Capítulo 11: A World Upgrade!?
Kinda forgot January had 31 days not 30. Thankfully I remembered now and not later. Would be annoying to go back and redo the idea I had to end January. Also a bit rushed as I don't have time for writing as I'm recovering from torn muscles in my back and on pain meds. So I'm not 100% into it. Enjoy~
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Anomaly has been attack.
…
No, he has yet to reached our world or a world of ours.
…
…He hasn't reached our worlds, there isn't any point-
…
He has those? Wait how is that possible?
…
Tch. Of course he's involved. Even then, he's should be no threat.
…!
Truly!? That's impossible! He was only created less then a month ago, yet he can use-
…
Fine. When the time comes, I'll kill him as per our contract.
…
I won't fail you. I'll make sure…to prevent him from ever reaching his full power. If I do this we're done.
…
Even if I have to kill anyone close to him to achieve it.
Sidereum Nox Five Days Later
Grr….why does it feel so warm? His body was wrapped up tightly in a thick cloth of some kind. He almost couldn't breath. His eyes leisurely opened, vison blurry and couldn't make out anything. "W-where-." He started to speak only to fall into a fit of coughs. His mouth felt ful of cotton from how dry it was, his throat the same.
His coughs came out wet, making his chest and lungs ache in pain. Two arms reached under him and helped him to a sitting position before holding a cup to his lips. "Drink slowly please. You are waking up from surgery and your body is recuperating." A feminine voice softly said, helping pour water into his mouth.
His vison cleared up a bit and looked to see a familiar purple haired women with purple eyes. She was smiling like always and helped him lean onto the pillows behind him against the wall. "You gave us quite a scare Cobalt. You made everyone so worried." She quietly admonish him.
He cleared his throat. "How…long have I've been out for?"
"It's been five days since you were attacked. You lost a lot of blood and had to restart your heart a couple of times. If it wasn't for your own sweets your chances were slim to none." She explained, her voice while grim carried a playful tone.
Cobalt sighed and let his head lightly hit the wall behind him. "I almost died huh. Shit what a joke! I didn't even get a chance to fight back!" He covered his eyes as he trembled a bit. He felt them go misty over his own failure. Shinobu shook her head, gently pulling his hand away from his face to look him in the eye.
His eyes once a vibrant blue that lit up with stars, were wet and empty. Just like her when…no it's not the time to think about that. "Let's get you cleaned up. You some others waiting for you outside."
Cobalt could only sigh and accept the help to get up. He nearly folded in on himself when his stomach flared up in pain. Shakily, he pulled up his shirt and was greated to a long scar, properly stitched up from his left to his right. A now permanent reminder of his lack of skill…lack of talent.
How…pathetic.
The next few minutes were a blur. Shinobu helped him to the bath and washed him with a sponge. Thankfully he stayed in boxers the entire time. She stayed professional throughout his bath, even helping him into new clothes. Escorting him with a arm over her shoulders to the shop.
What waited for him was a black cat laying on his counter. It glanced at him before it got up and trodded to the kitchen. A minute past before the kitchen door slammed open and a pick missle aimed to charge into him. "COBALT-GAH!?" Quick as ever was Tengen grabbing her collar and hoisted her up, holding her like a misbehaved child. "He just woke up Mitsuri! If you hugged him like that, you could reopened his stomach!"
Gloria and Lucy followed out smiling at a now crying Mitsuri hanging by her haori. "Don't be too hard on her Tengen. She's just happy her friend his up and recovering." Gloria said and went to help Shinobu to sit him on the counter. Tengen put her down and she quickly, but now more carefully hugged Cobalt from his side. "It's so great to see you awake! I was so scared you wouldn't make it. Your heart kept failing but Urahara-san made sure it kept beating!"
Cobalt wrapped a arm around her blinking when he heard that name. "Urahara? As in Urahara Kisuke?"
"Thats correct fellow shopkeeper. Though I'm curious to know how you know my name." Emerging from the kitchen, a man with blonde hair in a green and white bucket hat came out. "Well it seems introductions aren't needed. So I'll get straight to the point, oh but first we should get everyone. Lucy be a dear and get the others outside. You too Tengen."
Lucy nodded heading to the front door, Tengen following not before giving Cobalt a thumbs up. Urahara pulled up his shirt and examined his wound. "Yes it's coming along nicely now. For the next two weeks I'd advise you to hold off training or moving excessively. Unless you want a repeat of before." He said, warning him of ripping open his stitches. "Your product has quite the useful effect. It greatly helped with making sure your intestines were place back properly. Though you'll have a small trouble digesting food but its temporary." Mitsuri whimpered. "Can he still eat pancakes? I was hoping to make him some when he woke up."
"Of course though not too much. He can't really handle heavy foods for now." Mitsuri cleared up her tears and cheered. "I'll go make some now then! Your kitchen is so big and have a lot of amazing stuff. I wish my kitchen was a great as yours!" She practically skipped away now much happier and excited to make him pancakes. He hummed and wonder if selling modern appliances had merit to hit.
Cobalt looked around a bit when he noticed on the right side of the shop was a new machine that looked like a atm set up. It had a flap you can open and a monitor on top. Gloria noticed. "Oh I see you found the vendor Rebecca and her brother brought in. As soon as they set it up it entire structure changed and its function so it now programmed to accept and measure items in exchange for credits or a worlds currency. We tried managing your shop while you were out but couldn't access your finances or the market but we did fix your price issue."
She reached over and picked up a chocolate bar and gave it to him, Urahara grabbing one himself, leaving back into the kitchen.
Chocolate bar
1 Store Credit
The USD was gone. "How did you guys do it? I didn't see any settings to change it?" Gloria pointed at Shinobu surprisingly. "It was all thanks to Shinobu. She was your personal nurse in taking care of you and wanted to help run the shop.Though how she did it was quite hilarious." Gloria grinned teasingly at Shinobu. She blushed a bit and a tick mark appeared on her forehead. "Like I said Gloria! We don't have technology as advanced in my world so didn't know how to use it."
"She banged on the keyboard a few times and somehow shut it off. She was scared she broke it and tried to turn it on by frantically pressing all the buttons."
"I'd appreciate you stop talking~."
"It was hilarious! Thankfully it turn back on but with the Bios open and found the settings. We couldn't change much but everything should be credits. With the vendor, we can exchange our currency or anything we want to sell for credits to buy from your shop." Gloria explained happy to help him out.
Bios? It didn't have a Bios before. Even then,
Cobalt felt touched they went through the trouble to help him out. "I'll have to make it up to you guys one day. I promised to make up the trouble I caused for you all."
Shinobu only smiled. "You done enough for us Hashira with your capsules and products. You gave us a better chance in taking down demons and fight them in equal footing. Don't burden yourself with debts. Think of it more like a equivalent exchange."
Gloria agreed. "I was actually gonna ask if you don't mind me using your world a bit as a escape. I want to bring my son and have him breath clean air and experience the nature here. Get away from Night City you know." He nodded, grinning slightly. "Of course. Any of you wish to stay in my world your allowed too. Train, picnics, escapism, whatever you need."
"Hope that involves me too my good sir."
They turned to see a group of people walk in. Iguro and Tegen walked in first followed but a man in western clothes and a curled mustache and Lucy. Yuzu and Karin walked in as well with Rebecca behind them.
"And you are?"
"My name is Falco and I'm a driver for Lucy and Rebecca's gang of troublemakers."
Lucy scoffed. "Don't act like you hate working with us Falco. You get to drive the Emperor more now."
Falco rolled his eyes before heading to Cobalt. Cobalt shifted to sit on the counter now facing the group. "Well nice to meet you Falco. Though I wish to meet you in better circumstances." Gesturing to his stomach. Falco grimaced. "Yeah I heard. Nasty way to go. Though you be surprised how common that is in Night City."
Okay what the hell is there world even about? He got that it was most likely a futuristic world with how they had cyber wars implanted in them but where does disembowelment come in?
"That's unfortunate to hear. As for your question, as long as you don't try to take over the world or my store, you have free reign to stay in it. Not that it has much to be begin with."
Karin raised her hand. "Okay as much as we can all walk around it I'm not. What the heck happened five days ago?"
Blood. Dark eyes. The burning sensation of his guts pouring out.
His breath hitched a bit and his eyes dilated. Quick as lightning Iguro slapped his head with a wooden sword. "Gah!? What the hell was that for!?" A bump formed on his head, angrily glaring at Iguro with tears in his eyes.
Iguro only flipped the wooden sword to him, the handle facing his side. "You can have PTSD later. For now you have to suck it up and explained what happened. Take it." He poked the handle onto Cobalt chest. Kaburamaru nodded at him, gesturing to grab the bokken.
Taking a deep breath he grabbed the bokken in a tight hold…before swiping at Iguro's head. As if expecting this, the serpent Hashira leaned back. "I save your life and this is how you repay me? I'm doubling your training bastard." He said mockingly. Give it to his abusive sensei to cheer him up. Prick.
Shinobu and Tengen have them exasperated looks but smiled at the two. They doubt they'll ever amit how much they actually respect each other, more likely to take it to the grave. "Cobalt remember you can't move too much. Your stomach is still healing." She still scolded him though.
"Alright, alright. I'll be more careful. Now as for what happened. It was a slow day with no one showing up at opening so I went out to train my swings. As I was training she appeared from a door no doubt, when I heard a voice. I didn't understand it at first but the second time it practically screamed into my head to not trust her. She then attacked me and I tried to protect myself. But a wooden sword can do so much against a metal dagger I guess." Cobalt explained, not noticing he was palming his stomach unconsciously.
Rebecca grimaced. "That bitch was touching your guts. Playing with them. Shit was like horror movie. We got her off you but her stupid regeneration bullshit made my bullets useless. I looked into making custom bullets cause of her."
Lucy followed up. "We were able to take you inside and crushed up some chocolate and pocky into a water bottle for you to drink. It helped in stemming the bleeding but couldn't close your stomach correctly. Rebecca also got stabbed in the back but it wasn't fatal thankfully."
Iguro was next. "I prevented her from killing the green girl and engaged in a fight. She was fast. Faster then the average demon. Her reflexes were as sharp as mine so it would of came down to a game of endurance. Then I got help. Couldn't see them but Kaburamaru could spot them clear as day. Worked together into knocking her out."
Cobalt blinked. "Knocked her out? She's alive?" A deep sense of worry and rage filled him.
"Why of course we did. After all, dead men tell no tale. Or women in this case." Urahara came out holding two plates of pancakes placing them on the counter. "These are for you. Using the chcocolate here I determine they can be using in any shape or form as long as the entire product is consumed."
Sliding over a plate of chocolate chip pancakes he began to consume his own. "Capturing her was the right call. From what I gathered she is some kind of thrall, or vampire if you will expect not really. She had a form of immortality that is deprived of a name etched into her very being. I assume as long as the name is alive so too her immortality. Couldn't kill her without exhausting her regeneration."
Mitsuri came in with other plates of pancakes to share, the black cat following behind balancing a plate on its head. Cobalt watch it hop up onto the counter and slide the plate perfectly before it, turning to look at him noticing his staring.
"Oh Cobalt you gotta check out this cat! It's well trained and even changed your sheets. Shinobu freaked out when she saw it laying on top of you." Tengen said, dodging a fork that flew across the shop into the wall.
"I'd appreciate you not bringing that up." Shinobu said through gritted teeth, keeping her smile. A tick mark forming on her forehead. Again.
Cobalt continue his stare before a impish grin formed. "Why what a cute little pussy."
Iguro and Gloria choked at the out of pocket response while Urahara quickly stifled a laugh with his hand and pancake. Mitsuri dramatically gasped while Falco and Rebecca burst out laughing. Lucy shook her head amused. Shinobu raised a unamused brow. Mitsuri glared while pouting.
"Cobalt! Don't say that too the poor-."
"Why thank you. I'm sure yours would look good as mine if you had one."
That did it as Cobalt and Urahara began to laugh heartily. Everyone whipped to look at the cat nibbling at its own pancakes, asking as if nothing was wrong. "D-did that cat talk!?" Tengen asked dumbfounded.
Yuzu looked at Karin with a tilted head. "Our world has talking cats?" Karin stared before groaning. "Of course it does. Just eat the pancakes from another world Yuzu." She was quickly learning to just accept things. Less headaches that way.
Cobalt continued to laugh till his stomach stared to hurt. Gripping it, he cease his laughter but kept a smile up. He looked up and met with the sight of Tengen and Rebecca trying to coax the cat to talk agian. Mitsuri excitedly asking Urahara is talking cats were normal which he answered in half truths. Iguro was slightly feeding his snake pieces of pancakes, answering questions from Falco about it. The cat slightly pushed his pate to him, approaching him when Tegen and Rebecca got into a argument as the shorter one tried taking his share of pancakes.
"Quite the group you gathered shop keeper. Only a month and yet you wormed your way into their hearts."
Cobalt nodded. his smile somber. "Waking up…in this world, I thought I sold my soul to be lifetime of servitude. Just selling things to people…only asking for money in returned."
The two troublemakers raised their pancakes to start lobbing them at each other. Shinobu quickly approached to hold Tegen's and Rebecca's ears in a pincer grip, scolding them for escalating their little spat.
"Do you regret it?"
Mitsuri handed Yuzu and Karin more pancakes much to there joy. Falco was carefully examining Kaburamaru in his hands, Iguro teaching him how to properly hold a snake. Urahara was looking at a piece of string Lucy handed to him, studying its properties.
"I…don't think so. I can do without my stomach leaking or the sabotage." He shrugged, resting his head onto his hand.
The cat snorted. "Don't we all. Listen kid, I know what your feeling. That feeling of just mounting responsibilities, of issue stacking one on top another. Take it from me, its better to take all that mounting stress and pass it on the next sucker."
Cobalt raised a brow. "I can't just stop the literal job I'm connected too. Literally, if I run out of money I die."
The cat only shook its head. "I know, I know. But have you ever thought of hiring?"
Cobalt was gonna rebutted but stopped. Can he hire staff? "Even if I could I have no place for them, and this world isn't exactly filled with resources to make a home."
The cat nodded. "No brainer there. But you are a reflection of the world right? Similar to how a Shinigami is a reflection of their Zanpakutō. A part of there very soul. You said this world has a name right?"
"Sidereum Nox. A world where the Shooting Star lives."
"No, no. Don't think about it that like that. Think about something more personal about the world. What is the world to you?"
He hummed closing his eyes. Sidereum Nox, Latin for Starry Night. He made this world as a way to grant the unfortunate a way to gain a footing in life. Yet all it has is a shop and its keeper.
Siderum Nox…should be more then grass and starry skies. It should be more like…a world that can grant you opportunity. No, that doesn't seem right. After all, if you can just show up and get what you want without working for it, isn't he just doing all the work for them?
A person no matter where they come from or what gender they are should always try to work for their accomplishments. Not only does it build character but it gives that satisfaction of achieving a goal that almost seemed impossible at one point.
"Um Cobalt?"
He remembered the satisfaction when he made his first cake at twelve years old. He did it all alone without any help and it came out great!
"Oi, what the hell is going on!?"
Oh and that time where he beat his first game on the max difficulty! What was it….oh it was Terraria! He didn't play video games until two years before his death. Never clicked he guessed other than pokemon and watching let's plays. The Moonlord was added in 2017 and he figured he try it out but wanted a true experience of the game and max out everything. World difficulty, player lose items on death, and won after so many grueling hours.
"Guys look outside!"
God it was such a relief to beat Moonlord, all the suffering he went through. All the failed attempts. If only they added more updates. Maybe he should of tried mods but he didn't play it on pc so it was a missed opportunity. Wonder what people thought up off.
"Cobalt!"
"So it's true. This world is like a Zanpukatō."
"Quite the dreamer you are Cobalt."
"Huh?" He opened his eyes to see everyone at different windows looking out in awe. He approached a window with the cat jumping onto his shoulder.
Looking out his his eyes widened and jaw dropped. The cat purred with a glint in its eyes. "Well~. I can't say I'm disappointed. You made quite the world Cobalt."
What was surround empty fields of grass was now a forest of trees and plants. The area was clear of trees around the shop but all around was trees of all sizes. Bushes can be seen with blueberries, flowers grew from the ground.
He looked up and noticed a nest with a blue bird tweeting. Squirrels, rabbits, birds.
A blue gelatin jumped out a bush.
"Oh you got to be kidding me."
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Hint hint. Definitely won't have future consequences right? Where thinking on how I would shape the world I wrote down three worlds I want it to be a template off. Terraria, Pokemon or Harry Potter. Harry Potter casue I liked the different magical creatures and the fact they can petty much make spells over everything. Pokemon cause who wouldn't want to live with pokemon…until you remember a rattata can be shaped to into a god killing machine.
In the end I chose terraria as the template casue oh the progression type system it has. How you gotta clear out bosses to push the world further and alon that way more enemies and resources appear. Minecraft also could be great but I would of stuck with blocks and that would of remove focus on the magical side of things.
Have a good day~
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