Hey guys, since you got this fic to Rank 1, I've got a surprise for you.
I just uploaded my first ever 6k word commission for Marvel CYOA. This one ant a lot to since it let revisit the story and expand on the future of Jay and his family.
Go check it out and let know what you think.
-x-
Done with all my shopping, I walked out of the mall looking like a pack mule.
A billion-dollar bounty will do that to a guy.
'Master, you must be uncomfortable carrying all those bags. Please co back to the castle. It's not safe out there, now that you have a bounty on your head.'
Naki's voice echoed in my mind, filled with worry.
I moved into a secluded, dimly lit alleyway.
With a familiar twang echoing softly from the ether, a tatami door slid open against the brick wall.
I dumped all my purchases: the clothes, the stockpiled rations, and the dicine, right onto the wooden floor of the Infinity Castle.
But I didn't step through.
"Naki, I think I'll go for a walk," I muttered softly to the empty alley. "It's been one thing after another since I entered this world. It's finally nice to enjoy so peace."
Even across the gate, I could see her hesitation, her single eye looking at with concern.
"Master, don't you think it'd be best to be safe with ? Even with your disguise..."
"Thank you for worrying, Naki," I interrupted gently. "But I really need to be among people right now. Even if it's just to feel a bit of normalcy among all these weird things happening."
She bowed her head gracefully, submitting to my request.
"As Master wishes. But do know I am always available at your beck and call."
The door slid shut, blending back into the brick wall until it vanished completely.
'Damn, she's really good to ,'
My chest suddenly tightened with a familiar warmth.
Shaking my head as I stepped out of the alley to take in the city nightlife.
It was surreal.
I was currently the most wanted man on the face of the Earth.
Cecil Stedman and the Global Defense Agency had literally put a billion dollars on my head, albeit at my request.
Yet here I was, walking down the street with a brand new face, blending right in with the crowd.
The night air was cool against my skin, carrying the scent of fried food from nearby restaurants.
People were walking around. Kids were giggling outside a diner. Lovers were holding hands. So corporate asshole screaming at his secretary over the phone. A group of teenagers skateboarded past, their wheels clattering against the pavent. There was even a holess man sitting on the corner, holding out a crumpled paper cup.
I stopped.
Without really thinking about it, I reached into my jacket, pulled out the high-calorie energy bars I'd bought for myself, and dropped them into the guy's cup along with a crisp fifty-dollar bill from the cash I'd just taken out of Cecil's slush fund.
"God bless you, son," the man rasped, looking at the food and cash like I'd handed him gold.
I just nodded and kept walking.
'Huh. Getting killed really does change a person,' I mused.
TING—
[Feat Achieved! Commit your first good deed in this universe]
[Reward: 1x Bronze Random Gacha Ticket]
A sharp, high-definition chi rang out in my mind.
I just absent-mindedly rolled it, not even feeling much excitent, wanting to feel the peace a bit longer.
D20 Roll: 8 (Nothing happens)
[The Cursed Ticket]
|Uncommon Item|
"Fancy your chances?" A ticket that, when torn, spins the Curse Roulette for the user, and automatically applies the result and the ticket they would have gotten to the recipient.
I stopped mid-stride.
Wait, What?
I helped soone, and got a cursed ticket for it?
'This is a fucked-up joke even for you RNGesus.'
The irony wasn't lost on , doing sothing decent for once and getting a literal curse in return.
After a few hours of just roaming around, I finally reached Englewood.
The neighbourhood changed as the buildings got shorter and more run-down, with flickering streetlights casting uneven shadows.
I was finally ready to go back to the castle.
BANG! BANG! RATATATATAT!
The heavy, unmistakable sound of automatic gunfire shattered the peaceful night air.
My casual attitude vanished in a second as alertness took over.
I sprinted around the corner, my boots skidding against the pavent as my new teashades nearly flew off my face from the sudden movent.
I took one look down the adjacent street and imdiately assessed the absolute clusterfuck in front of .
A massive man made entirely of jagged, grey rock, wearing nothing but a pair of torn pants, had just crashed through a second-story window, causing shards of glass to rain down.
He landed heavily on the street, clutching a small kid tightly to his chest. The impact cracked the asphalt beneath his feet.
A dozen suited crooks poured out of the woodwork, raising assault rifles and submachine guns.
"Light him the fuck up!" one of the goons scread.
"Die, you rocky piece of shit!" another yelled, already squeezing the trigger.
They didn't hesitate as they unleashed an unrelenting hail of lead.
The rocky man hunched over, curling his massive body to shield the little girl under him, taking every single bullet squarely in the back.
But even with his stone hide, the sustained fire was doing damage. I could see chips flying off him, as fine cracks spread across his body.
'Wait, is that Titan? Then that must be his daughter?! No….not aga…'
I didn't have ti to overthink this.
I quickly slotted in Lesser Hydrokinesis and Wind Flight abilities as I launched myself off the pavent, taking flight.
And imdiately fucked it up.
I overshot the trajectory completely, rocketing way too high and nearly eating the brick facade of a high-rise building.
Like I said before, I was a dangerous idiot when it ca to using these abilities.
I quickly pulled the Temperance card from my item storage and activated it. A wave of crystal-clear focus washed over my brain. Combined with Iron Nerves, I finally felt the chaotic air currents under my control.
I could sense every eddy and swirl and feel them respond to my will like extensions of my own limbs.
I nudged my montum, guiding myself smoothly through the air until I was hovering directly above the group of heavily ard thugs.
'Ti to make it rain.'
I held my palms out and activated Lesser Hydrokinesis, violently pulling the moisture from the surrounding air and concentrating it directly above the thugs.
The temperature around dropped noticeably as I stripped the humidity, gathering it into a massive, wobbling sphere of water suspended above their heads.
It was called 'lesser' for a reason. It wasn't strong enough to tear their flesh apart like Aquarus could, but it definitely did the job.
I finally dropped the payload. A massive, concentrated burst of water slamd down on the thugs.
"What the fuck?!" one of the shooters yelled as water stread down his face, plastering his expensive suit to his body.
Shocked by the sudden deluge, the goons looked around in confusion to check their soaked clothes and the wet ground beneath them.
Seeing the perfect opportunity, I pulled out Havel's Greatshield and used the massive slab of stone to cover my body as I landed down hard right between Titan and the wet thugs. The shield casually taking the brunt of bullets they fired in panic.
[Image Here]
I finally slotted in Arc ability in my final slot.
I didn't even bother to look at them. I just aid my fingers at the puddles pooling around their expensive leather shoes.
BZZZZZT.
Bright, crackling lightning shot from my fingertips, striking the wet ground. The electricity painted everything in stark white and blue, casting dancing shadows on the surrounding buildings as the sll of ozone and burnt hair filled the air imdiately.
The water conducted the electricity perfectly, delivering a massive, high-voltage jolt straight up their legs.
"Now that's a 'shock' they'll rember for a lifeti."
A dozen thugs scread in perfect unison.
A second later, the screaming stopped as they all collapsed to the pavent, twitching and spasming in the puddles.
Silence fell over the street, save for the crackle of residual electricity.
Behind , Titan slowly uncurled from his protective stance.
He looked up, expecting to see Machine Head's executioners. Instead, he saw a guy with teashade glasses holding a giant greatshield from so dieval flick, standing between him and the shooters.
When he glanced to the side, he was surprised to see about a dozen crooks lying on the floor, completely fried, as the foul sll of burnt flesh filled the air.
Titan saw the arcs of lightning still dancing on my fingers and took a step back, instinctively covering Fiona a little more. The little girl whimpered, pressing her face against her father's rocky chest.
I looked down at the twitching bodies on the ground, the adrenaline still pumping. "You stupid mother—"
"Yeah, these dumbass mother—" Titan started, glaring down at them with pure hatred.
We both froze at the exact sa ti.
We locked eyes, then slowly looked down at the tiny, terrified little girl peeking out from behind his massive rocky legs. Her wide eyes were darting between the two of us.
I cleared my throat, adjusting my tinted glasses. "—mothers' disappointnts. You gosh-darn hooligans."
Titan coughed into his massive stone fist, looking incredibly awkward. "Uh, yeah. Frickin' jerks."
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.
'He must have made the connection to the mob. Not bad.'
He took another step back, his words ca out in a gravelly, cautious voice. "Are you one of these heroes flying about? Should I be thanking you?"
A snort escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Pfft
"Sorry, it's just funny you thought I was a hero? Man, you really are sothing, Titan. Or should I call you Craig?"
He imdiately dropped into a lower, defensive stance. His calves pumped ready to bolt .
"Are you with Machine Head?" Titan growled. "Look man, I already told him I'm done with this shit. I've paid my debt in full."
The calming effect of the Temperance card kept my mind incredibly sharp as I finally saw an opportunity to take care of my biggest headache.
"Tch, tch, tch. You need to think bigger, Craig. Here."
I unequipped the shield, casually tossing the heavy slab of stone right at him.
Titan's eyes widened, but his reflexes kicked in.
He caught the massive greatshield with one hand. His arm dipped under the sheer weight of it, but he let it suspend in his grip, looking at like I was insane.
"Use this," I told him. "It'll make you sturdier, and your rocks much stronger. Trust , Machine Head's goons won't be able to scratch you with that beauty on your arm."
Titan just held the shield, looking at with deep suspicion.
"Look here man, I don't know who you are and what you're planning. But I'm not one for handouts. What do you need from ?"
I looked down at little Fiona, rembering exactly how his story played out in the show.
"You know, even after all of this, you can't provide a safe environnt for little Fiona," my voice cutting straight to the core of his insecurities as I gestured at the destruction surrounding us. "Not to ntion how expensive her treatnts are going to get. So, I'm proposing a deal. I want you to call when you decide to take down that chip junky. And since I'm feeling generous, I'll sweeten it. Take the shield as an advance paynt."
Titan tilted his head. His expression was covered under his stone mask, but I could see the way his hands clutched Fiona's shoulder.
"I told you I'm done with this life," he said stubbornly. "I just want to be left alone."
He pulled his arm back, fully intending to throw the shield back at .
But I just raised my hand to stop him.
In the distance, the faint wail of police sirens began to echo through the city blocks.
"Well, looks like we're out of ti," I said, feeling the wind currents picking up around my boots. "Better skedaddle. Just call when you're ready to free yourself from the tin-head's grasp."
And with that, I activated Wind Flight, blasting straight up into the night sky before he could argue further.
"What number?!" I heard Titan yell out from the alley below.
"Daddy," Only for Fiona's small voice to point out. "Look at the shield!"
Titan lowered the massive slab of stone.
And sure enough, written across the front of the shield in bright red permanent marker was a phone number.
Right at the bottom, scribbled in ssy handwriting, was a playful
Xoxo
Titan shook his head, holding back a curse.
He scooped his daughter up, checking her for any injury, finally feeling safe enough to hold her in his arms, and made a run for it into the night.
[A/N]: Drop them Stones if you don't want to send you that cursed ticket
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