I wouldn't be so stupid as to wear my protector's form out and about. I sported an oversized T-shirt and shorts instead before walking the streets.
I donated to the singer again, while walking a dog that only exists for me.
"謝謝. (Thanks.)"
I tipped more than usual today at RM10, I simply thought the universe had been kind to me for offering me the superheroine route.
"You're such a kind person!" It complimented.
"Pfft."
...
Usually, I attend lectures alone, but today, an invisible Pomeranian accompanied me at the backseats.
As per usual, no one really paid attention to the lecture.
"He's just reading off the slides." Even a puppy complained.
"Do other universes not have lectures?"
"I think every universe with two numbers in their code have lectures, but this universe has so far the dullest version."
"It's probably just this university, and just this professor." I rested my head in my palms, "What's your name, Pomeranian?"
"I don't have a name. All my holders called me different names and had my appearance changed to their preferences."
"So... I could change you, however I like, to my liking, and you will do it no matter how absurd the request is?"
"There's limits to me. I can shapeshift into anything and I can phase through anything. Basically, everything aesthetics-based, and intangibility at will for some reason. Other than those two, I'm like a normal human that's only visible to you."
Some holders definitely abused this. In fact, I was considering to abuse it too. But, I had other ideas.
"Okay... Can you turn into a girl about my height?"
"You got it!" The puppy melted into a blob of colourless slime before expanding and reforming until it became a colourless me. Colour filled herself soon from nowhere.
"No, not me. Just my height."
"Oh, okay." She turned colourless again, the slime crawled in place to reshape into the perfect woman before colours returned.
She now had the perfect body ratios, perfect face, perfect hair, and... lingerie? She went for the most sexually attractive woman possible, didn't she?
"No, wait until I finish describing, please."
"Sorry." She bowed apologetically.
"A teenage girl, Chinese like me, looks a lot like me, but not me, she should have plumper cheeks and rounder lips, short hair and bigger eyes."
"And her body?"
"Uhhh... Just average, I guess."
She was erased, remoulded then recoloured.
"Shorter, actually."
She didn't bother erasing herself this time, she simply shrunk.
"Smaller nose?"
She pinched her nose smaller.
"Yeah... Yeah, I like this. I'll call you Amelda from now on."
"Okay! And what should I call you?"
"Just Angela."
Yes, I understand, Amelda was your name. I'll just call you Alex now, okay?
...
After the lecture, I strolled the streets as usual, but with my headphones off this time, and my direction was different: I was following Amelda to the specific someone.
"So who's this specific someone?"
"The Guardian of the Emblems." She answered with a wry smirk, "Every universe has only one of them, and they're at the very top of the hierarchy in terms of control. Aside from, Them, of course."
"Right, Them. Who are They?"
"I don't know, Angela." She played with her footsteps, "All I can tell you is that They created me. So They're definitely a good guy!"
"They just sound like God."
"Maybe They are... Oh shoot," Amelda covered her mouth with a frown, "Did I offend you? A lot of universes has religions as one of its most sensitive topic."
"It's fine, I'm no priest."
A group of black-clad men sprinted past us, but I didn't really pay much attention, neither did Amelda.
"Phew." Amelda wiped off a bead of sweat that wasn't there to begin with, "Tell me more about this universe."
"Tell you what? This universe is ran by narcissistic plus sadistic pedophiles?"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots.
We both flinched and turned to the direction of the noise: it came from inside the building right next to us. Looking through the glass door, it was apparent what was happening: a bank robbery.
Everyone that could run ran. Everyone inside the lobby of the bank that couldn't run knelt before the black-clad men's gunpoints.
I also ran, Amelda followed me.
"Wait!"
I didn't listen to Amelda, I hid myself in a dark alley and pulled out my phone, dialing 999, "999, what's your emergency?"
"Bank robbery down at Maybank, Sentral."
"Angela!" Amelda grasped my attention, "You're a superheroine!"
Damn, I am.
"How can—" I hung up the call, the police should know what's happening already anyways.
"But," I asked, "I don't know how to use my powers. They've got guns and I don't like bullet holes in my chest."
"Don't worry, I'll give you a quick tutorial." Amelda's eyes twitched, her lips rubbed against eachother, her fingers were twirling too...
She even stuck her tongue out eventually.
"Do spirits make an ahegao by default every couple hours or are you actually aroused?"
"Oh yes, I am aroused! I'm sorry." Amelda moaned a little bit when she said that, "The concept of stopping violence turns me on."
"Just tell me how my powers works!"
"Okay, you should probably only master the most basic skill the Dragon Emblem has to offer: the one you almost pulled off this morning."
"Turning into water?"
"And bending that water, once your entire body becomes water, your consciousness is transferred to that body of water and you can move as water."
"Okay, how do I do it?"
"You want to feel the chi within you, let it flow inwards and shrink—"
"Wait wait wait, chi?"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
More gunshots, I clasped my ears in response, Amelda wasn't bothered, "Yes! Chi! It's an innate energy that exists in different quantities for every individual. One of the reasons They might've chosen you is that your innate Chi is above average."
"Okay, but what is Chi? How do I feel it?"
"You just did it this morning. Its a sensation that runs through your muscles, your nervous system, your everywhere, yet your nowhere, which makes finding them a bit tricky..."
"You're explaining nothing."
"I'm sorry." Amelda bowed timidly, "The specific someone was supposed to explain this to you, I'm not that good at explaining..."
"Urgh..." I sighed with a facepalm.
"BUT!" She waved my attention back onto her, "I can tell you how powerful you become in your protector form physically, omitting the dragon's chi techniques."
"Okay, tell me, quick."
"The physical attributes you receive from your protector form depends on how long you've done chi training, which you have done absolutely none—"
BANG! BANG!
"Hurry up!"
"Okay, base agility boost should give you the agility of the average Romanic's sprinter—"
"What's Romanics?"
"Huh? It's the biggest sports tourna— OH, C-17 calls it Olympics."
"Okay, that won't help me against guns, what else?"
"Base durability boosts can effectively prevent you from ever getting paper cuts."
"IT'S BULLETS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AMELDA, GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK AROUND THIS!" I shook Amelda with firm grips on her shoulders.
"Okay! Okay! Your strength boost."
"Yeah?"
"Probably enough to punch through reinforced glass."
SHATTER!!
That's... the sound of reinforced glass shattering.
It wasn't me. Amelda was equally confused.
We both dashed out the alley and back to the front of the bank.
Through the shattered glass walls: someone stood proud against seven or eight armed black-clad robbers.
That someone was wearing a brilliant gray and white Hanfu, complementing his height and body proportions. His flowy long raven hair was partially tied into a bun, partially hung free. He was masked in blue, with sharp, glowing emerald eyes.
On his head, two dark gray horns far taller than mine: the horns of a goat.
It was another zodiac warrior.
Two short swords was strapped on his back.
"Shoot him!" One of the robbers yelled, and his accomplices all raised their guns with him, pointed at the Goat.
The Goat calmly lifted an open palm high above his head. Then, he retreated four fingers, leaving only the index finger pointed up.
"上! (Up!)" He chanted with a clear, resolute voice.
"W-woahWHAAAAH!?!"
The robber's physics followed his finger's direction.
They fell upwards.