New Skills, New Issues

(Cal POV)

[+200 CP Achievement: Meet Peter Parker]

[300 CP Remaining]

Well, that confirms it… For a few seconds, I just look at the kid. If I were to describe how he looks physically, it was as if Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland fused together. The kid was lean, but he wasn't skinny. He had no muscle, but he wasn't very average either—more like a pre-power-up protagonist.

Making sure not to stare for too long, I walk over to him and tap him on the shoulder a couple of times. As he turns towards me, he has to slightly look up since I'm decently taller than him.

An unknown tone then exits the boy's mouth. "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" The response is rather rigid, but seeing as I'm a complete stranger, that's understandable.

"I was wondering where I could find May Parker. Me and the repair guy just fixed the heating unit, and we wanted to talk to her," I say. The repair guy just huffs, knowing that I know his name but that I'm just going to keep calling him "the repair guy."

With a slight smile, the kid responds, "Oh yeah, May was talking about you guys. She said when you're done, you should meet her down in the main atrium. Thankfully, you guys got the heating back up. It was starting to feel like winter in here. Anyways, I gotta go—I have to work on a school project."

Giving him a nod, he begins to walk away. However, his backpack suddenly falls apart in front of me, and as the contents spill onto the floor, Peter turns around and just groans in annoyance.

Slightly smirking, I bend down to help pick up his stuff, which earns me a nod of thanks from him. However, my focus then shifts towards what I assume to be his school project.

Picking it up, it looks to be a small machine. To be honest, it looks similar to that robot from Rick and Morty that was meant to just pass butter. Giving it a once-over, I can tell it's decently well-made, though there are a couple of mistakes.

"This your school project?" I ask.

The question is met by another nod, with Peter then taking out the duct tape he has and beginning to repair the bottom of his school bag. Based on his speed, this is definitely not the first time this has happened.

"Yeah, it's for my robotics course. As you can see, I had to forage for some of the materials," he says.

As I hand it back to him, he places it in his bag.

"Well, you did a good job. However, you might wanna focus on some of the axles on the tracks—some of them seem to be caught on some of the wiring. Could be a fire hazard. If the wiring gets caught between the tracks and the axles, it could cause a spark to ignite, and I'd rather you not set the table you're going to present this thing on on fire," I say.

Peter then looks towards the tracks and notices some of the loose wiring at the bottom. It's minuscule, so it could be easily missed.

"Thanks for the heads-up… Definitely did not need to worry about being sued for destroying school property. By the way, how did you know about the problem?"

I direct him to where the loose wiring is, and after showing him, I begin to explain how to fix it.

"Well, before I came here, I was trying to go for an engineering job. Let's just say it didn't work out," I say.

Peter looks like he wants to ask more, but he refrains, which I respect. As he finishes fixing his bag and replacing everything back inside, he slings it over his back.

"Thanks for the help… That reminds me, I never asked your name," he says.

Slightly smirking, I just hand him back one of his folders.

"The name's Smith. Smith… Caldan Smith."

Peter, getting the reference, chuckles for a few moments.

"Parker… Peter Parker. Is this the part where I ask for a martini—shaken, not stirred?"

Slightly slapping the kid on the shoulder, he zips up his bag and begins to follow us to the atrium. The repair guy, however, heads toward his supply closet to put his tools back, saying he'll meet us there.

It doesn't take very long. While the building is decently sized, it's mostly interconnected.

Walking down the stairs towards the main atrium—which, to be honest, looks a lot more like a gymnasium than an atrium—we see May talking to a guy in a business suit.

Seems like May is trying to pass out lunch. Walking up to her, she immediately locks in on Peter first.

"Peter! It's good to see you… And Mr. Smith, hero of the hour. Oh, Mr. Smith, you probably haven't met him yet, but this is Martin Li. He's the one that helps fund the place and is the director of the board."

The man turns his head towards me and holds out his hand, which I take.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Smith. I heard you helped fix the heating unit. We very much appreciate your expertise—that job could've taken days," he says.

I then let go as Martin turns towards May.

"I need to head back to my office. Has the paperwork been piling up while I've been gone? …Mr. Smith. May," he says before heading upstairs toward what I assume is his office.

Looking towards May, I see that she definitely respects the guy. Seeing me looking in the same direction as Martin, she grabs some leftover plates of food from the table. I do the same as we begin to walk back to the kitchen.

Peter follows close behind, still focused on fixing the faulty wiring on his little machine.

"Definitely seems like a nice guy. In terms of the suit, the guy's got good taste," I comment.

May chuckles in amusement. "You recognize the brand of his suit?"

I nod. "I don't know the specific thread count, but I can definitely recognize a Ralph Lauren business suit when I see one. It's the cuffs that matter. By the way, May, you might wanna watch out for your son—he may be dumpster diving."

Peter, hearing this statement, looks up at me with an almost betrayed look.

"Peter, are you diving through the trash for materials for school again?" May asks.

He actually dumpster dives?

"No, I didn't look in the trash again! These materials are just secondhand… They're not the best… I may or may not have taken apart some of the electronics thrown in the trash. You can prove nothing!" Peter defends himself.

May just shakes her head, as if she's used to this.

"If you need things for school, just ask. We're not so poor that you need to go through the trash," she says.

The look on May's face seems to affect Peter, as he looks down in almost shame.

"Yeah, I get it, May. I just… I don't wanna make things harder for you and Uncle Ben," he says.

However, instead of seeming sad, May just smiles and hugs her nephew.

"It's all right, Peter. Now, you should be heading back home. Ben should be back from his job and should be able to let you in. By the way, is that your science project?" she asks, pointing at the small robot.

Peter smiles and begins explaining the mechanical process he used to make it. But I can tell from the look on May's face that she's just using the parent smile and nod technique. However, the fondness in her eyes tells me that, while it isn't the first time, she doesn't get tired of it.

After realizing he's beginning to ramble, Peter rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. He picks up his project, places it in his bag, and walks out of the kitchen—not before saying goodbye to May.

"The kid's got potential," I remark.

May turns back toward me, suddenly realizing I'm still in the room.

"Yes, he does. Sometimes, I feel that Ben and I are holding him back," she says.

I shake my head. "Nah, that kid cares about you a lot. You should be proud."

She looks at a small picture in her pocket. "I couldn't be happier."

After finishing our meals, I clean my dish. "So, May, is there anything else you need?"

"Thankfully not, Mr. Smith. You're free for the day. If you are in need of entertainment, there is a library nearby. It also has access to the Internet if you need it. But I do warn you, those computers in the library are almost as old as I am."

Smiling, I shake my head.

"Age is all in the mind, May… By the way, you mentioned a guy named Ben. Is he your husband?"

She then shows me the small picture she has in her pocket.

"Yes, Benjamin Parker. One of my best choices and sometimes one of my more annoying choices as well. I think Peter gets some of his eccentricities from his uncle."

Slightly laughing at that, May leaves the kitchen, and I begin heading towards the library in order to do something to occupy my time.

[+200 CP Milestone]

[+100 CP Fix Peter's Project]

[500 CP Remaining]

As I leave the premises, the world begins to gray out again and slow down. In front of me, I see that same anvil. It makes me wonder if the Forge is either increasing my own perception to make the world seem like it's going slower, or if it's legitimately stopping time across the entire universe. I'd like to think that it's the first option, or else the 50 other time-based deities in this universe will immediately notice.

Gripping the hammer, I immediately slam it down onto the Forge. As the energy coils and surges into the hammer, it then flows into my throat of all things. As the information pertaining to this power enters my mind, I legitimately wonder about the nature of this Forge.

Free - Ode to Civilization / Honkai Impact:

Eden rose to stardom long before she joined MOTH. Her performances were said to be a microcosm of her era, a shining light that touched the souls of everyone that heard them. Her era has passed alongside the Previous Era, and so now it is your turn to take the spotlight. Your voice is truly heavenly to hear. When you stop to sing, the world stops to listen. Your audience would quickly grow, and should you pursue a career as a singer, then you would soon become one of the most famous singers in the world. Become the pillar that lifts the spirits of the population as despair descends with disaster.

[500 CP Remaining]

I imagine the only reason such perks exist is that the Forge not only increases my skills but helps to reforge my own body into something better. At least, that's the only reasoning keeping me from questioning any of this.

Taking the hammer in my hand again, I feel a pulse of energy emanating from it. This one feels stronger than the last one. And as I raise it up and slam it downwards, a loud clang can be heard.

As the hammer hits the anvil, my world changes around me… Where once I was in a concrete jungle, I am now somewhere that can't even be considered conventional reality. Instead, I find myself inside of a large hallway—so large that even I feel minuscule in terms of size. Along each of the walls, I find thousands upon thousands of paintings and sculptures, each one more realistic than the last, all of which show various points in some history that I never even knew of.

In my mind, all that can be heard is one word: "Creation."

With every step I take, information flows into my mind. My hands feel more and more foreign with every step.

I barely take a few steps forward before I fall to the ground, information flooding into my mind faster and faster. Hundreds of years of art, craftsmanship, and creation present themselves in flashes of memory.

But as quickly as the experience begins, it ends, and I find myself standing outside of the FEAST center. However, putting my hand up to my nose, I find myself slightly bleeding. Rubbing away the blood, I take a moment to absorb the information. I take a moment to thank the Mental Fortress perk, as my mind definitely would not have been ready for such a deluge of information without it.

And as I look at my hands, I find myself feeling less normal and more… Ë̴̜̤̘̭͖̊̎͝X̶̨͇͍̠̞̦̮̙̿Ą̵̈́̒͛͗̏̊͌́̚Ļ̵͎͇̥̝͙̟͖͔̒̕̚T̴̥̜͔̱̲̩̬̪̺̟͎̣̘͎̀̀͑̓̄͆ͅÉ̵̡̦̗͎̘͍̤̟͚̭͕̩̕͘ͅͅD.

The feeling quickly passes as I now view the perks that I had apparently rolled.

-300 CP - Savant & Wonder Forging Genius / Generic Exalted:

Savant Bundle:

You're a Savant! This means you've got an incredible insight into crafting all sorts of things—from meals to clothes, to armor, to weapons, to magical devices, and all sorts of other things besides. Even if you've never done something before, as long as it's a skill remotely 'craft-like' in nature, you'll be able to perform it at the level of a (mortal) master. This just represents innate talent, and if you actually focus on developing such skills the normal way, you'll quickly outstrip even the best that a mortal craftsman could accomplish—able to make artwork that speaks to the soul (perhaps literally) or armor and weapons of surpassing quality that look like showroom pieces despite being suitable for combat and also being sturdy and reliable to a frankly unbelievable degree. Purchasing this will even make you substantially better than other Exalted craftsmen, assuming you put in the same amount of effort that they did.

Wonder Forging Genius:

Your crafting abilities need to be seen to be believed. From your hands pour forth miracles given form—works of art of peerless and breathtaking magnificence, works of culinary delight that would leave emperors sullen at the thought that no other foods could compare, weapons that could last hundreds of years of constant use that would leave men feeling honored to have been slain by them. All these and more take shape under the guidance of your hands. You would be welcomed in any land and by any court for the sheer quality of your work, and you will quickly gain national, if not worldwide, fame for your creations if you bother to advertise them at all.

The least of your creations are superior to anything a mortal master might create, and even the simplest and least adorned of your works will possess unmatched efficiency, resilience, and simple elegance.

Purchased with the Savant perk, this is taken to an even grander height, leaving even the crafts of other Exalted looking like pale and shameful imitations by comparison, assuming you put forth the same effort they did in learning your base crafting abilities.

[200 CP Remaining]

I then forcefully return the Forge to wherever it lies within my soul, and as the world returns to normal, I begin walking towards the library. However, with the information flowing into my mind, I do admit I am rather unfocused.

As I begin to cross an intersection, I notice a car barreling straight for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a woman with a cane and a strange mask on her face. As I grip her shoulder, I keep the car from barreling straight into her.

However, due to the force, I slightly trip myself. Thankfully, the older woman is able to grab onto a nearby pole before she falls. I assume, based on the noise I was making, she gives her hand towards me.

"And they say chivalry is dead… Do you require some assistance?"

Her voice is definitely more eloquent than I expected—like something out of an old British sitcom. As I grip her hand lightly, I let her pull me up.

"Thank you for the assistance, young man. If not for you, I would be going into the grave a lot faster than I would've hoped."

The fact that this woman is joking about her own death is slightly alarming, but it may just be her way to cope.

"Well, I would rather not have such a possibility on my conscience, so it was a rather selfish endeavor. Are you OK?"

She nods, and as I grip her hand again, I help her across the intersection.

Grabbing her cane, which had fallen onto the street, I hand it back to her.

"Thank you again, young man…"

As she begins to walk away, I ask her for her name. Almost seemingly amused by something, she responds.

"My name is Irene Adler, but you'll forget about me soon enough. Goodbye, young man."

I feel like I should know that name, but to be honest, my thoughts are already scrambled enough. As I make my way inside the library, I can't help but feel like I have just met someone troublesome.