Chapter 6: 'The Cheat Codes'
*whap*
"Oww…fuck…" Jaeger rubbed his forehead as his face was slowly lifted from the floor. Whatever pulled him in certainly didn't care about comfort.
"is this some new level? Where am i?" Jaeger used the cape to lift his body up without effort, before he surveyed the area around him. It was nothing but the floor he stood upon, and a pitch black abyss beyond 5 feet.
"What is power?" A voice from the ether asked from every direction.
Jaeger whipped his head around as he reached for his gun, but stopped himself as he thought of the question.
He lowered his arms to his sides slowly, as he in as very relaxed manner as he could took a deep breath and shook his legs to shake the sudden adrenaline.
"Knowledge…but that wouldn't be the right answer; because it too must be sought, like strength it must be trained although in the end it rules all…that's a tough question." Jaeger spoke out after a while, he sat down cross legged and brought out his smoke before lighting it up.
The strange voice didn't reply to his statement, as if awaiting his final answer.
"Power…I feel that's defined by the bigger person, and yet there is always a mountain beyond a mountain and a heaven beyond a heaven right? So what IS power? Do you even know? If you are some powerful force, then surely from your level you would have a greater understanding of what that answer should be. Or rather…for me, my greatest power currently…is patience." Jaeger breathed out a smoke as he fiddled with the smoke in his hand.
"Strange…answer…" The voice changed a bit, no longer this hellishly grovel voice with deep tones and reverberations, it seemed to be thinking.
"The fact that you said that, means that power can have many definitions but in the end…it is merely the peak of an extreme. An end to the spectrum so to say…with everything inbetween a farce to find out what is the best until someone reaches that end…and even then…when all have gained this almighty extreme, who would define what is best between them if they are equal?" Jaeger muttered his thoughts, even as he awaited the voice to call back to him.
He slowly crawled over to the edge of the 5 foot space he resided and looking down into the abyss no light or end could be seen. It was like closing your eyes, with nothing beyond what you could see close.
This, was a different kind of terror.
"Honestly…I was expecting some mundane answer, you really live up to the name of the Wise man…well-spoken Jaeger" A familiar mask appeared from the void, floating there before a body followed it from the darkness into the space of the floor Jaeger sat down on.
"Spectre?" Jaeger muttered while tilting his head.
"No…just a copy of me, but my copies are true forms as well…so I guess it is me…huh…" Spectre seemed to be contemplating this, but Jaeger quickly shook his head and stood up, "What made you want to bring me here?"
"Well simply put…another me gave you that mask, to lead you to a portion of myself I left in the city. Wish didn't prevent this, as he cannot do so…I am outside the laws of causality. Although they will say as such to cover this fact up…this is a personal space of mine called the Beyond. I gave you the mask, to see if you would come to this place…"
"That's…very chess like. Huh…" Jaeger motioned his cigarette forward curiously and surprisingly the Spectre stood forward and removed his mask.
A handsome man, with a noble aura beyond anything that Jaeger had ever witnessed by simply looking at someone. It felt like he was holding in the power of suns within his eyes, and yet at the same time this fiery vision was well equalized by a composed and calm aura.
Two perfectly symmetrical scars ran over his eyes, surprisingly in the same shape and orientation as that of the eyes of the mask. Spectre smiled a white teethed grin, "Don't look into the sun, it isn't good for you. Anywho…I don't have long here, I came to give you something…since Enigma gave you the traveler body and teleportation…him and me are quite similar you know haha…and since wish gave you the cape and pistol, how could I not throw something in? It would be wrong of me"
"Are you saying that you want me to be your champion? What if I refuse?" Jaeger took his smoke back and puffed on it, while turning his head sideways for an answer.
"Will you?" Spectre asked bluntly.
"I…no, ill accept, what do I have to lose right?" Jaeger chuckled.
"True…here, take this…but also…make sure you want it…it's like the cape, and will take some things to well uh…make some things." Spectre grabbed the cigarette from Jaeger and puffed a long drag on it before placing his mask on and breathing smoke out from behind it.
"Huh…" Jaeger looked past Spectre as an item floated out from the void into Spectre's upraised awaiting hand. It was the controller looking rectangle with a screen at the top, with a wave it floated in the air from his hand before Jaeger.
"This item will only pass to someone else upon your death" Spectre stepped backwards slowly as he spoke, "use it well…if you don't want it, which I am sure you will…throw it into the void before you, I'll catch it." Spectre took the last step backwards and fell down into the abyss before vanishing.
Jaeger quickly ran over to the edge and flailed his arms to stop his body, no sight of Spectre could be seen.
Jaeger obviously walked back and grabbed the controller device, who wouldn't?
It was about a quarter ounce in weight. As Jaeger scanned over it, some key differences were gleaned right off the bat in that it differed from what was on the poster.
It had 4 buttons near its lower right half, with a cross on the left lower half. In the middle of the cross was a toggle stacked right in the middle of the cross itself. A button was in the very middle right up and above these two control aspects. Above that, and taking up over half of the rectangle was a reflective screen that showed Jaeger's face back at him like a mirror.
"Interesting…" Jaeger flipped it over in his hands; on the slightly round edged back side was a circle with a dot in the middle of it and a dot on the edge. Rather than a symbol, it was more like a rune that glowed faintly the color blue.
"Very interesting…" Jaeger hit the 4 buttons and moved the cross up, right and left several times, and fidgeted with the toggle in the middle of the cross by rotating it with his thumb. Nothing happened until he hit the middle button causing the screen to come to life.
Several words flashed across the screen, 'Primeval Control' and 'User: Jaeger'. Before the screen went black and then came back to life again displaying several things.
"Ow…ow…what the fuck ow!" Jaeger yelped as the watch on his wrist slowly slid up and off his wrist before merging and disappearing into the device. It didn't give two shits if it hurt to come off, and in fact Jaeger remembered that you could never take the watch off unless you died, in which it would disappear.
Jaeger rubbed his wrist while eyeing the devices screen.
*bzzt*
It vibrated to notify him of a message at the top.
'Watch has been integrated, user specs and preferences noted and received, combining factors and aspects…' Several dots moved over the screen before the words disappeared and the words that he was so familiar with on the watch popped up except slightly different.
'Attributes+'
'Skills+'
'Powers+'
'Items+'
'Stored+'
'Derivative Combinations+'
"Huh…" Jaeger looked at the buttons and fidgeted with them till he found the cross, but not the toggle could move between the choices and the far right button could access them. He already knew his attributes, power, and skills, and as such went to 'Stored+' first.
'Stored-: (1)
- Proficiency (100%) in use of primeval controller
Jaeger looked at the buttons again before clicking the far right button to select it, it prompted 'Add? Move? Delete?'
Jaeger selected 'Add' and confirmed. A flood of information wracked his brain with a head ache before disappearing as soon as it came, a sudden light bulb formed in his mind and his mouth hung open "Ah…this is broken as fuck" He stared at the device like a brick of gold in his hands.
He more comfortably and without thinking about it with his hands backed out of the 'Stored-' changing it to 'Store+' again and then moved to 'Attributes+' and confirming he could store points gained to be later.
The device was mystical in nature, created by Spectre himself and used throughout his life. It was not just a 'controller' but a literal manipulator of the fold of reality, and all the abilities, skills, powers, spells, energies, knowledge, within it. However, this device was a little different than the one described, most likely from the fact the previously described device would instantly make Jaeger a god. No, this device didn't have those and was in some ways a beta version yet one of a kind.
It would allow the user of it to change and manipulate any spell, ability, power, item, or aspect, which they had on or within them. Moving those things and combining them with something else, or storing those things and giving them to others while at the same time storing 'potential' by accumulating attributes of the body, mind, and spirit.
This little device was a miracle machine.
"I…thank you Spectre…thank you so much." Jaeger muttered towards the abyss as he looked past the screen.
Jaeger's thumbs flew over the buttons as the screen changed several times.
'items: (5)
- Chain blade+
- Dream Cloud Lyre+
- Flying Lantern+
- Mask of the Spectre+
- Primeval Controller+
- SP Chance Chamber Pistol+
Jaeger selected 'Primeval Controller+' and its skills and powers were then shone under it.
'Skills: (7)
- Imbue: With powers, aspects, and skills.
- Absorb: Elements and Energy.
- Adapt: The system with what is chosen.
- Combinance & Control: With the controller as a medium, manipulate the fabric of self.
- Transfer: The aspects, spells, powers, or skills, of one thing to another.
- Control Construct: With the device as a medium, control the primeval construct.
- Ritual Cast: Convert skills and abilities into a series of codes to be used without cost.
"Fucking wow…" Jaeger lit up his smoke again just for shits and giggles as his fingers danced over the Primeval Controller, "So…this also means the cape was yours, why then did wish choose it? It would've had to have been available even before it was chosen for me, so how would you know 'Mr. Traveler' that I would receive it? Or was it an item you left behind after you gained godhood…you really do keep blessing me."
The skills of the device almost word for word were what the Cape had as its 'powers', it was impossible for it to not be related. In fact, Jaeger almost felt like these were somehow part of a set but that was just his guess.
With a flash the dark abyss became white, as if day turned to night. Jaeger appeared in the section of the dead end he had been in before.
"So ho…ho…glad I came. I don't care if I had to make a trip across the whole damned city" Jaeger smiled and leaned against the wall of the dead end, which had appeared behind him as he was criss cross on the floor of the section hanging over the abyss just previously.
More then several minutes passed as Jaeger sat there fidgeting with the Primeval Controller. It was just too interesting, and for most purposes was the equivalent of a game device used in a game, mixing that with this real world game like place Jaeger rubbed his chin for a while as he thought of different names it could be given.
'P.C? Primecon? Game dev?'
*crk crk*
"Guahh…" Shadows loomed by the entrance of the dead end, but didn't proceed forward into it. There guttural moans reverberated off the walls of the alley and into Jaeger's ears none the less.
Jaeger slowly stood up, creeping forward, he drew the chain blade from the air and eyed the humanoid shaped bodies that slid back and forth in the hazy grey fog before him. The shitty part was the dead end, if he had the choice he would much rather just leave and loop around if possible but even then the route towards the west central was continued on the road ahead and to the right.
A lurching sound rang out as a body was skewered in the head and ripped from the ground it stood upon before being dragged into the alley.
Several of the figures lurking around the road swiveled their heads and moved towards the entrance of the alley. They peered around but didn't find anyone worth devouring and slowly made their way on towards the left after the *pingg….* of a rock hitting something sounded out against metal.
"GuAHH" They roared out as they dashed forward towards the sound, and unknown to them a trench coat cape stacked figure ran off in the opposite direction with a sigh of relief escaping their mouth.
Jaeger's head whipped back and forth across the countless doors on his left and right lining the road. His head pivoted and looked up to a section of walkways in the mid section, several platforms denoting some shops above. Following the road ahead a little further were some rare 4 storied buildings squeezed between sky scrapers whereas in front of those shops was open sectioned walls with short paths leading into a room of tables and bars.
Many details were over looked of course, as Jaeger payed the most attention to routes he could escape into or places he could hold up for a while. After walking over 20 blocks, Jaeger doubled back 3 blocks and stepped into a door leading up into a blue colored sky scraper. Beyond the door was a short flight of steps of about ten steps.
Some random materials were littered by the door, the steps leading up into a second floor space that was barren save for several tables and a long drawn out counter wrapping around the far wall and halfway across the room. Instead of the average amount of alcohol, there was a lineup of potions that looked to have been ransacked.
Jaeger rubbed his chin and looked back and forth between the only 2 doors in the room. The one on the right lead up to the third floor, following a wraparound pattern of flights of stairs, with a sign above with an arrow on it pointing up.
The left door however had no signage, and as Jaeger didn't want to go up for that particular reasoning of not knowing what the mid section would bring, took the left door and opened it with a silent swing.
Beyond the door was short hall that had a door on the right, and at the end curved to the right. Jaeger looked at the sign plastered onto the door to his right, with several papers stuck to its edges saying what potions and materials were inside for employees. It was locked, if he didn't find a key he would break in, but that could wait.
Jaeger rounded the corner at the end of the short hallway and found a small 10 by 10 room with a singular window looking outside into the fog. On the floor was a mat with several blankets piled around it, materials and scattered bits of food packaging layed in one corner above what seemed to have originally been a small trashcan.
*click*
The door to the right of the entrance into the short hallway clicked as if it was unlocked, and the sound of it swinging open before being closed and locked again sounded out almost right after. Jaeger looked around and then used a hanging piece of pipe metal coming out of the wall to lift his body up towards the ceiling before the cape covered his body, hiding it in darkness amongst the shadows of the room.
Jaeger held his breathe as he watched a small figure enter the room, look out the window, and let out a sigh before they uncorked and drank back a potion.
The cape parted slightly, allowing Jaeger a line of sight to the next potion in that small figures hands.
'Oh no…' it was a kid, just younger than being a teen and in their hand was something quite familiar to Jaeger who had investigated many scenes of murder including…poison.
"I won't make it through this bullshit, might as well go out on my own terms then die trying to get to a sanctuary…sorry big bro." The figure looked out the window, swirling the green and light crimson colored poison in their hands like someone reminiscing while drinking rum.