Disclaimer - I don't own Marvel/Disney IP. I am just a humble keyboard warrior. Also, the Chaos Gacha was made by Bronz here. I am just dipping my toe in the water, so to speak.
Pocket Beach
–?--
The sensation was odd, he decided. He could feel the woman/vampire/cannibal leave the space that his familiars occupied and manifest in front of him with a flash of bright white light that left him temporarily blinded.
Suddenly, there was this pressure all around him, as if someone unholy had decided to make this their space, and he did not like it. So, with authority he certainly did not feel, he spoke the commands he had already loosely formulated in his mind.
"Stay still until I tell you to move. Do not attack me. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not scheme against me. Do not cast any magic on me. Speak only the truth. Don't do anything that could directly or indirectly hurt me." He spoke out hurriedly, loudly, and clearly, desperately hoping that she heard him, processed his orders, and that the gacha's information of familiars obeying his orders was not wrong.
Abruptly, the pressure disappeared as the sound of tyres being deflated entered his ears, the vast, almost towering presence in front of him receding to human like levels.
A slender, elegant-looking lady was revealed to him, garbed in old aristocratic clothes. The human shape did not fool him, as the hate in the yellow slitted eyes was clearly visible to him. He might not know much, but he knew that the woman in front of him could not be trusted, not at all.
Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and while not immediately in danger, he was still, very much a beggar, at least in the context of the universe he had found himself in. Hell, even here, in this pocket dimension, he was not completely safe. He knew from his memories that there were beings out there perfectly capable of breaching through pocket spaces, alternate dimensions, and hell, even alternate universes were not beyond the reach of someone on the truly cosmic level.
The woman was still taller than him, not by much, but she had to be at least 6 feet right now, even when she was deflated. In her original form, of which he only had a glimpse, she must be like 10ft, which was awesome as well as terrifying.
So, with the intention of at least using her until she did something unforgivable, he asked his first question.
"Introduce yourself and tell me everything you can do." The question was innocuous enough, borne from manners instilled within him from a previous life. It was common sense to get someone's name before you moved on to the real topic. He just forgot that this was not someone worth extending civil manners to, as he immediately regretted the wording of the question.
The answer came out as if pulled forcefully, spoken in a high pitched voice, indicative of a tirade that was only just gaining steam.
"I am Alcina Dimitrescu, Countess of Castle Dimitrescu and its lands. I am no common creature, no myth to be whispered by peasants—I am a perfected being, refined through blood, lineage, and science beyond your comprehension.
I possess strength far exceeding human limits. Stone yields beneath my hands. Steel bends if I desire it to. My body regenerates from wounds that would kill any ordinary organism, and age holds no dominion over me.
I command my form at will—bone, flesh, and scale–"
"Shut up." He said, tired of the overly flowery language, especially since she was basically glorifying herself, which was extremely cringeworthy in his opinion. Her mouth clicked shut, but her eyes remained wide, her face going extremely red, likely in an effort to open her mouth and curse him or something.
Rubbing his forehead, he sat on the ground, now safe in the knowledge that she was restrained but also faced with a new problem.
The familiar space. It was not something he could access at will. It is not meant to be a long term storage space, as evidenced by the constant pressure on his mind when something was inside that space. When she was inside, the pressure was much higher, likely because of her being someone with far more power than the Deathclaws currently residing in that space.
They, too were giving him a headache, but nowhere near as deliberating as hers. He would still have to take them out, but before that, he had to deal with her.
He had a hunch that the Familiar Space would become accessible to him if he had the right ticket and rolled the right reward, which, in a veritable ocean of rolls, was improbable but a man could hope, right?
Now, to get this headache solved so that he could get the buzz in his mind resolved and get some real food because he was starving, he spoke in a clipped tone, impatient with someone he thought of deserving no mercy or patience, "Tell me your abilities and summarise them in only a few words, 5 at most."
The answers came out immediately, still in that high pitched tone, still with those wild eyes and face set in a permanent scowl, "Enhanced Strength, speed, agility, reflexes, regeneration, agelessness, retractable claws. Alter-form with enhanced everything."
He nodded in satisfaction at the answer, "Go sit down at the edge of this island, don't hurt anything or anyone you find here. Remain there until I call you."
He ducked immediately as the woman suddenly gained a few feet in height and just jumped above him, creating a small depression in the soil around them. He looked back, only to see her a blur in the distance. Despite knowing the commands he gave her, he still swallowed, looking at the hole in the ground.
Wiping the sweat, he sighed and let the Deathclaws out. A breeding pair, too. They too appeared with a flash of light. They were far less threatening as they stood in place, almost docile, though their appearance was anything but. They were almost the same height as Alcina but were far more monstrous in appearance.
Quickly repairing the same commands he gave to the Countess, though he wasn't sure if they truly understood, he watched as they began moving as fast as cars could, which was more than a little terrifying. After all of that, he was left on the beach, sand inside his flimsy clothing, hitting him in the wrong places, but he was still slightly smiling because that pressure inside his mind was fully gone.
After a couple of minutes of just lying on the beach, enjoying the soothing sound of water, he lifted his hand and watched, fascinated, as a green vine burst through his palm, wiggling in the air as if a worm. With a thought, he saw little thorns emerging from the tip and around the edges as well.
With a thought, it broke off his hand and fell on the ground, and suddenly, he could feel it. A sense of exertion, nothing close to exhaustion, but he could tell that repeated usage of this ability was surely going to tire him out.
So, with extreme reluctance, he hauled his ass off the sand and looked at the bare island and then at the water. If he was not wrong, there was talk of fish, here?
____xx____
He sighed, getting out of the shallow waters, the vines receding into his body, with no fish to show for it. As it turns out, vines? Even magically manipulated ones? Not a great tool for fishing. Something he should have thought of earlier.
On the other hand, the water in this sea was extremely clear, to the point that he could just see the fish swimming below but could not pi them down, either because of his lack of skill and also because the water distorted the image quite a bit.
So, taking stock of his situation, he had no food, no water(it was just salt water and he had no way of removing that salt from the water), and no tools to use his resources since theoretically he had both of those things, just not usable in their current forms. He needed tools(and expertise) to fish, and fire to evaporate the water and create drinkable water from it.
He was also currently low on energy, because of all the energy he spent on making those stupid vines, with increasingly intricate shapes, all in hopes that at least one of them would help him catch a fish. Fish that were swimming right in front of him, within reach yet so far away.
One good thing that came from this was that he learned some new things about his vine ability, the only offensive ability he had on hand right now.
Firstly, using basic vines is much simpler than trying to manipulate them into intricate shapes or create thorns. Second, he could either absorb the vines back into himself or cut them off from his body with the only caveat being the higher energy consumption if he chose to let the vines go, which is why they slithered right back into his body, even the ones near his legs, as the vines burrowing into the ground allowed him a much better grip.
Even with all of that, he still hadn't dared to venture far beyond the shores because the fear of the deep sea was ingrained into his very being.
Avicii would be so disappointed in him.
Shaking off the sudden melody that appeared in his mind, he made a difficult decision that was based solely on increasing his survivability factor and began walking in the direction of the one person who was powerful and human looking enough to be of any help to him outside this pocket dimension.
The Deathclaws were straight up war machines as far as he was concerned and even then, he was hesitant in letting them outside because in this universe, people could straight up clone entirely different species with just a single drop of blood.
No bone marrow, no brain tissue, nothing else required. It was straight-up magic as far as he could understand it.
Following the depressions on the ground, he ignored the sudden pang of uncertainty that bloomed in his mind when he realised the power difference between her and him but trusting the Gacha, he soldiered on, and when he saw them, his palm met his face in a resounding slap that made Alcina look at him with amusement before her face morphed into the permanent scowl.
As was described in their description when he got them, the two Deathclaws were breeding, in a manner that made him wish he had the ability to mindwipe some memories from his brain, permanently.
"STOP!" He shouted, making them freeze as his understanding of the command reached their brains somehow. After adding another set of orders, he turned to the Countess.
"We will be going outside this place. You will guard me at all costs, from anything that you deem a danger. You will not speak or hurt anyone else unless they are going to hurt me. Disguise yourself and make sure not to draw undue attention. Can you do that?"
She nodded with difficulty, as her form shifted once more, the sounds not being pleasant, as she now stood at a very reasonable 5 '5, with a still extremely pretty face but with a normal looking human body. Not something that would immediately draw attention in Manhattan.
"Follow me," After ordering her, he turned around and thrusted the key into thin air, opening a portal straight to the dumpster. Hastily jumping through, he ignored the sudden change in temperature and speed walked right out of the alley, the sound of her boots hitting the ground telling him that she was right behind him.
Walking on the sidewalk, he eyed the Countess walking beside him, and aside from the look of slight curiosity on her face as she surveyed the tall buildings around them, she did not make any other move, which was a slight relief. Come to think of it, she probably had far better uses than just being a bodyguard but that would mean letting her have her autonomy back and deal with other normal people, and his conscience(and fear) wouldn't allow that.
Mid step, he paused, turning around to find a glass wall of a building in front of him. Leaning in a bit close, he looked at himself, finding his face just like usual, only somehow with more stress piled on top of it. Stepping back a bit, he saw that it was the same as before.
He looked pale, more so than usual and even with clothes on, it was clear that he was firmly in the tall and lanky category, with brunette hair and a clearly receding hairline. He even looked older than he was. The only redeemable feature about his face, told by someone else, were his eyes. Brown eyes, completely normal yet they were beautiful, or he was made a fool of that day.
Either way, that stuff was superficial back then and it was superficial right now, just that it held someimportance back then. Now? It barely even mattered if he could just wake up, do something and get a ticket for something like a Tune Up, that would straight up turn him into his absolute best version.
With that self consolation done, they continued walking without a purpose in mind, right up until they passed a park, and a fool decided to try his hand at the Countess, walking right in between them, trying to flirt with her. The man swayed as if about to fall.
"Hello there, beautiful."
He stopped and turned around, watching with amusement as the man courted death without even knowing. Before he could try to stop the man, he noted the bulging wallet in the back pocket of his jeans that were so low it showed his underwear, and immediately had an idea.
"What are you doing?" He walked up to the man and deliberately asked in a hostile tone, nose wrinkling as the man turned and the smell of alcohol and possibly weed hit him with full force.
"Huh?" The man slurred slightly, turning around, as he, despite the smell, got into the man's personal space, goading him. "What's it to you, boy?"
Wow. What creative insults.
"Back off!" He said, shoving the man slightly. The man staggered but maintained balance as he tried a feature of the familiar system he hoped worked properly here. Technically, it was more akin to a translation feature, allowing him to convey the meaning behind his words irrespective of any language barrier, but he hoped it worked on body language as well. Manoeuvring himself so that he faced Alcina for a moment, he immediately whispered, "Steal his wallet," before disengaging and moving back so that Alcina had easy access to the man's back.
The man jumped at him, as he watched her take a step towards them, and then take a step back immediately. He didn't even see her move or anything but she was clearly superhuman so he trusted her and stepped back.
"Come on. Let's go." He said to her as he shoved the man slightly harder this time, making him fall on his ass as they walked away. The man groaned in pain but was clearly in no condition to pursue them, as they walked away with his wallet.
Turning around the corner, he opened it and slumped slightly as he saw barely a hundred dollars in there, along with some receipts. Nothing important like ID or anything, so he did not feel any guilt when he tossed the wallet in a trash can nearby.
For your first petty crime, Bronze Ticket X1
At this point, he wasn't even fazed as he immediately rolled the Gacha, not even missing a step as he saw a cafe in the distance, and was immediately reminded of his impending hunger.
[Linguist]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are able to understand all mundane languages and are very good at learning non-mundane ones, too.
Not wanting to spend a big chunk of his money on just coffee, he began looking for something cheaper, like a food cart while noting the trait he got this time.
Honestly, it was quite useful but he was unsure how it would work. Was it something like the Allspeak that Asgardians used? Where they could understand every language as if it was their mother tongue or would he know that they were speaking French and understand it in French?
Did he know how to magically read and write those languages? What did it mean that he could learn non mundane languages as well? Like runes and stuff? If true, it would be immensely helpful. He could only tell through trial.
Right now, though, food was a more pressing matter. He turned to the side, looking at the Countess. He hoped she did not require human blood as food right now. That would be….unpleasant.
__xx__
After a round of three hot dogs and a bottle of water, he finally felt as if his stomach was satisfied. The urge to sleep was heavy, but he had more pressing matters to acknowledge.
Like the giant building in the skyline, with the name STARK shining brightly on it. He was in the Marvel Universe, yes, but which one?
There were quite literally dozens of incarnations of this universe with each one being more dangerous than the last. He needed to do some research but before that, a change of clothes, so that he didn't quite look like a recently homeless person.
A trip to Goodwill later, he had decent-ish clothes, along with clothing that had the Countess sniffing in disdain. After asking directions to the cashier, he was in front of a library, ready to get this over with.
It was time.
….
…
"No ID. No Entry."
There was only one slight problem with that. Apparently, you needed ID to use the computer services in a library, and well, he being a transdimensional refugee did mean he had none of that pesky papers and stuff.
Well, when in Rome, do as Romans do and all that, so he slipped the last remaining twenty he had on him to the strict looking woman who looked at him as if he had offended her entire bloodline. After a tense showdown, her hand shot out like lightning and snatched the note before replying with an indifferent look on her face, "One hour. That's it. No noise."
He nodded at the well placed warning before heading to the upper level where the computers were kept.
For successfully bribing your first government employee, Bronze Ticket X1
He kept that ticket on hand, as he climbed the stairs and sat down in front of one of the empty computers. The slight jostle when he sat down was enough to jumpstart the computer, which made him smile as that indicated the computers being fairly good, probably recently purchased.
"Let's see," He muttered as his gaze went to the bottom right corner as he noted down the date, finally. It had never occurred to him to check the date because, first, he'd thought he was just transported to New York, and second, he was too busy with his literal superpowers to care about something as mundane as that.
11.11.2011 was the date, and depending on which universe he was in, it might be significant. With that in mind, he pressed the browser icon, which was just a chrome rip off, just glowing a whitish blue. Until that opened up, he rolled the gacha.
[Bottomless Swamp]
|Uncommon Ability|
Allows you to transform the ground around you into a bottomless swamp that traps any targets that step on it, making them sink further into the swamp, if they fully submerge, they are fully incapacitated and enter a stasis-like state.