Chereads / The Cat of Speed / Chapter 34 - Warning and a Reveal

Chapter 34 - Warning and a Reveal

 "You…I remember you." Tigra whispered. "But, why am I seeing you again? I figured it would be when I kicked the bucket once more. You know, permanently."

 

You will then as well. And I'm pleased to see Soul's memories are still intact as well. There have been times where the Soul has forgotten us after so many years.

 

 "Speaking of 'us,' will anyone else ever talk to me? Or are there a group of beings talking to me? I remember you saying that some of you are 6th dimensional or higher."

 

You will only hear me but if prompted enough, another being will be able to talk to you. But back to your first question.

 

We are speaking because you have died for the first, real, time.

 

 "But Phoenix-"

 

You were on the nose about Phoenix being a last resort. It activates the moment your HP hits zero.

Therefore, you haven't really died yet. Think of it as if your heart stopped and started again.

 

Whereas your Myth trait, that activates after you die. No ifs or buts.

For that trait to activate, you must die and be unable to be brought back by normal means.

 

The time that must pass is simply the amount of time we speak.

For the first time, 5 minutes will pass since your death before you will wake up again.

 

 "So, is there a reason we are speaking? No disrespect, but I'm not done with this life. I'm still pretty good entertainment for you, right?"

 

Much better than the last series. But, therein lies one of the reasons why you didn't simply wake up after five seconds as you normally would.

 

There is a slight problem.

 

 "Really? I've already got enough problems." Tigra muttered to herself.

 

Oh yes. Our little group can't wait to see how you handle the situation once you wake up.

Let alone with how some 'canon' events have been distorted.

 

 "Canon events?"

 

Events that this Universe would have undergone should you not have been part of this time.

Catra would have been much more antagonistic towards Adora, Squadron Alpha would not have been a family as close as it is, the magicats would have stayed hidden until this war is finished, and so many events yet to come.

 

But the problem lies with what has already happened before you entered the Universe.

 

 "What's the problem?"

 

Maybe you'd understand it better this way.

New Quest Discovered!

The Predecessor's Return

You-

 

 "I haven't looked at all of it yet, and already I'm feeling slightly terrified." Tigra admitted.

Go on.

The Predecessor's Return

You were told that you weren't the first one to be given the power and how the one before you was rather disappointing at the end.

Well, it looks like the past is coming to the present.

The One Before is in your Universe.

And they will not be an ally with the way you are going through your life.

Objective: Resolve both your and their story.

Hidden Objective: ???

Reward: 1,000,000 EXP, 50 Skill Points, 15 Trait Points, 10 Trait Upgrade Points | [???] trait, [???] title, ???

Failure: Death

 

 "What the fuck?" She whispered in fear.

 

You haven't even met them yet and you're afraid?

 

 "Look at those rewards?! And the failure! No potential death?!"

 

Hmm. You're right.

 

 Tigra sighed.

Objective: Resolve both your and their story.

Bonus Objective: Save your Universe from The Predecessor

Reward: 1,500,000 EXP, 75 Skill Points, 25 Trait Points, 10 Trait Upgrade Points | [One with the Universe] trait, [Savior of the Present] title, 500,000 EXP

 

There. That's more accurate.

 

 Tigra couldn't feel anything.

 "Huh. I think this may be the first or second time I've genuinely been scared numb."

What's the problem?

 

 "That EXP, assuming the requirement per level won't increase anymore, would be enough to double my level." She stressed. "My highest potential one had been back with Bolt, and that had only been 120,000Which I failed."

 

And? This opponent will be much tougher than Bolt ever will be.

They were a Player.

 

 Tigra would have paled if she could, coming to that realization as well.

 "How high were they?"

They never used drugs or substances.

 

 "What LEVEL!?"

When they were left alone and the Power was taken away from them due to their circumstances...

They had reached Level 223

 

 Tigra barked out some laughter as she gripped the front of her hair or what would have been had this 'form' had any. The laughter continued for several minutes before calming down, just before her fur suddenly poofed.

 "WHAT!? And you want me, a LEVEL 62, to deal with them!?"

 

You've beaten higher leveled people before.

 

 Even Tigra could tell that the being was trying to grasp at straws to calm her down.

 "BOLT WAS 82! And I beat him because of the bullshit of my Power! I had a DEX multiplier of nearly 120 and an additional 3x to movement! With all that, I only needed to be able to move 3 mph to break Mach 1!"

 

And Rani? Who was 92?

 

 "If this Player is anything like me, then comparing them to Bolt would be better. Someone who found something special and abused the hell out of it. Strength to break a mountain? I can move at Mach 197 at full power. I move fast enough that a sonic boom doesn't happen anymore.

 Suddenly being able to break a mountain doesn't sound outlandish. What, Constitution high enough that, even with my damage capabilities, it would take me a year to deal enough damage to even tickle them?

 Their intelligence is high enough to see everything I'm doing weeks ahead before I even have that thought?!

 Wisdom high enough that they could create a cataclysmic magical attack and keep it going for days?!

 Charisma is high enough that I may unconsciously follow and agree with everything they say to the point I act like a robot without A.I.?!

 Hell! What if their Dexterity is high enough that they can approach lightspeed! At that point, I couldn't even see them move a mile!"

 

You need to calm down, Young Tigra.

 

 "How can you expect me to be-"

 

Young Tigra!

 Tigra went silent.

 

This foe will not appear anytime soon. Your Universe is different from the Original. The Original would have only needed 1 object to be fixed for this threat to even show up.

Yours?

Your Universe needs 4 things to be fixed. However, 1 of those has already been fixed with the second one eventually being fixed within the next year more than likely.

At the very earliest, expect the enemy to show up after 2 years, maybe three.

 

 "That still isn't much time." Tigra whispered.

 

Are you sure? Compare yourself to how you were when you were 17.

When you graduated, your top speed was 76 mph.

When you turned 18, your maximum was Mach 32, nearly 322 times faster.

And look at yourself now, barely 6 months later and your maximum now is Mach 197, just over 6x that!

At the rate your speed keeps improving, it may be you who reaches lightspeed and not who you should be worried about.

And that's not taking into account your teaching ability.

Between the two of us, we know its potential is broken, but we have always had the ability to take it away.

Just don't let all of that power go to your head and try to use it against us.

 

 Tigra felt the void suddenly feel as if the last trac of heat vanished, the pressure increase enough that she couldn't move a millimeter, and as if she was trying to carry a planet on every single inch of her body.

 

Because we can easily take all of your power away.

 

 Tigra felt the void return to normal and let out a breath.

 

I apologize, but we've had dozens of people attempt that and it gets annoying after the fifth.

We always have to cancel that story before we get to see how the series would have ended.

 

 "Un…Understood."

 

But really, we're kind of impressed. We figured you would have simply used all of your power for yourself and simply taken over the Horde.

Yet…

You've begun to build up the Horde. You're improving their bodies, their combat prowess, and are teaching a skill we rarely see in the Horde, even with hundreds of thousands of versions.

You are teaching the Horde magic.

 

 "Thanks, I guess. Is there anything else?"

If you would like, I can remove this conversation from your memory and let this happen naturally.

We figured we'd give you a warning as this was slightly our fault since the being who chose your Universe forgot to choose a clean Universe.

 

 "...Make me forget that I had another life again." Tigra determined. "I want to continue this life believing that this is all I have. Without that, I'll be more reckless and less attached to this life. I want to live this life like a game. Not play life like a game. After all of my lives are gone, there's no do over."

 Tigra looked in a direction of the void.

 "I want to continue to believe that."

 

You really are a strange Soul. Maybe we'll see if you're deserving of a sequel after this story.

 

 Tigra smirked, feeling back in her element again.

 "Tell you what. Ask me that once again when I see you for the last time in this lifetime. I'll give you my answer if I want another go."

 Tigra noticed that her hand started to turn translucent.

 

Seems we have run out of time. So for now, I'll leave you with this warning.

Don't try to end up here too often.

You'll need all the cards to go against Despara.

 

Until we meet once more, Young Tigra.

May your enemies never catch you.

And may they never escape you.

 

 Tigra's body vanished at that moment.

 ____________________

 The two groups were sitting around near each other with Scorpia and Sea Hawk being the main two who were talking with the other group, trying to make time pass quickly since they were all stuck until the blizzard passes.

 "You've got a time on the blizzard yet, Trap?" Catra asked, hugging her knees.

 Entrapta hummed while looking down at a new tablet near Tigra's machines.

 "My data estimates that we'll be stuck here for another day or two at worst." Entrapta frowned.

 "So what? We have to hope she gets better on her own?" Rani asked.

 "Well, now that she's out of the danger zone, her healing factor should start to kick in eventually." Entrapta looked closer at Tigra's wound. "Actually, it looks like it's slowly kicking back in."

 "How long until she wakes up?" Adora asked, no longer holding her sword.

 She could do it in the moment, but she still would prefer to find out herself if her sword would stay She-Ra's sword or the sword that cut her past.

 "That's tricky. Based on regular people, Tigra could be out until we leave, but her healing factor makes that tricky. Even the tech I cobbled up is not much more than a heart rate monitor. I don't have the equipment needed to know how her brain activity is going to know how-"

 "Neeeerd." Tigra groaned out, breaking the tension with several people in bewilderment that that was how she came back to the living.

 "Tigra!" Several of them exclaimed.

 Tigra's eyes opened and spotted everyone one by one.

 "Oh boy." Catra and Adora muttered.

 "What?"

 "Is Tigra on strong pain medicine?"

 "The closest thing I used was Scorpia's venom."

 "Which can be a loose replacement for anesthesia." Scorpia spoke up, raising a pincer. "It's why people are so groggy after the venom wears off."

 "So that means-"

 "Why aren't my girls hugging me?" Tigra whined. "Why am I on the floor? Did I fall asleep somewhere else again? I tried to stop that years ago. Why am I sore? Where's a ration bar cause I'm hungry."

 "No filter." Catra and Adora spoke in unison.

 "How often did this happen?" Rani asked with some concern.

 "Hey, you're like Catra and I. Who are you?"

 "I'm-"

 "Where'd you come from? Have you seen my parents?" Tigra's head cocked to the side.

 "Maybe-"

 "How about Catra's? She says she doesn't care but I'd still like to meet my Chosen's parents."

 Adora choked.

 Catra's fur turned slightly red.

 Several people were looking at Catra in surprise.

 "I don't-"

 "Bored now." Tigra swung herself up onto her feet.

 "Tigra!" Catra and Adora exclaimed.

 "Where's a hot area? Is there a nest? Who are you?" Tigra got into Sea Hawk's personal space.

 "Oh! I am the mighty Sea Hawk! Adventurer of-"

 "I asked for your name, not your make believe story of your life."

 Sea Hawk grabbed his heart as if hurt by the comment.

 "Tigra," Catra got closer to her and grabbed her arm. "You need to get back into bed. You were hurt pretty badly."

 Tigra laughed and looked to the side.

 "Oh boy, yeah I was. I only have about three fourths of my health and my regeneration is barely working. Strange. Usually when I'm hurt this bad, my regens are nullified because of She-Ra."

 "Well…"' 

 "Doesn't matter much." Tigra shrugged. "I'll be good in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 47 seconds. 46. 45."

 "That…is insanely specific." Bow whispered.

 "Off to bed so you can rest." Adora agreed, grabbing the other arm and letting Catra lead the way.

 The three of them walked off, seeing as Entrapta gave them the okay but to watch her for the next hour.

 Tigra's eyes shifted a lot, causing Catra to look in the direction she was looking.

 Nothing but a normal looking wall.

 "What cha looking at?" Adora asked.

 "Reading my stat sheet." Tigra waved off. "I'm looking for- oh. There it is. Huh. I died."

 "Almost." Catra spoke up. "Thanks to Adora healing you, we brought you back from-"

 "No, I died." Tigra denied. "I'm down to 7 extra lives."

 Catra and Adora were growing a little worried.

 "Suuuure." Catra drew the word out. "But you should-"

 "Should have known that the third time would actually stick."

 The three of them went completely silent.

 "What?" Adora whispered.

 "How could you have died three times, Tigra? This is getting a bit of a stretch, even for yourself." Catra tried to laugh off.

 "I mean, you've seen it all three times."

 Catra was no longer laughing.

 They just reached the room and opened the door when Catra spoke again.

 "What do you mean I've seen all three times?"

 "You were with me every time I died." Tigra tried to shrug, but couldn't really with both of them holding her arms. "Though, technically, Adora has also been there every time."

 "How?" Adora asked, wanting this to just be Tigra being affected by the venom wearing off.

 "Catra quite literally was holding me the first time. It was when that giant red and orange bird first appeared."

 Catra's mouth dried up.

 "You said that it was a last resort." Catra whispered.

 That caused a look of horror to start appearing on Adora's face.

 That Catra is starting to believe that Tigra is speaking the truth.

 And Adora knows that exact moment as she remembers Tigra's eyes closing and her last sight being a giant fire bird suddenly appearing right before her vision went black back at the Crystal Keep.

 "It is. When my HP hits zero, it activates and heals me for a certain amount."

 "HP?" Catra muttered.

 "Health Points." Adora's eyes were wide as she said that.

 "What?" Catra turned towards her.

 "Hey, you've got the sheet thingy too?" Tigra asked. "I thought I was alone."

 "Health Points. They're a measurement for video game characters that when they reach zero…" Adora's attention shifted from Catra to Tigra. "The character dies."

 Catra inhaled sharply.

 "Woow. You do know it." Tigra muttered.

 "Tigra, what does that…ability say?" Adora phrased.

 Immediately, Tigra's eyes shifted again.

 "Phoenix. Once a month, if your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP with a 25% increase in all stats for the next 10 minutes."

 Her eyes had shifted as if she was reading something.

 And Catra stumbled.

 "Now, what were you talking about with having 7 extra lives left?" Adora pressed, seeming to hope that this was fake.

 Yet she knew how Tigra acted when she was reading something.

 "The Myth is Real. You have 7 - previously 8 - spare lives and will restore you to 50% HP, MP, and SP upon resurrecting 4 - used to be 5 - minutes later."

 "She got better almost exactly 5 minutes after we got her back here." Catra muttered.

 "Alright," Adora whispered. "Can you say that 'Phoenix' thing again?"

 Only for Tigra to repeat it once more, word for word.

 "Can we go to sleep now? I'm tired and I haven't been able to sleep with both of you in a long time." Tigra complained, flopping on the bed.

 Catra and Adora looked at each other, apprehensively.

 "Either you get in the bed willingly, or I drag those asses into this bed." Tigra's muffled voice sounded from the bed.

 "Oh yeah?" Catra couldn't help herself.

 Tigra's ears twitched as her tail stopped.

 "'Dora?"

 "Y-Yeah?" Adora couldn't help the slight laugh as Catra brought back memories with those two words.

 Tigra suddenly sat up and turned around.

 "Uh oh."

 Tigra's pupils were wide.

 She shot forward.

 ________________

 A lot of hands were flying before the three of them were on the bed.

 One willing, one making it a struggle for normalcy, one unsure about what would happen when Tigra returned back to herself.

 "Tigra…" Catra whispered.

 "Huh?"

 "Sorry for causing all of this?"

 "Why? I like snuggling with you two."

 "No, about…" Catra sighed. "About getting you so hurt."

 "Just because I'm loopy, doesn't mean my memories are on the fritz, Cat."

 If Catra didn't know better, she would have thought Tigra was fine.

 "If I hadn't done that, you would have died. Do you have a magical bullshit way to come back?"

 "No, but-"

 "Then it's fine. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here."

 Catra could tell she wasn't going to win this, even with a loopy Tigra and sighed, filing the conversation for latr.

 "Same to you Dora. I know you're awake."

 "How? I'm literally the one who did this to you."

 "Were you conscious?"

 "N-not really? It was like I was in a haze. I knew it was cold and I was in a fight. But other than that? It was like trying to drive a skiff in the Woods. Never knowing where anything really is."

 "So you weren't in control of your actions? Like someone else was controlling you?"

 "Tigra, why-"

 "Because whatever did this to me, clearly couldn't have been you behind the wheel. I mean, I've fought you when you were using that other form. This felt like it was the other way around."

 "You died Tigra." Adora's voice cracked. "I can't accept that I didn't have any fault in that."

 "Fucking Lorde, Dora." Tigra muttered. "If you want to blame someone, blame the fucking First Ones. They're the ones who made that virus in the first place."

 "I'm down with that." Catra spoke. "Let's blame the problems on those that have been dead for a millennium."

 "Are you really okay with me being here Catra?"

 "Tigra wants you here. Can you look at an injured Tigra and tell her no?" Catra raised an eyebrow.

 Adora looked at her.

 Straight into narrowed, moonrise golden eyes.

 "I will pin you if I must." Tigra threatened.

 Both of the other occupants coughed at that.

 They heard a click before the room got slightly warmer.

 "Remind me to thank Trap." Tigra muttered before her eyes closed once more.

 The other two just looked at each other.

 "So, Tigra…"

 "Her life is like a game." Adora finished. "I have a lot to research to see what we can do to try and help."

 "We?"

 "Today has been emotionally draining, so I'm being as blunt as Tigra used to be. I still care about both of you. While I am not fighting in the Horde, every mission I'm sent on, I'm pleading that neither of you are where I'm going."

 "How's that going?" Catra seemed curious.

 "Pretty well. I've only run into both of you maybe 15 times in the last year?"

 "Yeah." Catra let her head hit the pillows. "I hope the same."

 "What if…what if we tried to find time to meet somewhere neutral?"

 " Is there anywhere neutral still?"

 "I've heard talks that with how much Thaymor keeps getting taken, they want to become neutral so that they don't have to keep wondering how long until they've either been taken back by the Rebellion or taken back by the Horde."

 Catra hummed.

 "I could probably get that done."

 "Really?"

 "Second in Command comes with quite a bit of power."

 "Girls." Tigra grumbled out, tightening her arms around them slightly more until they both could feel Tigra force a rumble. "Sleep. Business shit can wait until morning."

 "Alright." Adora squeaked.

 "Fine."

 Tigra's hold loosened slightly until all three of them closed their eyes as another rumble joined the fray.