《Birth of an AntiHero》Chapter 58 – Orientation Games Begin Part 4
Advertisement
Mr. Abrams: “Haah, you already know the truth now after seeing it for yourself twice, right? Just fix the way you use the words 'slow' 'fast' and 'normal' if you want to attend school without offending anybody else.”
Noel: “No! I still don't like it. I feel that the SCHOOL should-”
Elijah: “Noel, is there something troubling you?”
Noel: “AAAAH!”
Elijah: “...Am I scary or something?”
A light-hearted chuckle brings Noel back to reality.
Noel: “...Phew, That's an apologetic smile, not a sarcastic one.
Then it's just you, Elijah.”
{...I thought he was actually my brother in disguise, for a second there. That bad habit of SNEAKING UP ON ME, left me a little jumpy. I've gotta keep notice of my surroundings.}
*Creeeak*
Noel: “...What is that rectangle sticking out of the entrance..?”
Mr. Abrams: “Hurry up and enter, Oliviera. I'm annoyed as it is, so there's no need to drag this discussion out.”
Oliviera: “Sorry Sorry! I wanted to see if you were talking about anything important first before I just barge in. I didn't want to seem rude!”
Elijah: “So I'm rude now? Haha.”
Oliviera: “N-No! It's not that, just, you know...you and Noel both have some haters and I'm loved by everybody that knows me. I didn't know if it was proper to be around you two when the teacher comforts you both for your .”
Noel: “Wh-What do you mean that the teacher 'comforts' me – he does no such thing! He's only TRYING to change my view on life!”
Mr. Abrams: “...Don't mind him, he's facing a bit of culture shock due to being home-schooled. It made him unaware of certain societal differences. More importantly...”
Elijah: “*Bows*
...I want to start by saying I apologize to you, Mr. Abrams! I didn't mean to make a scene out there!”
Oliviera: “SHHHHH! Elijah! Why are you bringing that up for!? Are you crazy?! He won't know if we don't tell him anything!!”
Mr. Abrams: “...”
Noel: “...Mr. Abrams I thought everyone treated you as a celebrity. Why doesn't she know about your power?”
Elijah: “Oliviera. Teacher here, was most likely notified by security after finding out we were non-combatants. If I had to guess, he knew from then on about our 'Earlier situation'...”
Noel: “...Situation? What situation?”
Mr. Abrams: “Actually, I saw the entire debacle with my powers.”
Noel: “Debacle? What debacle?”
Oliviera: “...You were there?! But... But I didn't see you!”
{…}
Mr. Abrams: “1) I wasn't there. 2) I didn't need to be there. My 'power' allows me to see without being there, or even being near there."
Advertisement
Noel: “Mr. Abrams you never-”
Mr. Abrams: “Shh. Not everyone takes time to learn about my powers just because they're a fan of my face.”
Elijah: “If I may... neither of us started that 'fight' back there Mr. Abrams. It was all-”
Mr. Abrams: “I know. I reported what I saw with my 'Remote Viewing' to Security. Word for word. They also began checking out Oliviera's Blog: Oliv-Yayy. It'll likely be ruled as 'bullying'.”
Elijah: “Bullying...”
Suddenly, roaring cheers could be heard from the room's monitor. Due to the grandiose Amphitheater being 5 miles wide, screens that showed each event currently underway was introduced to the masses by circular, spherical drones that were capable of extremely effortless motion recording.
Another positive 'perk' to this meant that after the initial few battles to serve as the 'warm-up' for everyone, several events may be held at once without conflicting, due to the barriers set up in between every mile.
This meant that they can hold 5 separate battles simultaneously, and still be considered practical. You could choose to either watch them all at the same time or ignore four and focus on one.
Random audience member #1: “Woah sweet! Look what he did!”
Random Audience member #2: “Yeah I see! He just used electricity to Zap the flooded stage! But, how did he do it?”
…
Previously, while they were talking: The battle down below was heating up.
1 member on the land Earth team manage to use a sinkhole strategy on the water user closest to her. As he tried to escape using water to fill the hole, he realized the earth surrounding now transformed into mud!
This put both at a standoff to see who gains control over it, as 'mud' is a substance of the earth as well as being a liquid.
Then the earth user decided to alter her strategy a bit.
She let some of her control ease up, opting instead, to control the entire earth around her enemy in order to 'encase' the mud pit completely. The earth trembled and began a light shift, even beginning to cover the hole in layers resembling an earthen mountain as tall as a few humans in height.
The result was obvious from there. Although he gained the upper hand in control for the 'mud', beginning to use its aid in order to sail higher: his exit was completely encased in dirt that began to bury him.
Then his control for the 'mud' struggled once more. By alternating her control over mud and soil, and his created 'water' only infusing with the surrounding mud and soil to become even more mud...He was soon disqualified.
The battle immediately shifted in the Earth kinetics' favor once she was freed, but before she can lend support, the water users came together and began joint manipulating the raging waters around the arena in an attempt to drown them.
Advertisement
One.
Two.
Three.
Three Earth kinetics stepped forward to control the entire land... and raise it up a few layers!
Not only that, the other 7 started to form massive earthen walls by focusing all of their energies into creating a makeshift 'wall' around their elevated platform.
It was truly a battle between elements – neither team was giving an inch.
However one miscalculation led to a complete and abrupt victory -
The water didn't need to hit from all sides!
The water team had the advantage thanks to being capable of attacking from any angle. Due to this fact, the earth team had to shore up ALL defensive positions while the Aqua kinetics only had to wait for their ground adversaries to finish before choosing a side to attack.
Still, the earthen team could have shored up that targeted side...if only they hadn't expended so much energy! This battle is being fought on a grand scale, and creating walls made from 7 to combat the waves of 9 from every angle was going to be tough...but the waves didn't carry the intent to attack at all. It was only made high enough to 'outreach' the closest wall, then gravity allowed the water to wet everyone. Had they known what would come after, one of the three who elevated the floor would probably havce risked expending what little energy he or she had in order to create a 'roof' connected to the four walls.
But they didn't. They got wet, drenched in water that started to quickly be transformed into mud by some Earth Kinetics, but a lot of water unfortunately remained. Then – A blue haired man stepped forward and spoke.
?: “Hahaha! Lumas! It's my victory!”
Lumas: “What are you-”
Before Lumas could 'guess' what this stranger that knew his name meant by those strange words he hollered: Pulsating electricity came charging at them...
No average human could reflexively compete with lightning. This was an instant defeat!
?: "Gahaha! The name's Aarnav and I plan to become a king that'll replace the current Kings! Join me – Lumas!”
Lumas: “...No.”
Aarnav: “...”
…
Oliviera: “...Teacher how do powers work? I mean, are there limits or what?”
Mr. Abrams: “Therre are limits, yes. It's really dependant on the individual. Some can only gain 1 power through a miraculous event, others can dope themselves with 10 or 20. Those who can be called 'super soldiers' usually have every sensation of a human heightened to their limits, but sometimes even then they want more.
Some studies have shown that the 'powers' people have been receiving en masse from various shady laboratories have only allowed those people to receive 1 ability, and other times a pair of super-humans can manage to successfully pass both their abilities of to their kids. That kid down their, Aarnav, he most likely was either a lab rat, or a product of a pair of test subjects.”
Oliviera: “So... What you're saying is that we can't have more then one power...or something?”
Mr. Abrams: “What I'm SAYING, is that kids with two powers probably got them from their parents because in the labs the common limit is one only.
Whether they volunteered as research test subjects or bought the powers, they can get a common F-C ranked ability quite easily, with the 'C' ranked ones being sold for exhorbitant prices over the black market. But, this doesn't apply to everyone. Not everybody gains their abilities through generic and shady labs.”
Noel: “...Hey, Mr. Abrams? What kind of power should I get if I could choose?”
His big, shining eyes melted Ophelia's hard, and made Elijah release a bitter chuckle. Too bad that their oh – so – kind teacher had to crush his dreams.
Mr. Abrams: “Why: so you can yell at everybody again for being 'beneath' you? Or so you can give those you accused as such an excuse to target you? Burst those dreams of yours , you have enough with just your su—uhm, AHEM... intelligence.”
Noel: “...Than doesn't sound fair. Powers look kinda fun..”
Mr. Abrams: “!! *Cough* *Cough* (This ungrateful brat. Isn't he satisfied with merely knowing that he's been given the body of a super soldier that could possibly take on even my own son?!)”
Elijah: “Ahahaha! It's okay Noel. Trust me – powers are no fun. You get hit with unrealistic expectations and then criticized harshly if you fail to meet those. Also, every action of yours gains no privacy since we're kids and don't have secret identities. It's no... no fun...”
Oliviera: “If I could...no no... ehehehe.”
Noel: “What is it? Do you also want superpowers?”
Oliviera: “Well... No, I don't know... mhmhmhm~ BUT if I could have one... Oh goodness leechums it would HAVE to be super beauty!! Being like Aphrodite and capturing ALL the Heroes and villains with my gorgeousness~ How...mhmhmhmhmhm~~”
Noel: “...I... I see. I guess... that sounds a little scary...”
Mr. Abrams: “Unless you're blind.”
Ophelia: “...”
---
Advertisement
- In Serial61 Chapters
Dear Spellbook (Link to rewrite in blurb)
A rewrite of this story has been posted here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/49881/dear-spellbook-a-fantasy-time-loop-rewrite Live. Study. Repeat. Tal is a sorcerer in a world where they are killed on sight, traveling with a man charged with carrying out the task. Every night Tal must pretend to study his spellbook to maintain his disguise as a Wizard’s Apprentice. If his disguise slips and his charade is uncovered, it will be his death. Seeking answers to mysteries that arose after his parent’s murder, Tal must accept any allies, no matter the risks, to uncover his family’s secret. But when he wakes up one morning to find himself trapped repeating the same day, he has to overcome his challenges all on his own. This story is an adaptation of a D&D campaign I ran but never was able to complete. I tried to capture the feel of a table-top RPG session —tropes and humor— without relying on the mechanics. This is not a litRPG or gamelit story and no D&D mechanics or system appear in the game. It follows one member of an adventuring party as he deals with the problems with that arise from being an adventurer. Namely, getting roped into adventures. The story has a time loop element, but will eventually move past that. This story explores the magic systems, the history, and the lore of the world through the lens of Tal's entries in his Spellbook and interludes from other written works in the world. New entries on Mondays Credit to JackOfHearts for the cover.
8 181 - In Serial32 Chapters
I AM NPC69
Permadeath. It is a concept that every hero fears in this dog eat dog world. However, to the brave souls that embark on these adrenaline-fueled battles where swords and shields collide, where magic flies through the air toward their unsuspecting foes to smite them into oblivion, the thrill of death is what makes this game worthwhile. A single misstep, and you will lose everything. If you die once, it is all over. Years of hard work, down the drain in seconds. With your livelihood in your world tied to ours, you will feel a sense of endless despair. Postmortem, you’ll be greeted by every hero’s worst nightmare... the dreaded character creation screen. As for me, you may be wondering who I am? Well, am I one of those heroes? No, far from it… for my role, is that of the guide. I lead those lost little lambs and show them the path forward. I am the one responsible for their lives. Their survival rests in the palm of my hand. But there is just one problem… I only have one job... but I can't even do it right. Please don't mind the beer in my left hand and the cigar in my right. I'm not drinking on the job, I swear. Volume 1 Available on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
8 143 - In Serial114 Chapters
The Legend of Black Eyes
Zedd Darkstar, also known as Black Eyes, is a man with a plan. In the planet of Hera, he's the only man willing to take down the Auruun Empire that threatens to put an end to the Magic Era. A powerful warrior and an excellent strategist, Zedd plans to slowly weaken the Empire until the day of the final showdown. The only setback? Zedd is extremely unlucky. Whatever he touches turns to dust. During his quest to bring the Empire down, Black Eyes fights his curse along with the multiple superpowers that threaten to destroy all his plans.
8 161 - In Serial43 Chapters
Monillas: Human Garbage
The mountain of trash... Some people already spent almost all of their lives living, walking, running on trash. With or without any dreams to have in the future. The family of Monillas is no exception. Trash scavenging every day and night. Will they just accept this horrible fate or strive and struggle to achieve a future for them?
8 369 - In Serial6 Chapters
Distant Suns
Distant Suns is set hundreds of thousands of years into the future. Humanity has managed to escape to the stars, but running away is futile if what you're running from lies within you, This is a story about humans trying to solve problems created by humans, only to end up with even more problems. Lots of humans here, but also sentient machines and animal girls.
8 102 - In Serial30 Chapters
Always There
Jemina and Gemini Welsch are identical twins. Despite outer similarities, their mom doesn't understand one of them. Jem strives to bring their mom and a new neighbor together. Meanwhile, Gem learns about loss and death after a dear friend dies.
8 275

