Chapter 70: 66. Call and Gather

Once upon a time, Jay was just a background guy at Central High. If he ever got any limelight or attention, that was due to being around Second Nerd Mike or First Nerd Lilith. Those two crushed an all-grade academic competition, embarrassing some seniors to receive their nicknames and be known as special at Central High.

Jay wasn’t an academic genius. He wasn’t a part of any clubs. When he pursued his extracurriculars, he mostly practiced by himself. He’d gotten bullied out of his last parkour group–the leader didn’t like Jay’s smart mouth. And Jay did street dancing by himself unless Mike or his Mom were involved to help out.

The status quo maintained itself until the tenth-grade year. The school nearly erupted with the arrival of YoAnna Sainte-Rhythms. She became an instant Queen overnight. Seeing his childhood friend's magnified prominence for the first time after such a long time rocked Jay’s world.

They’d never talked at Central High. They’d rarely cross paths. But when they had moved near each other, Jay swore she was still that girl he knew from daycare–but way taller and prettier. Like, ridiculously taller and prettier.

Jay figured she’d forgotten him. He was easy to overlook. It put Jay in a mood as he talked with Mike about it.

Mike felt wary about approaching the Queen since YoAnna was different and above them. Even Lilith was uncertain if YoAnna remembered them or was purposely ignoring them. She seemed so untouchable and distant even to the First Nerd.

YoAnna had her own private classes and other absurd special treatments. She literally existed as Central High’s royalty. If she requested for faculty and students to fall on their knees, they would. It felt like looking at a Disney Princess with YoAnna.

So, Jay and YoAnna stayed in their separate worlds in the same school. The campus was big enough for these mini-realms of isolation.

But not big enough for Jay to ignore YoAnna’s presence and the uncomfortable feelings growing inside him. Feelings that drove him up the wall. 

Literally.

He noticed a groundskeeper shed with a low ceiling next to a dumpster. It started from there. Once he reached the top of the shed, he scaled up a series of ridges on the corner of the performance art building that was three stories tall.

With no harness. No safety net.

Jay climbed.

One kid on the ground floor looked up and pointed. Another student shouted. It was the start of lunch, so everyone was out and about. Word spread fast around the school, reaching from one corner to the next regardless of the distance.

Jay’s climb overlooked the big courtyard in the middle, so a congregation like no other came together. Students and teachers hollered in excitement and fear. The principal pulled out his bullhorn and shouted at Jay to stay put until the authorities arrived.

Jay climbed.

Getting up to the math and science buildings and laboratories was a little tougher. The laboratory was shaped like a huge dome. It even had a fancy telescope sticking out. He crossed over its slippery surface and picked up speed to bound from one side of the dome to the side of the next building. His hands reached for the rain gutter drain.

He struck, slipped, and fell a few feet. The screams and shouts from below were scarier than the actual slip. Jay caught himself in the end.

Jay climbed.

By the time he reached the roof of the tallest building, some faculty members were waiting for him. They had gotten the staircase keys for the ceiling door.

Jay stood on the corner between the roof and empty space. He felt there was one last piece to this performance before it closed out. One slip-up could spell doom for him. But he was already here. Might as well commit the whole way.

Jay cartwheeled, turned it into a teetering spin, and danced out of the reaching hands of the faculty until he concluded his show with one last move. He landed on his hands and held himself upside down on the corner.

By then, the faculty stopped trying to grab him and waited for him to finish. When he was finally done, and in the faculty’s hands, the roar he heard behind him was the loudest the school had ever experienced yet.

Not even the football games or pep rallies could compare.

His mom got called in, which to the faculty’s frustration only led to Jay and Jhara treating it lightly. He got a week of suspension, forced community hours, and lots of other punishments. But when he walked the halls of Central High, the students, and even some of the teachers, treated Jay like a hero.

The recognition was intoxicating.

But it failed to draw Queen YoAnna from her lofty heights, bridging the distance between him and her. And the luster from his fame didn’t last for long.

The envy of others tainted it.

A few jerks spun his moment of greatness around to highlight Jay’s minor moments of weirdness. At the spear of the attack was the basketball captain, some guy Jay had never known before until the bully started hounding him.

For the next two years, at least once or twice a month, the basketball captain came around to remind Jay he wasn't a Rooftop Hero. Jay put it out of his mind since it wasn’t every day. The basketball captain had others to pick on. Jay also kept it to himself to not bother Mike or Lilith or get his extra-crazy mom involved.

She would hack the guy to pieces.

And serve it to other bullies in soup.

Jay endured it and kept doing his thing. Having fun.

But the past weekend's craziness with dungeons and assassins had changed for Jay. It would be easy to smack the basketball captain and become a hero again. Jay could keep the rumor mill running with him on top. If it dipped again, he could find another stunt to raise him into a positive light.

His ego demanded it.

It had been bruised for too long at Central High.

“What’s with that look, Weirdo,” the basketball captain grunted, throwing another punch to Jay’s gut. The [Freak] suffered -3 damage. He was down about -7 Health since he’d regenerated 8 HP while the basketball captain tried to pummel his torso.

All around them, the basketball team stood like a wall to conceal the assault. Two of the biggest players held Jay by the shoulder even though the [Freak] wasn’t going anywhere.

He was deep in thought, wondering about his purpose here. He felt the gravity ripples touched by the narrative coming from here. He could still feel it lodged in this exact place. But now it was up to him to do something about it.

Jay figured it had something to do with the distorted ripples surrounding l u n c h from earlier. But it didn’t feel right. It was wrong.

“Lunch isn’t the right word,” Jay said, speaking for the first time since he’d gotten here.

The basketball captain huffed, his face tomato-red. “What crazy shit are you saying now?”

“Everyone knows I can kick your ass,” Jay said seriously. “I have so many ways to do it, it’ll take me longer to think of how I want to do it. But is that the best way to use a background bastard like you, Greg?”

Greg jerked back like he’d been slapped. As if he'd been jerked away from his stature as the basketball captain and made even more normal. Even less special. He was even more shocked by Jay’s confidence. His goons shifted around in confusion. A manly girl from the female team furrowed her brow and reached down to smack Jay’s crotch.

Jay caught her wrist, squeezed a little, and then released her before she cried out. She held her wrist to her chest as if she’d just escaped from the jaws of death.

Even with her being a girl, her size and athleticism should’ve outmatched Jay’s. The basketball goons started to look at him with uncertainty.

“You’re the background bastard,” the basketball captain hissed. "Right, Billy?"

"Yeah," Billy piped up. He was Greg's righthand man. His closest minion.

Billy tried to pinch and twist Jay's ear.

Jay caught Billy's fingers and gave them a little twist. The big basketball goon stifled a crawl and yanked his hand away.

Greg lashed out with two of his hardest punches to Jay’s chin. It was risky to aim up top, but the basketball captain still had his goons covering for him. He was too mad by Jay's defiance to realize how outmatched he was. If he would think logically, he would understand the abnormality of the situation and backed off. But bullies like these like to double down to save their own egos regardless of the consequences. Guys like these were the worst.

“Eh, you struck -5 Hp out of that,” Jay said, thinking back to the damage Brit did with a light bonk. “Ah, no, the Health Regen doesn’t care. Too weak to make it last.”

The Health Status would regenerate faster or slower depending on the situation. Right now, it was regenerating as if Jay was resting. It was easier to figure out the narrative angle here if Jay was mostly relaxed.

The basketball captain huffed like he’d committed a bunch of suicide runs at the gym. “What the fuck are you?”

Jay blinked. “The one who’ll keep us together.” He stroked his chin. “But that can’t happen if we don’t get together.” Jay had a lightbulb moment. His mind rippled with happy gravity. “Ah! Lunch is an activity. It’s the cover. The theme is deeper.”

“Shut him up!” Greg hissed.

His goons tried to cover Jay’s mouth. Billy moved the fasts despite his hurt fingers. But they were all too late.

“I know this is a small matter,” Jay sang, pushing aside the hands trying to cover his mouth, “But this is when we must gather, Call of the [Freak].”

Chance x6 went down to Chance x5

Then it went up to Chance x7.

Why?

Jay had no freaking clue.

He was here to enjoy the ride.

This tiny version of his incantation rippled through the air invisibly. The basketball goons could feel it still. Systemless as they were, it was undeniable something weird happened around them. Or passed by them.

Jay’s heterochromatic eyes glimmered as the Systemless humans shivered in fear. The panic on Greg’s face gave the inner [Freak] quite the laugh. But the show was only starting, and Jay was expanding his full awareness to catch the subjects of his Call.

In the middle of the cafeteria and up on the second-floor platform above the mezzanine existed the richest, most influential, and most popular seniors of Central High. They had the newest shoes. The shiniest cars. The brand apparel draped on their slim and model-fit bodies could count as small fortunes. They ruled from the top while serving at the feet of the Queen. And from these tables of the indulgently privileged, each sister of the Divine Four stood. They took the stairs down, and everyone who saw them fled or started kissing up to them. None of the sisters responded. They were too busy answering the Call.

At the other end of the cafeteria, the Central football team feasted. No amount of protein could fill their hunger for the next game. They’d dominated the first game of the season, and it looked like they’d do the same in the next. They had their Superjock–the most gifted athlete in all of Central Florida. The biggest D1 universities wanted him. Scouts from the national football league were already looking at him as an important draft in the next few years. Dennis hadn’t made up his mind yet on what he wanted in life, but he stood up like a giant. One who could barely contain his own Strength. He answered the Call.

A few tables down from the football team, the band joked, hollered, and laughed. They were a symphony of talent who needed a strong hand to guide them. Only a strong hand could lead them to play the best music you’d hear from a high school band. Without that strong hand, their storm of personalities–wild, energetic, and filled with friction–would tear the program apart. They were troubled. They were handfuls. Half of them were the stuff of adult nightmares. But in the eye of that hurricane was peace and consistency. The Band Lead was their messiah. Their heaven-sent saint, hard and soft, was a big sister to them all.

It was painful for Brit to answer the Call. For it would mark the beginning of the end as Band Lead. But she answered anyway. Shedding her skin as Band Lead and strutting across the cafeteria as the very contained but upset Holy [Medium]. She linked up with the rest of Team Booty Bandits and the other members from Team FAAHI. They all answered the Call together.

The cafeteria fell into an eerie silence like no other.

You are reading story The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy at novel35.com

No matter how exciting, how thrilling, and how gossipy the words the seniors had on their lips, the sight of these eleven students coming together was too stunning. Almost all of them were of the school’s pantheon of the famous and nicknamed.

Maybe the Divine Four uniting with the Superjock and the Band Lead wouldn’t be too, too exceptional. But First Nerd and Second Nerd? The Junker Twins? And the new one-armed transfer student? The Spook!

Then it got a little more chilling for the onlookers when Jay slipped away from the basketball team’s bully circle. He united with the other eleven.

Jay’s exceptional senses could see and almost narrate everything from an outsider’s perspective. The myriad emotions flaring told a story his mom would eat up. The moment he stopped amid the other Champions, there was a snap of perfection that made sense and was all the weirder for it.

As if all twelve teenagers complimented each other. As if they were meant to be together. As if anyone who dared to break between this group would face consequences of such magnitude they’d wish for the quickest and most complete destruction you could ever ask for.

It seemed divine where the natural sunlight from the ceiling window panes shone on them brightly–as if their Patheon Leader was somewhere orchestrating the moment and elevating the theatrics.

To talk now felt like a sin for everyone on the outside. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop from one corner to the other. And those corners were far from each other in this cafeteria.

“Dude,” Dennis rumbled, speaking jock to jock with Greg. “Jay’s off limits.”

Jay frowned, finding that lacking and–

“No,” Dennis continued. “Everyone is off limits. Rooftop Weirdo. Glue Sniffer. Stall Banger. Everyone.”

Ah, nice, nice! Keep it up, Dennis! Jay would cheer and laugh if it wouldn’t ruin the moment. Gotta keep a low profile and let the gravity of the situation sink in fully.

“Why do you care?” squealed Greg, his voice cracking.

His basketball goons looked at him like he was crazy. The basketball captain was asking to get his head removed–figuratively–for speaking like that in the presence of the Divine Four, even if it was directed at the Superjock.

Casey frowned ever so slightly but allowed the slight to pass. She was kind enough to let Dennis handle this.

Greg's storm of emotions hardened into a dense sphere. It was a bad one. But it was bold.

“You’d never bothered before. Why do you care now?” The basketball captain repeated, spit flying. “It’s supposed to be us jocks running shit anyway!”

Jay ogled the two jocks as the drama reached its climactic point.

Dennis tilted his head down as if Greg’s words weighed on him. Then he straightened and showed a glimpse of the man he could become one day.

“You’re right, I haven’t bothered. I got a lot to make up for. So, let me start now.” Dennis surged forward and grabbed Greg by the throat. He pinned him against the table with the lightest application of his Strength Attribute.

The back of Greg’s head rubbed around in his food. None of his goons helped as Dennis leaned down, face to face.

“Jocks are students like everyone else. So, I was wrong not to bother. You were wrong for being a bother. But the way we both pay up is going to be different,” Dennis said. “Every time I have to repent. You’re going to feel it. Is that what you want?”

The Superjock eased off the basketball captain’s throat. The bully struggled to say no, looking pale like he’d seen a monster. He shrank in Dennis’s presence and looked at Jay like he’d never want to cross paths with him again. And just like that, Jay felt the story change its focus and submerge the bully back into the background from whence he came.

“Is there a p-problem, children?” an administrator asked. The poor woman was trembling, feeling alone while the cafeteria remained silent, awestruck, and stuck in the background.

Jay’s inclination to mess with her rose slightly.

A small bonk on the noggin from Brit calmed him down.

At the same time, Divine Hailey swept into the administrator’s side. Hailey used her Event Planner political charm–and a touch of magic–and had the woman move on as if there was no trouble. The plight of the basketball team got swept under the rug for good.

“Did you really need all of us for that?” Frank muttered.

“Nah,” Jay said. “But we’re together. And that’s proper.”

***

 The other seniors spoke quietly as if they were afraid to be heard by the twelve. As if drawing their attention was a risk they weren’t willing to take. Jay paid the other students some attention in case of assassins running amok. The Champions gathering like this was blowing with far-reaching ripples.

And it was kind of awkward. Everyone was looking at each other, unsure of where to start. Or how, perhaps. Last night, they were knee-deep in blood and violence. Everything seemed simple then. Bad people had to die. And the Champions had seen it done, letting [Omen Bearer of the Apocalypse] throw a huge party.

But they were past that now. They were in a civilian environment unfettered with danger, and Jay imagined that made things harder for the Champions.

There were too many randos for them to talk freely. But they were here now. There was a sense that they should say something.

“We’ll meet again after school,” Casey decided. “Hailey will get us a room.”

“I have football practice,” Dennis said glumly, losing his heroic stature.

“And Lilith has kids to tutor. Casey’s got cheerleading. Brit has the band,” Frank muttered. “We’ll work around it. We got shit to hash out even if it takes all night.”

Frank had done his homework on all of them, Jay figured.

Lilith turned to Hailey. “Plan to book the room for the entire week.”

“Will do, First,” the Event Planner said.

The conversation died down again. Jay frowned since he was expecting a little more. He caught glances from Emily as if she wanted him to step into the forefront. Their noir morning together had left an impression on each other. Jay wouldn’t mind much if Macy didn’t smile at Jay like a Saturday morning villainess.

Ugh. Romance drama could wait.

Jay took the stage.

“I think I screwed up today,” the [Freak] said.

Everyone tensed, Mike especially since Jay hadn’t talked about this with him. But it was just coming to light for the [Freak]. Self-realization.

“It hit me while getting bullied by the basketball captain,” Jay said. “I didn’t resort to violence even with the Title shenanigans. Could’ve. Would’ve been nice. But that’ll be a poor use of Chance and gravity.”

“So, you’ve gathered us instead with that Call?” Mike asked. “That had traces of magic.”

“An incantation,” Brit informed. “More of a spiritual miracle with a dash of magic.”

“And that Call wasn’t a forceful one,” Emily added. “It called to us. We could’ve refused to answer.”

“Why did you do it here of all places?” Mike pushed toward Jay.

“To change the script,” Jay said. “Break the usual violence. And do better. Dennis made it known that bullies won’t be tolerated. And that’s going to spread throughout the whole school and make things better.”

“Good stuff,” Brit complimented.

“Destroying that bully would’ve been more fun,” Lilith said.

“No, it wouldn’t,” Jay said. “Just like how the agent dying this morning still stinks.”

Emily flinched. She adjusted her glasses nervously before schooling her expressions to look like she didn’t care.

“If you don’t know, you’ll get caught up soon,” Jay explained. “I just feel like there are different roles we can play in the stories flowing around us. And it’s up to us to choose how we ride out as Champions. And this morning, I didn’t play a proper role.”

Pause.

Jay breathed deeply.

“We’re not just silly teenagers anymore. We’re the people fighting to prevent a cruel apocalypse.”

Jay could’ve asked Emily to spare the man before she used one of her incantations to feast on his life. Jay had been occupied with following his mom’s gravity hologram, but he knew he could've intervened.

It had been convenient to let Emily play her deadly role and crush the mooks. But those mooks had been scared and confused people given bad information and trying to do their ill-informed jobs. They were the people who needed protection against the System Admins cutting up their universe.

Silence.

The Divine Four closed ranks tightly around Emily. She looked very bothered and unsure now. The femme fatale appearance highlighted weakness as much as it did strength. Her emotions said it all, too, even though Jay wasn’t going to drop the blame on her.

He’d own it.

 The bell ending senior lunch rang. The Champions got up together with near-perfect synchrony that looked scripted.

“Fucking aye,” Frank said, sounding like he had a thoughtful moment. “There might be hope for you yet, Luckrun.”

“Nah,” Jay said. “I’m just a fool. I make spectacles and gather the more important people.”

The Champions called bullshit, which led to the Junker Twins roasting Jay over his mythical ego. The [Freak] was thankful. That lightened the mood for him even with all the serious stuff at play.

Chance was pleased, leaving Jay with a sense of understanding. He couldn’t do Rooftop Weirdo shit merely for attention anymore. That day when he became famous and nicknamed could’ve led to terrible things for him or the adults trying to catch him. One slip-up could've killed him or other people.

He had to be more purposeful with his actions and theatrics. Others could suffer gravely for them.

You can find story with these keywords: The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy, Read The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy, The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy novel, The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy book, The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy story, The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy full, The Gravity Freak of Dungeons and Monsters: System Portal Fantasy Latest Chapter