Book 1 Chapter 36: Why? and 'Rewards Traded'

Chapter 36: Why? And 'Rewards traded'

Jaeger slowly got up and brushed off his trench coat and chest before turning around, his cape flared off from his shoulders and spread out before shaking lightly to get off anything.

With a quick swivel Jaeger's eyes locked with the shop keeper, "First…I have some requests"

Everyone looked to Jaeger and then back to the shop keeper, although they were happy they didn't stop their friend from asking certain questions and having his own goal for completing things.

"Sure…ask away…here's a seat, need a drink?" The shop keeper smiled and waved his hand, from the air a large comfy chair fell and landed neatly in front of the desk he sat at.

Jaeger walked over and grabbed a seat, "No drink, just an ash tray please…"

The keeper nodded and with a wave over the desk, a ornamental glass ash tray appeared.

With a flick the cigarrete caught an ember, with a deep breathe a suckily sweet smell diffused out into the air. Jaeger didn't ask anything for a while, when his smoke got near to half way down he turned around and waved for Ito and Tao specifically to come grab a seat.

"First, I'd like a bath in something simple" Jaeger flicked his smoke into the ash tray.

The shop keeper raised a brow, "Sure we have the fountain of youth…primordial springs…a lot of options…" Jaeger cut him off quickly, "No just something simple is all, I don't want to taint the smell of your 'shop' is it?" He looked around to the infinite amount of items displayed upon far reaching walls, and the items going up into an abyss known as the 'ceiling', "I do this out of respect…as well as comfort is all."

"They're right…you really are simple, thank you for respecting my humble establishment" He smiled and waved his arm, from out of thin air like a mirage a bath house appeared not far away. Several half nude women were coaxing Jaeger to follow him in, he shrugged and followed them through.

Over 20 minutes later Jaeger stepped out with kiss marks all over his face and a cheeky grin on his lips.

"My mind has changed do to a sudden bout of hospitality…" Jaeger whispered under his breathe, but Tao and Ito smiled silently in return while the shop keeper shamelessly spoke, "Of course…"

Jaeger rubbed his long wet hair back from in front of his eyes, and relit his smoke that had sat in the ashtray when he left.

"First question…can you turn Frog back to the size he was." Jaeger pointed to a large swath of mist that exploded out next to the desk, revealing a larger then an adult Frog.

"About this…why did you do so?" Tao asked from the side.

With a pat on Frog, Jaeger let out a sigh before explaining "Simply…because I couldn't fit all of the talismans on him while he was small, to contain the 'curse spirit' I found that it could be within any space within the compound…with my extra dimensional space outside of that of the reality I was in…it was the only type of trick I thought I could grab it with…for example, what if it didn't follow me into the well? By pulling it into Frog, the talismans would act as a buffer, and when Frog spit it out…well it would see me and go after me…however…"

Jaeger looked down to his watch finally, the mishmash of things that Frog had acquired were layed out before his eyes.

'Hard skin…earth tremor…ceramic eyes…' Etc. Etc.

"It was something were gambling on" The shop keeper looked at Jaeger before nodding his head, "Well done…about changing his size…equivalent exchange will be needed" He was flipping through a book on the desk, for some reason they got the impression that the pages were never ending.

"Like?" Ito asked while eyeing the large monstrosity next to them.

"All of its acquired abilities…except for the dimensional space of course, I cant take that away even if I tried."

"Done" Jaeger said with a smile.

"It's a deal…" The shop keeper waved his hand, and with a *poof* Frog blew up into a cloud of mist and landed onto Jaeger's lap, back to his original size.

"Oh?..." Jaeger looked at his watch and found only 'Inner Dimensional space' was the skill under Frog. The 'curse of gluttony' was gone, but Jaeger wouldn't ask about this because simply put the shop keeper might have used the act of 'equivalent exchange' to remove it for him.

"Alright…second question…" *Puff* Jaeger nodded to the shop keeper.

"Ah…that question yes…you were right, each time you were sent back a little bit it was to show you what 'would' occur due to certain actions. The students 'dissapearing' out of thin air, in fact were being drawn and pulled towards the door into purgatory where the well was…and correct…the third boss was indeed cadence who had sacrificed herself to seal the door…but inevitably was pulled into the semi purgatory, because it was the place in which she 'crossed over'. The fort was indeed tailored after the church, as well…if you had dug into the earth through the central room, you all would've found a door going into the past, which just so happens to have been the very gate way Jaeger used to go into the past."

"I see…was my choice of going through the door and not Tom and Cadence forseen by you?"

"No…in fact, that was quite selfless…and the fact the Boon of Mystery helped you in your choices several times tells me…you aren't like the others who received the boon in the past. In fact…it seems to have changed into the level 2 of itself…but that doesn't matter, it is still mysterious and untameable."

"The reward I get for completing that last part was cashed…merely the reward before it…can I choose a reward equal to what I receive, and trade it here?"

"I can't see why not?" The shop keeper furrowed his brows but nodded.

Jaeger opened his watch as clicked on the Boon of mystery which currently said.

'Boon of Mystery: Receive your reward for completing 'Help Tom and Cadence close the door to purgatory and protect the school and students. Through your great mind, and selfless spirit receive a fitting reward'

It had simplified its previous quest, interesting.

The watch lit up for a second before a sword appeared in Jaegers hands.

With a look at his watch, Jaeger raised a brow,

'Sword of Truth: When attacking, choose to gain a truth from the person you attack. If they lie to the question you ask, they will burn in flames of judgment.'

"Yeah Ill trade this" Jaeger set it on the desk in front of the shop keeper.

"You…you want to trade this?" The shop keepers mouth opened wide.

Ito and Tao eyed each other before asking at the same time, "What does it do"

The shop keeper waved his hand, "Nothing…just a bit godly, but he made his choice so…Jaeger…oh great Jaeger, what is it that you want from my wares."

Ito and Tao slapped their foreheads, the shop keeper had never been this amiable to them, and Jaeger had never been here to see that and as such Jaeger thought the Shop Keeper was a 'humble old man'.

'Fuck!" They shouted in their head, their pockets burned at the idea that Jaeger just a gave away a legendary item.

"First…give my boost ability to Tao…if my guess is correct, then he is the one that gave me that skill but in the end I never used it…and my abilities allow me enough advantage…so, since it was probably amongst the list of things you could ask them to choose and then give me…id like to give it to him instead"

"Jaeger wait hold…" Tao's body glowed momentarily before he heard a *ding* sound and could only guess that the skill had been transferred.

"Go on…" The shop keeper inched his body into his seat to get comfortable before setting his hands on his lap.

"I'd like to choose several materials to boost my cape, following the materials I have come across…it isn't hard to decide, but merely that I feel that aren't worthy to absorb…now that I'm stuck with knowing that what I choose will affect the direction it takes in the future."

"I see…Imbue, Absorb, Adapt, Evolution…are now in the cape…it means it reached its stable level in coordination with your body and person…interesting…alright what did you have in mind, lets hear it. I wont count this towards the trade, but more of a specific side reward for completing what you did…the way you did."

"A metal to use for defense in the wings" Jaeger knew of all the things he used, metal and lightning were most like his strong suits. This could be seen from the fact he disregarded the other elements.

"I have something in mind actually…I know how you are anyway…" He looked at the book in front of him for several seconds before landing a finger on a page and waving his other hand over the rest of the desk. From the air a kite shield landed down without the slightest sound.

"This…is an angular topped norman shield, a great warrior in the use of shields had once used this shield to defend against the greatest strikes of his enemies from mages to godly warriors…his name was Storming Norman. No obstacle in his life had ever stopped him from surviving, his tenacious will gave life to many…" The shop keeper pointed to the end of the shield, "The top half is like that of half a diamond, with the bottom being stretched into a point as you can see…before it reaches the very bottom, it angles out and juts down like an arrow head. He used this to pierce the earth and space, giving him a foot hold with nature under his feet. From top to bottom there is a peak in the middle leading down to the tip…with 7 scale like overlapping pieces pointing downwards until right before the tip"

"Interesting…I like it…it reminds me of when I use my wings to hold forth in front of myself, but it isn't as well designed…well…I don't exactly know what to do other then create a bubble around myself or defensive shapes…" Jaeger muttered and then held the shield up in front of himself. His hands clenched as the shield slowly disappeared into his arms and towards his back.

*ding*

'Cape of the Traveler: A cape that adapts, changes, and evolves while being able to move independently to the user with a thought. A strange appendage of the body that moves at the will of the mind, and changes on the journey of what is acquired, choices affect the cape in what aspects it chooses to take into itself'

Skills:

'Imbue: With elements, powers, aspects, and skills'

'Absorb: Elements, and energy.'

'Adapt: Change based on what is absorbed and imbued.'

'Evolution: Change permanently'

'Teleport: With the cape as a medium, bend space. The cape is the medium to manipulate space, and will naturally pull in the energy to do so,

3 marks: 1 mark equals 15 jumps of ten feet or 150 feet in full. Using all three marks will move you 450 feet'

'Limit breaker: Stops speed from harming the user, at max speed it doubles movement speed'

Aspects:

"It would seem things were rearranged again…" Jaeger read further.

Aspects:

'Natural ability to improve speed, maneuverability, and movement'

'Reinforced: The cape will slowly become even more durable as the skill material augment grows. Norman Shield: When using the element of metal, the 'wings' become a shield that can split in half or be fully together, against magic and force.'

'Self-repair: In the event of damage, cape repairs itself'

"Fwhoo…god I love these…" Jaeger muttered after a while as he pulled a long puff from his smoke.

"Yeah me too…" The three around him sighed, as they didn't even have to see the affects that the wing like cape had to know it was glorious.

"Say, do you still plan on using guns?" The shop keeper asked after shaking his head from the thoughts of the cape.

"Oh ah…yes?" Jaeger at this point still found guns quite useful, it was what he liked most other than the chain blade. The strategic value was its reliability as well as its versatility.

"Fine…trade me your guns, I shall give you one in their place." The shop keeper smiled brightly.

"Eh? A gun? MMm…I like my guns…" Jaeger shyly looked away as his hand unconsciously sneaked under his armpit to his pistol.

"It'll be okay…let me have a look, I can always change the way things look, I promise not to disappoint especially in compensation for that sword" He nodded determinedly.

Jaeger took out the derringer and pistol and caressed them.

"Can…can I keep them for sentimental value?" Jaeger asked while looking up at the shop keeper with his head down.

A big sigh let out of the mouths of Tao and Ito.

"Ill copy their image, you can keep those…but I need a 'trade' you see." He winked several times.

"If…I have to…" Jaeger covered his eyes with one hand while the other pushed the guns across the table. The hand that covered his eyes split open near the index and middle finger to take a peek.

The shop keeper weaved through the paper book the size of a dinner plate until he landed his finger on a particular page, "Ah…here it is…" He waved his free hand over the guns, and they disappeared into thin air. Soon a *clunk* sound rang out onto the table, and as he moved his hand away Jaegers eyes lit up.

The previous pistol he had could be described in simple words such as versatile, encompassing, utility, mid to long range.

The derringer of course could be described as a pocket cannon, with use towards utility and discharging electricity. It's use so far wasn't vast in the aspect of the lead tazer wire linked stakes. However, the use of it as a secondary in just firing stakes was used often enough.

The gun before Jaeger had the same loop at the bottom of the guns handle. It had a long barrel of about 9 inches. No cocking mechanism could be seen, but it didn't seem to need one.

Here is where it got weird.

The grip was somewhere between the curve of a shot gun and that of a pistol, the base of the grip tapered outwards with an oval like piece at the base, where on the bottom side was the steel like ring. The tapered curve went a bit more forwards then it did backwards.

The piece that connected to the 'cylinder' was somewhat between that of a revolver with a dip that went upwards from the top of the grip, but rounded like that of a shotgun near the 'cylinder'.

'Cylinder', as questioned by the three other than the shop keeper was the strangest, because there were two of them. Vertically stacked with the other poking out from under the multi barreled body.

3 barrels made up the main body, in fact leading up and running flush with the top cylinder.

The bottom cylinder was like that of a revolver, instead with the rare 7 bullet placement instead of the average 6.

Lastly, the trigger was like an upside down shark fin with a gap between that of the grip and its back 'fin' that pointed down and backwards.

"So uh…what the fuck is…" Tao was about to finish the last line when Jaeger cut in, "… Beautiful…beautiful…thing." He glared at Tao even as he caressed the gun on the table, with an inquisitive but protective look in his eye.

The shop keeper acted mysterious and kept his mouth shut for several minutes as Jaeger inspected every inch of it.

"…so…it's like my pistol…except that it has three barrels for shot guns shells instead of two…not large diameter rounds though so it's not bulky or weighty…and 7 chamber cylinder?..."

"Correct but wrong…" The shop keeper smiled, the pretentious fuck was making Jaeger pull his hair out to await an answer to what he meant, "The top cylinder does not shoot shot gun shells…but force itself. By pulling the trigger all three barrels shoot out a wave of concussive force base upon that of vibration. By holding the trigger, these vibrations resonate and shoot out of the top barrel in a circle force 'arrow' like that of a high caliber round."

"Amazing…and the 7 chamber cylinder on the bottom?" Jaeger asked with his eyes glued to the pistol.

"Simply think for it to change and it shall…drip some blood on it first."

Jaeger pulled the chain blade out from the air and cut his finger, oozing red blood down onto the gun. It quickly absorbed it and without any residue caused the blood to disappear. Jaeger licked his finger as he felt his soul like to the weapon, it was a strange dynamic attraction.

"'Swap', that is all you have to think…as for that, it is called the 'chance chamber'" The shop keeper smiled mischievously but also proudly, it was a strange twisted smile.

"Whats the catch…sigh…" Jaeger pulled his finger that was bleeding out from his mouth and lit up a smoke, he felt a head ache coming on but also somehow unintentionally expected it.

"It's called the 'chance chamber' officially, and like the boon of mystery…has a certain matter of luck to it, you don't fire a round and then the chamber automatically moves to a new round clockwise or versa…you spin it, and land on a random chamber. Each chamber is obviously a 1 in 7 chance, and each one has a certain effect to it…"

"and those are…?" Jaeger had a hunch it wouldn't be bad, at the very least he would just learn to change his style depending on the chamber that was landed upon.

"There aren't any" The shop keeper smiled.

"What?" Jaeger was confused.

"There aren't any…yet, you choose them and then forever on that chamber will be of the skill you choose." The shop keeper slowly pulled out a page from the book in front of him and slid it towards Jaeger. Tao and Ito craned their necks forward and saw the page, nodded and sighed 'You lucky…fuck.'

"Oh I see…so they are currently neutral…and I choose…mm…" Jaeger felt his heart begin to beat faster.

"Now…previously, the skills in each chamber could level a city or turn it into a paradise…but…I had to make a trade on the weapons previous potential, for a neutral one…trust me though, that's okay."

He smiled and pushed the page a little further forward, Jaeger blew out a puff of smoke and lifted the hand with the smoke in it away from his face so as to focus on the page.