The Over-Break System

‘Sigh, Tobs, we didn’t break any rules by telling them what we did…right?’ Leaning back on his outstretched arms, Cynrik looked toward the ceiling where he imagined Tobs was floating.

-No, no rules were broken; you were able to skirt around anything that could be considered privileged or classified information. However, I don’t necessarily agree with informing the Sanford Siblings about your Bloodlines so early. The three of you are different from them; partnering your past memories, combat experience, and my help, you will no doubt create a significant gap in your strength and that of Gabby and Benny over time.-

Standing up and moving across the room, Cynrik listened to Tobs narrating her opinions and shook his head in understanding.

It would be a lie to say that he wanted to reveal as much about himself to the Sanford siblings as he had, but what was done was done. Even if the tale he told them was a web of fabrications, it was still rooted in the truth. What worried him, though, was that he had directly implicated the two of them in the future Legacy Strife.

With their personalities, there was zero chance that Gabby and Benny would accept being left behind the moment all hell broke loose, inadvertently forcing Cynrik into a position where he now had to push them harder than ever before.

As the gap between the Sanfords and the three Over-Break hosts widened, he had to figure out how to bring them up close enough, so they wouldn’t become liabilities, and although Benny would have an easier time thanks to his Unique Class, Gabby would struggle in the end.

What worried Cynrik the most about the info dump he had done on the two was that he had officially revealed the existence of Bloodline Abilities to someone other than Selene or his brother for the first time. Funny enough, the response was pretty lackluster in his eyes.

Despite Cynrik’s surprise when the Sanford siblings did not lose their minds at the revelation, he didn’t think about how Gabby and Benny already knew he and Brance could do extraordinary and mysterious things, so this was just another drop in the bucket.

Heaving a sigh and pulling up the status window for his Ravens, Cynrik saw they were still undergoing their upgrade and shrugged his shoulders before heading off to take a shower and get ready for the day.

Having acquired quite a long checklist of tasks to complete before everyone got home, he first wanted to get cleaned up and dressed; it had been a long night, and frankly, he smelled of sweat.

—

Across the campus, Brance and Gabby walked hand in hand, not caring if others knew they were a couple and almost appearing to be on a date as they made their way through the shopping district towards the area meant for Tamers, or Beast wranglers.

“So, do you have any idea what kind of beast you want?” Tilting his head to the side and looking down at Gabby, who was cheerful as ever to be by his side, Brance asked.

“I’ve been torn for a while now; originally, I wanted a dog, like a Packhound or wolf-type creature, but now I’m unsure.” Tapping her cheek with her free hand, Gabby thought for a second.

“The problem is if I choose a wolf, I will be limited to being on the ground or hoping it can keep up. Most canine species are fast on the ground and have good noses for tracking, but since I seem to find myself airborne or at high altitudes, I am more inclined to look for a feline species, something like a leopard or jaguar.” Finishing her thought aloud, Gabby looked up at Brance for his opinion.

‘Heh, if only she realized how weird it is for me to hear someone casually talk about getting a fearsome murder cat like a jaguar as a pet.’ Chuckling to himself and remembering this wasn’t Earth, Brance thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well, if memory serves, leopards are a bit longer and smaller overall, making them faster on the ground and agile in the trees since they like to drag their prey up to higher surfaces. They thrive in vast plains, whereas jaguars are forest hunters; they have stocky muscles, big heads, and their spots are much larger, not to mention they have shorter yet muscular tails.”

Honestly, Gaby didn’t think Brance knew much about beasts, but then she remembered that he was the most academic of all the guests in the group, which, even though surprising, was also partially expected that he could distinguish between the two big cats, despite their similarities.

“Plus, no matter which one, their spots are cute, which is also a plus.” Gabby chirped as she bubbly walked beside Brance.

‘Eh, I don’t know about calling them “cute.” When they get older, both species are pretty horrifying; I remember seeing videos online about both cats murdering deer or antelope before dragging them up into the trees by their necks.’ Thinking to himself and raising an eyebrow in Gabby’s direction, Brance didn’t vocalize his thoughts as they approached the first pet store.

From the outside, it looked like a regular store, with giant posters plastered across the large glass windows, depicting distinguished Tamers who originally attended VSFA.

Since the building was soundproof, you couldn’t hear the creatures inside from the outside, but if you peeked through the small gaps between the posters, you could see rows upon rows of cages where pups and baby creatures could be seen on display.

TING TING

Upon opening the door, a small bell jingled, alerting the staff member who was making the rounds to check on all the baby pets that a new customer had arrived.

“Welcome to Tarek’s Pet Imporium; give me a second to finish feeding the Larith Geckos, and I will be right with you.” A teenage girl with a purple bob cut poked her head around a row of cages flashing Gabby and Benny a smile.

“That’s ok; take your time; we are just looking right now.” The girl appeared to be busy, so Brance waved politely to her and took Gabby toward a row of cages with a  large sign stating, “Felines.”

The instant they turned the corner, Gabby went full-on kid in a candy store mode, running around from cage to cage while squealing about how cute or soft the tiny kittens looked.

Meanwhile, Brance frowned as he activated [Inspect] on every cat he came across.

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Whisper Fel Kitten.-

-Height: 0′ 3″.-

-Weight: Eight Ounces.-

-Category: Jungle Cat.-

-Threat Level = Hahahaha, you could kill this thing by flicking its nose.-

-Description: Omnivorous in nature, this scavenging Feline is known to live deep in the forest and rarely comes down from the tree canopies.-

-Stat Distribution: 1 DEX.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-2 by Adulthood. Mid Rank Growth Potential.-

Startled by Brance, the Kitten Whisper Fel’s fur stood on end and backed itself into the corner of its cage with evident fear in its eyes.

‘Nope, hard pass; Gabby needs something with good growth potential and a multiple Stat Distribution.’

Although cute, the Whisper Fel was more of an overgrown housecat than a predator, so moving along, Brance continued scanning every one of the cats.

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Gangjin Kitten.-

-Stat Distribution: 1 AGI, 1 INT.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-1 by Adulthood. Low-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Frost Tiger Cub.-

-Stat Distribution: 1 STR, 1 INT.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-3 by Adulthood. Mid/High-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Scorch Lion Cub.-

-Stat Distribution: 2 STR.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-2.5 by Adulthood. Mid-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Limu Kitten.-

-Stat Distribution: 1 MIND.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-1 by Adulthood. Low-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Cheeko Kitten.-

-Stat Distribution: 1 VIT.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-1.5 by Adulthood. Low-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Aqua-Osalot cub.-

-Stat Distribution: 2 AGI,  1 INT.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-2.5 by Adulthood. Mid/High-Rank Growth Potential.-

-Level 0 Tier-0 Infant Terra-Osalot cub.-

-Stat Distribution: 2 STR,  1 INT.-

-Growth Potential: Tier-2.5 by Adulthood. Mid/High-Rank Growth Potential.-

‘Sigh, that Tiger cub was the best of the batch so far, but considering how Gabby walked right past without a second glance, it seems that little guy is off the table.’ Crossing his arms and looking ahead, Brance spotted Gabby sitting on the ground in front of a cage staring at a little spotted kitten curiously.

“What did you find, Gabby?” Crouching beside his girlfriend, Brance froze when he read the description attached to the little spotted kitten she had found.

His eyes quickly darted from the notification window brought up by [Inspect] to the Tag on the cage.

“Gabby…is this the pet you want?” clearing his throat and calming himself down, Brance looked over at his girlfriend as her eyes lit up with longing.

“Yeah, he’s a cutie. But I don’t understand why he’s all alone, so far away from every other kitty. Is there something wrong with him?”

As the words left her mouth, a startled yelp resounded from the end of the aisle.

“Oh, are you guys interested in the Spotted Liollen? That poor little guy has been here for weeks, but no one will take him because he has a low Growth Potential. Plus, he’s quite a feisty little guy; everyone who picks him up gets clawed or bitten.” Crossing her arms, the girl frowned sadly and looked at the Spotted Liollen.

“Really? I mean, sure, his fur needs a good brushing, but he seems like a pretty gentle kitty to me,” fearlessly; while she spoke, Gabby stuck her hand through the bars and lightly petted the creature’s side.

Since their arrival, the little cat had been lying down with its back facing away from the bars and its belly lazily exposed as if daring people to pet him.

“NO, WAIT! I WOULDN’T DO THAT…huh?” The girl started to say but then her face painted with shock as the kitten shook its fur and stood up to rub against Gabby’s hand happily, muttering a little “Mew” as it did.

With narrowed eyes, Brance stared at the kitten for the duration of the interaction. Even though no one here seemed to realize, Brance had seen something that would have made Cynrik flip out if he were present. He had found a MASSIVE discrepancy between the cage tag, which indicated the cat’s breed and potential growth, and the notification window brought up after using his [Inspect] skill.

“Björn, I want this one; that’s ok, right?” Without removing her hand from the cage, Gabby looked up at Brance. She had already noticed something special about this little kitten, and her suspicions were confirmed after meeting Brance’s eyes.

Unknown to Brance, he had a particular look he would get if something were off with a situation, and noticing a slight twitch in his left cheek, Gabby knew the little kitten was hiding something from everyone at the shop; she just didn’t know what.