Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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This is harder than I thought.
I shouldn't be surprised by that, since I have no idea of what the hell am I doing.
I will admit that I was naive in thinking that it would be simple to plan an attack in one of the Merchants safehouses.
I ran into multiple problems when I tried to think of a plan.
Like the fact that I don't know the location of any of them.
As fucked up as the Merchants are, they know not to divulge to everyone the location of their safehouses.
It also doesn't help that their territory, the trainyard, is full of empty buildings and warehouses.
Maybe I could ask around back at work, see if anyone knows something-hold on that's stupid. If I do that, they might want to know why I want to know that.
What else can I do?
I could try to bribe a drug dealer but, then again, why would they know where the safe houses are located.
"I'm going nowhere," I pinch my nose in frustration.
Okay, one step at a time.
I'm not going to get anything done by staying home.
I'm going to have to go to the trainyard and look around.
I let out a sigh and changed clothes.
I put on a hoodie and a face mask.
That reminds me that I need to think about how my costume is going to look.
I'm sure 'NFF Wardrobe' is going to have something that I can put together.
Now let's go find a safehouse for me to rob.
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So far no such luck.
I spent the last three to four hours searching for, well, anything worth of notice.
There are too many buildings for me to check all of them. I could spend the entire day here and still find nothing.
The people who live around these parts are mostly homeless.
I tried to talk to them but they either ignored me or told me to go away.
One of them even threatened me but he wasn't well in the head. I mean, he accused me of wanting to steal his eyes.
Poor man.
Okay, the way I'm doing this isn't working.
New plan: find a member of the Merchants and make him talk.
Direct and simple.
Hmmm...
"Why didn't I start with that?" I thought, tilting my head.
.....I barely hold myself back from facepalming.
Huh?
In an alley to my left, I spot a group of three harassing a homeless man.
Their clothes are filthy, and they won't stop twitching and scratching themselves.
It's clear as day that those three are drug addicts.
And one of them just pulled out a knife.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
Well, no reason to not give a hand to that homeless man.
I reinforce my arms and approach them.
"Give to us!" The drug addict shouted, waving around the knife.
"I don't have any money, you fucking lunatic!" The homeless man shouted back.
One of the drug addicts notices me.
"Who-" was all he could say before I punched his face, breaking his nose.
He fell to the ground and stopped moving.
That attracted everyone's attention.
"Wh-who the fuck are you!" the drug addict shouted, turning the knife to me.
The other drug addict bolted.
"Put that knife away or I'm going to make you," I growled.
"Shut up! Yo-yo-you also want it! It's mine!" he shouted crazily.
Jesus, what the hell did this guy use?
He lunges at me, driving the knife forward, but I sidestep and counter with a left hook. My fist connects with a sickening crunch, shattering his jaw.
Oh shit.
He lets out a gurgled scream and drops the knife.
I wince as he spits a glob of blood, there are a few of his teeth mixed with the blood.
He looks at me for a few seconds, his face filled with fear, before turning and sprinting away.
The homeless man and I watched his retreating figure before we glanced at each other.
"So...you okay?" I asked.
"Yes," The homeless man said tensely.
I raised my hands, "I'm not going to hurt you."
He briefly glances at the blood on the ground before exhaling in weary acceptance.
"Who are you supposed to be?" the homeless man asked.
"A guy passing by," I said.
"Sure....whatever you say," the homeless man said with a shrug.
Okay, this is starting to get awkward.
Let's speed this up.
"Do you want to make some money?" I asked suddenly.
The homeless man narrows his eyes in suspicion, "Look, I appreciate you saving me but I'm no-"
"It's nothing weird! I just want some information," I said quickly.
"What kind?" The homeless man asked.
"You know your way around these parts, right?" I asked.
The homeless man nods.
"Could you point to a place that is important to the Merchants?" I asked.
The homeless man hums thoughtfully while rubbing his chin.
"How about a meth lab?" The homeless man asked.
I blink rapidly, "I'm sorry?"
Did I hear that right?
"A meth lab," The homeless man said again.
Yep, he said meth lab.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Simple, the Merchants are full of idiots," The homeless man shrugs.
"That's true but I would still like an explanation," I said.
"About three or four days ago, I heard a group of Merchants arguing about how a batch of their products was ruined and that Skidmard was furious. One of them end up saying where the meth lab is located," The homeless man said.
"Where did you hear that?" I raised an eyebrow.
"They were arguing in the middle of the street. I and at least another dozen people heard them," The homeless man deadpanned.
"....wow," I said.
That so...
"Like I said: full of idiots," the homeless man said.
"Well, thank god for stupid people," I said. "So, where is it?"
"Seven blocks from here, you are going to find some abandoned warehouses. It's going to be one of them," The homeless man shrugs.
It's better than nothing.
"Thanks," I said, handing him some money.
The homeless man nods and walks away.
I smile as a familiar warm sensation spreads throughout my body.
Oh, this is a good one!
I got a teacher!
....wait what?
It's called 'It's My Cute Apprentice' and it's as straightforward as it can get.
The grimoire found someone from another dimension to teach me more about magecraft.
What the hell?
And where are they?
Besides the unconscious drug addict, I'm alone in this alley.
"My personal reality!" I thought with wide eyes.
I spend the next few minutes looking for a more secluded building to open my personal reality. After finding one, I look around to make sure that there isn't anyone close by.
Entering the building, I went to the nearest door and opened with the key.
There's a person waiting for me inside.
It's a woman with long, flowing black hair that cascades down her back. Her brown eyes turn to me as she adjusts a stylish, thin-framed glasses. She's dressed in professional attire, consisting of a fitted blouse and a knee-length skirt.
There's a briefcase next to her.
She was looking around before she turned to me.
"You must be Benjamin," She said with a welcoming smile.
"I prefer to go by Ben," I said, looking at her with wide eyes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Mia Mccarthy," Mia said.
I kept looking at her with wide eyes.
"Is something wrong?" Mia asked.
"Sorry, I just...honestly, I was not expecting this," I said before I realized how that sounded. "Not that it's a bad thing! It's a good thing! A really good thing!" I added quickly.
She lets out a giggle.
Well, it's not a bad first impression.
I cough, "So, yeah. I need to learn more about magecraft. I don't know many spells."
Mia nods, "It's why I'm here. If you don't mind me asking: what thaumaturgical system are you studying?"
Thau-what now?
"I don't know what that means. I only have what the grimoire gave me," I said.
Mia blinks in surprise, "I see...and what would that be?"
"Reinforcement, Gradiation Air, Hypnosis, and some knowledge of Formalcraft," I said, listing the spells I know.
"Those are the basic spells that every magus knows," Mia said, rubbing her chin.
"Oh! I also have this," I summon the magical balls. "I can change their forms to whatever I want and channel my spell through them."
"Hm, with the right usage this can be a quite powerful mystic code," Mia said to herself.
"Mystic code?" I asked.
Mia adjusts her glasses, "Mystic codes are tools magi use to support their execution of magecraft. They can come in all kinds of forms and have predetermined spells engraved in them. Take my briefcase for example. The space inside of it has been manipulated to allow greater storage of items. It's been in my family for generations," she said proudly.
Oh, so it's bigger on the inside.
I hum thoughtfully, "Are they difficult to make?"
"It depends on the material, and skills of the magus that is creating it. But I know that isn't what you're interested in knowing," Mia said seriously, looking me in the eyes. "In regards to creating a mystic code that can kill the golden man is not impossible however I lack the skill to do it."
I weakly chuckled, "Saw right through me."
Of course, it isn't going to be easy.
This also confirms that she knows about Scion.
"So Zelretch told you what is going on," I said.
Mia shakes her head, "It wasn't Lord Zelretch. I talked with a young woman with bunny ears that informed me of what you're going against."
"I'm sorry, bunny ears?" I asked confused.
Mia nods, "Yes."
"....were they real?" I asked.
I may or may not have once secretly hoped that bunny girls were a real thing.
Which, now that I think about it, they might actually be now that I know that magic is real.
Huh, food for thought.
"I'm not sure. I was more focused on not offending her. Her presence was quite overwhelming," Mia shrugs.
I'm still going to look into this later.
Mia claps her hands, "Well, now that we have introduced ourselves, it's time to formulate your schedule."
"Oh, huh, can we do that later? I was in the middle of something," I said.
Mia hums, "Anything I can help with?"
That would be amazing, but does she know how things work around here?
"Before I continue, let me ask you a question: do you know what a parahuman is?" I asked.
Mia thinks for a moment before shaking her head.
"They are individuals with powers and they are divided into groups of heroes, villains, and rogues," I said, giving a brief explanation.
Mia looks at me confused.
Let's try another way.
"It's like in the comics. Have you ever read one?" I asked.
"I have not," Mia admitted.
....hold on, there's an easier way to do this.
I grab my phone and search for the Protectorate.
"Here," I said, giving my phone to Mia.
Mia spends the next minute reading about the Protectorate.
"I have so many questions," Mia said, not taking her eyes off the phone.
"I take that you didn't have this back home?" I asked.
"We certainly didn't," Mia said. "What does this have to do with what you were doing?"
"Well, I was going to hit one of the meth labs of the Merchants," I said.
Mia quickly searches for information about the Merchants and frowns at what she reads.
"What is the purpose of this attack?" Mia asked.
"Well, the idea is to start gathering funds for my magecraft since practicing it can be quite expensive," I said.
Mia nods, pleased with the answer.
"Isn't there an easier target?" Mia asked.
"Search Brockton Bay and you will understand," I said.
Mia spends the next ten minutes doing a brief search about Brockton Bay.
"Really? Nazis?" Mia asked, handing my phone back.
"Unfortunately," I frowned.
Mia takes her glasses off and pinchs her nose.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body as knowledge of how to make poisonous food enters my mind and I can also secrete poison at will.
Why would I eat poisonous food?
"The Grimoire gave you something," Mia said seriously.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"You were looking off into space for a minute," Mia deadpanned.
Oh.
"We will have to work on that," Mia adjusted her glasses. "Could you tell me what you received?"
"Oh, huh, sure. It's called 'Poison Culinary Master'. I know how to make poisonous food and because I eat so much of it I can also secrete poison whenever I want."
"How strong is the poison? Can you customize it?" Mia asked immediately.
"I have no idea," I admitted.
Mia hums, "We will need to test this extensively. Poison can be tricky to use."
"Yeah....so are we just ignoring the fact that I ate god knows how much poisoned food that it ended up changing my body?" I asked.
She didn't even bat an eye!
Mia shrugs, "You can build up resistance to poison by ingesting small quantities of it over long periods. Besides, in the moonlit world, this is nothing."
"You can't be serious," I said in disbelief.
"Give it time, you will understand what I'm talking about," Mia grabs the briefcase. "Give me a moment and we can begin to test your poison."
"What about the meth lab?" I asked.
"That will be postponed," Mia said.
Mia reaches inside the briefcase, pulling out a table and chemistry equipment.
"Well, if we're going to do that might all well get back home," I thought.
I talked with Mia and she agreed that it would be better to go home.
I will take today as a win.
I'm not alone anymore.
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It's My cute Apprentice (The Holy Man of the Church Creek) 100:
Adelina serves as an exceptional exemplar of a devoted student, faithfully embodying the teachings of her mentor, Shirou. Through a combination of his guidance and hard work, she blossomed into an powerhouse within the Underworld, upholding the values instilled in her. Should you yearn for a pupil to share in your wisdom, envy not, for this option grants you the chance to create a remarkable individual ideally suited for learning and honing your unique skills. Possessing a natural talent and unwavering work ethic, your apprentice will display a deep admiration for you, driven by a desire to make you proud. Conversely, if you prefer to assume the role of the student, you may opt to design a skilled master from whom you can learn and grow. Regardless of your choice, you hold the power to shape their personality, appearance, and even their species, should you desire.
Poison Culinary Master (Fate/Saber Wars) 100:
Even British cooking isn't this deadly! Your skills in the kitchen have nothing to do with making tasty food and everything to do with making food way too deadly to eat. From preparing the most toxic poisonous fish into a visually tempting trap, imbuing home-made pizza with an intense magical poison to giving sapience and soul to a mountain of mash potato solely to turn it into a heartless killing machine. No need for an armory, you'll be deadly as long as you have a kitchen to draw on. You're quite capable of eating your own food and years of doing so have made your body able to secrete deadly toxins at will, making the chef almost as deadly as their product. Some have claimed this is all the result of extensive training as an Assassin on planet Hasshashsin but in reality, it's just pure (lack of) culinary skills.
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We're back!
I have been debating when to introduce a companion to Ben.
I was afraid that it would be too soon but him getting a teacher is perfect.
I'm going to be honest, there are some perks that I really liked and can't wait to introduce into the story.
It's My Cute Apprentice was one of them.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
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