AN: I just wanna apologize again really quickly since I just straight up forgot to post chapter six for so long hence why this is coming out quicker.
Not a lot of questions from the last chapter, a couple of silly: "is this Bulma the Gamer?" to which I say yes. For all intents and purposes, she is the main character right now mainly because Goku is an idiot who does not think complex thoughts. If that irks you… too bad, but that will be changing.
Enjoy the chapter!
~GG~
Chapter 7: Update
A red-haired woman, a blue-haired teen, and a brown-haired boy all walk out of a dungeon.
Congratulations!
For fully clearing the dungeon [Oolong's Lair] the dungeon's reset timer will be shortened from 5 years to 1 year. Also, enemies will have higher drop rates and will be level matched to the highest level player that enters.
You have been granted various pieces of loot that you missed.
"Oh! Will we be able to fight Oolong again?" Goku asked as a small bag appeared in front of Bulma.
"Maybe? That's really weird because Oolong was a real person right?" Bulma mostly asked herself.
"Yes." Akane answered.
The answer slightly startled Bulma as she had been mostly musing aloud. She gave Akane a questioning look and the tall woman continued.
"Oolong captured me about two weeks ago and you told me that the short one received his powers a week ago."
Bulma facepalmed. "That was a dumb question… but that makes it weirder, right? The dungeon will reset which I assume will bring back Oolong. So will that one be real?"
Akane shrugged and Goku had already left to run around and train, having gotten bored with the conversation after saying his part.
"We will find out in a year"
"Yeah, if we come back… but I wonder what I missed!"
Inside the bag were three hoi-poi capsules.
"Wow, these are really expensive!" Bulma exclaimed.
"What are they?"
"One is an RV, which even the cheapest costs about as much as a single person house capsule, and this one is a good model. Another is typical storage but it's really big so, once again, not cheap. And the crown jewel is this high-end four-person house. Really useful now that there are three of us."
By the time the two girls had finished their conversation they had made it down the steps leading to Oolong's Lair. "You're in no shape to run." Bulma said before pulling out her motorcycle capsule and opening it. "Unfortunately, this road is too small for the RV, so hop on behind me. It'll be a tight fit, but we'll get to the town quicker and that means you'll have real clothes sooner."
"Sounds good."
It was a tight fit. Akane's head pressed uncomfortably into the motorcycle's windshield/roof, but it was way better than walking the entire way.
Upon reaching the town the trio found it far more lively than when Goku and Bulma had originally arrived. Doors and windows were open, chatter and laughter could be heard drifting from houses and yards, it was nice. When a villager saw them a ripple went through the town as people gathered to thank them and celebrate.
Bulma was kind of used to the mass attention and accepted it graciously. Goku was having a great time meeting all of the villagers and making new friends. Akane stood out, both physically and emotionally. She had not been in a crowd of people for nearly a decade and the attention she received by being a part of the group made her horribly uncomfortable. It was made worse by the fact that she was not strong enough to push her way through the crowd; Akane was trapped.
Eventually, Bulma and a few villagers noticed the redhead's struggle, and the large crowd began to disperse. All that was left was Goku, Bulma, Akane, and the old woman who promised them a Dragon Ball.
"You kids-" the old woman got choked up. "You've done a wonderful thing. Thank you. You've heard that a million times by now, but words cannot describe how happy I am to see these people living life. Hear's the ball you asked for… if there is anything you need, anything at all, let us know. We are forever in your debt."
"I-" Bulma started, touched once again by the sincerity of this country folk, but she was interrupted.
"No problem Granny!" Goku said exuberantly clearly energized by the crowd of people.
"...what he said. As far as what you can do for us goes, our new friend here desperately needs some custom clothes. Mine are a bit too small for her."
The old woman cast an appraising eye over Akane and chuckled at how short the dress Bulma had given the amazon to wear was.
"Not a problem missy. I just need to take some measurements. I could have something for her by tomorrow."
"You'll be the one doing it?"
"Of course!" the old woman laughed. "We don't have stores out here so almost everything we wear is handmade. I've been a seamstress for decades."
"Wow…" the genius could barely fathom a life without shopping malls.
"Thank you." Akane finally said her first words since arriving. "Can you start now?"
"Of course dearie, come along."
As the two departed for the old woman's house Bulma looked at Goku. "Uhh… I guess we'll hang out for the day?" she offered.
"Training time!" Goku yelled before running off into the woods.
Bulma shook her head. 'He has way too much energy… but he's right! I'm nearly at 150 Intelligence, a few levels in Manabolt and I'll have enough for Mana Bomb!'
With a plan of action in mind, Bulma set off into the woods as well… in the opposite direction of Goku.
~GG~
While Goku did pushups with his tail to try and level his newest skill Bulma tried to exhaust her mana supply. The skills did not show an experience bar, but she felt that she was close to leveling up her spell. Firing a manabolt every second, it took her an entire minute and twenty-seven seconds to actually exhaust her pool. When she finally did she fell on her butt as a weird wave of exhaustion swept through her body. A screen appeared to answer her question before she could even ask it.
Due to emptying your mana pool, you have contracted the [Mana Exhaustion] debuff.
-90% MP regeneration
-80% Str, Agi, and Dex
And you've got a headache!
This debuff will be removed once the player has filled half of their mana pool.
Bulma moaned in pain at the sudden, painful headache. 'I better take a nap or some-'
Congratulations!
Thanks to your tireless practice you have gained a level in [Manabolt]
Manabolt
Description: A simple spell that teaches people the basics of magic. Very weak.
Requirements: 20 Int
Level: 3
Type: Projectile
Activation Time: 1 second
Cost: 10 MP
Range: 13 ft (3.9 m)
Damage: 20
Effects: N/A
Special Effects: N/A
+3 Int and +2 Wis
"So close!" Bulma whined. She only needed three more points in Intelligence to be able to learn Mana Bomb! "I'll figure it out… in a… minute…" the genius mumbled as she drifted off.
As Bulma slept off her mana exhaustion Akane was getting fed by the old woman. She did not have a relative to take care of from Oolong's Lair so the redhead had to bear the brunt of her grandmotherly instincts. Not that Akane minded, of course, she was ravenously hungry.
Goku meanwhile was growing bored with training his tail. He knew training was important, he did it every day of his life after all, but it had never been as monotonous as doing pushups with his tail over and over. So, when he finally gained a level in the skill Goku stopped and switched to practicing with his staff… and maybe coming up with a new move!
For taking a nap on the ground your HP, MP, and KP have been restored by 10%
An hour later Bulma woke up with a full mana pool and inspiration. She had dreamed while she slept on the ground, "Eww," and while the dream had been less of a dream and more of a nightmare about losing to Oolong she was reminded of something the demon had done while in owl form… casting multiple manabolts at the same time.
"If he can do it, so can I." Bulma declared.
To start, the teen cast manabolt, but while she did she concentrated on the flow of mana within her. This was something she had learned when she first read the manabolt skill book and was arguably something she already knew, but the act proved valuable. She noticed that the rush of mana to her hands was more refined than it had been when she first learned the spell. It was less turbulent but nowhere close to being smooth.
'I'm not spending more mana, so is it… denser? More compact? More controlled?' she wondered.
Casting the spell again Bulma looked at the attack itself.
'It's a brighter and deeper blue than before… interesting. I know how it's different from before. Now to try and do two at the same time.'
Bulma pointed both of her hands away from her, closed her eyes, and tried to cast two manabolts at the same time. It failed horribly, not only did she not cast two manabolts, she did not even cast one! She saw the mana move within her, the same on both sides of her body leading out to her hands, but when the mana arrived at her palms it fizzled out. It even cost her two spell casts despite doing nothing!
'What the hell?'
Not one to be deterred by a single failure Bulma continued experimenting. She was too invested to notice herself running out of mana and was once again inflicted with mana exhaustion without having gained a single thing.
The genius laid back on the dirt in defeat. "Why?" she asked the world.
You lack the stats necessary to learn the skill you are trying to create
Bulma scrunched her face up in exasperation and yelled, "You couldn't have told me that ten minutes ago? Dammit!"
Not tired this time despite her debuff and wanting to do something Bulma sat up.
'If multi-cast is out then what can I do…'
Inspiration struck her quickly.
"Easy skills! What can I learn easily?"
The first skill that came to mind was thanks to her situation. There she was: sitting in a serene forest practicing mystical arts trying and to understand their inner workings.
"Meditation."
While Akane napped after her big meal and Goku started doing tricks with his pole Bulma got comfortable and started breathing steadily. She stared inward at the mana that permeated her entire being and allowed herself to be entranced by it. Mana was a beautiful shade of pale blue and swirled nebulously inside her body seemingly without direction. The teen sought a literal pool from which her mana sprung and found none, realizing then that she was the mana pool. It was an odd fact, but one Bulma found fascinating nonetheless. As she returned to observing the random swirls and eddies in her mana the blue-haired girl fell into a harmonious state.
Hunger pains brought Bulma out of her meditation and face to face with several screens.
Due to a special act, you have created a skill!
Meditation
Description: A mentally clear and emotionally calm state you enter when concentrating on a single thing and devoting your entire being to that act. It is an important part of learning about one's self and the world around them.
Requirements: 20 Mnt
Level: 1
Type: Active
Activation Time: N/A
Cost: N/A
Range: Self
Damage: N/A
Effects: Boosts the user's MP and KP regeneration by 10%
Requires a serene environment and can be easily disrupted
Special Effects: N/A
+4 Mnt
Through continuous use and practice, you have gained a level in [Meditation]
Meditation
Description: A mentally clear and emotionally calm state you enter when concentrating on a single thing and devoting your entire being to that act. It is an important part of learning about one's self and the world around them.
Requirements: 20 Mnt
Level: 2
Type: Active
Activation Time: N/A
Cost: N/A
Range: Self
Damage: N/A
Effects: Boosts the user's MP and KP regeneration by 20%
Requires a serene environment and can be easily disrupted
Special Effects: N/A
+4 Mnt
By meditating and being a part of nature you have gained + 2 Affinity
By observing the nature of the mana within you gain a clearer understanding of its workings you have gained a level in [Raw Magic Mastery]
Raw Magic Mastery
Description: Raw Magic, or non-elemental magic, is the purest form of magical manipulation. Mastery of this type of magic opens the way for many spells.
Requirements: Gain a level on a raw magic spell on your own
Level: 2
Effects: Increases the damage dealt by raw magic spells by 4%
Special Effects: N/A
+3 Int and +2 Wis and Mnt
Congratulations! You have reached Level 3!
When you level up you are given a choice. Your actions, stats, race, and even the company you keep directly influence said choice. What is the choice? A new skill of course!
"YES!" Bulma screamed into the empty forest before dismissing the screens in front of her. She not only had enough Intelligence to learn Mana Bomb but she had leveled up. Unfortunately, her excitement was tempered by her gurgling stomach. "…but first lunch."
After a quick ham sandwich, Bulma summoned her level-up screen.
Congratulations! You have reached Level 3!
When you level up you are given a choice. Your actions, stats, race, and even the company you keep directly influence said choice. What is the choice? A new skill of course!
Mana Infusion
Description: The act of transferring your mana into someone or something else. Useful for charging magical items and giving allies a boost.
Requirements: 100 Int, 5 Spell Levels
Level: 1
Type: Active
Activation Time: N/A
Cost: N/A
Range: Touch
Damage: N/A
Effects: Transfers mana with 10% effectiveness
Special Effects: N/A
Mana Shield
Description: A flat, circular shield made of raw magic. It can be held like a traditional shield or levitated at the user's will though that will take more concentration.
Requirements: 20 Int, Wis, and Mnt, Raw Magic Mastery
Level: 1
Type: Shield
Activation Time: 1 second
Cost: Maximum of 100 MP
Size: 1 meter
Damage: N/A
Effects: Stops damage equal to the mana spent
Higher levels increase the size and maximum mana cost
Levels in [Raw Magic Mastery] will allow the user to manipulate the shape of the shield
Special Effects: N/A
Devourer of Knowledge
Description: You absorb knowledge like a sponge absorbs water. Your appetite for learning is insatiable and through that, you can grow.
Effect: It is now easier to learn and create skills
(this does not affect the requirements themselves)
"A skill, a spell, and a perk." Bulma noted before smiling. The choice was obvious and the teen had to hold back a cackle of glee as she gained a new perk. "A perk that works like my racial bonus and two magic abilities that I can figure out on my own! Today is awesome."
~GG~
As Bulma was overwhelmed with euphoria over her sick gains, Goku's training was paying off exactly as he had hoped: a new skill! Or rather, a martial art.
Through experimentation and practice, you have created a new martial art!
Piercing Rain
Description: Unleash a flurry of blows using a staff or polearm targeting an enemy's weak points at speeds too fast for them to react to!
Requirements: 50 Agi and Dex, 20 Str, Staff or Polearm Mastery
Level: 1
Type: Active
Activation Time: N/A
Cost: N/A
Range: Weapon's Reach
Damage: Weapon's Damage + 10
Effects: This skill cannot be canceled until all 5 blows land
Special Effects: N/A
+2 Str, Agi, and Dex
"That's good!" Goku cheered.
While the damage was not high and the whole thing about not being able to be canceled seemed odd to him the preteen was happy to have something related to his staff besides the mastery. Plus, the skill's reach was the weapon's and that meant, thanks to his Power Pole, he could attack people from super far away easier!
Then another window appeared.
For creating a skill related to staves you have gained a level in Staff Mastery!
Staff Mastery
Description: Measures the user's mastery of staff type weapons.
Requirements: N/A
Level: 5
Effects: Increases the damage dealt by staff type weapons by 10%
Special Effects: N/A
+2 Str, Agi, and Dex
Less enthused by the mastery level Goku immediately started using his newest martial art to decimate the forest around him. Oddly enough, this netted him a perk.
Lumberjack
Description: The trees fear you
Effect: It is easier to cut down trees
Not that Goku gave the perk a second glance, he was having too much fun with his new skill.
~GG~
Akane spent the afternoon being pampered by an old granny, something that had not happened in over a decade.
~GG~
Bulma continued to make significant gains starting with Mana Bomb… after spending an hour reading through the booklet.
Mana Bomb
Description: The user coalesces a massive amount of mana in a purposefully uncontrolled state to use as an attack. Mana Bomb is extremely destructive and has a large fallout radius. As such users are suggested to stay as far away from their attack as possible.
Requirements: Int 150
Level: 1
Type: Bomb
Activation Time: 20 seconds
Cost: 500 mana
Range: 65 ft (20 m)
Damage: 1,000 magical
Effects: Has an effective range of damage of ten feet. Damage is reduced by 10% per foot outside of the effective range.
Special Effects: N/A
+6 Int and +4 Wis
"That… that seems like way too much damage… wouldn't that kill that old guy who gave us the three-star ball? Wasn't he super strong?"
I'm glad you noticed!
The game will undergo a quick update that will change a few things in order to address some balance concerns.
You will experience nothingness for a few seconds. We promise it won't scar you.
"Wait like actual nothing-"
Then the world went dark and Bulma knew nothingness.
HP and MP are being increased from 5 points per point in Vitality/Intelligence to 10 points per point in Vitality/Intelligence
HP and MP Regen awarded per point of Vitality/Wisdom is being reduced from 0.05 points per second to 0.01 points per second
KP is being doubled (Vitality+Wisdom+Mental Fortitude)*2) and KP Regen is unaffected
Meal Bonuses have been added
Being redundant, Activation Time, Cost and Damage have been removed from Skill descriptions
Just as quickly as it started it ended and Bulma, Goku, and Akane were returned to reality. Akane had been napping and was unaffected and Goku could not care less about the nothingness, it was kind of boring to him. Bulma, on the other hand, was hyperventilating as she tried to come to grips with what had just happened to her. Before she could give it too much thought a window appeared.
Look at your new stats
Grateful to do something other than losing her mind Bulma latched onto the direction and opened her stats page.
Name: Bulma Brief
Race: Human
Level: 3
HP: 310/310 (+0.31/s)
MP: 1,560/1,560 (+0.42/s)
KP: 242/242 (+0.242/s)
Stats - 415
Str: 20
Vit: 31
Agi: 19
Dex: 31
Per: 20
Int: 156
Wis: 42
Mnt: 48
Fth: 4
Aff: 2
Luk: 14
Chr: 28
'That's… hmm… full health regeneration will take sixteen and two-thirds minutes and mana is… fucked at over an hour wait time to fully regen. Sure, I don't need all of my mana to do stuff, but if I ever have mana exhaustion again…' Bulma shivered at the thought. 'These numbers are so small. Can I change them to minutes?'
Bulma's screen flickered in response to her thoughts and changed.
HP: 310/310 (+18.6/m)
MP: 1,560/1,560 (+25.2/m)
KP: 242/242 (+14.52/m)
'That's a bit more useful… I should get back to training. I certainly have the mana pool for it now, but what to start with?"
Mana shield seemed like the more simple spell to learn on her own so Bulma started with it. Her meditation was paying dividends because she did not have much trouble moving her mana outside of her body without using an attack. The issue came in shaping the mana into a shield-like shape. Working with mana outside of her body was like playing with water and if she ever lost concentration the mana just flew away from her and into the world. It was a long, frustrating hour before Bulma actually made a shield on her arm and then she realized: it was not solid!
"Gah!" the teen screamed in frustration. All she had succeeded in doing was making a shape out of mana. Pushing her hand through it Bulma felt almost nothing, it was like trying to feel one of the denser gasses. Something was there, but only barely.
"Screw it! I'm hungry and it's getting cold."
~GG~
Akane, Bulma, and Goku all reconvened at the old woman's house and enjoyed a massive dinner. Goku ate with his regular gusto despite having hunted and eaten various wildlife multiple times throughout the day. Bulma was a bit concerned that Akane was so ravenously devouring the dinner after being starved for so long, but she chalked it up to a difference in biology. An onlooker would have assumed that Goku and Akane were in an eating competition given how that packed away food at such an extreme rate, but they were too absorbed in the act to notice each other. As such Bulma and the old woman made light conversation while trying to ignore the ghastly manners of their tablemates, at least Bulma was.
"Oh, it's just like having my sons back home." The old woman sighed.
"Have they been gone for a long time?"
"Oh yes, they moved out some forty years ago. Went to live in East City they did. I've got grandkids too, wanna see 'em?"
"Oh, sure."
And thus Bulma was trapped in the age-old past time of old ladies showing strangers pictures of their family. As the night winded down and the two black holes were finally stuffed the old woman offered the trio her home for the night.
For eating a hearty meal your party has temporarily gained 17 Vitality and Health Regeneration has been increased by 170%. This effect will last for 5 hours.
The alert distracted Bulma before she could answer the kindly old woman. 'Oh yeah, those meal bonuses… that's really high. I better get a cooking skill.' "Thank you but I'd rather not impose especially since you only have two free beds. I have a couple of capsule houses and I can put one in the backyard."
"If you say so, dearie. Sleep tight."
"I will thank you. Good night ma'am. Good night Goku, Akane!" the teen yelled to the other two who had slovenly waddled to the proffered beds without a second thought.
After a restful night, the group left town to more celebration by the townsfolk and several gifts of food, what little they could spare. It was time to find the other Dragon Balls!
~GG~
"So… what are we doing?" Akane asked as she munched on some chips while the trio sped over a river on Bulma's capsule boat.
"Going to the next Dragon Ball?" Bulma answered.
"Obviously. I mean how do you know where to go?" The redhead asked as Goku dozed in the back seat.
"Oh!" Bulma took out the Dragon Rader and showed it to Akane. "I use this little guy I made. The Dragon Balls give off a faint and unique electromagnetic pulse which I use to get a read on them. It's not perfect, but it gets me pretty close and always shows me a way to go. This river goes pretty much exactly where we want to go."
"Huh… so you're like… a genius or something?" Akane asked intrigued by the handheld device.
Bulma blushed at the question. "Hell yeah, I am. I've already got a master's in electrical engineering and computer science from West City University. Cute to boot too."
Akane rolled her eyes. "I'm so happy for you."
Bulma laughed. "Thank you! But hey, the clothes the old lady gave you seem to fit you well."
The beastkin looked down at her simple tank top and shorts. "Yeah, they do, now I don't have to worry about people wondering whether or not I'm a hooker."
"What? That dress is amazing, you were just too big!"
"It doesn't matter how nice the dress was."
"Whatever." Silence reigned for a moment as neither girl could think of a good topic for conversation.
Akane broke the silence by saying, "I'm surprised you didn't mention this last night, but you leveled up."
"Yes! I did. This last night I was so hungry and this morning there was so much commotion that I sort of forgot.
Then Bulma said, "By the way, I don't know how much better you feel, but there are some easy skills you should pick up. I got a level thanks to one of them!"
"I saw that. What are they?"
"Meditation is the one you should try and do now. I'll wake up Goku and see if he can do it… but I don't think he'll have the patience. The other is swimming, yeah I know, but it seems like basic things also count as skills. I'm pretty sure if I put real effort into making a meal I'll get a cooking skill!"
"Cool. I'll try the meditation thing. Wake me up when we get… wherever we're going."
"No problem. Hey Goku!"
~GG~
Goku did not learn meditation, but Akane did and she also got a level in it putting the skill at level two just like Bulma. Goku could not maintain the concentration necessary, but the genius teen hoped that with the right motivation he might be able to do it. And to do that… she would probably need a really high cooking skill level. Nonetheless, their boat ride came to an end at a small lake at the edge of a desert.
"Ugh! Bulma! It's so hoooooot! And I'm hungry!" Goku's complaints were punctuated by an unnaturally loud growl."
"We ate sandwiches on the ride here! I swear your appetite must be because you're an alien. I mean, how do you even get the starving debuff by skipping a single meal?"
"I don't know, but there aren't any animals nearby that I can hunt."
You have contracted the [Starving] Debuff
-1% HP every minute
The effect is doubled every hour
-50% Strength
Bulma grimaced at the notification. "Dammit. Take these rations. They don't taste great, suck it up. I can cook something up in my capsule house. Are you hungry Akane?"
"I could eat."
"Great." The loud poof of her house appearing punctuated Bulma's reply. "Also… there's AC inside, Goku."
"What is AC?" Goku mumbled through a mouth full of extremely dry rations.
Bulma sighed but Akane replied instead. "It means that it's nice and cold inside kid."
The monkey boy just grunted and followed Bulma inside.
"Not coming?" The teen genius asked.
"Nah, I'm going to try and get that swimming skill. It's actually easier if it's just me."
"Oh okay, I'll call you when food's ready." was Bulma's response before shutting the door.
Akane quickly disrobed and entered the nearby lake and simply floated as she enjoyed the refreshing water. Soon after she started swimming and it took very little time to get the swimming skill, or rather, mastery, but then her quiet relaxation was interrupted by the roar of a distant jet squirrel.
"Who the hell lives all the way out here?" the redhead asked herself incredulously while her eyes locked onto a black dot slowly closing coming closer.
Not confident in defending herself if need be with her Deathly Malnourished debuff Akane was started to exit the water in order to get Bulma and Goku from inside the capsule house, but all of a sudden the vehicle pulled a hard U-turn and even seemed to speed up.
"…What?"
~GG~
"Yamcha! We've talked about this! You can't run away from every girl you see!" A small cat, that in no way looked like a cat, yelled in a high pitched voice to the jet squirrel driver it was flying next to.
"I know, I know, but…. I just can't! Not yet anyway. I'm sorry Puar." Yamcha replied while batting his long locks of hair out of his eyes.
"What the hell does that say about me then? I'm a girl Yamcha!" Puar complained.
Yamcha rolled his eyes at the old argument. "You're not human, it doesn't count."
"Oh, but I transform into a human, and all of a sudden it's a different story?"
The teen blushed as he remembered the various human forms Puar would use. "Yes? I don't know. It just is, besides, you're helping me with my problem… it's uhh… medical?"
"Mhm, and I'm an archdemon. That imaginary mental divide is the reason you haven't gotten any better. I am the same person no matter how I look."
The duo could finally stop shouting their conversation as they came to a stop at their hideout. Carved out of the unique and natural rock formations found throughout Diablo Desert it was a very simple one-bedroom lair, though it's height made it extremely advantageous in scoping out the meager prey within the desert. It was also a great defensive measure as one would have to be athletic enough to enter through what would normally be the second floor in most houses.
"…I know."
"I mean, Yamcha, we just ran away from a huge mark. That capsule house is top of the line! Who knows what else they have with them?"
Yamcha let out a loud sigh. "You're right. So how do we get their stuff?"
"Easy. My human transformations are great! Give me some shitty rags, maybe we could splatter them with animal blood, and I go over there like a lost maiden desperate for help." Puar pretended to faint before continuing, "and you can sneak in and swipe them of everything they've got! And if things go south… well, what're a few more bodies in this desert?"
Yamcha rubbed his chin and nodded. "That sounds good… great actually."
"Of course it is. Now, in order to prepare, I'm going to spend the rest of the day as a human."
Yamcha freaked out and started waving his hands all over the place. "What? The rest of the day? But we only ever go for a few minutes. I'll die! Besides we can try the plan tonight!"
"Too bad Yamcha! This needs to stop. The next time some rich chick comes around robbing them cannot be an insurmountable obstacle for you. You've basically been cutting down our targets by half for years now… even if women don't normally travel through here the point still stands. And we'll try tomorrow because it'll probably be suspicious if we go back too soon."
Without further aplomb, a poof could be heard as Puar was covered by a cloud of smoke. Less than a second later a human woman stood in her place whom Yamcha was doing his best to not look at.
~GG~
An hour later Akane, Goku, and Bulma were eating the dinner Bulma had prepared. It was the first time she had put real effort into making something for more than just herself and just as she had hoped she got a skill for it.
Cooking Mastery
Description: To cook is to sustain life itself. It is the first step taken beyond simple sustenance to enjoyment. A good meal can soothe a stormy soul and heal a broken one.
Requirements: NA
Level: 1
Effects: Food made will have 10% increased effectiveness
Meal Effects will last for ten minutes longer than normal
Special Effects: N/A
+2 Dex and Wis
'Yes! But wow whoever wrote this really likes cooking…' Bulma thought when she gained the skill while plating the food.
Akane was the first to speak once Goku quieted down ravenously inhaling the food. "The food is great Bulma, but I saw something while I was outside. Someone was approaching us from out in the desert, but they suddenly turned around. I assume it's because they saw me. If that doesn't scream bad intentions, I don't know what does."
Bulma blinked in surprise at the elevation. "I'm can't believe someone is out there, you think they live here? Sorry, that doesn't matter. Hmm. You didn't get a quest did you?"
"Quest?"
"Like for the Dragon Balls? It's a system mandated task that we get rewards for. They come up in a prompt as everything else does."
"Oh, I didn't get a pop-up."
"Huuuu… it might not be important? But what would we do anyway? There isn't exactly a place for us to hide out here."
"I could stand watch. Whenever I couldn't find a good place to sleep I'd have to break night. One midnight attack while I was asleep was all it took for me to never take that risk again, in fact, the best time to hunt some of the bigger dinosaurs is when they're asleep."
"Point taken. There's no way you can do that with your debuff working against you. I guess-" Bulma sighed. "I guess I can stay up. If it becomes too much I'll wake Goku up."
Akane shrugged in acquiescence, the blue-haired girl was right, she constantly felt weak and tired. Keeping watch through the night would be impossible.
"I'll tell Goku once he comes back to Earth. I'll open Oolong's RV so you can get some sleep."
"Thanks, Bulma."
~GG~
AN: This chapter's update is a perfect example of why I need to just whip out my phone and take notes down on my ideas throughout the day. I had about 4 or 6 more changes that I had wanted to make through the update, not just editing, that I randomly thought about, and totally blanked when I sat down to write. I'm so mad.
It's a small part of why this took so long to be updated. I expected to do it quickly, but this infinite free time has me playing video games more than writing and I really don't know why. I hope to write some more, especially as my games get boring, but we'll see.
I'm aware that Toriyama jas always thought of Puar as a boy, but he never gives him a dick like he does Oolong. I've always thought of Puar as a female and that's what she is in my story as she has also been referred to as female in many other things. Funnily enough, Puar is called a girl on Funimation's Dragon Ball website which is hilarious.
I hope this is one of my better chapters as I spent a while going over it. While doing so I changed some things in the previous chapters like removing Tail Control's Damage and moving it to the effects which make sense as it's simply applying a change rather than being an attack.
This doesn't really affect you guys, but I set up a spreadsheet to keep track of stats and stat gains in the chapters because I had been lazy and not adding all of the skills to a character's sheet and had a heart attack because I thought I had gimped Bulma 20 stat points. I had not but this is a thing now... so yeah. I also discovered that while Bulma has earned 200 stat points Goku has earned 89. Hopefully, that will change soonish.
Mathematicians should be able to calculate the old lady's cooking skill level. I'll say it next chapter, but it's just kind of funny to me.
Again I apologize for the long wait. If I ever get around to setting up that (P)atreon one of the things I plan on doing is weekly releases at the minimum with higher goals for more releases. Far and away writing is my most fulfilling hobby and I want to do it more.
Anyway, tell me what you thought, I always appreciate and respond to reviews and for goodness' sake make an account if you're going to leave a review. The AN will not be a place for discussions, the DMs are.
Thx ;)
Oh and these are everyone's new stats and Akane's don't have Deathly Malnourished applied.
Name: Goku Son
Race: ?
Lvl: 3
HP: 980/980 (+0.98/s)
MP: 20/20 (+0.03/s)
KP: 204/204 (+0.204/s)
Stats - 432
Str: 104
Vit: 98
Agi: 85
Dex: 59
Per: 36
Int: 2
Wis: 3
Mnt: 1
Fth: 1
Aff: 27
Luk: 12
Chr: 4
Name: Bulma Brief
Race: Human
Level: 3
HP: 310/310 (+0.31/s)
MP: 1,560/1,560 (+0.44/s)
KP: 244/244 (+0.244/s)
Stats - 419
Str: 20
Vit: 31
Agi: 19
Dex: 33
Per: 20
Int: 156
Wis: 44
Mnt: 48
Fth: 4
Aff: 2
Luk: 14
Chr: 28
Name: Akane Otake
Race: Half-Beastkin (Puma) Half-Human
Lvl: 2
HP: 380/380 (+0.38/s)
MP: 230/230 (+0.12/s)
KP: 176/176 (+0.176/s)
Stats - 325
Str: 35
Vit: 38
Agi: 56
Dex: 51
Per: 38
Int: 23
Wis: 12
Mnt: 18
Fth: 0
Aff: 39
Luk: 0
Chr: 15