Speedrunner, Single-Player Mode (A Chain Jump Story)

Chapter 0-1: Setup

"BWUH!" gasped the man, who snapped his eyes open and flailed about in the expanse. The never-ending blank horizon opening around him. His eyes flickered around as he started yelling and panicking.
Nothing, for miles around, except himself. A terrifying prospect after what he'd last seen. After a few minutes of moaning, yelling and panicking, he tried to calm himself, somewhat successfully. The last memories of before this situation coming back to him in painful flashes in his mind. He hadn't meant to trip and fall off the roof, nor did he try to get tangled into the rope dangling off the side, only to swing into the huge windows sitting on the side of his house, shattering them and cutting himself to ribbons. He remembered bleeding out, with shards piercing his neck and chest.

Somewhat calmed now, the flashbacks and phantom pain not helping at all, the man started to test out his environment. A few steps confirmed that he wasn't floating in empty space, and the sharp but clean air meant he still could breath. Pushing against the "floor" did nothing, and jumping brought him back to the same level of height, if a little slower than he expected from the pull of gravity.

He was still dressed, his clothes intact or repaired, but still as worn as they had been before his accident. Inspecting his pockets brought about his phone, oddly turned off, a state he'd never let in be in. A quick touch of a button on the side brought the phone back on, but with it came something different: the start-up seemed to freeze and glitch, the screen finally loading a distorted logo after a few seconds, with a few broken chirps that accompanied it. Finally, he unlocked the screen, opening the main menu and going to the settings.

It... was odd, really, the phone still had the apps, images, songs and files he'd already had installed, but the data storage was either modified or was tapping into something else, with thousands of new folders and a plethora of data loaded into the phone as well. He quickly noted that the battery of the phone was actually ticking upwards, maybe by a percent every few minutes or so while the screen was locked and turned off. The man re-opened the phone and checked out if anything odd could be found still, finally coming up to an app hidden away a few pages into the main screen page.

"CHAINJUMPER" was it's title, with a ouroboros snake as it's icon. clicking it brought out a list of menus, and a prompt. "Warning" it flashed, "Choosing any CYOA will load that multiverse, please choose carefully.". He closed the prompt, and noticed the hundreds of choices, being careful to scroll through the list. After a few minutes of moral, psychological and ideological debating with himself, he finally picked one.

And the world went dark.

---

AN/ Q&A:
So, What's This?
It's the... alternative to my Speedrunner Quest over in the NSFW Questing and Roleplay. Unlike the quest, I'm picking my own options that run parallel to the Quest itself, but with a few changes here and there.
Why are you writing this as well?
Because I wanted to write a cohesive story that I would like. Or, that's what I'm using as an excuse for now.
Your writing sucks / the intro isn't long enough / other critics?
Uh... Sorry, It's only the intro. I wanted it generic enough and short enough that it'd be enough to get you guys intrigued with the story without having to read through a load of text that wouldn't really entice you. It's short and to the point, and gives just enough detail not to get lost.
What's the update rate?
Sporadic, but I'm gonna go for 1K a week, minimum. Maybe shorter or longer bits if I don't get sidetracked too often.
Why is this in the SFW, but the Quest is in the NSFW?
Mostly because the tone will be slightly different between the two stories. Speed Runner SP will be... less darker? more streamlined? maybe? something along those lines. It doesn't go into the nitty-gritty of living amongst genetically cloned incestual nymphomaniacs, and focuses more on the... well, the power trip.

 

Powers and Abilities Index
BODYMOD

Standardized Body​

-Any jump that you enter gets an upgrade to what has been standardized in the Bodymod Supplement.
=] ST 11, DX 15, HT 13, SPD 8/ MOV 8, Cha 2, App: Attractive.

Flexibility I​

-Your body has become incredibly flexible, on par with modern contortionists and gymnasts.

Metavore​

-Your body no longer degenerates muscle mass or gains excess fat, so long as you're not malnourished.


WORM

Queen Administrator​

- Control over arthropods and simple, non-vertebrae creatures. Extremely Fine Control.
-] ~720 Meter Diameter of control, with the user as the center of the sphere.
--] Diameter increases by 10 meters per week.
-] Control is broad enough to control up to 8.5e+13 insects in the radius.
--] Control upper limit increases negligibly, about 0.1% per day.
- Multitasking based on the amount of slaved arthropods.
--] Includes the ability to gain access to sensory input and location of all slaved arthropods in the sphere of influence.

 

Chainjump Inventory

 

1-1 Body Mod, Worm

Suddenly, The world comes into focus again. The man now stands in a nearly featureless room, no bigger than two meters by two meters, with a odd device in the middle of the room. Looking like a tube of metal, with imprints of caduceus on each side of it, an opening in front of the man shows off the internals of the machine, filled with dozens of mechanical arms, surgical tools, and such things. A small terminal and screen sits besides the entrance, lighting up the room.

The man walked up to the screen, a little confused. On it was a few dozen choices, and a counter supplying him with a number of points. After some pondering, he went with what he thought would best suit him down the road.

Spoiler: Bodymod Supplement

Points: 600
Build: Heavy
Body Type [-100]: Athlete

Stats [-400]
Level0 1 2 3 4
STR [] []
Bench press 180 lbs. Visible muscles, but not overly so.
END [] [] []
Run a 5k and walk away like it was nothing
SPD [] [] []
Run at a constant 15 miles per hour.
DEX [] [] [] [] []
Mirror's Edge Skills (Wallrunning, Zipline, Rolling from falls, etc.)
APL [] []
No Acne, Ever.
SHP [] []
No Extraneous body fat, any remaining fat is evenly distributed.
SEN [] []
20/20 Vision.

Perks: [-100]
Flexibility I: You're extremely flexible, at the physical limits of your body.
Metavore: You will retain your physically fit body and appearance no matter how much or what you eat, so long as you are eating enough to not be malnourished.

With his options picked he stepped into the machine, the tube closing shut as dozens of medical instruments descended, needles pumping solvents into him from a dozen different spots. It wasn't long until he was knocked out from the drugs.

---

He awoke later, slightly sore, and more than a little disoriented. The now slightly younger, fitter man was laid out in the empty expanse again.

The first thing he noticed as he was standing up was the difference in height he had to go up to stand up. He was a little shorter, but not overly so. He was thinner in some spots as well, excess fat trimmed off here and there. His muscles were visible on his body, but didn't bulge out more than someone who'd spent their lives running or swimming as a hobby. A quick test of his new abilities let him bend his leg straight up, touching his nose, as he bounced against the floor and went flying through the air, cartwheeling and flipping over himself in glee, never truly losing balance or footing. He wasn't terribly faster than before, but he hadn't lost his breath or felt even slightly tired over the course of a few minutes of testing.

Satisfied, he pulled out his phone again, and loaded another program from the CHAIN JUMPER app, bathing the area in darkness again.

---

While the expanse didn't return to it's bright emptiness, lights appeared in the distance, and the form of two giant entities could be seen blocking out some of the light. The man took it all in, before a pop-up came into existence in before him. Again, a counter with a thousand points was on it, but something new existed as well. It was a timer set for one year, with a set of buttons besides it. Increasing the timer multiplied the amount of points on the counter, and the opposite happened when he lowered it past one year. fiddling with it, he sets the timer back to normal, giving him a normal point total.

Spoiler: Worm Jumpchain

Points: 1 000
Years: 1Y 0D
Location: Brockton Bay, Jan. 9th, 2011
Age: 15 (LOCKED)
Origins: Drop-In / Taylor Hebert

Perks [-100]
Outside Context Problem: Blank to Precogs (free)
Well Adjusted: Common Sense Superpower + Theraphy-No-Justsu. (-100)

Gear [-400]
Worm, The Book. (free)
Funds: 50 000$ in an account. (-50)
Costume: Combat Suit, gold/purple highlights. (-50)
Powered Armor (Stranger: Invisibility) (-300)

Para human Powers (Free Choice) [-400]
Master: Queen Administrator

Drawbacks
Being Taylor is Suffering [+200]

Companions[-300]
Cape: Overdrive (-100) {300}
Rogue, Power (10,7): Reverse Engineering Tinker {-100}
Perks: Outside Context Problem, Munchkin {-100}, Well Adjusted {-100}, Opportunist, Leave Me Alone.
Gear: Costume, Little Black Book, Funds, Business, Tinker Tech Cache.

Cape: Unique (-100) {300}
Hero, Power (3, 8): Alexandria Package {-100}
Perks: Outside Context Problem, Well-Adjusted {-100}, No Such Thing as Collateral, What I Fight For, Tooth and Nail {-100}.
Gear: Costume, Containment Foam, Weapons (Pepper Spray, Taser and Baton).

Cape: Scout (-100)
Villain, Power (1,1): Blink {-100}
Perks: Outside Context Problem, Tooth and Nail, Grit Your Teeth.
Gear: Costume, Funds {-50}, Weapons (Micro Mini-gun, Pocket Shotgun), Lair, Corona Stimulants {-150}.

The popup closes as his choices are inputted, and a glowing thing descended towards him, before it collided with him.

---

In one of the many Worm multiverse clusters, Taylor Hebert awoke, and started screaming in hysteria at the memories assaulting her. While they were longer than her own, they felt muted compared to her own. Except they weren't her own anymore, now, they belong to the both of them, now one being.

Around the neighborhood, hundreds of thousands of bugs went still as the yelling stopped. Silent now, Taylor noticed a few other things, such as the fact that there was now a phone in her hand, and her body felt off. She got out of bed, noticing her nightwear both tight and loose. Her new memories bringing up the body-mod supplement it went through just recently. She was about the same height, if a little taller. The pudge of fat on her stomach had moved around, muscles now working her narrow limbs. Taylor always was thin and gangly, but the muscles and slim curves of the redirected fat gave her a body a nice look, pushing her average looks into what most would call good-looking.

Even as her father burst into the room with a concerned expression splayed on his face, she couldn't help but feel like everything would be alright now...

 

1-2 Worm

[0Y364D21H22M], 9:32AM, Jan 9th, 2011
Herbert Residence, Brockton Bay

It was a few hours after her infusion when she sat down to write a list. It was short and to the point, with things she planned to do to change things for the better.

Things to Do:
-Get out of Winslow (GED? Age limit? Arcadia/Grades?)
-Contact Companions (Who? Where? Already established? Check online.)
-Get in touch with Cape Lawyer (Quinn Calle? Carol Dallon?)
-Tell Dad about Powers (New relationship? Dad or Danny?)
-Figure out changes to power (s) (Range feels bigger? Bug-Vision doesn't hurt.)
-Deal with money/suits/book (Publish online? Power Armor? Delivery?)

With her to do list prepped, Taylor began to expand it.

Getting out of winslow wouldn't be too hard. Even with her grades being quite low, she'd somehow managed a 70% average, and with the new memories in her head, she could easily pass a G.E.D.. Transferring to another school could be a problem, and the appeal of going into another school... just, wasn't there. She had the knowledge now of graduating, having friends, and moving past that, even if they weren't hers...

Her Cape Team was out there somewhere, and she needed to get in contact with them. Overdrive, Unique and Scout. Three triumvirate level capes that would be her friends and allies, helping her out with cleaning up the city, but first, she had to find them...

The Cape lawyer was next on the list. Carol Dallon flashed in Taylor's head, and a memory of a man named Quinn as well. If she was going to do anything legal, she would need help on the administrative end of Cape life. It would also knock Alan Barnes metaphorical teeth out if she could get a lawyer to help deal with the Locker...

Danny Hebert... Or... Dad? It was hard to really pin down her feelings there... The man had pretty much given up his life these last few years, and left the house and her as soon as possible. Sure, he cared for her, and she could see he was trying harder recently... But it was only Taylor's near-death that broke the man out of his funk. Could she really trust him to do the right thing here? Could he handle the fact that he wouldn't be able to protect her from now on? She'd put that aside for now...

Her powers were different now. It was subtle, but just different enough to pick up. Her range had skyrocketed, doubling to a 12-block diameter, a huge amount. She could actually -see- through bugs much more easily, and headaches from straining her borrowed senses were duller and lighter. Fine control was pretty much the same, she could single out a single flea or tick, make a spider wave limb like it was her own, and so forth...

Searching through the house, she actually found her new gear in the coal chute in the basement. A debit card with her name printed on the back, two boxes and a book. The book had an odd cover, actually, it was a shot of brockton bay. You could see the Rig on the front, and the PRT HQ building was prominent on the front.

The first box had her superhero costume. An exaggerated Guy Fawkes mask and a feathered hat sat on top of the costume, looking like something a medieval cosplayer would wear. A good sized cape hung over the shoulders over it, then a jacket, next, a breastplate, then finally a thin black shirt. The pants were puffy and a deep indigo, with a weird skirt made out of metal slots and leather over it. The last pieces were a pair of white boots and soft gloves. A note at the bottom of the box said it was made of BioPlas... which pulled up one of taylor's new memories, about a game with clothing that regenerated when it came in direct contact with sunlight and water.

The second, smaller, box, contained the stealth armor. It was underwhelming, to begin with. It looked like ridiculously thin, barely more than a few plates of armor attached to a bodysuit, and a really weird orange helmet. It was skin-tight, but wearing it made it obvious as to what it was immediately. The suit had dozens of sensors built into it, and had some form of endoskeleton shoved inside as well. It fit under her costume, and generated an invisibility field and sound dampner around her and her costume, hiding her quite well...

Now, the question was, what should she do first?...

---

Danny Hebert came home that night to find his daughter waiting for him, sipping on a cup of something hot in the living room, probably tea. She had frightened him this morning when she woke up from a nightmare, but taylor had rebuffed his offers of help, and tried to move on without causing a fuss.

He wished he could do something to get her to open up again, but the feeling that he missed that chance kept getting bigger each day, like she was cutting him off and pulling away...

"Uh, dad?" A nervous tension ran through her voice.

"Yes, Taylor?"

She seemed to fight off something, bringing herself up to saying something, when a fly bounced off of him. Now that he looked around, he could see a few dozen bugs hidden in places just out of sight, dozens of cobwebs riddled the furniture. Was the house really getting that bad? Really? It had to happen now, of all times? If they were lucky, it would-

"I'm... U-uh," The flies in the room stopped, went flying and swarmed near his daughter, making a tiny halo of black bugs above her.

"I'm a Cape."

What.

 

1-3 Worm (Companions)

[0Y359D18H54M], 11:00AM, Jan 14th, 2011
Southern Docks, Brockton Bay

"Love of the sun!"

A sleek black car of unknown make rolls down the streets, it's speakers blasting out an odd song as it pulls up to another stop. The car itself didn't look too out of the ordinary, but there was just something... off, about it. Maybe it was the too smooth acceleration it had when it went speeding off, or maybe it was it's near-silent motor. Whatever the case, it drew more than a few eyes as it made it's way to the house that was recently renovated on the Hebert's street.

Finally, it parked and the driver got out. He was simply Big. Tall and broad, with a presence only seen in someone with confidence. The man looked around the streets, his hands pocketed in his coat, as he walked up to his new home for the year. He'd prepped over the last month for the move, made sure nobody knew where he'd end up, falsified some documents, had some minor facial reconstruction, and headed out to start anew. His old cape persona was to be killed off in a week or two, and he'd start selling patents under a new company soon...

A new name, a new face, a new start. the newly christened Andrew Richter walked into his home.

---

Flying above the city, Unique scoured Brockton bay for lawbreakers. She floated for a few seconds before she found a target, a theft or murder in a lonely alley. A quick drop got her in front of the punk with the gun just as he fired, stopping the bullet with from striking the eastern-descent woman behind her. In seconds, the small group of criminals were incapacitated, either from a flick of a finger to their heads, a containment foam grenade stopping them or a short spray of pepper spray.

After sending the woman off, Unique pulled out a cell phone, and dialed 911. Going through the process of calling in the local law enforcement to pick them off, she got through it quick enough, flying off after giving a statement to the officers who showed up not long after the call.

She'd been drifting further east these last few months, following the bloodied trail left in their wake. They'd pay, sooner or later, but for now, she would try to help this city while tracking them down...

---

"Alright man, Here's the deal" Uber started, "We'll outfit you, get you some basics, maybe rent a warehouse out..." He turned to Leet, asking a silent question, then back to their young guest. "And you'll do a couple things for us: Setting up props, taking roles, heh, scouting..."

"Yeah, 'Kay, I'm good with that." the Bostonian replied, eyeing the two villains as he tossed a rough and faded baseball back and forth, before standing up. "So, Lemme go grab that..." He disappeared in a literal blink, and reappeared a few seconds later, with the documents that they'd printed off in one hand, and a pen in the other. He flipped through the page, just to double check, nodded, then signed his name.

"Great! Now, let's get started on the job." Leet says as he smirks. "We'll be setting up our next game at..." Pulling out a tablet, he highlighted an area around the upper docks...

---

Taylor sat in her house, eating out of a tub of ice cream and relaxing, while filling out paperwork to get her G.E.D.

It was a pretty boring morning, afternoon and night at the Hebert house.