Despite having the enhanced body of a Viltrumite, it still took several seconds for the spots in my vision to clear. My ears still worked fine, however, as several voices in a language I didn't understand reached my ears.
"Jojenfnoiysf? WOuhnfkie!" That one sounded angry.
[Dang, I didn't think you'd end up here. Good Luck!]
'What's that supposed to mean?!' I got no answer, though the Gacha did notify me of several things.
[Gift from beyond the veil, 1x Random Silver Ticket] (Ozev_10)
[Gift from beyond the veil, 1x Random Gold Ticket] (Shadow_soldier7)
Since my vision was still swimming with spots, I rolled the tickets to see if anything there would help.
[Spinning, spinning, spinning, done!]
[Stray Cat]
|Uncommon Familiar|
JoJo - A plant... cat...? Creature of sorts, Stray Cat is a feline whose soul fused with a plant. Stray Cat is capable of Aerokinesis, allowing them to launch invisible air bullets stronger than regular bullets or use bubbles as very dense shields. But they get very sleepy when covered by darkness.
Cool. What am I supposed to do when the Flood eats this thing?!
[Oedipus Simple]
|Uncommon Trait|
"Complex? I think you'll find it is quite simple." There is nothing wrong with keeping it in the family. Society as a whole does not find it particularly morally wrong if you marry your own kin. In addition, all genetic problems that could occur with inbreeding are resolved. Any biological conceived and born children of yours inherit your traits far better and inherit at least two of your abilities. It is easier to earn the affection of your family, platonically or romantically. This trait can be rerolled for free.
'Reroll this, please!' [No problem lol!]
[Spinning, spinning, spinning, done!]
[Dexterous]
|Rare Trait|
You are unusually dexterous, granting you impeccable hand-to-eye coordination, motor skills, and control over your body.
Thank god, something normal!
By the time I finished reading the various things, my vision had cleared as I understood why the Gacha had wished me good luck.
"Shatig ia!" The large armored figure roared. Behind it were dozens of other beings in advanced-looking armor; the one that caught my attention, however, currently had her face exposed.
"The Librarian?" I murmured in surprise.
But if she's here, then the guy yelling must be the Didact, and if the Didact is here, I must be in the Council Chamber. . .
I now understood why the giant was yelling; I was in the middle of the Forerunner Ecumene's seat of power. Not only that, I was on their capital world, something even the Flood was forced to use the Halos on, Maethrillian.
"I don't understand you." I tried as I spread my hands out to show they were empty. The Didact simply snarled something at me as I realized just how much taller he was than me. Now, before things hit the fan, I was a decent 6'3". I'm pretty sure Didact was almost double that.
The Librarian said something in a softer tone as I tried to look around. I noticed what could only be Faber, the Master Builder, watching me from the other side of the platform we were on.
Faber towered slightly over the Didact, just as the Librarian towered over me. I tried to ignore this by reminding myself I could probably tear them limb from limb, before remembering I was likely surrounded by the Maethrillian defense fleet.
The Didact and Librarian argued for a while before something that looked close to a monitor floated over and began to scan me. I let it be until it froze and changed color. I looked at it, puzzled, as the Librarian strode closer.
She gestured towards it, speaking softly. "I don't understand. Do you want me to speak to it?" I questioned, and she simply smiled at me; it was creepy seeing her smile. I ignored the glaring Didact and began speaking to the device.
Not really knowing what to say, I simply recited as much of the U.A. student handbook as I could. Thanks to Ida constantly citing it, I knew more than I liked. I did this for ten minutes, then Faber stepped forward and said something.
The Didact and Librarian glanced at each other, then at me, and nodded. The device floated a bit away from them, and I followed. It seemed they were letting the device do its thing as I started telling the device everything I knew about MHA. It was quite a bit.
Not wanting to interrupt them or draw attention to myself, I lowered my tone and trusted the device would still pick it up as I started reciting song lyrics as well. Another five minutes passed, and the device suddenly changed again.
Now it was showing pictures of various things. I guess some Ancilla had taken over since it was being smarter about how it tried to translate things. I kept naming the various things it showed me, from simple rocks and sticks to more advanced things like ships and what looked like a computer.
This Ancilla was thorough as well since it would often show more than one picture of the same thing to double and triple-check that it was getting things correct. It was a bit tedious but better than being yelled at by the Didact, so I put up with it.
A few more hours of this passed as the various Forerunners in the massive chambers glanced at me and spoke among themselves about what they were meeting over. Eventually they all rose and began filing out as the device left me to float towards the big three now watching me.
"Did it work?" I ventured, and Faber nodded. "That it did, strange not-human. I am Faber-of-Will-and-Might. We have much to discuss." I looked at the other two, and they introduced themselves as well.
"Shadow-of-Sundered-Star." The Didact said gruffly.
"First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song." The Librarian said.
"My name is Micah. I'm sorry for intruding like this, but I had no control of my arrival." I jumped straight to the point since I'd rather not find out if Viltrumites can be composed. Faber then began walking as the pair followed, and I followed behind them.
"I'm certain you had no control. Even I am confused as to how you bypassed so many wards and protections. To appear in the very heart of the Ecumene." Faber muttered the last part as I glanced at the other two.
"What is your species called?" The Librarian asked finally; I guess she would be doing all the talking. "The brief scan showed an internal set of organs like that of a Human's, but they are currently without an oxygen supply, not to mention the density of your smaller form."
"I am a Viltrumite." Crap, I don't know if I should be talking about them. The Librarian looked puzzled at that. "I have never heard of such a race. Your kind would have been noticed and indexed long ago if I had."
'Index?! It's already happening?! What the heck, dude!'
She must have noticed my confusion, as a look of sadness crossed her face. "I'm afraid you have entered our realm during a time of great crisis. A war has recently ended, and we are only now uncovering a much more sinister plot."
"The Flood. A vile infection that seeks to destroy us all!" The Didact snarled as I tried to piece together where in the timeline I was. If I had to guess, I'd say after the Human-Forerunner was, when the Didact was pushing for the creation of Shield Worlds.
That meant that I still had over a hundred thousand years until the games from my first life 'started'. Not wanting to just sit around, I decided to gamble with everything I knew would happen in the future.
"I need to tell you something, all of you." I suddenly said as I planted my feet firmly and stood before the three most powerful Forerunners of this era. The Didact looked annoyed, but Faber and the Librarian at least pretended to pay attention.
"The Flood will return in nine thousand years. A thousand plans will fail, and billions will die when they do. I have seen the future of this galaxy, and I wish to make a change." They looked skeptical, so I kept going.
"The arrogance of the Builders will weaken the Ecumene. The Didact will be sealed and unable to defend you; the being currently in a time-lock will be freed by Faber's unknowing hand. All life will be extinguished."
The Didact reached for my throat, but I slapped his massive hand away as I stared up at Faber. "You will send this galaxy to its death if you do not change things, now." I then turned to the Librarian, who was trying to calm the Didact.
"Your work will save everything and spark wars that will be fought millennia from now. More can be saved still, but we must act quickly." She looked skeptical as a barrier of light suddenly appeared between them and me.
A cadre of Prometheans materialized behind me with weapons raised as I looked at each of them. "The Rings will be your downfall; all life will suffer because of your arrogance. I am not from this reality, but I will save it from your folly."
I then spun and lunged for the nearest Promethean as Ridley appeared beside me. We tore into them before I shot towards the ceiling and smashed through it. Alarms screamed as we tore through reinforced walls and doors, as we blazed a path forward.
"What kinda place is this?" Ridley shouted as swarms of Sentinels converged on us. "Escape first, lore later!" I yelled as I hurled an Aggressor Sentinel into three of its brethren. Ridley began setting things ablaze as I searched for an exit.
I then noticed a door that was shaped more like an airlock than the others, and blazed towards it. With Level-Up and Inventory slotted in, I was getting stronger with each Sentinel and Promethean I tore to shreds as I grabbed every bit of tech I could.
We paused long enough for the airlock to cycle, and we were out in the vacuum. Several Sentinel swarms were waiting for us, as were thousands of larger war constructs that opened fire. I tanked what I could as Ridley rushed in.
Both of us being able to fly really helped as we tore through the atmosphere, or whatever Maethrillian used to keep everyone living on it alive. As much as I would have loved to explore, I didn't want to get caught up in Faber's political games.
'Where now?' Ridley asked as I tore a War Sphinx in half. 'Away. We're going into deep space; I'm sure they have a way to track us, but it's our best shot. Plus we can always jack a ship to get a map of the galaxy.'
Ridley then laughed over the mental link I shared with all my familiars. 'Dude, I'm a pirate. What makes you think I don't know how to get to where I need without a ship?' I smacked myself for forgetting that.
'Fine then, lead the way towards Earth.' Ridley nodded and began picking up speed. As we started to leave Maethrillian behind, several fighter-class ships closed in on us, but I dealt with them before they could knock us off course.
'Alright, we'll need to avoid the galactic center for now, but this route should take us there.' Ridley then 'showed' me the route he had planned as I picked up speed. More intercept craft were launched after us, but I simply smashed through them as I sped up even further.
As the ships chasing us grew exponentially farther away, the Gacha decided to rear its head once more. I let Ridley take the lead as he sped up even further, and we left the Maethrillian system behind.
[Impress the Ur-Didact with your audacity, 1x Platinum Skill Ticket]
[Annoy the Master Builder Faber, and survive, 1x Platinum Trait Ticket]
[Fight your way through Maethrillian's defenses(weakened), 1x Diamond Ability Ticket]
More than happy with that, I rolled the tickets and hoped for something good; I was gonna need it.
[Spinning, spinning, spinning, done!]
[Master Driving]
|Epic Skill|
You are a true master at driving any kind of vehicle; if it has steering, you can ride any vehicle or mount as if they were extensions of your body. Ranging from rollerblades to star-sized spacecraft.
Sure, I guess that would help. IF I HAD A SHIP!!
[Dominant]
|Elite Trait|
You are naturally dominant; it's easier to assert yourself over others and act more dominantly. In addition, people are more receptive to you acting more dominant and assertive, especially submissive people.
[Lol, not bad, man. Maybe you could get a few Forerunner chicks before the Rings fire, maybe even a Spartan!] I ignored that for now.
[Nuclear]
|Legendary Ability|
You are able to create localized nuclear reactions using your energy and control their output, allowing you to become a living nuclear weapon platform of sorts. But the more you use the ability, the more you suffer from radiation poisoning that fades over time.
Hello! Just found my new favorite toy, it seems. I know this would be useful in cleansing any Flood ships I came across, but really it was just useful in general. A normal Viltrumite on the level of Mark would likely have to be careful with this, but I'm pretty sure I was getting close, if not at the level of Thragg.
That means I would be able to use Nuclear much more frequently and to greater effect. For now, though, Ridley and I simply kept gaining speed as we approached the speed of light.