Chapter 4: Unique Skill (2/2)
"Let go of my leg, you hag!" Candy threatened through gritted teeth.
[HP: 3/10]
With only 3 HP remaining, Candy knew she was on the brink of death before she even had a chance to actually start playing the game. Those achievements weren't kidding about her luck.
"One as young as you should satiate it's hunger," Futachi-Onna mumbled.
"If you're going to spit game, at least spit louder!" Candy was cut off as a sudden commotion erupted outside the window. Before she could comprehend what was happening, a figure burst through the window with astonishing speed.
The newcomer was a boy with short, spikey blonde hair, his upper face obscured by a white fox mask. Holding a futuristic pistol that shimmered violet adorned with cute bunny stickers in his left hand, with swift precision, he aimed the pistol at Futachi-Onna's eyes and fired.
The creature let out a guttural wail, clutching its eyes in agony.
Caught off guard by the attack, Futachi-Onna's hair writhed violently, revealing a second mouth on the back of its head beneath the tangled strands.
As Futachi-Onna writhed in pain, the boy with the pistol swiftly scooped Candy into his arms, carrying her like a princess. Despite her situation, Candy couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at being held in such a damning way.
You didn't need a genius to guess that he was an NPC, hell, the game hadn't even released yet. But Candy was still stunned by his movements and actions.
"Futachi-Onna, you're at Semi-Wanderer level and still acting like a coward?" The boy taunted, sticking his tongue out at the creature.
The bolded red text above Futachi-Onna's head morphed.
[Danger Rating: Semi-Wanderer]
[Futachi-Onna]
Futachi-Onna's rage reached a boiling point as it screamed curses at the boy, its voice filled with malice and hatred.
"You.. YOU SCAVENGER RAT!" Futachi-Onna seethed.
But the boy paid no heed, dashing towards the stairs with Candy cradled in her arms.
"Who... who are you?" Candy stammered, as he continued to descend at blistering speed.
He flashed her a reassuring grin, though his eyes remained sharp and alert. "I'm Uno Mori from the Ironford Explorers Union Recon Team No. 3," he replied, his tone calm.
"We can save the introductions for later. Right now, I'm tryna get out of here alive!" He chuckled as he spoke.
"But, you're so strong and confident against that monster. Couldn't you take that thing out on your own?" Candy inquired to Uno.
"Oh, boy have you been living under a rock? You heard from both of us, I'm only a Scavenger, and Futachi-Onna is at Semi-Wanderer rank. I may have the upper hand right now, but I won't last long if I stick around." Uno's voice was steady, but Candy could sense a hint of urgency beneath.
"Oh, yeah, ha ha.." Candy didn't understand shit about what he was saying.
As they descended the stairs, the sound of Futachi-Onna's enraged cries echoed behind them. The walls of the stairwell began to be overrun by the same black hair that had enveloped Futachi-Onna's head.
Uno cursed under his breath, his grip on Candy tightening slightly.
"Girl, close your eyes," Uno said suddenly, his voice firm. "Think of something happy, something to ward away your fear."
Candy hesitated for a moment, uncertain of what to think about in a situation like this.
"Hurry up, now!" Uno gritted his teeth.
Candy closed her eyes tightly, trying to push away the fear that consumed her.
She tried focus on her family, her friends, the warmth of her childhood. Trying to drown out the whales and fast footsteps of the chase happening with her at the center of it.
But amidst the chaos of everything around her, a faint memory completely foreign to her began to surface.
It was Jelly's childhood memory, not Candy's. Could a character just created mere minutes for the purpose of being used as a playable character for this game have a backstory and memories?
The memory flashed through her mind like a PowerPoint of still water painted images, she couldn't comprehend much of any thing she saw.
But one thing was consistent, the presence of a pitch black entity.
It stared at the younger version of Jelly perpetually, at least half of it's body was hidden by some obscure object but it watched Jelly intently in her memories.
[You acquired the skill: Identity Crisis (Unique)]
[Achievement unlocked: The Protagonist]
Uno's brow furrowed in confusion as he noticed Candy's distressed expression. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked.
Candy opened her eyes, finding herself still in Uno's arms but now in the midst of a bustling metropolis. People stopped stared and whispered, their curiosity piqued by the scene before them.
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Candy replied still in a daze from the slideshow of images.
Uno gently set Candy down on her feet, his gaze still fixed on her with a puzzled expression. "I'm going to heal you now, so don't be alarmed," he said.
He reached his hand out towards her forehead, leaving just a bit of space between his hand as it began to glow a soft hue of pink.
"So this is Fragrant Power, huh?" She mumbled to herself as Uno seemed to lock in.
Candy felt a warm sensation spreading through her body as she watched her HP recover.
[HP: 10/10]
"Oh, thanks man." Candy genuinely seemed impressed as she inspected her newly recovered body.
Uno withdrew his hand, his eyes widening in surprise as he examined it.
"You're stupidly frail, when was the last time you had something to eat?" He muttered, almost to himself, as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just witnessed.
Candy blinked, unsure of how to respond to Uno's observation. She glanced around at the bustling city streets, the buildings towering overhead, the bright neon lights and sounds of life all around her. It was all so surreal, like something out of a dream.
"Where are we?" She finally managed to ask.
Uno placed a hand on her shoulder as he began to walk through the crowd that gathered around them as he gestured for Candy to follow her with his finger while his other hand rested in his pocket.
Candy began to follow slightly lagging behind him as he answered her question.
"We are in Xequi, or just another Hub if you don't care for names." He told her.
The city of Xequi shone before them, its towering skyscrapers and flashing billboards left little darkness to be seen. Neon signs flickered and buzzed, brightening the faces of the people who hurried past them.
"Xequi?" Candy echoed, her voice barely audible above the din of the city.
Uno nodded. "Yeah, Xequi. It's a Hub, like I said. Basically, a pretty important point for travelers and explorers."
Candy nodded slowly, trying to take in everything around her. The buildings seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky, their surfaces gleaming with reflective glass and metal.
As they walked, Candy's gaze wandered over the various shops and businesses that lined the streets.
"So, how far are we from the Central Hub?" Candy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Uno chuckled, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "Three days, give or take. We'd have to take an Airstreaker to get there quickly."
Candy's eyes widened in surprise. Three days away from the Central Hub? That seemed like an eternity, especially considering she had only just arrived in this strange game.
"An Airstreaker?" she repeated, the word feeling foreign on her tongue.
Uno nodded in reply. "Yeah, it's a type of transportation. Fastest way to travel between Hubs, but it's not exactly cheap."
"You sound like you've never been in a Hub before. All this information might be a lot for you, take some time to digest as we walk." He instructed calmly.
Candy nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the new information. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts as she continued to follow Uno.
"Well, first I've gotta check my status.." She muttered to herself, her fingers on her chin as she unfocused her eyes.
[Name: Jelly]
[Ironford Ranking: None]
[HP: 10/10]
[Quotes: 0]
[Titles: None]
[Innate Talents: Money Hungry - Sharp Weapon Combat - Awakening]
[Skills: Identity Crisis (Lv 1. Unique) - Beginner Tactical Throwing (Lv 1. Common)]
[STR: 2] - Strength
[CON: 2] - Constitution
[INT: 3] - Intelligence
[DEX: 6] - Dexterity
[CHA: 11] - Charisma
[WIS: 5] - Wisdom
Candy's eyes scanned the interface before her, taking in the details of her current status. Her wisdom increased by 1, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief at the sight of her newly acquired skills.
A unique skill, she didn't know what it was but it sounded powerful.
"Tactical Throwing and Identity Crisis, huh?" Candy muttered to herself, her brow furrowing in confusion. She tapped on both of the skill buttons and the information appeared.
[Tactical Throwing (Lv 1. Common):
Enhances precision and range of thrown objects, improving accuracy in combat situations.]
[Identity Crisis (Lv 1. Unique):
The base stats and innate talents of your avatar usually dictate their character builds. It's nigh-impossible to change builds without wiping your character, and doing it multiple times is obscene! That's basically impossible, right?
Allows the player to change their character's build to a rare variation once every 2 weeks.]
Candy's eyes widened as she read the description of her unique skill. Changing her character's build to a rare variation? Rare variation, that sounded like a game-changer, quite literally.
Next were her achievements.
[Achievement: Not Your Day]
[Description: Not the best day to go out, encounter an enemy 1 rank above yours.]
[Achievement: Really Unlucky]
[Description: If you come back alive, go take the week off. Encounter an enemy 2 ranks above yours.]
[Achievement: A Walking Bad Omen]
[Description: Get on your knees and start praying immediately. Encounter an enemy 3 ranks above yours.]
[Achievement: The Protagonist]
[Description: Acquire a unique skill within your first hour of playing!]
Candy looked back up to ask Uno some more questions but when she did, she was greeted with the sight of a towering steel building before them, it bore an emblem depicting a wide, simplistic black eye that always seemed to stare at Candy. Uno gestured towards it.
"Welcome to the Ironford Explorers Union of Xequi." He greeted.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
nectarifle
nectarifle Their might not be a chapter tommorrow and my release schedule of 1/day cannot be promised during school weeks.
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