 Perk Points, Ability: [?], 8625 xp

Failure: ?

Bonus: Prevent Shadow Stalker from phasing 3 times.

Oh, fuuuuuuuuuck me!

In a way, Greg felt like some of this might have been his fault.

Well, not really.

He was clearly in the right here. Right?

The fall had been bad enough, his reinforced jump not giving him nearly enough air-time to make the long building jump he thought himself capable of.

Ergo, he fell. Pretty fucking far.

-92

Into a dumpster.

Scratch that. He fell onto a dumpster, only slightly better.

If that wasn't enough, he ended up with the Debuff [Moderate Concussion], which was shitty as all get-out.

[Moderate Concussion] Debuff applied

- 20% INT and -25% WIS for 1 hour.

Instead of being knocked out, he had to live with a massive headache for an hour. Yay? Moaning in pain on a bed of garbage bags was bad enough, but being knocked out in gang territory sounded much worse. He'd take the concussion any day.

The situation started going to shit once he could already feel someone sneaking up on him right after he fell. Being in Empire territory, he assumed it might have been an Empire guy but decided to play dead regardless.

Somehow, though, they could tell he was faking.

"You wanna fucking die or something?" the weird atonal voice had shouted.

That was when he opened his eyes, his body still aching and his head still bleeding, and the first thing he saw happened to be a dark figure wearing an evil-looking mask. Was it his fault Shadow Stalker's all-black costume made her look like a scary nightmare creature from any sane child's dreams?

On that same note, Shadow Stalker's power was creepy as hell. The whole skull inside living shadow thing was weird enough but actually passing through it? Ugggh. A hundred times worse. It was somewhat grainy, almost like what cold sand would be like, the sensation shocking him into alertness even more than the sight of her mask did.

Her fist passed by his face as he jerked further back, the fabric on her arm just grazing his jaw. Twisting to the side, Greg's wrist instinctively snapped up in a manner that he was becoming very familiar with, lashing out at Shadow Stalker's other wrist. "Would you jus-!"

Without a pause, Shadow Stalker shifted again, enveloping Greg for a quick moment as the living cloud of darkness evaded his grip. A hand flew to his mouth, bile rising up as the feeling of graininess entered his throat. Ughhh. "I… ugh… Look, I don't wa-" he coughed, his voice raspy as he tried to clear his throat of the uncomfortable sensation. "... don't wan-"

Obviously not paying attention to him, Shadow Stalker reformed behind Greg, and kicked at the back of Greg's knee with an angry scream of "Don't fucking touch me!"

-9

The hard strike sent him up against a wall, his nose becoming intimately familiar with a brick for the second time tonight. Fuck me, I get to deal with the edgiest edgelord in Brockton Bay.

-7

Pushing away from the wall, Greg spun away from another punch, a hit that would have driven his face harder into the wall just barely whiffing past him. Shadow Stalker, predicting his move, cut at his legs with a kick, turning his escape move into a swift drop to the trash-covered alley floor. Hand piercing through a garbage bag that was filled to bursting, Greg managed to catch himself by landing into somewhat of a push-up position.

Grunting in pain and disgust at the horrible stench of rotten garbage, Greg leapt to his feet again, hands up in obvious surrender. He had already let go of Reinforcement the moment he realized who she was. He wasn't trying to fight a Ward, after all. "H-h-hey, look, I'm no-"

Another kick shut him up, this one aimed a good bit lower than the previous one had been. Bending at the waist, he let out a silent gasp at how hard the tiny cape had hit him. A little part of his brain, the stupid part, was almost surprised that her foot wasn't stuck between his legs. That part of him was quickly shut up by another boot, this one to the face.

-13

-17

The hard hit sent him sprawling backward onto his head, his hands saving him from an even harder landing as he held them above his head and backflipped away from Shadow Stalker, saving him from another painful strike.

Acrobatics Lvl Up!

4 →5

"Good Golly Miss Molly, that hurt!" Landing on his feet in a crouch, Greg shot the Ward a frustrated and slightly scared glance, eyes wide behind his mask as his back brushed up against a mountain of bulging garbage bags. "Also, could you... just, I dunno, give me a second to say something?"

Shadow Stalker lifted her pistol crossbow from her waist holster and pointed it at Greg. "I don't listen to Nazis." With that witty retort, she fired.

Greg twisted sideways, his head turning just enough to avoid the bolt that would have struck him dead in the face. The dark Ward reacted quickly, hand rushing to her hip to grab hold of her other crossbow.

She wasn't quick enough.

"[Weapon Charge!]" Body reinforced to its current limit, Greg rushed forward, the area of his gloves that bulged over his knuckles lit up with a flash of blue as he screamed out. "Dodge!"

Unexpectedly, Shadow Stalker actually did dodge, her body dissipating into a shadowy form yet again and coalescing back to normal a few meters away.

Greg was left blinking unexpectedly, fists still raised. "Huh, didn't actually think you'd dodge that."

"Why the fuck wouldn't I dodge?" Shadow Stalker bit back, her voice a snarl.

"I honestly dunno," Greg muttered, voice still raspy. "I was already right in your face and I kinda assumed that you'd be so shocked by me telling you to dodge, that you'd forget to dodge."

Even behind a mask, he could tell that Shadow Stalker was pulling a face and her voice changer couldn't disguise the highest level of disdain. "...If I had all day, I couldn't tell you how fucking retarded that is."

Greg shrugged, lips twitching up into a smile. "Fair enough. Can I go now?"

"...what? No, I'm not letting you get away!" Shadow Stalker spat. "You attacked a fucking Ward. Actually, fuck that! You attacked me! I'll break your legs before I let you go, you blond bastard!"

"Huh," Greg paused, letting out a breath through his nose. "that's pretty racist."

Taunt Lvl Up!

2 →3

"Fuck you."

"...okay, then."

Without warning, the blond leaped forward, fist already swinging in a wild arc toward Shadow-Stalker. Dodging his telegraphed strike with practiced ease, Shadow Stalker flipped backward, pulling out another crossbow from her waist holster in mid-air. In an instant, she fired, finger pulling the trigger before she even touched down.

Greg's eyes widened and he moved, his brain screaming at him to do something. Hand snapping up in a manner that he was becoming intimately familiar with, Greg found himself staring at the blunt head of a small crossbow bolt. Did I just…

Reflexes Lvl Up!

5 →6

Realizing that he did in fact just catch it, Greg squeezed the shaft of the crossbow bolt within his grip and with the sound of cracking wood, snapped the piece of ammo in half."Huh." Greg glanced up at Shadow Stalker, the girl obviously stunned by his reaction. "...that was dope. Wanna try it again?"

Shadow Stalker took a step back. "The fuck?"

"Since you asked," Greg rolled his eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh as he did so, "let me tell you. The fuck is that I'm not a Nazi. The fuck is that I've been trying to get you to calm down. The fuck is that you might have anger issues."

Greg shook his head, letting out a slight laugh as he stared at the broken bolt in his grip. "Also, me catching that arrow thing was super frickin' awesome and I kinda wanna do that again but I also would rather not get shot so…"

He let himself trail off, tilting his head slightly.

"If you're not a Nazi, the fuck are you then?" Shadow Stalker finally replied, somewhat hesitantly. The girl Ward stepped back, her mask dipping slightly as she gave him a once-over. "And the fuck are you wearing?"

Greg snapped his hands to his hips, puffing out his belt-covered chest as he faced the Ward. "I'm a badass, in case you couldn't tell, and I wear awesome badass shit."

Shadow Stalker snorted, her hands moving to her waist as well. "Is that what you call that?"

Scoffing, Greg gestured to his body flamboyantly, barely avoiding the instinct to preen. Sparky had done a good job on his costume, even going along with the few notes that Greg had added, despite his predictable groans about "weab shit". The belts, specifically, did nothing but they made him look like a Final Fantasy character so... they had to stay, regardless of Sparky's opinions.

"Yeah, I also refer to it as my ass-kicking outfit."

Ass-kicking was kind of an exaggeration, there. Sure, the bonuses weren't that hot compared to his old kludge of a costume but at the very least, they were usable.

"That gay-ass scarf is part of your ass-kicking outfit?" Shadow Stalker shot back, actual venom in her voice.

Raising a finger, Greg tilted his head, futilely clearing his raspy throat for a second before speaking. "First of all, ma'am, it's called a loose cravat and it's very stylish. Also, that's homophobic."

"Still fucking gay." Her hands were still on her waist, the position she held looking somewhat uncomfortable but Greg didn't bother to notice.

"Just proving my point but... I'm sure a bunch of people would disagree with you," Greg replied with a grin. Maybe Shadow Stalker's not half bad. Feels kinda like talking to Sparky… only angrier. "Hell, half the Cape Style forum on PHO would probably disagree with you."

"Yeah, whatever, but..." Shadow Stalker grunted disparagingly, one hand vanishing behind her back, swiftly followed by the other. "Only nerds and weirdos fuck around on PHO."

Greg blinked at the blunt reply, flinching slightly. "That felt like a personal attack."

"That's not a personal attack." The Ward jerked a hand from her back, pulling out a loaded crossbow and pointing it at Greg. "This is."

Fuck me. Blue eyes widened behind his silvery mask and Greg thrust his hands up again. "Wait, I thought we were cool. I thought we agreed I wasn't a bad guy here!"

"I don't trust villains." She lifted another hand gripping the second crossbow, pre-loaded with her finger already on the trigger.

"Oh, you dirty bi-." Her first shot struck his collarbone, Greg shutting up as he let out a violent choking sound. His hands flew up to his neck almost immediately, stumbling back with the sudden shot.

-24

Greg took a step back as she advanced on him, crossbow trained on him. His back slammed against the wall a moment later as he took another step backward, the familiar feeling of brick pressed up against him once more forefront in his mind. Fuck…

"Just one question…" Greg said, voice slightly strained from the second attack to his throat. He raised his hands again, displaying the underside of his gloved palms to the attacking Ward. "You know, before you call back-up and take me in…"

Shadow Stalker seemed to flinch at what he said, taking a slight step back.

"It's been bugging me this whole fight, to be honest, and I really need it answered." Shadow Stalker continued to circle around him as he talked, her crossbow held up to him in a clear threat, almost as if she was daring him to pull something.

She didn't respond, so Greg took that as permission to continue.

"Reinforcement," he whispered under his breath, barely moving his lips. "Are you always such a massive bitch?"

Taunt Lvl Up!

3 →4

She brandished the crossbow again, taking aim. "Eat shit!"

With a scream, she pulled the trigger even as Greg was already on the move.

"[Dash Straight!]"

Flaring yellow, he took off towards the angry girl at his maximum reinforced speed, leading with a glowing fist. With a swing, he punched aside the bolt and twisted on a dime to face Shadow Stalker, the girl running away to buy time to reload her twin crossbows. "[Dash Straight!]" The skill propelled him slightly further, pushing him slightly faster than his top speed for a few seconds.

Dash Straight Lvl Up!

3 →4

Angry or not, Shadow Stalker wasn't stupid.

Still running, she twisted her head and took aim at Greg, pulling the trigger in one smooth move. Not even bothering to dodge, Greg snapped his hand up again, this time consciously catching and discarding the bolt. "A second time! Whoooo!"

Reflexes Lvl Up!

6 →7

Easily leaping over a chain link fence as fast as the Ward drifted through it in her shadow form, Greg found himself in front of Shadow Stalker, having cleared a much farther distance in a shorter time with his reinforced body. "So, is it fun being a ghost?"

Rather than be nice and answer his obviously insincere question, she threw a punch at him, grunting as she did so, her swing much slower than her previous ones. Greg, tilting his head back, dodged it and slapped her wrist to the side, before slamming a forearm into her chest.

Grunting, the Ward stumbled back against the fence and tried to pull her other crossbow from her waist. Reflexes running at their peak, Greg surged forward, grabbing her wrist with one hand while the other ripped the weapon from her belt and threw it without care, the weapon scattering against the floor.

The second was discarded with as much fanfare, leaving Shadow Stalker weaponless as he held her up against the chain link fence, his face nearly pressed up against her mask. "So… you come here often?"

Like he expected, Shadow Stalker shifted out of his grasp, forcing Greg to pass through her ethereal state.

This time, though, he was ready. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation, the blond jumped up kicking against the fence for added airtime as he pointed his hands downward at her slowly drifting form.

"[Mana Glitter!] [Aerokinesis!]"

Cupping his hands together, strong wind burst from one palm while a stream of what looked like blue flecks of starlight burst from the other, mixing and flying into Shadow Stalker's gaseous body. The rush of sparkling dust sent the cloud of darkness straight down into the dirty alley, the flecks of glowing blue light seemingly sticking to the roiling cloud of shadow.

Greg grinned as he hit the floor and walked slowly towards Shadow Stalker as the female cape tried to reform, her body twitching painfully as she let out a pained groan. Shifting back to a cloud again, her form persisted on the alley floor, appearing to all the world as the densest possible type of fog.

"You know, the PRT really should check what's up on PHO. There's tons of speculation about powers. Miss Militia, Dauntless, Aegis… you." The amused tone in his voice was impossible to hide. Not that he wanted to, really. "I mean, a ton of it is bullshit. Some of that my bullshit, to be fair, but a lot of it is also some pretty smart people."

"So?" She was back to normal again, seemingly drained as Greg stood over her. The Ward's body was covered in iridescent glitter that seemed to glow under its own power. The glitter itself seemed to make parts of Shadow Stalker's costume appear as if it was bedazzled by an over-excited group of little girls, her mask especially so.

"So," Greg grinned, striking a pose with one hand splayed out over his face while the other was up in the air "...I read your wiki," he mocked in a sing-song voice.

"...fuck." The palpable annoyance in the word was almost as hilarious as the way Shadow Stalker looked, her costume glittering like a diamond as she lay on the ground.

+750 XP

+Pistol Crossbow

Quest Success!

"In Brockton, Shadow Boxes You!" Completed!

Gained 8,625 XP.

Gained 4 Stat Points

Gained 2 Perk Points

Gained 10 to [Sneaking]

Bonus Objective Failed. Sneaking Lvl Up!

1 → 11 Unlocked Perk: Baby Steps

Baby Steps (1/3) [Ranked Skill]

With Catlike Tread...

-Allows very light movement across surfaces, allowing you to move or stand on surfaces that would normally not support your weight. Title Unlocked: Ninja - In Training

Ninja - In Training

It's my ninja way!!!

Equipping title increases the effectiveness of Evasion, Acrobatics and Stealth-based skills by 25% and + 2 to SPD STAT.

Holy crap. Missed the bonus but still… Sweeeet.

Glancing back down at Shadow Stalker, Greg shook his head. "You love using that shadow form, huh? Just dodging all the hits… must be nice." Shifting his mouth into a happy grin, he prepared a sentence that he knew would rile the girl up, rile any girl up.

"Not to sound weird or anything, so don't take this the wrong way," he let out a high-pitched giggle, the laughter trailing off as he opened his mouth again, "but just for your fans who want to know... exactly how many people have been inside you?"

There was silence for a single instant, the quiet broken by Shadow Stalker's legendary scream of rage.

Taunt Lvl Up!

4 →5 You have gained 1 CHA. Spoiler: STATUS Greg Lucas Veder Age: 15 (and three-quarters!) Level 7 Experience 13660/14520 Health 215/365 Mana 195/195 Willpower 172/172 STR 31 SPD 24 VIT 22 INT 23 WIS 9(-80%) CHA 16(+9) (-90%) Stat Points: 10 Perk Points: 2 Cash: $562.57 Traits

Nerd-Geek Hybrid: Your obsession with video gaming, computers, fantasy/sci-fi literature and 80’s/90’s pop culture has left you in the rare middle of two circles; the obsessive fandom-loving geek and the intelligent, knowledge seeking nerd. Sadly, your hobbies have left you with an aversion to physical exertion. (50% bonus to INT gains, -50% penalty to STR, SPD & VIT gains.)

Ambiguous Disorder: Ever since you were a little kid, you’ve always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you’re a bit of a weirdo. It was easily written off as normal behavior when you were younger but now you’re fifteen. Yet, you still come off as someone over five years younger. Maybe Mom should have had you tested like Dad said? (-80% reduction to overall WIS, 90% reduction to overall CHA.)

Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don’t hurt either. It’s how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that’s what he always told you - even when you didn’t ask - all the time. (+9 CHA)

Perks

Lifegiver (1/10) [Ranked Ability]

Health is more than just not getting sick.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.

Danger Sense (1/10) [Ranked Skill]

My common sense is tingling.

You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.

Not Quite Dead

People die when they are killed… usually.

Survive after your HP sinks below 0 and a harmful status effect is active.

10% Chance to recover with full health when HP drops to 0.

Skills

Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv. MAX

Allows you to live life as if were a game.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects.

Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. MAX

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional and mental trauma and severely dangerous emotional states.

Dash Straight Lv 4 (XP: 15%)

Force equals Mass times Acceleration.

You may suck at physics, but you know that much.

By combining Power Sprint with Angry Straight, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance Power Sprinted. (1.25x Damage Cap)

Cost: 7 Will + 2 Will for every meter power sprinted

Mana Glitter Lv 4

Sparkle like the pretty bishounen you were always meant to be. Or a princess. Or a pedophilic slightly-rapey vampire. Who's judging you?

Release particles of mana from your body in the form of iridescent sapphire sparkles. Max Range increases by 25% with each level. (2.5 meters)

Minor Aerokinesis Lv MAX

All the power of a stiff wind.

Exert the force of your air control over a range of 5 meters. (80 mph)

Cost: 10 mp per second of sustained use

Observe Lv 3 (XP: 65%)

A skill to find out basic information relating to the chosen object.

Cost: 1 MP

Raging Combo Lv 2 (XP: 55%)

A blistering barrage of belligerent blows built to batter baddies.

By repeatedly using weaker forms of Angry Straight, you pummel your target with raw frustration and anger. (6 Hits)

Damage: 60

Cost: 10 Will

Reinforcement (Novice) Lv 12 (XP: 10%)

A discount version of the Kaio-Ken for the squishy wizard.

Increase your effective strength, speed and health by 2% per level with this technique.

Does not increase actual points of vitality or willpower.

Cost: 2 Will per second

Warning: Overuse will lead to HP damage.

Surface Adhesion Lv 2 (XP: 35%)

You ever wanted to be Spider-Man? Don't lie. Of course you did.

This skill allows you to stick to walls and hang on to ceilings and vertical surfaces without a risk of falling. While not denying gravity, this allows you to adhere to surfaces unaided.

Cost: 2 MP per second

Structural Analysis Lv 5 (XP: 35%)

Judging the concept of creation, Hypothesizing the basic structure...

Grants the ability to gain a rudimentary understanding of the internal structure and functional design of simple, non-living objects.

Cost: 2 mp per square half-meter of object.

Weapon Charge Lv 1 (XP: 85%)

Boosts weapon damage x 2 for 1 second.

Length of charge increases by 1 second for every level.

Damage multiplier increases by .20 with every level.

Cost: 8 MP

Abilities

Acrobatics Lv 5 (XP: 35%)

Parkour!

An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.

Awareness: Mana Lv 3 (XP: 35%)

Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, thaum, spiritual energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of Mana, the spiritual energy found within the human mind and soul. Gaining awareness of your magical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Awareness: Willpower Lv 2 (XP: 25%)

Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Basic Anatomy Lvl 5 (XP: 85%)

Anatomy is to physiology as geography is to history.

Gain a basic understanding of the human body.

Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10%.

Beginner Combat Lvl 3 (XP: 55%)

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

The next level of combat, Beginner Combat is a fusion of fighting and footwork into the ability to learn new styles of combat, fusing them into a novice martial combat capability.

Blunt Force Resistance Lv. 29 (XP: 5%)

Going from punching yourself in the face to actual self-mutilation?

Bold move, Veder. Let's see if it pays off.

Reduce all blunt force damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Breath-Holding Lv 6

Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.

Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level.

Bullshitting Lv 3 (XP: 25%)

First, you tell a lie; then you believe it; then you become it.

Increases chances that any lie you tell is successful by 2% with every level.

Cold Resistance Lv 6 (XP: 80%)

The cold never stopped bothering you.

Increases resistance to cold temperature by 1% with every level.

Disarm Lv 3 (XP: 25%)

Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.

Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level.

Electricity Resistance Lv 8 (XP: 25%)

Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.

Increases resistance to electrical damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)

Kissing Lv 5 (XP: 75%)

Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.

Meditation Lvl 4 (XP: 60%)

Breathe in the good shit. Breathe out the bullshit.

By finding your inner focus, you push out all earthly distractions and enter a state of mental and physical harmony, allowing a greater understanding of your mind and body. While meditating, your Mana and Will recover at a rate of 10% faster per level into this ability. You retain this bonus for a period of ten minutes post-Meditation. (40%)

Parry Lv 4 (XP: 60%)

To deflect an attack is a double-edged sword;

Risking more damage for the chance to inflict the same.

Increases the effectiveness of any attempt to divert or deflect a physical attack by 2% with every level.

Piercing Resistance Lv 8 (XP: 50%)

The thrust or stab is risky because it can kill and yet not stop.

Reduces piercing or stabbing damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Reflexes Lv 5 (XP: 15%)

DODGE!

Increases your innate reaction speed by 10% per level.

Seduction Lv 1

I didn't mean to turn you on… or did I?

Manage to draw the attention of a member of the opposite sex using your innate attraction skills. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by .5% every level.

Slashing Resistance Lv 6 (XP: 90%)

The cut will stop but not kill.

Reduces slashing or cutting damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Sneaking Lv 11 (XP: 20%)

Ugh… stealth missions suck.

Allows for quieter movement while trying not to be heard.

Stamina Lvl 8 (XP: 15%)

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

Increase Will by + 5 with every level.

Taunt Lv 5 (XP: 10%)

"And this! Is when I taunt you!"

Draw the attention of a target through nonsensical, idiotic, but occasionally piercing, verbal attacks. Increases chance of Critical Hits on enemies by 2% with every level.

Thrown Weapons Lv 4 (XP: 75%)

Throwing your sword always works. Except, you know, when it doesn't.

Increases the skill, range and force by which items and weapons can be thrown by 2% with every level.