"Talk"
"Think"
*Sound Effects*
[Phone/computer]
{Writing/Audio}
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~Pov: 1st~
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I can only look to the G-man from half-life standing in front of me and the blank void we're standing in with a bit of confusion before just deciding to roll with it as he adjusts his tie.
"So if you don't mind me asking... What am I doing here Mister G-Man?"
G-man: "Ah, that is self explanatory. Do you remember the wish you made on your 13th birthday?"
That causes me to think for a moment before it all clicks into place, the wish to own one of those multiverse shops and help protagonists from different shows change their future without having to live in their worlds.
G-man: "Seems you've figured it out. My employers have decided hiring you would cause just the right ripples to change some things"
I put a hand to my chest in both confusion and fear as I feel something inside my body begin to heat up, my blood begin to pump in my ears, and my heart beginning to slow but beat heavily as I fall to my knees. "What's . . . happening?"
G-man: "Worry not. The process of hiring you comes with both perks and curses. . . Now wake up, Mason. . . Wake up and feel the chaos.
As he turns and walks through a door of light, I fall to the side with choked gasps for breath, my eyes growing heavy as my consciousness slowly fades to nothing.
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~?????Unknown?????~
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My eyes snap open with a gasp as I quickly sit up before bringing a hand to my head and closing my eyes as a wave of dizziness hits me like a truck before it begins to fade with a sound close to the GTA 5 ping sound effect causes my eyes to snap back open.
<- --- ->
User has fulfilled the Chaos Gacha user agreement by surviving quantum entanglement with the Noosphere! Four silver tickets added... Scanning... Two curses rolled, two bronze tickets added
<- --- ->
Curses: Four Eyes:You have naturally bad eyesight, causing you to need glasses to see properly. Thankfully, the curse comes with a single pair of prescription glasses.
Obvious Tells:Your eyes change colour and shape depending on your emotions, making it practically impossible to hide them.
<- --- ->
I make a sound like a strangled cat as my eyes get that pins and needles feeling with my vision becoming blurry before a pair of black metal-rimmed glasses appear on my face, letting me see clearly again.
"That sucked. I'm never taking another curse even if I'm dying"
Adjusting my glasses, I watch as the screen collapses before expanding again, revealing a black hole in the center with eight colored buttons arranged in rows of four on each side, and a large "Roll" button at the bottom.
<- --- ->
Bronze: x2>- - - Gold:0>- - - Diamond:0>- - - Mythical:0>- - - <- --- ->
Putting that in the back of my head for now, I get up and look around the room I've woken up in and tilt my head at the solarpunk or frutiger aero bedroom which is now my own, I think?
Walking over to the door only for the door to not open or budge in the slightest, making me rub the back of my head in confusion before a note falls from the ceiling and lands in front of me.
{The more you roll, the more you unlock within your new home/shop. Thought it would be funny to add that to your contract so you can't blue ball the formless beings watching your adventure. :)}
"Oh, so when I wished for a multiverse dimension shop like in those isekai books, they actually made me become someone others watch... Fair. I wished for it and they listened, so that's fair"
Nodding to that, I look back to the screen and click on the Silver button twice before clicking roll, and watch as the tickets fall into a Blackhole, causing it to gain two silver event horizons before imploding, and a new screen takes its place.
<- --- ->
Silver Ability - Lesser Hydrokinesis
Allows you to create and control water around yourself telekinetically, it is not particularly powerful, but it is still very versatile and precise.
<-->
Note: You currently have one ability slot. Changing abilities can be done with a thought; however, once you swap an ability, it is on cooldown for 5 minutes
<-->
Silver Trait - Lucky Sukebe
You are a lucky fellow, alright, just in ways you wouldn't expect. You often stumble into lucky, perverted, or lewd situations. The chaos of all infinity and eternity is distilled into an ability to affect the composition of all of reality itself, and it makes you more likely to find a girl changing. Amazing.
<- --- ->
Really hope I can turn that trait off in the future, cause I don't want to be seen as a creep like Master Roshi or Jiraiya. Liking the female body is normal; breaking laws and personal space to catch a peek is just pathetic.
Shaking my head at the thought of ever becoming gone of them, I hold up my hand and watch with a smile as water condenses from the air into a ball that I begin to move into slow flowing rings around my wrists.
"Now this is worth it. But a 5 minute cool down, huh? Looks like I'll have to be careful in the future with pre equipment like an JRPG"
Looking at the screen again, I shrug before clicking on the last two silver tickets and watching as the two event horizons are created. Before one horizon disk fades and changes to a brown copper color before imploding.
<- --- ->
Bronze Ability - Hustle
Yomi Hustle - "It may be your only move"allows you to "Hustle" your opponents by performing a gesture. Whether it's snapping your fingers and giving a taunting smile or lying down on a lawn chair mid-fight, your hustle must at least last half a second. When you successfully complete a Hustle, you regain some energy and stamina. The longer your hustle goes on, the more you will recover energy. Effectiveness depends on how stylish and aggravating you were. Can only be used in active combat against an enemy who means you genuine harm..
<-->
Silver Ability - Adventure Line
Stanley Parable -Manifests a yellow line on the ground that will lead you to an adventure if you follow. And by adventure, I mean an interesting event happening at a distance you can reach comfortably. What is an interesting event? Maybe it's a good food place you haven't visited yet, or a dangerous murderer on a spree, very capable of killing you. The guarantee is that whatever you encounter will be interesting.
<- --- ->
That's a lot of abilities thrown at me.
Hustle is just a reward for rage bait, which could actually be great for enemies that can regenerate or have tones of pride. I wonder if it works on monsters or if they need to have some kind of conscious thought to recognize that you're hustling for it to work.
I'm not equipping Adventure Line until I figure out a way to disable that trait. I couldn't care less if the line leads me to a million dollar ticket.
Opening the door out of the room, I peeked out into the long and advanced hallway before deciding to open the door directly in front of me since I'm not trying to get lost here with no map or explanation. []
Opening the door, I freeze as the felling of relaxation washes over me with a sigh as I looked around the area I own.
The room is unnaturally clean, with white floors and walls. But the rings of soft blue and teal light just make it feel. . . Safe, as I see stars shining through the back window before walking over to the bar and tapping on the counter, causing a teal screen to open.
[Bar / Cafe Screen]
[Drinks] [Meals] [Requests]
Closing the screen, I look around again before making my way to the central donut counter and sitting in the swiveling office chair and turning on the sole computer, which opens to a note from my benefactor.
[Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of this Outer dimensional shop named the Aerofluxx Lounge. As per the contract, the main door can connect to any dimension with the 8 numbered codes input by the 10 digit keypad.]
[This along with the Chaos Gacha you have been given for privileges given to you by birthright. Good luck, young shopkeeper! And may your rolls/shop be fruitful and rewarding~]
Closing the screen, I lean back in my chair and turn around to watch the stars outside with a smile as I realize this is a view I'll get to enjoy for as long as I don't do something stupid and die.
Cracking my knuckles, I begin to open the user's manual for this place, which is alternatively named the NRS Facility #1000
"Let's see what I need to do to keep this place running~" I can't help but grin before going through all the screens, parts, and features of the shop I now own.
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~Timeskip of 5 hours~
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The main computer terminal in the Aerofluxx Lounge hummed softly, its screen casting a pale blue glow across my face as I scrolled through document after document.
My benefactor had been... Thorough...
Painfully thorough.
Five hours of dense notes, annotated diagrams, and rambling explanations about reality itself.
I rub my temples behind my glasses as I look at my more simplified version of the notes if I need to explain it to anyone coming into the shop to buy something or ask for help.
The Noosphere: A collective unconscious, a realm of thought and information connecting all sentient minds across worlds. The Aerofluxx Lounge exists outside of it, which meant the shop was invisible to most forms of detection. A sanctuary. A blind spot in reality's architecture.
The Keypad: The interface that selects which world the Warp Door would connect to. Seemingly random, or perhaps guided by something deeper. The notes hinted at "synchronicity" and "narrative weight," whatever that meant.
The Warp Door: The threshold. Once a connection was established, beings from the connected world could stumble through the shop's entrance from their perspective — appearing in the Aerofluxx as if they'd walked through any ordinary door.
Chameleon Filter: Depending on the setting or area the lounge connects to a world at, the shop with edit itself to fit into the area as if it was always there and simply needed the right person to find it.
Customer System: When someone enters, the shop recognizes them as a Customer. (unless edited in the main console) They cannot take anything without purchasing and have an anti-harm function that stops ranged weapons from operating or creates a shield around the victim to protect them from melee attacks.
Remember: Trust is its own currency... And morality is ever changing in the infinite pools of thought.
My eyes shifted as I absorbed that last part. Morality is ever changing in the infinite... looks like I'm gonna be locked into the "fuck it, we ball" style of doing things from now on.
Leaning back in the chair, I stretch my arms above my head until I feel my shoulders pop. The lounge's ambient lighting had shifted to warmer tones earlier; some kind of automatic day-night cycle was what the notes said.
Sighing, I open the gacha and decide to roll the last two bronzes as good luck before I get started with my new 'job'. Watching the tickets fall, the twin event horizons form in a copper color before one becomes broken with a faded grey color, then implodes.
<- --- ->
Bronze Ability - Varied Vision
Allows you to switch between Thermal, Infrared, and Night vision at will without impairing your regular vision.
<-->
Trash Familiar - Cottonmouth
A smart cottonmouth snake companion, there is not much else about it. They are at the peak of what a cottonmouth snake is and smarter than average, but that's about it.
<- --- ->
Nodding to the bronze ability, which will help immensely in search and rescue stuff if I'm ever asked, I mentally reach into the space that houses my new roommate and summon them with a puff of golden dust from the screen.
I watch as the dust swirls and glows before revealing a 80 inch long female cottonmouth viper that looks at me for a moment before bowing her head and causing me to smile lightly.
"It's nice to have you aboard. I'm Mason. As for you, my hemotoxic friend, I'll name you Lilith" I say while holding my hand out and allowing her to slither up my arm before resting around my neck and hissing in approval as I rub her scales down.
Getting up, I walk over to the bar and order a French Vanilla flavored Dr. Pepper, which appears in a swirl of pixels from the counter, and take a sip as I make my way to the Warp door and put in a random set of numbers.
I got an opening to celebrate and worlds to explore. It's time for some fun! . . or horror, depending on my luck and where I'm going.
[86356650... Location found! Please stay away from the door while Anchoring]
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~Pov switch ??? 3rd~
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"Honestly. The one day I get's to myself and I have to wear a disguise just to avoid paparazzi"
Walking through the park she used to play in as a kid, a girl in a black cloak sits on the swing set with a huff before looking to the bright sky with the sun above her.
"Honestly, I love to sing. But when it's to be background noise at one of Father's parties, or to gather interest in a potential partnership. I wish I had never shown him"
Getting off the swing, She goes to a spot her sister told her about once in passing. The fall off. A section of the city that's not connected to the central grid and stands as a reminder of what they left behind when the city lifted into the sky for the first time.
It's not that they forgot about them. The military sends rookies around to scout the area now and then as training. The council just believes having a monument of the past is better than forgetting about it.
But having walked around for a bit, she can see why few people believe them. Broken windows, rusted cars, overgrown buildings... It's honestly beautiful in a strange, haunting way.
Making her way deeper, she stops as a light blue aura flickers around her body before looking to her right and beginning to walk through an alley, like something's leading her somewhere.
Exiting the alley, she looks to the left where a small building with a neon sign reading Aerofluxx Lounge flickers on momentarily before shutting off again.
"What is this? No building here should have power, even if just a few watts here and there"
Walking up to the metallic and unnaturally clean door, she takes a deep breath and readies her weapon before finally opening the door and stepping inside.
"Oh, my Oum"
She couldn't believe what she was seeing! And could you blame her?! The place looked like it had come from a dream, yet here she was walking into the center of the place. []
???: "Yeah, that's about the same reaction I was expecting from a guest~"
If anyone said she yelped like a little girl, they would be lying and have a missing persons poster by the end on the day.
Swerving to the bar with her weapon raised, she found a boy her age wearing a simple white dress shirt and blue tie leaning on the counter, completely relaxed with his eyes closed behind some black-framed glasses. []
"Who are you?"
Her voice was a little rattled but still firm as her head swarmed with questions.
"Is he here to kidnap me? No, that can't be it I found him, not the other way around. Could he own this place? But if so, why have such a nice establishment out in the fall off? . . !"
All her thoughts stopped when he opened his eyes. They were glowing orange with amusement, with the shape of flower peddles around his iris.
Mason: "Let me introduce myself. I'm Mason Vermont. And this little place you stumbled upon is a place outside of reality"
She slowly lowers her weapon with narrowed eyes, as they glance around for a second before motioning for him to continue.
Mason: "This shop is within a place called the Noosphere, where thoughts are proven to be real and simplified in a term known as the multiverse. Take a seat and order what you want first customers of a newly connected world get a free drink"
She had no idea what this boy was talking about... But it's sure better than anything else she was going to do today~
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~Pov switch Mason 1st~
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<- --- ->
Connect to the RWBY World: +1 Bronze Ticket
Interact with Weiss Schnee: +1 Silver Ticket
Give someone an existential crisis: +1 Bronze Ticket
<- --- ->
I clean out a glass as I finish explaining and letting her look through the simplified notes I made of the Noosphere. Now I'm stuck staring at a girl laying her head on the counter like she just got hit in the head with a pan.
Weiss: "So i'm just an idea in someone's head given form?"
"Yep~ Same with me and every other being in the noosphere. Hell this conversation is just one other being are reading at this very moment" I say with a shrug and smile as I put the glass away.
Weiss: "Great, so not only am I a character in a storybook. I have people, or whatever, reading about my life... How are you involved in this situation?"
"I kinda wished to have a interdimensional shop like the fanfics I read when I was like 13... Only for it to come true and give me an ability that connects to the Noosphere itself," I say with an embarrassed chuckle as I rub the back of my head as she looks at me with an 'Are you serious' face.
Weiss: "Well, moving on from your poor wishing choices"
"I was 13" I whisper to myself, which she ignores
Weiss: "How does your ability to connect to the Noosphere"
"Think of it like a gacha. I do something the gacha thinks is worth something, I get a ticket for it, I roll the ticket and get an ability, skill, item, trait, or loyal familiar from someplace inside the Noosphere"
It's quiet for a moment before I tell Weiss I got a silver ticket from meeting her and ask if she wants to roll it. I don't really care who rolls it since it still unlocks more things inside this place.
I opened the gacha screen and focused on letting her see it. I mean if it's connected to the Noosphere it should listen to my modifications since It's mine. Seeing her look at the screen is surprise just proves me right as I watch her click on the silver ticket and take a deep breath before pressing roll.
We both watch as the ticket falls into the Blackhole and I smile as she looks at the silver event horizon in awe before both of us watch in shock as it brightens into Gold before imploding.
<- --- ->
Gold Trait - Android
Race Change - You are an android, a higher class of machine-flesh hybrid. As an Android, you possess increased physical abilities and energy reserves. Your natural energy regeneration is lessened, but you can charge yourself like a machine. Your effectiveness when wielding Tinker abilities and technology is increased. But you are also rendered vulnerable to Electricity and Interfacing. You also possess basic augments such as a computer in your head and retractable mantis blades in your arms and legs(Cyberpunk). You can also tinker with yourself to change your body to an extent (You still have fleshy bits).
<- --- ->
Both: "Wait, what?"
I gasp as I feel my body ripple and shift without pain, and more goosebumps like I just a bucket of cold water dumped on my head before everything clicks into place as if it never happened.
Looking at my arms, I can't see the seams where my flash stops and metal starts, but I can command it as I watch my forearms unfold like a metal flower and two twenty-inch blades extend out, sharp and ready to slice. []
Refolding my blades, I look to a stunned Weiss with a grin "Well, ain't you just a lucky snowflake~ Thanks for the Upgrade Weiss. You are now my favorite customer"
That snaps her out of her sputtering as she looks at me with a blush and slightly narrowed eyes before huffing and looking away, doing her best to hide her smile.
Weiss: "W-whatever. it's only natural for a girl of my stature to get the best roll on something like this... And what do you mean favorite customer? I'm the first one you got since opening!"
"Details~ Just cause your the only one for now doesn't mean you can't be my favorite," I laugh as she rolls her eyes with a small smile before checking her scroll and sighing as she stands up.
Weiss: "It's almost time for me to get home... I... I'll see you again, Mason... If I ever get time to visit again, I will"
Remembering an extra feature in the keypad a smile forms on my face as I hop over the counter and take her hand before placing it on the side of the keypad, causing a ring of blue light to circle her wrist before blinking green and shattering to reform into a metal key that I catch.
"Here. This is a key that links any door you put it in to the lounge. It's locked onto your genetic signature, so only you can truly use it. Turn it into a necklace or bracelet and come back anytime"
I explain with a smile as I hand it to her, making her smile return as she nods and exits to got home... Speaking of home, I should get started on looking around my own~
. . . Wait, where the hell did Lilith go?
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Done! Sorry about not uploading anything in a long ass time. My laptop broke before I moved to Florida, and then I spent most of my time finding and getting used to a new job.
My laptop is now fixed, and I'm back, ready to upload new chapters!
Thank you all for waiting. Now enjoy this meal while I cook for the others~
(The cottonmouth snakes name is a play on the fact that a 80 inch snake is 6.66 feet in length)