[Congratulations! LVL up | Reward: +1 Intelligence; +1 Luck; +3 Strength; +3 Endurance; +1 Eyesight | Lessened dependence on LVL up | Increased natural regeneration by 20%]

[Congratulations! Gained perk: Tenshot ]

[Congratulations! Gained perk: I Fight Or I Die I ]

[Congratulations! Gained perk: Crafty Hands For A Crafty Being I ]

[Congratulations! Upgraded perk: Fate Is My Weapon I now Fate Is My Weapon II ]

I’m not dead...

Tenner could neither see anything apart from blueness nor feel anything, but it was the only answer he could accept: the CHEK was an interesting device, but no fucking way would it disturb his eternal peace.

...but if I am dead, there better be a long talk with God. This sort of afterlife customer service is unacceptable!

Tenner returned to full consciousness, a sense of peace, which came from making a journey no one else could have, smothering him. He still couldn’t see though. Perhaps his eyes went blind. Then the inner peace vanished: his mouth opened to ask a simple question--”where am I?”--and overwhelming weight crushed his lungs.

Something started pulling on his chest and the deep blue faded to a palette of colors tied together by vast spaces of orange. Water splashed out of Tenner’s mouth and he coughed his lungs into oblivion. At least his eyesight returned. The sprawling city came into focus as well as the scarred face of a frustrated black man. Yet unlike the Worker, no feeling of a coming fight resonated from the stranger.

Tenner’s feet didn’t touch the ground -- with one hand, the scarred man held Tenner over a narrow but deep canal.

“So you know… I’m dying a little,” Tenner muttered before his mouth unleashed another stream of water, soaking the stranger’s red tank top with sewn on extra pockets. Indeed, his health was a little low, his vision a little blurry and muscles in a little agony, but that meant nothing -- the damn water had done a cheap shot.

The stranger’s head was bald and covered in little scars like the majority of his skin. A white scar went down his forearm. A dozen metal rings encircled it, some connected to chips, others to wires that went up to the man’s CHEK. Countless tools hanging off his black pants rang as he extended his arm, hanging Tenner deeper over the water.

“I didn’t mean to.” Tenner gulped. “You should put me down…”

The hand let go.

NOT LIKE THAT!! Tenner choked on his own blood then water burst into his mouth, pushing out the crimson. He waved, getting himself upright.

The scraps of his clothes floated on the surface. Heavy and wide, they cast dark shadows and stayed in place, even when pushed. Those same clothes that now tried to kill him had mostly ripped from his body and formed a wide net above him, fifty meters up from the surface.

Tenner swam to the side and rose to the surface, gasping for air.

Even the water had something against him as a strong current from below pulled him down.

He’d saved his life by landing in a canal. Then some misunderstanding stranger doomed him by trapping him there -- the canal flowed from the Realm’s wall towards a road, went under it and stopped in a fountain.

If Tenner didn’t get out, he’d get crushed by the grates under the road.

He struggled upwards then tried swimming to the sides. No matter the direction he went in, the current pulled him back. It was a quite tricky situation, but he didn’t have the slightest of worries -- he’d get out. In fact, at this point, he was certain nothing could kill him.

As the grate neared, the current intensified. The last bit of oxygen in Tenner’s lungs was used up.

“I didn’t mean to land on you,” he said, splashing out of the water like a waterbending rockstar. The stranger remained quiet. “I just fell hundreds of meters -- you think when that happens someone has a choice where they fucking land?” Tenner could assume the stranger wanted him dead. Or was flabbergasted by his survival. One can always use the current’s force when they’re being pushed up against a grate to walk on the wall, jump off it and swim up. Tenner returned to the place where he was dropped.

The stranger remained still, his shining bald head making him look like a mannequin.

As odd as it is, at least it’s true, Tenner furrowed his brows. I fell out of the fucking sky and survived the current...

Silence.

Well, you dropped me into here, you’ll take me out. What sort of person saves someone then tries to kill them and stares for no reason?

Then he realized. The kids in Realm 349 used to do that.

Tenner would give the man what he wanted and attack first. Yet he needed a moment to regenerate and inspect.

[Name(s): Gi ????

LVL: 11

HP: 350

Class: hench]

[Perks: Intimidator III, Only Fire In My Veins, ????]

My plans are always perfect, the world’s just filled with cheaters, Tenner thought, dismissing the screens. I've always been different, but if I want to win against cheaters, I have to become one.

A torn strip of cloth floated into his hand. It used to be his coat. Now it’d be his weapon.

Tenner snapped to life, leashing Gi’s chest with the wet rag then jumped out of the fountain and slapped his CHEK Extensions.

“Fucking lunarist.” Dazed, Gi raised his fists to protect his weak spots: face and veiny neck. “I save your ass and give you a bath from that blood and get attacked in exchange?!”

Tenner faltered. Oh… Gi caught the moment Tenner was off guard and punched his nose. Tenner’s both hands jumped to the knocked part of his face, the speed making him lose his balance. He fell into a crouch instead of falling back into the canal. Never again. His eye found the dropped rag. Gi tried grappling him. Tenner jumped out of the way and grabbed the rag.

Gi faked a punch, stopping Tenner’s leashing, and unleashed his own jabs, moving with robotic efficiency and true anger.

Tenner stared in amazement for a moment before starting his dodging routine.

Gi’s mask cracked once more, showing astonishment -- none of his punches hit.

Tenner grinned. Fighting against robots and fighting against people with CHEK Extensions is similar. His head jerked from side to side, left fist leashed and right punched. Humans are more unpredictable, but the way they move is the same as the robots.

Fury replaced Gi’s astonishment. He wound his punches up for longer and put all he could into each one. That made them easier to dodge.

Tenner grabbed on to one of Gi’s fists, pushed himself up into the air and landed on the man’s back. 3:0 -- this trick worked with robots, tools and fists!

Gi spun in circles, grunting.

Tenner kicked the man’s sides then pushed on his neck, knocking him to the ground.

Tiles shattered, dust and shards flying everywhere. By the time the mess cleared, Gi had freed himself.

Tenner ran out of the cloud, landed on his feet, cracked his knuckles and readied for round two of leashing and punching.

Gi jumped to his feet and attacked a beat later, kicking whilst his tired arms worked to keep his balance. No, in fact, the arms seemed to be drawing something in the air. It seemed that the scarred man had a perk where he could draw whatever attack he wanted his legs to carry out.

Grinning, Tenner rolled out of the way of each one. Perks don’t matter if you keep reusing the same old patterns! The grin widened as he ripped the electronics away from Gi’s leg, zapping him.

[Name(s): Gi ????

LVL: 11

HP: 264

Class: hench]

Tenner’s grin commited suicide. His attacks had been relentless, but failed to deal Gi even a hundred damage! At the same time, with a few hits, Gi could end Tenner, he could tell without the character screen.

As the fight dragged on, his entire body felt like a wet, twisted rag and every dodge used up his draining energy.

“Now you’ll spread the word,” Gi said, “of what happens to those who mess with me!”

“I have nothing against you!” Tenner said, wheezing.

“But you messed with me!” Gi’s leg soared straight at Tenner, the veins on it bulging. “Anyone who messes with me gets the favor returned to them.”

“Not Tenshot!” An idea struck Tenner. He fell under the kick, hopped back up and unleashed a kick himself. One foot missed, but the other landed on Gi’s face. Putting all his strength in it, he boosted off the man’s face, flipped and hit the ground running.

Gi grunted and fell from the tackle. After soaking up so much damage, the man’s head shouldn’t have remained on his neck, but it somehow managed to also survive another pummeling.

Tenner’s arms were limp, but fists were heavy. His consciousness waned and he zoned out in the middle of his punch barrage. When he returned, he couldn’t breathe.

A hand grabbed his neck and pulled Tenner up to the same level as Gi’s head.

“You give a good kickin' for a lunarist.” Gi smashed him into the crater below. “But you make so many mistakes."

[Warning! Damage: -10 to health]

As pain flooded him, Tenner could only get angry at such disrespect. He hadn’t made any mistakes -- it was all just unfair. He fought back--scratching and poking--determined to live every last second he’d been gifted by surviving his fall.

Gi ignored Tenner’s desperate attempts and extended a hand. “You have no idea,” he said, wiping a stream of blood off his face. “I’ve been looking for a good fight for ages. Everyone either runs away, gives up immediately or dies. But you, fine… Tenshot, right? You fell out of the sky, gave me a good ass reason to be fought with and actually fought. I respect that. And what I said earlier -- I didn’t mean it.”

In an instant, a grin formed on Tenner’s face “Thanks.” He grabbed Gi’s hand and got to his feet.

“But you do owe me one thing.” Gi reached inside one of his countless pockets. “I’m busy, you could say, but the business will wait.” He took out a white metal coin whose outer edges glowed. “Mind explaining what actually is going on? Why you fell from the sky?”

“Why… not.” Tenner hesitantly grabbed it. “I’ve had a day way weirder than yours.”

[Congratulations! Earned 1C$]