on the road to becoming over-geared (chapter 4)

A/N main love interest is zatanna although i was contemplating power girl, or Dona Troy.

Chapter 4

On the following night, Ted found himself perched atop a random rooftop. In his sea of consciousness, his semi-transparent figure bore a subtle change: the previous silver dot on his abdomen had transformed into a much smaller, unassuming dot. He took a deep breath, and before him, white energy particles converged, forming runic letters that were not yet complete but already spelled "force field." Ted's figure was visible within the sea of consciousness, and the atmosphere seemed charged with anticipation.

As he started to write the letter 'f,' the world within his sea of consciousness trembled. His body also shook, causing the incomplete runic words to break apart, sending a shockwave outward. Ted abruptly opened his eyes, his deep meditation disrupted.

Back on the rooftop, Ted experienced bleeding from his ears, mouth, and nose, as if he were choking on something. Coughing up blood, he cursed under his breath. "Shit," he muttered, staring at his blood-stained hands while his face paled. "What happened? Was writing two words too much?" He tried to make sense of his failure but found it difficult. His thoughts were scattered, his mind a chaotic mess. His attempt to conceptualize a more complex rune had unsettled his sea of consciousness, leading to this outcome.

[1 month and a half later]

Inside Old Man Mike's shop, Ted sat in the cashier's chair. He held his hands out, each adorned with two additional rings. One was a silver ring featuring a small red gem, while the other was made of brass. Both rings bore runic symbols: the brass ring displayed the runic letters S and B, while the silver ring with the red gem showcased the runic letters P and B.

In his hands, he grasped a blade and a rectangular piece of wood, the latter pocked with holes and strung with a black cord. He carefully carved a peculiar symbol on the wood, representing the alphabetic rune language for the letters N and E. As soon as he finished carving the rune, its initial silver glow was replaced by a vibrant green luminescence. Ted wiped the sweat from his face with a white handkerchief, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Whew, I guess the 21% chance of success wasn't horribly small," he chuckled nervously, gazing at the new runic item he had created with a smile. "Hold on, 'Overgeared' title, I'm coming for you," he declared as a floating screen materialized in front of him.

[ Name: Nature's Embrace (lower) ]

[ Type: Enchantment ]

[ Rune-Slots: 1/1 ]

[ Description: a hand-crafted wooden pendant that was made extraordinary by a rune carver; etched with a rune that channels the essence of nature to heal small wounds, purify toxins, and drain the life force of nearby plants ]

[ Durability: 65/100 ]

"A lower-ranking rune is actually one step above the lowest ranking, even though it's still relatively low," he mused, dismissing the rating of his new rune. "Now that I have a means to heal, as well as escape and two means of offense, now all that's left is to reach two full spiritual forces." He contemplated his progress, hope and determination shining in his eyes. "Increasing the duration of my control over the energy particles will hopefully allow me to craft more desirable runes, instead of risking a fire blast that could harm me or a sonic blast with a 10% chance of bursting my eardrums," he groaned as he stared at the screen in front of him.

[ Name: Ted ]

[ Spiritual-Force: 0.99/1.99 ( 1 spiritual force is equal to 1 minute of control,meditation would allow for the recovery of spiritual force) ]

[ Current-Runes: 

Invisibility: Expand ]

Pyroblast (Lowest): Unleashes a massive fireball that explodes on impact, causing area damage, the user is not immune to the fire.Comprehension Rate: 13%, Chance of Success: 13%, Chance of Failure: 87%]

Nature's Embrace(lower): Channels the essence of nature to heal small wounds, purify toxins, drains the life force of nearby plants. Comprehension Rate: 21%, Chance of Success: 21%, Chance of Failure: 79% ]

Sonic Blast (lowest): Generates a powerful shockwave of sound that can disorient and incapacitate foes, with 10% chance of the user bleeding from the ears, Comprehension Rate: 15%, Chance of Success: 15%, Chance of Failure: 85%]

Observing the progress he had made, Ted couldn't help but smile, and he gingerly placed the newly crafted pendant around his neck. As he secured it, Old Man Mike emerged from his living room, his usual stern voice cutting through the air. "Are you done carving that piece of wood?" he inquired, casting an eye over Ted. 

Ted rose from his seat, a hint of excitement in his demeanor. Old Man Mike sighed, his tone not hiding a hint of concern. "You're off to get your ass kicked again?" he asked, noticing the fresh bruises on Ted. "Yeah, that's not happening anymore," Ted replied confidently, his hand resting on the pendant.

"Just don't die in the shop," Old Man Mike warned before returning to his living room. Ted examined the three rings in his hand. "Oh, I doubt anyone would dare to challenge me now," he thought, a touch of arrogance creeping in. But then, he remembered the blue boy scout. "Let's not get overconfident, shall we?" he reminded himself as he glanced at the descriptions of each ring.

[ Name: Pyro-Blast (lowest) ]

[ Type: Enchantment ]

[ Rune-Slots: 1/2 ]

[ Description: a regular old silver ring that was made extraordinary by a rune carver; etched with a rune that unleashes a fireball that explodes on impact, causing area damage, but the user is not immune to the fire ]

[ Durability: 80/100 ]

[ Name: Sonic-Blast (lowest) ]

[ Type: Enchantment ]

[ Rune-Slots: 1/2 ]

[ Description: a regular but old brass ring that was made extraordinary by a rune carver; etched with a rune that generates a powerful shockwave of sound that can disorient and incapacitate foes ]

[ Durability: 80/100 ]

With his current runic artifacts, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. "Now, I won't go down as an NPC when an alien invasion hits or when gangs of armed men swarm the streets," Ted assured himself as he locked up the shop. After a few minutes, he reemerged, sporting white bandage gloves and a black hoodie. As he cracked his knuckles, a thought crossed his mind. "I should probably create another rune for these bandage wraps, maybe a strengthening rune or something," he mused aloud before stepping out of the shop.