Note:Trying something different.Tell me, would you prefer a chapter posted in Parts or Wait for the full release?
CUBE
Ben floated in the air as he let his thoughts run. There were still plenty of little things he could do across the various dimensions. The downside being that he didn't get to see how it all played out unless he wanted an extended stay. Staying long term in a dimension was a fine idea, but the way that time passed in the other dimensions would make things complicated. The exception being the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to the TVA. He made a mental note to try the timepad in each dimension.
A spark of an idea crossed his mind. He hadn't used the timepad since he became a god. If he could replicate the abilities of other people through observation, could he do the same to technology?
Ben grabbed the timepad and activated it. There wasn't a connection as the CUBE was outside of Space and Time. He reached out with his godly powers to absorb the technology. The looming sound of ticking lurked in the distance. A moment later the cacophony washed over him. The knowledge it left in its wake unlocked the basics of time travel. Just like his Traveler power, he would learn through use.
He could think of a couple of places that would be fun to test out.
Invincible – Image VerseViltrum
Ben appeared in the throne room in front of Grand Regent Thragg. The sound of his open-palm slap against the Viltrumites cheek.
1 Hour Later – Throne Room
Ben appeared behind Thragg. A group of guards were now in the room. There was also a smear along the ground that had once been a person. He tapped Thragg on the shoulder.
Thragg turned to see who had dared touch him. Hatred burned in his eyes as he recognized Ben from before. Ben went with a quicker method of attack. He chopped Thragg in the throat then vanished.
One Hour Later Minus Five Minutes
Ben appeared in front of Thragg. He found himself standing between him and someone else. Thragg moved to throw a punch. He vanished before the punch could connect.
One Hour Later Plus Twenty Minutes
He appeared sitting on the throne in the midst of chaos. The bloody smear had started to dry. Thragg was roaring in anger. More guards had entered the room. There were a couple of Non-Viltrumite there to do the menial work as well.
"You are an idiot," Ben said.
Thragg turned to the throne. He roared as he burst forward. Ben held up his hand. Thragg froze mid-air. His body wouldn't follow any of his commands. There wasn't any struggle to push through.
"Your people are nearly extinct and you're still an idiot," Ben said.
He let out a little godly power. It added weight to his words. Thragg would have to follow his command without question.
"You sent Nolan to a planet called Earth," Ben continued. "They are perfect species to breed with. Your offspring will be ninety percent Viltrumite. There is another planet as well that is compatible if you really want to boost your population."
He continued, "Send your people to Earth to live among the people and have families. The world would welcome a group of demi-gods to protect them. You would be heroes instead of overlords." He raised a finger. "You should mingle with the humans as well. They will make you a better person. Eventually. Have some kids. Your people live forever. Have hundreds of kids."
"Earth isn't going to fit with your formula," Ben said. "There is always another giant monster, mad scientist, alien invasion, and superpower science projects that need to be handled. Like I said, present your people as protectors rather than invaders."
He tapped Thragg on the forehead, "Think about it."
CUBE
The prior events had been an hour and a half to Thragg and the others. It was a few minutes to Ben. Short jumps were his limit at the moment. Ninety minutes was his current range. It could come in handy, but he wasn't going to rely on it.
Ben returned to floating lazily around his Cube. The power from his worshippers had been a nice boost. It seemed that he was still quite a ways off to truly become powerful. He needed to figure out how he could boost his powers. More worshippers would be nice. He could keep that going across his travelers to aim for a constant supply of faith. The downside being that it would take some time to reach noticeable power levels.
The were some options he could try. Wishes were a potential option. The one from the animated Aladdin was his first thought. It had the added benefit of meeting a version of Robin Williams. Genie didn't twist wishes. In fact, he usually went above and beyond when granting wishes.
Then there were the Dragonballs and the various series. As much as he hated to think of it, the live action movie would be the best bet. They would be the easiest to get. Downside being that he would have to watch the movie a couple of times to refresh his knowledge.
He could pop back over to the MCU too. The Infinity Stones would be nice to have. He could drain Ego of power since that guy was basically a god already. The abilities that came from being a living planet would be priceless. He didn't plan on becoming a planet any time soon. Maybe giving it a shot after a few centuries.
Ben rubbed a hand over his face. Why was he rushing? There wasn't a reason to go for a speedrun. He didn't need to power level. It gave him plenty of time to enjoy traveling. Being able to move through time helped ease the pressure.
He had always wanted to visit New Vegas. A quick stop to get some gear was in order. Army Surplus, Goodwill, and Thrift Stores would be his best bet. Even then he might look too fresh. If nothing else, he needed weapons, a pack, and food. He was going to do this right and go in like he was his own version of The Lone Wanderer. Only this time in the Mojave and not chasing an absent parent
FalloutGoodsprings, Mojave Wasteland, USA – 2281
Casting-Ben (in this Dimension) – Julian MorrisSunny Smiles – Phoebe DynevorTrudy – Rebecca Hall Courier Six – Elizabeth Faith Ludlow
It had taken longer than he would have liked to gather the supplies for the next dimension. First, he had to figure out which benchmark he wanted to use, then he had to decide where and when to start in the story. The lizard folk from the demi-plane sounded like a good template. They were tough, could eat things of questionable quality -including raw wildlife- without issue, and were good in the heat. He was going to start in New Vegas, was there any question? Ben could feel his godly powers and the Traveler powers meshing together to smooth the rough edges. If he was going to make himself mortal for this dimension, or at least a demi-god rather than a full one, then he would need to account things that he had started to ignore.
Sleep, water, food, shelter, and currency.
Maybe swapping to a demi-god would be worth it to sleep alone. The downside of the switch was that he was locked out of his higher powers while he was in the dimension. He would return to his Cube if he died, but that version of him was gone for good. Kind of like playing in Hardcore Survival. Only without the mods to allow quicksaves and console commands. A whisper on the horizon told him that eventually he would be able to actually apply a system as a demi-god. That was still far off.
This dimension was something of a test run. If he died then he would need to either create a new character. He wouldn't have access to time travel, teleportation, or immortality while here. At least this time through. Visiting as his full godly version wouldn't be the same. He wasn't going in completely unprepared.
Ben set a few things up to make his stay a little more comfortable. He took an old hiking backpack and linked it to his Cube Space to work as a bastardized Bag of Holding. All he had to do was think of an item when he reached in which was a big part of the preparation. Camping supplies, food, water, and lots of ammunition in various calibers.
He did leave himself a little cheat, just in case. His godly powers were accessible when he was asleep. This way it wouldn't break the immersion. He could hope between worlds if he wished, but time was limited. Ben would be brought back to his body once he woke up.
His outfit was a mixture of Thrift Store Wanderer and Desperado. Thankfully, human-to-human shapeshifting is rather simple now. He added a bit of a beard that came from a week or so without shaving and trimmed his hair shorter to allow for less upkeep.
A good pair of hiking boots, some worn but quality cargo pants, an Under-Armour shirt made for hotter weather with a patterned sun-lightened blue serape over it, and a flat brimmed Cattleman style hat. It was a common style of cowboy hat. Something that was basically required considering he was in the Mojave.
It was the same reason he chose a Colt .45 Peacemaker as his first weapon. He wore it on his hip like a gunslinger. It might be a 'big iron' but the lead it shot was just as deadly. He had wanted at least three firearms that could cover most functions. His other pistol was a play on a classic. A Colt 1911 chambered in 10MM. It had to be done. His rifle of choice was the Marlin Model 1894, a .357 Magnum Lever-Action Rifle. He wore it across his back on a sling. Another part of the preparation was simply getting accustomed to carrying and drawing his weapons. The sling allowed him to get the rifle into his hands in a smooth twist of his hip. He had to make sure that his choice of weapons was practical without being too eye-catching. There were other weapons that he would be able to grab along the way.
His plan for this dimension was simple: kill as many Legion as he could, possibly steal the Platinum Chip for himself, and generally clean up the area. Goodsprings was a perfect place to start as any. He had considered starting in Primm. Considering it was currently overrun with escaped Powder Gangers there was a strong argument against it.
Ben sat at the bar in Goodsprings waiting. His hat sat on the counter beside him. It was polite to take it off indoors. He had no idea how close things would run to the plot of the game. Would the Courier survive? He liked the idea of traveling with the Courier. Trouble appeared wherever they went, which served his motivation.
Currently, he was nursing a very watered down shot of whiskey. As much as he hated to, it was the best option he had at the moment. Purified water was worth more than gold in the Mojave. The small pouch of caps on his belt couldn't cover the cost. He hoped the whiskey would be enough to cover the various micro-organisms in the water.
The bartender was a woman with shoulder length brown hair. Living in the desert made age a hard thing to gauge. She was either in her early thirties or mid-twenties. He hadn't caught her name yet.
"Hey there, Stranger," the bartender said as she strolled over to him. "How's that whiskey treating you? It's for drinking, you know that right?"
Ben chuckled, "I'm not much of a drinker."
"We have water," the bartender offered. "Freshly boiled and filtered. You're bound to only get a minor dose of iron. The radiation should take care of it."
Ben shook his head, "Wonderful." He put his pouch of caps on the counter. "I'm running a bit light for luxuries." He paused. "Do you know of any work in the area?"
"What's your name, stranger?" She asked.
Ben offered his hand, "Ben."
"Trudy," She replied. "What type of work do you do?"
Ben shrugged, "A bit of this, a bit of that."
"Smart ass," Trudy sighed. "Do you know how to use that iron on your hip?"
Ben nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Do you have something that needs to be shot?"
"How did you avoid the Powder Gangers and geckos?" Trudy asked with a bit of disbelief in her voice.
He shrugged, "I walked."
"Walked, he says," She muttered. "Fine. There are some geckos up in the hills that are causing problems. Kill as many as you can and survive, then we'll talk about more work."
Ben shrugged, "Proof?"
"Left ear per kill," Trudy replied with the ease of someone that had answered the question before.
Ben put his hat on and gave a lazy salute, "Best get to work."
He downed the shot of watered-down whiskey, shivered at the taste, and got up. A wave of heat hit him as he stepped outside. Easy Pete greeted him with a lazy nod which he returned.
"Hold up," A young woman called after him.
He turned around to see an attractive younger woman jogging over to him. A dog trotted along beside her with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. The woman wore some leather armor over a light outfit designed for extended exposure to the hot weather.
"The name is Sunny," She said as she got closer. "Trudy sent you out to check on the geckos?"
He nodded as he tipped his hat, "Ben. Nice to meet you. Yes. About the geckos."
"Careful with those critters," She cautioned. "They aren't as dangerous as a Deathclaw, but a pack of them will do their best to turn you into breakfast."
Ben tipped his hat, "Thanks for the heads-up."
"Do you want an extra hand?" She asked. "It would feel wrong to just sit by while you do all the work."
Ben smiled at her, "I can always appreciate a woman that likes to be involved."
She rolled her eyes.
"Sure," Ben said. "Otherwise, I'll just be wondering around until nightfall. Do you need to gear up?"
She shook her head as she patted the rifle slung over her shoulder, "This lady is all I need."
They made good time getting to the hills. Sunny knew where the nests were. She hadn't been able to take care of them on her own. Overconfidence was a killer.
Ben wasn't too proud to admit he found the geckos creepy. In the game, he made sure to handle them at range rather than letting them get close. They were even worse in reality. The smallest one they came across was about two-feet tall with the biggest nearly being five-feet tall. They were incredibly fast since they didn't exclusively travel upright. The creatures would drop to their hands and feet to crawl faster than they could run. Thankfully, they weren't the smartest.
They worked well together. Sunny stayed distant since she only had her rifle. He hoped she had a knife or something in case the geckos got too close. Her dog, he couldn't remember the name, ran in to attack then dashed back like they had done this before.
Ben had to force himself not to freak out when the first one came sprinting at him. People were one thing. These lizards were another. They were big enough to be confused as a person at a glance, but the way they moved didn't match. It tickled a part of his brain that told him they were wrong.
He found a good rhythm after the first few. A round to the lower body to stop their advance, another to finish them off. Taking out the legs would slow them down. They were hard to hit, so he shifted to the lower torso. It was more effective in getting them to stay still. The revolver held six rounds, shocking, while the 1911 held seven. He quickly realized that he either needed larger magazines or a different gun. Two shots per lizard meant three with the revolver before he had to swap to the other. His rifle was meant for distance. He had to rely on Sunny to keep him alive while he reloaded his pistol. Swapping to a new magazine was faster than loading the revolver. He needed to invest in speed-loaders. It was due to his preparation that he had three pre-loaded magazines tucked in his belt. He had an entire shelf of loaded magazines he could grab through his Pack of Cubing
Cutting off their ears wasn't nearly as upsetting as killing the lizards. Part of him did wonder if they would have attacked him if he was alone. He had used the lizard folk as a benchmark. Would they recognize it? Would the benchmark matter? It wasn't like he smelled like a gecko. They didn't have a problem with eating other lizards.
Ben felt absolutely disgusting as they made their way back to Goodsprings. It had been too long since he had sweated. His previous motivation for showering was being dirty and had nothing to do with biological processes. He was grateful his past-self had thought ahead for water and other supplies.
"Drink?" Ben asked holding out a canteen.
Sunny smiled, "Thanks." She took a big swig, then almost spit it out. "What is that?"
"Water," Ben replied. "Were you expecting liquor?"
Sunny stared at the canteen, "I've had water, that is not water."
"Trust me," Ben winked at her. "I know a guy."
A flash of micro-expressions played along her face.
"I can't drink this," She said holding out the canteen.
Ben rolled his eyes, "Drink or I'll pour it out in front of you."
"NO!" Sunny screamed.
Ben held up his hands, "Easy. I wouldn't do that. Dogmeat here could use some water."
"You would give this to a dog?" Sunny gawked at him.
He shrugged, "Water is meant to be drank. By people, animals, and vegetation."
Sunny shook her head before taking another drink. She shook the canteen to check how much water was left. The worry on her face was clear to see.
"Drink," Ben teased. "I would have told you to stop if I had a problem." He tapped his bag. "I've got another in my pack."
She stared at him, "You have two?"
Ben winked at her.
"Fuck me," She whispered.
Ben chuckled, "I need a shower and some food first."
"Shut up," Sunny blushed.