Lag 6.8

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

May 11, 2011

11:42 PM

A pair of hard red boots met the top of the rooftop as their owner made contact in a deceptively silent landing. With less than a half-second's pause, the figure was on the move again. Body blurring from the speed of a single step, the cape leapt up and into the air, clearing several rooftops with a single flip and repeating the move that led to his original landing with just as much finesse. His feet flitted on the side of a rooftop as he slowed down for a few moments, movements looking oddly like a dance. Doing so on the edge of a rooftop was not the best idea, though, as the cape let out a slight grunt of surprise as both feet stepped completely off the roof.

A half-second later, the fall turned into a blur of movement as the dark-clothed parahuman quickly spun his entire body into a forward flip. Red-gloved palms touched down before the rest of him as he landed on a shorter roof and his body flowed, twisting with the impact until he bounded upwards again, forcing himself into the air with just his hands to propel himself. Gotta work on that Acrobatics, he reminded himself as he popped back up to his feet. Can't afford a slip like that in a fight.

Granted, he doubted that there were very many capes in the city that could even manage to stress him, let alone cause trouble to risk having to pull out any crazy flips or gymnastics worthy of getting him close to a slip-up. Hardkour paused again mid-stride, busting out another dance move on the rooftop with the raucous symphony of the night traffic as his accompanying music. Maybe I can finally unlock a dancing ability too, he grimaced behind the mask. I don't think this is what krumping looks like. He froze, hand cupping his chin. Or maybe, I'm just really really good at it already? Rolling his eyes, the blond teenager became a burst of movement once again, legs just short of gliding over the tightly-packed buildings. Travelling by rooftop had become almost completely normal by now, nightly excursions atop Brockton Bay's middling skyline nothing more than a routine activity for him.

Routine or not, they were a thankful break from the boring mess that was school. Today had been no different, honestly, and he was beginning to consider smashing his own head into a locker just to get a few days off — whether for health reasons or suspension from damaging school property, Greg didn't really care. Speaking of lockers, he hadn't seen a certain dark-skinned tough girl in a while, which was… oddly worrying.

Wait, a sec… If he was being one hundred percent honest, he wasn't sure Sophia had even been back to school this whole week. Man, I hope she's not dead. She was all kinds of crazy and fun, he thought absently, vaulting over a large air-conditioning system. Wound up real tight, but fun still. The blond quickly shoved thoughts Sophia aside, her presence in his mind bringing up someone else that would probably leave him feeling much worse if he allowed himself to dwell.

Duncan also hadn't been at school today, either. Unlike Hess, Greg wasn't worried about the junior Neo-Nazi not being present at all. He was just surprised that the asshole hadn't tried to have him killed by now. Greg wasn't sure what part of his brain had gone so weird that he was smiling at the idea of a mob of racist gangsters trying to beat him to death, but it apparently had. Man, it's good to be me.

Cars honked below him, floodlights and streetlights fighting the darkness of the Brockton nights at street level. Engines propelled the vehicles at almost half the speed he moved several stories above them, his speed and elevation mixing with the darkness of the night and rendering him near-invisible to anyone who happened to glance up towards the street-facing buildings. Even still, his own eyes were immune to the gloom of midnight, Darkvision allowing him to see everything as if light were a simple constant. Colors may have been a bit iffy, but there was no chance of the shadows hiding anything from him now.

"He flies through the air with the greatest of ease," he shouted into the air as a quick kick sent him into the sky again. Like a rocket, he bounded towards a distant rooftop with a spray of dust scattering across the rooftop behind him. He followed the action fluidly with a backwards handspring, and then two more, until he was flipping sideways across rooftops. "A daring young man with his dyed-black jammies,"Hardkour sang the half-remembered song with a laugh as he spun in mid-air like a top, red scarf trailing behind him like the tail of a meteor. "Something something graceful, dancing on the breeze." With another leap, he cleared an entire street, hurtling back to the same street simply to land on another rooftop with quiet grace. With only a peal of wild laughter to emphasize his landing, Greg Veder burst forward with another inhuman rush of speed.

Tonight had pretty much been a slow night, much like the previous night. The only glaring exception was that the night before had been mostly silent, while tonight might as well have been the most peaceful night since Bakuda had lost a good fifteen or so inches from her height.

It was calm.

It was quiet.

Greg didn't like it.

Or, more accurately, he couldn't find it in himself to trust it. Even as he edged his way across the rim of the border to Downtown area, bounding across rooftops like a demented rabbit, the thought still made itself heard all the way from the very back of his mind. Things should be happening, it whispered. Something is wrong somewhere. People are hurting, the voice urged him every idle moment. Villains are running free. Go find them. Go stop them. Go FIGH-

The kid almost faltered mid-leap, shaking his head as he focused on the next landing in front of him. A slight touch of mana on the bottom of his soles activated just the barest hint of his Surface Adhesion and he slid across the slanted rooftop without missing a beat, bouncing back over the skyline the moment before he met nothing but air.

Okay, maybe I am a bit fight-happy, he thought to himself with a nod. Sparky was right. Something to work on. Maybe it was the fact that he just had too much energy now, so much in fact that barely sleeping for the better part of two weeks hadn't even made him slip up much when it came to fighting criminals. A few slightly slow reflexes, sure, and a couple of bullets that he could have avoided if he was paying better attention, maybe, but nothing important. Maybe I actually do need sleep and I can just ignore it better now. His eyes narrowed again, filing that thought away for further research. Still, it wouldn't do to get used to not sleeping and then end up getting thrown into Hookwolf's giant murder-blender of a mouth, Greg thought with a wide smile.

Wait, what the… The blond's mouth, which had beaming with a wide-toothed grin underneath his helmet-mask, closed and turned down immediately as he realized that he had actually been getting excited at the thought of Hookwolf eating him. That's not good. That's not good at all. Am I getting all twitchy because I'm not sleeping or…

The feeling of restlessness and eagerness to fight something had persisted ever since the ABB had crumbled apart — thanks to him, of course — and at first, he hadn't paid it much attention, really. It was pretty easy to push the odd sensation aside to relax with his mom, making her meals and doing his best to spend time together as he took care of her.

Still, he could only ignore it for so long.

It had only been a few nights in when he had laid awake on his bed over the covers in as little clothing as he could manage, skin hot and body brimming with restless energy as he stared at the ceiling of his room. Desperate for something to do, he had tried to occupy his mind by counting the imperfections in the patterned surface above him before something seemed to give and suddenly —

Your Territory is under attack!

And just like that, he was back in business, baby!

Or, well, something close enough to it.

Fighting two-bit criminals and thugs armed with guns, knives, bats and crowbars lost their appeal real quick when he realized that these guys were painfully slow and horribly weak, even when he was holding back.

It was a good time-waster, at least, but Greg wanted more.

He was beginning to get so deeply bored, doing the same thing for the better part of a month. Every night, fighting the same normal, weak thugs. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had to kinda keep the ABB from… well, being the ABB, Greg was pretty sure he would have considered finding Kaiser's door and kicking it in just to get a good fight.

He needed something to get his blood pumping in his ears again, and as much as they tried to be a threat, the average Nazi with an Uzi was barely a warm-up at this point. Hell, he had to goof around just to make a fight even stretch out past a few seconds when he wasn't even using any powers, even with multiple guys ganging up on him at once. It was almost enough to make a guy go back into his room and play World of Heroes with a new character until he was at endgame content again, despite the literal hell that was.

However, a little over a week ago, his mindset had changed in a big way.

As he was loosening the teeth from some Empire goon's jaw and scoffing at the boredom of it all, a seemingly brilliant idea had dropped into his brain, much the same way the thug's teeth had dropped onto the sidewalk.

Not even a quest, it was a simple idea on it's own.

A simply amazing idea, if he could say so himself. And he did. Genius, even.

And here he was, about to put another step of it into practice.

Greg dropped to the final rooftop in a silent three-point landing, as was appropriate, and remained completely silent as the figure he landed next to let out a small yelp of surprise. The yelp was followed by something of a jump backwards, the frightened young man nearly falling out of his plastic chair as it leaned too far back. Eyes wide, he let out a few more gasps of surprise, each one lowering in volume as he realized he wasn't falling anymore, a red-gloved hand holding his plastic lawn chair from tipping back any further.

"You okay?"

Takeshi "Tak" Huoyan Lv 12

AGB Brawler

HP: 275/275

A motivated martial arts student and gymnast, the 17-year-old half-Japanese/half-Chinese Takeshi has never excelled much academically or socially. His usual stoic and prickly personality has done a good job at chasing off most of the people who might be his friends. In addition to his martial skill, he is also a promising artistic talent, but still chooses to remain in the ABB for whatever reason.

The young man opposite Greg quickly collected himself as all four legs of his chair met solid ground. Shaking his head, the teenager got to his feet, brushing off what might have been either dust or crumbs from his red t-shirt. After a moment's hesitation, the wiry teenager bent at the waist to pick up his fallen binoculars and raised his head again. The older boy offered Hardkour an uncomfortable attempt at a smile, the expression too terse and tight to really be called such. After thinking better of it, Takeshi simply sighed and nodded back. "...yeah, boss. I'm good."

Ignoring the obvious lie, the cape in question turned his attention towards the building across the street, a renovated two-story office building built with wood unlike the usual brick of most places on this side of Downtown. "Any movement over there?"

The older teenager at his side shook his head, clearing his throat a moment later, before he replied, "Nah, boss. Place is dead. Empty since I've been on watch and I've been out here since five," the AGB scout added on, likely to emphasize just how long he'd been waiting. "I'm guessing it's just an old safehouse."

"Safe house, huh?" Greg mused aloud, taking in the building once more. Well, that's helpful, he thought to himself, his inner voice acerbic as Sparky's own. Thanks for telling me what I figured out last night. Once again, Greg found himself wondering what he really needed the AGB for, other than using them to take care of what was now his stuff. For example, he had figured out that this place was a safehouse the night before.

Quest Failed!

Klash of Klans VIII: Road Rage

Objectives

- Stop the white Empire vans. [X]

He hadn't bothered chasing after the vans, not in any real obvious way, simply letting them drive through ABB territory as he watched them from the rooftops. After all, by the time he had arrived, there was no one for the Empire to shoot at, the gang having gotten the message Seo put out to stay away from his fights.

A side of him had screamed at him to do something, anything, as he followed the white vans racing around and shouting slurs but another side stood strong and held the screaming part down, Greg letting patience win this round. It had taken actual effort not to jump down and flip over the Empire vehicles or rip out engines and smash in tires, even more so when he watched the vans slow down from highway velocities to speeds more appropriate in a school zone. When one of the vans actually came to a complete stop and a couple Eighty-Eighters actually stepped out of the van to wave guns around, the blond almost had to hold himself back, the thought of performing an reinforced aerial divekick through the van's engine block flitting through his mind.

Yet, he persisted.

He simply followed along as that single van sped out of his territory, the other vans likely doing the same, not making a single move to stop the vans like the quest demanded he do. The screaming from that certain over-eager side of him only worsened as he acknowledged to himself he was willfully letting himself fail the quest, but he didn't give up on whatever plan he had decided on. After chasing the van across town, it had finally come to a stop right here in this quiet little business outlet, parked across the building he was currently staring at right now.

Five Empire gangsters had gotten out of the van, grinning and laughing like idiots with the weapons in their hands on full display as they crossed the silent street early in the morning and headed into what should have been a simple office building. He waited and watched, eyes alert and taking in everything from across the street.

His patience paid off.

Within the hour, all of them had left the place and gone elsewhere, half of them jumping into a bright-red muscle car and tearing off down the street. He didn't mind much, not even bothering to stop them because now, he was left alone to peer into the building without being spotted, specifically the upstairs windows left unshuttered .

A small two-floor "office building" is what it may have been on the outside, but the inside made it clear that the only workers that used the space were of the Neo-Nazi variety. What he couldn't make sure of with his eyes alone was met with confirmations by Analyze, the ability formerly known as Observe picking out crates of guns and what were clearly stores of morphine and other prescription drugs. The fact that the latter two were in MedHall packaging made it obvious that the Empire had stolen them, Greg not needing any power to confirm that much. With the doors and windows locked, there was no obvious way to enter and wreck the place without making it clear someone had been there so he had decided to end the night with simple recon.

However, that was then.

This was now.

And now, he had to leave the Empire a message.

"And you're sure nobody's inside, right?" Hardkour glanced back at Takeshi, the athletic teen digging around in the backpack he had with him. "Some idiot didn't sneak in when you weren't looking?"

The older boy raised his head from his bag and shook it fiercely, expression set in a thin, serious line. "No one gets past me."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Sure." Tone it down, dude. For real. The cape cast a scrutinizing glance at the large backpack Takeshi was still digging through, both curiosity and eagerness triggering a question. "You got what Seo told you to bring?" What I told him to tell you to bring, went unsaid.

"Yes, sir." With another nod, he removed his hands from the bag, the backpack falling to the ground as Takeshi pulled out a small video camera from the bag. "Got it right here."

Greg's grin returned in full force, not that Takeshi could see it. "Good. That's real good." He turned his back to the minion Seo had sent on this job, taking a few steps toward the edge. His eyes locked onto the same van he had followed down here parked more than a few feet to the side of the building directly across the safehouse. "Now meet me downstairs."

Takeshi's blink of surprise was almost audible. "Wait, wh-"

He let himself fall.

The thirty-foot fall barely even stung, Hardkour's knees bent to absorb the force of the drop, but even if it had hurt, the blond wouldn't have let it bother him. Already in motion, his full focus was on the vehicle just a few meters from him, the pure white of the van from last night having been desecrated with graffiti.

On his orders, of course.

Takeshi wasn't just here to be a lookout, after all. Greg had asked Seo to send out one of his boys that could graffiti up a car with the best of them and it hadn't taken the Japanese man long at all to carry out that order, as odd as the man probably thought it was.

Case in point, Greg came to a pause barely a foot away from the car and began to walk around it, admiring the art work on both sides.

"You like it, boss?" came a slightly out of breath voice from behind him.

The blond didn't bother turning around to acknowledge Takeshi, the older teenager having made great time at racing down the fire escape of the building to meet up with him. "I…" Hardkour let out a laugh, one that strayed too close to a giggle in his own opinion. Can't giggle in front of the minions, security risk. Shutting down the laugh, he cast a glance back at Takeshi, one hand gesturing forwards at the marked van. "I freaking love this, Takeshi! You did amazing!"

Truthfully, the words "Fuk U Kaiser" and "E88 Suks Dik" had never looked so beautiful, the big tribal lettering in red and blue paint doing a spectacular job of getting his message across. If that wasn't enough, the image on the van's back doors — that of an actual anthropomorphic swastika with it's mouth open and something in it… Well, it only served to drive said point all the way home, in his opinion. Talk about leaving a message. "I know Seo told you to go nuts, but this… this is art."

"Thanks, boss." Takeshi nodded his head in appreciation, Greg actually noticing his reddened cheeks in the dark. "I finished like a good hour and a half back so it should be good to go for whatever you want to do with it."

"Yeah." The blond nodded along as well, voice oddly wistful as he replied. "Whatever I want to do with it." After a moment's thought, the blond un-inventoried a confiscated smartphone he had wiped clean and made his own, the thing appearing in his hand in a flash of blue light. Taking a moment to snap a few pics of the vehicle, he returned the device to whence it came before shooting a glance back at Takeshi. "That camera ready?"

"Yeah, just… one sec, boss." Takeshi fumbled with the strap of the device for a few seconds, until he held the thing properly in one hand. With the other, he pushed something on the camera, one that Greg couldn't see but was more than likely the Record button. "Okay. And three… two… one. You're on."

Hardkour glanced back at the van and let out a quiet sigh, not at all having expected Takeshi's graffiti work to be anywhere near this good. It was almost sad that such a piece of art was gonna have to go to waste like this.

Almost.

Dropping to his knees, Greg's hands found purchase on the van's underside and immediately let out a grunt as he attempted to rise to his feet.

"What th-"

Greg ignored Takeshi's voice as he tried to manage the mass of the thing bearing down on him, threatening to force him to the ground with the full weight of almost a full three tons on top of his body. The cape drew in a lungful of stale air as he tipped the vehicle upwards, rocking it just enough for it to tip over towards him. "Nggghhhhh!"

He rocked the van again, forcing it to tip even further and forcing even more weight on his poor protesting knees and back.

+ 2 STR

220 → 222

In hindsight, he could see how this was not the best of ideas.

"Nggggh!"

In fact, it was edging rather close to what some might consider a bad idea.

Taking another breath of precious air, Greg took one of his hands, with the other one still holding the bottom as he crouched even deeper, and used the flat of his palm to support the van.

"Hrrrrrnnngggh!"

Oooh, there's a new sound, the non-protesting side of his brain chimed in. That one too. Is that what a breaking spine sounds like? Keep going and let's find out.

Ignoring himself, Greg prepared to do what was turning out to be one of the hardest things he had ever done in his life so far.

He rose.

+ 1 STR

222 → 223

All the strength he had worked for and acquired through his blood, sweat and other fluids screamed in pure exhilaration and something that was probably also some sort of pain as Greg pushed them all for the purpose of pure upward thrust.

There was no Reinforcement to make this easier. No special magic skill that he pulled out of his ass to ease the pain. Just his own pure muscle. Only me, A trembling Greg thought with excitement, blood boiling at his own self-induced challenge. Anything Reinforcement can do, I can do better.

+ 1 STR

223 → 224

He ignored the second notification as best he could and attempted to rise further. With only a slight stagger, the blond reared up even further, more than halfway along the way to his full breath came hard and heavy but he did his best to ignore it, well aware that he wasn't anywhere close to exhausted. You got this.

"Nnnnggghhhh!"

Okay, maybe a little Reinforcement couldn't hurt.

+ 2 VIT

201 → 203

On the other hand, though, he was getting one hell of a workout.

"...why… ngggghhh… is this… nggh… so… frickin'... heav-Nnnggghhh-gaaAAAAHhh!"

- 50 HP

Both his arms jerked as he screamed for all he was worth. Hurling the vehicle in his arms forward with as much strength he could muster in an instant, the weight on his body thankfully vanished, the pain and sudden red glow of light along with it. Almost immediately, the blond dropped to his knees with both hands slapping hard on the asphalt. Forehead dripping with sweat from exertion, he stared down at the ground and let out a long groan.

"!"

The indescribable din of crumpling metal and crumbling wood and brick resounded through the street and drowned out whatever noise he could have made, and the continuing noise of shattering glass and falling building materials muffled his further noises of various physical complaints.

"HOLY FUCK!" Another voice made itself heard over the noise, the other teenager on the street unable to control himself at the sight. "HOLY FUCKING FUCK!"

Greg Veder grinned.

Yeah, this is gonna be fun.

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

​

Greg Lucas Veder Job: Student Age: 15 Title: Ninja - Low Class Level 33 Experience 26000/60000 Health 3320/3320 Mana 1240 Will 1248 STR 224 INT 90 SPD 137 (142) WIS 22 (-70%) VIT 203 CHA 33 (+9) (-90%) Stat Points 0 Perk Points 10 Cash: $2,550 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.

Asperger's Syndrome: 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. You now know that you have Asperger's Syndrome. Thanks to the help of a PRT doctor with good advice, you're now more aware of your own mental state.

-70% to total WIS

-90% to total 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

Dragon King’s Blood

Touch my skin, feel the pattern of my scales. Look into my eyes.

Feel the magic of my being. Know that I am dragonblood.

You’re more than just dragon-touched, now. For all intents and purposes, you are a dragon, in all but form. The blood of dragons and kings now runs through you. Your scales may yet be soft skin and your teeth may lack fangs, but that may yet change.

+ 500 HP

+ 20 STR

+ 20 SPD

Dragon King’s Soul

One does not need the size of a dragon to have the soul of a dragon.

You’ve defeated the Dragon of Kyushu for the second time and proven yourself more worthy of the role of ‘Dragon’ than he. What does that mean, though?

+500 MP

+500 Will

+20 INT

+20 VIT

Greater Human

The true power of human beings is that we can change ourselves on our own.

Pushing yourself past the limits of what could ever be considered human, you have entered into a realm that even the most obtuse would notice as distinctly in-human. (Unlocks perks for STR, SPD, VIT and INT once a stat crosses a benchmark of 200 pts)

PERKS

Baby Steps (1/3)

With Catlike Tread...

Allows very light movement across surfaces, allowing you to move or stand on surfaces that would normally not support your weight.

Battle Concentration

Keeping a calm head during a fight is often all you need.

Your experience gain increases by 90% due to your increased focus during battles.

Bulwark

Facing off against an opponent who far outclassed you has given you an ability to withstand impossible pain in the face of impossible odds.

Takes 50% less damage from opponents over five times your level.

Burdened Spirit

The soul grows through suffering.

All Mana Skills increase in magnitude by 2% for every debuff active on you, up to 50%.

Capegoat (5/5)

Their pain is your burden and boy, is it a burden.

Removes harmful status effect from your chosen target by absorbing the negative status, inflicting yourself with a lesser version.

Catch!

Hey batter, batter.

Your SPD is increased by 25% when it comes to catching thrown projectiles.

Danger Sense (6/10)

My common sense is tingling.

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

Darkvision

It is pitch black but that doesn't matter to you.

Allows perfect night vision, regardless of the level of light.

Developed Mind (7/10)

I like to think of myself as enlightened.

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

Dragon Blood's Gift

What is a knight without armor? A dragon without scales? A lion without teeth?

All equipped armor and gear is self-repairing at a rate of 1% a minute, so long as it is constantly being fed mana or will in some manner.

Dragon King's Aura (1/10)

A dragon's breath is both sword and shield.

At a rate of 2 MP per second per rank, draw upon your [Elemental] Skills to generate an Aura of Mana that supersedes lesser [Elemental] effects based upon the Skill used and enhances the use of Skills of those [Elements]. Your equipment and body are immune to the effects of the Aura, but your surroundings are not. While your Aura is active, you may also utilize your Elemental Skills as a [Breath Weapon] with no harm to yourself.

Fast Healing

Just a flesh wound, right?

You heal much faster now, regaining Health at a rate of a fifth of your VIT every fifteen seconds.

Flowing Mana

The true power of the Warrior lies in his Breath.

Recovering from countless struggle has forced your physical energies into a state of rapid circulation. Your base mana recovery rate is multiplied by 10. (1 MP/s)

Growing Will (6/10)

Some people say you're rather willful.

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

Greater Iron Body

"It's a good thing I'm so buff, or that fall would've killed me. "

What is your body made of, exactly? It can't be anything human. All physical damage is reduced by your level number, applying after all other damage reduction.

+Blunt Force-based Status Effects require a Critical Hit to manifest

+10% of blunt damage inflicted totaling less than 5% of innate health is negated.

Keen Vision

20/20? That's weaksauce.

The clarity of your vision scales with your INT by a ratio of 2:1. (100%)

Lifegiver (10/10)

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.

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.

Savior's Strength

Catch me as I fall!

If you're strong enough to hold an object when you catch it without hurting yourself, you can also catch it without hurting it.

Sleep It Off

Great advice, honestly.

Negative Status Effect durations are lessened by 25% while Asleep.

Super-Fulcrum

"Let me just lift this bus by its rear bumper."

When you lift something that you're strong enough to pick up without hurting yourself, it doesn't matter where you grip it. You can lift and move it as a single unit, no matter how the internal stresses should cause it to break. It might still bend or even flop with movable joints, but as long as you can lift it, it won't break due to how you're holding it. This won't stop somebody else from breaking it.

Surefooted

I don't trip.

Allows perfect traction over any solid ground, eliminating the chance of slipping and falling over your own feet.

Swift Learner (2/10)

You're no idiot.

You gain an increased amount of experience, increasing by 10% for each point in this skill.

Transformation Sequence (1/3)

"It's Morphin' Time!"

By willing yourself to transform, you can equip any full outfit within your inventory, transforming in a flash of blue light, mana glitter and/or a whirlwind of aerokinesis obscuring you.

Warrior's Breath

The true power of the Warrior lies in his Breath.

Recovering from countless struggle has forced your physical energies into a state of rapid circulation. Your base Willpower recovery rate is multiplied by 10. (1 Will/s)

TITLES

Dragonbane Knight

To hurt a dragon, one must hone their blade till it is sharper than teeth and claws. To survive a dragon, one must temper their armor until none but a dragon can pierce it. To catch a dragon, one must run and jump until both are akin to flight. To slay a dragon, one must become a dragon.

+ 10% Physical Resistance

+ 10% Resistance to Fire

+ 20 to VIT

+ 10 to STR

+ 200 to Health

+ 100% Damage against [Dragon]s.

Fear Bringer I

Who puts that scare into people?

Strikes fear into enemies equal or below 25% your level.

Lucky Bastard

Fortune smiles upon you. You have experienced good fortune at a time when you assumed all was lost.

+???

+???

+???

Man Slaughter...er I

It was an accident... right?

Direct physical attacks on an enemy with VIT equaling or below 5% of your ST has 5% chance of causing instant death.

Low-Class Ninja

Hide in shadows and darkness. You're a ninja! A NINJA! Cool...

Increases the effectiveness of Evasion, Acrobatics and Stealth-based skills by 35% and + 5 to SPD STAT.

Punisher I

Revenge is a dish best eaten through a straw.

Increases all forms of damage by 5% to those who do damage to your allies.

Squire

Training to be a knight, I see?

Title grants +15% increased damage with a sword and 15% increased physical resistance when equipped with a sword.

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.

Aerokinesis (Adept) Lv 19

"Storm's a brewin'... Metaphorically too."

Exert the force of your air control over the range of a football field and with the raw wind speed of a Category 7 Hurricane.

Cost: 100 MP per second of sustained use at maximum range & power.

Analyze

The more you know...

An immediate upgrade to Observe, this Skill grants you added knowledge on the subject in relation to other realms of knowledge you might already possess.

Cost: 1 MP

Dash Straight Lv 20

Force equals Mass times Acceleration.

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

Through reinforcing the body, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance moved. (1.5x Damage Cap)

Cost: 25 Will + 2 Will for every meter

Electrokinesis (Minor) Lv 1

A human taser. Impressive?

You've got the power of lightning at your finger-tips. Sadly, that's pretty much as far as it goes.

Cost: 10 mp per second of sustained use

Mana Barrier Lv 6

Some kind of force-field!

The power to generate and manipulate defensive fields of arcane energy as a projected construct of your Mana. When using this Skill, your barriers can negate and/or deflect all physical damage up to a certain level. Any damage above the negation level shatters the barrier immediately.

Warning: Strength of barriers can decrease proportionally and drastically with complexity.

Cost: 50 Mana

Magnetism (Minor) Lvl 1

Magnets? How do they work?

You possess all the power of an office magnet toy.

Cost: 5 mp per second of sustained use

Mana Bolt Lv 3

Magic Missile for the uninitiated.

A projectile of raw kinetic force that flies with incredible speed toward your chosen target.

Cost: 100 MP

Mana Glitter Lv 9

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 half a meter per level. (5 meters)

Cost: 1 MP per second

Mana Platform Lv 7

I call it walking on air.

Using raw mana, you create semi-solid platforms under your feet that last only as long as you remain still. Platforms double in size every five levels. (0.5 m)

Cost: 1 MP per 2 seconds

Pyrokinesis (Adept) Lv 6

Great Balls of Fire!

You're a walking firestorm, the ability to launch enough flame at once to set an entire building ablaze from hundreds of feet away.

Cost: 250 MP per second of sustained use at max range.

Raging Combo Lv 18

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. (36 Hits)

Cost: 65 Will

Reinforcement (Acolyte) Lv 6

Enhance your physique to new levels, your body and soul working in tandem.

Reinforcement imbues you with the efforts of the physical aspect of your soul given form, pushing your actual body to heights it might never had reached otherwise. Increases your effective strength and speed by 200%. Improved control means that weaker usages of Reinforcement is within your grasp for lower costs. Increases your effective strength, speed and resistances by 5% per level with this technique. (230%)

Cost: 5 Will/s

Subskill: Burst

Cast from hit points. Yeah, it's one of those skills.

A short, yet extremely concentrated and focused burst of Reinforcement applied to the extremities for an insane burst of ability lasting 2 seconds.

x 3 top Reinforced SPD/STR

Cost: 50 Will, 50 HP Subskill: Layer Reinforcement

To improve on an item is to improve the very soul of it.

Increases the quality of non-living items, increasing their sharpness, durability, and hardness. This form of Reinforcement can be used on non-living substances for a multiplier of ten.

Surface Adhesion Lv 20

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 13

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.

Subskill: Physical Analysis

Allows an innate understanding of the human body with the levels of complexity based on the progression of the primary skill, Structural Analysis.

Weapon Charge Lv 23

Conceptually do twice as much damage with a weapon. Broken?

What's that mean?

Boosts weapon damage x 2.

Length of charge increases by 1/2 second for every level. (11.5 sec)

Cost: 8 MP

ABILITIES

Acrobatics Lv 46

Parkour!

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

Awareness: Willpower Lv MAX

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.

Ballroom Dancing Lv 1

I wouldn't call it dancing yet. More like a full-body dry heave set to music.

Represents your skill in the art of dancing in a fancy, romantic manner when with a partner.

Anatomy: Intermediate Lvl 2

The quickest way to a man's heart? Directly through his ribcage.

Gain a more experienced understanding of the human body and how interconnected systems function.

[Status Effects] become easier to inflict in melee combat by 2% every level. (4%)

Basic: Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10% per level. (100%)

Beginner Combat Lvl 20

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.

Increased bare-handed damage by 2% per level. (40%)

Blunt Weaponry Lv 5

Carry a big stick. Speaking softly is optional.

Measures your skill with using a blunt weapon.

Increases damage with a blunt weapon by 2% per level. (10%)

Breath-Holding Lv 25

Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.

Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level. (12.5 min)

Bullshitting Lv 6

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. (12%)

Cooking Lv 10

Some people are just born to cook and talk.

People have been cooking since the discovery of fire. Who knows what you could create if you put your mind to it?

Disarm Lv 18

Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.

Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level. (36%)

Driving Lv 4 (XP: 25%)

NASCAR, here we come.

Measures your skill at operating a four-wheeled motorized vehicle.

Gunplay: Handguns Lv 8

Possibly more than the automobile, the handgun is synonymous with America.

Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a handgun by 5% per level. (40%)

Improves damage with a handgun by 2% per level. (16%)

Gunplay: Rifles Lv 4

Slightly better than a stormtrooper.

Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a rifle by 5% per level. (20%)

Improves damage with a rife by 2% per level. (8%)

Intimidation Lv 17

If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid

Strike fear into the hearts of man and throw them off their guard, allowing you to score critical hits much easier. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by 1% every level. (17%)

Kissing Lv 8

Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.

Represents your skill in the art of smooching.

Language: Japanese Lv 15

Gratuitous Japanese indeed.

Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Japanese language.

Language: Spanish Lv 16

Me llamo Gregory.

Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Spanish language.

Manipulation: Mana (Limited) Lv 10

Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, thaum, spiritual energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It all rests in the palm of your hand to command.

Your awareness of mana has advanced to an understanding of how to force the energy resting within your mind and soul to your eager and unprepared will. Adds a 1% bonus to effect of all mana-based skills. (10%)

Meditation Lvl 30

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. (300%)

Parry Lv 17

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. (34%)

Reflexes II Lvl 1

That's two bullets. Child's play. When you can avoid six bullets, then you will have accomplished something.

Decreases innate reaction time by .1% per level. (95%)

Resistance: Biological Manipulation Lvl 5

Some people like to work with clay, or glass, or wood. Others prefer the mutability of flesh.

Measures your ability to resist any attempt to directly control your physical form, referring to skin, nerves, organs or otherwise. Increases by 2% per level. (10%)

Resistance: Blunt Force Lv. 70

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. (52.5%)

Resistance: Cold Lv 8

The cold never stopped bothering you.

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

Resistance: Electricity Lv 8

Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.

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

Resistance: Heat II Lv 4

"You have to respect anything that can just stand there, on fire."

Reduces heat damage by 1% with every level from attacks up to 200% of health. (4%)

+ Increases resistance to heat damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (75%)

Salamander's Skin

I burn... well, not really?

Complete immunity to heat damage with a magnitude up to half of 1% of Innate VIT.

Resistance: Piercing Lv 40

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. (30%)

Resistance: Poison Lv 4

I wonder what counts as a poison...

Reduces damage and effects caused by poison by 1% every level that will cause damage less than 100% of your health, in any way, shape or form. (4%)

Resistance: Slashing Lv 18

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. (13.5%)

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. (.5%)

Singing Lv 2

Stick to doing musicals in the shower for now.

Represents your ability to hit the correct notes, harmonize and anything to do with the art of vocals.

Sneaking Lv 25

Ugh… stealth missions suck.

Allows for 2% quieter movement per level while trying not to be heard. (50%)

Stamina Lvl 25

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

Increase Will by + 5 with every level. (125 Will)

Swordplay: Single Blade Lv 40

All swords are the same.

Represents your martial skill with the art of a single blade.

Increases damage with a blade by 2% per level. (80%)

Taunt Lv 19

"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. (38%)

Thrown Weapons Lv 4

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. (8%)