Chapter2:
[Rolling Silver Gacha Ticket]
[Novice Stealth]
Common Skill
You are a novice in the way of stealth, you know how to mask your footsteps, how to sneak up on people, how to check for traps, and how to gather information more effectively. But anyone actually involved in the field is better than you.
I pressed myself into the corner, holding the girl tight against me, forcing my body to shrink as small as possible while the skill guided me. The shadows barely covered us, but they would have to do.
The stomp of armored boots carried down the passage, followed by the bark of orders. I ground myself deeper into the rock wall and swallowed the urge to breathe too loud. The sound grew, iron and rhythm filling the tunnel, until it was all I could hear.
My hand stayed locked on the lightsaber's trigger. Seconds stretched like an eternity, and every one of them had me convinced we were screwed. Then, slowly, the march receded, fading into the distance until only echoes remained.
I let a rough breath escape and shifted my body, dragging myself free of the cramped corner. The mystery girl stayed slung over my back.
A glance around showed nothing helpful.
I'd run far from the prison blocks at least, but whoever built this base didn't give a damn about fire codes. Not a single exit sign to use as a guide. Just rock walls and blind turns.
I set off again, feet light, body bent low, moving the way the skill insisted. The halls were carved from stone, rough and uneven, of course, a crazy conspiracy with too much time and too much money would build a secret base in a goddamn mountain. Infrastructure like this had to be a nightmare to develop, but that was probably the only reason I wasn't already caught.
So I left my body on autopilot, letting Novice Stealth guide my movements. My head, though, was running a thousand miles a minute, trying to figure out how to get the hell out of here.
I'd gotten lucky, with the mimic, with the lack of cameras in this section of the base. But if I didn't find an exit soon, I was going to be well and truly screwed.
"Hey!" I whisper-screamed into the air. "I know you're listening, you chucklefucks! I'll do whatever you want, just give me something I can work with!"
Silence. A few tense seconds stretched, long enough for me to start expecting an answer. I was so focused on waiting that I almost missed the sound of boots pounding closer again.
"Crap, crap, crap."
My eyes darted across the hall. No shadows deep enough, no corner wide enough. Nowhere to hide.
With no time left, I bolted for the nearest option.
The bathroom.
I shoved the door open, ran into a stall, and yanked my feet up on the toilet seat. Lightsaber in hand, blade angled toward the door, I braced myself. Seconds passed. No one came through.
Relief bled out of me in a shaky breath—until I saw the text flicker into view.
[Would you like to take on a modifier for your Gacha experience?]
[You currently have a Penalty modifier available]
[Accepting a Penalty Modifier will gift you 3x Gold Gacha Tickets]
"…Fuck. What's the penalty?" I whispered, already hating the idea of it. "Hello?"
Of course. Cheap bastards. They weren't going to tell me.
Three gold tickets for one penalty? That was bad news. I didn't know how the feats were scaled exactly, but from what I'd seen so far, it wasn't going to be pretty.
Still, it wasn't like I had a choice. Stumbling around blind wasn't going to get me out of here.
"Fine, you shitheads—give it to me!"
[You have received 3x Gold Gacha Ticket!]
[Rolling Penalty]
A roulette wheel spun into existence, gaudy symbols flashing past, as a giant board above it read Penalty. I tore my eyes away from the dramatic spin and ripped the first ticket.
[Catapult]
Rare Ability
Create and launch giant boulders at your enemies regardless of your existing strength, the weight of the boulder does not affect your throwing ability regardless if it is a person or a house-sized boulder.
The image slid into my mind like a new slot in memory. Good. Blessing was about to wear off anyway. I'd take what I could get.
Second ticket.
[Ring of the Sun Princess]
Elite Item
Dark Souls - Ring associated with Gwynevere, princess of sunlight and eldest daughter of Gwyn, the First Lord. The ring is vaguely warm, like a beam of sunlight, and grants the user regeneration and restoration, this effect is further amplified by sunlight.
A faint warmth bloomed against my skin. A golden ring appeared, light brushing along its surface. Not escape-worthy, but useful. I slipped it onto the girl's finger and watched some color return to her face.
Last ticket.
[Gama]
Uncommon Familiar
Jujutsu Kaisen - A large frog shikigami that can support its master using its long tongue. Its tongue can be used to ensnare its master's target and is strong enough to throw and slam them into objects. The speed of the Toad's tongue is useful for helping its master or an ally out of harm's way. Its large size allows it to carry targets in its mouth for transportation or restraint.
A frog rose straight from the tiled floor, massive eyes blinking up at me. It was kinda cute.
I grimaced as I patted the giant frog. "Not terrible, but not super helpful either. Couldn't give me something better, you bastards?"
The roulette slowed. The penalty clicked into place.
[Destined Enemy: Hydra]
Penalty
A greater force has bound you against Hydra. No matter how many years pass or what circumstances arise, they will always treat you as a high-priority target. Fate ensures your paths will cross again and again, and encounters with Hydra's agents and schemes will occur far more frequently throughout your life. This Penalty can only be lifted through Hydra's destruction.
I could only stare at the very loud, very clear "fuck you" penalty that had just made my situation ten times worse."Son of a—"
The stall door creaked open. A man in a researcher's lab coat stumbled in, still fumbling with his belt. We both froze when our eyes met.
"Ribbit."
Gama lunged past me, head snapping forward. His skull slammed into the Hydra agent's groin with a wet thud, dropping the man into a squealing heap.
I grabbed his head and drove it into the toilet bowl. Water sloshed as I gave the researcher the world's deadliest swirly till he stopped moving.
Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect. A Hydra researcher walking in right now with that sort of timing—yeah, I could already tell that penalty was going to make this escape borderline impossible.
"Urgh… where…" A girl's voice cracked behind me.
I turned. Her face was no longer ghastly pale; her skin carried the faintest luster. She still looked weak, but the ring had dragged her back from the edge.
"Hey," I said softly as her eyes finally focused on me.
She blinked, then screamed and scrambled backward.
"What's—oh." I followed her gaze. Bloodied Hydra researcher, giant frog standing guard. Fair. Pretty damn fair to scream at. "There's a very good explanation for all this."
"Is this another test?" Her voice shook, tight with fear.
I raised both hands slowly, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. "Okay, wrong first impression. My name's Jack, and this is my frog. Uh… Kermit."
"Ribbit," the shikigami croaked, perfectly timed.
The girl's expression wavered. "Like… Sesame Street?"
"No. Better. Kermit's got nothing on this guy." I patted Gama's flank like I was showing off a new car.
Apparently, the frog wanted to prove me right. He lumbered out, tongue snapping out to snag the Hydra researcher's limp body. With one motion, he started juggling the poor bastard.
Have you ever seen a frog juggle?
It was glorious. Both of us just stood there, transfixed, as the bloodied man cartwheeled through the air, whipped around on that absurd tongue. With a final pirouette, Kermit launched him into another stall.
I clapped without thinking. The girl joined in. If a frog could look smug, I imagine that's what it would look like.
At least she wasn't panicking anymore. More curious cat than cornered one. I mentally gave my familiar a thumbs-up.
"So," I asked, "I didn't catch your name."
"…Anna Marie."
"Well, Anna Marie, nice to meet you." I smiled. "Sorry to drop this on you, but we're kinda on the clock. Do you know anything about this place?" I nodded toward the bloody mess of a lab coat in the next stall. "Because, as you can see, I'm not exactly on friendly terms with the guys who kidnapped us. Anything that helps us get the hell out of here would be great."
Her mood darkened at the mention of our kidnappers. She scrunched her face, thinking hard. "I don't know… they'd take me to and from a lab, but I was drugged so deeply I can barely remember. I just… woke up here one day. I was on the bus, and then—nothing. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Don't worry, I've got this." I said it with far more confidence than I actually felt.
Should I take another penalty? The first one had already screwed me sideways. I was hesitant to take another.
At least I didn't have to carry her anymore, which meant I could move faster. But stealth? Forget it. If fate was forcing Hydra to bump into me, every hallway was going to be a landmine.
"I could help," she whispered. "Take these off."
Only then did I notice her arms. They were bound tight, wrapped in cloth restraints like a makeshift straitjacket.
I didn't know what she was planning, but I didn't question it. With a snap-hiss the lightsaber came alive, and I carefully brought the blade to the bindings. She flinched at the sight of it, surprise flickering across her face. Not that I could blame her—first a giant juggling frog, now a glowing plasma sword. Weird factor maxed out. Then again, we were in a secret Nazi base. Context mattered.
Slowly, I cut along the edges, careful not to touch skin. The buckles gave way and clattered to the floor with a muted thump.
Anna drew in deep, shaky breaths, then moved toward the unconscious Hydra researcher. She hovered over him for a long moment, silent. I opened my mouth to ask what she was doing—
She screamed, thrusting both hands down onto his chest.
A violent jolt ran through the man, like live current arcing between them. His body convulsed, seizing and jerking, while her face twisted in pain. For ten full seconds the air buzzed with the crackle of something unnatural. Finally, she pulled back, clutching her head, breath ragged.
"You okay?" I reached out, hand brushing her shoulder.
"DON'T touch me!" she shrieked, stumbling back to the wall.
"Whoa, sorry!" I backed off instantly, hands up.
Her breathing slowed. Shoulders sagged. "No… sorry. It's not your fault. It's just… dangerous. My curse. It affects everyone I touch—skin to skin."
"Curse?" My eyes flicked between her and the twitching Hydra agent. A suspicion crawled in the back of my head.
"Yeah. I don't know what it is. Whenever I touch people, I… absorb them. Hurt them. I take pieces of their minds, their life." Her voice cracked. "I hate it. But—I know the base now. I saw it from him."
Oh. Oh shit. I hadn't recognized her at first—the malnutrition had made it hard to see—but up close the details stood out. A lock of white against that deep cherry red hair. This was Rogue!
What the hell was she doing here? I didn't remember any storyline where Hydra managed to capture her as a teen.
"Jack?" she asked, her voice edged with worry.
"Sorry." I forced myself to focus. Continuity crisis later. Escaping draconian supervillain prison base now. "Which way do we go to get out?"
"There are a couple of exits," she said, hesitating. "But all of them lead through the prison blocks. It's crawling with guards. Last, this guy remembered, they told everyone to hold position—some kind of monster was tearing the place apart. But… there's an old hangar bay, decommissioned, not far. We might be able to get out through there."
"That's already better than my plan."
I nudged open the bathroom door, motioning for her to stay low as we stepped into the hallway.
The air outside was tense, electric, the silence broken only by distant echoes of chaos. If I had to guess, the mimic was still raising hell somewhere in the lower levels. Hopefully, every guard was busy dealing with that nightmare, leaving the halls here thinner.
We moved quickly, Anna trailing close behind me, her eyes darting at every shadow. I kept my lightsaber angled low, just in case, and trusted the skill to steer me quiet. For a moment, I thought we'd actually make some distance.
Then my instincts screamed.
Without a word, I yanked Anna down to the floor. A split-second later, a deafening crack split the hallway.
"Fuuuck…" I hissed through my teeth.
A shape emerged from the far shadows, tall and broad. Wrapped head to toe in black tactical armor. A half-mask hid his face, but not his eyes. Those were bare, cold, stripped of anything human.
The light shifted as he moved. Metal gleamed at his side, the cybernetic arm catching every flicker, the crimson star on his shoulder burning against it like a brand.
The air itself seemed to turn colder.
His voice cut through, flat and without a shred of emotion.