I didn’t rush out to kidnap the girl that very day.

Tatsuki had survived the worst of canon but my own actions would have already butterflied the heck out of everything due to making Uryu wait for me outside the school and now talking to Tatsuki and Orihime...

Could I really hope Tatsuki was going to be killed now that I might have made Ichigo a few seconds late or any number of things?

If I hadn’t run into her... I wouldn’t have messed with her.

I sighed once as the sheer chaotic nature of free will and ripples meant I couldn’t just lie to myself and confidently say Tatsuki would be just fine or any of the cast would be. Ichigo was a given, the kid was a smoothie blend of all the powers and Aizen plot, Uryu had Quincy stuff going on... Sado, Orihime, Tatsuki, and some of those other kids that kept getting involved were the issue.

I was setting roots down in Karakura. With Maria and going through the Malice Zones, I was getting comfortable.

I sat down and resummoned King who looked annoyed at being unsummoned in his sleep.

“Sorry! I wasn’t thinking,” I calmed the ant. He twitched his feelers and went to the surface to tidy up the growing nature. I smiled at his chittering grumbling. King was so... real.

I was glad. I could let Tatsuki and my own conflicted feelings of the matter settled for now.

Canon ‘start’ wouldn’t happen until Ichigo and Rukia meet. Aizen pretty much had that thing forced to happen. If Fishbone the Hollow still attacked the Kurosaki clinic? That was a different case altogether but I was sure if I kept my eyes out for a sudden transfer of Rukia or Don Kanoji or... well, Ichigo smiling via Mod Soul.

I knew that shit was going down because Ichigo didn’t smile.

“Jeez, worry about crap as it happens. If I get strong, I can help. If I’m not strong enough then I get stronger. It’s anime logic but my life is an anime now so screw it,” I announced and began to do some easy stretches.

Physical exercise has reached level 7! Better posture!

I bent down and touched my toes.

“Watch out, Aizen. Russ the magical gymnast is going to backflip your plans with a ribbon performance you’ll never forget,” I grinned, feeling so light and cheerful now that I decided to just roll with the punches.

If I wasn’t throwing magic around, Squad 11 of the Soul Society might have liked me at this point.

I cracked my waiting Indigo gem and shuddered at the painful press.

Well done, you have learned the skill ‘Curse tracking!’

Curse Tracking. Active. Energy. Lv.1: When being inflicted with a curse or debuff, be able to follow normally unseen trails back to the caster. If inflicting a curse and at double the cost, you can track a target you cursed. Cost 1 Energy per second use.

Neato. My skill list was becoming rather large and seeing some of them still at a lowly number was itching at my completionist bad habits.

I hadn’t even touched the tentacle or the frog skin and those would be easy to mix up into normal grinding!

I went outside with King and turned on my Frog Skin. In the light of the day, watching my pale skin turn green and yellow was... interesting. Disturbing but interesting.

It didn’t hurt and basically looked like a human with a skin disease. I focused and tried to breath through my mouth. It was more like my entire face sucked in the air but wasn’t as bad as the first time.

King was giving me odd looks and I waved.

He went back to tidying up floating pieces of garbage and rust flakes. Was it because I was a frog? Did frogs eat ants?

I had no idea...

Ah well, with that out the way. I summoned my now even worse frog tentacle. I called this mix of skills ‘my horrible suggestive monster form’. I hoped the skills got better fast or I would never be able to use them...

I walked on and my skin didn’t feel like it should have when I stretched my limbs. I gave a few experimental stretches and hops. My skin was more elastic than before.

“Oh... frogs good jumpers,” I said in ‘aha’ moment in a manner similar to a caveman. I ran towards a train carriage covered in leafy vines and jumped. I went a bit further than expected but not outside of human possibility. The awkward part was as I was jumping, my body breathed and I nearly hit my face on the train as I went light-headed. I was about to fall short when I felt my hand grab the ledge.

Except... both of my hands were dangling in front of me. I stared up at the pleased tentacle.

Frog Skin has reached level 3! Increased control. Skill will evolve in three levels!

Weak Flimsy Tentacle has reached level 4! It will evolve in one level!

Oh, they were ugly but they were doing their best!

I pulled myself up and moved the tentacle slowly to my left arm before I took off again, grinning like a loon as I began to stack skills together.

---

Outside the trainyard, a man in a wheelchair pulled up with a bouquet of white flowers.

“I..” the man swallowed as his hair, white and face wrinkled, placed the flowers down on the open gate.

“Everyone, forgive me. I have taken so long to offer anything. I lived in fear and guilt for many years. Today, I awoke with a lightness in my heart that I can’t understand but I had to come and offer my words,” the man said as he inhaled shakily.

“I know, I bet you never thought ole Nishima would ever admit he was wrong but here we are!” he joked but his voice cracked again. He looked to the greenery and sleeping husks of train carriages.

“I was a fool and my program was a failure. I cannot offer much else but I hope you can forgive me one day. Noya, you were always hard on me but I will-” he choked back a sob.

“I will never forget how you saved my life with yours. You were a grand woman under that angry pretty face. I regret I never asked you out but... I must go. This place still chills me. I can hear the train crash... the screaming... I will come back soon with more flowers,” Nishima announced, turning his chair back to the waiting car.

His missing legs and single-arm moved by the electric motor. His prosthetic arm that laid unmoving had a phrase penned on it.

“You may be a Ni but you’re a damn Ichi to me - Noya”

Nishima inhaled and felt... content. He had an itch to make a plan proposal after all these years. To be better and more careful...

Something Noya would have liked.

He wondered what tomorrow would bring?

---

Clearing the Malice really does bring good things.

I paused in my casual flipping and tentacle swinging to blink at my System.

“So you said but what’s up?” I asked casually.

Nothing. System is just pleased about your effort and results. It helps more than you think to clear the Malice Zones.

I shrugged as she vanished. Maria would be coming soon enough. I wanted some Purity cleaning and rest before we headed back into the zone. There was also the small pleasure of my skills.

Frog Skin has reached level 5! Increased breathing control and retain. Weak basic poisons gases now filtered out.

Weak Flimsy Tentacle has reached level 5! Increased grip strength and reaction time. The Skill is ready to evolve!

I hummed as I sat surrounded by three Purity Stones. I could feel sweat and greasy hair vanishing like magic. The tentacle was pretty easy to level once I got the idea of moving around almost solely on the limb alone. I got some head bumps for my effort but the result was clear.

Parkour has reached level 5! Increased awareness of environment and nimbleness. Physical stat will be increased at 10 and evolve.

I wasn’t seeing any glowing paths to take but the skill did make gliding about surfaces and flipping so much fun and easy. I evolved Tentacle and looked at the paths.

Weak Flimsy Tentacle is evolving! Please select path for skill to develop along.

-The Barbed Remark: The tentacle now grows a curved thorn at the end of bone and chitin

-Talk to the hand: The limb grows thick with muscle and grows finger-like digits at the end.

Now, did I want to do a neat scorpion impression or get a third arm basically?

On one side, cool ass tail that would add to my image and be able to slice with elements which I lack any decent cutting weapon. The other hand, quite literally, I would have a third-hand slot. But I also had to look at further evolutions. The spike might grow into a deadly poison weapon that I would get for three while a hand might just grow more...

Handy.

Urgh, I decided to roll with it.

“Get over here!” I commanded and selected the thorn tail.

Flimsy weak tentacle has evolved into Barbed Tail!

Barbed Tail. Rank F. Physical. Active. Lv.1: Created a slightly armoured limb that can produce a spike on command to sting enemies with piercing and slicing damage. Spike can be shot and regrown with some energy. May appear on any major limb or torso. Cost 20 Energy. No sustain cost. Will increased Physical every 5 levels. Will increased Mental every 10.

I tried it out and a dark tail curled around my waist before it rose to my face like a dancing snake. The top side was covered in thin plates of thick biological shielding. The bottom side was more fleshy. The end of the tail was a round ball that on a mental command, a pure white bone curved blade sprang out like a switchblade.

The good news was that it no longer looked like I shouldn’t be near girls in skirts. The bad news was that I now looked like a Spider-man villain. I turned to King with a grin who looked even more horrified.

“Can’t trust me. I’m a Scorpio,” I announced. Now, I just needed some Rhino horns, some vulture wings and an unlimited amount of bombs and I could entirely rip off villains. Maria arrived around there with a jar of crickets.

I stared at her in confusion.

“You need not hide your carnal urges. I still respect you as a person,” she said solemnly. Her breath smelled of mints but a deeper undercurrent of cheese. My Frog skin really picked scents up now that it was levelled up.

“I don’t know what ya mean?” I asked as she came closer in and opened the jar.

“Feast and hide your shame no more!” she cried and I stared as the crickets took off into the green. King panicked as they headed to the flowers. He began to eat them as he couldn’t clean them.

Maria blinked.

“Those cost 1000 yen!” she protested. I gave her a cocked eyebrow.

“Maria, we have the coolest bug around. Why did you get some crickets?” I asked as she looked sadly at her empty jar.

“I don’t want you eating King just because you’re a frogman! And... and...” she trailed off as she saw my tail.

“Are you a scorpion now? Are you a fucking scorpion?!” she pointed at my tail.

“I woke up in a ‘stingy’ mood,” I replied dryly.

Maria narrowed her eyes. I could almost see feral mouse rage building at the unfairness in her eyes.

Only Maria Mercy would be mad she didn’t get turned into a scorpion.

“Why do you keep turning into things that want to eat me in mouse form?!” she demanded. I leaned in with a smile.

“Because you look delicious and I am predator,” I mock leered at her. She went wide eye and next thing I knew I was blind from holy salt.

“This is as bad as getting pepper-sprayed,” I grunted and Maria glared.

“I am not something to eat. Cannibalism is horrible and I won’t forgive you if you try to eat me!” she chided.

This girl was my healer.

I was so fucked but honestly? I didn’t mind.

---

Back in the zone, smelling clean and eyes salt-free. We found ourselves back in the middle zone where we had left. Nishima’s arena felt empty now. We took a trip back but nothing we had killed had respawned. It didn’t look like we could cheat the process by leaving and not killing the boss.

We explored to the far right where the ‘Beta’ ice machine had come from. The room was empty of foes.

“It’s weird we never got a gem form that machine but I guess it was treated as Nishima’s minion at that point,” I mused. Maria was holding her whip as King took to searching about. The space was just another office room.

King opened the door holding the puzzle gem and we were left with 3 islands to explore. The furthest north would most likely be the boss room. We headed up and two looming factories stood like guard towers on the two islands before the final one which was shrouded in black mist.

Maria nodded and scouted inside. She was barely gone before she rushed back out.

“Gremlin tanks!” she said in a panic.

“Like Gremlins in tanks or-” I was cut off as the door cracked and exploded out, sending us flung back on to the bridge.

A large Gremlin stuffed with wires and stitched together with many Gremlin skin parts like a science experiment was grafted on a set of treads.

“Oh... a Gremlin tank,” I said blankly.

I took a second to stand up and wondered if we should have used our Yellow gems beforehand. We wanted to scout to see if the danger was worth it but it was clear these tanks had no patience to wait inside their rooms like the stupid normal Gremlins.

My Acid Cloak and new FrostFlame erupted in a corona of green and blue, mixing like a miasma. The tank lined up a cannonball and it rolled into the arm cannon.

“Oh fuck,” I said and raised my shield. I turned on Missile Defence in the last moment.

The ball smashed into me and Maria was flung off the bridge, barely using her whip to grab a ledge before she fell into the watching Beings below. King rushed forward and began to pull Maria up as fast as he could but the Gremlin Tank screeched and the treads ramped up, intending to run over King.

It didn’t get far because I returned its cannon ball with a hearty fuck you Discard.

The round musket ball-sized item barely was able to be affected by my skill. The staring stupid face caved in as my dakka boom was better than his. Maria was back up as the Gremlin Tank sparked but even without a face, it took aim again.

I rushed forward and my new tail lashed out with acid and Frostfire. The skin parted as the stitches melted and turned a blue as they froze over. Wires and junky looking computer parts were melted and then frozen as my tail lashed out again and again.

I used Shield bash and cannon was ripped off. I was lit up by Maria’s prayer as I smashed down with my Mace on a glowing core which fractured and died. The tank went limp. I was panting at the sudden rush.

Despite the size and wrecking power. It literally had no defensive power or reflexes.

If we could run in a circle, it would be a giant walking trash heap in seconds.

You have gained 15 EXP from ‘Gremlin Tankers’!

“Bastard. Got a lucky hit,” Maria spat. There was a tinkling noise as a gem fell out of the crushed head and into the abyss below. We both watched with horror.

A moment passed and there was a noise like sizzling bacon and pig snorts before the Gem flew back into Maria’s waiting hands without so much as movement below.

“T-thank you!” Maria said in surprise. We didn’t quite look down but turned to the sagging corpse.

I Observed it.

Gremlin Tanker. Monster. G-2: A mash up of Gremlin boredom and PING’S madness. These creatures live in constant pain and confusion. They also need more fuel than a school bus to work.

Then I eyed the lone item that wasn’t melting.

Gremlin Cannon. Weapon. Range. G-2. A cannon removed from a Gremlin Tanker. It fires rounded projectiles but is now without power source or aiming program.

Maria held a Green gem out and the System asked me something interesting.

Would you like to change weapon into a Yellow Gem of a rank lower or leave it as an existing form?

Keep the loot or turn it into materials basically. I kept the gun for now. Maria was looking disgusted at the Gremlin skin still clinging to it.

“You can have it. I can’t hide a gun and it looks heavy,” she said and I pushed it into my inventory for now.

Warning, once the item leaves the Malice Zone it becomes fixed. It cannot be exchanged for a Gem. Items brought into the zone cannot be exchanged either.

If nothing else, I could tinker with it and see if I could get a repair skill or something. We entered the factory that was one part slaughterhouse, two parts mechanics shop. I nodded to Maria as I pulled out my own Yellow gem.

“No more holding these for rainy days,” I said as I held my shield out and she looked to agree as she held her own chain.

We both accepted the question to upgrade our items.

Riot Shield has been upgraded to Yew Wood Shield!

Yew Wood Shield. G-4. Shield: A shield made from an ancient yew tree. It was soaked in a druids brew to make it more defensive than an average shield. Resists Necro Energy much better than most. Shield is lighter but can take a beating as well as any modern shield. Oils on the wood make it much harder to burn.

Basic spiritual touched chain has been Upgraded to Linked Bless Chain which had been Upgraded to Silver guard Chain whip!

Silver Guard Chain Whip. Whip. G-3: A coiled chain hidden in a handheld crucifix. The tip is spiked and the chain moves as if an extension of the user. Metal is mostly silver and iron soaked in holy water.

I held my large curving shield that was much lighter than my riot shield. The handle was perfect for my hand and the thing smelled exotically of berries and herbs. It was solid to the touch and on the front was a symbol of a tree with many roots.

Maria held a crucifix large enough to bash my brains out. She flicked it from the leather-bound grip and a chain began to slowly flow to coil at her feet. Each link was triple inlaid and had spikes on the sides. Getting wrapped up in that would be like an iron maiden in motion...

“Do you think I can get a holy harpoon gun if I upgrade it enough? Just sort of pull sins from people like I was fishing?” she asked far too calmly for my liking.

“Oh look! A door which has evil monsters through it!” I pointed and Maria perked up with delight and ran off. I shared a look with King who was looking like he would rather be gardening.

I sighed and went after Maria before she killed the boss old Testament style.