Chapter 4 - Ch 04: New Mystery, King of Games

Chapter 04: [New Mystery, King of Games]

. "Human beings can choose the kind of life that they want to live. What's important is that you choose life... and then live."

- 'Metal Gear Solid'.

*DOOM*

I don't remember how I died or even if I died, maybe I was just spirited away to another world.

I awoke to find myself floating on the surface of a deep and vast ocean. It was so strange as I could not feel heat or cold, nor did become wet when I touched what I believed was water. I was completely dry despite being surrounded by an endless amount of liquid.

I looked into up as I floated and I saw an endless black sky filled with bright white stars, more stars than I had ever seen in my entire life. The incalculably large ocean reflected the endless sky, a black mirror filled with specks of white. The only flaw in the reflection being me, floating in eternity.

As I waited for what seemed to be hours, I saw the horizon become illuminated and it wasn't a rising sun. Instead, the horizon is covered by a glowing mist that flickers like flames, the gases of the blue-purple-pink color of a nebula.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant light directly above me, a green light growing closer and closer. I was unable to move as the emerald light surrounded by green sparks and swirling white fire streak directly towards him. It hits me with incalculable strength and my body is pushed downward into the depths of the dark ocean. In the endless darkness, the only glow is my body as it pulsates with light. My body is like green glass and I can feel white fire burning through my veins.

*DOOM*

[Rorschach's Retreat]

[October 08, 2010]

"Then I awoke, naked as the day I was born in the world of Young Justice," Rorschach concluded, who I now knew to be my internet friend from my previous life, NewMystery356.

In turn, I told Rorschach my own origin; the weird pseudo-dream of the Dark Tree, waking up in a Cadmus cloning vat, my escape, meeting the League, and my recent trip to the Caribbean. He was seemingly impressed by the 'Doomsday Bunker' I squeezed out of Batman, and the fact that I had seen Starfire, Blackfire, Raven, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy all in the nude, all of whom we could agree were some of the most beautiful women in DC Comics.

"I have to ask... What's with the clothes?" I inquired.

"Oh, those were a starter bonus," he said adjusting his hat. "When I woke up and finished the starting tutorial of my Gamer ability, I got a Notice saying since I was starting in a city with a default 'Hardcore Difficulty', I was privy to some Starting Bonuses," he explained as he adjusted his lapels. "Part of that bonus was an 'Equipment Set' that made me look like Vic Cage, The Question, only with a palette swap. As I leveled up in Hub City, I got 'Alternate Skins' so I could mix things up a little."

"And I take it that's where you got the idea for Rorschach's outfit?" I questioned, remembering how The Question was the thematic origin for Rorschach himself.

"Not quite..." he confessed. "See, since I had The Gamer, I figured I'd take advantage of it and spec myself with the tried-and-true method I used whenever I played games like Fallout; I speced out to maximize my Intelligence stat. Not only did it increase my EXP Yield so I could level up faster, it also increased how fast I 'Mastered' different Abilities, gave me more 'Skill Points' with each level, and let me 'Craft' more-complex armor, weapons, and items. After I started working on my [Weird Science], which I'm pretty sure was a jab at the Wasteland franchise by Menu-sama-"

Ah, yes, the sentient Hal 9000-like reference from Sword Art Online Abridged...

"-that's when I was able to make this," he said gesticulating toward his mask of ever-changing patterns. "Though I will admit, theming myself after Rorschach was always going to be the game plan; speccing for Intelligence just let me reach that point faster."

"And the rest of the Starter Bonus?"

"EXP and Money Yield increase when I'm in Hub City, Gotham, or Bludhaven, with a Full Drop Bonus within the three 'Dark Triangle' cities."

"Full Drop?" I blink.

"In simplest terms, instead of my Drops being decided by chance, I get all possible drops from Instant Dungeons, or when I'm out and about in the 'real world'," he replied with what I assumed to be a grin. "That sub-ability came in real handy when I went up against Boss Enemies~"

"Nice. I think I remember an Isekai manga character that had that as his Cheat." I pause, then look at NewMystery where I think his eyes are, "You have realized that this world is probably a fan fiction, right?"

"Like an Insight-specced protagonist in Bloodborne being able to see all the Lovecraftian horrors around him..." he replied as he withdrew a flask from his coat, downing the contents through his mask. "I was never a big drinker before I reincarnated, nine of those little 'Church-sized' shots of moonshine was my established limit before I got buzzed... but after my Intelligence Stat eclipsed how smart I was before I reincarnated, I started to understand where Rick was coming from with all his Cosmic Nihilism. No matter how-powerful you are in one universe or dimension, you climb off the back of the giant koala your universe is sitting upon, and suddenly all of that becomes meaningless. Even in our previous world where we could observe the goings on of fictional worlds as 'higher-dimensional beings', there's always a bigger fish. Who watches the watchmen, who watches the people watching Interdimensional Cable? Even if we are fictional people in a fictional universe, in an omniverse utterly devoid of what idiots and philosophers call 'meaning', the only thing we can find any kind of solace in, is the fact that we're 'realfictional people' in a 'real fictional world'. If you aren't blissfully ignorant to it and you don't grab onto that rock, you'll crack like Xavier in 'Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe', or the Crimson Chin in that episode of Fairy Odd Parents where he found out he wasn't 'real' outside the media he was portrayed in."

"Christ, you really are turning into another Rick..."

At first I was worried a stray Rick Sanchez had wandered into this corner of the multiverse, but hearing my internet friend say in-no-uncertain-terms that he INT-specced himself, it actually made more sense if he was the one responsible for that box of DVDs "as seen on Interdimensional Cable". Which made me wonder, if he specced himself toward an 'Intelligence Build', just how-smart was he? Or rather, how-smart was he compared to the rest of the super-geniuses in the DC Comics universe?

"I hope you are writing it, you have far more experience. My largest work was that Buffy the Vampire Slayer multi-crossover Halloween World and even then, there was a lot of write-ins and it didn't really have a solid plot."

"Well, assuming we're co-writing this, would we really be able to notice the changes in quality between what I, or rather, 'he', does or doesn't write?" he asked poignantly, returning his flask to his coat pocket. "Every good story has to come to an end eventually, so I guess the best we can really hope for is that like Gwenpool, we get a big-enough fanbase that we'll be able to out-live our initial production run. That's why I brought Gwenpool into my Young Justice multi-crossover, that's why Deadpool keeps sneaking into my 'fanmail column' and our PM Strings, that's why people on fanfiction dot net make 'Reading' or 'Watching' fanfics of other fanfics."

*DOOM*

[Party Request from Rorschach]

[Do you wish to join "Doomsday Clock" Party?]

[Yes/No]

"Doomsday Clock?" as I click [Yes] and we can trade information "I guess it fits."

The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making. I am Doomsday and the Clock symbolism is found in Alan Moore's Watchmen comics. The DC and Watchmen crossover occurred in Doomsday Clock, which is a sequel to Watchmen and concludes DC Rebirth.

"Poison Ivy explained how the Green Scroll appeared in her cell and when used it made an electronic ping sound." I say to my friend as I casually eat a chocolate bar. "That was you right?"

"Pretty much. I got the Green Scroll fighting a Boss, and instead of becoming an Avatar of the Green myself, I sent it to Poison Ivy hoping it would make her a better person," he said as he reached into his inventory, which from my point of view resembled Janemba from Dragonball Z reaching into empty space, and pulled out a piece of candy. "For somewhat religious reasons, I didn't want the Parliament of Trees to sink their claws into me and trap me in The Green's life web, and since I don't exactly want to 'stress test' if I can Respawn when I die, I'll just assume I still can die even if I'm in a world where death is largely temporary; because 'Plot Reasons'. Like Roland biting the big one in Borderlands 2 even though there are New-U stations all over the place. Heaven at the least is a confirmed plane of existence in the DC Universe, so I'd like to go there when I bit the big one."

"How did it up in Ivy's cell?"

"I got these things called Gift Boxes every Christmas. They were empty, but they were a useful instant-delivery system that worked regardless of distance, so I addressed it to Dr. Pamela Lilian Isley, and The Gamer did the rest."

"You pranked a couple villains didn't you."

"Yes. Vandal Savage got a very interesting Christmas present. "

Rorschach doesn't elaborate.

"Hmm. I noticed all the members of the Injustice League were eliminated, how did manage that?"

"Oof, this is gonna be a long one," he groaned sitting down on a nearby recliner, which gave me a chance to take in my surroundings.

The place definitely resembled a superhero's 'Cave', maybe a repurposed Cold War bunker. The room itself was kitted like an ordinary living room, somewhere you could decompress after a long day. And in a world like the DC universe, you'd definitely need to do that every once in a while, lest you end up turning into a complete loony like this one other Hero who never took breaks and was certifiably crazy. There were doors radiating into different areas, which had me wondering just how much Loot he'd been able to stock up, what kind of facilities he had access to.

"The first Scroll I got was the Green Scroll. I was out grocery shopping when I overheard how a new narcotic hit the streets in Hub City, and it caused a new Quest Notification to appear, so once I got back to base, put on my Sunday best, and followed the breadcrumbs. Turned out, the new poison was being manufactured by Jason Woodrue."

"The guy that turned Dr. Isley into Poison Ivy? The alien plant elemental disguised as a Douche bag? "

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Woodrue 1][Woodrue 2]

The first image is a six-foot-two two-hundred-ten-pound humanoid composed of yellow wood and flowering verdant bushes. The reddish-purple flowers contrast against the menacing creature's appearance. He has red eyes and branches covered in green leaves for hair.

The second image is a typical mad scientist with hazel eyes and black-and-white hair. He looks like John Glover when he played Dr. Woodrue in that horrible Batman and Robin movie made by Joel Schumacher.

"Yeah, that asshole," he replied. "I assumed he was creating the drug for The Light because it caused Metagenes to activate; problem was, the purity required to even trigger a Metagene made the stuff almost fatally poisonous. So, I picked the locks, infiltrated the factory, took out some guards with Stealth for Bonus EXP, and when I got close enough to Woodrue, The Gamer triggered a Boss Encounter. I had a few incendiary weapons on my person so I thought he'd be a pushover, but turned out, the Floronic Man was getting high on his own supply. I almost got strangulated before the weed killer I mixed into the fire suppression system finally whittled him down enough for the kill-shot."

"At least you didn't have to fight Snowflame."

We both shudder the name of the drug-powered supervillain, a flying fiery metahuman powered by cocaine that he religiously worships. Thankfully that lunatic is running a cartel and cult down in Columbia.

"After his HP dropped to 0, I got the Green Scroll, a Skill Book for Botany, another for Chemistry, some Health Potions, and a nice amount of cash. Once I finished tranquilizing anyone that was still awake, I broke into the safe, stole all the cash, and made my way out of there."

"Hey, speaking of which, is the cash you get from The Gamer actually legal?"

"One of the first things I tested out," he replied. "I put a bunch of bills with non-sequential serial numbers in a brown paper bag, took it to the police station a couple of towns over, and said I found it behind a dumpster. A couple weeks later they gave it back to me, saying since it wasn't stolen it was mine to keep. With my INT, I speculated the money I get through The Gamer is basically whatever real-world money is lost or destroyed. If it weren't, it'd have turned up counterfeit, or been flagged for disposal," he explained.

"Hm. Smart."

"After that I went up against a magical serial killer; guy was a Lich that'd been around a couple centuries murdering anyone he could get my hands on. I stealth'd my way into his magical mansion, bypassed all the traps with my [Trap Detection], snuck past the undead servants, and cracked the safe for his Soul Jar. Unfortunately, the only way to break the damn thing was by using the Ritual Dagger the Lich always carried on his person."

"What was his name?"

"Donato? Donatien? I don't remember. The Loot was more memorable." says Rorschach, "The two big items were the Finder's Watch and a Black Book."

Rorschach pulls out a silver Fob Watch.

"The Finder's Watch lets you track anyone or anything as long as you have a sample," he explains, rubbing his gloved thumb across its surface. It reminds me of the Biodata module of a Chameleon Arch, but I am a major Fan of Doctor Who. "The book on the other hand set off all my warning signals when I tried to use [Analyze] on it. The flavor text implied that anyone who read the damn thing would rot away, mind, body, and soul, becoming an undead possessed by The Black. I considered shipping it to Vandal Savage, but I opted out almost immediately because he'd just be too cautious to read the thing carelessly, and on the off-chance he actually did, either Klarion or Darkseid would steamroll us, and I'm not nearly confident enough in my [Weird Science] to bum rush the Final Boss."

"So, you sent it to Wotan instead," I hummed, guessing this to be why the immortal Viking sorcerer had been missing.

"I waited until recently, but yeah, I did. He can't die due to his immortality, but he continues to spiritually rot. He's comatose wherever he is. Evil, but he was part of that half-world shit on Roanoke. God knows how many kids would have died this time."

Punishing people for crimes that have not committed yet, sounds like Minority Report. Still the sorcerer had centuries of crimes before present day.

"A while later I came across the Red Scroll, which was connected to the Parliament of Limbs. The Boss was the head of a smuggler group and a former big game hunter from Russia. And I'm pretty sure the universe has a sick sense of humor, because he was a blatant rip-off of Kraven the Hunter, down to the animal pelt outfit and facial hair."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Fake Kraven]

The Image is DC does Kraven the Hunter - badly. A six-foot muscular Russian with brown eyes, black hair, and groomed beard. He's wearing deer boots, cheetah spotted pants, lion skin coat completed with a full mane, alligator skin armbands, zebra wristbands, a necklace of various predator teeth, and belt with various teeth and horns.

I laugh and with my Orson Well deep voice it vibrates.

"He had the magic ability to absorb animal parts and temporarily gain the traits of those animals. If he absorbed a wolf pelt, he became a werewolf. If he absorbed a water bison's horn, he became minotaur with horns like that guy from Legend."

Love that 1985 Riddley Scott film, especially the end song "Loved by the Sun".

"The fight was more tedious than it was difficult; every time I had the bastard on the ropes, he'd consume a new piece of carrion and get fully healed with a new body to boot. After he consumed everything, he turned into a hideous mix of Pangolin, Rhino, Elephant, Tiger, Turtle, and Orangutan."

I Stare. WTF!?

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[WTF_Chimera]

The image is absolutely bizarre. A giant humanoid with thick legs and long arms ending in long claws. A body covered in rough gray hide covered in patches of thick scales and a shell on its back. It also has the head of a tiger with a mane of orange hair, a rhino horn and spiny tail. Its eyes are not normal for any animal, being glowing red.

"Guy was a pain in the ass after that, and melted into a puddle of blood after I blew his head off with a combination of [Execute] and [Lethality]. After that I sent the Red Scroll to Ultra-Humanite; and as it turns out, Aliases are as good as real ones as far as the Gift Boxes are concerned."

"What was the Scroll supposed to do?"

"It was supposed to make the reader a lesser Avatar of Red, basically a shape shifter like Beast Boy. The trick was it also judged the worthiness of the flesh. A man who steals the bodies of others to live longer is judged less than a noble ape that protects its family. The magic destroyed Ultra-Humanite's genius human brain and good Tolifhar was regenerated and restored to life."

"This was the big prize," he said drawing out a detailed ring made of bone. "It lets me summon and store an animal familiar like a Pokeball."

"Cool. Can you see with its senses?"

Rorschach nods.

"Cool."

"After that was the Clear Scroll, which was made of some weird Atlantean waterproof parchment," he said pulling a soda from his inventory and downing it; probably from all the talking he'd been doing. "Turned out, one of the drugs I heard about, Abyss Black, came from Atlantis, and the guy I went up against was a former student of the Conservatory of Sorcery. Guy was high on his own supply, firing off bullets and water whips like a Waterbender from Hell. If I didn't have [A Gamer's Body], there wouldn't have been enough of me left to feed to the fishes."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Abyss Maker]

The Image is of a tall, thin man with bulging gray eyes, sickly blue-gray skin, and long limp blue-black hair. He's dressed in black Atlantean clothing and holding a pair of metal devices which I'm guessing is magi-tech. He has a very crazy look in his face and his creepy smile contains a lot of stained teeth.

"It was a difficult fight, but I won't bore you with the details; all I'll say for certain is that it involved a lot of electrical cabling, and a teeeeny city-wide blackout. After that I Gift Boxed it to Queen Mera since she was the head of the Conservatory. I also attached a note so she wouldn't read it herself by accident. As thanks for taking out their rogue Atlantean and because The Clear is sacred to them, Atlantis owes me a favor. Or a 'boon' as they call it."

"It's good to have political connections."

"After that was the White Scroll, connected to air elementals and the Parliament of Vapors. This one I got in an Instant Dungeon where I took out a mob boss, Federico "Falcon" Falcone, at the top of Sky Tower which gave me a Key to a fantasy dungeon that mirrored the real world."

"Falcone as in Gotham Falcone Family."

"Federico was the bastard son of a Spanish prostitute, but Vincent was soft on the boy. As for the Falcon Boss, it basically looked like him attached to a giant monster bird Dark Souls-style. The fight metaphorically and literally cost me an arm and a leg thanks to all the invisible wind blades whirling around everywhere. When the thing tried to make me its lunch, I lobbed a bouquet of grenades down its throat. I actually still have that Scroll, I just don't know what to do with it, but the big takeaway I have is this thing," he said drawing a necklace with a charm in the shape of a bird's wing. It was made of teal-colored crystal, and looked... exactly like the Flight Necklace from Overlord.

"Huh. Looks like the thing from the second episode of Overlord."

"Yeah, I thought that too," NewMystery nodded. "Unfortunately, it doesn't allow for full flight, but it does decrease fall speed, so assuming I ever have to stress test it, I'd like to think I could survive re-entry; only downside of course is the trip down would be boring as hell. Oh, and it makes my footfalls really quiet, so that's a plus too."

Grabbing a bottle from his Inventory, after downing it, he continued.

"The Grey Scroll is connected to fungal life, and the whole thing started when I rescued a wife and her daughter from a kidnapper. The guy coming after them was a bit of a problem because he was the son of a state senator, so not only did I have to kill the son, I also had to kill a bunch of hitmen while getting the two to safety. After getting a Dungeon Key, I went back to the swamp house the whole thing started in, and I actually managed to drag the Senator and his hitmen into the Dungeon with me. Short story made shorter, what happened next looked like something out of Resident Evil 7."

The next moment he shuddered, and since he had [A Gamer's Mind], whatever he'd seen must've been truly mortifying...

"It was the most fucked-up thing I'd ever seen so far in this world, and the loot from the Fungal King wasn't even worth it."

"I guess the Grey Scroll would be useful later. It is how Games usually go," I shrug.

"The Fire Scroll came after, connected with the Parliament of Flames, and came from a professional arsonist some corporate douchebag hired to burn some buildings to the ground. It would've been an easy fight... if his Metagene hadn't been activated by that drug Woodrue made. I got set on fire twenty-six non-sequential times, and if I hadn't made enough Health Potions to drown a man with, it would not have been worth all the point I got into [Fire Resistance]. Since the asshole kept setting off the gunpowder in my bullets, I had to trick him into a walk-in fridge, asphyxiate him after he burned through all the oxygen, and I was finally able to finish him off. Not only did I get the Fire Scroll, I also got a Potion of Fire Protection."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Fire Face]

The Image is a tall, lean man dressed in a flame retardant suit with blue eyes behind his goggles. He looks like Mick Rory, a Flash Rogue known as Heatwave.

"Could have been useful before the fight."

"Yeah, no shit... The [Greater Potion of The Burn's Protection] granted me immunity to heat and flame, and the effect was permanent, so you know I downed that shit as soon as I finished the flavor text. It even protects me from smoke, which came in handy every time afterward where I had to dive into a burning building. My mask did have a filter, but there were limits..."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[No Credit]

The image is a news article about The Question saving children. The image is clearly Rorschach surrounded by flames carrying the children in wrapped up wet blanket. Rorschach shrugs his shoulders.

"Less than a week after my fight with the meta-arsonist, I encountered another Clayface."

"Clayface? Bat and Robin caught Matt Hagen. It's even become a 'Batman is Ready for Anything' Meme."

"It wasn't Hagen. It was a criminal named Basil Karlo. He used to be a mediocre actor who was once told by his casting director that he wasn't good enough to get a substantial role. Things only got worse when he started to drink and gamble, eventually owing a huge debt to Penguin. Penguin had him smuggle a package into Hub and it turned out to be a magical object – magical clay."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Basil][Clay]

The image of Basic Karlo is from his actor's profile. A very nondescript actor with brown eyes and combed brown hair. Small eyes, thick jaw, and a scruffy chin beard. He's also dressed in an ugly white sweater with blue jacket.

The Image of Clayface (II) is virtually identical to Matt Hagen's Clayface, a large, humanoid mass of wet clay. There are some differences in the two. Hagen has sharp teeth set irregularly in his jaws, resembling dried clay. Basil has more square broken brick teeth and a wider jaw. Also, while Hagen's eyes are blank white, Basil's are a sandy yellow color.

"That's right. There were a lot of Clayfaces in the comics, enough that some them even formed a team called Mudpack."

"I don't what exactly happened, but he didn't make it to his destination and there was a fight with another group of criminals resulted in the magic clay being forcibly shoved down his throat. Karlo transformed into monster and killed his attackers, then haunted Hub for a month killing criminals. I ended up getting credit for half of them. I wouldn't care if he didn't pose risk to civilians and he wasn't worth points."

"How did you kill Mud?"

"Chemistry!" says Rorschach with a grin, "A combination of my Intelligence build genius and some chemicals I swiped from a drug lab. I lured him into a trap and used the chemicals to harden him into a clay statue. I then smashed the statue, put the pieces in my Inventory, and then later had then turned into powder. I then poured that powder in cement used for road construction."

"That counts?"

"The Gamer said it did. I acquired the Earth Scroll and Earth Elemental Summoning Book."

"So, you can summon something like Han Jihan's Gnome?"

"A little more complicated than that, but yes. Annie, would you mind showing yourself?" he asked taking a knee and pressing his palm to the concrete floor.

Looking down, my eyes went wide as a pillar of clay rose up, contracting into the detailed form of a young girl with shoulder-length hair. She was colored like clay, but that clay soon gave way to color, resulting in a cute girl with black eyes and hair clad in a beige shirt, black skirt, black boots, and beige socks, a long brown coat thrown over her shoulders.

"She calls Karlo her father."

She looks like Annie from the DCAU. A fragment of Clayface that gained independence while Clayface was recovering. A fragment that was reabsorbed saving Robin (Tim Drake)'s life from Clayface.

"I know he had a daughter called Katherine Karlo, who the comic writers based on Annie."

"I was born of magical essences of Matthew Hagen and Basil Karlo after they came in contact with the Melt." says Annie, "I am an earth elemental bonded to Rorschach – The Gamer and The New Mystery."

"Are you upset that Rorschach killed your father?"

"When his physical form was completely destroyed, he was purged of the taint of the Red and Black. He truly became of the Melt and truly became my father. I also hope that one day Father Matt joins the Melt and frees himself of hatred of The Red."

"So, Elementals can't be permanently destroyed?"

"Only one that possesses True Death can kill an Elemental. One such as yourself, Ash Grey, the Doomsday." says the earth elemental in human form.

That's worrying.

"Getting back to the last two Elemental Scrolls. The Metal Scroll is connected to metal and technological elementals. Magical AIs and I'm surprised Red Tornado or one of Doc Magnus' Metal Men didn't end up the Avatar. It was during a Quest investigating illegal arms coming into Hub. What I didn't expect for the arms dealer to be John Corbin."

"Metallo."

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[Metallo]

The image of Metallo is robotic endoskeleton made of a shiny chrome-color alloy with glowing red machine eyes in its skull sockets. The upper body is muscular but the muscles are actually numerous black tubes and cables. The cables are linked to launchers mounted on his shoulders and going from the forearms to large high-tech guns. The cables and tubes in the thick chest are connected to octagonal black-and-green light in the center of the chest. The only thing ruining his machine appearance is traces of melted plastic pseudo-flesh hanging off his frame.

"The Kryptonite-powered Terminator-wannabe had armor tougher than tank and more firepower than most militias. Thankfully everything was designed for a very specialized target, and I had some Fallout-style Rad-Away and Rad-X whipped up in advance for the radiation poisoning I contracted later."

In other words, everything was either kryptonite-powered or designed to fire lasers/plasma/particle beams made of kryptonite. Papa Lex Luthor was obsessed with making anti-Kryptonian weaponry so the man of steel wouldn't interfere with his business.

"He also had one big design flaw. A single power source located inside his chest. The source of energy for his body and for his weapons. Every time he used his unibeam rip-off, there was a direct link between the emitter in his chest plate and his singular radioactive power core. I damaged his other weapons and when he decided to do the chest beam, I used special beam cannon."

Special Beam Cannon. Makankōsappō. How did he do Dragon Ball Z Attack? Oh! He must have created his own custom Mana Bolt. Han Jihan was able to manipulate magic to create energy attacks and smarter characters in crossover fan fiction figured out how to compress the attacks into more powerful attacks.

"After the explosion and cloud of radioactive particles, I received the rewards when backup power supply to his brain failed. While I sent the Metal Scroll to Doctor Magnus, I did get something extremely useful. An Omni-Tool from Mass Effect~" he said with a grin behind his mask as he raised up his right arm, a fluorescent orange hologram gauntlet with a ring-shaped keyboard in his palm manifesting.

"Nice!"

Omni-tools are handheld devices that combine a computer micro-frame, sensor analysis pack, and manufacturing fabricator. Versatile and reliable, an omni-tool can be used to analyze and adjust the functionality of most standard equipment, including weapon and armor in the Mass Effect Universe. In the hands of a genius Intelligence build Gamer, they could perform miracles.

"The last scroll was the Divided Scroll, which actually took the form of two scrolls you had to read together. The Divided is an elemental plain associated with bacteria, amoebas, and other microscopic forms of life. The last of 10 Scroll Quests was actually against King Tut."

King Tut!? Just when I thought Rorschach couldn't surprise me anymore.

The original King Tut was from a campy 1966 Batman TV series, an Egyptian archeologist who thought he was King Tut when struck in the head. I used to watch the re-runs when there was nothing else on.

The modern version is just as crazy. Dr. Victor Goodman was a passionate Egyptologist who worked at the Gotham Museum of Antiquities, but had radical theories concerning Tutankhamun - An ancient Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the 18th Dynasty during the New Kingdom of Egyptian history. A Pharaoh probably more famous for his Gold and Blue Mask.

Doctor Goodman is obsessed with things related to ancient Egypt and fancies himself as a pharaoh. He was so obsessed that he believed himself to be the messenger of Aten, and was driven to madness when the Gotham Museum of Antiquities refused to show a King Tut exhibit.

"What did that fruit loop do?"

"He attempted to summon Ushabti as animated clay soldiers."

The ushabti was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as servants or minions for the deceased, should they be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife.

"I know what they are."

In the '97 Mummies Alive cartoon, the sorcerer Scarab actually used animated stone statues called Ushabti. They were also used in Runescape and Warhammer.

"Since this involves the Divided. What went wrong?"

[Image Received from Rorschach]

[No Just No]

The image is hard to describe. It looks like an animated statue of an Ancient Egyptian Soldier only its head resembled a Scrab Beetle. While the sacred scarab beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) is interesting with its shiny black exoskeleton, the body is composed of soft material similar to mud or clay, which I quickly realize to my disgust is digestive waste material.

"Khepri is supposed to rolling a ball of manure, not be made of it!"

Khepri is a scarab-faced god in ancient Egyptian religion who represents the rising or morning sun. By extension, he can also represent creation and the renewal of life. I learned these facts after reading about Taylor Hebert's jailbroken form. The Worm parahuman with all her limiters removed conquered the world to defeat a mad alien god.

"This is why you shouldn't let insane people do magic."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. I just trapped the Khepri Ushabti in a barrier and filled it with bleach."

"Huh?"

"The Quest Tip was as long as the Khepri contained even the tiniest bit of life it would live. So, I killed it down to the last bacterium"

"What happened to Tut?"

"He was sucked into that thing's creation and drowned in it. After Kherpi died I put the whole thing into my Inventory. I'm so glad I didn't have to touch it and later I disposed of it. Other than Divided Scroll, I also got a Scroll of Judgement. When used two souls are compared to each other and darker of the two is fed to Ammit – The Devourer of the Dead. I sent that to Theo Adam and Tet-Adam."

Wait a minute, this reminds me of something I read - With This Ring! Theo Adam was an archaeologist who killed his friends, the parents of Billy Batson, to seal the soul of Teth Adom and steal his powers. So, it was the same in this Universe? Then it was the real Teth-Adam that conquered Kahndaq, the Sinai Peninsula, and most of Egypt. He then forcibly married Queen Bee of Bialya (Libya). The world of YJ is hard to understand as Qurac was originally a stand in for Iraq, so they would have never met in the comics.

"I was surprised as well" says Rorschach, guessing what I was thinking, "I was thinking about sending it to Black Adam as I don't know many Egyptians, when the Gamer notified me there were two Black Adams and gave me some details."

Thinking about the last of the Injustice League.

"Count Vertigo and Atomic Skull?"

"In the case of the first douchebag, after spending some time overseas and going a lot of computer hacking, I sent all the evidence I collected to the Vlatavan Security Bureau. Just to be safe, I cobbled together enough evidence to implicate all of Vertigo's supporters. Of course, by the time I'd finished, Queen Perdita was in America getting a medical checkup for her eventual heart transplant, so I used my Rick-level smarts to whip up a little something for the adorable sweetheart. After her recovery, any lingering support for Vertigo vanished."

"What'd you give her?" I asked.

In response, Rorschach drew a vial of black liquid from his Inventory. It didn't appear to be tainted water or oil or plastic; it looked largely metallic.

"What is it?" I reiterated, since I didn't have a convenient skill like [Analyze].

"A custom strain of Extremis Virus~"

"Extremis... Extremis from Iron Man?"

"Correct. I wanted to make something that would allow squishy people survive this crazy world. At the same time however, I don't want people getting too powerful, and I don't have the resources to produce it on a global scale quite yet."

"But wait, how'd you convince her to use it?" I blinked.

"Same way I play Fallout with my Intelligence Build; when in doubt, talk your way out."

"You... talked to her...?"

"Think of it like a 'Dialogue Check' in tabletop games. Only in my case, since I'd been working on skills like [Kissass] and [Hardass], it's basically like I get a Nat20 in Charisma."

"And that worked?"

"Well, it did help that I ousted her evil uncle. That got me a measure of goodwill."

"So, she trusted you? Just like that?"

"One of her bodyguards offered himself up as a guinea pig, and I did have enough of it to go around," he shrugged. "Of course, the whole 'If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already', while done-to-death, is also pretty convincing."

"I see... And Atomic Skull?"

"That one was a little tricky. While I did have a stockpile of Rad-X and Rad-Away already prepped, it didn't mean I wanted to stress test myself against 'Chernobyl with Feet', and I didn't want to risk a headshot with an anti-material rifle popping him like the world's messiest zit, so... I really had to flex my Intelligence Build," he began, and I could practically hear the grin behind his mask. "First, I used my [Disguise] and [Impersonate] Skills to masquerade as a hardcore Neo-Nazi," he said reaching into his Inventory.

The irony was not lost on me.

"Isn't that a bit racist?" I asked with a raised brow as he pulled out a cheap rubber Adolf Hitler mask.

I didn't even know they made those.

"Oh, who am I going to offend? The Nazis?!" he bit back. "Anyway, after convincing him I wanted him to blow up Jerusalem with my [Barter] Skill, I then used a combination of [Speech], [Kiss Ass], [Leadership], and [Nerd Stuff] to convince him it was a good idea to install a 'totally legit' power-boosting chip into his body so he could get the job done, and bulldoze his way through the Justice League when they came for him. After that, it was just a matter of making him go critical."

"Weren't you worried about the fallout? And how'd you even survive the blast?"

"I teleported to a minimum safe distance at the last moment, and so I wouldn't get put on every terrorist watchlist, I cobbled together some 'Radioactive Archaea' like out of Metal Gear to 'eat' the radioactive particles."

"That explains the mushroom cloud but no radiation..." I mused, since the news speculated if it was even a nuclear strike at all.

*DOOM*

"Free of all, bound by nothing, you live your life simply as it is"

"...Huh?"

"Kazuya Minekura, the guy that wrote Saiyuki manga. A different take on Journey to the West."

"Trying to impress me? You're already the most badass monster in DC Comics." says Rorschach, "Now that I think about it, let's see your Abilities. Call 'Menu' and select 'Abilities'. Figure it wouldn't hurt to 'share the wealth', and if we're going to take down Darkseid and live to retirement age, we'll have to start leaning on one another."

"Menu," I said aloud, the HUD I got after meeting my old friend again transforming into a full-on RPG-style character Menu. "Half-Alien Physiology (Kryptonian) – Enhancements to all stats dependent of absorption on solar absorption. Levels up with age. Weakness to Kryptonite Radiation (negated). Stat Bonus lost under Red Sun. No Bonuses to Magic Resistance."

"That's normal. You probably don't get as strong as Superman, but your weaknesses are less."

"Regeneration - Level IV. Adaptive Regeneration. Regenerative Empowerment. Adaptive Resurrection! Even if I die, I'll come back stronger. I really am full Doomsday"

"Due to the Gamer, I don't sustain physical wounds and at my level my HP can regenerate at high speed, but I don't come with infinite extra lives."

I suddenly have the image of Rorschach walking down the street and being slashed by half a dozen League of Shadow assassins with swords. When they collapse from exhaustion, he quotes Kirito from SAO Abridged "You might think you have me all figured out, but there is one thing you didn't account for, my numbers are bigger than yours. Funny thing really, when you get to a high enough level and your basically untouchable. My wounds heal faster than you can make them. We could do this all day and you would not be any closer to killing me, not that it wouldn't be fun. But I have good news, you see there is no need to know where your god is. Cuz he's right here and he's fresh out of mercy."

"Monstrous Strength (A++) - A Skill that temporarily grants a rank-up to one's Strength parameter for a time limit determined by the ranking of this Skill. It is borne from the holder's nature as a monster or Demonic Beast." I read, then my eyes widen, "Hey! This is from Type-Moon! It's a skill – Kairiki - that the monstrous Servants like Medusa, Jaguar Man, and Asterios possess it. A++ is the same rank as TIAMAT!"

"Tiamat?"

"Beast II of Fate Grand Order. She was the main enemy in Babylonia arc and could only be killed with Grand Assassin King Hassan infused her with the concept of death."

"So, you have half-Kryptonian strength that grows as you age, enhanced every time you regen, further boosted by a monstrous strength skill. I'm glad I invested in my Intelligence stat as I'll never match you in the strength department."

"Next ability or skill or whatever you want to call it. Bone Manipulation. I knew I could extend my spikes like wolverine claws, but I didn't know I could do more." I click the icon and check out the options. I find a slider and slowly move it. First, my spikes extend becoming even more deadly, but then I slide it the other way, making them retract. I unclick the option and concentrate on that sensation. I control the length of my deadly spikes and then pull them all in, leaving me a white-haired gray skinned muscular humanoid in black pseudo-leather. "YES!"

I hug Rorschach, my very muscular seven-foot frame lifting the smaller man off the ground. He must have rigged his coat with a booby trap like Rick did against the Vindicators. I get shocked over and over by his coat, but it does nothing to me.

"Put me down. Put me down. You're draining my defenses."

I say "Sorry." as I put him back down, "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so stoked! I finally don't have to worry about people getting slicing by my toxic bones. I can finally sleep in my bed on my side and not have to wear this belt."

"It's a cool belt."

"I know it's cool, it looks like something out of Kamen Rider, but it's not easy to sleep in."

"Back to the Abilities."

"Qliphoth Empowerment - The power to gain the aspects and powers of the Qliphoths which compose the Kabbalistic Tree of Death. What the Fuck!?"

"What the Fuck!?"

"I was called Project Qliphoth, but how can I possess this ability. This involves impure and evil spiritual forces. The primal, undiluted forces of demons and fallen angels!" I am shaken by this, Doomsday is an alien powerhouse, not a demonic incarnation of Armageddon, "This explains why I was able to kill that, Forest Guardian!"

"You mean that walking tree on Sparrow Island?" says Rorschach who was more interested in the sunbathing Doctor Isley and Doctor Quinzel, than the fight.

"It was a magical spirit thing that only used trees as its vessels, but I destroyed it."

"I want to see your full stats."

I click on the [Qliphoth] Icon and a window showing a strangely shaped Skill Tree opens. There are ten circular symbols with ten names.

Thaumiel (Twins of God)

"Archetype: Rebel - The user is a rebel: one who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or leader. I don't see how that applies unless it's referring to The Light. Vandal Savage has been ruling this world from the shadows for thousands of years."

"It could also explain why your utilitarian Kryptonian outfit makes you look like a badass biker."

"Grants Bonuses against organized forces of governments and corporations. Includes soldiers, mercenaries, militias, and security guards. I'm an army killer."

"Chaos Embodiment – The user is able to embody chaos itself. Grants Immunity to Magic and Affinity for Chaos Magic. If I'm reading the details right, I can't cast any form of magic, but if Chaos magic is used on me, my stats are boosted."

"Your Klarion's worst nightmare."

"Maybe. Maybe not. It also increases my encounter rate and the number of events I'll experience. It basically means I'll live in Interesting Times."

Rorschach knows about the Chinese curse "May you live in Interesting Times".

Ghagiel (Confusion of the Power of God) - [Locked]

"I haven't unlocked this one yet."

Sathariel (Concealment of God)

"Soul Manipulation – The power to manipulate souls!? When did I manipulate souls? That Forest Spirit?"

Rorschach shrugs his shoulders. If I ripped out someone soul Shang Tsung style, he probably wouldn't bat an eyelash.

"Supernatural Stealth - The ability to be stealthier than what is naturally possible. This sounds more like a Batman thing, but I guess it explains why the people I meet don't scream about me being a gray monster covered in bone spikes. You think I would have been attacked by the Light by now."

"I put a lot of points into my own [Stealth]. If I hadn't, I would have gotten killed the first week I arrived in Hub City. You also get a Stealth point bonus in Hub, which is why I was able to hide until I decided to publicly kill the Joker."

Gamchicoth (The Breaking Ones/The Devourers)

"Breaker Touch - The user can destroy every type of object that can be considered as equipment (armor, clothes, weapons, jewels, etc.) by touch."

Rorschach pulls out a set of damaged dark brown gloves out of his inventory.

"I damaged them setting up Joker's death. While I don't get scarred, my equipment does lose durability."

I touch the damaged gloves and click the icon, feeling a new sensation. A ripple of light spreads across the gloves, then the gloves completely crumble into fine dust not leaving a thread or scrap behind. I nod, wipe off my hand, and look at the screen again.

"Gluttony Embodiment – The ability to consume anything or anyone without harm or getting full. Maybe this explains why I have so many teeth when don't have internal organs."

Rorschach pulls out a combat knife from his Inventory. "Looted it from a street gang. I think I have twenty of them. Must be a popular model."

I bite the knife with a little hesitation and the metal easily snaps. I continue to chew and the metal breaks apart. After a few seconds, it dissolves completely and vanishes within me.

"It tasted like a bland chocolate bar. You know, like the stuff they make Dollar Store Christmas candy crap out of."

"Did you get any bonuses? You told me about people with gluttony powers like Rimuru and Rou."

I smile at the names of the isekai protagonists, but I'm also sad I won't get to read more. I check my Gamer window and see a small change.

"Bone Manipulation – Bone Dagger - I can now separate dagger-size blades of bones from my body. Big Deal."

Golachab (Burners with Fire)

"Archetype: Tyrant - The user is a tyrant: one who has unlimited power over other people, and uses it unfairly and cruelly. Grants Intuitive Aptitude when competing against or facing a skilled opponent "

"What a Cheat! If you fight against someone with knowledge of fighting, you gain that knowledge without being taught. You could fight a kung fu master and suddenly you can say "I know kung-fu'."

I decide not to mention this ability to Black Canary or Batman. I may have absurd levels of strength and physical power, but I always dreamed of fighting like someone out of a martial arts movie. God Bless Jackie Chan films.

"Burning - The user can burn almost anything, they can heat up parts of objects or the bodies of creatures, and the whole object itself leaving only a pile of ashes. Touch limited."

I begin to wonder how much stuff does Rorschach have in his Inventory. He pulls out a corpse out of his inventory. A six-foot muscular man that looks like a body builder. He has brown eyes (clouded by death), pale skin, a thick beard, and a bald head. He also dressed in a white beater, leather pants, and combat boots. I also notice tattoos on his arms with Nazi symbology.

"Neo-Nazi gang leader. He was about to rape and kill a 13-year-old African American girl, when I killed him. I tossed him into my inventory to be stealthy and leave no evidence." I raise an eyebrow, "I've been so busy recently I never bothered to clean out my Inventory."

I grab hold of the criminal's head, lifting the body off the ground. I click the Icon and remember the sensation. A burning red glow expands from where my fingers grip and expand across the criminal's body in seconds. As it does the body ignites to brilliant flames and soon even the bones decompose at an accelerated rate. The body is completely cremated into a pile of smoldering ashes beneath my outstretched hand,

"Destruction Embodiment – You gain the ability to bring destruction wherever they go: everything breaks, cracks, crushed, disintegrates, explodes or implodes into nothingness and oblivion. Grants enhanced damage to all people and objects. Decreases all damage done to user. It could be worse. I could be firing Hakkai blasts"

"We do not need another Beerus."

"I'm not as picky with my food."

Thagirion (Disputers)

"Wrath Embodiment - The ability to become the embodiment of wrath. Grants Increased Damage and Strength depending on Anger of the user and others within the AOE. "

"So, you're the Hulk?"

"A Hulk not only fueled by my own anger, but anger of those around me."

"Pray to God a Red Lantern Ring never finds you."

Serapel Harab Serapel (Ravens of Dispersion) - [Locked]

Samael (Poison of God)

"Poison Embodiment - The user becomes the embodiment of poison and can spread poison and corruption where ever they go. The Ability grants the user the ability to add and remove poison to bones, body fluids, and breathe. These poisons negate healing and regenerative abilities of the target. After prolonged contact with biological targets, the body is able to generate specialized poisoned tailored to the organisms. "

" Damn. That's impressive."

"It means if I fought Injustice Superman, I would eventually generate an anti-superman poison that would more destructive to Kryptonian cells that Green Kryptonite."

"Don't Jynx us. I'm a Gamer and you're the Embodiment of Chaos."

Gamaliel (Polluted of God)

"Dark Soul Manipulation (Shadow of the World Soul) - The power to manipulate the dark/destructive aspects of souls. The rest is gibberish. Should I be worried?"

"Yes."

"Mutation Inducement – The ability to induce mutations in themselves or other living beings. This is the source of the virus that Cadmus used. The ability also grants me immunity to malignant mutations. I guess that means I'm cancer proof."

"What does the virus do in its pure form?"

"If the dose is low enough to it turns the infected into beings like me – Doomsday clones. If the dose is too high it disassembles the infected on a molecular level. It's like the Doomsday virus from the comics."

Naamah (Whisperers/Queen of the Night)

"Fear Inducement - The power to evoke extreme fear and horror in others. Effect: Induces extreme fear in enemy targets, amplifying any existing fear to crippling levels. Enemies under [Frightened] Condition have decreased ability checks and can't willingly move closer to the source of its fear.

"Scarecrow wishes he had my power."

"Dr. Crane can't wish for anything except maybe wish he wasn't in hell. I killed him a week ago when he planned to poison a town's water supply with his fear toxin."

*DOOM*

"Hey, Rorschach. Er, NewMystery?"

"Eh, that's a bit wordy. Call me 'Neo', from my old PenName," he replied.

Right. That whole thing. NewMystery's original PenName was inspired by the villain in a Sonic flash animation on NewGrounds and had the number he thought were the number of days in a year before learning it was actually 365. However, for some reason, no-one could tell the difference between an O and an I, hence the change.

"Could you take off your mask?" I ask. "The Rorschach pattern's getting kind of distracting."

"Hm? Oh, okay."

"I gotta ask, why go with the full-face mask? Seems a little inconvenient. And a little stuffy."

I may or may not have been thinking about Superhero Movie.

"I was a squishy Level 1 adventurer in a place that makes Gotham look like a child's birthday party. I needed every psychological advantage I could get. And since the original Rorschach scares the hell out of me, he'll scare the hell out of everyone else."

Walter Kovac considered his mask to be his face and if I remember correct, his two greatest defeats had him unmasked – when he was captured by the police after being framed for the murder of Edgar Jacobi (Moloch the Mystic) and when he unmasked himself to die at the hands of Doctor Manhattan. I can imagine the Rorschach Mask does offer some protection despite being made of soft material, due to his Gamer ability.

As far as I remember, Neo is half-Asian, but I have no idea if he resembles his old self now; I sure as hell don't.

The face he has now is lightly tanned and clean shaven, his hair dark brown and cropped short; both probably because of his full-face mask. His eyes are dark brown with a hint of green, and I guess he's somewhere between 'plain' and 'ruggedly handsome' since he doesn't have much baby fat. He looks like the sort of guy that's popular because of his personality and confidence, not because he looks like one of those boring prettyboys you see in films and TV shows.

"So, what do think?"

"I think you look like are regular part-Asian dude."

"I'm surprised you can tell. My dad's parents are from the Pacific Islands, but the kids in high school mistook me for Mexican because of my tan."

"Dc comics is not known for pacific islander characters beyond the Hawaiian friends of Superboy."

"Superboy has friends in Hawaii?" he asked putting the mask back on.

Huh. I guess he was just more-comfortable with it on, then off.

"In the comics, Superboy moved to Hawaii after leaving Metropolis."

"You got the better deal in the looks department."

With all my bone spikes fully retracted I look at lot like a member of the House of El, only I'm way taller and way more muscular than even most the athletic member, standing nine inches tall than Kal-El. I'm also three hundred eighty pounds heavier in super-dense muscle, but that is harder to judge. I'm more Dolph Lundgren or Arnold Schwarzenegger than Christopher Reed. My coloration is still abnormal – blood red eyes, ash gray skin, and short snow-white hair.

Rorschach without his mask could easily blend in with the average American crowd as nearly six percent of all Americans are of Asian descent. While out of 6.9 billion people, there are only four people on this world of Kryptonian descent and only one walking Apocalypse – at least I hope so.

"So, are you going to make the moves on Blackfire now that you're not a spike factory?"

"I don't know much about flirting or dating or romance. I think I'll let her take the lead."

"You'll have to get a job because no girl wants a NEET; unless you're a Fantasy Isekai character."

"Even then the NEET is forced to become an Adventurer or a Hero or Merchant or something."

"There is another option."

Rorschach then reaches into the endless depths of his inventory and pulls out a metal case. He tosses it to me and I place it down and open it. Inside is money, a lot of money – unmarked non-sequential bills. I think back to Rorschach's adventures and I can guess this is drug money. It doesn't bother me as all money is "dirty" in some way of form. Very literally as most banknotes have traces of cocaine on them. One in every four banknotes are tainted by some illicit drug.

"You are giving me some of your Loot?"

"Think of it as keeping you on retainer for when I get into real trouble."

"That sounds OK, but I am your Friend."

"If people think you're doing it for money, the less likely they will think you're a hero."

"How much money do you have? I don't want to take a chunk out of your savings especially since I'm basically living free at the Doomsday Bunker"

"No need to worry" he says with a visible grin beneath his mask and pulling out two more identical metal cases (more than likely also filled with cash) "I have more luggage than an airport."

"Thanks."

I pause for a minute, then I turn back to Rorschach and ask him "Hey Neo, can you shoot me with that Special Beam Cannon."

"I thought you were Immune to Magic."

"I am Immune according to my profile, but that could be against actual magical spells and not directed magical energy. You don't change the energy you use into something else; you just mold it the same way a DBZ character molds their Qi. Another way is thinking is Naruto's Rasengan created without an element, just shape manipulation."

"Oh, I get it." says Rorschach as he raises the two fingers (pointer and middle) of his right hand. A glowing golden mist flows around his arm and gathers into a spherical mass above his fingertips. As the ball becomes denser, it begins to spin faster and faster. Suddenly, the sphere shrinks from larger than soccer ball to the size of a marble, but glowing far brighter. He points at me and fires his spell with a verbal command. I think he just likes shouting out an attack.

"Special Beam Cannon!"

The attack does resemble Piccolo's Makankōsappō or literally "Demon's Penetrating, Killing Light Gun". Two thin beams of energy with on spiraling around the other like a drill. The only difference is the core beam is white, while the spiraling beam is golden yellow in color.

On impact I feel a small amount of pain and I'm pushed back a couple meters (roughly 7 feet). As the beam ends, I see a red-hot spot on my chest quickly cool and minor damage vanish.

"That was impressive."

*DOOM*

[Rorschach's Retreat]

[October 08, 2010]

[Point of View Change]

[Rorschach - The Gamer]

[Level: 36/ Infinity ∞]

[HP 3300/3300 - MP: 5400]

After Spaceman, now Ash Grey the Doomsday had left, I went over the attack in my head and the numbers that went along with it. I knew Doomsday was one of the most over-powered beings in the DC Universe, if not the entire multiverse since he could pull a Super Buu and literally punch his way into other dimensions. Even going into the meeting, I was confident in my limitless potential as The Gamer.

And then I remembered the numbers that appeared over Ash's head.

[Ash Grey - The Doomsday]

[Level: 15/Infinity ∞]

[HP: 50000000/50000000 - MP: 0/0]

(Optional Boss Music)

"Special Beam Cannon!"

I see one of his many absurdly large health bars go down a very tiny amount. Less than 1% of the damage my attack should normally inflict.

[9/990 Damage]

I see the health bar go back to normal and beyond.

[Enemy Regenerates 9900 HP]

His Max Health is now fifty million nine thousand eight hundred ninety-one. He gained more HP from healing from my attack than I possess.

"Hmmm... I'm not exactly upper-tier Rick-level just yet, but at least if Darkseid ever mixes his DNA with his Parademons, I'll have a go-to ready to put them down."

*DOOM*

Mr. Justice

The next day

"Hey, guys. I'm back."

"Hey there, uh..." Kid Flash trails off awkwardly. "Did we get anew guy or what?" he whispered into Robin's ear.

" . . . OH! Right. Forgot about that for a moment," I chuckled. Furrowing my brow, the next moment countless jagged bone spikes erupted from my body in a full-body rendition of Wolverine. "Recognize me now?"

" . . . Ash?!" Raven gawped, the first to find her voice.

"The one and only," I reply, retracting my bone spikes back into my body.

At least this way, Kid Flash can no longer cut apples by throwing them past me.

"How... did this change come about?" Starfire questioned, her sister hungrily eyeing my new form with blatant interest.

"Had a little help from a friend," I replied. "Turns out Rorschach reincarnated here from the same world I did... which brings to bear some rather frightening existential crises..." I trail off causing the others to exchange nervous glances. "But thankfully, I'm blissfully-ignorant enough that the full horror of it hasn't dawned on me quite yet."

"So... You're safe to touch like this?" Raven questioned.

"One-hundred percent," I smile, happy to know that burden has been sufficiently remedied. "I can retract, extend, and even separate my bone spikes from my body at will."

"Dibs!" Blackfire suddenly whoops out as she leaps up and kisses me full-on the mouth, almost knocking me over. A moment later Raven and Starfire come in to hug me from the sides, expressing the gratitude for their rescue they'd been holding me back.

Having three of the hottest women in the DC Universe hugging and/or kissing me, I can't help but smile.

"Well hey, man, congratulations," Kid Flash said awkwardly as Blackfire came up for air. "I guess you look a lot more like Connor now."

"Yes, but I'm still way taller, 'Big Brother'," I taunt with a smile, Connor simply chuckling good-naturedly.

"Well, at least now that you've been de-clawed, you won't rip up the couch," he grinned.

He's no Spider-Man, but his sense of humor is improving.

Of course, the feel-good moment had to end eventually.

"Ash."

"Batman."

"You said Rorschach reincarnated into this world from the same one you did. What exactly does that imply?"

"If I actually told you what that meant, you'd probably crack like Charles Xavier in 'Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe', or the Crimson Chin in 'Chin Up!'," I reply, earning confused looks all around. "If I did tell you, you'd probably go off the deep end, turn into the 'The Batman Who Laughs', or something..."

"What, like the Joker in a Batman costume?" Robin asked.

"No, that's a whole different thing," I reply, immediately recalling the episode of The Batman where Joker decides to dress up as Batman, and inadvertently turn Bruce Wayne aka Batman into a replacement Joker.

And of course, all this talk about Rorschach sufficiently kills the mood, since the extrajudicial double-execution of the Joker was still a sore spot for the League.

"Batman, let me make something clear to you. I might be living in your back-up Bat Cave-"

"Oh! I get it!" Kid Flash suddenly said getting the joke.

"-but I don't answer to you. I've done my bit to save the world. Anything after that is charity. If you want something to put down in your paranoid Bat File to put in your Bat File Cabinet that you type up with your Bat Keyboard-"

"We don't put 'Bat' in front of everything," Robin huffed, behind a small titter.

"-then put down that if he isn't already a '12th Level Intellect', he will be very, very soon," I say giving him my due lip service.

"12th Level? Is that a D&D thing?" Kid Flash questioned.

"In the DC Comics Universe, the Coluans, the alien race Brainiac belongs to, use a numerical level intellect system to rate intelligence. The average Coluan rates an 8th Level intellect, while the whole of humanity rates at least 1st Level. 12th LevelIntellects are basically 'some of the smartest people in the universe', and the only ones with any real chance of being able to solve the Anti-Life Equation and living to tell the tale," I recite from my intuitive knowledge of the subject.

"Smartest people in the universe'?" Kid Flash balked. "Aren't you overexaggerating things just a bit?"

"Not as long you wear the Bullshit Ring; One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them."

" . . . Is that a reference, or something?" Miss Martian asked cutely.

"Yes. Yes, it is," I smile fondly as I pat her on the head. Something I can actually do now that my bone spikes are all retracted.

"So, then Rorschach potentially has an intelligence quotient in the same League as Lex Luthor," he worded as a statement, though I knew it was really as 'an accusation'

Batman uses his patented 'Bat-Glare' on me to make me crack, but I don't. Neo's my friend from my original universe, even if we'd never met in person, and as such he's way more important to me than the League's collectively bruised ego and the lives of Gotham's mentally ill.

"What, you upset that there's someone out there too-smart to fall prey to your 'Anti-Justice League Contingency Plans'?" I taunt slightly louder than necessary.

"What's he talking about?" Robin asked, the others of a similar vein.

"If the League were to ever become corrupt or mind-controlled, Batman has a set of contingencies that'd allow him to incapacitate the entirety of the League's roster," I recite before the Dark Knight can dismiss them. "I know about them because Ra's used them during the 'Tower of Babel' arc in the comics, and Vandal Savage used them in the 'Justice League: Doom' film."

Of course, I'm not saying this out loud to be a total dick. Now that he knows of confirmed cases of his files being compromised, albeit in other universes, I'm sure he'll take the measures necessary to ensure there aren't any 'repeat performances'

"You remember when I went on that tangent about Rick-level intelligence?" I ask aloud. "That's how-smart Rorschach can be if he isn't that-smart already. The fact that he has access to Interdimensional Cable is evidence enough that he's nearing the tipping point between 'Absolute Peak Human Intelligence' and 'Universe-Conquering Mad Scientist/Used Car Salesman'."

And while I'm sure the rest of the League hasn't had the chance to watch 'Injustice TAS', I have no doubt that this paranoid flying nocturnal rodent man pulled a few all-nighters to watch the whole of the five-year conflict in excruciating detail. And quite possibly the 'Injustice vs The Masters of the Universe' spin-off if Neo saw fit to add it just for kicks.

"You might have 'all of the king's horses and all of the king's men', but if you make an enemy of the guy who solo'ed the whole of the Injustice League, there won't be anyone who can put you 'together again'," I say before turning away, finishing up the argument. "Blackfire, how would you like to... examine the merchandise?" I ask in what I hope to be a charming pick-up line.

The fact that she linked arms with mine instead of slapping me was proof positive I was getting better at the whole 'romance thing'.

Though now I can't help but wonder which eligible ladies of the DC Universe will gravitate toward Neo.

*DOOM*

October 08, 2010 – I was reunited with a friend who has impressive abilities and got some cash.

October 10, 2010 – The Team investigated the operations of TO Morrow (android). They prevented the activation of Red Volcano, which meant there was no need for the heroic sacrifice of Red Tornado's older siblings Red Inferno and Red Torpedo. This makes things somewhat complicated. Red Inferno lived the life of Danette Reilly, the heroine Firebrand, before she was "killed" by a bullet meant for the original Flash in 1945. Red Torpedo lived the life of Dr. Jim Lockhart and was 91 when the TO Morrow doppelganger found him. A new layer of pseudo-flesh and it's like they have been resurrected as young people again with no legal identities. Their programming still needs upgrading. learned this from Starfire who has become close friends with Megan (I guess she forgave Star for stealing Connor's first kiss and hers)

October 16, 2010 – The planned psychic simulation is cancelled due to Miss Martian's level of power. The Team does not become trapped in a horrifying simulation they think is real and become traumatized. Hopefully Megan will avoid future problems like telepathic surges and casual mind rape.

October 23, 2010 – The Forever People arrive on Earth looking for stolen New Genesis technology. Superboy and me actually met face to face when we talked to them. Sphere explained it was friends with the Team, while I explained Darkseid's interest in Earth (including Vandal Savage's deal with Darkseid)

October 31, 2010 – Greta Hayes went out for Halloween as a ghost, instead of being an actual Ghost. Her brother William Hayes known as the villain Harm is now in prison. He was also severely beaten when the inmates learned he was going to murder his 14-year-old little sister.

*DOOM*

[Roanoke Island]

[November 5, 2010]

This is the Young Justice episode known as "Misplaced". This is the infamous Roanoke Incident that could have been one of worst crisis in the world. In the original time, Klarion leading a group of some of the world's strongest sorcerers cast a ritual using a magic gemstone called Ambre Jeune Perdu. The spell separated the world into two worlds, one where there were only adult and one where there were only non-adults. This has horrific consequences that could not be allowed.

Roughly 30% of the world's population is under 18 and a large of number of them would die. A baby being washed by her mother drowns when mama disappears. Children in Vehicles suffer injuries as those vehicles crash without drivers. Children in hospitals die as the doctors and nurses disappear and fires burn out of control without firefighters. Planes fall from the sky as their pilots vanish killing any young person onboard and on the ground. This single ritual could have caused the deaths of millions of children.

I thought we avoided this Event when an Atlantean smuggler (secretly working for Aquaman) sold a sample of the ancient extraterrestrial conqueror Starro to Black Manta, who had taken Ocean master's seat in the Light. The main purpose of the Roanoke Event was a distraction to steal the sample from Star Labs.

I guess Klarion still wanted to have fun.

We all arrive much to Klarion's surprise. The Justice League is led on this mission by the new Doctor Fate, who looks very angry and is glowing brightly. Young Justice has also arrived include not official members Starfire, Blackfire, Raven, and Zatanna. I'm also standing against Klarion with Rorschach nearby, much to some of the League's consternation.

The reason I'm here isn't just because I'm scared of the fringe horror consequences of "Misplaced". Rorschach called me in since I'm the most magic proof person he knows, and also the only one who could keep the League off his ass. Which would be pretty hypocritical if they tried anything with him since he is technically a 'deputized' member of the President's Secret service, just like how they are 'deputized' under the United Nations.

"Hey! That's seriously not fair! All of you guys against the six-

*MEOW*

-seven of us!?" whines Klarion.

"A Lord of Chaos that complains about Rules." I mock. He hits me in the face with a purple fireball, which would decapitate most mortals. It doesn't even knock my head back, but it does make it hard to see. Klarion is confused, then tries to kill me again and again.

I note that Doctor Fate attacked the sorcerer that is substituting for the comatose Wotan. Whoever the guy in the cloak is, he's surprisingly powerful and has managed to summon animated statues of wood, stone, and dirt to keep most of heroes occupied. Doctor Fate is caught in some form of spatial warping that's preventing his magic from hitting the target.

Klarion even infused three of the secret sorcerer's creations with additional power, to keep Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman occupied. This also kept Superboy, Robin, and Starfire occupied trying to help.

Blackbriar Thorn also adds his own magic into the mix. The druid animates plants to attack the heroes, slowing the movements of the speedsters and blocking the shots the archers with walls resembling thorny briars.

Wizard – William I. Zard – manipulate earth using his cane. He's not having an easy time since his opponent is Blackfire who can fly. He's forced to block her Starbolts using earthen barriers, while occasionally shooting rocks at her.

Felix Faust manipulates Fire magic against Giovanni Zatara and his daughter Zatanna. He also casts a strange AOE fire spell that weakens the Martians using their natural weakness and Atlanteans by drawing out water. I knew Faust was impressive, but I didn't know he could take on six heroes at the same time.

"Are you even paying attention!?"

"No."

"Damn It! Teekl attack!"

A grotesque, man-high cat monster lands on top of me. It's magical claws at first scratch me, then they do nothing, I lift the pile of muscle and fur, and I begin to rub it remembering my own departed cat.

*ROAR! * *Meow?* *Purr*

"Hey! Stop rubbing my cat! Teekl, you traitor!"

*Meow*

"I rubbed you yesterday!"

*Meow*

"It was a small distraction. Those birds deserved to burn!"

*Meow*

Some of the heroes and sorcerers pause to watch the strange site of a chaos lord in brat form arguing with his feline familiar.

"Hey look! A distraction!"

As one, everyone in the field suddenly turned in the same direction away from the ritual circle; even me. All of us were left staring into the woods for several seconds, it took me a moment to realize what had just happened.

A Skill. Something that had bypassed all of our defenses.

Everyone whirling around toward the center of the ritual circle, eyes widened in shock as Rorschach strode casually out of the circle's center, waves of chaos magic rolling over him like streamers in water. And in his hand, a certain yellow magic stone that was the McGuffin for the entire thing.

"What?! HOW!? Those curse barriers should've exploded your bones and boiled your blood!" Klarion screamed.

"Fuck you, that's how~"

It sounded like the sort of throwaway line you'd find in Hellsing Ultimate Abridged, but then I remembered this guy was aiming for a Rick-level smart build, arguably one of the most-powerful types of 'builds' in the DC Universe. Rick himself could "purge" the curses from the Needful Things-style 'Twilight Zone, Ray Bradbury, Friday the 13th series voo-doo crap magic' made by the literal Devil. Even curse barriers made by a Lord of Chaos weren't safe from the power of [Weird Science] or some such nonsense.

"Give me my stone back!" Klarion cried as Rorschach pawned it off to me.

"Nope." I say to the Lord of Chaos in the form of a spoiled brat. The sociopath can only watch as I bring the Ambre Jeune Perdu to my mouth.

*Crunch*

The numerous magic users both good and evil can only stare in shock as I consume the legendary magical gemstone. I'm actually surprised at the taste. Amber is fossilized tree sap, but I didn't expect a magic stone to taste like a piece of home.

"Maple Syrup."

"What?" says Klarion whose is still shocked to see one eat his magic stone.

"It tasted like Maple Syrup. Texture is like Werther's Original® Chewy Caramel Candies." I say tossing Klarion the tiny fragment that remains, "I know the taste. I am Canadian."

Klarion holds the tiny fragment with a confused look. Then he slowly gives it a lick.

"Damn. It actually does."

If this was an anime universe, a lot of faces would be hitting the ground.

"AAUUUUUGH!" a voice suddenly cried, everyone whirling toward Felix Faust in time to see an electrified bola wrapped around his shoulders, steadily electrocuting him until he fell unconscious, his fire magic extinguishing. A moment later Rorschach walked up to him, throwing the man over one shoulder while reaching into his coat with the other.

"Sorry to cut this magic toga party short, but I got a thing," he said palming a small black sphere Batman immediately recognized. "NINJA VANISH!"

The now-revealed smoke bomb hitting the ground as Batman was mid-lunge, the Dark Knight flew bodily through the plume now-revealed to be completely empty a literal moment later, the Batman whirling around to the surrounding treelines, looking almost incredulous that someone had been able to pull off something so blatantly stereotypical of the romanticized idea of 'Ninja' in front of God and everyone. Even I couldn't tell where he'd gone to, which meant the [Ninja Vanish] Ability must've been a form of pseudo-teleportation like in Ninja Gaiden.

Given who Felix Faust was related to, I assumed it was for a Quest connected to the man's son, Sebastian Faust.

"To be fair, selling your son's soul to a demon will eventually backfire," I say aloud, catching Batman's ire while confusing others.

At the same time, Blackfire drills through Wizard's strongest wall covered in purple flame. She hits Wizard sending him flying back, but he barely recovers. She jumps over his last desperate attack, before delivering a fiery uppercut that hits him multiple times. I recognize the moves from the Street Fighter – M. Bison's Psycho-Crusher and Ryu's Shoryuken. I introduced her to the Street Fighter expy at the Bunker. The effect is far more gruesome in real life as she explosively shatters his jaw and his smoking form hits the ground hard enough to hear the bones break.

At the same time, Raven slices apart the vines holding the speedsters before vanishing into the shadow of the one the hedges. Raven's soul self – the massive glowing shadow of a raven appears from Blackbriar Thorn's own darkened shadow. He turns and barely has time to scream as the giant shadow bird swallows him whole. Flash, Kid Flash, Artemis, Red Arrow, and Green Arrow can only stare in shock and horror, before the shadow bird vomits the villain back out. As Raven reverts to normal looking exhausted, Thorn cries and screams. He curls into a ball and proceeds to urinate on himself.

The sorcerer in the cloak looks at how his fellow sorcerers were defeated and then takes a close look at me. He comes to an inescapable conclusion.

"Fuck this shit, I'm out!"

The sorcerer is surrounded by magical smoke and energy, and with a thunderous sound, he is gone! All of his creations return to the Earth and even the ones infused by Klarion swell like balloons and burst. Doctor Fate is also free from the spatial warp and looks ready to tear Klarion a new one.

Klarion looks at me and Teekl curls around his neck.

"You're lucky you and the faceless guy are cool."

He then vanishes.

I then had to spend an hour talking to Doctor Fate without him trying to banish me to another dimension.

*DOOM*

November 11, 2010 – Kid Flash celebrates his birthday. Queen Perdita is safe thanks to Rorschach and Vertigo is probably dead at the hands of Vlatavan agents. Rorschach apparently told her what would have happened if he hadn't appeared and she is showing a lot of support for the Justice League. In a surprising twist, she also bequeathed Rorschach with a title of knighthood, as well as a lordship in Vlatava; I could only assume he also got the appropriate Titles through The Gamer, which would come with bonuses of their own.

November 22, 2010 – The mission to Qurac doesn't happen, because Qurac doesn't exist anymore. Greater Bialya is doing fine under the ruler of King Teth-Adam and Queen Bee. I got a note from Rorschach that Queen Bee's power triggers a magical defense causing her to feel the same as her target. What is very shocking is Queen Bee announced she was Pregnant! I don't think the Light or Rorschach predicted that.

November 25, 2010 – I got invited to Thanksgiving Dinner. Starfire, Blackfire, and Raven seem happy to see me. Me and Superboy later also got to meet one of our genetic donors – Lex Luthor. I asked if he hired Mercy Graves solely for her intellect and skills, or was another reason was because she was hot. Lex was cool about it, stating it was for many reasons. Mercy herself hide her blush.

December 1, 2010 – Dick Grayson the First Robin and future Nightwing celebrated his 14th birthday. I sent him Batman Themed Gift Cards. On a more depressing note, the Logans were forced to leave their animal sanctuary, but at least it means Marie Logan won't be seduced and killed by Queen Bee.

December 22, 2010 – Haily's Circus was interesting. Blackfire dragged me to the circus. We were wearing special devices created by Rorschach that disguised us; like Nightcrawler's hologram watch from X-Men: Evolution. Blackfire became a tanned black-haired girl with green eyes - Connie Anders. In my case, my gray skin became a tan and my red eyes became brown. It didn't do anything about my height, so I occasionally had to say "hormone problem". My presence did change things as the Team had better luck hunting Parasite and he made the mistake of grabbing me while trying to take Blackfire's powers. His body cells reacted very badly to the Qliphoth, like being exposed to high levels of radiation.

December 25, 2010 – Merry Christmas. I had a wonderful Christmas.

*DOOM*

Doomsday Bunker

December 25, 2010

I've decorated the Doomsday Bunker, formerly known as the Bat-Up Cave. A small silver Christmas tree with fiber optic lights and silver-paint-coated plastic bulbs. I do have a small collection of presents from my friends.

My brother Connor Kent sent me some gift cards from stores that sell anime. My collection is growing so fast, it's better I choose them less he ends up getting a repeat. I think he has also forgiven me for my video prank. I found a Space Trek porn parody which had Captain Kirkwall banging a green-skinned alien girl (who later became a monster girl that he also banged) and sent it to Conner and Megan to enjoy.

The Kents themselves sent me a sweater. I did force Clark to introduce Connor to his parents, which also resulted in me being introduced. I'm careful to have all my spikes retracted when wearing it and its very nice sweater. There are some interesting rumors in Smallville about the new Kent Boys.

Raven got me gift cards for bookstore chains. Appropriate since I got her the same thing. I love manga, comic books, and science fiction. She apparently loves gothic literature. I also gave her comics concerning a half-demon defeating his evil parent and a manga with the demon princess being the heroine.

Starfire got me gift cards for a music store and a music player. I got her a similar gift. Starfire with her ability to speak many languages has been enjoying songs from around the world.

Blackfire came back to my place to give me a surprise present. I'm lying on a couch watching some animated show that reminds me of Gravity Falls, when she comes out of shower wearing a bathrobe.

"Ready for your Christmas Present?" she says with a smirk.

"Always."

She unties the belt of the robe and lets it slip to the ground. I stare at the extraterrestrial beauty before me as she gets closer and closer. She's lying on top of me when she says "Merry Christmas" and kisses me.

I don't have much knowledge of love or romance, but I'm slowly learning. I don't have much experience with intimacy, but Blackfire and my limitless stamina quickly change that.