Jumping Hoops

[VastErimos]

James was tired.
A man bordering on 30 stepped out of his one bed, one bath apartment and stepped to his family's car to head to work. He was so very tired but it was nothing new, not since his first son was born five years ago, and it only got worse when his wife gave birth to their second son nearly four years ago. He was running on about five consecutive years of five hours of sleep a night and working ten hours a day, but he soldiered on so he could provide for his family.
As he climbed into the slightly used van he disabled the automatic headlights so that he wouldn't wake his neighbors. The master bedroom and one of the children's bedrooms had a window facing the driveway so he tried to be considerate about not waking them up. The car started easy enough and he took a moment to find something to listen to for his drive to work.
Listening to the audiobook he had chosen, he carefully pulled onto the street before activating his headlights so he could see in the predawn darkness. As he made his way out of the neighborhood he dreaded the physically intensive work that he'd have to do before too long. He was forced to pause at a red light where he needed to turn left and let his mind wander, it did that from time to time and he would sometimes write down the stories his mind created so that they'd stop bouncing around his skull.
The light turned green and he pressed on the gas to proceed through the intersection. What he didn't see was the car that was likely doing nearly double the speed limit and was planning to ignore the now red light completely. The oncoming vehicle slammed into the drivers side door at nearly 50 MPH causing both cars to skid and spin, luckily not flipping the van.
James blinked his eyes but he couldn't open the left eye, when he tried to move his left arm to wipe his eye that didn't work either. He knew that feeling. He'd only had it once before but the clarity of mind that he had was familiar, his body was currently flooded with adrenaline.
The car horn was going off but he could see from his right eye that the Bluetooth was still connected to his phone in his right pocket. He tried to speak but instead all that came from his throat was a hacking cough followed by his mouth filling with warm flem. Spitting it onto the steering wheel he saw that it wasn't flem as red ran stained the faux leather that covered the steering wheel.
That's not good.
His mind was completely clear while he cleared his throat enough to speak. After two more mouthfuls of blood he could finally speak, and he could hear approaching sirens. Opting out of making the redundant call he made the only choice he could. "Hey Siri," he said with as clear a voice as he could manage, and after a moment he heard the double tone that meant that the phone was listening. "Call Wifey."
As the phone rang he knew that she wouldn't pick up, if it was a normal day she'd likely not see the missed call for a few hours. As the third ring sounded he noticed that his right hand and leg were freezing and that the sensation was traveling up his arm.
That's really not good.
He had served in the Idaho national guard for a number of years and had known more than one combat medic who had explained to him in detail about how an extremity hemorrhage affected the body, specifically how the body would pull the blood from other extremities to first try to find the missing blood and then to try to preserve the heart and brain.
When the voicemail message beep ended he spoke. "Hey honey." He started coughing again and spit out more blood, too much blood. "I don't think," he took a wheezing breath before continuing. "I don't think I'm coming home."
It was getting harder to breathe, but he knew that he needed to say something. "I love you." Coughs racked his body again as he felt a much more pressing fatigue set in, but he fought to keep his voice moving out of his body. "I love you and the boys so much." I felt warm fluid leaking from my eyes and I wasn't sure if it was tears or blood.
"Don't put… your life on hold." He said between heavy labored breaths. "Just don't let… them forget me."
He tried to say more but his tongue wouldn't cooperate and he was sure he just started mumbling. He stopped trying to talk and focused on just staying awake but it was getting harder and harder as the minutes passed. He thought that the paramedics might have arrived at some point but he wasn't sure.
He was so tired.

—

I slowly returned to consciousness squinting my eyes against the light, the very harsh white light. "Did they actually manage to get me to the hospital before I died?" I asked myself in slightly more than a mumble. "That'd make my call to her kinda superfluous and premature."
I would have continued but when I tried to move my arm to cover my eyes I realized two things: first there was no gravity, I couldn't feel the pressure of laying in a hospital bed. Second and slightly more terrifying in my opinion was that I couldn't feel my body. My body was either gone and I was dead, or I was alive and so thoroughly fucked up that they had to block off the connection between my body and mind.
I willed my eyes to open and was met by omnipresent white. Is this what snow blindness looks like? I thought to myself, trying to orient any which way I could.
Before I had too much time to spiral, a voice consumed my thoughts. "Ah, Jumper! Welcome to the Jumpchain. As your guide, I, Revorax, will assist you in crafting your path. Choose wisely, for your journey will shape the destiny of many. Let us begin with your first step- where should I send you?"
A humanoid figure adorned with intricate, celestial patterns that twinkle like distant stars appeared before me, the nebula that was their mouth smiling with anticipation and excitement.
I was before a true celestial entity. As such I answered with the most intellectually gifted response I was capable of. "Huh?"
A low chuckle echoed from the individual before me. "I am what your people often refer to as a ROB, or a Random Omnipotent Being… or Bastard if you're unlucky enough to get picked up by one of the less than friendly entities around the Omniverse."
I nodded, or tried to. I don't think I actually have a body at the moment, but they seemed to get the message. "Now as I said, this is a Jumpchain. I am merely here because I noticed your creativity, and did not want that to be snuffed out. So now I will simply release you into your new life."
The Celestial entity disappeared and in their place was a screen that displayed an almost endless list of Jumps to choose from to start this.
For a moment I considered the Mass Effect Jump, but in looking at some of the other Jumps I decided to put it in my "soon but not yet" Jumps with the Subnautica Gauntlet. After sorting through nearly 1,000 full Jumps I decided on Destiny. I figured that in a good number of worlds there was some kind of evil force that was vulnerable to Light and if I could get a good lead in that then I'd be golden.
I paused before I chose to be a Human starting in the EDZ. It'd been years since I had played Destiny 1 and I only really remembered the broad strokes of the game. Something, something, Crota, something, Oryx, the end? I think there were other issues mixed in there too but that's all I remember off the top of my head. Besides I knew most of the EDZ like the back of my hand.
My new hand didn't even hesitate as I chose to be my forever class of Hunter.
I was about to start spending my CP when I had an intrusive thought… and like any good Hunter, I let it take root. I could always ask, worst case scenario I'm told "No".
"Revorax?" I asked the empty space.
The area just to the left of the screen was suddenly filled with the amorphous cosmic entity. "Yes? Do you have a question?"
I took a deep breath to order my thoughts. "Would there be any way to, I don't know, combine jumps?" My question caused the nebula that was their head to tilt slightly in curiosity. "I mean that some of the Jumps have perks or Items that I would like for another Jump, which has some that I would like for another Jump, which has something that I'd like for the first Jump. Some settings have perks or items that I would want but I would never step foot into the reality, and I was wondering if there was a way to get them."
Revorax pondered the question for a moment before he nodded slightly. "I think we can work with that, but there will be rules."
I nodded excitedly. "Of course!"
"And consequences." He finished ominously. "First of all: you can only choose a single Jump to pull from. Second: the Jump must match a Genre of the Primary Jump, for example: you have chosen Destiny as your first Jump. I would consider Destiny to be a Dystopian Science-Fiction setting, therefore the other Jump to pull from must either be Dystopian or Sci-Fi, such as Divergent or the James Cameron Avatar movie." Their supernova eyes looked at me to ensure I was following along, to which I nodded eagerly. "Third: the only things that can be taken from the secondary Jump are the Origin, for the purpose of discounts, Perks, and Items. No Companions from the secondary, I'm not like those people from the Company. Fourth: any perks or items that are restricted by Race can only be taken if you already possess that Race. Fifth: you will receive 50% of the added points from the secondary jump, plus any stipend that is specified by a specific area. Sixth: if the secondary has a section for building specific abilities like the Semblance from RWBY or Parahuman abilities from Worm, you receive all of the points provided for that section. Seventh: Companions from the Primary, purchased or imported, may only take Perks and Items from the Primary. Eighth: both Jumps are combined for the purposes of Drawbacks that refer to the Jump specifically." He stared into me with the weight of the galaxy behind him. "And the price for this boon is that after each Jump I will choose a Gauntlet for you. In this Gauntlet, you lose all access to outside abilities, you lose access to your Cosmic Warehouse (which you will be setting up in a moment). Most importantly: if you fail the Gauntlet, by death or otherwise, you will restart the Gauntlet from the time you began it. So be very careful with what you choose in those situations because you won't get a do over. Do you accept these terms?"
I let his words sink in for a moment, briefly realizing that I was now thinking about the Cosmic entity as a male before moving on. "I-" I stopped and really considered what was about to happen, before I set my resolve and speaking firmly. "I agree."
He gave me one more long look before nodding and disappearing.
The screen before me flickered and now I could see that Destiny was labeled as the Primary Jump while the Secondary Jump was empty and waiting.
I quickly looked through some of the Jumps I'd specifically not even considered because of fuck off energy, because who in their right mind wants to go to Warhammer 40K? I'm not even familiar with the setting and I know that choosing to go there is a bad idea.
I think for a moment before selecting RWBY as my Secondary jump. I have 1,500 CP to use and I'm already in over my head and I haven't even gotten to the Items yet, maybe I should check out the Drawbacks before I start making selections. I quickly scroll through and fill out my character sheet.


Name:

James Cole

---

Drawbacks: (+700 CP total)

-Leave Early (+0 CP): You may leave at any point after the SIVA Crisis.

-Where's the Ammo? (+100 CP): Your Ghost can't transmute Glimmer into ammo. You run out constantly.

-Eververse Hell (+100 CP): Loot is replaced with Silver, forcing you to buy from Eververse.

-Telesto's Revenge (+200 CP): You get a free Exotic Weapon, but you can only wield this one weapon. If you try to use another, it shocks you until you drop it. (Chosen: Sunshot, it doesn't specify which Exotic.)

-Luke Smith Sunset My Chain (+300 CP): Only Destiny perks and items function. (Adjusted by special rules.)

CP After Drawbacks: 2200

---

Race:

Human

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Destiny Origin:

Hunter

"The scouts, rangers, and assassins of the Guardians. Hunters use stealth, precision, and speed to fight humanity's enemies. Once considered outlaws, their ingenuity earned them a place among the Last City's defenders."
CP After Destiny Origin: 2200

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Destiny Perks: (1100 CP spent)

-The Light (Free): Grants immortality through resurrection by a Ghost. Access to Arc, Solar, Void, and Darkness subclasses.

-Your Ghost (Free): A sapient machine companion that revives you and assists in combat and exploration.

-The Other String Theory (100 CP): Grants access to Strand, the Darkness-based subclass manipulating reality's Weave.

-Light Within (400 CP): Your Light regenerates endlessly. You resist suppression, can resurrect even in Darkness Zones.

-Hunter Basic Skills (Free): Double-jump, skilled with knives and firearms, Light-powered dodging and agility.

-Born to Explore (100 CP): Instinctively find valuable loot, increased drop rates for high-tier rewards.

-Skills of a Hunter (200 CP): Enhanced stealth, cloaking duration, supernatural marksmanship, knife precision, and increased reflexes/luck.

-Apex Predator (Capstone Boosted: Stay Down) (300 CP): Light bypasses enemy invulnerability phases. If you kill something, it stays dead.

CP After Destiny Perks: 1100

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Destiny Items: (400 CP spent, 200 CP was item stipend)

-Arcadia-Class Jumpship (Free): Near-Light-speed capable spacecraft.

-Sparrow S-10 (Free): High-speed thrust bike for terrain traversal.

-Khvostov 7G-02 (Free): Basic Auto Rifle from the Golden Age.

-Legendary Weapon (Glissando-47, Scout Rifle) (50 CP)

-Legendary Weapon (Traitor's Fate, Sword) (50 CP)

-Legendary Armor Set (Thunderhead Helmet, Grips, Vest, Strides, Wildwood Cloak) (100 CP)

-Exotic Item: Knucklehead Radar (Helmet) (200 CP): Enhanced battlefield awareness, radar remains active while ADS.

CP After Destiny Items: 900

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Companions: (400 CP spent, each receives 800 CP + 200 CP item stipend)

Ghost Companion (free)

Fireteam Members (5 total)

Fireteam Members (5 total)

Companion 1: Rhea
Race: Exo

Class: Hunter

Starting Location: European Dead Zone (EDZ), Earth

General Perks:

The Light (free)

Your Ghost (free)

Hunter Perks:

Hunter Basic Skills (free)

Born to Explore (100cp)

Skills of a Hunter (200cp)

Apex Predator (300cp)

Hunter Subclasses: Nightstalker (free)

Items:

Arcadia Class Jumpship (free)

Sparrow S-10 (free)

Khvostov 7G-02 (free)

Exotic Sniper Rifle: Izanagi's Burden (200cp, from item stipend)

Legendary/Exotic Jumpship: Centerfire (100cp)

Legendary Armor Set: Prodigy (100cp)

Companion 2: Darius

Race: Human

Class: Titan

Starting Location: European Dead Zone (EDZ), Earth

General Perks:

The Light (free)

Your Ghost (free)

Titan Perks:

Titan Basic Skills (free)

CQC (100cp)

Body of a Titan (200cp)

Commander (300cp)

Titan Subclasses: Striker (free)

Items:

Arcadia Class Jumpship (free)

Sparrow S-10 (free)

Khvostov 7G-02 (free)

Exotic Rocket Launcher: Gjallarhorn (200cp, from item stipend)

Glimmer Supply (100cp)

Legendary Armor Set (100cp)

Companion 3: Liana

Race: Awoken

Class: Titan

Starting Location: European Dead Zone (EDZ), Earth

General Perks:

The Light (free)

Your Ghost (free)

Light Within (400cp)

Titan Perks:

Titan Basic Skills (free)

Body of a Titan (200cp)

(Capstone Boosted) - Lead by Example

Titan Subclasses: Sentinel/Defender (free)

Items:

Arcadia Class Jumpship (free)

Sparrow S-10 (free)

Khvostov 7G-02 (free)

Exotic Shotgun: The Chaperone (200cp, from item stipend)

Rare Materials Supply (200cp)

Companion 4: Aurelia

Race: Exo

Class: Warlock

Starting Location: European Dead Zone (EDZ), Earth

General Perks:

The Light (free)

Your Ghost (free)

The Golden Age (600cp)

Warlock Perks:

Warlock Class Skills (free)

Mind of a Warlock (200cp)

Warlock Subclasses: Dawnblade/Sunsinger (free)

Items:

Arcadia Class Jumpship (free)

Sparrow S-10 (free)

Khvostov 7G-02 (free)

Exotic Pulse Rifle: Bad Juju (200cp, from item stipend)

Companion 5: Kael (+200 CP)

Race: Human

Class: Warlock

Starting Location: European Dead Zone (EDZ), Earth

General Perks:

The Light (free)

Your Ghost (free)

Light Within (400cp)

Warlock Perks:

Warlock Class Skills (free)

Mind of a Warlock (200cp)

Light is a Spectrum (300cp)

(Capstone Boosted)-Innovative Light

Warlock Subclasses: Voidwalker (free)

Items:

Arcadia Class Jumpship (free)

Sparrow S-10 (free)

Khvostov 7G-02 (free)

Exotic Fusion Rifle: Telesto (200cp, from item stipend)

Glimmer Supply (100cp)

CP After Companions: 500

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RWBY Origin:

Civilian (Free, +500 CP General Perk Stipend)

CP After RWBY Origin: 500

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RWBY Perks: (500 CP spent, 500 CP from stipend spent separately)

-Beautiful Remnant (Free): You are exceptionally attractive, with a defining color theme.

-Aura (Free): Personal energy shield that absorbs damage, enhances physical abilities, and accelerates healing.

-Base Proficiency (Free): Competent in combat, able to wield weapons effectively.

-Gift From a Wizard (400 CP, General Stipend): You can transfer any of your powers to another, temporarily losing them until you take them back.

-No Lies, No Half Truths (100 CP, General Stipend): Allies and superiors will not lie to you, though they may withhold information.

-Are You Robbing Me? (Free): Criminals and villains ignore you if you don't interfere.

-Old Man Shopkeep (Free): Business management skills.

-Weapon Engineer (200 CP): Capable of creating transforming weapons using RWBY technology.

-Atlesian Genius (300 CP): Advanced technological and engineering expertise, including robotics, AI, and hacking.

-Need a Lift? (100 CP): You can operate and fight in vehicles of all types, from bikes to aircraft.

CP After RWBY Perks: 0

---

RWBY Items: (All RWBY Origins receive +500 CP item stipend, spent entirely here.)

-What is Your Favorite Fairytale? (Free): Collection of all RWBY media, updated to reflect your actions.

-Scroll (Free): Equivalent to a smartphone with additional security, comms, and ID functions.

-Cookies (Free): Daily refresh of high-quality cookies.

-Outfits (Free): Stylish, personalized wardrobe in your chosen color scheme.

-Dust Restock (Free): Daily supply of all Dust types.

-Pile of Lien (Free): 100,000 Lien replenishes in each jump, usable as currency.

-Jumper's Club (200 CP, Item Stipend): You own an underground club, complete with a staff and income stream.

-Bullhead (100 CP, Item Stipend): VTOL tiltjet aircraft, reliable for transport and combat.

-Fort Arrowfell (400 CP (discounted price), Atlesian Genius Stipend + Item Stipend): A hidden heavily fortified Atlesian base, difficult to find and conquer. Includes an advanced lab, massive armory, and Grimm-attracting orbs. Currently in hostile hands.

CP After RWBY Items: 0

---

Cosmic Warehouse: Incremental Core (500WP +50WP each Jump)

Drawback: Big Benefactor (+500WP +50WP each Jump)

Total WP: 1000

---

Cosmic Warehouse (free): A personal, expandable storage space within its own reality for all your items. Accessible anytime unless restricted by specific drawbacks. Items added via CP or fiat-backed abilities integrate seamlessly.

Boxes and Containers (free): Unlimited generic storage containers available on request. These are mundane and cannot be sold or repurposed, except for personal use like fort-building.

Starting Space (free): Initially, 80x80x10 meters (6,400 square meters or 64,000 cubic meters), with room for vertical stacking.

Antibiotic Field (free): Prevents cross-reality contamination by neutralizing harmful microbiomes and pathogens at jump transitions, ensuring everyone's health.

Access Key (free): A unique key to open any door into your Personal Reality. Automatically returns to you if lost.

The Loft (free): Utilize the full vertical space for stacking or building.

Security System (free): Monitors and alerts you about unauthorized access to your space. You define access permissions.

Environmentally Neutral (free): Default conditions are temperate, breathable air, and Earth-like gravity. Suitable for multiple species with permissions.

Shelving (free): Basic metal shelves for storage, tailored to your initial space allotment. Additional shelves must be sourced externally.

Neutral Lighting (free): Dim, neutral ambient lighting—customization required for better illumination.

A Week & A Button (free): Option to take a 7-day break between jumps. Press a button to end downtime early. Death in this period still counts as dying.

Entrance Hall (free): A customizable entry room linking your Access Key to your Warehouse. Additional halls can be acquired and tailored.

Benefactor Lounge (free): An optional meeting room for discussions with your Benefactor, styled to match your next destination.

Additional Space (200WP): Expands your Personal Reality by tenfold across all dimensions. Can be purchased multiple times for exponential growth. Each purchase upgrades expansion options.

Storage Solutions (200WP): Provides construction automatons to create tailored storage options, from protective cases to labeled crates. Fiat-backed items resist wear and integrate seamlessly with security measures.

Who's Got the Powa (100WP): Supplies electricity equivalent to powering New York City or London indefinitely, with included wiring and protections. You'll need a skilled electrician for further customization.

Pipes Pipes Pipes (100WP): Offers plumbing fixtures to supply up to 1 billion liters/day of clean water. Includes sewage and storm drain systems, with discreet waste processing. Self-maintaining and vermin-free.

Basic Accommodations (50WP): Minimalist living quarters for companions or guests. If combined with "Pipes Pipes Pipes," upgrades include communal showers. Supports guests with vegetarian food (up to one person per 4 cubic meters of space).

Basic Nutrition (50WP): Weekly delivery of basic food supplies for you and your companions, designed for a strict budget. These cannot be resold.

The Big Pool (10WP): Adds an Olympic Water Park to your Personal Reality. The pools are upgraded with advanced technology if you have Central Control. With Choice Apartments & The Commons, each building gains its own pool. With 5 purchases of Downsizing, each house gets a smaller pool (72m²).

Pilot Simulator (50WP): A state-of-the-art simulator replicating the experience of operating any vehicle from your Original or Host Realities. Supports up to 20 users in larger vehicles, with 12 simulators for linked sessions or team training. Allows testing for licenses accepted in all jumps, aligned with local competence standards.

Garage of the Gods (200WP): A versatile garage tailored for land, air, and space vehicles (up to 12m long, 6m wide, and 4m high). Includes berths for 40 vehicles, scaling with space expansions. Comes with adaptors for connecting garages to Personal Reality Portals. Additional Marina support is available if combined with the Pond.

Wide Berth Expansion (20WP x2): Increases parking berth dimensions (factor of 2 per purchase) for The Garage of the Gods. Multiple purchases allowed to scale space further.

---

The "room" I was in shifted to what appeared to be a nice office-like area with two chairs sat on a rug covered hardwood floor, facing a lovely little fireplace. "Cozy." I said, looking around. "And that should do it." I say to myself as I hit the Finalize button and everything goes black.

---

"Eyes up, Guardian!"

I took in a deep breath that tore through my throat like sandpaper, causing me to roll to the side and dry heave the dust out of my lungs. After maybe a minute I was able to control my haggard breath enough to take stock of my surroundings.

I was on a forested ridge line that had a small cove on one side and the source of part of my coughing fit on the other… a massive Cabal base. I recognized the place as Firebase Hades, but something was off. Where I expected to see red, white, and black; instead I saw dark green and yellow.

The base isn't under Red Legion control yet. I thought to myself, after all I got here around the same time the Young Wolf was supposed to be waking up in the Cosmodrome, so Ghaul hadn't made his move, and wouldn't do so for 6-8 years.

Something smacked into my temple, causing me to look to my left to see a floating Rubik's cube adjacent shape with a steel grey shell and a red optic staring at me. "We need to move Guardian, this area isn't safe for the newly risen." She (since her voice was at a higher octave) said to me in a synthesized voice.

I simply smiled, sitting in my very high end gear. "I suppose you're right, don't want to get caught between the Fallen and the Cabal, now do we?" I asked, standing to my feet. Brushing the dirt off my armor, my right hand comes to rest on my thigh where a beautiful black and gold Hand Cannon rests. The grip is different from the game, a beautiful Tsuka-maki (Japanese cording technique used on the grips of katanas) fit it perfectly. In the cording gaps on the left side of the weapon was three small buttons: the one that was currently depressed held the symbol of a golden sun, the one below that was a vertical sword in red, and the bottom one was a set of green crosshairs.

"Wait…" my ghost gasped, recoiling in surprise. "You KNOW what's going on!?" She borderline screamed at me, zipping right in front of my eyes.

"Yes, yes." I replied, gently pushing her back. "I know a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't." I then realized that while I was currently helmetless, and looked down, quickly finding the black and silver helmet with the holographic projection over the right eye. "I promise to tell you what I can when we aren't in enemy territory." I tell her while securing my helmet and pulling up my hood.

She floats there staring at me for a moment, the back half of her shell twisting clockwise, then counterclockwise before stopping at the normal position. "Okay Guardian, I'll hold you to that."

"James." I say, getting a confused tilt of the shell. "My name is James." I press the crosshairs button on my weapon and instinctively spin it forward as there's the sound of shifting metal and gears as my Hand Cannon turns into a simple looking Scout Rifle that I hold in the ready position, across my chest aiming to the left.

She stared in disbelief at my weapon before slowly shifting her gaze up to my visor. "James… you are going to explain everything."

I chuckled. "Yes, dear." I then turned east and began walking cautiously. "Now, time to find the others."

"Wait… what?"