"You really live up to your nickname sometimes….” Kohaku stated before throwing a chip into his mouth.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hotaru wore a soft smile on her face.
“... I hope that mix-up was an accident too.” (Hibiki)
“...” She froze up under her friend’s lax demeanor and pointed comment.
“Are you serious?” (Hibiki)
“G-go ahead our r-runner-up, we got another competition after this. Ahaha…”, Hotaru stuttered.
“I’ll be taking that crown this time” (Makoto)
“No, I will!” (Kohaku)
“I’d like to see you try.” (Hotaru)
*Click*
- Makoto’s POV-
I groggily sat up with Yuuma sleeping on a chair beside me. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming about the results of last night or the night before that.
‘Status’
Player | Traits | Skills | Titles
Name: Makoto Yuki
Pronouns: He/Them
Race: Human
Class: Ranger (Lvl 5)
HP: 50
Str: 3 (3)
Dex: 8 (3)
Int: 7 (2)
Wis: 13 (3)
Cha: 1
Stm: 9 (4)
End: 3
Attribute Points: 50
Chakra: 70 /70
Status: [Normal]
Affinities: Ice, Water
Titles
Ko and Ko’s Pupil [-]
-Basic Kenjutsu
-Basic Training
-Affinity Bonus (Water)- 20%
-Affinity Bonus (Wind)- 20%
Innate: [- - - -] [-]
Ice Manipulation <Uncommon>
Light Manipulation <Rare>
Light
Cure (Minor)
Frost
<Growth> Prodigy [Stage 2] [-]
Learning and understanding things come easily to you. The time it takes you to learn things is cut in half and may be shorter the more you enjoy it.
+5 Int
+ 2 ???
+5 Dex
???
Reincarnation- With the death of your previous self, you’re able to transfer one ability from your past life to this one.
+15 Chakra
[Livra Pioneer] [-]
20% ??? boost
5 % chance to lower skill cooldown by 5 seconds
Abilities
=====
Kenjutsu [Lvl 2] [+]
Archery [ Lvl 4] [+]
Sneak [Lvl 2] [-]
Use a veil of shadows to make your presence less noticeable. (Dex*3 + Boost)
25% Stealth boost
30 % Within the dark
40% At night
Duration: 10 minutes (May be extended by chakra use)
(Cost: 10 Chakra) (Extend: 4 Chakra per 5 minutes)
<P> Keen Sense* [Lvl 4] [-]
After the torturous “Playtime”, your senses, have been thoroughly enhanced.
-Eagle Eyes [Lvl 3] [+]
-Detect [Lvl 2] [+]
+10 Wis
+5 Stm
+5 ???
R: Innate [-]
With your lineage, you’ve been able to retain some spellcasting.
<P> Frost* [Lvl 5] [-]
You can chill the immediate area around you, the range depends on your mastery
Uncommon: 10 ft Without cost
(Cost: 10 Chakra, +5 ft)
- Ice Shot [Lvl 4] [+]
- Frost Trap [Lvl 2] [+]
Light [Lvl 3] [+]
- Cure (Minor) [Lv. MAX] [+]
- Heal [Lvl. 1] [+]
Tame [Lvl 4] [-]
By making a strong bond between yourself and a creature and agreeing to its terms, you can cast spells, and see through them.
By strengthening that bond, the tamed creature may develop abilities of its own to collaborate with your own.
- Yuuma [Mutated Ninken Lvl 8] [+]
[Bolt Strike] [Lvl 3] [+]
[Howling Gale] [Incomplete- 33%]
[Phantasma] [Lvl. MAX] [+]
[-----] [Incomplete- 5%]
- [Empty Slot]
- [Empty Slot]
‘Guess all that work paid off.’
It wasn’t any different from what I’d heard. Being back in AVRIL was wondrous for me though, my memories of the game were the only thing still around with a small real-life memory here and there.
If not, I wouldn’t have been able to trade out crummy [Lurk] for [Stealth]. I figure the slowed movement and being invisible than just decreasing my presence was a good trade-off. Even if I had to get the request from that madman….
Possessing someone was even weirder. It’s like being a visitor at someone's home but at any moment you’d suddenly be the host. After a stern warning to not impose our will on the person because they were most likely someone who just needed help, I got to learn more about who he was. A civilian kid named Taichi, his problem wasn’t a big deal though. Persuading his parents to let him take part in it was an easy fix, sorry for the extra chores kid.
Not to mention the number of weapons I nearly got drilled into him, no thanks to Kohaku triggering everything to get it over with. Being living water had its perks, I guess.
… Oh yeah, he managed to transform here so his kid wasn’t put at risk. If he didn’t, I’m positive he would’ve been skewered 3 or 4 times. He said he had his [Body] to thank for that.
I also can’t forget our saving grace in this. A gray rabbit being blackmailed and-
*Tic, tic, tic*
There he was. I slowly slid out of the bed and opened the frost-covered window just for a streak of blue to shoot towards the bed.
“YOUNG PRINCE! YOU NEED YOUR REST!!!”
‘Oh, brother…’
I shut the window to keep out the chilly air and turned to my guide, the black-crowned night heron and make-shift airdrop, Aoi.
“Again, you can just call me Makoto.”
“I SHALL NEVER SULLY YOUR NAME WITH MY MOUTH!!!” (Aoi)
“...” (Makoto)
‘All of them just need to know their place, don’t entertain their idea,’ so he said. How would he approach this then?’
“...Should this be seen as you defying orders?” I slowly approached the bed, keeping my expression flat to the twitchy bird.
“W-why I-” (Aoi)
“Insubordination?” (Makoto)
“NEVER!” Aoi screeched to the heavens while he flapped his wings in a noisy huff.
“Right after serving under me as well, how disappointing~… Well? I’m waiting.” I crossed my arms and stared down.
“... M-m-ma….ma-ma-Ma…!” (Aoi)
‘Am I his mother now?’
“What do you want?” (Makoto)
“We can speak later, right now-” (Aoi)
A hint of perfume hit my nose; the wisp of citrus let me know she had taken the day off. I got back in bed and put my sleeping pup on my lap. The fuzzy touch helped me steel my nerves for what was to come.
The pesky bird reserved himself to perching on the metal bedframe when the knob was turned, making way Samui and a nurse made their way inside. The nurse removed the tubes affixed to my arm that I didn’t recognize as attached to me. He scribbled onto a clipboard before turning to Samui.
Watching their mouths move in tiny muttering before the doctor left the room, had the pit in my stomach eating away at me.
“There’s no need to concern yourself with that. ‘Everything will be fine. You already have a solution anyways’ were the words I remember him uttering.” (Aoi)
Samui wrapped me in a hug before she made her exit after handing me a note.
“I’ll be back with breakfast. Stay there. - Samui”
***
-Flashback-
Back in the colorless forest… The leaves were blue but you get the point. I had to take some time getting looked over by Hibiki as a giant magenta orb the size of a football field stood in front of us.
“It’s not a hard fix, it’s just up to you to find it.” Hibiki put away some tools into a strange bag and shut it tight before having it enter his inventory.
“But what is ‘it’?!” (Makoto)
“Meh, no stress, you got this in the bag.” (Hibiki)
***
-Makoto’s POV-
The lax attitude wasn’t very comforting but, from the way he looked at me… how he looked at them. It was oddly sincere.
‘I got this… no stress… no stress.’
I slowly made a count to ten.
‘1… 2… 3… 4-’
“The small stirring in the palm of my hand was a sight all too familiar. I picked up the fluffball yawning with his eyes shut and tongue poking out.
Looking left to right with his eyes shut until I pressed my forehead against his. Yuuma licked my face with a renewed energy that I didn’t get to see very often from my sleepy boy.
“Sorry to worry you, buddy.” I chuckled a little and was going to set him down when he wouldn’t stop squirming in my arms.
He only stopped I was still. Reluctantly complying with what I thought he wanted, I kept him on the bed. Even that got him to look at me for a little before he plopped down on my lap.
My puppy. Er- Ninken. The size of a teddy bear with the ferocity of a wolf… a small wolf.
“We’ll get to play after this, all right?” I scratched behind his ears; his tail little wagging was all I needed to wash my worries away.
‘Maybe this isn’t too bad.’
“...They’re back, Milord.” (Aoi)
‘They?’
I turned my body closer to the door, almost reeling back to the momentary flash of light disorientating my vision. Once it was all said and done, Yugito was giving Samui a nasty side-eye who didn’t acknowledge it. The two strode over and pulled up chairs.
Trying to conversate normally felt like I was trying to listen for crickets over a mile away. Not to mention the heron puffing his belly up with pride was slowly getting more frustrating. I was very thankful when they started writing in a book and passing it over.
Nevertheless, after everything I’ve gone through. The mystical element was wiped away and my knuckles turned white as I peered at the question.
‘What happened?’
*Click*
