Start New Game

[Neal]

Just before noon, and Neal had only just set out on his journey. He guessed it must have been hours since he had fallen into Deep Thought. It was worth it though. sure enough, he had no doubts in his head, and no stray question of great importance distracting him from the long walk ahead.

That did not mean Neal had nothing on his mind. As he walked, Neal pondered further over his answers, and over the questions unasked. The new information brought from his Insight was also a large bite to swallow. From what he had learned, the Omniverse does not simply add, it can completely change a person, right down to their memories. That was more than a bit unsettling.

Still, there were too many positives sitting in front of Neal for him to focus too long on the negatives. His new life was what he always wanted, and of course there had to be a catch. My knowledge was limited because I know information on other universes, he easily rationalized. Knowledge is power, after all. I bet a lot of Primes were limited too. He took comfort in that. The idea that all Primes once stood on even grounds means that he would not necessarily suffer from his human starting point, just his experience.

Neal's idle musings paused when a bush not far off rustles. Hmm, bad guy in the most cliche hiding spot, or just the local wildlife? It could be either or, so Neal took no chances. His right hand rose, extending an index finger. Thoom! The warning shot was aimed for a nearby tree trunk. The shock wave still rattled the bush, but the initial sound had a number of squirrels and one disgruntled beaver fleeing. Wildlife. He continued on.

It was easy enough to hop back into his mental groove. He was no longer meditating, but there were still things that popped into his skull and rattled about. I wander if I still need to eat? A good question. He was not yet hungry, but he could eat. Then again, he could always eat. Neal decided against it for now, stopping to eat would only leave him in the woods another night. Doesn't matter, I guess. I'm still gonna. Just later... especially considering he could fabricate any food he could think of.

As if realizing how random his thoughts have been, Neal shook his head. Alright, focus, focus, what do I need? Might as well consider it now, while nothing was around. Neal glances around for a moment, but like before he saw nothing. Even the bushes no longer rustled.

So, what is my preferred fighting style? Neal mentally asked himself. He held up his hand, pointing a finger as if to shoot another volley of Mind Bullet. Easy, ranged. The idea of long distance combat seemed safer and more lethal against the bulk of melee fighters. What would go well with that. Let's see what we have...

Neal imagined a Gamer's interface appearing before his eyes. Letters and numbers filled the imaginative screen, filling out with the names of various abilities, and the cost of Omnilium. His current remaining Omnilium also popped up. Currently, I have seven hundred... not that many powers so cheap...

The User Interface his mind fabricated scrolled, allowing him to see the list in full. Neal knew he needed something to complement his long-ranged fighting style, but that would be useful if he ever decided to hybrid in some melee skills. All for a simple seven hundred, when most powers were nearer to a thousand.

He did find a few interesting ones within his price range, and their prices made him smile. Hmm. If I get Basic Super Jumping... I can still get Master Acrobat too. That could lead to some awesome Freerunning. He could already imagine bouncing through the forest and any village like a Shinobi from Naruto. "Purrrrchassse!"

[Neal]

The drain was as it always was, slightly uncomfortable. It left an empty sensation for a moment, but said feeling was overpowered by a burst of warmth that spread through his body, his muscles, like fire through his veins. It wasn't painful, nor entirely unpleasant. In fact, the warmth was invigorating, reminiscent of a full body adrenaline rush.

Neal rose onto his tiptoes for a moment, but toppled due to a new found psuedo-weightlessness. He felt so much lighter than before, especially the warmer his legs felt. "I'm not just Psionic anymore," he analyzed. "I bet I could jump clear over a semi trailer..." The temptation to do so rose. It easily overwhelmed his inner wisdom which screamed Baby steps!

From a dead stop, Neal crouches down. He tenses his legs, coiling as if a striking cobra. With a quick snap, he leaps into the air - right into a branch. In less than a second, the world went from excitement and adrenaline to darkness.

[Neal]

Sound returns first. The chirping of birds and the slight rustle and whistle of wind through the forest. There was a soreness across his back, a pounding in his head and a numb-tightness upon his brow. Neal had no doubt the branch had left him with quite the knot as retribution for his hasty actions. Talk about jumping in head first... He instantly regretted the chuckle that followed.

Laying on the ground, a thought occurred to Neal. Mental and Physical skills trees... Smirking, he built on that thought. I should totally have a Stamina bar now. He mentally imagined a stamina bar on that imaginary UI in his mind. Health bar too, can't forget that. A red bar filled out over the Stamina.

One for TK too. His smile faded slightly. It was not his interest that had been lost, but the humor. He remembered how the original upgrade from Human to Psionic had left him with what could have lead to a hemorrhage in the real world, or if he'd continued. A blue bar filled out under his Stamina bar. Zero will be my safe boundary... for Stamina and TK.

Neal stared into open space, focusing on his UI more than the clear sky peaking through the leafy canopy overhead. They looked good, but there seemed to be that special touch missing. Neal stood finally. At first, his head swirled, but despite the throbbing he continued forcing ideas and thoughts from his brutalized thinker.

Seriously... Neal focused his thoughts. He was as he demanded of himself, very serious. All the ideas that swelled within his mind were frozen. He started shifting through them one at a time, filing and building.

Foundation: An Augmented reality vision, upgradable as new powers come in... For now, a HUD with Resource Pools. Neal held up his hand. His eyes became glued on a tree while he lifts his palm up to the corner of his peripheral vision. Here. The three bars appeared, red, white and blue. Huh, what a coincidence... American flag aside, the bars settled. For the moment, they were blank, just basic pools.

Health. Zero is death, full health is... Twenty. That number just felt appropriate - solid and oddly accurate. That Survival power could add a negative point range... maybe five. That would come later, if he ever decided he needed such a power. Death did not have that much of a consequence here, after all.

TK... No, Telekinesis wouldn't make an energy pool. Psyche? ... Psy for short... He liked it. Full Psy. Out of Psy. Short and sweet. That could come in handy in a battle alongside allies. All that was left now was to try it out. "Mind Bullet," Neal stated as he lifts his right hand and fires a telekinetic blast from his index finger. The shot flew harmlessly into the sky, where it eventually dissipated.

At first, Neal did not see any difference, until he looked into the numbers. His total was an even hundred, but his current Psy was only ninety-nine. That meant by deduction, his bullet only took one Psy. Strong against regular creatures and probably normal people, but it'll probably be weak against other primes. Fair cost, overall. He rationalized it easy enough. After all, it did not take much mental effort to create the kinetic blast. One hundred shots before exhaustion. Should be plenty.

Time for Stamina. Not Stamina, that's too human. Qi maybe? Could spell it C-H-I instead of K-I... "'Murica," Neal mumbled to himself. Chi was short and sweet too, like Psy, but had its own sound, keeping it clear from Psy. Psy, Chi, Psy, Chi... In retrospect, it also made more sense than regular Stamina. The warming supercharge his legs had before the jump seemed more Chi-like than a regular feat of strength; the flow of energy and whatnot. All he had to do now was try it out.

[Neal]

Seconds turned into minutes as time ticked by. Though Neal had cleared his mind to focus on the testing of his new power regulation via a jump, he had suddenly found himself less inclined. His very first attempt at high flying wound up with him face first against the Nexus' ground. The second time was no less painful, earning him - as he would describe it - a swollen head.

Neal had not moved from his spot, but in that time his gaze had mapped his surroundings. Trees, of course, and a number of bushes. Some were obviously less than appealing as emergency landing targets, but others did not seem so bad. The fact that there were considerably fewer in this "safe" category was unsettling.

Alright, finally he felt ready. He fabricated an imaginary line in his head, partially on ground, partially airborne. The path would normally seem impossible by many standards, but with his new power he could - theoretically - preform it with ease. Hopefully, that's how it'll pan out. Third time's the charm, right?

His footing changed, his knees bent. Neal took a ready stance and a deep, calming breath. "Control the mind, control the body. Visualize and attack. No more faceplants... no more faceplants... Three. Two. One..." Neal took off sprinting.

He ran no faster than his usual speed back home, but even as his legs pumped and he focused on the first jump, he felt the flow of energy into his legs, supercharging every muscle. He leaped from the safety of ground level almost before he realized. In the next second, his leading foot had found home on the trunk he had aimed for and with another jolt, he had changed direction and rose further above the solid earth.

That sinking sensation never left Neal. That lurch of falling as he flew through the air. The sensation was, without a doubt, exhilarating. Though he knew focus was key, he could not help pulling off the most epic Superman of all time. "TO INFINITY!" His hands grab the targeted branch, and down he swings like a pendulum. At an optimum angle, he releases and spirals like a gymnast.

He leveled out enough to land on a thick branch in the next tree. "AND BEYO--CRACK!--DAMNIT!" The branch snapped. Neal had assured himself the branch would hold, but alas he had not accounted for an unseen defect.

Hello again, ground, nice to see you again. As he hit the ground, he head a rather sickening Crunch! His first reaction was to grab at the greatest pain - his right shoulder. Rolling to his left side, he tenderly moves his right hand. Though the throbbing was unpleasant, his hand reacted normally. He moved his elbow, then his shoulder - all worked fine.

"The hell?" The crunch wasn't him, so what was it? He sat up and looked at what his falling form had most likely mutilated. "Score!" Nestled away in the underbrush he had landed right on a wild melon. The crack of twigs mixed with the crushed watermelon's sounds had sounded like flesh and bone. The moment Neal pieced this together, he felt like an idiot. Damn, nearly shit myself there.

Nonetheless, he plucks one of the less mangled and dirt speckled slices from the bushel and looks it over. He hadn't realized how hungry he had become until that first bite. Yea, definitely gotta eat.

Neal closed his eyes to enjoy the small meal and forget the pains of his trial. Though he maintained a physical awareness, he took the deep, slow breaths as if he were about to fall into Deep Thought. Maybe he could, considering all of his other aspects had thus far been boosted. The darkness behind his lids and the silencing of the world told him that he could very well find his Zen.