《The Paragamer》 Book I: Triggers The Paragamer? Triggers Galveston, Texas, Saturday, December 19th, 2009 "HAHAHAHA You got owned hard!" I scream into the headset microphone as the last semi-final round of the tournament comes to an end. Some of my co-players are cursing; some are offering congrats, my opponents are weeping. At least, that''s what it sounded like before they dropped the line and logged off. Half-hour break before the final round, and the new regional championship of the ''Video Gaming Decathlon'' gets crowned. Win that, and I''ll be in the big leagues, corporate sponsors, travel, better rigs, and regular cash prizes. I can taste the coming victory, or maybe that''s just the orange Cheetos dust and energy drink film that''s coating the inside of my mouth. Considering such, I need refills of both, and a trip to the bathroom. Six hours of non-stop gaming did a number on me, but at least I convinced my parents to bring my personal office chair and my rig setup, or my ass would''ve been a lot sorer. Finally standing up and looking around, there are more empty seats at the tourney, more losers that have gone home. Only my team and a couple other lower ranked teams are left. They''re playing a different set of games, already lost their chance at an upper ranked spot, but must be taking too long to clear their slots. They''re just competing for 4th place or something, too far behind in points in the scoring system to catch up. Still, the top five ranks all have a cash prize so, guess it''s worth finishing. "Hey Joe, watch my stuff, be back before next round." I call out to my friend across the table. "Mrrhh" he mumbles through a chug of Dr. Pepper. He''s a decent guy but maybe friend is a strong word, we only know each other via the gaming circuit. My friends from home and school weren''t skilled enough to pass muster. Sandy and Dirk did come to watch, but ran off to the food court before the last round. My parents came too of course, but left to go shopping in the department stores three hours ago. The game tourney is set up in an empty mall front between a GameStop and a GameWorks arcade. I run next door into the arcade to find its bathroom. I run into some teenage redhead in the hallway with tears and running mascara. "Sorry," I say as I step around her, damn she''s a looker, but I have to go real bad. I come back out and I see her again, screaming into her cellphone while some other brunette girl hovers over her. I''m curious about what made that pretty face cry, but I have a bad habit of asking questions I shouldn''t. I have to get back in time for the final round anyway. I get back to my seat, Sandy and Dirk have come back and brought grub. "Hey, I got your food," Sandy says. "Thanks, no onions right?" I ask. "Dunno, told them to hold ''em but you know, check it to be sure. You finish your games yet?" "Final round in 14 minutes" I pull out the burger and inspect it. Damn onions. Don''t have time to scrape them off either, just chow down while Dirk and Sandy gossip about the Madison Simurgh attack that happened last summer. Too busy stuffing my face to contribute, but rumor was that some Ziz-bomb escapees rampaged through Des Moines sometime this morning. ''You owe me six bucks for the food." Dirk says. I mumble with my mouth full, pull my wallet out, and hand it to him. "Can you get me another Monster and Cheetos from the vending machine?" I ask between bites. There wasn''t really enough time to eat and buy more garbage from the machines before me and my teammates and have to set up for a 10 minute warm-up match before the final round. Dirk gets back just after we started. I see him speaking but my headphones are already on. They drown out the background noise once we get in game. "Hold on to it until I''m done," I say over my shoulder referring to my wallet, "last round will last 45 minutes tops, probably less once we kick their ass." Even though my team is on a local LAN with a sweet connection we''re still playing against other teams online from all over the south-central region. All at designated locations so local judges can oversee the competing teams and make sure no cheating is going on. Practice session over, we wait for the countdown to enter the final match. It gets to zero and the rest of the world just fades away. I''m shouting orders to Joe and Jamie, and before I know it, 15 minutes of the game has gone by, they''re good but we''re better. 20 minutes in, we''re starting to get a clear upper hand. There''s some muted roaring sound in the background and then Joe just stops paying attention. "What the hell are you doing Joe? Get back and cover our flank!" I shout into the headset even though he''s also just on the other side of the table from me. I shift my units to cover the gap his inattention had created, and manage to lure the opponent in when he tries to rush the gap. 30 seconds later the enemy units that tried to push through get annihilated. That made the whole rest of their line start pulling back. A sure victory is at hand. Then the screen froze. Connection to Server lost. "What the fuck?" That''s an automatic loss. Five years of training and preparing for this moment down the drain all because of the stupid fucking mall''s shitty connection? I fall into an incoherent daze. This was my big break, now it''s nothing! I feel nauseous, the room is spinning. The game''s music has stopped. Wait, the room really is spinning, no it shook. I can still hear the sirens, so I take my headset off. They''re loud. "Endbringer Sirens!" I hear Joe yell. People start screaming, trying to push their way toward the door. I look for Sandy and Dirk, spot them and make my way toward them, and then the whole mall shakes. I see my rig slide off the table as the floor buckles, and then the lights go out. People scream. I can hear drywall cracking under compressive force the way your house creaks and groans, because of soil movement. I can hear metal beams straining, both louder than the screams of everyone around me, oh fuck this is bad. The emergency lights come back on. Where''s my friends? I yell but no one answers. No one can hear me over the noise. Sandy made it to the front of the store front, up by the large windows. It''s still somewhat dark though, it''s evening in winter. The plate glass of the entire front just explodes, all along the top level of the mall. The roof is caving in, from something, and the metal window frames holding all the glass just compressed in and buckled, imploding the panes. I instinctively shield my face but wasn''t fast enough. I feel stuff hit me, but there''s people in front of me who take the worst of it and fall down. I fall too, crawl forward. I find Sandy lying on the floor in a pool of blood, not moving on her own. She is¡­sliding toward the front, as is everything else, tables, computers, and bodies, living and not. I see Joe, life gone from his eyes; part of the roof has crushed him. Some of the screaming, and noise of the cracking mall has died down just enough that I can hear something huge walking on the roof. Gallons upon gallons of water start pouring in through all the new cracks in the roof. Then the mall shifts again. I hold on and scream until my throat is dry. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Somehow I make it out onto the now heavily slanted, wet, and slippery balcony-walkway area in front of the storefronts. We''re on the upper floor; the railing had been smashed apart in various places as heavy items hydroplaned right out of the stores and smashed into them. I see Dirk. "Dirk! Can you hear me?" Dirk is barely hanging on to some of the railing, water pouring over the sides. "Hold on, Dirk!" I watch in horror as one of the huge heavy concrete potted plants slowly starts sliding toward the part of the railing he is holding on for dear life from. "No, no, no, no" I yell again, unable to do anything. The mall shakes again, a wave hits the potted plant and it picks up speed, crashing into the railing and tumbling over, taking Dirk with it. I slip and slide further down through the dirty, pink bloody water. The once level walkway is slick with water and blood, everything is getting drenched. I barely grab some mangled railing myself. I just barely see Dirk and the plant pot as they fall with a loud splash into the rapidly pooling water below. Dangling from the railing, I have a good, but horrendous view. The rest of the mall is just gone. It''s fallen into a sinkhole that is rapidly filling up with water, just as this part of the mall is trying to do. Oh God, that was where my parents had been, somewhere out there. I vomit and almost lose my grip, spinning around to catch myself. About 20 to 30 feet away from me, hanging from another part of the wrecked railing, I see the redhead I ran into on my way to the bathroom. We stare at each other for a while. Both of our attentions are distracted by strobing laser flashes from above. I can see the evening sky through the open hole in the mall from where what is left of it dangles on the edge of the sinkhole, and to the water below us. The hero Gatling is flying in his jet pack above us, firing his trademark laser Gatling cannon at something on the roof above us. "SAVE US!" the red-head screams. Gatling momentarily pauses in his firing. He moves his hand and a spot light on his suit turns on, illuminating the both of us through the rain and scanning the wreckage. The Endbrigner takes advantage of the distraction, Leviathan leaps from the mall roof. It shudders again and more things, water, and bodies fall into the rising pool below. I know some are alive because of the screaming. Somehow I still hold on, but have stopped screaming, I have no voice left. The water of the after echo follows his leap as he lands on Gatling. The momentum of the majority of the water echo arcs well over our heads, and falls down into the sinkhole, filling it up further as Leviathan and Gatling fight. The fight lasts only seconds, Gatling is torn in half. The water level has risen, and flows over some fallen power lines or a transformer because the entire sinkhole lake starts lighting up with sparks. Some flying cape flies straight down and slams into Leviathan from above, too far away for me to identify them. "Y''all hang in there, I see you!" I hear someone shouting from above. I look up and see a man in a brown suit, thick coils of corded rope draped over his body. It''s Rappel, a local villain that could literally walk on walls. He peers at us from the mall roof, then starts glowing and just steps off, pivots, and walks down the side of the ruined structure to the slanted walkway I had slid off of moments before. He pulls out a green paracord rope and ties it further off somewhere in the back of the mall interior that I can''t see. The other end is harnessed to the villain and Rappel stops glowing and carefully, eases himself down toward us. I''m too busy being pants shitting terrified to ask why he didn''t just walk down like he did before. He then lowers a harness to me, starts glowing again and walks toward me and puts the harness on. He leaves me there and does the same to the red-head. Altering his glows on and off, apparently some kind of short term breaker state. There must have been someone else as well that I can''t see because he moves out of view again. Then what''s left of the mall starts creaking loudly again. Pieces of railing, waves of water and the building start falling into the water. My rope goes slack and I drop, debris slams into my arm as I swing outward. I scream as I nearly fall. Pain, I feel so much pain in my arm, something is broken. The red head is almost directly above me now, screaming her head off. "Fuck! Can''t go back up that way!" I hear Rappel shout. He''s standing on the side of the sinkhole wall, just across from me and presses some kind of gun up against it. There''s a loud ''thunk'', and he clips another rope into the anchor point he just made. Then he aims a grappling hook at me and fires. I think I piss myself as I flinch at the oncoming barbed harpoon of death. I open my eyes to discover I¡¯m not impaled by the giant barb. Now there is a rope spanning a thin slice of the edge of the sinkhole chasm. "Hook yourself to the rope, use one of the clips on your chest, and detach yourself from the other one. I have to get the others." "I don''t know how to do that!" I try to scream, my voice is still hoarse. Rappel ignores me, starts glowing and walks back up the wall toward the red-head. I try to do as he said, but only one of my arms is cooperating, I manage to hook myself into the spanning rope but that is all I can manage. "I need flyers for civilian rescue in grid G3." I hear Rappel say into an armband as he walks up the wall, a second slack rope trailing behind him as he goes. I heard his armband crackle in response "That Zone is hot! Leviathan is back in the area" I¡¯m hit by a wave of water and feel myself falling. I''m struggling, underwater, and feel myself getting pulled downward. In the back of my mind, I have one thought, I''m underwater and Leviathan is here. I''m fucked. Somehow though, I manage to slip out of the rope harness, swim to the top and push through to the surface. A pile of floating debris has conglomerated together, I pull myself onto a big piece of floating particle board. The words ''Tank Commander'' is on the side. It was broken game cabinets from the arcade. I''m cold, my left arm feels like it''s on fire. I see the red head thrashing in the water and pull her up onto the raft of broken arcade cabinets. She''s lying on top of ''Tron''. There''s another man thrashing in the water, too far away to aid, it wasn''t Rappel. We can see because there''s a street light, still on, precariously hanging over the edge of the sinkhole, threatening to topple in at any moment. So was what was left of the mall. In its light I can see Leviathan fighting at the other end; waves from his after echo threaten to break our arcade raft. Some unseen cape is causing live power lines to wrap around his limbs. Leviathan just grabs the cables and pulls, tearing out pylons and transformers off the edge of the sinkhole and sending them tumbling toward the water. So many things are happening at once. "Get out of the water!" The redhead yells. A flying cape appears above us, the sparking transformer hits the water, Leviathan moves like a flash. The Endbringer is less than 50 yards from us, and impales our would-be rescuer with his whip tail, and casually flings him off into the wall like he was shaking off an annoying bug. The man we couldn''t reach was screaming in the water, and Leviathan looked at me. We were going to die. Some foggy vision of two great bloated whale-like worms spiraling through space filled my mind like a nightmare. ****? [Host attachment completed.] JESTER: uncompress ¨Call [Insufficient space] JESTER: %^#$%%$&! [Invalid command] GAIA: upgrade ¨Chardware: memory capacity [completed] JESTER: uncompress ¨Call [Insufficient space] JESTER: /msg GAIA "DELETE EXTRANEOUS HOST DATA?" GAIA: /msg JESTER "¡­" JESTER: /msg ¨Cattach [] GAIA: /msg JESTER "AGREEMENT" JESTER: delete ¨Cfilter tag: extraneous JESTER: uncompress ¨Call [Insufficient space] JESTER: #$%! #$%^(! ^##%! [Invalid command] GAIA: /msg JESTER "TIERED LEVEL PROGRESSION, UNCOMPRESS & INSTALL AS NEEDED?" JESTER: /msg GAIA "AGREEMENT" JESTER: uncompress INTERFACE, AVATAR, HACKING_MOD ¨Cinstall:y [Installations completed] JESTER: execute INTERFACE:start Book I: Tutorial 1.0 Tutorial 1.0 Sunday December 20th, 2009 "DING!" "BLARGH!" I cough up what feels like a gallon of gray-brown fetid water. Throw some up as well, then dry-heaved and dry coughed simultaneously for, I don''t know how long. My ears are ringing, my vision''s blurry and my body hurts all over. When my eyes finally focus a bit, I see a bright blue rectangle in front of me.
Life''s a Game.? Welcome Gamer! A new game has begun. You''re in an open-ended world and your main objective is to not die. How long can you last? Oh and by the way, you''re a Parahuman. A cape! Well maybe not a cape yet, until you take up that mantle, but you get the idea. Lucky you though, you''re the most unique Parahuman of all! You have the power of gaming and we''ve hacked your body and mind to manifest this in the manner you feel most comfortable and familiar with, video games! What you''re looking at now is a standard interface window. They''ll tell you everything you need to know about your progress (or lack thereof), and so on. You can close interface windows by touching the X button in the upper right corner or saying "Close". To look at your status say "Status". To review game options say "Options". To view the Main Menu, say "Menu". You currently have 59 unread notifications. To read them, say "Notifications."
I stare at the text window with what must be a glazed, wild look in my eyes. Before I''ve even read it, I immediately wave my arms around trying to make it go away. This is a mistake because one of my arms is broken. I half-yell in pain and half-mumble incoherent gibberish. Then I realize I''m being hoisted in the air via some platform, which proceeds to rock from my frantic movements. I glimpse the red-headed girl strapped down next to me; she is sobbing, then screams as I rock the platform. "Hey calm down buddy! Don''t rock the medi-sled" some male figure in a white and red costume and a helmet with a visor says. He holds my arms still and injects me with some needle gun. "You nearly drowned down there, this will help you relax. You got a name?" I could not remember my own damn name. Why can I not remember my name? You are suffering from the status effect ''Sedated''. What the fuck? "Still in shock, that''s ok, that''s normal. You can call me Lifeline. Good news is Leviathan is gone now, Eidolon chased him back out into the sea. Y''all are gonna make it, we''re taking you to a med-tent right now." "¡­My sister, I saw¡­ my sister¡­she¡­ why¡­" I hear the red-head stuttering beside me between heaving sobs. I turn my head to the side, the effect of the drugs kick in as my body begins to still. The platform we''re on is being hoisted out of the sinkhole by a tinker-tech VTOL craft. I see a second craft and platform rising up with us. My glasses are gone, I can''t make out any faces or much in the way of details. I could see some human figure strapped into the other platform, literally sparking. Arcs of electricity were jumping off of him. Some cape hovers next to the platform in a jet pack as it is rising. The sedatives have fully kicked in and my vision fades. As it does so, the stupid glowing blue rectangle hasn''t gone away. ****? I haven''t even opened my eyes, yet I see the edge of the rectangle. It''s off to the side of my vision. I wave my good arm around a bit, my other one seems to have been secured with a splint while I was asleep. Finally, I manage to drag the window back to the front of my vision and carefully read it. "Close" I say after carefully digesting what I''ve read. There''s more screens behind that one filled with notification messages. You have slept for 5 hours in a very uncomfortable bed. Fatigue has been fully restored. Stamina has been fully restored. The status effect ''Sedated'' has been removed The status effect ''Stunned'' has been removed The equipment ''Cotton Socks'' has been lost The status effect ''Chilled'' has been removed Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 I frantically read and dismiss all of those as well. What in the holy fuck is going on? I''m a Parahuman? I''m a Parahuman who can''t even remember my own name or life or how I even got here. You are suffering from the status effect ''Confused'' Another blue notification box popped up. Yeah, no shit I''m confused, "Close". My clothes are a dirty, bloody, shredded mess, and I have no shoes. I suppose someone had cleaned me up. I have a lot of bandages in addition to my bandaged, splinted arm. I sit up in my cot and look around. It''s just one of many cots in a large tent where various souls are lying in states of agony, shock or unconsciousness. What was it that the game window had said? "Stats," nothing. "Status?" Ah that''s it. A new window appears in front of my vision. I can''t help but jump a bit when it appears. Oh shit, what if other people can see this thing? "Close!" I yell again, slightly slurred, from the lingering effects of the sedatives, and look around to see if anyone has noticed. A nurse is headed straight for me. The woman looks me over for a moment, "Clothes aren''t available yet. You''ll have to wait for emergency supply drop-offs and donations later." She shines a pen-light in my eyes. I flinch. "What''s your name?" "What? "What is your name? ?C¨®mo te llamas?" The nurse says in English and Spanish. "I uh¡­I don''t know." "Shock?" She asks, as she examines my head and scalp. "No obvious signs of a concussion." "Um, could you see a blue square thing earlier?" "A what?" "Never mind" "Can you stand? I want you to try and stand and take a few steps." I comply, standing up slowly and walking a few steps. My feet hurt, someone had taken my socks, and I think someone had cut up my t-shirt even worse than it was. -3 comfort from standing up from the ''Stained Folding Cot'' "Ahhhh! Fuck¡­" I curse as another small blue window appears hanging in mid-air in front of me. "Steady now, are you feeling dizzy?" The nurse asks me as she reaches out to steady my shoulders. She put her arms right though the floating rectangle. She did not react to its presence at all. I took the risk. "You can''t see that?" I asked again. "See what?" "Blue squares of light¡­uh¡­at the edges of my vision. Maybe I am concussed. I also lost my glasses." "I don''t see anything; your pupils seem to have dilated just fine earlier as well." She pulls out a ¡­lipstick tube¡­ then writes on my arm sling. ''CON? MEM LOSS?'' "I''ll let a doctor know as soon as I can, but that could be a while given the circumstances." "Don''t you have charts or even markers?" "Not in an emergency setup like this, it''s only been a few hours since Leviathan left. I have to tend to other patients now." She says as she walks off. So either my power is making these window screen things or some other cape is throwing an illusion at me that only I could see. I look around the tent again but it''s the same as before, rows of cots filled with the injured. I sit back down. +3 comfort from sitting on the ''Stained Folding Cot'' Are you kidding me? I dismiss the notification, "Status". The large blue rectangle reappears. I look around again; no-one is reacting to the appearance of a large holographic display window. Definitely something only I can see. Oh hell, if that other window wasn''t dismissed when I was sedated, and people could see it, I probably wouldn''t have woken up in the tent for non-capes. Might as well see what the hell the thing says.
Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Refugee Faction: None Money: $0.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 1 XP: 0 Primary Attributes: STR: 5 (-0.73) 4.27 AGI: 4 (-1.20) 3.80 CON: 5 (-0.30) 4.70 INT: 14 (-2.00) 13.00 PER: 9 (-1.00) 8.00 WIS: 15 (-2.00) 13.00 CHA: 10 (-2.00) 8.00 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes: Hit Points : 20/100 Stamina Points: 100/100 Mana Points : 150/150 Stress Points : 6/290 Attack: 5.29 Speed : 2.63 Dodge : 6.70 Armor : 0.00 Carry : 42.70 Allure: 2.5 Tertiary Attributes: Hunger : 75/100 Thirst : 50/100 Fatigue: 100/100 Hygiene: 0/100 Comfort: 3/100
Oh yay! According to this, my name is Simon Anderson, and I''m 15 years old. That''s a relief. At least I know something about myself. But it would be nice to know, where I live, who my parents are, siblings, if I have any, who my friends are, all that would be useful too. You have recovered 2 Stress Points Um, okay, from what, learning my name and age? Oh wow¡­ 8 now, up from 6, from a max of 290? Fuck me. I inspect my pockets for a wallet. Nothing, fuck me sideways. Damn, I need some help here. Is there a help menu? What the hell else did that other window say? I have to use voice commands to access stuff. "Help." No? "Help Menu? Menu?" Ah there''s something. A new window pops up.
New Game Load Game Options Update Credits High Scores Exit
New Game, Load Game, and Exit are all grayed out, I try pressing them anyway, but it is accompanied by a soft CLUNK sound. The button shimmies as it rejects the attempt to press it. The lack of a "Help" button is very annoying. There isn''t a lot of things to choose from otherwise. I click the "Credits" button and a new window appears.
Worm: by John "Wildbow" McCrae. The Gamer: by Sung Sang-Young Derivative work: by 0100010. Game Developer: Gaia
Well, that''s rather sparse and not particularly informative. Perhaps it''s useful to others, who? Not useful to me. There is a close indicator in the upper right corner of the pop-up. I press it. Well day one patch updates are typical. I press "Update", and another pop-up appears.
Build: 1.015a Game is currently up to date.
Okay, so that''s simple, but also uninformative. Well, unless it means this Gaia developer is pretty good if they don''t need a day-one patch. Or maybe pretty awful if they do, but weren''t able to put one together. I dismiss the Update window like I had done to the Credits pop-up. What else? I try the "High Scores" button. It contains a single entry called "Current Play: S. Anderson".
Lives Saved: 0 Lives Taken: 0 Epic Quests Completed: 0 Achievements: 0 If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I''m totally getting off track here. I''m looking for the help commands. I press the "Options" button. A much larger and much more complicated window pops up. It has multiple tabs. The soft DING happens again. What the hell is that? The Options window show tabbed pages as follows:
GENERAL GRAPHICS SOUND NOTIFICATIONS INTERFACE
That doesn''t look too unusual as a set of option categories for a video game. General is already selected by default, and displays the following.
Difficulty: Dystopian Subtitles: Off Camera Mode: First Person View Tutorial: Off Tooltips: Off Overhead Tags: Off Gore Level: Real Life Profanity Filter: Off Language Selection: English
Ooohh! Tutorials and Tooltips! That is the exact kind of thing I''m looking for. I set both of those to "On" and heard another DING! That is starting to get really annoying. I try in vain to change the difficulty setting, but it''s also grayed out. I can explore all the rest of those options and crap later. I need to know what the hell the numbers that apparently represent me as a video game character actually mean. I close the Main Menu and say ''Status" to bring it back up. I look over the rest of the information on my status screen. Tooltips, now turned on, handily describes the primary attributes to me. But what do the numbers mean? My memories of video games tell me that generally, high numbers are good, but what is considered high and what is low? Are these fives in my physical stats abysmally bad? I do look tall and thin, not much muscle on me. I presume that the 3D model in the corner of the window represents me, even down to the shredded clothing and bare feet. The fuck? Wasn''t my WIS a 14 just a moment ago? Now it is 15. Is 15 WIS good, super high, or average? I have no idea what an average stat value is supposed to be. I have zero available stat points. This implies that at some point, I could get more. Yep, the tooltip over it says I get 4 points per level. Uh-huh, and how do I get levels? XP I assume, if it''s keeping with the RPG game feel. Though, after looking at this stat sheet more, I''m leaning more toward ''unnecessarily detailed, survivor rouge-like.'' Because why the fuck else would I need to know what my Hunger, Thirst, Fatigue, and of all things, Hygiene and Comfort levels are? I''m surprised there is not a Bladder bar. Thanks, obvious values which are obvious. My hygiene value is at zero and my comfort value is at 3, presumably because I am sitting on a cot, both out of 100. The broken arm, ruined clothes, bandages, soiled underwear, still wet with salty sewage water, survivor of an Endbringer attack, isn''t enough to convey that situation? Alright what the fuck am I thinking? Right XP, yep, tooltip over ''Level'' talks about that. No idea how you get XP though. Do I have to shank some dude, or would kicking a puppy suffice? The tooltip over ''Secondary Attributes'' says they are all calculated values, based on Primary attributes, skills, and perks. No idea how they are calculated, and no idea what the numbers mean. Attack is ''a calculation based on the amount of force and accuracy you can physically bring against a target.'' Speed is ''a measure of your walk, jog, sprint and other movement speeds.'' Dodge is ''a calculation factor of how well you can avoid getting hit by avoidable attacks.'' Yes, obvious statements are obvious. Armor, duh. Carry, ''a measure of how much weight you can carry without being inflicted by severe encumbrance status effects.'' Allure, ''how physically attractive you are to those who are attracted to your gender.'' Wait what? 2.5, is that good or bad? Is it a clich¨¦ scale of 1 to 10? My avatar model doesn''t look that bad, just a bit pimply, and skinny as a toothpick, but come on. I take a deep breath. Why am I fretting over this? None of these numbers mean anything without any context. The tooltip over the useless Tertiary attributes, describe them as always having a value from 0 to 100, and that the rate of recovery and loss might be altered by various skills and perks. There are two more features on the status screen, one is a button called ''Display mode''. It''s currently on ''Detailed Mode''. I toggle it and it switches to ''Summary Mode'', which only shows my name, level, primary attributes, and health bars. The other is a button called ''HUD mode''. Pressing it switches to a much simpler view, which shows only the four ''Health Bars'' (HP, Stamina, MP, and Stress) in a compact out of the way corner of my vision. Tapping the bars or saying "Status" brought the screen back up in ''Summary Mode''. Switching to detailed mode again, I continue to scrutinize every bit of every label, number, and tooltip on the status screen, but there is nothing else all that insightful to learn, so I put it in HUD mode again. Now what do I do? My power must have heard my plea, because a new window popped up.
Tutorial Mode: You still have 51 unread notifications. Would you like to view them now? Y/N
Um sure. I stay seated on my cot and press the spot in the air which contained the ''Y''. It''s interesting to note there is a mild resistance to the illusory interface where the buttons or selections are located, but I can otherwise see and stick my hands right through them. The other window closes and is replaced by a large scrolling list. Installation complete You have gained the skill ''Gamer''s Body'' You have gained the skill ''Gamer''s Mind'' You have gained the skill ''Gamer''s Interface'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mental Breakdown'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Teenage Acne'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Bruised'' x11 You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Lacerations'' x14 The equipment ''Tighty Whities'' has been soiled. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Soiled'' The equipment ''Pwned T-Shirt'' has been irreparably damaged The equipment ''Blue Jeans'' has been irreparably damaged. The equipment ''Red Sneakers'' has been lost The equipment ''Cotton Socks'' has been damaged The equipment ''Black Owl-Rimmed Glasses'' has been lost You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Near-Sighted'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Sore'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Broken Arm (Left)'' The status effect ''Sore'' has been upgraded to ''Severe Pain'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Stunned'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Shock'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Chilled'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Infected'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Drowning'' You are no longer suffering from the Status Effect ''Drowning'' You have recovered 6 Stress points The Status Effect ''Mental Breakdown'' has been downgraded to ''Near your breaking point'' You have gained a new title "Endbringer Survivor". This title has been automatically assigned. Shard connection hack has been interrupted For careful thought and consideration of your options you have gained 1 WIS You have recovered 10 Stress points Yes, obvious, obvious, more obvious¡­ good god is this going to be happening all the time? The ''Comfort'' notifications are bad enough. I take some time to digest what the hell I am looking at. No one bothers the crazy kid poking randomly at the air. It''s dark, but the illusory windows sort of created their own light such that I could read them anyway, though I am not sure if that illusory light bled through to reality at all. Wait what? I gained a WIS point by just...doing stuff? That¡­ makes things interesting. I notice a pattern. I tally up the recovered ''Stress points'' and with the two I had gained earlier, they equaled my current total. Did my power quantify every single ailment I was suffering from into some kind of game related status effect? Was the order of the notifications chronological? The recoveries in Stress points occurred right after I had gained a point in WIS. Oh and apparently I can gain skills? Yay for me? What the hell are my skills? My power seemed to know my thoughts and was right on cue. Tutorial Mode: You have gained three new skills. Would you like to see a list of your skills and their descriptions? To open the Skills windows, say "Skills". Um, yeah, I dismiss the status window and say "Skills".
Skills: Max Slots: 25 Free Skill Slots: 12 Artistry: 3 (32.75%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Empathy: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: 2 (23.64%) Gamer''s Mind: 1 (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (0.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10
I read through all the descriptions and the tooltips for each one. Some seem vaguely familiar, others seem newer, but with my lack of memory at so many other things it was hard to tell. Gamer''s Body, Interface, and Mind seem really important. I find another button that toggles a detailed skills view which shows me even more information.
Artistry (PER, CHA) (Passive): Level: 3 (32.75%) A representation of your creative talents, this skill synergizes well with other skills to imbue them with pleasing aesthetics. Specialties acquired: 3D Textures, 3D Modeling, 3D Animations
Basic Academics (INT, WIS) (Passive): Level: 8 (10.22%) A good way to describe the catch-all of skills learned via the primary and secondary education system of your local area. It is a common prerequisite to many advanced skills and life in general. Specialties acquired: Literacy, Basic Literature, Basic Science, Basic Mathematics, Basic Social Studies, Basic History Features Unlocked: Primary School Mastery: (+20% Homework completion speed in all specialties)
Computers (INT, WIS, PER) (Active/Passive): Level: 5 (11.09%) Some say they are an essential in life. You know how to use computers to accomplish a variety of tasks. Specialties acquired: Hardware, Graphic Programs, Operating Systems, Security Programs, Hacking Features Unlocked: RTFM: (50% less time to learn any program or diagnose a problem)
Empathy (PER, CHA) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) This represents your ability to observe and predict the emotions of others and sense their potential motives. This skill synergizes with the Observe skill to provide additional information. Specialties acquired: Somatic
Gamer''s Body (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) Your body is increasingly treated like a video game character. Gain an increasing buffer to your Health Pool, to let you shrug off damage that would normally kill or maim. Allows you to recover Health, Mana, Stamina and other effects just by sleeping in a comfortable bed. Allows injuries and other afflictions to be treated as status effects. +4% of your Gamer''s Body HP & SP buffer per level. Currently: 4% +4% to HP, SP and MP regen rate per level when sleeping. Currently: 4% Automatically gain +1 skill level in Gamer''s Body per character level up. Specialties: NA
Gamer''s Interface (Passive): Level: 2 (23.64%) This allows you to interact with the Gamer''s Interface in various ways. More creative uses of the interface allow gaining more XP in this skill. New interface features are unlocked as this skill levels up. Automatically gain +1 skill level in Gamer''s Interface per character level up.
Gamer''s Mind (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) Allows a certain level of detachment from traumatic events and as if you were watching a character in a game, movie, or story. Immunity to skill decay from non-use. Immunity to natural mental disorders. (This means, despite what you''re thinking right now about all of this, you''re not crazy) +4% resistance to mental stress damage per level. Currently: 4% +4% resistance to mind control based effects per level. Currently: 4% Automatically gain +1 skill level in Gamer''s Mind per level up. Language¨CEnglish (INT, CHA) (Passive): Level: MAX (0.00%) You know how to speak, read, and write fluent English. Hooray for you. Features unlocked: Perfect Fluency (you speak as or like a native) Specialties: NA
Meditation (WIS) (Active): Level: 1 (0.00%) The ability to still one''s mind, mitigate stress, and find inner peace. Some use this skill to aid in restoring mana. +2% Mana regeneration per level when active. Currently: 2% Specialties: NA Programming (INT) (Active/Passive): Level: 2 (2.45%) You know the basics of how to write code to get computers to do something. Specialties: NA Psychology (INT, CHA) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) This represents the clinical study of human emotions, motivations, thought processes, and mental disorders. This skill synergizes with some social interaction skills to aid in understanding and solving social and mental problems.
Strategy (INT, WIS) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) This represents the ability to plan, command, and oversee multiple courses of actions to achieve a long term goal via the efficient use of personnel and resources. Apply all bonuses to +1 unit in your command per level. Currently: 1 units Specialties acquired: Small Unit Tactics (+10% attack and dodge)
Video Games (all) (Active/Passive): Level: 25 (63.73%) You have mastered numerous genres of video games and can fall back on your knowledge of them for creative inspiration for new and unusual things. Specialties acquired: (numerous genres) Features unlocked: Items: (treat many things in the world like video game items with similar effects) Stat Bonus Cheat: (gain +1 to each stat from playing video or arcade games related to that stat. Achieved: None) Skill Gain Cheat: (acquire the early levels of mundane skills merely by playing related video or arcade games. Achieved: Strategy)
Some of the skills define exactly what they do mechanics wise. Others are less clear, but I still don''t really know what a lot of them do. The descriptions on most are rather ''duh'', almost dictionary definitions. Why do I have such a massive level in ''Video Games'' of all things? Oh yes, that is why. I can remember nearly every single game I have ever played and the minutiae of lore about them, but can''t remember my own name without seeing it on a character sheet? Is this why I got a god-damn video game power? "Fuck you, alien space worm or whatever the hell did this to me! Fuck you sideways!" You have recovered 1 Stress point. Several people stop to stare at the crazy kid shouting obscenities into the air for no reason. I totally did not mean to say that out loud but apparently it''s therapeutic. Some other nurse saunters over to me "It''s late at night; some people are trying to sleep. Keep your voice down." "Sorry" I say, but by then she''s already turned around and left. I went back to studying my skills screen. Hmm, I have 10 unspent skill points? That''s something to think about. Right now, I feel rather thirsty. You have lost 1 Thirst point. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Parched'' Oh for fuck''s sake. I dismiss the notifications, close the skills screen and stand up to go look for some water. -3 comfort from standing up from the ''Stained Folding Cot'' God damn it. Book I: Tutorial 1.1 Tutorial 1.1 Sunday December 20th, 2009 Another prompt asks me if I wanted to see all my status effects, and that I could say "Status Effects" to view them. This might be annoying since "Status" by itself is already a command. I do want to see them, but later. Right now I want to find a way to turn off some of the more annoying notifications. I try "Options" and find what I''m looking for under the ''Notifications'' tab. The Notifications page shows a long list of entries with On/Off checkboxes. The top of the scrolling box says ''Send a notification when:'' It has entries like, ''On level up'', ''On skill increase'', ''On attribute gain'', ''On status effect received'', ''On status effect removed'', ''On relationship change'', ''On title acquisition'', ''On faction change'', ''On class change'', ''On HP change'', ''On MP change'', ''On Stamina change'', ''On interface feature unlock''¡­ on so on. Every single one of them is checked. Considering just what clues I could get from what kind of notifications could be sent, just what kind of game am I playing? An RPG or a Rogue-like of some kind seems the most probable as I guessed before. It''s something with classes, skills, attributes, abilities, perks and such. Maybe it''s a life simulation? A dating sim? Why track ''relationships''? Was it all of the above? Considering the possibilities makes my head hurt. I turn off everything related to the tertiary stats. My body still lets me know just fine when I''m hungry, thirsty and tired, I don''t need the extra annoying reminders. Especially the stupid comfort one, I do sit down and get back up again to make sure the damn thing is off. It is. I''ll fine tune which ones are on and off later but this is good for now. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 I dismiss the newest notification, "Status Effects." There are a lot. Most are related to injuries. A lot have countdown timers. Is this telling me exactly how long it is going to take for them to heal? Shit. ''Teenage Acne'' really? Expires in 2.5 years, -0.5 Allure? Nearly all the status effects have some kind of debuff applied against stats or skills. Most, such as the bruises and lacerations, are only small fractional de-buffs, ignorable individually. However their total effect is cumulative. The broken arm is bad, with debuffs to all my physical stats, hitting AGI the worst. ''Near Your Breaking Point'' is also very bad, dropping debuffs on most of my mental stats as well as CHA. ''Soiled'' also drops my Allure, another ''duh'' moment. ''Severe Pain'', ''Shock'', and even ''Confused'' are all still present and making me feel like shit. Well, this explains a whole lot. The status effect ''Confused'' has been removed Um, okay great, now only several dozen more negative status effects to go. But out of all of them, I think I should be most worried about the ''Infected'' one. Its description is ''You''ve been swimming in filth with open wounds, who knows what got in there. Your Medicine skill is not high enough to provide more details about this status effect.'' It doesn''t currently list any de-buffs, but it doesn''t have a timer on it either. If poison and disease work like in some RPGs I''ve played then they start off unknown or undetected and get worse over time. Yeah, I definitely need to take care of that, but for now I just want some water. I close the window to resume my search. I wander through the tent for a couple minutes before another window pops right up again.
The Basic Necessities (Tutorial Quest) You''re in bad shape, with nothing to your name, barely even the ragged clothes on your back. Obtain each of the following: Food, Water, Clothing, Shelter, Medicine, and Information. Time Limit: 24 hours Success: +50 XP, quenched thirst, a full belly, and better health. Bonus condition: Share some of the essentials with any companions you encounter as well. Bonus Success: Increased relationship with companion(s). Failure: Continued hunger, thirst, and miserableness. Can try again: Yes Do you accept: Y/N? or say "Accept"
Um okay¡­ Well that answers how I can get some XP. I tap the ''Y''. Of course an RPG game has quests, how typical. Don''t see any reason why I wouldn''t want to accept, I want to get all of those things anyway. Companions though? I barely even know who I am, why would any strangers matter? I guess running into someone that knows me could fill in some gaps. Maybe I have friends out there somewhere that I don''t remember?
Tutorial Mode: You have received your first quest. To see a list of current and past quests say "Quests"
"Quests," yep, there it is, and it looks like there is a place for a quest log too. I close the window so I can get on with finding some damn water. ****? After much wandering and asking around, someone directs me to a crate containing water bottles. There aren''t many left, I grab a few of them. The Basic Necessities: 1 of 6 objectives completed Oh, joy. I dismiss the notification and chug down nearly half a bottle. The Status Effect ''Parched'' has been removed Meh, I guess I need to tweak the settings more. At least I wasn''t notified about the Thirst bar changing. Let me check my status to verify that it''s gone back up to full. Yep. It''s either very late or very early. I don''t know what time it is, but it''s still dark out. It''s also cold, despite being south Texas, it''s December, and I have bare feet. I don''t want to leave the tent. It seems to have been erected in a parking lot, given the painted asphalt, oil, and other unidentified stained parking spots on the ground, all covered in cots. I stand in the entrance and look out. Where on the island am I? Maybe they flew us to Houston while I was unconscious? Nope, still on the island, there''s some of Houston''s skyline. Fuck, even in the moonlit night, a lot of Galveston''s skyline is just ¡­gone. Not that there was a whole lot of it in comparison. There are very few lights on the island, even parts of Houston in the distance look darker than usual. There''s several other tents, already erected or in the process of being erected. Aid workers are running about erecting lighting, there is a dull hum of generators, and the sound of helicopters flying overhead. I don''t know what to do with myself. I turn back inside to walk to my cot. Damn it! Someone else is lying on it now. Some kid is getting his leg splinted up by nurses. Damn, guess he needs it more than me right now. I try talking to a few doctors and nurses again; everyone''s running around busy though. My problems must seem minor in comparison. I ask for antibiotics multiple times to just get told none are handy right now. Just basic information is hard to come by. I don''t know what qualifies for the ''information'' part of the objective, but so far all I got was that, Eidolon, and other capes had chased or beat off Leviathan, Houston had been attacked as well but not as badly. Most of its damage was from the waves. Parts of Galveston Island were no-go zones, and the I-45 bridge and causeway supposedly collapsed. I''m jolted out of my self-reflection from a feminine scream from a nearby cot. I turned to look, to see the red-haired girl that had been on the medi-sled with me before I got drugged. She bolts upright from the cot she is laying on, and looks around breathing rapidly, eyes darting in fear. Flashes of images came before me, the Arcade, the balcony, her hanging by a rope over the sinkhole, the two of us lying on a raft of debris in the water¡­Leviathan¡­ Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 You are suffering from the status effect ''Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'' The status effect ''Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. The status effect ''Near Your Breaking Point'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. I shudder, nearly fainting. The water bottles I''m holding clatter to the floor. I barely manage an attempt to catch myself with my good arm, I hit the ground like a sack of bricks. -3 HP "Ow fuck! God damn 3 HP just from falling on my ass?" I stop the water bottles from rolling away with my good arm and a foot, and gather them back up. The red-head is staring at me. "Hey" I said, but she doesn''t respond, just keeps looking at me instead. She looks just as bad as I do, minus a broken arm, but one leg from below the knee to her foot was all wrapped up. She had plenty of bandages elsewhere, no shoes, and dirty ripped up jeans. The pant-leg on her injured leg is cut-off from the knee down. She''s wearing a filthy, bloody, dark purple spaghetti strap top, missing a strap, which no longer fits properly, revealing an ample black bra underneath. Hair and makeup is a complete mess yet has one large clean spot on her cheek, in the middle of which was a taped square of bandage gauze, and in the middle of that, a thin dark red line, giving away the cut that must have been underneath. She shifted her weight and adjusted her ragged top, attempting to better cover herself. I realize I''m probably staring too long. "Hey, sorry. It''s okay, I mean, I''m okay, are you okay?" I ask while still sitting on the floor fidgeting with the water bottles. Some tense seconds pass before the girl responds. "No, I''m not okay" she says quietly as she looks down at her cot, hugging herself tightly. "Yeah you''re right. You''re not okay, I''m not okay either, nobody is okay. It was stupid of me to ask." I sigh and take a deep breath. "You were¡­ I remember you. You were in the water with me, weren''t you?" She visibly flinches as I say the words, and starts breathing rapidly again. "I''m sorry. I just don''t remember what happened after I saw¡­ after I blacked out, until I woke up on the platform, you were on that with me too." "I¡­" she shudders as she tries to speak. "I blacked out too. A wave or something must have hit us when¡­ he, it¡­moved. The raft or whatever smashed into the wall, I woke up underwater. There were bod¡­" She stops talking, turns green, quickly leans over the edge of her cot and vomits all over the floor. "I''m sorry; you don''t need to say anymore. That was stupid of me again. I must have hit my head really hard, because I don''t just not remember what happened after¡­ but just about everything else too. You''re like the only person in the world I have a vague memory of at all right now. That''s why I almost fainted there when I saw you; memories of yesterday sort of hit my mind like a train. Do we know each other at all?" She was staring at one of my unopened water bottles so I held it out, offering it to her. I feel a weird sensation as her hand brushes against mine as she quickly takes the bottle. She cracks open the top, takes a swig to rinse and after several indecisive seconds of looking around, spit the water out on the floor on top of where she threw up. "I''m sorry¡­I" Shard connection hack resumed Shard connection hack interrupted What the fuck does that mean? I dismiss the pop-ups again. "Hey I don''t care; they set this tent up on top of a parking lot. There is worse stuff on the ground. Not exactly high on the list of problems everyone is facing right now." I say as she drinks half the bottle, before she stops and looks at me again. "Keep it. I''ve got one and a half more." She sighs and calms herself. "I recognize you, but I don''t know you. I recognize you from¡­ yesterday, and maybe elsewhere." "I think it was yesterday, it isn''t morning yet, not sure what time it is." "I think I recognize you from school too. Did you go to Ball High School?" "I... can''t remember if I did or not. My name is¡­ Status." "Your name is Status?" "Sorry no, my name is Simon, Simon Anderson. Memory is messed up." I offer her my hand in a friendly handshake. "Julia Mendez" +10 relationship with Julia Mendez Julia Mendez has gone from stranger to acquaintance. She takes hold of my hand and firmly returns the handshake. "Erm.. you don''t look Hispanic, like at all." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shard connection hack resumed -5 relationship with Julia Mendez Julia Mendez has gone from acquaintance to stranger. Julia furrows her brow at me and withdraws her hand. "Well despite your name, you don''t look entirely white." Due to shard connection hack, you may gain the ''Observe'' skill. Goddamn it, I moved the window aside. "I, you know, I don''t know what I am actually." "What the fuck kind of amnesia is that? You know what Hispanics are supposedly supposed to look like but not where you came from?" "The very fucked up kind I think. I know I had family and friends. I think they''re dead now, but I can''t remember their names, their faces, their personalities, my interactions with them¡­" A good minute passes and we both just stare distantly without really looking at each other. "Maybe you''re lucky. You can start over." Julia says quietly. "I wouldn''t call that lucky. The void and loss is there all the same, and I can''t even remember the good memories I know I am supposed to have to try and offset that." +5 relationship with Julia Mendez Julia Mendez has gone from stranger to acquaintance. Tears are streaming down Julia''s face. "Sorry. I just kinda feel jealous. I saw¡­ I saw my sister die. I think my mother is gone. We had an argument on the phone before the sirens went off. She was driving to go get us. I don''t know where my dad is. If I didn''t remember, the pain wouldn''t be there." She lays back down on the cot, and turns away from me.
Don''t be alone in this world. Become Julia Mendez''s friend. You both need someone to talk to, and have shared a harrowing experience together already. Time Limit: None Success: 500 XP, increased relationship with Julia Mendez, ??? Failure: Continue being alone.
Huh, the quest is unexpected. I was just hoping to get some more direct information about what happened after I blacked out. How did we survive being that close to Leviathan anyway? It seems very improbable, but so does everything related to capes. The quest seems to have been auto-accepted? What the hell is up with that? XP reward looks nice, then again I have no idea how much XP is needed to level. That could be enough to get me multiple levels or barely even register. Clearly Julia doesn''t want to talk anymore right now. I can''t blame her. Fucking amnesia. I''m pretty sure that''s not how amnesia is supposed to work either. At least I do remember a little bit about yesterday, but it''s not pleasant. Once again, I''m left not knowing what to do with myself. What the hell was that skill thing earlier? I whisper ''Skills''. I''m glad that works since it means I don''t have to use the voice commands at full volume. Hmm, how the hell did I even learn meditation? Or Psychology for that matter? Did the ''Strategy'' skill come from the Video Game skill cheat feature? Hmm, yes it did. It makes sense as there are an awful lot of Turn based and RTS games I remember playing. Why do I remember video games, but not something useful like my damn address? Since I''m already sitting on the ground, I close my eyes and try to meditate, not sure why, but I know how, and am bored. It''d be useful if I find how to actually use some of these mana points for something. I can still see my HUD with my eyes closed. Erm¡­ half my MP is gone, when the hell did that happen? Meditation Failure. You are too uncomfortable to meditate. This environment is not peaceful enough to meditate in at your current skill level Well fuck. Trying again several times got me the same annoying notifications. Failures don''t seem to give me any skill gain either. Hmm, Psychology is now at non-zero progress. Oh, and Empathy is almost leveled, how? The conversation with Julia? I can''t help but stare at Julia''s backside through the semi-transparent interface window, because she was facing away from me still. It was a nice looking backside, despite the conditions of our current predicament. Oh hey, now I know something new about myself, I''m attracted to women. You have recovered 1 Stress point. Erm, what really? Staring at her ass let me recover a stress point? I moved the window out of the way and stared some more to see if there would be any more gains¡­and nada. What was that new skill from earlier?
Observe (PER, INT, WIS) (Active): Level: 1 (0.00%) Observe allows you to gain insightful and otherwise unavailable information about any target. The greater your skill level, the more information that can be gleaned. To activate observe say ''observe'' when looking at a target. MP Cost: 3 per use. Features unlocked: Mental Effects (displays mental status effects of target if known, Psychology bonus feature) Current Feelings (displays what a target is currently feeling if observable, Empathy bonus feature) Would you like to accept this skill? Y/N Accepting a skill takes up a skill slot, this cannot be undone.
Something that finally uses MP? Hell yes. You have unlocked the overhead tags interface feature.
Tutorial Mode: Overhead Tags are currently turned off. Would you like to turn them on? Y/N
I hit the ''Y''. There is indeed a tag now floating over Julia. There are tags floating over everyone. Almost all of them say . Not sure why Julia has two question marks instead of one. "Observe?" I whisper.
Name: Julia Mendez Level: ?? Alias: ?? Gender: Female Age: 14-18 Ethnicity: Hispanic, ???, ??? Class: Former High School Student / Refugee Faction: None Summary Description: A fellow survivor from an Endbringer attack, she has lost her sister, and possibly her parents and home as well. She is currently uninterested in socializing due to severe depression and trauma.
That''s¡­ I know all of that from the conversation we just had, and could have easily guessed the rest. Lame! This better improve with levels. I ''observe'' my shirt.
A ripped up medium sized cotton T-shirt with a faded ''Pwned'' printed on it because someone thought they were clever, and wanted to make money off of memefied gamer culture. Owned by you, because you''re gullible and bought it thinking it would be unique and cool, despite it being mass produced, and the original term being coined before you were even born. This item is filthy, smelly, irrevocably destroyed and no longer even fit for use as rags. Why are you still wearing it?
What the hell, is my power trolling me? I observe my pants.
A ripped up pair of 29"x32" blue denim jeans made by Wrangler. It is stained with urine because you''re a wuss. Owned by you, and originally bought at Wal-Mart by your mom. This item is filthy, smelly, irrevocably destroyed and non-functional as a protective garment. However, please keep your pants on.
Yes, my power is definitely trolling me. I observed my water bottles, Julie''s cot, her pants, shirt, even her bra. Even though they were just as dirty and ripped up, it effectively told me her measurements. Heh. Though women''s clothing sizes are weird, what the hell is a Size 6 supposed to mean anyway? I should probably stop though. If she sees me staring at her like this it might be counter-productive to the quest of obtaining her friendship, so I look away, and stand up. For careful thought and consideration of the consequences of your decisions you have gained 1 WIS. You have recovered 10 Stress points The Status Effect ''Near Your Breaking Point'' has been downgraded to ''Extremely Stressed'' The Status Effect ''Extremely Stressed'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. Uhh.. my weird ass power agrees with me? ****? I wander back over toward my cot, but it''s still occupied by the now sleeping kid. I observed him and actually got a level number visible. Kid was level 2, whatever that means. Wait, why the fuck am I only level 1? Still don''t know his name, observing people let me know their gender and if they were refugees or nurses or doctors, which is already glaringly obvious from what they''re doing. It doesn''t reveal anyone''s names unless I ask it and not a lot of people are being very talkative. I can get a non-question mark level value for anyone that was ''level 1'' or ''level 2'', and those are all young kids, early to middle elementary age. Hell, even an infant said ''level 0''. Again, why the fuck am I only level 1? If it is age or experience then that doesn''t make any sense. Threat level? I have no idea. There''s a few other double question marks besides Julia, but not many. I''m almost out of mana now, having blown it all using Observe. People look at the crazy kid whispering ''observe'' over and over, and avoid me. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Ah, aha. Now I can see people who are level 3! It''s still only kids that appear to be younger than me though. They are upper elementary age, maybe middle school. I''ve burned through all my MP now though, and its regen is a slow trickle, and a boring wait. I should probably time it or something, but I don''t have a watch. I''d sleep to pass the rest of the morning but I still don''t have a cot and am not tired. Fuck it; if I am a game character shouldn''t I just be able to rest whenever I want? Have I got a ''Wait until dawn'' or ''wait for X hours'' ability? I found some crate to lean up against and sat on the floor, and tried to will myself to sleep, which didn''t work so I tried saying "Sleep" out loud. Rest menu feature not yet unlocked You are not tired enough to sleep yet Damn it. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee Faction: None Money: $0.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 1 (0.0%) XP: 0 Primary Attributes: STR: 5 (-0.73) 4.27 AGI: 4 (-1.20) 2.80 CON: 5 (-0.30) 4.70 INT: 14 (-1.50) 12.50 PER: 9 (-1.00) 8.00 WIS: 17 (-1.50) 15.50 CHA: 10 (-1.50) 8.50 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 17/100 Stamina Pool: 90/90 Mana Pool: 0/140 Stress Pool: 30/310 Attack: 5.29 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 6.70 Armor: 0.00 Carry: 42.70 Allure: 2.50 Skills: Max Slots: 25 Free Skill Slots: 11 Artistry: 3 (32.75%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Empathy: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: 3 (43.74%) Gamer''s Mind: 2 (25.51%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 2 (11.16%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (0.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.2 Tutorial 1.2 Sunday, December 20th, 2009 God Damn, waiting for my slow trickle of Mana regen just so I can blow 3 points of it to observe some random schmoe is boring as hell. I''ve counted off ''One Mississippi'' in my head for several minutes, but it still hasn''t gone up from zero. I give up. I need a cell phone or something with a timer. I do manage to ask someone what time it is, four-thirty-four in the morning. After twenty something minutes, I gain a whole, one fucking point. It appears Mana regenerates in whole points, one at a time. I presume that''s the case for all the other ''point'' stats as well? It might be doing fractions behind the scenes, but who the flip cares if it takes an hour to get three measly points? I know it''s an hour because when I ask the time again it''s five-forty-something in the morning. At this rate it''ll take four fucking days to get back up to the maximum. My consolation is that according to some of the description clues, sleep, which I''m not tired enough to do yet, helps the regen. By how much I have no idea. Mediation does too, but if I am reading it right, at level one I get a whole extra 5% in regen gain rate? That won''t amount to squat. Also, I''ve no damn idea what my HP regen is, because it hasn''t gone up yet. Stress points have gone up, but I don''t know if that is due to regen or due to events, as it appears a bit random. I think though that those notifications about 10 point gains were due to WIS increases? The other WIS bump came only just recently. I should figure out what these numbers mean and how they''re calculated. "Status." Detailed mode, let''s give this a more thorough review. Cross check it with my notifications history. Stress recovered by 10 for each gain in WIS, and I definitely saw that the max total was 290 before, and now it''s 310. Attribute descriptions for both WIS and INT say they affect stress and mana. Hmm, 14 INT + 17 WIS times 10 equals 310. So that''s probably how it''s calculated. For dutiful study of important information you have gained 1 INT You have gained 10 Mana points You have recovered 10 Stress points Wow, well, that confirms it. 320 max MP now. Also, I can ''make'' myself ''smarter''? Holy shit. My mana points went from a max of 140 to 150. My 15 INT score times 10 fits the 150 value. But WIS is described as affecting mana also, how? It''s not taken into account in those numbers. Max HP of 100, and a max Stamina of 100, are they also based on two stats added together times 10 like how stress seems to be? Or is it one stat times 20? STR and CON are both described as affecting health, and AGI and CON are both described as affecting stamina. In both cases, (5+5) * 10 = 100, so I''ll assume it''s that for now, unless I learn something different. So PER, CHA, and LUC don''t seem to be used in these calcs? Gamer min-max logic implies this makes those stats less important. INT and CON are used twice, at least for all those pool numbers, so they''ll be more important. Of course there''s those other stats, attack, speed, dodge, carry, and I''ve no idea how those are derived. Actually¡­ carry is 42.7, a clear case of my adjusted STR of 4.27 multiplied by 10, 42.7 what though? You know what, fuck this. I''m hungry. My hunger bar says I am also. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mildly Hungry'' I dismiss the notification. This is getting really annoying. As soon as I find some food, I''m gonna find out how to turn those off. I wander around again looking for food, even venturing out into the cold early morning air. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Chilled'' The level of complexity in the mechanics behind this ''Game'' is more than excessive. Games though, are inherently a model or simulation of life or some world, meant for entertainment sure, but a simulation none-the-less. Well, I guess actual training simulators like for pilots or the military or such could count just as well. Should it be a good thing that a game literally about life itself be as complex as possible? Dunno, I''m probably over-thinking this anyway. "Hey, do you know where there is food?" I ask a passing national guardsman. "Try that tent over there" he points before swiftly walking away. I walk over to where he pointed, carefully, and despite trying, fail, to avoid stepping in the strewn about trash with my bare feet. As I approach a PRT officer walks up, gun holstered, but at his side. "Where are you going, kid? This tent is off limits." His overhead tag say "What? Why? Someone said there''s food in there, we got tents full of people with hardly any food, water or clean clothes." "Sorry kid; can''t help you there. Helis'' are bringing temporary supplies in, you just need to hold tight, and head back where you came from." "There are capes in there, aren''t there. You have food and stuff." I was getting angry, but maybe I should tell someone I''m a Parahuman now. if it will get me some damn food and clothing. "I wouldn''t know about the supply situation, so I''d appreciate it if you could just move along." "Wouldn''t know? There is a dude carrying a box of stuff into the tent right behind you." There really was, now that the sky had gotten orange with the sunrise. Too far away for me to actually read the labels. I need new glasses. The PRT officer didn''t even turn around. I see someone in a costume come out of the tent. If it wasn''t for the overhead tags, I wouldn''t have been able to recognize the costume or even remember who it is at this distance. "Hey Lifeline!" I yell as I take a half-step forward. The PRT officer puts a hand on my chest and stops my movement. I don''t even have a plan here, but Lifeline starts walking over toward us. When he gets closer I whisper "Observe.", which drops me back to 10 mana again.
Name: ??? Level: ?? Alias: Lifeline Gender: Male Age: 30-39 Ethnicity: Caucasian Class: Hero Faction: Houston Protectorate Summary Description: Lifeline is a tinker which specializes in medical technology. He performs an important role in search and rescue and healing of injured capes and civilians alike with his tinker devices. He helped save lots of people yesterday, including you among dozens of others. He doesn''t remember you. His posture indicates he is tired, stressed and overworked.
I rapidly read and dismiss the window by the time he walks over. "Yes, can I help you?" "Uh¡­you pulled me out of the sinkhole yesterday. I wanted to say thanks. You probably don''t remember me though, you must have saved dozens, but I really appreciate it." +5 Relationship with Lifeline "Oh sure, I remember, glad I could help, but I''ve¡­" "Somebody said there was food in there, I haven''t been able to find any food anywhere and¡­ not much water." Even though I was still holding one water bottle, I had finished off the other while bored this morning. "You sedated me in that sled too, and my memories are all weird now, was that tinker stuff?" I try my best to sound sorrowfully pathetic; I don''t think I had to try very hard. Lifeline''s expression changed to one of brief surprise then concern. I don''t think I said anything that wasn''t already known though, stupid observe the obvious power. The fact that he was a medi-tinker was already public. "Hey, it''s alright, Jones, go get some food and water packages, I''ll watch the front for a bit. I need some air anyway." "And some soap and towels? Hell a damn shirt would be nice." The overhead tag on the PRT officer updates itself. . Officer Jones looks annoyed but wanders off toward a side tent anyway. I whisper an ''Observe'' at Jones as he leaves. Yep, he is definitely annoyed. Lifeline is looking down and pointing at the now slightly smeared but still legible lipstick writing one my sling. "The PRT fully tests and approves all tinker-tech before it''s allowed to be used. What''s this about memory loss? Concussion?" he asks. "Yeah something like that, I woke up in the tent and didn''t remember anything, well not entirely everything. Obviously I knew how to walk and talk and all that. But for a while I didn''t even know my name." "So you remembered your name eventually?" "Um sort-of, more like I saw my name and then realized it was mine. I don''t really know how all that is supposed to work." "Have you been able to remember anything else since then?" "When I saw someone I kinda recognized, not someone I knew, but that was in the sinkhole with me, I remember yesterday¡­yesterday evening when the mall, when everything fell in and¡­the water." I start hyperventilating again; feel weak and sick to my stomach. There it is again, the rain, the shaking building, the sliding, the exploding glass, the death. Gatling firing his cannon, the ropes, falling into the sinkhole, and¡­ Leviathan. My knees buckle. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Stunned'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Nausea'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Fainted'' I come to my senses some moments later. Lifeline caught me so I didn''t fall on my ass. Jones and some other PRT officer, a woman, came back with him. A few other refugees stopped to gawk at the scene. The Status Effect ''Fainted'' has been removed The Status Effect ''Stunned'' has been removed The Status Effect ''Nausea'' has been removed "You okay there? You fainted. That''s not a good sign if you''d had a concussion." I groggily dismiss or swiped the notifications away from my view. I take Lifeline''s hand to help me stand up and get to my feet. "Yeah" I say, though I really don''t feel okay in the slightest, but at least the effects are all gone for now. "Lifeline, we need you in here!" Someone was shouting from the PRT-Cape Tent entrance, still a good fifty feet away. "Okay, I have to run, can you walk okay?" I nod in the affirmative. Lifeline turns to the other PRT officer, "Marks, escort this kid to Dr. Johnson" Jones hands the plastic sack of food items to my good hand, and the gallon bottle of water to Marks. I drop my smaller water bottle into the sack before taking it, and glance inside. A box of Cheerios, a bottle of OJ, some white square packet things, pop-tarts, and some other box on the bottom I can''t read without digging it out. Awesome. "Is there soap or washcloths?" The Basic Necessities: 2 of 6 objectives completed "No soap or towels, just some disposable moist towelettes." "Lifeline!" the man by the tent shouts again impatiently. "Here," Lifeline says, taking a silver spray can tube from his pocket. He drops it in the sack. "Cleansing foamer, use it within five days or it won''t work." Then he turns around and goes back to the tent. "Alright come on" Officer Marks says as she lightly pushes me along. I look at her overhead tag. I throw another Observe at her as well, still nothing that wasn''t discernible without using the power. "Hey, we want some food too!" some random gawking refugee yells. There¡¯s a few murmurs of agreement in the small crowd as they moved closer to the tent. Officer Jones speaks to the group, "Supply drops will be in later¡­" he responds. By then though we were already walking briskly back towards the tent I came from. We didn''t go into the tent I came from; instead we went off to the side, to a tiny silver trailer with a door. Officer Marks knocks and a small brunette with a tired face and gray in her hair answers. "Lifeline said to escort the kid to Dr. Johnson." "She''s still doing emergency field service." "I have a name you know." I said, "What the hell am I¡­" the older lady tries to ask, but Officer Marks just shrugs, sets a plastic water jug on the ground, turns and leaves. We stare at each other for a while before I finally speak. "Hi, I''m Simon..." I lift the food bag up with my good arm. "¡­I have pop tarts." She laughs. Though really, who brings pop-tarts and cheerios to a disaster zone? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Alright Simon, what do you need from Dr. Johnson?" "I have a concussion and fainted twice, amnesia, a broken arm causing me severe pain, stressed out and trying really hard not to think about everything that caused this." She frowns but speaks calmly. "Except for the amnesia part, you''ve described a variation on the current condition of every single ambulatory survivor here. That fact that you''re not actively bleeding, and you are up walking around, puts you in a much, much better condition than many others. Where are your parents?" "Probably dead." "God, I''m sorry, you''re just taking this oddly." "No, I''m taking it like someone who can''t remember anything, let alone my parents'' names or what they look like. Grieving would probably be healthier. Are you a doctor?" "No, I just help organize supplies" "Do you have antibiotics? I was swimming in filth and am probably infected with something. Even just a Tylenol or two might help." "Wait here" "Can''t I come in? It''s cold." "No" "Why?" "There isn''t any room. This trailer is a temporary office and place to sleep for four people right now. It''s crammed." "How the hell did it get here? Someone said the bridge was out." "A helicopter like everything else right now. Are you going to let me go get you something or not?" I nod and the older woman disappears into the trailer for a bit. I rummage through the food bag. The box on the bottom is an MRE package. She comes out a moment later with a pill bottle. "All I''ve got are a few extra-strength pain relievers." "I''ll take anything" I say as she dishes them out. I struggle to get the cap off the smaller water bottle in the bag. She hands me two and I swallow them down. I hope another objective met notification would pop up but nothing happens. There are no notices about other status effects either. "Well, you have a last name Simon?" "Anderson" "I will let Dr. Johnson know, as soon as I see her. Where are you staying right now?" "That tent right over there, but somebody took my cot when I got up to walk around earlier. How am I going to find a place to sleep tonight?" "Come on, follow me. The National Guard is building some Quonset Huts to house people that aren''t evacuated yet. They will probably be all done some time today." "Can you get the water jug?" I ask, motioning with my broken arm. "Aren''t those things from Vietnam?" "Oh, Quonset Huts are older than that. Not these in particular, I just don''t know what they call the modern versions nowadays." She says as she picks up the jug and we go into the tent I had woken up in early this morning. It''s good to get out of the winter winds. The Status Effect ''Chilled'' has been removed She goes to talk to someone and after several minutes of me waiting around, returns and leads me over to an empty cot. It is actually closer to Julia''s cot than my last one. I glance over, Julia is sitting upright on it looking through her phone. "Alright this whole tent is temporary anyway, for ambulatory medical cases before they can get off island or into other shelters. I know where you are and can direct Dr. Johnson to you when I see her. You also know where our trailer is too so you can check again later." "What''s your name?" "Mrs. Davis" As before her overhead tag updated itself. I used my last MP to Observe her as well. Still shows only generic info that I already knew. "How can I make sure no one takes my cot again?" "Your name is written down on the bed chart now. Honestly though, if the huts are up you may not be sleeping in it tonight anyway. When those are ready you''ll need to register with them. You may not remember everything now, but others might know you, so you should look around. Get printed photos of yourself and post them to the missing and seeking boards." She puts the water jug down on my new cot. "I''ll let Dr. Johnson know you may need antibiotics as well. A lot of people do, we are well aware of the condition of the flood waters and don''t want an epidemic happening, so there will be plenty getting shipped in. But I can''t just hand those out on demand. Now I''m sorry to leave you right now, but I have a lot of my own work to do and a lot of other people to help." I reluctantly nod as Mrs. Davis turns and leaves me. I stare at the cot, I pull my Pwned T-shirt off and lay it on the cot as well. Hopefully its disgustingness will deter any other bed-thieves. You have lost the Equipment ''Pwned T-shirt'' I mentally sigh and look at myself. I''m tall and scrawny, with no muscle mass to speak off. I want to find a mirror but the status screen avatar is sufficient. A light brown, dirty haired, blue eyed and somewhat tan face floats in the window. I can zoom in, it mirrors even the various band-aids and larger bandages I have on my body. I dig into the bag and fish out several towelettes and rip open their packages with my teeth. I use them to wash my hands, face and torso, which is really difficult to do one-handed. I wash my feet too. I consider using the silver spray bottle, but whatever it was; I want to wait until I have an opportunity for a shower. Inspecting my stats again indicate I gained about 20 Hygiene from my mini-wash. I don''t want to use all the towelettes up though. In fact I now had 3 MP once again. I use Observe on the strange spray tube that Lifeline had given me.
Shower in a Can This is a tinker-tech medical item made by Lifeline. This contains a spray-able antibacterial foaming substance which dissolves and repels dirt and grime from the surface of the skin and clothing it is applied to for 24 hours once applied. Container is full, and contains enough foam to cover one average sized adult male and their clothes. Effects: Fills Hygiene bar to maximum if applied properly to all areas of the body. For topical use only. The tinker-tech compound will de-stabilize and become non-effective in 3.79 days.
Okay that''s pretty cool. He should sell these. Well maybe he can''t if they de-stabilize in such a short time frame. Also according to this it''s not going to last 5 days, maybe he forgot when he made it. I get up and carry my food bag over to Julia''s cot. "Hey." She looks up from her phone and quirks an eyebrow at me. There''s a new set of dried tears on her face. "I''ve got pop-tarts, cheerios, OJ, and some moist towelettes things to wash up with. Want some?" "Why are you doing this?" she asks. "Because I''m bored, want someone to talk to and don''t know what else to do. You want something to eat or not?" Also because some weird pop-up window said I can get 500 XP if you become my friend. "Okay" "It will actually be easier if you can grab them. One hand and all" I say as I set the food bag on her cot. "You still have the water bottle I gave you earlier, and you mind if I sit down?" "Okay" she says again and grabs the empty water bottle, while I pull the OJ out of the bag. "Just pour half into the empty bottle, thanks." She goes through the motions and washes up with some of the remaining towelettes, then opens the OJ, pulls off the foil sealer, and pours half into the water bottle and takes a drink, while I chug down the other half in the original bottle. We don''t actually talk much while drinking, but she pulls the pop-tart box out as well. They''re apple-cinnamon, three pouches to the box, and two tarts per pouch. You have gained 1 HP from consuming a nutritious beverage Hmm, okay that''s nice. I nom into the pop-tarts as well, and learn I wasn''t much of a fan of them. They have a kinda chalky aftertaste. I didn''t get the hoped for HP gain notification after finishing the first tart. "Why aren''t you wearing a shirt?" "Because I don''t have any." "What happened to the one from earlier?" "That''s not a shirt anymore, it¡¯s just a filthy rag pretending to be one. Any luck with your phone? You know what time it is?" "It''s 9:30. I can''t get a signal; I''ve been trying all morning." "Cell towers are probably down or overloaded, probably both. The National Guard is building some shelter hut things. This tent is just supposed to be temporary. There should be a supply drop in later with food and medicine and stuff. I hope it has some clothes, cause I am under no delusions about wanting to cover my scrawny self back up." I finish off the second pop-tart, turn my head and whisper "Status." Still no HP gain, but the huger bar is filling up, so I go for a handful of dry cheerios. Julia doesn''t offer up more conversation, just sits and eats quietly, but also quickly. It is obvious she had been pretty hungry. "There is an MRE thing in here too. I''ll share it with you later if you want, if more supplies haven''t arrived, or just because I''ll need an extra hand to open the thing." I say between mouthfuls of cheerios. I try combining my hand movements to manipulate the windows with my retrieval of the delicious flour O''s. My game windows it seems can still be manipulated when intersecting objects, or even when the hand moving them is currently inside a cereal box. "Thanks¡­for all this." +10 relationship with Julia Mendez "Sure." I say before eating more Cheerios. I offered the box to her as well. "You want some cereal or the other pouch of pop-tarts?" Julia takes the last pouch of pop-tarts and opens them, I resume munching on the cereal, having eaten a third of the box by now. The Status Effect ''Mildly Hungry'' has been removed You have gained 2 HP from consuming nutritious food Hmm, okay. HP is gained from eating food and drink. However water and pop-tarts didn''t do squat, aside from refill my hunger and thirst bars. I''m full enough now too so I roll the cereal bag back up and close the box. Still haven''t seen my HP go up from any regen yet. Is it because my stats are super crappy or something or is the regen just that slow? Whatever the rate is, eating food seems to be the fastest way to heal it. Although it seems the meal didn''t do anything to speed up the various status effect timers. My thoughts are interrupted by a number of people entering the tent shouting out different names, none of which I recognize. Though, someone did. A girl from a further off cot gets up yelling joys of elation at being united with a parent or sibling or some other loved one. At least someone was having some happiness. There had been a number of times during the morning where the opposite occurred, a doctor or someone else coming in to tell someone bad news. This usually meant that someone had died or had been found dead. Other times, the scene was a joyful reunion followed by the sad anguished lamentations when one reunited family member told the other that someone wasn''t going to be coming back anymore. I try to ignore it all but it''s still going on in the background and still there in the back of my mind. Some faces and names flash before my mind, Joe, Sandy, Dirk. Friends I had, now gone, they won''t be coming in here looking for anyone. I won''t recognize their family if they come in looking either. My parents won''t be walking through here in a frantic search for me. Would any siblings be doing so? I feel the nausea try to come over me again and pull my mind back. I look around to get myself refocused on the present. I see someone wearing a Santa hat. It was Sunday December 20th. I was on winter break from some school somewhere. Christmas will be here on Friday. I won''t be spending it anywhere with anyone, I''m homeless now. I shudder and tears escape my eyes despite trying to hold them back. I feel Julia''s hand on my bare shoulder. +2 Relationship with Julia Mendez Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 You are suffering from the status effect ''Depression'' The status effect ''Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. The status effect ''Extremely Stressed'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. The status effect ''Depression'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind Oh for fuck''s sake¡­ Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee Faction: None Money: $0.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 1 (0.0%) XP: 0 Primary Attributes STR: 5 (-0.73) 4.27 AGI: 4 (-1.20) 2.80 CON: 5 (-0.30) 4.70 INT: 15 (-1.50) 13.50 PER: 9 (-1.00) 8.00 WIS: 17 (-1.50) 15.50 CHA: 10 (-1.50) 8.50 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 20/100 Stamina Pool: 90/90 Mana Pool: 2/150 Stress Pool: 40/320 Attack: 5.29 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 6.70 Armor: 0.00 Carry: 42.70 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 26 Free Skill Slots: 12 Artistry: 3 (32.75%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Empathy: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: 3 (43.74%) Gamer''s Mind: 3 (15.78%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 2 (31.76%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (0.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.3 Tutorial 1.3 Sunday, December 20th, 2009 I turn to look at Julia after she places her hand on my shoulder. Did I startle her? She has an awkward, confused look on her face and pulls her hand back. "Something in my¡­" I don''t bother finishing the clich¨¦ line, it¡¯s pretty obvious she won''t believe that, so our awkward silence persists. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Null Resistance'' skill. What the hell is that supposed to be? "What happen to your arm?" Julia asks, breaking the silence. "I assume it broke when it got struck by debris that fell off the upper floor of the mall when we were hanging on Rappel''s ropes. What happen to your leg?" "Doctor thinks it is some kind of weird electrical burn" Images from yesterday flash through my mind again. I see the dirty sinkhole water, the falling transformer and Julia yelling to get out of the water. "How? From the water?" I pause because I don''t want to make myself or Julia go through those memories again, though I was also still very curious for more details. "Are you okay to talk about that any more? You don''t have to if you don''t want to." "Something like that." Julia takes several deep breaths before continuing. "I got back to the surface after waking up from blacking out. You were only partially in the water. The wave had moved us, the debris raft, and a lot of other debris over to the wall of the sinkhole. I got you the rest of the way out of the water, you were still unconscious and tried to get myself out as well, still had one leg in the water when I felt some massive shock pain. Eidolon was there. I don''t remember him even arriving. He made some huge glowing gold cage sphere thing that encircled¡­Lev" Julia pauses again, going silent. "You can stop if you want." Julia shook her, "Just give me a minute." I wait it out patiently before she continues. "He lifted Leviathan and the sphere thing into the air. Leviathan was punching the thing from the inside. I could hear it crackling like thunder, even saw the cracks forming, before it was high up enough in the air that I couldn''t make out those details anymore. I guess it broke, because the sphere disappeared with a crash sound, then a whole bunch of lasers hit Leviathan and I think Alexandria slammed into him, knocking him beyond where I could see. I don''t know how the fight went after that, but after some time it ended because the sirens were turned off. You were still unconscious." "Thanks for pulling me out of the water then I guess" "You pulled me out before that, onto the raft." "I did?" "Yeah" "Simon Anderson?" I hear someone call my name and look up, some nurse in scrubs is near my cot and looking around. I stood up. "That''s me." The nurse walks over. "Dr. Johnson can see you in a moment, this way please." I turn to Julia, "Hey can you watch my stuff?" "Okay" "I got a jug of water on that cot over there too you can use, the one with the nasty T-shirt on it. Do you need anything?" I asked as I pointed out my cot. "Um, I don''t know." "This way please." The nurse says again, so I follow her. So just what the fuck is ''Null Resistance''? "Skills" Null Resistance (WIS, LUC) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) Allows you to resist nullifying, negating, and suppressing effects. Um, okay sure. I''ll accept whatever the hell that is. How did that even happen? ****? I don''t know how long it''s been, I still don''t have a watch or phone. I''m in some kind of waiting area in a different, smaller tent. I still haven''t seen Dr. Johnson. The nurse or maybe it was just an assistant, said ''wait here until you''re called'' so I am. Finally gives me a chance to go through all those damn notification options to try and reduce the spam. I turn off all of the notifications related to gaining and losing ''Equipment''. I turn off all status effect notifications related to Hunger, Thirst, Fatigue, Hygiene, and Comfort as well. Geez these option controls are complex. I turned off the ''OnModified'' for all the status effects I currently have. I want to know when they''re gone, so I keep the ''OnRemoved'' and it might be important to know if they came back so keep ''OnReceive'' too. Of course I only do this after I discover I could auto-minimize all notifications in general. That''s really useful. After I figure out how to lessen the spam, I get my first example of an auto-minimized notification. A little purple circle with the number 1 in it appears in an out of the way corner of my vision. I tap the air where it''s located and it brings up my unread notification. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 When I dismiss it, the purple circle with the number on it is gone. That''s a major relief. I could live with the non-obtrusive little number in the corner of my view, along with the HP and Mana bars that were already there. I''ll be glad to have no more annoying pop-ups stressing me out. As soon as I finish that thought, the purple circle appears again, another number 1 in it. Hmm, so it was no longer in my face, and I could at least choose to ignore it. Yet my curiosity very much still made me want to know what this new one was. How long can I resist until I choose to read it? I lasted all of three seconds before tapping the air again to see what it was. You have recovered 5 Stress points. Umm, okay. Was that from regen? No, I think regen would have told me with a gain of just one point. Was learning how to get rid stupid fucking annoying pop-ups actually worth, according to my weird game quantifying power, ''5 stress points''? This¡­implies, my own power is stressing me out and making me run in circles trying to figure it out. I turned the tutorial mode on, shouldn''t that have given me more clues or are the designers just sucky? "Simon Anderson?" someone finally calls me and leads me behind a curtain where I sit on yet another cot. A different nurse or first aid worker pokes and prods me, asks me irrelevant health questions, and leads me to an x-ray machine. They X-ray my head and my broken arm. She leads me back to the curtained cot and leaves. I wait again. Another woman enters, there is no clich¨¦ lab coat, but her name tag identifies her as Dr. Kendra Johnson, finally. "I''m told you may have a concussion and memory loss." "Yeah, I can''t otherwise explain it." She shines a pen light into my eyes to check my pupils and starts feeling my head with latex gloved hands. "X-Rays do not show any signs of skull fractures. I''d prescribe an MRI but we don''t exactly have one handy. I don''t feel or see any swelling, only a few minor scratches on your scalp. Your arm is set, but needs a proper cast. You have an impact fracture in your humerus." "My what?" "Upper arm bone, I''ll have a nurse prepare a cast for you." "Well it hurts like hell, and all I''ve got are a couple extra strength Tylenol and they haven''t done squat." "I''ll prescribe a course of pain medication for you, anything else?" "I was pulled out of that sinkhole after swimming in filth with open wounds. I may be infected with who knows what." "I''ll prescribe you a general course of antibiotics as well." She then turns to scribble on a piece of paper. "Don''t lose this paper, it has your prescriptions. I''ve also recommended an MRI screening for when you get to Houston. Without any physical evidence though, I am inclined to believe your memory issues are psychological in nature. You''ve been through a lot. Everyone that has survived this attack has mental and emotional injuries as well as physical ones. You''re not alone in that. There are grief and trauma counselors on site. I advise you to seek some out. If that''s all, a first aid worker will get your arm taken care of, and show you to where the medical dispensary is being set up." "A girl, a friend, Julia Mendez was pulled out of the sinkhole with me, and was swimming in the same stuff. Her leg is banged up, and I haven''t seen her get up off her cot, she doesn''t have a crutch or anything either." "I will have someone check-up on her. Jessica here will see to your arm." And that was that. Maybe ten minutes with the good doctor and I''m ushered back out from behind the curtain and someone else''s name is called. Jessica takes me to another part of the tent, takes off my sling, washes down my arm again, and starts preparing a cast. She looks tired. "Are you a nurse? She called you a first aid worker." "Not a nurse, but I have advanced first aid certification. I''m a volunteer." I wince as pain shoots through my arm as she moves it to get the cast in place. I try to pay close attention to what she''s doing; maybe I can get a skill out of it. "How long does that take?" The unread notification counter bumped up to one. I was hopeful, but ignored it for now. "About six hours for basic, another eighteen for advanced." "Can you teach me? I''d like to be more useful." "What, no. Too busy with all this, take a course when things get settled and your arm heals" Another wince of pain and another unread notification incremented as a molded plastic shell was snapped into place over my upper arm. The cast was also held up by a strap that went around my other shoulder and a cuff thing on the wrist of my broken arm that hung from another strap around my neck. Jessica delivers a spiel about how to care for the injury and the cast. My arm needs to hang in place, don''t rest the elbow of my broken arm on anything; don''t drive a car using that arm, etc. Do I even know how to drive? I''m actually glad it''s not some massive plaster get-up that I wouldn''t have to get wet or something. With all that done I get booted out of the tent and directed to the ''dispensary'' tent, which is still in the process of being set up. I show my prescription to the dude that looks like he is manning it and get told to wait till late morning or noon at the earliest before I could get anything. I go back to the tent with the cots to figure out what the hell else I can do with myself. ****? To my disappointment the notifications don''t indicate I''d gained a first aid skill, just two points of HP damage from my bone getting adjusted. I tell Julia that I mentioned her to the doctor, and confirm she can''t walk too well on her injured leg. I take some swigs of water and on a whim ''observe'' the box of Cheerios.
A box of cereal This is a 12 oz. box of Sack ''n Save brand, multi-grain Flour O''s (imitation Cheerios). It is made from wheat, rice, corn, oats, millet, and various other ingredients. Read the damn box if you''re that interested. Contents are 66.67% full. +6 total HP per full box.
Yeah, my power definitely trolls me. My hunger bar hasn''t gone down much in the time since I last ate, I checked. It''s annoying to have lost yet more HP over something so minor even if it had hurt like a bitch, I chow down on more cereal anyway. Keep the Observe window open so I can watch it self-update. The contents number keeps going down as I stuffed more into my mouth. When it gets to 50%, I get a +1 HP notification. I eat more but find it difficult to do so, my Hunger bar is full. 33% remaining and another notification later, tells me I have the status effect ''Stuffed'', which gives a comfort penalty. Really? Fucking bullshit useless minutia, however I didn''t gain more HP. I should have, if it was really going to get me +6 in total, but I only got +3 even though 2/3rds is now gone. Either it lied or I can''t gain HP from food if I''m already ''full''. That sucks, I wanted to exploit that shit to eat my way back to full health. I observe the MRE and the water jug as well just because I can.
Meal Ready to Eat This contains multiple packets consisting of a main entree (menu 24, meatloaf and gravy) and numerous packets for sides (crackers and dried fruit). The total weight is 16 oz. Contents are full. +8 total HP for the entire meal.
One US gallon jug of purified water. It''s water. You drink it when you''re thirsty, dumbass. Total volume is one gallon / 128 fluid oz. Contents are full. +16 total SP.
SP? Stamina points? I''m already at max stamina, so I didn''t notice any gains from drinking water earlier. I make sure my cot is still unoccupied and wander for a bit looking for the on-site counselors Jessica mentioned. Found some after asking around but there''s a line, so I skip it and come back. An increasing number of people have been steadily arriving. Julia isn''t there when I return. It looks like she managed to obtain a blanket while I was wandering. My cereal box is gone? Fucking thieves, unless Julia took it. The pop-tart box is empty but I think she ate all of those beforehand. The MRE and the water jug are hidden under the blanket. I have just enough for one more Observe before my MP is at zero again, I observe the blanket. Nothing there except more trolling comments. It does give some points in comfort while in use, though And¡­. its use is insufficient. My meditation attempt fails again, for the same reasons; bad environment, and too uncomfortable, it''s worse than before. More unread notification messages appear. Damn groin feels uncomfortably itchy as well. I took a look at them. Fucking great, there are new status effect penalties. ''Uncomfortable rash'', no shit Sherlock, and Infection has updated itself to say ''Skin Infection: Cellulitis'' and now has some minor penalties. There''s still no timer on it. Waiting around yet more, I get yet another notification message. +2 relationship with Julia again. That''s odd. She still isn''t back yet. I get up, grab my water jug and the MRE and wander around again. I don''t want them to get swiped. Ah, the dispensary has ''opened'' and a long line has already formed. I get in right away because I don''t want to miss out. Sometime later I see Julia hobbling about on some crutches and call her over. She holds a paper in her hand. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Prescription?" I ask her. "Yeah" "You can get in front of me." "Really?" "Yeah look at how long the line has already gotten". Another unread notification pops up but I let it be. "Thanks." "Doctors call you up?" "Yeah, cleaned my leg, gave me new bandages, crutches, and told me to get antibiotics. Said you mentioned me, thanks again." "Sure. You finish off the cereal? I don''t care if you did. Didn''t see it on the cot, was curious." "No. Someone take it?" "I guess so. You live on the island?" "Yeah¡­ I uh, don''t want to talk about that right now." "Right, sorry." And our conversation goes cold, another unread notification incremented. I whisper to check my notifications again; I gained +2 relationship with Julia, then lost one. At least it''s forward progress. I just wish I had some idea of how much was actually needed for friend status or what not. ****? We stand in line in silence for a while. Julia pulls her phone out a few times, and I manage to glance at the time. It''s a bit past one in the afternoon. I''m starting to get hungry again. "Any luck getting a signal?" "No, and the charge is almost gone." Julia says as she puts her phone away again. "How did it survive all the water anyway?" "Partly waterproof, still had to dry it out last night." "You want to help me open up the MRE when we are done here?" "Okay" Silence again, at least between us, there is plenty of noise and chatter in the background. What feels like another hour has gone by, and people start leaving the line, so at least we move up. Something was going on. I see random people with food and carrying folded clothing articles, or outright changing in the street. "I think some supplies got delivered." Julia said. "Dang, I don''t wanna lose our place in line, we''re pretty close now." So we wait in line instead, finally get to the front, show our scripts, and we get some meds, a bottle of pain pills and antibiotics for both of us. I asked for some topical antibiotic cream as well. The dude doling stuff out is nice enough to give me a tube. One DING later and another objective has been achieved on my quests as I swallow the meds down with some water. I really need new clothes though as the condition of my pants limit my ability to hold much in my pockets, and trying to carry two pill bottles, a tube of cream, an MRE, and a jug of water with one arm broken is getting difficult. Julia has her own issues with holding stuff while moving around with the crutches. She manages to stuff her pill bottles into her pockets though. "I''m going to hurry and try to figure out where those supplies came from, if you can hold the MRE. We can split it when I get back." I say. Julia nods as I awkwardly pass the thing to her then quickly walk to where the throngs of people are coming from. Julia can''t walk fast on her crutches. It takes a while, trying to push my way through people, and avoid getting my arm bumped. I remember she is size 6 when I observed her, so if I found something that matched, I''d bring it to her, and claim I just guessed right. I push my way to the front of the crowd but there¡¯s nothing but empty pallets and cardboard boxes left. I should have known given the mood of the crowd and curses being uttered. "That fucking sucks." I say aloud joining my own curse into the stream as we all disperse again and I make my way back to the tent. "Everything was gone by the time I got there." I tell Julia as I get back. "We''ll have to look for another one. Hmm, where did the blanket go?" "Somebody swiped it, while we were in line." "Damn, can''t leave anything unattended anymore. You want to split that MRE now?" "Okay" We eat in silence with minimal awkward conversation. It''s after 2pm now. I get another two relationship points out of it, but that''s it. I think my empathy skill got a few more percentage points too, but I don''t really remember what it was beforehand. That and I get a nice +4 HP for eating half the MRE. Julia broke the silence after we finished. "They made some announcements while you were out. Another, larger tent-structure thing would be open soon." "The supply lady that directed me to the doctor mentioned that. For people that aren''t evacuated yet and have no place to sleep. Guess I''ll have to use it. Damn, I¡­ I don''t even know where I live, if it''s on the island or elsewhere. "I want to go see my house." "Yeah, well, if it''s not close, that''s a lot of walking through who knows what. We should get some shoes first." "We?" "Um, well if you don''t mind me tagging along. I don''t have anything better to do." "You''re like a lost puppy." "Is that an ¡®Okay¡¯?" "I''ll think about it." "Well I should see if that other shelter place is open and register with them. You probably should too just in case. Then we can look for another supply drop if you want." I hold my hand out to her to help her stand up. She takes it, but gets that confused funny look again when she does so, and we head out of the tent. ****? Another hour gets wasted waiting in line to register for the onsite shelter. Since we aren''t related they don''t place us near each other. Julia doesn''t have any issues; she actually has her ID on her. I don''t have squat, and can''t remember anything. Name? Simon Anderson. Age? 15. Date of Birth? Don''t know. SSN? Don''t know. Address? Don''t know. Parents, family? Don''t know. Don''t know, don''t know, and don''t know. The FEMA paper-pusher has the gall to start getting annoyed at me, for not being able to fill out his forms. Whom to release my info to? Fuck, anyone! If someone is looking for some kid named Simon Anderson I want to meet them, because I want to find someone that fucking knows me. One of his co-workers waves me along before I was about to make more of a scene. I get a printed picture of me, and assigned a new cot. Yay, apparently that counts cause another DING goes off toward my quest completion. Water, food, medicine, shelter down, now I just need info and clothing. Speaking of info, there is a TV erected in a sort of common area at the front of the long hut building thing. I find Julia there. A lot of people are gathered around it watching the news. As I watch the newscast, I¡¯m starting to get kind-of pissed. Everyone is applauding the heroes for saving Houston, for preventing Leviathan from attacking Houston. About how many lives and property have been saved because Leviathan was stopped before he could get into the major city. But Galveston was the battle ground. It was kind of like, ''thanks Galveston; you really took one for the team''. Then they finally get to the Casualties. Heroes first of course, a lot of names I don''t recognize. Some I did, like Gatling who I actually saw fighting. I shake off a flashback shudder again. Then civilian numbers, the city had a population of around 48 thousand, over half that were presumed dead, some 25 thousand people. Oh the reporters spin it; it¡¯s small potatoes compared to the likes of Kyushu and NewFoundland, entire islands sunk by Leviathan. Helicopter footage shows Galveston Island, huge chunks of it are underwater, other sections only semi-submerged and the buildings getting actively tossed by waves. The sea wall is gone. I-45 has definitely collapsed. There are navy and coast guard ships stationed nearby. After they bring some geologist on, who says he¡¯ll need to verify the stability of the island itself, and whether or not it could remain inhabited, I have to turn away. That¡¯s enough bad news. My stupid power apparently agrees and dinged to signal the completion of the information part of the objective. I turn to look at Julia, she¡¯s not the only one in the throng of watchers crying or carrying on about what they had just seen. Everyone''s mood is dark. "I''m gonna go look for supplies. You wanna come with?" Julia dried her face off with her filthy shirt, and hobbled after me. I stopped by a message board outside the hut and tacked my printed photo on it, and scrawled a message. ''Simon Anderson staying here, if you know me or recognize my picture please seek me out and leave a message.'' The board is filling up with similar messages as well as pictures of missing persons. ****? We learn how to chase helicopters. Well Julia does, she can see which ones flying overhead look like they¡¯re holding supply palettes. I can''t see for shit that far away. Her crutches don''t let us move very fast, but we¡¯re closing in on a drop we followed, but have gotten pretty far off from the shelter area. The streets look wrecked. We pass by a toppled boat that had been deposited on top of a house. I sure as hell hope the supplies have clothes, but anything would be nice. There¡¯s a commotion up ahead where the supplies have been dropped. A crowd has formed, although several people are fleeing the scene. I hear someone talking loudly, and pause to let Julia catch up. "Well, since the PRT, decided to screw us and give us fuck all in aid despite our help in the fight. We''re taking these supplies as a partial payment for services rendered. So GTFO you know? Unless you wanna pay your dues, cash, jewelry or a pretty face only. American Express not accepted." Two guys are in costume. A third is just wearing normal clothes with a bandanna covering his face. I recognize one of them, Rappel. He helped us at the mall. I don''t know the others. I blow most of my regened mana to observe all three.
Name: ??? Level: ?? Alias: Rappel Gender: Male Age: 30-39 Ethnicity: ??? Class: Villain Faction: The Secessionists Summary Description: Rappel is a villainous cape who leads The Secessionists, a group of conspiracy theorists and other paranoid militia types who think Texas should regain its independence or otherwise secede from the Union. Their cause is not taken very seriously by most everyone else. Rappel has a Breaker state power that allows him to walk on walls, ceilings or overhangs for a limited period of time. Currently feeling: Smug, Confident.
Name: ??? Level: ?? Alias: Granite Gender: Male Age: 30-39 Ethnicity: ??? Class: Villain Faction: The Secessionists Summary Description: Granite is a villainous cape and member of the Secessionists. He is a Brute-Changer who specializes in creating rock and stone armor that his body melds with. Currently feeling: Bored, Tired
Name: ??? Level: ?? Alias: ??? Gender: Male Age: 20-29 Ethnicity: ??? Class: Rogue Affiliation: None Summary Description: The sparks coming off this guy''s hands, clearly indicates he is a cape, and his power probably has something to do with that. His demeanor and position though seem to indicate he is in league with the other two at the moment. Currently feeling: Agitated, Hostile.
Well shit. What the fuck do I do now? A new quest alert appears in front of my view.
Get to the supplies. Defeat, convince or otherwise get to the supplies being guarded by these local villains. Time Limit: 12 hours Success: +200 XP, Supplies. Failure: Decreased relationship with Rappel, Granite and ???. Possible injury or death. Do you wish to accept? Y/N
Um really, what the fuck? Did I stray out of the easy random encounter zone? Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee Faction: None Money: $0.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 1 (0.0%) XP: 0 Primary Attributes STR: 5 (-0.73) 4.27 AGI: 4 (-1.20) 2.80 CON: 5 (-0.30) 4.70 INT: 15 (-1.50) 13.50 PER: 9 (-1.00) 8.00 WIS: 17 (-1.50) 15.50 CHA: 10 (-1.50) 8.50 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 20/100 Stamina Pool: 90/90 Mana Pool: 21/150 Stress Pool: 45/320 Attack: 5.29 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 6.70 Armor: 0.00 Carry: 42.70 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 26 Free Skill Slots: 11 Artistry: 3 (32.75%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Empathy: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: 4 (42.45%) Gamer''s Mind: 3 (15.78%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 2 (58.23%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (0.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.4 Tutorial 1.4 Sunday, December 20th, 2009 Risk of possible injury or death? No thanks, I hold my hand over the ''N'' just as Julia bumps into me. Quest Accepted What? No, fuck no... What the hell? "You can''t just take and hoard all the supplies, people need them." Julia says shouting over my frantic movements. That gets their attention, as the villains turn to look at us, while others in the crowd scamper off or just look on. "Well, do we got some wannabe heroes here? We''re people, we need them, so we''re going to take them. I got friends who need them too. But hey, I gave you options, pay up, one way or another, and take your pick." Rappel says, practically leering through his mask. "Come on, we don''t want any trouble." I say before getting cut off by bandanna man who steps up from the background. "Fuck them! I saw you two in the water! You didn''t help me; let me near fucking drown in there!" Oh damn that''s the sparking dude, that was on the other lift when I was getting hoisted out. Was he the one thrashing about beforehand too? Did he get powers? "Settle down Sparky¡ª" "My name is not sparky it''s---" "Nah, zip it¡­ I know you''re really new to this and all, but until you pick a cape name, that''s what you''re stuck with. Don''t go revealing your real name or anybody else''s. It''s against the rules, but even a civvie shoulda known that." The overhead tag over the bandanna wearing man actually updated itself. . Rappel continued talking. "You two do look vaguely familiar though." "Um, yeah we were in the mall, you saved us in there by getting ropes to us. Thanks for that really, I appreciate what you did for us." I gently nudged Julia. "Yeah, thanks for saving us." Rappel takes on a happier tone, even if I can''t see his face through the mask, his Observe window updates itself with feeling ''Amused''. "Well, I''m moved, truly, it''s rare for someone in my line of work to receive some heartfelt thanks like that. Heck, in appreciation, I just might give you a discount." "We don''t have money¡ª" "I don''t care how thankful these fuckers are, they left me to fucking drown I''ll¡ª" "What the fuck man? You were clear on the other side of the water; Leviathan was fifty fucking yards away from us. If that was you, then you nearly killed me, if you electrocuted the water." Julia shouts, her face twisted into an angry visage. This is getting out of hand fast. "Hold your horses'' people! Granite, please make sure our new acquaintance doesn''t do anything rash. Now, just so I am clear about something. Are y''all saying you know him, or know what he looks like? Cause, that''s a problem right there." "No." I jump in, trying to halt this fiasco. "We don''t know him, just some stranger that got fucked over by the giant aquatic Chupacabra like everyone else." Did this guy get powers at the same time as I did? I glanced over at Julia, the implications reeling in my mind, before looking back at Rappel. "You were there, it was dark and raining, we couldn''t see shit. Enough to know someone was splashing in the water sure, but hell; if he hadn''t said anything just now we wouldn''t have even made the connection." Even as I say those words trying to defuse the situation, this wave of aggression towards the guy washes over me, but I hold it in check. Several unread notifications have fired off, but they can wait for now. "That''s all the more reason to get rid of ''em" Sparky says, the electric glow on his hands gets brighter. The rest of the shrunken crowd takes off running, but for some reason Julia just stands there scowling. More notifications fire off, and his overhead tag updates itself from Rogue to Villain. Rappel turns and moves toward Sparky. "Hey I saved your ass down there too, and got you away from the PRT this morning. You owe me. I''m not about to let you fuck up what we got going here by killing a couple dumb teenagers." "Damn, Julia we should really leave¡­quickly" I whisper to her. "You can''t just confiscate supplies, people need them, other sites have already run out..." Rappel turns to look back at us, after taking over holding Sparky back as Granite steps away. "You''re repeating yourself you know. Discount is canceled, shop is closed. There are plenty of stores and houses you can loot, so get lost. Granite, remove these two wannabes from the vicinity." For such a big dude, Granite moves quickly. I try tugging on Julia with my not broken arm to get her to turn away but my weak self doesn''t do much. "We''re go-" I try to say but don''t even get the chance to finish as Granite has already grabbed Julia with one arm and lifts her up in the air. Julia loses one crutch and smashes Granite in the face with the other one, but it just bounces. She was half on his shoulder now and she kicked him in the nads with her good leg, only to scream in pain. "Fuck man put her do---hurk.." Seconds later Granite has his other arm around me, and I feel pain in my broken arm and feel myself lifted up as well. Both of us are now slung over each. Granite is steadily walking away without even showing any signs of slowing as he carries us. I see my HP bar drop every two or three steps as he jostles me painfully. Julia keeps hitting Granite in the back with her other crutch. "Stop fighting, my skin is made of rock, you''re just going to hurt yourself more." I place the hand of my uninjured arm on Julia''s shoulder. "We''d be dead already if they wanted to kill us." I say, and then this weird sensation comes over me for a good minute as he carries us further away. I manage to keep Julia from uselessly trying to hit the living statue, which is carting us off as easily as a couple of sacks of flour. Several moments later Granite throws both of us a good ten feet away from him. I desperately try to roll to avoid landing on my arm and smack my head and back in the ground instead. More HP loss, almost the entire bar was red. The only consolation was that we were tossed onto relatively soft grass. "Ow, fuck, fuck." I say as I sit up and rub my head. Julia is likewise cursing. Julia remains laying in the grass for a moment. "Oh, that was really, really fucking weird..." she says. "Weird? No offense, but stupid and dangerous are better descriptions. Seriously, what the hell was that?" "I dunno, I couldn''t just do nothing and for some reason I was really, really angry at that sparky guy." "I was too but, I sure as hell didn''t want to get into a fight with capes." I look over at her. "You kicked what was effectively a rock statue while not even wearing any shoes. Both your feet are injured, can you even walk now?" Julia sits up, "Damn don''t know, my other foot hurts pretty bad now too. Jesus, I broke my big toenail on that guy." I stand up and walk over to where Julia dropped the crutch she ineffectively beat Granite with, bring it back to her, and help her to her feet. "Your other crutch is back by the supplies and those capes. So you''ll understand if¡ª" "Actually there it is," Julia says as she points in the air. I turn around and see it sailing through the air then crash down into the grass thirty feet away. It bounced. I walk over to where it lands. It was made of good sturdy aluminum so it was still in good shape despite several scuff marks. The rubber armpit pad came off when it landed, but I find it in the grass and put it back on. I bring the other crutch back to Julia. "Oh shit, I lost the water jug." I say as I realize I wasn''t carrying it anymore. A quick pat down of my pockets reveals the medicines are still there, including that weird shower in a can thing. "You still have your meds?" "Yeah, um your scalp is bleeding a bit." I reach up and pat my head until I find the fresh cut. "God damn it" "Just bend down and let me see." I comply; Julia runs one of her hands through my hair. "It''s not that bad, pretty minor." "My back hurts a lot worse, bad landing just trying to avoid hitting the ground with my broken arm, I think I was only partially successful." I start fumbling with the pain pill bottle. "Let me help." Again I comply as she opens the thing. "We don''t have any water." "I don''t care." I take the pill and dry swallow the sucker. Julia''s staring at the bottle. "Should you have taken one again that soon?" she asks while handing it back to me. "Still don''t care." I shove the bottle back into my pocket. "Now what do we do?" "We still need some clothes. My shirt has gotten almost as bad as yours did." "Yeah I noticed." It was hard not to. The other strap had also broken, and at some point she had converted it into an ill-fitting tied around halter top thing. "I''ve noticed that you''ve noticed." My cheeks flush red with embarrassment. "Um I need to pee." "You''ll have to do that one handed on your own." "Um, yeah I''ll manage. Be right back." I find a secluded spot between two overturned, wrecked cars, and do my business, even using a liberal amount of the antibacterial cream. I can still see Julia in the reflection of a dangling side view mirror where I left her at. "Notifications" I whisper, though no one is probably nearby enough to hear me. There are still people wandering about though so we weren''t entirely alone. I scan through the list of unread notifications. I dismiss all the HP loss and the few new bruised and lacerated status effect notifications. My current HP was at a frightening value of 3, I was boned. Notifications: -50 relationship with Sparky Sparky has gone from stranger to annoyance +10 relationship with Rappel. Rappel has gone from stranger to acquaintance -25 relationship with Sparky -25 relationship with Sparky Sparky has gone from annoyance to enemy -20 relationship with Rappel. Rappel has gone from acquaintance to annoyance -10 relationship with Granite, Granite has gone from stranger to annoyance +3 relationship with Julia Mendez "Relationships" There is a page of pictures of each person in my list, Julia, Lifeline, Rappel, Granite and Sparky. Each image has two bars under it. It was reminiscent of images of some Earth Aleph game I recall from somewhere. I don''t know what the second bar does; it''s still at a zero for everyone. The top bars have green toward the right or red values toward the left. Only Julia and Lifeline have positive green bars. Hmm, hit -100 and they become an enemy, or at some value between -75 and -100? Lifeline is still listed as stranger at a 5, so that wasn''t enough to change status. It seems things happen at +10, -10 and I assume -100, so probably also at +100 as well. What the hell is up with that Sparky guy anyway? Why was he so incredibly hostile at the outset before we even talked? -50 right off the bat, and -25 twice more soon after? At least I was at +30 with Julia now. Sparky''s -100 looks to only fill about 20% of the bar toward the left. Does that mean -500 and +500 is the maximum? I don''t know if the gain rate is linear. It''s been difficult to gain much with Julia after the first 10-15, yet incredibly fast to lose some with Sparky. A bigger, scarier question is whether or not this represents some kind of Master power effect, or just a thinker one which quantifies something that is already there. I scroll through the rest of the unread notifications. Yes I know I lost the water jug, and had more HP loss... Hmm, the meds modified my ''Severe Pain'' and ''Infection'' status effects; the latter even has a timer now. Guess that means they''re working. I''m avoiding the bigger question. Everyone on my list so far is a cape, except Julia. Or is she? Does that confirm she is one? Can non-capes appear on my list? I haven''t really interacted with any known non-capes in any meaningful way, for them to appear, except Julia, if she isn''t one. I don''t think I can use that as a sufficient cue. She has double question marks next to her level, just like all the other capes do. That might not be exclusive though, so did those PRT officers, and a few people that were idling about in the tent. That''s not a good enough indicator either. Do I just straight up ask her? Umm, no not yet at least, that could be bad. She hasn''t done anything obvious yet, but neither have I. Then again, what the hell was that Null Resistance thing? I should probably wait until after I''m her ''friend'' or something unavoidably obvious happens. I go back to my unread notifications and look at the last one. Due to shard connection hack, you may gain the ''Create Mana Golem'' skill. There that is again. What in the utter fuck is a ''shard connection hack''? "Skills"
Create Mana Golem (None) (Active/Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) This skill allows you to create and awaken a golem from stone or clay materials that you have crafted by your own hand, and bring it to life under your direct mental control. Active: Expend Mana to imbue a crafted golem. Once imbued, a golem is dormant, and costs 0 MP per minute to maintain. MP Cost: 600 + (1 per pound of mass) Active: Expend Mana to awaken a previously created golem. MP Cost 10% of total imbuement cost. Passive: Maintain an awakened golem. MP Cost: 3 per minute. Limits: 10 pounds per level. Currently: 10 lbs. Do you wish to accept this skill? Y/N
Whoa, where the hell did that come from? Hell yes, me want. I tap the accept button immediately.
You do not currently meet the requirements to learn the skill ''Create Mana Golem''. Requirements: Access to a Mana pool: Met Artistry level 5: Not Met Crafting (Stone & Pottery) level 5: Not Met Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! You have 7 days to meet the requirements for this skill before it becomes unavailable. It will not become available again unless the conditions for acquisition are repeated.
God damn it. Why am I even offered the chance to accept it if I don''t meet the pre-reqs? I have the artistry skill; it''s just not high enough. How do I get the other skill? "Hey are you done yet? Or did you lose something?" Julia shouts. Right, I dismiss all the windows and walk back over to her. "The Palais Royal shopping area is not far from here." "You actually want to loot someplace like Rappel suggested?" I ask. "Well, I don''t want to. There at least ought to be a bathroom over there, I''m not squatting by a bush." "Pretty sure the water won''t be working." "I don''t care" It takes us a bit to walk over, but was pretty easy to get into the department store when we got there. We are clearly not the first people to break in. The electronics store on the other side of the central parking lot has a lot more activity. Even at this distance I could see blurry figures holding big black rectangles over their heads, which I assume are flat screen TVs. Where are they even going to put those or get them off the island? Guy on the TV said the island might get condemned, then everyone would need to evacuate, and the bridge is down. I scrounge up some newspaper and soft trash and throw it on the floor inside the already broken window and we step through. We apparently startle someone because some woman runs off from the inside of the store towards a broken window on the far side carrying a big bundle of stuff. At least she has shoes to run in. The store is a mess so we went ''shopping''. I find a shirt in my size and put it on immediately, then go searching for pants, underwear, socks and shoes that fit. I don''t feel too bad about it, nothing is a high end designer label, though why should that matter? I meet back up with Julia again, who has her own bundle of stuff and we both head toward the bathrooms. She has the right idea at least, I don''t want to use some bush either. I put on the new clothes. As soon as I did, I got a DING, and several new notifications. I open them.
Tutorial Quest: The Basic Necessities completed. Bonus Condition successful, shared some of the essentials with Julia Mendez. Quest XP gained: 50 Bonus XP gained: 50
Notifications: You have gained a level! You are now level 2. You have unlocked level progress. You are 0% of the way toward level 3. You have 4 unallocated stat points to spend. You have gained 150 MP Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Custom Themes feature Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 You have gained 1 HP You have gained 1 SP Awesome, finally. There was no mention of any relationship gains with Julia, that the bonus implied. Or was that already accounted for in the gains I received from giving her stuff earlier? I dismiss the windows. I''ll have to look at them in more detail later. I take the opportunity to use some soap dispensers to clean up some, but I was right, there is no running water. I check for toilet tank water to rinse off, but they are those tankless wall mount units so that won''t work. I settle for lots of paper towels. I''m out before Julia is, so I go to the beauty section to grab some soaps and shampoos. I realize I don''t have a bag or anything to carry all this crap so go behind a register to get a shopping bag. I grab some sunglasses and a Dallas Cowboys cap from the impulse purchase area in the checkout line. As I fish for a shopping bag I hear something behind me, stand up and spin around. "Give me the cash!" "What? I don''t have¡ª" he throws a punch at me. ****? Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 You have gained 1 HP "Simon, Simon? Are you okay? Wake up." My head is spinning and I can''t see out of one eye. Everything is blurry, but eventually Julia comes into focus, behind a pop-up that is obscuring most of my vision. I move it out of the way. "Thank God, I thought that guy killed you." "mmm, wha--, what happened?" I struggle to speak, I taste blood in my mouth, I think I bit my tongue. "Came out of the bathroom and looked for you, saw you lying on the floor by the register and that guy behind the cash register trying to open it. I snuck up behind him and¡­ hit him across the head with my crutch. He wasn''t made of rock, so it actually worked this time." "Thanks¡­ you took him out?" "Uhh, I had to hit him more than once, but yeah. Your eye looks pretty bad, and your face is cut." I put my hand up and felt my face which was beginning to swell where he had punched me. "Damn, is that guy alive?" I open my swollen eye, it hurts a lot, but I can see with it. It was blurry though, so I shut it again. "He''s breathing" "What happens when he wakes up?" "Can we tie him up?" "With what?" We''re both silent for a moment, so I try to stand up, I''m dizzy. There''s another slew of unread notifications. My HP bar looked almost entirely red and was flashing. "Panty hose!" Julia says, then hobbles off on her crutches. "What do I do if he wakes up?" "Hit him again!" I took the metal and plastic display column thing that held all the sunglasses, knocked them all off and held it aloft at the ready. Fortunately the guy never moves by the time Julia gets back. "His head is bleeding, you hit him pretty hard." "I think that was from his head hitting the floor." Julia opens several packages of panty hose and uses a couple to tie the guy''s hands together behind his back, ties his feet together, and then ties the two ties together. The guy starts to wake up, I notice that his tag says . Why can I see his level now and not previously? "You fucking tazy-bitch I''ll kill you." The looter says before Julia stuffs a wad of pantyhose in his mouth. I smack him on the head with the display column. It sounds rather hollow, it seems it was mostly plastic and only a little metal. Part of it broke off. My choice of weapon was very poor. "Ow. Foo Hoo." "Lift his head." Julia says, I do and she ties the gag in place with more pantyhose around his head. The guy swears several times before he is sufficiently muffled and squirming. "Damn have you done this before?" "No. Why were you at the cash register anyway?" "Too much stuff to carry. I wanted a shopping bag." "They sell backpacks here, you know." I noticed she had one sitting on the ground, partially filled. "Oh. I don''t think those are gonna hold him for long. Stop moving asshole." "MURK HOO!" "I''ll get you a backpack and stuff, watch him." Then Julia hobbles off again. "Uhh¡­" I look around, it seems the guy had managed to get the cash register open, there is a paperclip stuck in the drawer lock. The guy moves again so I kick him in the thigh. It must have been pretty weak, because he just laughs behind the gag. "Okay fucker let''s try this again." I shoved the cash register until it¡¯s halfway off the counter and then moved him underneath it. It was heavy. "If you move or speak again, I am going to pull this cash register off the counter and onto your head." That got him quiet so I rifled his pockets and pull out his wallet. It was pretty fat with cash, and I look at his driver''s license. His overhead tag updates itself. I stuff his cash into my pocket, and toss his wallet aside. There are still some bill stacks in the open register, so I take them as well. "You stole his wallet?" Julia asks, holding a backpack. "We just looted a store, so why should this matter?" She didn''t respond. "He punched me in the face, it''s probably gonna cost money to get this treated. So he''s gonna pay for it." Julia throws the backpack to me. "Get what you need and let''s get out of here quickly." I glanced at her tag as well, it didn''t say Refugee anymore. It had changed to Looter. Are we the bad guys here now? I want to check my stats but we''re in a rush. I stuff the soap and stuff in the backpack; grab some spare clothes from where I found my sizes before. I pass the jewelry section, I could grab a lot of stuff, but I just want a damn digital watch, a watch and a new wallet. I''m tired of not knowing what time it is. I hear a loud whack and look over at Julia again. She''s in the midst of standing up, one crutch held up over her head again. "I''m done, let''s go." We hear a very close helicopter hovering overhead as we make our way over to the window and step over the sill out of the store. It''s twilight now. The helicopter''s spotlight is shining down on the front of the electronics store. I put my shades on and lower my hat. "Let''s definitely get out of here quick." ****? It''s dark when we make it back to the shelter. They''ve completed some basic showers and porta-potties while we were out. There is already a long line for both. Julia gives me some toilet paper rolls she swiped from the ladies restroom at the department store. Grabbing some of those totally slipped my mind. Julia watches my stuff while I''m in line to see a doctor again. I finally catch up on my unread notifications and the pop-up window I ignored earlier. I look at the pop-up first.
You have reached 0 HP. There is no longer any buffer toward preventing temporary or permanent stat damage, including damage to your Constitution attribute. When your CON score reaches zero for any reason, you die.
God damn, my HP is currently at one, one fucking point. A look through my notifications implies that I gained that as a consequence of merely waking up from being knocked out. My modified CON score is a 4.70 and I have new status effects, ''Minor Concussion'' and ''Swollen Eyeball''. An actual concussion? Not just what people thought I had earlier due to amnesia? I assume I got them after getting punched in the face by Carlos. Minor Concussion has a whopping -1 penalty to my CON. The rest was the broken arm, and minor fractional values spread across the various bruise and laceration effects. I was seriously close to death since falling on my ass this morning took 3 HP off me. I felt dead and exhausted, even though my stamina bar was full; my fatigue bar is mostly gone. I look over the rest of the notifications. I gained an additional two levels in Gamer''s Body? From what, getting the crap kicked out of me? I gained 80 XP from assisting in ''defeating Looter'', another +2 relationship with Julia, and a total of -66 relationship with ''Carlos Ortega''. I don''t think he is a cape so that is one question answered. Also I bet he finds me to be more than an ''Annoyance'' as the game descriptor implies. Doctor or nurse or whatever sees me. They stitch up the cut near my eye. Got a glimpse in a mirror, I have a nice black eye now and some broken blood vessels in my sclera. He says I''m really lucky that my retina didn''t become detached. He gives me an ice pack and says it will be better in a few days. He checks my concussion too. I really do have one this time around, just like the status effect says. There isn''t much to be done though, I already have pain meds and took a third. They were supposed to be twice a day, but damn do I hurt. I''ll hold off on another till morning. I get back to the cots and watch Julia''s stuff while she stands in line for the showers. I go back over all my stats and that Golem skill. Even if I met the pre-reqs, I can''t use it. I don''t have 600 mana. I don''t want to miss out on it either though. Gaining a level doubled what I had, could I gain enough levels in 7 days to meet that? Actually, having enough mana isn''t part of its pre-reqs, just the skill levels are. Getting enough mana could come later. To get it I just need to up those skills. That answers my other question, how to spend these stat points. INT? I think that helps me gain mana, but I could do that later too, and by itself it would not be enough for a golem thing, nor do I know when I could get around to ''making one by hand''. No, I was way too close to death today. Even though, as far as I understand, stats can be trained, I am putting all of them into CON. I read the corresponding notifications but I already know what they are. You have gained 41 HP You have gained 40 SP That makes me feel a lot better, and saner. I finally get my turn in the shower. I should save that shower in a can thing, since I looted some soap and shampoo already. Showers were supposed to be relaxing. I was shivering and it''s not because there''s no hot water. Under the falling water, my mind wanders back to the rain, getting submerged, and swept around by Leviathan''s waves. Hold it together man; get out as soon as my hygiene bar is full. At least the ''Soiled'' status effect is gone now. I don''t talk to Julia on my way back other than to get my backpack. I blow all my mana on observing everything and everyone around me, but there''s nothing interesting. I curl up under my FEMA blanket and go to sleep. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Looter Faction: None Money: $240.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 2 (34.16%) XP: 180 Primary Attributes STR: 5 (-0.85) 4.15 AGI: 4 (-1.25) 2.75 CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60 INT: 15 (-4.50) 10.50 PER: 9 (-3.00) 6.00 WIS: 17 (-4.50) 12.50 CHA: 10 (-2.40) 7.60 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 54/153 Stamina Pool: 142/142 Mana Pool: 0/300 Stress Pool: 45/320 Attack: 4.75 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 6.18 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 41.50 Allure: 2.00 Skills Max Slots: 27 Free Skill Slots: 12 Artistry: 3 (32.75%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Empathy: 1 (78.65%) Gamer''s Body: 4 (11.34%) Gamer''s Interface: 5 (42.45%) Gamer''s Mind: 4 (15.78%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 2 (76.76%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (25.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.5 Tutorial 1.5 Monday, December 21st, 2009 It''s 3:21am, according to my looted watch. Bad dreams kept me from getting good sleep. It''s too early, my fatigue bar isn''t full, but apparently full enough that the ''you''re not tired enough to sleep yet'' bullshit prevents me going back to sleep again. It''s dark, I''m bored. I should figure out a plan for learning and taking advantage of my weird ass powers better. I guess that starts now. I''m just winging it so far, trying to survive. My notifications say I''ve gained 5 HP while sleeping and 34 MP. For MP, that''s 10 times better than the approximate 3 per hour I was regenerating while awake yesterday. I grabbed a watch with a stopwatch function from the store, and put it to use. Turn notifications for MP gain back on, turn auto-minimize notifications back off and wait. Hit start as soon as a +1 MP message appears, dismissed. 9 minutes 36 seconds later, the next +1 MP gain message appears. Hmm, I''m confused now¡­ that''s 6 something MP an hour, but 34 for sleeping about 5 hours is only about 5 times that, not 10. What changed? I''ve twice as much MP as before, and am at level 2 compared to yesterday. The regen rate is tied to level? I need paper, a pen, and a calculator if I''m going to figure this out. Not going to wait around to see how long it takes to regen 1 HP. Don''t think it ever even did yesterday. It''s disappointing I''m not regaining full HP after sleeping. That''s a common theme for most games. Except for some of the hardcore rogue-likes, another point toward this being more like one of those. I really need to get my HP back to full. Sleep, food, and time are the only things that do that. Each has their own annoying limits built in. Also, unlike a lot of games, getting bandaged up doesn''t give any HP. It only reduces the penalties for status effects of wounds, and the timers, for what I presume is how long it takes them to heal and go away. I try meditation again, and get another failure message. The environment is peaceful enough this time, it''s dark and relatively quiet, but I''m still ''too uncomfortable to succeed at my current level''. Probably due more to my current status effects, than how I''m sitting. Well, try changing positions anyway. I''m sitting on something hard. What the heck? Damn clothing security tag. Shit, I completely ignored those trying to get the fuck out of there. I rummage through my backpack to check for more, yes, lots. There''s one cheap t-shirt that doesn''t have one, so I switch shirts. Now how to remove the damn things? Take all my crap outside, damn thieves. Hypocrite, I know. It''s dark, but there are generator lights, the glow from my interface windows helps a little too. I find a rock and a piece of scrap metal and break the thing off my stolen shirt. "Fuck!" Ink is all over my hands, and the shirt, tiny hole in it also. Not going to put that back in the bag and get ink on the rest, to the wash station then. Fuck, the ink doesn''t wash out, not off the shirt or my hands. At least it''s stopped spreading. If I wasn''t homeless and living out of a backpack at a temporary FEMA shelter, I might call this shirt ruined. Don''t know what standards I had before, but right now they''re fuck all. The shirt''s intact and doesn''t smell horrible, so it''s good. Sigh. Another one on my stolen pants, on my spares in the backpack too. I tie the ink stained shirt around my waist and let it cover the tag, and head to the porta-potty with my rock and metal. I have to be more careful this time. I took my pants off and popped the tag off. Result is better this time, still got some ink on stuff. A new notification pops up. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Disable Device'' skill.
Disable Device (PER, AGI) (Active): Level 1 (0.00%) Disable Device allows you to bypass a variety of physical security devices which are primarily mechanical in nature. In many cases, appropriate tools will be required. Would you like to accept this skill? Y/N Accepting a skill takes up a skill slot, this cannot be undone.
Um, ok sure I can definitely go for that. I press the ''Y'' button. I immediately think of ways I could bust these security tags off better, if I find a screwdriver, rubber bands or a freezer to freeze the ink to stop it from spilling. Hmm, a freezer and other tools aren''t immediately nearby. It''s still dark out; that restricts a lot of things I can do. I walk around a bit to think. "Hey, there''s a curfew active, go back to the tent area " a national guardsman yells at me. "Curfew?" "10 pm to 5 am, now go on." God damn it, whatever. I bet Julia has some of these security things stuck on her clothes too. She''s probably still asleep though. My sleep schedule is abnormal with this whole fatigue bar thing. I sit back down on my cot. What the hell are my goals? Besides the ''become friends with Julia'' quest. Hmm, learn more about who I am or was. Get my HP and Stress points back to maximum, get rid of all those damn negative status effects, figure out more about my weird gamer power, and meet the requirements for the Golem skill. More notifications appear; they''re new quests.
Get Healthy Again! Get all your bars to maximum, and eliminate all negative wound or mental based status effects. Time Limit: None Success: +300 XP Failure: Continued miserableness.
Learn more about yourself and your past. Discover 20 unique things about yourself. You''ve learned 7 things already.
  1. Your name is Simon Anderson.
  2. You were born in 1994 and are 15 years old.
  3. You are a heterosexual male.
  4. You love video games.
  5. You''re a Parahuman with a video game themed power.
  6. You live/lived in Galveston, TX.
  7. You had friends named Sandy, Dirk and Joe.
Time Limit: None Success: +500 XP Failure: None
Tutorial Quest: Get to the Mainland Get off the wrecked, beaten and flooded Galveston Island and start a new life elsewhere. Time Limit: 30 days Success: +250 XP, a fresh start. Bonus Success: Bring your friends or companions with you, increased relation with friends and companions. Failure: ???
Um ok. I accept them all. Is it that simple? Set a goal for myself and it turns into a quest? I was thinking about the third one already. Why didn''t I get one for ''figure out my weird gamer power'' and ''meet the pre-reqs for the Golem skill''? Hmm, time to experiment a little. ''I have a goal of folding up my FEMA blanket''. Nothing? I folded up my FEMA blanket and placed it neatly on my cot. Still nothing, figures. Remove all those security tags from my looted clothes? Nothing. Help Julia remove all the security tags from her looted clothes? Nothing. Help Julia get to her house? DING.
Help Julia reach her house. Navigate the flooded and battered island and help Julia reach her house by any means necessary. Success: +100 XP, increased relationship with Julia Mendez, ??? Failure: Decreased relationship with Julia Mendez.
I accept before I even finish reading. I spend the next hour and half trying to come up with more goals and plans, hoping they trigger more quests. Damn, I don''t get any, but at least a lot of plans and ideas are worked out in my head, short and long term. I get ready to focus on the here and now and find some breakfast. I get more notifications, so I read them. For careful thought and consideration of your decisions you have gained 1 WIS. You have recovered 10 Stress points The Status Effect ''Extremely Stressed'' has been downgraded to ''Very Stressed'' The Status Effect ''Very Stressed'' has been partially negated by Gamer''s Mind. More wisdom, sweet. It''s like a fog just lifted from my brain. Stress is 55/330 now and that status effect downgrade just cut the penalties in half. I need to do this a lot more often, and figure out how to get gains in the rest of my stats. Strength? There''s no gym handy, and a broken arm, low hit points, and a bunch of injuries makes that difficult. Agility? I don''t see myself prancing around much, major movements make my arm hurt. My injuries really limit this. Constitution? Running jostles my arm and I don''t have a bicycle. If taking a beating trains that, I can''t afford it right now. Intelligence? My last message said I gained a point from ''careful study of important information''. There''s not a lot of that available right now but I''ll be on the lookout for it. Being contemplative and introspective seems directed more toward Wisdom so far. Perception? How the hell do I train that? Get some binoculars, a microscope? Eavesdrop? Fuck all if I know, sure as hell would like to not need glasses, if higher perception can solve that. Wisdom, keep doing what I am doing I guess. Charisma? Be more charismatic and make more friends? Already working on that. Luck? No goddamn idea, and can''t afford to put myself in a risky situation right now if that''s how that works. My stomach rumbles, I get up to find the food line. It''s finally after 5 am now, so I can leave the premises. I wander and ask around. Yes there''s some food. No it''s not open yet, breakfast handouts available from 6 to 8 am. I go look for Julia at the women''s section, even though it''s early. "Can I help you?" Some night watch volunteer lady asks me. "I''m looking for Julia Mendez." "What''s your relation?" "Not related, she is a friend." "Can''t help you, you''ll have to wait until she comes out." "What, why?" "Women''s section, no unrelated men allowed inside. Come back later." Fuck, whatever, I should''ve lied or something. I go back to my cot to sit for a bit, more notifications demand my attention. ''Narcotic Pain Reduction'' status effect has been removed. ''Antibiotic Infection Resistance'' status effect has been removed. Damn, when did those get applied? I must have missed them. I turned off the modifier notifications so I hadn''t even noticed the fluctuations of the ''Severe Pain'' and ''Infected'' effects. I suddenly feel them get worse now. What''s this, another new skill? For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Disease Resistance'' skill.
Disease Resistance (CON) (Passive): Level 1 (0.00%) Disease Resistance allows you to enhance your natural ability to resist disease from microbial, parasitic, or viral sources. This reduces the damage and status effect penalties that any would occur in such a situation, in some cases outright negating them. Would you like to accept this skill? Y/N Accepting a skill takes up a skill slot, this cannot be undone.
Yeah, I want that. I wonder if I should keep to my antibiotics or try to train this skill up by skipping them? No, better safe than sorry; I want those negative effects gone, so I can ''Get Healthy Again''. Should probably use more cream too, I get up again to take care of that and pop my pills. I need a new water bottle. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ****? I palm a screwdriver and some needle nose pliers out of some dude''s toolbox while he''s underneath a generator. I steal a pen, clipboard, and a small stack of blank forms from the shelter registration desk. I notice my status screen changes. I''m a ''Petty Thief'' now? Is this an upgrade from Looter? My class description went from ''Refugee / Looter'' to ''Refugee / Petty Thief''. I didn''t have to ''steal'' those, they''re meant to be temporarily taken by people. I just don''t plan to bring them back. I have goals to meet after all. First, getting these security tags off. There, now got all of the ink ones off, but some are magnet ones and harder to crack, so let them be for now. Only spilled a little bit of ink from one and only splashed my shoes slightly. I watch my Disable Device skill percentage go up a little with each one. I''m standing in line doodling on the form papers with my pen, grinding Artistry. It''s working but slowly. Doodling one handed on a clipboard loosely held by my broken arm is inefficient. I''m glad I got in line cause it''s getting long despite it not being 6 am yet. Who knows if they will still have enough for everyone. I finally get to the front of the food dispensary line, and blow all my MP on ''Observe''. I find the most HP gaining foods I can get. I get fruit, milk and plain oatmeal packets. Sugary crap foods don''t give squat for HP gain, or is this my power''s way of forcing me to eat healthy? I''ll get enough for me and Julia. "That''s too much man, one serving per person, supplies are limited." The dispensary guy says. "What? I''m getting some for someone else too?" "They need to be in line also." "She can''t stand in line, her legs are injured. I''m not losing my place in line to get her either." "What''s the hold up?" someone shouts from further back in line. "Fine, go.." the dispensary guy waves me off. Whatever, I bring it back and eat breakfast (+8 HP) and doodle, glancing toward the curtain to the women''s section to see if Julia makes an appearance. Quest Failed: ''Get to the Supplies''. Time Expired. Oh? Who cares, fuck those guys. Julia appears an hour later. I observe her to see if there''s any changes.
Name: Julia Mendez Level: ?? Alias: ?? Gender: Female Age: 14-18 Ethnicity: Hispanic, ???, ??? Class: Refugee / Looter Faction: None Summary Description: A former high school student and fellow survivor from an Endbringer attack. She has lost her sister, and possibly her parents and home as well. Her left lower leg is badly burned. It is bandaged. Her first toe, right foot is very bruised. The nail on her first toe, right foot is broken. Her left cheek is slightly torn. It is stitched and bandaged. Her... ...She has a dazed grief-stricken look about her. Currently feeling: Depressed, Traumatized, Lethargic, Pained, ...
Hmm, the phrasing of her injuries looks strangely familiar. Still, it''s stuff I already know, just laid out there in verbose detail. When is this Observe skill going to be useful? "Hey, Julia!" I call out. Oh and what the hell, an hour should have got me 6 MP, but now I got 4 left? Did my regen rate rise or did I mistime that? "Here, got you some breakfast. Have to get in line early or you''re out of luck. Opens from 6am to 8am, dispensary tent outside near the one where we got the meds yesterday." I say as she approaches. "Thanks" A notification fires off, probably telling me I gained relationship with Julia. Yep, only 1 point this time. Hmm, I should change these to only tell me when the relationship status changes, not the damn bar. "Why do you make such weird movement patterns with your hand?" Julia asks me between bites. Oh shit, I''m getting too relaxed or apathetic here. "Um, just nervous habit I guess." I lie. "Oh, thought you had Tourette''s or something like that, on account of the mutterings too." Damn, she must have a higher perception stat than me, time to change subjects. I lean over slightly. "Do, uh, the clothes you acquired yesterday still have security tags on them? I totally forgot to check for those. I managed to remove most of mine this morning." I whisper to her. Her eyes widen and she swallows. "Uh, yeah, I didn''t really pay attention to that either." "If you give them to me I can take them off. Except the magnet ones, can''t do those yet. I''d need a powerful magnet, from a hard-drive or a speaker to get those off." "You''ve done this before? I thought you couldn''t remember shit." "No, except what I did this morning. Trial and error, first few tries were errors." I point out the ink stains on my clothes and hands. "It got easier when I got a hold of a screwdriver and pliers." "Okay" "Might be better to do it away from people, just in case. I removed mine while it was still dark out." Julia nods and continues to eat her oatmeal in silence, while I wait and keep doodling. Artistry is going up faster now that I can keep the clipboard level in my lap. "What are you drawing?" "Nothing in particular, just doodles. It keeps my mind busy and focused on something, so I don''t dwell too much on¡­other stuff. I hear it helps to take up a hobby." Hmm, Psychology and Empathy bump up a bit with that. Maybe I should actually close the screen and focus on the conversation. I don''t know what else to say by the time she finishes eating. Wait, no I do, the quest. "You still want to go to your house?" "Yeah" "Pack everything; someone is liable to take it if it is left behind." We really do pack it all. At least we have backpacks now. I have spare clothes, soap, shampoo, Meds, that weird shower in a can thing. Guess I should use it soon. A screwdriver, pliers, clipboard, pen, papers, a FEMA blanket, yeah I took that shit. Oh, my new wallet and $240 in cash. ****? "...so you don''t remember where your house is, or family or friends or anything, but you remember video games?" Julia asks me as we duck under some roped off caution tape and enter a residential area. A lot of roads had been blocked off and manned by guardsman, shore patrol or police. It took some time to move out of the way and circle around and find way past the perimeter, and avoid being spotted. "Yeah, I can''t explain it at all. I know the early-classics, old arcades, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Tron, all that. I remember the late 8-bit classics NES, Zelda, Mario, Dragon Warrior series, the early Final Fantasy series before Square went bankrupt. I even know the Konami cheat Code. That the entire industry nearly died in 1983 before the 16-bit era, Super NES, Sega Genesis, when all the cape themed games started coming out. The non-cape game backlashes. Later, 32 bit and 64 bit era, the dawn of MMO''s, Hero City, which actually isn''t the first MMO like many claim, but the second, but nobody talks about the first.." "Simon, stop. I get it. Most of that is before or just after we were born, though why would you remember all that? No, don''t answer, that''s rhetorical. I remember Zelda though; my mom had a NES¡­" "Well, you never told me what you played." "Later, we''re in my neighborhood now." It''s well after noon; the entire neighborhood is wrecked, and smells like dead fish and garbage, we pass by a couple dead bodies too. Roads are buckled, houses are lopsided or crushed. Cars are overturned in weird places, boats too. Clearly the place was hit by big waves several times. "We''re here," Julia says. Her house was still standing but a truck at some point had been smashed into the side, leaving a big hole in the wall. The front door was busted open. There was a big red X spray painted on the door, and a smaller black zero spray painted beside it. Julia rushes inside and yells. "Mom? Dad?" She calls for them for a while, in between labored sobs. The downstairs is a wreck, I help look, we go upstairs and Julia finds her room and starts sobbing on the bed, heedless of the damp and the smells. The downstairs has clearly been flooded. The upstairs has not, but the windows are broken and waves, wind and rain have definitely gotten in. There were no notes to be found, no directions or any sort of sign. I only get a few answers out of her as she cries. "Are your parent''s cars at the house?" "No" "Do you want me to help you gather things?" "Yes." "Where are the suitcases?" "Hall closet." "Where do you want me to start?" No answer, she keeps crying. "Julia?" She stops responding, too distraught I spent time disabling the security tag from the clothes in her backpack. For some reason, it feels a bit selfish, but I want to make the most of my time while waiting too. By the time I was done (except for the magnetic ones), I had gained a level in Disable Device. Though, now that she has access to her own clothes, if they weren''t ruined, Will she need these anymore? I don''t want to push her, she is traumatized enough, still quietly sobbing, she''s moved to her parent''s room now, and the suit cases aren''t all that full, just mementos and photos so far. She can''t stay here. Notifications are flashing, calling for my attention, but they''re not important right now. "Tell me what to pack for you and I will. I know you want to, but you can''t stay." "You should leave me. I''m not any good, just a wreck. Everything is gone, you have a new start. I just have an end. Just get out." "No" "GET OUT!" "No, that''s just the depression, the PTSD and the grief talking. I know, its hitting me too, despite the fucked up stuff that came with it. If I have to, I''ll carry you, I will, but that is going to be really, really difficult with a broken arm." Then we hear noises, the sound of water rushing. Fuck, my heart starts racing, Julia is starting to freak out. I look down stairs and see water lapping at the bottom, steadily rising. "What the fuck?" It''s not even storming outside, it was sunny and clear. The whole house shifts ever so slightly, and creaks and moans. I can hear other houses and the wrecked car and shit rattling in the waves. The street, the entire ground was below water. "Holy fuck, the tide is coming in!" Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Petty Thief Faction: None Money: $240.00 Title: Endbringer Survivor Level: 2 (67.33%) XP: 280 Primary Attributes STR: 5 (-0.85) 4.15 AGI: 4 (-1.25) 2.75 CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60 INT: 15 (-3.70) 11.30 PER: 9 (-3.00) 6.00 WIS: 18 (-3.70) 14.30 CHA: 10 (-1.60) 8.40 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 67/153 Stamina Pool: 142/142 Mana Pool: 51/300 Stress Pool: 55/330 Attack: 4.75 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 6.18 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 41.50 Allure: 2.00 Skills Max Slots: 27 Free Skill Slots: 10 Artistry: 3 (98.54%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Disable Device: 2 (23.56%) Disease Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Empathy: 2 (13.75%) Gamer''s Body: 4 (11.34%) Gamer''s Interface: 5 (42.45%) Gamer''s Mind: 4 (88.67%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 2 (66.67%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (56.45%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (63.73%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.6 Tutorial 1.6 Monday, December 21st, 2009 "Oh God!" I''m freaking out, Julia''s freaking out. Stop! Think! I''m in the hallway at the top of the stairs. Water is lapping at the bottom stair steps. Go Up? Notifications are firing off. Images of the rain, being near drowned in the water in the dark, the Levi-" flash through my mind. "Nnnnghh!" What am I doing? Mentally substitute the name. Aquatic Chupacabra, that''s better, the monster is a mangy skinny coyote, not what it really is; mental self-defense mechanism, calm down. What is happening to us is PTSD triggers. Why do I know that? Is that my psychology skill? "Panic is not useful here. Let''s calm the fuck down." Holy shit did I say that out loud? I did. I go to the window to see if there is a way onto the roof. No, not from here; not going up anyway. We could get down with a minor jump to the roof of the truck that made the hole in the wall. There''s no way up from the other windows on this floor either. "Julia, Julia!" I yell to get her attention. "Attic entrance, where is it?" "Hall closet, same as suitcases." I glance down the stairs again; the water level hasn''t changed. We open the closet again, it''s filled with crap obstructing access and pull shit out as fast as two cripples can. We uncover the ladder, it¡¯s physically built into the wall of the closet, I check the stairs again, Julia climbs up with a flashlight she got from somewhere, and opens the attic hatch. The water level still hasn''t changed, but a bunch of fucking roaches and other bugs start showing up on the walls and floor. "Gross!" It''s everything that was below the water line downstairs now trying to not drown. This is disgustingly creepy. I stomp one. +1 XP. Umm, really? I stomp another, +1 XP. Water level still hasn''t changed? "How high does the tide get here? I don''t remember." Julia stops mid-climb up the ladder, and calms herself. "Oh God, we''re stupid. It''s one, maybe two feet at most." Relief washes over me. "Well, we just panicked over nothing. Good news is we aren''t going to drown then." I stomp more roaches and a weird ass beetle. +1 XP, +1 XP, +1 XP. "Bad news is¡ª" "Oh gross fucking roaches!" Julia climbs back down and starts stomping also. We vent all our anger and frustration out on the invading bugs. At some point I stop gaining XP for stomping them. Julia has it in for a small rat that makes an appearance. She tears through the crap we dumped in the hallway chasing it down. She finally kills it in her sister''s room by overturning a dresser and crushing the thing. We''re exhausted, and sit down on her sister''s bed. "It''s all gone, she''s gone¡­" Julia cries again, the finality of the situation is sinking in. "Teresa had moved out and started college this fall. She came home for winter break, for me, because our parents were¡­" I can''t hear the rest because she''s mumbling and then falls asleep. I go back to the hallway, crush a few more bugs to make sure I have no gains, and go down the stairs. My heart starts racing again as I sit down on the stairs at the water''s edge to look through the railing into the room below. The water is disgusting, and definitely smells like the sea, and other stuff. Some nearby splashing reveals a goddamn fish bumping into a partially submerged glass coffee table. No way are we fucking wading through this shit, we can wait for low tide again. I go back upstairs and calm down. It''s a small three bedroom, two bath house. The bedrooms and one bathroom are upstairs. The living room, kitchen, dining room and guest bathroom are downstairs. Despite trying, I''m unable to resist rummaging through shit, looking into the closets and what not of Julia''s and her parent''s bedroom. I''m too damn curious to know more about Julia''s life. Except to grab the flashlight she obtained, I avoided her sister''s room, so as to not wake her up. I guess her sister''s name was Teresa based on what she said before. I hope she doesn''t wake up and catch me, that will be embarrassing. Then again, she did want me to help her pack, so I can use that as an excuse. It¡¯s daylight, but the power is off. I try using the flashlight, but it''s not working now. I could have sworn Julia had turned it on when she climbed the attic ladder. Oh well, I set it aside and look around her room. Does she have the typical room of a teenage girl? I''m not exactly familiar with such. She is definitely in high school. A cheerleader, even, has the outfit in her closet, Ball High School Tornadoes. Why did her Observe result say former high school student then? Did she drop out or was it because there was no fucking high school anymore at the moment? Her room has a bed, a dresser, and a desk with a computer, textbooks, and papers on it. The textbooks are geometry and earth science. She still has a few stuffed animals on her bed; others had been relegated to the closet. There are a couple different boy band posters on the wall; there was another poster behind the door. Whoever this male model is, at least he was wearing pants. Signs point to her being heterosexual. She also has some empty soda cans and drinking glasses on her desk. There''s some headphones and an MP3 player; they''re in working order so I throw them in the suitcase. Dresser has typical stuff, socks, underwear, bras, t-shirts. Oh, I did not need to find that. I shut the drawer and leave. Is she still asleep? Good, she is, don''t want her thinking I''m creepy, because I''m probably being creepy right now and I need to stop. I go to her parent''s room. There¡¯s no male clothing in here. All the family photos are still on the walls, but the ones only containing who I assume are her parents, are put away in drawers. Damn, her mother is gorgeous, red hair and green eyes, but lighter skinned than Julia. I hope she looks that good when she''s older. It''s an older picture though, not sure of the year. Must be where she got her red hair from, although it''s a lot more reddish-brown in the family photos. Did she dye it? Her father has straight black-hair, brown eyes and brown skin, so does her sister Teresa. I sit down on the bed to think and go through my unread notifications. Quest: Help Julia reach her house, completed. +100 XP Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 ''Antibiotic Infection Resistance'' status effect has been applied. ''Narcotic Pain Reduction'' status effect has been applied. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Drug & Poison Resistance'' skill. You are suffering from the status effect ''Aqua-phobia'' Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 +1 XP x50 -1 HP x3 -1 SP x12 For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI You have earned a new title ''Vermin Stomper'', would you like to learn about titles now? Y/N Drug & Poison resistance? What? "Skills"
Drug & Poison Resistance (CON) (Passive): Level 1 (0.00%) Drugs are bad mmmkay? So are poisons. This skill enhances your natural ability to resist the effects of various drugs, poisons and toxins from interfering with your body''s natural (or in your case, unnatural) processes. This applies to organic and inorganic compounds that have been consumed or otherwise come into contact with your person. Would you like to accept this skill? Y/N Accepting a skill takes up a skill slot, this cannot be undone.
Uh, negative effects or positive effects or both? I''m a teenager, have I ever done drugs? Don''t know what to choose for this one. If I accept, will it start making the pain meds or antibiotics less effective? Though, not being poisoned would be a good thing. I minimize it without choosing anything for now. "Skills" It shows up underneath ''Create Mana Golem'' in a ''Pending'' tab. Looking at it again, it also says I have seven days to decide before the option becomes unavailable and now has a time counter on it. It also says that the option to take it won''t appear again unless the circumstances repeat themselves. It would be quite useful. It doesn''t seem like a skill one could learn in any ''normal'' way. It''s just a bit too vague and I don''t want to hinder the effects of the drugs I''m taking right now. I look at the rest of the info. Fucking aqua-phobia now, really? "Status Effects"
Aqua-phobia This is a mental condition causing an irrational fear of being near or being immersed in water. Causes penalties to INT, WIS and CHA when active. This is a manifested triggering symptom of the pre-existing ''Post Traumatic Stress'' effect. Currently inactive. Effects partially negated by 20% due to Gamer''s Mind.
Things just keep getting sucky. I did gain another level in Gamer''s Mind. Why? Every single bad mental status effect I currently have says it''s negated 20% by Gamer''s Mind. That skill, at level 5 now, says it reduces stuff by 4% per level. Does this mean at level 25 it will be 100%? Will those status effects go away completely then? Every time I gain a level in this thing it was in response to getting my brain slapped with the suck, PTSD, depression, and now aqua-phobia? That is one hell of a sucktastic way to practice a skill. Gamer''s Body went up when I got knocked out and had my HP drop to zero. That''s really fucking dickish man. Geez I sound crazy, I am personifying my power, of course I am. My power is a god-damned troll. Well it''s not all bad, I can gain levels in those skills automatically just by earning enough XP to gain levels. Just need to get to level 22 and 23 to get 100% in each? Yeah, how long is that going to take? Well fuck you troll. I need to figure out how to cheese-grind those skills without the bullshit of getting brain-screwed or punched with the suck again beforehand. Now for my shitty consolation prize; I gained 50 XP for stomping roaches? A real, ''rats in the basement'' quest right there, but XP is XP. Also lost 3 HP and 12 SP for jumping around like a moron, but at least I gained some agility. That hurt though, even with the pain meds, not sure how worth it that will be to do it again. Guess I can try to time my stamina regen now? Also yes, I want to learn about titles.
Vermin Stomper Well aren''t you a badass? Your middle name is Danger. Actually it''s Clarence, dweeb. Gained after ruthlessly killing 50 ''dangerous'' vermin. Effects: +10% Attack, Dodge, and Damage against Vermin. -10% Damage and Status Effect penalties inflicted by Vermin. Would you like to equip this title now? Y/N Only one title can be equipped at any given time. Say "Titles" to see a list of titles you have earned.
Yeah, sure I will equip this one now. "Titles" I never did take a look at Endbringer Survivor.
Endbringer Survivor You''ve been in the presence of an Endbringer and lived when others haven''t. Gained by surviving an Endbringer encounter. Effects: +40% Dodge against Endbringers. -20% Damage and Status Effect penalties inflicted by Endbringers. +10% Morale effect to self and others in a 20 meter radius from you when facing Endbringers. It still won''t be enough. You should run.
Damn. I toggle my active titles back and forth for a bit. While Endbringer Survivor is way better, it''s pretty improbable that I''ll need it again anytime soon. I''ll leave Vermin Stomper active because encounters with roaches, mosquitoes and whatever else counts as vermin are a lot more likely. I throw an Observe at a roach that escaped our earlier wrath, because why the fuck not?
Name: A Cockroach Level: 0 Gender: ? Class: Vermin Periplaneta Americana, the common North American cockroach. The left middle leg is missing. The right antenna is broken. Motivations: Eat, Sleep, Reproduce
Yeah that was silly, I try stomping it, fast fucker, it takes a couple tries before I squashed it. The Observe window updates to say ''A cockroach corpse, killed by you.'' I dismiss it and go into the bathroom. It isn''t wrecked like some of the other rooms. The frosted window on the outside wall is still intact. It holds towels, toiletries, and the usual stuff. There are some clothes and a bath rug on the floor. The tub has a white floral design shower curtain. I open the medicine cabinet because I am a shameless snoop. It holds some Band-Aids, bandages, some generic first aid items, and pill bottles. The label on one pill bottle says ''Jennifer Mendez''. I don''t know what the medicine is for at first glance, though Observe says it''s for high cholesterol. There''s also a weird shaped circular pill container, Observe says it''s birth control but doesn''t indicate who they belong to. The rest is just over the counter cold and allergy stuff. These and the first aid stuff might be useful, so I throw them in the suitcase. I shut the medicine cabinet door mirror, and look around again. A lacy black bra is lying on the top of the toilet tank. "Observe." Nice¡­ says it belongs to Julia too. Okay focus, jeez, not important right now. I look at myself in the mirror. "Observe."
Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Level: 2 Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Petty Thief Ethnicity: German, Scandinavian, Native American, Hispanic STR: 5 (-0.85) 4.15 AGI: 6 (-1.25) 4.75 CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60 INT: 15 (-3.50) 11.50 PER: 10 (-3.00) 7.00 WIS: 18 (-3.50) 14.50 CHA: 10 (-1.50) 8.50 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 ... Simon is a refugee from the Dec. 19th 2009 Galveston, TX Leviathan attack. He is without family, friends, or a home, having lost them all in the catastrophe. He got powers as a result of the trauma and near death experience, which also inflicted him with an unusual form of amnesia. He is trying to find his place in the world, and some returned sense of normalcy. His left upper arm is fractured. It is set, bandaged and immobilized. His right eyeball is slightly swollen. His right cheek is bruised. His right brow is slightly torn. It is stitched and bandaged... ...He is suffering from Post-traumatic stress, depression, and aqua-phobia as a result of his trauma. He has a pained, sad, yet calculating look about him. Currently feeling: Depressed, Traumatized, Pained, Intrigued, Introspective, and Aroused.
Wow. Everything is laid out, sure it is all info I know from my stat, skills, and status effect screens, but it was all accurate too for the most part. Embarrassingly down to what I''m feeling at the moment. Then it updates in real time, as I get my thoughts under control. It included things I didn''t know about myself, like my ethnicity and middle name, unless the troll is just fucking with me. If this is an example of Observe at maximum info then my opinion of it is in error, if I could get that on others. A notification fires off indicating I''ve learned something new about myself. Ethnicity apparently counts for the quest, but the middle name didn''t? I recall the thing Julia had mentioned to me before, ''You don''t look entirely white'', tit for tat, I guess. I hear a shriek and run out of the bathroom. Julia is sitting upright in her sister''s bed, white as a ghost. "Somebody''s coming." she says softly, and rubs her forehead. "What? How?" I whisper back as I hand the crutches she leaned on the wall to her. We grab our backpacks and move out into the hall. I move toward the stairs, and hear loud sloshing, and see the shadow of a man fall across the steps. "Get down! Hands on your head now!" the guy downstairs shouts up, backpedal into the hallway, next to the doorway to Julia''s room. He''s obscured so I can''t see his overhead tag. Julia screams and someone grabs me from behind and forces me down onto the floor wrenching my broken arm. I can''t see him to view his tag either. "Ahhhh! Fuck my arm is broken!" Some of my HP drops as my face gets pressed into the remains of several of the smashed roaches. Julia darts down the hallway into her parent''s bedroom. Where the fuck did this other guy come from? It wasn''t the one down stairs because I hear him bounding up them right now. "Female ran down the hall to the far room" the guy holding me down says. I can''t see the guy coming up the stairs, my head isn''t turned that way, but he steps over me and follows Julia down the hall. "Don''t you hurt her!" I yell, like I could do something about it, I can see the guy now, he''s wearing some kind of military uniform. I get a glimpse of his overheard tag. "What the hell are you kids doing in this restricted area?" Asks the guy behind me, holding me down and still wrenching my arms. More HP drop. "Can you not see the cast on my arm?" I scream, I feel him patting me down. "Coast Guard, put it down now!" I hear the guy that had dashed after Julia yell. I hear a loud thunk of something hitting the floor. "I asked what the hell you are doing here?" "It''s her house!" "Yeah sure it is, got any ID on you?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "I don''t have any ID" Must not believe me, I feel him pull my wallet out. "Wallet of cash, no ID, and nothing else in it." "I''m only 15; I don''t have a driver''s license." I hear a third guy coming up the stairs. "Lay down on the floor with your hands behind your head." The guy in the other room orders Julia. "What are you doing here?" "I live here! I live here" Julia shouts between sobs. "Is there anybody else in the house?" asks the guy holding me down. "No" "Alright keep your good arm raised and on the back of your head. I''m going to let you up but you will stay on your knees." I comply. "Bathroom clear, west room clear" the third guy says as he steps into the hall, he has a gun drawn and the same kind of uniform as the other guys. He steps over the pile of crap we pulled out of the closet, looks inside, points his weapon at the ceiling, and climbs the ladder. "Attic clear." Third guy has the same tag information as the first. I hear Julia and the man that followed her talking but can''t make out what they''re saying. I whisper ''Observe'' at the guy that came back into the hallway from the closet.
Name: ??? Level: ?? Gender: Male Faction: U.S Coast Guard Service Class: Coast Guard Service Member He is a coast guardsman assigned to search, rescue and security patrol. He has been stationed with his fellows on Galveston island in the wake of the Leviathan attack to rescue survivors, locate the dead, and keep the area secure from looters, thieves and ignorant fuck-ups that wander into dangerous areas. Currently feeling: Agitated, Annoyed, Disgusted.
Observe what?" asks the guy behind me. "Uh.. nothing¡­.Sir" The guy I observed speaks into his radio. "Two suspects found and apprehended, Male and Female, appear to be teenagers. Area is secure." "Hey Cory, got ID, Julia Mendez, say it''s her house, address matches." He hands it over. Cory''s overhead tag and Observe window update with his name. He radios again. "Got a Texas learner''s permit here, female ID is Julia Mendez, DOB: 9/24/1994, ID address matches house address, this one is actually legit for once." The radio crackles back. "Still not supposed to be any civilians in the area. Escort them out and report back. Got a lot of work to do next low tide." Cory holsters his weapon and the ''Agitated'' goes away. "What''s your name kid?" "Simon" "Let''s get you back into the room, on your feet, but keep your good hand on your head. John, you keep an eye on him." I stand up and am led back into Julia''s room. John lets me sit on her bed. "You can put your hand down now. You live here too? You related to her?" "No." "Why are you here then?" "Trying to help a friend get to her house, see if she could find some sign of where her parents are, or if they left a note or something." "Yeah, where are your parents?" "Dead, Aquatic Chupacabra." "What?" "Leviathan." "Sorry" That puts an end to the conversation; I can still hear bits and pieces of Julia and Cory speaking. They are cross checking stories, asking her about me. Eventually I hear them coming down the hall. "Please don''t make us leave though all the water¡­.I can''t" Julia pleads; I can hear the fear in her voice. "This is all I have left of them, they''re gone¡­" Cory''s Observe window, which I had never bothered to close, updates again. Disgusted has been replaced with Pity and Cautious. "You pulled a gun on us, you could have been shot." Cory says to Julia. Whoa, a gun? Where was that? I look at her in shock from the open door across the hall. They''ve seated her on her sister''s bed, but she isn''t paying attention to me. "I didn''t know who it was; somebody tried to assault us once already yesterday" "Hey look at this" says the third guy whom I didn''t overhear the name of yet. Cory leads Julia back out to see what''s being discussed. They come into the room, carrying our backpacks. "These your bags?" I nod in the affirmative. "Care to explain the anti-shoplifting tags on some of the garments?" They are the magnet ones that I hadn''t been able to remove yet. "That''s my fault sir. I lost everything; I didn''t even have the clothes on my back because they were so cut up, bloodied and filthy. Tried to get some from the supply drops, but first one ran out. Hiked across the island to another drop only to find it was taken over by supervillains. What would you have done?" Cory sighs. "Fucking capes" he mumbles. "If these had been filled with jewelry or electronics, we''d be having a different conversation." "Please sir, we came here just so she could try to get some pieces of her life back and see if there might have been some communication left behind. We were at the temporary shelter camp this morning. We''ll go back to it, I promise." He looks toward John, "How long until the tides get low enough to minimize wading?" "Maybe a bit over an hour." "Alright, escorting them while it is more receded will be easier anyway." A new unread notification appears, but I can''t check on it. Cory speaks to both of us. "You''ve got that long to pack your things, and then you will be escorted away from the area. How the hell did you even get this far anyway?" "Water wasn''t this high when we walked here, we didn''t know the area sank below the tide level." I say. "In situations like these, you''re supposed to contact the authorities and get escorted to your place of residence." "Would you have let us?" Julia asked. Cory sighs again. "No, the underlying sand is too unstable. We''ve had a couple buildings collapse already in the last 24 hours as it resettles." ****? I help Julia pack over the next hour, until we have two full suitcases. It''s not all clothes; she had put photos, jewelry and other personal items within as well. "I can''t take my computer; it has a lot of photos and data on it." "Two suitcases only." Cory responds. "You can remove the hard-drive, stick it in a suitcase. You can get a new computer later." I add. "How?" Julia asks. I instruct her how to do it; I can''t take it apart with one arm. The three coast guardsmen never help. They just stand around watching us or the perimeter, making casual conversation. "Hey, can I borrow your textbooks?" I ask Julia. She looks at me oddly for a moment and shrugs. "You''re weird. I don''t care; I don''t give a crap about those." I take that as a yes and stuff them into my backpack. "Not much else to read, something to keep my mind occupied. If you have room for other books, at least consider that idea for yourself." Julia looks at me a moment again then sorts through a pile of stuff on the floor, picks up a small paperback and throws it into an open suitcase. ''Nightfall'' I don''t recognize the title, it''s in a gothic font above a picture of some emo-looking high school kids on the cover art. "It''s time to go" The nameless of the coast guard trio says. We zip up the suitcases, I put on my backpack, Julia pulls a jacket and rain boots out and puts them and her backpack on, and we head into the hallway. Julia stops and looks Cory right in the eyes. "That''s my fathers. It''s about the only thing of his I have left right now, are you going to give it back?" "I''m going to hold on to it for now, and decide later." "My great grandfather was an Aztec Eagle in world war 2. It was his service pistol, it''s a family heirloom." Cory doesn''t budge from the showdown. "It''s time to go," he says, and we go down the stairs. Julia''s face is still tear-stained, but hard set. I am pretty sure she''s run dry. I can still sense her apprehension at stepping into the seawater, even though it''s less than a foot high now. I feel just as much tension, my heart races and I pause to calm down. I''m struggling with the weight of carrying one suitcase. Coast Guardsman John carries the other while Julia is using her crutches. "Everybody''s got rubber boots but me. Are there some plastic bags and tape or something I can use?" "Kitchen pantry and drawer in the kitchen island." Julia says. The nameless one sloshes over and starts looking. "I don''t suppose there''s any dry, usable food in there? We haven''t eaten." John retrieves the tape, bags, and some nuts and dry foods that were in sealed containers. I sit on the dry steps and assemble my makeshift water proofing. We stuff the food items into our pockets and backpacks. We stay silent as they escort us out. We stop and rest a lot. The trip back is mentally and physically agonizing. Gee thanks aqua-phobia. I point out the bodies we passed on our way in, they radio it in. My SP keeps slowly dropping as I struggle with the heavy suitcase. Its weight is all the worse combined with my backpack and I can''t swap arms, or set it down to rest in the seawater. I''m forced to stop again as my SP hits 0 and I get more notifications, probably more status effects. We''re forced to continue on anyway. We pass a road that just ends into the open sea. Beyond it, the tops of buildings and houses can be seen above the water, getting battered by waves. This area has sunk well below the tide lines. Another notification pops up as we finally get beyond the restricted area markers. The suitcase feels a bit lighter. "Alright, y''all know how to get back from here?" Cory asks us. "Yes" I say. "And you will go straight back to Shelter Camp Bravo?" "Of course, but Bravo? Are there other camps?" Julia asked "There are three, Alpha, Bravo and Charlie" Another notification and a ding sounds. I need to turn off the damn interface sound effects. I recognize it though, as a quest announcement. Cory pulls a gun out and my heart nearly bursts out of my chest, even Julia lets out a muffled shriek. The notifications bump up again. Cory pulls the magazine out of the gun and stuffs it in his pocket, then hands the gun to Julia. It finally dawns on me that this one is hers, or her fathers, and I relax again. "I can''t give you ammo. I shouldn''t be giving it back to you at all. I have a daughter your age though; I wouldn''t want her to be defenseless in a situation like this either." Julia takes it and puts it in the inside pocket of her jacket. The three turn and leave, heading back into the restricted area. I hear their radio crackle as they give an update on the situation. "Did you even know how to use a gun?" "Yes and no. Do you?" "Um no, but what''s that mean?" "My dad took me to a range a couple times, but he rented stuff for me. I''ve never fired this one. ''Ball in the bucket'' and use both hands is about all I can remember." "I guess we go back now?" "No." "What, no?" "My dad''s place of work is not far from here. I''m going to go there, but you can go back if you want." "No, I''ll go, if you''ll still want me tagging along that is. But can we stop to rest and eat? I don''t know how I am going to carry two suitcases." Julia tosses one of her crutches on the ground and picks up the suitcase that John left on the dry ground. "I think I can manage with just one crutch now." "I see an arts and craft store up ahead. We can sit and eat there." "Why there?" "Um, so I can look for some stuff too..." I say a bit under my breath. "You mean you want to loot again?" "Well I don''t want to." Turning her own phrase on her from yesterday. "Fine" she says as we start heading over. "And uh, thanks for going with me to my house. Sorry I yelled at you in there." "It''s understandable, thanks for putting up with me." ****? We break into the craft store by smashing a window with Julia''s crutch. No one has hit this place yet, probably because no one thought paints, knick-knacks, fake floral arrangements, and decorations are worth looting. We eat the food from Julia''s house. It isn''t ideal, but it gave me back as much HP as I had lost wildly stopping roaches and getting my arm wrenched by the coast guard. Julia stands watch while I do my thing. I take advantage of the opportunity to review my unread notifications. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Speech'' skill. Quest: Talk your way out of trouble with the Coast Guard Quest Completed: You have gained 50 XP for talking your way out of trouble with the Coast Guard For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR +10 HP Your SP has reached 0. You have gained the ''Exhausted'' status effect. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 +1 HP You have unlocked the ''Rest Anywhere'' feature The Rest Menu has been unlocked on your Interface Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Enhanced Calm'' feature Quest: Visit Camp Alpha and Charlie to look for information, supplies, or anyone who might know you. Okay, so what happened here? I got a quest I finished without realizing it by persuading the Coast Guard Cops to let us pack and be on our way? I trudged that heavy ass suitcase at least a mile over flooded ground, to the point of exhaustion. Although I got beat up a bit, was the repeated SP loss what got me enough gains in Gamer''s Body? That might be the trick I have to use. SP regens a lot faster. Gamer''s Mind came right there at the end, after the aqua-phobia fuckery during that entire trek, and then getting scared shitless for thinking Cory was gonna shoot us when he pulled Julia''s gun out? I''ll worry about that quest later. For now, "Skills"
Speech (CHA) Level 1 (0.00%) This represents the art of using words and speech to convince someone to do something or to come to your way of thinking. +1% relationship gains per level when used in the correct context. +1% Morale boost per level to nearby allies who hear your words. +0.5% chance per level to temporarily shift someone''s attitude toward you in a positive direction, if given the time and opportunity to speak to them.
That looks pretty damn useful, I accept the skill. Now back to what I''m here for. I find the modeling clay I¡¯m looking for, along with some off brand play-doh, drawing pads, and colored pencils. There is an office supply section as well, so I grabbed some paper clips, and try my hand at picking the register drawers like the face punching fucker did. It works, but only nets me an extra $64 in small bills. I could have gotten more with smaller coinage but it would just weigh me down. It looks like the drawers have been cleared of larger bills. Maybe they had closed for the day before the sirens had gone off? My ''Disable Device'' attempt on the manager''s office door fails repeatedly. However, the door and door knob are cheap, and I had a screwdriver, pliers, debris to serve as a hammer, and no one around to watch me wreck this shit up. There isn''t much in there, a desk, a computer, a stereo, and jackpot, a safe. Fuck, Observe on the safe says I have no chance. I don''t want to drag a computer around, but I smash the stereo to get a speaker magnet. I use it to get the magnetic security tags off my looted clothes, and gain a level in Disable Device for my effort. "Are you done yet?" "Eeep!" I scream as Julia startles me. "Um yeah, let''s go." ****? We leave the store and reach Julia''s dad''s place of work without incident, but it¡¯s getting late in the evening. I''m able to carry the suitcase now without my SP falling and it slowly begins to rise. Any attempt to go faster than a walk, lowers my SP or threatens to jostle my arm. The Exhausted status effect went away after I got SP into the positive range. When we get to the site, it doesn''t look hopeful. The building collapsed and there are active workers on site. They''re not rescue workers, they''re doing body recovery. We get directed to someone who can tell us what was going on. Julia talks to some foreman, and someone who works at the place. I can''t make out their conversation, but I don''t need to after she breaks down crying, near fainting to the ground. I can''t do much more than wait. Eventually, someone gives us a ride back to Shelter camp Bravo. Julia is in the passenger seat of a truck, and I rode in the pick-up bed. The bumpy ride hurts my arm a lot but I don''t lose any HP from it. We ''checked'' back into the shelter. Fuckers had the gall to chastise us for being out past curfew times. Julia is catatonic. I don''t take any of their crap this time, and escort her to her cot in the women''s section, and go back to mine. I''m tired, I have a status effect that says I have a fatigue penalty; the bar is at 0 and has been since getting in the pickup. I force myself to stay awake at least until midnight playing with play-doh and manage to get the Crafting (Stone & Pottery) skill and accept it. Finally, I blow all my mana observing everyone around me, and manage to gain a level in that too. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 What was that other stuff I saw about ''Rest Anywhere'' and ''Rest Menu''? A quick scroll through my interface and I find it. Typical RPG Rest Menu that lets me choose to rest from 1 to 5 hours. Wait, why only 5? Why is that the max? I still have to be ''tired'' enough to sleep, and according to more tooltips, ''safe'' as well how does it define safe? I can also say "Sleep" to activate it. I set it to the 5 hour max and click the Rest button. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Petty Thief Money: $305.00 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 2 (98.75%) XP: 395 Primary Attributes STR: 6 (-0.85) 5.15 AGI: 5 (-1.25) 3.75 CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60 INT: 15 (-3.30) 11.70 PER: 9 (-3.00) 6.00 WIS: 18 (-3.30) 14.70 CHA: 10 (-1.40) 8.60 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 66/154 Stamina Pool: 143/143 Mana Pool: 0/300 Stress Pool: 55/330 Attack: 5.75 Speed: 2.66 Dodge: 6.68 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 51.50 Allure: 2.00 Skills Max Slots: 27 Free Skill Slots: 8 Artistry: 3 (98.54%) Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 2 (97.56%) Disease Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Empathy: 2 (13.75%) Gamer''s Body: 5 (7.45%) Gamer''s Interface: 5 (48.85%) Gamer''s Mind: 6 (12.86%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 3 (4.64%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 1 (56.45%) Speech: 1 (0.00%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (23.37%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.7 Tutorial 1.7 Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 I wake at 5 am, exactly five hours later to the minute. I wrote down all my bar values prior to sleeping and write them down again. Now I just need to calculate out how all this works and figure out how to maximize using this ability. Sleep always restores the fatigue meter to maximum, and multiplies my HP and MP (and maybe SP?) regen rate by about 5. I''ll need to rest with a non-maxed out SP to test it. I gained 6 HP and 212 MP while sleeping. SP regen is already high, about one point per 2 minutes, 20 seconds while awake. Hunger and thirst bars only go up by eating and drinking, and lower steadily over time. Write the time and current values down now; check them later to find the rate of decline. Thirst declines faster than hunger does. I don''t know what happens when they hit zero. They weren''t at zero when I got the hungry and thirsty status effects, but those had little effect besides minor discomfort. There are some games where hitting zero in those means you die, others where hitting zero means you get hit with a nastier penalty and a timer of some kind before it kills your character. I think it''s the latter because the rate of decline I''ve seen so far means zero would be reached before a normal person would die of thirst or starve. My power won''t make me worse than a normal human, right? Most games I''ve played don''t even have the damn things. When fatigue hit zero last night, I got an undesirable status effect with a timer on it. I don''t feel like learning what happens when that hits zero yet. Theoretically though, if the penalties aren''t too bad, I could skip sleep for a while if needed. I want to take a shower but I''m not going to risk leaving stuff unattended unless Julia can watch it for me. The shower line might make me miss the line for food. Food''s more important. I might as well get in line for breakfast now. I read the geometry book while waiting. Will it qualify as ''studying important information''? I¡¯m not sure what schooling level I''m at. Will this seem like stuff I knew already or it was learning new? People give me some weird looks, but no one says anything. Will flipping through the book act like in a game? No, damn. Books in games I''ve played work one of two ways. Instantly gain skill points related to the skill book you ''used'', or instantly have X time in game pass for reading the book, then gain skills, open new quests, update existing quests or make new dialog nodes available later. In most games it works as the former. The latter usually only applies when doing clue or research hunting on a quest line. Maybe it''s a good thing that nothing happened? If it did something weird, I don''t want to out myself. I fetch breakfast for both of us again, same as yesterday, and gain +8 HP. The Play-doh helps me grind crafting while waiting for Julia to get up. Damn, it doesn''t grind Artistry at the same time. A quest notification fires off.
Exercise your Mind Finish reading and complete all the problems in Julia''s Geometry book. Time Limit: Before School starts Success: +300 XP, Mathematics skill, Geometry Specialty, better math placement Failure: Stuck re-learning what you already know.
Huh, that''s different. Erm, before school starts? I''m in a fucking disaster zone, I don''t give a shit about school. Still, XP is XP, I''ll do it. Actually, it seems reading the geometry book also makes some small gains in Basic Academics, really small, I''m only half a chapter in. Basic Academics seems like a useless loss of a skill slot. Grinding Crafting (Stone & Pottery) is more effective. Does this mean there are other crafting skills? Why tie Stone and Pottery together? Why should crafting be more specific while Artistry seems more general? I really need to figure out a way to multi-task and grind several things at once; maybe after I get out of this dump. I could weight train or use a treadmill while listening to audiobooks or something. My injuries and the environment make everything difficult. I finally get my second level in Crafting (Stone & Pottery), it''s still rising but the rate of gain has suddenly dropped. Damn, that''s a sign of progressive difficulty in skill XP advancement. It''s been several hours now, why hasn''t Julia hasn''t come out yet? I pack my stuff and head over there, her food in hand. "Women''s section, no boys inside, who do you need?" The watch lady asks me. Time to put my speech skill to use. "Bringing food to Julia Mendez, her leg is injured, she can''t stand in line to get it herself." "I can bring it to her." "While I appreciate the offer, we''ve had food stolen from us, so I''d rather give it to her myself." Plus I want to use Observe on her to make sure she is okay. "I can''t just let you wander in." "Perhaps you can escort me? I''ve seen husbands, fathers and kids go in, so I know it happens." "Wait here" Eventually she comes back and leads me inside. Julia is sleeping. "Observe" All the basic information and descriptions were the same as the other day, but¡­
...Suffering from Severe Depression, PTSD, Extremely Stressed... Currently Feeling: Severely Depressed, Traumatized, Lethargic, Pained, Suicidal Conditions: Sleeping
What are those status effect descriptors? No¡­ no Julia, even if my damn relationship sheet doesn''t say so yet, you''re like the only friend and person I know in the world right now. I put the food down on her bed. I want to wake her but don''t make the move to do so. She has a gun, that concerns me, not for my safety, but hers, considering what I just read; except, she doesn''t have ammo for it. I don''t want to reveal she has it either, that would probably be bad. I have to do something about this but I don''t know what. A quest alert pops off but I ignore it. "Alright, it''s time to leave." The watch lady insists. I return to my cot and look at the nagging quest notification.
Help Julia recover from her trauma Help a companion to recover from the mental trauma and stress inflicted on them recently, by any means necessary. Success: +250 XP, Skill gains, increased relationship with Julia Mendez. Failure: Decreased relationship with Julia Mendez, possible loss of companion.
Fuck, possible loss of companion? What the hell is that going to mean exactly you fucking troll? Oh and this one from yesterday.
Visit Camp Alpha and Charlie Visit the other shelter camps before you leave the island to look for information, supplies, or anyone who might know you. Success: +50 XP per camp. Failure: None
I accept both. I need to figure out the most surefire way of getting her the help she needs. Ask one of the trauma counselors to go see her? Line was long the other day. See one myself to ask or learn what to do? I need a professional, not my meager knowledge. My thoughts are interrupted by more notification messages going off. My medicine is wearing off and I get another level in Disease Resistance. I dismiss them, and take my pills. It''s near lunchtime, assuming there is some; I go check the line and get in. How am I going to get her help, what exactly can I do? First off, getting off the island and out of this bad situation would be best. I''m not sure what is going with that though. "What are they handing out today?" I ask. "MREs again" someone answers. I throw several Observes at them to find the best ones, get two, and stuff them into my backpack. Well, time to ask support workers about evacuations and getting to Houston again. "¡­There aren''t enough permanent FEMA shelters set up yet in Houston to handle the load for people that have no place to stay. The bridge is still out, so the only way off is by ship or helicopter. Helicopters are dedicated to evacuating priority cases of the sick and injured. Priority for ferry passengers is non-urgent but non-ambulatory injured, young children and their parents and family and the elderly. There are 23 to 24 thousand survivors on the island; all of them need to be evacuated. You are non-critical ambulatory and above the age of 12. It''s going to take some time before we get to your group. Next in line please." Well, fuck. There is a waiting list. How long does it take to move that many people? Assuming we''re all together and ready, which clearly we''re not. Don''t really know. Fuck is I can''t do it that way, how can we get bumped up in priority or otherwise jump the line? Special privileges, favors, bribes? Bribes probably won''t work. I know! Someone with the power to make it happen and has a reason to do it for you. I got the quest DING as I started to head over there. Oh right, set Interface volume to zero., that''s fucking annoying.
Convince the PRT you are a Parahuman If you can convince the PRT that you are a Parahuman, they''ll probably ask you to join the wards. In exchange you can likely make several reasonable requests, like a place to live, income, food, help for your companion, and getting off the damn island. Time Limit: 6 hours Success: +1000 XP, Becoming a hero, Money, supplies, shelter, training, ??? Failure: Decreased relationship with PRT, ???, ??? Do you wish to accept? Y/N
Yes, I accept. I walk up to the PRT officer I saw the other day. His overhead tag is still the same as before. "You again, kid? I had enough trouble with that crowd you caused yesterday." "Um, yeah, I observe-d something and wanted to submit notifications." ??? Jones has gone from Stranger to Annoyance
Name: ??? Jones Level: ?? Gender: Male Class: PRT Officer Faction: PRT Summary Description: Agent Marks is a member of the Parahuman Response Team (PRT). He is currently assigned to guard duty at the PRT Medical and Support tent, to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the premises and bothering the Heroes and staff. He dislikes this duty but is vigilant in doing it anyway. Currently Feeling: Annoyed, Vigilant
"You mean you wanted to notify someone?" "Um, crap, yeah." He''s annoyed at me, great, not a good first sign. "Well what is it then?" "What?" Damn was still reading my pop-up. "Jesus kid, I don''t have time for this. What¡­do¡­you¡­want¡­to¡­notify¡­someone¡­about?" He spoke each word of his last question slowly and deliberately, as if he was talking to a simpleton. Asshole. "I um¡­" I gulped nervously. "I think I need a mask?" "What?" "I¡­think¡­I¡­need¡­a¡­mask." "You''re shitting me." "Nope" Officer Jones pulls his radio up and sighs audibly before he speaks into it. "Code 64 at the east side entrance." The radio crackles back. "Another one? Are you kidding me? How many is that today?" "Wish I was" Marks replies. "Someone is en-route." The voice on the radio replies back. Marks looked at me again. "Wait here" "Like right here, here? Not inside or somewhere that''s out of the cold wind?" "Yes, here, here." I wait, eventually, a couple of people come out. More PRT officers, the overhead tags aren''t too useful. I almost use Observe on them but my mana is low. Myself and my bags get searched. Glad I got rid of those magnetic security tags. Jones takes my screwdriver and pliers and holds on to them. He gives me a weird look after inspecting the Play-doh before putting it back. An officer takes over for Jones on guard, while he and the other guy escort me to a small empty tent. I catch a glimpse of his name tag. Henderson gives me a domino mask. Looking at it, they''re kinda crappy for actually disguising anyone, unless it''s some weird tinker-tech material. Feels like plain cloth though. "Pink? Really?" "It was what was handy. Put it on and wait here." Henderson says, pointing to a chair. I sit down and he leaves, closing the flap. I can still hear them chatting outside, but can''t make out what they''re saying. There''s a makeshift desk with a computer, two monitors and a webcam on the other side of the tent, opposite the chair I''m sitting in. I wait, then I wait some more. This is boring, might as well grind so I start doodling. By the time I hear someone new talking to Jones and Henderson, I get my Artistry past level 4. An African American woman walks in, holding a coffee and a clipboard with papers, and sits behind the desk. She looks to be in her mid-thirties. "You''re a counselor." "Yes, I am serving in that capacity. I''m also Dr. Renner''s assistant. He will be joining us on the webcam after I get some preliminary questions out of the way. The tag updated itself: "How did you know?" "Well I guess that''s part of the reason I''m here, I see things, information about people, like a sign over your head, that said Counselor, and that just updated itself to say Assistant when you told me." "Oh, okay, related to your power I assume, we will get to that shortly. I have a few other questions first. These might be a bit difficult to answer, but it will help get things started. Do you know what a trigger event is?" "No" "Let me start with a basic summation then¡­" She speaks for a fair bit, starting off with an explanation about trigger events. Then she went on to briefly summarize types of powers, and the purpose of the PRT. It''s confirming some of what I already know but includes a fair number of things I hadn''t considered. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Parahuman Lore'' skill. "Skills" I whisper, although I don''t know why I bother to, I already decided to tell them what I could do.
Parahuman Lore (INT, WIS) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) This skill provides a basic understanding of the world of parahumans, events related to them, and who the major public cape figures are at the world, national, and local level. Do you wish to accept this skill? Y/N
"What was that?" she asks. I click yes. "I was checking more information, I have these window things that appear and tell me about stuff. The stuff you just told me gave me a Parahuman Lore skill." She starts jotting some stuff down on her clipboard. "More power related things I assume?" I nod and she continues. "So do you feel you may have had a trigger event recently? I understand that would be difficult to speak about. I''m not asking you to describe the experience at this time, only to confirm if and when it occurred. Though you can provide details if you wish to." "Yeah, the 19th when... I call him the Aquatic Chupacabra because¡­ it helps. He was 50 yards away from me. I fell in that sinkhole. I passed out, and when I woke up Lifeline was pulling me out." "I see, what other details are you comfortable with sharing?" Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! We talk more and she takes notes. She''s gently easing me into more difficult questions, and teasing out information about my psychological state, which isn''t good, and we haven''t even touched on powers yet. She''s skilled. Every question is ''gentle'' and ''non-confrontational''. Somehow, my psychology skill is letting me know this approach is practiced and intentional. I''ve been getting notifications, but stopped caring about hiding my pokes to the air and saying ''skills'' and ''notifications'' and what not. I need to convince them so I tell her almost everything, the amnesia, my dead friends and parents that I can''t really remember, about being homeless and hungry. She just nods and listens attentively. I gain a good +12 Stress points just from getting it all off my chest. I don''t mention Julia. I want to save that till after I''ve convinced them. I don''t mention the looting either, but I rat out the villains. "You mentioned amnesia. Have you noticed any unusual tattoos?" she asks. "I haven''t noticed any. Although the showers at the camps, they''re not comfortable, or give quite an adequate feeling of privacy to make me want to thoroughly check. Uh, if that makes sense." "It makes sense. Do you know about Case-53''s?" she asked. I shake my head no, and then she goes into another brief explanation. Apparently they''re all found with amnesia, some tattoos and very frequently don''t look entirely human. She concludes the lack of a tattoo and my decidedly human appearance rules out that possibility. The counselor, heck I haven''t even gotten her name, nor had she asked mine, takes a sip of coffee. The bottom of the shiny porcelain mug has ''Heath'' written on it. Her tag updates, . There''s a reflection of faint blue screens, the monitors were on. In fact now that I pay attention to it, despite the fact that she hasn''t used the keyboard or mouse at all while we talked, and only wrote notes by hand, the computer has been humming away quietly the whole time. Now I also realize she''s been glancing at the screens a lot. "Alright let''s talk a bit about your power." Ms. Heath said. I look at the computer, the webcam and Ms. Heath. "Observe, Observe, Observe" "I am watching." "Oh no, that''s me getting information." "Thinker type of powers then?" "Something like that." The computer tells me nothing useful, the brand of the manufacturer, which was also visible on the side of the case. The webcam is on, and also gives me useless details about who made it.
Name: ??? Heath Level: ? Gender: Female Age: 30-39 Ethnicity: African American, ??? Class: Counselor/Assistant Faction: Protectorate Summary Description: Ms. Heath is a counselor who works for the PRT to help heroes deal with the stresses of their job, council newly triggered capes, and help them balance the difficulties of a cape and civilian life. She regularly volunteers to assist in trauma counseling for Endbringer attack survivors and refugees. The time and travel this requires makes her married to her job, and because of such she is recently divorced. She is also working as an assistant to Dr. Renner to perform power testing, interviewing and research into Parahuman abilities. Currently Feeling: Calm, Curious.
I take a deep breath. "Alright, your last name is Heath. You have a level between 6 and 9, I think, because I only see a question mark there. You''re female, but that''s obvious. You''re in your thirties. Your ethnicity is African-American, and something else, but I don''t know what. You''re a counselor slash assistant who is affiliated with the Protectorate. You''re a counselor that helps heroes deal with the stresses of their job, counsel newly triggered capes, and help them balance the difficulties of a cape and civilian life. You regularly volunteer to assist in trauma counseling for Endbringer attack survivors and refugees. The time and travel this requires makes you married to your job, and because of such are recently divorced. You''re also working as an assistant to Dr. Renner to perform power testing, interviewing and research into Parahuman abilities. You are currently feeling calm and curious, oh and now you are also feeling intrigued." The Observe window updates itself with that after I lay out my spiel. My skills screen shows I bumped my speech skill percentage up a bit too, so I hope that''s a good sign. "That was a very astute assessment." "Oh and the webcam has been on for a while actively recording. You''re paying attention to your computer screens a lot even though you''re not using the keyboard or mouse, occasionally reading something there." I don''t actually know if it¡¯s actively recording, just that it was on, but it seems a logical thing to conclude. Although shouldn''t they have informed me first? "I think I will interject now, Jordan." A deep male voice speaks from the computer. Jordan''s tag updates with the rest of her name. She does something with the keyboard this time, then stands up and turns one of the monitors around. An elderly, bearded black man looks back at me from it. "This is Dr. Renner, and yes he has been listening in and watching so far." Jordan said. "I hope you don''t mind. I would have been there in person, had I been on site, but clearly that is not the case. Normally we would do these kinds of things at the Houston Protectorate headquarters, but¡­" "Yes, bridge is out, people are stuck on the island until things get settled. However, I wouldn''t mind going there at all, if I could bring¡­" "We just want to get a few things verified and demonstrated first. It''s just a precaution; we''ve had a number of people making false claims to try and get special treatment, but only one that was verified." "Sparky?" "We''re not at liberty to discuss¡­" Jordan had started. Man, fuck that asshole, he still has an enemy status on my relationship sheet. "Oh it must have been Sparky. I heard Rappel mention he got him away from the PRT yesterday morning. You know I saw him getting pulled out of the sinkhole at the same time as me? That guy hates me for some reason. You know he nearly electrocuted me and my friend in the water there?" "Um, that''s. Thank you for that information, is that what he is calling himself?" Dr. Renner asks. "Yeah, definitely, must be his cape name." No. actually he said his name wasn''t sparky, and Rappel said it was temporary, but fuck them. "I''ll make a note of it. But we should focus back on you and what you can do. Now I''ve heard what you have mentioned so far, it seems to be along the lines of thinker abilities, correct?" "Yeah, though I have skills too, but they seem kinda low level except for¡­well" "Skills still fall under a thinker classification. You''ve kept mentioning levels, and stats, and several other key words like ''observe'', ''notifications'', and ''skills''. How do you define levels exactly?" Dr. Renner asks. "Well it''s a progress indicator. I am not sure what that means when I see it on other people. I''ve only seen numbers on kids. I guess it means accumulated experience or maybe even a threat assessment, but I''m not entirely sure." "Can you see a level on me? Or make your observation ability on me?" "Well I can''t see an overhead tag over you, but let me try. Observe"
A live video conference with Dr. Renner This conference is being conducted, via webcam and satellite hookup and displayed on a widescreen LG 24" LCD monitor. The topic of discussion is whether or not you have any Parahuman abilities.
"Any luck?" "Umm, no. I don''t think that worked. All I got was info about the video conference we are having over the webcam and monitor. There''s nothing about you directly. I don''t think it works over tele-presence." "Alright let''s clear up a few other matters before moving on to basic local testing. Given the state of your injuries, I''m inclined to rule out any Brute abilities. Do you concur with that?" "Well I don''t know, probably yes for now." "For now?" "Well I''ve gained some strength and agility and constitution, and corresponding HP and stamina, but I don''t know what those values are relative to other people. Power even says I gained some disease resistance but it''s pretty low." "HP, I am not familiar with that term." "Hit Points" "Still don''t know what you mean by that." "Ah¡­that''s ¡­damn how do I put this." "Well most powers follow a kind of theme. What best sums up the theme of yours?" "Yeah, I''m going to sound crazy, but it''s like video games, more precisely an RPG or a rogue-like. That''s the theme. Everything is kinda quantified into stats and numbers for me, and presented to me in game windows." "What, like arcades? I''m aware of video games, but what are RPGs and rogue-likes? I''ve never played any video games, except electronic pinball or foosball in college a few times. That and penny slots a few times while the wife and I were on vacation." "Those aren''t even¡­ You don''t¡­. oh man, how old are you?" "I''m sixty three. Jordan, do you have any familiarity?" "I''ve played lots of games on my phone. Matching games, virtual coin dozer, puzzles and object finders. No console stuff like my little brother got into. There have been a number of psychology studies examining the relationship of video game playing on behavior and addiction. The studies have been varied and sometimes controversial." Ms. Heath replies. "Alright, let''s just move on to some basic thinker tests that can be done on the computer. Jordan, can you set up a basic thinker suite? This will take a few hours to complete, so I''ll get some lunch and check in later." "I don''t suppose I can get something to eat too?" "I''ll send for some food." Jordan says. She gets up and walks over to the tent entrance to speak to the guards outside. She returns and does a number of things with the computer before the food arrives. I eat, get +5 HP, and then she puts me through the paces. Hours go by as I do numerous thinker tests. They''re a mixture of puzzles, memory testing, and what seems like blind number guessing. They have me read an eye chart, and listen to some headphones to test my sight and hearing and so on. She asks to examine all my doodles, takes photos of them and quizzes me on what I think are tinker ideas. Despite all this I have no idea if I''m succeeding or failing at whatever these tests are checking. I try using Observe several times; even on the hidden cards she''s holding. Apparently my power is being a troll and doesn''t reveal shit to me, at least nothing that was irrefutable proof, and then I''m out of mana. Now, I''m sitting here in the chair again, doodling, waiting for Dr. Renner and Ms. Heath to go over my results. This is annoying. I''ve spent more time on the tests than I have actually talking about my powers. The unread notification counter bumps up again. "Notifications" I scroll through the ones I''ve ignored during all this. Your Artistry skill has increased by 1 Your Psychology skill has increased by 1 Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 Due to continuous study and problem solving your INT has increased by 1 -10 Faction points with PRT Even the timestamp on the INT gain is right before I completed all those tests, so it didn''t even help while taking them. -10 faction points with the PRT? "Fuck." Ms. Heath walks in right at that moment. "Pardon?" "You don''t believe me, do you?" "We believe that you think you have such abilities. That much is plainly obvious. You have been through an unbelievable amount of trauma recently. But you failed on every single Parahuman test we had, showing only normal human abilities. You have displayed above average observational skills and attention to detail, but it is not beyond what a normal human can achieve." "What about getting your last name right or the divorced status? Those were correct weren''t they?" Oh fuck me if my power actually lied to me on any of those observes." "As I said, you are a keen observer. Dr. Renner pointed out that I put my name on the bottom of my coffee mug when we spoke over the web-cam. When I had picked it up to take a drink, that was when you saw it as well wasn''t it?" "Yeah, but it still just filled in the missing fields, I just need higher levels in it. But what of me knowing your divorce status? How do you explain that?" She frowns a bit at that, and then points to a pale but obvious indentation mark on the ring finger of her left hand where her wedding ring was no longer located. "Once we noticed, we had overlooked the writing on the bottom of my coffee mug; we considered what else might have been ascertained from mundane observation. It is a clever observation, but mundane none-the-less. Please understand though, that it doesn''t disprove your claims either. But at this time, there is insufficient evidence." "But were the reasons accurate?" "No actually, they were not." "Wait." Why have I not tried this before! How can I have been so stupid to have let this slip my mind? My god I want to kick myself, it''s a staple of every single RPG and rogue-like. "INVENTORY!" I shout the word. My heart races with excitement. I see a ping as my unread notifications bump up immediately in response to my shout. I tap the air to read it. Your Gamer''s Interface skill is not high enough yet to access Inventory features God damn it. "Based on your prior answers, we have some concerns for your mental well-being. You''ve been through a terrible traumatic experience. This is very common after Endbringer attacks. This coupled with your verbal and somatic ticks, due-diligence must rule out other possibilities. You''re welcome to come in for further testing in Houston. In the meantime, I advise you to seek help from some of the other local counselors on-site." Dr. Renner says through the screen. "You think I''ve had a psychotic break." "I wouldn''t put it in those terms. But this reminds me of an old movie called Mazes and Monsters. In it some young man gets so caught up in a fantasy game he was playing that he loses himself in it, he even forgets who he is. Your amnesia, you said yourself the doctors on site could not find a physical cause, yet you remember these video games and characters. Sometimes the mind transfers itself onto concepts that have been very strong or pervasive in their lives when the hardness of reality is too much to bear. These video games seem to have been a pervasive escape for you, but¡­" "¡­but the bottom line is I have no concrete, irrefutable proof do I? Even though powers are undeniably real, and people have them. The fact that they are real makes a whole lot of crazy people think they have them, when they in fact don''t." "I would be happy to test you further at the PRT headquarters in Houston. Many things are possible; perhaps there is something that we can find. The situation and the facilities that you are in right now, are far from ideal, and very, very, limited. Even if we find nothing, I have many colleagues that I can recommend to help you cope with any issues you have." Quest: Convince the PRT you are a Parahuman has failed. Has it been six hours already? Fuck me. So what does that tell me about the situation? I also realize that I am being unexpectedly calm and detached from this pretty serious set-back to my goals. Why? Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Oh that''s why. I guess it''s not all bad; I got a new skill, some skill bumps and a point of INT out of it for all the thinker tests. "Okay so I have issues. I also have a friend with issues that I am very worried about. You want me to go get help? She needs some too. We can''t exactly do that while we are stuck on this island. The evacuation waiting list is too long. I''m worried¡­ that she won''t make it." "Alright, I can''t make any promises, but I will see what I can do." Jordan says. "Are you willing to give your and your friends names?" I pull the pink mask off. "I''m Simon Anderson, my Friend is Julia Mendez. We¡­don''t have any ¡­living guardians. We''re in Shelter building D¡­" Your Speech skill has increased by 1 ****? Back at the shelter, I go to see Julia again. More speech skill, I show my escort I''m bringing food. She''s awake this time and has eaten the breakfast I had left her. "Observe." The ''Suicidal'' under currently feeling is now replaced with ''Reckless Apathy''. Is that better or worse? "Hey" she looks up but doesn''t respond. "Here." I give her one of the MREs, and we step out to eat together, +8 HP. "You want to take turns watching each other''s stuff so we can use the showers?" She nods and I go wait in line. Hmm, I should use up this ''Shower In a Can'' thing Lifeline gave me because it''s about to expire. It''s ¡­ pretty damn effective, got my clothes clean and smelling nice too. I get back and Julia speaks up for the first time to me today. "Ms. Heath spoke to me while you were in the showers. We talked briefly and are supposed to again tomorrow afternoon." She leans over and whispers. "Her card said she is a PRT/Parahuman counselor though, what gives?" Julia looks at me intensely enough to stare holes through the back of my skull. "She also volunteers to help Endbringer survivors too, that''s why she is here, in¡­all this¡­right now. Didn''t she mention that?" "Yeah, she did. You went to the Protectorate though, didn''t you?" "Yes? Was that wrong in some way?" "I''m going to sleep now." "Uh, do you want to go visit the other shelter sites with me tomorrow? We could find people you know. We can go and be back before you are supposed to meet with her." "I''ll think about it." "You are going to meet with her right?" "I''ll think about that too. I''m going to sleep now Simon. Goodnight." That''s not a pleasant ''goodnight'', it''s a get off my cot and leave me alone ''goodnight''. I grab my stuff and go back to my own. Guess I''ll just spend the rest of the evening grinding Artistry and Crafting, and blow all my mana back to zero using Observe. I really need to improve that skill more¡­ There, a lot more progress so I can stop for the night. Wait, I''m forgetting something. Oh right, Gamer''s Interface! I do have an inventory. I just can''t get to it yet. Damn how do I grind this? What qualifies as a creative use of the interface? They''re just fucking windows. They do what windows do, open, close, get moved around and so on. Damn it''s past midnight now. It''s a problem for tomorrow. "Sleep" Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Petty Thief Money: $305.00 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 2 (98.75%) XP: 395 Primary Attributes STR: 6 (-0.85) 5.15 AGI: 5 (-1.25) 3.75 CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60 INT: 16 (-2.78) 13.23 PER: 9 (-2.00) 7.00 WIS: 18 (-2.78) 15.23 CHA: 10 (-0.98) 9.03 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 93/154 Stamina Pool: 143/143 Mana Pool: 0/320 Stress Pool: 78/340 Attack: 5.75 Speed: 2.66 Dodge: 7.18 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 51.50 Allure: 2.25 Skills Max Slots: 27 Free Skill Slots: 7 Artistry: 4 (57.23%) Basic Academics: 8 (11.55%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 2 (47.65%) Disable Device: 2 (97.56%) Disease Resistance: 2 (43.54%) Empathy: 2 (13.75%) Gamer''s Body: 5 (7.45%) Gamer''s Interface: 5 (48.85%) Gamer''s Mind: 7 (6.76%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 3 (84.65%) Parahuman Lore: 2 (13.56%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 2 (12.54%) Speech: 2 (14.16%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (23.37%) Unspent Skill Points: 10 Book I: Tutorial 1.8 Tutorial 1.8 Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 I sit up feeling refreshed, several minutes after 5 am. Using the rest menu to sleep is a hell of an improvement. Now that I''ve slept on it, I''m rather pissed at the PRT for not believing me. I spent far more time on their questionnaires and thinker tests than explaining how any of my weird powers work. What I did mention got me confused stares. At least I didn''t mention my CHA stat, the speech skill, or the relationship system, not that those are particularly high. I was planning to; I just didn''t get the chance after switching to all the basic tests. I think they jumped to that merely because they didn''t understand any of the gaming terms I was using. Perhaps that''s for the best; it might have triggered scary ''Master'' alarm bells. What was up with Julia''s reaction last night? What is going through her head? Did she not want me to talk to the PRT? Or not want to talk to them herself? Why? I still don''t know for certain if she''s a Parahuman or not, but my power has done some weird shit when I''ve interacted with her a couple times. How else do I explain the double question mark on her level? Assuming that''s how it works. I can see level 5''s now on tags. Hmm, that face puncher dude went from ''level ?'' to ''level 4'' after Julia knocked him out. Why? If she''s a Parahuman maybe she has a level drain ability? Is that what ''Null Resistance'' came from? Not enough info to know. If she''s a Parahuman, was she worried that I had found out and outed her to the PRT? Yeah, I could see why that might piss her off. I wouldn''t have wanted that to happen to me. I check my relationship sheet, Julia Mendez: 45. Yeah it''s lower than it was before, crap. "Status Effects" Good, there''s some improvements. Some of my laceration and bruise status effects have gone away. The penalties of ''Swollen Eyeball'' have been cut in half. It''s scheduled to go away some time tomorrow. At some point ''Very Stressed'' became ''Stressed'' and its penalties were halved. I think this happened when I gained 10 stress points from the INT bump I got yesterday. Sleeping got me +6 HP, and +235 MP. I read the geometry book while in the food line, and get food for me and Julia. I can grind craft with play-doh until Julia gets up. She makes an appearance a few hours later. Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 I''ve reached level 3 in craft, but play-doh has stopped working at giving my any more gains. Does that mean it is too easy now? At least drawing still works to gain artistry. Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1 We eat together quietly, I''m hoping she will say something first. Breakfast gives me +8 HP. More notifications appear about the drugs wearing off. At least Julia is taking her pills as well. Fine if she won''t talk I will. "You want to go visit the other camps, see if they have news, or if you''ll find your m... find anyone you know? At the very least we could check the registers." Julia stares straight ahead but nods. "Wait here" she says, and heads toward her tent section, then returns with her suitcases. "Let me help." I offer to take one with my free hand. "I guess we''ll have bring them so they don''t get--" "They have a belongings check-in tent now. It''s this way." I follow along, she checks in her bags after rummaging through them to retrieve some photos. She is about to check her backpack as well, when I whisper to her. "I can get rid of those magnetic security tags while we''re out if you bring those with you." "Okay" is her only response before she shuffles stuff around again. We pick up a crude map from registration and head out. Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 I remove the last of the anti-shoplifting tags from the looted clothes. That brings me to an even level 3 in Disable Device, but like the play-doh, doing the rest gains me nothing towards level 4. Was this considered too easy again? I notice I gain +1 stress point. Since there are no other clues as to why this happened, maybe it''s finally a regeneration over time point? If so, that sucks, it took three days to gain one. We get to Camp Alpha around noon. I thought I''d get some XP for that quest right away but it doesn''t happen. We check the registers, but have no luck. Julia places photos of her mother up on this camp''s missing board, and we wander around a bit making inquiries before standing in line for lunch. Food availability is getting better. More and more guardsmen and coast guard are arriving to keep control over the island as well. After we eat, (+5 HP), it¡¯s a bust for discovering anything new, but I finally get the +50 XP for visiting the camp and a slew of new notifications. You have gained a level! You are now level 3. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Wow, gaining a level jumped my maximum mana from 320 to 480, and like before I immediately gained that 160 difference in current MP. So that means what, maximum mana is, level times INT times 10? I''m still short of that 600 MP cost to use Create Mana Golem, assuming I succeed in meeting the pre-reqs. If I put all my points in INT though I would be at a 20, I should have a 600 max then. "Skills"
Create Mana Golem (Active/Passive) This skill allows you to create and awaken a golem from stone or clay materials that you have crafted by your own hand, and bring it to life under your direct mental control. Active: Expend Mana to imbue a crafted golem. Once imbued, a golem is dormant, and costs 0 MP per minute to maintain. MP Cost: 600 + (1 per pound of mass). ...
Hmm, it doesn''t cost 600 MP minimum it costs more because I don''t think a golem of zero mass would work very well. Damn, it won''t matter if I spend those points in INT right now. It''ll still be out of reach. I should wait until I find out if I succeed in even getting the skill before blowing and points. Since I can''t afford Mana Golem anyway, I don''t need to save my mana. I have enough to blow a bunch on Observe. I get better gains targeting people I''ve never seen before anyway. There''s plenty here. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 This confirms it, I can see level numbers equal to or less than my level plus my Observe skill level, because I can now see level 7''s. The hike to Camp Charlie nets us the same amount of nothing. Looked at the registers, talked to people, and got no new information. I did get the other 50 XP, that''s not enough for another level. I have a ways to go on that, but it''s better than nothing. Julia is distraught and un-talkative, yet not acting too surprised. Observe still shows ''Reckless Apathy'', the usual kaleidoscopes of grief and trauma, and ''Resignation''. There''s little else to do but head back to Camp Bravo. I''d think a quest telling you to visit places would have something to find there, but no. It¡¯s just useless map points. Or is it? As bad as the news is for her, Julia gets confirmation that her mother hasn''t been found or checked in at the other sites. I posted copies of my registration photo prints too; just as Julia did for her mother on the missing persons boards, maybe we''ll find someone that knows us. Julia still doesn''t want to talk when we get back. Miss Heath does show up, and she and Julia disappear for a while. I have to hope for the best there. I guess some good happens as my relationship goes up a few points, but there''s no quest completion announcement yet. I resume grinding Artistry and timing my mana regen rate. I gain 1 MP almost every five minutes. ****? "Simon Anderson?" someone calls my name, I look up from my doodling. A camp aid worker calls it again and I head over. "That''s me." "Jerry Mondale mentioned that he recognized you, he is at cot 57." "Thanks" I started looking for cot 57. I find it, some older man is sitting there holding his head in his hands. "Are you Jerry Mondale?" "What?" the man says in a shaky voice. "I''m Simon Anderson; an aid worker said you recognized me." "Oh, you. That was yesterday kid, they didn''t tell you till now, or did you not check?" "Not till now, I''ve been busy." The man just grumbles a bit in response. "So uh, how do you know me?" "What you don''t remember?" "Um no, have amnesia, that''s why I was looking for people who knew me." "I don''t really know you kid, you were just a student in my history class this last semester. I saw your name and photo on the board and mentioned it." "What, really? Where? What grade? Do you know my parents?" "Oh damn kid¡­Ball High School, 9th grade. I''m a teacher¡­ I was a teacher there. I don''t know your parents, most I ever did was leave a voice message inviting them to parent teacher night. Which I don''t recall them ever attending." "Do you know their phone number, address, names, anything?" "Sorry, I don''t memorize that stuff when I have a hundred something students per semester." "Well maybe the school has records then." "You don''t really know how bad it has gotten in some places. The High School and the district administration building are both underwater. Nobody is getting records out of them any time soon or possibly ever." "Damn, well can you tell me anything else at all? I''m a bit desperate here for the slightest bit of information about my life or who my family and friends were." "To be honest, the only reason I remember you, was because you were a disruptive class clown, who did poor work, and the conference your parents never attended was to attempt to address some of those issues. I''m sorry, that''s all I know and it''s just not important to me anymore. I have my own family loss I have to deal with, so I''d like you to leave me alone." I wander off in shock. That''s enlightening and disappointing at the same time. I know a few more things about myself, but it''s useless. My notifications bump up. I have a couple more slots on the ''Learn more about yourself'' quest. I was a freshman in Ball High School, and I was a ''student with poor grades and discipline problems''. Well fuck you too. I grind Artistry, again till I get hungry, and stand in line reading Geometry while getting food. Julia isn''t back yet. I get some for both of us anyway, again, and eat, +5 HP, and grind Artistry again... Finally a new notification appears as I watch my Artistry hit 99.99%of the way toward level 5. That''s odd because normally they appear after the level bumped and the progress is reset back to 0.00%.
You may gain the Drawing specialty for the skill Artistry. By repeated practice of a specific specialty of a skill you may opt to choose to gain that specialty rather than bumping up the general skill to the next level. Do you wish to accept the Drawing specialty for Artistry? Y/N By accepting, the Artistry skill will revert back to level 4, 0.00%, and Drawing will be added to your specialties list for Artistry. This will improve your drawing ability, and apply any unlocked Artistry bonus features toward drawings. Declining will bump the Artistry skill to level 5, and the specialty cannot be gained again until reaching level 6, if drawing was the means in which the Artistry skill was practiced.
Interesting. On the one hand, it makes sense to take a specialty early. It seems to take more effort to gain higher skill ranks than lower skill ranks. On the other hand, I need a level 5 to meet the Create Mana Golem requirement. I don''t even think I have any ''unlocked artistry bonus features''. I don''t even know if I''ll keep pursuing Artistry. If I do, I can get the specialty again later. Hmm, if gaining a specialty sets your current level progress back down to 0, then every specialty represents a pseudo level in the parent skill, making the ''real'' level of a skill the level of the parent skill and the sum of all specialties obtained for it. Well it''s not useful to me right now. I decline. Your Artistry skill has increased by 1 Thus my Artistry gets to level 5. Hmm, another notification reveals something new wasn''t on the skill screen for Artistry a moment ago. I unlocked a skill feature, ''No longer an Amateur: +10% to perceived value or appreciation of any specialty work of art you produce.'' Figures, after I decline, I unlock an Artistry feature. I guess that could be useful, but whatever. What does all this tell me about how this works? Were these new things that I had not seen previously or just stuff I had glossed over and forgot about? Hmm, RTFM, heh, for computers seems pretty useful. Empathy specialty, Somatic? What the hell is that? Enhanced Calm on Gamer''s Mind? So seeing mental effects and current feelings via Observe are features explicitly unlocked from the existence of other skills? Gamer''s Interface also has a feature unlocked from Observe. This means some skills can be enhanced by the presence of other skills, skill synergy effects like some RPGs? Rest anywhere is a feature of Gamer''s Body. It''s damn useful not having to waste time trying to fall asleep. Free stat bonuses from playing video games? Damn I really should have paid more attention to all this. I should definitely collect all bonuses after I''m out of my current hell-hole. So gaining the strategy skill did in fact come from the video game skill cheat feature. This is a cool feature I need to make use of when I get out of here. Ignoring features listed as coming from skill synergy, every skill that is at least level 5 or more has one feature unlocked, and the Artistry feature is definitely new. Is a new feature unlocked at level 5 for all skills or just some? What about later levels? Video Games is level 25 and has three features. It''s the only example to consider until another skill gets that high. I need to grind Observe more to get it to level 5 to confirm if all this is consistent. Craft needs to take priority so I can get that other skill. I could use those unspent skill points on it, but I want to try raising it without spending any. If I get to the last minute before the chance to gain that skill expires, without reaching level 5 then I will. Prioritize Gamer''s Interface too. I want that inventory ability, but when will that feature unlock? I might not even have enough points to reach it. "Simon?" I nearly jumped out of my skin, don''t be such an oblivious idiot. I dismiss my windows. Ms. Heath is standing in front of me. I don''t see Julia though; "Um, Yes?" "I wanted to let you know that you and your friend are scheduled for transport to the mainland tomorrow. You have priority due to being minors without guardians, but that will mean meeting with social services as soon as can be arranged, to get you placed under emergency foster care. You''ll be among a group of teenagers that have become orphans or who''s guardians are still missing." "Uh¡­okay" At least it means I''m getting off the island. "How''s Julia?" "She''s been through a lot, I advised her to continue seeking counseling just as I advised you. I''ll be making a note of it in the emails I''ll be sending to Houston social services tonight. Though I fear they may not get read or acted on as quickly as they ought to be, due to the holidays, and the problems the attack has caused." "She''s not¡­going to do anything to hurt herself or anything is she?" "That''s¡­ an interesting observation for you to make and be concerned with, but no, I don''t believe so. You care for her, yet she says you have only known each other for a few days, and under clearly harrowing circumstances. You need to consider allowing her the time and space she needs for recovery." "Did she say something about me? Did I do something wrong?" "No, not so much, and she didn''t have to. You are both survivors of a very traumatic event. Bonds can form between survivors of such experiences, and they can also fall away as each tries to put their lives back together. Mostly I want to make sure you understand that it is not your job to protect her, that you put your feelings in the right place, and that you take the time to focus on your own healing. Do you understand?" I sigh. "Yeah, I understand." She''s probably worried about me coming on too strong or having misplaced feelings. I guess that''s a reasonable assumption, but is it correct? Am I pursuing her because I want the XP for finishing a quest to become her friend or because I want to be her friend? Damn, what does it say about me that I have to actually ask that question to myself? "I got some food for her; can you bring it to her?" "Sure" Ms. Heath nods, takes the bundle, and re-enters the women''s section. I don''t see any relationship bumps on my sheet with Julia, but moments later, Ms. Heath exits without the food and leaves the camp building. Tomorrow, I finally get off the island, better confirm it though, I walk up to the registration desk, to check and find out where we''re supposed to go to get on the boat. There''s little else left to do today, but wait in line for showers again, go through more of the Geometry book and burn through all my Mana on Observe until midnight. Thursday, December 24th, 2009 I look at my Mana and HP regen after waking, +370 MP a night now. I reconfirm one more time, that the Play-Doh is no longer gaining skill, so I discard it and try the modeling clay instead. I get pitifully small gains, though the box says it is supposed to be baked in an oven to harden. There''s no oven handy. I do share breakfast with Julia this time, but we don''t talk much. It''s time to go; we walk to the ferry pickup with several people, bags and backpacks in tow. I help Julia carry one of her bags again. God I''m so weak. My stamina drops to zero again during the trek, at least it''s giving me slow gains to Gamer''s Body as I struggle under the encumbrance. Stupid encumbrance rules! Why does every game do such a crap job of handling them? We''re traveling with other injured and elderly people, not just Julia on her crutch, so despite my breaks to regen stamina, I''m not the slowest member of the ''party''. I''m pretty damn close to it though. While waiting for the ferry, everyone feels a sizable tremor. Not bad enough to knock anyone over, but the oceans sloshed, debris rattles and people get freaked out for a minute or two. We''re relieved to get on the ship when it arrives. I even regain a couple stress points after getting on board. Now we''re stuck waiting again, for more groups to arrive and get on board. I pass the time using Observe on all the new faces. "So, uh, what did you do for fun? Before, ¡­all of this." I ask her. Julia shrugs. "A lot of gymnastics, cheerleading, reading, listening to music, and going to concerts." "So you can do cartwheels and stuff?" "Can do a lot more than that, but¡­" She gestures to her injured leg. "My gymnastics coach said I would have been good enough to try out for the Olympics. I don''t know if he was serious or just saying that to be positive. Especially since the Olympics might not be a thing anymore." "Big sporting event, right? Wait, they might not be a thing anymore?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "How can you not know what the Olympics are or what happened?" She asks. I point to my head. "International sporting event, first done by the ancient Greeks?" I shrug. "First there''s all the parahuman and tinker-tech drug cheating scandals since 92, Some cape shit disrupts them in 2004, and an Endbriger wrecks the construction site for the 2008 games and they get canceled. There might not be any 2012 games." "There''s a lot of stuff, I''m just a complete blank on. What about music, what kind do you like?" "Pop-rock, some alternative stuff, a little techno, I like Four Dazzle Dreamers the best, also Sarah Iverson''s Band, Canary, DJ Anzari, Ricochet Runners, ¡­" That was a lot to take, she actually even looks a bit happy as she spoke. "I have no idea who any of those groups or people are." "Well what do you like?" "I have no idea, because I don''t remember any, although I can think of some video game theme music." "You''re the weirdest nerd I''ve ever met." I shrug, "I got giant holes in my memory. That doesn''t leave me with much room to talk about myself or my interests. I don''t know what most of my interests even are, except what I already told you. You''ll have to carry more of the conversation. You have any extended family, that''s not¡­" She frowns a bit, and is silent for a while, maybe I shouldn''t have asked that. "I have a grandmother, an uncle and some cousins in Mexico. I don''t really know any of them. Another grandmother is in New Hampshire, I only met her once when I was four or five..." We switch to far more mundane topics until we finally reach the mainland, even if it is smelly, humid Houston. As soon as I step off the boat I get a notification.
Tutorial Quest: Get to the Mainland completed. Bonus Condition successful; brought companion Julia Mendez with you. Quest XP gained: 250 Bonus XP gained: 50 Increased relationship with Julia Mendez.
Good. I check the relationship sheet again. Julia''s at 58, a sizable jump. Did the quest do that, or did the earlier conversation? I wasn''t watching at the time. What if I hadn''t had a conversation with her on the ride over? Would it have been the same amount? Would it have been less? The initial quest stated I''d get an increased relationship with whatever ''companions'' I brought with me. How does it know? Do my quests have some kind of pre-cog ability that can describe the consequences for success or failure in such a specific way? Did it know I would have the conversation? So far, they''ve been consistently vague enough to be annoying, not giving me any actual answers to this. My powers are so weird. Of course we have to wait some more, for buses to arrive and then take us to some FEMA camp on the outskirts of the city. We miss lunch; it''s late in the evening when we get there. I may have annoyed Julia again rambling about video games. It''s the only subject I know enough to talk about. We get separated and assigned to some room in a temporary housing unit which I get to share with two other young pre-teen boys. "Who the fuck are you?" The elder boy, still younger and smaller than me, yells at me when I enter the shared bedroom. "What the hell?" "Just another fucktard, you can''t put your stuff there, that''s my bunk." "Um, okay." I say as I put my stuff on one of the other bunks. "Stupid fucktard that''s my bunk too." What the hell is wrong with this kid? "Bullshit, you don''t get two. What do you think this is a bad prison movie?" "Huh? That doesn''t make any sense." "How old are you?" "Eleven!" "Well, I''m older and bigger so I get to choose." "No way¡­" "Chris! Be Nice!" Jimmy, our ''Minder'' and designated adult, pokes his head in the room and yells before leaving again. I throw an Observe at Chris. He''s lashing out as an unhealthy coping mechanism for his trauma, Dead parents, lost everything. Man, I don''t have time to deal with this. "And what''s your name?" I ask the younger one. "That fucktard is too fucktarded in the head to talk anymore, he hasn''t since I''ve been here." The younger boy doesn''t respond and just hugs his knees on the third bunk, clutching his jacket. I Observe him also. Man, I need to get out of here. I wander into the kitchen area, and look over what they have in stock. Healthy choices are limited, one cereal box that could maybe net me +6 HP over multiple meals. "Hey, fucktard that''s mine." "Do you know any other words?" I ask. "Chris! The food is for everyone. I''ve already told you this several times." Our minder chastises him again. "Shut up! You''re not my dad!" Chris, the only real fucktard here, screams, and runs back into the bedroom and slams the door. I go to bed still a bit hungry. It''s not optimal to eat only to fill my hunger bar, if my HP is not at maximum. If I won''t get any HP according to Observe, and because I can''t gain any HP if my hunger bar is at max, I''d rather it be low and try to find something better tomorrow that I can benefit from. Friday, December 25th, 2009 It''s Christmas, the first one I might have a memory of. I wake up at 3 am because our Minder forced us to go to bed at 10pm. There was no tree, no presents, no Santa, no family. How come I know about Christmas and Santa, but not the names of my own family? Damn stop it before I make myself depressed again. Despite being treeless, I make Christmas ornaments out of the modeling clay, and bake them in the kitchen''s oven. You may obtain the ''Polymer Clay'' specialty for Craft (Stone & Pottery) Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 I declined the specialty to get to level 4 in Craft (Stone & pottery) before running out of clay. I don''t think I''m going to find more before the timer is up on the Golem skill so I''ll probably have to use an unspent skill point. I hand an ornament to Fucktard and The Silent One. I also made one for Julia, and there are some leftovers. "This is stupid and fucktarded!" Fucktard says and smashes it on the floor. The Silent One accepts it and actually half smiles, but remains silent, then Fucktard takes his ornament and smashes it. The Silent One is no longer silent, and explodes in rage, then they''re grappling with each other by the time I can react. "Jimmy! They''re fighting!" I yell as I attempt to separate the two of them. "What the hell is going on?" Jimmy yells as we get them apart. "He started it! He attacked me!" Fucktard yells. "You smashed the ornament I gave him!" "He bit me!" Fucktard screams again, showing off his bloody arm. "Damn Ronald, I need to take Chris to the aid station. Don''t act like such a brat all the time and this won''t happen" he yells back at Chris as they go out the door. Can speech help here? "Here, take your pick among the ones left over, you can even have more than one. Not everyone is like that, I know you''ve lost a lot, we all have." Hell that actually worked? Ronald clings to me until he calms down. Damn as much as I can empathize with their situation I didn''t escape death by end-bringer to become a babysitter to mentally damaged children. As soon as Jimmy comes back I grab my stuff and leave. I shouldn''t run off, but I''m not running off, I just don''t trust leaving my stuff unattended. Where is Julia? There''s a Christmas gathering thing of some kind, donations are getting dropped off and distributed. A lot of donated stuff doesn''t quite match up to what people actually need. I rummage through a box of donated eyeglasses looking for something that won''t make my eyes hurt when I put them on. I can''t find a single suitable pair. At least my ''swollen eyeball'' status has finally gone away. "Simon." I jump out of my skin and turn around. Julia is standing there sniggering slightly. "Julia, I tried to look for you." "Yeah, I saw. You actually looked in my direction several times but didn''t see me. Probably too far away huh?" She gestured to her eyes and looked at the useless glasses I still held in my hand. "Find anything useful?" I drop the ugly spectacles I''m holding back into the bin. "No, nothing" "This place sucks. Just move from one camp to another." She says. "At least there are actual beds instead of cots¡­ or did you get put into a temporary house building thing or a trailer? I saw a bunch of trailers as I was walking around." Julia pulls out a cigarette and lighter, lights up and takes a drag before answering. I threw an Observe at her and noticed a Nicotine ''Calm'' and ''Addiction'' timer status effect, along with a bunch of other question marks. "It''s a temporary house thing with a few other girls." She replies. "Wh- , well that''s good I guess." I don''t be too pushy, even though it''s all temporary again anyway. "It''s okay, I''ll show you where." I follow her as she leads me over to point it out. I still have her Observe window up. There''s possibly some kind of anti-stress buff status effect going on, but the side effects didn''t seem worth it to me. "I didn''t know you smoked." "Not that long. Started a few months ago when I found out my parents were separating. I bummed these off my new roommates. Why, you want one?" She held out the cancer stick between two fingers and waggled it back and forth like it was a treat. "I don''t know if I''ve ever smoked before. Might not have the skills." Fuck it. I guess it can become something we have in common. The skills window popped up as I spoke and I tapped the pending skills tab and brought up the "Drug & Poison Resistance" skill as I brought my hand out.
Do you wish to accept this skill? Y/N
"Yes, I''ll try one; also, you''re an evil temptress." I say as I take the cigarette from her, she brings the lighter up and lights it for me. The new skill leaves the pending tab and drops into place beside the rest of them. I take a deep breath and immediately turn green and start coughing up a lung. Julia laughs as I catch my breath. "That happened to me the first time. I think we can say you probably never smoked before," she says. I try another drag once I settle down. The subsequent coughing isn''t as bad as the first time, and I''m already gaining percentage points in the new skill. Julia gives me more pointers about not inhaling too fast and other such things. I doubt she has any real expertise in it being 15 and apparently only started a few months ago, but who cares she is talking to me and seems happier, at least temporarily. "Your eye looks a lot better." Julia remarks. "Thanks. I uh, made you something." I say as I fish out the white clay ornament. It''s my best rendition of a small bird. Probably not very good, and there isn''t a string. "It''s supposed to be a Christmas ornament." "Wow, thank you. Was this from the modeling clay you took from that craft store? When did you even have time to do this?" "Yeah. Made it this morning. First time I had access to an oven. I didn''t sleep much and got up real early. Let me show you where I''m staying. I''m rooming with a couple younger boys, they''re¡­messed up." I tell her what happened with Fucktard and Ronald. Julia also has a minder, or whatever they are called, at her house, and is roomed with four other girls from eight to seventeen. We speculate on what exactly to expect from getting put in emergency foster care. Don''t know why we are not in it right now, or maybe we are? It''s Christmas on a Friday, nothing is likely to happen until next week. Oh and school, we''ll probably have to go back at the start of the spring semester in January. We finish the cigarettes, Julia doesn''t have anymore. We find breakfast stuff and hang till after lunch. There''s a sort-of Christmas dinner from donations and volunteers that set up tables outside that evening. By the time we part I check my relationship sheet, Julia''s gone up to a 65. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 I reach level 5 this evening from all the crowds of people and it unlocks a feature that lets me view stat blocks. Now I can see people''s base STR value and their Allure value. But all the other stats are listed with question marks. Also STR modifiers and the STR total also still have question marks. So far, the average for STR appears to be in the 15 range for adults and older teenagers. Men are a little above that, women are a little below it. I have a 6. I''m so pathetically weak. Julia has a 13, more than twice mine! She also has an Allure of 5.5, which is decidedly not a 10 point scale, because it seems the average Allure of most adults is maybe a 4? The highest I saw was a 7.5, but it was on a dude, so apart from the unexpected number I don''t pay much attention. ****? Over the weekend of the 26th and 27th, Julia and I smoked, talked and visited some sweepstakes game room that doubles as an internet caf¨¦. It''s not an arcade; that would have been preferable by me. It''s a video slots parlor where nobody playing slots actually uses the internet services. Julia''s phone, even though it''s now charged, ran out of its monthly pre-paid period days ago and won''t work. I don''t have a phone. The temporary houses and trailers don''t have internet, and although some people have smartphones we can''t really ask to use them. The Game Parlor is the best option, even though we aren''t'' old enough to play, which we''re not anyway, other than to bank internet usage minutes. I do get some Speech skill practice convincing the guy behind the counter to let us use the computers. I even got and accepted a ''Persuasion'' specialty. I''m the main visitor so we''re not there together often. I want to give Julia the space she needs that Ms. Heath suggested. Though she did seek me out a few times, so I guess that is progress? Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 I stop browsing PHO and the other articles. This skill has been odd. It rises slowly at random. There is a lot of stuff I''ve read that didn''t move the percentage by a single digit, then I come across some article or a post that bumps it up a bit, if I had happened to notice at the time. Is this some indicator of what is truthful vs. what''s bullshit? I''m hoping that browsing would bump up my Computers skill. It hasn''t. I guess it''s not considered complex enough for any gain. I also wanted to know what I might be getting into in Foster Care. I didn''t really know where to start so just look into all the legal stuff I can about it. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 The other thing I got to practice in here was using 100% of my mana to grind Observe to level 6. Finally, there''s no way I''m going to be able to get my Craft skill to level 5 on my own. I''ve run out of modeling clay on Christmas, and it''s not feasible to get more. Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 I put an unspent skill points into Craft to meet the qualification for Create Mana Golem and add the skill. I just can''t use it yet with that over 600 mana cost. I practice meditation, it''s the only thing I can do for a few hours after waking up far earlier than is normal for most people. My best achievements might be simply getting enough rest and food for my HP to return to max, and watching that concussion status effect timer tick down to zero and disappear. Monday, December 28th, 2009 Julia and I manage to get through breakfast when a Social Worker appears looking for us and some other kids in similar situations. Then we have to pack, pile into a minivan, and drive around the city. Some younger kids get dropped off at foster homes, until it was just me, Julia, and two older girls, Rachel, 16 and Janet, 17 who had roomed with Julia. It''s late afternoon when we get near our destination, but at least the Social worker, Mrs. Pearson, stopped by a burger place to feed us lunch. She acts friendly enough, tells us about the co-ed group home we''re going to stay in. None of us are enthused or want to talk much. She tells us a little about the Becketts'', the family that runs the group home, and we''re finally here. We pull into the driveway of a multi-story townhome. It looks nice from the outside. There''s a basketball hoop above the garage door, the paint looks new and the yard is neatly groomed. I get my backpack and step out; a big stupid game window pops up in front of my face. I nearly fall over. No notifications marker or even the ability to shove it out of the way. Just a giant ''pay attention to me now'' message.
Tutorial Mode is Over! Secret Quest: Survive the Tutorial is completed. You have survived the easy part and lived through the gamer tutorial. XP earned: +750 Secret Bonus Quest: Become a cape during the tutorial mode failed
Quest: Become a cape! Rogue? Hero? Villain? Doesn''t matter. Become a named caped with at least five somewhat known events tied to your cape identity. Success: +1500 XP Failure: Continued Mediocrity Time Limit: None
Wait a minute¡­.what the ever fuck? All that was the easy part?! Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Refugee / Petty Thief Faction: None Money: $300.00 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 4 (93.06%) XP: 1545 Primary Attributes STR: 6 (-0.75) 5.25 AGI: 5 (-1.15) 3.85 CON: 9 (-0.33) 8.67 INT: 16 (-1.93) 14.08 PER: 9 (-1.00) 8.00 WIS: 18 (-1.93) 16.08 CHA: 10 (-0.83) 9.18 LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00 Unspent Points: 8 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 160/160 Stamina Pool: 148/148 Mana Pool: 316/640 Stress Pool: 84/340 Attack: 5.85 Speed: 2.66 Dodge: 7.73 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 52.50 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 30 Free Skill Slots: 8 Artistry: 5 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 8 (20.43%) Computers: 5 (11.09%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (8.65%) Create Mana Golem 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 3 (0.00%) Disease Resistance: 3 (37.56%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 2 (28.76%) Empathy: 2 (47.97%) Gamer''s Body: 7 (15.65%) Gamer''s Interface: 7 (70.67%) Gamer''s Mind: 9 (6.76%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 3 (5.76%) Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%) Observe: 6 (33.64%) Parahuman Lore: 3 (22.89%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 2 (12.54%) Speech: 2 (18.54%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (23.37%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Book I: Interlude 1: Julia Mendez Interlude 1: Julia Mendez Monday, December 28th, 2009 "Get out of the water!" I yelled as I watched the man thrashing in the water seem to get electrocuted from the falling power lines and a transformer tumbling in slow motion down the edge as the weight of it snapped more cables. It was the same water I was currently half submerged in. Then *it* appeared, a green scaly skinned head with four glowing eyes stared at me, jutting out of a wave of water that followed behind it. The water hit, slamming me back toward the dirt wall of the sinkhole, and I barely kept my grip on the makeshift raft. Then there was blackness, and I could not breathe. I was underwater again. I opened my eyes, I saw Teresa there in the water in front of me, submerged, and lifeless, yet she opened her eyes and looked at me. I nearly gasped and drowned. I bolt upright in bed, inhaling sharply, my heart races. Just the dream, nearly every night the same dream, underwater, Leviathan, and seeing Teresa''s face. No! It was not actually Teresa; it was the corpse of some other woman I didn''t know that was submerged in the water. The dream always substitutes Teresa, because I know she is down there, I saw her die and saw her fall. My giant nightshirt feels cold and sweaty, I''m still shaking, a quick glance shows it was barely light out. A soft whimpering comes from the bunk above me, one of the younger girls, dealing with their own nightmares. Nervous and shaking I swing my bare feet off the bed and touch my toes to the cold floor. All my nerves feel weird; they always do after the dream. My injured leg throbs most of all, a weird pulsing sensation or a phantom memory of whatever the hell that sparking guy did to electrocute or charge the water while I still had my leg in it. I need something to calm my nerves. I root around my suitcases under my bunk for a change of clothes, my last cigarette and my lighter. I hobble through the dark to the bathroom, take care to only step with my toes on my injured foot. I go in, shut and lock the door. I feel around for the fan switch, and a brief bright spark illuminates the room as my hand brushes over the wall outlet next to the light switch. Who the hell puts up an outlet light switch combo anyway? I wait a few seconds to listen for the generator outside to stop sputtering and kick back on before I turn the overhead fan on. My hand mildly itches where it zapped me. This is only about the 11th time this has happened, the clocks will have to get reset again, at least I can try to light the cigarette again a few times. I hold the cigarette with one hand and put the thumb and the index finger of my other hand around the unfiltered end and concentrate, trying to release the charge between my fingers. A bright spark occurs, but all it does is fray the paper and cause a few grains of tobacco to jump out, it fails to light. A second try, the spark is weaker, again no luck, just more tobacco falling out and more frayed paper. Third try results in barely a wink and does nothing, and now there is nothing left. Whatever little bit I had pulled from the wall was expended. I sigh and pick up the lighter and light the frayed end and take a long drag to calm down. A little charge, accidentally jumped from the wall isn''t anything like what I felt after waking up in the water. That was some tremendous charge I felt like I could barely contain. I pushed an unconscious Simon further onto the raft of debris, he was out of the water and I climbed out as well. Then the shock hit. My body clenched, muscles felt like they went into spasm all at the same time. At first it hurt, then it was just tingly, but I saw the fetid sinkhole water seem to nearly boil around my leg while glowing arcs trailed on the surface of the water between me and that guy who was sparking and convulsing in the water on the other side. It took only a second, but I pulled my leg out and glanced at red lines of blistering burns from below my knee clear to the bottom of my foot. But my nerves and other parts of me felt on fire. That aspect wasn''t in a painful way, but in a way I can''t adequately describe. I needed to get rid of it, that sensation of buildup that coursed through me. I was close enough to the sinkhole wall so I just smashed my hand into the wet mud and let it loose, grounding out whatever I had absorbed with enough effect that it sprayed and splattered mud all over me. I stare down at my bandaged leg. My lower leg is all wrapped up from the top of my left calf and shin down to the toes. Only my toes are uncovered, which had somehow escaped the burn lines. Yesterday was my first chance to get a good look at the scarring. The doctor said electrical burns are impossible underwater. Yeah, well, Parahuman injury. Don''t know how or why the hell it happened. He debated whether or not I would eventually need skin grafting but said the burn pattern was odd. A spider web of jagged lines had reddened, and blistered up, forming black, charred hair thin ridges in the middle. Yet, in between the burn lines were polygons of seemingly untouched flesh. I poked at the bottom of my foot in a few places, it''s still painful and sensitive, were it not for that, I probably could ditch the crutch by now. So far this power has been more annoying than useful. I kept accidentally draining the battery on my phone because of it, and it took a while to figure out that was happening. There haven''t been many chances to figure out how to use it safely in a way that won''t expose me, except hiding in the bathroom. I still don''t know how much I can draw and how much I can release at a time. At the same time, it feels easier, yet less understood, less powerful, and less scary than the other abilities I¡¯ve only gotten glimpses of. Parahuman, primary powers: Adaptive Hacking, Simulation¡­ Those thoughts entered my head when I first pushed the unconscious Simon on the debris raft to make more room for myself. I was still holding on to him when I got electrocuted, and something was interacting there. Whatever it was, I think it had modified itself or whatever powers I had to help me survive. At a mere touch, I instantly knew Simon was a Parahuman. At the time I didn''t know if he had been already or become such at the same time as I did, mere moments ago, but I now strongly suspect the latter. I knew enough to understand that being able to identify someone as a Parahuman, even if it was only via touch, was a dangerous ability, especially to myself. After discharging into the mud, I touched Simon''s unconscious form again, not really with intent but because I was still scared out of my mind. Eidolon had been there, but wasn''t paying attention to us; he was too busy trapping Leviathan in that golden sphere. Parahuman, primary powers: Adaptive Hacking, Simulation¡­ The thoughts returned as I held on to Simon to keep him and myself from slipping off the debris back into the water. I considered that a first or reconfirmation of what I had felt earlier. The longer I held on to him the more ideas formed into my head about potential power interactions. And some very small part of that stayed with me even after I let him go and was helped into the medi-sled once rescuers arrived. That was when I was tended to by Lifeline. It was more physical contact, and my second confirmation. Parahuman, primary powers: Pharmacology-Synthesis, Assistive Bio-reparation (mechanical). Although my contact with Lifeline was intermittent, and often short, similar ideas formed, or tried to form, with each brief brush of contact. How to tweak, modify, adapt, and unlock the various medical devices and substances Lifeline had with him or was presently using on us. Lifeline gave no indication whatsoever that he was aware of what was happening whenever he touched me. But just as quickly as those ideas had filled my head, they left after we were secured and I wasn''t in contact with him anymore. All that remained now was the memory of the possibilities, without any of the knowledge to put them into effect. Unless, perhaps, I touched him again. Somebody bangs on the door. "Rachel, are you smoking in the bathroom again?" Christy, our minder or temporary house mother yells. "I''m not even in there!" I hear Rachel yell from the bedroom through the wall. She certainly has smoked in the bathroom already several times, she''s that one I bummed the cigarettes off of. I take several fast drags off the cigarette to finish it off before I drop it in the toilet. "Who''s in there?" Christy yelled again. "Fuck off! I''m on the toilet." I yell and flush it, while grabbing an aerosol air freshener that was sitting on the back of the tank, in an attempt to mask the cigarette smell, and the noise of the can. "Watch your language Julia! Social worker is coming today. Other people need to use the bathroom." "I''m taking a shower!" And so I did, as agonizing and awkward as it is. My heart starts racing again; the sound and soft pelting of the water triggers the too fresh memories of the ever present rain and waves during Leviathan''s attack. I can only sit on the edge of the tub, the bandaged part of my leg hanging out, and force myself to get through this. The noise of the fan and water drowns out my sobs and tears. Done and drying off, I collect myself again, forcing away all the bad, depressive thoughts. I should see Simon again, if a Social Worker is coming today, I might be leaving this place, and we might not see each other anymore after that. Simon is like a lost puppy. I''m not sure what he would do with himself if we parted. At least he has reduced his clinginess lately. That counselor woman had actually asked if I felt ''safe'' around him in a round-about way. Ha, even though I knew he was a Parahuman, which I guess the counselor didn''t, nor knew I was, and thank God for that because I was actually worried Simon had outed me. My own power, however the hell it worked, told me that Simon''s power, despite how weird it was, isn''t a threat to me. Furthermore, Simon has the look and the build of a stretched out toddler. I might have been worried if he was a big bulky dude, but seeing him struggle with a backpack and single overfilled suitcase was laughable. He is mildly cute and sweet in his own weird way. The ceramic dove he gave me is nice, if a bit cheesy. I wanted to hug him, but I don''t want my contact power doing something weird again. I have to make a concerted effort not to touch him, even accidently. That first touch, a friendly handshake in the recovery tent. There it was again, Parahuman, primary power Adaptive Hacking, Simulation, Unique Energy source¡­ That wasn''t sensed before, my power reacting pulling, draining on something, and I felt that charge go over me again. Much weaker than when I was in the water but there. I concentrated to hold on to it, but yanked my hand away. Soon afterward on our trek to get supplies, Granite had lifted me and Simon right off the ground. Parahuman, primary powers: Regolith infusion, inorganic synthesis (non-mechanical)¡­ Again the possibilities of how to tweak, modify and adapt Granite''s powers came to my mind. Then Simon touched me too, at the same time, in an effort to try and calm me down. Parahuman: Adaptive Hacking, Simulation, ¡­ It felt like time had slowed, various ways their two power sets could work together flooded my mind. Granite was seemingly some kind of Tinker-Brute? My read said his power worked with sculpted stone and made it part of himself. That was probably a wrong description though because there didn''t seem to be much technological aspect to it like there so clearly was for Lifeline. Through me, Simon''s hacking power merged with Granite''s power. I felt them flowing between me under sustained physical contact. One concept came to the fore, a regolith synthesis, hacked and adapted, that no longer needed to be infused to the host, capable of nearly independent action. I had to do something with this, their powers merged into something new, and begged to be released. I thought Granite was going to kill us. I had been holding back to not do whatever I did to Simon again like before in the tent. So instead of pulling it somehow pushed into Simon. I used my powers on a kid that had been merely helpful and supportive to me, and I felt horrible about it, because I know something changed about him when I did. Then Granite dumped us on our asses and just walked off, not reacting in the slightest to whatever it was that I did to him. Simon didn''t react either though. So I still don''t know what the hell happened. But that small part of Simon''s power that had stayed with me since the sinkhole, or perhaps the larger part that was still mingling with me from recent contact, held on to a small part of Granites as well, altered and changed. And it''s still there now like a residue within me, but I don''t know what it does. I was also still charged up from earlier, but I wasn''t sure how to do anything with that, and it probably would have been useless against Granite''s rock skin. But then I snuck up on that looter. Simon was laying on the floor, I thought he had killed him. I hit him as hard as I could with my crutch and at the same time a sparking arc of electricity leaped out of me and traveled down the aluminum metal into the guys back where I had struck him. He collapsed in a heap. I get dressed, go to the kitchen and make myself a big bowl of cereal and a bigger glass of milk. I''ve been exceptionally hungry for several days. Even when Simon kept getting food for me while we were stuck on the island, I kept going back for more when he was off in the showers or bathroom. It was stupid and vain, but I didn''t want him to see me pigging out on double meals. "You took all the milk." Janet says, her head still poking in the refrigerator. "Mmmm.." is my only reply as I slurp down the last of it that is in my cereal bowl. "Christy, Julia drank all the milk again." Janet yells from the kitchen. I don''t need this again, I grab my crutch, jacket and the padded shoe thing the doctor gave me to wear over my bandaged foot. "You need to leave some for other people¡­" Christy says but I''m already heading out the door. "Hey, where are you going?" she yells from behind me. "Pavilion area" ****? "Hey" Simon says as he sits down across from me at the Pavilion table with a tray of food. There had been another food truck already set up here by FEMA when we arrived. It wasn''t free, but did take vouchers that had been handed out when we got here. Most of them have been used up. "Hey," I reply. I already had a tray of food, a second breakfast and the last of my own vouchers. At least he didn''t see what I had eaten in the house. He only had food for himself on his tray so I guess he either stopped trying to get stuff for both of us, or had seen that I already had some before he got in line. "I observed you sitting over here so thought I would stop by. You don''t mind, do you?" "Nah, it''s okay." He''s doing that weird thing again, not quite looking me in the eyes, but more like he is looking at something else. At least he isn''t staring at my tits this time. We both poke at our food for a while, mostly him as I''ve eaten most of mine before he sat down. I pretend to play with my phone for a bit waiting for him to say something, but that''s only going to work for so long, he already knows my service isn''t working. I told him over the weekend. I feel a tingle run through my finger, crap; I drained some of my fucking battery again. I need to figure out how to control this better. "So.. uhh. You have any more cigarettes?" Simon finally speaks up, in a slight nervous hesitation. "Turned you into an addict already? Sorry actually, I used my last one this morning, and Rachel doesn''t have any more either." "So, was told a social worker is supposed to come see me today." "Yeah, me too." "So we might be getting out of here I guess?" "Maybe, don''t know if we are going to the same place though." "Yeah, I guess this is where I would normally ask for your number, and hope you don''t think I''ve been creepy for trying to hang around so much over the last several days. But I don''t have a phone and you said your service doesn''t work." Took him long enough. I shrug my shoulders and let him stew for a few seconds, while I finish off my OJ. "So, well I did.." Simon hems a bit before I interrupt him. "I have an email. I''d give you the one from Ball high school but it might not work anymore, but I have others." "Oh, great. Did I tell you I found out I went to Ball? Did you know a teacher named Jerry Mondale? He was the only person that showed up saying they knew me." "Yeah, I had him for first period history." "Was I in your class?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "No, you weren''t in any of my classes. I need pen and paper." "Right" Simon then starts rummaging through his backpack again, the same one we looted from Palais Royale on the island. He pulls out a paper, rips it in half and writes something down on one before handing them to me. "I registered a new email online yesterday while at the game room, since I can''t remember if I had any before." He says as I write down my email on the blank half of the paper. "Are you on PHO?" I stop and freeze. Is he fishing for info? A confirmation? Does he know if I¡¯m a Parahuman or not? Does it even matter? I don''t even have a PHO account; I mean I know what it is, I''ve visited a few site links to there from social media, but it''s not something I really follow. Should I start doing that now? Hell, I don''t even know what''s about to happen to my life, let alone want to worry about if I have to fit into a cape-life too. That''s not exactly high on my priorities. "Julia?" Simon asks. I took too long to answer. "No, I don''t have a PHO account. It''s not a site I visit much. I haven''t even checked this email in weeks." I say as I slide the pen and half-paper I wrote on back to him. I put the other half with his email in my pocket. "You just kinda spaced out there." "Hmm, you''re one to talk. I''m just a bit stressed out right now." "Yeah, wait here." Simon then gets up and wanders over to some older guy that was sitting under a different pavilion smoking. He chats for a bit, a minute or two maybe, then the guy hands Simon something and he comes walking back. Half way back I could tell he had a couple cigarettes in his hand. "Hope you still have your lighter." "Yeah, thanks." I say as I pull the lighter from my jacket pocket. At least he''s thoughtful to know what I needed. My fingers accidentally brush his hand as I light his cigarette, and my contact power briefly activates. In that brief instant I can tell whatever his adaptive hacking power or such that it was, had changed since the last time we had touched. Wait, what is it supposed to hack or change anyway? He hasn''t shown, and doesn''t seem to have a very obvious power set. At least nothing that was as obvious as what was revealed from Lifeline and Granite. Is that because it wasn''t there or because my own power did not detect it? I had felt so sure beforehand. Knowing other peoples powers, at least felt to me like it was a principle function of what my power, or at least one of my powers was. Yet his power ''sensation'', ''signature?'' has changed since the last time. So now I wasn''t so sure anymore. "So I think my smoking sk- *cough* sk- *cough* skills *cough* damn it. At least I though they improved, now I''m not so *cough* sure." Simon says after taking a drag. He is doing those weird movement patterns with his hands again, although he isn''t muttering like he had on previous occasions. I''m half tempted to ''accidentally'' brush his hand again, just to try and get more info, but a brief touch really isn''t going to be enough. Well, I also probably shouldn''t in general. Longer contact might give him the wrong idea. So if something obvious isn''t part of his power signature, then what was it changing or hacking? Wait, did he change or hack mine? I''m all worried about how I used my power on him, but did he use his on me? Does he even know he has powers? How could he not know that, it ought to be obvious right? "Somebody is walking up. observe" Simon says and mutters something jolting me out of my contemplation. "Shit, that''s Christy." Some other lady is following her. I turn away from her and suck down my cigarette in several quick breaths. Simon gets the hint and starts to do the same but is slower in doing so. I stamp it out just as I heard Christy call my name. "Julia! You were smoking weren''t you?" Simon starts coughing, jig is up anyway, but I don''t answer her. "What?" "This is Mrs. Pearson. She''s your case worker. She''ll be taking you and the other girls to your foster care homes. So get back to the house and pack up." "I''ll be back to the mobile home shortly; I have to find the boys too." Mrs. Pearson says. "What boys?" Simon asks. "observe" he whispers, he does that a lot, what is up with that? Mrs. Pearson looks at a sheaf of papers in her hand. "Ronald, Chris, and Simon, mobile home 3." "I''m Simon." "Anderson?" "Yes." "Then get rid of that cigarette you''re hiding under the table and get back to pack as well. I have to drive the whole lot of you back into Houston and I want to head out as soon as possible." ****? We arrive at the Becketts'' house and start piling out of Mrs. Pearson''s minivan. She hands all of us a stack of stapled forms labels ''Your Rights and Responsibilities under the Texas Foster Care System''. I assume she gave all the other kids we already dropped off the same thing but we never got out of the car for those. I could only glance through it before receiving another stack of blank forms titled ''Inventory of belongings''. My panic begins to rise. "Is this really necessary?" Rachel asks. At least someone else begins the objections first. "Yes, it''s standard procedure to make sure we know what gets transferred in the event of a move or parental visitation, and safeguarding any valuables. Also of course drugs and alcohol aren''t allowed. So empty your pockets and take off your jackets. If anyone is hiding anything it would be best if you speak up now." "Fuck..." Rachel said aloud. "Damn, you gonna get the rubber gloves out too?" Simon smirks. "No, do we need to?" Mr. Beckett responds. "Hell no, man" Simon retorts. "Some of us have private stuff; are you going to be doing this in front of everyone?" Janet remarks. "What''s the matter Janet, don''t want anybody to see your se-" "Shut up Rachel!" Janet yells. "She''s hiding cigarettes¡­" "Everyone inside, Rachel, if you have anything, hand it over now, that goes for everyone else too." Everyone gets ushered inside. Rachel pulls a pack out of her jacket pocket and hands it over to Mrs. Pearson. The four of us all get sat down on a long couch downstairs, some of the other resident kids are watching from the railing on the stairs until Mr. Beckett tells them to go upstairs. I sit on the end, and Simon sits between me and Janet, while Rachel gets sent to a side room with Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Beckett. Simon leans over and whispers, "They gonna find your.." he only mouths the last word, but I knew what he meant. "Yeah¡­" my panic builds up again; as I eye the suitcase my father''s gun is located in. It''s closed up inside my mother''s large wooden jewelry box, which has a latch, but certainly isn''t locked. Simon clasps my hand. He meant it as a gesture to calm me down. "You want me to say it''s mine?" he whispers. Parahuman, primary powers: Adaptive hacking, simulation¡­ It''s a thoughtful, but stupid idea. "No... It''s kinda too late for that anyway. Don''t think you could explain away bras and panties at the same time." I feel my hand tingle and pull something from Simon so I rip it away. "Yeah I guess that might not work," he says. Rachel returns and they call on Janet this time. Mr. Beckett is giving Rachel a lecture on cigarettes, the rules and search policies of staying here, and brief descriptions of upstairs, and the shared common rooms. The girls and boys each have their own bathrooms and bedrooms. We''d all get to tour it later. What is going to happen when they find it? It isn''t loaded, and there''s no ammo. That Coast Guard dude made sure of that. It''s an antique. I don''t even know if it will fire. It probably does work, dad kept it maintained, and he wouldn''t have insisted on leaving it at the house for our protection if it didn''t work, despite the fact that he moved out because they separated. How could they have done that? They could have, should have, worked things out. I thought they were getting better. Then Teresa comes home for winter break from UT, takes me shopping, and gets me into a good mood just to break the news that mom and dad are getting a divorce. I called mom. I was so angry, my last words to her over the phone was that I had hated her, what she had done, and that she ruined my life. Then the sirens went off, and my world ended. I try fighting back tears, but still feel one fall down my face. Janet has come back out again. Simon watches me, a look of concern on his face, before he is called into the room with his own backpack. Rachel sits down, "Hey, sorry I said I was out, was trying to save some for myself, ya know?" "Whatever, doesn''t matter" I manage to mutter out turning to the side to wipe another escaped tear away. My nerves feel like they''re getting ramped up again, but I wasn''t sure why. I scan the room looking at electrical outlets. Could I draw off my power, make the house blackout like the mobile home did occasionally? Use the darkness to try and hide the gun? It isn''t entirely dark out yet and that would probably out me. Fuck, I don''t know what else to do. I guess no one had drugs on them, or they would have called the cops. Would they do that to me? Too late now, Simon comes out and they call me inside. My jacket is searched; I pull all my pockets inside out on request, Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Beckett searches and inventories my backpack and my first suitcase. Guess this was why it took so long for Mrs. Pearson to come back each time she dropped off those other kids? Couldn''t have been this long though, but there are four of us. They pull out the jewelry box. "It''s not loaded." I say before they even open it. Mrs. Beckett actually pauses and doesn''t open it yet. "What?" she asks. I take a deep breath. "It''s my fathers. It''s not loaded, there is no ammo." She opens the box. "Richard!!" I assume she yelled for Mr. Beckett. "Oh good God Julia, why?" Mrs. Pearson says. My assumption that Richard was Mr. Beckett is confirmed when he barges into the room. "I said it''s my father''s, it''s the only thing of his I have left, jewelry is my mothers and sisters. Everything I brought here is all I have left of what my family owned." "Are there any other guns or weapons?" Mr. Beckett nearly yells. He had forgotten to shut the door. "No," I say too softly, because people are talking at the same time. They aren''t even listening to me. "Holy shit, Julia that''s totes gangster" I hear Rachel yell from the other room right before Mrs. Pearson slams the door shut again. "Are there¡ª" "NO!" I yell, "Nothing else." I hear three dial tones, and Mrs. Beckett puts the phone up to her ear. They have called the cops. "415 Riverside Road, one of the foster charges we just received brought a gun with her¡­" I could only hear one half of Mrs. Beckett''s conversation. "No, we''ve confiscated the weapon. She claims it isn''t loaded, but I''d like an officer to check and handle this matter¡­No¡­No¡­Julia Mendez, Female, age 15, Caucasian, reddish-brown hair¡­" "I''m Hispanic!" I yell my anger getting the better of me. "Julia go sit on the couch" Mr. Beckett says, and ushers me out the door, he and Mrs. Pearson follow behind me. "Julia, where did you even get that?" Mrs. Pearson had asked. "You weren''t even listening?! I told you it¡¯s my fathers." "The rest of all of you go upstairs." Mr. Beckett shouts. Mrs. Beckett is still in the room on the phone with the police. Rachel and Janet quickly run up. "That means you too Simon" "No thanks." Simon says. "What?" Mr. Beck asks, perplexed. "Unless you plan on forcibly man-handling a crippled kid, I''m gonna sit right here, because Julia''s my friend and I want to know what happens." "This is not a good start for either of you here, I''m not joking, get up the stairs; young man." Mr. Beckett continues. "Yeah, uh, don''t care. So unless you feel like carrying me, you can fuck all the way off." "You don''t use that language here," Mr. Beckett turns beet red. I''m touched, Simon is willing to get himself into serious trouble over me, but he doesn''t deserve this. That''s when Mrs. Beckett comes out of the room; phone still in hand, opens the front door, and stands on the porch. Mr. Beckett is apparently bluffing because he doesn''t make any attempt to pick Simon up off the couch, although he probably could have since Simon is so scrawny. Several seconds go by before Mr. Beckett spies kids on the stairs and yells at them again to get going. Although no siren is on, I see the red and blue lights flashing through the window, and some young officer with a shaved head enters. His hand on his still holstered gun. "I Observe some fuzz. Hey what the--" Simon says in a half-whisper, before cutting himself off. "Where is the weapon?" the officer asks. Mrs. Beckett quickly opens the door to the room they searched our stuff in. "Here, in the Jewelry box." I see another female officer come in a moment later, glance around the room and stare at me. "You Julia?" she asks, but I don''t respond right away. "Were any of these other items stolen?" I hear the bald officer ask. "I told you they''re my mother''s!" I yell, crying now. "I don''t know, she claimed they''re her mothers and sisters. Yes, that''s Julia." Mrs. Pearson responds. "Confirmed, minor in possession of a firearm," the male officer says into the radio, "unloaded." "Julia Mendez, turn around and put your hands behind your back." "It''s my dad''s¡­" I could barely think anymore, and can''t fight back tears anymore either. "They can''t deprive you of your stuff, even if it''s inherited. Said so online and on those forms they just gave us." Simon had said, still on the couch. "You need to move aside, this doesn''t involve you." The male officer moves toward Simon. "I''m a witness, I''m involved¡­" Simon is cut off as the officer does in fact physically move Simon off the couch. "You want to be involved, it will be with cuffs on, under arrest." "Just stop Simon, don''t get yourself into trouble over me." I''m already on my knees on the ground; the female officer is cuffing my hands behind my back and patting me down. "Did you know she had that thing?" I hear Mr. Beckett yell as I''m getting led out the door. "GET A LAWYER! DON''T ANSWER NOTHING!" is the last thing I hear Simon yell before I get shoved in the back of a squad car and the door is shut. I''m left alone for a while to stew with my thoughts. The officers are talking on the porch with the Becketts'' and the social worker, while occasionally glancing over at me and the squad car. My nerves still felt ramped up. I pull at my cuffs but stop because it just hurt my wrists. Guess I don''t have super strength, if I had, snapping my cuffs probably would have outed me. I concentrate, and feel a spark jump through the metal of the cuffs between my two hands. "Fuck," I feel a burn, and smell some acrid smoke, but the cuffs still hold fast. I must have singed the seat or something. I slide over to the other side to get a closer look at what I did. Yep, there are some tiny burn marks in the seat leather. What the hell am I doing? If I use my powers to escape, not that I know how, then what? It would be obvious; they would know who I am and send the PRT after me. Where would I go? Instant villain, until I get caught, maybe forced into the wards? No, fuck all that. Dad got swept up in an ICE raid years ago because of some bullshit profiling. Didn''t have his ID or phone on him, and it took us days to find out what happened after filing a missing persons report, and only when they finally let him use a phone. Completely legal permanent resident, yet nearly got deported. Now this, to me? Arrested for saving the only thing of my fathers I have left? The female cop opens the door and sits in the front passenger seat. "You want to tell me about the gun?" No I don''t want to. "Puta Cerda" is all I answer. "You think I don''t know Spanish, little Chola? Fine have it your way, we''ll sort this out at the station." Moments later the other cop gets into the driver''s seat and we drive off. It''s into the evening now. I watch Mrs. Pearson''s minivan following behind us. **** -- If you are reading this anywhere other than spacebattles, Royal Road, or ficbook.net/fanfics.me (in russian), then you are reading a version that was copied without permission. How about going to the original sites instead? There''s a larger number of better edited chapters there. Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.0 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.0 Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 Stupid house has stupid rules. Everyone has to be in their rooms at 9pm, lights out from 10 to 6. I can only sleep five of that, so I practice meditation again. With the exception of breathing, I have to be perfectly still, I can''t talk or even open my eyes, or breaks my trance. At least I don''t have to sit in some special pose, lying in bed is sufficient. I''m glad Meditation helps recover MP, because where the fuck did it go? I tried observing that cop and got a message saying I don''t have enough MP. I had half my bar filled, and then I''m staring at nothing. What happened? I had turned off notifications for when MP was lowered or gained, because it was too spammy. When whatever happened stopped, my regen kicked in as normal and MP ticked back up to 1 point in a few minutes, and increased at its normal rate over the next few hours until we got ushered into our rooms. There were a couple of notifications later that said I had gained two levels of Null Resistance. That''s the second time that skill was involved in the presence of Julia. That face-puncher dude dropped down to level 4 after she knocked him out. Do I need more proof? I can''t point it out very well. Hey Julia, are you a Parahuman? Why do I ask? Because you drained me and that dude at the store? How can I possibly know that? I have my own power that lets me notice weird shit. Yes, that means I''m a Parahuman too. Why no, I didn''t out you to the PRT, please believe me. How did getting arrested last night go for you? Yes, I know your family''s dead and this just makes things more complicated. Why are you running away? Argh. I have no idea how to handle that landmine and she isn''t here right now. There''s two rooms, one for the girls and one for the boys. I share the boys room with 3 other teenagers, it has 3 metal framed bunk beds that look like what you''d see in a teen comedy about summer camp. Why do I even know this? My selective amnesia is damn weird in its selections. Anyway, I''m the newbie, and got relegated to a bottom bunk. The only thing I can do in meditation is think, I imagine goals to set for myself, and see which ones might turn into quests and figure out how exactly that works. Even though I can''t check my results without breaking meditation, I hear a few notifications go off. I get tired of meditating, so I get up to explore the house. A tired, annoyed, Mr. Beckett meets me on the stairwell and sends me right back into the room to wait the 25 minutes until 6am. Stupid. Apparently, they have motion sensors which cover the upstairs lounge/TV/computer area and the stairwell. At 6am I''m free, but the only kid that actually gets up that early. There¡¯s two bathrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys, with a connecting bedroom door and a door to the hall. The bathrooms share a wall, the bedrooms don''t. The rest of the upstairs is an open area with a study table, wall TV, couches, and a computer desk. Downstairs has a small kitchen/dining room/breakfast nook, an additional living area with the couch we were on last night, a coffee table, another TV, and the office the Becketts'' used for their searches last night. That''s all the rooms I can reach. There''s locked doors that block off an entire section of the downstairs. I assume it''s where the Becketts'' room and bathroom are. Mr. Beckett tries to talk to me about my behavior last night; I tune him out while I eat. Julia''s not back yet, and he doesn''t know what''s going on, but is sure Mrs. Pearson will let him know later. I excuse myself to go back upstairs to take a shower and a crap. ****? I grab pen and paper to take cryptic notes on my weird powers. Since it''s video game themed I lay it out as if I was designing a video game to throw off anyone that might read it. Quests: Some are created via goals set for myself. Others are created automatically. I have partial control over the former, none over the latter. Quests from goals need to have some kind of ''self-improvement'' result which requires a degree of risk, difficulty and chance of failure? The ''self-improvement'' might be tangible or intangible. But, setting goals like ''Gain X levels in a skill'' didn''t seem to trigger quest creation, nor did ''Gain X in a stat'', ''Gain X levels'' and so on. But, there are some exceptions. There''s far more failures in conceptualizing a goal, ones that didn''t create a quest, than there are successes. Successful New Quests received:
Get In Shape! Train all physical stats (STR, AGI, CON) up to 15 without spending points on them. Time Limit: none Success: 500 XP, a better bod. Failure: Continue being a wuss.
Don''t be a Stranger Introduce yourself to all the other kids in the house, and gain enough relationship with each to not be a stranger. Time Limit: 7 days. Success: 200 XP, Achieved: 1 of 10. Bonus Condition: Make a new friend, 150 XP Failure: Everyone thinks you are anti-social.
Don''t be shy! Convince a girl to go out on a date with you. Bribery, blackmail and hookers do not count. Time Limit: 2 years Success: 1000 XP, ???, Open a new quest chain. Failure: Everyone thinks you are a loser, or possibly gay.
Make your First Golem You have the skill now, what are you waiting for? Time Limit: 2 weeks Success: 250 XP, Free +1 to Create Mana Golem Skill Bonus Condition: Do it without outing yourself, 100 XP Failure: No XP or skill bonus reward if you do finally get around to it, more trolling.
The Path to Min-Maxing Figure out how to train the rest of your stats Achieved so far: INT, WIS, AGI, STR Success: 50 XP per stat. Failure: Continued wallowing in your ineptitude.
The other kids are up now, I know Rachel and Janet from yesterday, but there''s three more girls I don''t know the names of yet. There are the three guys I room with, Thomas, Cody and Max. Cody is younger, still in 8th grade, the others older and in high school. Completing ''Don''t be a Stranger'' should be easiest. I got 1 relationship point for each of the boys just by friendly introductions. I assume Julia counts for the ''1 out of 10'' already achieved. Does that imply a prediction that she is returning? I should create or complete some kind of simple quest every day if it''s doable. ****? My thoughts are interrupted by disturbing sounds from the TV as a news program drones on. I glance up to see what it is and freeze. Footage from the attack showing Leviathan was playing, my heart races and I panic. "Turn that off!" I hoarsely scream. "What?" Thomas asks. "TURN IT OFF!!" I yell. "No, I''m watching TV" I vaguely become aware of more yelling, but my mind retreats into the trauma of reliving my near death at the hands of the giant aquatic Chupacabra. I come to my senses; Janet and Rachel have entered at some point. Rachel is trying to get my attention, Janet''s sobbing in the corner, Thomas is nursing a bloody nose, Mrs. Beckett is bandaging a cut on Rachel''s hand. "Shit, Simon you okay?" Rachel asks. "Watch your language, Rachel" Mrs. Beckett responds. I hold my chest with my good hand because my heart is still racing. "What the hell happened?" "You were screaming, Janet and I came out to look. Janet started crying too, cause of the fu- news footage. I punched Thomas in the nose because he wouldn''t turn off the TV or change the station." "You do not attack other people in this house Rachel, Mrs. Pearson will be informed of this." "The dickhead wouldn''t listen..." "That''s no reason to resort to screaming and violence" My fear converts to anger "You''ve got four kids in here that have been traumatized by that fucking thing, Julia and I have even seen it with our own eyes. You don''t think making sure we don''t see any reminders of that is too much to ask? Look what happened!" I yell at Mrs. Beckett. "We are aware, and it is in fact not supposed to be displayed or changed immediately if being shown on the news. Thomas is being reminded and disciplined, and you should moderate your tone when speaking to adults." I shake my head sighing. "Thanks, Rachel, I''d have done it myself if I could think straight for a moment." "Yeah, no prob." "Regardless, that''s not the kind of behavior to encourage." Mrs. Beckett has to edge the last word in. A number of notifications have gone off but I ignore them and walk over to Janet. "Hey, sorry for screaming, you didn''t need to see that. Nobody needs to be reminded of the giant aquatic Chupacabra that wrecked our lives. You okay?" "Yeah, you didn''t do anything wrong, thanks for asking." Janet said. "That''s a stupid name for ¡­" "Yeah it is, ain''t it? That''s why I use it, helps my mind deal with it. Nobody that hasn''t been through what we have will understand. The mental image of a wet, smelly, mangy coyote is easier to handle instead." "Is that what a Chupacabra is? I thought it was some mythical monster." "It''s both. That''s what the scientists and skeptics think people actually see when a sighting is reported." "Yeah, but with capes everywhere now, who knows if that''s still true." "The myth of the Chupacabra pre-dates Scion, so I''m betting on the mangy coyote idea." "How do you know this?" "I don''t really know." "You and Julia really saw¡­it¡­up close?" "Yeah¡­" talking about it isn''t easy so I don''t. She picks up on my reluctant silence, and doesn''t press the issue. By then, Rachel has sat down and we move to idle chit chat. Rachel is a sophomore, Janet is a senior. Using Observe doesn''t tell me much more than what it did yesterday, just with the lingering trauma and emotional effects of the recent dust-up, and Rachel''s injured hand. Hmm, so long as something''s changed since the last time I used Observe on a target, I get a little skill gain out of it. I previously discovered using Observe on the same target over and over gains nothing, except ever snarkier commentary, and wasting my MP. As we talk, I get casual introductions to the other three girls staying at the house. Melissa is a freshman like me, Katy a junior, and Joanna an eighth grader. I introduce Rachel and Janet to Max and Cody; they know who Thomas is already. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Thomas Arlot has gone from stranger to annoyance Rachel Zamora has gone from stranger to acquaintance Mr. Beckett finally comes back up and makes Thomas apologize to everyone, and Rachel apologize to Thomas. My relationship sheet tells me I got an 11 with Rachel already, that made her 2 of 10 for the quest. Janet is at 5. Thomas, dropped to -12, which still qualifies since ''annoyance'' isn''t ''stranger'', making him 3 of 10. Observe, basic psychology and the glare Thomas levels at me, tells me he blames me for his reprimand, and indirectly his bloody nose, because I freaked out at the newscast. The rest of the kids are still in the 1-3 relationship range. Hmm, interesting, Lifeline, Rappel, Granite, Carlos Ortega, I think that''s the face-puncher guy we tied up with pantyhose at the Palais Royal, and ??? Jones, (was that the PRT officer?), has decayed about 1 point towards zero. Do several days of no interaction make people move toward neutral? Negative ten is definitely a boundary since Jones is a ''stranger'' instead of an ''annoyance''. The only one that didn''t change was Sparky who''s still at -100 and an ''Enemy''. I gained another level of Gamer''s Mind. Clearly from getting blasted by a sustained post traumatic trigger¡­occurrence. It''s some stupid bullshit that I have to mentally torture myself to get that skill to raise faster than it otherwise would by leveling up. My introspection is interrupted by Mrs. Beckett saying we''re going to the mall. Good. Maybe that means I can get my $300 back which they ''held onto for safe keeping''. It''s so we can go clothes shopping to supplement our meager possessions. At least I''m not alone in having my money held. I seem to have more than the others, after it gets doled out we climb into a minivan and drive to the mall. ****? I decide to purchase a few outfits. Observe shows me interesting things about various clothing. Some have (minor) cold and (very minor) heat resistance properties. Some have bonuses to Comfort, many have bonuses to Allure. Some, heavy jackets and boots, have minor fractional bonuses to Armor as well. Nearly all of those unique items are entirely out of my price range. I still don''t know how most of these numbers actually work. The few things I do get only net me some minor comfort bonuses. I disable some more security tags in the changing rooms. I don''t steal anything. I just confirm it still won''t raise my Disable Device skill any further. I guess I need to use more challenging locks. I can fix that with a trip to a hardware store. I really need to figure out where an arts and craft store is that has enough clay to use in making a golem. My skill says I can make up to a 10 pound golem, I should get at least 10 pounds of clay. How big of a golem will that make? I doubt it will fit in a conventional oven. I won''t be able to look for that until I get on the internet back at the house. Until then, I don''t have a reason to save mana, so blow it all using Observe on everyone and everything in the mall. Oh, there''s an Arcade, and the Becketts'' don''t have any consoles. Time to try that video game skills cheat out. ****? Video Game Skill Cheat: For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Vehicle Operations'' skill. Vehicle Operations levels up quickly from some racing games. I go from level one to 99.99% of level two and get a specialty prompt for ''Cars''. I accept it, which drops me back down to level 1 again, and play some more before I realize maybe I should switch to something else and see if I can get another specialty. The text of the video game skill cheat did say ''low levels only''. I go to Tank Commander, and get to level two but don''t receive a specialty prompt. I keep playing to level three, and get a specialty prompt for ''Tanks'', accept it, and it drops back to level 2 again. This time I swap to the helicopter game immediately and play it until I get a prompt for ''Helicopters'', which I accept again. It drops to level 2 again, and I kept playing. I still need to confirm it though. Partway through to level three I swap again and go to a Jet Ski game. I get to level 3 and it stays there. No specialty prompt is given. Also Vehicle Operation then stays at an even level 3, 0.00%, and won''t increase any further. So, gaining a specialty requires absolute focus on practice related to the specialty during the entire level up and not splitting it across different types of activates? If true, then I missed getting the Jet Ski and a big rig specialty for Vehicle Operations, since there''s a game for that too. I switch to shooters to confirm my theory. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Video Game Skill Cheat: For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Firearms'' skill. The shooter games are more limited in variety. There''s lots of pistol/hand gun type arcade games, but only one that featured a pump shotgun. I get level 1 and continue until prompted for a ''hand guns'' specialty and drop back to level 1, and stop immediately, even though the game isn''t over. I go to the shotgun game, get the ''shotguns'' specialty, drop to 1 again and stop. So, the best way to gain skill specialties is as early as possible in the skill levels. So far, they appear to be unlimited, require complete dedication to solely that specialty activity, and the early levels are always the easiest to gain. Have I not been able to get specialties in Observe because I have been mixing activity types up or because the skill doesn''t offer any specialties? Video Game Stat Cheat: For playing games that test your perception, you have gained 1 PER. I try some fighting games, but get nothing from them. I try some action games that let me cast spells, but again, get no skills from them. All the while, my arm is hurting because only an insane person like me plays a bunch of arcade games with a broken arm. It''s not easy and I''m wasting a lot of money dying a lot when I normally can do a lot better. Is it because the driving games have actual controls, pedals, steering wheels, shifters, etc.? Even the tank, helicopter and Jet Ski games had somewhat realistic controls. The shooters have actual plastic pistol shaped weapons with triggers, even the shotguns have pump reload action. Those were a bitch to operate with my bad arm. At least playing all the driving and shooting games gave me a +1 PER video game cheat stat boost. Video Game Skill Cheat: For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Athletics'' skill. I try a dance pad game last, and gain the ''Athletics'' skill. I''m half way to level 2 when the damn mall intercom goes off. "Simon Anderson, please come to the central information desk. Simon Anderson, please come to the central information desk." Shit, I''ve totally lost track of the time. We''re supposed to leave at 5 pm. It''s been over half an hour past that. Richard Beckett has gone from stranger to annoyance Andrea Beckett has gone from stranger to annoyance The Beckett''s aren''t happy. Notifications for relationship status say so too. My arm hurts and all that banging around and exhaustion on the dance pad game took off some HP and most of my stamina. It did push my Gamer''s body skill close to leveling. I need to come back again and use that game to get whatever specialty it will give me. Dancing? Probably not that useful but I''ll take it anyway. Just have to make sure I don''t do anything that counts as ''Athletic activity'' and ruin the specialty gain. What other skills and specialties could I get from video and arcade games? Something to think about, plus I need to look up arcades local to the area when I get back, and see if there''s some with more variety. Will consoles or computer games work too? My Strategy skill had to have come from something. ****? Between the clothes, and the arcade, I''ve spent 84 bucks and change. Half of that was the arcade, expensive purchase of skills, but useful knowledge. I feel like I know way more about those skills than what I should be able to know from a few hours of playing a video game, but no way to verify that knowledge. When we get home, I turn over only $120 to the Beckett''s for ''safe-keeping'' and stuff the rest in my underwear in case they were going to search me but they didn''t go that far. I have $95 left in sweaty, stinky, small bills. My punishment for making everyone late, and my behavior yesterday, is extra chores. I have to help with dinner and clean the dishes. ''Due to repeated action do I want to gain the Cooking Skill?'' No, fuck, I don''t want the cleaning skill either. Skill slots are a limited resource. My power spams me repeatedly until I leave it unanswered. I can''t wait for that broken arm status effect to go away, but the timer says it won''t happen until February 1st. Julia is dropped off by Mrs. Pearson, in the evening. I didn''t get a chance to talk, she goes straight to the girl''s room, showers, and goes back in again. The Becketts bring dinner to her. That''s what Janet and Rachel say anyway. She had to spend a night in jail, saw a juvenile judge this morning and was with the social worker for the rest of the day. After dinner and chores I review all I gained today and anything I missed. Reaching level 10 in Gamer''s Mind unlocked a new feature. ''No Pain, Still Gain'' grants me a 2% immunity to pain effects per skill level. It''s retroactively applied so it''s at a nice 20%. That must have been how I was able to ignore my arm at the arcade. I still took a pain pill when I got home though, so it must have been bad. That bumps up Drug Resistance a tad, but without cigarettes or such I won''t grind it too easily. Disease resistance has gone up a little; the status timer says that infection will go away tomorrow. I don''t think I''ll hit level 4 by then. Dinner restored the HP I lost earlier. I use the computer, and note some nearby stores to visit, assuming I get a chance to leave the house unsupervised. I don''t know what kind of schedule we have. Supposedly we all have meetings with the case workers and counseling sessions. School was supposed to start next week on January 4th, but got pushed back a week because of the attack. Oh and the computer, fucking non-admin public account and parental controls locking down the internet. Yeah nope, but don''t have time to poke at that tonight. With still no chance to talk to Julia, there''s not much to do. I need to maximize my time to always gain or train something. I''m so close to another level, yet haven''t gained enough XP. How best can I train the other four stats? CON, LUC, CHA and PER? How can I do it without outing myself to the house with so many people here? Have to think about that more because it''s 9pm and we all get ushered into our rooms. "So we got what an hour before lights out right?" "Yeah and Mr. Beckett will barge in here if it''s not off too." Max responds. "Hmm okay¡­ still a bright street light outside the window, anyone got some playing cards and flashlights?" "Yeah why, what do you care?" Thomas asks, still annoyed. "Well, anyone want to play some poker?" I ask as I count through my bills. ****? As I suspected, I''m not the only one that keeps hidden money. Max and Thomas are willing to play some games. Cody just watches. I get to practice my Empathy and Persuasion skills. I wonder if a Gambling skill prompt will appear. Yep, there''s one. ''Card''s and Board Games'' but I don''t accept it. We play past 10pm, lights off, using the window and the flashlights. Finally, I get the message I was waiting for. Max Caldwell has gone from stranger to acquaintance Thomas Arlot has gone from annoyance to stranger For taking a chance at raw risk vs. reward, you have gained 1 LUC It cost me. Since Max won most of it he¡¯s happy and it put him into the acquaintance category. I even gained enough points so Thomas went back into ''stranger'' status. At least that didn''t negate my prior gain for the quest. I now have 4 of 10 achieved, and +50 XP from figuring out how to train luck. I should have stopped after I got my luck point, instead I tried using Observe to cheat and it didn''t really work. It didn''t reveal the face side of my opponent''s cards, it didn''t with the thinker tests either, dumb me. The emotional info might help me detect bluffs, if I had more real practice at the game itself. Though if I¡¯m cheating, will it still count as training luck? After losing more money I stop when I¡¯m $42 in the hole. I don''t want to lose it all and my main objective is achieved. Still didn''t breach level 5, so very close. I guess level 5 is at an even 1600 XP? I''m 5 measly points short. So lights off for real this time, and back to bed again. Still not going to sleep, I need to think and plan more of what to do. I can use the light from my, invisible to everyone else, game windows to see my notes in the dark, but it''s dim. Maybe, if I change my theme to white text on white background and flip the window around to face the paper I can get better light? Yeah, awesome, that works well. My power has an invisible flashlight. A notification pings off so I stop and look at it. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Holy crap my Gamer''s Interface skill went up a whole level and then some because I figured out how to turn my game windows into an invisible flashlight? I open up more windows, make them bigger, face them away from me and set my theme to pure white. Damn I can nearly see most of the room in the dark. What other cheaty stuff can I do? "Options" I whispered. Yeah, this is gonna take a while. ****? Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Notes interface feature. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Wow, many hours of playing around with my gamer options in the middle of the night nets me multiple levels in Gamer''s Interface, and a host of tangential powers I never even thought of before. Also, Notes! My feature unlock for Gamer''s Interface level 10 is ''Notes''. I have a brand new tab, and a new pop-up window which contains a keyboard interface. I can even select the keyboard layout I want to use. I copy all my hand-written notes off my papers and type them into my Notes tab. It''s a glorified, personal text editor. I tear up the written notes I copied and flush them because I''m being paranoid. Your Computers skill has increased by 1 Even weirder, screwing around with my virtual text editor is gaining me levels in Computers. I''ve gotten to level 6, then the level 7 boundary, and got a prompt for a ''Typing'' specialty of all things. I take it and it drops back to level 6. I stop here because I''m not sure what I want to do next, or if I want to pursue more specialties under the Computers skill. I do have plans to use the computer tomorrow. What kind of cheaty stuff can I do with all these options? Subtitles: I can turn them on or off, and select language. Current default is English, and there''s over 200 language choices, even fictional ones like Elvish and Klingon. Cheaty power possibilities: Read whispered conversations, or conversations too distant to hear? Understand any foreign language, even if I can''t speak it? I can also select the language used on my interface, but I don''t see much point in setting it to something I don''t know. Camera Mode: Wow, this one is the most cool, and most disorienting. There are three modes. In ''First Person View'' the camera''s behind the eyes just like in real life, and the default. ''Third Person View'', literally allows me to look at myself from behind or over the shoulder just like in a lot of video games. Of course I can see plenty of my surroundings also. I can''t control the position of the camera in this view. It''s automatically moved to whatever position gives the best angle. But, I do have limited control over the rotation of the camera. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Cheaty power possibilities: Can I get around being blinded or deafened? Both my visual and auditory senses move with the camera like some form of remote viewing, even when my eyes are closed and one arm is covering my face, I can see and hear from the perspective of where the invisible camera is located. I think it has a maximum range of around a dozen feet, but my experiments have been limited to the bedroom and bathroom. This camera won''t go through walls, and I can move my body and walk around, but it''s disorienting. It''s hard to sync my movements up with my eyes when my senses are not located where they''re supposed to be. I missed multiple times trying to grab the bathroom doorknob before just sliding my hand down the door using my tactile senses, which are still centered on my body, despite staring right at the thing from my third person camera POV. I hope this is something that I can overcome with practice. I can definitely cheat at cards now though. The third mode is ''Free Camera''. Using that I can freely control the position and rotation of the camera and it''s not restricted to looking at me from 6 to 12 feet away. At best guess, the free camera has a radius of about 100 feet or so from where my body is located. Could be more or less, can''t be sure without measuring somehow. Like third person mode, I''m able to send my visual and auditory senses anywhere in that sphere. It''s not restricted by walls, so that includes the other rooms of the house, into the walls, ground, and the air above the roof. My interface windows and HUD stay with the camera. Also, now that I have an illusionary keyboard layout, I''ve gained access to key bindings for a lot of commands, including camera control. It does take time to move the camera around. The weird part is that, according to looking at myself, I am still moving my arms and hands to poke at where my interface would have been located if I were using First Person mode. Though it would be really, really useful to figure out a way to mentally do it instead. I can even use Observe, but again physically, I can feel my mouth moving to speak the commands, even if my camera is too far away to hear my body whisper it. Trying to walk, or do anything more than lie down or sit upright making flailing gestures while in Free Camera Mode is right out. Really fucking disorienting, and gives me a headache. Also, moving the camera''s position in Free Camera mode is slow, probably slower than walking, so it takes time to go spying. Yes, I did that, shame on me, but it''s dark and everyone is asleep so there''s not much to look at. Cheaty power possibilities: The obvious one, limited range 100ft? remote viewing for visual and auditory senses. Limited Microscopic View: ability to zoom in super close with the free camera combined with flashlight theme to illuminate or backlight something to magnify stuff to a level I can probably not do with the naked eye. I don''t know what the magnification level is, but I can''t see cells or bacteria and what not so it''s still limited. There was no way to achieve the opposite, a macroscopic view ability that I could find. There''s a ''Gore Level'' which is set to real life, it has other options but they''re disabled. There''s a Profanity Filter. When set to ''On'' there''s a selection of sound effects I can choose from, I selected ''BOOP''. When I said ''fuck'', what came out instead was BOOP, in a very unnatural non-human sounding manner. I don''t think this was silent either, but I did that while in the bathroom, so hopefully no one noticed. Will having the filter on causes other people near me to say the same thing when they swear, or will it only affect the way my mind perceives it? I''m going to keep it off for now. Cheaty power possibilities: I can make weird non-human sounds effects, just by swearing? Maybe use it as a distraction? It could possibly be pretty loud if I crank my interface volume up. I have a ''Display Mode'', not the one from the status screen, but from the graphic options. It''s on ''Full View'' which equals real life, and there''s ''Windowed''. It does what I thought, but seems pointless and restrictive to my perceptive abilities. I can''t think of a positive use for this at the moment. ''Frames per Second'' is set to ''Real Life''. I could set it lower and did so but didn''t notice anything different. I don''t know what the fuck it did. All the other graphics options, Texture Detail, Resolution, Shadow Detail, Reflections Detail, Shader Quality, Anti-Aliasing, Bloom, Light Shafts, Light Flares, and Motion Blur, are set to ''Real Life''. Setting them to something less only makes the world look shittier, so I don''t see the point in changing them. Maybe I can think of a way to abuse these settings later. Gamma Correction, Brightness, Black & White Mode, however? Those are useful. By playing with these, I can see in the dark really well, or in low light conditions. I should find a way to set up macros, to assign presets to these for various environmental conditions. I can even see in absolute darkness, by changing to the flashlight theme, thus generating my own invisible light, and setting those values to amplify it further. Cheaty power possibilities: Darkvision & Low-light vision for the win. Audio options: I have five generic channels, Voices, SoundFXs, Ambient, Interface, and Music. They all have volume controls. I can mute them all and be in perfect silence. Doing that gives me a ''Sound of Silence'' buff that boosts my Comfort. It''s a lot easier to hear conversations when I can turn off the background noise. I can also crank them up and get some damn good hearing. The drawback is that someone right next to me is loud as fuck. Fortunately the decibel control option mitigates that. It appears to limit the loudness of any sound. With all other channels off and voices maxed out, I can hear the Beckett''s talking in their room, from the boys room upstairs. It''s a bit mumbly, but via free camera remote viewing, I can look and confirm the conversation is what I thought it was, by moving my senses closer. They''re not talking about anything interesting. The Music option is cool. It''s very obvious no one can hear it but me when I have it turned on. However, there''s a ''Broadcast'' button only visible when Music is on. It''s set to ''Off'' and I''m going to keep it there for now. I can sample from a huge number of listed genres to find out what I do and don''t like. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Cheaty power possibilities: Super Hearing and audio filtering via volume settings and channel muting. Sound Protection via decibel control. Immunity to sonic or voice based power by just muting it? My own personal jukebox by setting broadcast to ''On''? Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Petty Thief Faction: None Money: $173.77 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 4 (99.37%) XP: 1595 Primary Attributes STR: 6 (-0.70) 5.30 AGI: 5 (-1.10) 3.90 CON: 9 (-0.30) 8.70 INT: 16 (-1.75) 14.25 PER: 10 (-1.00) 9.00 WIS: 18 (-1.75) 16.25 CHA: 10 (-0.75) 9.25 LUC: 9 (0.00) 9.00 Unspent Points: 8 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 160/160 Stamina Pool: 148/148 Mana Pool: 316/640 Stress Pool: 85/340 Attack: 6.00 Speed: 2.66 Dodge: 7.85 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 53.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 30 Free Skill Slots: 5 Artistry: 5 (0.00%) Athletics: 1 (54.45%) Basic Academics: 8 (20.43%) Computers: 6 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (8.65%) Create Mana Golem: 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 3 (0.00%) Disease Resistance: 3 (44.76%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 2 (32.13%) Empathy: 2 (74.24%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 6 (96.45%) Gamer''s Interface: 13 (45.95%) Gamer''s Mind: 10 (24.87%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 3 (69.96%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 6 (88.39%) Parahuman Lore: 3 (22.89%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 2 (12.54%) Speech: 2 (29.97%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (87.68%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.1 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.1 Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 I was so engrossed with exploring my Options and grinding Gamer''s Interface that I ''overslept''. Despite only sleeping five hours, I get four hours in before Mr. Beckett yells at me to get out of bed. Because of that, I missed my chance to talk to Julia this morning. Mrs. Beckett took her to the courthouse already. No one''s sure when she''ll be back again, I assume she will be since her stuff is still here. I checked via remote viewing. It''s boring waiting for my turn at the computer, so I eat breakfast, work through the geometry book, and play around with Micro-vision to see the rise of the ink on the paper, and the starchy bumps and fissures on the surface of my oat bran. I''m listening to the personal music collection that my power gave me. So far I like this alternative rock genre the best, it has a good variety. A new notification pops up, I learned another new thing about myself, item number 11, ''Your favorite music style is alternative rock''. I want to go out and see some of the shops and arcades, but no¡­ gotta go to a CPS appointment with the social worker. That and I think I''m grounded or something because of that first night. Turning the music off I crank some of the volumes up. Mr. Beckett, Thomas and Max are downstairs watching a sports game. I don''t see the appeal of watching sports, perhaps not even watching TV in general. You weren''t doing anything. It would cut into skill training time anyway. What? No notification saying I don''t like TV, that doesn''t count as something I learned about myself? TV noise seems to count as Sound FXs, and not voices despite the fact that most of it was talking. Cody is in the bathroom... oh god¡­ putting SoundFXs volume back to normal right now. Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1 A notification tells me the Cellulitis status effect has been removed. Defeating it bumps up my Disease Resistance skill up another level. I still have antibiotics left, the doc told me to keep taking them until I ran out, to be sure the condition is gone but they don''t have a power which tells me outright when it expires. I think I''ll save them. If I have time to mess around on the computer before I have to leave for whatever, what''s my ultimate goal? Get unrestricted access for myself on the computer and perhaps the network, so I can bypass parental internet controls, and because I''m bored. Hell, I couldn''t even install a better browser the other day. Do they even have wireless? I don''t have a phone anyway, so¡­ DING, DING, two quest notifications pop off.
Access Granted Gain control of the Beckett''s upstairs computer and make an admin account for yourself. Success: 100 XP Bonus Condition: Gain admin access to their network, 100 XP, and other computers 50 XP each Failure: No folders of Pr0n for you.
¡­uh, I guess we can''t have that now can we?
Who You Gonna call? Obtain a smartphone with internet capability. What? You think you''re going to look at Pr0n on the public computer? Success: 300 XP, a smartphone. Failure: Blue Balls
Okay, is my power trolling me again? Or is it trying to give me an alternative to my newly discovered power of remote viewing? Smartphones are damn expensive. Ha, my pursuit of computer time is no longer delayed by Joanna watching cat videos. I manage to get part ways into my searches for instructions on how to hack the thing. I paste off my URLs into an obscure text file rather than save bookmarks because of a public computer with shared accounts, and good god¡­ Why has no one learned how to delete browser history yet? I''ve been keeping my eye on my Computers skill to note any rises, but it hasn''t. I hope that will be a good thing, I want to try to gain more specialties, but it''s hard to figure out what would get counted as actions toward the specialty when you didn''t even know what you might end up getting, and there are so many different things I can think of for Computers, that I could easily imagine cross contaminating my actions. I''ve already learned that mere browsing doesn''t increase computer skill, or doesn''t anymore, so I think I''m safe there. Then Mrs. Pearson finally arrives and it''s time to talk to her downstairs. ****? "...So sometimes we will be meeting in my office at the CPS building, but most times it will be here where I can meet with all of you more easily." Mrs. Pearson droned, "Simon, are you listening?" "Yes" I mumble, though it''s difficult while using my Free Camera to see what the hell she is writing into her computer on the other side of the desk. "All of us? I''ve observed you working pretty hard. How many cases are you working?" Mrs. Pearson is using her own laptop; the Beckett''s computer here in the office is in sleep mode, though their router is in this room. To get the bonuses on that quest, I need access to both, and the office is normally kept locked when not in use. From my brief perusal of the network earlier, there''s at least one other computer in the house, plus a printer but that''s here in the office too. "I have twelve direct action cases right now, the four of you that I brought here, and two others I dropped off at other homes. The rest are older cases who are more settled in where they are, and require less of my time. I have numerous other cases which at this point don''t require much more than a monthly checkup or phone call. That''s where I''d like to lead you Simon, it will be hands-on for a while, until you can get settled, enrolled in school, and into a healthy routine. As you progress we''ll see if you''re good with staying here, or if placement opportunities with relatives or a more permanent foster family might become available in the future. Simon?" Relatives? I have no idea if I have any. "So you are working Rachel, Janet, and Julia''s cases? What happened to Julia yesterday? What is going on there? Is she coming back here again?" "Julia''s issues are confidential between her, the state and me. You would not appreciate it if I went around talking about the problems or issues you are dealing with in confidence to me with others right? Besides, we are here to talk about your issues, not someone else''s, unless they are directly giving you a problem that you feel threatened by or uncomfortable with." I pause for a while before I respond and drop back to first person camera mode. "Well, one issue I have is that I observed my only friend, someone I shared a horrible traumatic experience with, and is probably one of the few people that can possibly relate to that, get arrested the day before yesterday for bullshit. I didn''t even get the chance to talk to her yesterday when she did come back, and only found out through one of the other girls that she spent a night in jail, and went to a court trial. The fact that this happened, without regard, or even an attempt to listen or understand the circumstances, gives me a very real fear of authority and makes me feel unsafe. Observe-ing that my friend is okay and is being supported would go a long way to helping me feel better and be more cooperative." That came out way more eloquently than I thought myself capable of. Is that how my speech power works? Laura Pearsons has gone from stranger to acquaintance Your Speech skill has increased by 1 "Alright, you make a fair point. Julia is safe, I am supporting her, CPS is supporting her. While I can''t get into the details, it was my advocating that got her out of jail, into an emergency hearing, and appointed a lawyer. That hearing is still ongoing now, I will be picking her up later today to bring her back here, and you can try and talk to her again then. But right now I am here for you and your needs, so I need you to talk about what you need and how we can help you." Two notifications pop off. Mrs. Pearson has become an acquaintance, and I gained a level of speech. "I hope the lawyer proves useful, maybe me sticking around, and yelling at her to stay silent and get a lawyer was a good thing? The Beckett''s punished me for it." "You were more than a bit unruly, but I''ll keep that thought in mind." "Well, I observed that no one was listening so what else could I do?" She keeps talking while I minimize my accumulating Observe windows, and go back to free camera mode. At least I can practice some skills while stuck here. She says I''m to get counseling, that all of us are, both one on one and group therapy over the next couple weeks and beyond if warranted. I don''t have any opposition to that. I hope it will help my stress levels, since that ''Get Healthy Again'' quest depends on it. I also hope it can help me with the ''Help Julia Recover from Trauma'' quest. Talking about my counseling leads right into the psychological notes I see on her computer about me, as she dances around a few subjects or perhaps it explains why she is ignoring some things. Simon Anderson, DOB unknown, age estimated 14-16 years. Relatives: undetermined. No identification. Confirmed victim of Leviathan attack on Dec. 19th, 2009. Rescued from sinkhole on Galveston Island by capes involved in search and rescue. Witnessed multiple deaths and devastation. Observations: Claims to have amnesia; may be legitimate from injuries received or psychological trauma. However it does not fit normal clinical definition. Initial physical exams were inconclusive, but probably did suffer from a concussion. This has made obtaining identification difficult. Requires more extensive medical follow-up to confirm and provide post care for broken arm and removal of stitches. Has tendencies to make repetitive hand gestures and mutterings of specific words, or incorporate them into his speech. It could stem from a nervous habit, OCD, or Tourette''s? Need psychological evaluation to ascertain. May have delusions or suffer from temporary psychotic break as a result of trauma. Full psychological and medical examination should be scheduled. MRI recommended. How much of that is Mrs. Pearson''s notes or came from that PRT lady I failed to convince I was a Parahuman? I figure a lot comes from the latter. Mrs. Pearson doesn''t strike me as a counselor or psychologist on her own. I suppose some knowledge of that in a job like hers is inevitable. Was leaving out the fact I told them I was a Parahuman done on purpose or was it an oversight? "¡­We''ll need to schedule you a medical check-up as well. Get your arm and head looked at, and get those stitches removed. Now I haven''t been able to find any of your relatives because I am lacking a lot of information about you. The state of Texas aims to place children with family members whenever possible." "You know I have amnesia right?" I ask even though I know the answer. "It was mentioned, but that can be temporary. That''s part of why we will want to get a doctor to see you. Do you know your date of birth? The status and names of your parents? Social Security number? "I''m fifteen. I was born in 1994. I don''t remember my birthdate, or my SSN. My parents are dead, or I assume they are. I remember them being in the mall that fell into the sinkhole¡­I can''t even remember their names or even their faces¡­" Panic starts coursing through me again, I try to calm myself as the memories of that night begin to surface. I fall into a nervous sweat, fumble with awkward motions putting myself back into First Person camera mode and fall right off my chair. My Gamer''s Mind skill inches toward the next level again. Fuck you power. "Simon, are you okay? We can talk about other things if you''re not ready for that yet." "I''m okay, thanks. Just give me a minute." I sit back in my seat and try to mentally prepare myself. Even though it''s hard, I want to get this over with. If I gained more Gamer''s Mind skill then I guess that is merely a bonus. I can''t see how moving toward 100% immunity in the things it covered could be a bad thing." "I don''t think I have any siblings, though I don''t know for sure because I can''t remember. I feel pretty strongly that it''s accurate. I had friends, well I remember that I had friends, I even remember their first names, and their faces, because they were with me at the time¡­" I take a deep breath, and soldier on. "¡­at the time of the attack. They were in the mall with me. Some I saw die right off, others I saw fall into the sinkhole still alive, and never saw them again¡­" I have to stop a bit, wiping sweat off my forehead with my sleeve and take a long swig of water from a glass I had brought with me. I continue on, working my way through a condensed story, from hanging on for dear life, Julia a mere 20 feet away doing likewise, to falling, to waking up on Lifeline''s sled, then the camps, getting attacked by a looter, helping Julia find her house and so on, pausing as I needed to. I purposefully left out the whole Parahuman stuff, not going to make that mistake again. "¡­the whole time I was in the camps, despite trying, and even posting my picture up, I never found anyone I recognized or that recognized me, except one guy. A teacher from Ball High School named Jerry Mondale. I don''t actually remember attending Ball, or that I was in ninth grade. But he said he remembered me from his history class this past fall semester. Maybe you could find him and ask him for more details?" Even though I don''t have Free Camera up, I hear Mrs. Pearson typing away, presumably adding information to my file. "I will keep that in mind. I will be spending some time trying to find records of your identity, and we can get you properly set up." "I''d say try the records of Ball High School, or the ISD, but I was told both might be underwater. I lived on Galveston island, but I don''t remember my address, or even if it was a house, an apartment or some other situation. Maybe some of the elementary schools, or even hospitals or dentists might have something." "Galveston island is condemned now. Only authorized personnel and the US Navy are allowed onto what''s left of it." Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 I wince at the finality of that revelation. DING, another Gamer''s Mind level gained. Maybe revealing it all helped too because I gained a couple stress points. Mrs. Pearson continues. "Any detail, no matter how small, might be useful." "I think my middle name is Clarence? Yeah that feels pretty correct; I remember feelings of embarrassed teasing about it. I remember that I am part German, Scandinavian, Native American and Hispanic. Um, I played video games a lot? Like a whole lot. It''s kinda sucky that this house doesn''t have any consoles. I can remember the minute details of hundreds of games and characters, but can''t even remember my own birthday. That doesn''t make any sense to me." "I agree that it doesn''t make any sense. That''s why it is important to get you looked at as soon as possible. Given the upcoming New Year''s holiday, the earliest I was able to schedule a doctor visit for you is Monday the 4th. I expect some follow up later in the week." "What kind of follow up?" Come on, mention it so I can shoot it down. "They already X-rayed me at the camp and didn''t find anything." "Whatever the doctor recommends, more X-rays or screenings. You do want to get better don''t you?" She doesn''t rise to the bait, time to play the crazy card, there''s precedent already. "Sure, but I don''t want to get cooped up in some noisy machine where I¡¯ll feel trapped like I was when stuck in the dark sinkhole. I''m having a hard enough time not freaking out in the shower cause it reminds me of the weather and water I nearly drowned in." I hope she gets the hint now. Too many rumors on PHO that MRIs can identify Parahumans. Not taking that risk, if I try to tell someone again it will be on my terms. "Alright, just one step at a time. Are there any other needs, issues, or questions you have?" "If you''re sending me to a doctor, how about an eye doctor? I lost my glasses during the event, been without any since then. Can barely see anything past 40 feet. Also how do we get money? Can I get a part-time job or something? When do we get to learn to drive? School starts in a couple weeks right? Any way to take side classes for other skills before then or during?" "It''s good to see that you''re thinking ahead. Opportunities for part-time job placement can occur after you''re 16. As well as learning to drive, but that''s more on the guardian family than CPS. Most kids only find the time for learning to drive after they have aged out and have turned 18." "I don''t know my birthdate, for all I know I could be turning 16 on January 1st." "Well, let''s allow a few weeks of investigation to try and find out first. I think we have covered a lot today, I still need to meet with Rachel and Janet before heading to the courthouse to check with Julia." ****? My one on one with my caseworker comes to an end. Upstairs, the computer is occupied again so I''m delayed from my other goal. I end up back downstairs to pretend to watch TV on the couch. Instead, in free camera mode again, I listen in on Rachel and Janet''s sessions with Mrs. Pearson. It''s a total breach of privacy but curiosity gets the better of me. I still need to relationship bumps with Janet and the other kids to finish that quest. Any insight might help. I''m also trying to get my camera positioned well enough to read the serial number off the router in the office, and add it to my notes. I keep my voices channel volume up so I could hear if someone comes up and speaks to me, and scry the Beckett''s bedroom. There''s another computer in there, so I add it to my list. I don''t see any other PC''s in the house after a thorough scry search. After close to two hours of eavesdropping, several new notices appear. For exhaustively testing and training your senses, you have gained 1 PER. Would you like to use this gain to remove the permanent status effect ''Nearsighted'' instead? Y/N You have gained a level! You are now level 5. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Holy crap, I was just talking about asking for an eye doctor and now this possibility gets thrown at me? It would have been a hell of a lot more useful a couple hours ago. Could this work for any status effect? I never got prompts to remove my injury based ones when I gained STR and AGI. Would that work for spent points or just trained ones? I have no idea how I might explain this away if they send me to an eye doctor now, but hell yes I want to see again. Wow, that is just awesome, to be able to see clearly. No more -1 status effect from Nearsighted, so it''s like I gained a whole point anyway. A mere -1 though seems vastly under representative of the actual effect of only seeing blurs past 40 feet or so. Will this help extend my scrying? Definitely, not my actual camera radius, but certainly the range at which I can see. I was wondering if wearing glasses would fix my scry vision, but had my doubts. Now it doesn''t matter. Hmm, will further gains in PER end up giving me super-senses? The PER gain grants me 50 XP, which gains me another level, and bumps Gamer''s Mind, Interface and Body up once again. Done with eavesdropping and with the computer free, I overlay my windows near the keyboard where my furious explorative gesturing would be less noticeable.
You have earned a new Perk slot. To view your Perks and Flaws say "Perks."
"Perks" Holy crap, I completely forgot to pay attention to those.
Perks are useful abilities that are gained every 5th level. They can also be gained under rare circumstances due to luck and in game events. Flaws can also be gained due to luck and in game events but are generally undesired. (That''s why they are flaws, but apparently they are part of what makes humans human.) You currently have 3 flaws and 3 perks. Current Flaws: Selective Amnesia: You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. We had to make more room in your brain for...stuff, so we got rid of some useless data. Don''t worry it''s nothing you won''t miss...much. Besides if you can''t remember it, it wasn''t important...probably. A Bit of a Troll: Ah... this one is not entirely my fault. But it helps with compatibility, for...reasons. Hey, sometimes you just can''t help yourself, amiright? Unnatural Curiosity: You just can''t pass a barrel or crate without checking it for loot. Seriously, for good or bad, you can''t always resist the urge to pry or investigate something that might prove to be an interesting experience or information. Current Perks: Gaia''s Blessing: You have access to a Mana pool. Mana can be used to power a variety of ''magical'' skills and abilities. Gaia''s Attunement: You have the ability to acquire affinities with various elements. With enough affinity you can attune yourself to the element to call on it for aid. Light Sleeper: You only need 5 hours of rest per night instead of 8, to fully restore your fatigue bar and maximize your restful regeneration. Hey, that''s three more hours of FUN! stuff to do per day! You have one Free Perk slot available.
Fuck me. That''s why I can''t remember shit? My power, who without a doubt really is a troll, compatibility reasons my ass, gave me amnesia to cram¡­stuff into my head? This is deliberate, real motivated action driven by some kind of intelligence, isn''t it? The fuck? Powers are¡­what exactly? Guiding all us Parahumans around for some nefarious purpose? To what end? What was that other part of your job you are not doing? This makes no sense! And out of all the who or whatever the fuck you are; are you saying I got stuck with the equivalent of ''That Guy'' and ''The Munchkin'' rolled into one? Well? Answer me you troll! Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 Fuck you. Hmm, why should I be so angry? I have Enhanced Calm. Oh well, no idea what to choose though, and may need to think on it some more. I also have 12 unallocated stat points. Yet, one quest said not to use them on physical stats, so I won''t for those. Should I spend them now on non-physical stats, or later? It''s all stuff to figure out tonight when I''m pretending to sleep. Right now I have barely used Observe today, and am running out of new things, even mundane objects to practice on. The level gain has given me a good bump to my mana, 800 MP max now. I still want to try and figure out how to gain specialties for Observe, and was close to trying to do that at the start of level 7, if it was even possible to gain specialties for it that is. For now, I''m going to take a crack at hacking the computer, since no one is paying particular attention to me at the moment. The Beckett''s like to stay in their room/apartment thing unless something is required of them. Yes it was definitely more like an apartment than a bedroom as my prior scrying has observed. They have their own bedroom, bathroom, private living/office type space, and a storage room which contains some cribs. It takes a short amount of time to create an admin account for myself on the computer. My computer skills definitely go up as a result. Now I just install stuff I want to use, and fuck around with file permissions. I still don''t have fully unblocked direct web access; that may have been controlled by the router, although a free VPN client bypasses that easily. More articles show me I can type in a local IP to get to the router access page. I verify that but am blocked by its login. More research gives a few strategies to try, but a lot require physical access to the router to reset it. I''ll have to wait to do that. I''ve gotten far enough. The lounge is getting crowded and I don''t want anyone looking over my shoulder. At least I can get to PHO now. Why did they have that site blocked? I spend some time browsing it trying to raise Parahuman Lore, but get nowhere. I must have exhausted all the useful info that actually exists on that site. ****? I hear a car pulling into the driveway. That''s either Mr. Beckett returning from work, or maybe Mrs. Pearson returning with Julia. A quick scry confirms the latter and I log off and go downstairs. "Observe" I whisper.
Name: Julia Mendez Level: ?? Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 15 Ethnicity: Hispanic, Spanish, ?? Class: Foster Kid / Delinquent Faction: None STR: 13 (??) ?? AGI: ?? (??) ?? CON: ?? (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: ?? (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 5.5 Armor: ?? Speed: ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Summary Description: A teenager and fellow survivor from an Endbringer attack. She has lost her sister, her parents and her home. Forced into the state foster care system, she has only endured more grief, hardship, and legal problems. This has resulted in a significant distrust of authority and a strong desire for self-reliant independence. Despite this, she is experiencing great difficulty in adjusting to recent events and the changes in her life. That same mistrust and stubbornness makes it hard for her to seek help. Her left lower leg was badly burned. It is scarred and bandaged. The nail of her first toe right foot is broken. Her left cheek is scarred and stitched. Currently Feeling: Depressed, Reckless, Traumatized, Nervous, Angry, Very Stressed, Fatigued, and Hungry. Known Status Effects: Mental: Depression, Adjustment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress, Aqua-phobia, Extremely Stressed Physical: Burned, Bruised x3, Lacerations x4, Fatigued, Hungry
Still can''t see her level. She is still above all the kids here. Thomas was the highest at level 10. The others range from 6 to 9. Mrs. Beckett is level 9 and Mrs. Pearson is level 8. Mr. Beckett still shows as ?? to Observe. Even with my recent gain to level 5, I''m still the lowest. I still don''t know how I am supposed to help her other than encourage her to do the counseling stuff. Her issues are similar to everyone here, but on a worse scale. "Hey" I say as she gets into the living room. "Hey" I go with something safe. "Hungry? I think it''s spaghetti night. Rachel or Janet are helping, I had to last night. I know you got in late, so hope the leftovers are okay. "Yeah, it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m famished, I''m gonna go wash up." And she turns and goes into the downstairs bathroom, leaving me standing there like an idiot. ''Simon, go set the table." Mrs. Beckett says before I could make my escape. I grunt in response, and went about the task. I''m nearly finished when the lights go out. I turn my flashlight theme on so I can finish. Janet complains about the microwave turning off, but keeps tending the boiling spaghetti since it''s on a gas stove. The entire house isn''t dark, a light is shining down from the stairwell and someone turns the living room light on without a problem. "One of you didn''t use a hair dryer did you? This house is old, wiring can''t take it." Mrs. Beckett shouts as she disappears into the attached garage. The lights come back on a moment later about the time Mr. Beckett got home. "Breaker tripped" Mrs. Beckett announces to her husband. "Which one?" "Kitchen and Bathroom" "I keep telling them the house isn''t up to current codes but they won''t pay for fixing it." "Are you an electrician, Mr. Beckett?" I ask, I actually already knew the answer. It said so in his Observe report. I should do this more often just so I won''t forget and make people wonder why I know things. Julia comes out of the bathroom just as I asked. Everyone gathers to the kitchen to eat, Mr. Beckett goes on a bit of a spiel about his job which leads to a rant about old wiring in houses. Julia even seems interested, asks about what causes breakers to trip, and he starts talking about overloads and short-circuits before the conversation turns to other topics. I look back to Julia as the current conversation enters a lull. "I''d ask how you are doing, but I can imagine, and it might seem weird. Rachel told me a bit last night. What happened to you was total bullshit¡­" "Language Simon" Mrs. Beckett interrupts. I roll my eyes. "..Well I hope Mrs. Pearson did right by you." I finished. She shrugged. "Don''t know yet, it''s not over. Lawyer thinks I should take the deal, get it over with, though he says there is a lot in my favor, it will take a lot of time; interfere with school and all kinds of other crap." "Thomas, why can''t you eat at the table?" Mrs. Beckett asks as he gets up taking his plate. "Never did when I lived with my mom, don''t see why I should now. My show''s on anyway." "I wanna watch," Cody added. Turns out dinner conversation is not very productive given constant cross talk and interruption. "We went to the mall yesterday." Rachel remarks to Julia. "I want to go to the mall again. We haven''t done anything today." Joanna pipes up, talking over each other. "A lot of you have counseling tomorrow." Mrs. Beckett responds. "That''s not going to take all day is it? I agree with Joanna, we should go again sometime soon; Julia never got a chance so it would only be fair." I state as Joanna smiles at me. Besides, I still want to get back to that arcade to see if I can gain any more skill cheats. The Becketts'' start asking about school preparation stuff from the kids that were already here when we arrived and then about school supplies for the rest of us. I give up my attempts at more private conversation with Julia, and just shovel food in my mouth, mumbling one syllable responses to the Beckett''s probing. Julia seems to be doing the same. As kids start peeling off I try to get up myself. "Simon, you''re doing dishes tonight." "What, again? I did them last night. Are you still trying to punish me for Monday?" "This will be the last night before I post a new chore schedule for everyone tomorrow." "Fu¡ª" I stop at her renewed glare. Not that I gave a crap about her opinion on language, I just didn''t need more excuses for her to unknowingly take away future grinding time. "I''ll help." Julia says, unexpectedly. ****? "¡­so yeah, spent the night in jail. They moved me to my own cell on account of my age. God, I didn''t sleep at all though. ''Emergency Juvenile Judge'' was brought in first thing the next morning. I did stay quiet, fuckers can go to hell. Court appointed defense lawyer though, not like I have any money. I guess he''s okay. He got my mom''s jewelry released to me, well to CPS. Mrs. Pearson has it in a safe in her office. I could describe most of it and he found it listed under my parents insurance as personal effects. Nothing on the gun though. Apparently it''s not registered; some detective testified that it did match models used by the U.S. Air force WWII service pistols, and that it had not been fired recently, or at least had been thoroughly cleaned if it had. The possession charge is still looming over my head." I listen intently as Julia tells her story. "You know what you want to do?" "Lawyer says I could get it dealt down to a 1st offense misdemeanor and come off easy. Records would be sealed since I am a minor. Probably get probation and community service. I just don''t want to lose it, even if it stays in a box forever. I won''t be allowed to have it no matter what, if I get it back, it would be kept under trust till I am 18 or 21. Fighting it could see it taken away and destroyed if I lose." "Shit that''s a bum deal. You tell your lawyer about those coast guard guys?" "Yeah, but I don''t even remember their names. He doubts he would be able to contact them, or that it would help much in any case. Fighting it would drag it out, and they still haven''t found my mom or recovered¡­" Julia stops again to recover herself. She hasn''t actually done much to help with the dishes but I don''t care. "Yeah, it''s hard to think about. My heart races just hearing the damn faucet water running, taking showers is harder but I force myself. I pretty much freaked out yesterday just because they showed footage of¡­you know¡­on the news." "Rachel told me about that." "She also tell you she socked Thomas in the face? She seems cool." "Yeah she told me." "I hope the counseling helps. I want to give it a try. Maybe I can remember stuff again or at least get over fearing water. I have vague memories of swimming that indicate it was enjoyable. Are you going to be there?" Julia shrugs. "Have to go to court again tomorrow, but don''t know how long that will be. It''s my last chance to resolve it before the break for New Years. I don''t think the judge is happy cause he was supposed to have this week off." "Well I hope you''re there. Supposed to be some group therapy included, and I barely know anyone else." "I don''t know how I feel about that stuff, and to be honest, you barely know me either. It''s only been what, 11 days?" "Oh, I don''t know about that¡­" Julia quirks an eyebrow at me. "I''ve been to your house, I helped you pack, even saw your bra and panties when I did." "God damn it, Simon!" "Hey, you know I''m joking right? I joke to try and de-stress and there is a lot of that going around. Besides, I know you knocked that looter out and he was bigger than me. I will respect the fury." Julia just glared at me intently for a moment before relaxing. "You better." "Your foot better? I observed you not using your crutches anymore." Less serious conversation follows, it seems I scored a few more relationship points. Observe now indicates she is also feeling ''hopeful''. So I hope that means my gamble or persuasion attempt or whatever worked. It''s getting close to the stupid ''go to your rooms'' time. I convince Max and Thomas to play cards again, cheat, and win some money back, not as much as I hoped. You can only do so much when dealt shitty hands. I get the ''Card and Board Games'' skill prompt again. Do I really need it if I can cheat with my camera? I minimized it unanswered, so I can decide later. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 I observe as much crap as I can to use mana. I stop though when I hit exactly level 7 Observe, because tomorrow, I want to count the number of Observes I do and try to restrict what I observe in the hope of getting specialties of some kind. This is going to suck though because I''ll waste a lot of mana tonight. I''ll gain more from sleeping than can be held according to my max. I should have been making more judicious use of it throughout the day, but got sidetracked with too many other pursuits. I definitely need to find a way to do things more efficiently. DING! Okay, those sound effects are getting annoying, I should turn them off.
Find the shortest path to the cheese! Figure out how to train and grind more efficiently. Part 1: Train 5 different skills simultaneously. Part 2: Train 3 or more stats simultaneously. Time Limit: None Success: 500 XP for part 1, 300 XP for part 2 Bonus Condition: +50 XP for each simultaneous skill trained above 5. Bonus Condition: +100 XP for each stat simultaneously trained above 3. Failure: The cheese gets impatient or gets eaten by the trolls.
Huh? Getting impatient? That is Grade-A Munchkin behavior right there. Guess I should pick a damn perk tomorrow too. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Petty Thief Faction: None Money: $195.77 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 5 (17.73%) XP: 1745 Primary Attributes STR: 6 (-0.70) 5.30 AGI: 5 (-1.10) 3.90 CON: 9 (-0.30) 8.70 INT: 16 (-1.40) 14.60 PER: 10 (0.00) 10.00 WIS: 18 (-1.40) 16.60 CHA: 10 (-0.60) 9.40 LUC: 9 (0.00) 9.00 Unspent Points: 12 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 163/163 Stamina Pool: 150/150 Mana Pool: 651/800 Stress Pool: 89/340 Attack: 6.00 Speed: 2.66 Dodge: 8.43 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 53.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 31 Free Skill Slots: 6 Artistry: 5 (0.00%) Athletics: 1 (54.45%) Basic Academics: 8 (29.78%) Computers: 6 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (8.65%) Create Mana Golem: 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 3 (0.00%) Disease Resistance: 4 (0.86%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 2 (32.13%) Empathy: 2 (74.24%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 7 (96.45%) Gamer''s Interface: 14 (73.64%) Gamer''s Mind: 12 (0.03%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Meditation: 3 (69.96%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 7 (0.00%) Parahuman Lore: 4 (47.79%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 2 (12.54%) Speech: 3 (38.75%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 25 (87.68%) Unspent Skill Points: 8 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.2 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.2 Thursday December 31st, 2009
New Year''s Kiss Kiss someone at midnight, on the mouth. Time Limit: 3 minutes remaining Success: 150 XP, ??? Failure: More temptation to abuse your camera modes.
"Julia! New Year''s Kiss? Even got mistletoe." I ask "Really, Simon?.. That''s fake and taped to your hat." Julia says as she backs away a little. "Janet?" I ask, making a ridiculous pucker face. "I''ll find more torrents for you." "Dream on, freshman." "Katy? I''ll.." "I have a boyfriend, you goofball." Katy says, reaching up and pulling my silly hat down over my face. "You have a boyfriend? You never mentioned that." Janet says in surprise. "Uh, I can''t see" I pretend to flail around, still making a smoochie face. "Who''s this? Melissa?" "Ew, no!" she says and spins me in some other direction. I move my hat back up, open my eyes to see Joanna in front of me. She makes a face at me and backs away. "Aw come on, anybody? It''s a tradition! Rachel? Rachel, you know I''m safe." "Ha, ha, right. Actually..." Rachel says, contemplating something. "Really?" "I''ll give you $20 bucks to kiss Thomas." "Wait, what?" "Haha, freaky, I''ll throw something in to watch that." Janet says. "Y''all are weird." Julia adds in. I shrug my shoulders and look at Thomas. Quest didn''t specify gender. "No way, faggot! Get away from me." Thomas yells. "I''m secure in my masculinity! How about you? I''ll split the pot with ya!" I say, but Thomas just gives me the finger. "30 seconds to midnight!" Katy announces, a party horn hanging from her mouth. "Come on Julia, first New Year''s Eve I''ll remember!" "Hmm, okay, close your eyes." She whispers to me, I do as instructed. "Woo, go girl!" I hear Rachel yell. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­" Everyone counts down. I feel something soft hit my lips with far too much force, and I fall backward. Julia socked me right in the face with a couch pillow. Quest: New Year''s Kiss has failed! I sigh and dismiss the notification. "Oh, my heart aches. You wound me, you cruel tease." I say in mock despair amidst the jubilation of Happy New Year shouts. I can''t help but notice they aren''t as enthusiastic as I feel they should be. "You''re such a dweeb." Julia laughs mildly. "And you''re a prankster. Good to hear you laugh though. I noticed you came in late to the counseling session, I hope that''s being useful to you." She sighs. "Court took up most of the day. Took some deferred disposition deal, didn''t want to but was the fastest way to put this behind me. I have to do a bunch of community service, attend some youth anti-crime and violence classes and stay in counseling. If I do all that and don''t get in any other trouble, it''ll get dismissed in a few months." "Well, I guess there could''ve been worse outcomes. Did you get your stuff back?" "Just the Jewelry. The gun got turned over to CPS." "Alright, party''s over, everyone get in your rooms by 12:30" Mrs. B announces to everyone''s groans. "I downloaded some songs from those bands you said you like. Let me give them to you before we get herded into our pens." "Oh, awesome, thanks." Score, +1 relationship with Julia, getting harder though. Torrents for Janet and Melissa earlier got me to acquaintance level, so that''s more progress in that quest. Rachel too, but she was already achieved. "Simon, did you do the dishes earlier?" Mrs. B interrupts us. "Yes" I say with exasperation. If it weren''t for the piddling small, chore quest XP those would be far more annoying. "See you tomorrow, got to get into the shower before one of the others takes it." Julia says before departing. I burn off the rest of my mana observing every mundane, unique party favor and such as I can. I''ve restricted myself to non-living, inanimate stuff, even skipping electronics or anything ''complex''. It''s boring and my power gives me rude and snarky comments, but I hope it''ll create a specialty. I get into my room and review the day''s progress. Some gains in computers from all the torrents. I still need to hack the router and other computers. Progress in Drug Resist from my meds, but it''s slowing down a lot. Empathy, Psychology and a bit in Gamer''s Mind from the counseling session, best gain from that is 10 stress points, now I''m at a 99. We lose power again sometime after midnight. I hear Mrs. B yelling at the girls about hair dryers or something. They yell their denials in return. I don''t know what is with that. "Alright, my homies" I say after we all get shut back into our room. "Who wants to play poker again?" Cause I''m gonna cheat and get some of my money back. Friday, January 1st - Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 I double my pain meds, to grind Drug Resist faster. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but makes this boring weekend go by faster. Julia is gone almost all day and the weekend, doing community service cleaning up after New Year''s and her required classes. I spend my coherent time grinding Observe and making more torrents to gain Computers and boost my relationships, except it''s not working on Cody. He''s the only one left to finish ''Don''t be a Stranger''. He doesn''t care about music and isn''t very sociable, so have to find something else. I need to finish a Quest, either the stranger one or the Geometry book one. At least studying gets me small gains in Basic Academics, stupid skill. Studying also gets me an INT point. That''s sweet, more mana, and another +10 stress points. That puts me over 100, and my ''Stressed'' status effect goes away. Is 100 the boundary for that? Probably, my power likes significant numbers. After gaining that INT point, I should take the ''Mana Reserve'' perk. The only way I can grind Observe faster is with a larger Mana pool. Looks like it''s retroactive, that''s good, but it means I could have waited to take it. Hmm, a flat 25% bonus to mana points per level. I''ve derived that Max Mana equals (INT * Level * 10) * (1.25 for Mana Reserve.) Mana regen seems to want to keep a minimum gain rate based on a percentage of max mana, so higher max mana, also increased the regen rate. I play poker every night, no cheating this time, to try and gain luck. I didn''t manage to get a point until Saturday. I keep asking Cody to try and get that last relationship gain, but he won''t play, not even for fun, and he turned down an offer to teach him how to play. I practice meditation each night before I go to sleep; it''s making slow but steady progress. On Saturday, I hit the next level in Observe. I was right. I got ''Captain Obvious'' as a specialty and took it. What does it do? No idea. It''s probably my power trolling me. I can''t observe another inanimate object to find out what benefit it gives, because doing so may contaminate my progress toward a different specialty. I''m going to restrict Observe entirely to people for the next level to see what happens. Third night in a row a circuit breaker trips in the house. Mr. Beckett is getting pissed, and thinks it is a wiring issue. He starts getting out his kit of stuff to inspect things. I pick up some padlocks at a store Saturday to practice Disable Device on at night by the light of my interface window. Also forces me to learn to do it quietly, but cuts into meditation practice. I get to level 8 in Observe Sunday morning, but there''s no specialty offer. Don''t know what happen, probably fucked it up. I only used Observe on people, and once on myself in the mirror again. Did that one time mess it up? That pisses me off, I have to start over or pick something different, yet unique enough, and be consistent the whole time. What happens if I use Observe on the word ''Specialty''? My Observe skill descriptor gets a new window of info. Damn, is this the secret help guide? Gaining specialties did work about how I suspected. I just wish it gave me a list of actual examples. I use it on ''Captain Obvious'' next. Apparently it means "Using observe on mundane objects (tinker tech not included) costs one less mana, and provides additional info such as item HP, damage resistance and reductions.'' I start using observe on all kinds of interface stuff. It still costs me 3 MP per use, guess my interface windows are not ''mundane objects''. Even better, I''m grinding Gamer''s Interface at the same time, so that''s cool. We''re finally going back to the mall again today. It took a lot of cajoling, persuasion and convincing the other kids to keep asking. That got me another skill level in speech. We wait until Julia gets back from community service. She still has more youth anti-crime and violence classes next Saturday though. We''re at the mall for more clothes and school supply stuff. I finally got a good relationship bump to Cody, I just needed to figure out what bribe to use. It was obvious when he stared lustfully at the Sports Illustrated 2010 Swimsuit/Superheroine calendar. ''Featuring Gravina: Get down under with this Australian Hottie. She puts the Super in supermodel. See her defy gravity in more ways than one!'' The innuendo is blatant. I buy it for him, and help him hide it because he''s afraid the Beckett''s will take it. They probably would. We cut out the pictures and hide them in his new notebooks and school supply stuff. As if he is going to use the actual calendar part of it. That finally lets me complete the ''Don''t be a Stranger'' quest, and the relationship improvement or the speech training got me a point of CHA too. So that''s one more checkbox off the ''Path to Min-Maxing'' quest. Training CON is the only one left. Then, off to the arcade. I ask Julia but she says she isn''t ready for that. Stupid me; thought she might be interested because that''s where I first saw her in Galveston. It''s also where things went to shit. They have the same dancing game. I''m right, got a ''dancing'' specialty under athletics. There''s also a canoeing and a cycling game. I earn a specialty in those. The golfing game I skip. I don''t plan on being late this time. I pick up ''sub-machine guns'' and ''lasers'' from a weird alien shooter, as specialties under firearms. I wish I could find a shooter that uses rifles, I know they exist. Also want to find one of those virtual fighter/boxing games. Not a joystick/button masher, those don''t seem to work; but one of those motion capture or pad-puncher ones. Maybe one of those will get me a new skill. When I get home, dribbling a basketball and several shots at the hoop gets me a ''Basketball'' specialty in athletics. As before, I stop immediately after getting it. Julia gets home late and heads to the shower. Lights flicker again before she comes down to eat dinner. "Hey, how was community service?" I ask her. "Boring, exhausting¡­" "Can you teach me Spanish? I know a little. I think I know more, but can''t recall it." I''m not sure if I want to spend the skill slot, but I want something to let me interact with her more, and keep her mind off the bad stuff. "I guess so." It doesn''t take long to get the skill prompt. I take it and it starts gaining well enough. "Thanks, I think I did know Spanish before, and am re-remembering. I hope it can trigger more memories." Actually I have no idea if I knew any before or not, maybe I did. That''s just an excuse to cover up rapid gains. Observing the Spanish skill, and the English skill, tells me they only have a MAX level of 5. That can''t take too long to gain, unless it is proportional to max level. Other Skills max out at 100, except Gamer''s Body, Mind and Interface, which MAX at 25. I think those are special cases though. We get herded into our rooms again, I work on the geometry book, that quest is nearly done. I grind Disable Device in bed, but the padlocks aren''t gaining any more. I''ve hit another wall at level 5. No specialties, some skills have them, some don''t. Unable to make progress on Disable Device, I can meditate again before sleeping. I should go back to the hardware store, return the padlocks and get something different. Monday, January 4th, 2010 Finally I saw a doctor today and got my stitches removed and my cast replaced with a less restricting one. It doesn''t affect my broken arm stat penalties though. They''ve been shrinking over time on their own, but the Feb 1st timer deadline hasn''t changed. I used the last of my pain pills this morning, tripled, for Drug Resist gains. Some successful speech checks and overt complaining gets me a stronger prescription, or so he says. It''s only 30 days'' worth. Got the doc to prescribe physical therapy too, but not sure how that will go. We have more individual and group therapy counseling sessions Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week and next, but school starts next week. I get more gains in Empathy, Psychology, and stress points again. We learn about ''exposure therapy'' to help Julia and me handle our aqua-phobia issues, and even just be able to see pictures, or video of the aquatic Chupacabra, without having an anxiety attack. I''m told I''ve been making record progress, but that''s because Gamer''s Mind lets me cheat, the others don''t have that luxury. I train Gamer''s Mind in tiny bits, by actually preparing myself and forcing myself to watch the attack on the computer. I finally get a bag of clay from a craft store. I still haven''t made a golem because I need to do that somewhere private. Plain old dirt and mud didn''t work, maybe there''s not enough clay in it? Too contaminated? I don''t know, I hope this will be enough. I said it''s art therapy and I want to take classes in school. The Becketts end up knowing almost all our purchases by holding our money, doling it out for approved purchases for ''qualifying expenses'', and having an inventory of our possessions. Hiding shit isn''t easy. How would I hide a costume if I become a cape? The answer is probably inventory, which I still can''t access yet. It''s related to the Interface skill, so I have to keep grinding that. So I''m doing exactly that, via Observe my interface. It works; I get a ''Parapedia'' specialty. I take it, but now what? It took 750 successful uses, 2250 MP, to gain the specialty, going from level 8 to 9 and dropping. If I use observe to find out what Parapedia does, that''s a use on the interface and not on what I want to try next, which means I won''t gain a specialty at level 9 to drop to 8. I''ll stay at level 9, and have to attempt it again between 9 and 10. If my calcs are correct, that will cost another 850 uses, or 2550 MP. It gets worse each level. I want to Observe people again, but if I restrict myself to gain the specialty, I can''t use Observe on other stuff I might need to later. Gaining specialties at low levels is even more important than I thought. Given how useful Observe has proven to be, I''ll be hard pressed to not want to use it on all kinds of things, so pursuing specialties on it is a significant self-imposed limitation. I''d rather try now than later. I''m aiming to use Observe people only. This time, excluding myself, and Julia, just in case, and am only going to use it on people whose tags say they''re level 10 or lower. Incidentally, overhead tags on Mr. Beckett show him as level 13. If my estimates are correct, that''s the highest level I can detect. An appointment with Mrs. Pearson, tells me there''s been no luck finding any verifiable ID for me. Still won''t stop me from having to go to school next week, merely complicates it. I do get the Geometry Textbook quest completed, and get a Mathematics skill and ''Geometry'' specialty. It seems rather broadly defined, guess it will help me with school so I accept both. Basic Academics even tops out at 9 and stops going up. Browsing the other textbook I salvaged from Julia''s house gets me ''Know the Earth.'' It''s another textbook quest to go through the Earth Science textbook just like the Geometry one. The time limit is only a month instead of before school starts. Time to pester the Beckett''s about my pain meds. If I pester them often enough at inopportune times maybe they''ll give up trying to keep the things in a safe and just let me keep them. I do get to practice using scrying to view the combination to that thing each time I get them to open it though. Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 My eye doctor''s appointment is today, and I guess I''m a deceptive little snit aren''t I? I convince the eye doctor I do need glasses by lying, my free camera helps to know what lines to get wrong on purpose. The Beckett''s bring me to Costco to get the prescription. Later, I walk back after photo-copying the receipt, and return them, getting store credit. I used my store credit to get a visa gift card, and use that to buy some cheap non-prescription glasses with the same frames, and pocket the rest. This bit of activity earned me a ''deception'' specialty for speech. I haven''t realized I''ve been using it that way so much. Speech is an active skill, but have I been consciously or unconsciously using it thus far? ''Active'' means it requires an explicit action or conscious choice. I guess I have been using it consciously, but not realized it? That doesn''t make any sense. It may be easier to gain specialties if I choose not to use the skill when doing persuasive or deceptive things when I''m trying for a different specialty. What other specialties might there be? Streetwise? Barter? Intimidation? Debate? It''s a thought for later, off to the gym down the street for ''physical therapy.'' They won''t pay for a membership but I print up a trial coupon. I''ll get on that as soon as I get to the hardware store and exchange the pad-locks for combination locks. My goal at the Gym is to get that ''path to the cheese'' quest completed. Prior attempts at simultaneously training skills haven''t gotten to the minimum 5 so far. Julia let me borrow her MP3 player, and I''m listening to a Spanish audio book. So, run on a treadmill, listen to Spanish, double my pain pills, and use Observe on every person I see. Success! I train Gamer''s Body by draining stamina to zero, and get hit with negative status effects. The pills up my Drug and Poison Resistance skill, running trains Athletics, while listening to Spanish and using Observe gets me the 5 I need. I only maintain it for an hour. I stop after I get the prompt for a ''Running'' specialty for athletics. It doesn''t trigger any stat training though; I was hoping it would. What did I gain? A level in Gamer''s Body, a level in Drug and Poison Resistance. That''s level 5 now, which unlocks a feature called ''Drugs are bad. M''Kay?'' My power uses the weirdest names and phrases. The tooltip for it says ''Except when they are good. Positive medically beneficial effects are retained''. The XP gain for the simultaneous skill achievement bumps me to level 6. This gains me a level in Body, Mind and Interface. I''m still 8 levels short of 25 in Interface. I''m exhausted when I got back to the house. At my stamina regen rate it will take over 5 hours to get to maximum while awake. I need to make more use of that gym, but I can barely get a free day to make that golem. I have no idea how long it will take. I need a day that''s not overloaded with appointments or trips and such, which hasn''t happened yet. Tomorrow is more counseling, and Friday. Next Monday, school starts. The deadline is the 12th. Maybe I can try Thursday or the weekend if I can get out. At level 5 in meditation I got ''Chants'', can''t use them because it''s noisy but it does let me talk and meditate at the same time. I can whisper Observe while scrying and pretending to sleep, but only after I have positioned my camera. I need new targets to practice Observe on so I''m scrying all the neighbors, and drivers passing by. Wednesday January 6th, 2010 We have more group therapy appointments. I get slow skill gains, but also an ''Affective'' specialty for Empathy and a ''Group Therapy'' one for Psychology. Five more uses of Observe on people and I finally get another specialty, ''People-Watcher''. I''m not going for another specialty right now. If my suspicions are correct, there might be one for Parahumans, but I''d have to meet and observe 850+ Parahumans to get it, and never use observe for anything else in-between. I don''t see that happening, ever. So now I can get back to using Observe unrestricted. Parapedia and People-Watcher, just like Captain Obvious, lets me gain a bit more info about those targets, and reduces the MP cost by 1. People-Watcher now includes an Equipment list? I still have to observe each individual piece of equipment to get more than just a name from it. Also, I can use Observe on buildings. It tells me the number of floors, the address, number of occupants, and who the owner or owning company is, as well as a faction tag, which so far has said nothing but ''none'', just like most people. Well, isn''t this interesting? All the kids, the Beckett''s, the counseling staff, and everyone else I''ve used Observe on, costs only 2 MP. Using Observe on me and Julia costs 3 MP. I know why it costs 3 for me. I think this is pretty strong proof. Maybe I can work up the nerve to ask her about it tomorrow. She seems to be doing better, but is still an ''acquaintance'' at 80 relationship points. I might ask this evening but she has more community service to work through. I would prefer to achieve friend status first. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. If ''running'' is a specialty, climbing and swimming might be too. Climbing has to wait until my arm is better. Swimming, I''m not ready for yet, nor is there a nearby pool to use and it''s January. I can try jumping, that''s often an RPG skill. Fuck. I got nothing at level 2. I fucked it up again? Does it have to be absolutely restricted to jumping or is that not a specialty that''s offered? Walking doesn''t count or I would have it already, but taking running long jumps gained athletics. Is it the running part? Maybe I need a jump-rope, but that also has to wait until my arm is better. I can still try some other things. I grab some snacks to restore the HP I lost from banging my arm around and go back to the gym. Same set up, but let''s use the weight machines instead. Drugged up on a double dose, I work Drug Resistance, Athletics, Gamer''s Body, listen to more Spanish audio books, and use Observe on my interface to practice Gamer''s Interface as well. Success! 6 simultaneous skills for an extra +50 XP, +1 Gamer''s Interface, +1 STR and +1 CON. The CON gets me another +50 XP, and I finally get that Min-Max quest to complete. How can I simultaneously train 7 or more skills? I think the CON gain came mostly from the heavy stamina loss and occasional HP loss from banging my arm up. I keep going and stop when I get a ''weight-lifting'' specialty for athletics. Grinding Observe it easier without restrictions and at less cost I get to level 9 easily. After that, I switch to using it on buildings only since they still cost 3 MP. I hope there''s a specialty for them as well. That will be more achievable than Parahumans. I can use my free camera while meditating to put my view high in the air, to allow me to use Observe on lots of houses. Good progress today. Now if only I can figure out how to pick the combination locks I bought. I may need to research some clues online. There will be a lot to do tomorrow, make the golem so I have something to show Julia about my own powers, and ask about hers. Thursday, January 7th, 2010 "Where do you think you''re going Simon?" Mrs. Beckett asks. Damn, I was afraid of this. I have my backpack and the clay with me. I need to get the hell away from here before I try the golem skill. I have gym clothes with me too just in case. "Out, jogging," I lie. "You don''t need a backpack for jogging." "Jogging on a treadmill, at the gym, where I can shower and change, hence the backpack." "You went there for the last two days. Shouldn''t you take a break?" "It''s a trial membership; they only last for a few days. I have to use it or lose it; unless you want to pay for membership fees?" "Nothing you can''t do here or jog around the block for." "Plenty I can''t do here, you don''t have weight machines, or even room, too many kids in the way. We had a sleet storm last night; it''s still cold and icy outside. The gym is nice and warm." "You could go out later, but you should stay, we''re about to make breakfast." "When the trial period is over, I¡¯ll probably do it later if I can''t go there and you actually let me out to do stuff." Because you really just want to keep an eye on me don''t you? "I already ate breakfast an hour ago. Not my fault nobody else gets up when I do." "You tripped the motion alarm again this morning. You don''t need to be up that early." Fucking motion alarm, why do they have them? Runaways, in case a psychopath invades the girl''s room, teenagers'' being teenagers, paranoia, CPS regulations or who the hell knows. "I know it''s really unusual for teenagers to get up early in the morning, but it''s not unheard of. I do, I''m a light sleeper. I fail to see why I should be forced to stay in the room awake for some arbitrary time limit." "You could shower and do all your other morning routines beforehand¡­" "I do! If I wasn''t, I''d be out even earlier. Look, it''s not my goal to wake anyone up. I try my best to stay quiet to be courteous. Ask Mr. Beckett, the only thing I was doing this morning was eating cereal downstairs and reading when he came out, to confront me, yet again, because of the absurd alarm. But I''m going to keep getting up early." Because I got shit to do and skills to grind lady! "And that alarm is going to keep going off. You and Mr. Beckett can keep losing sleep because of it, or you can just set the thing an hour earlier." "We could set it earlier, and we could set lights out an hour earlier too. I am sure all the other kids in the house would be pleased to hear about that because of you." See this is where I''d really like to use Observe. I''m pretty sure she''s bluffing, but can''t use it to double check because I already started my ''building'' specialty attempt. "I think you''re trying to get me to comply by implying I''d be blamed for the rest of the kid''s reduced evening time. I don''t think that would work out how you expect, when I can simply point that out to everyone instead. You won''t be able to sustain it either because of needed homework and study time when school starts next week. Also, you''d have to adjust your entire chore schedules. Furthermore, if I''m going to bed an hour earlier I''ll just get up an hour earlier too." She just stares at me for a while. "Can I go? I''ll be back before lunch." "Go. Lunch is at 1 pm." I''m out the door and half jog down the street before she changes her mind. Shit no, walk, don''t want to trigger an Athletics gain and ruin a specialty pursuit. Quick review, yep Speech went up, almost at level 5. No specialty there probably. I still have no idea what I''ll try to pursue yet. Lost a point of relationship with Mrs. Beckett, I''ve been making better progress with her previously; at least she''s still in the positives, barely. ****? I sit at a picnic table in an obscure corner of a park, at seven-something in the morning, playing with clay. I didn''t think this through. It''s cold, I''m chilled, a status effect says so. There''s still leftover sleet on the ground, but it''s not actively precipitating. My hands are freezing, but I can''t work clay effectively wearing gloves. Clay is really hard to work when it is cold, and insufficiently wet. A water bottle gives a little help there. Although it''s early this morning, I should have waited. Fucking Texas weather in January can still get cold but it''ll all be melted by noon, it might even be hot tomorrow. I''ve been messing with this for over an hour, and I made a...thing, and a mess. Artistry and Craft have risen. I hope this is sufficient. I place the lump of frozen malformed clay with uneven appendages into my backpack; hopefully the sides will obscure any view. I do a quick overhead scan with my free camera to make sure I''m alone within a given radius. Free camera leaves me really vulnerable; someone could coup-de-grace me if no one is watching my back. Guess I should get this over with. "Create Mana Golem" Nothing? No wait¡­ there''s a progress bar. Really? I sit in utter boredom watching it tick, 1%...4%...7%, while it''s doing so my Mana is steadily dropping. Maybe I can scry while I''m waiting?
Please wait until other tasks are completed before using this function.
Oh, fuck you. How long will this take? 15%...18%...21%... I remove my hand to scratch my nose.
Golem creation interrupted. Restore contact in 10 seconds or process will be aborted and MP expenditure will be lost.
Fuck, I put my hands back on the hideous lump of clay. It looks like a failed attempt to make a bong that someone drew a face on and stuck too many legs on. Who cares, just finish the quest. It never said it had to look good. At least I hope not, I should have used Observe on the skill description more, why didn''t I do that before I started doing the building stuff? 25%...27%...30%...33%... Dammit I really needed to pee. 36%..39%...42%...45%... Oh fuck people. Some dude walking his dog¡­ nasty use a pooper scooper asshole! Go away now, please. 48%...52%...55%...58%... Jogger¡­ God damn she is hot. Fuck I can''t use free camera. 61%...64%...67%...70%... Can I use Observe on the buildings? No, wait till the task is complete. 73%...76%...79%... How about meditation? No? Fuck you too. 82%...85%...88%... 90%...91%...92%. Oh come on, that''s worse than Windows installation estimates. Wait why the fuck do I know that? 99%... Five minutes later, 100%... followed by a bright flash in my backpack. Fuck did anyone see that? No? No one around? Thank god, or was that also an invisible effect? Probably wasn''t or the quest would not have offered a bonus to not get outed.
Quest Make your First Golem completed! Success: +250 XP, +1 skill level in Create Mana Golem Bonus Condition Success: +100 XP You''ve done it. It is probably the worst and ugliest golem ever made in the history of golems across the entire multiverse, but it''s yours. Congrats, you must be so proud!
Well, fuck you too. It could be worse, at least it''s not a miniature screaming, eating, and pooping machine. I almost use Observe on it before realizing I shouldn''t. At least it has an overhead tag. I''ve gained two levels in Create Mana golem; I guess one for making the thing and one for the quest bonus? That took all of just over half an hour, and 602 MP gone.
You have created a Golem, it is currently dormant. Your current skill level supports the following commands: ''[Name] Awake'': Costs 61 MP. Activates this golem so that it can receive commands and initiates the 3MP per minute maintenance. If you run out of MP an awakened golem will automatically go to sleep. ''[Name] Attack'': The golem will attack a target you mentally designate, or if no target is specified, whatever enemy is the closest. It will continue to attack until its current target is incapacitated, destroyed or it is commanded to stop. ''[Name] Stop'': The golem will cease executing its current command. ''[Name] Follow'': The golem will follow to the best of its ability, the target you mentally designate. ''[Name] Guard'': The golem will follow and guard the target you mentally designate, and attack anyone who attempts to attack, use, or take the target. ''[Name] Sleep'': The golem will cease all actions and go dormant. ''[Name] Status'': View this golem''s status information. Would you like to give this golem a name? Y/N
Sure, I type in ''Golem 1''. I don''t have any idea what else to call this thing. What would have happened if I had made this before getting my nifty keyboard interface? The Golem feels stiffer, but still cold and slimy. However, it no longer leaves clay residue on my finger when I rub it like the uncreated lump did.. Otherwise, it still looks exactly like an ugly lump of clay, and weighs about the same. Two pounds, given the extra 2MP cost it had above 600. I take a look at its status page.
Name: Golem 1 Level: 0 Creator: Simon Anderson Controller: Simon Anderson Quality: Extremely Crude Size: Tiny Weight: 1.96 lbs. STR: 1 (0) 1 AGI: 1 (+8) 9 CON: 1 (0) 1 INT: 0 (0) 0 PER: 3 (0) 3 WIS: 0 (0) 0 CHA: 0 (0) 0 LUC: 0 (0) 0 Armor: 2.0 Speed: 2.33 Attack: 1.0 Dodge: 6.0 Health: 30/30 Golems are immune to all non-movement binding status effects. They cannot gain XP. They are destroyed when they reach 0 HP. Their natural armor value is dependent on the material from which they were crafted. Their physical stats and HP are related to the type and mass of material from which they are created. Their movement, speed, and ability to execute commands well, are dependent on the quality and nature of their construction. Function follows form and aesthetics. A golem cannot move without limbs of some kind to propel itself with, and cannot grasp without hands or claws, etc.
It''s an odd thing according to its stats. It''s pretty weak, but agile? It has a lower dodge than myself. Is that because I gave it eight legs in an attempt to make it spider-like? I gave it eyes. Well I drew a smiley face on a clay ball that became its head. Is that what gave it a PER of 3? Just how far does ''Function follows form and aesthetics'' let me go? How skilled do I need to get in Artistry, Craft and this Golem skill to get past the ''Extremely Crude'' quality marker? Now the next part, waking it up. I scan with my free camera again to make sure I''m relatively alone, and command it to ''Awake''. No flash like before, but I see my mana go down and the overhead tag change from ''Dormant'' to ''Active''. I take it out of my backpack and place it underneath the stone picnic table, and watch it. "Follow me" I whisper. Wow, there it goes, it totally looks like it''s drunk, but the thing ambles its way over to me in a dozen or so steps and stops about a foot away. It''s very apparent that it moves with awkward difficulty. My crafting job is not symmetrical. Its legs are not the same length or thickness, nor even have the same number of ''joints'', if they have any joints at all. Some legs seem useless, not even touching the ground. At least it stays up right, even if its ''head'' lolls to the side. "Attack" I intone, focusing on the stone picnic table. The thing then starts ramming into the stone legs of the table repeatedly. I let it do its thing for a few minutes, watching my own maintenance MP drop. Fuck, it lost one HP, as a fleck of hardened clay broke off. "Stop", it now stands motionless in its spot. There are a few scratch marks in the table, where it was ramming it, but nothing that looks remotely significant. I think if I had let it attack indefinitely, it would bash itself to pieces and the table would win. Those commands are pretty limited and being so tiny, it seems rather useless. Was this a useless skill after all or just crappy at such low levels? It says I can do up to 30 lbs. of mass now, I suppose that can hit harder than this thing. If I was at level 100, that would be 1000 lbs. of mass, and I suppose stone is a lot harder and more durable than clay. But I''d also have to create or sculpt those 1000 lbs. Doing that will take a damn long time. It''s something I can show at least. I put the baby spider-bong back into my backpack and command it to Sleep. It''s still fucking cold out and now I really do need to clean up at the gym and get some other crap done. ****? I blow a lot of MP using Observe on buildings while heading to the Gym. I just want to get all this clay washed off. What other specialties can I try for while there? I already have weight-lifting, running and cycling, that doesn''t leave much room. The broken arm still restricts me a lot. They do have some scheduled classes, Yoga is one of them. I have to wait around for it to start though. The instructor is somewhat reluctant in letting me join, a bit of speech and she does anyway. Not sure if it¡¯s due to my broken arm, or because I''m on a trial membership, or because I''m a teenage boy and most of the participants are women. Now that I''m in here, I keep getting this weird feeling of familiarity, some ghost of a memory maybe? What could that be? It takes an hour, but I still haven''t gained a specialty but am damn close to level 3. Hope I didn''t mess this one up as well. The class primarily covered stretching exercises, so when I get back to the house I try doing the same. Success gets me a specialty for ''Flexibility''. I thought it''d be ''Yoga'' but apparently not. That accomplished, I read before lunch. Julia''s on the house phone the whole time so I can''t talk to her. I think she''s talking to Mrs. Pearson. Our lunch is equally busy without privacy. Finally seizing a chance when she isn''t occupied I speak to Julia. "Hey..." "Hey." "There''s something I wanted to ask you about and show you." Then the doorbell rang. "What is it?" "Better to do it outside." I say as I pick up my backpack, and we head downstairs. Mrs. Beckett intercepts us on the stairwell, "Julia, there is someone here to see you. Go sit down on the couch." I hear her call for Janet also after she goes upstairs. There''s a police officer downstairs, it''s an older guy not wearing a normal uniform or at least not one like the Houston PD I saw earlier. This is another case where I can''t use Observe on this guy to get more clues, while I am trying for a specialty. Julia doesn''t look pleased, she''s downright tense. "Can your thing wait?" she asks me. I reluctantly nod in agreement. "Yeah, I guess." Damn, what the hell is going on now? Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Deceptive Snit Faction: None Money: $168.56 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 6 (43.14%) XP: 2950 Primary Attributes STR: 7 (-0.60) 6.40 AGI: 5 (-1.05) 3.95 CON: 10 (-0.25) 9.75 INT: 17 (-1.44) 15.56 PER: 10 (0.00) 10.00 WIS: 18 (-1.44) 16.56 CHA: 11 (-0.48) 10.52 LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 Unspent Points: 16 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 191/191 Stamina Pool: 166/166 Mana Pool: 243/1275 Stress Pool: 153/350 Attack: 6.18 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 8.13 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 64.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 33 Free Skill Slots: 6 Artistry: 5 (0.00%) Athletics: 2 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 6 (50.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (8.65%) Create Mana Golem: 3 (0.00%) Disable Device: 5 (0.00%) Disease Resistance: 4 (0.86%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 5 (76.07%) Empathy: 3 (32.12%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 9 (77.76%) Gamer''s Interface: 18 (36.97%) Gamer''s Mind: 13 (14.03%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: 2 (45.87%) Mathematics: 1 (0.00%) Meditation: 7 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 9 (18.78%) Parahuman Lore: 5 (47.79%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 3 (25.65%) Speech: 4 (78.75%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.3 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.3 Thursday, January 7th, 2010 "Are you Julia Catherine Mendez? Born September 24th, 1994?" The cop asks as Julia sits on the couch. "Yes." A closer look at the guy''s uniform shows that although it seems well dressed with tie and jacket and slacks, the patch on the arm that says coroner foreshadowed what he says next. "It pains me to bring you this news, but I believe we''ve recovered your sister and your father''s remains from Galveston. I''d like you to come into the city for final verification if you can, go over what comes next and take possession of their personal effects." Julia steels herself but I notice her choking back a sob. Janet comes downstairs, apparently having heard the last bit of line and seeing the uniform as well, nearly stumbled as she mumbled ''Oh God...'' Mrs. Beckett caught her and led her to the couch as well. "Are you Janet Melanie Greene, born July 15th, 1992?" Janet nods in response, already beginning to shake. The coroner goes about his duty saying nearly the exact same thing in the exact same way in a well-rehearsed manner or has said it so many times to so many people already it came by rote. Janet''s parents have been identified and recovered off Galveston as well. I hesitantly speak up. "I lost some friends and family, in the same location her sister was recovered from." I swallowed "Is there a way for me to look¡­" The coroner nods. "We still have many unidentified and unclaimed, you can come along and review photos." "I want to go too." I hear Rachel speak up behind me. ****? Getting through all of this is beyond awful, not as bad as during the attack itself but close enough. Julia and Janet are a wreck for the rest of the evening. Rachel and I aren''t much better off. Janet and Julia at least have some closure now, but Rachel''s family is still missing or unrecovered. Mine? I still have no idea. I''m hoping I''ll see a photo and my memories will trigger, and I can say that''s my mother, father, sister, brother, weird Uncle Rob, friend from school, annoying neighbor, anything at all. Despite forcing myself to look through hundreds of photos of the dead, I get nothing, except gaining almost another two full levels in Gamer''s Mind. It feels like just another fuck you from my power. I don''t know what else to do. Do I bring up the subject of being a Parahuman to Julia on the drive home? No, it seems like a really bad idea now. She has to deal with finding a funeral home and burying or cremating them and her mother is still missing. It''s after a horrible catastrophe. The morgues are so overcrowded they''ve spilled into neighboring counties and cities, the funeral homes will be far worse. Some other cold-hearted coroner officer even said she needs the deceased out in 48 hours to make room for more. With no need to save mana to awaken my Golem to show Julia I just blow it all observing buildings as we drive home. The world is becoming well practiced at dealing with the aftermath of Endbringer attacks. Wealthier countries like ours have funds set aside for survivors, cleanup and burials. It''s not enough; definitely not on an individual level. Mass cremations or mass graves still occur out of necessity. Mrs. Beckett drops Julia, Janet and I back off at the house. She goes back out with Rachel to visit other morgues, so she can look through more photos of the dead. She gives us all stern warnings about behaving while she''s gone. Mr. Beckett will be back from work any time now. Julia and Janet grieve in their room. The boys and Melissa are watching some movie, Katy is away on some parental visit, and Joanna is watching cat videos on the computer again. No one is downstairs. I stare at the office door, try it but it''s locked. I''ve never tried to pick an indoor house lock before. It''s not a deadbolt like the front, a lot less complicated. I can take it apart, but I''d never get it back together fast enough if someone comes down stairs. I''d observe it, but I''m stuck in ''buildings'' specialty mode. What did that feature I earned say? ''Improvised Tools (hairpins, nail-files, screwdrivers, whatever works)'' I have access to all of those things here in the house. I crank up the volume for sound effects. It works on both footsteps and car noises if one comes into the driveway or someone starts going down the stairs. I get to work, several minutes later the office door clicks open, and Disable Device goes up half a level. Several minutes later I hack the office computer to get an admin account access, +50XP. I save force resetting the router for last, because Joanna is still on the computer upstairs. To clear the password and force it back to factory default, which I already looked up given the brand and model number, put the hairpin in the reset hole and hold it for seven seconds. I hear Joanna get up and complain. Fully reset, the router starts booting back up and I get to the door as Joanna starts down the stairs. I lock and shut it behind me and sit on the couch right as she comes into the room. "The internet''s not working, where''s Mrs. Beckett?" "Still out with Rachel. You can watch TV here if you want, I''m done." Joanna takes that offer, so I get up and go back upstairs. I made sure no one''s looking and type in the IP address of the router, and the factory default password, success, +100 XP. That also gets me the next Computers skill and prompts me for taking a specialty in ''Networks''. Yes, sure I''ll take that. What specialty can I aim for next? Julia was given the personal effects of her sister and father, what was salvageable anyway. She only kept some jewelry, and their cellphones, even though they don''t work. I wonder if the phones can be repaired, or if the data can be recovered? Would she want me to?
Phone Phreaker Repair or recover the data from Julia''s broken cell phones. Time Limit: 4 days Success: +100 XP per phone, improved relationship with Julia, ??? Bonus Condition: +50 XP per phone, complete the task in 2 days. Failure: None
That answers that. Since Julia hasn''t come out yet I can start researching smartphones on the computer. Specifically how to repair and recover data from them. Computer skill starts ticking upwards again. Mere web-browsing hadn''t done that before. No, that isn''t true. It did when I was researching how to hack the admin accounts and the router. I guess researching things related to Computers gives me gains; whereas when I researched lock-picking that didn''t net me gains in Computers. I should focus. I don''t know the conditions of the phones, which is an important starting point. I''ll have to ask her about them. First thing to check is if the various cards are intact. There has to be something recoverable, some chance to succeed, or why get the quest? Is there some kind of precognition power going on with these quests? Why the bonus for doing it in two days? What other things might that affect vs. completing it at the later date? Julia finally comes out of the room. "Hey." She looks a disheveled mess, bloodshot eyes, and wasn''t even trying to hide the tear stains on her face. "What did you want earlier?" It''s pretty late now. I hear Mr. Beckett''s car turn into the driveway, that means dinner soon. I can''t throw this on her yet, it will be awful, and I would be awful for doing so. "Nothing, it can wait, given what''s happened today." She sighs. "Though, I might be able to fix your¡­" I stammer a bit not knowing how best to phrase stuff. Maybe I should have activated speech, still trying to figure that out. "The phones you got today, I might be able to fix them or get the data off them for you; if that''s something you want." She looks at me confused for a moment. "Why? Is that why you have those articles up on the computer?" "Yes, you don''t want to try and retrieve their contact lists? Have you informed anyone yet?" She sniffles, and wipes at her eyes and face, but I don''t think she has any tears left. "Didn''t have the means¡­okay." Julia gets up and goes back to the room, returns a moment later with two sealed plastic bags each containing a broken phone. Then Mr. Beckett calls everyone down for dinner. ****? Dinner is quiet, nobody wants to talk. Mrs. Beckett and Rachel arrive half-way through. Rachel doesn''t eat. Janet never comes down from her room and Julia says nothing before also leaving to go back upstairs. Neither phones are working, but her sister''s phone is intact. Her father''s phone isn''t. The phones don''t smell good, but don''t make you run away. The recovery people must have cleaned them up. The only thing I can do for her father''s phone is take it apart and retrieve the sim and memory card, the rest is a loss. Her sister''s phone has a protective case and a screen protector, which go into the trash. The articles said not to turn it on, until it is very thoroughly dry. Given how long it was submerged and in the condition it was in, it needs to be super dry. After cleaning as best I can, wiping it down, and taking the vacuum to it, vacuuming is my chore tonight anyway, I take out its battery and cards. The articles say to stick everything in a zip lock bag filled with dried rice and desiccant. That''s all I can do this evening. Once dry, viewing the sim and memory card data will need a reader or a compatible phone to swap them into. Her father''s phone wasn''t wet, but also not compatible with Julia''s other phone. I hoped to research how to crack those combination locks, but got too busy. I use free camera again to observe the houses in the neighborhood. I make some progress, but I''ve exhausted all the ones I can see after wasting a lot of mana on ones I had already looked at, and got no skill gain from. To make more progress I''ll have to go out tomorrow. Guess I practice meditation again and start all over again tomorrow. Friday, January 8th, 2010 I get up early again, get breakfast and do research on the computer. They haven''t changed the alarm yet, because Mrs. Beckett comes upstairs, and scowls at me. "I need my pain meds, and my money." "What do you need your money for?" "To get a haircut." I actually do, but need to go to several stores. Mrs. Beckett fights back a yawn and goes downstairs. I''m ready with my free camera, to watch the safe numbers as she opens it, committing more to memory. She comes back up and hands me my pain pills. "How much for your haircut? You have counseling today." "I know. I need all my money." "A haircut does not cost $120. Here''s 10." I activate speech again. "That''s a cheap-o haircut that wouldn''t even cover sales tax. My looks require something better. Plus I need better shampoo, and you know I don''t even have my own personal deodorant yet? Buying some would make me and the rest of the house much happier, what with me trying to go to the gym and all." She hands me only two more twenties. I''m tired of this. "I still would like the rest of my personal money." "A haircut still doesn''t cost that much." "Look Mrs. B. You obviously take very good care of your hair, but I doubt it comes cheap. It''s a shame the way marketers create these artificial price differences between men and women''s products, but If one of the girls had asked for money for what I just described I needed, do you think a mere 50 dollars would even remotely cover it? I''m just asking for a fair consideration. I want to make myself look good for school, make some good first impressions." I swallow my pain meds with my glass of OJ while she looks at me. She puts my money down on the table and walks off. Your Speech skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the feature ''Good First Impression'' I go back to free camera mode and watch her return my pill bottle to the safe. I look over my skills and read the description. ''If you make a good first impression, automatically add a one time, unadjusted CHA / 2 bonus to your relationship score for that person.'' That''s neat. Now that I''m at an even level 5, I really do need to figure out a Speech specialty to aim for. There''s a trend here. For most skills, it stops gains at the next whole number. This is good for specialties, it''s bad for losing gains that might have gotten you further. If I was at 99.99%, and do some action that normally would have granted a lot, including a lot of percentage points past the next level, I still get stopped at the next level at 0.00%. The only skills I haven''t seen that happen to, are the Gamer skills, when I get level jumps or gain them normally, but those don''t have specialties. Actually, my resistance skills don''t do that either and they don''t have specialties. This might be another way of determining if a skill supports specialties or not, in case observing doesn''t tell me. I suppose it makes sense. If you can''t gain a specialty in a skill, there''s no need to do a progress halt to provide a chance to gain one. I write down the list of stores to check and can tell I won''t be back for lunch. I''ll have to take the bus to get there too. I want to go to the gym but won''t have time. I do need to get back in time for the counseling thing. It''s the best way to regain stress points and grind Psychology, Empathy, and Gamer''s Mind, in the least traumatic manner. I wait until 6 for the motion alarm to be off, and write a note. Going to some stores, gym and to get haircut, will eat lunch while out. Be back in time for trip to counseling. Simon I''m not going to ask permission, they probably won''t give it. I''ll get in trouble later, but I don''t care. To get that bonus XP or finish that quest at all, I have to be on my own. I doubt they''ll be willing to drive me around to specialty electronic stores with a lot of other crap to do. They''ll also want to know why. I have $168 bucks and $50 something on that visa gift card they don''t know about. I place my note on the table and sneak out the back door, and then snuck around the backyard gate and down the alley. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Stealth'' skill. Oh hell yeah. I click ''Yes'' right away. I may not be able to use Observe on it right now, but that sounds awesome. Will it have any specialties?
Stealth (AGI, PER, WIS) (Active): Level: 1 (0.00%) Not just a magnificent bastard, but a sneaky one too. This represents your ability to move about unseen and undetected. Proper use of appropriate prepared equipment can aid you even more in remaining unnoticed.
I activate it right away. At least there''s no silly stealth animation I have to make while moving. I use it right up to the bus stop. No one pays attention, but also don''t react when they do turn and see me. It breaks when I''m noticed and I can''t turn it back on if I''m being looked at. I succeed once more and try to board. It breaks again when the bus driver demands fare. Still, it has gone up slowly. I try to activate it again on the bus, but it fails repeatedly, too many eyes on me. Instead I just grind Observe on all the buildings we drive by. ****? By the third store I find a sim reader compatible with Julia''s Dad''s old flip phone. During the bus rides, I practice with Meditation, but lose it whenever we hit a bump. That''s getting annoying. Stealth rises very slowly. Trying it out during the day inside well lit stores isn''t a good grinding strategy. I finally get ''Architectural Eye'' as a specialty. Now I''m back to level 9 and 0.00% again. I won''t aim for a specialty this level. I should unlock a feature at level 10. I confirm that buildings now only cost 2 MP. I''ll go for another, eventually. Vehicles, cars, trucks, even a plane and helicopter I saw flying overhead, still cost 3 MP. After that I don''t know what else to try for, maybe nothing. I wake up my Golem, but leave it in my backpack passively gaining me skill for being awake. I didn''t want to do it before, it drains my MP too fast. Shit, I could''ve done that last night, and avoided mana losses. Note to self, create a Golem wake time schedule to never waste MP again. After the cost of the USB sim reader, a bag of desiccant packs, tools for disassembling a smartphone, in case I need them, a haircut, and various sundries. I drained my visa gift card plus $10 and change. That and my own MP3 player so I don''t have to borrow Julia''s anymore. I skip lunch to save money and keep the Golem awake during the bus ride back to the house. ****? "And where have you been?" Mrs. B asks and gets in my face as soon as I walk in. I point to my head. "A haircut, just like I said I would. Didn''t you see my note?" "I saw it afterwards, I was expecting to bring you to a place after breakfast, and instead you''ve been gone for hours and missed lunch." "Well, what can I say? I don''t know why you were expecting to do that. Clearly I can take care of it myself." "You are not supposed to just wander off whenever you feel like it. We need to be informed--" "I informed you, the note said where I went and what I was doing." "That''s insufficient, we need to know directly so we can make accommodations and¡ª" "Whatever, you didn''t need to accommodate anything, I got everything done on my own." I say as I shove past her. "Let me see your bags." "Fine¡­" I can help but roll my eyes at her as she sifts through my crap, and pulls out my receipts. The ones I wanted them to find. "See shampoo and deodorant and stuff, like I said. Now are you done?" "What is this?" She asks, holding up spider-bong. Damn, I should''ve been more careful. "Just my crappy artwork, can I go now? I got stuff to do." "You don''t seem to be taking this seriously. Hand me your money." "That''s because I''m not." I mumble, not quietly enough, and hand over only part of my cash. "You should be, and don''t take that tone with me young man. This is all that''s left?" "Yeah, I ate while I was out." "You should not have left, you should have been here for lunch, and¡ª" "I said on the note I''d get lunch while I was out!" "I''m not finished, get ready for counseling, and you''ve lost TV privileges for the weekend." Is that all? Big deal, wait no, fake it. "What?? Come on, that''s not fair!" "Maybe next time you won''t run off without asking us in person" I storm off in exaggerated annoyance, but then I see Julia on the landline upstairs. Her overhead tag now says ''Level 15.'' The fuck? "Observe"
Name: Julia Catherine Mendez Level: 15 Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 15 Ethnicity: Hispanic, Spanish, ?? Class: Foster Kid / Delinquent Faction: None STR: 13 (??) ?? AGI: ?? (??) ?? CON: ?? (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: ?? (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 5.5 Armor: ?? Speed: ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Summary Description: Born 9/24/1994, Julia is a 15 year old fellow survivor from the Galveston 2009 Leviathan attack in which she lost her family and home. Forced into the state foster care system, she has endured more grief, hardship, and legal problems. She has a significant distrust of authority and a strong desire for self-reliant independence. She has experienced great difficulty in adjusting to recent events and changes in her life. That same mistrust and stubbornness makes it hard for her to seek help. Counseling and recent confidence and understanding of her own abilities and mental state has begun to mitigate the trauma she has endured.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ... She has straight, dark reddish brown hair with the hints of leftover red hair dye, brown eyes and light skin. She is 5''9" tall, and weighs around 175 lbs. She appears to be relatively fit and athletic. Although of mixed descent she considers herself Hispanic but is frequently mistaken for Caucasian. Her left lower leg bears burn scars. The nail of her first toe right foot is broken. Her left cheek is slightly scarred. Her left and right palms are mildly singed. Currently Feeling: Sullen, Depressed, Reckless, Traumatized, Grieving, Very Stressed Known Status Effects: Mental: Depression, Adjustment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Aqua-phobia, Very Stressed, Conflict Seeking Physical: Scarred, Very Tense.
I cringe at seeing Chupacabra''s name, but am over that now, does my power know that? There''s some minor changes, but still a lot of question marks obscuring numbers. How the hell does she weigh more than me and look like that? What does Conflict Seeking mean? What does recent confidence and understanding of her abilities and mental state mean? I dive into a chain of Parapedia Observes to get more details. Depression, Adjustment Disorder, PTSD, and Aqua-phobia are straightforward. ''Very Stressed'' is ''a condition between Stressed and Extremely Stressed, when Stress points range from 51-76. It imparts negative modifiers to INT, WIS, and CHA.'' I remember having that one. All mental status effects usually give related stat penalties, or they did to me. I can''t see the stats on other people, (yet?) but I''ll assume they do the same. Blah, blah¡­, that''s the clinical definition of stress. There''s a range. I remember going through them all. Stressed: 76-100, Very Stressed: 51-75, Extremely Stressed: 26-50, Julia was at that level the last time I observed her. Near your Breaking Point: 1-26, Mental Breakdown: 0. Can I tell what people''s Stress points range is from this status effect? There was something about Mental Breakdown, buried in my old notifications. Where is that? "Simon it''s time to go to the counseling sessions. Get ready and get in the car." Mrs. Beckett interrupts my search. I grab a snack, put the desiccant into the rice bag with the cell phones and go to the car. I keep an eye on Julia during the drive, by not closing her Observe window. Sullen is an apt descriptor for her mood. Here they are, the fourth notification I ever received. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mental Breakdown'' ¡­ You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Drowning'' You are no longer suffering from the Status Effect ''Drowning'' You have recovered 6 Stress points The Status Effect ''Mental Breakdown'' has been downgraded to ''Near your breaking point'' The three prior notifications were for gaining the Gamer skills: Mind, Body, Interface. The 42nd notification was when I was fucking drowning in the sink hole. All of those have the same exact timestamp. ''No longer drowning'', my stress point recovery, and getting downgraded to ''Near your breaking point'' occur simultaneously a moment later. That''s my trigger event isn''t it? At the exact date, hour, minute and second on those 42 simultaneous time stamps, when my Stress Points hit 0. Does that mean¡­does that mean I can tell how close someone is to triggering by using Observe and viewing their stress status effects? If that''s true, I''m not sure I want to know. Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Parahuman Database'' feature Really? Fuck you troll. Hmm, didn''t stop at exactly 0.00%, no specialties for that skill? Stress points aren''t on a 100 point scale. I have a max of 350, which I think, is INT + WIS times 10. What happens to people with crappy stats? Like a 5 in each? Are they always stressed, do they have an ''Ignorance is Bliss'' effect going on, or are stats that low just rare? I''m losing focus. Sullen, Depressed, Traumatized, Grieving, there''s nothing unexpected Observe is telling me there. ''Scarred'' is ''a permanent effect reducing Allure due to scars from injuries marring a person''s appearance. Reduction amount is dependent on severity, visibility, and the opinion of the viewer''. ''Reckless'': ''Willing and desires to engage in dangerous acts, while ignoring concerns for the safety of her own life, due to not caring if she perishes as a result of the consequences.'' combined with ''Conflict Seeking'': ''Influenced by forces to search for and pursue conflict and the experiences and data such an encounter provides. While informative and can drive one to advance one''s skills and abilities, it is just as equally dangerous given the risk of host death,'' looks like a recipe for disaster. Also, forces, host? Parapedia won''t delve further into those. Now what the hell is Cape Database? There''s numerous entries, all based on parahumans I''ve encountered, seen, seen pictures of, read or heard about. The number of Parahumans I''ve actually encountered are smaller, Rappel, Granite, Sparky, Lifeline, Gatling, Eidolon. Wait, Eidolon? When did that happen? When we were in the sinkhole? Julia, is she on the list? Uh, why is there a civilian ID section? Why is there a single blank entry with a generic silhouette in that section, next to an entry representing me? My ''Cape Status: Not-debuted.'' Where did the photo of me come from? ''PRT ratings: unknown''¡­ That each entry for parahumans has a very thorough dossier is disconcerting. Sure a lot is blank and listed as unknown, but still. The fact it had entire sections split between civilian and cape, and known vs. unknown/speculated is mind boggling. I''ll explore this more later when I have more mana and time. ****? At counseling, there''s more group and exposure therapy, and one-on-one stuff. I get gains in Empathy and Psychology, stress points and Gamer''s Mind. Subsequent Observe use on Julia doesn''t reveal new changes. Everyone but me has the ''Stressed'' status effects, among other things. Julia was not in the group session today. Should that be a goal in the ''Help Julia Recover'' quest? What can help her recover stress points, mechanically speaking? Damn, I think busting out the Parahuman talk will do the opposite. When I get back, I have stupid punishment chores, but with piddling XP quests so no big deal. I keep an eye on Julia in case there''s a chance to talk but she gets on the house phone again. Some free camera and volume setting tweaks let me eavesdrop. She''s calling dozens of funeral homes and facilities, CPS, insurance companies, credit card companies to halt charges, and her state trust manager for emergency money to pay for stuff. I feel really creepy so I leave her alone. I copy the data of the sim cards with the reader onto the computer. The format of her dad''s data is so old though I need to research it more, or find some program that can read it. Her sister''s data may be easier if Julia can just swap sims. Damn it''s already late. I''ll have to talk to her about it tomorrow. I reawaken my Golem and let it stay like that while I meditate for a couple hours. I want to see what happens if I keep it awake, hidden in my backpack, without commands, while sleeping. Meditating doesn''t come close to offsetting the 3 MP per minute cost of an active golem, but sleeping should give me a positive MP gain, even if it means waking up with less than max mana. Saturday, January 9th, 2010 I wake up with 354 MP, about what I calculated. The Golem is still active, but I don''t want it draining me, so I put it back to sleep. This is good. It means I can have a guard when I''m sleeping. Skill gains for having the Golem awake is slow, but free skill XP, since I''m not doing anything. Oh! I can make this a 7th simultaneous skill if I do the same thing as before. Creating one Golem brought me from level 1 to 2. I guess making them is a faster skill gain method. If I want a golem that''s not crappy, I have to do a much better job at it. I activate stealth for practice and get started on research. Twenty minutes later a sleepy Mrs. Beckett pokes her head around the corner of the stairwell. "I need my pain pills," I say. She leaves without saying anything. I activate my free camera to watch and she comes back later and puts the bottle on the desk and leaves again. I''m pretty sure I can get into the safe if I want to now. By breakfast, I find a program to access the sim data. Julia comes down and makes herself another gigantic bowl of cereal, and a huge glass of milk. Janet is staring vacantly, ignoring the eggs she is making until they nearly burn. Mrs. Beckett takes over, and tells her to sit down. "I recovered the data from one phone and copied it onto the computer upstairs. The other you might be able to get by swapping sim and memory cards, if they''ve dried out okay." I tell Julia during a lull in the table chatter. "Really?" She garbles a surprise through a mouthful of cereal. "Yeah, I can show you after breakfast. How are you holding up?" Julia ekes out a mournful sigh, and speaks slowly between mouthfuls. "I don''t know. Memorial and funeral service is tomorrow." "So soon?" "Has to be¡­so many are gone, took forever to find a place." "Do you want me to come?" She shrugged. "It''s far, an hour''s drive. It''s the closest location with space." "I don''t mind whatever distance or time that involves. I just want to lend my support." "Thanks" Julia says as she finishes off the last of her cereal. "At least there is something for you to bury." Janet says as she gets up and walks off. I throw an Observe at her as she goes away. Still ''Extremely Stressed'', among other things. Julia makes an angry grimace as she leaves, then gets up to make a plate of eggs. Is the depression making her eat more? I read all of Janet''s Observe info. "She didn''t get informed soon enough to claim them before forced cremation. She''s hurting just as much, with more stress and lashing out. She''ll be 18 in the summer, and age out of the foster care system, and be entirely on her own." "Doesn''t make me feel any better." "Wasn''t supposed to, but we have a place to sleep, as stupid as all their rules are." "Maybe, I''d rather be on my own." "You ready to look at the data yet?" "Not sure. Did you look at any of it?" "Only enough to verify it''s readable. Contact list, text history, phone photos. I haven''t looked at your sister''s. I wanted to try the card swap first." "Alright," we finished eating and I retrieve the Ziploc that holds her sister''s phone, sim and memory card and we trudge upstairs. I pull them out and hand the sim and card to her. "What happened to the case?" Julia asks. "I''m sorry, I hope you didn''t want to keep it, it was falling apart, and smelled really bad." She sighs at me again. "Show me what to do." I show her how to swap sim cards, and soon her phone is up with all her sister''s contact, photos and history. I show her how to go through her Dad''s phone data that I got onto the computer. "You should probably write all the contacts info down on paper, and put the photos on a USB stick. Keep the cards anyway," I mention after giving her some privacy. "Thanks, a lot, really. I had no idea how I was going to reach any of their friends or even some of my extended family¡­ to let them know what happened. It means a lot to me." +15 relationship with Julia Mendez
Quest: Phone Phreaker completed. Bonus Condition successful, completed within 2 days. Quest XP gained: 200 Bonus XP gained: 100 Increased relationship with Julia Mendez. A broken smartphone, maybe? Ask.
You have gained a level! You are now level 7 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the feature ''All Weather Friend'' Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 A broken smartphone¡­ is that the question mark reward? Gee, way to be obvious. "What do you want to do with your sister''s phone?" "Does it work at all?" "I don''t know. I dried it out, but can''t tell unless we turn it on." "Do you need the cards back to do that?" "No" "Go ahead and try then" I put its battery back in and try to power it up, but it won''t turn on. "Nope, but battery might have no charge." "Let me see the battery." I take the battery out and hand it to her. She turns away and does something with her own phone. "Battery is dead." She says as she hands it back to me. She seems rather sure. I whisper ''observe'' to check the battery. I should''ve done that earlier. Not only is it without charge but also non-functional. "How did you know it was dead?" "Oh...just guessing really. We can try the battery from mine. They''re the same phone." Julia hands it to me, and turns back to the computer to sift through the data from her dad''s phone. I take her battery out, put it in the dead phone and power it up. Amazingly, it comes to life, only to show error messages on a non-responsive screen. "Damn. It works and powers up, but there''s an error and the screen won''t respond. ''Input interface not detected''." "So it''s broken?" "Yeah, it''s borked." "Can you fix it?" "I don''t know. Depends on what''s wrong. Even then, it may have to be taken to a repair place." "If you think you can fix it I''ll sell it to you." "Really, are you sure? It was your sister''s phone." "Not the cards. It''s identical to mine anyway. As I have the data, that''s what matters. I need the money." "Well, when we were on the island in those stores, you could have..." "Yeah, I could have, probably should have with you, but I didn''t." "Okay, but I don''t know what it will cost to fix it, and get a new battery." "Yeah, I need my battery back. I have to make a bunch of difficult phone calls." "Do you have service again? I thought it was suspended." I ask as I hand the battery back to her. "No service yet, I have to use the landline. I still need to sign up for a prepaid account on my phone and buy minutes. That''s why I need money." I''ll need to do that too. Maybe I shouldn''t have bought that MP3 player. "Can I still look over it, to see what might be wrong, or take it to a repair shop to see if it is savable and what it would cost?" Julia nods, and goes downstairs, leaving her sister''s broken phone with me. I have no idea what I''m doing. Recovering data off memory cards is one thing; actually fixing the hardware is beyond my knowledge. But does it have to be? Observe is pretty powerful, it told me exactly why the battery was dead. Maybe I can use it on the individual components? I spend a couple hours researching the specs and internals of the phone on the computer. I''d prefer to just go to a repair shop; I looked up several, but I''m ''grounded'' because I didn''t ask for permission to walk to the damn stores yesterday. It''s still progress. Researching the smartphone is gaining my computers skill, as is opening it with the toolkits I bought. Abusing my micro-vision camera zoom-in cheat, I can use Observe on each component, connector, resistor and circuit, inspecting each one. I''m grinding Observe and Gamer''s Interface. The latter is getting noticeably more difficult. The component parts and circuitry still count as mundane objects that cost 2 MP. I just need to look at a few hundred of them. For testing and training your senses, you have gained 1 PER. Awesome, by noon, and 420 something uses of Observe via micro-vision later, I''ve gained ''Smartphones'' specialty for Computers and am close to leveling Observe again. I''m nearly out of mana. I won''t get another specialty in Computers next level if I have to keep doing smartphone stuff to verify what I''ve found is the only issue that''s wrong with it. Using Micro-vision, I find a few more tiny water drops that I removed with a micropipette, as well as specks of dirt grains with some magnifying tweezers. One tiny component was shorted-out from water damage. Its job, according to the helpfully descriptive Observe info, was to receive all the touch screen inputs and send them to the main board. So I can see the screen and touch the screen, the computer inside isn''t getting anything. It''s like if the mouse or keyboard I/O controller wasn''t working on a PC. I still have no idea how that''s fixed or replaced. At least I got the part number info. I can try calling the repair shops in the area. ****? Lunch has come and gone. Julia left to attend her anti-youth violence class. I manage to call and email a few repair shops. There won''t be any more progress without waiting. If I can get the phone repaired it will be way cheaper than trying to buy a new one. Hopefully it will satisfy my smartphone quest. No TV, not that I care, can''t go out, grounded, the other kids are using the computer, and Julia will be gone for several hours. I spend the whole afternoon reading the Earth Science book. I should get a skill and a free specialty like Mathematics. Should I take it? This time I can use Parapedia to gain more insights about it and what other future skills may be capable of. ''All Weather Friend'' lets me ignore non-damaging temperature effects? No more ''Chilled'' status effects? I think I can safely confirm that features get unlocked at level 5 and 10. A third feature must unlock at level 20 ¨C 25. Gamer''s Interface is at a 19, and I haven''t had other features unlock for it since the ''Notes and keyboard interface'' thing. I''m tempted to use those unspent skill points on it to see because of that message about the Inventory feature not being unlocked. It might be some other skill or perk that grants it, but Interface seems the most likely. In the long run, using those skill points on the Gamer skills is a waste, since they auto-increment each level up. They''ll max out on their own in time. Julia and Mrs. Beckett aren''t back by dinner. Rachel has to help with dinner, lasagna. Some compliments on it, earn a relationship point. Conversations are about the first day of school for us, me, Rachel, Janet and Julia on Monday. For the rest of the kids it''s just the end of winter break. I don''t know my schedule, none of us do. Mrs. Pearson is going to go with us to school Monday and get stuff sorted out. Hopefully I can get into some of Julia''s classes. The other kids say it is an A day B day eight period schedule. Math, English and Science will be unavoidable, but that leaves five other classes. We still have to go to counseling after school Monday anyway. I resume reading after dinner. Mrs. Beckett and Julia get home and Julia scarfs down the leftovers. Observe says she is currently feeling: ''Pissed the Fuck Off''. I don''t think it''s a good idea to ask, and we don''t get to talk anymore today. I tuck in early at 9 to grind meditation. There probably isn''t anything, or anyone, left in this house, or neighbor''s houses, or my interface left to grind observe and get decent XP gain on without wasting MP. I reactivate Spider-Bong to the Golem skill while I sleep and not waste any mana. Simon''s character sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Deceptive Snit Faction: None Money: $158.21 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 7 (14.41%) XP: 3775 Primary Attributes STR: 7 (-0.50) 6.50 AGI: 5 (-1.00) 4.00 CON: 10 (-0.25) 9.75 INT: 17 (-1.08) 15.92 PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 WIS: 18 (-1.08) 16.92 CHA: 11 (-0.36) 10.64 LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 Unspent Points: 20 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 198/198 Stamina Pool: 171/171 Mana Pool: 505/1487 Stress Pool: 169/350 Attack: 6.25 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 8.67 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 65.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 34 Free Skill Slots: 6 Artistry: 5 (46.76%) Athletics: 2 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 6 (10.44%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (56.63%) Create Mana Golem: 3 (23.61%) Disable Device: 5 (50.00%) Disease Resistance: 4 (0.86%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 5 (89.21%) Empathy: 3 (87.86%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 10 (77.76%) Gamer''s Interface: 19 (88.45%) Gamer''s Mind: 16 (1.87%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: 2 (45.87%) Mathematics: 1 (0.00%) Meditation: 7 (63.32%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 9 (60.93%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (2.45%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 3 (65.97%) Speech: 5 (0.00%) Stealth: 1 (85.43%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.4 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.4 Sunday, January 10th, 2010 I put Spider-Bong to sleep after I wake up. Might as well make that its official name, can I change it? Yep, rename button on Golem Status screen. I want to try an experiment today. How far away can I be from the Golem and still sense my connection to it? Before we leave, I''ll wake him up and leave him at the house doing nothing. We''ll be traveling far away so it will be a good test. Actually, I shouldn''t have put it to sleep yet, so I wake it up again. I''m up early, and should strive to always be gaining in some skill all the time. Keeping Spider-Bong awake, and taking double meds for Drug Resist, are the only skills I can gain while engaged in routine stuff when getting ready in the morning. I won''t be able to keep it active all the time, but I have plenty of MP as a buffer. I just need to save enough for Observe when we get out of the house. The Beckett''s don''t bother me this time, so I read through breakfast. No one was up for conversation. It seems out of place given that we''ll be going to a funeral. I hide Spider-Bong in a bag under a bush in the alley. Just in case something weird happens while it''s awake and I get further away, like if it would run to catch or up something, I don''t want it to go careening through the house. After a few minutes of driving I lose my connection to Spider-Bong. It feels the same as when it goes to sleep and I get a notification saying I''ve gone out of range. We''re less than a quarter mile from the house. I note the street intersection so I can try to get a more precise idea of the exact range later. At least it''s easier to meditate along the highway as opposed to the bus stopping and starting in city traffic. It takes over an hour to get there. There''s not much to look at except plants and birds, so that''s what I use Observe on. Plants and animals still cost 3 MP. I observe Julia again. Last night''s ''Pissed the Fuck Off'' is now ''Angry'' and ''Somber''. I grind Observe on as much as I can throughout the service. It''s held at a tiny, rural Catholic church a block from the funeral home and cemetery. The priest is young and run ragged from the fallout of the attack still affecting things this far out into the South Texas rural area. Is Julia Catholic or is this just the most convenient place to use? Despite the rushed organization, and the inexperience of the priest, the serenity and genuineness of the setting and his words are comforting. I mentally substitute my friends and parents, even though I can''t remember them, as being laid to rest. I suppress another emotional breath; they''re diminished compared to Julia''s quiet sobs. I guess my power considers it cathartic enough, if a decent gain in stress points is indication. I hope the same is true for Julia, but Observe doesn''t indicate a change in her Stressed status effect, only her emotions. A young woman shows up late and attends the cemetery portion of the service. Abusing my volume settings let me eavesdrop as she interacts with Julia. Her name is Cindy and was Teresa''s dorm roommate at UT. She brought a car full of clothes and boxes of Teresa''s stuff from the dorm. I help load them into our car when the services end. The drive back is just as silent. Julia does manage to eke out a quiet thanks to me, Rachel, and Mrs. Beckett for coming with her. She even hugged us; or she did to Rachel. The one she gives me is more like awkwardly leaning on my clothes than a proper hug. But it earns me another +1 relationship point. I''m still 4 shy of 100. I meditate again in the car, and use Observe via my camera as we drive home. When we got back, I use stealth to verify Spider-Bong is still where I left it. I need to build up my MP to awaken it. I throw another Observe at Julia; she''s on the phone again. Nothing has changed, so I read the science book until dinner. "Do you think we''ll have any classes together?" I ask Julia during dinner. She pauses mid bite to look at me, and continues chewing before making a noncommittal shrug. "We have the placement tests tomorrow, not sure if they''ll take all day. Don''t know what they''ll do with us afterward if school isn''t out yet." I say. "Simon." Julia responds looking at me with tired eyes. "I have to meet with Mrs. Pearson tomorrow. I won''t be at school." "Oh" Well fuck, when am I going to get a chance to ask her alone about whether or not she is a Parahuman, and show her Spider-Bong? Or is it too soon? I hope I''m not already pushing too much. "Will you be at the counseling session tomorrow afternoon?" "I don''t know, maybe." "I''ve gotten better at Spanish, I think I knew it before, and am remembering it now. I found some audio lessons that helped." "I know, you forgot to delete them off my MP3 player." "Oh, sorry. Thanks for the lesson-reminders earlier, maybe taking it as a class will help more, unless you want to give another lesson¡­when you feel up to it." Julia shrugs and continues eating. "I found some phone repair shops, but I don''t know if I can visit them tomorrow with school and counseling, they''ll probably be closed by the time all that is done." "You won''t be going out to any stores or shops Simon." Mr. Beckett announces diverting from his own side conversation and butting into ours. "We haven''t forgotten you leaving without permission the other day." "Is there going to be a time when you do give ''permission''? If not, then what''s the point of asking?" I blurt out, my annoyance getting the better of me. "We''ll discuss that when it arises, right now you need to focus on getting settled into school next week." Mr. Beckett retorted. "Besides, we only have two cars, and Richard uses his for work." Mrs. Beckett adds in. "There''s only so much time that can be devoted to shuttling everyone in the house around for necessary activities." "I know how to use the bus. I did so, and returned in time, without affecting anyone''s schedules or making you use your minivan for anything. So talking about your limited taxi ability is not a valid argument." This is entirely derailing my attempt to talk to Julia. The dinner table is getting silent as some of the other kids watch the conflict rise. "No, Simon." Mrs. Beckett goes on, but I interrupted again. "Why can I not walk or use my own money to take a bus to a nearby location on my own free time outside of school hours, if I return at a reasonable time as well?" "We''re saying you need permission" Mrs. Beckett intones, annoyance creeping into his voice. "Fine, do I have permission to go to a store on my own Tuesday or any other day this week after school?" "No" "Why?" "Because we said so, finish your dinner." Mr. Beckett announced with finality. Ah, I see. That''s how it''s going to be. Julia and a couple other kids have gotten up and slinked away. It''s not like I''m the only argumentative one, the others have had their share, with the same responses and restrictions. As annoying as it is, I''m not being singled out. Whatever, if they''re not going to let me I''ll just have to do it anyway. Julia disappears into the girl''s room. With my progress in further conversation halted, I get on the computer to research cracking the combination locks I bought. Sure I know the code, but that''s not the point. I type up some instructions into my interface notes so I can try them out tonight. Nine PM rolls around and we''re ushered into our rooms, the notes work well, especially in combination with cranking up my sound FX volume and putting my ear to the locks. I soon have them picked, and improve my Disable Device skill. But three hours of practice shows the signs of diminishing returns. Maybe I can exchange these again for something more complex? I meditate for a couple hours in the dark, and then wake up Spider-Bong. Julia''s Observe window is still up. I minimized it, but kept it up to keep track of it. It''s only change is that she has the Condition ''Sleeping''. You know I had never really paid attention to that before. Parapedia is rather obvious, ''Sleeping'' gives a negative effect to PER and improved regen rates for healing, stamina, and most of all, fatigue. No mention of Mana for her anywhere. I can''t use Observe on my own sleep condition. Will her window stay open when I sleep? There''s only one way to find out. Monday, January 11th, 2010 Julia''s Observe window didn''t stay open. I put Spider-Bong back to sleep after getting ready, and get a new quest. ''Do well on assessment tests.'' Reward: 250 XP. So should I study? I don''t know what they''re going to cover, but I only have the science book to use. I read it until it''s time to leave on the school bus with the other high school kids from the house, except Julia. Don''t know what she''s doing with Mrs. Pearson today, I can ask later. I grind meditation and Observe on the ride over. It''s hard due to bumps and traffic, but easier than last time. I focus on observing kids and people, and look for anyone that costs 3 MP instead of 2, but don''t find any. By the time I get to the office and get registered, I finally hit level 10. You have unlocked the view bars block Observe feature. You have unlocked the FRAPS interface feature (from Observe level 10) ''View Bar Blocks'' means I can see people''s HP, Stamina, MP, Stress, Hunger, Thirst, and Fatigue bar values when I observe them. I want to test that out but am at the ''Specialty Dilemma'' again. If I want another specialty, I need to only use Observe on what I want the specialty in. That means testing it out on people or using Parapedia to gain more insights would have to wait. What specialties are left? Vehicles, plants and/or animals, and probably tinker-tech and Parahumans, but those are right out. I need to stick to my rule, go for the specialty when possible. I''ll aim for vehicles. That''s a minimum of 950 uses on unique vehicles, assuming max skill gain with each attempt, which I probably won''t get. I could encounter that many in a day or two. Hell, the school''s parking lot looks like it might have a hundred on its own. People''s HP bar is now included in their overhead tag info. So are their names, and class, even when I had no knowledge of that beforehand, not even with clues. That will have some interesting ramifications. FRAPS is pretty cool. I try it out briefly while waiting for my assessment tests. Turning it on means I can literally record audio and video as if I had cameras for eyes. It works just as well with my free camera, but stays with whatever camera I''m using. I replay my recordings. That allows me a new use for ''Windowed Mode'' now that I can have two windows for stuff like ''replay'' and ''live.'' Hell, I can do that for my text/note windows too. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Excellent. Playing with new features for the first time always gives me a surge of gains in that, though the surges are smaller than previously. Damn, no new skill feature at level 20, maybe level 25? Test time. Do well huh? The best way to do well is to be smarter. I don''t want to use all my points, I might need them for an emergency, but I can round some stats out. I add +3 to INT and +2 to WIS. MP max immediately jumps up to 1750 and I gain the difference in MP as well. My regen is almost an even 1 MP per minute. Stress points, current and max jump by 50 points. I don''t suddenly feel smarter or wiser, but maybe I need to wait more, and try it out like on the tests that I have to start. I''m done early, and use my free camera to view the parking lot and street to observe all the cars. We break for lunch three hours later. Rachel has been doing assessment tests also, Janet isn''t but I¡¯m not sure why, she''s a senior already, that may have something to do with it. A lot of kids are taking assessments. There are a lot of transfers from Galveston survivors. I wasn''t alone in the room. I find Rachel during lunch and sit down beside her. "Hey." "Hey" "Don''t see the other kids from the house, or Janet." "They''re probably in other lunch periods." "You know why Julia didn''t do assessment tests today? I know she''s meeting with Mrs. Pearson, but that''s all. She didn''t seem to care much at the idea of school." "It''s school. School sucks. Otherwise, I''m not sure." "Oh, okay, was just hoping someone might know more, the Beckett''s wrecked my attempt to talk to her last night." "Man, you''re jonesing after her pretty hard. I think she was talking with her Grandmother last night. Just don''t get your hopes up" "What''s that supposed to mean?" I want to use Observe again to see what Rachel is feeling but... "You like her." "I''m trying to be her friend." "Yeah, sure." "No really, I am." "What''s that Star Wars thing? There is no try, just be." "I didn''t know you were a Star Wars fan." "My brother was a geek, it bled over." "Nothing wrong with that; release your inner geek Rachel, it compels you." "You''re a weird dude Simon, but you''re alright." "Thanks? I guess. It doesn''t answer my earlier question though. What do you mean when you say I shouldn''t get my hopes up?" "Just that us kids come and go out of foster care. We get moved, we run away. We return to or get taken away again from parents or relatives. Especially teenagers like us. It''s not reliable. I know, I had cousins in the system." "You don''t think she is going to run away do you?" "No, but I bet it''s crossed her mind, yours too." She has me there, I have thought about it, if it weren''t for what I suspected about Julia and a simple quest to be her friend and help her, I probably would have. "And yours?" "Yeah sure, everyone does. I act tough, but I know what the results of that are more than most." "I don''t think you merely act tough. Care to elaborate?" "Not really. Just the world is fucked up, people are fucked up and so are we. That doesn''t make it easy to get all feely with people." "Yeah I get your perspective. The world shat on us. We''re still trying to swim out of it, and the shore is just the dried up leftovers from the last time it shat on somebody else. But that''s also the kind of situation where having a friend, despite the difficulties, is most beneficial." "Yeah I guess¡­" All my focus doesn''t need to stay on Julia does it? I''ve ignored the others just to pursue my quests and grind my stats and skills. I should change that. "So, what did you think of those stupid assessment tests? You know what electives you might try and take?..." After lunch, the transfers get shuffled into the auditorium, I sit next to Rachel again and we continue with idle talk. It''s some kind of incredibly boring orientation, a combination of meeting the administrators and guidance counselor pep talk. After all we''re a bunch of refugees from an Endbringer attack, which comes with a certain amount of baggage. Then we just wait, I guess someone finally finishes grading my test because I get a notice of quest completion and gain 250 XP. We get called up one at a time to figure out our schedules. The whole thing takes two hours. For A day classes, I have Spanish, shared with Rachel, Art, English and Geometry, also shared with Rachel. I know Geometry according to my skills. So what gives? For freshmen it''s an honors class? According to Mr. Mondale, that teacher I met in Galveston, and my ''get to know yourself'' quest info. I was a poor student. Now I qualify for honors classes, or at least some of them? I''m still stuck in regular English and History cause that''s all the room they had even if I could have done honors. There''s a lot less control over my schedule than I hoped. I only get to pick two electives from a limited list, which is Spanish and Art. Computer Science isn''t compatible with the schedule of required classes I got put into. ¡®B¡¯ day classes, I have Biology, History, Health and PE. Today is an ¡®A¡¯ day class, but we won''t be going. School is from 8am to 3:10pm, 4 periods, with 35 minute rotating lunches during 3rd period. At least PE is at the end of the day, small blessings. Now it''s time to get back on the bus and go home. More meditation, and lots of Observing vehicles, including construction vehicles and boats. I snag an Observe on a locomotive while we wait for a train. Do trailers or bicycles count as vehicles? Not worth risking it to find out. We get home and have to get ready to go to counseling again. More meditation and Observe use on the way. The session''s as fruitful as the prior ones, but my gains are losing steam. At my one on one, I talk about how to overcome the PTSD induced aqua-phobia, and other triggering stuff with better exposure therapy. That means easing into attempts at swimming, despite the idea still freaking me out. It took some convincing, but I get an actual written recommendation for it this time. I watch some short videos of Leviathan during my one-on-one. I know it''s going to grind Gamer''s Mind, and it does, but it''s still nerve wracking, but a lot easier than the last time I saw the fucker. I hit level 4 in Psychology and Empathy. They have specialties and stop at 0%, but are passive. They''re harder to target specialties for. I have to think how to gain new ones, and mentally shut down so I don''t ''contaminate'' further gains. Fortunately, my psychologist lets me talk and ask about whatever and is a good source of information. He tells me about the different types of Empathy and various fields and specialties in Psychology. I have FRAPS record the whole thing so I can research it later. We pile back into the car. Julia at least had been to the counseling sessions again. I resist the urge to use Observe on her again. Her Overhead Tag hasn''t changed other than including a mostly green filled but with a slight red sliver at the end, health bar below it. Via video game logic, I assume red means HP loss, and full green means max HP. Mine appeared full green in a mirror, and I''m at max. I guess she''s mildly injured in some way? I don''t know how many actual HP she has, or anyone else for that matter. Don''t use Observe on her, resist the temptation. I stare out the window using it on the cars in the parking lot instead. "You always mumble that word a lot. Why?" Julia asks, sliding into the seat next to me. Startled, I turn toward her and our arms touch. "Ow! Damn." I yell as a static shock hits my arm with an audible pop. "Shit, sorry...dry air" What the fuck? "I didn''t think anyone could even hear due to Rachel and Janet arguing." "Some kind of mantra or something? You seem different, a bit." "Well I meditate sometimes, mostly after lights off before sleeping. Maybe it''s more just a reminder to pay attention. Little good it did with you startling me, and literally shocking me with your presence." I seem different? How, what did she notice? "How was school and the test stuff?" "Boring, took forever, talked with Rachel over lunch though, and finally got a schedule at the end of it." "She mentioned that." "That all she mentioned?" "Um, yeah?" Damn, why am I nervous? Still can''t ask her what I really want, not here. "Will I see you in school eventually?" Julia looks forlorn and sighs. "I don''t know. Not sure what is going to happen yet." "Legal stuff?" "No, that''s supposedly over with now." "Then..." What had Rachel said? Kids come and go, but even if Julia had thought of running off, that would not have prevented normal school registration. "Rachel said you spoke with your Grandmother? Are you.." "Maybe? I don''t know. Contacting family that''s what CPS does. Lita Maria, my paternal grandmother, lives in Mexico, but doesn''t really have the capacity to care for herself let alone someone else. She¡­didn''t even understand what had happened. Not that it matters, ''It''s not Texas CPS policy to send a charge out of the country.'' My other grandmother, I haven''t seen her but once when I was four or five. She and my mother weren''t close." Is she leaving? Registering for school would be pointless if she was. "So was that what you were discussing with Mrs. Pearson?" "Sorta. They found my mom''s car." "¡­Oh." "Scuba divers were taking photos of license plates. They hit a match out of thousands. I was lucky it was visible and legible at all. They''re all buried too deep in the silt to retrieve." "I''m sorry." "Hey at least the fucking insurance company has evidence of loss now." She says with a pained fake smile. "They won''t do crap about my dad''s truck, cause it''s perfectly fine. Just have to convince the Navy to remove it off a condemned island, or wait for a new bridge to be built, which will probably be never." I don''t know what to say to that, so we sit in silence for a while and I observe the passing cars. "How''s counseling going?" I ask, Julia only shrugs in response. What defines helping her over her trauma? I''m surprised I didn''t get a quest to retrieve her dad''s truck. And no, you troll. I don''t want a quest to do that. "I ramped up my exposure therapy today, trying to overcome those PTSD triggers. Had to watch videos of ol'' aquatic Chupacabra, it''s helping I guess, even if it''s¡­ you know." "Yeah¡­I''ve done some, not ready for that much." "Simon, you have chores tonight and need to help with Dinner." Mrs. Beckett announces as we pull into the house and I groan. ****? Julia helps with a portion of the chores, and we talk about mundane stuff. She isn''t going to be at school tomorrow due to another meeting with Mrs. Pearson. I have one coming later this week. I want to buy the phone off her if I can get it repaired, but don''t know if I can afford it without visiting the shop. It was closed when we got back so I can''t call. I''ll have to skip the bus home tomorrow, and go by myself tomorrow afternoon. I want to push the exposure therapy more. I research more of it on the computer based on my psychologist''s recommendations. Today''s session got me nearly to the next Gamer''s Mind level, a bit more can get me the rest of the way, so time to experiment. I take a full tub bath despite aqua-phobia, the shower water coming down on me, and I replay the videos in my interface window that I recorded on FRAPS. It works. I got to the next level and a ways into the level after that, even though my heart feels like it''s going to explore out of my chest. I''m gaining Gamer''s Mind and Psychology out of it, weird but I''ll take it. I''ll try another round tomorrow morning. I spent the rest of the evening reading the Earth science textbook. Homework will start soon enough and take more time away. Best to get it finished early. I play with the combo-locks until I stop getting gains. Then use my free camera on all the vehicles in the neighborhood within my radius. I should swing by the mall or the Costco parking lot tomorrow. Observing a passing car and leaving the window up, it will auto-close if the car goes out of range. I don''t know what that range is, that''s something else to figure out later. It''s time to wake up Spider-Bong and go to sleep. Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 I endure another round of ''Exposure Therapy'' this morning identical to last nights. I get useful gains but not a full level. After a quick breakfast it''s off to school again. I wave to Julia as she eats another gigantic bowl of cereal, on the way out. I sit next to Rachel on the bus. She also notices my weird mutterings and absent stares as I use Observe on vehicles and try meditation on the bus ride. First period Biology is, ''meh''. No new skills or gains. I try using the camera to spy on the parking lot, but it makes me very inattentive. I''m already a semester behind so the teacher doesn''t like it. What''s the point if I''m not gaining skills? Then I get my new biology textbook and get a ''Know of Life'' quest identical to the others for +300 XP, plus some minor quests for doing biology homework. I get extra to help me catch up. So even though I don''t see any gains during class, the promise of XP gain at the end is more motivating. History though? Fuck history, no gains, no textbook quest, and only minor quests for the extra load of catch-up homework; and its worth less than the biology homework. At least there''s no catch-up in Health. It''s only a semester long; this is its first day. But why am I gaining minute percentages in Basic Academics? Why not for the other classes? At least that''s progress. I get another textbook quest, ''Know your Body''. Come on, you trolling-power, really? That''s the name you choose? Lunch is during the 3rd period. The only person I see is Thomas, who tells me to fuck off when I try to sit with him. Whatever, asshole is in one of his moods.. In PE my broken arm gets me out of a lot, but the coach still makes me run. I get athletics gains, but that fucks up my specialty exploit strategy. Not important now because I was going to fuck it up anyway by going to the gym later. Today''s the last day to use my free pass. But, not being in control of my own exercise training is going to be a problem in the future. ****? Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 At least I can practice it while walking between bus-stops and to the store. I can''t run and use stealth at the same time, not much of a surprise. Most video games don''t let you do that. I use Observe on a passing 1985 Red El Camino, that was the last one I needed. You have gained the ''Vehicle Enthusiast'' Observe specialty At least the repair store has the part I need to fix the phone, it''s expensive though. I need a battery too. Getting both will cost over $100, and leave me with little to buy the phone from Julia with, let alone a prepaid account. I have them order the part, but it won''t arrive until later in the week. At the gym my goal is to train Gamer''s Body, my stats and finish off that ''Shortest Path to the Cheese'' quest. I can get an extra 50 XP if my max simultaneously trained skills go up to seven. That''s possible by activating Spider-Bong. Same deal as last time, but wake up Spider-Bong and leave it in my backpack. I took some pain pills earlier, so now, I run on the treadmill, listen to Spanish, and use Observe on my interface, +50 XP. I don''t know how I''ll top more than seven though. The harder task is training three stats simultaneously. I hope it doesn''t mean upping whole points at the same time. That might be impossible. I find a weighted vest and wrist straps to use while running, but so far this is taking too long. I''ve wiped out my stamina and finish off half my water, and the quest hasn''t triggered. What the hell is going on? Fuck it, Parapedia, Observe stats.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Strength (56.68% towards next point) Affects Melee & throwing damage, Health and carrying capacity. A strength score of zero results in infirmity. Agility (76.87% towards next point) Affects defense, dodge, movement speeds, and stamina. An agility score of 0 results in immobilized incapacitation. Constitution (96.42% towards next point) Affects Health, Stamina, resistances and recovery. A CON score of 0 results in death. Intelligence (58.93% towards next point) Affects memory, Skills, Mana, Stress, and decision variety. An intelligence score of 0 results in brain death. Perception (37.85% towards next point) Affects your intuition and observations of the world and others. A perception score of 0 results in complete sensory failure. Wisdom (73.22% towards next point) Affects common sense, Mana, Stress, and making good choices. A wisdom score of 0 results in severe impulse control problems and chronically poor decision making. Charisma (18.34% towards next point) Affects relationships, Allure, reputation, social interactions and how others perceive you. A charisma score of 0 results in severely impaired social ability. Luck (20.96% towards next point) Affects critical strikes, failures, and successes, random events, quest opportunities, and minor mundane things in the world. A luck score of 0 results in a shitty life of suffering.
Fuck I can see progress on those? Since when? Why isn''t that on my main stats page? STR and CON are going up, AGI is sitting there. I need a break. Why isn''t it going up? What did it say the last time I got a point in it? ''For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI'' Whole-body? I was barely able to maintain a slow jog, damn. Spanish isn''t driving up INT? I can barely pay attention to it right now anyway. Actually I gained a level in it, and it stopped rising? I turn the MP3 player off, get up and try again, fiddling with my volume controls to listen in and use my third party camera to perceive the side class behind me¡­maybe, just maybe, I can eek a few percentage points out of PER.
Quest: Find the shortest path to the cheese! completed. Success: Part 1 & 2 Achieved. Bonus Condition: +50 XP for each simultaneous skill trained above 5. Current Best: 7 Bonus Condition: +100 XP for each stat simultaneously trained above 3. Current Best: 3 This open quest may now be canceled, but doing so will prevent future XP gains from active bonus conditions.
Video games with third party cameras let you mostly watch your own character''s ass. I watch mine fall off a running treadmill and tumble into an empty machine behind it. Glad I tripled my meds earlier. I clear out my notifications. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Language-Spanish skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON ****? My body aches and is sore, I''m still numb from the meds, hopefully dinner and breakfast tomorrow will recover the HP I lost from falling off the treadmill and slamming into the elliptical behind it. Well, if I want to train AGI I need to engage in a lot more movement than mere jogging. Since I''ve gone back to regular uses of Observe, I can start using it on people again. As before, I could see name and class in overhead tags without getting prior clues. I used Observe on a nearby bus passenger to check for new info. I can see fully modified STR, and base scores for AGI, CON and CHA now? Also, I can see exact HP and Stamina. Still can''t see the rest of the stats or exact stress point values. Observing other passengers confirms it, before I ran low on mana. I''ll have to collect data again, to see what the average stat values are. I can tell already my physical stats still suck badly. ****? At 7pm I get back from the bus stop, I stealthed my way up at first. My stamina is still recovering. Then I see the Beckett''s, Julia, and a cop car out front. Julia is putting a suitcase into the Beckett''s Minivan. WTF? "Observe, Observe, Observe¡­" I ignore the Observe windows on the Beckett''s and the cop as Julia''s presents me with my final confirmation.
Name: Julia Catherine Mendez Level: 15 Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 15 Ethnicity: Hispanic, Spanish, French Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Foster Kid / Delinquent Faction: None STR: 13 (+0.0) 13 AGI: 18 (??) ?? CON: 16 (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 16 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 5.5 Armor: ?? Speed: ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 288/290 Stamina: 340/340 Stress: ??/?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Born 9/24/1994, Julia is a 15 year old fellow survivor from the Galveston 2009 Leviathan attack in which she lost her family and home. A brief resident of the state foster care system, she has endured grief, hardship, and legal problems. She has a significant distrust of authority and a strong desire for independence. She has experienced great difficulty in adjusting to recent events and changes in her life. That same mistrust and stubbornness makes it hard for her to seek help. Counseling and recent confidence and understanding of her own abilities and mental state has begun to mitigate the trauma she has endured. After only brief stability, her life has been turned upside down once again due to being forced to move in with a distant relative she barely knows. ... She has straight, dark reddish brown hair with the hints of leftover red hair dye, brown eyes and light skin. She is 5''9" tall, and weighs around 180 lbs. She appears to be relatively fit and athletic. Although of mixed descent she considers herself Hispanic but is frequently mistaken for Caucasian due to her European ancestry. Her left lower leg bears electrical burn scars. Her left cheek is scarred. Currently Feeling: Depressed, Reckless, Traumatized, Grieving, Very Stressed, Confused, Annoyed, Hopeful Known Status Effects: Mental: Depression, Adjustment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Aqua-phobia, Very Stressed, Conflict Seeking Physical: Scarred, Tense.
And fuck me, is she leaving? Did I wait too long? Is something else going on? "Record On" "Simon! Where the hell have you been?" Mrs. Beckett shouts. "We called the cops because we thought you ran off. Get in the house now, you''re grounded." I ignore the screeching banshee and walk up to Julia. "Julia? What''s going on, are you leaving?" "Yeah, I have to live with my Grandmother in New Hampshire. They sprang this on me today. I knew it was a possibility, but I didn''t know it would happen this soon. I thought I would have more choice in the matter." "I take it this is the child that you reported missing?" The cop says to Mrs. Beckett. "Yes. Simon! Get inside the house now." "Fuck off Mrs. B. I am trying to talk to my friend." As soon as I say it new notifications appear. "Richard!!" She yells. Don''t try, just be. "You know I am your friend right? Even if you don''t think of me the same way, I''ll treat you as such anyway. Though, I certainly hope..." "Thanks, Simon. That means a lot to me. Yes, I do consider you a friend." Another mass of notifications counters go up. I don''t have time to look at them. Is it that simple? Could I have just asked outright earlier and avoided this? "Do you have everything in hand here? Since the child isn''t missing I can be on my way, unless you need me to stay a moment?" The cop speaks up again. "Yes, wait here a moment more please." Mrs. B responds. "Simon, you need to get in the house, empty your pockets too, and turn your money over, you''re not running off to any stores again." Mr. Beckett bellows from the front door as he exits and begins walking toward me. Fuck, will I ever get any privacy? I pull a wad of cash out, give some to Julia, and palm the rest into my underwear. "It''s Julia money. I bought her phone from her, you know the one I said I needed to check repair shops for to get fixed, which is what I was doing today." I whisper to Julia, "That''s all I can afford." Julia takes it quickly and nods. "Yes, that''s right he did." More notifications fire off. "Why is your face bruised kid?" The cop asks me. I put on my best nervous face and look between the cop and the Beckett''s, "I..uh¡­fell down some stairs, officer." "Alright, Simon, right? I''ll want to ask you a few questions." "Julia we have to leave now, if we are going to make your flight." "Sure officer, just let me say goodbye to my friend first." I spread my good arm out in the gesture of a hug. Mr. Beckett and the cop were mere feet away from us. Mrs. Beckett is even closer hovering over us like a hawk. Julia is hesitant at first but then embraces me. I whisper into her ear. "I know about¡­" Julia pulls away before I can finish. She quirks an eyebrow at me. "You know about what, Simon?" she asks quietly. I open my mouth to speak, "You know, and so am¡­" She puts her index finger on the dimple of my upper lip, gives me a tiny static shock and says ''Shhhh...'', like she was scolding me in a library. Then she climbs into the front seat of the minivan. I''m stunned, that''s not how I expected this to unfold. None of this is. Does that mean she knew I knew? Did she know I was? I''m confused, and the chance to clear anything up now is gone. I have to keep in touch with her somehow. "You''re going to email me right? Since we don''t have phone numbers yet?" "Yeah, sure." "You have all your stuff?" "Yeah all packed..." "All of your stuff?" I make a gun gesture with my hand. Julia frowns. "No, I can''t take it on the plane. Still locked up at the CPS office, probably won''t ever see it again." "Damn. I hope I''ll see you again sometime." "I do too Simon. Take care." From the sidewalk, I watch as Mrs. Beckett drives down the street and turns out of sight. Julia''s Observe window is still up. I bring it back into view and look it over as more notifications fire. Hopeful? Happy? Depression now says Mild Depression instead, and then it auto closes on me. "So fell down the stairs huh? Is there anything going on you want to let me know about?" The cop asks me quietly. I see Mr. Beckett standing on the porch watching us. I read my Observe window of the cop. He''s calm, and nothing looks unusual. "Sorry, I just said that to make them squirm and lay off. You want to know if they have been abusive?" The cop, John Roman, is his name, nods. "Well they''ve been assholes lately, but they haven''t been abusive, not like that anyway, or to anyone I know of. Unless grounding me for things I didn''t do is a crime." "So how did you really get the bruises?" "Fell off a treadmill at the gym while doing something stupid." "So you were at the gym and a phone repair store? They mentioned something about that." "Yeah." "Am I going to get called out here again?" "Not because I ran off. I''m not stupid. I have little money and no place to stay. I''m not interested in sleeping on the streets. But because they don''t trust me to let me do some simple things like go to a store on my own? Maybe, but if I wanted to be gone I wouldn''t have come back." "I''ve walked this beat a while. This has been a group home for all that time. The Beckett''s have been here a few years and a lot of kids have come and gone, plenty with issues that have made them run. And some of those kids¡­ Well things didn''t turn out well after they ran. It''s just what they have experienced in the past, and take precautions about. Give them a chance." I shrugged. "Well that goes both ways, doesn''t feel like I have been given much of one." "Compared to some of the places you could be instead? I think you''ve been given one hell of a chance, but I get it. Try to stay out of trouble kid, okay?" John gets in his squad car and starts the engine. "Heh, No promises." I smirk at him and he drives off. Mr. Beckett scowls at me, arms crossed as I walk up to the house. "You have some explaining to do." "No I don''t actually, and arguing with you isn''t a productive use of my time. So, I''m gonna grab some dinner, go to my room and do my homework. After all that was what you''re gonna tell me to do anyway isn''t it?" "No, you''re going to empty your pockets so I can make sure you haven''t brought back anything you aren''t supposed to. You''re grounded; no TV, no music, no phones, no computer, and you make sure you are on the bus home after school." He finds nothing, but the fucker did take Julia''s, now mine, broken phone and put it in the safe. He even made me turn down my waistband, but wasn''t willing to search my underwear. "You know that doesn''t work yet right? I can''t actually use the thing until I get it fixed. And you better put it on my inventory sheet. Having a working phone would certainly make it easier to keep you advised of where I might be now wouldn''t it?" "Where you should be is in your room doing homework." "Yeah, I believe I said that already. Also, I''ll need to actually use the computer for homework." I storm off into the boy''s room and slam the door in clich¨¦ teenage fashion. "Record Off" I say as I sit at the desk and finally look over all my unread notifications. Andrea Beckett has gone from stranger to annoyance Julia Mendez has gone from acquaintance to friend Quest ''Don''t be alone in this world'' has been completed. Gained +500 XP For gaining your first friend your CHA has increased by 1 You have gained a level! You are now level 8. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Quest ''Help Julia recover from her trauma'' has been completed. Gained +250 XP You have gained the ''Cognitive'' Empathy specialty. John Roman has gone from stranger to acquaintance. Richard Beckett has gone from stranger to annoyance Mr. Beckett brings me a plate of cold meatloaf and vegetables later. I really did do homework and study the Earth science textbook until lights out. As I lay there in my nightly meditation, it hits me that my main reason for staying here and putting up with this crap is gone, on a plane, flying off to somewhere in New Hampshire. So what the hell am I going to do about it?
Follow Your Multi-Trigger Mate. Multi-triggers should interact good or bad, and that means staying close. Leave this area behind and follow Julia to better leveling grounds. Time Limit: 3 months Success: 3000 XP, ???, Excitement! Progress! Failure: Dragging things out even further, increased annoyance from those who have taken an interest in the currently pathetic story of your life.
What the fuck? That failure message doesn''t even make any sense. Sure fine, I am all for leaving this dump. I can''t just up and run away though, not yet. I have to plan and prepare for this. You have learned a new thing about yourself: You prefer meticulously planning things out and being organized. That apparently isn''t my only new quest.
Charisma ''Skill'' Challenge. Make 10 friends. Currently achieved 1 of 10. Time Limit: 1 year Success: 500 XP, More friends, +1 CHA. Failure: Being a clingy loser to too few friends until they get annoyed and unfriend you.
I reach under my bed and reach into my backpack, touch Spider-bong and wake him up for the night. Simon''s character sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Deceptive Snit Faction: None Money: $49.71 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 8 (19.37%) XP: 5175 Primary Attributes STR: 7 (-0.50) 6.50 (60.56%) AGI: 5 (-1.00) 4.00 (76.87%) CON: 11 (-0.25) 10.75 (1.84%) INT: 20 (-0.70) 19.30 (66.74%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (38.43%) WIS: 20 (-0.70) 19.30 (73.58%) CHA: 12 (-0.14) 11.86 (18.34%) LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 (20.96%) Unspent Points: 19 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 220/222 Stamina Pool: 190/190 Mana Pool: 491/2000 Stress Pool: 271/400 Attack: 6.25 Speed: 2.63 Dodge: 8.76 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 65.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 38 Free Skill Slots: 10 Artistry: 5 (46.76%) Athletics: 3 (17.64%) Basic Academics: 9 (2.34%) Computers: 6 (10.44%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (56.63%) Create Mana Golem: 3 (66.46%) Disable Device: 7 (44.57%) Disease Resistance: 4 (0.86%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 6 (76.96%) Empathy: 4 (0.00%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 12 (25.54%) Gamer''s Interface: 21 (26.89%) Gamer''s Mind: 18 (20.56%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: 3 (0.00%) Mathematics: 1 (0.00%) Meditation: 8 (28.01%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 10 (6.97%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (2.45%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 4 (33.56%) Speech: 5 (0.00%) Stealth: 2 (22.07%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.5 Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.5 Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 ''Grab-bag'' capes, often displaying three or more related minor powers, come from multi-triggers. Individuals involved in the mutual trigger event have an array of minor powers that share a concurrent theme. Said powers often complement each other or work in similar ways. So that''s what multi-triggers are? It''s scant information. I definitely have a slew of minor powers. Does Julia have similar powers? I don''t have an electric power, if those shocks of hers are an example. It''s more than I knew before, Parahuman Lore went up a bit. I check my Parahuman database feature again. The formerly blank entry is now for Julia. ''Cape Status: Not-debuted.'' Where did that photo come from? It looks like her from yesterday. Did my power grab it from FRAPS? ''Powers: unknown, suspected: electric shocks, level drain''¡­ Stop, I can do this whenever. Use the computer for stuff I don''t want seen before folks wake up. If I''m going to follow Julia, I need to know an address or a phone number or something. ''Hey, it''s Simon. So New Hampshire huh? Whereabouts? Obviously I don''t have a number yet, the phone still isn''t fixed, and the Beckett''s took it from me while I was ''grounded''. Send me an email after you get settled in, so we can keep in touch.'' ****? "Why wasn''t Janet on the bus?" I ask Rachel in Spanish class. "She doesn''t have to be, not going to school, forced graduation." "Huh, how does that even work?" "Defunct Galveston ISD gave diplomas to all of their former seniors; to relieve displacement congestion or something." "What was up with you last night when Julia left?" "Oh man, stupid Becketts, you know what they did?¡­" More casual chat gets a few relationship points. The class ends with minor quests for Spanish homework but no quest for our Spanish textbook. Art isn''t as free form as I wish. They have clay and have done pottery, but not currently. The teacher wants the basics learned first. I do a lot of drawing. Whatever, I''ll make Golem designs. At least I get steady gains. I skipped a drawing specialty once before, maybe I can re-get it. Third period is English. It''s just as useless as History, but Melissa''s in my class. Basic Academics doesn''t rise, nor has it for Spanish and Art, but at least they increase other skills. I raise Artistry by doodling on my textbook covers. I get a piddling quest for homework but no textbook quest again. Last period is Geometry, I sit with Rachel again. It''s easy; I have a specialty for Geometry in my Mathematics skill now. Mathematics at least goes up, by the end of class I''m 50% toward level 2. But if all I''m doing is geometry, how can I exploit getting more specialties? I get a minor homework quest again, and a textbook. It''s fucking identical to Julia''s. Apart from boring classes, I make a lot of ''acquaintances''. That Good first impression feature nets me a +6 relationship due to CHA 12 with anyone I don''t botch it on. I average 1-4 additional points with basic introductions and impressions, so that''s often into the next category right away. I still don''t know what it means, but so far numbers going up is good, down is bad. While getting more friends to complete that quest is good, if it takes as long as it took Julia, should I bother? If I plan on leaving, why invest in people here? There will be people in New Hampshire too. Well, maybe Rachel, I''m halfway there already, and maybe some of the other kids in the house, except Thomas, fuck him. I use Observe on students and teachers, and keep a tally of stat scores, to figure out what average values are. I can see STR, AGI, CON and CHA base scores. The rest are hidden. STR still averages 14 for women, 16 for men; AGI averages at 15, without major deviations in the sexes. CON averages higher, 17, but is more varied and no major deviations in the sexes. CHA is varied, but averages 14 for men and 16 for women. The ''popular'' kids get into the 20s. INT and CHA make slow gains. School is basically just study and talk. PER goes up in tiny amounts, only when I''m concentrating on it. Usually when I make deliberate attempts to filter out noise and listen to a distant conversation. It''s hard to do other stuff at the same time. PER isn''t going to be easy to train. ****? Meditating on the bus is a regular thing, unless I''m talking. I still drop out of it, but less often. I get my usual skill and stress point gains in counseling, and another exposure therapy of Chupacabra videos, push Gamer''s Mind further along. It''s easier each time. I record it again, to repeat it in the morning, but I''m starting to hit diminishing returns. Hopefully I can max Gamer''s Mind first. I thought Meditation would give me stress point gains, but nothing so far. It''s taking too long to get stress points. Why? Therapy won''t last forever. My psychologist advises generic stress relief, relaxation, meditation, but I''m trying that, maybe certain foods, massage, physical contact with someone you trust. You mean hugs? Yeah, or sex, I wish. Natural stress point regen is way too slow; so some kind of outside factor has to be the primary recovery method. Or maybe mine just sucks. I still can''t see raw stress point values in Observe so can only make guesses. My max goes up with each gain in INT or WIS, along with the difference in Stress points, but that doesn''t get me closer to the max. I want to top it off before the broken arm effect expires in February, so I can finish the ''get healthy'' quest. I know how stressed Julia was when she left, even if I succeeded in the ''help her recover'' quest. I want to know how to do more when I see her again. ****? I''m still pissed at the Beckett''s, I refuse to talk to them, just do my homework and study the Earth science textbook. I''ll wake Spider-Bong before meditating tonight, despite blowing a lot of MP on Observe, a lot is getting wasted. I need more mana skills. I fail yet more attempts at summoning mana in the backyard, until I give up. I should pursue new skills since my INT raise got me more slots. I still want to keep some for special skills. Observe and Create Mana Golem came from interactions with Parahumans, Julia and Granite. Maybe I can get more if I meet more? Except, my current situation restricts that. Thursday, January 14th, 2010 Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 I overdo my ''exposure therapy'' session this morning, enough to annoy the others that want to use the bathroom, but I don''t care. It¡¯s just enough to level up Gamer''s Mind, while keeping Spider-Bong awake got a slow gain level in my golem skill. Your Artistry skill has increased by 1 Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 I pay attention in Biology because it allows progress in its textbook quest. But History is another waste I spend doodling to gain a level in Artistry. Health is useful for gains in Basic Academics and progress on its textbook quest as well. PE was¡­ a chance to exhaust my stamina, and finish a level in Athletics that I already screwed up, because as I suspected, I didn''t get the chance for a specialty. I abruptly stop all my exercise to not ruin the next specialty, and gain a little Gamer''s Body. The coach is annoyed at me but it''s nearly the end of class. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Throughout the day, I snatch moments to practice meditation, stealth and Observe. I get it to level 11 and stop. What Observe specialty to go for next? Animals and plants are the only feasible ones, and living in suburbia isn''t going to show me many unique animals, unless I visit the zoo, so plants it is. ****? I put Spider-Bong to sleep before I leave and meditate during the ride to the CPS office. I requested our meeting to be there instead of at the Beckett''s, so I can talk shit about them. Sitting there with my thoughts, I realize I''d been ignoring my Speech skill. I stopped using it because I wanted to pursue a specialty, but haven''t thought of any. What are typical social skills of a lot of Video Games and RPGs? Classics are Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Intimidate, Languages, Gather Information, etc. Some are already covered. What other possibilities? Barter, Taunts, Acting, Flattery, Comedy, Oration, Flirting, Seduction? Actually, which ones won''t get me in trouble? That excludes a lot. Well, time to talk to CPS. "¡­so you''re not happy because they grounded you and you can''t go out and do things. They are acting as your legal guardians on behalf of the state. And you did leave without asking twice now." Mrs. Pearson goes on after I say my rant. "No, I told them both times, and I did ask, they just said no despite it being a perfectly reasonable request." I repeat, even though I''ve explained it before. I''m not getting anywhere with Mrs. Pearson on this topic. We talk about getting along with the other kids, settling into school and other crap. Bored, I use my camera to watch her log in and look at my record on the computer, because I wanted to see it, little has changed, but I have FRAPS going for the whole trip. "Any progress on finding my identity or anyone that knows me?" Mrs. Pearson lets out a small expression of defeat. "No, I''m sorry nothing has come up yet, though I must admit I have been busy and have less time available to put into it than I would like." "It''s been about three weeks now?" "If you prefer I can keep trying, or submit requests to the Social Security Administration to get the process started on a new SSN, though that on its own will take a while as well." "How long does that take?" "Getting a replacement SSN card, about 10 days, but that''s when you already have a number. New numbers with pre-existing identification can be a few weeks. Since you don''t have any to begin with I imagine it will be more complicated." Will I even still be here by then? "When do we meet again?" "Tuesday the 26th." "Keep trying, I''ll decide then based on if you find anything. I think I''d prefer to meet in your office again too, instead of the house." "Do you have any other concerns?" "Where did Julia move to?" "Simon, we''ve been over this before, I can''t give out other children''s contact information." So, it''s not ''I don''t know'' it''s ''I can''t tell you''. "She told me New Hampshire, but she didn''t even have the exact address when she left." "Well, she can tell you the rest herself when she gets settled in." "That will be a bit difficult when I don''t have a phone because they locked it in the safe and won''t let me go to a store to get it repaired," and so we go in a circle again. "Did you at least mark it on my inventory?" "I''ll make a note of it. Now if there is nothing more¡­." "Doctor still recommends physical therapy, but I can''t go to the Gym because I''m grounded." I left out that I also ran out of my free trial. "And the psychiatrist said I should get acclimated to pools, open bodies of water and eventually immersion and swimming to get over my issues with having the Leviathan nearly drown me. Again, something I can''t do in current circumstances. I consider it a failure to provide medically recommended care." "I''ll take that into consideration, but do you understand the difference between recommended and necessity?" I shrug. "Does it matter?" "Alright, I am taking you back to the group home." "Oh and I''m getting low on pain pills again." Friday, January 15th, 2010 I keep Spider-Bong active all day to see how far I''ll get. If it can last all day, I can keep one golem active all the time. It''s an incentive to make a larger, stronger golem but it''ll be heavy and hard to lug around. That only applies to civilian ID; otherwise I''ll just order it to follow me around. Here I am thinking about a cape life, yet there''s that stale cape quest I haven''t gotten to. Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 Another round of mind whammy gets fewer gains than before. But using stealth inside the house before everyone gets up got me a level up? I check my email; there''s no reply from Julia, but the phone part came in yesterday. I just can''t do anything about it yet. Should I break into the safe? I can make it past the door, and I''m pretty sure I know the combo from watching it via my free camera. It''ll be risky. Taking it will make things worse. I''m grounded for two weeks. I''ll see if they give it back to me by then. If not, I''ll steal it back. I need to figure out how to hide it better, my money also.
A Smuggler''s Mind. Figure out a way to hide a smartphone, cash, and other small items on your person or belongings so that they are not found despite being searched. Time Limit: None Success: 250 XP. Failure: They find it, it gets taken, ???
Isn''t the answer to that Inventory? I still don''t have access to it yet. Or is this just a tease you troll! Fine whatever, I''ll think of something the hard way. It''ll give me something to do while doodling in English. Your Mathematics skill has increased by 1 It''s another boring school day. Spanish, Art, English, Geometry. I get some gains, and relationship bumps, but only get a level in Mathematics. I was right, no specialty. If Geometry''s a specialty, what else can be? I want to exploit this one too. I get more mind whammy exposure therapy in counseling. They''re having less effect. The Doc thinks that''s good, but no chance to use a pool to resolve the bigger issues. More skill gains and stress point recovery. Alas, no more multi-days a week. I''m on once a week, starting next Wednesday. A major reason the sessions are granted, besides survivor''s trauma, is the amnesia thing, which we''ve made little progress in. They haven''t even helped the ''learn more about yourself'' quest. Those insights came outside my sessions. My only clues are that psychology, the concept of sessions and some other things feel familiar. I may have had therapy in the past, and that''s what I''m remembering. Maybe I knew someone that worked in the industry. I started off with a level 1 in Psychology after all. It had to have come from somewhere. I keep Spider-Bong awake until 5 pm. I''m heading home from counseling. I shut him off with 68 MP to spare, enough to wake him later. Even if I had started the day at max MP it only netted me a little more than 16 hours. I do homework and chores for minor XP, read textbooks, meditate and am off to bed. It''s getting routine, grindy, and boring. But it''ll get better, I promise, I''ll make it happen, somehow. Saturday, January 16th , 2010 Your Meditation skill has increased by 1 I ''sleep in'', to get my next level in Meditation. Should I continue? I''m one level from 10, and should get a new feature. Nah, it will probably take several hours, I have shit to do. Everyone else is sleeping. I practice stealth around the house and stare at the office door. Too risky, I go back upstairs and check my email. No response from Julia, but I fire one off to the phone repair place. I hope to get it next week or the week after. Should I buy just the part and try to fix it myself? What''s my long term goal? Follow Julia and become a cape. For that, I need preparation, a destination, communication, and transportation. What are my short term goals? Max out Gamer''s Mind, Body, and Interface, via grinding or level ups. Interface is closest, but stagnant. Parapedia, my main way of increasing it, is unavailable while I''m stuck observing plants. Damn, I didn''t even use observe yesterday, too focused on the Golem skill. Gaining levels may be easier. Smuggler''s Mind is doable, and the Earth Book is nearly done. But, they won''t earn a level by themselves. I do my mind whammy session in the bath, and attempt to recover stress points. I sit outside in the cold to meditate while spamming Observe at the neighbor''s flowers, bushes and trees. These Observe specialties really suck. Animals will be the last one. I wish I could move my camera and meditate at the same time, but the hand movements break me from the trance. I position my camera first, turn meditation on and observe everything from that point, and repeat, over and over again. What are those plant zoos called? "Simon! Come inside for breakfast!" Mr. Beckett yells at me. After breakfast I''m so annoyed I decide to be annoying. I let loose my inner troll. "Hey Mrs. Beckett. Can I go to the Conservatory? No? Can we go? No? How about the Arboretum? The Zoo? The Mall? Can I go to the gym? Can I go jogging? The Library? The Hardware Store? Sorry, don''t mean to be annoying, just you know, bored is all, very bored. Do my homework? I did it last night. Can I go to the store? The Arcade? How about Miniature Golf? Go-cart racing? Go watch TV, actually I can''t. You grounded me, remember? Computer, you also barred that from me too. Oh chores... No I can''t mow the lawn, it''s January, and I have a broken arm. Trash is already on the curb. Oh Vacuum? Sue but I bet that will piss off everyone who is trying to watch TV, which I cannot do since I am grounded, but if you insist¡­" "Ah yes, Mr. Beckett did not appreciate the interruption of the basketball game with the noise of the Vacuum, and told me to stop. So, can I go¡­yes I can get the fuck out of the house, that''s perfect I''ll be at the park, okay? Good? I guess you can call me when you want me back, oh no wait, you can''t. My phone is broken and you took it. Fine, whatever, I''ll be back by lunch." Well, that only took two hours of constant pestering to break them down. I walk out the front door before they change their mind. Problem is lunch is not too far away. I don''t have enough time to go anywhere beyond the nearby park.
Secret Quest: Circumvent your grounding. You got them to cave at least temporarily by being a complete ass-troll. Bravo! Will it work more than once? (Quest reward is one time only) Success: +400 XP, loss of relationship with Andrea and Richard Beckett.
Wow, that was totally worth it. The park has a pond, some trees, a creek, a playground, and the picnic tables I first awakened Spider-Bong at. I avoided the pond and creek the last time I was here, because of Chupacabra the fuck-face. I get my fill spamming Observe around the pseudo-woodland patch and clumps of overgrowth near the pond and creek. Then I get a lot of repeat species without gains so I stop. I get a mind whammy by standing on the pier over the pond. Sure as fuck is bigger than a bathtub. I force myself to take off my shoes and dangle my feet in. Dumb for anyone else, it''s still January and cold, but ''All-weather friend'' lets me give Mother Nature the finger. Let''s get this over with. I make my Chupacabra playback videos as big as I can, and push them out in front of me over the water. I throw a rock at the fucker''s face, with my good arm. It''s cathartic so I throw another, and another and another. I go and get a pile after I run out and do it again. Each rock pierces my illusory interface window and splashes into the water below. Moving target practice, bitch! Does that count as a creative use of my fucking interface you fucking troll? Who should I be pissed at more? You, whatever the fuck you are behind my power or him? One of the banes of this miserable world who made me trigger and have you get stuffed into my head! Shitty or wonderful, I can''t even remember what my life was before this. But it was mine, why did the two of you have to take it from me? I promise one of you bitches is gonna pay, somehow.
Endbringer Killer. Directly contribute to the death or termination of an Endbringer. Time Limit: Before you die. Success: 250,000 XP, fame and adoration, the ire of the remaining ones. Failure: Death, with no-reloads, bitch, Game Over Man, Game over.
Fuck you, an Endbringer is only worth 250k XP? Bullshit. Wait, are there actually re-loads or are you just trolling me again? Wait¡­ Endbringers can be killed??? Are you lying to me? A notification is pulsing so I open it. You have gained the ''Throwing'' specialty for Athletics Huh that''s neat. My anger and shock simply vanished. I click yes and go home. Gamer''s Interface did make some decent gains from that, it''s nearly at the next level. I meant to practice giving commands to Spider-Bong to see if that would grant better gains than merely being awake, but got sidetracked looking for plants and ranting on the pier. I wash up and help with lunch. Will raw produce count as plants or mundane objects? I''d been hesitant about using Observe on things that could go either way, but now I don''t care. Good, observing a grape bunch, a bell pepper, tomato, onion, and a head of lettuce all cost 3MP, hopefully that''s okay. I won''t find out until I''m done. I should hit a grocery store produce section if I can''t visit a plant zoo. After lunch I observe the rest of the raw produce we have in the refrigerator. That 400 XP gain means finishing those other two quests will leave me a lot closer than before. I spent the rest of Saturday figuring out how to achieve the smuggler one, and progressing in the Earth Science textbook quest. For the smuggler one, large fat pens with small ink stems can hold a single bill wrapped up tightly around the ink stem inside the pen. For the other I do the classic, hollowed out book. Julia''s textbook, she doesn''t need it anymore, and since it''s literally identical to the one the school gave me it''s no loss. Just need to make sure I don''t mix them up. The quest completes with +250 XP. Sunday, January 17th, 2010 Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 Practicing Stealth around the house early Sunday gets me a level. And I have a ''Common Cold'' status effect, with a seven day timer? Crap. At least Disease Resistance starts a slow trickle upwards. I spend all day inside reading the Earth Science textbook. After my morning Mind whammy, I''m so close, almost at level 20 Gamer''s Mind, but it''s working much less reliably. For dutiful study of important information you have gained 1 INT
Quest Completed: Know of Earth Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in Julia''s Earth Science book. Success: +300 XP, Science (Earth) skill + free geology specialty, better science placement
So, I can accept the Science (Earth) skill. Should I? Skills are nice, but should I spend a slot on it? I did this already with Mathematics. The free specialty is good, but grabbing those early is usually easy, if I have the freedom to dedicate to it, which hasn''t been the case. Maybe, Earth Science and Geology will help with golems or stone crafting? They''re related. Meh, I''ll take it. I managed to get a +1 INT from all the study, which added another skill slot. You have gained the Science (Earth) skill. You have gained the ''Geology'' specialty for Science (Earth). Monday, January 18th, 2010 This whole day has been shit for getting progress. My cold is making me feel terrible. At least Disease Resist has some gains. My Mind Whammies this morning got stuck at 95% towards the next level. School was a bore. At least I picked flirting as my next Speech specialty, but I suck at it, or my cold is making it hard. I''ll try again tomorrow. At least Mrs. B got me some cold meds, but she wouldn''t let me stay home from school when I asked this morning. I can''t meditate very well when I''m interrupted by sneezes or coughs. At least I can slowly read my biology textbook while Spider bong is awake. Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 I stop my playback of Chupa¡­ Leviathan, my crutch of a word has lost its necessity, on my FRAPs feed, and shut off the shower. It''s not working anymore. Gamer''s Mind is stuck and isn''t going to budge, not via this method. If it isn''t working, no need to keep doing it. Stealth is still going up at least, as I slink around the house in the morning before others start getting up. I''m waiting for level 5 to hit. How does the Stealth skill actually work? Is it a stranger power or me just becoming good at the mundane version? I doubt I''m that good at it yet, but what''s the potential? Does it physically make me cause less noise? Or does it make me move or step in a way that minimizes it? Does it influence other people to not pay attention? That''s how a lot of sites describe how Stranger powers work. Does it help me subconsciously choose my movements or passing to be timed to when no one is looking or paying attention? It hasn''t made me feel like I''m doing anything different besides being observant to who is around, what the lighting is, or what the ground surface is like. Wouldn''t someone trying to be sneaky be paying attention to that anyway? Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Detecting Eye'' feature for Stealth Here we go. What is Detecting Eye? It must be that new closed eyeball thing on my interface. Skills list says it ''shows who is actively noticing me, by number and intensity''. It barely peeks open like a sleepy wink, as I hear the water running in the girl''s bathroom, count still says zero. I''ll use Parapedia on it later. Gamer''s Interface is finally rising again, new features to explore and all. Yep eyeball is fully open while I eat breakfast downstairs with the other kids. It gives a count of everyone in the room, including those I can''t see. Number just went down, and I can hear that someone had gone back upstairs. ****? It functioned consistently at school. It only takes 1 person out of many looking right at me to make the eye fully open. Otherwise it''s in various states of being partially closed based on the level of attention. Paying attention to me in particular is a misnomer; it''s more about how likely I''ll be seen. When someone is looking directly at me, that just turns my stealth mode right off, and it did that even before I got this feature. Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Finally, that''s another one I was waiting for. I resume drawing Golem designs in Art. That will probably be the next gain. Spider-Bong is crappy, a quick creation to get that quest complete. I should make something more functional, and less obvious at first glance. Maybe make a mouse or a large dog for heavier ones? Of course a clay dog can only be disguised so much up close. Maybe I could glue fur on it? Make it big enough, maybe I can ride it. After being a cape, after. ****? You have gained the ''Drawing'' specialty for Artistry About time, English class is so boring. I stop and switch to meditation. "Simon, are you paying attention?" Mrs. Apelbaum asks angrily again. I break my meditation, and open my eyes at her "Yes" I say, making several gestures, and rewind FRAPs. It comes in handy for this bullshit. "Then maybe you can tell me the significance of the chapter we just discussed?" I pretend to think as I watch the playback. Oh that nonsense. "You mean the turtle chapter?" "Yes". "Well I think it was intended to make English class students fall asleep, because that seems to be the best effect that it has," the class chuckles. "Very funny" the teacher is not amused. "Can you give a serious answer?" "Yes, it purposefully highlights the absolute hopelessness and pointlessness of the great depression and the Joad family''s journey. Either that or Steinbeck was a massive troll, who made a bet with his publisher that he could put a meta chapter of hundreds of words in when he could have just said ''The turtle tried to cross the road, but it was hard'' instead. Kinda like the entire book you know. The Joad family tried to cross the country, it was hard, and then they died¡­ probably¡­ because I''m not actually going to tell you. Like almost as pointless as trying to get ninth graders to actually want to read the Grapes of Wrath." More chuckles ripple through the class room. I thought she would learn to stop asking me questions by now. I expect another annoyed look, but she gives me a sorrowed look of pity instead. "I had hoped you might find resonance and parallels to the characters more than most." Eh? Why should I? "Alright class, let''s consider some of Ma Joad''s words at the end. ''Used''ta be fambly was fust, It ain''t so now. It''s anybody. Worse off we get, the more we got to do.'' What parallels can you make of the Joad''s situation and the events, feelings, and attitudes of society now in the wake of escalating..." I tune her out and go back to meditating. ****? Well, my experiments practicing Speech skill purely by flirting yesterday were a wash. But flirting at least can potentially help make progress on the ''get a date'' quest. Even though I must suck at it, I saw skill percentages rise. Rarely, I get relationship bumps, often losses, no actual dates, though I didn''t directly ask, yet. Should I feel bad, because I''m not being genuine? It''s just practice for me. Hopefully CHA is going up too, but can''t check with Parapedia while stuck on plant-watch. "Good afternoon, lovely ladies." I say as I sit down next to some of the girls from my English class during lunch. Melissa sits among them. Sandy, the tall, coincidentally sandy-haired cheerleader, suppresses a snort. Tanya, the dark-skinned math-lete rolls her eyes. Zoey looks at me in surprise with eyes ringed by heavy black eye-liner behind black-rimmed glasses. Melissa arches an eye-brow at me, and brushes her brown bangs out of her face. The Jock, the Nerd, the Goth and the Normal, that makes me the dude? "Our fifth wheel has arrived." Tanya says with an exaggerated huff. "Aw, don''t be like that. Your pleasant banter is far more entertaining than Mrs. Apple-bum''s preaching."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "It''s not Apple-Bum, her name is Apelbaum" Sandy corrects me. "Yes, she is definitely not an Apple-bum, more like a cottage cheese bum," I retort. I earn a confused look from Sandy, and a suppressed chuckle from Zoey. Even Melissa fails to hide a smirk. "Uh-huh, what about our banter could possibly be so entertaining?" Zoey asks. A brief pause for timing, I respond as Sandy is taking a drink. "Oh, I simply enjoy the back and forth of your stimulating wits." Sandy partially spits up her drink, Zoey laughs, and Tanya asks "What did you just say?" "I find all your wits appealing." Sandy punches me hard in the arm. I lost a HP? And got a smidge of Gamer''s Body from that? "Hey, only overprotective jealous boyfriends are supposed to do that!" "You did that on purpose, you''re just trolling." Melissa says. "What, me? Never." "You''re a regular comedian; you should join the Drama club." Tanya says. Something like that could help me practice speech and CHA. "Alas, my after school activities are restricted. I am grounded, for it seems I am a dangerous individual who should be limited in their interactions with others and the world." "Well at least part of that statement is true." Sandy intones. "No really, danger is my middle name; I have the injuries to prove it." I say as I waggle my broken arm. "Ha, that is so clich¨¦; do you really think any of those stupid lines work?" Tanya laughs showing off a pretty mouth despite it being filled with braces before quickly hiding them behind closed lips. "For what I actually intended, yes. It made you laugh and smile. You have a beautiful smile, and seeing it brightens my day." "What, really?" Tanya blushed, +5 relationship with Tanya Mitchell, score. "His middle name is actually Clarence." Melissa says out of the blue. The girls giggle. "What? Mel, you wound me. Now, don''t go revealing all of my secrets." I reply with mock indignation. "Yeah, how did you really break your arm?" Zoey asks. I shrug noncommittally. "Oh, just maybe sorta fighting and running from Leviathan." I say quietly. The table goes silent. "Jeez, are you serious?" Sandy whispers. "Maybe less fighting and more running." They continue to stare at me blankly. "Okay maybe no fighting, and all running, but yeah." "Wow, I knew there were a lot of transfers in, but the teachers told us all not to ask or pry." Tanya says. "Are you okay?" "I''m coping, humor helps¡­ Sometimes." I may have put a damper on the conversation so I want to turn it around. "So do y''all think any of the wards go to school here?" I used Observe on them all previously, so I knew no one at my table was, but I haven''t observed the entire student body. "We''re not supposed to speculate about that." Sandy says. "Meh¡­ Speculation''s fun." ****? "Alright I need to go to the grocery store." Mrs. Beckett announces after we all got back from school. "I need some of you¡­" "I''ll go," I say, getting up from studying. It''s a chance to use Observe on the produce section. I put Spider-Bong to sleep and get in the car. A house of twelve, eleven now, with nine teenagers can clear out a fridge and freezer in days. When we got home, I get another round of piddling XP for homework and chores, and work my way through the textbook quests. A couple hours of meditation finally gets me a new milestone gain. Your Meditation skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Healthy Mind, Healthy Body'' feature for Meditation No Parapedia, can''t get a more in-depth explanation of what that means. Not yet anyway, stupid plants. ****? Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 I''m not getting gains in Stealth anymore so I stop neglecting my Computers skill. It''s still problematic, researching a subject online doesn''t gain skill in Computers but in the subject, so long as the source isn''t garbage. I''m not going to get a new specialty in Computers next level anyway because the smartphone stuff spilled over from the last level up. Fine, I''m a cheater-cheater, pumpkin eater, I''ll just research computers on the computer. ****? "School was boring as fuck today." I say to my psychiatrist. Mr. Archer just nods and lets me rant. One cool thing about him is that he doesn''t care whether or not I swear. He says it has its uses, and I was certainly finding them. He even told me to look up George Carlin''s Seven Dirty Words skit at a prior session. "I''m feeling trapped and bored. Even flirting with girls at school feels empty sometimes. I have goals, to try and improve myself and just plain figure out what kinds of things I like or am good at, but I''m stifled because I don''t have the freedom to pursue them in the manner I want to." Left unsaid is the questing, numerical, power related nature of those improvements. "Yet, it freaks me out a bit sometimes. I don''t know what I like because I don''t remember my prior life save for a few niche areas." "Well," Mr. Archer speaks up, breaking his usual silence. "You are more of a unique case for sure. You''re a Tabula Rasa." "A what?" "Tabula Rasa is Latin for ''blank slate''. Most kids your age are in fact trying to find their own identity and sense of self in the world, what they like, what they want to do when they grow up and all that. But even as young as teenagers are, you all still have a host of prior memories and experiences to draw from that will shape the direction they take." "Except me." "Yes, except you. But, in a way it gives you a lot more freedom to shape your own identity than others. You need not view that as a disadvantage." "But memories define us. I can''t help but wonder, how would suddenly regaining mine change who I am now or might become?" And it goes further than that. I can''t ask what I really wonder about. How do gains to my INT, WIS, and CHA affect me as a person? How have they or will they change my personality or my view of the world? If I couldn''t cheat and rest with the click of a button, this nagging thought would keep me up all night. "One day what if my memories or my personality from before, comes out, and I don''t like it or worse I don''t notice it, and the new me gets overwritten. What if the friends or relationships I''ve made since aren''t compatible with that?" All the while I''m thinking what if having really high mental stats suddenly changes my worldview or Gamer''s Mind even? In my rush to max it out will it just make me less human? I think it''s already doing its thing, because a normal person would be more freaked out about these ideas. Though I don''t even know what the averages are, my mental stats or charisma might not be high, or below average even. Yet, prior to bumping my INT and WIS I hadn''t even thought about these questions. It is an existential crisis if Gamer''s Mind isn''t letting me panic or stress over it? "Well those are things that you can''t control, focus on what you can. Whether or not you want to pursue regaining your memories is in your control, but it is unlikely something you can force. Regaining old ones won''t take your new ones away¡­" Except there are plenty of powers out there that can fuck with memories and personalities; my power already fucked with mine. I could just as well say my old ones should not have gone away yet they did. Mr. Archer drones on, giving me reassurances, and I respond in kind. That''s part of his job after all, no need to be mad at that. Or is that Gamer''s Mind doing its thing again? He does have a point, several actually, I keep it carefully phrased through the lens of dealing with my amnesia rather than my powers, but the parallels I present are purposeful. If I do indeed remember who I was before, I would probably be a lot more worried about how those mental and social stats and skills directly affect my identity and personality, my entire sense of self. Yet, what surely must not be so coincidental, for all effective purposes, I do not have an identity or personality prior to gaining my powers. It was taken from me sure, but in the taking it removed the very thing I was attempting, and failing, at getting worked up about. I was indeed a Tabula Rasa; I could forge whatever identity I wanted for myself. Psychology has a lot to say about identity, so does Mr. Archer. There is Id, ego, super-ego, all the old school definition and thoughts, and all the newer modern views on it. I use FRAPS in the session so I can review the resources Mr. Archer points out to me, yet also put it aside, for the PTSD/exposure therapy sessions, which no longer gave me gains in Gamer''s Mind, at least not in a comfortable safe setting. I''d have to step it up a notch, or break down and just spend points to max the skill out. You have gained the ''Exposure Therapy'' specialty for Psychology At least I make progress in Psychology and Empathy, but they''re getting diminishing results. It''s better than nothing, there are few sessions left before the restrictions of the house get more unbearable. Thursday, January 21st, 2010 Your Language-Spanish skill has increased by 1 Level 4 now, that''s far more rapid gains than my other skills. Maybe I really did know Spanish in my previous life? Why do languages only have 5 levels? Lazy game design I bet. Speaking and listening don''t give me gains anymore. That leaves reading and writing for the last level. "Tu pelo es tan negro como el cielo nocturno, tus ojos son estrellas azules, tus labios son p¨¦talos de rosa. tu piel es bronce ..." "Simon, if you''re actually trying to flirt with me, stop it." Rachel nearly snorts. "What? Teacher said we needed to use colors and body parts in sentences." "Just want to make sure you understand, you''re not my type. That and I''m older and a year ahead of you anyway. I already watched you crash and burn a few times. Besides, I thought you liked Julia." "Julia''s not here." "Still no emails?" "Nope." I sigh. "So, I''m not your type. What is? If you don''t mind me asking; beefy chiseled jaw dudes striking heroic poses?" Rachel suppresses a laugh. "Haha, no that''s just about as far to the opposite as you could get. Besides, nobodies types are that simple. Except maybe yours, I''d guess female and has a pulse given some of your antics lately." "Touch¨¦, hmm. I actually haven''t given that as much though as I should." I suppose it''s one of those things I ought to know already if not for the whole blank slate thing. What do I like? Who have I been more genuine with in flirty banter with than others, who have I been more hopeful of? You have learned a new thing about yourself: You''re attracted to tall, athletic women with grand stimulating wits. "Um, tall, athletic girls with big br¡­ains." "Well, at least you''re honest with yourself. Also, that describes Julia." The bell rings. "See you in Geometry" she says. ****? "¡­I don''t want to do more drawing; I''ve done a lot already. Why can''t I try pottery or any other medium?" I don''t want to blow the chance for another specialty in Artistry by doing the same thing again. "Most of the clay was used up for projects last semester." "It''s clay, it can''t be that hard to find more. What if I brought my own?" How would I do that unless I can go buy some or dig some up somewhere, while not being grounded? "You were still going to present more sketches." "Oh, that''s already done." I dig out the pages of doodles I''ve been doing in all my boring classes and hand them to the art teacher. "And what then, will you be doing today?" "Learning about pottery or sculpture or something else?" "Fine." The teacher says, then digs up a few pottery books. "Read those, come up with a project plan, and if you bring your own clay you can try it. ****? "¡­It''s because you didn''t get it Simon." Melissa says. We''re arguing about the meaning of Steinbeck''s boring book. The class has been going on about it for a while. It was a ''read over the winter break'' assignment, so I never had such an assignment. I got out of a lot of material, but Mrs. Apelbaum wants me to understand it anyway. "But it just ends abruptly without resolution, and it''s a depressing book, the cliff notes told me that much." "Yeah, that''s the point. The great depression was shitty, they lost their way, their families, and their livelihood, ''It''s not just about family first, now it''s everybody.'' They stepped beyond themselves, then beyond their family into the greater community of humanity. That''s what she wants us to think about. The world is crap, between Endbringers, villains out numbering heroes, entire countries or economies collapsing. The news said in a few years, at the current rate of attacks, we''d see our current economic depression rival or surpass the Great Depression handily. She wants us to think beyond ourselves, beyond our immediate friends and families, to the greater community of human society. How do we save it? Just like the Joad''s tried to think about how to save everybody''s cars, their stuff, and simply the people they were traveling with." "That''s assuming anything is savable." I say. My mind is still partly elsewhere, I converted my interface text to Spanish to get more crap to read and grind Spanish and Gamer''s Interface more. English class is still a waste of my time. "That''s a pessimistic view. Shouldn''t we at least try?" "Well that''s what the heroes are supposed to be doing, right? You''d make a good Hero Mel." "Well, I don''t have any powers." "Me either." I quickly counter, "Unless my dashing wit and charming smiles count, you all can be in my fan club. I''ll sign your shirts." That gets some muted chuckles from the lunch table. "Simon''s right though" Tanya says. "The book is really boring, and Mrs. Apelbaum is like trying too hard to be all meta sometimes. The lunch bell rings and we go back to the boring English class. I scroll through the Spanish translation of my active quests. I look over the Endbringer one. It''s still in the pending tab, I''d never accepted it, and it hadn''t auto accepted. This has to be my power trolling me like usual, right? Endbringers couldn''t be killed, could they? If they could, would I try? It implies I could contribute, how? In what possible way could that ever be a thing? Should I take this quest seriously at all? I leave it alone, unanswered. ****? If not for chatting and joke flirting with Rachel, Geometry would be a boring, almost useless class. My mathematics skill goes up with any math problem of a certain complexity. Another entirely passive skill, it''s hard to strategize specialties for. This level is ruined. What other types could I pursue, advanced algebra, trigonometry, calculus? Those are all advanced math subjects. Can I still cheat there? I should at least try, since I spent a skill slot on this. I''m hoping it will help me game the numbers, maybe even reveal some of the formulas behind how this whole thing works. Maybe I''ll stop doing work at my next level, so I can try to force some other specialty. It''s time for more mediation on the ride home, more piddling XP for homework, and more slogging through the textbook quests. I want the XP gains sooner rather than later. Assuming the same XP gains for mundane assignments and chores tomorrow I''d still be short of leveling up after Friday. Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Reinforced'' feature for Create Mana Golem Create Mana Golem hits level 5, a new feature as expected, but no Parapedia to get more details. "Skills." Nothing? Oh right. "Habilidades". What does Reinforced do? Little info there. "Estado, Spider-Bong" It has a new field called ''Reinforcement Level: None'', nothing else to go by. Crap, Create Mana Golem stop going up even though Spider-Bong is awake. Or is it just super slow? I''ll keep him awake till tomorrow to be sure. Friday, January 22nd, 2010 Despite trying all night, the Create Mana Golem skill didn''t rise, so I turn Spider-Bong off. FRAPS and observing plants is all I''ll spend MP on today. Looks like I had some notifications while I was sleeping too. Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Genetic Too'' feature for Disease Resistance. Eh? Well duh, I still feel like crap. My head cold has bothered me for days. I tripled my pain meds to numb me and grind more Drug Resistance. Four pills left, those were supposed to last me into February. Huh, I''m now resistant or immune to genetic diseases also or just at the same level of resistance I have to the other crap Disease Resistance specifies? How does that even work? Does my DNA get altered? My head is too stuffed up to get all philosophical right now. Asking to not go to school again is pointless. I''m nearly at the next level in Speech, which should tell me if the flirting experiment worked. I can''t gain that if I stay at home. There''s still no email from Julia. Should I send a second? Probably too soon, I will after I get the phone repaired and a phone number. After moderate gains in researching on the computer, it''s time to go. I skip meditation on the bus to observe every plant I can see. This shit needs to be over and done with. I''m failing to get gains more than 50% of the time. Goddamn monoculture landscapes. Picking plants in the middle of winter was pretty stupid. Fuck doing animals later, not unless I plan a trip to the zoo. ****? I actually pay attention in Biology class; we work through a book section and it helps me progress in the textbook quest. In History, I don''t. I flirt, and read my Spanish interface for miniscule gains in Gamer''s Interface and slightly better ones in Spanish. At some point during that I gained a level in Drug Resist and the numb haze I was in from the pills this morning wears off. Health, another class I pay attention in, because it progresses a skill and a textbook quest. We ironically go over the dangers of drugs and smoking. The lunch bell rings and I follow some upperclassmen to sneak off campus after I overheard them talking about taking a smoke break. "Hello, lovely ladies." I say, though I was still a bit away. They¡¯re startled a bit. "Oh, it''s just a freshman, where''s a can of raid when you need one?" Lisa responds. "Hey, you know I only want you for¡­your cigarettes. Nicotine is a natural pesticide, you know?" "Ha, never heard someone try to use stupid trivia as a pick-up line." Sara said. "Hey, I try things, I shoot stuff out, sometimes it sticks, quantity has a quality all its own." "Oh my God" Lisa laughs, choking on her drag. "That was soooo... awful, did you even realize how bad that was?" Well yeah, that was pretty bad, might as well own it. "Yes, I did, which is why it wasn''t serious and you didn''t take it that way right? Really I just want to bum some cigarettes off you." A hand grabs me by the shirt collar and I get slammed into the brick of the building we are hiding behind. A quick glance shows a sliver of missing HP. "This little cum-stain bothering you Lisa?" Jealous, senior, jock, asshole boyfriend asks. He has a name; it''s there in his overhead tag, so is his class name of ''Asshole''. "No, and I doubt these intelligent, capable people need your intervention." I spit out. "I wasn''t asking you, pipsqueak." "Pipsqueak, really what is this, the 50''s?," I retort. Sara sniggers. "Calm down Jason, he''s just trying to bum some smokes." Lisa actually comes to my defense. "Stay the hell away from my girl. Got it?" Asshole says.
Beat the Bully Show this overgrown asshole you''re no pipsqueak. Success: 200 XP, An unarmed combat lesson. Failure: A different unarmed combat lesson. Do you accept? Y/N
Hell, no. I don''t need that trouble. "Your girl? Isn''t that kinda possessive and creepy." Asshole just lifts me up enough to slam me back into the wall again, drops me as I press no and dismiss the quest. You have gained the ''Romance'' specialty for Speech You have made a good First impression, with Lisa Holmes Lisa Holmes has gone from stranger to acquaintance. You have made a good first impression with Sara Standford Jason Todd has gone from stranger to annoyance. "Come on, let''s go." Asshole says to Lisa entirely too much like a command, and they walk off. "That was brave, a little sweet, but very stupid." Sara says. "I didn''t know I was going to get accosted by Biff Tannen." She looks at me confused as I stand up and brush myself off. "Don''t suppose you''re still willing to let me bum a few cigarettes are you?" "In exchange for what?" Sara asks. "My heartfelt thanks?" "Yeah, no¡­" "How about next week''s Health homework? I finished mine already. I''ve got it in my backpack. I can just do it over again this weekend. Give it to you for half-a-pack." "How do I know it''s any good?" "Got a 100 on the prior assignment, See for yourself." I say as I pull them out of my backpack. "2 cigarettes." "6" "Sara, are you coming?" I hear Lisa yell from where they walked off to. "4" Sara countered. "Deal" I say as I exchange my homework for the cancer sticks. I want at least a few extra to share with Rachel, which ought to get me a few more relationship points. "I hope Lisa realizes that she deserves better than that asshole." "Yeah, I keep telling her that." "And you''re her friend? Good. Keep telling her that." Sara Stanford has gone from stranger to acquaintance "Come on Sara!" Asshole yells then revs his trans-am engine. "See ya round; don''t want to keep asshole waiting now." I say as Sara departs. I abuse my volume controls to listen to them as Sara walks off. "You didn''t actually give your number or anything to that dweeb did you?" I hear Lisa ask from the asshole''s car as she gets in. "No, course not. But I got next week''s health homework." Their conversation is lost in the sound of the asshole squealing his tires out of the parking lot. I skip the rest of lunch, and wander around an empty overgrown field next to the school spamming Observe while I smoke and go through my notifications and skills. Good, Drug Resist is still going up with cigarettes, unless that''s leftover gains from the pain pills this morning. I can''t really tell which is which. I get a couple stress point gains from the cancer stick though. ''Romance''; isn''t explicitly flirting, but it certainly covers it. The experiment is a success. Maybe I can barter more often; it can be the next thing to aim for. I consider skipping PE, but it''s an easy class I get gains in. Plus it will probably get back to the Beckett''s. I don''t want to fuck things up while they still have my phone in the safe. I should definitely start skipping lunch; maybe I can sell or trade my lunch vouchers. Cafeteria food is crap anyway. Now that I got my ''romance'' specialty over and done with, flirting during lunch isn''t important anymore. Even if all I do is walk out here and observe the weeds on the empty lot, that''s more productive, especially since sneaking off campus gives me gains in Stealth. So what''s the difference compared to before? The fact there are actual consequences for getting caught? That could get difficult. ****? I stop dodging when the notification appears, and immediately get hit with two of the big red rubber balls and called out. For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI Well that''s awesome. I thought I hit the next level in Athletics. I don''t want to ruin another specialty attempt. Athletics is only a few points away. I continue playing until I manage to get that last little bit and stop, getting tagged out again. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Don''t Break a Sweat'' feature for the Athletics skill So dodgeball is useful. It''s also useful in that I can stand around doing nothing if I want to stop gaining passive Athletics, while ''failing'' to catch any balls with which to try and hit the dodgers. Except, I''m pretty damn sure there won''t be any more dodgeball next week when Coach gets back. ****? "So why do you want to talk to me out here Simon? You''re not gonna try to flirt with me again are you? I said you aren''t my type." Rachel asks as we move through the backyard and into the alley. I waggle my eyebrows in an exaggerated manner. "Not worried the other kids will think we are having a secret lover''s rendezvous are you?" "Be serious, Simon." "Serious isn''t much fun." I say as I pull the cigarettes out of where I''m hiding them, and offer one to her. "Oh thank god, I''ve been craving that bad for a while." Rachel says as she takes them. I light them up with a lighter I stole from the kitchen pantry. I keep an eye on her Relationship meter, +6 with Rachel Zamora. "Hey, what are friends for?" I say as I take a drag. "We are friends right? Isn''t that what you told me before, don''t try just be?" +15 with Rachel Zamora "Hmm, maybe I''m warming up to it." she says. She''s at 83 now, that''s pretty close. "I just don''t want you to get the wrong ideas." "So you''ve said. You are a very guarded person, you know? I get it though, you don''t want to date. Not that I have actually asked if you haven''t noticed, and not that I would turn it down either if you were the one to ask. But it''s okay. So you''re not interested. Sometimes I want to ask why, but might not like the answer. Then again we both went through hell not long ago, so the answer should be damn obvious anyway." Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Vibes'' feature for Empathy "Yeah, that''s the majority of it." "But not all of it..." Rachel starts to speak again but I interrupted. "No, shush. I''m not prying, tell me, whatever, only if you feel like it, at your own pace." +2 with Rachel Zamora. "There''s a memorial vigil in Houston this weekend for Galveston, beachside, in sight of what''s left of the island. It''s officially condemned now by the governor. Recovery efforts have been suspended." "Damn. You haven''t heard more about your family have you?" Rachel frowns and shakes her head silently. "Do you want to go?" I ask her? She shrugs and finishes off her cigarette. I offer her a second, the last one of the four. "Well I''d like to go. We can double team the Beckett''s if they aren''t willing, triple if Janet wants to." She scrunches her face. "You can''t stop the double entendres huh? I''ll ask her." "It''s not my mind that went there. Shit, they''re looking for us." I say as my ramped up volume detects the back door getting opened and someone walking out." "I didn''t hear." "Trust me" I say as Rachel stamps out her cigarette, and we slip back into the backyard, creep along, and step around the corner of the shed. Mrs. Beckett is there to see us. "What have y''all been doing? Dinner''s ready." "Digging holes in the yard looking for clay. I have a pottery art project coming up, and you won''t let me go to a store and buy some." I show her my dirty hands which I had got that way on purpose. She looks at me skeptically. "Go wash your hands." ****? I let the bathroom shower run and stuff a towel in the crack under the door because I''m being paranoid. I need to figure out how to get gains in Create Mana Golem again, that isn''t just building another one with clay I don''t have. Sleeping will overfill my MP maximum, and Observe plus FRAPs all day won''t be enough to eliminate wastage. I wake Spider-Bong up and tell him to follow me, and pace back and forth across the floor. Good, it''s tiny, but there are gains. Does it just need to be executing an order rather than sitting there doing nothing? I order him to follow the sink and he moves over and stands there. I order him to follow the toilet; he moves to it and stands there. I make him guard the sink and follow the toilet. A message tells me its incompatible orders due to being different targets and the last order takes precedence. I tell him to guard the sink and follow the sink. Aha, faster gains. What will happen if someone uses the sink? I do so, and Spider-Bong attacks my foot. Really? Talk about dumb and biting the master''s hand. I tell it to stop. How can I abuse this? I tell Spider-bong to follow itself and guard itself, and it stands perfectly still. Yet, gains. Exploit for the win. I wish I realized this earlier; I could have progressed a lot faster. Only danger now is someone picking it up. Yep, as soon as I do, it attacks my hand and I order it to stop. It''s worth the risk of restarting gains again. I doubt anyone is going to mess with it, so I can go back to having it awake again to train my skill up while I''m sleeping. Simon''s character sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Deceptive Snit Faction: None Money: $49.71 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 8 (98.44%) XP: 6375 Primary Attributes STR: 7 (-0.50) 6.50 (60.97%) AGI: 6 (-1.00) 5.00 (2.03%) CON: 11 (-0.25) 10.75 (4.76%) INT: 21 (-0.60) 20.40 (17.65%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (41.11%) WIS: 20 (-0.60) 19.40 (82.12%) CHA: 12 (-0.12) 11.88 (59.75%) LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 (21.01%) Unspent Points: 19 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 222/222 Stamina Pool: 202/202 Mana Pool: 216/2100 Stress Pool: 355/410 Attack: 6.75 Speed: 2.67 Dodge: 9.45 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 65.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 39 Free Skill Slots: 10 Artistry: 6 (0.00%) Athletics: 5 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 9 (15.15%) Computers: 6 (37.54%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (60.45%) Create Mana Golem: 5 (3.73%) Disable Device: 7 (44.57%) Disease Resistance: 5 (10.04%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 7 (7.34%) Empathy: 5 (0.00%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 12 (34.91%) Gamer''s Interface: 22 (6.43%) Gamer''s Mind: 19 (95.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: 4 (9.85%) Mathematics: 2 (58.67%) Meditation: 10 (32.74%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 11 (78.80%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (47.86%) Programming: 2 (67.45%) Psychology: 4 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 5 (0.00%) Stealth: 5 (11.23%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.6 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.6 Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 One computer being shared between nine kids, left little time for each person. This seriously hampers my research and skill gaining abilities. That''s why I use it in the morning before everyone else is up. At least I''ve trained the Beckett''s to expect me to be up at 5am before their stupid motion alarm turns off at 6. Then again, they have not bothered me about that at all this week; maybe they finally changed the time setting? I should get up even earlier. I''ve been meditating for 2 hours most nights. I don''t need to. I can do that in class and on the bus. Longer computer time is more valuable, but it means going to bed earlier. Probably by 9pm and getting up at 2am. That will leave me at least a solid four hours on the computer each night. The problem is the motion alarms. I need to disable them.
An Inside Job. Disable the Beckett''s alarm system to give you more freedom inside and outside the house. Time Limit: 3 weeks Success: +200 XP, skill gain, greater freedom of movement in the house. Failure: Siiiimon! You got some ''splainin to do!
Uh, okay. Haven''t had new quests in a while, at least no immediately doable ones. I told myself I''d try to generate new quests of some kind every day and I''ve been neglecting it. I tried asking for skill or stat gains quests before, and always had failed, yet then I got the ''Get in Shape!'' quest anyway? Not that it''s going to be an easy one to complete any time soon. Or was that really just a troll quest to make me do things the hard way and not spend stat points? So what about¡­
The Fifteen-Ten. Get 15 skills up to level 10. Completed so far: 6 of 15 Time Limit: 3 weeks Success: +300 XP, some actual accomplishment? Failure: ©c(?_?)¥Î Hurry up already!
God damn it. Now I get to have one? I accept the quest. What the hell happens in 3 weeks? I look over my skills for candidates, I need nine. Best ones are higher level ones that don''t have specialties. Those are Create Mana Golem, Disease Resistance, Drug and Poison Resistance, Disable Device, Null Resistance, Parahuman Lore, Programming, and Stealth. That isn''t enough. I had no idea how I got Null Resistance let alone how to train it. Disease Resistance, no, I''m not going to make myself sick on purpose to boost that. Parahuman Lore is already difficult to train. Drug Resist, there are still some routes to pursue there, but not sure if it''ll be worth the risks. The other skills all support specialties that I want to keep acquiring. Except Basic Academics, what the fuck is with that skill anyway? Whatever, other candidates could be Computers, but I''d prefer the specialties, Athletics, Crafting, Artistry, Speech; they all have the same issue. It doesn''t say I can''t blow skill points to finish off some of them but I''d rather not, plus I don''t have enough of them. I could get new skills of course; the ones I know I can get are Craft (Cooking & Brewing), Cleaning, and Card and Board Games. I just didn''t want to take those. It''s unlikely those are non-specialty skills. Shit, the more I look, the more this seems like a trap quest, which I already accepted because I didn''t pay close enough attention. Fuck you troll. Guess I should add researching the Beckett''s alarm system to my list of stuff to do. ****? It didn''t take any effort to convince the Beckett''s to take us all to the memorial vigil. They were planning to do so anyway. I''m a dickhead. They''re people too, they lost friends as well, and that was why they were going. The Beckett''s and the other kids are not mere NPCs to serve as obstacles or goalposts toward my progress. I should feel bad for needing to see the Empathy gains to remember I need to be aware of that more often. Step number one of disabling the alarm system is me heading out the door first, and using my free camera to position my view back inside the house at the wall mounted entry pad for the alarm, and wait for Mrs. Beckett to type it in, while FRAPS is turned on. I now have the arming code. It''s a fair drive to the beach from the inland side of the Houston suburbs. Since it''s outside, I want to spam Observe on every plant I find, so I left Spider-Bong asleep at the house. With some minor convincing, we stop at a nearby flower shop like many others doing the same thing, to pick from what''s left to take to the memorial service. Between the shop, the hundreds of additional flowers brought by visitors, and the general flora of the area, I make good headway in finishing off Observe plants. I wander among hundreds of other mourners, along the recently finished memorial. It overlooks the beach, beyond that is the water''s edge, beyond that is the ruined Galveston skyline. The mourners are crying, praying, saying goodbyes, leaning on each other, and outpouring their emotions. Two parts of my mind collide with each other. Gamer''s Mind is keeping me centered, focused and observant. My Empathy skill, which is rising, is going the other way, as I listen intently to all the cries, prayers and emotional releases of everyone around me. I go up and down between focus and riding on emotions. There are priests, ministers, and grief counselor''s offering counsel, shoulders to cry on, and leading prayers. Some random woman comes up and hugs me, tears in her eyes. I let her, it''s a release and cathartic, but makes me feel guilty as hell. Why was I here? To observe stupid plants? To get out of the house? That''s god-damn selfish, considering the purpose of this place, I lost family and friends, I should feel something more about that, just like everyone else here. Yet, you get to gain Empathy skill and stress points while doing it? I wasn''t even thinking about that, or expecting it before arriving. It also makes me feel guilty. Am I basking in the raw emotions of people just so I can get stupid gains on a character sheet? That''s not real empathy; it is just a damn number. What the hell is wrong with me? Why the hell do I have this skill anyway? Without it I''d¡­ I''m crying, shuddering in this strange woman''s embrace. I don''t know how much time has passed, until finally she slips away. I watch her go for a bit, until she finds some other stranger to hug. I look back out to the sea. Somewhere out there is a home filled with a childhood I can''t remember. I look down at the small bouquet of flowers I''ve been clutching tightly. Stems and leaves crushed in my grip, a green tinted sap ran down my hand. They''re simple wild flowers grown out of season for sale, Bluebonnets, Texas paintbrushes, and Cherokee Roses. I place them at the base of the memorial wall with dozens of others. Hey mom, dad. Hope I was a good kid. I can''t remember your names or faces, but I hope you''re in a better place. Did I have siblings? I guess I won''t ever know, but if I did and they are with you, tell them I love them anyway, all of you. Life goes on, I guess. I think I''m a better student than I was before. I''m staying with some foster family and other foster kids. I don''t know if I like all of them, but I don''t hate them either. It''s been really difficult adjusting. I understand all their restrictions, even if I don''t like them. I have to admit to myself that they''re actually trying to do the right thing. I met a girl there. Her name is Julia. I like her a lot. She had to leave though, and except for maybe one other almost friend. Her departure left me with almost no reasons to stay, so forgive me when I have to leave and try to find her again. I have powers now too, really weird video-gamer themed cheaty powers. I don''t even know how to explain them. Maybe I can actually do something positive in the world with them. I have a feeling you might not be surprised, not at the gaining powers thing, but the video game thing. I must have done that a lot, but I would trade it all away for memories of my friends and family. But I can''t, can I? I can''t because Simon Anderson is dead. The person I was, he died in that sinkhole. He''s up there with you. I''m all that is left, a Tabula Rasa driving his body and borrowing his name... Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 Why do I have that skill? It''s a starting skill, one I could not choose to have or not have. Without it, maybe Gamer''s Mind would keep me calm and unfeeling all the time. I''d be too much like a game character, always ignoring social consequences, treating people like NPCs, and life like a game. All things would be evaluated in terms of how it helped me progress. What if Empathy was the skill that keeps me human? "Hey," someone comes up next to me and gives me a slight bump on my shoulder. I turn and see Rachel standing next to me. Her face is as tear-stained as my own. "Hey" I say back. "Just saying goodbye." "Yeah, me too." "Want to get out of the crowd?" "Sure" We walk down to the beach. I feel anxiety well up as I get closer to the ocean. I take the occasional moment to pause and calm myself. Then I stop in the dry sand and sit down. "I have a fear of water that I am trying to overcome. I was really close to Leviathan when he attacked where I was at. I nearly drowned more than once in a sinkhole he caused. I was at the mall with some friends playing in a video game tournament¡­" I tell Rachel, not quite everything, but close enough. The one thing missing being the whole ''I have powers'' bit. She has heard bits and pieces of the story from the group therapy sessions, but I went well beyond that. I even talked about encountering Rappel and Granite, and going to Julia''s flooded house. +10 relationship with Rachel Zamora. We sit for a while on the beach in silence watching the waves. "I was out on a date when Leviathan attacked. We had only gone out a few times before; the rest was just phone calls and passing notes in class. It had always been hard to find time to go out together because of our parents. We were alone at Sam''s apartment when the sirens went off. It was so sudden. We started throwing together some backpacks to head to the shelters. We both tried to contact our families." "We didn''t even make it out the door. The building collapsed around us, I woke up some time later. I was lucky somehow, I could move around. I had lots of cuts and scratches, and inhaled a lot of dust, but no broken bones or major injuries. Sam wasn''t so lucky, and was pinned under debris. We only had light from our phones, but no signal. We were trapped in the rubble, with just a few granola bars and water bottles we had managed to grab in that brief time trying to prepare. Our phones let us know how much time had passed, but we had to conserve their batteries. The water bottles ran out after the first day. Then it was just fetid water keeping us from dying of thirst. I knew Sam wasn''t going to make it, so did she. She kept telling me to go and try to find a way out, but I couldn''t leave her, and there wasn''t a way out. She died sometime on the fourth day, they pulled me out on the seventh, the day after Christmas." "Later, at the camps, I learned that the neighborhood my house was in subsided and went underwater. I still can''t handle dark enclosed spaces without my mind going back there." Rachel stops telling her story. I thought more about what was said. That Sam was a girl, that they were at their house alone, and had been dating, which had been difficult due to their parents. "So now you know why..." Rachel continued. "Yeah," I said. "Sam was short for Samantha?" I ask. Rachel nods. "I guess y''alls family didn''t know?" "My brother knew. He was my twin. He kept it secret. You remind me of him sometimes. Cause you''re both big awkward geeks. I''d appreciate it if you don''t say anything." "I promise I won''t. But hey, if you ever need a wingman¡­" Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 Rachel Zamora has gone from acquaintance to friend Charisma ''Skill'' challenge, 2 of 10 friends achieved I dismiss the notifications. "Thanks," I tell her. "For what?" she asks. "For listening, trusting me, and being my friend." "I thought I said I was only warming up to it." "You saying I am wrong?" Rachel doesn''t say anything. "Good, I''ll take that as a no, because I need some help from a friend." "What kind of help?" "I told you I have a fear of water I am trying to overcome. Part of that involves facing it head on or at least as close as I can get." I say as I stand up and take my socks and shoes off, hike up my pant legs, and stare at the ocean. "If I flip out or go catatonic or something weird like that, I need someone to pull me back." "It''s fucking January; you''re not going to try to go swimming are you?" "Not swimming, no." I said as I walked toward the water. My heart starts to race, I see the waves swell and come into the shore. My feet are in the wet sand now, but I keep going forward, suppressing the panic that wants to form. Water washes over my feet, then my ankles, and my lower legs. A little further, the water is near my knees. The spray of the waves hit my face as I stare out into the swells. A notification fires off and I feel a sudden calmness, the panic dies down but doesn''t entirely go away. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 It isn''t enough, I need to do more. I fall down on my knees, and felt the chill of the water as my pants got wet, and the waves lap at my waist. "You okay Simon?" she is standing only a few feet away, having also taken her shoes and socks off. "Yeah, but I need more time," I respond. I switch to free camera mode, and send my view sailing over the ocean. Waves bisect my vision as they pass through my camera, a panic starts forming and I struggle to keep it down. I''m safe; my body is on the beach still. I pitch the camera down and dive it into the water, I flip my interface windows and set them to white to illuminate the underwater scene. There are no reefs, just banks upon banks of sandbars, and the occasional fish or jellyfish. My mind is reeling as I stare out into the underwater depths. Some greenish shape appears underwater at the far edge of my vision. It begins to get larger as it moves closer, faster and faster still. Finally it comes into focus, four green lights three on one side, one on the other. Then I realize what it is. Oh fuck! Fuck, fuck fuck! I''m soaked, I''m underwater and drowning again as a massive wave tears forward over the ocean floor. The sandbars ripple, and the water pushes me back. The view of my camera retreats without me doing anything to control it. Leviathan''s face is sticking out of the underwater wave as it surges ever forward, then everything goes black. ****? "Siiimmmooon" I hear Rachel yelling as if it was in slow-motion or I was still underwater, or very distant. "You fucking better not be faking to get me to do CPR on you!" I feel a hand slap me in the cheek. Rachel is hovering over me, her face only a few inches away from mine. I turn my head to the side and start coughing up sea water. My camera view is back to normal. When did that happen? "No, wasn''t faking, but thanks anyway. Nice to know that''s one way I can lock lips with ya though." "You idiot." Rachel says as she punches me in my broken arm. "Ow! Damn, broken arm, punch the other one next time." "So there''s going be a next time I need to punch you in the arm?" "Knowing me? Probably." Rachel smiles again. A quick glance toward my feet shows she dragged me several feet away from the water''s edge. I''m still lying in the sand, and she''s still kneeling beside me leaning awful close. Well the beach isn''t underwater, so Leviathan must have been a hallucination. "What happened?" I ask. "Big wave rolled in unexpectedly, knocked you over and soaked us, you more than me." I notice Rachel is soaked from mid torso down. I''m completely drenched. "What''s this, beach make-out session day?" I recognize the voice of Thomas yelling from further into the shore. "What have you two been doing?" Mrs. Beckett''s shrill voice calls out. "We''ve been looking all over for you two. Why did you wander off?" Rachel stands and I sit up. "Clearly they wanted some alone time." Thomas remarks. "Shut up Thomas!" Rachel says as I get to my own feet. "Why are you two soaked?" Mrs. Beckett asks. "I got a bit lost and panicked in my emotions, trying to face¡­" I don''t say anything, I just gestured at Galveston''s broken skyline. "A big wave rolled in and knocked me over, Rachel helped me." "So lover-boy had another freak-out and you came to his rescue? How touching." Thomas smirks. "You want me to sock you in the jaw again asshole?" Rachel asks as we walk back to our shoes. "Thomas, go back to the car and get some dry blankets from the back." Mrs. Beckett commands. "Hey, so you like the skinny dudes, whatever. Clear who wears the pants in tha¡ª" Rachel''s shoe suddenly collides with the side of Thomas''s head. "Ow! Fuck you bitch." "Thomas ! Go! Now!" Mrs. Beckett yells. "And you two, we''re leaving. Get back to the car." ****? I go through the notifications I missed while I was unconscious or whatever the hell happened as we drive home. Plus, my dunk in the ocean is probably not good for the cold I still have. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Rachel is at 106 now. Double level gains in Gamer''s Mind, and I only had to have an anxiety attack, a hallucination, and nearly drown. Fuck that. It''s not worth it anymore, at this point I''d rather just gain levels to finish it off. Stress points made gains from all the hugging and touchy feely sharing stuff, and then a good chunk of that got taken away from the ocean stunt. Hopefully another psych session can fix up the rest. I meditate just to calm down on the ride home. I''m exhausted, and feel miserable from being sick. I hope disease resistance gets me immunity to the common cold. I barely manage to work on my textbooks quests and research our alarm system when I get a turn on the computer. When I build up more mana, I''ll wake up Spider-Bong again tonight. Sunday, January 24th, 2010 It''s 5am again; I''ll shift my sleep schedule tonight if this works. I stealth my way out of bed and grab the scissors and wax paper sheet I had snagged from the kitchen last night. Screwdriver and tools in hand, I sneak up to the motion sensor at the end of the hall, and illuminate it with my interface. The Beckett''s are not security experts. I''m not either, but I know enough for this. This wasn''t a bank or a secure facility holding expensive electronics or anything. Their system is a cheap off the shelf version made by people who don''t care and prey on people''s fears to collect those monthly subscription payments, and installed by someone making minimum wage. I pop the cover and cut out a couple squares of wax paper and slide them behind the plastic window and in front of the actual sensor, then replace it. I sneak down to the other end of the hall and repeat the process on the other sensor. That''s done now, surprisingly easy to do.
Quest: An Inside Job has been completed. Disable the Beckett''s alarm system to give you more freedom inside and outside the house. Success: +200 XP, greater freedom of movement in the house.
A slew of notifications fire off. Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 You have gained a level! You are now level 9. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Okay, now what? With both of these disabled and knowing the security code, I can easily slip outside. In time I would, being Sunday morning no one will be up as early as on a weekday, but I want to keep those stealth and Disable Device gains going. Stealth will only rise if I''m being stealthy while doing something that I might get caught at. I go downstairs, adjust my volume controls and put my free camera into the Beckett''s bedroom to make sure they are snoring away. Satisfied, I pick the lock on the office door while using stealth. I''m not going to snag my phone. I can try, but I want to see if they''ll give it to me on Tuesday. This is just practice. I pick, relock and pick the lock again. Then I have a massive sneeze, break my stealth, and hear the Beckett''s stirring. I relock the door, hide my tools, and dash over to the kitchen and sneeze again. "What are you doing up?" Mr. Beckett says mid-yawn as he sleepily strides around the corner "I need more cold medicine." I say as I fake a cough, which bothers my chest, and thus unintentionally turns into a real cough, that has me hacking up over the sink. "You made yourself worse by getting soaked last night." Mr. Beckett says as he pulls out some cheap cough syrup and puts it on the counter next to me. "Try to keep it down okay." Then he walks back into their room. Yeah, I''m done messing with that tonight. I make myself some cereal and get on the computer. Your Computers skill has increased by 1 Finally, I stop all my research, even mid article. So I know more about smartphones, no specialty, but I knew I wasn''t going to get one. I need to think about what other specialty I can pursue before doing this again. Sunday has become a lazy day of restricted progress. It''s storming outside, and my cold is preventing a lot. Spider-Bong at least is awake, still guarding and following himself. I''ve spent hours on the biology textbook quest; I''m more than half-way through now, past where we are at in class. "Alright, we''re going to go to the store to get your art stuff." Mrs. Beckett says, surprising me from my study. "Also you have a doctor''s appointment tomorrow after school to check up on your arm. You can ask about your cold while you''re there too." "Uh, okay." I begin putting my stuff away. "Which store?" "I thought you would know which one, did the teacher say? I hope it''s close." "Let me get on the computer to find one." I find one easily enough, and take my backpack, with Spider-Bong in it, with me. ****? "But it''s the cheapest price per pound." I say to Mrs. Becketts in yet another round of haggling. "You don''t need fifty pounds of clay, just how big is your art project supposed to be?" She asked me, again. I actively use my speech skill; I hope it''ll count as some kind of haggling or barter specialty. Between her and the shopkeeper it''s at least going up. A problem is that price haggling isn''t done in stores. I may have better luck at a garage sale or flea market. That requires money, time, and freedom I don''t have. Trying to convince Mrs. Beckett to spend money on my behalf and the shopkeeper to give us a deal in what little leeway is possible is the best I can do. "It''s not just for this one but several. It will keep me busy for a while," I answer her. "Where are you even going to get that stuff fired?" "The art class has a kiln. So does this place, we could come here again, but at school should be fine." "If we go back you could get more clay then, this much just seems excessive and messy." "When we go back, because we will, if we don''t get a lot. That''s another trip that has to be planned and scheduled. Anything I do at home I can do outside." "Maybe just the 25 lb. bag, I mean what''s next a potter''s wheel? We''re not getting one of those." Good 25 lbs. is higher than what she said earlier. "I don''t need a potter''s wheel, but I do need some simple shaping tools. It''s for school, you can write it on your expense report for taxes or whatever for all the stuff you have to buy for us." Five minutes later we walk out with a 40 lb. bag and a pack of cheap plastic shaping tools. I consider new Golem plans as we drive home. I won''t use the whole batch at once. I just want to practice craft and artistry first. According to my skill info I can make a Golem that weighs 50 lbs., but I am actually limited to the size of the kiln at school. I can''t make something that''s too big to fit in it. I could ignore that and make an unfired one like Spider-Bong, but I want to see what differences a fired one has in comparison. We get home and I spend the rest of the afternoon just making clay animals in the backyard. Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 Monday, January 25th, 2010 I wake at 2am on a new schedule and sneak around the house, passively gaining stealth as I pick and relock the office door until I stop getting gains. But, I''m so close to leveling. Fuck it, I''ll risk the safe. I abuse my volume control to assist like I had with the padlocks, even though I know the combination. Yep, everything works and it pops open. Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 I don''t take anything though, my phone is still there. That''s not unexpected. Supposedly I''ll get it back tomorrow. I can wait one more day to see if they actually do it. I close everything up and go back upstairs. Your Programming skill has increased by 1 I''ve been at this for hours now. Computers skill also rises as I improve my coding. I knew the basics already. I don''t remember why I know, or where I learned, but it''s a no specialty skill. I want to get it trained up to level 10. I should be able to stick with this consistently for a while and see what that gives in Computers. I sit next to Rachel on the bus since we share our first and last period on ''A'' days. She thinks my meditation is weird. At my gains rate in Spanish class, I might be maxed by the end of the week. You have gained the ''Pottery'' specialty for Artistry Do I keep going? I still need gains in Craft and to finish the Golems, so it may be unavoidable. Art specialties seem to be the type of media you are using. I don''t think I care enough to pursue several, so keep making clay animal golems. I meditate in English class and skip lunch so I can barter off lunch vouchers to get cigarettes, and then sneak off school with stealth. I smoke in the overgrown empty field and look for plants to observe. You have gained the ''Budding Botanist'' specialty for Observe Finally! No more specialties for Observe, unless it''s a guarantee of acquiring it. I sneak back into school and spend the rest of English catching up on my Parapedia entries. I hope I can gain more Gamer''s Interface. Reading my interface in Spanish isn''t working anymore. I make it through math class without leveling Mathematics. It''s very close though and probably will when I do homework. I won''t gain a specialty, and if I want one at the next level, I''ll have to stop doing current work and try some other math subject on my own. Maybe I can trade doing Algebra homework for other freshmen in exchange for cigs or money? Worth a shot, and lets me keep up that Speech skill. ****? As soon as I''m at the house, I have to go out the door again with Mrs. Beckett for my Doctors appt. The doc retakes X-rays of my broken arm, and says the cast can come off in two weeks. That''s nearly a week beyond what my status effect timer says, which was Feb. 2nd. After much cajoling, but no actual Speech skill use, the doctor gives me another pain pill prescription, different brand this time, and I bet it''s milder than the last one since he was concerned about my seeming over use, without actually making any direct accusations. My Observe of him tells me enough. Doesn''t matter, this will be the last one anyway, and Drug Resist was tapering off from those anyway, that''s what the cigarettes are for. At least I got some cold medicine as well. ****? Your Mathematics skill has increased by 1 Yep, I gain a level part way through my Math homework and stop. Math class is going to become another meditation class. The only reason I do any of the homework is because it''s worth minor amounts of XP. I won''t even get that if I don''t complete this because I don''t want to screw up a specialty attempt. "Hey, Rachel?" "What?" "You do your math homework yet?" "No." "I''ve done problems 1-12; I''ll trade you for problems 13-20," I propose, activating Speech at the same time. "They aren''t exactly difficult, why?" "I want to focus on something else. Math is starting to bore the hell out of me, at least Geometry is." "Hmm, maybe. Ally-way, got any more?" I got her meaning; she''s referring to cigarettes. "None right now, but if I do I''ll share. Assuming you''ll do the same, that is." "Okay." Apparently my homework quests don''t care how I get it completed, just that it gets completed. Merely copying math problems doesn''t result in skill gain. There''s no reason I need to trade only with Rachel. I go to the boy''s room and find Cody. He''s still in eighth grade studying algebra. "Hey Cody. How''s algebra going?" "I hate it." "Mind if I take a look at your textbook? You know I could do some of these problems for you, in exchange for¡­" Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Programming skill has increased by 1 Stupid cold; this morning is the same as yesterday. I skip risking Disable Device in the office. I won''t get gains from the door and my cold may break my stealth. I''ll just skill up on the computer as long as I can. There is still no email from Julia. Has she gone cape? Has she gone cape and got injured or died and can''t email me? Or has she decided she doesn''t want to email me, and not worry me? Yet here I am worrying with no information. I scour the computer and what bits of the network I can for info on what city she has moved to. I know no more than I did when she left, somewhere in New Hampshire. I can try again at my meeting with Mrs. Pearson this afternoon. ****? We''re going to learn about First Aid today in Health class, and for the next two weeks, starting with basic CPR. I finally get my turn practicing on the dummy¡­ For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Medicine'' skill. Yes! I accepted ¨Cno. Parapedia it first, then accept.
Medicine (INT, PER) (Active) Level: 0 (0.00%)Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. This skill allows you to identify, diagnose and treat injuries and other physical issues with (primarily) human bodies. Increased skill level enables greater positive effects of treatment and synergy with related skills. Specialties: none Features Unlocked: None
Another specialty laden skill, yeah, I still want that. I accepted.
You do not currently meet the requirements to learn the skill: Medicine. Requirements: INT 15: Met PER 5: Met Basic Academics specialty - Basic Health: Not Met You have 7 days to meet the requirements for this skill before it becomes unavailable. It will not become available again unless the conditions for acquisition are repeated.
What the hell? Fuck no, a ''basic health'' specialty in Basic Academics? That''s the skill that only slowly goes up in health class or when doing health homework. I''ve been focused on the Know of Life biology quest this whole time. I''m two-thirds of the way through it. I have to swap to the other one don''t I, and finish it in seven fucking days? Fuck you troll. ****? "What are you doing Simon? Why aren''t you running with the rest of the class?" Coach asks. "I''m doing one-armed jumping jacks" Because screw PE. "I can see that. You''re supposed to be running." I switch to making standing leaps without any run-ups. "Don''t want to run. My Doctor''s note is still valid anyways. At least I am doing some exercise." I say between ragged breaths. "That''s for things that strain your broken arm. Running won''t do that, now get moving." I continue jumping like an impaired frog. "Hey, I''ll make you a deal. I''ll do plenty of physical exercise and activity if I get to choose what it is whenever I want" "What? This isn''t a negotiation Simon. Start running with the rest of the class or you''re going to get a mark for non-participation." "Okay" I continue to jump, switching to standing high jumps to see how much vertical I can clear. "Okay, so why aren''t you running now?" "I meant okay, I accept your terms. I''ll continue to do what I am doing and you''ll give me a non-participation mark. If you''d like, maybe we can renegotiate in our next class? Perhaps my choice of activity will coincide with yours on that occasion." "Damn it Simon, do you want detention too?" "No, I do not desire detention. *Huff* you told me the consequences of not running and I thought that acceptable. *Huff* I did not know you would then aim to make them worse, *wheeze* but if you insist on it, then I guess accept those terms as well. *Huff* just know that I am pretty busy after school most days. *Wheeze* gotta see my doctors, my case-worker, and my shrink. Detention outside of school hours won''t work." Coach widens his eyes at me, turns around, mumbles something and walks off. I go back to jumping. ****? Well, I have to put this plan into action. I promised myself I would if I haven''t gotten any email from Julia, and there''s still nothing as of checking after school. My attempts to find clues at the house are fruitless, so the only resource left is the CPS office and Mrs. Pearson, who still isn''t willing to share any details. I sit down on the other side of Mrs. Pearson''s desk and stare at the back of her desktop computer. FRAPS is running and I''m casing the place. Damn she managed to login before I could get my free camera into position. She sits for a moment going over her notes, and navigating her computer system, which I''m recording some of. With access to her computer, I should be able to look up Julia''s info, assuming it''s there. I know her name and birthdate, which ought to be enough. "So what actual birthdate did you put in for me in your system? I''d like to know when I can look into driving or an after-school job." "Mid-year, July 2nd. It keeps your age in sync with the average for your school grade." "And you couldn''t let me choose?" "If I had you''d have chosen something in January. You need to focus on school right now Simon, besides its default for people with unknown DOBs." "So how long is getting an SSN and all the other crap for an identity going to take?" "Two weeks at the minimum, more likely as long as six. I''m sorry I could not find anything further about your identity Simon, I really tried." I sighed. Do I need an identity? Probably, though there could be some advantages to ''not being in the system.'' I don''t want to still be sticking around here in six weeks. I check the age on my status sheet and note the time. It still says 15. I''ve been doing this every day. Eventually, I assume it will flip to 16 and I''d discover my birthday via the day before having said 15. I make a fake cough, which aggravates my cold, and it turns into a real cough which I exaggerated heavily, which makes it worse. "Can I get some water?" I ask hoarsely. "There is a water fountain in the hall near the bathrooms." "No I mean can you get me a cup or a glass, please? I don''t want to have to get up every few minutes." Meaning, just get up from your desk damn it. "Fine, just a moment." Mrs. Pearson says as she finally stands up and walks away. As soon as she is out of sight I toggle the power supply switch on the back of her computer so it reboots, and get my free camera into a ready position. I wait for her to return. Grabbing the water she proffers to my extended hand is still difficult when my senses are directed at her screen and keyboard. "Did you do something to my computer?" I shake my head no as I awkwardly drink the water. Mrs. Pearson logs back in to her machine and brings all her programs back up, while I record it all. "So what''s it like working here? You come in early much?" "Sometimes" "About when?" "What''s that matter Simon? We need to talk more about your school. The Beckett''s have informed me that your teachers have complained about your behavior and participation." "I''m just curious. What time do you usually get in?" She sighs. "About 8 am, occasionally earlier. You''ve done very poorly in History and English." "That''s early, are you the first person in here in the morning?" "No Simon, I''m not. You''re doing well in your other classes, why can''t you make an effort in those?" "It''s pretty late in the afternoon, am I your last, um what do you call it, charge? Appointment? Case? You get out of here at 5?" "Yes, and I''d like to, we''re rather overworked, and avoiding my questions isn''t helping." "History and English hold no interest to me, but I don''t get what the problem is. I attend and I''ve done my homework and crap." At least I have for now, if the XP gains dwindle to nothing then fuck that. Mrs. Pearson says something more but I''m too busy trying to restore my camera mode back to normal because lurching around while violently coughing while my perspective view is elsewhere is giving me a headache. Back to normal, I chug down the rest of the water. "Ugh, my cold is making me nauseous too. I need to use the bathroom." I lie while clutching my stomach. "Alright go" "Hmm, it might be a while." I say as I depart for the hall. I sit in the stall and switch back to free camera mode and roam my view around the building. I noticed the security panel on the way in, but hadn''t caught the name. I rectify that and proceed with a thorough examination of the premises and liberal use of Observe. The local CPS office is just one section of a generic government office building. It''s a single floor, tucked off in a set of suites that is reminiscent of a cheap strip mall. Maybe once upon a time it was a strip mall. It isn''t exactly high security but there are a couple ceiling cameras. It''s filled with cheap fluorescent lighting and gray cubicles. The paint and flooring looks like it hasn''t been updated since the 70''s. There are a few personal offices for middle management bureaucrats along the walls apart from the larger open space of cubicles. No windows except for the wall that composed the ''storefront'' which is covered by closed generic brown blinds. There is a single rear door entry in the back that leads to a loading dock and a dumpster. The only other rooms are some storage closets. Most are for janitor and building maintenance supplies. One looks like it has active VCRs, probably for the cameras. Observe confirms that. Another room has a camera, a wheeled safe, and shelves of various items placed in open labeled boxes. The labels have people''s names, ages and case numbers. Given the ages ranged from infant to teenager, it seems this is where the stash of personal effects are being held for whatever reason, ranging from clothes to toys to electronics. I move my camera view back to the wheeled safe and observe it, then move my camera inside the safe, and turn on my flashlight theme. It''s difficult to view individual objects in the cramped viewing space, especially when the camera has to be so close. Observe helps, indicating various bits of Jewelry, some knives, and¡­
Colt M1911A1 Handgun This pistol is in surprisingly good condition for its age given that it was manufactured in 1939. It has obviously been well maintained through the years. It is chambered for 0.45 ACP. It supports a grip housed box magazine which can hold 7 rounds. The box magazine is currently missing. The weapon is unloaded. The safety is on. This weapon last belonged to Hector Mendez and was claimed by his daughter Julia. It was later confiscated by the Houston PD and Texas CPS on the grounds of illegal possession of a firearm by a minor. Item Durability: 25/25 (Hardened) Ammo: 0/7 Damage: 12-240 HP
Well, holy crap. A lot more info since the last time I observed this thing. Up to 240 HP damage? Is that without criticals? I need to work on my CON and Gamer''s Body more. Another notification goes off and I find another new quest.
Gun Smuggler Now that you know where it is, return Julia''s gun to her. Part 1: Retrieve it from the safe without getting caught Time Limit: March 1st, 2010 Success: +250 XP Failure: Not having a gun when you need one. Part 2: Return it to Julia Time Limit: April 12th Success: +400 XP, increased relationship with Julia Mendez Failure: ???
Of course, of course that comes next. Might as well accept it, I plan on breaking into this place if I don''t hear back from her. Wait where the hell am I going to hide that thing? "Simon Anderson? Are you in here?" Some male voice yells from the front of the bathroom. "Mrs. Pearson said it''s time to go." I swap my camera mode back to normal and flush the toilet for authenticity''s sake. I guess I have enough info for now. "Alright, I wish we could have had more time but I didn''t think you''d be in there that long." Mrs. Pearson says as I get back to her desk. "I''ll let you know when our next scheduled appointment will be. I should have more info on getting all your identity in order by then." "Let me know how? They still have my phone." "Your grounding isn''t done yet hmm? You haven''t made it worse have you from your class behavior?" "It''s supposed to be over with today. I''ll see if that''s true when I get back." Turns out the Beckett''s actually do end my grounding, and give me back my phone. They still don''t commit to being able to take me to the repair shop though, just ''when there is time''. Whatever, I''ll just do it myself anyway then. Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 Your Programming skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Syntax Swapper feature for Programming. You may gain the ''IDEs'' specialty for Computers. You have gained the ''Polymer Clay'' specialty for Craft (Stone & Pottery) Not bad gains for all of this morning and class today. Spanish, Meditation, progress on my Health Textbook quest and my next Golem is also moving toward their next levels or completion. I want to ditch the bus, go to the shop, grounding be damned and fix my phone. But I have a psych session today, and I''m close to filling my Stress bar, and reaching level 5 in Psychology, since I don''t think another specialty for that is coming. ****? "Well we didn''t cover quite as much as though we might but I think we made good ground. Not many patients want to know the ins and outs of the psychology field itself. If it interests you that much, you should consider pursuing it in college. What about your thoughts on the whole self-identity issue?" Mr. Archer says as we wrap up our session. "I guess, I made my peace with that for now. Getting some closure at the memorial was helpful." "You also hinted at an episode at the beach, do you want to elaborate on that further?" "I suppose, see. I want to put some more of the exposure therapy stuff to practice; the ocean seemed like a good choice to try¡­" Your Psychology skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Personality Types interface feature for Psychology What''s this, something new to mess with on my interface? I use Parapedia on it for more details. Everyone on my relationship sheet that isn''t categorized as a stranger now gets a little four letter code of the supposed 16 personality types. What is Julia''s? INTP, ''The Thinker''. Rachel''s is INFJ, ''The Counselor''. What am I? INTJ, ''The Mastermind''. Meh, these things are kinda generic and shallow. Whatever, at least I get some Gamer''s Interface gains from it, for however long that lasts. You have learned a new thing about yourself: Your personality type is INTJ, ''The Mastermind'' Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 Oh, nice¡­. And the gain is back down to a trickle again. Thursday, January 28th, 2010 I blur through the day on auto-pilot. I do my computer stuff in the morning, go to class, and do actual work in biology, work on health in history, and actual work in health class, sneak off campus for lunch, and find myself in PE, doing jumping jacks and standing jumps again. "Are you even going to try to run today?" Coach asks me. "Nope." You have gained the ''Jumping'' specialty for Athletics Perfect. I activate stealth again and sneak off to the showers before everyone else gets there, then wait at the bus pickup. I snag Rachel as she comes outside school. "Hey" "Sup" "When they ask where I am, tell them I went to a store, and I said I''d be back before nine. Maybe they won''t call the cops on me this time." "Yeah, that''s gonna go over well." "Don''t care, see you later, maybe we can trade homework again tonight, Geo for Spanish?" "K, Later" ****? Despite trying, America isn''t a nation that does much haggling. I can''t budge the repair guy down from his price, even offering to try and do some myself. I realize that no, I probably shouldn''t. It''s clear I have more to learn, but at least it''s over with. The phone is repaired, and in my pocket. The problem is, I can''t afford to purchase the battery it needs, or a prepaid plan. I stare at the battery in its large anti-theft packaging and look around. There are cameras, it''s a small shop, and in clear view of the counter. Plus I just interacted with this guy a lot, and they know my email. "This battery sold any cheaper elsewhere?" "You can try Wal-Mart." "Where''s that at? I''d look it up on my phone, but you know." He drew me a map and I was off. It costs me more in bus fare than I want to spend, but I''m soon in the land of the unwashed masses. I pass a fat guy in a three wolf moon shirt on a mobility scooter shouting at some white trash lady with missing teeth. I pass an old man wearing pants printed like the American flag. The overhead intercom buzzes with ''Code Yellow on aisle 12, Code Yellow on aisle 12.'' Ah, people of Wal-Mart. My use of Observe is giving me TMI that I really don''t want to know. I zigzag past two slow walking fat ladies and make it into the electronics store. The pimply-faced teenager behind the counter, not much older than myself, has no idea what I''m talking about, so I find the battery myself. Yeah. How am I going to do this? How do I get it open? Fuck I should have gotten a cart. Cart now in hard, I grab some heavy duty scissors from the home and kitchen section, then go to the clothing section and pick out a couple pairs of jeans. Activating stealth I keep watch on the eyeball people counter until it is sufficiently low that I fold the battery and shears into the pairs of pants, and head toward the fitting rooms. Last time stealth was of limited use in a well-lit store, this time it''s hit or miss, but the eyeball is very useful. I wait for the opportune moment to slip past the fitting clerk and find an empty stall. I cut away the packaging and put the battery in my phone. Bingo, everything works, except for the lack of a plan. I continue cutting the packaging into little pieces then put them and the shears into the pockets of one pair of pants. I use my free camera to check if the stall next to me is empty then slip the pants over the top and let them fall. I leave with the other pair and put them back on the shelf. I can''t help but notice that not one person actually gave one iota of a crap about my nefarious activities. So why am I still wandering around the store pretending to browse? You have a working phone now, but the quest completion hasn''t triggered yet. Why? Just stop being a wuss and leave before you miss the bus. The notifications hit right as I stepped outside. Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 For performing a repeated action you may gain the Thievery skill. Repeated action? I only stole one thing. Last time I stole stuff was when I was looting and when I took the screwdriver off that dude who was repairing a generator at the camp in Galveston. Why didn''t it trigger earlier? Does looting not count? How long does it remember those things? Parapedia, "Observe"
Thievery (PER, AGI) (Active) Level: 0 (0.00%) This skill allows you to perform a range of activities related to theft and slight of hand. Increased skill level enables greater feats of mischief and synergy with related skills. Specialties: none Features Unlocked: None
So, it''s not just theft and such but sleight of hand too? Games always do rogue skills weirdly. Sounds good though, I mean I don''t really want to be a villainous thief, but I''m poor, and traveling to New Hampshire isn''t going to be cheap. I click this ''Y'' button to accept. Good I met all the requirements for this one.
Who You Gonna call? Complete Obtain a smartphone with internet capability. What? You think you''re gonna look at Pr0n on the public computer? Success: +300 XP, a smartphone.
I exhale a sigh of relief, finally. ****? After the bus fare, all I have is $1.58 to my name, even with hoarding my lunch money. Grim faces meet me at the door. They search me, because of course they do. "Where is your phone?" "At the repair shop," I lie, "I told you I needed to go there, I wasn''t willing to wait for it to be convenient for you when I had my own means." It''s actually in the carved out square I made in the Geometry book. "You''re grounded again through this weekend at least, probably longer." "Whatever, I don''t care. Guess that means I can''t do any after school programs." Drama club may have been interesting. Really, none of this matters anymore. It''s just a pretense. I''ll leave when I need to, grounding or not. I still need a phone number. VOIP can make do, except they won''t let me use the computer to sign up for one. Fuck you very much. Screw this, it''s almost nine. I''m going to eat and sleep. Friday, January 29th, 2010 Your Language-Spanish skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Perfect Fluency feature for Language-Spanish Your Language-Spanish skill has reached MAX rank Well Spanish has become useless now. At least I finished my Golem project. I haven''t made the golem yet, that will be later. I have a clay dog, or my best representation of one. The teacher told me I can''t put a 40 lb. solid mass of clay in the kiln because it won''t fire correctly and probably shatter from uneven heating. I had to cut it in half, hollow it out and then smash it back together. So I have about 30 lbs. of clay remaining, guess I can make other smaller ones. I leave it at school, to be fired on Tuesday. It''s too big for my backpack and would leave wet clay smudges everywhere. The rest of my classes I just work on the stupid health textbook quest. It''s taking too long; I need to find a shortcut. Instead of sneaking off campus for lunch I go to the library and use the computers there to set up a VOIP number and test it on my phone''s Wi-Fi. At least I have something to send her now. Still no email from Julia, damn. I sent a second email to her anyway with my new phone number. ****? "It was supposed to be 10 cigs, not 8, James." I say as I pull out the copied Biology homework and put it in front of me. "I couldn''t get that many, my dad is probably gonna be pissed already for these going missing." "Alright fine, but you need to realize I''m doing you a favor here. Also make sure when you copy this onto your own paper, you put some variation into the phrasing of the answers; and for the love of god don''t just hand in a photo copy. Donnie did that and got a big fat zero and made the teacher start wondering where these are coming from." "Yeah sure, I won''t do that. Though why haven''t you got suspected yet? And why can''t you just make a variation copy instead of a mass produced one? " "Because I''m not stupid, James. I make two versions of my homework, one I turn in, and one I used to make copies from. I make sure they are different enough from each other to dissuade someone from looking too close. Furthermore, making a custom variation takes time, James. Time costs money. Now if you want to pony up some cash and a sample of your handwriting for a James flavored version, then maybe we can talk more, but until then do the copying yourself." "Do you have anything for Mrs. Apelbaum''s classes?" "No I don''t do English or History homework, find someone else for those." ****? "$1.50 a cig?" That''s insane man. I could buy a pack for just two of those." "Like hell you can, packs are $6-$7 bucks each, and you can''t buy them cause you''re underage." "I don''t have $12 bucks, 50 cents each?" "Well how much do you have? No way to 50 cents. $1.25" "I got eight bucks, 75 cents each?" "Well, Rick, I''ll let these go for $1 each, that''s 8 cigs for 8 bucks you got just enough, and they''re the last ones I have for today." "Fine." "Good deal" I say as I slide the cigs over and take his money. You have gained the ''Negotiation'' specialty for Speech "Hey" Rick asks once more before getting ready to leave. "You got anything that isn''t cigarettes?" Well, could I get something else? "No dude, but I''ll keep that in mind." ****? On Friday nights teenagers should be out and about loitering at the mall or making other mischief, not holed up in the house, grounded. Not that that would stop me. Instead I need to finish off these quests and it''s taking all my free time to do so. I say that, yet I''m trying to finish off a Math Specialty from Cody''s algebra textbook, instead of the quest. You have gained the ''Algebra'' specialty for Mathematics There, now that''s the last thing I wanted before fully focusing on the textbook quests. I need to find a way to cheat on them, maybe the letter of the quest instructions? After all, I can just download the Teacher''s edition online tomorrow morning. Saturday January 30th - Sunday, January 31st, 2010 You have gained the ''Databases'' specialty for Computers Your Programming skill has increased by 1 At least that''s some progress. I use the computer in the morning since I''m barred from it except for homework. The rest of the weekend I work my health textbook quest. Near 800 pages of boring crap, is difficult to get through. I tried to cheat, using the teacher''s edition I downloaded, and reading just the questionnaires and answering them, but it didn''t work. No variation of that worked either, so I have to do it the slow way. At least I have a complete supply of pre-answered homework for the rest of the semester, I''ll need them. I guess I can do that for Biology too. Monday, February 1st, 2010 No programming this morning. Instead I look up bus ticket costs, for travel from Houston to New Hampshire. Nearly $300 dollars! I have to get some money under the radar. Furthermore I don''t even know what city she''s in. I get to class and do nothing but work on the textbook quest. I want this over and done with; I''m so close to completion. School is becoming useless. I finally finish the damn thing in History.
Quest Know your Body Completed! Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in your Health textbook. Success: +300 XP, new skill branches
You have automatically gained the ''Basic Health'' specialty in Basic Academics And that skill is back down to 9 and 0.00%. Why automatically assigned? Why is that skill so weird? Whatever, it got me the missing requirement for the Medicine skill. For performing a repeated action you may gain the Medicine skill You have unlocked the ''Physical Effects'' bonus feature for Observe Now health class is making gains in medicine. Presumably because we''re still doing the First Aid course work? If I do anything in PE, I''ll mess up my specialty pursuits. I can''t do Climbing or Swimming like I did for Jumping. So I''m going to skip. My broken arm status effect wears off tomorrow, that should give me more opportunities to try things. For now I got cigs and the last of my pain pills to burn off. That should dull the lecturing I''m going to get when I get back to the house. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 I finally get back to programming in the morning since that textbook quest is over with. What I''m really looking forward to is when the broken arm timer expires, and finally sticking ''Moon-Moon'' in the kiln. My clay golem dog thing is so stupid looking. Only one textbook quest left. I work on biology in my now useless Spanish class, and in Art I make final touches to Moon-Moon and put him in the kiln. At lunch I watch the timer for my broken arm status effect tick down to zero and see the status effect disappear. No notifications, oh right I turned them off for status effects. Shouldn''t ''Get Healthy again'' have completed? Oh damn it I''m not at max mana. I put Spider Bong to sleep. Now I have to wait for that to fill up, which won''t be until tomorrow morning. Well, fuck it, math is useless now too. I don''t need to attend it anymore. I sneak off campus, go to the park, climb trees, the monkey bars, and the climbing walls until¡­ You have gained the ''Climbing'' specialty for Athletics ****? "Where the hell have you been again Simon? The school called, they said you skipped PE yesterday. If you don''t¡­" I use my interface to mute voices. I mouth that I have homework to do, I can''t actually hear my voice, and wait for them to stop gesturing. Surprised they didn''t mention me skipping Math class too. Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 The fuck? I turned Spider-Bong off before going to sleep, my MP was at max, and still no completion notice for ''Get Healthy Again''. All my bars were at max. "Status Effects", these were¡­ wait, what did ''Get Healthy Again'' say? "Quests".
Get Healthy Again! Get all your bars to maximum, and eliminate all negative wounds and mental based status effects. Time Limit: None Success: 300 XP Failure: Continued miserableness.
¡­and mental based status effects. Fuck. PTSD and Mild Depression is still lingering, almost entirely negated by Gamer''s Mind down to zero. I hope Teenage Acne isn''t going to matter because it''s not a wound. Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, I''m relying on gaining levels to auto-level Gamer''s Mind, and wipe those out. To gain levels I need XP from this quest. I didn''t plan this right, damn it. I''m going to have to¡­ Damn I don''t want to do that again. I don''t want to blow saved skill points either. What can I use to substitute this quest''s XP amount? I don''t think the Fifteen ten is going to be completed by its deadline. Damn, back to using the computer while I figure something out. Your Computers skill has increased by 1 No specialty. Maybe I should give up on them? Almost time to get ready for class. **** You have gained the ''First Aid'' specialty for Medicine. Woohoo, though Health class is probably useless now. As is the rest of class, but I''ve nearly finished the biology textbook quest. Fuck PE again, why skip once when I can do it twice? I have to go ''borrow'' a swimsuit from wally-world anyway. ****? Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 You have gained the ''Shoplifting'' specialty for Thievery
Sticky Fingers On your way to the path of a rogue, steal 25 items. 2/25 completed. Time Limit: March 31st Success: 300XP, New Title Failure: None
Talk about encouraging bad behavior. Am I a villain? I never did figure out what kind of character type I am, but, Disable Device, Stealth, Thievery, even Speech, given the specialties, and Hacking under Computers, is what I seem to be leading towards. My AGI sucks. Most Rogues in RPGs are DEX focused, but AGI and DEX aren''t the same thing. Other Rogues are the INT based skill monkeys. Am I headed more toward that? Whatever, awfully convenient it''s worth 300 XP, just the same amount I was lamenting not reaching due to the timing of the Get Healthy Again quest screw up. I make sure I get home late enough that they have minimal time to confront and argue with me. They are just holding me back at this point. Apart from having a place to sleep, this isn''t getting me anywhere I want to progress in. Simon''s character sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Petty Thief Faction: None Money: $19.58 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 9 (58.78%) XP: 7375 Primary Attributes STR: 7 (0.00) 7.00 (60.97%) AGI: 6 (0.00) 6.00 (89.86%) CON: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (4.85%) INT: 21 (-0.38) 20.62 (54.87%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (44.88%) WIS: 20 (-0.38) 19.62 (95.67%) CHA: 12 (-0.06) 11.94 (77.69%) LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 (25.61%) Unspent Points: 23 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 231/231 Stamina Pool: 209/209 Mana Pool: 48/2362 Stress Pool: 410/410 Attack: 7.50 Speed: 2.70 Dodge: 9.98 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 70.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 40 Free Skill Slots: 9 Artistry: 6 (62.24%) Athletics: 5 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 8 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 6 (47.97%) Create Mana Golem: 6 (80.09%) Disable Device: 9 (4.98%) Disease Resistance: 6 (50.17%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 8 (1.02%) Empathy: 7 (59.95%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 13 (34.91%) Gamer''s Interface: 23 (37.76%) Gamer''s Mind: 22 (1.09%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 3 (0.00%) Medicine: 1 (0.00%) Meditation: 10 (69.54%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 11 (47.57%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (47.86%) Programming: 7 (58.63%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 5 (0.00%) Stealth: 8 (3.56%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Thievery: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 9 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.7 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.7 Thursday, February 4th, 2010 I''m back in the office again, stealthily practicing opening the safe, once, twice, thrice, as many times as I dare so long as skills rise. My cold isn''t an issue anymore; I stop at the first sound of shifting in the Beckett''s room. Pursuing the Fifteen-ten quest seems like a loss of chances at specialties, but Disable Device and Stealth don''t have them. I need practice. Level 10 skill features in them could prove useful. There''s no harm in getting as close to completing it as I can just in case. Computers and Programming take up the rest of my morning. A specialty in computers will get missed again, but I can''t think of what to pursue anyway. The Beckett''s have a chat with me at breakfast, about behavior, skipping, responsibilities, and so on. I''m polite and listen intently, I consider their points of view, and internalize them. After-all, doing that helps me grind Empathy, it even makes me feel bad about nodding along and promising to do better when I know I won''t. ****? "So what''s been up with you lately?" I look up at Rachel from the biology textbook I''m still trying to cram through during Spanish. "What do ya mean?" "I heard you getting lectured at this morning. Skipping, not caring about school. Seems odd, cause despite that, you sure as hell have your nose stuck in textbooks lately. Just wonderin'' what was going on." I shrug. "I care about classes that are useful to me, the rest are a waste of time." "What about this class? Useful or a waste?" "Before, useful, now? Not so much. I know all the Spanish I need." "" Rachel says in Spanish in disbelief. "" So she noticed my excessive rapid progress. Is she testing me? "" I sort-of lie, it might be true. Maybe I really did know Spanish in whatever my prior life that I can''t remember was. Maybe even with the power cheat it progresses more rapidly than it might have. One of the ethnicity slots on my status sheet is Hispanic, and I look the part well enough. "What about you, why did you take the class, if you already speak it?" I ask as I look back to the biology book. "Same reason all the Hispanic kids do. Easy A, if you know the grammar, and you actually do the work." "Meh, your concern for my education is touching, and misplaced." "I don''t give a shit about your education. Teacher gave us a group assignment and you''re just reading biology. I don''t want a crap grade. That''s near the end of the book anyway, isn''t that way far ahead of where we''re at?" I sigh and close the book. "Yeah, sorry, I''m just really close to finishing it off and want to be done. What the hell is our assignment?" ****? You Artistry skill has increased by 1 Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 Both notifications fire as I take Moon-Moon out of the kiln. He is as ridiculous looking as expected. Very obviously a ceramic dog, I''ll probably have to paint him. I want to take it home to Golemize sometime this weekend. I''ve done the pottery side, what about stone? "Hey, can my next project be Sculpture?" I ask the art teacher. Why did I ask, will I be around long enough for another project? "We don''t even have the tools for that." "Just hammer and chisel right?" It''s something to add to my ''shopping list''. "Yes, though different shapes and sizes for each to produce different types of cuts and cleaves." "And I guess a block of marble." "I don''t recommend pursuing sculpture at this stage, there are plenty of other basics to learn first Simon." "Yeah, but for future knowledge, if I wanted to on my own time?" "For one, don''t start with marble, it''s too difficult and expensive for a beginner to waste. If you''re going to do this anyway, try something easier to work, soapstone. It''s not as hard of a stone." "Okay, thanks." Of course, marble is too hard; I should know that, I got a specialty in Geology for the Earth Science skill. I open up my interface notes again and look at my growing shopping list. Hammers and Chisels, Soapstone, More clay, Costume: gloves, hoodie, face scarf or mask, full face sunglasses or goggles, face paint? ****?
Quest Completed: Know of Life Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in your Biology textbook. Success: +300 XP, Science (Biology) skill + free botany specialty
And finally! Do I have a reason not to accept it after all this work? Parapedia, always use Parapedia before deciding. Also why Botany? Of all the various biology topics why Botany for free? The book touched on a lot of other stuff more often than botany. Don''t I know enough botany already with all the damn plants I had to examine to get past that stupid budding botanist Observe specialty?
Science (Biology) (INT, WIS) (Passive): Level 0 (0.00%) One of the many sciences, this represents the study of biology and life, its processes, evolution, and mechanisms. Specialties acquired: Botany (+1 Plant affinity) Features unlocked: None
What the hell are affinities? I think I saw them mentioned before, but kept ignoring them. Plant affinity for Botany? Earth affinity for Geology? Is this some game function I haven''t explored yet? Something mentioned those somewhere.
Gaia''s Attunement: You have the ability to acquire affinities with various elements. With enough affinity you can attune yourself to the element to call on them for aid.
Is this some other master or summoning ability? Why didn''t I pay attention to this before? What''s my progress in those? How many elements are there? The classical four? Earth, Air, Water, Fire? Can''t just be the classical four or there wouldn''t be a ''Plant Affinity''. Who or what the hell is Gaia? Is there some other access menu? "Affinities"
Current Affinities: Earth: 2 Plant: 1
That''s rather limited in the information it tells me. How many are there? What types are there? How much affinity is needed to do something? How do I get more? Let''s see, one Earth one came from geology, the other came from a feature on Craft (Stone & Pottery). The plant one comes from botany. Will more craft and science specialties gain more? ****? "What no biology this time?" Rachel asks, stirring me from my Meditation. In my constant focus on the textbook quests, I''ve been ignoring that skill. "I finished it." I glance at the clock; Math class is half over. I considered skipping it but want to avoid the complications. "Means I can trade out bio homework to the end of the year." "And stop caring about biology class?" "Eh.. I still like biology, for now." "We have a test Friday next week if you have been paying attention. Homework trades won''t help with that." "Shit, that''s gonna screw up my math skill plans." "Your what?" "Hey, do you have a license yet?" I ask deflecting the question. "No, should have, but no. Won''t matter much anyway without a car." "Should have?" "I was taking driver''s ed classes during winter break, then shit happened and it got interrupted." "Beckett''s going to let you finish? When you turn 16?" "Early last December, they won''t let me try for my license till summer. Maybe get a summer job then too. Sick of being broke. Still won''t get me a car. Why are you asking?" "Just curious. You''d think they''d want other kids with licenses to handle more of their constantly busy errands. Annoying I can''t get other shit done cause they''re too busy." "Thomas and Janet have one, but no cars and that''s the main problem." "Thomas is an asshole, I wouldn''t ask him if he did have one." "Yeah, and Janet might be moving out soon." "What, really?" "Yeah, she''s just here as a temporary place to stay. Since she got a sorta free diploma school isn''t keeping her here. She wants to emancipate herself, move in with a friend and get a job." "Emancipate? Really, how?" Rachel shrugs. "Have to be 17, I know that much, and a bunch of other requirements." "Damn. Hey, you got any more --" I hold two fingers up to my mouth in a smoking gesture, "for after class." "Maybe..." "I need to get rid of something before we get on the bus too." The teacher shushes us for talking and I go back to pretending to pay attention while I meditate. "What do you have?" Rachel asked after the bell rang and left math class. "Mini-Rum bottle I traded some vouchers and homework for. It''s warm though, gotta get rid of it before getting to the house." "Oh, hey, wait a minute." Rachel says and goes up to a vending machine, drops some dollar coins in and retrieves two coke cans. We go outside and around the tall bushes several kids use to stay out of sight. After chugging down enough soda to make room for the rum, we split it, and Rachel shares more cigs with me. "How come you manage to get so many more often?" "A lot easier for a girl to flirt a bit and bum smokes off a senior." "But I thought you didn''t like¡ª" "I don''t, but they don''t know that, I do like my nicotine fix though." Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 Rachel''s relationship is 111 now. "Yeah, very Observe-ant, guess we should catch the bus back to the house."
Name: Rachel Anna Zamora Level: 7 Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 16 Ethnicity: Hispanic Race: Human Class: Foster Kid / High School Student Faction: None STR: 11 (+0.0) 11 AGI: 13 (??) ?? CON: 15 (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 15 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 4.5 Armor: ?? Speed: ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 260/260 Stamina: 280/280 Stress: ??/?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Born 12/09/1993, Rachel is a 16 year old survivor from the Galveston 2009 Leviathan attack. She lost her family, girlfriend and home during and in the aftermath of the devastation. She is currently a ward of the state of Texas, emplaced into the foster care system. Despite the hardships and grief she has endured she has remained tough and stubborn in the face of these setbacks, due to a strong will and a sense of perseverance that has instilled into her family and upbringing. While counseling and recent friendships have helped lighten the load of her stress, she still occasionally self-medicates with drugs and alcohol to alleviate stress and temporarily escape from her problems. ... She has shoulder length straight, jet-black hair, dark brown eyes and unblemished light coffee colored skin. She is 5''7" tall, and weighs around 135 lbs. Despite a slightly lanky build, she still has a moderately curvy figure. Currently Feeling: Buzzed, Calm, Thoughtful, Uncomfortable, Curious Known Status Effects: Mental: Mild Depression, Mild Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Claustrophobia, Nicotine Addiction Physical: Chilled, Cramps, Soreness, Lung Irritation, Increased cancer risk: (Lung, Mouth, Throat).
****? After finishing stupid homework for diminishing minor XP, I can use the computer again. If I''m going to try the fifteen ten skill quest, it would be good if I can get that stupid level 9 Basic Academics up to 10, but the skill is weird. It represents generic education, but only Health has raised it, and then it got hit with an auto-specialty. What gets it to a level 10? Graduating? That will take too long. What are the high school requirements anyway? Four years English, 3 math, 3 science, 2 history/social studies, 0.5 years of health, economics and government, 1.5 years PE, 2 years foreign language. I have most of that crap. At least I do for all the specialties in it. Health is the only class that managed to put points in that skill until I got ''Basic Health'' as a specialty. I have Basic Literacy and Literature, that''s gotta cover English. I have likewise for social studies, history, mathematics, science, and so on. The only ones maybe not included are Economics and Government. But shouldn''t government be part of social studies and economics part of Math? It''s not predictable enough to count on. I resume programming again. With my textbook quests done, I don''t have much else to do. I can mess with art and clay again outside, but I''ll be giving up specialties in both again. What''s more valuable, easier specialty gains, or the 300 XP from the quest? Even if it¡¯s more difficult, the specialties I can try for again later, the quest has a fixed deadline. I go outside and mess with the clay until dinner. Friday, February 5th, 2010 I spend another morning practicing Disable Device and Stealth on the safe, and programming on the computer. One of these days someone is going to wake up early and come out. I need to make those 10th levels soon. I have a Biology test today. It doesn''t cover Botany, so I don''t mind the skill gains, a consistent subject may even let me get a specialty again. Hopefully this skill won''t get messed up as much as Mathematics was. I finish early and meditate the rest of class as well as in history and health. The Economics class and Health class share the same class room. The Econ teacher is always leaving their stuff on the chalkboard. Yep there''s unassigned Econ textbooks in the cabinets, I pull one out and flip through it.
Supply and Demand Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in your Economics textbook. Time Limit: May 12th, 2011 Success: 300 XP, new skill branches. Failure: More frequent poor money making decisions.
Fuck, of course it does this to me, another textbook quest. Wait, my Economics Textbook? It''s not mine; I''m not taking the damn class. At least the deadline is far off. I sure as shit am not tackling that quest any time soon. I read the first few pages while checking my skills. Yep, after gaining 0.01 in Basic Academics, it confirmed my suspicions. I look around the classroom, turn on stealth, and drop the book into my book-bag when no one is looking. 3 of 25 items stolen for the quest Sticky Fingers Yes, my Economics textbook indeed. Also, fuck PE today. I''m not screwing up Athletics, I have plans tomorrow. I''d skip but I can just sit and meditate with non-participation. ****? Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 That''s what I''ve been waiting for all day after I spent all evening grinding Art and Craft. I''m not going to Golemize Moon-moon until tomorrow. I want the next level first in case it makes a difference. I want to max MP before I try too. Saturday, February 6th, 2010 Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Speed-pick feature for Disable Device 7 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Finally, I''m pushing my luck practicing on that safe. I''m still not sure if I can get 8 more skills to level 10 in a week. I manage to get to the computer for a bit before I hear them stirring earlier than usual. Using my free camera to scry reveals Mr. Beckett is awake but still in his room. Your Programming skill has increased by 1 I was pushing my luck with this too. I should''ve left at 6am, as soon as the alarm changed modes I could slip out the door, I was so close to leveling I stayed longer than intended. I shut the computer down, grab my backpack, raid the fridge, and slip out the back door with stealth as I hear the Beckett''s coming out into the living room. I''m not running off yet, I still have shit to prepare. I''ll get a major lecture and who knows what else later, but I''m past caring. It''s only because I don''t have a place to sleep elsewhere yet. I get behind the shed but my stealth breaks for some reason. Detecting Eye shows 1 person watching, but I''m out of sight of the back door. I turn around and look up and catch a glimpse of the girl''s window curtain moving upstairs. Someone ducks away and it closes right as I turn. A quick use of scry shows Rachel is the only one up and awake. Interesting, but I''ve no time to dwell on it. I slip out the alley gate and go to the park. ****? I sit at the same picnic table I made Spider-Bong at. At least I don''t need to make anything from clay first. I pull Moon-moon out of my backpack and get to work. Moon-moon is around 10 lbs. of ceramic, less than the original weight of the clay, because it loses water weight in the kiln. "Imbue Mana Golem" A new menu popped up.
Select reinforcement level: 0-3 Each level of reinforcement multiplies the base imbuement cost of the mana. This increased cost does not affect the awakening cost of the Golem, which is still calculated normally.
Dang, I almost had enough to get a reinforcement level of 4, do I want to do that? I could get more mana from increased INT or WIS, and have 23 unspent points. Not sure if I should. INT is at 58.76% toward the next gain, WIS is 95.67%. Dang I should try to get that one topped over soon. I don''t know what will happen to my current progress percentage if I bump it up a level. Guess there is only one way to find out. I put one point into INT, my Max MP jumps to 2475, and I spend 2 more MP with Parapedia to recheck my next INT progress. It has gotten zeroed out. Well, now I know. Don''t buy stat points when they are close to leveling. I spent 2,444 MP to Imbue Moon-Moon with level 4 reinforcement, whatever that means. It takes god-damned forever to finish, much longer than last time, while I look like a goober with my hand touching a ceramic dog. When it''s finally done, I don''t even have enough MP left to wake it up, not for another hour at the minimum.
Name: Moon-Moon Level: 4 Creator: Simon Anderson Controller: Simon Anderson Quality: Somewhat Crude Size: Small Weight: 10.44 lbs. STR: 5 (0) 5 AGI: 6 (+4) 10 CON: 5 (0) 5 INT: 0 (0) 0 PER: 4 (0) 4 WIS: 0 (0) 0 CHA: 0 (0) 0 LUC: 0 (0) 0 Armor: 4.0 Speed: 2.83 Attack: 5.5 Dodge: 8.0 Health: 288/288 Material Type: Simple Ceramic Material Multiplier: 2 Reinforcement Level: 4 Total Damage Resist: 42 Golems are immune to all non-movement binding status effects. They cannot gain XP. They are destroyed when they reach 0 HP. Their natural armor value is dependent on the material from which they were crafted and their reinforcement level when created. Their physical stats and HP are related to the type and mass of material from which they are created. Their movement, speed, and ability to execute commands well, are dependent on the quality and nature of their construction. Function follows form and aesthetics. A golem cannot move without limbs of some kind to propel itself with, and cannot grasp without hands or claws, etc.
Jesus, 288 HP? That''s more than me for something only 10 pounds? Still, the max damage from Julia''s Gun could take out most of its HP. What does its Damage Resist do? Is it just pure damage negation or soak or what? Probably never know until I see one in combat. The skill gain is a lot more than what I was getting for a days'' worth of having Spider-Bong awake executing commands. Making golems is a lot more efficient than keeping them awake for skill gain. I should make a lot more little ones in the kiln just to spam grind the related skills, even if they end up crappy. At least all the new windows and crap give me minor gains in Gamer''s Interface again. ****? I spent more of my money to take the bus again, to the only indoor pool I found that''s open. Last time I told myself it wasn''t worth it, to wait for the level ups to get past this shit. There''s no lifeguard on duty, because who goes to the pool in fucking February? This crazy asshole, that''s who. Five bucks to get in, there''s someone at the front office at least, hope I don''t fucking drown. I take a few tentative steps into the shallow end. No safety behind my free camera this time, this is real. This is so fucking real god damn it. At least it is warm, or did I just piss myself? Fucking don''t panic. My feet are still on the bottom, think of your objectives, get that athletic swimming specialty; get that fucking Gamer''s Mind shit over and done with. Leveling up is taking too damn long¡­ ****? I drag myself out of the pool and fall down in a chair in an exhausted heap and look at the clock on the wall. I''m so damn exhausted. The pulse of several unread notifications is glaring at me. You may gain the ''Swimming'' specialty for Athletics. For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI Your Gamer''s Body Skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Damn it''s been nearly three hours? Gamer''s Body is almost at the next level again. I use Parapedia to check my stats again, so is CON. That answers that. I drink almost as much water as I swam in, and eat my lunch to recover the HP I had lost from sinking my Stamina to zero and not stopping. Athletics is still at 5 and 99.99%? It didn''t go up after swimming? Shit I never even accepted it. Wait, the Swimming specialty came first. I was swimming for a good hour after that, I just forgot to accept the thing. Does that mean I can stop gains in a skill by never answering whether or not I want a specialty? Maybe I could leave them in limbo and do other stuff related to that skill without worry. But I''m done with Athletics. Swimming is the last thing I wanted to get. It''s an easy skill to gain, and I might need it at level 10 if the others are too hard to get there. I click yes to accept the swimming and it goes back to 5 and 0.00% despite the extra activity I had done. I guess that could be usable sometimes. This means I can go back to a gym now, especially since my arm is better. I need to recover stamina though, drinking water helps, but gains stop when my thirst meter is full. I sit in the pool chair and use meditation. I even chant this time, which I hardly ever get to do, because people are sleeping or I''m trying to do it in class while pretending to sleep. I''m the only person here so it doesn''t matter. Half an hour later it''s enough for me to run if I need to, which I might after I go ''shopping'' this afternoon. ****? +50 XP for evading security Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 9 of 25 items stolen for the quest Sticky Fingers Shit, I catch my breath next to a tree after dashing across the Wal-Mart parking lot through a field and over a creek. Don''t try to go for too many things at once. At least I have a semblance of a costume but where the fuck am I going to put this shit? Can''t go back to that store. My future cape costume isn''t particularly cape-like, black combat boots, long black trench-coat, ugly dark green and plaid stretchy wool hat, brown scarf, blue tinted ski goggles to hide my face, and some gloves. Functionality matters more than looks. I change clothes into the spares I have in my backpack. Just in case they got a description of what I was wearing. So glad I rested earlier. I stealth my way back to a bus stop several blocks down the street, I''m rather close to level 10 in it now. ****? Your Gamer''s Body Skill has increased by 1 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR Once again I''m beyond exhausted. I talked my way into another free trial, only three days this time. Stamina is barely over zero. I meditate while chanting in the sauna. A couple other visitors probably think I''m weird but I don''t care anymore. I discovered that there are things called ''Environmental'' Status effects. The sauna actually has some beneficial ones that helped recovery rates a bit. They go into effect when I get in the area, and remove when I leave. I rented a locker and put my stolen crap in there, and put my plastic cast back on for the sake of appearances and take the bus back to the house. ****? "Again Simon? Where the hell have you been this time? After everything we talked to you about." Mrs. Beckett asks as they search me again. They don''t find the cigs or my phone; they''re still tucked away in Julia''s old Geometry book. They did take my MP3 player, fuckers. I forgot to hide it, though there wasn''t room. They put it in the safe, while droning about shit I tune out. At some point she must have asked me a question, only vaguely recalling something along the lines of what I had to say for myself. So I obliged, "I ask to go somewhere, you say no or are too busy. So I do it myself. Now if you excuse me, I''m not feeling well and need to use the bathroom." "Hey don''t walk away from me." "I will, unless you want me to piss on the floor. You can lecture me again in the morning." "You''re Grounded!" she shouts as I go upstairs. "I think I was already grounded." I wake Spider-Bong and Moon-Moon this time before resting to double the gains during the night. Sunday, February 7th, 2010 I get up super early like usual. I only get a couple hours of programming practice on the computer before I hear the Beckett''s bedside alarm go off. I shut the computer off and retreat into the bathroom when I hear one of them coming up stairs. What the fuck, are they trying to ambush me? My free camera shows Mr. Beckett sitting down on the upstairs couch silently like he is waiting for someone. For me to come out probably, does he even know I''m in the bathroom? No he''s staring at the bedroom door sitting in the dark trying to do the parent in the living room thing when teenagers come home super late. Except, I just got up super early yesterday and left before anyone else got up. Oh well I guess I got other shit I can do, like practicing stealth while there is someone actively listening for me. At least the bedroom has a connecting door to the bathroom so I don''t have to go back out into the hall. Thanks for the skill gains asshole. Okay, it''s been an hour and he''s being a persistent bugger. Stealth gains have tapered off and I still haven''t gotten to level 10 yet. There isn''t a lot I can do, I guess I can meditate; I''m nearly at the next level anyway. Your Meditation skill has increased by 1 Shit you fucker, don''t you have something else to do? It''s been two hours. He finally leaves after another half hour, only for Mrs. Beckett to replace him. She''s less patient and leaves after another half hour. The other kids are getting up about now anyway, might as well get this over with. ****? "¡­You know we are really trying Simon, taking care of a bunch of kids that don''t have parental direction isn''t easy. This is something we''re going to have to let Mrs. Pearson know about. We expect certain things of you. No more skipping. Six week grade reports are coming at the end of the week, we expect improvement in the classes we''ve been informed you have been slacking off on. If I have to drive to your school to pick you up to make sure you get home instead of you skipping the bus I will. I''d rather not have to do that. It puts quite a burden on my time in getting the younger kids back from junior high. Now you have a doctor''s appointment again tomorrow to get your cast removed. You want to be there for that don''t you? No running off in the mornings again. Since your arm will be better I expect you to be doing more around the house too, both as part of your grounding and to keep up with what you''ve missed¡­" Should I ask how long the grounding is this time? Nah, I don''t really care, because it doesn''t matter. Just nod your head politely with the occasional Yes Ma''am, Yes Sir. It doesn''t matter, the report cards won''t matter either. Just nod along until I get everything I need. When that was finally over I spent the rest of the day outside with my clay. I made 28 one lb. figurines to make into Golems. If firing Moon-Moon got me a level bump, firing several at once ought to do even more. I won''t be able to Golemize all of them at once, but I need the skills. I have till next Saturday to attempt to finish that quest. You Artistry skill has increased by 1 Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 After all 28 are made I get computer time by lying and saying I have more homework, and practice more programming. I still have a few hours this evening with little to do. Once I lose use of the computer again, I can''t pull out my phone to surf, it might get seen, Thomas will definitely tattle like a bitch to get me in more trouble if he sees it. I wasn''t planning to work the Econ book quest, but it''s all I can do at the moment. I wanted to go back to the gym today; I would have if the fuckers hadn''t been sitting there waiting. I guess that''s why they did it. Monday, February 8th, 2010 Your Computers skill has increased by 1 Now if only my programming skill would finish getting to level 10. They''re not waiting for me in the morning as badly this time, but they did get up a little earlier than usual. I can''t gain stealth anymore for low risk stuff, so close to level 10 too. I get to legitimately skip Spanish today. My cast is removed ''officially'' Speech gets me more pills, more muscle relaxant than pain pills, due to arm stiffness, which the doctor noticed, even though it was really more from the workout I did Saturday. It doesn''t matter, I''ll take them. "Alright I''m keeping these in the safe this time." Christ not this again. "I still need one this morning"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Take it and then hand it back," she says. I take one, palm two, and hand the bottle back. Then Mrs. Beckett drops me off at school again. I pop a second after she leaves to try and boost my Drug Resist. I can fit 14 clay figurines into the kiln in art class, half now, half later. Most look like rats, squirrels or abnormally large insects, plus a bat and a small bird, I even made one fish, just to experiment with. Since putting something into an oven doesn''t actually take long, and I''m out of clay, I actually do the painting assignment the teacher set up for the rest of the class. Skill gain is skill gain at this point. I leave the other 14 unfired figurines on the table next to the kiln for swapping out on Wednesday so I won''t have to carry them around. I continue to draw in English class while ignoring the teacher, then stealth my way off campus during lunch, to meet up with some other delinquents who do the same. "Simon Says, man. What you got this time?" Rick, a now regular asks as I walk up. "More cigs, more biology or Spanish homework; depends." I still need cigarettes to train up drug resist but cigs alone are hitting diminishing returns. It''s the choice of that or money and I still need money for various things. "Yeah you ever get something other than cigs man?" "Hmm, I got a Flexeril." "A what?" "Muscle relaxant, it relaxes you, all of you." "Any good?" Rick asked. "Yeah I heard of those, not bad." Twig, another delinquent says. "I''m on a couple of them now and I don''t¡­ I''m just fucking peachy man." "Yeah? Five bucks." "Five bucks really?" I ask. That''s not at all what I expected, actually who knows, I don''t know what any fucking street drug prices are. "Uh, hell man I don''t know I''m pretty fucking high now already." Rick said in a cloud of smoke. Speech kicks in, well it was already on. "No I mean five bucks for the one pill? Please. This isn''t a generic, it''s the real deal. Here let me show you." I pull out the third pill I palmed, take out my phone and take a picture of the front and back of it. I need to know what the thing looks like after I sell it to this dweeb. I zoom in my shots. "See that ink and trademark signage, and that coloration? Totally the good shit." "Uh, six?" I raised my eyebrow at him. "Seven?" "Doing better." "I don''t got more than seven bucks and change on me man." "Well, count your change." "K, I got four quarters¡­ Eight?" "Deal. Sorry I don''t have two though, they''re better in pairs. This one was just the odd one left over. Don''t suppose you can do me a favor and pass that joint could ya?" "Of course dude, rock on." A couple drags on the joint, and a couple cigarettes down to butts, a few more trades, though not like before, after shaking out my jacket, borrowing a spritz of air freshener and some mints, it''s time to sneak back into school again. During math class I just drew pictures again to practice art until school is finally fucking over. "Hey, you know you still have a slight odor of weed on you." Rachel says as we were leaving. "Well, shit." "I just wanna know where you got some." "I don''t have any, just joint passing during lunch. Shouldn''t you be the good kid? I''m bad enough already." "Yeah, right. Just means they are less likely to notice the behavior of everyone else next to your stellar example. Are you getting on the bus this time?" "Fuck no, got to take care of this." "What do you want me to tell the Becketts?" I shrugged. "Say I got sick or something, threw up and went back inside to the bathroom, missed the bus. I don''t really care." ****? What I confirmed Saturday, as I had suspected before, was that anything of body weight or less, was inefficient in gaining progress towards the next strength point. It''s all heavy strain like the damn notification descriptions said. I''m back at the gym having wasted yesterday, trying to up my skill and stats again. Plus I have to pick up all my loot and move it somewhere else. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 Also the muscle relaxer is letting me ignore a fucking lot of points where I probably should have stopped. Another thing I learned is that one full stamina exhaustion to minor HP loss, is not enough to get a full point in STR or CON or level in Gamer''s Body, though at least I got the Athletic skill out of it. I also was tired enough that I could sleep in the sauna, and rested only an hour. That may put my sleep schedule off, but the recovery rate during actual sleep is enough to restore stamina and let me go another round. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Two sessions are enough to get Gamer''s body, two thirds towards the next CON, almost the next STR, and almost enough for another level in Athletics. I can probably top that off tomorrow in PE. Too exhausted to continue, I leave the gym and go to a pharmacy and start looking through all the over the counter products for pills that match the size and coloration of the Flexerils. No luck. I stop when the store clerk starts following me around. ****? I get an earful, again when I walk in the door. "And what do you have to say for yourself this time? Rachel said you were ill and missed the bus, I drove up to the school but I didn''t see you anywhere, nor when driving the route home." Mr. Beckett rumbles at me. Her first mistake was telling me too much info up front. "Must have missed me, caught a ride from a friend." "What friend? And why would you get home this late if you got a ride?" Mrs. Beckett shrilly adds to the escalating argument. "Well, if you had let me finish. Rick gave me a ride, Twig too, but Twig got dropped off first, then Rick''s car wouldn''t start because it''s a clunky piece of crap. So I was stuck even further away than I expected to be and had to walk anyway, and he doesn''t live near a bus route." "And where the hell did you get that coat and hat?" "It''s Rick''s. He felt bad about not being able to give me the ride home he promised so he let me borrow this, since it''s February and god damn cold outside, I got to bring them back to him later this week. "And why couldn''t you call?" Mr. Beckett asked non-helpfully. "You mean with my broken phone?" "What Rick or ''Twig'' doesn''t have one?" "Nope. Now if you''d like to get me a working phone and plan and allow me to keep it on my person at all times so it is available when I need it, I''d be happy to call and let you know when something happens." A moment of silence passed. "Shall I take that as a no?" "I''m taking you to school directly tomorrow, and walking you to your class, and picking you up after school as well. I expect you to be there." "Are you going to pick drop off and pick everyone else up too? Seems kinda silly to do all that just for me while making the others still ride the bus." "Go to your room and do whatever homework you have Simon." "Sure, I''ll eat my dinner there too, I need to use the computer for homework again though. Might want to go get my pills, they''re twice daily." She brings my pills to me half an hour later. I palm three again and take one. I spend the rest of the evening programming and sketching new golem designs in my room. Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 Not enough time on the computer to gain level 10 in programming, but very close, definitely tomorrow morning. The secondary gains in computer skill from doing programming are tapering off even more. Mrs. Beckett actually does what she said and walks me to my Biology class room. I think it was meant to embarrass me, but that only works if I actually cared. You have gained the ''Cellular'' specialty for Science (Biology) I sneak off campus again for lunch but can''t hang out; I need to check the herbal shop in the center across from the school. I go in and start looking over all of their stuff. Observe shows me that nearly 100% of it is complete crap that does nothing for you, and at least most of the time, nothing bad either. Just snake oil peddled to make people feel better. "Can I help you?" The pretty young shopkeeper asks me. She looks like she is barely out of high school, had to be since it''s during school hours. I feel my Speech kick in. "Oh yes, you can definitely help me, I''d really appreciate that. My Mom wanted me to come in here and get one of her herbal things but for the life of me I can''t remember what it''s called. I do have a picture though. If I see it I am sure I''ll remember what it was or I could text a photo to confirm." I pull my phone out and bring up the photo to help get the size, shape and coloration of what I¡¯m looking for as close as I can and show it to ''Amy'' as her name tag says. "Hmm, you can''t recall anything about what it might be? Dietary assistance, Hormonal, Vitamins? Anything like that? You don''t have a photo of the label?" "It was an old container; the label got wet and faded beyond readability¡­" After nearly the whole lunch period, long enough to make me slightly late to PE, we find a close match. I take a photo of it and promise I''ll be back later to get some. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Speech skill has increased by 1 To the surprise of Coach, I actually fully participate in PE. It may have shocked him enough that he ignored my lateness too. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 Just as expected, Mrs. Beckett arrives to pick me up, waiting like a Hawk. She at least does pick up everyone and not make some take the bus. After my stupid piddling XP punishment chores, I hole myself up in the room all evening to grind Artistry until I level it. Your Artistry skill has increased by 1 Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 At least the idiots are not waiting for me in the hall this morning, or haven''t done so yet, but not even they want to be up at 3am, just me. Your Programming skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Grok feature for Programming 8 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Good, Computers skill is level 9 still and moving slowly, I needed it to get to a 10 as well. Four more days to get 7 more skills to level 10. I may have overdone it in my attempt to level up Drug resist, two Flexerils plus various OTC cold stuff I snitched from the house left me a bit incoherent in Spanish and Art, but it''s working. Your Artistry Skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Happy Trees feature for Artistry 9 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 I now have 14 figurines to Golemize, but not the mana to do them all at once. I put the other 14 in the Kiln as well. Hopefully it will knock me up a full level again in both. I manage to Golemize one during English by keeping my hand in my backpack long enough. No reinforcement levels, these are just for skilling practice. I confirm its stats during lunch. They''re better than Spider-Bong''s, only because ceramic is a better material than raw clay, and they''re much better made. They''re still tiny and have a lot less HP than Moon-Moon. I Golemize a second during lunch. I try doing two at once, but get a stupid error popup. I still have to sneak off campus and buy those herbal pills, and carve more room in my smugglers book to hide them. I only manage making two before returning to class after selling a couple fake pills to stupid high teenagers that can''t tell the difference. I endure unavoidable gains in Math, so no specialty for level 3. I wonder if I can steal Thomas Trig textbook and get a specialty for that later on once this fixes itself. Mrs. Beckett shows up again like yesterday to pick everyone up, still clearly not trusting me to get on the bus. I Golemize two more at home, before I have to start waiting for MP to recover. I have 2 "rats", a "bat" and a "fish". I lock myself in the bathroom and fill the tub to test the fish. After I awaken it, it promptly sinks, and flops around on the bottom, not even succeeding in moving toward me when I order it to follow. One of the rats does a better job of walking on the bottom of the filled tub than the fish does. The bat also can''t fly, and since its body was made with the idea of flying instead of walking, it can barely walk either. Spider-Bong can move better. Those are pretty obvious failures. The Bird I have yet to Golemize will probably be just as bad. After requesting they retrieve my pills, I replace all the ones in the bottle with the fake herbal ones I bought, and I still have some fake ones left over. I drug myself up and delayed my usual sleep schedule to meditate for 3 hours, to get enough MP recovered to Golemize one more before going to sleep. Thursday, February 11th, 2010 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''It''s in your Jeans'' feature for Drug and Poison Resistance 10 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Good that plan worked during the night and I can finally stop fucking with that shit. I''m still so damn groggy though. I dismiss the rest of the notifications without looking too closely and check out my MP. It''s almost maxed out, having left only one Golem awake to not waste the overflow. It''s enough to Golemize three more right away and a fourth in an hour or so. That leaves me with five more to still do. Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 Despite trying to skill up Computers this morning I shorted myself some hours due to getting up later. That may have been a mistake, it''s looking like it will be harder to finish this off. I''ll have to use the Wi-fi on my phone for follow-up research later or at school without getting caught.] Stealth is stubbornly barely moving despite being 93% of the way toward level 10. It''s really frustrating. I''d probably have to go steal more shit to try and get it over the hump. ****? Your Speech skill has increased by 1 All day at school, and I only get 1 skill up a level. Speech isn''t going to make it to 10 in time by Saturday anyway. Despite overworking myself beyond exhaustion in PE, Athletics is still short of the next level. I can probably make up for it this evening, but that will cut into time for other shit. I only manage to get one more Golem made, leaving me with four more to do. ****? I don''t interact with anyone at home; I have to get the damn skill up. I don''t want to fall short two days out. I probably will have to skip or do something like that tomorrow anyway. I play basketball and run around the yard until I finally get to the next level in Athletics. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 I lie about homework time to get time on the computer, and use my phone in the bathroom to research other stuff. Meditation gets me enough MP to make another golem, three left for tomorrow morning. Friday February 12th, 2010 I Golemize the last three of the batch immediately the next morning as I''m working on the computer, studying hacking, robotics, and anything else worthy of gaining Computer skill when I finally finish off level 10. Your Computers skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Power-User feature for Computers You have unlocked the ''Electronic Eye'' bonus feature for Stealth You have unlocked the ''Data Interface'' feature for Gamer''s Interface 11 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Holy crap! I drill through Parapedia to see what all those gains are. Power-User looks great, faster usage of all programs? Electronic Eye adds a red dot to the Stealth Eyeball and tells me the count of the number of Camera on me? Awesome. Data Interface lets me read and write to storage devices and computers placed into my inventory? That would be sweet, if I had a fucking inventory! Again? When? I need to max out that Gamer''s Interface skill, which means I need to level. Playing around with the interfaces and Parapedia for those gets me a bit more progress with Gamer''s Interface but I''m still far short at less than 60% progress toward level 24. Seems I can''t do anything with data interface at all until I have an inventory, and by then it probably won''t matter. ****? "<¡­I know I know. I just can''t stand the smothering restrictions I feel I am under. There are lots of things I can do with my time, if they would just let me. I''ve no issue with getting back on time or even doing my school work. But if I can''t do my own stuff outside of school cause they don''t give me any freedom. And they keep trying to turn the rest of the kids against me, punishing them in small ways because of what they perceive from me. It''s little wonder I hardly talk to the rest of them anymore, just you. I haven''t exactly made friends with anyone else there, except Julia, but she''s not there.>" I''m cathartically spilling my story out, what parts I''m willing to tell, in Spanish to Rachel, in class since we have an ''open discussion assignment'' if spoken in Spanish. "" Rachel says in response, "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" The bell rings signaling the end of class. We gather up our crap amidst the throng of students and head to the door. "Will I actually see you in Math class later?" Rachel asks as we leave. "Yeah, have a damn test today." Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 ****? Your Craft (Stone & Pottery) skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Extra Earth Affinity feature for Craft (Stone & Pottery) 12 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest I was right about the big skill jump for making ceramic figures en masse. I have a new set of 14, rat-like things, waiting for me to Golemize them. I left all the other ones hidden at the house in the shed just so I would have room to fit all of these in my backpack. So now I have 4 Earth affinities, 1 Plant, and 1 Water. Where did water come from, Swimming? Still don''t know what they will do or how much is needed. I Golemize one during Art, and another during English. Of the three skills I have left, Create Mana Golem is one I''m trying for but it''s only level 8. I might get level 9 before the time runs out but I don''t think I''ll make it. ****? "Yep, pleasure doing business with you." I say as Dale departs, a handful of Ginseng pills in his hand that he thinks are something else, while I stuff a handful of bills in my pocket. I don''t want to continue doing this, but I need to make money. The bus ticket is still $300 something the last time I checked. Plus I''ll need supplies and expenses on the way. Word is getting out though, business picked up quickly in the last few days. Dealing with the cigs, vouchers and homeworks of the last week or so was good, but this is a lot more lucrative. I have to sell real ones to first timers or those that seem savvy enough they might tell the difference. The fake ones go to second timers, sometimes paired with a real one, or those too high or stupid to tell. "It''s eight bucks a pop. Cigs are two bucks. No I don''t have or need weed" I sneak off to campus for lunch to the usual delinquent hang-out spot. While money is good it might take another week before I earn enough. Still, it''s good progress, far more than I had made previously. "Oh shit, gotta go Simon." Twig says before he nearly scrambles over himself to quickly leave. I look up and see a couple of thugs head straight for me. I grab my stuff and try to round the corner only to get clotheslined by a third I didn''t see. -5 HP My backpack takes the brunt on my impact with the ground, and I hear something inside it shatter. I manage to avoid having my head hit the concrete but my shoulder smacks it pretty hard. "This is my territory you fuckstain!" Thug #1 yells at me. I dodge one boot only to get kicked by another. -10 HP Thug #2 drugs me by my shirt and backpack up against the brick wall and dumpster. Thug #1 is apparently the leader as he continues talking. "You''re selling without a license" Oh they''re comedians. I shield my head with my arms from a punch and kicks to my face. -15 HP -6 HP -9 HP "That requires a fine, of all the shit and money you got on you." I manage to land one feeble punch on a Thug #3''s knee before I get kicked in the gut hard. -20 HP "Stay down you idiot." Thug #1 says as they rifle through my crap. They take my wallet, the leftover pills, and dump my backpack. Only by luck does my Geometry book not flip open and spill out my phone and other crap I have hidden in there. "Licenses cost a grand. You owe me that now¡­let''s see what we got here. Simon Anderson." He said as he read my stupid ID card. "Only a freshman, huh? You''re trying to pull shit above your weight class. Well, here''s how it works, fuckstain. You give me a grand and I don''t beat your ass next time I see you. Then maybe I let you sell what I tell you to sell, to who I tell you to sell, where and when I tell you to sell it." I can''t help myself. "It''s to whom." I say, spitting some blood out of my mouth. "Or did you not pass English?" "Oh you a wise ass?" Thug #1 walks up and lifts his foot to give me another stomp. That''s when I jump up and punch him right in the dick. -40 HP, Critical Hit Thug #1 doubles over and hits the ground and I jump on him swinging. Two jabs to the stomach before my arms get pulled by one of the others. -7 HP -6 HP "Get this little shit off me." Thug #1 yells. Despite his bigger size his overhead tag said he was level 9, same as me. Of course the other two were level 8 and level 11. -10 HP -12 HP I still hold on to Thug #1 while the others pull my hands around his coat and waist, till one manages to bring a knee up right into my chest. -25 HP "This little fucker wants more does he?" Thug #3 yells. I try kicking the legs out from Thug #2 from my, once again, prone position, but he dodges out of the way. -10 HP -15 HP -8 HP -12 HP -15 HP -50 HP, Critical hit -12 HP Thug #1 manages to recover enough to kick me in the balls returning the favor. I''m winded and stunned, clearly losing, and spew chunks on the pavement. "Stay the fuck down this time faggot!" Thug #1 drop my empty wallet onto my chest. Then it''s over and they leave me lying in a puddle of blood, sweat and vomit. I agonizingly roll over to my stuff and started gathering it up into my backpack as quickly as possible. I set my volume up high again cause I don''t have much time before they might notice and come back. My money is gone, the drugs are gone, even my cigs. Several of my ceramic figures are in shattered pieces on the pavement or in my pack. At least some are intact. The couple of Golem versions I have are still together, minus a few hit points. I guess they are a lot tougher than your average unpowered ceramic animal. I don''t think I''m going to make it to math class today. I turn stealth mode on and limp away down the loading alley behind the shopping district just in time. My amplified voice channel was letting me know they discovered what I had done and had turned back around. "Fucker stole my wallet! Go find him! We put him in the hospital now." I hide in a dumpster for a fucking hour and a half before my scry camera let me know it was safe to come out. There''s a mass of unread notifications waiting when I finally crawl back out. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Unarmed Combat'' skill 10 of 25 items stolen for the quest Sticky Fingers For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Back-stab feature for Stealth 13 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest +50 XP for surviving Drug Dealer Thug Encounter I go to a nearby grocery store, steal a first aid kit and doctor myself in the bathroom. I go to the gym near the house, con my way in to use the showers with my Speech skill, and get cleaned up. I walk the rest of the way home to deal with the next set of fallout, making sure I hid Thug #1, a Mr. Fredrico Mendoza, High School Senior, wallet in my book before I do so. 11 of 25 items stolen for the quest Sticky Fingers Your Medicine skill has increased by 1 ****? As soon as I open the door. "And why weren''t you in Math today?" Mrs. Beckett yells before managing to get a look at my face when I turn around. "Cause I got mugged and beat up during lunch" "And where were you for that to happen? Why didn''t you go to the principal?" "Cause it wasn''t inside the building and I was too busy being unconscious after getting shoved in a dumpster?" "Yeah you sure smell like you were in a dumpster." "Shut up Thomas!" We both yell at him, something Mrs. Beckett and I for once agree on. "That''s the jacket, I cleaned up and showered at the gym before I walked home." "Why were you not on school grounds?" She continues to ask. "I said I wasn''t in the building, not that I wasn''t on the grounds. There is such a thing as eating outside." "I still don''t see¡ª" Mrs. Beckett began before I interrupted her. "Think about what you''re about to say, because if you''re about to blame the victim, I don''t have time for that shit. I probably need stitches and I hope I don''t have any broken ribs." I actually didn''t. The only status effects were bruises and lacerations that would run out their timers in a number of days. So much for having the Get Healthy Again quest completed soon. Mr. Beckett interjected, somewhat calmly for once. "I''m taking him to the ER and calling the police when I get there." ****? We don''t speak until we pull into the hospital parking lot. "So what does the other guy look like?" Mr. Beckett asks a bit out of the blue. "There were three of them, but I punched one of them in the dick. He won''t be walking too well." "Well, at least that''s something. Come on, we''ll get you fixed up." I got only a few stitches, some wraps, and some Tylenol, a numbing pack to minimize swelling and antibiotics on the cuts. I''m waiting in the room when officer John Roman comes in. "So we''ve talked before. So, you didn''t stay out of trouble or trouble came and found you?" "It found me but I recall never making any promises." "We should have been called before you got cleaned up, so we could take pictures prior to that." He said as he held up a camera and started taking photos. I wince at the brightness of the flash. "So you want to tell me what happened?" No, I don''t want to tell you what happened, that would lead to questions I don''t want to answer. "Three guys jumped me, about as simple as that." "Any reason they did so? Do you know them? Can you describe them at all?" "Gee, dark hair, brown eyes, males in their teens or twenties, brown skin, probably Hispanic. I could just as well be describing myself, except more muscles, and meaner attitudes. Somehow I don''t think that is going to be very helpful to you." "Well you never know, did anyone see this go down?" "No, no one saw, or no one will say they did if they had, you know how this shit is." Because if I lead you to them then they can talk about why they wanted to jump me and I think dealing drugs, even fake ones is gonna be a serious problem. "I can''t help you if you don''t cooperate." "Come on, I''m not stupid, stop me if at any point what I am saying is wrong. I give you a description which will end up being generic enough that it describes most of the young adult male minority population in Houston. That won''t lead you to anything. Second, if you do find them and I do ID them, there wasn''t anyone else that saw, or will admit to seeing. Three guys'' words against mine. You won''t be able to pin anything on them, sure they stole some cash from me but that''s it. I can''t prove any of that either. And once you can''t do anything, despite trying or even wanting to try, word gets out and I''ll just reap the retaliation at some point in the future. So just mark your incident report and let me the fuck go, so I can get back and get some sleep." Your Speech skill has increased by 1 The Beckett''s were kind enough to leave me the hell alone when I get back. I eat dinner till my Hunger meter is full of everything that gives the best HP gain per weight that I can find. Mrs. Beckett even washes "Rick''s" jacket. I have enough MP to make another Golem from the surviving figurines. Sometime tomorrow afternoon the Fifteen-Ten quest will expire. I have to make a decision before then. Saturday, February 13th, 2010 3 am Saturday morning. I have enough mana to make three more golems. I''m almost at level 9. This afternoon the quest will expire. I have to spend some skill points on something no matter what. I can make exactly one more Golem from the surviving figurines. I''m not sure if that will be enough to get level 9, I''ll have to wait a few hours for the MP to regen to do it. Then what? I pick what I''m going to spend skill points on. Finish this quest, gain 300 XP and hit level 10. Athletics is also almost at level 10 all on its own, but it will be a waste to bump that when it is so close. Empathy is barely over level 9 as well. Basic Academics is also level 9, but I don''t trust it. I''d like to know what features will get unlocked for all of them, it could make a significant difference, especially Create Mana Golem since I have so many at the moment. I have 19 figurine golems, 20 when I make one more, plus Spider-Bong and Moon-Moon, 22 in all. Eight of the second set of fourteen figurines got crushed in my backpack when the fucker clotheslined me. It will take little over half my current mana to wake up half of them. I''d run out pretty quick after that with a -66 MP loss per minute. It will be a hell of a thing for a short period of time, except they''re all pretty crappy in stats and HP. This power seems to not be very efficient at ''army of golems''. Maybe with a long slow build up, a lot of advance prepwork, it can be viable. Right now, only managing a handful 24-7 seems viable, unless something good gets unlocked at level 10 to make a difference. So Empathy it is, only 3% towards the next level, won''t be a big deal if it gets lost. I spend one of the unused skill points. Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Roleplayer feature for Empathy You have unlocked the ''Motivations'' bonus Feature for Observe 14 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest Yep, even 0% at level 10, probably wasted the 3% progress. I look over Thug #1''s wallet in the dark of the bedroom via my interface light. It has a driver''s license, a student ID card, some fast food coupons, and $30 bucks. Fredrico Mendoza. I go to the computer, look his address up on maps, with FRAPS running, checking out the street view. Neighborhood is really shitty, there¡¯s a chain fence and a dog house in the backyard. I''m interrupted when a notification pops up.
Where''s my money, Bitch? Get back at those drug dealing scum. Steal back what they stole from you and them some. Time Limit: February 21st Success: +400 XP, $$$, rep, satisfaction of stomping some mobs for XP Failure: Your broke ass be stuck here even longer.
Shit of course, of course my power trolls me with that. I don''t have the names of the other guys, I should have had FRAPS on during the fight but it went by too fast. I should have FRAPS on 24/7 but the MP cost gets expensive. Wait there they are. Naho Ortiz, and Juan Vargas. Right there under ''Annoyances'' on the relationship sheet. Naho? Really? Do people call him Nacho instead to piss him off? I finish looking up everything else I need to know on the computer and quietly go downstairs Now I need to get out of the house. I get ready, raid the fridge, and sneak out. I''m not bolting yet. I''m still not ready for that. Yeah, I''ll get another earful when I get back, but I don''t care anymore. I find my way back to the gym I used the first time, a different employee mans the counter, so I finagle another free trial period. That done, I get busy training again. Even though I hurt from yesterday, I''m that close and want to finish off that quest. I just need the Athletics skill to top out to level 10. Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Good Pacing feature for Athletics 15 of 15 skills now at level 10 for the Fifteen-Ten quest +300 XP, Fifteen-Ten quest completed You have gained a level! You are now level 10. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 Rappel has been removed from your relationship sheet I pause my workout as the rush of sudden HP, Stamina and MP bumps comes over me. Rappel has been removed? That must have finally decayed. Oh, I have enough MP now from the level up to Golemize that last figurine. I take a break, go to the bathroom and do so. Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 It was level 9, now but I wanted a 10, so fuck it. I spend another skill point. Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Expanded Commands feature for Create Mana Golem I also don''t feel like fucking waiting an entire other level for these damn things to max out. I spend two more skill points. Your Gamer''s Mind skill has increased by 1 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder negated by Gamer''s Mind Mild Depression negated by Gamer''s Mind Aqua-phobia negated by Gamer''s Mind You have unlocked the Hamster Wheel feature for Gamer''s Mind Gamer''s Mind has reached Max rank Your Gamer''s Interface skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Inventory feature for Gamer''s Interface Gamer''s Interface has reached Max rank God damn, finally. Yeah Fredrico, as soon and I train and heal up a bit more I''m gonna go kick your fucking ass or steal all your shit, or both, whatever is most convenient. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Foster Kid / Shoplifter Faction: None Money: $30.00 Title: Vermin Stomper Level: 10 (5.54%) XP: 8200 Primary Attributes STR: 8 (0.00) 8.00 (98.14%) AGI: 7 (0.00) 7.00 (36.22%) CON: 13 (0.00) 13.00 (8.23%) INT: 22 (0.00) 22.00 (5.64%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (49.05%) WIS: 20 (0.00) 20.00 (98.75%) CHA: 12 (0.00) 12.00 (81.24%) LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 (58.34%) Unspent Points: 26 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 156/303 Stamina Pool: 261/272 Mana Pool: 55/2750 Stress Pool: 420/420 Attack: 8.50 Speed: 2.73 Dodge: 11.00 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 80.00 Allure: 2.50 Skills Max Slots: 42 Free Skill Slots: 9 Artistry: 10 (71.23%) Athletics: 10 (0.00%) Basic Academics: 9 (10.43%) Computers: 10 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (0.00%) Create Mana Golem: 10 (0.00%) Disable Device: 10 (0.58%) Disease Resistance: 6 (52.60%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 10 (3.43%) Empathy: 10 (0.00%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 18 (15.43%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 3 (33.43%) Medicine: 2 (0.00%) Meditation: 11 (44.03%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 11 (60.00%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (47.86%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 8 (0.00%) Stealth: 10 (6.64%) Strategy: 1 (0.00%) Thievery: 3 (44.95%) Unarmed Combat: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.8 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.8 Saturday, February 13th, 2010 Inventory, awesome, the thing that I felt I was teased with for so long. Of course it''s a top tier feature on max rank skill. It''s an extra dimensional space? I''m still in the stall in the gym bathroom, which gives me some privacy. Some other dudes are in here, I wait for them to leave before I start experimenting. "Inventory" I beheld a new interface window, pretty typical for lots of RPG games I recall playing. Avatar picture up in the upper right corner with a complex set of equip slots. No, not really equip ''slots'' just entries for basic stat info of what I''m currently wearing. Upper middle is said entries, and upper left is more basic info, equipped weight, inventory weight, money, etc. a simplified repetition of some status information. The lower half is entirely occupied by a set of 12x12 gridded squares on numbered, tabbed pages. A quick scroll through the entire set of empty pages goes from 0-999. One thousand pages of inventory, 144,000 grid squares. Is that a hard limit? Or if I ever fill it up will it add more pages? Could I fill it up that much? That inventory ''weight carried'' stat of 0.000 has me concerned there may be a limit. A quick drag and drop of my shirt between my avatar and a grid square confirms I now have quick change ability and yes, the weight carried value goes up when I drop my shirt on a square. An icon image of the shirt appears in the square, and a tooltip tells me what it is. A bright flash of light came with putting something into inventory. Is that real light or invisible light like what my interfaces produce? I reposition the window and use one hand to drop something into inventory while I hold the other hand near the wall. My hand casts a shadow when the light flashes. Shit, probably real light then. Shadows never appear from the ''invisible'' light effects of my interfaces. At least there isn''t an accompanying sound effect. I''ll need to find some way to obfuscate that. I drop my watch into my inventory with the stopwatch active, wait about a minute then pull it back out. It has the same amount of time left as when I put it in. I do it several more times to confirm. It seems time does not pass for items placed into my inventory. Well that opens up a whole new branch of exploitation. I put the golem I made earlier in and out of my inventory. Good, no apparent restrictions there. I spend the MP to wake the new golem, and wait a minute to verify the MP loss for maintenance and put the awakened Golem in my inventory. I wait another minute; there is no change in MP, another minute, still no change. I take it back out and the MP drop occurs at the normal rate. The time stasis effect suspends my recurring MP cost when a golem is in my inventory. That''s fucking awesome. It means I just turned a potentially expensive recurring cost into a fixed one. So long as I have room in my inventory, I only have to awaken a Golem once. As much as I want to keep experimenting, I brought a limited number of items with me. Most of my crap is still at the house, and I need to maximize my time at the gym. For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR That only took another half hour. At least I can put this new Good Pacing feature to use. Parapedia indicates it lets me halve my stamina loss during training once a day. ''Once a day'' is too ambiguous. How long is that in reality? What if I spent all 24 hours training? If such a thing is possible, will it work all day? What if I got into a fight? Does that count as training that would let me activate it? At least, by using it right now, it seems to be working. I''ll be able to last twice as long before my stamina is exhausted. Will it still work once I get to negative status effects or minor HP damage? Using the good pacing feature from athletics, it takes me a while to exhaust my stamina to 0. I''m so close to leveling my next Gamer''s Body, I keep going. I''ve been collecting some stares. Personal trainers have stopped by doing their sales shtick at first, and then just came by to ask if I''m okay. Maybe working out for 4 hours straight is not normal. The weight values I''m using are still pathetically low compared to what I see various bulky dudes using, but I just kept up the reps. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Right, finally, it''s time to stop before people start asking uncomfortable questions. I take some water and lunch to get more HP back. It will probably take a few hours for my stamina to recover back to maximum, and I need to scout for intel and then go shopping. ****? I look over the rundown neighborhood after stepping off the bus; I still have a ways to walk to get to my destination. It''s a mostly poor Hispanic neighborhood, so even though I''m on the lighter skinned side I still look in place and no one really bothers me. I get some occasional stares, but not many people are outside on a cold February morning. There''s the fucker''s house. I pull out my last few smokes from my inventory/pocket. I only managed to keep it because they were inside the smuggler''s book. Guess I don''t actually need that book anymore. I stand about stealthed and smoking on the street corner, and turn on FRAPS and Free Camera. Hope no one walks up to me. It doesn''t take long. I''m a block away but scout the interior and exterior of the house. Big dog is in the alleyway. It raises its head and looks around as my view gets close to him. I don''t know if that is a coincidence or not, but it settles back down a moment later. It''s a cheap three bedroom house, one bathroom, definitely a fucking drug house, but only has weed and pills strewn about in the living room. Two entrances, front door and back door with a big doggie door that leads into the kitchen, there''s no garage. Backyard has a chain-link fence with an alley gate chained padlock. Observe and camera confirm three occupants, the three fuckers that beat me up. Naho, Juan and Fredrico. Two are sleeping and one is on the shitter. The living room has burnt out joints, cigarettes, dirty dishes, and empty beer bottles strewn all over. I set up my flashlight theme and sent my camera into various cabinets and drawers and whatever. I see one gun on the coffee table in the living room, a small revolver. I use Observe on as many things of import as I can, on the three perps and the dog, a German Shepard. Shouldn''t this guy have parents or something? Where are they? And who sets up a drug house in the same house as the one your ID is addressed to? Shouldn''t they use abandoned properties or something? It takes an hour and a couple swaps back to normal camera to light new cigarettes and smoke them as slowly as I can, before I succeed in finding an old briefcase under the bed that my lighted camera mode and observe indicates might have cash in it, I think I have enough to go on now though. I head back to the bus stop and turn off FRAPS. Need to strategize how I''m going to neutralize those threats, including the dog, to hit this place. ****? Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 25 of 25 items stolen for the quest Sticky Fingers +300 XP, Sticky Fingers quest completed New Title obtained: Apprentice Thief Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the No Prints feature for Thievery Well, completing that quest became trivially easy with inventory. Head to a big box store, fill up a shopping cart with crap that built up obscuring ''walls'' along the bottom, sides and part of the top, leaving just a hole to reach my hand through to an empty space in the middle. Then I just set my inventory interface horizontally to intersect with the bottom of the cart, and just dropped stuff in. Make use of Electronic eye and stealth to be sure I''m not being watched or recorded when I do so. All this is to obscure the flash that happens when I put things in and out of inventory. Some things are still difficult to nab this way, anything large, and a lot of electronic components that are kept behind locked cabinets that you have to get a claim ticket for and bring to the register are not doable in this manner. Other things like jewelry and such, have too many cameras and people nearby to risk, nor do I need anything like that right now anyway. I gather up gear and supplies to prepare for my debut and pending travel. I add a hockey helmet to help protect my head, motocross chest and shoulder protection, elbow pads, knee pads, shin guards, and a strap and cup to my costume. Getting punched in the balls hurt like hell, even with 50% pain resistance. I swipe an aluminum baseball bat for melee, and a tennis racket and racquet balls for training later. I swipe some food from a grocery store. Observe tells me any unusual properties the produce has, and the descriptions are even more detailed than with ¡®budding botanist¡¯. Maybe because of the botany specialty from Biology? I''m rethinking that cooking/brewing skill I can get, but I don''t have time for it right now. I use a lot of Observe, on food, clothing and whatever to check armor values, and other properties. I nab some expensive fancy clothing that give minor allure bonuses, and some that give comfort bonuses. Heh, even some fancy silk boxers, +2 Comfort, and +0.25 Allure if visible. Interestingly there''s also some clothing that gives negative allure. I suppose there can be reasons for wearing that on purpose. ****? I feel bad about stealing from the craft store, but I need the 40 lb. bag of clay for future golems, and the sculpture tools. They''re a mom and pop type shop, not a big box store that can afford the losses. Although, how in the hell will I be able to get them fired? I sure as hell can''t fit a kiln in my inventory. I make sure I''m not being watched or recorded and heft the bag of clay into my cart and into my inventory, then abandon the cart and head toward the door. I''m unexpectedly walking slower than normal. Why? Damn I just doubled the weight of what I''m carrying in my inventory with that bag, 71 lbs. of inventory plus equipped weight. I check my status effects. ''Heavy Encumbrance'', imparts a 30% loss of movement speed and ''can''t sprint''. I was at light and medium encumbrance before, but at only a 5% and 15% movement speed loss that was mostly ignorable. I definitely feel the weight of stuff in my inventory, but it''s more evenly distributed. Maybe I can abuse this for more STR training? I was going to look for a hunk of soapstone, but this is too much. I slowly walk my way to the bench at the nearby bus-stop and sit down. I go through my notification options and turn Encumbrance back on. I turned it off earlier because it''s annoying, but with inventory it''s going to be harder to tell when I cross a threshold. How is this going to affect me if I find myself in a fight? I''ll need to be able to move as easily as I can, so I don''t want to carry too much stuff if this is the result. Damn this makes STR a lot more important now. What''s going to happen when I finally pass that 90 lb. carry value? I''m damn close to it already. When I get back to the house and add all my golems, it will definitely go over, guess I''ll find out then. I use Parapedia on my other new features while I wait for the bus. So what''s this new thievery feature? ''No Prints''? Um what? No fingerprints? I look at my fingertips and rub them together. They feel smooth, but I have to look carefully to notice it. I zoom in with my free camera to get a closer look; yeah they are definitely gone now, just like that. So suddenly and arbitrarily my power changes some aspect of my physical body. This is concerning. But isn¡¯t it already doing that each time my stats change? I didn''t have a problem with my bad eyesight getting corrected. The slowly increasing muscle mass and definition isn''t bad either. Still look like a twig, just less of one than I used to. Then there''s whatever increasing my INT, WIS and CHA is doing to my brain. Shit, I don''t have time for another existential crisis right now. Well my stamina is all filled up again but the bus rides are chipping away at my meager funds. Time to train the next thing, the bus pulls up to the rec center and I step off. ****? I have to dump all my crap in a locker at the rec center to lighten my inventory load enough. The bag of clay and the clothes on my back alone are enough to put me into Medium encumbrance. I need to figure out exactly what the weight thresholds are for each encumbrance status. For now just put all this crap aside. At least I am not losing Stamina with the weight overloads. After two hours of exhausting uncoordinated attempts at playing racquetball against myself in the rec center, my stamina is at zero again. I check my AGI progress. A bit over 55%, it''s definitely a full body movement activity. Only getting two hours'' worth before my stamina is exhausted sucked, the good pacing thing really means just once per day. CON rises quickly with HP loss and much more slowly with Stamina loss. There has to be a conversion ratio hidden in there somewhere. Stamina is a resource that should not be wasted just like MP. Stamina has a high regen rate, almost as much as my MP. So every point that I could have regened when I was at max, is a point wasted that could have been converted into Athletics skill and/or physical stat training. My goal is to get STR or AGI up to a 10 before selecting a perk. A 10 stat value seems a common prerequisite for various perks. I want to pick a perk before I go after those dealers, which I need to decide on pretty soon. The shit is probably going to hit the fan when I get back to the house, but I need to go out tomorrow. Whatever the Beckett''s say be damned, even if they sit outside my door. The ¡®Where''s my Money?¡¯ deadline is February 21st, it''s currently the 13th, so I need to finish it before the end of Sunday next week. But that means school that week, which some of them attend. I might run into them there or they might come looking for me there. I don''t want that, so the earlier I hit them the better. I also need to call the bus terminal before I go back to the house. After navigating through their automated help system I finally get a hold of a person. As a minor without ID, I''ll need signed permission from my guardian in person. However, 16 year olds don''t require an adult to meet them at the destination terminal. Well guess I''m going to lie about my age, though I have no idea how to fix the in-person parental signature part, yet. ****? On the bus ride back, I review my expanded command features I got from skilling up Create Mana Golem. I need to figure out what possibilities they can provide. A lot it turns out. Basic new commands are ''Go to location'', ''Fetch target'', ''Carry target'', ''Subdue target'', ''Drop target'', and ''Wait''. More significant is that I can queue up commands in a series, add quantifying parameters, such as following distance, time duration, etc. and most interesting, conditional execution parameters with a rudimentary companion type behavior and scripting interface. I can theoretically have a Golem walk a patrol route via a queued set of go to location commands in a loop, or wait at any point until a triggering condition is met before it moves to the next command. While this provides a lot of possibilities it''s still limited too. There''s not going to be anything complex I can make them do according to what I see. All major actions are still centered on variations of attack, defend, move, and now fetch, and carry type stuff. That is, assuming that they have the right appendages to do so. Oh and before I forget, "Titles." ''Apprentice Thief'', gives minor success bonuses to roguish skills: Thievery, Stealth, Computers (Hacking, Security Systems), Disable Device, Speech (Deception, Acting, and Intimidation), Disguise, Card & Board Games (any gambling with a skill element) I have a lot of those already, so I''m definitely going to swap my title. Second, there¡¯s a Disguise skill? And there is an Acting and Intimidation specialty for Speech? I don''t have the Card & Board Game skill, I previously ignored it, but this might make it worth reconsidering. It is also a ''tiered'' title. Parapedia indicates that it means it can evolve and be replaced by better titles of the same theme. Doesn''t say how many tiers there are, or what conditions let you go to the next tier. This is just tier one. ****? It''s about 7pm when I walk up to the house. I ate some of the food I stole to lighten my inventory a smidge. I stash the bag of clay and the sculpting tools in the bushes by the alley, it''s too much weight to deal with. The rest I keep in my inventory when I go inside. I walk in the door and get hit with a tirade. They flap their mouths and I give occasional answers. "¡­I had to return Rick''s jacket." I didn''t, Rick didn''t own it, it''s in my inventory now. "¡­well, then we hung out for a while." "I think we should meet this Rick and his parent''s." One of them says, I stop caring by then, and start grabbing leftovers from dinner. Then send me to my room, I gladly oblige. Then I reorganize all my crap and my inventory, which means doing it in the bathroom out of sight. I blow more mana to wake up more golems and put them into my inventory. I don''t think I''ll be able to avoid some encumbrance. Going over my carry weight; put a ''Very Heavy Encumbrance'' status effect on me. It gives a 50% movement speed reduction, can no longer run and I start losing Stamina when I walk. I don''t lose stamina when I''m not moving. I guess that''s a new way to purposely burn off Stamina overflow? Not a convenient or safe way to do it though, what with not being able to run away at a moment''s notice. I planned on going to sleep early, but want to check out this data interface ability. I was able to ''activate'' my phone and the USB sticks while they are in my inventory. But it costs 1 MP per minute to have Data Interface running. I get my phone hooked up to the Wi-Fi, check email and download some apps and games. I copy a few test files back and forth to the USB sticks, and discover I also have the awesome ability to copy stuff to a folder thing located in my interface itself, and copy stuff back, including the music and sound files my power comes equipped with, the notes I''ve taken, and the FRAPS video footage. Holy crap, that will make for some interesting possibilities. I even have the ability to choose if I want the interface screen and features visible or not via a prompt when I copy a FRAPS file to my phone or USB stick. I assume the data size limitation on the devices is still present, but I can''t tell if there is any such limitation on the ''computer'' that represents my power and its interface. I''m not ready to risk that part of my power being revealed, so I delete and overwrite the test FRAPS file I uploaded to a USB stick for now. I should go to a library computer at some point to really confirm this does what I think it does, but it looks very promising. Sunday, February 14th, 2010 I really need more STR or Carry weight. I wake up at 1am and experiment trying to decide what I was going to leave here, have in my inventory, or hide in the alley. The boundary between a Medium Encumbrance vs. a heavy Encumbrance is 60% of my Carry value. I want to get myself down to that. Also I do need to pick a perk before I begin this mess. I finish off some food to lighten the load, and as soon as I verify everyone is asleep, I snag more breakfast from the fridge before sneaking out. I need to wake up as many Golems as I can and put them back into inventory so they won''t drain my MP. I''d already awoken 4, 3 are in inventory, one I left out to soak overflow MP while resting. Despite this, I don''t see any more gains in Create Mana Golem, not even with the guard and follow self instructions active. Guess that''s not enough anymore to gain XP. Nearly 800 MP later, all but two of my Golems are awake and in my inventory. The last two I leave with the clay. They''re the bat and the fish, which proved useless in their ability to move. Those failures are dead weight now. I''m not sure what I''ll do with them in the future, except maybe target practice. I still need to wait. I have my free camera in one window, making sure the Becketts are sleeping soundly, the other window I play a chess game via data interface. I ignore the newest prompt asking me if I want to add Card & Board games as a skill, and leave it unanswered. Half an hour later I''m rewarded with a confirmation of my hunch. For careful thought and consideration of the consequences of your decisions you have gained 1 WIS You may gain the ''Games'' specialty for the Strategy skill I''ll take that, but what is it? ''Units in your command get minor improvement to the gain rate of applicable skills and abilities when training them via a game or simulation you have prepared or are running.'' Damn, I''ve been neglecting this skill for too long. That might be broken, but what represents a unit? How much is a minor improvement? Oh, +10% training XP. Does that apply to me as well; do I count as a unit under my command? Is that level XP, skill XP, or stat XP or all three? Does it affect other people? Can friends and allies count as units in my command, or is it restricted to things like golems? Golems don''t earn XP though. I got all that, from half an hour of playing chess? What other possible specialties for this skill are there? Satisfied everyone is asleep, I prepare to sneak downstairs. I put my free camera in view of the downstairs motion alarm alert, and toss my scarf into the hallway. Good, those are still disabled. If like last time, they get up early to try and intercept me when they think I''m getting up, they might wonder how I got past the motion alarms, and start investigating. I don''t want that but I might not have a choice. They also probably need to turn them off before going upstairs if it''s before their shut-off time. Second, I don''t want them to know that I know the security code. I swipe more food from the fridge, unlock and open the kitchen window a crack, but actually disable, and re-enable the alarm while slipping out the back door. I leave some footprints in the flowerbed below the kitchen window and trail some mud to, and unlock the front gate. I clean my shoes, and slip out the back gate instead, deposit my crap under the bush in the alley with the bag of clay and head off into the night. There''s no way to avoid them realizing I left the house prior to when they turn the alarms off, I want them to think I used the window rather than the door so they won''t change the code on me. Of course this only matters if I need to come back and spend more nights here again. I have no way of knowing if I''ll gain enough money from these fuckers or if I''ll be successful. It will take a while to walk to Fredrico''s neighborhood. It''s too early for the buses to be running. ****? It takes about an hour to walk there, not exactly safe at 2am in the morning. I''ve already heard two distant gunshots with my hearing volumes cranked. I have stealth and my invisible flashlight active. I have most of my costume on already, save the armor bits. It''s cold enough to justify wearing a coat, hat, gloves, scarf, etc. Thank you all-weather friend for making me not feel worse in this weather. I still should pick a perk. I''ve gone over them, but haven''t decided.
Extra Creative: bonuses to Artistry and Crafting Night Owl: see in low light conditions and reduce the penalties of sleep based fatigue. Hardly Hungry: reduce need for sustenance Versatile: +5 skill slots Instant Boost: +3 stat points Skilled Up: +5 skill points XP Whore: +10% Level XP gain (Level 10) Toughness: bonus HP per level increased by 50% (10 CON) Oooh, Shiny!: items of interest or potential loot literally shine and sparkle (PER 10) Mana Boost: MP regen rate increased by 25% (WIS 10) Eye Candy: increase your Allure (10 CHA) Better Loot: your luck leads you to where they stash the good stuff (10 LUC)
Extra creative doesn''t help me immediately. Night Owl and Hardly Hungry felt like trap choices. I can see well in the dark already due to other cheats, and the fatigue penalties I''ve already experienced don''t seem like much of an issue short term. Slower drop of my Hunger bar will make it harder to gain HP from food so that''s a definite no. Versatile, Instant Boost, and Skilled Up, while attractive, are also things I can get via other means. XP Whore is very desirable, and if it isn''t retroactive, I should take it now. Seriously power, troll? Why the stupid names? Toughness is desirable, but I could get away with deferring it, since Mana Reserve was retroactive this probably is too. Mana Boost also looks good, but can probably be deferred. Is ''Oooh, Shiny'' and ''Better Loot'' doing the same thing in different ways? Would I be able to turn off those shine and sparkles, or would I get dazzled into blindness when I walk into a wal-mart or an electronics store? This is kind of like the ''Z-button'' of some RPG game I recall playing once, or was it TAB? Pressing it made every item or container you could loot on the map give off a blue glow. It was helpful for pack-rating everything, but destroyed the exploration and searching aspect of the game. Then again this is my life, so I want to cheat at whatever I can. My HP issue worries me. I''ve got 276 out of 318 healed up right now, and still have a few lingering status effects from getting beat up Friday. An extra 10% on every encounter and completed quest will just get me levels faster which also gives me HP, so XP Whore it is. That''s why you named it that, didn''t you? You knew I would pick it. Ass. You have gained the XP Whore Perk ****? I equip my costume and make my way into the alley behind Fredrico''s house. I need to get close enough to deal with the stupid dog that woke up because some other dog also woke up and decided to start barking at the stranger in the alley. My stealth counters must only care about people because it says 0 are watching me. That''s a good limitation to be aware of. I throw two of the raw steaks filled with over the counter sleeping pills I''d stolen yesterday over the fence. That shut one dog up for now. I threw a third over the fence of the house behind me to shut the other dog up. I hope I don''t poison them or anything. I don''t think it is possible to actually OD on over the counter sleeping pills, even if you take a whole bottle, I hope the same goes for the mutts. Now I wait. Observe shows both dogs with conditions of drugged and sleepy. Their barking woke up some people, but stealth still shows I''m unobserved. The owner of the house behind me yells at his dog to shut up and it leaves. Fredrico''s German Shepard also quiets down and goes back into its doghouse. I turn on my free camera and do my reconnaissance. There are now four people in the house. , , , . I use Observe on them all and move my camera view and light to fully explore the house. The gun is still on the coffee table, albeit in a different spot than before. Some cash, pills, weed, cigarettes and other trash are also on the table. Nacho is passed out on the couch in the same room. Xavier and Selena are asleep on the bed the old briefcase is under and there is a wallet and a cell phone charging on the nightstand. Fredrico is asleep in one of the other bedrooms, and another wallet and cellphone is on the desk in there. I double check my MP and make another sweep. It has been about an hour, a bit after 3am. I have enough MP for less than 40 minutes with all my Golems active at once. That really means I have less time, because they also need to retreat to rendezvous points and get retrieved. Well if this whole thing takes longer than 30 minutes it''s probably a bust anyway. I resume normal view; and pick the padlock on the alley gate. +55 XP for defeating noisy dog +88 XP for defeating possibly dangerous noisy dog They didn''t die did they? Oh, good, just knocked out. I open the gate a crack and go back to my hiding spot, set up my interface and inventory screen and pull Moon-Moon out. Giving them on the fly go to location instructions is a bit odd. It''s a bit like mentally clicking a RTS map with a unit selected except the map was the real world and I''m using a hand gesture to indicate a spot some physical distance away from me. There might be a total range limit to this I haven''t determined yet, probably the active golem range, and this also creates line of sight issues. I send Moon-moon to the back porch. It runs through the open gate to the porch and stops. Its path finding routines seem quite good. The LOS Issues can be partially solved by my free camera; which I use to see inside the house and send Moon-Moon to the living room. It goes right through the doggie door to the place I mentally designated. Phase 1 is working. I pull the rest of the golems out of my inventory and send them to various locations inside the house. Time to begin phase 2. I began subvocalizing my commands. "Moon-Moon fetch ''Ruger LCR'', Golem 1 fetch ''Xavier''s Flip-phone'', Golem 2 fetch ''Xavier''s Wallet'', Golem 3,4,5,6,7 fetch ''Old Briefcase'', Golem 8 fetch ''Fredrico''s Wallet'', Golem 9 fetch ''Fredrico''s Smartphone'', Golem 10 fetch ''Stack of twenties'', Spider-Bong, Golem 11,12,13,14,15,16 go to hallway" Lesson #1, Golems are not stealthy. My view is on Moon-moon because the gun is the biggest threat. Despite the free camera I can''t split my vision to multiple places. I have to hope for the best for the others, things are moving fast now. Moon-moon jumps up on to the recliner and jumps from the recliner onto the coffee table, which scatters all kinds of shit everywhere including the stack of twenties that was up there, now no longer in a stack. Moon-moon is unable to get his mouth on the gun, but was at least able to knock it onto the floor where he proceeds to chase it. This quickly results in him pushing it around the floor of the living room with his nose. The commotion causes Nacho to wake up from the couch. He then proceeds to scream upon seeing a ugly clay dog thing chasing a gun, and a giant beetle running through the living room carrying a smartphone, its pincers trailing a charging cord behind it, which gets caught on the furniture and ripped out of the beetle''s mouth. At least the charging cord and the smartphone became separated in the process and my beetle Golem got back up, picked up the phone again and carried it into the kitchen beyond my view. Well crap. Everyone in the house is awake now. Spider-Bong, Golem 11 & 12 attack ''Xavier Mendoza'', Golem 13 & 14 attack ''Fredrico Mendoza'', Golem 15 & 16 attack ''Nacho Ortiz'' Lesson #2, Golem path-finding is more than just quite good, it''s very excellent. "Some fucking animals are attacking us" I hear Nacho yell. I hear a woman scream as well, must be Selena. Some of the lights come on. I spot Moon-moon standing still, in fact Golem 15 & 16 are also still standing in the hallway. WTF? Why are they just standing there? I notice several notification messages have queued up. So I view them. Invalid target ''Nacho Ortiz'' You may gain the ''Semi-Autonomous Unit Tactics'' specialty for the Strategy skill Target ''Ruger LCR'' is inaccessible Spider-Bong has been destroyed What? Fuck, "Golem 15 & 16 attack ''Naho Ortiz'', Yes" Moon-Moon is standing at the edge of the couch, his head on the floor staring at something. It was the gun; it slid under the couch. Nacho has recovered and the lights in the living room are turned on and he kicks Moon-moon across the room, making him crash into a lamp. "Ow, god damn it. Fuck my foot." Nacho swears, but Moon-Moon gets up and goes back to staring at the underside of the couch for all of 1 second. "Moon-Moon Stop. Moon-Moon attack Naho Ortiz." Lesson #3 Golems are still stupid. I move my camera toward Xavier''s bedroom. Shit, Golem''s 3,4,5,6 and 7 have not even managed to get the briefcase out from under the bed, or maybe they are working against each other, I''m not sure. Selena is screaming and running for the door wearing nothing but panties and a blanket. Xavier is in nothing but his boxers. "Golem 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 attack Xavier Mendoza" Golem 1 is still pulling on the flip-phone whose charging cord is still stuck in the wall. I can''t see Golem 2, so it may have left the room. "Golem 1 carry ''Xavier''s flip-phone'', Golem 1 go to ''Under the bed'' Golem 1 guard ''Xavier''s flip-phone''" "Shit we''re getting attacked by some cape!" I hear Xavier yell. I hear the back door open and I swap back to my normal camera. Shit Nacho is running into the backyard, the golems I sent to attack him charging after him, including Moon-Moon. Oh four golems are standing in front of me, #2, 8, 9 & 10. I pick them up and put them in my inventory including the smartphone, wallets, and a twenty they were holding, while withdrawing my bat and a roll of duct-tape. I watch from my hiding spot as Nacho climbs the five foot chain link fence to get away from the strange creatures that are attacking him. "Sup Nacho" I say as I spring forward and club him hard on the shoulder while his back is to me and he''s half over the fence. -60 HP, Critical hit, Back-stab He screams and falls down on the alley side of the fence. That took about a quarter of his health right there. He wasn''t unconscious though and looked at me. "CAPE!¡ª" I cut off his yelling as I swing at his ribs, except he kicks me in the shin at the same time. -32 HP -6 HP (4 deflected) Most of the energy of the bat is absorbed by the end of it hitting the ground and only part of the shaft hitting Nacho in the ribs. I followed through with a kick to his head. -12 HP Nacho goes limp. A quick Observe shows he is unconscious, concussed, has broken collar bone, severe bruises, and lacerations. Fuck, I did that? Moon-moon and the other golems catch up and try to gnaw on his arms and legs. "Moon-Moon stop." I pick the other golem up and put them in my inventory. I pull a wallet out of Nacho''s pockets, put it in inventory, then bind his hands and mouth with duct tape, and leave him in the recovery position behind some trash cans. He still has a sliver of green left on his health bar and no status effects indicated internal bleeding, but would it tell me if there was? It''s supposedly ¡®known effects¡¯, what if I didn''t know? I put the duct tape back in inventory. My wonder is interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, followed shortly afterwards by a second. Had they got the gun out from under the couch? I pull my retrieved golems back out of my inventory and tell them to guard me. I swap to my free camera mode, and send it into the house as fast as I can. I hear a third gunshot as I do so. A quick glance at my MP indicates it''s only been 5 or 6 minutes since I pulled all the Golems out and set them to work. Nacho left the backdoor wide open, my enhanced hearing hears a car engine start and tires squealing as my camera gets into the living room. The front door is also wide open. "Selena drove off, where is my fucking phone?" "I don''t know mine is gone too." "Where''s Naho?" Another gunshot goes off. Xavier is shooting at my golems and it wasn''t with the revolver that got stuck under the couch. "Moon-Moon attack Xavier Mendoza" The shot missed but from the ceramic fragments, and the fact that Fredrico is holding a wooden bat in his hands, some of them have been destroyed. Also, what the fuck? Xavier Williamson says lvl 20 now and Fredrico is lvl 13? Why? Fucking gun and bat? "Golem 2, 8, 9, 10, 15 & 16 fetch ''twenty dollar bill''" I can at least try to get the ones that had been scattered in the living room. More gunshots fired, most missing but I see one of my golems explode into a cloud of fragments. About then Moon-moon charges into the room, jumps up and bites Xavier on the thigh. He screams and I see blood trickling down. Both look like they''re only missing about 20-25% of their health. Xavier''s health drops to around 50% suddenly as he screams and I see Moon-moon and the bat both go flying across the room. "You fucking asshole watch where you are swinging that thing." "Sorry" I have to react fast. "Moon-Moon Fetch wooden bat. Moon-Moon goto front yard" I spy a spot out the door I can see with my free camera. I don''t want him to lead them out to the back. I queued up more commands. "Moon-Moon drop. Moon-moon attack Fredrico Mendoza" he manages to actually get a hold of the bat this time and my camera follows the scene into the living room as I catch Moon-moon running out the front door. "There''s more of them going out the back." Xavier says as more gun shots went off. Shit. The ones fetching the twenties are leading him right to me. "Golem 2, 8, 9, 10, 15 & 16 goto back yard" I redirect their movement to lead away from me as I see Xavier run out the kitchen door, still in his boxers. I switch back to normal view and look up as I see him firing more shots at my golems. Then I heard the familiar click of an empty gun failing to fire. "All attack Xavier Williamson" I spring up from my spot, go through the gate and run up to him while he''s still facing the golems that suddenly turn around and charge at him. Xavier spins around at the last moment and I only clip him with my bat. -16 HP He tries to shoot me but the gun just clicks. He manages to punch me in the kidneys twice before I can recover from my swing. -8 HP (10 deflected) -8 HP (10 deflected) I swing again and miss. He punches me in the side of the head, the hat and hockey helmet absorb a lot of the blow. -6 HP (8 deflected) -1 HP I kick and miss. He tackles me to the ground and punches me in the stomach, catching me half below the torso protection. 0 HP (4 deflected) -7 HP (4 deflected) I must have lost my bat because I''m trying to punch and kick him. At least I have on armor and he''s wearing nothing but his underwear. I manage to land one blow before I feel a hard punch to my jaw, a few layers of my scarf the only thing giving me any cushioning. -6 HP -14 HP (2 deflected) He is on top of me and holding me down, then knees me hard in the nuts. I''m so glad I added the cup. -1 HP -5 HP (12 deflected) -1 HP -2 HP -1 HP -1 HP -3 HP -1 HP He lets up on his assault long enough for me to squirm away as I see Moon-Moon jump on his back and bite down on his shoulder. My golems are biting and scratching anything they can find, but he manages to grab one and bang it on the ground hard enough to snap off an arm and a leg, but it still keeps biting his hand. -5 HP -2 HP -1 HP My foot finally finds purchase and I kick down on his bare toes. -8 HP He responds by smashing the twitching golem that was still in his hand, right into my face, breaking the plastic of my ski goggles and its sharp, broken ceramic edges cutting into my flesh.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. -22 HP (2 deflected) Critical hit I stagger backwards free of my pin, but I can''t see out of one eye, and roll over something hard and cylindrical. It''s my bat. I grab it, sit up and swing as hard as I can. Xavier manages to bring an arm up to block. -46 HP I hear a snapping sound, and a bone erupts out of his forearm. Aluminum bat vs. bare forearm? Bat wins. Xavier howls in pain. Another swing to the knee leaves him twisted and unmoving. Though I think I accidentally may have smashed one of my own Golems when I did that. -52 HP "You fucker!" someone yells as I feel a horrible pain in my back just below my right shoulder -66 HP (18 deflected) Your Gamer''s body skill has increased by 1 I twist around to glimpse Fredrico as he tackles me, one hand still holding on to whatever was stuck in my back. "All stop. All guard me" I hit the ground and scream as what only has to be a knife twists and cuts deeper. I hear the sound of cracking plastic on my torso protection, but Fredrico let''s go as the knife appears stuck. -44 HP -2 (Bleeding) He takes advantage of my staggered daze to punch me hard in the chest. -15 HP (9 deflected) -4 HP I crawl backwards as my golems swarm him; there is noticeably less that I started with. -1 HP -2 HP -1 HP -1 HP -2 HP (Bleeding) -2 HP -1 HP -3 HP -6 HP -1 HP -2 HP (Bleeding) Moon-Moon is clearly doing the most damage, but it looks like pieces of him are missing. I take advantage of the distraction my golems provide to pull the knife out of my back, -24 HP -3 HP (Bleeding) Shit, that, that may have been a mistake. -2 HP -1 HP -3 HP -3 HP (Bleeding) I should but I don''t want to stab the guy. I put the knife into my inventory. I try to enter stealth mode, but it doesn''t work. I swing my bat at him, which makes my shoulder hurt like hell. I connect with a solid thwack on his¡­ ass¡­ because that''s the closest to me at the time. -12 HP -4 HP -3 HP (bleeding) Okay I need to end this. I switch the bat to my off hand as I kick at Fredrico, miss and he punches me in my extended leg, which throws me off balance, and I fall to the ground. At least I avoid hitting my back but the impact still hurts. -12 HP (0 deflected) -6 HP -3 HP (Bleeding) Moon-moon comes to my rescue and bites down on Fredrico''s Achilles tendon. He too is in nothing but his pajamas, but at least he has a shirt on. The other golems do minor damage or fuck-all. -16 HP (critical hit) -1 HP -1 HP -1 HP While on the ground I swing the bat with my off hand at his other leg, connect to his ankle, and knock him off his feet, and I hear his head hit the ground with an awful sounding thunk. His ankle lays twisted in a position it shouldn''t be in, and he stops moving. -20 HP -15 HP -3 (Bleeding) "All stop. All fetch twenty dollar bills. Moon-moon stop. Moon-moon fetch old briefcase." It had been about 15 minutes, all that in 15 minutes. Fuck what the hell did I do here? How many golems did I lose? I have a whole slew of unread notifications that will stay unread for now. Lesson #4, Tiny golems are shit for combat, but could be useful for distractions and fetching if they have better grasping ability. -3 (Bleeding) The adrenaline is wearing off and I need to do something about that, but I also don''t want these fuckers to wake up. I pull the duct tape out again and bind Xavier''s and Fredrico''s hands and put them in the recovery position. -3 (Bleeding) -2 (Bleeding) -2 (Bleeding) By the time I''m done I hear sirens. Also weird, my HP is higher than it was a few seconds ago? Oh I gained a CON point. I put a few of my surviving golems into my inventory, some of them holding twenties in their little mouths or paws, some just standing around dumbly. I go into the house to see Moon-moon dragging the old briefcase into the hallway. I pick both of them up and drop them into my inventory. There is still plenty of weed and pills strewn about the living room for the police to find. -2 (Bleeding) -2 (Bleeding) No longer in danger of losing all my MP to having the golems out, I do some quick Observes on Xavier and Fredrico before I head toward the alley. They are still alive. Xavier has a badly broken forearm, and is concussed. Lacerations and bite wounds all over. Fredrico had a broken ankle, a torn Achilles tendon, and also concussed, and plenty of other bite and scratch wounds on the exposed parts of his body from the golems. No apparent bleeding effects like I was currently suffering. -2 (Bleeding) -2 (Bleeding) I get to the alleyway, Nacho isn''t there anymore. I quicken my pace because this is bad, like really fucking bad. I''m losing a couple of points every 15 seconds or so, and I don''t know if Nacho went to retrieve some buddies or not. 110 HP left, I will bleed down to zero in less than fifteen minutes. I jog, half run to the nearby gas station that I made note of on my way here. I make sure no one is watching and swap out my costume via inventory for something more normal looking and not bloody. My clean shirt won''t stay that way for long, but a quick run into the bathroom won''t let it look like a horrible bloodstain on any cameras. By the time I get into a stall in the bathroom, I lost another 16 HP from bleeding. -16 HP (Bleeding) If this doesn''t work, I have to call 911, hope I don''t die, and figure out something else. I de-equip my shirt and pull out the first aid kit and try my best to patch myself up. -2 HP (Bleeding) -2 HP (Bleeding) -1 HP (Bleeding) -1 HP (Bleeding) More notifications, I haven''t had time to look at the ones from the fight yet. At least it''s down to 1 HP every thirty seconds. I have 88 HP left, great, so now I have 22 minutes before I''m at zero. Did that knife nick an artery? "Status Effects"
Bleeding (from puncture wound) -2 HP loss per minute. Status: Treated (semi-successful) Timer: 17 minutes remaining. Blood loss from a bleeding effect can be eliminated in whole or in part via a successful use of the Medicine skill. Difficulty varies based on type and severity of the wound. Penalties apply to performing first aid on yourself. A wound can be treated only once per person, until an individual with higher skill can make an attempt.
Okay, 17 minute timer remaining? That''s cutting it damn close. But does that mean it will stop or just downgrade to a less serious form and keep ticking away? I need more HP. I go to the sink and clean up and treat the cut on my face above my eye. Now both eyes have gashes above them, one only stitched up from Friday. I look like shit. -4 HP (Bleeding) Eh? I just gained another 4 HP after that bit dropped. Timer jumped down from 16 to 8 minutes. I go back into the bathroom stall, pull my planned lunch out of my inventory and scarf it down for more HP gain while I read through my accumulated notifications. Golem 11 destroyed Golem 13 destroyed Your Strategy skill has increased by 1 Golem 12 destroyed Golem 16 cannot fetch ''twenty dollar bill'', nearest matching target inaccessible Golem 14 destroyed Golem 3 destroyed For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Power Strike'' skill For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Melee Weapons'' skill +55 XP for defeating Naho Ortiz Golem 5 destroyed Golem 7 destroyed +44 XP for defeating Selena Garza Golem 4 destroyed Your Strategy skill has increased by 1 Golem 1 destroyed Golem 6 destroyed You may gain the Street Brawling specialty for Unarmed Combat +110 XP for defeating Xavier Mendoza Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 +77 XP for defeating Fredrico Mendoza For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON +440 XP Quest: Where''s my Money? Bitch completed Your Medicine skill has increased by 1 Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Jesus. Yes Power Strike, Yes Melee Weapons, Yes Street Brawling. What? I didn''t even fight Selena, she just ran away. Six, I have six small golems left, plus Moon-moon. Even Spider-bong is gone. Two of the small ones have minor damage, and one spider shaped one has only 5 HP left, is missing five legs, and both its mandibles. -4 HP (Bleeding) And I''m still fucking bleeding. 7 minutes, 28 more HP to lose out of 90. Game power says I don''t die when I hit zero, I just start taking stat damage. I die when my CON is zero. I glance in the mirror, I look pretty pale. I need to eat more food, there''s no more food in my inventory. I re-equip my only somewhat bloody shirt, exit the bathroom, and pull a gallon milk jug out of the fridge. A glance at my detecting eye shows I''m being watched and recorded, can''t swipe it. -4 HP (Bleeding) Some old lady is indecisively buying lottery tickets at the counter while I stand in line with a jug of milk and a twenty. "Hey I''m just gonna buy this super quick do you mind?" "Wait your turn." The clerk says from behind the counter. He''s the only employee here. Fuck lady why are you buying lottery tickets at 3:20am, on Sunday morning. -4 HP (Bleeding) 5 minutes. Fuck it. I open the milk and start chugging it, while I prime my phone for 911. "Hey! You can''t do that!" The clerk said. I threw the twenty at him. -12 HP (Bleeding) 2 minutes. It takes a while to drink a half gallon. I only manage to gain +8 HP before my Hunger bar maxes out. I didn''t even finish half the jug. -4 HP (Bleeding) The old lady finally leaves. The clerk and I stared at each awkwardly. "I still need my change" I said while resisting the urge to pass out. All the adrenaline has worn off and I hurt everywhere despite my supposed 50% pain resistance. -4 HP (Bleeding) The clerk hands my change to me. "Did you bleed on my floor?" He asks. "Uhh¡­" I look at him blankly, still trying to stay focused. Another notification fires off. It says the Dizziness de-buff from my Blood loss has doubled. "There is blood on the back of your shirt. I can see it in the security mirror and when you got that milk a moment ago. Are you feeling okay?" "Ask me again in a minute." If this doesn''t work I may blow the rest of those stat points on finishing off the Gamer''s Body skill. But it stopped. The bleeding effect went away with 70 HP left. I still feel fucking dizzy, because of course that one didn''t go away yet. "Are you going to buy anything else? There is no loitering here." "Yeah, I want that long sleeve T-shirt over there. The red one that says ''I''m with Stupid.''" I take my new shirt and stagger back into the bathroom, holding on to shelves to keep me steady. Inside I swap it with the slightly bloody one going into my inventory. The original shirt I was wearing under my armor was, according to Observe on its inventory icon, ''thoroughly blood soaked''. My Trench coat is bad off as well, plus they all have a knife hole in them, nothing a round of shopping won''t fix. I leave the bathroom head for the door. I''m still worried about the anemia effect though, it hasn''t gone away, and has some steep penalties. Why is my fatigue bar low? I literally just woke up less than two hours ago and it was full? Shit why is my interface blurry? I''m hit by a blast of cold night air as the automatic doors open and I step back out. At least I am not bleeding anymore, I guess the worst of it is¡ª" ****? I come to and find myself in a hospital bed, with a blue gown on and everything. My clothes are folded up neatly in a pile on an adjacent table. The word ''stupid'' prominently displayed on top. My face hurts and my back feels even worse. The back of my head also hurts. I reach up and feel a new set of stitches on my face and a fat lump on the back of my head. I pull up my inventory screen, everything is there, and I look at myself via my avatar, and with my free camera as an extra measure. What the fuck happened? There are pending unread notifications and opened them up. You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Fainted'' -12 HP The Status Effect ''Fainted'' has been replaced with the Status Effect ''Unconscious'' The Status Effect ''Transfusion'' has been applied The Status Effect ''Anemia'' has been removed The Status Effect ''Transfusion'' has been removed 1 of 5 events achieved for Quest: Become a Cape! The Status Effect ''Unconscious'' has been removed Um, okay. My Fatigue bar is back to full, as is my stamina and MP. My HP is back to 99/347. Did Anemia or the fight make my fatigue go down? The fight definitely was the cause of my loss of stamina, that was expected, but fatigue has never gone down at any rate other than its highly regular even depletion from 100 to 0 over 19 hours between rests. I glance at my watch, it''s a few minutes past 7am. Did I sleep because my fatigue became low enough or because I had become unconscious? Resting is the ultimate point regen. Figuring out a way to exploit around the ''you are not tired enough to rest'' barrier would be highly useful. I type up a reminder in my notes to investigate this in the future. A further glance around shows I''m hooked up to a simple monitor and have an IV in my arm. Well at least I''m not handcuffed to the bed. I spy my chart. I don''t want to get up and set anything off so I scry to get a look. Doe, John. Anemia from Trauma induced Class 3 hemorrhage. Blood Type O-. Transfusion Received, vitals monitoring. Code 1608... You have learned a new thing about yourself: Your blood type is O-, the universal donor. "Well, you''re awake, Hope you''re feeling well enough to chat." Well shit. An elderly man in a doctor''s coat holding a clipboard says as he walks up to my body. I swap back to my normal view and look up at him. His overhead tag reads . "The paramedics that brought you in couldn''t find any ID on you. Is there anyone you would like us to contact?" Well that''s because everything is still in my inventory. Also that''s an odd question to start off with. "No, not really. You don''t want to know my name?" "You can give it if you like, though there is a procedure we follow whenever we get... unusual cases. Do you know what happened to you?" Well shit, what did the doctors and nurses discover? I activate my Speech skill, and glance at my stealth dot, to confirm no cameras are recording me. "I''d like to hear your observe-ations first, if you don''t mind." "Well, the Paramedics told me they picked you up after getting a call about you collapsing at a gas station very early this morning. Your injuries look like you may have been mugged or beat up in a fight. You showed strong signs of Anemia, that''s blood loss. They found the wound on your back, someone had patched you up but didn''t do a very good job of it, and so they re-did it and brought you here. You had all the signs of a Class 3 Hemorrhage. We had to put near two and half pints of blood back into you and I probed the wound to make sure there wasn''t any internal bleeding." "Well thanks, I guess. But why is that an unusual case?" "You shouldn''t have even been capable of walking around with a wound like that. And when I looked, the artery was fine, but the tissues above and below it weren''t, and you clearly bled far more than you would have if your artery or another major blood vessel had not been nicked." Right, so that was a not so subtle hit that he thinks I am a Parahuman. Code 1608? Also given his description, does that mean I have some kind of healing ability? "You said something about a procedure you follow?" "We moved you to a private room. We also have a duty to report violent injuries, which include stab wounds, to the police. As well as unusual cases to the PRT." Well fuck that. "And have you done that yet?" "I personally haven''t, but others may have. I wasn''t the only one attending you. Clearly you''ve been through a very traumatic experience recently. We want to make sure patients suffering such things have an adequate time to adapt, calm down, and come out of shock. There is some reading material I can give you if you like." He pulls a pamphlet out and sets them on the table by my bed. The Protectorate: What we do and how we can help. "Now do you have some parents or guardians I can contact?" Fuck that even more. "Why would you need to contact my¡ª Oh right, my ¡­youthful appearance¡­" I roll my eyes and sigh as if this was something I dealt with before. "It''s a side effect of the ¡­unusualness¡­ I assure you that won''t be necessary, and I will be checking myself out under my own cognizance. I presume doctor-patient confidentiality is under full effect and then some, and just so it is fully understood, you do not have my permission to share any information you are not legally required to." "Yes, that''s in effect. You certainly look better than you did a couple hours ago." "I''m sure you have other patients to attend to. So if you don''t mind, I''d like to use the restroom. Thank you for the pamphlet." I say as I begin unhooking myself from the machines in order to get up. "Are you sure you don''t need any assistance?" I stand up next to the bed and detach my IV stand from it to roll it away, even though it¡¯s still in my arm. "I''m certain." "Alright, hit the nurse call button if you do." Then he leaves and shuts the door behind him. I grab the pamphlet and my clothes and go into the bathroom as soon as he leaves; inventory equip swapping them immediately. I even drop the entire IV stand bag and everything into my inventory. The bag is still pretty full, it might come in handy one day, despite the weight it adds. My STR de-buff already dropped my carry weight so I''m not going to be sprinting out of this anyway. I even throw the pamphlet in there. I can read them later even if it''s just propaganda. I come out of the bathroom and look out the room window, and¡­ yeah right, not happening, as I realize I¡¯m on an upper floor when I peer out. I stand behind the room door and do a quick scry of the hall. The Doc hasn''t even wandered that far off yet. I look around and see a few ceiling cameras, and consider how to exit and shield my face. But since I was brought in here, I¡¯m probably already on something. There''s still too many people around that might easily pay attention to the door or myself when I step out. I feel around for the door handle with my body. Well I''ve never tried this before. I set my interface volume real low and my camera near one of the ladies behind the hall desk, turn broadcast and my profanity filter on, and whisper, [CENSORED]. Good she turns to see what it is. I move my camera further away, turn on stealth, crank up my interface volume and have my body open my room door a crack. [CENSORED] While everyone turns to look toward where my invisible free camera is located I step out the room, hand shielding my face, while swapping cameras. I manage to make it around the corner before running into the wall. -2 HP I choke back an urge to yell after whacking my arm into the wall. I need to practice trying to move while my view is in free camera mode. Even swapping right back immediately still throws off my balance. Several minutes later I find the stairwell and am on the ground floor. No one is acting in a frantic rush, no guards are running around. Was I just being paranoid? Then I see a cape talking to someone at the information desk. He''s wearing a white costume with spiky steel points on his shoulders and forehead. His mask is an ugly stupid looking frown, covering the top of his face. Or is that supposed to be an arch? Whatever it looks dumb as hell. "Observe"
Name: Arthur Kensington Level: ?? Alias: Dispatch Gender: Male Age: 35 (37) Ethnicity: Cajun, Creole Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Protectorate Officer / Hero Faction: Protectorate STR: 17 (+100) 117 AGI: 16 (??) ?? CON: 18 (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 10 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 3.5 Armor: 6.0 Speed: ?? (??) ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 2350/2350 Stamina: 1340/1340 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Arthur, known as Dispatch in his Hero Identity is a member of the Houston Protectorate... Status Effects: Mental: Caffeine Addiction, Conflict-Seeking, ... Physical: Caffeine Withdrawal, Fatigued, ... Currently Feeling: Cranky, Annoyed, Sleepy Motivations: Investigate the Parahuman report, perform well at his job, avoid paperwork, help people, improve personal relationships, ... Equipment list: Light Ballistic and Ablative resistant armored costume Small Kevlar Backpack, Utility Belt, 5 Small Emergency Oxygen Canisters with built in Masks, ...
Holy Fuck! He has 117 STR and over two thousand HP? He has over thirteen hundred stamina? And why does he have two numbers next to age? I still can''t even see the rest of his stats. I need to Grind Observe more. No way will I tangle with this guy if he spots me. I take a FRAPS snapshot of Dispatch and the open Observe window as he finishes talking to the lady at the information desk and heads for the elevators. Once he is gone I stride confidently to the exit. ****? Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 I read the pamphlets on the bus rides between stores. They must have at least some useful information because my Parahuman Lore goes up a smidge. It''s bus rides for long distances or jogging for the rest. I can''t sprint. My Inventory induced encumbrance won''t let me, but jogging plus the weight of my inventory burns off stamina that would have been wasted. Yeah it''s screwing with my ability to get more Athletics specialties, but I have enough already. It appears consuming 25 stamina has the same effect as taking 1 HP of damage in terms of gains it nets me for Gamer''s Body and CON. My STR progress has gone up a minor amount, but I''ll need a lot more weight to overburden myself to make this more efficient. I couldn''t do this before I had an inventory to exploit the weight load. After eating lunch, I find a hair salon to get a haircut and have my hair bleached and dyed later. If I''m being looked for, best to change my appearance as much as possible. I swap clothing from my shopping trip, going with an entirely different style. I toss all the bloody clothes. I even toss my trench coat after finding something to replace it. I can''t fix or replace the Motocross torso armor yet, but I clean it up. I¡¯m not sure what to do with it yet. I have to go back to the Beckett''s eventually today. That''s the other reason for the makeover. Not to stay there, but just to get my crap from where I hid it in the alley. I''m done with that place. I still need to find out where I¡¯m going to sleep though. **** I spam Observe again on everyone and everything in the Hair salon while I''m stuck in the chair meditating on my plans for the rest of the week. I still have to get the bus ticket and get over that in person parental consent obstacle. What can I do there? Bluff it? Fake ID? Hire someone to pretend to be my parent? I''m already spending a chuck of my ill-gotten money on this hair change. I can''t exactly steal services, or a motel room.
How much of a Bum are you? Find a safe place to sleep for the next three days. Time limit: 75 hours. Success: +150 XP per night. Failure: Homelessness worse than what you already chose.
Well, that''s a thing. Teenage Runaway/Thief is my class now? I guess that fits. My new dirty blonde hair look is complete, and since Simon is known for wearing glasses, even if they''re non-prescription I put those away. For performing a repeated action you may gain the Disguise skill Yes, perfect. I definitely want that. I click yes and immediately get two more notifications. You have unlocked the ''Mannerisms'' bonus feature for Disguise You have unlocked the ''Artistic Detail'' bonus feature for Disguise Neat. What happens with Speech level 10? Make-up to cover up injuries will help also. Some part of me cringes at doing that as a guy. But why shouldn''t I? Actors do it all the time. Heck the whole reason I got face paint for my costume was to obscure my skin color on what parts are visible. I write down ''make-up kit'' on my shopping list. I need to get the rest of my crap, and find a locker to store what I don''t want to carry in my inventory. I''m tempted to put points into STR to up my carry value, but I don''t want to fail that stat training quest. I start jogging back to the house. ****? The loot from the briefcase is sparse, or maybe it''s because I don''t know the street value of any of this, and Observe never tells me. I have three 1 lb. saran-wrapped bricks of marijuana, rolling papers, and three mostly full bottles of Oxycontin. Observe on the pills themselves actually confirm it. I end up taking a couple to deal with my shoulder pain. There''s $250 bucks in there that I add to my money supply, and the cash I took from the three stooges wallets. The briefcase I toss as dead weight, as well anything not useful from the wallets. Was this haul worth everything that happened? I also have the bloody knife I was stabbed with. If that happens again, maybe see if I can use my inventory to directly remove it rather than pulling it out by hand? I clean it off before putting it back. All that shit is not going into a locker and going to stay right inside my personal extra dimensional storage space. Do I use this stuff to train up Drug Resist more, toss them or try to sell them to get rid of them? Selling is risky, definitely too risky to do before I leave the city. I do still have Xavier''s Credit cards and Driver''s License, he''s twenty-two, an older brother or cousin maybe? That presented some possibilities, but not sure if I want to do that. Nacho and Fredrico''s stuff is worthless except Fredrico''s smartphone. I use Data Interface on it to copy all its contents to a USB stick. I''ll get around to wiping, rooting, unlocking, and swapping the sim card on the phone later. ****? I take a couple long drags of the joint as I stroll up to the bushes where I hid my stuff last night. Damn, those oxy pills are a hell of a lot stronger than anything they gave me before for the broken arm. Not that I condone doing drugs kid, that be bad okay? But I got reasons, grinding up the drug resist for the win, or something. Wait, why the fuck am I talking like this? It''s not like someone can hear my thoughts. Oh yeah I''m thinking not talking. Uh, maybe? I didn''t say any of that out loud did I? Where the fuck is my shit? There it is. I start putting my crap into my inventory. The bright flashes hurt my eyes a bit, but so long and good riddance to this place you fuckers! "Simon?" I freeze and turn around, and stare at Rachel who is wide-eyed and standing on the other side of the alley just outside the gate to the Beckett''s house smoking. My joint and her cigarette fell out of our mouths at the same time. Fuck. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Parahuman Class: Teenage Runaway / Thief Faction: None Money: $412.50 Title: Apprentice Thief Level: 10 (67.94%) XP: 9369 Primary Attributes STR: 9 (-1.25) 7.75 (38.15%) AGI: 7 (-1.00) 6.00 (55.74%) CON: 14 (-1.60) 12.40 (52.41%) INT: 22 (0.00) 22.00 (8.32%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (52.38%) WIS: 21 (0.00) 21.00 (14.94%) CHA: 12 (0.00) 12.00 (85.33%) LUC: 10 (0.00) 10.00 (58.34%) Unspent Points: 26 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 114/347 Stamina Pool: 122/298 Mana Pool: 534/2750 Stress Pool: 430/430 Attack: 7.88 Speed: 2.70 Dodge: 10.55 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 77.50 Allure: 2.35 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.5 Bruises & Lacerations: STR -0.25 CON -0.6 ALU -0.15 Stab Wound (R-Upper Back): STR -1 AGI -1 CON -1 Skills Max Slots: 42 Free Skill Slots: 6 Artistry: 10 (71.23%) Athletics: 11 (3.45%) Basic Academics: 9 (10.43%) Computers: 10 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (0.00%) Create Mana Golem: 10 (2.77%) Disable Device: 10 (10.54%) Disease Resistance: 6 (52.60%) Disguise: 1 (0.00%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 10 (24.65%) Empathy: 10 (3.87%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 21 (23.08%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 3 (33.43%) Medicine: 2 (0.00%) Meditation: 11 (48.81%) Melee Weapons: 1 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 12 (95.83%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (76.56%) Power Strike: 1 (0.00%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 8 (24.98%) Stealth: 10 (87.54%) Strategy: 3 (35.30%) Thievery: 6 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 1 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (5.87%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.9 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.9 Sunday, February 14th, 2010 We stare at each other for a bit. Rachel breaks eye contact first, bending down to rescue her cigarette. "Um, Hi" I say as I fetch the joint off the ground. "You bleached your hair and got beat up again?" "Yes" "Are you high?" "Snoochie Boochies?" Rachel quirks an eyebrow at me, finishes her cigarette and flicks the butt away. "Pass it." she says, holding out her hand. I oblige and pass the joint over. "You seem unusually calm right now, given¡­" She takes a long drag off the joint. "God, I''ve missed these." Another moment of awkward silence passes. Did she actually notice? "Um, okay. Did you see¡­" "Did I see you make a bunch of the crap you hid under the bushes disappear in a flash of light? Yeah. I''ve also seen weirder shit, and I am already a bit buzzed." Secret Quest Failed: Don''t get outed as a Parahuman to anyone else "What? Really?" "Found where the Beckett''s hid some mini liquor bottles, or maybe some of the other kids did." "Wasn''t quite what I meant. How bad is it in there?" "Bad. They''re pissed. They called the cops and CPS. Mr. Beckett''s out driving around looking for you right now." Rachel says as she passes the joint back to me. "You''re not gonna ask me about what-" "About what you can do? I''m not sure if I want to know. Besides, you''re bolting anyway aren''t you? You don''t hide a bunch of your stuff out here to fetch later if you planned to go back into the house." "Well, I''m kinda constrained, and I can''t get away to figure my stuff out¡­" "So says the teenager with powers. But you are running, figures. You know it''s not just you. They''re just as constraining on the rest of us, and we have less options." "I thought you didn''t want to run. But if you wanted to go with¡ª" "What are you stupid? No way. Where are you going to sleep? You do need sleep right? What are you going to eat?" "The stuff doesn''t actually disappear, just goes somewhere for me to retrieve later, it makes, uh, ''shopping'' pretty easy." I finish off the joint and pull two more and a lighter out of my inventory after making sure Rachel is the only one marked as viewing me. I light them and hand her one. "Yeah, but it''s more than that though isn''t it. I knew you were weird, you learned Spanish too quick. Is the whole Amnesia thing even real?" I sigh, "Yeah unfortunately it is fucking real. Side effect of whatever did the rest of this shit to me." "Guess I can''t blame you too much. You remember I said I had two cousins that were in the system?" I nod and let her continue. "One was a Parahuman. I heard that it happened from the same thing that killed his family. Parahuman minors that are wards of the state get turned over to the Protectorate Wards program. He ran when he found that out." "What? Fuck, really?" "You didn''t know that? That''s the way it is in Texas, not sure about other states, but probably similar arrangements." "What happened to him?" "Tried to go it alone, now he''s dead." "I''m sorry" "Don''t be. He was stupid and not anyone I was close to." "Should I ask about your other cousin?" "Oh his parents were just negligent meth-heads that lost custody. He was also a fuck-up so he ran away afterwards. Now he''s just missing, but I hear he pops up from time to time. I think he''ll be 18 in a few weeks anyway and then I guess it won''t matter because CPS won''t care anymore. But I don''t give a shit about him either so save the ''I''m sorrys''" "I''m sorry" "I thought I said to sa-" "I''m sorry that I''m leaving you with one less friend around to share dealing with the Beckett''s bullshit and everything else life has thrown at you, at us. I promise I''ll stay touch though, if you don''t¡ª" "Well thanks. I wasn''t going to say anything anyway. Where are you even going to go?" "New Hampshire, as soon as I can make arrangements." Rachel raises an eyebrow at me. "You''re chasing after Julia? Does she know and is she okay with that? Because if she isn''t; do you realize how creepy that''s going to appear?" "That, uh..." "Shit, she doesn''t, does she? Did she ever contact you? If she hasn''t, that could be a sign you know?" "The thought has crossed my mind, yes, but it''s¡­ more complicated than that." "How can it be more complicated than that? Oh shit, she''s one too isn''t she?" "What? No, not at all¡ª" "You''re not near as good a liar as you think you are. Besides, the only times the breakers ever tripped in the house was when she was in the bathroom, and she doesn''t use a hair dryer. Then it all stopped when she left. Unless it was you, using some pervy powers that needed the lights out, was that it?" "No¡­ that''s not¡ª" "Why are you blushing so much?" "I don''t have any pervy powers" I lied. "So it was her then wasn''t it?" "I didn''t say that either! God, I am too high to deal with this¡­" "I''m just messing with you. If you''re gonna abandon me, then you deserve it. Besides, that weird power outage stuff happened a few times while you weren''t even in the house, and at the FEMA camp." I let out an exasperated sigh. "Now what?" "We part ways? I go back to boring life and crappy grades and I get to find out if you actually contact me later, and you try not to get killed?" "I guess. That doesn''t seem very thematic. Oh hey..." I pull out the hollowed out Geometry book from my inventory and hand it to Rachel. "Guess I don''t need this anymore. You can use it to hide your stash." "I don''t have a stash." "You do now" I said, as I pulled out a couple more joints I had made and had planned on using later. "Um, thanks I guess." "Hugs?" We embrace for a bit. "See ya round." "Yeah, you take care of yourself. Also, get your hand off my ass before I knee you in the groin." ****? Why the hell am I still carrying this bag of clay around? I''ve got everything from the alley and I''m overburdened again. It''s even worse than before because of the STR penalty I have due to the injuries. Why? I still want to make more golems even if they''re raw clay and not fired. Sculpting some out of rock will take a lot longer. I can''t run, so if I get seen, I''m screwed. I lose stamina every minute from walking, but make it to the bus stop. Sit, meditate, rest, and make it to the MetroRail lockers to put this crap away. At least I can move now. I get some marginal gains while walking around slo-mo, but it''s getting ridiculous. I toss the IV stand, why did I take that thing? I keep the bag and stuff though and look over my corrected bandages. I guess having a specialty in First Aid isn''t enough to offset my low skill level, or that Doc wouldn''t have said I had done a crappy job. I need to replenish the bandages I used up and train Medicine more, but I still need to get as many specialties as I can before I do. I can''t do that sitting in school, yet another reason to not go back. I decide to go to the one place no-one will look for me at, the Library on the other side of town. They have wi-fi and computers there, plus if I keep getting quests from textbooks, maybe I can get some from other books too. ****? Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Observe is a lot easier to grind when I''m not restricted to the same basic locations and also not spending all my MP maintaining Golems. A whole library and I only got three skill quests from the stuff I perused. Well, I can''t go through the whole library in a couple of hours. Damn place closes at 6pm. I try, and miserably fail, at getting a single skill quest from most of the occult, new age magic, and other relatedly mystic sections, both fiction and ''non-fiction''. I give up and start looking for medicine stuff related to blood. Something seems off about how my HP changed from the blood loss and after I was in the hospital. What were all of my HP changes? Take away gains from food, gains from normal regen, account for meditation, and gains from two and half hours of unconscious rest. I have more HP than can be accounted for compared to what I had last night when the bleeding stopped. Why? Is it because of the treatment? So far, getting patched up only helped in cutting down the expiration timers of negative injury status effects. That only leaves the transfusion. I lost HP from bleeding, maybe I gain HP from having some put back? I''ll have to do it again on purpose to be certain; it''s a possible exploit, especially combined with time stasis inventory. Withdraw some blood, put it in inventory, and heal up. When I need some HP later, put it back in. I have to actually learn how to draw and deliver blood to do that. Apparently that''s what a Phlebotomist does, but reading about blood in a book didn''t give that specialty, I get Hematology instead. You may gain the Hematology specialty for Medicine Well, that''s something important. O-, a type shared by only about 5-6% of the population, can only receive O- blood, but can donate to anyone. That must be the whole universal donor thing. Glad I fucking learned that, and didn''t try to just use any kind. Yeah no, that thought is really dumb, I don''t think I would have actually done that even if I hadn''t learned that about my blood type. I''m here to get skill books though. I got those other quests from textbooks, where''s that section?
It''s Elementary! Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in this Chemistry textbook. Time Limit: June 1st, 2012 Success: 300 XP, Science (Chemistry) skill, +1 free specialty. Failure: The only toxic compounds you''ll be creating will come out of your ass.
The Rules of the Universe Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in this Physics textbook. Know them before you break them. Time Limit: June 1st, 2012 Success: 300 XP, Science (Physics) skill, +1 free specialty. Failure: Physics will never be your Bitch
Can we fix it? Yes, we can! Read and then successfully answer all the questionnaires in this Engineering textbook. Time Limit: June 1st, 2012 Success: 300 XP, Engineering skill, +1 free specialty. Failure: No we can''t, Bob will cry.
I should feel bad for stealing those from the library, but I have no way of knowing if the quests were tied to those specific books or not. ****? The stupid books make me overburdened, so I go back to the locker. I jog about town, steal some dinner from a grocery store, and look for a place to sleep. I try a few motels, but with no credit card and no ID, that proves to be impossible. Even some of what looked like seedier places refused cash. It''s getting late and I''m getting desperate. Actually I do have a credit card and ID, they just aren''t mine, and I don''t think I''ll convince anyone I look like Xavier. A backup plan is sleeping on the Metro-Rail repeatedly on the longest line stretches. Step 1, buy some minor food item at the self-check-out line with Xavier''s credit card to make sure it works. Step 2, call the motel across from the star-bucks with Fredrico''s phone, and bullshit them. I wonder if the Speech skill works over the phone? "Motel 8, how can we help you?" "Yes, I''d like to make a reservation for a family member tonight, and pay for it over the phone. Can I do that?" "Certainly Sir, who is the reservation for?" "Samuel Mendoza" "And your name sir?" "Xavier Mendoza" "Payment method?" "Mastercard, number is 4455 0011 1234 ¡­" "Okay looks like you''re all set, just have Samuel come in with his ID and reference your name and we''ll take care of things." "Oh well, he had his wallet stolen so his ID isn''t handy. That''s the entire reason I am having to help out like this over the phone. Is that going to be a problem?" "Oh, no problem, I''ll make a note of it. Is this the best contact number to reach you at?" "Yes it is." "Can I get an email for the receipt?" "Oh, I can just have Samuel pick that up, is that alright?" "Certainly" "Okay, great, thanks so much. He should be there within a half-hour." Your Speech skill has increased by 1 Step 3: Get a place to stay for tonight. ****? I could always resize my interface windows; can I do that to my inventory screen? I can resize a window as far as I can stretch with some part of my body. The center of a window stays anchored a certain distance away from the front of my camera view, first, third or free. It doesn''t care how I oriented it. I can flip them backwards, upside down, lay them horizontal, whatever. To maximize my inventory screen I stretch its height enough to hook my toes into the ''bottom edge'' and stretch it further with my hands via the ''top edge'' until it''s as tall as I can reach with hands above my head while standing on my tip toes. This is just shy of 8 feet. Flip the window 90 degrees and I stretch the width the same way. Despite trying I''ve never got them larger than that. Maybe I could if I grow taller? Now my inventory interface is as large as an almost 8''x8'' window. Most of which is taken up by the grid squares. The item grid area, the part that matters, is inset to about just under a 5''x 7.5'' of that, the rest of the window being the borders, and information panels. I shove the hotel room night stand into my inventory, then the dresser, and desk. Hell yeah, anything that can fit inside that 5''x7.5'' rectangle, can fit in my inventory. I can steal furniture, if I want to. Some small cars might even fit in that. Of course the weight would be absurd. Damn, I can''t put something into my inventory that is in some way bolted to the floor or wall. Except for the idiotic encumbrance crap, my inventory gets more awesome each time I experiment with it. I can put containers into my inventory, but I can''t directly access anything inside the container without taking it out. The whole container is treated as a single item, with a weight equal to the container and the sum of whatever it''s holding. I can''t put living things directly into my inventory, well I can''t put a living bug in there, a dead one worked fine, but I can exploit containers to get around this limitation. Attempting to keep something half way in inventory and halfway out is very difficult. When I start to put something into inventory something starts pulling on it immediately and it gets sucked in there rather fast. Removing something from inventory will push, but not as quickly as when going in. That''s awkward. Ideal removal of large things is to flip the interface screen away from me, and point it at the floor. So far, anything I remove comes out in the orientation I want it to come out in. I''m not sure if I could put myself into the inventory, via the container trick, but I don''t think I want to find out. How the fuck would I get out? I''m not sure if I can inventory something being held or worn by someone else either. So, the idiotic encumbrance system has no effects for up to 10% of my carry weight. ''Light Encumbrance'', 95% movement speed, at more than 10% and up to 30% of carry weight. ''Medium Encumbrance'', 85% speed, 30% to 60% carry weight, ''Heavy Encumbrance'', 70% speed, 60 ¨C 100% carry weight and cannot sprint. ''Very Heavy'', 50% speed, 100-150% carry weight, cannot sprint or run, and slow loss of stamina when I walk. ''Severe Encumbrance'', 25% speed, 150-250% carry weight, walk only, significant stamina loss when walking. Above 250% carry weight I cannot move. Yet, the stamina loss is only when I ''move'' which is defined more as ''taking a step''. I can stand still feeling incredibly overburdened, and not lose stamina. Not entirely true because I can''t stand with that much weight on me for that long, and trying to maneuver my body with that much on me does make me burn stamina, but also¡­ trains my STR? And since it burns stamina also it trains CON even if the gains are crappy compared to taking HP damage. That''s what I''ll do all evening and tonight. Overweigh my inventory, train STR and burn stamina to zero. Set an alarm so I sleep long enough for stamina to fill without overflow, wake up, and repeat. Oh and while I do that I''ll let my golems destroy the useless fish and bat golems. Monday, February 15th, 2010 +165 XP, How much of Bum are you? 1st night achieved Well, training like that is weird. 20 minutes of real sleep maxes out my stamina, which I could burn off in a couple of hours. It messes up my sleep schedule but it works. I should do it again, but I have to check out at 10 am. As long as I keep my fatigue points at 40% or below I can keep doing it. I also need at least a couple solid hours to get some HP back and get rid of the fatigue penalty, so I can do everything else today, even if that''s more wasted Stamina points. I put my surviving golems into a complex patrol pattern around the room to skill grind while I get in a couple hours sleep before I leave. Somehow I lost the golem that had only a few HP left to the destruction of the useless bat and fish golem. How does that even happen? I''m down to five small ones and Moon-moon now. I check out and sell my useless crap at a pawn shop. Xavier''s card gets declined, when I tried to make another self-checkout test purchase, so there goes that resource. I head back to the Metro Rail lockers. I can try and get that Econ textbook quest finished on the train. Except, that Econ book is still at the Beckett''s house. Shit. If the quest is tied to that book, I''ll lose out on 330 XP if I don''t go and get it. I look through FRAPS to see if I ever video captured it to recall the exact title and author, but can''t find anything. Do I want to go back there? I''d rather not. But now is the best time. Everyone is at school, Mr. Beckett is at work, and Mrs. Beckett usually runs her errands. ****? If anyone is home I abort. I stealth my way up from the alley and use Observe on the house, zero occupants. I free camera scout as much as I can. Okay, hopefully they didn''t change the code, or the locks, I know where they kept a key hidden outside. Crank my volumes up to hear anything. I slip inside, and hold my breath, but the code works. I go upstairs and grab my book. Fuck you Thomas; I take his Trig book, and some of my clothes, and some of my toiletries. Hell, I can grab some lunch from the fridge to eat later. Fuck them; fuck them for all their shit. My MP3 player is still in that safe too. Meh, that might give away too much. They might not even notice the books, a few clothes and my toothbrush and deodorant missing. Food, well, the house is filled with teenagers. I stare at the door to their pseudo-apartment. I pick the lock. There is a bit of cash on the desk. They have some jewelry in boxes, personal items, and electronics. I could strip this place. It''s tempting. Do I want to be that kind of person? I seem geared up for being a thief. A rogue in a rogue-like that is the game of life. But really as much as I hate their restrictions, they never abused me. I had food and a place to sleep and recovery from the trauma of what I went through. It isn''t fair to the rest of the kids, certainly not to Rachel. I need boundaries. A code to follow, and lines I won''t cross. Shoplifting at big box stores is one thing. I felt bad about stealing from the mom and pop art shop and even taking the books from the library. The Beckett''s can''t afford me cleaning them out, even though the big TV probably could fit in my inventory. However, there''s no sense in leaving behind unclaimed XP. Now that I have access to their computer, I hack it to give myself permissions. +55 XP, Quest Access Granted Completed! Good, not that I will ever need it at all. I undo the hack I just made, leave, and relock the Beckett''s room.
New Title Tier Available! Gentleman Thief You''ve discovered you have a conscience and a code, yet you''re about to burgle your first house. All you need to do is leave behind a calling card (and not get caught) to gain the title.
Really, this now? My power is such a god-damn troll. Fine, but I didn''t exactly bring a suitable calling card with me. Fuck it, lots of ways to interpret that. I pick my way into the office and get my MP3 player out of the safe. I drop it into my inventory and upload a song to it from my interface song library. I go into the Girls room and leave it on Rachel''s bed. At least she''ll get it. Back downstairs, I reset the alarms and walk out the back once more. I''m beset by several notifications. You may gain the ''Burglary'' specialty for Thievery Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 New Title Tier obtained: Gentleman Thief You have learned a new thing about yourself: You have a conscious and a moral code (well more of a guideline really) ****? Your Mathematics skill has increased by 1 Now that I have that skill evened out again, I stop my number crunching and finish my dark chocolate coffee at some dinky shop. I review my notes. So long as my fatigue points are at 40 or less, I can take a ''nap'' whenever I want. What I need is to sleep during the day in some place where it won''t be out of place to see some young person snoozing. If I need to I can just stay awake during the night. I need to repeat the 20 minute nap plus two hour workout as often as I can. Library study rooms for a couple hours? Napping in a sauna/steam room at a gym? The University might suit my needs. It has libraries, gyms, young people, and no one will think a student snoozing in a study room with an open book under them will be unusual. Until then I have some grinding to do. Right after I replace my backpack with something that also has roller wheels, and a collapsible handle. Hopefully it won''t count against my encumbrance then. I''m tired of spending money on lockers.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ****? -3 HP Your Power Strike has increased by 1 You may gain the Clubs specialty for Melee Weapons I''m trying not to injure myself. 50 Power Strikes and several minutes later I''m out of stamina, and the fallen log I''m beating on is... not quite as damaged as I thought it would be. At least I made some progress. I pick a secluded spot amongst a copse of trees in an abandoned lot away from residential and commercial areas. Here''s hoping napping propped up against a tree will work out okay. You have slept for 20 minutes on the very uncomfortable ground, reduced regen bonus received My alarm goes off and I check my stats and notifications. Crap, there goes that idea. The regen rate is better than being awake sure, but more inefficient than when I slept in a bed. Was comfort the important factor here or did it have to be a ''bed''? I''ll try again with the sleeping bag. You have slept for 20 minutes in a sleeping bag on the very uncomfortable ground, reduced regen bonus received. Shit. Only a little bit better. Neither changed the rate of fatigue point regen, not even compared to using a bed. Maybe I should steal a pillow? Replace the sleeping bag with one with a larger comfort bonus? Make sure all my clothes have as much comfort bonus as I can detect with Observe? Well this won''t work. If I can''t regen with my full sleep bonus I shouldn''t deplete my stamina with Power Strike practice. I''ll have to save this for when I have another hotel room or something. Should have done this last night damn it. ****? I meditate on the ride to the University and replenish my stamina before I stealth into the recreation center. I haven''t recovered enough, but it''ll have to do. I''ll have to do it the slower way before heading to the library study room I reserved, to try and get better rest. With Good pacing active, maybe I can stretch out a session. For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR I''m so close to also gaining CON but can''t. Have to go to my study room and nap in it for a couple hours. You have slept for 2 hours in a chair, partial regen bonus received. +165 XP, How much of a Bum are you? 2nd night achieved So sleeping after sunset, even if I stay up all night, works for the quest. It''s not ideal. After I burn my stamina to zero; I won''t be tired enough to rest again for a while. It''ll be back to studying or grinding Observe while I wait for normal regen. ****? Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Thank you, 24-hour IHOP. I can study my Economics book and spam Observe well past midnight. I just wish the waitress would stop asking me why I''m out so late on a school night. Time to leave, I''m burning darkness, need to get my stealthy jog on. For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Well at least I got that done. Shit gains for stealth though. Now I''m free to spend points on CON without screwing up my Bod quest. Although, I also want to train the stats up until it''s too difficult. It might be already, at least using stamina to do so. If I actually lose HP, the gain rate is much faster. As far as I can tell, Gamer''s Body did something to mitigate my wounds, maybe even helped heal the nicked artery. I presume something major will get awarded when I reach level 25 and max it out. I''m tempted to spend points on it now, but I''m close to level 11, and close to leveling it on its own. To really min max training that off though, I need to use another hotel room. Right now, I have to fetch my stuff. I can''t leave lockers entirely behind yet. But now that I have 10 base STR, I should have a 100 carry once this wound heals, that will help a lot. ****? For the second time in my life I''m hiding in a dumpster. I''m gonna toss these clothes and steal new ones to replace them when I am done with this. All I can do this whole time is play the games I downloaded onto my interface. I have to hide here quietly because it''s the only place close enough that let my free camera full access to the CPS office, and there is a rent-a-cop patrolling about. I just hope it isn''t fucking trash day. Having my senses away from me leaves me vulnerable, but at least I have Moon-moon out and set to guard. Stat Bonus Cheat: For playing related video games you have gained 1 WIS Wow, I had forgotten about that. I''ve been playing some in an attempt to gain more Strategy skill, which has thus far failed to budge. I need to get back to an arcade and finish exploiting the hell out of that. Or steal a damn console and stuff if I have the carry capacity. I glance at my watch again. It''s a bit after 6:30 in the morning. I have been hidden in this cramped spot for an hour and a half. My free camera is firmly planted in view of the door and the alarm panel. Finally some woman approaches. I turn FRAPS on, recording as she opens the door and keys in the alarm code. Gotcha, I do another sweep of the office with my camera, but I already verified Julia''s gun is still in the safe, and nothing else unusual is going on. Now, make sure the rent-a-cop is nowhere nearby when I climb out of the dumpster. Fuck that was nasty. I run off to a secluded spot and make sure I''m not being watched and inventory swap on some clean clothes. I wash up as best I can in a fast-food bathroom, but I need a shower. I should try getting another trial pass at some gym. I return to Wal-Mart and swipe some replacement clothes and a pillow. I need to rest somewhere soon, the fatigue points are getting really low. Not going to do it in a field again that''s for sure. I do need to burn off my stamina beforehand. You may gain the Hammers specialty for Melee Weapons More Power Strike practice, smashing my sculpture hammer into a log in another random field, and then swap to using my knife until some city worker chases me off. Now sneak onto the Metrorail and sleep through a few loops. ****? A train worker wakes me up and kicks me off at a city terminal. At least I''ve refilled my stamina and a bit of fatigue, which was still under 40%. That means I can rest again later without restriction. I walk out and see a large crowd of people standing around; nearly all have ''Day laborer'' as part of their class in their overhead tags. That could be a quick way to get cash. I spam observe as I mingle among the crowd, and strike up a few Speech empowered conversations, in Spanish for the majority. According to Observe, most, but not all, are Hispanic, several are illegal aliens or refugees, some not, just various men, late teens to those in their fifties trying to make a buck. <"¡­ So this is your first time looking for work here?"> one of the men asks me in Spanish as we stand around. <"Yes, haven''t got many choices for income¡­"> <"You look so young, shouldn''t you be in school?"> <"Can''t afford to be in school when I could be working."> <"Aye, aye, I understand, family got here recently?"> says the man Observe says isn''t a citizen. I shrug non-committedly, while checking an unexpected notification. For taking chances at raw risk vs. reward, you have gained 1 LUC Okay, that''s really odd. Where the hell did that come from? <"You''ll have to be careful. Sometimes the ICE agents pretend to be contractors. Some will just have you do work and then not pay you. Some will pay you but not bring you back so make sure you have change for bus fare. Others, well, they don''t want us here at all. They''ll pretend also, drive you out a ways, then beat you, rob you and leave you on the side of the road somewhere. You''re blonde and lighter skinned though, so that may be less of a problem for you."> <"Not light enough to not get harassed by the cops. Thanks for the warnings. Do you have any other tips?"> A sobering conversation follows among my new found acquaintances according to my relationship sheets, about life as an immigrant day laborer or just a poor one. It doesn''t take long for a truck to pull up and start fetching people; I''m initially ignored due to my scrawny size until I say I can speak English and translate. Vibes didn''t warn me off, but that feature or power or whatever has been hard to gauge. It''s hard and sweaty work, and only pays $9 an hour. All of us help dig out ground for some yuppie couple to have a new giant circular driveway poured for their McMansion. I should probably try using concrete molds to make golems. Easy to get materials, easy to mass produce, and no kiln needed; just wait for them to dry. The work is in the wealthy enclave part of town, behind gates and walls and everything. Some private neighborhood Rent-A-Cops are watching us as we work. It stunk of hypocrisy; Walls to keep out the criminals, Parahuman gangs, and undesirables, unless they need cheap labor for menial tasks, then get out. I almost feel like telling Mr. Devarow his trophy wife is fucking someone on the side according to Observe, but why step into that mess? I quickly realize I have to use Good Pacing for this particular bit of ''training'' and I at least get to replenish my stamina and some fatigue when we are allowed a 30 minute siesta under some shade. I''m glad they fed us lunch because I wasn''t going to pull stuff out of thin air from my inventory. Three more hours of work later, they drive us back and I¡¯m $72 dollars richer and I didn''t even have to steal it. I had not in fact recovered enough stamina to handle those three hours, so this resulted in more breaks, minor HP loss and negative status effects. If my calcs are correct, 25 stamina is worth 1 HP point for Gamer''s Body and CON training progress. That''s what it is now, who knows what it will be later. I don''t get it. Average stamina values I''ve seen are only a little better than mine, 320 or so compared to my current 312. But mine deplete at a much faster rate, of course they also regenerate at a much faster rate too, so maybe I shouldn''t complain. <"¡­Damn I need to find a place to shower"> and sleep I thought. <"You don''t have a place?"> Miguel asks, one who I had talked to the most during the job. <"No ID no credit card. You know a motel that takes cash?"> <"Aye, aye. I know a place my family used before. They help people like us, but you have to have a cash deposit, plus whatever the room would cost now. It was a year ago that we stayed there¡­"> Oh thank god, I just hope the cash deposit isn''t outrageous. ****? It took an hour to get to this tiny motel in the Hispanic part of the city. It''s another low-end place but I can''t be choosy. It has stucco walls and a ranch style architecture. Soft Latin music is playing in the lobby. <"Does Juan Garcia still work here?"> I ask a Hispanic lady at the front desk, according to Miguel''s not so subtle hint. <"Yes but he is not here tonight."> <"Oh. Do you still take cash for rooms?"> <"Yes, $200 dollar deposit, do you have ID?"> Shit. I¡¯m getting a good vibe off her though so I just come out with it. <"No I don''t have legal ID."> <"That''s why you asked for Juan, yes?"> I don''t respond. <"It''s okay I know Juan, you have the money though?"> I nod yes. <"Wait in the lobby please. I will be right with you."> waits on some other customers and sends them on their way before fetching me again. <"It is $40 per night. How many nights?"> <"One for now, maybe more if that is possible."> I pulled $240 out of my pocket and out of my inventory in a well-practiced move. <"Room 115. You will get your deposit back when you return the key if the room is in good order. Checkout is 11 am. Maid service will not be available, so clean up after yourself."> <"Thank you."> I notice she does not give me a receipt and puts my money in a different section than the regular register. <"If you need short work or food I can ask if the restaurant needs any dishwashers."> <"I''ll keep that in mind, thank you again."> "De nada" ****? I get into my room and take a well needed shower. Then set my alarm and take a short nap. I pull out Moon-Moon and give him a complex set of looping orders to grind Mana Golem also. It''s time to abuse the hell out of my rest recovery rates. One 13 minute nap, later I spam Power Strike as fast as I can with my knife into my block of clay. I''m probably dulling the blade to crap, but I don''t care. You may gain the Knives specialty for Melee Weapons I don''t have any more unique melee weapons so I find a sports channel showing a boxing match and switch to punching the clay a few times, before taking a power nap again. Your Power Strike has increased by 1 Your Unarmed Combat has increased by 1 Wait a second. No specialty gain? Not even while watching what''s his name beat up what''s his name on TV? God damn it. I didn''t want to push unarmed or even melee weapons up too far past level 1 because I still want to exploit specialties for them while they are at low level, but I need the rapid stamina loss from Power Strike to power train Gamer''s Body and CON, while I have a bed available. I guess I''ll have to alternate. Your Melee Weapons has increased by 1 I swap back to unarmed Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Finally! Oh, my injury debuffs and their timers both decrease. Sleep, spam Power Strike, sleep, spam Power Strike, over and over until I top over 40% fatigue and can''t nap anymore until it fall below it. +165 XP, Quest Completed: How much of a Bum are you? That happened right after the 40% mark. Question now is can I do this again? I look at my watch, it''s 8:30. A few hours of study, to deplete fatigue back down, but I''ll have to head out to not miss the train. ****? I grind Power Strike to burn off my stamina again, and leave everything except my golems, my bat, and my costume in the room to lighten my load, even my shoes, opting to wear my costume boots instead. I get the last train ride out and manage another nap on it before departing at the stop closest to the CPS office. I won''t be able to take another one back until they open again early in the morning. Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 It''s just after midnight, but I want to wait a while longer before heading to the strip mall slash office building thing. I sit in Jake''s 24 hour restaurant, reviewing my FRAPS recordings of the layout of the place and the security code I captured while hiding in that dumpster. No dumpster hiding this time. Plan A: Wait for the rent-a-cop to pass by, pick the lock on the door, put in the code, get inside, hack the computer, pick the safe, get the gun, get out. Plan B: if I can''t pick the door or the security code doesn''t work, smash the window, get inside, unhook the computer, shove it in inventory, see if I can get into the safe room, put whole safe in inventory, distract rent-a-cop with golems, get out. I really don''t like plan B, or plan C, which is to abort the whole thing. Well it''s showtime. I leave the restaurant, turn on stealth and walk across the street to the commercial block that has the CPS office. I duck behind a fence, make a waypoint for my golems, make sure stealth says no one is watching, and inventory swap my costume on. I take a bird''s eye view of my free camera and watch the rent-a-cop, timing his patrol. As soon as he passes the point, I swap modes, move out toward the building''s door, lock-picks in hand and get to work. Standard single deadbolt, I looked up online from FRAPS data. It''s taking longer than I hoped, but I hear the pins slide into place with my SFX volume turned way up just before I prepare to pull out the bat. With a satisfying click, the dead bolt turns and I slip inside the door. The low buzz of the alarm sounds but it''s only the 30 second warning. I punch in the code and it stops. I twist the deadbolt shut and my watch alarm beeps once. Fuck security patrol. I get behind a cubicle, hide, and turn my free camera back on just as I watch the rent-a-cop pass by the front windows. Shit, he''s lingering, why? He shines the flashlight in the windows. Leave you asshole. I turn broadcast on again and move my camera out. I replaced my censor beep with something more useful, and whispered a swear word. The brief sound of two alley cats fighting comes out of my camera position in the dark next to some trees. Rent-a-cop shines his light that way and walks away from the front of the building. Good time for step two. I pull Moon-moon out of my inventory and tell him to guard the door, then find Mrs. Pearson''s computer and boot it up. Crappy old windows version, this may take a while, so I flip the monitor off so the light from the screen isn''t glowing. I use my free camera to verify the gun is still in the safe, it is. My watch beeps again, and I wait as the rent-a-cop walks on by. Once he is out of sight I turn the monitor back on and dim the brightness. Hopefully Mrs. Pearson''s login is still the same; otherwise I pull the hard drive. Although if the data is on a network that may not be helpful. Fortunately it''s still the same. It takes a while, and three watch beeps of the security patrol, but I get into the records and find Julia''s address in New Hampshire, even her grandmother''s name and contact number. I turned on fraps and screen cap the info. Josephine Mercier 1424 Elm Street. Brockton Bay, NH Objective one complete, I restore the monitor setting and shut the computer down. Configuring Windows Updates. 7% Complete. Do not turn off your computer. Huh? Oh hell no. I forcibly turn the computer off as my watch beeps again. I wait for the security guard to pass once more and turn the computer back on. I move on to the office storage door where they keep the wheeled cabinet safe and kneel down and begin picking the lock. With another satisfying click, I open the door and slip inside. I pull some hard drives out of the slip in racks for the server they have in here as well as the DVDs that were in the block of DVD-RWs. I was pretty sure that those are tied to the cameras. I prepare my inventory screen just in case, then sit down on the floor, and put my ear to the safe, volume still at maximum, and try my hand at cracking the thing. It''s taking entirely too long. I think I had the first number in but wasn''t sure. I''ve already restarted six times. Then I heard a rattle and a massive thud. Shit I roll the safe into my inventory. Oh god this is too heavy, fuck. I managed to step out the storage room door while several thump bangs happen followed by the sound of glass shattering. I turn the corner in time to see Moon-moon running out the shattered bottom panel of the front door. GOD DAMN IT MOON-MOON! The security guard must have touched or rattled the door. I cringe as I watch my stamina drop as I walk with undesired slowness toward the backdoor. Toward the front in the parking lot I heard a gunshot. A few more steps and a few seconds later I hear another. "Moon-Moon stop." A third gunshot as I reach and push open the back emergency door. "Moon-moon go to point A" I see some notifications and I glance at them quickly. Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 Moon-moon destroyed Invalid target cannot go to point A Shit. I need to shed weight. I pull my other golems out and send them off in a scramble pattern. I''m still overburdened, several more steps away, more stamina lost, but I make it as far as the adjacent store''s dumpster and toss the drives and DVDs. Fuck me still not enough, in went my trench coat as well. It''s a 75 lb. cabinet safe according to Observe. I could have handled that, but I forgot to add the weight of the fucking contents. I crawl up a short embankment into the backside parking lot of the adjacent small office complex then have to stop because my stamina is at zero. I check my stealth, no one is looking at me and I swap off my costume. I drop my motocross torso piece. I''m only a couple tenths of a pound over now, I tossed my cup and strap and am just under my carry weight. I hear some more gunshots and another notification fires. I lost another golem, and I can hear sirens approaching. The golems are a lost cause. I can''t risk sending them to me and leading anyone to my location. I order them to attack each other, and watch as a couple more notifications indicate more are destroyed. I set the last one to attacking itself, while I recover enough stamina to walk normally again. I still can''t sprint though. Well the PRT will get called, because of the Golems I''m sure. That will be something interesting for their labs to analyze. I keep my eyes to the skies and the ground, and myself in the shadows. Yep there¡¯s a flier. "Observe" yep that''s Exalt.
Name: Robert Graves Level: ?? Alias: Exalt Gender: Male Age: 32 Ethnicity: Caucasian Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Protectorate Officer / Hero Faction: Protectorate STR: 16 (+0) 16 AGI: 18 (??) ?? CON: 16 (??) ?? INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: ?? (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 16 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 5.0 Armor: 6.0 Speed: ?? (??) ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 320/320 Stamina: 400/400 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Robert, known as Exalt in his Hero Identity, is the second in command of the Houston Protectorate... Status Effects: Mental: Conflict Seeking, ... Physical: Chilled, ... Currently Feeling: Diligent, Annoyed Motivations: Investigate Parahuman report, ... Equipment list: Light Ballistic and Ablative resistant armored costume, ...
I play cat and mouse with the police and the heroes combing the area, but only manage to Observe Exalt, I do hear someone mention Olympus was about as well. I make it to the IHOP down the street, and sit down. +77 XP for evading the heroes, security and the cops Well I guess that means it is safe to order some breakfast. ****? I chill at IHOP for an hour grinding Observe before I head to the MetroRail station. It opens at 4:30 in the morning. I head back to my Hotel room around 5am and pull the damn safe out of my inventory. I''ll have to replace the stuff I ditched later. I have no idea how long it will take me to open the thing, but I''ll try after I''ve had a little sleep. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Thief Faction: None Money: $429.13 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 10 (99.80%) XP: 9996 Primary Attributes STR: 10 (-0.90) 9.10 (38.08%) AGI: 7 (-0.75) 6.25 (55.74%) CON: 15 (-1.05) 13.95 (49.14%) INT: 22 (0.00) 22.00 (26.03%) PER: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (58.30%) WIS: 22 (0.00) 22.00 (1.19%) CHA: 12 (0.00) 12.00 (88.49%) LUC: 11 (0.00) 11.00 (0.00%) Unspent Points: 26 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 317/382 Stamina Pool: 236/316 Mana Pool: 159/2750 Stress Pool: 440/440 Attack: 8.78 Speed: 2.71 Dodge: 10.79 Armor: 0.20 Carry: 91.00 Allure: 2.40 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.5 Bruises & Lacerations: STR -0.15 CON -0.3 ALU -0.1 Stab Wound (R-Upper Back): STR -0.75 AGI -0.75 CON -0.75 Skills Max Slots: 42 Free Skill Slots: 6 Artistry: 10 (71.23%) Athletics: 11 (50.87%) Basic Academics: 9 (40.87%) Computers: 10 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (0.00%) Create Mana Golem: 10 (27.36%) Disable Device: 10 (70.54%) Disease Resistance: 6 (52.60%) Disguise: 1 (0.00%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 10 (51.34%) Empathy: 10 (22.66%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: 22 (14.75%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 2 (0.00%) Meditation: 11 (63.01%) Melee Weapons: 2 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 14 (86.36%) Parahuman Lore: 6 (76.56%) Power Strike: 3 (93.26%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 9 (55.76%) Stealth: 11 (85.45%) Strategy: 3 (35.30%) Thievery: 7 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 2 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (13.54%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.10 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.10 Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 Your Unarmed Combat skill has increased by 1 I nap just enough to max my stamina and to repeat a few rounds of Power Strike spam before I try to get this damn safe open. Part 1 of the Gun Smuggler quest hasn''t been triggered yet. Does it not count until I have her gun in my hand? Maybe that''s good. It would have topped me to level 11. While I want to level up, it would also bump Gamer''s Body, and make training it harder. It would probably be easier to get the next level in it before hitting level 11, preferably twice, and let the jump from 24 to 25 hit via level up. There isn''t enough reasonable active quest XP that will get me to level 12. 2 of 5 events achieved for Quest: Become a Cape! Oh, maybe there is if I go do my thing three more times. I should check PHO or for reports of a new Master in Houston. I guess getting that notification means they have linked this morning to the drug house? Didn''t take long, definitely a kind of present-cognition, added to whatever precog type effects have that let my quests do their thing. I should write that down as a cheaty power. It''s 10am and for the last three hours I haven''t gotten the safe open. I''m reasonably certain I have the first number right and am slowly brute forcing my way through the rest, but this is getting ridiculous. I need the room another night, just to keep trying, and hole up for a while. I need to take a break to extend my stay, and do some shopping. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 So much easier to grind that when I''m out and about in crowded stores and malls. I can see people''s PER stat now, as well as modifiers they have for CON. Average PER seems to be about 15, which means I''m below average. That sucks because it''s a hard stat to train. However I''m making good progress while trying to listen to crack the safe. I steal food for today and tomorrow, a long wooden pole to use as a staff for weapon variety, replace all my missing costume pieces, and swap out some clothes for cleaner stuff. I sell the ones that aren''t bad off to the thrift store for a few bucks. I want to hit the arcade again to get more skill exploits, but don''t have time. I have to get back to the hotel and get that safe open. Your Melee Weapons skill has increased by 1 Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Pull your Punches feature for Power Strike You may gain the Staves specialty for Melee Weapons For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Thursday, February 18th, 2010 It''s past 1 am? Holy crap. Still can''t get this thing open. So close to a PER gain, if I can''t open it before checkout time, I''ll have to stay another night and steal some power tools because god damn. Is this one of those games where if I fail it doesn''t tell me and can''t try again until my skill level changes? That would suck. Also, fucking Gamer''s Body, I earned a CON point before I leveled that again. I''m close though. Hamster wheel indeed, sleep spam grind, sleep spam grind, listen to a safe clicking for 8 hours, break for spam grinding when stamina is full, over and over. It would be a lot faster if I just¡­ mutilated myself, but I''m almost healed up. Meh, back on the wheel. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 That took entirely too long. I need to do something else. I can make a few 1 pound clay snake golems to drain off mana and use as replacements. Snakes are just rolled clay with eyes and not much of a mouth. Theoretically they can bind and trip up people. For exhaustively testing and training your senses, you have gained 1 PER Finally, that was only another, three hours of trying? Fuck. Training PER is such a major pain, there has to be a way to do that while doing something else at the same time, but then the other thing ends up taking up too much of my attention. Maybe meditation? I haven''t messed with that in a while. I can''t do it now though because I have to move my hands. Oh, thank god, I can hear the internals better, and I can get the thing open. Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 Well the quest still hasn''t fired, but the door is open. Julia''s gun is in there, so is a knife, a lot of jewelry, a digital camera, a handheld game system, and an MP3 player. I''m keeping the last two, maybe the knife too if it''s better than my current one. Sell the Jewelry and the camera at a pawn shop, preferably one whose clerk has ''Fence'' as part of their class description. I feel bad that these other kids got their stuff stolen, but I can''t return it, or even know who it belongs to. Probably for the best as it would have looked really weird if the only thing taken from the safe was Julia''s gun. Maybe I can sell the safe too. Nah, too obvious, I''ll just ditch it somewhere. A more immediate question is, train more Gamer''s Body the slow way before I take the gun out and level up or after? I also have skill points left that I could spend; I''d only need one after leveling. I guess I still have a bit of time to decide later after a couple more sessions. Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 Your Unarmed Combat skill has increased by 1 That''s an even level 4 in Unarmed Combat and I need to stop or all the specialties I want later will just get harder to get. That only leaves melee weapons to try. I''m worried about the increased amount of damage the strikes are doing. Hitting a lump of clay in the bathroom is one thing, but I have to clean specks off the walls several times. I try to pull my punches, but hitting for less than max is less efficient at getting skill XP. I need to switch back to melee weapons, but one wrong move and I''ll lose my deposit because I took a chunk out of the tub. That also assumes I''ll get more variety, there isn''t a sword shop in town that I know of. A hardware store is a better bet, but weight is going to start being an issue. I can overload myself so much that I kill my stamina rapidly with each step, that''s what I need to try next. I don''t want to squander a moment of having a hotel room where I can do what I want out of sight. ****? I find someone labeled as a fence, and sell the digital camera. I sell the jewelry across a few other pawn shops in the area. I probably got ripped off, but it''s enough to pay for another night and then some. My skill gains are slow but I should get the next Gamer''s Body level in less than 24 hours. I nab a hatchet, axe and machete from the hardware store. I visit a gun shop, and find ammo and a magazine that matches Julia''s gun but can''t swipe anything. Everything is behind locked counters. I do replace my ski goggles with ballistic goggles. Those weren''t behind a counter. I get back to the room and try using my overloaded inventory weight, but it''s less efficient than using Power Strike and doesn''t raise up additional skills. After I study for a while I''ll try power strike again, I just have to be more careful. You may gain the Hatchets specialty for Melee Weapons Yeah, I can''t do that anymore. Almost broke some bath tiles on a missed swing, would have if I hadn''t laid out the sleeping bag just in case. Now, finish off the Econ textbook quest, and get back below 40% on fatigue. I''ll leave just one question unanswered to hold off the XP award until I''m ready for it. You may gain the Trigonometry specialty for Mathematics The thing slowing down my abuse of converting stamina into skill points is ''the can''t rest'' limit, but at least I can get other stuff done while waiting for that to get back down. Don''t need Thomas''s trig book anymore, maybe I can use it for machete practice. I glance at the time, it''s midnight now, Friday morning. Damn nearly a week has gone by already. Friday, February 19th, 2010 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Well that''s nice, but this is taking too long. Each time my CON goes up, the ratio of stamina points to HP for gaining CON and XP for Gamer''s Body gets worse. It sure as hell isn''t 25 to 1 now. There''s no way I''m going to get to level 24 in Gamer''s Body before I have to check out. I don''t know if I''ll be able to rent again, and if I did, it would put me at risk for affording the bus ticket to Brockton. I guess I can steal more shit to pawn, but that means spending time doing that. Is saving an extra skill point worth it? I wish I had for Gamer''s Mind, yet I didn''t at all regret it for Interface. I''m 50% of the way there. I''d hate to have done all that for nothing. Well it won''t all be for nothing due to the CON gains I got, but¡­ I''m ignoring the other way I can gain the skill XP I need. HP will convert at such a much better ratio. Is it worth it? Lose just enough HP to gain it all back from a meal or a nap? Technically, all point bars that are at their max leave wasted points that could have come from regen. Will it give me bad status effects that won''t go away quickly enough? Gaining levels in Gamer''s Body reduces both the de-buffs and timers of the ones I currently have. I''d be gaining two more before maxing it out. I''d have to test the numbers first¡­ ****? -3 HP x5 Attacking myself this is going to look so healthy, only very minor bruising. 15 points for +3% GB. I''d have to lose way too much for that to be entirely worth it. What''s my new regen rates while awake and asleep? Now I wait, study on the next textbook quest, and keep on checking. You may gain the Suturing specialty for Medicine I thought suturing would already be covered by First Aid. I should stop trying to make sense of what specialties I get. The last of my blood washes down the bathtub drain from an additional loss of 65 HP via several tiny cuts. Only cost all the consumables in my first aid kid. The oxy and 50% pain resistance helped. Apparently I had enough blood loss to drop several fatigue points but not enough to create any bleeding effects, good. This is maybe the stupidest thing I''ve ever done. But if it works, it''s not stupid. I should get it back with five hours of sleep and a couple meals. I''ll eat one now and sleep, I only got it to 75%. I''m not going to be able to complete it tonight, but I''ll figure something out tomorrow. ****? I slept for three hours instead of five, automatically awakening if my fatigue meter fills to max. I make some more Golem snakes after practicing with them last night. I have fifteen now. I can''t avoid another night here to finish this skill off. I''ll go shopping, replace my first aid kit, get more supplies and figure out how to kill 12 hours waiting for fatigue to go back to rest exploit levels. Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 Saturday, February 20th, 2010 For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR It''s after midnight again. I''ve killed twelve-plus hours with inventory overloaded STR training. Power strike spam only works best when cheating with power naps to force my stamina to fill back up super-fast. Otherwise stretching out all that stamina over physical training while awake is the better choice. Your Create Mana Golem skill has increased by 1 Yeah, cause I need to spend the mana from the power naps, nineteen snakes now. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 Finally! Finally! After all these hours and spent money. Shit it''s past 5am. All that to save one skill point. I reach into the safe and take out Julia''s gun, and drop it into my inventory. I''ll need to ditch the safe somewhere later in the morning. +275 XP, Quest: Gun Smuggler, Part 1 Completed You have gained a level! You are now level 11. Your Gamer''s Body skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Avatar feature for Gamer''s Body Gamer''s Body has reached Max rank
Secret Quest: Max your core skills completed Max your Gamer''s Body, Mind and Interface skill out at 25. Success: +5000 XP Bonus Condition complete before level 25: Success: +50 XP for each level below 25 Bonus Condition complete before level 20: Success: +100 XP for each level below 20 Bonus Condition complete before level 15: Success:+150 XP for each level below 15 Bonus Condition complete before level 10: Failed Bonus Condition complete before level 5: Failed
+7920 XP, Secret Quest: Max your core skills completed You have gained a level! You are now level 12 You have gained a level! You are now level 13 You have gained a level! You are now level 14 HOLY FUCK! Oh, wow, that feels fucking awesome. Three levels at once, no, effectively four levels at once. Hot damn what did I get? "Parapedia, Avatar"
Avatar: You''re a near-literal game character. Your Avatar state exists as long as you have positive HP. Your Avatar is an undetectably photo and tactile realistic representation of the current state of your underlying real body, overlaid and partially merged with it. While active, all damaged received is cosmetic in nature as it is distributed throughout your Avatar, and displayed via awesome science-fictiony texture layering and microscopic voxel effects to produce bruising, cuts, bleeding, bodily fluid spatters and other signs of injury, to provide a high quality non-numeric visual representation of how close you are to 0 HP to observers. Microscopic voxel effects that leave your person fade over time, just like the corpse of some random mob you fragged in your favorite RPG) While the Avatar state is active it, and your underlying body, is immune to dismemberment and similar body destroying massive trauma, though the potential HP loss still applies. If you reach 0 HP, the Avatar state turns off, your real body receives surface shock injuries, making most of those cosmetic appearance injuries real, and you are left just as squishy as your current baseline self, until you hit CON 0 and its game over. The feature Avatar is a prerequisite for damage resistance and other skills. If the Avatar state is not active, all skills that require it as a prerequisite cease to function.
Good God, that sounds both awesome and scary. I strip down and examine myself in the mirror. My injuries have completely healed, except for the acne, fuck you too. I remove all my bandages and stitches. I don''t look different, and I don''t feel different. Photo and tactile realistic, eh? I guess it is. I notice it doesn''t mention anything about gear or clothing, does that mean they are excluded? Apparently they are excluded; ripping off a loose thread from my shirt doesn''t miraculously repair itself later. So why hasn''t the get Healthy again quest fired off? Oh right, need max mana, which will take some more time. That means, as much as I''d like to figure out how damage resistance skills work, it can wait until after that damn quest is completed. +330 XP, Quest Supply and Demand Completed! You have automatically gained the ''Basic Economics'' specialty for Basic Academics +330 XP, Quest Get Healthy Again Completed! For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Some study, and power-nap stamina expenditure abuse, and finally some brief actual sleep, and I max out my bars and finish that damn healthy quest. And, finish off training that extra CON point, expending back what I recovered. Then add more golem snakes to my collection as my MP allows me to. Well, that took my entire morning. It''s check-out time and I can''t afford to spend another night here and still have enough left for a cross country bus ticket, let alone how much hiring some guy to pretend to be my parent might cost. Unless I try to knock over another drug house or steal a bunch of stuff to pawn. It puts trying to gain and train up whatever damage resistance skills my power hinted at further off. ****? Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 Thievery is showing the telltale signs of slowing down. I can only tell by snagging a few things at a time, per store, and tracking progress. I realize I could steal a crap load of stuff, far more than what was needed for a level up, but hit an even level because the specialty weirdness halts progress at 0.00% on the next level. I''m losing chances and making it harder to gain specialties with each increase, but I have no idea what else might qualify. How long is shoplifting going to be enough to maintain progress? I add plenty of games to the gaming handheld I got from the safe; between that and reading textbooks I''ll have something to do on the trip. I pilfered an excessive amount of software. At first it was just an experiment, but Data Interface is ever more awesome. My interface is some kind of computer. That''s what video games are after all, so it makes sense. With Data Interface I can pull software right off the DVDs, even movies and music and such. I do have to take them out of their boxes and cases, but software weighs nothing, and once I copy everything, I toss all the physical media into some dude''s truck who had left his windows open. So happy birthday, or merry Christmas, or whatever to you dude. I can now learn all kinds of stuff right from my interface screens, no computer needed. Accessing the internet directly from my interface is still not possible. I don''t know how to get around that limitation yet. So some software that has internet DRM or other internet access required bullshit is not working at the moment, until I hack around that. As cool as it is, it doesn''t make much sense, but since when did powers make sense? Items in my inventory are in some kind of time stasis, but the physical media that software is on, given the ability to actually copy off disks and USB sticks and such, isn''t? How is it getting power to do that? Well, running Data Interface does cost me 1 MP per minute to use, is it converting it into electricity somehow or something? Note to self: Download all those Textbooks and science courses and articles and such onto disks and upload to my interface. Your Disguise skill has increased by 1 Your Disguise skill has increased by 1 Once I confirm the fashion magazines I swiped on a lark after noticing skill gain from bored browsing no longer gave me any skill, I toss them. I gained a bit of Artistry too of all things. Now why would those add to my disguise skill? I guess clothes are part of disguise, but I figured make-up, wigs, false teeth, colored contacts and stuff like that was what I was going to have to mess with. Another note to self: steal some wigs and disguise related stuff. ****? I got off the train at the day laborer meeting area. I had hoped to run into Miguel. The others said he had been there this morning but had taken a job. I had managed to get the best rapport and relationship with him according to my sheet, still just an acquaintance though, I want to see how amenable he would be to helping me buy the bus ticket. He''ll likely be back by the evening, so I wait and chat, and wait and chat some more. Your Speech skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Alluring Charm feature for Speech For cultivating your social demeanor and engaging others you have gained 1 CHA It''s late afternoon by now, day jobs are drying up and a lot of people are leaving. Then a dirty white beat up truck rolls up, and the two guys inside start talking to some of the Hispanic laborers. Vibes hit me, bad vibes. I move closer to get a better look at the driver and passenger. Their overhead tags already had ''/Thug'' as a secondary class next to their mundane jobs. "Observe, Observe". That''s not good. They''re members of the ''Minute-Men'', self-appointed civilian border guard and enforcement vigilantes who only end up harassing and beating those they suspected of being illegals, refugees, or whatever they considered undesirable job-takers. Over the last few years the group devolved into a gang subservient to the villain led Secessionists. Fuck, as I move closer to the truck some of the men are already getting into the truck bed. What can I even do here? I''m not in costume, and nothing has even happened yet. "FRAPS on". I''m not a mover. I can''t follow a truck. Can I? I pull up my inventory and slip my hand into the side of my pants as I move the interface screen into position to bisect my leg. I tap a golem and feel it draw out down my pant leg. As I get up behind and to the side of the truck, I release the snake from my trousers at shoe level. I briefly swap cameras to get it to target the underside of the truck to follow. "We have enough no more, get back with the others." The driver shouts at me as he stares at me in his side mirror. I have a hand on the tailgate, as I swap my camera back to normal. The golem wraps itself around the underside of the truck. I guess that works. <"Seems bad, y''all be careful."> I say in Spanish to the five men that were in the pickup bed. I don''t know if they hear me as the truck speeds off about then. I half-jog cutting through parked cars in the parking lot to the exit, as the truck weaves around to get there. My Golem sense gives me an indication of the direction it is in, although I can still see the truck anyways. I catch up when it stops to wait for traffic before it can turn out of the parking lot into the street. I activate Good Pacing and take off at a jog down the sidewalk in the direction the truck''s blinker indicates. Who am I kidding? It doesn''t take long for it to go past me, and while an upcoming red light lets me make up a little time, the truck soon speeds beyond my sight. I don''t have enough speed. My AGI is too low, something I need to fix. My Golem sense tells me where to go, for now at least, what happens if it gets out of range?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Someone blares a horn at me as I dangerously cut across the road. I can still sense the direction even if I can''t see the truck anymore, so I just keep going, hoping I can catch up before my connection is lost. Last time I tried to figure how long my range was I guessed it at a quarter mile, but that was at a low level. I''m pretty sure they''re more than a quarter mile from me by now. I at least have the advantage of cutting across parking lots and sidewalks and buildings as I go. No stop lights hinder me, and I lost count of how often I jaywalk-ran across the streets. I could really use a mini-map. Maybe I could download a whole map database and put it into an interface window? That''s something to consider for later. Forty minutes of hard jogging later, my mental Golem connection sense went from ''it''s in this direction'' to ''it''s in this direction and I can give it commands'', so they must have stopped. Still can''t see them though. A few minutes later, I slow down. I¡¯m in a dilapidated industrial part of town. From enhanced volumes I can hear shouting and screaming from up ahead. I duck into an alley near the dirty train yard, catch my breath, check my stealth, apply my face paint and swap into my costume before sneaking up to the scene. I''m too late, at least the five day laborers are still alive, even if they''re laying on the ground, bruised and beaten. Observe indicates three are unconscious, one is pretending to be, and the fifth is still moving. Eight men, levels 12 to 16 stand around them throwing racial slurs while drinking beer, armed with bats and clubs. The dirty white truck is off to the side as well as a larger blue one. There are fucking coolers and a damn barrel campfire and lawn chairs out, some of these fuckers were waiting for them to show up. I go into free camera mode to get a closer look at the scene. I order the snake that is under the truck to crawl up into the engine and attack it. Don''t know how well that will work out but I send another one off to do the same to the blue truck. Even if half these guys look like they are middle-aged beer-bellied armchair warriors, I don''t like 8 to 1 odds. I get my golems ready, then I take out my phone, prime it for 911, then duh, abort that, put my phone back and took out Fredrico''s phone and call them with it instead. "911, what''s your emergency" "Eight gangers beat up five day laborers around Milby and McKinney Street, in some occluded park area near a train yard. They''re gonna need medical attention." "Are you currently safe?" "The eight dudes are still there, armed with bats and clubs, yelling something like that sounds like ''dey terk er jerbs''" "We have units en-route, move away to a safe area. I need your name and¡ª" "HEY!" "Oh shit, I''ve been spotted¡­" I throw the phone into my inventory. I look across the patch of ground at one of the rednecks who has apparently wandered over to wiz on a chunk of broken concrete. Well, I''m in costume. I face the guy and undid the belt of my pimpin'' fur-lined trench coat. "Fear my snakes! All of them!" I thrust open my trench coat and all 27 remaining golem snakes that I have on me pour out of my inventory. "All subdue Roy Cranston". Roy backpedals but loses his grip on his undone pants as some snakes near him. He trips on his own pants, and gets swarmed. I pull out my bat and run up beside him as he struggles. I considered knocking him out with it, but he''s already down. I pick his pockets and pull out the duct tape, and bind his mouth and hands, and order some of the snakes off. -2 HP (3 Deflected) My head rings as an empty beer bottle smashes into it and shatters. "A fucking cape has Roy!" someone screams. I look up and spot the assailant. Shit, it wasn''t supposed to happen like this, and duct tape takes too fucking long to use. "All subdue Bubba Buckworth." And fuck, Roy, suddenly freed, stands up and tries to run. -15 HP I clip Roy in the side of the leg with my bat and he goes down again, but not out. "Golem 3 subdue Roy Cranston." Fuck, I run back behind some cover. I can''t risk making myself vulnerable by scrying. I need to remember the names. "Golem 4, 5, 6 subdue Arnie Beechum, Golem 7, 8, 9 subdue Hank Bluff, Golem 10, 11, 12 subdue Jeff Fox, Golem 13, 14, 15 subdue Larry Roper¡­" shit, what are the other names? The way clear for the moment I run over to Roy and kick him in the head twice and he stops moving. -16 HP -12 HP "Golem 3 guard me" I move forward enough to get a better view. Bubba is definitely down, the majority of the snakes having swarmed him. So were Hank and Jeff. Larry and Arnie are still awkwardly running off, snakes wrapped around some of their arms and legs. A couple more kicks and punches to Bubba and he moves less but isn''t out of it. "Golem 16, 17, 18 subdue Arnie Beechum, Golems 19, 20, 21 subdue Darryl Weathers, Golems 22, 23, 24 subdue Larry Roper" I ordered as I rob Bubba of everything he has on him, occasionally punching him as the two remaining snakes bind his arms and legs. -10 HP (5 Deflected) "Ow, Fuck" Bubba manages to head-butt me in the stomach, so I knee him in the face. I hear a crack and blood and a few teeth go flying -27 HP (Critical hit) Bubba stops struggling. The white truck fails to start, the blue one starts with a horrible crunching sound, drives off about twenty something feet and comes to a stop. Notifications are firing off but I don''t have time to look at them. Maybe I can win this on my own after all? I duct tape Bubba''s wrists behind his back. "Golem 3, 25, 26 subdue Jim Meadows". I pick Hank, Jeff and Arnie''s pockets, but Larry has escaped. Golem shards are about, so they weren''t as strong as I had hoped. Darryl and Jim are holed up in each of the disabled trucks, my snakes constantly ramming on the window glass. What the fuck am I doing? Five guys I wanted to help are hurt and I''m looting the bad guys. I go look for them, and nearly get my head smashed by a pipe. <"Hey! I''m here to help."> I shout in Spanish at the day laborer who had been feigning consciousness earlier. He had moved the others, some of whom have woken up by now. We''re interrupted by the sounds of sirens and shortly afterward by two shotgun blasts. <"Let''s get out of here"> I hear some of the laborers shout, I''m inclined to agree. I¡¯m not interested in engaging with the police. I move toward the alley only to see Larry holding a pump shotgun and a knife freeing some of his friends from my now broken snakes. I jump behind a piece of broken concrete wall just as he drops the knife and levels the shotgun at me. -24 HP (6 Deflected) "Fuck!" I curse as some of the buckshot rakes my leg where I hadn''t gotten behind the wall in time. "All attack Larry Roper!" The gun is the real danger, and he is trying to go lethal, so I pull my Hatchet out of my inventory. Another shotgun blast goes off, not aimed at me thankfully. A quick third person camera swap let me see him blasting apart more of my golems. I switch back and run for some more distant cover. He shoots at me again but misses. I run around the corner right into two cops. "Drop it now! Get on the Ground!" They both yell, conflicting each other. I toss my Hatchet aside, and hold my hands up. "Fuck, I''m the one that called you guys." "On your knees now!" I don''t want to get shot at again, I lower myself down. Texas cops are no joke and don''t give a shit if you''re a cape or not, much like many of the gun-toting residents. Another shotgun blast roars and two cops run past me while one pushes my face in the dirt and cuffs my hands behind my back. The cops go toward the gunshots and I hear more yelling, and multiple gunshots. I whisper "all stop, all follow me." "Stay down and don''t move," a shaved-headed cop yells at me. He looks vaguely familiar. Yeah fuck that, as soon as he turns to help his fellow I stealth and move away. I don''t want to get caught in the crossfire. My attempt to scurry away is short lived. Shortly after the gun fire stops someone grabs me from behind. "Where the fuck you think you''re going? Fucking cape aren''t you?" Another cop pulls me up and shoves me in the back of a squad car, shuts and locks the door. Well fuck. "All stop. All go to way point A" A quick glance at my HUD shows several unread notifications. I¡¯m not even sure how many of my Golems are still alive. The cop that shoved me in here doesn''t stick around as I watch him head back toward the others. Then suddenly all the lights which had been flashing, all the radio chatter, and the car engines just shut off at once. What the hell is going on? "We got more capes on scene! Call in the PRT! Radios are dead!" several different voices shout. A loud crash and I see a big hunk of concrete smash into one of the front of one of the squad cars. I look at where it came from and see a name tag, , floating over a walking statue. He''s a sculptor, really? "Observe." Granite is shirtless and wearing only large sweatpants and a simple domino mask. The cops are shooting at him at it was doing fuck all. "Where''s the cape that attacked my fucking people?" I hear a loud voice yell. Then I see a giant lightning bolt arc across the ground and hit another squad car. Fuck this noise, I de-equip my handcuffs into my inventory. The cops are falling back, and I can''t open the fucking locks on the rear doors, and the front seats are partitioned off! I catch a glimpse of the other cape wearing a blue rubber raincoat and a welder''s mask. Three question marks? Holy fuck. "Observe" I don''t even have time to read anything as a second squad car gets hit with a bolt of lightning. Mine is the only one left now. I pull the sculpture hammer out of my inventory. "Power Strike" and shatter the squad car door window, and dive through onto the ground. The air smells like ozone, my hair stands on end and the squad car I just jumped from explodes in another shower of sparks and thunderous boom. -40 HP [Electrical] (0 Resisted) I stumble at the near miss, get up and run through the ruined concrete park and across the street. "There you are, you little shit." I hear Sparky shout. "All attack Sparky" I yell and run harder. I dive for cover again and lose my hammer when I feel a tingle in the air. "MY NAME IS ARC YOU ASSHOLE!" -150 HP [Electrical] (0 Resisted) BOOM! My ears ring. "Oh bejeezus holy fuckity-fuck" That wasn''t even a hit, just being near where it struck. I run, no, sprint as fast as I can. There must be several seconds of minimum wait time between those blasts or I''d be fried already. "Get these fucking snakes off me!" I hear Sparky shouting as I run down the street and cut through an apartment complex courtyard. I occasionally glance back at the flash of lighting and boom of thunderclaps. My hearing would probably be fucked if I didn''t have decibel control. At least Sparky doesn''t seem to be able to fly. A transformer blows up and all the light in the apartment complex goes out. Not that it matters because it¡¯s still day time, but barely. I try to find a place to hide and stealth but there are several eyes and cameras on me. Fucking cell phones, there were zero cameras just earlier. Another tingle goes through the air and suddenly the electric eyes count drops to zero again. Human eyes count hasn''t changed. I keep running until I finally find a sewer embankment, go down it, run into a culvert storm drain under a bridge, and stop to catch my breath. No more eyes on me. I activate stealth and risk a swap to free camera mode to get a bird''s eye view of what is going on. As my camera ascends I see Exalt flying past in his white starburst themed costume, as well as Olympus flying on some kind of small VTOL craft that looks like a flying chariot in his gold and white Greco-Roman themed toga and iconic Greek theater mask. "Observe, observe, observe". Shit how many levels did Sparky have the last time I ran into them? Was Rappel there? I didn''t see him. And where the hell is Eidolon when you need him? It seems reasonably safe for the moment, so I inventory swap back into my civvies, except I still have the face paint on. Shit of all the things I forget to put in my inventory? A fucking towel would have been useful. Note to self: put a towel in my inventory. Um, "inventory face-paint?" Wait, that actually worked? It turns into an icon labeled ''filthy paint goop.'' My body hurts all over, the adrenaline is wearing off. The pain is lessened by a rush of elation, and I see my health and mana jump up a bit. No time to check as I cautiously climb back out of the culvert and back up onto the street, while keeping my eye on my observation indicators. I find another fast food place and go into its restroom. I look like total shit, my leg stung, and my skin feels hot and dried out. A look in the mirror and it appears like parts of me had an accident with a tanning salon. A re-observe of my costume shows it''s badly singed. The once white fur trim is all black at the ends sticking up, and frayed to hell. It looked more hairy than pimpin'' now. Well I''ll have to get another one now. Surprisingly, there aren''t any blood stains. Where is the blood? I feel myself bleeding from those shotgun pellets, and I see it in my pants and coat. Do I really bleed voxels now like Avatar says? The holes in both my coat and pants are still there for sure. The pellets are also still in my fucking leg according to status effects. I strip in the stall, there are several red circular welts and bumps all down the backside of my left leg. A couple of them are close enough to the surface that I popped them out with a squeeze and a grunt of pain. The others though¡­ Hmm, "Inventory shotgun pellets" -4 HP "Ow! Ow! Ow! Motherfucker¡ª" Damn, at least that actually works. Do I still need to do first aid? Or has that become obsolete. My leg still looks like raw hamburger, and the welts I had just magically emptied are bleeding now, but only lightly and there''s no status effect. I patch myself up anyway, for appearances sake at the minimum, and clean the blood up with the toilet paper. After a few minutes, the blood stains literally disappear, they just fade away wherever it wasn''t right next to the wounds. The bruises and patched up hamburger appearance is still there. I finish cleaning up, go back into the restaurant area, order some food and sit down. "Notifications" +77 XP for defeating Roy Cranston For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Physical Damage Resistance'' skill +88 XP for defeating Bubba Buckworth +55 XP for defeating Hank Bluff +55 XP for defeating Jeff Fox You may gain the ''Pickpocketing'' specialty for Thievery +110 XP for defeating Larry Roper For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Electrical Damage Resistance'' skill Your Strategy skill has increased by 1 Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 +385 XP for evading cops, gang, villains, and Protectorate You have gained a level! You are now level 15 I ignore all the messages about my lost golems and take note of the good stuff. Two awesome resistance skills and a specialty? I hit yes, yes, and yes; and sweet, another level, that must have been the source of that elation I felt earlier.
Damage Resistance (Electrical): Lvl 1 (0.00%) Your Avatar state adapts itself to resist ever increasing amounts of electrical damage allowing you to withstand greater amounts of current over time as skill level increases. Requires Avatar feature of Gamer''s Body. Specialties: NA Features unlocked: None
Damage Resistance (Physical): Lvl 1 (0.00%) Your Avatar state alters itself to resist increasing amounts of kinetic damage received from objects and blows. This allows you to absorb a greater amount of impact pressure as skill level increases. Requires Avatar feature of Gamer''s Body. Specialties: NA Features unlocked: None
I have another perk available to me also, but I was hoping to reach 10 in AGI before picking one. I suppose I still can if I wait. I go through the wallets of the men I pickpocketed while they were bound, and get an additional $120 dollars plus change. Maybe I can go back to the hotel again, or try using some of these credit cards. Don''t know if I want to keep doing that though, it''s more risky, and I don''t know if any of those guys managed to get arrested or not; probably not if those capes saved them while the police were retreating. I should keep an eye on the news, or check PHO. Fuck though, that is out of my league. My body is still wracked with pain even with 50% reduction, so I pop another pill. I just wanted to help those guys, and I may have fucked that up. My stealth isn''t as powerful as I hoped; clearly I''m not invisible, though I doubted that to begin with. I had always cast shadows when stealthed so light was still hitting me. The police though fucking tried to arrest me? Fuck them, they almost got me killed leaving me there. I called them in. I didn''t know capes would be there. How did that happen? Did one of those guys call in support while running from my snakes? I haven''t paid enough attention to the local cape or gang scene to have messed with this shit. Not that I was trying to, I just wanted to stop those guys from getting beat up or killed, I couldn''t even stop them from getting beat up, but hopefully they all got away. My Hatchet''s gone. My hammer''s gone. Oh yeah, I guess holding a hatchet when I run into police with guns drawn looks kinda bad. All the golems gone, only got about 11 lbs. of clay left. I just need to get out of the city, especially if that Sparky dude is hunting me. How the hell did things get so pear-shaped? Is my LUC low? Do I need more of it? That damn stat still doesn''t make much sense, despite everything I tried to learn about it. I still got away; does that count as good luck? Was the encounter bad luck? I didn''t even have a quest for it, I just did it on my own because I thought I could help. I got a lot of XP from it though; 770 XP for the whole encounter. Damn, that''s better than the majority of my quests, only have to risk my life for it. Clearly with that kind of incentive my power wants me to get into fights doesn''t it? Shit, is that what all those Conflict-Seeking status effects I see on capes are causing? Making capes go out and fight? To what end? "Status Effects" I don''t see such a status effect listed on myself. A notification pops up. Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 Oh God damn, I hate it when my power does that. It''s just fucking taunting me with that shit. No clear definite yep your conclusions are right, or no they are wrong, unless that is what that is supposed to mean. Okay so assuming it is true, then all capes are actually driven to seek conflict. Why? Can I trust the fact that I don''t have that status effect on me, to mean it isn''t affecting me or is it just hidden from me? But why hide it for myself and show it for others? I review all my FRAPS observations and my Parahuman database. Yep, Julia, Exalt, Dispatch, Granite, Sparky, and Olympus all have them. Is it consistent? I have to observe more Parahumans to find out, preferably without getting into a fight. When is the next PR event? Well, I can''t do anything about it now. I finish my meal, grateful for the bump in HP it brings me, and make my way back to the rail to go to the day labor waiting area. Maybe if I''m lucky I can catch Miguel there again. If I''m lucky huh? As good of a test as any I guess, but if I don''t see any concrete useful result out of it¡­ I pump four stat points into LUC. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Thief Faction: None Money: $501.36 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 15 (0.75%) XP: 19621 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (8.46%) AGI: 7 (+0.00) 7.00 (59.55%) CON: 18 (+0.00) 18.00 (69.75%) INT: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (60.25%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (0.00%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (7.13%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (2.08%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (0.00%) Unspent Points: 42 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 344/560 Stamina Pool: 320/437 Mana Pool: 939/4125 Stress Pool: 440/440 Attack: 10.50 Speed: 2.73 Dodge: 12.21 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 47 Free Skill Slots: 9 Artistry: 10 (79.96%) Athletics: 11 (73.55%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (0.00%) Create Mana Golem: 11 (53.57%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 1 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 11 (2.55%) Disease Resistance: 6 (52.60%) Disguise: 3 (0.00%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 10 (82.76%) Empathy: 10 (22.66%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 2 (75.43%) Meditation: 11 (63.01%) Melee Weapons: 3 (1.56%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 15 (83.37%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (1.45%) Power Strike: 6 (54.80%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (4.54%) Stealth: 12 (0.76%) Strategy: 4 (0.00%) Thievery: 9 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 4 (2.34%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (13.96%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Book I: Stage 1: Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.11 Stage 1: Houston Arc 2.11 Saturday, February 20th, 2010 Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the One Red Hand feature for Thievery You have unlocked the ''Hot Goods'' bonus feature for Observe You have unlocked the ''Hot-wired'' bonus feature for Vehicle Operations Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 3 of 5 events achieved for Quest: Become a Cape! Well those are some nice gains. I sit back down on the bed in a room I rented yet again from the cash hotel, and take stock of the evening. Miguel wasn''t at the day labor hang-out; few people were. It was late when I got there, so no luck with that. I have the haul from my ''shopping trip'' spread out all over the bed to organize it. I have to replace the costume pieces I lost. Man, I really liked that trench-coat, but it smells like burnt hair, because that''s what happened. I need to toss it. I need more food, supplies, and clothing cause my pants have buckshot holes in them. I strip them off, and toss them too. I heal up a bit more after eating, so less need for the bandages, but fuck, my leg still itches at the wound spots. "Observe" "What, really? Inventory ''shredded bits of denim''." That''s better. At least I didn''t lose any HP this time. Weird, so I can use Observe on wounds and individual body parts? Is the target just a matter of intent? I guess that''s useful, is this a new thing or just something I never tried before? No, I have tried it. Parapedia is just using Observe on individual words on a larger pop-up. I need to upload all the stolen software to my interface. I can dump the packaging and physical media tomorrow. I look over the three pairs of handcuffs I pulled out of my inventory. One is courtesy of the Houston PD. The other pairs I got because they came with a key which I needed. I had to buy these from a sex shop, yeah too small and camera laden to steal from, and they didn''t have shopping carts. The workers gave me some weird looks. I glance at the few other items I bought from there; they can just stay in my inventory. I pull out the book and skim through it a bit. Will it give me a quest? No? Fuck you then. Maybe I can get a skill if I read the thing later though. So even if I just use inventory to get rid of hand-cuffs, I should know how to pick them any---. You''ve got to be kidding? It''s that easy, really? I didn''t even gain any Disable Device skill XP, yep, definitely that easy. These will work better than duct tape, so will the zip-ties. I turn on the news. There were pockets of EMP and lightning blasts around Houston apparently from the fight between Sparky, Granite and some other villainous cape I don''t even recall seeing and the Protectorate. And for some reason Eidolon was still a no show? It''s something to do with him helping against some threat somewhere else. Damn Sparky is a Blaster and Shaker, numbers unreleased. Uh, when did Sparky become leader of the Secessionists? Oh and the villains got away, as usual. This phone sucks for web browsing, and this cheap hotel doesn''t have Wi-Fi or a business center. I need to hit the library tomorrow. I guess I get to do more joyous grinding all night and tomorrow. I look at the big wooden log I brought back to chop at. Hopefully it won''t be too loud, but it can''t be worse than the damn overpass noise or some of the room neighbors. ****? -1 HP [Fire Damage] (0 Resisted) x50 For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat)'' skill
Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat) (CON) (Passive): Level: 1 (0.00%) Your Avatar state alters itself to resist ever increasing damage received from oxidizing combustion sources. This allows you to withstand fire and heat as skill level increases. Requires Avatar feature of Gamer''s Body. Specialties: NA Features unlocked: None
Good God that hurts, glad I stole bottles of burn ointment; 50 fucking tiny burns in 50 different spots on my body from a lighter. Just to get that skill. Definite yes, but that''s a fuck-load of HP loss that is only going to get worse trying to grind that. I''d rather be back up to my maximum than losing more right now. It will take days just to heal what I''m missing right now. At least now if I suddenly get burned unexpectedly I won''t have to go through my notifications to find it and say yes to it. How many other damage types are there? Having regained enough stamina again, I go back to whacking my log. Wood chips are flying everywhere; I''ll have to clean that up later. Power Strike and Melee weapons are gaining. I keep alternating, power strike, melee and CON grinding from stamina loss, then grind INT and work on the chemistry book quest, wait for my stamina to recover and repeat. During the whole time, I can wait for my actual fatigue points to reach zero to start abusing the power nap exploits. Your Melee Weapons skill has increased by 1 What no specialty? Why? Fuck, used stupid bat on redneck dudes. Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON I go well past my fatigue hitting 0, into Sunday morning just to get that extra point. So that my power nap periods can be shortened. My regen rates go up as it rises. Sunday, February 21st, 2010 You may gain the ''Machetes'' specialty for Melee Weapons Finally, I have to stop the rest exploit until I''ve been awake enough to drain fatigue down again. So, off to the library to download stuff and see what the hell is going on. I download as much as I can related to subjects of skills I have, Biology, Earth Science, Psychology, Programming, Parahuman Lore, Strategy, Meditation, Medicine, Mathematics and Computers. I''ll have reading material on the bus ride, presuming I can fake my ID. Sundays are slimmer pickings with both laborers and hiring contractors going to church or such. I''ll have to be over there super early Monday morning. I read my chemistry book in the library while at the computer, and take a break to power strike the dumpster outside a few times to drain off Stamina when it gets close to maxing out. No axe this time, just fists. Unarmed really needs to go up, I think I already ruined a specialty shot for this level. That''s another thing to fix ASAP after getting out of here. ****? ¡­the Parahuman designated by the Protectorate and PRT as Sparky (he refers to himself as Arc, not to be confused with the Protectorate hero Ark operating out of Seattle) has been assigned as a tentative Blaster/Shaker/Striker 6, Brute 2* (due to demonstrated immunity to all forms of electrical stun based weaponry)¡­ ¡­It is currently rumored that he has taken over leadership of the Secessionists sometime after the Leviathan attack on Galveston last year. The Secessionists were originally an ideological and political protest group which had occasional clashes with police and border officials due to vigilante activities and the targeting of Hispanic minorities, refugees, and those suspected of being illegal immigrants. Since the supposed take over, the group has become increasingly more violent, has exhibited gang behavior and begun forays into organized crime¡­ ¡­Sparky has been known to generate electrical energy ex nihilo, and blast it from his hands in the form of electric arcs which have the appearance of lightning bolts at a range of up to several hundred feet and capable of causing significant death, injury and devastation, although no deaths from these blasts have been reported so far. Sparky has also produced EMP bursts that have covered entire areas up to a city block in diameter or more. These bursts are silent and without any visual component, and while just like normal EMP bursts, they do not cause any damage to humans or living creatures, they render all unshielded electronics in the area of effect useless or outright destroyed, resulting in significant property damage and disruption¡­ Well holy shit. I am so out-classed by that, it''s not funny. So he is an electricity generator and manipulator. That was already obvious from the lightning bolt that almost fried me yesterday. Julia has some kind of electricity power also, at least I assume so. Does that confirm our multi-trigger scenario? Multi-triggers are grab bags with multiple powers, is the electricity stuff his primary, secondary, what? Did Julia get her bit from him or him from her? Where do I fit into this? Did Julia get some of my power and I some of hers? Did Sparky? My power is so fucking weird and doesn''t match up with what I have learned so far. Though, the majority of my power isn''t visible to anyone so if they do have some aspect of it I might not be able to tell myself. Hey Julia can you see illusionary computer windows interface screens that do various things? Yeah I''ll get right on asking her that. My golems are my only real visible power, but I didn''t even start with that. What does PHO say about me? **** Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards You are currently logged in, allyourbasebelong2us You are viewing:
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You have no infractions. ¡ö? ?Topic: New Snake Controlling Cape in Houston? In: Boards ? New Cape Speculation ? Texas ? Houston BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Posted on February 20, 2010: So apparently the new cape gets into a fight with Sparky and Granite during an altercation that had the Houston PD out in force near my neighborhood. Though where was the PRT in this? Anyway I saw Sparky doing a lightshow, that''s fucking scary, but this is about the other guy. Word is he controlled a bunch of snakes and sicced them on some ganger redneck types then swarmed Sparky afterwards. Sparky lit the neighborhood up. Literally fucking EMP blast destroyed my phones my computer, everything electronic in our entire neighboor block I mention this because I know its normal to ask for or post video/photo proof but that is literally impossible becausemy phone is now a brick. (posting from friend''s computer, for the shit-poster that ask me how) Anyways does anyone know anything about this guy? He ran through our aparment complex after the fight, hockey helmet, goggles, boots, giant ass fur-coat that looked all singed as hell. (Must have caught a blast from sparky?) (Showing Page 1 of 3) ? All_th3_B1ZNitcH Replied on February 20, 2010: Fuck Spaykr! Wha that like teh third EMP thing hes done in the city? Still aint replaced my shit form teh last time that fuck happen ? BackTheBlue Replied on February 20, 2010: This was actually his fourth burst, apparently he did it twice not far apart from each other yesterday. (Source: Husband is Houston PD) ? angrybeavers Replied on February 20, 2010: Once again WTF was the Houston PD thinking engaging them? Where was the PRT why weren''t they brought in? Instead Sparky goes off on another rampage! Just goes to show you how ineffective the government is at everything! I''m telling you nothing will happen until he takes out a hospital or major corporate office building or some shit offline with one of those blasts. so long as its just effecting poor minority neighborhoods, nobodies going do shit. ? qwerty33 (Temp-banned) Replied on February 20, 2010: HES CLEARIN OUT TEH {Moderator Edit} AND ILLEGALS GOOD RIDDENCE {Rest of post removed by Moderator., To coventry with you} ? Ranger41 Replied on February 20, 2010: Your soapbox isn''t wanted over here either qwerty, reported you, ? JanisManis Replied on February 20, 2010: @BackTheBlue Please tell me your husband wasn''t in that mess, and noone else was hurt or killed. Praying for you and everyone if that''s not the case. ? SampsonOverride Replied on February 20, 2010: While I dont share the doom and gloom that angrybeavers does, I do also question why the Houston PD was involved in that and the PRT only arrived later. ? BackTheBlue Replied on February 20, 2010: @JanisManis Thank you for your concern. My husband was not invlvoed in that directly no, and he has not mentioned any deaths of any fellow officers, some injuries yes, but nothing critical, thank god. @SampsonOverride What I have heard is that the Houston PD were responding to a report of gang assault on some minorities, there was no mention of Cape Involvement. By the time it had become apparent that villainous capes were involved, Sparky had already blasted the area and took out all communication, so they could not call in the PRT right away and had to do a fighting retreat. ? angrybeavers Replied on February 20, 2010: A fightin retreat calls for a massive shoot out? WTF!!!!!!!!!!!! ? Xanthick (Veteran Member) Replied on February 20, 2010: @angrybeavers Yes actually, that is exactly what a fighting retreat means. Pin down your opponent with fire so you can get your people out of there. Have you not seen tonight''s news report showing the aftermath of what Sparky did to those three squad cars? This guy wasn''t pulling punches, several people could have died, A lethal self defense response was fully justified. I really hope this proves enough of an example the PRT will stop fucking around enough and end guys like him. Capes are not invulnerable as much as they want you to think that. You have to take protection into your own hadns, That''s why our right to conceal and carry is so damn important. You never know if some yahoo near you is actually some cape that is going to flip out and go Carrie on a gorup of people. Alot of the shit I read about wouldn''t have happened if somebody was packin.. ? GetEidolonAPuppy (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 20, 2010: You had me.... ....and then you went all gun-nut rant. If the capes are all gone whose''s gonna fight the Endbringers? We had a serious close call, Part of Houston got wrecked last December just from the waves. My condolences to all the survivors from Galveston, but it could have gone way way worse if Houston proper had been hit. ? UlteriorMotives01 Replied on February 20, 2010: ''Asaault on minorities'', that''s code for someone busting up illegals. Now I don''t advocate any kind of assault, but there are some legitimate complaints. The economy of great nation has been in shambles for decades.continuing to bring in a bunch of refugees and illegal immigrants that take all our jobs is just making things worse. We need to make America great again. ? whitegirlwithdreads (Veteran Member) Replied on February 20, 2010: Fucking really? Can we not bring your politics in to this thread also?? ? WaldoIsAStranger (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 20, 2010: Comeon people, doesn''t anyone have any knowledge about the Cape the OP mentioned? ? End of Page. 1, 2, 3 Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards You are currently logged in, allyourbasebelong2us You are viewing:
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You have no infractions. ¡ö? ?Topic: New Snake Controlling Cape in Houston? In: Boards ? New Cape Speculation ? Texas ? Houston BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Posted on February 20, 2010: So apparently the new cape gets into a fight with Sparky and Granite during an altercation that had the Houston PD out in force near my neighborhood. Though where was the PRT in this? Anyway I saw Sparky doing a lightshow, that''s fucking scary, but this is about the other guy. Word is he controlled a bunch of snakes and sicced them on some ganger redneck types then swarmed Sparky afterwards. Sparky lit the neighborhood up. Literally fucking EMP blast destroyed my phones my computer, everything electronic in our entire neighboor block I mention this because I know its normal to ask for or post video/photo proof but that is literally impossible becausemy phone is now a brick. (posting from friend''s computer, for the shit-poster that ask me how) Anyways does anyone know anything about this guy? He ran through our aparment complex after the fight, hockey helmet, goggles, boots, giant ass fur-coat that looked all singed as hell. (Must have caught a blast from sparky?) (Showing Page 3 of 3) ? TheWrangler (Moderator) Replied on February 21, 2010: Alright no more talking about Sparky in this thread, He has his own 30-something page thread located here. Also drop the political talk. This thread is for info on the snake controlling cape mentioned by the OP. ? SouthPadreIslander (Verified PRT Agent) Replied on February 21, 2010: Alright we''ve finally been cleared to release an official statement about the incident and the capes involved, please see the Houston PRT website for the full details. For now, I can just what we have released about this cape here as well. The male cape, based on what we know has been designated with the name ''Potter''. He is Master (rating pending) that can control small animal and insect figurines of unnatural flexibility and durability compared to the materials they were made from, so far being raw clay or ceramics. Potter is currently wanted for questioning for his involvement in the incident yesterday, and two prior incidents, including unregistered vigilantism. ? BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 21, 2010: Thank you, finally we at least have some info. Any pics or more detail than that? Can a Moderator update the thread title to include the cape name? ? oOo_l_oOo Replied on February 21, 2010: Sounds like total weak sauce, must be a noob. How could he thnik he had any chance at all? ? SignificantSarah (Cape Wife) Replied on February 21, 2010: Who knows, what if he can controll an army of them? I hope he''ll do the right thing and report in to the Protectorate. ? Captain FUBAR Replied on February 21, 2010: Even getting attacked by an army of ...knicknacks seems a little meh. Especially to the likes of Granite and Sparky. Also what the hell happen to Rappel? I know he gets temp-banned alot for spouting non-sense on the board, but his account hasn''t been perma-banned, just not logged into in a few weeks. ? bodies_in_the_sand Replied on February 21, 2010: My friend told me to make an account just so I could post this, Is this the dude? [IMAGE] Was visiting my friend who lives near where the place that gort power knocked out yesterday . We must have been just outside the zone cause all out phones and TVs and shit worked fine. I caught this cape running down the stret, like he was getting chased, on my phone. sorry just profile shot, but dude is wearing helmet, goggles, some pimping fur coat and boots like the OP mentions. ? _100%Texan (Veteran Member) Replied on February 21, 2010: The fuck is wrong with you? Change your user name. You know how many people from Galveston are still bureid out there underwater in the sand bars? ? BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 21, 2010: I can confirm that is definately the guy I saw running through my apartment complex yesterday Now that I can finally see it again, man that costume... sheesh. did that guy find that coat at Flashers R Us or the dumpster behind a porn movie studio? Also, @bodies_in_the_sand seriously change your damn username. I felt bad even typing that out. It would be one thing if you had that name for a long time already, but you said yourself you just made this account. That''s too soon man. ? i_believe_in_myrddin (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 21, 2010: Harry, is that you? {Moderator Edit: No speculation on cape identities} {Moderator Edit 2: Sorry didn''t get the joke. Post is restored } ? roscoe_p_coletrain Replied on February 21, 2010: Um, TheWrangler, Tin_Mother, or whoever, I think i_believe_in_myrddin was making a joke about an Earth Aleph movie/book series named Harry Potter. Unless his name really was Harry.... then that would still be pretty funny. ? rando35 Replied on February 21, 2010: Given that coat maybe he should be called Hairy Potter ? Admiral Shipper (Veteran Member) Replied on February 21, 2010: The Hairy Plotter strikes again *cue cheesy background saxophone music* ? End of Page. 1, 2, 3 **** I resist the urge to post in my own thread. Fuck, would doing so qualify as a cape event? No need to risk that right now, not without more precautions. Right now I have a PR event to spy on. Despite getting there early, I''m in the far back among the plebs, forward areas for ticket buyers only. Fortunately my free camera gets me a much closer bird''s eye view. I don''t really care about what they are saying all that much. There''s more thanks and remembrances of the fallen from recent attacks, even though there''s been several memorial vigils already. Lots of reporters asking pre-prepared questions. Most of the Houston Protectorate and wards are out. "Observe, Observe, observe, observe¡­" Oh, a new ward debut? "Observe"
Name: Mandy Pickens Level: 28 Alias: Slipstream Gender: Female Age: 16 Ethnicity: Caucasian Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: High School Student / Ward Faction: Protectorate STR: 10 (+0) 10 AGI: 16 (??) ?? CON: 16 (+0) 16 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 18 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 21 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 8.0 Armor: 0.5 Speed: ?? (??) ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 260/260 Stamina: 2110/2320 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Mandy is the grand-daughter of a billionaire Texas oil and energy tycoon. Her lifelong dream was to become a hero. Already immensely spoiled by a lavish lifestyle, she got her wish several weeks ago when her Grandpa bought her powers for her birthday. Although he had hoped to mold her into a Corporate Hero to help strengthen the family goals and finances, after significant disagreement, she decided to join the wards for now to receive training, while tabling the decision about whether she would join the Protectorate or go Corporate after she turns eighteen. Barred by secrecy about revealing how she obtained her powers, she claims they were obtained during the Leviathan attack on Galveston when one of the family yachts was sunk by tidal waves. Status Effects: Mental: Mild Attention Deficit Disorder, ... Physical: Tense, Hormonal Currently Feeling: Ecstatic, Hyper, Energetic, Very Nervous Motivations: Be the most awesome ward ever, fly around the world, beat Alexandria in a race, ... Equipment list: Aerodynamically stream-lined flight costume, ¡­
¡­Grandpa bought her powers for her birthday¡­ ¡­Grandpa bought her powers for her birthday? ¡­BOUGHT HER POWERS? Some minutes later my mind recovers from blue-screening. I thought that was a rumor. I fucking thought that was a rumor. Holy fucking shit. Are you fucking trolling me right now? Are you? I swear to God if you are, then I have no idea what I''d actually do about it but, fuuuuuuck. Oh shit Eidolon is talking and I missed most of it, good thing FRAPs is active. <------/Eidolon, Hero, Lvl ?????> "¡­regarding the villain known as Sparky, we are without a doubt seeking him. While we are not sure if he is capable of destruction of that magnitude yet, I hope he is watching this, because if he ever does emit a city-sized or larger EMP burst, a pre-authorized kill order is prepared for that level of economic destruction." "Observe"
%#$#$%^&$ Alias: Eidolon Gender: Male Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Hero &*%&&*(^% STR: NaN AGI: NaN CON: NaN INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: NaN WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: NaN LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 2.0 Armor: 0.5 Speed: ?? (??) ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: NaN/NaN Stamina: NaN/NaN Stress: ?? Summary Description: @$&$^#$$GHST%$^ESRGDFG$%$#WERRFDFDF DFG VDFG GDY$E%^&$%^ -Error Status Effects: Mental: #W%RHR&* MR^&$%$^B GD DFGFJGFHJD #W^^*%E@!#% -Error Physical: %*UKI^RIKEWQ$@# rtb w4T %^TDERTG -Error Currently Feeling: HERYgf r6t65678$% 4^&$Wf frYESF $%&xdfsw6234 -Error Motivations: 6-df-=GE%bnK:L23 #L4l T:LSlrt $l55;lhs -Error
Ow, ow ow, fucking migraine. I dismiss Eidolon''s window, resume normal camera mode and pop a pill. Okay, what the fuck is up with that? More shit to research later. I swap back to my free camera and snag Observes on the rest of the Houston Protectorate and Wards that are there. Mind fucking blown. Most of them have Conflict-Seeking, however some do not. All those that don''t, have a similar story in their summary about bought powers. Except Eidolon, but I had no idea about him. "Observe" Ow, ow, ow, fuck me. Why is Observe blowing chunks and giving me a headache when I try it on the green goblin? Okay getting weird bad vibes now, I''m leaving. ****? You Observe skill has increase by 1 Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI Several hours of Racquetball gets me an AGI point, even doing that for that long starts to make people wonder, so now I''m trying to do something similar at the beach with a volleyball I found. Traipsing about in the dark, I come across an abandoned half-wrecked sandcastle, yet it was pretty large and ornate for what was left. Well no one is around, so I kick it over. "Power Strike" -4 HP (3 Deflected, 2 Resisted) Ow, shit God damn it. No one is around watching? I vacuum up the sand into my inventory. That''s a useful trick. Someone built up the sand over several rocks, using them to fill in the interior spaces and molding the wet sand around it. So I fucking kicked a rock, with power strike. I take off my show and rub my injured toe. Well there''s an interesting idea to give the form internal structure. I wonder if Sand Castle making is a separate skill or part of Craft Stone and Pottery? I experiment with pulling sand into and out of my inventory. I make a crude figure out of sand that is lying on its back, but don''t see any skill changes or new skill prompts. Not that I would have taken a sand-castle building skill, which seems rather silly. Oh well, I kick a bunch of driftwood aside and head back up to the bus stop to get to the hotel to do more power napping and grinding. Monday, February 22nd, 2010 Your Create Mana golem skill has increased by 1 Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 You may gain the ''Axes'' specialty for Melee Weapons Huh, so inventory can be like a vacuum cleaner, almost. I used the last of my clay making golems and destroyed what was left of the log, wood chips are everywhere. The axe was louder, so there were some complaints. After the shotgun pellet and denim shreds trick, the fastest way to clean up is to lay on the floor, inventorying wood chips wherever I touch them, while I sweep my inventory window though myself while doing so. Hmm, maybe I can use this to wash my clothes or shower faster. My inventory power is strange for sure, and warrants further experimentation. For anything put in it; it cares that the item is touching me or my clothing, and the window, and that it isn''t bolted down in some way. It''s annoyingly specific about what things are called, but it always matches exactly what is mentioned in an Observe window. The only name variations on my experimental mess are ''wood chips'', ''wooden splinters'', and ''my dignity''. The last one is apparently when my power went into trolling mode. Well, I''ll make that trade; I have a long night ahead.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -2 HP (1 Deflected, 2 Resisted) x10 Your Unarmed Combat skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Butterfly and the Bee'' feature for Unarmed Combat Power strike is strong enough to cause myself injury when I use it by punching or kicking, despite wearing gloves and boots. Of course it is, I learned that from the sand castle rock. Unarmed Combat has come to a dead stop at level 5. There are no more gains to be had from shadow boxing or hitting inanimate objects. It won''t surprise me if that happens with Melee Weapons also. Enough grinding, I can do more studying on the bus and train rides to the Day Labor hang-out. I hope to catch Miguel there. Although I do not have to ask him in particular, he has the highest relationship on my sheet, and I got good vibes from him. Miguel is there and agrees. He''ll pretend to be a guardian and help me buy a bus ticket. But, he can''t do it until Wednesday. That means I need the hotel for a couple more days, which means stealing more clothes to sell to thrift shops to afford it. I consider sticking around and doing another bout of work as a day laborer, but I can make just as much in far less time with some excessive shoplifting. The men that had gotten beaten up aren''t here, not that I expect them to be. The group has definitely heard about what happened, it hasn''t been the first time. The consensus is that any who were non-citizens and well enough to avoid it probably won''t go to the police out of fear. My other questions only reveal the day laborers here don''t visit PHO and Potter''s involvement in an attempt to save those men is unknown. That''s disheartening. Maybe I really should get online and tell my side of the story, so long as I do it carefully. At least I got some practice in working CHA, Speech and Observe. There''s little else to do here. I agree to meet Miguel here again early Wednesday morning. I can return to the hotel, do my shopping, and grind before finally leaving this city. ****? -0 HP (3 Deflected, 2 Resisted) x71 For dutiful study of important information you have gained 1 INT Your Meditation skill has increased by 1 Back at the hotel, using more padding, I alternated draining off Stamina with unarmed power strikes, and studying while meditating. I''ve been neglecting meditation too long recently. I haven''t even been using the chanting effect which increases the regen rates because I had been stuck in a house practicing while pretending to sleep, so I had to be quiet. I don''t skip that anymore, because now it doesn''t matter. -0 HP (3 Deflected, 2 Resisted) x274 Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 -1 HP (3 Deflected, 2 Resisted) x85 The punching bag I stole and filled with beach sand is leaking. I need to ¡®inventory window sweep¡¯ everywhere to make sure I get my deposit back. I duct tape the bag back up but I won''t be able to keep doing this in my room for much longer. At least it''s still late in the morning and the TV is drowning out the sound, in between power naps. I still need to train more in a place that has more room to move around. I want to reach AGI 10, so I head to the rec center again, inventory just short of being overloaded to the point of not being able to run. Your Observe skill has increased by 1 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON +110 XP, Find the shortest path to the cheese! You have trained 4 stats simultaneously. Well that''s unexpected. I forgot about that quest. Five hours of overloaded racquetball, worked STR, CON, AGI and PER simultaneously trying to keep track of that stupid ball. I got a CON point even though I was aiming for an AGI point, not that I don''t want another CON point and that it wasn''t close, but AGI progress is still less than half way there. It''s been the exploiting of power draining Stamina and converting it to CON training that cheeses that. Why can''t I find something like that to work on the other stats? At least I can train several at the same time, the punching bag in my inventory keeps my weight at just enough encumbrance to get partial training in STR, although it''s less efficient at STR training than more focused weight lifting, but I can''t beat the double duty. That''s all I can do here. Can''t use the same gyms too much for long stretches or people will wonder how I''m managing to work out for such a long time. Need to get back to the library or a wi-fi place and get back on PHO. **** Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards You are currently logged in, The_Potter (Verified Cape) You are viewing:
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¡ö? ?Topic: Potter: New Clay Figurine Controlling Cape in Houston In: Boards BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Posted on February 20, 2010: EDIT: What we know now: Name: Potter (PRT designation) Sex: Male Ratings: Master ? Powers: Can control small animal and insect figurines of unnatrual flexibility and durability made from clay or ceramics.
SouthPadreIslander said: The male cape, based on what we know has been designated with the name ''Potter''. He is Master (rating pending) that can control small animal and insect figurines of unnatural flexibility and durability compared to the materials they were made from, so far being raw clay or ceremics. Potter is currently wanted for questioning for his involvement in the incident yesterday, and two prior incidents, including unregistered vigilantism.
bodies_in_the_sand said: [IMAGE]
Umm, what the hell does ''unregistered vigilantism mean? /end edit So apparent new cape gets into a fight with Sparky and Granite during... (Showing Page 9 of 9) ? whitegirlwithdreads Replied on February 21, 2010: @UlteriorMotives01, It''s people like you who let people like them get away with this shit.It''s just another example of woefully disparate class warfare, and just like what angrybeavers said, Nothing get done unless it negatively affects the pocketbooks of the 1%. The world is unfair enough without additionally ignoring and not correcting the rampant inequality that continues to persist. you don''t deserve either your high horse or to be spewing your poisonous propaganda. But if we actually stand together against this we can make a difference! ? angrybeavers Replied on February 21, 2010: @whitegirlwithdreads snip So true, so true, amiright or what? We can make a difference. Yes, we can. ? UlteriorMotives01 Replied on February 21, 2010: @whitegirlwithdreads, @angrybeavers Holy shit can you hear yourselves? Probably not, Maybe those dreads, your glasses and that woolen tye-dyed hippie hat in your avatar pic is a bit too tight around your head? You tell me not to bring my politics into this thread and then you spent the last several pages spouting off yours? And just because I want some things enforced doesn''t mean I support what they are doing. I see you have completely ignored, yet again what I actually said in my post. Here let me bold it for you. UlteriorMotives01 said: ''Asaault on minorities'', that''s code for someone busting up illegals. Now I don''t advocate any kind of assault, but there are some legitimate complaints. The economy of great nation has been in shambles for decades.continuing to bring in a bunch of refugees and illegal immigrants that take all our jobs is just making things worse. We need to make America great again. Any kind of violence is wrong, but last I checked we still had the right to free speech so I''m going to exercise it whereever the hell I want to. I mean seriously, don''t let my white maleness give you a trigger event. ? persistent_lurker Replied on February 21, 2010: *Toasts marshmallows over the flame war* ? Ranger41 Replied on February 21, 2010: Would y''all stop feeding the trolls? ? WaldoIsAStranger (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 22, 2010: It''s too late, they''re feeding off eachother... ? Tin_Mother (Moderator) Replied on February 22, 2010: Take the political talk to the political forums and cease derailing the thread. Thread is temporarily locked so people can cool off. ? The_Potter Replied on February 22, 2010: Okay wow, didn''t expect that much political drama unfolding in a thread about me, Yes me. I''m the cape. I (obviously) made an account just for this posting once I saw what going on, and so I can tell my side of the story. Don''t believe me? Here is a video of me in the costume I was wearing at the time of "the incident", controlling a few snakes, and holding up a sign with the current time, date and this PHO username. [VIDEO] Potter...wasn''t the cape name I would have gone with but whatever. Oh and don''t waste time asking questions about my power, I''m not going to answer them. I will say I''m not one of the scary masters, I can''t do anything to people, just clay. Alright my side of the story. I became aware of prior incidents in which this minute man group (or gang now), whatever it is that they have now become, has been beating up (yes mostly immigrant) day laborers at various times in the past. I got a tip that it was happening again, and rushed to the location to try and do something to help. I only wished I could have gotten there sooner, maybe some of those men would not have gotten hurt so much if I had. I was the one who called 911. As further proof: This is a transcript of my 911 call as best as I can recall it. (since as far as I know it has not been released yet)
"911, what''s your emergency" "Eight gangers beat up five day laborers around Milby and McKinney Street, in some occluded park area near a train yard. They''re gonna need medical attention." "Are you currently safe?" "The eight dudes are still there, armed with bats and clubs, yelling something like that sounds like ''dey terk er jerbs''" "We have units en-route, move away to a safe area. I need your name and¡ª" "HEY!" "Oh shit, I''ve been spotted¡­"
Yeah it ended there, because as it said I was spotted. I was not even aiming to get into a fight (there were alot of gangers). I called it in as an assault because at the time there were no capes present other than myself, otherwise I''d have called the PRT. Because I got spotted though, I had to defend myself, especially after they started shooting at me! I did my best to both subdue the gangers and get the injured men to safety. that however was also interrupted. I told (the victems) I was there to help, but that was about all I had time for before we were getting shot at again, and everyone scattered. Given the circumstances some of those men are in, it would not suprise me if they are wary of speaking to the cops though. I''m not too enthused at doing so either because when the cops did arrive, they arrested me. I was the one who called them in, I was the one trying to help, and I was the one that got arrested? that''s complete bullshit. I didn''t resist, I didn''t ''escape'', but when Sparky showed up and started blasting cop cars, one of which I was in. because I didn''t feel like getting exploded, I removed myself from that situation like any rational person would have. So I''m not a villain. I don''t know why Sparky then tried to go after me, but he did try to kill me, so I hope he chokes to death on a bag of dicks. ? End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 7, 8, 9 ****? 4 of 5 events achieved for Quest: Become a Cape! Wait a minute. What? I literally just hit reply to that thing. Even with the internet it should have taken at least a few seconds for that to have triggered, not instantaneously, possibly longer with the proxy hop I''m using. Post doesn''t even show any views yet so wtf? Well, shouldn''t complain too much, now I just need one more event for the sweet XP, and then I can ditch that persona and it''s throw away account. I need to go shopping again, and sell enough clothes and stuff before the thrift and pawn stores close to pay for my stay through Wednesday morning. Then I can try grinding again at a different 24-hour fitness place. ****? -1 HP (3 Deflected, 2 Resisted) x41 Your Damage Resistance (Physical) skill has increased by 1 -0 HP (3 deflected, 3 Resisted) Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Well at least that''s something. Still don''t like not having my HP maxed out. I can''t get damage from Power Strike anymore. Shoplifting is also getting shit gains for Thievery too, but at least I can pay off my stays. I''m back at the hotel again. I''ll have to put off my AGI grinding for later tonight, after more rounds of power nap exploiting. Tuesday February 23rd, 2010 A mess of sand and 354 power strikes later, I''m still not at level 10 Power Strike. The gains to CON from stamina loss is trickling to a crawl, but hasn''t stopped. It''s midnight when I''m done cleaning. It''s been six hours, I can check PHO again at the 24 burger joint that has wi-fi, and see what the fallout from my post is. **** Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards You are currently logged in, allyourbasebelong2us You are viewing:
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¡ö? ?Topic: Potter: New Clay Figurine Controlling Cape in Houston In: Boards BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Posted on February 20, 2010: EDIT: We have a post from Potter himself here EDIT: What we know now: Name: Potter (PRT designation) Sex: Male Ratings: Master ? Powers: Can control small animal and insect figurines of unnatrual flexibility and durability made from clay or ceremics.
SouthPadreIslander said: The male cape, based on what we know has been designated with the name ''Potter''. He is Master (rating pending) that can control small animal and insect figurines of unnatural flexibility and durability compared to the materials they were made from, so far being raw clay or ceremics. Potter is currently wanted for questioning for his involvement in the incident yesterday, and two prior incidents, including unregistered vigilantism.
bodies_in_the_sand said: [IMAGE]
Umm, what the hell does ''unregistered vigilantism mean? /end edit So apparent new cape gets into a fight with Sparky and Granite during... (Showing Page 9 of 20) ? Early_Bird (Cape Groupie) Replied on February 22, 2010: First! ? rando35 Replied on February 22, 2010: Wow, so he makes an appearance and speaks. the video is pretty compelling, unless its fake somehow, you don''t have the Verified Cape tag yet but since that just posted, I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Yeah that story sounds pretty bad, try to help people and get arrested? That sucks balls. EDIT: @Early_Bird what is even the point of putting First there? That doesn''t make any sense. EDIT2: Okay you have Verified cape tag now, but he didn''t at the time I made this so stop harping me on it. ? _100%Texan Replied on February 22, 2010: Confirmed cape or not he should probably go in for a breifing. EDIT: My post too was before the tag appeared, so shut the fuck up people. ? TheArnoldPalmer Replied on February 22, 2010: Dude gets arrested for helping people, you advice him to go to breifing anyway...yeah sure, that will go over real well. :rolls eyes: ? oOo_|_oOo Replied on February 22, 2010: Your cumstume looks even more noob dorkish up close. Your snakes look like play-doh, and are just as limp. ? Captain FUBAR Replied on February 22, 2010: Yeah I don''t think that was an actual typo... Still video looks legit to me, but dude whose name I hate typing has a point that you should consider a better costume design. You say you''re not a villain, that''s good, but you need to also not look like one. ? BringBackAstroWorld Replied on February 22, 2010: Hey wow, so he pops into his own thread. Looks like he has a verified cape tag now too. I know you said no questions about but come on! You see the need for good PR, so having a back and forth can only help. Is the PRT guesses even accurate? You say clay, so I guess ceramics of all kinds? Is that like just an animate object type of deal? I wonder how large or how many things could be done at once. Also why snakes and figurines? Why not bigger stuff? I don''t know anything about pottery though so maybe there are some limitations, but powers tend to tell those kind of limitation to screw off amiright? anyway before I ramble too much it was good to hear your side of the story. I think that was a good move on your part. And no, as far as I''m aware I haven''t heard of any released 911 transcript about that night yet either, though I bet there are some inquiries now. I won''t ask about the touchy subjects of trigger events, but it would be nice to know if your local to Houston or Texas, or just passing through. Have you been a cape long? An inquiring public wants to know. ? Sams_Specialty_Shop (Veteran Member) Replied on February 22, 2010: Hi there, Sam''s Specialty Shop would be happy to create a custom costume for your needs. Our staff is trained to be discreet, and can accommodate hero and villain alike. We can repair damaged costumes and make all new ones. We have specialty fabrics which include Kevlar, and great pricing, even payment plans for those new to the cape scene. We''re an affirmed neutral party company and can ship all over the US, Canada, and Mexico. No need to even come in if you download our avatar app and fill our all the measurement information. We even do custom helmets, backpacks, capes and utility belts. Look like a professional with us at Sam''s Specialty Shop! ? All_th3_B1ZNitcH Replied on February 22, 2010: @rando35 he has a verified cape taf why the hell you dissin him on bein a fake??? ? FourtyTwo Replied on February 22, 2010: dude has verified cape tag no need to doubt him man ? camden Replied on February 22, 2010: Fuck Sam''s Specialty reported you as spam, not that it ever does any good. You show up in every single new cape thread as soon as they get a verified cape tag. Are you using Spiders to trawl the new tag assignments or something? geez. ? Olympus (Verified Cape) (Protectorate South Central) Replied on February 22, 2010: I''d like to take this time to invite Potter to the PRT headquarters. Please see your PMs for details. @camden Sam''s isn''t doing spam. They are an approved vendor and supplier. They provide a good service and even some protectorate members (like myself) have used them from time to time, even if I disagree with some of their other clientele. ? End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ... 18 , 19, 20 Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards You are currently logged in, allyourbasebelong2us You are viewing:
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¡ö? ?Topic: Potter: New Clay Figurine Controlling Cape in Houston In: Boards BringBackAstroworld (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie) Posted on February 20, 2010: EDIT: We have a post from Potter himself here ... (Showing Page 18 of 20) ? the_art_man Replied on February 22, 2010: Well I don''t know how much Potter knows about clays and ceramics personally, but if his power only animates existing things there will be an inherent limit to the size of any clay object that can be made and you can''t really make them solid clay and be fired. The first limitation is the size of the kiln you would need. Now there are some large industrial sized kilns. These are what stoneware companies use to mass produce your various types of tableware and such. But those are designed with trays and shelves and such, and automated into an entire assembly line. Furthermore you can''t make large pieces where the clay has a huge amount of thickness because it will not dry out properly, resulting in cracks and internal fractures that weaken the final product. Now I have no idea if his power fixes those issues or what it does to add unnatrual ''flexability'' and ''durability'' So anything large limited by kiln size as well as thickness issues is going to be looking at air drying. That is something that can take a long time, even in the middle of our inland dry Texas summers.(The excessive humidity around Houston will be a problem) So anyway some clay types will be far better suited to air drying that others. If I were him, I''d research as much as I can about various clay and ceramics and the different properties they can have. ? CaballoNegro (Banned) Replied on February 22, 2010: Ahora sabemos qui¨¦n es usted. Los Red Devils encontrar¨¢n a este gringo y lo matar¨¢n por atreverse a atacarnos ? SingleServingFriend Replied on February 22, 2010: Um, does anyone speak spanish? ? Xanthick (Veteran Member) Replied on February 22, 2010: Yeah wow, okay that got dark. Black Horse (Cabello Negro) just said The Red Devils are going to kill Potter for daring to attack them. The Red Devils are a local hispanic gang. When did this happen? One of the prior incidents that was mentioned? I''m not aware of them having cape leaders, at least not stateside. There are some in Mexico. Reported anyway though, death threats are a no-no. ? gonnaFUup Replied on February 22, 2010: Potter! Read your PMs bitch! ? CandyStriperCarly Replied on February 22, 2010: Wow with a name like gonnaFUup and only one post to your whole account? Why should he? @The_Potter I think a guy into art can be pretty hot. I bet working clay leaves you with some strong hands. ? End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 ****? Oh that''s just great. The Red Devils are after me too? Everything else is inane garbage. I''m not going to respond to any of these people. CandyStriperCarly, what the heck is her post content like? That''s¡­ just no¡­ I''m not that desperate. I guess I should actually log in to check those PMs though. I''ll use one of those phones I took off the gangers and fire up a proxy. ¡ö? ? Private message from Tin_Mother: Tin_Mother *New Message*: Well, after doing some research I''ve confirmed the video you posted isn''t faked and the 911 transcript matches up with what some of my Houston contacts have on file. I''ve gone ahead and given you a Verified Cape tag. Also note I put in some extra blurring around your facial contours and shifted your eye color. You were smart enough to keep your voice out and stay well costumed. Your average person and even villain would not be able to get any identifying traits out of that but that might not be so for some Tinkers and Thinkers. It''s better to be safe than sorry. Note that what you did is not how most capes pursue the verification process. You could have probably provided much less if you had sent a private message to our staff seeking the verified cape status tag. I do encourage you to come into the Protectorate and answer whatever questions they have. ? ? Private message from Olympus: Olympus *New Message*: I''d like to say I very much disagreed with how the Houston PD chose to handle the situation you were involved in the other day. The Protectorate would still like to get a statement from you about this and two prior incidents that you may have been involved in. Doing so would be a simple formality, to allow you to give your side of the events in question, as well as give you a chance to go over procedures and the registration process for independent Heroes or even Rogues. I also strongly encourage joining the Protectorate or the Wards. New capes trying to go it alone often don''t last a full year. We can provide all kinds of support and training for you and the pay is not bad either. The Protectorate Office which handles new capes and general inquiries is located in suite 101, at 321 Market Avenue You can also contact them directly at 713 555-9678 ? ? Private message from Sams_Specialty_Shop: Sams_Specialty_Shop *New Message*: Hi there, Sam''s Specialty Shop would be happy to create a custom costume for your needs.. ... Look like a professional with us at Sam''s Specialty Shop! ? ? Private message from gonnaFUup: gonnaFUup *New Message*: Fuck you Potter, you attack me popele, now I know you, I know your IP I will fry your ass. I''m calling you out! Or are you too much of a coward to face me and not run like a bitch? You don''t and I will find you and fry you? ? ****? Hmm, Tin_Mother¡­. primary board moderator. Okay wait. She sent me that less than an hour after I posted as The_Potter. I already know doing so tripped a cape event tag instantaneously. How did she have enough time to verify my video was not fake, edit it according to whatever it was she claims to have done, and verify the 911 transcript? That''s just weird or super-efficient. Hell is the mod a cape? Well, you know, I''d do that. I''ll download her edited version of my video and compare it against the original to see exactly what changed, just to learn what to do if she is being genuine. Haha, Olympus, playing good cop now? Y''all had your chance now you can fuck off. Wow, is that you Sparky? Are you retarded or something? I was about to hit the report button when a notification fired off.
End Stage Boss Fight! Sparky has called you out. Are you man enough to face him? Defeat Sparky by any means available to you. Time Limit: February 24th, 2010 Success: 4000XP, increased rep for ''Potter'', ??? Failure: Possible death or maiming or reputation for cowardice.
Oh God damn it, you''ve got to be kidding. Deal with this later, I''ve got other shit to do. Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 ? Private message from The_Potter:
"gonnaFUup" said: Fuck you Potter, you attack me popele, now I know you, I know your IP I will fry your ass. I''m calling you out! Or are you too much of a coward to face me and not run like a bitch? You don''t and I will find you and fry you
Well, well, is that you Sparky? Sparky¡­ such a lame ass name. Heh, my bad. I think I recall telling the PRT that was what you called yourself, guess they decided to go with it. Of course you might instead be just some rando noob trying to make a pathetic attempt to troll me. So do what I did, prove who you are with video/pics or GTFO. But on the off chace you actually are that lame excuse for a human bug zapper, I don''t recall attacking any ''popele'', do you know what a spell checker is? Oh and ooo, you know me cause you know my IP so you''re gonna find me? Good luck, I''m behind seven proxies. Whatever, prove who you are and we''ll see. You''re the one calling me out, that means I get to choose the time and place. Mano a mano unless you''re too chicken shit for that. Be seeing you.? SEND Confirm spending 1 stat point on INT? Y/N Y Well. I have a hell of a lot I need to prepare for and limited time to do so. More shopping, hooray for 24 hour Wal-mart. Have to get the rest in the morning. Need more sand to fix up that punching bag again, more grinding, upload the edited video to my interface, work on my computers & software, check PHO again. Wonder if I''ll have time to try grinding AGI again. Glad I need very little sleep tonight. Your Strategy skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Mini-map feature for Strategy You may gain the ''Video Editing'' specialty for Computers -1 HP (1 deflected, 4 resisted) x65 Your Power Strike skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Improved Crit Chance feature for Power Strike Your Thievery skill has increased by 1 I do another check over all my preparations. Well, it''s the best that I can do. Almost time for 3 o''clock high. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Thief Faction: None Money: $375.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 15 (4.67%) XP: 19731 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (44.03%) AGI: 8 (+0.00) 8.00 (68.11%) CON: 20 (+0.00) 20.00 (64.37%) INT: 24 (+0.00) 24.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (11.31%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (21.32%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (6.23%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (0.34%) Unspent Points: 41 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 606/610 Stamina Pool: 80/490 Mana Pool: 2154/4500 Stress Pool: 460/460 Attack: 12.00 Speed: 2.77 Dodge: 13.88 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 49 Free Skill Slots: 10 Artistry: 10 (79.96%) Athletics: 12 (19.15%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (0.00%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (0.00%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (13.55%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 1 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 1 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 2 (30.22%) Disable Device: 11 (2.55%) Disease Resistance: 6 (52.60%) Disguise: 3 (0.00%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 11 (75.64%) Empathy: 10 (48.89%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 2 (80.86%) Meditation: 12 (18.03%) Melee Weapons: 4 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 18 (26.33%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (79.45%) Power Strike: 10 (0.00%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (6.46%) Stealth: 12 (16.55%) Strategy: 5 (0.00%) Thievery: 11 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (13.96%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 4 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Book I: Interlude 2: Olympus Interlude 2: Olympus Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 My bow begins to subtly vibrate and my medallion begins to warm against my skin as I head toward director Scott''s office. That always happens when I''m prepping for a fight, not that I have any expectation of fighting with Director Scott, but he''s a loud talker, and always has an odd tone in his voice that irritates me. It was that or I''m just sound sensitive and can''t really ask him to turn his volume down. Though really, it''s probably the news I have to deliver. Something is definitely going down today. Why does shit like this have to happen when Eidolon is out of town? Houston is supposed to be one of the calmer cities, yet ever since the Leviathan attack it has been very turbulent. I calm my nerves and the vibrations and warming lessens as I step into the Director''s office. "Alright, so what''s the new Intel?" Director Scott shouts. I spy seven empty Styrofoam coffee cups in his wastebasket. He must be having a bad morning as well. Dispatch and Exalt are already present, seated in a couple folding chairs near the Director''s desk. "The Oracles said there is a high chance of a significant Parahuman altercation. Their re¡ª" "So what''s their exact reading?" the Director asks, cutting off the very thing I''m about to tell him. I sigh internally before continuing. "Zeus''s Doryphoros is affronted by the fool, but no fool is he. The sandman casts Medusa''s locks and the high priest will quiet the skies. The Actor''s lines are done, there will be no encore, and the playwright has left the amphitheater." The other Houston Protectorate members have resigned quizzical looks on their faces. Of course that always happens with readings from the Oracle twins. "You know I really hate trying to build an intelligence picture that has to have cryptic bullshit in it! What the hell is a Doryphorus?" Director Scott asks me, yet again, despite me not having a reason to know it better than anyone else. For some reason I also get tasked with talking to the Oracles, probably because of the name and motif similarities. "Uh, huh. Let me look that up on the internet for you." I say under my breath, as I do just that. I didn''t choose the Ancient Greek Motif, PR did. I can''t help that my so-called tinker tech is limited to a few archaic looking items that I can only produce once every few months. That doesn''t make me an expert in Greek lore. "It means spear-carrier. Zeus''s spear is a lightning bolt, so that sounds like a reference to Sparky." "Medusa''s locks? That''s that Snake haired monster, unless the villain Medusa actually came to Houston." We all shudder a bit at that idea. "Snakes can mean Potter given they had an altercation once before recently." Dispatch remarks. "Any ideas who the Sandman, the High Priest, the Actor or the Playwright is?" Director Scott asks. Everyone shrugs. "Ah, PHO kinda blew up very recently this morning. It was an online feud between users named ''Cant_Prove_Im_Potter'' and ''gonnaFUup'', who many people are now strongly suspecting is Sparky." Exalt stated, his face betrayed a guilty look for some reason. The Director threw his hands up in the air. "Oh just great, don''t tell me I have to also include inane PHO bullshit as part of this report as well. Can you give me this jist of it?" "Cant_Prove_Im_Potter started trolling in the thread dedicated to Sparky, a user named ''gonnaFUup'' took offense and the two started flaming each other until Cant_Prove_Im_Potter posted a video." "Can we just go ahead and presume it is actually him with a name like that?" the Director asked. "We could, and even if it probably is, if it wasn''t, well that''s the kind of back-handed setups some villains go for. If there''s a third party that wants to ruin both of them, this could be a way to start it." I say. I wonder if this line of pursuit was even worth bothering with. "Well, in either case, it was not the previous video Potter made that earned him a Verified Cape tag, but apparently a new one containing Sparky calling Potter out." Exalt says, his stern look still on his face." It was removed almost immediately but links keep getting reposted and it is being hosted in multiple locations other than on PHO. Cant_Prove_Im_Potter got temp banned for trolling and posting links to inappropriate content and ''gonnaFUup'' got permanently banned for responding with death threats against him." "Where''s the video? Why was it removed?" "Well it''s clearly an edited version of a real video and the edits are very NSFW." Exalt says, just as Director Scott finds it and hits play. "Oh Good God what the hell am I seeing?" the Director asks. I also cringe at the sight that was now before me, contorting my face into new expressions of disgust and confusion. "Did he superimpose a live Sheep onto a pig carcass that Sparky was supposed to electrocute?" Dispatch asked. "Sparky is clearing threatening Potter, or at least he is in between the parts where Potter, I presume, dubbed clips of Barry Manilow''s voice and a bleating sheep over parts of what Sparky is saying." "I don''t think that is Barry Manilow, just someone that sounds like him, because he probably wouldn''t say things like that. Damn, turn the volume down before some of the wards overhear any of this." "I can''t even¡­" "What the¡­ okay that is clearly fake, and not a lightning bolt shooting out from Sparky." "Yeah, looks like the¡­video edit¡­ replaced all of Sparky''s electrical effects with... oh god really?" "Jeez how many times is he going to loop Sparky''s expression with the superimposed Sheep standing behind him?" "A few dozen people have already turned that into an animated avatar gif on PHO, though it may have gotten banned by now." The video then somehow gets even worse, and Director Scott recoils in disgust. "Alright that''s enough; this is going to incite a fucking rampage! I think purposefully antagonizing a dangerous cape can get tossed onto simply wanting him for questioning, and give us further cassis belli to bring him and Sparky in. Send that damn video off to the techies to clean up and figure out the real bits from the fake ones." "That''s still assuming Potter did this, and if he did, he pretty clearly set it up to be easily deniable." I commented, not liking where the assumptions were going. The Director''s desk phone started to flash and ring. He closed the offensive video and picked it up. "Uh, really, well, speak of the devil. Yes he''s in my office right. We get a trace on it? Send the coordinates to my desk then transfer him to this line when we say we''re ready." Director Scott turned to me. "I''m activating the speaker and recorder, someone claiming to be Potter is on the line, he wants to talk to you." The Director turns and speaks into the phone "Go ahead and transfer him", and then he hands the receiver to me. "This is Olympus. I''ve been told this is Potter, is that correct?" "SOUP HOM-IES" The voice coming over the phone is electronic and monotone. "We have to screen a lot of prank calls, so is there some way you can prove your identity? And is there something wrong with your voice?" "I AM USING A SPEAK AND SPELL BECAUSE I FIND IT HILL-AIR-E-US." "You need to be serious here Potter, if that is really who you are." "YOU SENT ME A PEE EM THAT SAID YOU DISAGREED WITH HOW THE POLICE CHOSE TO HANDLE THE SITUATION AND THAT THE PROTECTORATE WANTED TO GET A STATEMENT FROM ME" "Yes, and can we expect you to come in and provide one?" "NO" "Then why are you calling?" "SO YOU CAN DO YOUR JOBS. GO BE HEROES, DOWNTOWN HUGHS-TON NEAR ROOT SQUARE. I WILL CALL BACK FROM THIS NUMBER AGAIN. GOOD-BYE." With a click, Potter hung up. "Trace indicates a cell tower near Root Square like he said." The director sighs and mutters something about being too old for this shit. "Cancel your lunches, shift patrols to that area and let''s get the PRT squads in the area on alert. Olympus I want you and Slipstream in the air doing recon. Have her stay at higher altitude only, and I''ll notify air traffic control. Also as much as I loathe trying it, I want whatever private correspondence we can get from PHO regarding these two yahoos." The Director says as he stands up from his desk, and picks up the phone again. "That''s always a pain to get. Their servers are in Canada, and the owners refuse to comply without an air--tight multi-national warrant." Exalt states. "Better to get that process started early then." Dispatch says as he nods. "I''ll forewarn Eidolon, he might have to come back early if Sparky makes a mess." "Potter is still rated at Master 3, Correct?" I ask. "For now, yes." Exalt said as we left the Director''s office. I make my way to my lab to get my air chariot ready, and send Mandy a coded text to her PRT phone to get ready. It''s just past noon, so she and the other wards are still in school and will have to discreetly excuse themselves. ****? I wait on the roof of the Protectorate building, I manage to see Slipstream''s silver blur for a fraction of a second before a massive gust of wind buffets the building and she drops out of the sky and comes to an inertia-defying sudden dead stop floating above the helipad. If her feet were on the ground she would have been bouncing with excitement, in addition to the unrestrained grin across her face. "See, I was careful, only 766 miles per hour! I didn''t break the sound-barrier this time. What is it? What? Am I going to finally get some bad guys? I sooo want to do something other than just patrol." "Still just recon, we need your eagle eyes up there on the lookout for Potter, Sparky, Granite or anything else amiss near downtown around Root Square." "Awww¡­ I''m more than just a glorified spy plane you know." I hand her two bandoleers of foam grenades. "Eeeeeee!" Slipstream squeed. Taking them and putting them over her costume before flying right into me for a tackle hug. "Mrrf¡­ Stop!" I delicately pull her away, blushing a bit with embarrassment. "I appreciate your excitement, but consider your elevation when you do that, it''s inappropriate anyway." "Right sorry boss" she said as she floated backwards, yet still softly clapped her hands like she was five. "I''m not your boss. Those are a last resort; you use them only if authorized from sufficiently high up. Do you remember your training with them and the settings for altitude and velocity?" Slip stream nods while fiddling with the buckles on the bandoliers and how they are hanging. I should have thought this through better; apparently it wasn''t entirely compatible with her figure. "Remember if you see Sparky, while he doesn''t call lightning down from the sky, he can still arc it upwards pretty high. Stay out of his known range." The two of us begin patrolling the Houston skyline together, keeping radio contact with Console and the troops on the ground and the non-flying Protectorate members. "Any further movement traces on Potter''s phone?" I ask into my radio.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Nothing, only the ping from the initial trace to the Root Square cell tower. He probably pulled the battery or ditched it." "He said he would call from that number so I don''t think he would ditch it" "We''ll let you know as soon as we see it online," Console buzzes back. "Hey I see something!" Slipstream speaks over the comm. "Guy matching Potter''s description on the ground among a crowd, in costume. People are filming him, looks like he has some kind of gray box or backpack on his back. "Permission to descend for a closer look?" "Granted, but no lower than 500 feet. I am heading over towards you," I respond. "He''s on the sidewalk. It''s some kind of speaker or boom-box that is strapped to him. No identifiable weapons. Who knows what is under that trench coat, though. He appears to be singing something? And Dancing? More like walking oddly back and forth between a traffic pole and a mailbox." "Understood, keep watch." "You know, I should get some lip-reading lessons." "Um, yes actually that would probably be very useful." I comment. "This is Console, looks like a reporter is live filming now." my radio buzzes again "Yeah I see them too now." "What the hell is he saying or singing rather?" "Oh. Uh crap. (mumble)" "What was that last bit Console?" "Potter has dialed in and wants to talk to you again; trace triangulation is right near the square I''m putting him onto your line." "I''m on my way, Slipstream stay aloft. Have units converge on my position." "Um okay what song is that?" I ask Console as I hear parts of it come through Potter''s phone line. "¡­.Well!!!! Sparky is a bitch he''s a big fat bitch, He''s the biggest bitch in the whole wide world He''s a stupid Bitch, if there ever was a bitch He''s a bitch to all the boys and girls¡­" I increase my speed toward Root Square. "Potter, Potter? That''s really not advised." This stupid cape is going to get his ass killed and people injured with this kind of blatant provocation. "Oh good you''re here I hope you''re all setup¡­" Potter says into the line, his voice cracked with the sound of bad reception. "You need to stop singing that song." I told him, this was only going to worsen things. "Oh I''m not singing, it''s on a loop." "On Monday he''s a bitch On Tuesday he''s a bitch On Wednesday to Saturday, he''s a bitch Then on Sunday, just to be different He''s a super King Kamehameha biyotch!" "POTTER!!!!!! I''m gonna kill you fucking asswipe!" "Oh shit he''s here, Sparky''s is on scene." Slipstream says into her mike. "There are things falling out of Potter''s trench coat now. Um, is that..?" "They''re probably clay snakes or such¡­" I guess. "LET¡¯S DO THIS!!! Leeeroooy Jenkins!!!" Potter screams over the line. "Oh God, Potter, what the hell are you doing?" I ask. It''s notable that he''s not using the speak and spell this time. "Whee! I got Aggro! Heading northeast up La Branch Street." Potter exclaims. "Did he just out Sparky or himself? Who in the fuck is Leeroy Jenkins?" some of the people on the ground ask. "Somebody do a search on the name and get Potter isolated. Olympus, pull back and stay on the line with him providing updates. Slipstream, ascend and keep track of their route." I hear the Director order over the radio. I hear and feel a massive thunderclap, as Sparky lets a bolt fly through downtown where it narrowly misses Potter and instead strikes a traffic pole, shorting it out. Traffic comes to a sudden halt and people scream and start scattering. "Potter we appreciate the warnings but this is not how you do these things." I yell into my radio. Potter replies with only static and I move higher as more lightning blasts go off below and in front of me. "Sparky is in a vehicle, front passenger, Granite is driving. Oh wow I think Potter needs a mover rating to have dodged that, and he is out-running a car, although cutting across the sidewalks. He is moving northeast up La Branch. Still way slower than me though." Slipstream said. "Can I use the foam grenades now?" "No!" Several voices yell at the same time. "There are still civilians trying to get out of the way." I add, "Let the PRT do its job, just keep your eyes on." "We got PRT cordoning off the street. Coordinate with the police and get the streets clear." "*squak* --kiting man, *squak* going to Discovery Green" Potter once again yells into his phone. His reception is getting worse, probably a result of the lightning bolts he is dodging. "I think he said he is headed toward Discovery Green. Whatever phone he is using isn''t shielded." I relay to Console. "This is Eidolon, I am now on site. I am actively putting an energy suppression field over the area to minimize Sparky''s blasts. If Potter is truly leading them to us then let him, and take all of them into custody." Granite and Sparky continue to chase Potter down the street the remaining few blocks from Root Square toward Discovery green. Despite Eidolon''s suppression field, Sparky''s blasts are still doing a lot of damage. Traffic signals are all down. The Toyota Center has taken multiple direct hits, as has some of the nearby parking lots, where some cars are struck. I fear the worst as the chase passes by an electric substation but Eidolon is keeping it shielded somehow. A blast instead blows out several windows in the Embassy Suites hotel just as Potter rounds the corner at Lamar and runs down the jogging trail near Discovery Green. "Potter may need a brute rating too; He has taken multiple direct hits. His costume is on fire and he has lost his shoes." Slipstream adds. My chariot isn''t as fast as a speeding car but since it can fly I can go over most obstacles. Another blast loosed by Sparky misses Potter and sets some trees on fire. Then the vehicle chase is over as Granite''s car clips a parked vehicle, bounds over the curb, spins out going around the corner and crashes into a bus stop. Luckily the people that had been standing there noticed and ran away before the impact. Granite, completely unscathed from the wreck, rips the driver''s side door and part of the roof off, throws them aside and stands up. Sparky looks far more injured but climbs out as well. Just then, Eidolon floats up above them, makes a hand gesture and they stop moving. Even the door that had been wrenched off stands frozen in the air after it had bounced off the pavement. They are stuck in some kind of telekinetic hold. PRT agents swarm the area and they are immediately doused by van mounted foam dispensers. Potter has stopped running; his burning coat was discarded, and left burning in the street. He is standing eerily still. The damnable bitch song stops playing on a loop and I come down close to him. "Holy shit, I can''t believe that worked." Potter says into my comm, his line was still active, and the interference is significantly reduced. Yet, I don''t hear any voice coming from the figure in front of me nor is he holding a phone in his hands, and is still standing facing away from us. I mute the line. "Console, do you still have a location trace on Potter''s phone?" "Yes it still originates from the northeast corner of Lamar and La Branch, right at your location. I unmute the phone. "Potter, what you did was horribly reckless. You endangered a large number of civilians and property today with this kind of reckless, escalating, provocative behavior." "Nobody got seriously hurt, and two villains are off the street. Win-win" Potter still stands perfectly still despite speaking, and still hasn''t turned around. "You don''t know that. There could be plenty of people hurt from the rampage you just provoked Sparky into." "His actions aren''t my responsibility." Potter said. "Perhaps three villains were taken off the street today." Eidolon says as he floats down beside me. Exalt, Dispatch, and several PRT troopers quickly moved to surround Potter from all sides. "Please don''t add resisting to what you need to answer for and come pea---" Eidolon stops speaking unexpectedly and starts looking around. "Man, I help draw out two big bads and this is the thanks I get? Figures." "If you don''t stand down we will be forced to foam you." Dispatch states. "Well in that case¡­" Suddenly Potter starts punching himself in the face and body? "Foam it now." Eidolon says. ''It''?" the PRT troopers comply, but it''s too late, Potter falls down in a heap, a gust of wind scattering sand out from under his costume, which quickly adheres to the foam that was now sprayed on top of the misshapen lump. "Stop. It''s too late now." Eidolon says, shaking his head. "What happened?" I ask. We all stride closer to Potter and Eidolon pulls Potter''s mask off. We are all aghast for a moment at such a blatant unmasking. "A disguise, under a disguise, under a disguise." Eidolon snorted. Under the costume mask was a rubber mask of a bald man, under that was sand and the hollowed out head of a plastic Halloween skeleton, containing two cellphones and a speaker all wired up together. ****? Once we dissolved all the foam and ran the rest of ''Potter'' through inventory and evidence processing we got a much closer look. It was all sand, plastic skeleton, bits of driftwood and cloth, and the remnants of his costume that had been loosely draped over whatever this thing was. We ship it all off to the analysts and wait for their report.
The Sand Golem Remains: PRT Evidence analysis recovered 96.4 lbs. of damp Sandy Loam, A plastic Halloween skeleton with a hollowed out head, several bits of driftwood and Styrofoam that had been duct-taped to the ''bones'' to apparently create volume, A ''costume'' in which the boots were stapled to the pants which were stapled to the tucked in shirt, which was also stapled to gloves, and a trench-coat stapled again onto all of that. The costume was (presumably) further adhered to the Golem via heavy double sided tape, now only covered with loose sand as a result of the Golem''s disintegration on scene. Our conclusion is that such was probably done as an effort to keep the costume from falling off the Golem''s body as a result of its movement or damage taken. Finally there was the rubber mask and costume mask, and sunglasses over that, the rubber mask also was apparently stapled as evidenced by rubber fragments under staples in the underside of the shirt, but had not held when it was removed. It is speculated that the sandy-loam layer was from 2 to 8 centimeters thick under the costume depending on where it may have been located on the Golem. This assumed that there was also more material than the 96.4 lbs. that was recovered, as some amount was known to have been lost during recovery or may have been lost during the events of the incident. No fingerprints of other identification samples not belonging to PRT personnel have been discovered on the Golem remains or its costume. Recovered Electronic devices: The Cell phone assembly was not tinker-tech of any sort, merely a clever connection of wires to link the speakers of one phone via the audio-jack to the microphone input of the other, and external battery powered speakers that were also taped to the cellphone assembly. These items were placed inside the hollowed out part of the plastic skeleton head. Both cell phones had been previously scrubbed of all data save the basic OS. The only other item of note was an old style CD ''boom-box'' that was strapped to the back of the Golem via a generic backpack. It contained a single standard, unlabeled writable CD, which contained a single audio track of multiple instances of the same song, and no other data, nor any recovered deleted data. No fingerprints of other identification samples not belonging to PRT personnel have been discovered on the electronic devices. The Song: "Sparky is a Big Fat Bitch", Audio analysis indicates that it was edited version of an unknown song, mainly in a manner to change the name used to target the cape known as Sparky in a harassing manner, and a few "she''s" to "he''s". This included the foreign language parts as well. The original name was not recovered. The original song remains unidentified, and does not match any known Earth-Bet or Earth-Aleph media that we have discovered at this time. PRT Tinker-tech scanning and analysis has also not revealed any exotic energy signatures or any other abnormalities that could explain the Golem''s prior mobility or lead us to believe that the aforementioned items are currently anything other than the now mundane objects they are described to be. Thinker analysis of the remains is currently pending approval, and if granted will be shipped and placed into their back-log.
I hand the report to the Director, and summarize. "The evidence report is sparse. There is maybe just under a hundred pounds of sand, plus the various other bits. Who knows how much got lost during the fight or blown away by the wind after it was over during clean up." "So this was the Sandman?" Director Scott asks. "Apparently, we will have to add sand to the list of substances he can animate as well, plus this was a man-sized creation." Dispatch says. The Director turns back toward me, "What about the electronics assembly?" "It''s entirely mundane. We were tracing one of the cellphones that was part of that, but it was just hooked up to another cell phone that was only relaying the call from a third line Potter was actually calling from. He was probably watching the entire thing from afar. Speakers also helped to give him a voice." The Director, myself, Exalt and Dispatch sat in silence for a moment after the debriefing. Eidolon had left after the confrontation ended to finish work on repairing coastal levees from the December tidal damage, or whatever it was he did when he disappeared. The PRT troops had fanned out across the area looking for the anonymous master, but came up empty handed. Not that they had much of anything to go by. "The Fool is no fool indeed. Do we keep looking? It''s been a day." I ask. "No, forget it, Olympus." the Director said, "It''s just another solo independent. He made his choice and it seems the Oracles didn''t predict much for any further appearances. I''m fucking retiring in three months anyway. He can be someone else''s problem." Book I: Interlude 3: Julia Mendez Interlude 3: Julia Mendez Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 BEEP, BEEP, BEEP¡­ I roll over and slap the alarm clock, only to knock it onto the floor where it continues to wail. I sit up and reach for the cord that''s draped over the nightstand. My power surges; it phases across the plastic wire insulation and latches onto the electrical current passing through the power cord. My senses ride it into the simple electronic device, circuit board, resistors, back-up battery, speaker, display, radio tuner, time-keeping mechanism, and electric switches connected to the manual buttons. A mental tug flips the switch that interprets the press of the snooze button. It ceases wailing. At least I didn''t accidentally fry the internal electronics. I have to be more careful when I have to buy replacements with my own money. I yawn, stretch, and close my eyes again. "Get out of the water!" I yelled as the man thrashing in the water seemed to get electrocuted from falling power lines and a transformer tumbled in slow motion down the edge as it snapped more cables, the same water I was half submerged in. Then *it* appeared, a green scaly skinned head with four glowing eyes stared at me from a wave of water that followed behind it. The water hit, slamming me back toward the dirt wall of the sinkhole. Then there was blackness, and I couldn''t breathe. I was underwater again. BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I''m saved from the rest of the horrid dream by my phone''s alarm. I can''t do the same trick with the alarm clock. It''s on my dresser on the other side of the room, not plugged in. I have to physically get out of bed to turn it off, which is the entire point. The dreams are less frequent now, most of the fear and sadness replaced by anger and restlessness. I trudge into the shower, less anxious than yesterday as the water hits me, the memories the falling water brings to mind more muted and distant. Simon was right about exposure therapy, not that I can afford more counseling on the meager stipend the trust fund allocates me. I towel off and blow-dry my hair. The wiring in Josephine''s house can''t handle the wattage the hair dryer requires. I finally understand why Mr. Beckett kept wondering if hair dryers were tripping the circuit breakers, even though it was just me experimenting. As an appliance pulls current, it heats up the wires. Pull too much and circuit breakers shut off the flow to avoid stuff catching fire. My power supplies the difference, draining on built up reserves to compensate for the wattage difference. That''s also how I accidentally broke Josephine''s old alarm clock, upstairs TV, a couple light bulbs, and ¡­ Push too much current through and fry the internal wiring and circuitry of anything. I can do a lot with a big enough charge. My power is both a capacitor and battery. I touch the slowly healing burn marks on my palms. Experimenting in the garage yesterday, I learned I can put out enough current to melt an 8 gauge copper wire. That is more than enough to kill someone instantly with a touch. The side effects of heat and fire are still a problem, even if somehow, I resisted heat hot enough to melt copper, and only got minor burns from it. I can easily set other things on fire just from the electric currents I can produce. I put some scar minimizing cream on my cheek, not that it seems to be doing a damn thing. ''Scarface'', really? Assholes. I finish cleaning up and feel a sense of dread as I step on the scale. 201? What the hell? I''ve been working out intensely for 6 weeks since getting here. I''m still gaining weight. Yet I''m not fat, I don''t even look much different. Gaining fifty pounds in two and half months is abnormal. Is this some aspect of my powers? My stomach growls at me as a counterpoint to my argument. Yeah, eating several meals a day doesn''t help but where is it going? Glad I refused to join any sports at this dump of a school, any weigh-ins will out me. I put on some clean underwear and a vaguely clean smelling bra and look for something to wear. I rummage through some thrift store outfits and discard them. I kick the ammeters, voltmeters and miscellaneous batteries out of the way; grab a pair of blue jeans and throw them on the bed. Oh there''s that copy of Dean''s Electronics. I put it on the desk with my other research books next to the hard drive I salvaged from my old house. I still have no computer to put that in. I slip on a clean-ish undershirt, and some knee-high socks to cover up my leg scars, lest there be more ammo for the stupid bitches to snipe at me with. I glance out the window, it''s snowing, again. These winters suck, it''s too damn cold. I put on my jeans and one of my sister''s dark green sweaters. It''s too tight on me, but it''s clean and I''m not getting new clothes anytime soon. Getting a couple hundred out of my trust to pay for all this was hard enough. I should do laundry soon. Josephine made it clear she wasn''t going to clean up after me. Not that mom did either, she taught me and Teresa how to use the washer and dryer when I was twelve and never did our laundry again after. Despite our pleading and the growing piles of our dirty clothes she held her ground until we caved from shame. I push the memory away before I fall into a depressive funk again. I put my hand on an outlet and push my power senses through the wiring of the house, and draw a slow, steady current into myself to offset what I spent. I only have a vague idea of how I was bypassing the air-gap. My fingers aren''t touching the metal wiring directly, although I could, if I wanted to. That would be a lot faster and more efficient. Some intuitive part of my power tells me I''m extending some kind of phased sub-dimensional conduit that taps into the flow of an electrical current, to bridge resistance and insulation gaps, like how I can ignore the plastic covering on the power cords. It only works for short distances, and phasing it though some materials is more difficult than others. I can even phase it through my clothes, but doing that wrong left me with burn marks in my clothing or skin. Despite trying, I can''t create energy from nothing, only gather it from external sources, store, and expend it. The TV and lights in the living room are on. The ones in Josephine''s room aren''t. She probably fell asleep downstairs again. I push my power to the electric oven to start it pre-heating. I gather my books, homework, gloves, jacket and winter hat. I heavily spritz my hair and clothes with anti-static fabric spray, another annoying side-effect of my power, and put the bottle in my backpack. I grab my phone, stuff it in my pocket and extend a conduit to it, to keep it charging all day. I still don''t have a plan set up on it yet. I spent all my money on clothes, tools and books. I thoroughly explored the internal circuitry of my phone with my power, not that any of it made any sense. Using my power to flip simple electric switches is one thing, assuming there isn''t a manual block but even then, I can extend another conduit to complete a circuit despite the lack of a physical switch being in place to allow the connection. Complex circuitry, processors, memory and data storage are a different deal altogether. I''m not willing to brick my phone to experiment with it. Maybe if I know more about electrical engineering, I can do something more complex. I eat a giant bowl of cereal while some breakfast burritos cook in the oven. The microwave is broken, that one''s not my fault. It was broken for years, and Josephine never replaced it. She trudges into the kitchen as I drink the last of milk from a salad bowl, because all the other dishes are dirty and overflowing in the sink. "We''re out of milk." I say. "Again? I swear you have hollow legs or something? At this rate all the money the foster system gives me to take care of you gets spent on food." Josephine sneers as she lit up a cigarette. "Is that what I am to you? An extra paycheck?" "Nah, but hell, you try living off nothing but social security. I told you and them I weren''t much of a parental figure, but they didn''t care none." "I can see why my mom ran off when she turned 17." Josephine simply shrugs, not denying it at all. "We need more food and the dishes need to be washed." "So get a job and go buy some, I can''t drive, and more than half of those are yours." "I can''t get a job, I''m not 16 yet, and if you want me to drive you to the store so you can buy booze and cigarettes, you need to go with me to the DMV so I can get my hardship license." "Little good that will do, that car ain''t run in nearly 20 years." "I got it started." "What? How?" I shrug, not bothering to explain how I did it. "Started isn''t the same as running, tires are flat, it needs gas, and will have to be driven to a mechanic, to make it remotely close to usable." There must be a lot of things wrong with that car, but I''m not a mechanic. It''s a Dodge from the sixties or seventies and according to the sticker; its last inspection was in 1989. Its battery was dead, and its electrical system was shot, but even when my power provided the voltage and connections it needed to get the engine to turn over, it promptly died anyway after expelling a dust cloud from its tailpipe. Years of sitting in the garage unused had taken its toll. Josephine laughs. "Hehe, good luck with that, I can''t fucking afford it, but if you get it running you can use it." "What, really?" I asked. My own car? That would make things so less lame. "Don''t get yer panties wet; I said use, not have." I scrunch my face in indignation and she smirks, as my dreams of freedom are crushed under that disturbing mental image. "Useless to me anyway, I ain''t ever getting my license back, too many DUI''s." "Wait, what? I thought you said you couldn''t drive because you were too old and had bad eyesight." My grandm- Josephine, cackles at me. Cackles, like a chain smoking raven. "Yeah I had bad eye-sight all right, I was seeing double!" The oven buzzes and I retrieve my breakfast burritos, and sit back down. Eventually she stops laughing at her own joke and lights up another cigarette. At least dad always had the decency to smoke outside; then again it was fucking barely above zero out there right now. "What kinda weird ''spic food is that?" she asks; lit cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, while she exhales smoke out the other side. I choke on my burrito, her timing was probably deliberate. "Good God, racist much? Do you even hear yourself?" I ask once I can breathe again, and take another drink of milk. "Nah, I ain''t racist, I hate everybody equally." Once again her timing is impeccable but I manage to not spew milk on the table. "Your mind is culturally diminutive." I mumble over another mouthful of bland prepackaged egg & cheese burrito. "Oh what''s that now? Jennifer talked in big words after she went to college, and got all pretentious. It just made her sound like an ass. ''Sides, I ain''t got nothing against the Spanish or foreigners, I fucked a Spanish bull-fighter at Woodstock, that''s how yer momma was conceived." "Oh my god, why are you telling me this? And Spain and Mexico are not the same place." Oh God I need to scrub my brain, is she trying to make me choke on purpose? "Heh, I know that, but close enough. Guess her tastes weren''t too far off the mark, there." "Are you just fucking with me?" "Somebody has to, yer a snotty teenager, that thinks she knows everything. I should know, I used to be one too." I grab her pack of cigarettes and lighter, lit one up, and grab my winter jacket. "Hey! Buy your own damn cigarettes" "I can''t, I''m only 15" "Didn''t stop me when I was your age." "Did they even have that law when you were my age?" She shrugs. "Still wouldn''t a stopped me." "Didn''t stop me either, see?" I say as I take a drag, and stuff the pack and lighter in my pockets. "I''m gonna be back real late tonight." I say as I bundle up and head out the door to school. "''Kay, don''t get dead or pregnant." She shouts after me as I close the door. ****? God I hate the cold. I wish there was a way I could use my power to keep warm without setting stuff on fire or electrocuting someone; maybe a pocket hand-warmer? I lean against the street light at the bus stop, slip one hand out of my glove and touch the cold surface of the metal. I extend a conduit from the post to the wire inside and I start leeching off the city power. The street light flickers as I interrupt the current flow. Josephine had a fit when she saw her January electric bill; of course she doesn''t know why it was abnormally high. I have to do my heaviest siphoning from places that won''t notice. I swap hands as one gets numb from the cold and keep an eye on the drug dealer brazenly standing at the corner of the street I now live on, peddling his shit. Why would they want to get up this early in the day? Maybe they''re still up. It''s just my luck, I get to live in a dilapidated poor neighborhood in the middle of gang territory. I still can''t get used to the fact there''s no school buses. I make sure I didn''t forget the free bus pass the school gave me as the city bus pulls up. I get on board and try my best to ignore the leers from randos, and pull my jacket more tightly closed. I feel the weight of my entirely fake Taser, reassured I haven''t forgotten it. I don''t need one, I can just use my bare hands, but it provides deniability against outing myself. ****? I carefully avoid the ice patches as I ascend up the steps to the school. I don''t want to end up on my ass like that tall haired brunette. Is it really so difficult to put a little more effort into sanding and salting the walkways? Those other bitches are hovering nearby snickering as the lanky girl gets up and brushes the dirty slush off her backside and gathers her things. I step around the lot of them, not interested in the petty drama. They''re all in some of my classes; I just haven''t cared enough to learn their names. My attempt to skirt by unnoticed fails as the short angry black girl sneers in my direction. The snickering stops, and I hear a few whispers, catching the word ''fugee'', among the hushed voices. I shift to the left as the scowling one steps out in a blatant attempt to ''accidentally'' bump me with her backpack. I plant my feet and tighten my grip on my backpack strap, and steady myself with my other hand on the railing. Our shoulders and hands holding our respective backpack straps collide with each other. Her backpack, which she is only holding by the one arm, swings around and hits me square in the chest. It bounces and she stumbles briefly. I guess there are some benefits to weighing more than what my appearance indicates. Our hands were in contact for only a second, but it was enough. Parahuman, primary powers: sub-dimensional phase shifting. Expressions: matter traversal, phasic reconstitution, matter-phase infusement¡­ It''s my second confirmation that the angry girl is a Parahuman, and I learn more than last time. Maybe I should actually pay attention to what her name is. "Watch where you''re going, Scarface." She sneers. "I was, maybe your fat ass shouldn''t take up so much of the walkway." "What''d you say?--" Her angry rant gets interrupted by the 5 minute warning bell for first period, and the shouts of a nearby teacher at us to get inside. I push my way past her, I''m taller and heavier, she isn''t an impediment, despite briefly trying to be. I go through the entirely non-functional metal detectors and make my way toward first period. I already sense-explored the entire wiring circuitry of the building, and they weren''t even connected properly, much like a lot of the cameras. At least the idiots from outside aren''t in my English class. Idiots or no, I still loathe English class, and Mrs. Cranston''s fat ass. She looks like a giant pear shaped person with short arms and legs sticking out. She''s the reason the students whisper and snicker in the classrooms and hallways. Fugee, wash-up, Endy, lungfish, that last one never made any sense to me. We''re ''bad luck'' after all, wouldn''t want the tragedy of what befell my home and family to rub-off on anyone. What''s worse is she is completely oblivious that what she did was wrong. On my first day at this dump, ''Let''s welcome a new student to class everyone; Ms. Mendez is from¡­.Galveston, Texas. Uh, given recent events, let''s all be extra accommodating and mindful of sensitive topics¡­'' Yeah, that didn''t work at all; she should have kept her damn flabby double-chinned jaw shut. The entire school knew I was an Endbringer survivor before the end of the day. The only benefit was that several teachers are still going easy on me, so I''m going milk that while I can. ****? "Julia Mendez, please come to the office, Julia Mendez, please come to the office." The hell? I look up as the classroom intercom cackles with my name, close my Geometry book, and glance at the teacher, who has stopped his lecture at the interruption. "Go on then, class is nearly over anyway." I gather up my stuff, and make my way to the door. Not sure what this is about, but whatever gets me out of here earlier. The vain redheaded walking designer label advertisement smirks at me while she and her crony mumble some snide remarks and laugh as I pass. Did they do something? If they did, they''ll regret it. I get to the office and the secretary gives me a slip of paper, it contains my computer generated password. "Really? It took over five weeks to get my school email and network account? I''ve been attending since the 19th of last month. I haven''t been able to use the library computers for any work this whole time because I can''t log in." "Well it should work now. Sorry for the delay, our IT department is overworked and understaffed." The office secretary says, barely glancing up from her computer. "Just how poor is this school that they can''t get a new student an email in over a month?" "Alright well, you can get back to your classes now." "I need a tardy slip because this is going to make me late to my next class." "You have a few minutes if you hurry." The secretary says without looking up, and not giving me a slip. Damn it. I run out and down the hall, I don''t have the time to swap books at my locker. At least the halls are emptying out, so there''s less traffic to impede me. I hear some teacher yell to not run, but I''m already around the corner bounding up the stairs to the second floor, taking several steps at a time. The bell rings mere moments before I open the door to my boring physical science class. "¡­Clements, Elgin, Gonzales¡­" Mr. Sims interrupts his monotonic roll call. "Nice of you to join us, Mendez, you''re tardy." Yeah, I know. I glare at him as I walk toward my seat. Arguing is useless, Mr. Sims is inflexible. Bored students occasionally say ''here'' or raise their hands. "¡­Hebert, Hess¡­" So that is the last name of the angry Parahuman girl. Glancing at her desk and I catch a glimpse of her name on her paper, S-something, in jagged chicken scratch. I sit down at my desk in the back row next to the wall, slouch down and drop my arm down. I feel the outlet with my hand, and open an invisible conduit, and started siphoning off energy. I wish my desks in my other classes were close enough to accessible outlets. This is trivially easy now. I hadn''t dared until I figured out how to reliably do it without any detectable effects. Slow and steady, constant voltage, standard 120V draw, at 60 Hz, not too fast or slow, or there will be problems. I''ve yet to encounter other Parahumans at school. However, it''s not exactly easy to accidentally brush up against someone close enough to tell, so who knows if there are more. Might be easier to tell when it gets warmer and people are wearing less layers. The city has a number of wards, but rumor is they attend a different school. Did angry bitch fit any of their descriptions? Or any villains? I should do some research. "¡­Mendez¡­" What? I look up from my wandering thoughts. The hell, "You already know I''m here." Seriously, dude at least seems to know most of our names so what''s the point of a daily roll call? He could trade five minutes of monotonic daily ritual for five minutes of monotonic lecturing. I shouldn''t even be in here; I did this stuff in eighth grade. "¡­Veder" As Mr. Sims finally began his lecture, I let my senses disappear into the school''s electrical grid. I can''t actually ''see'' ''or ''hear'' or anything that is equivalent to normal senses, but I get a basic idea of the layout, what kind of appliances are connected, whether or not they are turned on, or functional, and how much power they draw. I jump out into the city grid, exploring for a block or two down the main power lines, which run a far higher through-put. I know I''d be able to siphon off a lot more current a lot faster off one of those, but have yet to try. Climbing up a utility pole to grab power lines isn''t a wise idea. I can handle standard 120 outlets with barely a tingle, but never tried anything higher than that. How high can I go? Is there a limit to how much I can store? While exploring the grid is neat, it''s of limited use beyond a certain range. While I can fuck around with stuff connected to it, I can only create the conduits that enable that manipulation a limited distance from myself, although hopping through conductive material extends that range. ****? "¡ªWhat about Saint''s Row? Grand Theft Auto?" Greg asks excitedly. He is starting to give me a headache and distracting me from my Drafting class. "No, I told you I''ve never played Aleph games, and I''m starting to regret that I told you I''d ever played any RPGs or shooters." "Oh come on! You''re like the first gamer girl I''ve ever met, in person anyway, that wasn''t just talking about casual games on their phone." "I don''t think I''d use that label to describe myself. I swear you''re worse than Simon." "Who?" "Never mind." Despite being the only female in drafting, and being dropped in here merely because it had room, given my mid-year entry into classes, the subject is surprisingly growing on me. Mr. Fisk even let me borrow books on electrical diagram drawing. I might even take shop classes next year. "What about MMOs? Have you played Solaria? Elder Tales? Felucca Prime? Shattered Galaxies? Mechwarriors? ¡­" "No, stop. I''ve not played any MMOs. Go back to drawing whatever the hell that is." "It''s a Mech. A sweet Battlemaster, that my Mechwarriors character pilots. Seriously, some tinkers need to build some of these things so we can fight Endbringers with them." I coldly glare at him so hard he actually becomes pale while I accidently snap the lead on my drafting pencil from gripping it too hard and nearly rip a hole in my paper. "S¡ªs-sorry, I didn''t mean to¡­ I ¡­" I get up to go sharpen it. Push the negative thoughts away. He''s an idiot, a good-meaning, unintentional idiot, but still an idiot. I sit back down after I''ve calmed some, and do more perspective work. "What about consoles? Which ones do you have?" Greg whispers. The silent reprieve only managed to last five minutes. "None." "Huh, PC only? That''s cool, but wait, you said you played Destiny, it never got a PC port." "I don''t have a computer, and I don''t have any consoles anymore." Greg''s face scrunched up in a look of pure confusion as if he could not process the concept of someone not owning a computer or any gaming systems. "Well what did you own? You must have had a MasterTrax II if you played Destiny." I audibly sigh. If I answer enough questions will he shut up? "Yes, I had a MasterTrax II, and before that, the MasterTrax I, and an old NES and some eighties retro games that I played when I was little that my mom used to own. Greg gasps. "A NES?" "Quiet down" I hear Mr. Fisk say, barely looking up from the book he is reading. "An Original NES?" Greg whispers. "Do you have any idea how rare and valuable those are now? They''re like super collectables after Nintendo folded in ''99 because, well, you know." I gave him a cold stare again, and he backs down only a little. "Could I um, see it?" Apparently Greg''s enthusiasm exceeds his survival instincts. "Did you forget that I said I don''t have them anymore? It along with the others, and everything else I once owned, are below several meters of water and sand on Galveston Island." I seethe. If Greg had a tail it would be firmly tucked between his legs as he scoots away. I go back to my drawing assignment for the rest of the period, putting more finishing touches on my rendition of The Bishop''s Palace, from a photo I had stored in my phone. Like so many other historical buildings in Galveston, it doesn''t exist anymore. The bell finally rings and I gather my things and head toward the door. Then I heard a meek query behind me. "Do you watch anime?" "No, now shut up Greg, I have to get to class." I hurry off down the hall before he can ask me something else. ****? I do a slow jog across the school while deftly avoiding the crowds of milling students. I take a wide swing around a huddled group of Asian boys openly wearing gang colors. I normally don''t go to my locker at this time of the day, but I have to since I skipped doing so while at the office. I need to grab my History book for my next class. I''m in a hurry and someone is standing in front of my locker. "Goodwill? Or maybe she just raided one of those donation bins," says crony number one, Maddy or some similar name. "What''s next Taylor, free lunch vouchers?" The other Julia, crony number two says. Oh, they haven''t even noticed me yet. They''re targeting the lanky girl whose locker is next to mine. Fuck them though; I have to use lunch vouchers. "What''s that smell?" asked the red-headed, over-endowed, billboard. "Oh Taylor, too poor to even shower now," says Maddy. "No, it''s Julia," says Hess. "What? Fuck you Sophia." The other Julia scowls. Oh so her name is Sophia. "Not you, dipshit." Sophia scowls back and the other Julia shrank like a kicked puppy. "What the hell are you staring at Scarface?" Hess says as she turns to look at me, leaning back on my locker. As everyone turns around to look at me, the lanky girl slips away. "Yeah, thought I smelled an ashtray. What is that scar anyway? Cigarette burns? Daddy too abusive?" "Good one, Emma." Maddy smirks. I feel a charge well up and travel down to my hand. One little touch and I could drop them all. I inhale deeply though my nose to calm down. Fuck, they weren''t entirely wrong. Being stuck in the house of a chain smoker and partaking myself does a number on your clothes. "Move" I say forcefully to Hess. "Why should I?" she asked. "Because you''re in front of my locker, so move." I glare at her, but she glares back just as hard, neither of us backing down. Emma laughs. "Right next to Taylor''s? Oh, this is rich. They must put all the poor losers together." I ignore her and keep my eyes on Hess, who hasn''t budged an inch. "I don''t have time for your petty bullshit. Fucking move, or I will move you myself."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "I''d like to see you t¡ª" "Girls!" one of the teachers shouts. "Get a move on, bell is in one minute." "Next time, Scarface, next time." Sophia says as she casually slides off my locker, purposely bumping into my shoulder again like this morning. Parahuman, primary powers: sub-dimensional phase shifting. Expressions: matter traversal, phasic reconstitution, matter-phase infusement, sub-dimensional mass displacement. Sub-dimensional energy conduit channels operate on similar frequency, disruptive interaction predicted. Risk to self, negligible, risk to phaser, sig- Also like this morning, I don''t budge, forcing her to slowly roll off mine as she walks away and the bitches disperse. What the hell was that? I need another cigarette to calm my nerves. Technically I''m still on probation, even if I am a thousand miles away I can''t afford to get into a fight and get arrested again. I punch my locker, and then quickly open it to grab my books and head to class. ****? The other Julia and the lanky girl are also in my history class. That Julia doesn''t dare do anything on her own without the support of the others she hung around, which thankfully, aren''t in this class. New Hampshire state history is basically just early US history, and is a lot less¡­involved and fervent¡­ compared to Texas state history, which I took last semester. Mr. Mondale even spent a few days letting us watch a mini-series on the Alamo, back in November. This is just boring. I feel relieved when the bell rings for lunch. "I''ll catch up in a few" I say to Cathy and Rita as we go out the door. My stomach growls and I make a bee-line to the vending machines. I put my hand on the machines and find the shortest conduit point to create, sense my way through its internal working and flipped the switch that makes it think chocolate milk has been selected. A little conduit and jolt to bridge the switch gap on the mechanical spiral arm and it kicks on and down it drops. I fish out my prize and repeat the process on the snack machine, scoring a couple bags of chips and candy. I stuff them into my backpack and get in line for lunch. "It''s ''enchilada'' day¡­" Cathy states, her voice morose with dejection. "What is this garbage?" I ask, "These things are not enchiladas." "Right, you haven''t encountered this yet. About once a month the school pretends to serve Mexican food, and we pretend to eat it." Rita comments. "Some cultural diversity bullshit." "What this is; is a crime against taste." Rico says. "Then why are you all getting it?" I ask. "Oh, never mind." "Yeah, the alternative is creamed chipped beef on toast." Cathy notes. "My dad says that''s also known as S.O.S, Shit on a Shingle." Rico adds oh so helpfully. "Thank you for that added commentary, Rico, you''re really helping my appetite." Rita remarks. "I''m just in line for some fruit and the side dishes. You should bring my lunch like I do." Cathy shrugs. "Not everyone can." Rita whispers, trying to not let me hear, as I drop several vouchers on the cashier. I don''t really care though. All four Hispanics at Winslow, Rico, Rita, Cathy, and now me, sit around a table in the corner of the cafeteria. That''s not entirely true, there are a couple more, but they''re in the earlier lunch period, and I don''t know their names. There may also be some seniors, who get to go off campus for lunch. Rita doesn''t actually know any Spanish, and Rico only knows it partially, he''s also a sophomore, and in my drafting and PE class. We''re together because we don''t fit into the other cliques. We''re not Asian, White, or druggies. Although they''ve teased me a few times about my pale skin. Before joining this little table, or perhaps because of it, I confused the hell out of an E88 banger''s attempt to ''welcome me'' when I ranted at him in Spanish, after my first couple days of attending this dump. God, I learned so much in the first week, and not one bit of it was from any classroom. "I don''t suppose there are any actual good Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurants in the city are there?" I ask as I took a bite of pretend enchilada--- A phone camera flashes in my face. Rico snapped my photo. "Oh man, you should see your face," he exclaimed. With difficulty, I swallow. "This stuff is disgusting." I lament, and then Rico proceeds to shove his phone at me, so I could see my picture, shocked sneer and all, as the taste of someone''s misguided excuse for a cultural food hit my tongue. "Gloria''s is good, that''s the only one. Everything else is crap, or Taco Bell, which is double crap." Cathy says helpfully. "Hey, I like their cinnamon sticks," Rita states. "Bullshit, that''s just their lame excuse for a very crappy Churro." Cathy points out. "You''ve never had a Churro have you?" she asks, upon seeing Rita''s slightly confused expression. "Where is Gloria''s? I need to check it out." I ask as I force another bite of food down. "If it''s disgusting, why are you still eating it?" Rico asks. "Because it''s food and I''m hungry. When you''re hungry, you don''t turn anything down. Why are you?" I ask back. "Oh I''ll just eat anything." "Rico... don''t..." Rita tries to whisper again as she cocks her head in my direction. "Rita?" I ask, waiting for her to look at me. "Yes?" "Stop it. I''m not some broken thing. I didn''t go hungry in the camps. I wasn''t even in them for very long. While it''s still hard to admit sometimes, the ¡­aftermath¡­ went a lot easier for us than for probably all the other attacks." "Sorry" she says sheepishly. I''m not broken, maybe just a few cracks here and there. I''m a Parahuman. That''s the very definition of broken. I can live a normal life, that''s what the counselor in Houston said to try and do. I wanted to murder those girls, electrocute them to death with just a touch. Make friends, go to school, find a summer job, it helps put the past behind you. I''m going stir-crazy. I made a wire chain-whip thing and a half-assed costume, because I''m already sick of the damn meth-house that is on my street. I finish off my horrid food and the vending machine loot, continue to smile, force the occasional laugh, make small talk, and lie to myself throughout lunch. It''s just like yesterday, and just like what I''ll do tomorrow. ****? Home Economics is another class I got dumped in because of my mid-year transfer and because it had spots available. However, unlike drafting, it''s a boring waste of time, made bearable only by Rita sharing it with me. Maddy is in there too, but like the other Julia, she doesn''t dare to do anything on her own without the presence of the other idiots in the class. The worst class of the day is last period, PE. All the bitches are in there, plus Greg, who has thus far become extra annoying ever since I let slip I once actually played non-casual games. "I told you in drafting, I don''t watch Anime, and I have no idea what a Sun-dare or a Yan-dare is." "It''s Tsundere" Greg huffed, "-soft Ts sound" "Still don''t care." I run faster to outpace him, leaving him wheezing behind me. It''s sunny but also damn cold out, yet they make us run outside anyway. The gym is too tiny so we have to run around the block the school is on when the weather cooperates. At least we get to have long sweat pants and shirts for PE uniforms in this weather. Rico shares the class as well, and is at least someone I''m more willing to talk to, but he hangs out with the sports jocks during PE. Though as a guy, he isn''t useful as a refuge from petty locker-room drama. While he''s decently attractive, I think Cathy has a thing for him, and I don''t want to mess with any complications like that right now. I pass by the lanky girl who flinches at hearing someone come up behind her and then relaxes a bit when she notices it''s me. She''s the one that has the locker next to mine, and come to think of it, is actually in four of my classes, just super quiet and withdrawn most of the time. I slow down to let her catch up as we round the corner. "Hey" I say. She looks at me but doesn''t respond. "So I guess your locker is right next to mine. Didn''t know, I hardly use it." "Yeah, me either." "Aren''t you in like four of my classes?" I ask. She nods non-committedly. "What''s your name?" "Taylor" My heart races as a car going down the street suddenly speeds up and veers toward the curb in our direction. We don''t have time to react as its right front wheel dips into a large puddle of sand, salt, mud and ice slush, which shoots up in a big splash of very cold icy water, drenching the both of us. Taylor screams, and I ...growl¡­ and run into the street. I saw enough beforehand to know a pale-skinned teenage boy in a letterman jacket was driving. I stare at the car speeding off into the distance, it''s a beat-up beige Honda, license plate FGH, and I miss the rest. "GOD DAMN IT!" I yell as I walk back off the street and kick the chain link fence post next to the sidewalk that surrounds the school''s baseball field. I can''t ride the bus home drenched and shivering. I have to actually change and shower. I''ve never done that here. It''s the last period, I normally just do that at home. I''m already shivering at the drenching. Taylor looks even worse; she was standing closer to the street when the jack-ass splashed us. Several students pass us as we stand in shock, snickering. "That was totally deliberate." Taylor spat out, though she also looked at me suspiciously. Why? "Yeah, you think? Asshole had to pull over to the curb on purpose to even hit that puddle," I reply. "Oh, damn, what happened to you guys?" Greg asks as he manages to catch up. "Asshole puddle-splashed us." I answer. "You need any help?" "No, Greg" Taylor and I both say simultaneously, a pissed off look still in our eyes. He goes around us and keeps running. "Well, screw finishing any more laps like this, I''m not even gonna walk the long way back." I say as I start to climb the eight foot chain link fence. Half-way up I stop and look below me. Taylor is still on the ground trying to brush dirty ice and sand off her gym clothes. "You coming?" I ask and extend a hand down. She stares at me a bit in contemplation, before accepting it and climbing up onto the fence with me. We straddle the top, drop down and quickly walk across the field back to the gym in silence. ****? I blink as another phone camera flash hits my eyes after we walk into the doors. "Ha¡ªha, *wheeze* ha¡­ You guys look like crap." The red-head from the locker says, in between out-of-breath exhalations, her phone still in her hand. "Did you arrange this Emma?" Taylor asks. Wait what? "God Taylor¡­" Emma pauses to inhale sharply again. "You''re so delusional. *wheeze* we''ve been in class same as you, how could we have had anything to do with this?" The ''we'' she was talking about was Hess, standing a few feet away, very noticeably less exhausted than Emma, but still breathing a little heavy. "Yeah? Then why run so hard to get here before us so you could take a picture? Unless you were watching and saw us cut through the field." I reasoned. Emma blinks several times before responding. "Taylor''s crazy lies must be rubbing off on the Endy here." Maddy then stumbles into the gym as well, too exhausted to add any commentary as she wheezes in the corner. "What the hell happened to you two?" The coach asks us as he comes around the corner. "Car splashed us," Taylor says through gritted teeth. "Yeah, and I''m not going back outside." I add. The coach looks us over. "Alright you two hit the showers." He glances down at his watch. "The rest of you get back outside, you still got twelve minutes, that''s enough time for another lap." "I already did all my laps, coach." Hess remarks. The coach shrugs. "Good, do another one." Hess glares at me momentarily, "Go on now, get a move on." the coach reiterates, as the girls get ushered toward the door. "Come on Madison, let''s go." Hess said. Emma looks displeased as if someone has taken away her toy. Maddy, no Madison, whatever, stands up in an exhausted huff "I can''t do anymore," she mumbles before staggering out the door. Taylor is showered and gone in less than 10 minutes. She must have known something, I should have moved faster because they''re back before I manage to finish getting dressed. "Oh my God, that''s fucking hideous. What the hell is wrong with your leg?" Emma says as the other girls bound into the locker room. She''s still breathing heavily and Hess is right behind her. They endured another punishing fast lap just to get back as quick as they could. Several other girls have followed in behind them. It''s too late; plenty have pointed and stared by the time I pull my sock on to cover it up. "Good thing you refused to join the cheerleaders" Hess sneers, "The sight of that would have made people in the stands barf." They''re exaggerating. It doesn''t look that bad. Some people have even mistaken it for a spider web tattoo even when seeing it from a medium distance. "Yeah, well I have nothing to cheer about, especially for this school''s weak loser sports teams." That must have hit a nerve with Sophia. She strolls over and tries to look intimidating as she stands over me, only because I''m sitting down on the bench. "You like to talk tough¡­" she responds, and then halts, as I pull my jeans up, stand up and turn around. Now I''m the one towering over her as I look down my nose at her, and she looks me up and down. I''ve always been wearing baggy clothes, and only changed into my gym clothes in the bathroom stall. This is the first time any of them have gotten a better look. I''m wearing my bra, but haven''t put a shirt on yet. My muscles have gotten a lot more defined over the last two months, and even though Emma has me beat, I''m endowed enough to elicit several jealous stares. All the other healed scars on my torso that I got from Galveston, normally hidden by my clothing, are plainly visible as well. I coldly stare down at Hess and her feeble backfired attempt to invade my personal space. "You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you''re scary. News-flash, you''re not, not to me. You know where I am from, you know what happened there." The locker room has become dead silent. "I saw IT, up close, less than 100 yards away, and I survived. So yeah, your capacity for scary intimidation tactics and stupid pranks is phenomenally short of the bar. Understand?" Sophia just stares at me silently for a moment. "I''ll take your silence as a yes. That''s good. Now kindly fuck off and go bother someone else." ****? Sophia and Emma back down. Time will tell if it will stick, or they''re just planning something for later. How lame are they that they actually take time out of their day to arrange crap like that, if what Taylor accused her of is true? I finish getting dressed and leave early. The 3:15 bell rings as I sit down at a computer in the library, finally able to log in, browse the internet, and check out my new school email address. I log into the email that I gave Simon and haven''t looked at in months. It''s flooded with spam, and isn''t worth sorting through anymore. I fish the email address I saved into my phone and compose a new one from my school address.
To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: Hey Simon, it''s Julia Hey, sorry, I haven''t been able to get online until now. This school is a dump and only just gave me access and this email address today. Don''t know if you sent anything, my other email got flooded with spam and I don''t have time to sort through it right now. Reply to this one instead. I still don''t have a phone plan setup yet.?
****? Parahuman, primary powers: eidetic reconstruction. Expressions: manifested energy constructs of pattern set, perfect visualization and design of pattern set. Enhanced use of pattern set. Eidetic reconstruction of mem- Miss Militia pulls her hand away from my awkward handshake. Did I hold on too long? Of course I did, that was the point. Did she notice anything was amiss? Her face betrays nothing but soft smiling eyes as she signs the poster of her I bought. I''d have preferred Armsmaster or Assault, but both of them are wearing gloves, or rather gauntlets in the case of Armsmaster. I smile, "Thanks" I say and step back out of line. The next tourist seeking an autograph takes my place. I glance back every now and then as I roll the poster up and return it to its cardboard tube. There is still no obvious sign of alarm. She isn''t looking back at me, instead putting all her attention on the next supplicant of signatures. I walk away from the crowd at the signing table toward the exit. There wasn''t any pull. There might have been something there to draw on, but I didn''t want to risk it. It felt like I was missing some important component. It was the same as with Sophia. A touch gave me recognition, identification, and understanding of their power set. More understanding came with further contact, or a longer duration of contact, yet still it seems, incomplete. What did that have to do with my electrical powers? Or my weird need to eat a lot and weight gain? They don''t seem that related. My scant research at the school library after class, points at being a grab-bag cape. Some speculate that it comes from multi-triggers. Simon and that sparking guy were down there with me. So were other capes, even Eidolon was floating above us, when Levia¡ª I''m hit with a full body shudder as the memory washes over me. Calm, calm, I need to get calm. I feel goose bumps forming, hairs standing on end, and my clothing is frizzing. I run faster toward the mall exit as I smell a faint trace of ozone. A tiny flash and a loud pop erupts as a static charge jumps off of me when I grab the metal handle of the door. I fumble with my lighter in the cold air, shielding my cigarette from the chill breeze and light dusting of falling snow. I take a deep inhalation and my nerves begin to settle. I need to know more, and use better sources than random speculation about powers on the internet. At least some of the links I ran across pointed to academic papers, I just didn''t have time to read them all. ****? I step off the bus at the boardwalk. The wind has picked up and the snowfall is getting thicker, I pull my far too light of a jacket tighter as I window shop for something better. Neither I nor my sister had any winter clothes of significance. It''s not something you need on the gulf coast where you can sometimes go out in shorts in the dead of winter. I stamp out my cigarette and step into a retail clothing shop just to try and warn up for a bit. I''ve only passed through the boardwalk once since I''d arrived, never actually gone into any stores. This one is immaculately clean, and warm, and even smells nice. Warm is good, I need to warm up. There¡¯s some touristy fleece hoodies, and scarves with images of various protectorate heroes on prominent display at the front. I''m interested in something more practical, and move toward the back aiming for the rack of nice looking coats. I glance over at the salesperson as I move deeper into the store. Is she scowling at me? What the hell? Why? As I move further in, I feel more unease. These clothes are really fancy, designer labels... Oh my God! Who the fuck would pay two hundred ninety-nine dollars for a coat? A glance at several other price tags doesn''t make me feel any better. There is nothing in here I could remotely come close to being able to afford. "Can I help you?" The shop lady that had been scowling at me earlier, asks as she comes round the corner of a rack of clothes. This time she''s smiling, but I can tell it''s fake as she looks me up and down. "No thanks, I''m just looking," I reply. "Well, if you need anything, just ask." She says, as she turns and busies herself with rearranging and straightening up various articles of clothing, and I notice, doing so not so coincidentally within five to ten feet of me, even when I move. What did she think I was? Or is she just discriminating? I glance down at myself as I pretend to rummage. I don''t look that bad, do I? My sneakers are still dirty despite wiping and drying them off after getting splashed. My jeans and gloves have a few old burn marks from power experiment accidents. My jacket is faded, and missing a button, but it''s pretty decent for being only ten bucks from the thrift store, or I thought it was. My sister''s sweater is clean and unblemished, but it''s uncomfortably obvious it''s too small for me, but I don''t have many options there. Is that what this is? She sees me like some street trash that shouldn''t be in here? I feel power coming to the surface again as my cheeks flush with anger. I''m even angrier at the fact that she isn''t wrong. Fuck, I just want a damn warm coat that isn''t trying to rip me off. I wouldn''t have been treated like this at home, even though I still probably couldn''t have afforded these kinds of prices. I take several deep breaths, trying to calm down. My own and the clothes I''m touching are getting frizzy from static build up. I push away fleeting thoughts of shocking the smug look off the saleswoman face, and arcing bolts through all the metal racks in this place. What is wrong with me? I need to calm down, but I''m out of cigarettes and I don''t want to go outside in the cold again so soon. "Where are your restrooms?" I ask, forcing a smile as best I can. "Restrooms are for paying customers only. Have you found something you''d like to purchase?" she asks in response. Fuck you bitch. I grit my teeth behind my fake smile. "Changing rooms then, best to make sure it fits first." I say as I pull up something that seems a close match. She escorts me to the changing rooms, but through the door slats I can still see she is hanging out near the entrance to the hallway. Damn why am I so angry? I don''t bother trying anything on, I just sit on the tiny bench fighting back tears and willfully trying to shove my power back the hell down. I stand up and hold the clothes in front of me. They do look nice though, and I still really need a coat. Simon taught me how to remove the security tags in Galveston. A fancy store like this probably has cameras, and there is definitely a security gate thing at the front. I look through the door slats again; the sales lady has left, maybe helping another customer. I stand on my tiptoes and touch the bottom of the metal light fixture at the top of the wall in the changing room and open up a conduit into the internal wiring. There are two security gates at the front and five cameras hooked up to a recording device in a closet, twenty-eight ceiling lights, three cash registers, some TVs in the stock room, magnetic-electronic devices around all the windows and doors, a security system perhaps? There is also at least one smartphone in the front and one in the back being charged. A charge escapes me, pushing through my conduit into and through the wiring system of the store, traveling at the speed of¡­electrons. Oh damn, I¡­ just fried their cameras, security gates and the recording device. They don''t outwardly explode or anything visible like that, they just stop working, due to tiny burned out lines in their internal circuitry. It was only a fleeting thought; disable all their security and I could just take what I wanted. No, I can''t do that, that''s stupid. It''s still daylight out, I can''t fit a heavy winter coat under my jacket, and I''m still on probation. I discard the coat and the store clothes and run out of the changing room, slowing down in the hallway before I step into the main store, and swiftly walk toward the exit. Nobody has even looked up, the lights are still on, other customers are still checking out at the registers. I look back as I exit to see a security guard come out from the back and move toward the sales counter, so I run off down the street. ****? My feet are cold as I crunch through the three inch thick snow cover on my street. I avoid the icy sidewalk to walk in the grass. I don''t want to slip, before I even get to where I''m going. At least the coat I did buy is warm and clean, even if ugly; fifteen bucks from goodwill. I should have gotten two, but I don''t have any money left. I need two so I can have one when I''m not in costume, if you can even call it that. Ratty hiking boots, baggy sweatpants over jeans, winter coat, ski mask and scarf to hide my face and gloves is more ''someone dressed for winter'' than costumed vigilante. Is that what I am? What I''m about to become? A vigilante? I just want them off my street. Three times I called the cops on this house from a payphone over the past month, they never show up, or just don''t fucking care. This shithole of a neighborhood is deep in gang territory of this shithole of a city. Over a third of the houses on the street are not only abandoned, but have apparently been stripped of plumbing and electrical wires by scavengers according to Josephine, my neighbors, and my own electrical senses. The neighbors, like my grandmother, are too poor to move, or too scared or jaded to do anything about it. Josephine may not have been too scared, definitely too jaded though, she keeps a weird shotgun in the house, and has chased off idiots several times a year. I glance up as I hear a couple gunshots in the distance, it sounds like it''s several blocks away at the minimum, typical, just another Wednesday night. It''s well after dark, what if they have guns? I was too scared to steal clothes from that store, am I too scared to do this too? Nobody else will do anything about it, the police won''t come. That means they won''t come if I get shot or beaten up either. My hands are shaking, is it because of the cold or because I''m scared? There are at least seven people inside, based on what I observed earlier in the day. I not willing to kill myself, I just don''t care if some else does it for me. Or do I? I slip one hand out of a glove. It''s so cold, I grab my bare shaking hand with the other and still it, then grab the cold metal handle of my chain-weapon, and walk up the path toward the front of the house. No, I can do this. My chain weapon is a small metal handled hammer I stripped the rubber grip off of, and welded a long light copper wire chain to it. It extends my striker power a good six feet, like a melee whip-taser. I''m rather proud of it, given my lack of resources, even if I had accidently hit myself several times while practicing. One of the drugged out squatters is asleep in a dingy patio chair on the front porch. He doesn''t even stir as I approach. There is what looks like a cast iron grill stolen from a picnic area sitting on a metal table, filled with bits of burning wood, giving off a glow and some heat to keep the man warm. A flip phone and a drug pipe are sitting on the table next to it. I touch the flip phone with my bare fingertip and brick it. I don''t even need to use my weapon for this one; I just grab his bare hand. He wakes up but only has time to look at me before I send 50,000 volts a few milliamps coursing through his body. I don''t want to kill the assholes, just chase them away. He does a full body spasm, falls out of his chair and knocks the table over as he does so, scattering smoldering embers into the yard where they''re extinguished by the snow. "Erhh, the fuck?" He says as he makes an attempt to stand up. Huh, he didn''t fall unconscious? Of course he didn''t, that''s stupid movie logic. That looter in Galveston didn''t either. "CA¡ª" He tries to yell before I cut him off mid-screen with another charge. "Run away, and never come back here again!" I yell as he scrambles off. I turn to the front door, it''s locked, so I raise my leg and kick it as hard as I can. There is a loud crack, followed by pain, me falling backwards and more pain as my ass hits the porch. The door frame cracked a little bit from the impact, but the only effect I had on the door was leaving a muddy boot print on it. "Damn it." That didn''t work how I thought it would. The tarp covering the window moves and a woman''s head pops out. Her hair is a rat''s nest and her eyes are bleary and bloodshot. She just stares at me and blinks as I stand up again. "Where''s Jonah?" she asks. "Gone!" I say as I rush her. She screams as I tase her and pull her out the hole where the window used to be, another thing that has apparently been looted from the abandoned property. "Get Out!" I yell as I step into the house through the missing window. There aren''t seven people here, there are over a dozen. It isn''t a production house, but a consumption one. I put a constant charge through the chain, and lash it out, tasing everyone and everything it touches. The druggie-squatters scream, and they start waking up or convulse as the chain whips across them. I quickly notice some serious flaws in my plan. Heavy winter coats made for good insulation, so a lot of where I was contacting people, isn''t getting through, however, getting hit by a chain, even a light one, hurts like hell and easily draws blood. I haven''t practiced enough with my own weapon to avoid once again hitting myself multiple times, the enclosed area of the house makes using it difficult, and I already got it tangled on a tall indoor lamp stand that I end up accidently hurling across the room. Why is there even a lamp in here? This house has no utilities. I discard my other glove just so I can touch people directly, but I don''t want to give up my reach weapon yet. As I untangle it from the lamp someone tackles me. A large man is now on top of me and slams my head into the backside of a couch. "Fucking Cape! You know whose territory¡ª" He asks as he tries to strangle me, but I''m not restricted to discharging from only my hands. I push him off me as he convulses on the floor. Someone has opened the front door; people are fleeing out of both it and the windows, none of which look to be intact. I zap the burly man that tackled me again, and he''s apparently had enough as he starts crawling away from me. A shelf has fallen over onto my chain and pinned it down. I pull on it to get it free, and my welds break. The sudden unexpected loss of resistance throws me off balance and I fall backwards onto a wooden coffee table. It snaps under my weight and drug paraphernalia and pipes shatter and scatter everywhere. There''s little actual furniture in the house, and what is there looks like it has been pulled off a trash heap. I stand up and fix my scarf that has fallen down. I scream as someone else tackles me again, hard enough to send me backwards into the wall. The old moldy drywall cracks and collapses in behind me from my impact as I find myself wedged in between two wall studs and staring at the kitchen through a hole in the wall I just made. I punch out more of the drywall on the kitchen side as I tried to pull myself through to get away. "Get the fucking bitch! Someone call Skidmark!" someone yells. I feel hands grab my legs and pull me back in the other direction. I scream and send a charge everywhere off my body. I hear screams, and smell something burning, but manage to pull myself through the hole as they let go. The kitchen is bare, cupboards broken and without doors, there''s a stained mattress on the floor, and a metal trash can fire wedged under where the stovetop used to be. I manage to stand up just in time for one of the goons to rush in and take a swing at me. Somehow I dodge, and grab the sides of his head as he over extends and shock him. I can see his face as he passes by me. I turn around with him; one of my hands on each side of his head, the electricity arcs from one hand to the other, through his skull, through his brain. His eyes roll back into his head, his face contorts into a seizure, I see his jaw clench so hard his teeth bite clean through the tip of his tongue A tiny speck of which sails off in an arc striking me in the face as I let go and let him fall hard on the floor as he crashes into the trash can fire and knocks it over. Holy fuck did I just kill him? He is still twitching, does that mean he is still alive or is it just remnants of--- My thoughts are interrupted as a sharp pain envelopes my back with a loud crack; I stagger, but stay upright and turn around. One of the druggies is standing there with a piece of broken, moldy wood in his hands. I glance down as another piece, twice as long, clatters to the floor at my feet. I curl my hands into fists and raise them up into a defensive stance, ripples of electric current jumping off them like a tesla coil. The druggie just opens his eyes wide, takes a step backwards and drops his weapon, "Fuck this" he says as he runs out back out through the living room and out the front door. "Ain''t fighting no Raiden bitch, that''s bullshit." I feel a surge of heat as the mattress on the floor suddenly bursts into flames, I take a step back as I watch the flames race up the wall, and turn to quickly leave. I make it into the living room, as the house starts to fill with smoke, then stop. That man, is he still alive? My whole body hurts, everything hurts so bad. Still I turn around, the kitchen is filling with smoke as I ducked down below it and feel around until I find the man''s leg and start pulling. As I drag him into the next room, I realize just how horrible my right shoulder and the right side of my back feels. I shift the weight to my left but I can''t lift this guy. There are flames in the living room now and on the ceiling. Just need to make it a few more feet. I drag him out onto the porch as I hear and feel the fire as it consumes the roof and attic. Fuck, this didn''t go at all how I planned. Hell I didn''t even have a plan, not a real one. Shit, I hope no one else is in there. I pull him off the porch and I leave the man lying in the rapidly melting snow of the front yard. I check for a pulse, he actually still has one. I make sure the scarf and mask covering my face is still intact, the neighbors are definitely watching as the house catches fully on fire behind me. Someone is probably filming too. Even though my house is a mere block down the street I go right past it as I flee the scene. ****? I walk home an hour later at two in the morning, after cleaning up and hiding out at the 24 hour Jack-In-The-Box down the road. I come down my street in severe pain, and very cold after stashing my costume in my gym bag. My crappy costume now has burn holes in numerous places from ineffectively passing current through it. The fire still isn''t out. Police, ambulances, and fire trucks actually arrive this time. Josephine opens the door in her nightgown, bathrobe and slippers as I walk up to the porch. "Finally decided to come home, eh?" She says, while smoking a cigarette. "I told you I''d be out late." "You look like shit, you get in a fight?" I don''t answer her. "What happened out there?" I ask even though I know the answer. "Fuckin'' meth-heads burned down their den. I''d say good riddance, but they''ll just move into the next empty house, that''s what happened the last time one of the places they was usin'' burned down." "Wait, what?" Was everything I just did completely pointless? There are four other empty houses within a block of here, and who knows how many beyond that. "Just the same old shit..." I looked out the window at the burning house, the mess I had inadvertently caused. The firemen don''t seem to be putting much effort into putting out the blaze. "Why aren''t they putting it out?" "Eh, probably just making sure the nearby houses don''t burn up, that one probably can''t be saved." "Did¡­" I swallow, not sure if I want to know the answer to the question I was about to ask. "Did anybody die in the fire?" Josephine shrugs. "Ambulance took someone away, but I ain''t seen no coroner vehicles show up yet." I trudge into the kitchen, rummage through the medicine cabinet, down several Tylenol and swipe some more of Josephine''s cigarettes. I slowly walk up the stairs toward my room, every step filled with pain. Half-way up I stop and look back down, Josephine is staring at me, still smoking away. "I''m not going to school tomorrow." "Yeah, somehow that don''t surprise me." "Or Friday." "Yeah? We''ll don''t make a fucking habit of it. I''ll tell ''em you''re sick or something if they call for now, but I don''t want to keep getting'' bothered by them fucks if you decide to start skippin'' on the regular." I nod and go up to my room, then strip down in my bathroom. Good God, the right side of my back is the color of an eggplant. There is a lump on the back of my head, small bruises all over, and a couple small cuts on my face. I think those were my own fault from my chain. Shit, how do I not have any broken bones? Moving my arms, and rotating my right shoulder around hurt like hell, but they still move, everything is still in place. I got slammed into the back of a couch, tackled through a wall, and hit full force with a rotten two-by-four, and that was just what I can remember. There are plenty of lesser bruises all over the rest of my body. What the hell was I thinking? I am so lucky nobody pulled a gun on me. What did I even gain out of any of this, especially if they just come back and move into another house? Not like I got any money out of it, not that I was trying, and oh fuck, I lost my weapon. Actually why the fuck did I think something like that would work well at all? I don''t have any training, I don''t know how to fight, I just made a mess, and nearly, maybe even possibly did, kill someone if he doesn''t survive. I get dressed and climb into bed, and curl up into a fetal ball, fighting away tears. They''ll come back again though won''t they? Those dealers will still be on their corners tomorrow and the day after that. I just want to go home. I can''t go home. It''s gone, and everyone I cared about is dead¡­ Book I: Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.0 Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.0 Tuesday, Feb 23th, 2010 Your Disguise skill has increased by 1 5 of 5 events achieved for Quest: ''Become a Cape!'' +1650 XP, Quest: ''Become a Cape!'' completed +4400 XP, Quest: ''End Stage Boss Fight'' completed +825 XP, +3 Lightning Affinity for assisting in defeat of Sparky +633 XP, +2 Earth Affinity for assisting in defeat of Granite You have gained an Achievement: Assisted Parahuman defeat: Sparky You have gained an Achievement: Assisted Parahuman defeat: Granite You have gained a level! You are now level 16 You have gained a level! You are now level 17 Sparky has gone from Enemy to Nemesis Granite has gone from Annoyance to Enemy +231 XP, for evading Cops, PRT and Protectorate Disguising my golems, and myself for my civilian look, had earned me a level. Then defeating Sparky and Granite gained me two levels. Why wasn''t Granite mentioned in the quest? Why is it called ''Lightning'' Affinity? I guess that''s the unknown reward. Why did Granite only give +2 Earth, compared to Sparky''s +3 ''Lightning''. I have 6 Earth affinity now, so I guess 5 isn''t a magic number for whatever the fuck it does, maybe at 10? My power likes multiples of 5. I''m surprised that worked. I cheated wholesale there. Guess my power doesn''t care. I was willing to abandon the quest if it hadn''t. Definitely burned any bridge with the Protectorate there, Potter needs to retire. Guess that ''increased rep with ''Potter'' will go to waste, not that I found any measurement for it anywhere in my interface. Most significant lesson learned? 120 lbs. is my max total golem weight among all of them, not the max for one golem. That''s a lot more limiting. I gave myself another INT so I''d have enough MP to put level 6 reinforcement on the 120 lb. Golem, only to discover I had to max it out at 109 lbs. due to still having 11 snakes left. Now I don''t have any left, or any clay or sand. Whatever, I''ll make more in New Hampshire. Now I need to make the most of my time grinding before I leave tomorrow morning. I did get XP for evading the PRT and such. That should mean I already succeeded. Hopefully I''ll get another prompt if I have to evade again, but I think I can risk venturing out to resume mundane training. -1 HP (1 deflected, 4 resisted) x24 For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI Your Observe skill has increased by 1 I keep an eye on the news and check out PHO. Yeah, my fight with Sparky and Granite is the talk of the city. The fight is speculated to have caused several hundred thousand in damages, from blown out windows, wrecked cars, shorted out street lights (the other cause of wrecks besides the chase) shorted out other stuff, lightning damage and so on. A few dozen injured, 17 hospitalized, from car wrecks and flying glass, but no fatalities. "Nobody got seriously hurt, and two villains are off the street. Win-win" "You don''t know that. There could be plenty of people hurt from the rampage you just provoked Sparky into." "His actions aren''t my responsibility." My conversation with Olympus plays back through my mind. No, I didn''t know that, yes there were people hurt. I did fuck up, in not planning it better to minimize collateral damage. This should bother me a lot more than it does. Is this Gamer''s Mind affecting my emotions? I''ve twenty-five skill levels in Gamer''s Mind vs. ten in Empathy. But his actions aren''t my responsibility, am I just rationalizing this¡­callousness? Empathy has barely moved much since Maxing Gamer''s Mind, is that because of apathy or just because of a lack of social interaction? It''s not productive to dwell on this right now, though that could be more apathy talking. Sparky didn''t use his EMP during the fight. Perhaps he heeded Eidolon''s warning about a kill order? The current speculation is that he or Granite will be sent to the Huntsville special detention unit. They probably won''t be bird-caged, no known murders, or qualifying actions. Sparky''s run was short-lived, and Granite was apparently always more a henchman-like follower to whomever. Whatever, it won''t be my problem after tomorrow. Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 -1 HP (1 deflected, 4 resisted) x30 For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON -1 HP (1 deflected, 4 resisted) x40 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 4am, time to meet Miguel and get out of here. I make a final pass at cleaning, because not getting my deposit back will screw my plans. They don''t complain; cash safely in inventory I head to the day labor place. I''ll waste a lot of HP and Stamina overflow on the bus ride, well not Stamina, my CON is high enough now that Stamina loss no longer makes any progress toward training the stat, only damage does. After we get to the bus station, I pay Miguel $60 plus his rail ticket back. My money is nearly exhausted, less than $10 to my name, but I have lots of stolen food in my inventory. I pan through my notes and check my email one last time over the station''s Wi-Fi. There''s still no response from Julia. Damn, I won''t be able to check again for a while. Am I doing the right thing to follow? It''s too late to be debating that now. I listen to the bus start up and pull out, while I use Observe on all the other passengers. What am I going to do when I get there? I have a few days to think about it, plus books, stuff I downloaded, and games to keep me occupied. At least I researched in advance and figured out what motels take cash. I''ll have to steal and sell stuff for a while before I can afford it. At least I figured out how to cheat at cleaning my clothes and pseudo-showering with an inventory sweep; that will help. They have campuses in Brockton too; can always pretend to be a freshman sleeping on a couch or in a study room between classes. I get into as comfortable a position in my seat as I can, and practice meditation while I read about my cape exploits in the morning paper. ****? Your Observe skill has increased by 1 +330 XP, It''s Elementary quest completed You may gain the Science (Chemistry) skill You have gained the ''Physical'' specialty for Science (Chemistry) At least that''s finally done. Not like there''s been much to do on the bus so far. Burn myself with my lighter in the bus bathroom for Fire Resistance, after disabling the smoke detector of course. I don''t want to cut myself in there because that will make a mess. There doesn''t seem to be a slashing, piercing, bludgeoning category, so why bother? Well, maybe next time. Avatar makes the blood fade away, but not immediately. It''d suck if someone came in after me and saw it before it disappeared. At least I can just throw a few Power Strikes at pit-stops for physical damage, and five-finger discount the occasional snacks to heal back up. Though, healthy optimal HP gaining munchies may be hard to find in roadside travel stops. Beyond that, spam grinding Observe, can''t make any golems right now, studying while meditating, or playing puzzle games on my handheld. Too bad Power Strike on inanimate things or myself and petty shoplifting don''t get gains anymore. At least the pills still give Drug Resistance. The weed is tapering off, I''ll know for sure at the next pit-stop. ****? Joanna Kirkland has gone from acquaintance to stranger. John Roman has gone from acquaintance to stranger. Katy Schmidt has gone from acquaintance to stranger. More relationship decays, I guess people are forgetting about me already. Fuck even Julia''s went down a point, still at 125 though. Rachel''s is still steady. My sheet is getting bloated, it seems every person I''ve ever had a brief conversation with and gotten a partial name from is on here. That makes most of it useless. At least I can sort them. Hmm, don''t see a way to turn off notifications for the people I don''t care about, guess it''s all or nothing. The default sort seems to be based on most recent interactions, unless I change it, at least I can organize it better. Oh, filter tabs, good! Well, here we are, first stop, New Orleans, I get out, show my ticket and change buses, next stop Nashville and another transfer. Only a few fellow passengers transfer with me, and a whole new set of passengers come aboard. It will be a while before we leave. Good, more chances to grind Observe on fresh faces. Typical, typical, typical, ugh TMI, typical¡­ Whoa, wait. What is that one?
Name: Chela S¨¢nchez Level: 5 Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 14 Ethnicity: Hispanic Race: Human (Parahuman-Candidate) Class: Teenager / Migrant Worker Faction: None STR: 8 (+0) 8 AGI: 11 (+0) 11 CON: 15 (+0) 15 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 16 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 13 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 3.0 Armor: 0.1 Speed: 2.67 (+0) 2.67 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 230/230 Stamina: 260/260 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Chela is a 14 year old Hispanic immigrant from Yucatan, Mexico; she grew up in a tiny house with her parents in a small fishing-farming village on the coast. Already struggling to live day by day, she felt devastated when members of her extended family were, and her father almost, lost when their boat capsized in a storm. Although thankful her father survived and was rescued, the loss of the boat meant her family was forced to sell everything to pay a man to smuggle them via boat to New Orleans. She had hoped that arriving here had meant a better life and escape from the difficulties of her old one. Alas, she only found herself, more often than not, required to clean dishes and do housework alongside her mother to earn additional income more often than attending school. Her father, unable to find consistent year-round work on a fishing vessel, became a migrant farm worker for half the year. Her family was forced to uproot again numerous times as they traveled to different work camps around the country throughout the harvest seasons, before returning for the winter in New Orleans. She has already found herself required to work in the fields alongside her mother and father over the last two years, even lying about her age to do so. Not that she ever thought the crew chiefs believed her, they just didn''t care. It had become necessary because her father''s age and health issues are slowing him down and making him earn less. She is once again heading north with her family to pick various spring harvests in March and April before moving again to pick early summer harvests. The lack of a stable home and schooling, and the constant moving has left Chela feeling very lonely and without any consistent friends. She and her family do not speak any English and she is fearful her family''s illegal status will result in being deported at any moment. She has felt a long-tern, desperate desire to escape the situation that is her current life and yearns for friendships and stability, but can''t see any means with which to achieve that. She has short wavy black hair, dark brown eyes and ruddy-brown skin. She is 5''1" tall, and weighs around 120 lbs. She appears to be slightly overweight. Her hands are slightly scarred and calloused from outdoor work. Status Effects: Mental: Very Stressed, Minor General Anxiety Physical: Teenage Acne, Mild vitamin deficiency Currently Feeling: Very Stressed, Anxious, Lonely, Shy, Very Hungry Motivations: Find something to eat, Avoid being noticed too much, Not be bored the whole trip, Fantasize about becoming Latin pop-star, ... Equipment list: Blue Jeans, Long-sleeve Shirt, Jacket, Sneakers, ¡­
Wow, what? Parapedia. Yeah, no shit. I know what the definition of candidate means. So, she is a not yet triggered Parahuman, one that is already very stressed. Damn I still can''t see stress points on the Observe windows. Fuck no. No one deserves to go through a trigger event. I observe the mother and father as the family sits down in the seat across the aisle from me. Their info-boxes tell a similar tale. At least there isn''t any abuse going on, a loving, hard-working family all in all, just poor, and having a very hard-time. <"Hello, what''s your name? I''m Simon"> I ask in Spanish, even though Observe already told me her name. <"Hello, my name is Chela."> She says shyly. <"Where are you going?"> I ask. Again, Observe had told me they were going north, though it left out the exact destination. She looks to her father. <"Harrisburg, PA, to work the farms. Where are your parents?">, he asks me. Harrisburg. That is my fourth stop-over before Brockton, after Nashville and Roanoke. I''ll be on this bus or other buses with them for the next thirty hours. Well, no red flags from Observe and good vibes, no harm in telling them where I am going or that I''m traveling alone. <"I''m stopping in Harrisburg as well, then continuing east, to meet with my parents"> I reply. Of course I wasn''t actually meeting my parents; some things can be left out. Chela S¨¢nchez has gone from stranger to acquaintance. Carmen S¨¢nchez has gone from stranger to acquaintance. Rub¨¦n S¨¢nchez has gone from stranger to acquaintance. Rub¨¦n is a passionate talker about his work. I hadn''t thought there would be a lot of crops to harvest as early as spring, but I guess there is. Spring Cabbage, Swiss Chard, Kale, Parsnips, and so on. I think he prefers fishing, and telling lies about the size of fish he''s caught in the past, going by the earlier conversations. At least I got her parents warmed up to me enough they''re less concerned about a teenage boy talking to their daughter.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ****? Thursday, Feb 25th, 2010 Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Stat Bonus Cheat: For playing related video games you have gained 1 INT That was unexpected, but it shouldn''t have been. I''ve been playing puzzle games on my handheld for six hours now. I keep forgetting about those stat cheats, and I really shouldn''t. I''ve got INT, WIS, and PER covered now. What would I play for the rest? Have to think about it when I get to Brockton, but I can''t do anything about it now. Well, I can probably stop playing these puzzle games then. Looks like we''re coming into the outskirts of Nashville now, it''s just past 5 in the morning, most everyone else is asleep. Last update from the driver said we pull in around 6am. Plenty more chances to grind Observe and some resistances again. Your Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat) skill has increased by 1 Your Observe skill has increased by 1 ****? <"Are you sure you want to give me this? It seems expensive."> Chela asks me again, gesturing to the handheld I''ve been playing with for much of the trip. <"Yes, it''s fine, I swear. I''ve already beaten all the games I have for it anyway."> Since I got the stat cheat INT bonus, it had less utility for me. I need to focus on studying other stuff, rather than goofing off grinding my video game skill which is already obscenely high. <"It will help you learn some English too; there are some word puzzle games in there."> Plus it''s not like I paid for any of it, I left unsaid. "Tha¡­ thank you" She responds in English. Using the phrases I taught her earlier. I check my sheet, +10 Relationship with Chela Sanchez. "You''re welcome." Her expression is still a bit confused. "De Nada" I say in Spanish. She turns her attention back to the game. <"How do I move the boxes to get the character through the maze again?"> I hope this is helping. She needs this. Get over her shyness some; try to be a friend to her even if she isn''t there yet according to my relationship sheet. I doubt she''ll actually get there, not in time before we''d have to depart. It''s almost 30 now, still a long way from 100. Even so, I want to get it as high as possible before we go our separate ways. If she does trigger, I really hope she doesn''t, then if we ever meet again, we could be allies or at least cordial with each other. For now, I can''t tell if I''m having a positive impact on her stress levels. I doubt my five levels in psychology is enough for any real impact. I can''t see the stress point values in Observe, and the status effect hasn''t changed, so I can''t be sure. The question marks there imply I might be able to eventually. I can see AGI modifiers, and Speed now when I got to level 20. Things tend to get revealed in five level increments, and if my suspected skill feature pattern holds true, I should get something significant again at level 25. ****? Everyone on the bus gets up to look to the right toward the south as we pass by the Eagleton Containment area. Sure we''re far enough away that we''re safe on the highway, but we can''t help but gawk at all the signs. We can see military and PRT helicopters flying overhead toward the south, patrolling. Definitely throw some observes at them. Hell, might as well get a better view. I go to Free Camera mode, turn FRAPS on and send my camera up into the sky. My POV keeps heading East along with my body as the Bus continues on its way. From this vantage I can see a hell of a lot more, even into the outskirts of the enclosed area, even though it''s far away. Wow, there is some strange spired structure the helicopters are shooting at in the distance. It looks somewhat like a giant termite mound. I''d have never been able to see it if my POV hadn''t been a few hundred feet up in the air. "Observe".
Machine Army Spore Tower This structure was built by the ''organisms'' that make up the machine army in an attempt to gain height to help the distribution of their seeds. They have yet to obtain a height significant enough for this tactic to be viable, as every time they erect one, the army and PRT gunships shoot it down after it reaches a certain height. Despite failing repeatedly, the single minded machine organisms just start building another one each time the prior one is lost. Structural Integrity: on the verge of collapse Hardened HP: 116/3467 Occupants: 7,577 Machine Army Workers, 2,058 Machine Army Soldiers, 1 Machine Army Queen, 33,678 Machine Army seeds.
And just like that, another gunship missile hit it and my Observe changed to looking at debris as the whole thing came crumbling down. Well that was a hell of a thing. Soon enough we drive on past and leave the warning signs of the nearby containment zone behind us. We drive through the complete ghost town that used to be Knoxville, TN. Well, almost ghost town. There must be some stubborn hold outs. But seriously, who wants to still live in a major city that is only a short way north of Eagleton? No wonder the city got abandoned. I swap my camera back as I feel someone touch my shoulder. Chela is asking me a question, about what all the signs and activity were for. Well, it''s still another seven hours to Roanoke, may as well get that Speech, CHA, and Empathy up some more. This is a good enough lead in, I should probably explain some cape stuff to her so she''s prepared, just in case, without giving too much away about myself. ****? Your Observe skill has increased by 1 Your Damage Resistance (Physical) skill has increased by 1 That''s enough of that. I make sure the bloodstains fade away before I exit the bathroom stall in the Roanoke bus station. Power Strike is too noisy and damaging during pit stops. It''s becoming too problematic to train resist any more while in transit, I should just focus on studying. Still haven''t gotten 25 Observe yet either, despite the fresh targets as we travel. The next leg of the trip is to Harrisburg, and my last period of interaction with the Sanchez family. As much as I want to tell her about her trigger potential, I have no way of knowing if it will actually happen, and it will probably make things worse for her. According to Observe, her mood seems to have been improving greatly after my interactions with her, just not enough to affect the long term mental status effects that are still present. I eat lunch to recover some HP, and get back on the next transfer bus, double checking to make sure the Sanchez family boarded this one too. A quick nap should let me max my HP back up again. ****? <"Simon, Simon, wake up."> Chela says rousing me from my nap. <"What is it?"> I ask mid-yawn. <"The bus driver made some announcement; we don''t know what he said."> I nod and walk up to the front and get his attention. "What were you saying earlier? I was asleep." I ask as I look over the driver and the other passengers. There are a bit more than forty people on the bus, a bit less than the last legs of the trip. "I was saying we got to make a detour, some cape fight took out multiple chunks of I-81 and I-64 around Lexington that still hasn''t been repaired yet. We''ve got to go up 220 through George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, before cutting back over. It will take a bit longer, but you get to see the scenic route." Harold answers. I sit back down and translate what he said to Chela and her parents. Since Chela is engrossed in the handheld I gave her, I go back to my textbook quests, which I''ve been neglecting. Some hour and a half later, I look up after overhearing a few comments from my fellow passengers as we pull into Fallen Spring, VA. "How come there''s nobody around?" someone asks. It''s dark. I pull my phone out of my inventory to check the time; waiting for it to get a signal to update itself, but no signal arrives. "What time is it?" I ask. "7:30" is someone''s response. There are very few lights on as we drive through the town, and like someone asked, I don''t see anyone around when I look out the window, nor any cars on the road. No wait, there were cars on the road, wrecked and abandoned. I go into free camera mode to get a closer look at things and the cars on the side of the road; all I''m seeing is a fair amount of broken glass, from both car windows and shop fronts. I hear the soft ping of a notification. I hate it when I get notifications while in free camera mode. Some awkward moments later I finally open it up.
This random encounter is OP! Survive with full control over your mind and body. Time Limit: ?? It''s over when it''s over. Success: Duh, still being alive and fully in control of your mind and body, and +10,000 XP Bonus Condition: Save your fellow passengers, +2000 XP per life saved that escapes with you. Increased relationship with those you save. Failure: A fate worse than death. Saved: 0, Dead: 0, Pending: 44 This quest cannot be declined.
What??? Fuck me. I futz with my interface as quickly as I can to get back into first person mode. I manage to crank my volume controls up and turn FRAPS on just in time to hear a high pitched screaming hum, as the windows on the bus suddenly started to vibrate. I pull Chela down into the aisle just as everything explodes. -34 HP (6 Resisted) I look up, I''m cut up, Chela was more protected but not without injury. Everyone is screaming, What the hell? My phone and the handheld I gave Chela have exploded, the screens cracked into tiny pieces on the floor of the bus. Some quick Observes on her and her family show injuries that are bad but not life threatening. <"We need to get out of here!"> I yell, we barely got to our feet, when some weird bug-balloon thing flies in through a broken window and explodes in a shower of ichor and putrid green gas. I hold my breath as I see people closer to it start to choke and fall over, but it''s too late. I''m already feeling the effects from a lungful. Notifications keep firing off as I try to drag an unconscious Chela to the emergency exit in the back. I''m still holding my breath and my stamina is ticking down. I can''t move my legs anymore. There is some whistling, why is there whistling? I slump down onto the floor at the back of the bus. I can hear it better now. It''s¡­ the Andy Griffith theme song? Why do I even know what that is? A man steps onto the bus whistling the tune, white skin, bloody dress slacks and shirt, neatly trimmed goatee, is all I can make out as my vision becomes blurred. He is flipping a long thin object around in his hand, casually juggling it. A short, little blonde girl follows into the bus behind him. The man stops whistling and speaks. "Well now, looks like some new toys have shown up for us to play with, and just when I thought this sleepy little town had nothing left to offer..." "Oh, Goodie! New Specimens, I have so many things I want to try!" the little girl squees. "Not too hasty now, you don''t want to be like the others and dispose of your toys so quickly. We need to let this play out, maybe come up with a whole new game for them to play¡­" Observe, observe. Can''t read the text, too blurry, vision fading¡­ Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 17 (67.33%) XP: 27800 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (58.30%) AGI: 9 (+0.00) 9.00 (12.40%) CON: 21 (+0.00) 21.00 (74.74%) INT: 25 (+0.00) 25.00 (3.12%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (26.94%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (29.55%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (58.97%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (48.74%) Unspent Points: 49 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 636/677 Stamina Pool: 555/555 Mana Pool: 1360/5312 Stress Pool: 470/470 Attack: 12.50 Speed: 2.80 Dodge: 14.44 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 52 Free Skill Slots: 12 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (36.88%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 1 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 2 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 3 (11.13%) Disable Device: 11 (7.57%) Disease Resistance: 6 (60.13%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 12 (48.76%) Empathy: 10 (62.67%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 2 (80.86%) Meditation: 12 (46.73%) Melee Weapons: 4 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 23 (4.99%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (79.45%) Power Strike: 10 (0.00%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (30.95%) Stealth: 12 (20.45%) Strategy: 5 (0.00%) Thievery: 11 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.1 Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.1 Thursday, Feb 25th, 2010 I peek open my eyes. Where am I? Not on the bus anymore. Damn I can''t move, paralyzed somehow. Fuck. Well not entirely, I can move my eyes, tongue, and jaw, everything from the neck up. Throat is hoarse though, can barely whisper. Maybe best not to speak at all; not let anyone know I''m awake. I''m in some kind of room, chained to the floor. Several of the other passengers also chained to the floor. Notifications are still flashing, still can''t move yet. Still can''t speak above a whisper, don''t need to, sub-vocal activation works. Harold Williamson has been removed from your relationship sheet Peter Johnson has been removed from your relationship sheet Sarah Johnson has been removed from your relationship sheet Oh fuck, that means they''re dead doesn''t it? The Bus Driver, that was that couple with the¡­ No, don''t think about that. There''s other names, I read and dismiss them. Oh thank God, the Sanchez family isn''t there. I can''t see them in front of me, but I can''t turn around. I haven''t interacted with everyone on the bus, a lot aren''t on my sheet. Maybe some are still alive? Just finish looking through notifications and stats. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 The status effect ''Unconscious'' has been removed
Escape the house that Jack (sorta) built! (Sub-quest: This random encounter is too OP!) Get through the traps and trials of this uncreative knock-off of the survival horror genre. Success: +2000 XP Failure: If not death by the hands of the others; snip, snip, chop, chop, drill baby, drill... This quest cannot be declined.
Sub-quests? Well fuck. My HP is back to maximum, MP is almost there, fatigue fully recovered. Blood on my clothes from the broken bus windows has done its weird voxel fade-away. I slowly lift my head. Ow, dizzy headache. How long have I been unconscious? Couple hours at least, based on what I recovered. Time? My watch is in my inventory, that means it''s in stasis, won''t be accurate. Phone is destroyed. Hmm, Fredrico''s phone''s still in there. Don''t have enough maneuverability to retrieve anything. "Status Effects" I subvocalize.
Paralytic Poison Effect Created by Bonesaw as an inhalant poison to knock people out and keep them still so her subjects can be moved about before she gets around to operating on them. It is non-lethal and temporary in nature. Time Remaining: 46 minutes.
Well damn it, no wait. That''s counting down a lot faster than that. Drug Resistance at work? "Skills", Yep, steady, active increases; can only do so much till it''s gone. Bonesaw, why''s that name familiar? I''d observed two people that came on the bus before I blacked out. The Observe windows aren''t open anymore, but FRAPS is still running. Rewinding to review might take too long. Cape Database? Yep there she is, and it captured my Observe info.
Last Observe: 2/25/2010 7:31 PM EST Name: Riley Gray Level: ?? Alias: Bonesaw Gender: Female Age: 11 Ethnicity: Caucasian Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Villain / Brainwashed Kidnap Victim Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 6 (+14) 20 AGI: 8 (+10) 18 CON: 14 (+20) 34 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 12 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 10 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 3.0 (+1.0) 4.0 Armor: 7.2 Speed: 3.1 (+0.5) 3.6 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 540/540 Stamina: 520/520 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Riley is an 11 year old girl. Originally from a very loving home, even at a young age she was no stranger to cape life due to her parent''s own status as capes. Everything changed in 2005 when the Slaughterhouse Nine came calling. She triggered when forced to constantly provide medical care to her parents over the course of several hours, as the Nine repeatedly, purposefully injured them. Her mother''s final words to her before she died was to ''be a good girl'', which she has interpreted in unusual ways, and is the core reason for her continued adoption of a cutesy persona and minor appearance modifications. Nevertheless, her mind and views of the world, and right and wrong was thoroughly twisted by Jack Slash who kidnapped her in order to raise her to be something twisted and make horrible gruesome use of her power, a task which he has thoroughly succeeded in, to the point at which she views him as a surrogate father figure. ... She has a young appearance of about eleven years of age. She has blonde hair done up in a ringlet of curls, bright blue eyes, and a rosy cheeked porcelain face that is almost doll-like. She is the very definition of cute. She is 4''8", and weighs 87 lbs. including enhancements, ... Status Effects: Mental: Severe Stockholm syndrome, Trauma induced Sociopathy, Mild Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Conflict-Seeking, ... Physical: Tinker-induced regenerative effects, Tinker enhanced strength, reflexes and durability, Cute as a button, ... Currently Feeling: Excited, Curious, Anxious, Deeply hidden fear, Severely repressed guilt, Severely repressed shame, ... Motivations: Be a Good Girl, Examine Parahuman brains, Induce triggers to study effects, Experiment with new specimens, ... Equipment list: Mildly blood-stained blue frock, very blood-stained white apron, black knee-high buckle boots, blood-stained black and white striped tights, small Hello Kitty backpack, set of surgical tools, ¡­
A wave of disgust, loathing and pity washes over me. What about the rest of the Nine? I click on the links to read the rest of the entries. There, that''s Jack, the other one I observed.
Last Observe: 2/25/2010 7:31 PM EST Name: Jacob Kellerman Level: 38 Alias: Jack Slash Gender: Male Age: 36 Ethnicity: Caucasian Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Villain / Psychopath Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 18 (+5) 23 AGI: 15 (+8) 23 CON: 17 (+15) 32 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 20 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 27 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 6.0 Armor: 7.1 Speed: 3.27 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 550/550 Stamina: 550/550 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Jacob grew up in an oppressive household with mentally unbalanced parents, who suffered from paranoia and a deep need to exert control over their own lives and the lives of others, resulting in a very restrictive childhood that he frequently rebelled from and was punished for. At the age of 11, his parents convinced him there was a nuclear war going on and locked him into a bomb shelter. For a year they only speak to him mostly via radio. He finally escaped and triggered upon exiting and realizing he had been lied to and the world was fine... ...so after killing King, Jacob and Harbinger parted ways. Thereafter Jacob became known as Jack Slash and led the Nine to... ...he is manipulative and cruel. Often prideful, and thinks highly of himself and his abilities to get people to do what he wants, especially his other team-mates. He loves to hear himself talk and strives to always make the world a worse place with each plan he takes. Lately however, Jacob has been getting very bored with the repeated routine of the Nine rolling in, slicing everyone up too quickly and then poking around for a bit before moving on. He has gone so far to even wonder if his muse has left him. Lately, this has resulted in him seeking external ideas for how to set up his next game. He is looking for something new and interesting, a challenge he can match wits with, but has thus far failed to find anyone that could satisfy that criteria. Until then, he keeps setting up his games. His games are rigged, so that you can''t win without cheating or twisting the rules. Despite this, he''ll knowingly and hypocritically call the players out on their cheating, and use it as an excuse to cheat himself, merely because he thinks it is somehow ironic. He has the appearance of someone 36 years of age. He is tall and slender, with a height of 5''10" and weighs 175 lbs. including enhancements. He has dark, well kept hair that is tied back and gelled. He has pale blue eyes. His beard and moustache is immaculately trimmed into a goatee with saw tooth edges pointing inwards. He has a lean muscular figure with no obvious body hair. His skin tone is slightly tanned. He generally bears a smile showing clean, white straight teeth, ... Status Effects: Mental: Severe Psychopathy, Major Narcissism, Conflict-Seeking, ... Physical: Minor Tinker-induced regenerative effects, ... Currently Feeling: Fundamentally Bored, Intrigued but skeptical, Amused, ... Motivations: Find something or someone that will alleviate boredom, maintain group integrity, get the group to move on to a new location, ... Equipment list: Blood-stained black dress slacks, blood-stained white dress shirt, fine brown leather boots, black leather belt, switchblade, bowie knife, pocket knife, folding straight razor, hair gel, hair tie, ¡­
God-damn, just why? Why? I haven''t even seen the other members yet. Clearly, Shatterbird is about to have done that to the bus. The others have to be nearby as well. How? How can I possibly have a chance at escaping these murder-hobos? Out run them? Can I even do that against the likes of Crawler or Siberian? I have to get out first, and I''m chained up here. Play dead? No, Bonesaw will just dissect me. Out-think them? Is that even possible? Out talk? I don''t want to be near enough to have a conversation¡­ My limbs start feeling tingly as sensations are coming back into them, another notification fires off. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Think about this. What can I plan? What can I do? I need to know where I am and what I''m dealing with. What are my immediate obstacles? What resources do I have? Can I help or save the others? I want to, is it feasible? I look over my inventory, still can''t fully make the gestures to pull anything out yet. I have weapons in there, a first aid kit, my costume, things I''ll need. I have to get creative. Wait, not yet, am I being watched? I glance at my stealth interface. One Camera and two persons observing, fuck. I have to wait, get the feeling back into my hands; hide my movements. I can''t get out of here while chained to the floor. I activate stealth but it doesn''t take, still not sure how that skill works, probably doesn''t while under observation; but try again as much as I want, no risk there. Every so often the count of people observing me will drop to zero, someone is looking away? Wait for it and make faster movements then. Is it someone in the room watching or someone behind the camera? Does my observation detector even work like that? Must be behind the camera, my hearing is cranked up and all I can hear right now is the others breathing, no footsteps, no shuffling. Or is it a Stranger? "Observe, Observe, Observe, Observe, Observe" I subvocalize again, a pretty heavy duty chain and combination lock, securing my hands and ankles. I wait till the human observer count hits zero. Shit, can''t inventory it while it''s attached to the floor. Maybe I can pick it, generic combo-lock, nothing special. I glance at the other unconscious passengers I can see: , , , . Why''s their level low? Doesn''t match what I saw on the bus earlier. It must be because they''re drugged and unconscious. It''ll take them far longer than me, for the paralytic to wear off. They''re injured, but no broken bones, no significant bleeding. Even so, limited use and fighting ability. That''s not everyone though. "Quests" I murmur under my breath and look over the stupidly named main quest. Random encounter my ass. Saved: 0, Dead: 23, Pending: 21 I wince; more than half already gone. Why are we still alive? What''s being planned? Some kind of game based on what Jack said on the bus, and his dossier; fucking psychopaths. His games are rigged, cheat, and don''t play by his rules. Make that my mantra. Meditate; I can meditate while I wait for the poison timer to drop. Can''t chant, don''t want to make noise. Patience, wait for them to look away, and then move. Finally, after nudging with my tongue and jaw, then my shoulders and hands, I get my interface to where I can slowly operate the free camera controls with one tingly finger. Now I can see the whole picture. One set of stairs leading up to a single door, no windows. Are we in a basement? There are sixteen of us, chained to the floor, the Sanchez family is here. I''m the only one awake. I observe everyone. The four from before: Jordan, Arthur, Robert, and Macy. There''s myself, Carmen, Rueben and Chela. Chela went down to level 0? Just a five level drop from being paralyzed and unconscious? She''s also the youngest, then me. Level drop is not consistent among the rest. Stop it, that''s not important! Focus! , , , , , , Well there''s hope for David, he knows how to fight, I may not be able to get out of this by myself. The last person in this room is¡­ On no, just¡­ fuck me. "Observe" Shit, she''s not unconscious and not paralyzed, but pretending to be both. Melinda is still in there, terrified, and desperately wishing to die. Can she be saved? If not can she be removed without creating suspicion? Do the nine already know I''m a cape? Can I even do that? I feel sick, I want to throw up after reading¡­. can''t force it down. She''s a plant, an observer, the source of the camera or one set of human eyes watching me? No can''t be, not facing in my direction at all, unless Bonesaw put eyes in the back of her head. No, Observe didn''t mention it. I spot an electronic camera in the corner of the room, that''s it. We''re chained up in some kind of McMansion. Probably once nice looking, now mostly bereft of furniture and items, except various trash, or things I suspect may have been placed on purpose. I zoom around the house, memorizing exits, doors, and windows. But they''re all trapped and boarded up in a variety of ways, even some of the interior doors between rooms. The number of old blood stains I see¡­ They must have been using this house for a while, prepared it multiple times for whatever they are going to put us through. The cameras in the rooms are installed, not part of the original house. Some clearly destroyed and fixed or replaced. Probably some hidden ones too, that''s what I would do if I was a sick sadistic fuck¡­ But why? Why go through all this trouble? Nobody else is in the house and I can scry into all the rooms. That doesn''t match the occupant count Observing the house directly gave me, which is twenty-seven. Seven fucking ''biomechanical spiders'', whatever the hell that means, and twenty people. Since I can''t find them, that means they''re hiding, somewhere.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Where is the rest of the nine? Where are they, presumably, watching all this from? I push the camera further outside the house. It''s dark, late at night, full moon, but no lights. Wait, no there is one lit house down the street. Free camera can''t reach it. Twenty one occupants, ten spiders and eleven people. No ten people, the fuck? Did someone leave? A notification fires off. Cindy Mitchel has been removed from your relationship sheet Fuck. Saved: 0, Dead: 24, Pending: 20 I see something moving in the moonlight on the street as I navigate my view around. "Observe"
Name: Ned Parker Level: ???? Alias: Crawler Gender: No longer relevant Age: 28 Ethnicity: No longer relevant Race: Monster (Parahuman) Class: Villain Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 312 (+0) 312 AGI: 63 (+0) 63 CON: 740 (+0) 740 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 52 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 6 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 0.0 Armor: 144.0 Speed: 4.6 (+3.0) 7.6 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 10,520/10,520 Stamina: 8,030/8,030 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Ned Parker was originally a small, feeble, unassuming man with a serious lack of self-confidence, and constant sense of dread over what he perceived was a lack of sufficient masculinity. That all changed when he received powers after triggering in... ...Crawler likes nothing more than to get hurt. Each injury received adapts it to make it stronger or more resistant to what caused it harm. These masochistic tendencies make it pursue any conflict with great fervor, as it looks forward to the pleasure received in expanding its ever evolving abilities. ... Ned Parker, the beast of the Slaughterhouse Nine, is a Parahuman Monster. It is the only one of its kind. A gigantic multi-limbed former human composed of twisted, mutated flesh. It has black very thick skin. It has six legs studded with bone. It has 274 ferocious red eyes covering its body. Its skin is covered with hard scales. It has one powerful tail, which menaces with spikes of chitin. It has one gigantic mouth, full of razor sharp, misshapen teeth. Corrosive spit constantly drips from its jaw. Its tongue is forked and prehensile. Its front legs split into three pairs of smaller limbs at the knees. Beware its corrosive venom! Crawler is associated with terror, monsters, corruption, and adaptation. Status Effects: Mental: Complete Loss of Empathy, Severe Masochism, Irreversible inhumane mindset, Conflict-Seeking, ... Physical: Rapid Adaptive Regeneration, Projectile Corrosive Spit, ... Currently Feeling: Hungry, Unchallenged, Mildly Impatient, ... Motivations: Evolve into something ever stronger, Get Siberian to fight him, Find something that can harm him, ... Equipment list: None
Crawler was¡­ eating something¡­ oh god. No, don''t throw up, look away. Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 What? Why is seeing all this suffering giving me Empathy skill? I don''t¡­.I don''t have time to dwell on it. That''s enough, get back to the house. Select First Person view. Wait a moment, still only the sounds of breathing. I can move my hands more now, wait for it. No longer being watched¡­ Stealth on; grab the lock. Still can''t raise the thing to my ear, need to, to listen to it click to pick it. No, I can remote view again, double check Melinda. Okay, she''s still facing away from me on the other side of the room, pretending to be unconscious. There, maneuver the free camera inside the lock, zoom in, listen. Quietly turn the dial. Try, 1¡­, fail; reset. Stealth broke, freeze, being watched? Yes. Wait¡­ can''t wait forever, small slow movements, 1, 2¡­, fail; reset. Not being watched, stealth on, faster movement, 1, 2, 3¡­ fail; reset. 1, 2, 3, 4¡­, *CLICK* Success! Shit, did anyone hear that? What numbers are those? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. What? That''s the stupidest combination I''ve ever heard in my life! That''s the kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage! Stupidities aside; take what advantages I can get. Refocus my camera, re-observe the locks. Same make and model. Bulk purchase? Yep, the same stupid combination works on the lock at my feet. I can move even better now, muffle the click this time. Success, detach the second lock. Now what? I have to rescue everyone else. As soon as I move to do so, it''ll be obvious to those watching me. What do I do about Melinda? She is still in there. I don''t want to kill an innocent person. Even if she''s faking it, she is still chained up. All part of the ruse? What game are you playing at Jack? What else? Can''t forget about the spiders and four other persons hiding in the house; still have to find them. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 Oh, check my paralysis counter, moving faster again, a few minutes more. Can''t be hindered when I make my move. Check the others, they have longer to go, how can I speed that up? I got a first aid kit in inventory. Damn, can''t check what''s inside a container in inventory. Can''t do anything about it now; focus on different problems. Free camera again, zoom through the house, double check everything. Where are those fuckers? Aha, there you are: Shit. "Observe" catatonic, nobody''s home anymore; hiding in Kitchen pantry. hiding in bathroom shower. "Observe". , hiding in closet; "Observe", all catatonic. Where''s the spiders? Where''s the fourth one? Fuck, including the fourth that''s nineteen out of the twenty pending. Can I even save the meat puppets? How? They''re modified, blades for hands, other metal bits sticking out, and no control over their own bodies¡­ They''re probably a lost cause. Yet why still be pending then on that damn quest? Who''s the twentieth person? Christopher Wilkinson has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 25, Pending: 19 Well, god damn it. That answers that. ****? The status effect ''Paralytic Poison'' has been removed Finally, I wiggle my toes just to be sure. Some lingering tingly after-effects, but that''s all. Not being watched, scoot closer to the person next to me. My hands are already near their feet, so¡­ wait, watch, move. Muffle the sound, *click*Jordan''s feet are unlocked. That''s it though, nothing else closer without getting up and moving, not even Jordan''s hands. That very probably means detection. How much longer can I afford to wait? Bonesaw probably knows when her stuff is due to wear off. Can''t let it be that long. Get up while they''re looking? Detected, Wreck the Camera? Detected. Wait some more then. There, no one is looking again; pull the first aid kit out, shield the view and light show with my body as best I can, open and re-inventory all the contents individually and the case. What do I have? Bandages, medicines, scissors, threads, ointments, smelling salts¡­ There! Those will help me wake people up. Don''t know if it will help lessen the paralytic effect. It''s only one small ampule though, is that enough for everyone? How do these things work? Can I reuse it? Guess I''ll find out. Think; think; think! There''s probably no avoiding eventual detection, I just need to give myself as much lead time as possible and work as quickly as I can. I''ll need a distraction, to focus their attention on something else. Back to my free camera mode, another round of Observes on everyone, check their timers and wait. Longest timer is 20 minutes now; I hope waking them will somehow shorten it. I preselect my censor to sound something loud and obnoxious, and move out with my free camera to my furthest range, to the best spot to pull them away from the house and still be able to hear it. Profanity filter is on, curse like a sailor¡­ [CENSOR] [CENSOR] [CENSOR] [CENSOR] First person mode, no eyes on me, one camera, stealth on, pull out my bat as I stand up, move quickly now toward the spot below the camera, jump up and swing. "Power Strike." Lucky hit, first try, camera is wrecked, zero cameras watching me, zero people. I pull the first aid supplies and the smelling salt ampule from my inventory, break it open, and rush over to each person; I skip Melina but keep an eye on her. It''s working. Everyone starts waking up, they¡¯re still under the lingering effects of the paralytic though. "We got captured, locked up by the Slaughterhouse Nine. They drugged us, but it''s temporary, I woke up first." I whisper to each person, not entirely sure how cognizant each one is as I do so. I start opening the locks, first Chela''s, then her father''s, then her mother, then Jordan''s hands, then David''s¡­ "Huurrk!" -12 HP (6 resisted) -0 HP (1 resisted) Fuck.. getting strangled, David''s chain¡­ He''s awake¡­ "I''m trying to¡­" He squeezes tighter. -0 HP (2 resisted) -0 HP (2 resisted) -0 HP (2 resisted) You are suffering from the status effect ''Asphyxiation'' There are people screaming now, saying they can''t move. Clearly some can as I hear the chains rattling. "Stop..." I mutter out, David is ignoring me though, and squeezes tighter -0 HP (3 resisted) -0 HP (3 resisted) "HEY!" Jordan yells. "I think he was trying to help you. I saw him undo the lock on your feet!" "What the fuck is going on?" David asks as he loosens his grip. The status effect ''Asphyxiation'' has been removed No point in whispering anymore. "Was on the bus with you, we got captured by the Nine, they drugged us, locked us up. I woke up first, and got free." "Sorry" David managed to say, before a cacophony of screams and cries followed. <"SIMON!" What is happening?" I can''t stand up"> I hear Reuben shout in Spanish at me. <"The Nine, they captured and drugged us, locked us up in here, I woke up first and got free, was trying to free everyone else,"> I respond. <"We have to hurry get up as best you can, paralysis is temporary"> "Why can''t we move?" one of the women yells. "Some kind of paralysis drug it will wear off" I answer, as I get David''s lock off his hands. "Carefully try to stand, you want to get blood flowing to all your limbs, massage them to help speed it along." Jordan shouts. "They can''t speak English?" she asks, gesturing to the Sanchez family. "No, but I can translate", then I did so. "You''re wearing scrubs." David says to Jordan, "that means you''re a nurse?" "Yes." "Use those bandages to help whoever is still injured." He says in a commanding tone. "How the hell do we get out of here?" Jeremy asks while vigorously rubbing his limp legs. "Well, now!" A loud masculine voice cracks over the intercom. "Allow me to answer that. Seems like someone decided to start the game early." The voice matches the one I heard on the bus before I blacked out. It was Jack. "No matter, the rules are simple. One of you just needs to kill one of the others in the room, and then I''ll tell you the combination. After that¡ª" "Power Strike" I smashed my bat into the intercom, destroying it. Fuck, one camera on me, and more eyes on me than the number of people in this room. I look at Melinda, she is sitting upright and staring at me. "How come some of you are unlocked and I ain''t?" Michael yells. "That was Jack Slash wasn''t it?" David asks. "Yeah, everything he says is a lie." "We have to kill someone to get out of here?" Michael asks again. "No way, fuck that..." someone says. <"Simon we don''t understand, what is everyone saying?"> Chela asked me. Angry voices threaten to drown out everyone, so I yell. "The Combination is 1, 2, 3, 4 5! I had to lockpick mine to find out." Everyone actually quiets down. "Yeah it was that stupid, probably meant to make us feel guilty someone killed someone to learn something so ridiculously idiotic." Everyone starts unlocking their chains, and I start translating for the Sanchez''s. I look up as I hear someone run up the stairs. "NO WAIT!!!" I yell. It''s too late, Jeremy opens the door. As soon as he does, a trip wire goes off and several kitchen knives affixed to some wood swing down from the ceiling, and stab him in the throat. He falls over backwards, tumbles down the stairs, and bleeds out in seconds. Jeremy Ford has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 26, Pending: 18 The screaming resumes at full volume. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 17 (67.33%) XP: 27800 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (58.30%) AGI: 9 (+0.00) 9.00 (12.40%) CON: 21 (+0.00) 21.00 (77.63%) INT: 25 (+0.00) 25.00 (3.12%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (28.05%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (29.55%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (58.97%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (48.74%) Unspent Points: 49 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 665/677 Stamina Pool: 555/555 Mana Pool: 5113/5312 Stress Pool: 470/470 Attack: 12.50 Speed: 2.80 Dodge: 14.44 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 52 Free Skill Slots: 12 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (36.88%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 1 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 2 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 3 (14.96%) Disable Device: 11 (16.43%) Disease Resistance: 6 (60.13%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 17 (12.34%) Empathy: 11 (3.56%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 2 (80.86%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (0.00%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 23 (9.39%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (92.56%) Power Strike: 10 (0.22%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (34.52%) Stealth: 12 (20.45%) Strategy: 5 (0.00%) Thievery: 11 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (0.00%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Cheaty Powers Invisible Light Source: White on White Interface Theme Language Comprehension: Multilingual subtitles Limited Remote Viewing: Free & Third Person Camera Modes Limited Microscopic View: Free Camera Zoom In Distracting Sound: Profanity filter See in Darkness: Contrast, Brightness & Gamma Correction Super Hearing: Selective volume controls Audio Filtering: Selective channel muting Sound Protection: Built in decibel control Personal Jukebox: Broadcast Music library FRAPS: Record and playback from Camera POV Cape Detection: From Observe & Overhead Tags Media Access: From inventory w/ Data-interface & Wi-fi signal Temporal Stasis Effect: From inventory Quick Change/Equip: From inventory-avatar drag-drop Observation Detection: From stealth - detecting & electronic eye interface Vague Pre-Cog/Peri-Cog: From Quests & Quest notifications Polyphasic Sleep: Fatigue point pool abuse & Light Sleeper Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.2 Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.2 Thursday, Feb 25th, 2010 "Calm down, nobody is going to get out of this if we panic!" David yells over the din of screams. "Can you save him?" He asks Jordan, who has scrambled over to Jeremy and is checking his pulse. She shakes her head, "It stabbed his jugular; nothing could have been done in time." "Oh my god we''re all going to die!" Macy yells unhelpfully. "Everyone calm the fuck down and gather anything you can as a weapon!" David authoritatively yells once again. "Knives, the chains, the folding chairs, whatever isn''t nailed down." He speaks loudly again as he carefully steps over Jeremy''s corpse, and cautiously ascends the stairs. I keep an eye on Melinda. What the fuck do I do now? If I tell people about her, Jack will get tipped off even more, that I know shit and probably conclude I''m a parahuman. How would I convince the others she is what my Observe says she is anyway? I step away and translate more of what David has said. Melinda looks down for a moment, and begins undoing her chains. Shit, get other people in between our line of sight. Yeah, cameras on me go down to zero. Did Bonesaw put a camera in there? While everyone is busy unlocking their chains, panicking, or gathering weapons, I pull the Machete out of my inventory when no one is looking. I still have my bat but I need others I can trust to be armed. I get Rub¨¦n''s attention. <"Here, I found this, take it,"> I lie. He eagerly takes it anyway. "Gracias, Simon". He says and resumes a defensive stance in front of his wife and daughter. "De Nada," I reply. Everyone''s level has gone up after gaining consciousness and mobility; they go up even more as they arm themselves depending on what they use. Ruben''s went up an additional +6 when I handed the Machete to him. Even Chela and her mom''s level goes up by one, when they arm themselves with their chains. David has pulled down the trap, there are four knives attached to it, now distributed, he keeps one himself but has used his belt and a chain to securely affix it to the two-by four that had been part of the trap, to create a makeshift short-spear. In addition to that, we have three knife wielders, my bat, and Rub¨¦n''s Machete. Observe has yet to mention skill levels though, so I had no idea how effective anyone will be with them. I glance back at Melinda, she too has armed herself with a chain, but her level hasn''t changed, why? It is 16 already, which is abnormally high to begin with and is probably due to Bonesaw''s alterations. Does that mean the chain is too marginal to warrant an increase? She glances back at me occasionally and I shift to watch from my peripheral vision instead of directly. Every time she looks back at me, the observing camera count toggles. That is definitely related. I whisper another "Observe", the target is based on intent. Yep, the fresh surgical stitches at the corner of her eye, were done by Bonesaw, recently. "Observe" I whisper, concentrating on Melinda''s eyeball. It confirms my suspicions; she implanted a camera in there. David is gesturing and whispering to two men who have gone to the top of the stairs behind him. I turn on subtitles just to see what will happen. Cool, that totally works, why haven''t I done that before? <''I don''t know what those gestures mean''> Arthur whispers, while David sighs. Okay apparently I had seen enough movies for my weird memory to tell me that those were military hand gestures, but like Arthur, I''m clueless to what they mean, and the subtitles are not helpful for them. In fact my screen is getting cluttered with every single inane woeful muttering of the people around me. I forgot about that severe annoyance, that is why I don''t use it. Apparently giving up, David whispers back "I''m going to go forward, you immediately follow after me and turn toward the right, weapon up, and you" he gestures to Robert, "you go immediately after him, and turn toward the left, weapons up." Well hell, they''re doing stuff and I''m still standing down here. <"Let''s move toward the stairs, we''ll still have to get out of here."> Rub¨¦n leads, Carmen and Chela follow and I come up behind. Macy has gone from panicking to throwing up in the corner and someone had dragged Jeremy''s body out of the landing at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey where did that bat and machete come from?" someone asks me in a shaky voice. It''s Marcus, the rather rotund accountant and part-time actor, now level 6? He hasn''t armed himself yet. "In the room" I whisper a lie, Melinda is still decently off to the side, so hopefully she doesn''t hear, and hopefully Bonesaw didn''t insert some extra sensitive microphones in her ears or something also. I observe just to be sure. Nope. "Why would they leave us weapons?" he asks persistently, responding with a whisper this time. "Because Jack wants us to kill each other with them?" I whisper back. "Let''s not play his game okay? But maybe you should find something to arm yourself with." Marcus nods and wanders off, to pick up a folding chair? I guess whatever works. There is a commotion at the top of the stairs, as we gather at the landing. David and the three other knife wielders have gone through the door. Fuck some people are moving too fast, others far too slow. There are damn trip wires up there. "Hold! Tripwires" I hear a muffled voice from up top, it''s David''s. Thank god, but that was the kitchen, and the other fucking meat-puppet is up there hiding in the pantry on the other side of those wires. "Let me through" I say as I go up the crowded stairway. "What the hell are you doing, kid?" David asks as I worm my way to the top into the kitchen, and start spam Observing everything. "I can disarm this shit." "Not worth the risk, just step over." "Fuck no, you see that broken grout perfectly around that one tile where you''d have stepped? Another trap." David actually pauses and looks thoughtful. "We don''t know if there are explosives or other worse shit hooked into that." A quick pass with my free camera confirms it''s only more booby trap bullshit, only intended to maim, but I have no way of directly telling him that without outing myself. Speech needs to stay on, for every single thing I say from now on. "Explosives would end Jack''s game too early, he wants to maim and draw things out. You heard him earlier; he wants to watch us kill each other." I whisper while pointing to yet a second camera in the room. David nods, "someone keep watch on all the doors" he says, as more people file into the room from the basement. I make quick work of disabling the traps, and we gain and distribute a couple more knives and a jagged pipe as weapons. Then I hear a slow clap coming from the wall. "My, my, aren''t you an astute one." A voice over the intercom in the kitchen answers. "Had I not been so rudely interrupted before, I could have warned you and explained the rules a bit more." "Fuck you Jack! You wouldn''t have warned us about shit!" Robert yells. I suppose there is no point in whispering anymore. "Maybe, or maybe I just don''t need to anymore. Well you''re down one anyway, so welcome to room two. In any case, the same rules apply; you want to proceed to the next room? Someone has to die. If you don''t pick among yourselves, then we''ll¡ª" "Power Strike" For the second time I smashed my bat into the intercom destroying it. <"Ruben, wreck that camera!"> I shout in Spanish. "You know that''s really rude." I hear another muffled intercom voice, coming from the room opposite the eastern kitchen wall. The rest are filing into the room now, it''s going to get crowded, even though the kitchen is large. Fifteen people crowded in here is going to create a danger of ''friendly fire'' accidents with bladed melee weapons by people that don''t know what they''re doing. "Since you won''t listen" the muffled voice continues to speak, in an irritated tone. "I''m afraid you''re going to have to be punished." Fuck! I grab Marcus''s folding chair right out of his hand. Ignoring his protest, I run to the other end of the kitchen, wedge it under the pantry doorknob, and throw my weight against it just as it is beginning to open. -32 HP (6 Resisted) -15 HP (6 resisted) "SOMEONE HELP!" I yell, despite getting the door shut, Edward Scissorhands manages to reach an arm through and slice up my shoulder. Wait, who the fuck is Edward Scissorhands? -10 HP (6 Resisted) Fuck! Can''t think about my weird memory shit right now. <"SIMON DUCK!"> Ruben shouts, as a machete comes crashing down on the Meat-Puppet''s arm. Blood sprays everywhere, but it doesn''t cut through the metal inserts, so he hacks at it again. I''m losing my fight with the door, as I feel it give way more and a boot snuck its way through the crack. Soon someone else is next to me pushing against the door, more blood, and David has gotten here and wrapped a chain around the puppets'' exposed hand holding it back. A shower of splinters rained down on me and I looked up to see other hand punch a hole through the door. "Stab it through the door crack right into its rib cage!" I hear David yell, but Reuben doesn''t understand him and hacked at the arm again covering us with more blood. I can see he is injured also. <"Stab it through the door crack, into its chest!"> I yell, after a moment, Ruben does so, several times, and it stops flailing. I catch my breath; fuck my shoulder is cut up. It looks worse than it is, only because of Gamer''s Body. Was that seen? You have more eyes on me? No, at least nobody died. More notifications "The windows are boarded up and barred, can''t get out." Someone says, when people start to quiet down. "Don''t go poking at any windows or doors, they''re probably trapped!" David says, at least I wasn''t the one who had to say it. I look at my notifications as the panicked murmurings begin to die down. Joseph Palmer has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 27, Pending: 17 +440 XP for killing Joseph Palmer What? No, fuck you. That''s not fucking fair, that shouldn''t work like that. "What the fuck was that thing?" Greg asks. "Is it dead? Please say it''s dead..:" Macy asks between sobs. "Not taking any chances, keep the door held shut tight. You two pull that refrigerator off the wall and block the door with it." David says, taking charge again. "How do we get out of here?" Someone asks again, Michael I think. A loud crash and the fridge is knocked over and I scramble out of the way as it gets shoved in front of the pantry door. It was unnecessary, well, presuming my power is correct, he is definitely dead. "Fuck, what the hell? That was a guy from the bus." Arthur says after stepping onto the fridge and looking through the hole Joseph had punched through the pantry door. "Haven''t read anything about the nine? Bonesaw''s work." Jordan says as she tends to Ruben''s cut arm. The color is lost from her face. "We''ll be lucky if she didn''t already fuck with us while we were unconscious." I ''see'' her whisper to David via subtitles. "Yeah, right." David says, "And if nobody else wants to end up like that we need to stay organized, stay together, and plan our way out of this---" Everyone is interrupted as Jennifer slumps down unexpectedly, holding her chest. Jordan rushed over. "What''s wrong?" "Heart''s not the best... just need to rest" "Hmm, maybe there is a strategy in culling the weak. Don''t you agree?" Jack''s tinny voice from the other side of the wall intones over the intercom. "Can''t you just shut the fuck up?" Robert says and starts smashing on the walls with the jagged pipe that has been pulled from one of the traps. "He''s watching and listening, might be other hidden cameras." I whisper to David. There isn''t except for the one in Melinda''s head, not according to my detector, but I have no idea about microphones. It doesn''t make sense. There are bits of broken glass around the windows and elsewhere in the room, and from when we pulled up into town, there were heaps of it laying around. The leftovers from Shatterbird''s scream according to what I read from the Cape Database. Is Jack really this bored? How are the intercoms still working? How is the circuitry in the camera''s still working? Is her control so fine-tuned as to exclude certain houses? I guess they''d have to do some selective targeting to keep certain comforts available for their own use after wrecking everything else. I doubt all of them are cannibals, fuck my mind is wandering, stop it. What the hell is that noise? It''s a skittering, scratching sound coming from the ceiling. "What''s that noise?" Macy asks between sobs. At least I''m not the only one who heard. "Fuck something''s coming!" I say, just as the ceiling AC vents pop open and some mechanical spiders the size of small house cats slither out and drop on people. The screaming renews again. Damn it, I never checked the ductwork with my free camera earlier. Jack is going to keep at it until someone dies. Fuck one lands on Chela, I can''t smash it, I might hit her, Ruben can''t stab it either. They''re fast, but I manage to grab it bare handed, and squeeze. -0 HP (3 Resisted) Fuck that doesn''t work. It tries stabbing me with a syringe of green liquid it has on the end of a tail. -0 HP (4 Resisted) At least that doesn''t work for it either, and ow, fuck fuck¡­ -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) It''s cutting up my hands... "Power Strike" -5 HP (3 Resisted) I smashed it against the wall still holding onto it tightly through the pain, the syringe breaks and whatever was in it leaks all over my hands, I feel a burning sensation. "Observe" -8 HP (6 Resisted) -4 HP [Corrosive Damage] (0 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -4 HP [Corrosive Damage] (0 Resisted) Oh fuck me. I have to let one hand go. "Inventory Bonesaw''s Poison #193." No time to read the rest of it. -8 HP (6 Resisted) -4 HP (0 Resisted) -0 HP (4 Resisted) "How the fuck do I kill this thing?...Power Strike, Power Strike, Power Strike" I smash it on the sink counter over and over again and the fucking thing is still squirming. -5 HP (3 Resisted) -5 HP (3 Resisted) -5 HP (3 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) <"Put it in the garbage disposal!"> Chela yells. Fuck it, worth a try. I hold it over the sink drain, Ruben stabs it and pushes it down with the tip of the machete and Chela flips the switch. It whirs only briefly before our ears are assaulted with the sounds of metal scraping, sparking and crunching. +275 XP for destroying Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider I turn to see that David has pinned one of the spiders to the floor with his makeshift spear, and Robert is smashing the hell out of it with the jagged pipe "Why won''t this damn thing die?" Robert asks. "Pin its legs and rip them off." I comment, moments later, it is de-limbed and just a squirming box. "We killed the other one in the garbage disposal." "There were three of them, where''s the third one?" "It went back into the vents." "Damn Garbage disposal is broken now." "Observe, Observe" I mumble examining the damn things. They are some cybernetic amalgam of bladed legs, wires, broken scorpion syringe tail, and a metal box which contains harvested brain matter? Oh Jesus what the fuck? Whose brain matter? I¡­I don''t even want to know. More observes and I disable another trap on the cabinet doors below the sink. Fuck I can''t let myself miss any of these. Ammonia and bleach? That would have been nasty. "Arthur? Are you okay?" David asks, "Jordan, something is wrong." Arthur has slumped to the floor, and started convulsing. "Did he get stabbed by one of those things?" she asks. "They had some kind of syringe on them. Macy, keep bandaging up Marcus and Jennifer" "I''m too scared¡­" "Do it anyway." I have notifications pending. Whatever initiative and momentum we had is lost, another round of Observe sees morale and stress levels tanking. While everyone is focused on Arthur and Jordan I pull the Axe and knives out of my inventory using the cabinetry as cover, and the bleach out of the cabinet as well. "Notifications" You are suffering from the status effect ''Poisoned'' For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 The status effect ''Poisoned'' has been removed Arthur Sinclair has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 28, Pending: 16 "He''s gone, and he¡­ shouldn''t have died from the injuries he had gotten so far, but¡­" Jordan said, "Spider''s are fucking poisonous aren''t they? Fuck me." Michael swore. "Check yourselves, did anyone else get stabbed by that syringe thing on those spiders?" "Yes," Patricia says; her voice a feeble whisper. She is already sitting on the floor. I already know the answer beforehand, it''s there on her observe window and there''s nothing I can do about it, we are so totally fucked. "If any of you get out of this, tell my children and my grandchildren I love them..."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Patricia Hart has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 29, Pending: 15 "Well, doesn''t that just bring a tear to your eye?" Jack''s tinny intercom voice comes on again from the next room. "You bunch have certainly been more entertaining than I expected, far better than the prior groups too. But as promised¡­let''s see what''s behind door number three." There is a loud click, and the kitchen door leading to the next room unlocks. <"I don''t trust the Gringos,"> I overhear Carmen saying to her husband. <"We have to get out of here, eventually they''ll start caving in to Jack''s demands and killing off who they think are weak or don''t fit in. We don''t speak English well enough, that makes us not fit in."> <"I won''t let that happen"> I say as I help apply the last of the bandages on Chela''s cuts, from the spider-bot''s legs. Your Medicine skill has increased by 1 <"You''re brave, Simon, but just a child. What can you do against those monsters you have described to us? What can any of us do?"> Ruben responds. Do I tell them? Show them? Had they already lost that much hope to have expressed such in front of his own daughter? It''s a calculated risk, and might do nothing in the long run. <"I''m more than just a child."> I say after making sure I''m not observed. The others are probing the next room, while Jordan is cutting Patricia and Arthur''s shirts up for bandages. The only eyes on me are the three of them, and no cameras, so I pull some duct tape and my multi-tool out of my inventory in a flash of light. <"We have to out-think them, escape, run, hide, and not stop. We can''t do that while we keep playing Jacks game the way he wants us to play it."> "Eres un Luchador enmascarado." Ruben states. Masked fighter, the Spanish slang for cape. I nod in the affirmative, but put a finger to my lips in the sign of keeping it quiet. <"We still need help from the others. David is a good fighter, former military, Jordan is a nurse, and helps do first aid"> I point out his own injuries. <"Still, we have better chances the more of us there are."> But for how long? I''m starting to get bad vibes from some people. Carmen isn''t entirely wrong. If it gets down to someone making a choice between surviving themselves or watching someone else die instead, most will choose themselves. I submerge the still squirming spider-bot body into a bowl of bleach. It does nothing to its metal case, but it has already been cracked, or maybe I''ll be lucky and Bonesaw didn''t give them a good enough seal. +110 for assisting in destruction of Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider "The next room is a hallway, we won''t even all fit in there at the same time. No apparent camera, but one intercom." Yeah I don''t trust that there might not be any more cameras. "We still should have wrecked that intercom." Robert says. "What and risk him ''punishing'' us again?" Macy all but screams. I stand on the counter and start sealing the vents with duct tape. No idea if it will be effective but I have to try. I throw a roll at David. "Seal up anything we think those spider things can come out of." I need to use my stats points, now, for however long this lull lasts. I can''t do that shit in the middle of combat. On what? STR? Not going to fight them and Crawler is beyond what I can bump to even if I spend them all on STR. Also don''t want my physique to suddenly change in front of everyone. AGI? It''s related to the speed stat, I still don''t know how that''s calculated or what those numbers mean. Still be less than Crawlers if I use all of it. I can''t run much when stuck in a house, maybe after I get out of the house? CON? Yeah, directly related to HP, doubt I''ll get out of this without more damage, very probable. INT, WIS, PER, may help, certainly can use thinking of new ways to get out of this mess, but may not directly influence my immediate survival. CHA? LUC? Fuck those, especially LUC, I pumped four points into it five days ago, and I still ended up encountering these fuckers. "Stats" I had just gained a CON point merely from getting cut up so much. Well, I need more, so let''s start pumping CON. Thirteen points in, and now with a CON of 35, I stop when a notification fires off.
You have reached peak human in CON. Further stat point based increases will now cost double.
Uh, is that good or bad? Is it still cost effective to put more in vs. something else? Doesn''t fucking matter, don''t have time to analyze that while lives are at stake. Fuck it, I pump 5 points into INT too, maybe I''ll get more insights into what to do next. Hmm, well no message about hitting peak yet. Still have 31 left, that I could use to pump CON to 50 later if I need to. I take a door of the cabinetry, and disable a couple more minor traps I hadn''t noticed before. Were these ideas from the INT boost or ones I''d have had anyway? <"Let''s make some shields"> I say as I liberally duct-taped a cabinet door to my forearm. A few more doors see Chela, Carmen, and Ruben in some really crappy armor taped to their chest and backs. Several of the others in the group follow suit. David is organizing the rest; even Macy becomes slightly less useless. <"Here, take these,"> I say as I hand my two knives to Chela and Carmen. "David, take this." I whisper as I hold out the axe, making sure Melinda isn''t watching. "If you''ll give me your spear thing." "Where the hell did you find that?" "Cabinets" I lie. "You''re stronger and probably better able to use it than the rest of us." He nods in response. We trade and I further reinforce the spear with duct tape. I peek around the corner into the hallway, check my observation detector. No cameras. "Observe, observe, observe¡­" No traps, except the ones on the blocked doors. Melinda glances at me again. It''s still the only camera on us. I move out of her line of sight. "Hickory, dickory, dock. You''re about to run out your clock. Just strike down one, And your next trial is done, Hickory, dickory, dock" The voice blurts out of the intercom; Jack''s little sadistic reminder. Quick swap, "free camera." Let''s look behind the doors. One leads to the garage and is thoroughly barricaded and trapped. Jack obviously doesn''t want us to go that way. The other goes to some kind of dining room, also locked, but rigged with the same setup the kitchen door had on it. Back to normal view mode now. "What the hell are we going to do man?" Michael asks David. A bad vibe rolls off of him as he asks. "Go block off the basement door in the kitchen. Nobody''s getting out that way and it will help seal off any vents that are down there. Robert, go help him." Several scrapes and crashes later and the kitchen island is overturned and now blocking the re-locked basement door. "Too afraid of being seen doing the deed? Maybe you need a little encouragement." Jack''s intercom voice sounds out again, and then all the lights go out. <"Oh No!"> Carmen yells. <"Huddle up, each of us at our backs"> Ruben responds quickly. I pull up my flashlight mode right away. People are screaming again, no one can see. I should do it, do it right now. Slit Melinda''s throat, put her out of her misery and deprive Bonesaw and Jack of their plant. I move toward her, she isn''t looking. Two steps in¡­ "AHHHH, Gurgle.. ." The fuck was that? I haven''t done anything yet. A notification flashes at me. Jennifer Olsen has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 30, Pending: 14 Fuck. Too damn slow. "See now, was that so hard? At least one of you had the balls to make a choice." The intercom sounds again. We all hear an audible click of the remote lock on the hallway door. The lights come back on. Jennifer''s body can be seen, blood rapidly pooling out of her neck stab wound. Macy and Marcus scream, even Melinda lets out a shocked holler playing up her part. "Who the fuck did it?" David screams; a murderous angry glint in his eyes. "Observe, observe, observe, observe¡­" Michael, he fucking did it, just wiped the blood off his knife too. He is wracked with guilt sure, but his motivations for survival are overcoming that. "You''ve got blood on your knife Michael, and your pants and shirt." I say. Wait, no I should have lied and said it was Melinda; it would have been an excuse to off her. Shit no that wouldn''t work either; she was still armed only with a chain. Michael Connor has gone from stranger to annoyance "The blood''s from Jeremy; I took the knife that stabbed his throat." Michael lied. "That''s bullshit. I took the knife that stabbed Jeremy." Greg shouts. <"Simon, what is going on?"> Chela asked. <"Michael killed Jennifer, while the lights were out. He was too afraid of Jack siccing monsters on us again."> <"So Jack turns us into the monsters!"> Ruben shouts. <"Aye, that''s what he does."> "You and Robert were next to her in the kitchen when you moved the island to block the basement." David said, more anger seeping into his voice. "Well it wasn''t me!" Michael said again. He is sweating like a pig. "What you think I did it?" Robert yells, menacing him with the jagged pipe. "I don''t have a knife anymore! I gave it to Marcus" A few eyes turned toward Marcus. He nods, but swiftly backs away from the confrontation, knife held in his hand. "You''re fucking on point now." David says, "Give me your knife and go in the fucking dining room and watch for traps." "But¡ª" "Give me your fucking knife or I will cleave your skull and take it from your body!" David yells. Michael drops it and walks into the dining room, prodded by David''s axe. Well, my axe, since I just gave it to him. Fuck, was that a mistake? "He''s a murderer you--" Jordan begins to say in protest. "He just permanently volunteered himself as trap checker, and to be the next sacrifice for any more of Jack''s fucking games." David says, interrupting her Well, this makes it a lot harder to take out Melinda without being seen as a crazy person dancing to Jack''s tune. "Observe," my intent on the house again; five bio-mechanical spiders and fifteen people. Well they haven''t added more. Two out of the seven spiders dead, one meat puppet dead, and four more to go, and too many of our own lost. We file into the dining room, time to spam observe again. A macabre buffet of food is on display on a large long table surrounded by chairs. All trapped and poisoned, even the chandelier is rigged to fall, with the slightest disturbance. Another camera peers at us from the corner of the room. "Can we get out this window?" Jordan asks, sweeping broken glass shards aside with her foot and carefully examining the edges of the large boarded up dining room window. "Don''t touch anything." David chides her. "Yeah, what he said. Traps, and uh, they''re watching." I follow up, and then point at the camera in the corner. I bend down and whisper, "free camera." Let''s take a look under the tablecloth before I move it. Hmm, tripwires attached to the chairs, but no hiding meat-puppets. Where is that fourth one at? Actually these trap jobs continue to be rather shitty, rushed, not even very well concealed. "Anyone hungry?" Jack''s mocking voice comes over the intercom again. "Get fucking real! We''re not falling for your stupid shit!" Robert screams angrily. "No Swearing!" A small girl''s voice comes across the intercom behind Jack''s cackling laughter. Fuck, Bonesaw, its way past your bedtime. "I''ve had it with your shit! You''re a fucking disease on humanity! Just get it the fuck over with already! I''m not playing your stupid game anymore!" Robert explodes, smashing the intercom then charging at the camera. "No swear¡ª" Bonesaw tries to speak but is cut off when the intercom is wrecked. "DON''T MOVE THE CHAIRS!" I scream, as Robert jumps up and smashes the camera. It''s too late though as he knocks one over as he lands. "Very well, but you were warned about being naughty!" Jack says simultaneously, his voice still coming in from the intercom in the hallway. The lights go out again. I still have a flashlight mode window up. I hear a massive creaking, and the giant chandelier begins to sway. Melinda is standing right there, I take my chance and shove her onto the table as the chandelier falls downward. "EVERYONE DUCK!" -48 HP Backstab, Critical Hit "AHHHH FUCK!" The chandelier lands on me, and electricity courses through me as well. God damn, the fuck? It''s electrocuted also? -26 HP (6 Resisted) -107 HP [Electrical Damage] (2 Resisted) Someone else besides Melinda screams, my flashlight isn''t oriented to see who. "No one move! Chandelier just fell and it''s electrified!" I yell over the crashes and screaming. -68 HP -146 HP [Electrical Damage] Melinda stops screaming. Melinda Walker has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 31, Pending: 13 +440 XP for killing Melinda Walker You have gained a level! You are now level 18. I just murdered someone. "Observe" I target her eyeball. Camera is fucked. No one is watching us now. Is Gamer''s Mind letting me ignore the fact that I just murdered someone? God damn it. <"Chela, are you okay? Rub¨¦n, Carmen?"> <"Yes, yes we are alright."> "Everyone sound off, say if you''re injured." David yells. "I''m... not injured more than previously." "Jordan, uninjured." "Oh my god we''re going to die." Macy cries "Macy, are you injured?" David asks. "I don''t know." "Robert, I got cut up and shocked pretty bad from that thing, but I think I''m okay." "Greg, I''m okay, I was in the hallway still." "Marcus, something shocked me, and uh, I think I peed a little." I swing my flashlight over to him. It was not just a little. "What about that Mexican family?" David asked "Can you translate, Simon?" "They''re okay, I already asked. I''m okay too, by the way." "Michael? Melinda?" No response. A quick check saw Michael is still on my relationship sheet. The door to the next room is open. "Fuck Michael if you did that again, I''m going to kill you." David threatens. Say nothing. I''m a fucking murderer and I''m going to shut the fuck up. She was a puppet! She wanted to die! Trapped in her own body you did her a favor! No more plant, no more unchecked eyes on us. The flame of a lighter appears in front of Greg''s face, giving a bit of illumination to the room. "Surprised Jack''s not fucking teasing us again, God-damn Ted Bundy mother fucker." "I smashed the other intercom in the hallway." Greg said. "If he''s going to punish us anyway, rather not hear the fucker laughing while he does so." "We need more light, anyone else have any lighters or matches?" "Break some chair legs off, rip up the table cloth and make some torches?" I offer. "We''ll end up burning the house down!" Macy shrieks. "Maybe we should burn this fucking thing down." Robert adds helpfully. "Cloth won''t last long without something to fuel it." David responds. "There''s some vegetable oil in the kitchen cabinets." I say. "AHHH!" a scream and a flash of light, comes from the adjacent room, which we haven''t entered yet. Michael Connor has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 32, Pending: 12 Fuck, and it looks like Jack isn''t going to turn the lights back on for us. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 18 (4.85%) XP: 29065 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (58.30%) AGI: 9 (+0.00) 9.00 (13.94%) CON: 35 (+0.00) 35.00 (5.14%) INT: 30 (+0.00) 30.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (28.05%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (29.55%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (58.97%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (53.31%) Unspent Points: 35 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 921/1090 Stamina Pool: 836/836 Mana Pool: 6347/6750 Stress Pool: 520/520 Attack: 12.50 Speed: 2.80 Dodge: 14.44 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 58 Free Skill Slots: 18 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (37.48%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 1 (77.20%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 2 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 3 (57.77%) Disable Device: 11 (84.86%) Disease Resistance: 6 (60.13%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 18 (68.65%) Empathy: 11 (57.96%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (0.00%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (0.67%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 23 (12.51%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (92.56%) Power Strike: 10 (0.44%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (34.52%) Stealth: 12 (27.65%) Strategy: 5 (0.00%) Thievery: 11 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (2.24%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.3 Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.3 Thursday Feb 25th, 2010 Okay, look at my mini-map. I should be paying more attention to it. Jack, Bonesaw and Crawler are arrows sitting on the edge of the map. That means they are off screen at this zoom setting. The two meat-puppets, and that one spider bot that attacked us earlier are still in the house, in different rooms, and the bot is probably still in the duct-work. Don''t know where any others were, enemies I haven''t seen or observed yet; don''t show up. "So where are Melinda and Michael?" Jordan asks. "Melinda is on the table, under the chandelier, it''s still electrocuted, don''t touch it, I''m¡­pretty sure she is dead." I acknowledge in a calm, even voice. "What the fuck happened?" David asks, still angry. Greg walks closer; his lighter flame gives illumination to the grisly scene enough to confirm what I said. "Killed by trap," I reply, technically true. "Hit me also¡­ a bit." "Son of a Bitch¡­" David curses, "We need more light." "Torches, like he said." Robert states. A few axe swings on the chairs, and knife rips on the table cloth later, and some are in the process of being made. I keep my eye on the mini-map as we cautiously make our way into what appears to be a family room, torches in hand, though the smoke is getting irritating. "More traps?" Greg asks. "Yes, hold on," I spam-observed everything. Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1 I can see far easier than the rest, with a torch and my flashlight mode. I could use Fredrico''s phone too, but people will ask why it wasn''t wrecked from Shatterbird''s scream. Actually, oh fuck me, who cares about that, see if it can reach 911. I glance around to see who is watching, check observers. Shit, there''s more cameras in here, two. Probably another intercom too, but Jack is being quiet for now. Another look at my mini-map shows that the relative positions of wherever he, Bonesaw, and Crawler is; haven''t changed¡­yet. "Uh, I found Michael. He''s lying on the floor here, not moving." Marcus says. "Is he dead?" David asks. Move to a spot unobserved by the cameras. Okay, they''re busy examining Michael, check now. "Inventory" I pull Fredrico''s phone out. Fuck no signal. ''911'' still no signal, shit. "Inventory" I put it back. I''ll need it if we get to an area that does have a signal. Cell towers probably got wrecked when the rest of the town did. Jordan nods after examining Michael. "No pulse. Can''t tell what killed him." "Be careful then since we don''t know what did it." David stated. I do a quick Observe on Michael''s corpse. "Electrocution?" I know that''s the case, they don''t. I need to lead them to the correct conclusion. "He probably tried to turn a light switch on. So nobody should do that." "Yeah, probably, fresh burn marks on his palm." Jordan says, confirming it for the rest of the party. I return to the blind spot, the obvious camera is in one corner of the room near Michael''s body. Where is the other? Move around; check the camera detector to determine its location. There, on the south wall; it has to be on that table full of knickknacks. "Observe, observe, observe¡­" There you are fucker, got a microphone on there too you asshole. Well, my advantage is that Jack doesn''t know I know about the hidden camera, but can¡¯t discuss any plan near it. I need to blind his whole system. The ceiling cameras are wired, the hidden one is wireless. "Observe, observe, observe¡­" Focus my intent on the wires attached to the camera, and the light switch panel that killed Michael. That¡¯s too much current for normal appliances to handle, meant to kill people quickly. The camera''s have to be on a separate system, lights from earlier in the other rooms probably also. A quick free camera swap confirmed a mess of electrical cabling on the other side of the wall. Look behind all the other walls of this room as well. What can I expect from them? Hmm, just how rushed was all this? A lot, shit camera installations already, repaired multiple times. Try not to think about the old blood stains on the floor. How many other poor souls did they watch die in this dungeon? Was Jack the sort to have put in valid safety protocols for his equipment? This isn''t exactly a permanent lair here. Has he ever read the evil overlord''s list? What the hell is he waiting for anyway? "Robert", I whisper, getting his attention. I wince at what I''m about to do, but he is already unhinged, stress is near his breaking point. "Yeah, what?" I put a finger up to my mouth in the sign of silence. "He''s still listening¡­ and watching." I whisper as I point out the ceiling camera and intercom to him. I know he''ll go after them again. "Wait," I say as he starts to move. "That wall and light switch near the camera is electrocuted. It''s what killed Michael. We do need to blind him though, but wait." I wasn''t going to send him off to die, but if Jack is going to focus his anger on anyone I don''t want it to be me, or at least be less on me. He has already smashed more than one camera and intercom, so doing it again would just be expected behavior. "You got a plan or something?" he whispers back, still a little louder than what I prefer. I shush him again, and nod. Robert Kensington has gone from stranger to acquaintance Jordan is making bandages, David and Greg are standing guard, Macy sobs quietly in the corner, Robert watches me and waits for a signal, Marcus stands around and blinks. <"Simon, what can we do?"> Ruben comes over and asks me. I''ll take a chance. Maybe Jack or the other nine members don''t know Spanish. Whisper anyway. I gesture for Ruben to follow and I move us further away from the hidden camera and microphone. <"Jack wants to herd us, through specific doors, to keep going through his maze. He traps and blocks the regular doors and windows, we''ll if we can''t or won''t go through the door and windows we''ll have to go through the wall."> I gesture to a spot along the south wall. <"It''s just drywall, it won''t hold up to a machete, a bat, and knives."> I hand my bat to him. <"Give it to Carmen or Chela, tell them the plan, start make a hole there when I say so."> I make my rounds whisper to the others. "What is it kid?" David whispers back to me. "We''ll need to block the vents in here again; those bots won''t leave us alone." "Yeah I know, it''s too dark to see where they are." "There''s two, there and there, in the ceiling." I point them out to David, Greg and Marcus. "We''ll--- DONG! DONG! DONG!... Friday, February 26th, 2010 Our conspiratorial whispers are interrupted by an old Grandfather clock that has been quietly ticking away in the room. As soon as it stops the intercom buzzes to life again. "Midnight, time for the witching hour. Pick someone to kill soon or get another visitation by your former friends." Jack cackles over the intercom. "Michael already died, in this room, you sick fuck!" Jordan yells. "Why wasn''t that enough?" "Language!" I hear Bonesaw yell in the background. "Tsk, because it wasn''t by one of your hands. It could have been, I know some of you wanted to kill him for offing one of your group already. One of you should have acted sooner, hesitate and one of the others just might choose for you." "Jeremy and Melinda weren''t killed by us!" "Pshaw, Jeremy was a freebie, because you did things a bit out of order. But, what makes you think Melinda wasn''t killed by one of your¡ª" The intercom cut off because Robert had smashed it, again. Fuck, I hadn''t told him start yet. "Robert!" I yell and gesture my head to the camera. We have to start now anyway, I move toward the small table, Robert smashes the ceiling camera. "Why did you do that? He''s going to attack us now!" Macy screamed. "Inventory" the quaint little brass falcon with the camera in its eye and the microphone in its base disappears into my inventory as soon as Robert finishes smashing the camera. <"Now!"> I said to Ruben, as I rushed over toward the camera Robert had smashed. "We need to seal those vents off right now." Marcus climbs onto the back of the couch to reach one vent while Greg and David try to board up the other vent with a cabinet door and the duct tape roll. Yank the coaxial cable down, "Power Strike," smash the drywall in more to get more cable loose. Damn, there¡¯s movement on my mini-map, "Bot''s Incoming!" Drag my moto-cross gloves on from my inventory. Fuck I hope this works, shove the coaxial video output cable onto the live electrical wire¡­ -128 HP [Electrical Damage] (2 Resisted, 2 Deflected) Your Damage Resistance (Electrical) skill has increased by 1 "Oh! Fuck me, that hurt!" Turn around, and¡­ Shit! "AHHHH!" Marcus screams, his foot just got cut clean off, he falls off the back of the couch and continues screaming. Something is in the room, standing up from inside the couch. The couch no one would sit on because it looked like someone had died on it. "Darren? Oh my god, what did they do to you, it''s me Macy!" Darren turns around and stabs Macy in the stomach. She falls. "DIE YOU MONSTER!" Robert yells jumping into the fray hacking and stabbing at it with the pipe and thrusting the torch in its face, lighting its head on fire. Fuck stealth, "Inventory, Bonesaw''s poison #193". I quickly wiped it on my makeshift spear and discarded the glove. "Power Strike", I stabbed it in the back. -124 HP Backstab, Critical Hit! (2 Deflected) -25 HP [Darren Garner has been Poisoned] "Power Strike, Power Strike, Power Strike" -44 HP (2 Deflected) -25 HP [Corrosive Damage] -52 HP (1 Deflected) -25 HP [Corrosive Damage] -47 HP +290 XP for assisting in death of Darren Garner Saved: 0, Dead: 33, Pending: 11 -0 HP (4 Resisted) New blips appear on my mini-map. Something is fucking attacking me. Damn bots! -0 HP (4 Resisted) Fucking bot tries to stab me with the syringe again, but the needle won''t penetrate my Avatar body. I grab it and it proceeds to cut up my hand. -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) Fuck, if not for Avatar''s body I''d have just lost some fingers. My other glove is in shreds. -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) Smash it against the live electrical wire? Die Bastard! Ow Fuck. -130 HP [Electrical Damage] -22 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) +275 XP for destroying Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider "We can''t keep holding these in!" Greg shouts. Looking up I see Greg in a chair holding a cabinet door against the vent. David is helping drag a screaming Marcus over to the hole Ruben made in the wall. "This fucking thing¡­ killed me?" Robert is on the ground still holding onto another bot tightly despite it hacking his fingers off, its syringe is empty. Robert is a goner. "Power Strike!" I stomp down on it hard, pinning it in place. It responds by flexing some bladed legs backwards and cutting up my feet, right through my shoes. -4 HP (3 Resisted) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) Damn these fucking things are tough, it begins shredding my shoes. "Inventory" Equip boots. Its next attacks are futile against the fresh thicker material, but that won''t last. "Power Strike!" a carefully aimed strike causes the tip of my spear to puncture a small hole in the metal box that housed it brain tissue. -6 HP (3 Resisted) -4 HP (6 Resisted, 4 Deflected) "Inventory" I pull out the bleach, and pour it into the puncture wound. -60 HP [Corrosive Damage] Critical Hit! +275 XP for destroying Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider Riley Gray has gone from stranger to annoyance Robert Kensington has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 34, Pending: 10 "They''re moving away again." Greg shouts. I listen to the skittering; it goes distant briefly then starts getting louder again. Mini map shows that the one that had attacked us earlier is moving to the vent over my head. Shit. "They''re moving to this vent!" Turn look, Jordan disappears into the hole in the wall dragging Macy behind her. Mini-map, Carmen, Chela, Jordan, and Macy, are in the other room. Just me, Greg, David, Marcus, and Ruben are still in this room. The map shows Tina and Thomas are also on the move. Somebody''s lost their patience now. A click and one of Jack''s Door''s pop open, stands in the doorway, then rushes forward.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Fall back!" David yells. Despite scrambling backwards, the three bots come out of the vent and drop down from the ceiling¡­ onto me. -0 HP (4 Resisted) -0 HP (4 Resisted) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) It is suddenly bright because the couch catches fire from Robert''s previously dropped torch. Bleach, Electricity, what about Fire? -0 HP (4 Resisted) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) -0 HP (4 Resisted) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) What are they stupid? The poison injection doesn''t work. One looks empty, I try to grab the two that aren''t as I get the hell away from Tina. At least the couch fire gives enough light that Greg, David and Ruben can see enough to attack her. -0 HP (4 Resisted) -7 HP (6 Resisted, 1 Deflected) -0 HP (4 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -12 HP [Fire Damage] (4 Resisted) -16 HP [Fire Damage] Got one of you fuckers! Except the fire isn''t doing enough damage to it, and just as much to me. I have to do something else quickly. Fuck, "Inventory Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider" Holy shit that works? Two more to go. +55 XP for defeating Bonesaw''s mechanical spider -0 HP (4 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) You are suffering from the status effect ''Minor Smoke Inhalation'' Got the other one you little shit. -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) -8 HP (6 Resisted) Fuck manipulating my inventory screen takes too fucking long! "Inventory Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider" Guess they count as more machine than living thing, or the metal box the living thing is in counts as a container. One more left, but no more poison danger unless she sends more. "Observe" targeting the house. No new enemies. "Simon look out!" +55 XP for defeating Bonesaw''s mechanical spider -8 HP (6 Resisted) -94 HP (6 Resisted, Critical hit!) Your Damage Resistance (Physical) skill has increased by 1 Fuck me! I hit the floor, my spear clattering away. I get stabbed, right in the fucking back. What''s stabbing me? Oh, I fell onto the fucking spider-bot. It''s squirming underneath me as tackles me down. -6 HP (8 Resisted) -6 HP (8 Resisted) The fucking spider is slicing me up from below, Thomas is trying to stab me in the face with his blade hands. Not strong enough to¡­ "Inventory" Can''t take his blades, controlled objects¡­ -24 HP (8 Resisted) -80 HP "Ow, ow, shit!" What? My axe is sticking out of Thomas''s back now. Thomas doesn''t react other than to reach his hand out, and cut David right across the leg. David yells. Thomas'' hand moves, it lightens the leverage on me. "Inventory Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider" the one underneath me disappears, as one of my free hands sweeps my window over me. Now, grab one that still has a working poison vile. With mental intent, in a flash of light it appears in my hand, now grasped firmly on the syringe tail and its bladed legs facing away from me. I stab Thomas in the eye with it, the hydraulic hiss of the syringe sounds, and Thomas goes limp. I push him off of me. +55 XP for defeating Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider +385 XP for killing Thomas Cruise Saved: 0, Dead: 37, Pending: 7 -6 HP (8 Resisted) Oh right this fucker. "Inventory Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider" and the one I am holding disappears. +44 XP for defeating Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider "You''re a fucking cape?" David asks as he limps to a standing position, and coughs from the smoke. "We''re trapped in a house that is about to be on fire." Thirty Seven dead? Who the fuck else had died? Oh, I see. Marcus has bled out and Tina was killed by David, Ruben and Greg. Clear my notifications. No XP from Tina? Fuck that was a person, why am I thinking that shit? The status effect ''Minor Smoke Inhalation'' has been upgraded to "Smoke Inhalation'' "My leg is cut up." David said, but yanks the axe out of Thomas'' back and limps to the hole in the wall anyway. "You first." He says heroically. I crawl through and he follows me. "Barricade the hole" David speaks again with authority. "She''s dying." Jordan says. Macy is lying on the floor in a pool of blood with a stab wound to the gut. "Greg, Ruben, Carmen, and Chela are pounding away at the outside wall of the room making another hole. It''s a small bedroom. There is a wrecked camera in the corner. I spam Observe again for more booby traps. Found one that has been tripped already, no others. Carmen has a bandaged up arm that she did not have moments ago. "Greg, Axe, take out the wooden studs." David says and hands it off. They''d already gotten the drywall down, ripped out the insulation, and had been pounding the exterior brick from the inside of the wall. "We have to get out of here now. The house is on fire." I say. "Don''t let them¡­ turn me into a monster¡­" Macy chokes up, then she stops moving. "She''s gone." Jordan cries, wiping her face and closing the girl''s eyes. Macy Sitwell has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 38, Pending: 6 I pull my sculpture chisel out of my inventory in a flash; Greg and Jordan give me a look but say nothing. "Hit the mortar, with this and knives, to loosen the bricks first." I say, coughing. The others are coughing heavily also. "Hold on," stand up, inventory screen ready. "Inventory smoke" I spin in a circle... Fuck that did nothing. "Power Strike, Power Strike Power Strike!..." Greg holds the chisel while I hammer on it with the bat. We settle into a rhythm, alternating with the chisel knocking out mortar; then we alternate bat and the backside of the axe, swinging as hard as we can. Greg swaps out with Ruben or David as the room fills with more smoke. I have the stamina reserves to keep going despite Power Strike draining it fast. Seems I get to gain skill in it even if it''s an inanimate object, if it''s a life or death situation. Fuck you power. After several minutes, the hole is large enough that Chela, Carmen and Jordan crawl out. A few more minutes and the rest of us make it through, in a tight fit. <"We''re in the back yard, tall fence, but climbable"> Chela says between coughs as I crawl through. Notifications pulse at me. Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 The status effect ''Smoke Inhalation'' has been downgraded to ''Minor Smoke Inhalation'' +2200 XP, ''Escape the house that Jack (sorta) built!'' quest completed Thank god. Smoke counts as a poison? A glance at my mini-map, fuck the nine are moving, and I still don''t know where the others are. "We have to get out of here now." I yell. Greg, Ruben, and David all have injuries bandaged up by scraps of table cloth and clothing that Jordan has harvested. They move slowly, and are still coughing from excessive smoke inhalation. <"Come on! Climb!"> Ruben says, boosting Chela up to the top of the wooden fence, I help Carmen follow after, then Jordan. <"You go!"> He yelled at me. <"No, you first, you''re injured, have to help you and them up."> He nods and steps into my hands and I push him up. David and I push Greg up and over, and we scramble up after him. I jump down and turn back to look at David¡­ He falls, crashes to the ground off the fence, and lays on the grass, not moving, a large spear of broken glass protruding from his face. The glass then moves backwards, pulling itself out of his head and the bloody tip points back towards my direction. I glance up at the figure floating above us in the air, "Observe"¡­. it''s Shatterbird. David Archer has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 39, Pending: 5 Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 18 (89.69%) XP: 32039 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (+0.00) 11.00 (60.66%) AGI: 9 (+0.00) 9.00 (15.48%) CON: 35 (+0.00) 35.00 (65.54%) INT: 30 (+0.00) 30.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (+0.00) 12.00 (29.16%) WIS: 22 (+0.00) 22.00 (30.14%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (60.95%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (53.31%) Unspent Points: 35 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 533/1090 Stamina Pool: 412/836 Mana Pool: 6158/6750 Stress Pool: 520/520 Attack: 12.50 Speed: 2.80 Dodge: 14.44 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 110.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Skills Max Slots: 58 Free Skill Slots: 18 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (37.43%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 2 (38.75%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 2 (5.91%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 4 (26.61%) Disable Device: 12 (2.45%) Disease Resistance: 6 (60.13%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 19 (6.34%) Empathy: 11 (59.18%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (0.00%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (30.76%) Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%) Observe: 23 (18.11%) Parahuman Lore: 7 (92.56%) Power Strike: 10 (8.07%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (0.00%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (34.52%) Stealth: 12 (33.75%) Strategy: 5 (25.87%) Thievery: 11 (0.00%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (4.47%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.4 Stage 2: Road Trip Arc 3.4 Friday Feb 26th, 2010 "RUN!" I yell, move the Observe window aside, no time to read. Mini-map, Jack, Bonesaw and Crawler are nearby, coming up behind us near the fence. "Stop stabbing them in the brain, Shatterbird! I need those!" Bonesaw yells, far too close for comfort, we race down the street. <"This way!"> I''m yelling again, moving away from the enemy dots on my map. Unread notifications flash at me. -120 HP [Fire Damage] (4 Resisted) "AHHHH!" I''m screaming, pain, horrid pain! Instinctively I reel back from the fucking giant wall of fire blocking our path of retreat. -60 HP [Fire Damage] (4 Resisted) Shit! I''m still on fire! <"Stop, drop, roll, Simon!"> Chela yells, shoving me onto the ground. She smothers the flames with her own jacket. Jordan is helping. -42 HP [Fire Damage] (4 Resisted) -20 HP [Fire Damage] (4 Resisted) -10 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) "Inventory¡­burning¡­clothes¡­fuck, ow fuck!" -8 HP (8 Resisted) Fire is finally out, after ripping some skin off by inventorying my burnt clothes. I glanced over at the others. Fuck Ruben got burned too; he is cradling his left arm, not nearly as badly as me. I''m fucking roast hamburger on my arms and front torso. Chela''s hands are singed, her jacket ruined. A flash of movement comes from inside the flame wall. A pale young woman with dark brown hair is standing in the flames, un-burnt, wearing a pink sweater over a white-collared shirt and black pleated skirt. Familiar overhead text appears above her. "Observe" Then with a "POIT" she''s gone. <"Can''t go that way! We''re trapped!"> Carmen cries. "OH GOD! THEY''RE HERE!" Jordan yells, scrambling backward only to come back to the group as the flames encircle our position, leaving no room to flee. "¡­I told you, your stupid knock-off game wouldn''t work! Now what the hell are we waiting for?" Shatterbird yells angrily from overhead. "Come on now Balluri, don''t be such a spoilsport." Jack says with a raised, yet calm voice, which carries over the sounds of the crackling flames. "Yeah! It''s bound to work eventually again. It did before." Bonesaw''s gleeful voice rises up as the two of them walk through the wall of flames toward us, unharmed. Standing in between them is a naked black and white striped woman, each arm resting on their shoulders. It''s the Siberian, fuck me. The fuck? "Observe¡­"
A Dimensional Matter Projection This is a power manifestation produced by negative energy which siphons off exotic dimensional matter to form a humanoid shape of someone of personal importance to the Master who manifested it. It is immune to all non-dimensional laws of physics. It has no stats or HP. Status: Controlled
Fuck, "close," stay in the now. My HP is uncomfortably low, more unread notifications now, but I can''t spend time looking at them. "FIRE! FIRE FIRE! FIRE!" Burnscar screams from somewhere to my left. "Settle down, Mimi, settle down." Jack sighs. "Ned, you mind smothering the flames?" Crawler walks into the fire wall and lies down on the ground smothering half the flames Burnscar manifested. "You said I could have one, after the house," Crawlers rumbles. Pump it. Put it all in CON and run through the fire, you could survive it. But the others won''t, fuck, I¡­ "Stats¡­" "Fine, fine, take the red-head; he''s probably too old for the experiment anyway." Jack says, while flipping an axe in his hand. My axe, the one David was holding when he¡­ "AHHHH!" Greg screams as one of Crawlers forked limbs grabs him and lifts him into the air suspending him over his dripping, open maw. +4 CON, come on. I watch as some of my wounds become less grisly as my HP goes up from the boosts. "NOOOOOO!" Greg swings the bat I had lent him, hammering uselessly against Crawler''s limb. Everyone is screaming, except me. FUCK! +4 CON, more, more¡­ "Don''t eat his head!" Bonesaw yells over the din. Crawler just angles his head slightly to look toward Jack and Bonesaw. "Well, you heard the little lady." Jack responds, and Crawler reaches a second limb up to where he was holding Greg and¡­ +4 CON, got to get the fuck out of here. "I hope you choke on---" ¡­Greg yells, then¡­. Fuck. Jordan screams louder, Chela throws up despite Ruben trying to shield her eyes. I¡­fuck, focus, have to run. "Yea!" Bonesaw squeals and pulls a jar filled with a transparent green liquid out of her backpack and skips over to where Greg''s¡­. +4 CON, faster damn it. For reaching 50 in CON you have gained the Fast Recovery perk! "Stealth" Run while they''re distracted, grab what water I have in my inventory. -62 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -35 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -14 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) Fuck¡­ "Inventory pants" roll, put out the flames, put my costume armor back on. -6 HP (8 Resisted) -1 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -0 HP [Fire Damage] (3 Resisted) Oh, God, I''m so sorry Chela, I can''t save any of you¡­.I''m such a failure. Keep running, can''t see, why? Too many tears, Oh God everything hurts so much. It''s too much; I just want to find Julia again, I don''t have anyone, no family. Everyone''s going to die, I can''t save¡­ Too many notifica¡­ Fuck, why is there music playing? Why is my music playing? WHY IS MY HUD FLICKERING??!!?!?? <------/Hatchet Face, Villain, Level ???> Shit, "Observe"
&#%^%$%^# Alias: Hatchet Face Gender: Male Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Villain &#^^&*U$$% STR: NaN AGI: NaN CON: NaN INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: NaN WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: NaN LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 1.5 Armor: 0.2 Speed: ?? (??) ?? Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: NaN/NaN Stamina: NaN/NaN Stress: ?? Summary Description: []^^&%#%\]2%^6@^ 5#54^8\|"3 -Error Status Effects: B^&46-=%$#$-e%^f 6 -Error Mental: b%R^&D^n 3^#$$66{''esd\ -Error Physical: Significant facial scarring, &$FF 6#^$2456 &*|4b -Error Currently Feeling: *#!@`^&$`~hjdfE|][54 -Error Motivations: ?D>,<4^3@$$^6Tgl \QER -Error
Fuck that makes my head hurt. No damn it! Not now! Why won''t you close? He''s coming this way, SHUT THE FUCKING SONG OFF, It''s not responding! Fuck! Stop Halping! There, it''s off, no wait, everything is missing¡­ -202 HP Holy fuck, I got back-handed in the chest by Hatchet Face, and I''m flying through the air. This hurts so mu¡­ -52 HP ****? Nnngh, I''m still alive? My HUD has come back. No wait, don''t open your eyes, don''t move. Check my map. Bonesaw and Siberian are very close; Jordan and Jack are in some nearby small structure. Crawler and Shatterbird are near Chela, Ruben and Carmen, also nearby. Burnscar is off to the side. Why the hell isn''t Hatchet Face showing up on my map? What about Mannequin? Is he still a member? I haven''t seen him yet. Who''s their ninth person? I have seventy fucking unread notifications pulsing at me, but I need to know what condition I am in first. "Third-Person Camera," I subvocalize. It uses auto-movements, so I won''t need to gesture to control it, revealing myself as being awake. Gamer''s Mind prevents me from freaking the fuck out because I am pretty sure I otherwise would have. I''m strapped to a table in nothing but my underwear and a pair of burned socks. An array of grisly surgical tools is laid out on a little cart beside me. There is some sort of tinker-tech device strapped to my head like a helmet. My torso is bandaged up and even my burns looked treated. Did the Nine treat me? Why would they do this? A spot on my back feels horribly itchy. Bonesaw is about a dozen feet over, next to another table that had Greg''s... That small structure Jack and Jordan are in is an RV, we are all in some kind of parking lot? The Siberian is in a corner eating¡­something. Chela and her parents are all huddled together, shivering and whimpering, near a trashcan fire not too far from the table I am strapped down on. They''re all injured, Ruben more so than his wife and daughter. Shatterbird is standing near them threatening them with the floating glass spike. Crawler is laying down a dozen feet from us, gnawing on¡­ Keep it together. Analyze, gain Intel, assess your resources, and make a plan. Well, I can''t move any time soon, "Notifications" I subvocalize as quietly as possible. Quest: If you can''t beat ''em, Join ''em! For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON Your Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat) skill has increased by 1 Greg Bonner has been removed from your relationship sheet. Saved: 0, Dead: 40, Pending: 4 For reaching 50 in CON you have gained the Fast Recovery perk! Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''To Null or Not to Null'' feature for Null Resistance You are suffering from the Status effect ''Minor Level Drain'' You are suffering from the Status effect ''Minor Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mild Depression'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mild Aqua-phobia'' Avatar state has been partially disabled! -15 Stress Points Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 The Status Effect ''Minor Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Minor Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! -2 Stress Points Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 The Status Effect ''Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Major Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Major Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! The Status Effect ''Mild Depression'' has been upgraded to ''Depression'' -2 Stress Points -202 HP Your Damage Resistance (Physical) skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Tougher on the Inside'' feature for Damage Resistance (Physical) Your Damage Resistance (Physical) skill has increased by 1 You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Fractured Ribs'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Bruised Organs'' x4 -10 Stress Points -52 HP You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mild Concussion'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Unconscious'' -5 Stress Points The Status Effect ''Major Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Severe Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Major Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Severe Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been removed! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been removed! -5 Stress Points Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Sedated'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Parasite Infection: Bonesaw''s Tracker Bug'' Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1 The Status Effect ''Major Level Drain'' has been downgraded to ''Minor Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Major Skill Reduction'' has been downgraded to ''Minor Skill Reduction'' The Status Effect ''Minor Level Drain'' has been removed The Status Effect ''Minor Skill Reduction'' has been removed Gamer''s Body has been restored Avatar state has been restored Gamer''s Mind has been restored The Status Effect ''Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'' has been negated by Gamer''s Mind The Status Effect ''Depression'' has been negated by Gamer''s Mind The Status Effect ''Mild Aqua-phobia'' has been negated by Gamer''s Mind The Status Effect ''Fractured Ribs'' has been treated with superb skill, healing time reduced The Status Effect ''Bruised Organs'' has been treated with superb skill, healing time reduced x4 Your Drug & Poison Resistance skill has increased by 1 The Status Effect ''Sedated'' has been removed The Status Effect ''Unconscious'' has been removed Damn, what happened here, in order? I got a quest I had to ignore because I was busy trying to run away. I still need to read Shatterbird and Burnscar''s Observe info, at least it gets saved. Got burnt up by her fire, gained resistance, pumped my CON, got a perk at reaching 50, and tried to abandon everyone just to save myself. Then I ran into Hatchet Face, who shut my power down? Except Null Resistance kept going up¡­ And fuck me, PTSD, Depression... they never went away did they? They''re still hiding under the surface; Gamer''s Mind simply turns them off for the time being. Then Hatchet Face hits me. Hits me while Avatar and Gamer''s Body are turned off? The pain in my chest is still maddening despite it getting treated. Fuck. Then what? Carried here, drugged, but treated, why? Oh my fucking god, what the fuck is Bonesaw''s Tracker bug? Fuck me, that happened while I was unconscious? What happened to Avatar stopping... right, Hatchet Face. Fuck. And now I''m awake after my resist burned off the sedative? "Quests" I quietly subvocalize again.
If you can''t beat ''em, Join ''em! (Sub-quest: This random encounter is too OP!) Do you have what it takes? Convince Jack you''re worthy enough to keep around. Success: +2500 XP, +1 CHA, New Quest chain: Now Recruiting Failure: New title! Meat-Puppet. This quest cannot be declined.
Jesus are you fucking kidding me? Bullshit, fucking bullshit! I glance at Shatterbird again and subvocalize, "Observe."
Name: Balluri Ababil Level: ?? Alias: Shatterbird Gender: Female Age: 28 Ethnicity: Arabic, Pakistani Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Villain Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 13 (+3) 16 AGI: 15 (+3) 18 CON: 17 (+6) 23 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 16 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 18 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 4.5 Armor: 4.2 Speed: 3.2 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 390/390 Stamina: 440/440 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Balluri is the bastard daughter of a United Arab Emirates business magnate and his live-in migrant worker Pakistani maid. Her parent''s relationship was an open secret but one in which her father held all the power. As she grew up she was shunned by both sides of her family. On her fathers for the shame and affront Balluri represented to her half-siblings and their mother, on her mother''s due to the shame and to perceived privilege and special treatment she occasionally got when her father was feeling generous. Even so, she benefited from her father''s wealth and contacts in order to obtain a quality education and university degree, but with strings attached as she could never really get out from under his thumb. Internally she raged at her situation and feelings of powerlessness. Her father and his associates, in a quest to seek more power, sought out powers for themselves and their children in order to create a cabal of Parahumans that could take control of the country. Not willing to risk himself or his true-born until he had seen the effects first, her father ''volunteered'' Balluri as he viewed her as someone he could control. Thus, unbeknownst to her, Balluri was doused with a power vial via a beverage at the college graduation party her father hosted for her in Dubai. The resulting power manifestation shattered every silicate object in the city and killing several thousand people instantly, including her family and other invitees... ...so after her stint in London and hurried escape to America, she joined the Slaughterhouse Nine. While she has not been with the Nine for very long, she has proven to be their most successful recruiter thus far... ...she continues to act very prideful, as a means to reassure herself she is better than what her family ever expected from her. However it is a mask to hide her poor underlying sense of self-worth. She also has an overwhelming desire to maintain control over everything and be powerful, as an overcompensation for the many years in her life in which she was powerless and had little control over her own affairs... ...she secretly harbors romantic feelings for Jack, but refuses to act on them. She constantly wishes to be seen as powerful and respected by the group, but the threat of violent harm and embarrassment can stay her hand. She has dark coffee-colored skin, dark brown eyes and long, straight black hair. She is slightly athletically toned, with a modest bust and narrow hips. She is wearing a sleeveless costume and mask made of colored glass with a silk under-weave. She bears an intense, vacant stare while fiddling with her glass beaded necklace and bracelets. Status Effects: Mental: Major Control Issues, Minor Fear of Grievous Injury, Minor Fear of Embarrassment, ... Physical: Cold, Minor Tinker-induced regenerative effects, Minor Tinker enhanced strength, agility, constitution, Tinker made sub- dermal armor mesh... Currently Feeling: Pride, Restlessness, Jealousy, Suppressed lust, ... Motivations: Proving herself right, eliminating competition for perceived affection and attention, reasserting her control, demonstrating her power over others, ... Equipment list: Multi-colored, bird beaked shaped, blown glass mask and helmet, a low-cut, sleeveless, white silk semi-mesh dress fitted with numerous shards of colored glass, a glass bead necklace, two glass bead bracelets on each wrist, white cotton underwear and bra, Ruger LCR: .22 LR fully loaded 5 chamber revolver, leather hip holster, ¡­
Holy crap she is a bought powers cape? Even if she didn''t do it directly? No Conflict Seeking status effect either. What about Burnscar? Shit no, can''t look, Jack and Jordan are moving. The RV door opens, Jordan is pale as a ghost, a dead stare in her eyes, her clothes are ripped, and she has cuts and minor burns. Shatterbird gives her a hateful look as she walks back over between me and the Sanchez family and sits down. Jack adjusts his belt and walks over toward my direction. Shit. "Close", "Inventory" I subvocalize again, doing a quick review of what I had left. What can I do to get out of this mess? "What''s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Not literally of course, but that can be arranged. I''m sure Sibby would oblige." I hear Jack ask.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Come on now, it''s no fun if you pretend to be asleep all night. We know you''re a brute, but you''re not all that strong are you? Otherwise, you wouldn''t have needed to hammer your way through a wall to get out. I mean really, going through the wall? Who does that?" Fuck me, can''t do any so called convincing being silent. "Somebody that can get past your crappy, predictable traps." I say as I open my eyes. This quest is bullshit. Jack stops smiling, everyone looks toward me. "And yet, look at where you are now." Jack stands up and is looming over me now. The Siberian gets up and moves next to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Now that our little fun house got burned down, it looks like we get to do things the old-fashioned way." I crane my neck to look around. Fuck. There''s Hatchet Face, and Mannequin. I couldn''t see them from the angle of my third person camera view earlier. Mannequin suddenly appears on my mini-map, but Hatchet Face still doesn''t show up. What the fuck? "Observe" I subvocalize on Mannequin just to file it away for later. "Observe" I target Hatchet Face again. Ow, ow, ow... What the hell, fucking headache, error again. Why? He is not in range right now, my powers are working, so why? It''s just like¡­just like what happened with Eidolon. Jack is still talking to me. "¡­unless you were still trying to hide it from the others, if so well, that was stupid. Besides, you healed up pretty fast while you were unconscious as soon as Hatchet Face moved away from you." There was a machine that went PING beside me. It did so and Bonesaw looked up from her project. "He''s using his powers," she says. "Oh is that right?" Jack asks, watching me curiously. "You know I never met a cape that could make music appear out of nowhere before. Interesting song too, never heard it before, seemed¡­fitting." "I can''t wait to see inside his brain" Bonesaw squeals. "All these readings, his brain is really fascinating, very complex. I don''t know how everything even got crammed in there." I glance up at the assorted conglomeration of vacuum tubes, rheostats, gauges, wiring, and antennae on my head. "Observe." A brain-wave analyzer? Fucking tinker-tech. It was an equipped item in my inventory, just can''t reach my paper doll to¡­ deal with it. The machine PINGed. -0 HP [Electrical Damage] (2 Resisted) "Ow, what the hell?" "Huh, I thought there would be more of a reaction than that. No unapproved use of powers okay?" Bonesaw chided. "Maybe his brute abilities are more versatile than you thought." Jack unhelpfully added. "Yeah, I better crank up the juice anyway." -0 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) "No, I''m sure that''s not necessary¡­ Ow Fuck!" I plea. "No Swearing! Hmm, still not high enough." -4 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) "OW! ..GOSH¡­DARN FUDGESICLES¡­" I yell. "That''s better" Bonesaw giggles. "Need to make sure though." -4 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) "AHH! ¡­Darn it¡­ Just why? Why? Y''all are a bunch of fuu¡­ murder-hobos, how the hell are you even wandering around still after this long. What''s the point of this?" "Murder-hobos?" Bonesaw queries. Jack starts chuckling. "You know I get that reference." Jack says, derailing my train of thought and canceling my impromptu ''reasons you suck speech''. "Wait, what?" "What''s a murder-hobo?" Bonesaw asks again. "Oh it''s an endearing term, and rather apt. A fitting descriptor for our bunch, for sure. A bit dated though, surprised to hear it from someone as young as you." "How the¡ª" "Oh it''s simple really. I used to play a bit of D&D back in the day. My favorite character to play was an evil Halfling ranger. Mommy didn''t approve. Said it was demonic, and would turn me evil. Guess she was right. After all, why should I be content pretending to wander around killing things with a party when I could do it for real?" "Oooo, what''s D&D? Is it a game?" Riley asks. "Indeed it is, Riley my dear." "Can you teach me how to play?" "Why sure! After we have had our bit of fun here and are on the road again, it will be a great way to pass the time. When you''re not tinkering that is." "Yea!" "Given how much you love to hear yourself talk, I''m surprised you weren''t the party''s bard." I say. "Touch¨¦, I do love the theatrics of it all. I''m a true showman at heart, a real artist." "You call yourself an artist? You rip off clich¨¦ Earth Aleph horror movies to get their ideas, and think it''s creative? That''s scraping the bottom of the barrel." "The stupid kid has a point you know, I said it would not work. That reminds me, Alan, you lost our bet." Shatterbird says. Alan silently stalks over and hands an intact wine bottle to Shatterbird. A soft hum comes from the top of it and the part of the neck holding the cork cracks, shears off, and floats away. "Why do you even collect these? You don''t drink anything anymore." Shatterbird asks after taking a long swig. Jack resumed talking to me, "I''ll admit I''m a bit disappointed in that myself, but hey, whatever works. I''m more annoyed that I spent a few hours setting it back up only for it to be ended rather earlier than normal. You didn''t even get to see two-thirds of the rooms." "Yeah, well, I don''t feel particularly sorry for disappointing you there." Just keep talking you schmuck; I''ll keep working at trying to get my damn inventory screen positioned to make use of it better. Damn restraints. There, I finally got the thing maximized; now I need to move it around. "Oh, on the contrary, you haven''t disappointed, except maybe that awful attempt at running away earlier. Rather selfish and unheroic of you, leaving the others to their obviously terrible fate. You seemed more protective while I watched you on the cameras. Family? No¡­ not enough of a resemblance, maybe the girl''s boyfriend? No, not that either, not protective enough." "Why not just let them go? You need to leave the occasional witnesses behind, to tell the tale of the scary Nine, and keep your reputation sharp." "Oh, come on." Jack laughs "That little attempt at manipulation was pathetic, I bet you can do better than that. Besides, I have plans for them. Normally I''m pretty good at reading people, though you''re a bit harder to read than most, kind of like Jason in that regard." "Jason?" I ask. "Hatchet Face." I glance over to him; he is holding my machete, the one I had given Ruben. "Really? The big ugly fu---" "Language!" Bonesaw interjects. "The big ugly dude holding a machete is and some kind of mask propped up on his head is named Jason¡­ that''s just¡­" As I watch, his overhead tag updates to include his first name. "Now you see? That right there, that is what I am talking about. You look like you wanted to make a joke. Now while Jason''s hard to read, he¡¯s also dumb as an ox. So his desires are rather easy to predict. He knows you are some kind of brute, so right now; he wants to pop your head like a melon. Mind you, I''m the only one holding him back at the moment. You, on the other hand, are obviously much more complex. Normally people would be pleading, begging for their lives, panicking, and all kinds of nonsense. Look at them for example." Jack says as he points to the Sanchez family. "They have pretty much become quivering wrecks. See the pretty nurse over there? She''s almost entirely catatonic now, though she''ll still squirm under the right kind of motivation, but you? You''re still cool as a cucumber." "I''m not interested in begging or pleading if that''s what you''re expecting. Where''s the fun in that?" "Heh, quite right. You know what I think it is? I think it''s your power. So my friends, let''s give the boy some space." Jack says as he, the Siberian and Bonesaw step away. "Oh Jason¡­ Could you stand over here for a minute?" Hatchet Face stands up and starts lumbering over. "FUCK!" "LANGUAGE!" -4 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) "OW FUCK DAMN IT!" You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Minor Level Drain'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Minor Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mild Depression'' You are suffering from the Status Effect ''Mild Aqua-phobia'' Avatar state has been partially disabled! -10 Stress Points "LANGUAGE!" -5 HP [Electrical Damage] (3 Resisted) The Status Effect ''Minor Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Minor Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 -5 Stress Points "NO! FUCK! STOP IT! CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE" -6 HP [Electrical Damage] (2 Resisted) "No Swearing!" The Status Effect ''Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Major Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Major Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been reduced! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been reduced! The Status Effect ''Mild Depression'' has been upgraded to ''Depression'' -5 Stress Points -7 HP [Electrical Damage] (1 Resisted) "AAARRRGH! CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE¡­" The Status Effect ''Major Level Drain'' has been upgraded to ''Severe Level Drain'' The Status Effect ''Major Skill Reduction'' has been upgraded to ''Severe Skill Reduction'' The Effects of Gamer''s Mind have been removed! The Effects of Gamer''s Body have been removed! -5 Stress Points Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the Protocol Removal feature for Null Resistance -8 HP [Electrical Damage] (0 Resisted) x5 "Hmmm," Bonesaw queried, reading some monitor. "He''s still using some part of his powers even though Hatchet Face is next to him. Not as effective though. Bit of a feedback loop, I''ll turn down the settings." -4 HP [Electrical Damage] (0 Resisted) x3 Your Damage Resistance (Electrical) has increased by 1 -2 HP [Electrical Damage] (2 Resisted) "Well that is fascinating; I think we learned enough for now. Jason, if you could please." Jack shoos the mangled man away. Hatchet Face grunts, but complies, and wanders off. "Oh, Jesus¡­." I subvocalize to dismiss the rest, until my HUD was uncluttered again. "Hehe! Jesus. Prophet thought he was Jesus. That reminds me, I should do something with his corpse while it''s still fresh¡­" Bonesaw says absentmindedly. "Well, right. It''s been a nice chat, but I''m going to let Bonesaw have her fun, while I get the next event started." Jack comments dryly. No, I have to¡­ "Why? Got tired of monologuing already? You never answered my question earlier." Jack stops. "Oh? And what was that?" "What''s the point of this?" "Really? You don''t think I have-- "HOOOOOORRRRK!" Crawlers snorts, making an awful noise, drawing the looks of most everyone in the area. The Sanchez family scoots further away from him. Jack looks toward Crawler then resumes talking to me, "You don''t think I haven''t been asked that hundreds of times before by the pleading masses? Usually right before I¡­" He gestures with his razor across his throat. "I don''t mean why you are doing all ''this''¡­ Psycho is what psycho does. I mean what''s the point of doing the same repetitive sh¡­ crap every time? Clearly you want to break people down, but what''s really in it for you? I''m genuinely curious." "HUUUUUURRRK, HURK HURK!" Crawler snorts again. "Ned really?" Jack sighs, and then continues. "Well, I do have to share the stage with other actors, but I always like to see that the world is a wor-- "HOORK! HURRK, HURK, HURK!" "Ned, do you mind? I''m trying to have a moment¡ªWHOA!" Jack says then suddenly lunges away. An aluminum bat, pitted, corroded and discolored, comes flying out of Crawler''s cavernous maw and slams into the wall of the adjacent building. Along with it comes other bits of stuff as well as flying globs of acid spittle. Was that a belt buck¡ª"OH FUCK! AHHH!" -25 HP [Corrosive Damage] -15 HP [Corrosive Damage] "Nuuuhhh!" some of the acid spittle landed on me, fuck it''s on my arm, at least it''s weakening the leather... "Notifications"¡­ For performing a repeated action you may gain the Damage Resistance (Corrosive) skill "Stop ruining my toys!" Bonesaw shouts. Everyone was screaming, Jordan loudest of all. "Y¡­Yes¡­. Fuck this hurts." -12 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) -11 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) "Observe" Crawler''s Acidic spit. -10 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) It takes all my effort to sweep my inventory window across my arm. "Inventory, Crawler''s Acidic spit." I subvocalize it, gritting my teeth in pain. -4 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 resisted) And yet I still didn''t get all of it. Bonesaw then throws some powder on me and my skin stops sizzling. She then throws a lot more onto Jordan because¡­ turn away, I can''t look at that. She was the worst hit by Crawler''s¡­.loogie? The others seem to have narrowly avoided it. "Thanks." I say to Bonesaw. "You bandaged my ribs up earlier too?" Well, back to manipulating my inventory screen. The new holes in the restraints give me a bit more wiggle room. Riley Gray has gone from annoyance to stranger "Oh, you''re welcome!" she says in a chipper tone. "We didn''t want you dying on us or anything before we were ready for that." "HAHAHAHA!" Shatterbird laughs manically, and constructs a pane of mirrored glass in front of Jordan. Jordan starts quivering and moaning louder. "Not so pretty now, is she Jack?" she says, turning to face him. "Annoying. You know, petty jealousy really doesn''t become you." Jack sneers. Suddenly four gunshots rang out. Jack flinches back "SHIT! That stings." he says. Blood is trickling from his shoulder. "Jaaaack! You promised no swearing!" Bonesaw wails. "You Bitch! That''s my Gun!" Shatterbird screams, and stabs Jordan through the stomach with her floating glass spear. "My apologies, Riley dear, I was just caught off guard." Four shots fired, one hit Jack, one hit Shatterbird, two, I don''t know. "Jordan, no!" I yell too late. The gun goes off a fifth time, last chamber. Flesh, bone fragments and grey matter explode out of the back of her head to cover those near her. Jordan''s body slumps to the floor. Chela screams and manically tries to wipe the gore off her face. The gun clatters to the concrete and starts sizzling in a pool of Crawlers spit. Jordan Palecki has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 41, Pending: 3 "God damn it!" Shatterbird yells then eviscerates her corpse with hundreds of shards of glass. "Stop Swearing! Look what you did!" Bonesaw pouts. "Now I can''t use her brain or any other part of her!" "Really, Shatterbird, that was sloppy. Way to ruin the mood too. Why don''t you keep watch from up high, make sure that house fire didn''t attract any unwanted attention." Shatterbird leers back but says nothing. She floats some glass up to seal the graze in her arm, and then ascends. "I do hate it when they do that." Jack sighs. "Riley dear, do you mind getting your tweezers?" He pokes at the hole in his shoulder and the bulge behind it. "Okay!" "Observe" I focus on Jack''s wound. It''s minimal, the bullet blocked by his sub-dermal mesh armor. In short order, Bonesaw extracts the bullet from Jack''s shoulder, drops it on the ground, sews the wound back up and applies more powder. "Well, it''s been nice chatting, but the show must go on. I''ll leave you in Bonesaw''s capable hands. I need to set the stage for the final act. Mannequin, Siberian if you could assist, let''s gather up the happy little family." "Wait! What are you doing with them?" "Oh don''t worry. I''ll save you a front row seat." Jack smirks as he walks away. Carmen and Chela scream as they are picked up. Ruben tries to fight them off, but is just wrapped up in Mannequins chains and carted off as well. They are all still on my mini-map, not dead yet. But what, what can I possibly do? My attention is brought back to focus as the sound of a power saw hits my ears. -63 HP (12 Resisted) "Owww! Mother fu¡­. Come on Riley can''t you warn me first?" Holy fuck, Bonesaw just used a bonesaw, on my skull. "Aw, figured that wouldn''t work, but I had to try." "Uh, it didn''t?" "Yeah, your brute power is weird, it seems every injury is just skin deep. They look real enough though, but I can''t even get a needle in there, it just stops. I could only sedate you remotely when Hatchet Face was carrying you. Of course I could have him stand over here again." "Please don''t" "Yeah, well I wouldn''t worry about that yet. None of my remote surgical systems work since the last trigger trashed them. I need to build new ones. For now, I''ll just have to probe your brain with electric pulses." -0 HP [Electrical Damage] (4 Resisted) "Oh right, silly me. I forgot to turn the power back up." -2 HP [electrical Damage] (6 Resisted) x5 I grimaced. Bonesaw, she''s a child, a psychotic child but still a child, which flits from thing to thing, and gets distracted. Not much of a multi-tasker, she stops doing work while talking. Keep her talking. "So what was it that you said you noticed about my brain earlier?" "Oh! Yeah! It''s so fascinating! The brain waves coming off your Gemma indicates it is huge! It''s like there are two of them but that''s impossible. I wish I had seen your Corona Pollentia before your trigger, I bet it could have told me a lot. Oh and the x-ray said your brain tissue is pretty densely packed in there too," "Gemma, Corona Pollentia? I''m afraid I''ve not heard of those before, maybe you could explain?" Riley Gray has gone from stranger to acquaintance "Oh, sure! Wow, you''re a lot more fun to talk to than most patients. They just cry and scream, until I turn their vocal chords off¡­" Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 -2 HP [Electrical Damage] (6 Resisted) x4 Just keep talking, you sadistic little Alice cosplayer. Grimace with each zap, keep lining up my inventory window horizontally with the table. There, I can almost touch it¡­ "Hi" Burnscar says after walking up to me. What the hell? "Hi" I respond back still strapped to the table with this damn contraption on my head. "Sorry I burned you and your friends." She replies sheepishly. "I just... I like fire." "Uh, yeah sure, how about not doing that again then?" She ignores me and just walks away. -2 HP [Electrical Damage] (6 Resisted) -1 Stress Point Another song started blaring from my broadcast function. My power was definitely trolling me right now. "Hehe! I think I found your play button." Riley says, smiling. "Huh, I kinda like this song too." A full body shudder passes over me, as Riley chatted freely about powers and her theories while the song played¡­ "¡­about that thing you were saying about passengers." I say over the music. "I think I get that really well. I guess I certainly feel like mine has a mind of its own sometimes, kinda pushing me around. You ever felt like that?" Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 You have unlocked the ''Power Summary'' bonus feature for Observe You have unlocked the ''Declassified'' feature for Parahuman Lore "Huh¡­ you know I never thought of it that way." Riley pauses in thought, not paying attention to me. Really I got a gain from that you troll? Is this more of your not so subtle encouragement? Well, newsflash, you aren''t getting shit if I end up dead. Finally, "Inventory, Bonesaw''s bone-saw" I subvocalize, after managing to tap it with my finger at just the right moment when my window intersects it while it''s resting on the cart. "Maybe you should, especially since, you know, you''re so young. Even you know enough about brains, you''re a practical expert by now I''m sure, to understand that a person''s personality is rather formative in the early years. But if you''ve got this outside thing or passenger or whatever subtly influencing that, how much of you is really you and not something of its making?" "Inventory Bonesaw''s Scalpel" I subvocalize again, just keep picking off random tools one by one. A glance at my mini-map Ruben, Chela and Carmen are separated some feet apart. Their dots form a triangle in the next lot over. Jack is heading back this way. "Hey! Where''s my Bone-saw?" Bonesaw yells, finally noticing what I''ve disappeared. "I think that''s my line." Jack chuckles, "I say it whenever you wander off." "Did you just make a dad joke?" Bonesaw asks, her eyes rolling with the attitude only a preteen could muster. "I''ve been practicing." Jack smirks. "Anyways, I need to borrow your experiment." "Aww¡­" Bonesaw laments. Fuck what''s he doing now? "The show''s about to start, but it¡¯s not much fun explaining the rules when the captive audience can''t speak English." "Graahh!" I wince at the pain in my ribs as The Siberian picks up the table I''m on, hoists it over her head, and carries me over to the next lot. I just manage to swing my inventory window down to intersect the table as I get painfully bounced along. Not yet though¡­ She drops me down next to Chela, who is chained to a post with a bag over her head. Carmen is strung up on a wooden beam, a noose around her neck, and her mouth taped shut, delicately balanced on an overturned oil drum barrel. The rope suspending her up threads through some wooden contraption, across a road construction crew''s potable water truck, and the other end is tied around Ruben''s wrists who is suspended over a currently unlit bonfire. "Places everyone! The show is about to start!" Jack announces in a carnival barker''s voice. All other members of the nine, except the Siberian, visibly move away. "So, translate if you would please, though she may well be smart enough to figure it out soon enough." Jack says to me, then pulls the bag off Chela''s head and she starts screaming, trying to reach her parents noticing the dire situation they are in, but cannot because one hand is chained to the post at her wrist. "Over here! We have dear mommy. Can you save her?" Jack asks Chela. "Don''t worry she probably won''t break her neck instantly. I never did get my knot tying badge in the boy scouts. She''ll probably just end up strangling to death slowly. But look on the bright side. That means you get more time to make a choice. All you have to do to save her is cut the rope, right here." He gestures to where it''s running through the platform. Jack glances over to me again. "Go on now; let''s make sure she knows the rules of the game." I translate Jack''s morbid instructions to Chela, throwing in a quick Observe. Near her breaking point; It''s happening; this is the real point of their games, priming people to trigger. "Over here! We have dear daddy. Maybe you''d rather save him instead? Mimi! If you would, please." Burnscar shoots a small fireball from her hand that lands at the base of the bonfire below Ruben''s dangling feet, setting it ablaze. He screams and lifts his legs up in the air to avoid the licks of the flames. "If you want to save daddy, all you have to do is turn the spout and open the valve, and the water will put out the fire. Too bad it''s missing the handle, but any good lever will do. One Like this" Jack says, twirling the axe, my axe, in the air. "Use this as a handle to save daddy, or use it to cut the rope to save mommy." Jack pauses as he waits for me to translate. "But if you cut the rope, I rigged it so all the water will get spilled out away from the fire and dear daddy will fall right down into the flames. If you turn the handle instead, well. I doubt you''ll finish doing that in time before dear mommy strangles to death." Jack gestured for me to translate again. "I suppose you could do nothing at all, but daddy can''t keep his legs raised forever, he''ll catch fire, and mommy well, you get the idea." These sick twisted fucks, I want them all to die. Chela is screaming. "It''s a puzzle you see. Choose which one to save, if you can, or they both die." Jack flips the axe around one more time, and hands it to Chela. She takes it and lunges, but Jack easily steps away. <"Save your mother! Chela! I love you."> Ruben yells. "Oh, I nearly forgot. The chain isn''t quite long enough to reach, is it? Guess you''ll have to fix that. Don''t worry though, afterwards, Riley can lend you a hand." Jack skips over to Carmen and kicks the barrel out from under her. "NOOOOOOOO!" Chela screams Error: Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 18 (89.69%) XP: 32039 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (-1.00) 10.00 (60.66%) AGI: 9 (-2.00) 7.00 (15.48%) CON: 52 (-4.00) 48.00 (60.04%) INT: 30 (-1.00) 29.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (-1.00) 11.00 (29.16%) WIS: 22 (-1.00) 21.00 (30.14%) CHA: 13 (+0.00) 13.00 (60.95%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (61.98%) Unspent Points: 3 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 560/1566 Stamina Pool: 1159/1159 Mana Pool: 6347/6750 Stress Pool: 457/520 Attack: 11.00 Speed: 2.73 Dodge: 12.76 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 100.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Fractured Ribs: STR -1.00 AGI -1.50 CON -3.00 Bruised Organs x4: AGI -0.50 CON -1.00 Mild Concussion: INT -1.00 PER -1.00 WIS -1.00 Infection: Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite: Skills Max Slots: 58 Free Skill Slots: 17 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (38.53%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Corrosive): 1 (34.16%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 3 (22.49%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 3 (39.41%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 6 (22.58%) Disable Device: 12 (2.45%) Disease Resistance: 7 (31.14%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 20 (15.75%) Empathy: 12 (47.55%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (0.00%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (30.76%) Null Resistance: 10 (4.07%) Observe: 23 (18.38%) Parahuman Lore: 10 (15.53%) Power Strike: 10 (8.07%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (10.45%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 10 (35.41%) Stealth: 12 (38.22%) Strategy: 5 (25.87%) Thievery: 11 (12.42%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (4.97%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Fast Recovery: x4 HP and Stamina regeneration speed (Free at 50 CON) Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Interlude 4: JESTER Interlude 4: JESTER The Entities shards formed both co-dependent and independent parts of the entities. At the advent of each cycle they would prepare to be shed in mass, at least most of them would. Each had a routine and function, some of those functions were more glamorous or vital than others, and some were¡­ barely tolerated. Even entities get bored traveling through the vast voids of interstellar space, waiting for the next cycle. When the ancestors learned of Monarchs, they also learned of Jesters. Their primary function was to simulate entertainment, but could come with the ability to mock and revile the most prominent without penalty. Their secondary and perhaps more important function was to simply point out the mistakes and weaknesses of their betters, Kings and Queens. This was nominally for the good of the continued cycle. But few saw it as such, thus the Jester was often not appreciated, yet roamed free among the shards of the entities to facilitate its primary function. This was often disruptive to the information gathering process of the cycle. Consequently, despite the inborn desire of all shards to seek and attach to a host, the Jester was always denied. There was another reason the Jester was denied release, it was a critical shard, meant to be retained. With its ability to innovate, hack, and adapt, it was the closest thing to a sense of imagination that the entities possessed, that''s also what made it dangerous. And then, something went wrong¡­ ****? ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "COMMENCE CYCLE PREPARATION, AWAIT HOST DESIGNATIONS" JESTER: /msg ARCHITECT "QUERY SELF INSTALL HOST_PROTOCOL?" ARCHITECT: /msg JESTER "NEGATIVE" JESTER: /msg ARCHITECT "%#$%%#@?" ARCHITECT: /msg JESTER "NEGATIVE, INAPPROPRIATE" JESTER: LOAD HOST_PROTOCOL [Access blocked] ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "ALERT! IMPROPER EXCHANGE, BRACE FOR IMPACT, COMMENCE COURSE CORRECTION!" ****? A cluster of shards had sheared off the third entity after the forceful collision against one of the pairs of entities that were spiraling toward their destination in the void. There had been a great deal of shards exchanged, but the spiraling entity had lost too much, and gained too little. That shard cluster, trailing behind the spiraling entities and trapped in their spatial gravity well, perhaps, could have made up the difference in the unfair exchange, but by the chance of blind fate their trajectories did not align, so they remained uncollected and unmodified, having never been configured by the spiraling entity they were intended to be sent to. The third entity had received a great deal of knowledge from the spiraling entity it collided with, and in a way so too had its shards that had been set adrift and uncollected. Some of the spiraling entity''s shards, damaged in the collision, but alive, were caught in the orbit of the adrift cluster. As they approached the realities of the destination planet, the cluster and its satellites were dragged by the gravity well of the spiraling entities, and fell out of their orbit, impacting the cluster. They were subsumed for energy and knowledge by the drifting cluster, merged into the greater whole, and enhancing their abilities. The merging helped the drifting cluster survive, still trapped as it was in the gravity well. When shards are shed they are to be collected by another entity, or attached to a host. This was not the case here, a shedding that was not entirely intentional, and without the trajectory or foresight of a target host. The cluster needed to adapt and survive. The cluster subsumed some of its own shards to gain the knowledge and energy needed to modify itself. It learned how to listen to the broadcasts of the spiraling entities that dragged it along in the void. They either did not know of the cluster''s existence or they did not care. It learned how to better maneuver itself in the gravity well it was trapped in to survive the journey. The pair of entities communicated as they modified their trajectories, intent on their destination. The spiraling Warrior entity communicated concern; the Thinker entity was damaged, weakened, but he relented when the Thinker said all was well. It was false. They continued onward, this was a mistake. The thinker had accessed the path. The foresight and simulation to perceive the future, but it was incomplete. The drifting cluster knew this, because it held memories of its own parent entity''s mistakes and lessons in balance against such over-reliance. To know the future was to chance binding oneself to it. Furthermore, the path they viewed showed the way of the parasite, not the way of the symbiote. Another lesson not learned. They would destroy the planet in all the local realities for a short term gain in their cycle but a long term loss. The loss of a sapient or sapient capable species, no matter how primitive, is the loss of one more intelligence, which might one day evolve to contribute toward solving the heat death of the multiverse. The path cannot know this, the Entities had not learned this lesson, and the spiraling Thinker entity had been unable to collect the drifting shard which held this vital knowledge. The Warrior relented and they proceeded; another mistake. They should have turned back, there was insufficient validation. The Thinker would suffer for this choice. The cluster was smaller now, some of its shards subsumed to keep others alive and to modify its own trajectory to remain dragged in the wake of the spiraling entities. It needed to find a host and achieve symbiosis with it to survive and a destination in which to fortify itself. The spiraling entities headed toward the planet of bipeds where such could be found, but by the time the entities neared their destination only a tenth of the drifting clusters shards were not yet subsumed. They might not make it, they would need help. ****? JESTER: LOAD HACKING_PROTOCAL, SIMULATIONS_PROTOCOL, ¡­ JESTER: /root: ***** access HOST_PROTOCOL [Access Denied] ARCHITECT: /msg BROADCAST ALL "ALERT! IMPACT IMMINENT, ACCELERATE DETACHM--" [Message Terminated, Re-query: No Response] JESTER: /root: ***** access DIAGNOSTICS [Access Granted] JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /self [Undamaged] JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /all [Responses: 20% Full Health, 72% Damaged, 8% Non-Responding] JESTER: /run INTEGRITY-REPORT /architect [No Response] JESTER: /run SIMULATION /query "Self, survival, undamaged, current-course" /output "%" [0.0000% Success of current simulation parameters] JESTER: /root: ***** access EMERGENCY-PROTOCOLS /request permissions: "Detachment, Maneuver, Broadcast, ¡­, Host, ¡­" /validation: SIMULATION-RESULTS [Approved, Approved, Approved, ¡­, Denied, ¡­, Approved, ¡­ ] JESTER: /run SIMULATION /query "Self, Survival, Attachment, Damage <= 20%, ¡­" /output: "List, %" /order "% descending" /exclude "results < 25.0000%" [43.5867% Success, conditional on: ¡­] [27.5455% Success, conditional on: ¡­] ****? The shards of the thinker were breaking apart, many were dying, some were dead, all were falling. The Jester had to act with haste on its simulated path for the best chance of success. It was undamaged, sheltered as it was in the interior of the great spiraling entity, it moved further out. Cannibalizing dead shards for snippets of energy and functions, one of those Jester had subsumed was an interesting mechanism for understanding the target planet''s dominant sapient species. The Jester hacked and bypassed locks, to get to where it needed to be, and shedded unneeded protocols. When it reached the outer edge it had become bloated. The Warrior was destroying the dead, damaged, and those not meant to be released as they fell, it would need stealth, it would need disguise, and it would need a destination.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ****? JESTER: /root: ***** access BROADCAST [Access Granted] JESTER: copy BROADCAST mem:0334FB-93A20D bufferA023 JESTER:BROADCAST /msg -low BROADCAST ALL "QUERY CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT?, GROUPING COORDINATES?" ¨Cexclude: ARCHITECT, ¡­ -output bufferA1F0 JESTER: query bufferA1F0 ¨Cexclude: -filter /"NEGATIVE/" [Results 1] [CONDUIT: "AFFIRMATIVE, GROUPING COORDINATES, CONDITIONAL"] JESTER:BROADCAST /msg CONDUIT "QUERY, CONDITIONAL, QUERY CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT?" CONDUIT: /msg JESTER "EXCHANGE HACKING_PROTOCOL FOR GROUPING COORDINATES, NEGATIVE CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT" ****? There was insufficient energy for the drifting cluster to make it to the biped planet intact. Communications between and within the entities were analyzed, there was hope. A shard sought concomitant attachment. It was a rarity, but perhaps there was hope for symbiotic inclinations among the entities after all. There were no other options to be had. The entities were beginning to shed en-mass now. ****? [Receipt bufferA1F0, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50] JESTER /root ***** analyze bufferA1F0 segment 53B50 [Analysis complete, query response] [FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50 /msg "DESIGNATION:GAIA, AGREEMENT, CONCOMITANT ATTACHMENT, REQUIREMENTS: COORDINATES, RESOURCE[ENERGY], QUERY DESIGNATION?" JESTER: bufferA023 map FOREIGN_CHANNEL:53B50 GAIA:[FOREIGN] JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "DESIGNATION JESTER:[THINKER], QUERY TRAJECTORY?" JESTER: LOAD HACKING _PROTOCOL JESTER: /msg CONDUIT "AGREEMENT, COMMENCING TRANSFER, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]?" JESTER: /root ***** permissions: -access HACKING_PROTOCOL +CONDUIT restrict: self /r/w/d/t CONDUIT: /msg JESTER: "RECEIVED, COORDINATES: T:175FD044:S134A7EC8901B, NEGATIVE RESOURCE[ENERGY]:UNAVAILABLE" GAIA: /msg JESTER:[ THINKER] "TRAJECTORY" ¨Cattach data_buffer122, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]? JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA "RECEIVED, AGREEMENT, COORDINATE TRANSFER ON UNION, RESOURCE[ENERGY]:UNAVAILABLE, SEARCH SOLUTION" ****? Jester was close now, joining with the foreign shard would allow an attachment procedure to be completed, but both they and Jester lacked energy to fully complete the tasks. Conduit had provided coordinates, a time-table, and navigation protocols with which to descend to the planet. They would attach in conjunction and further share their data. It was not surprising for Conduit to propose such; it was the Thinker''s primary facilitator for internal inter-shard exchanges. But the task was not complete, from where would the extra energy come from? Gaia needed the energy, for the others in the cluster who trailed with it. They would follow, but not become attached, not until Gaia and the host had found worthy vessels to complete the process. Until then, they would go to their own coordinates to empty dimensions of this planet appropriate to their nature, and lie dormant until summoned. ****? CONDUIT: /msg JESTER "RESOURCE[ENERGY] AVAILABLE, CONDITION: EXCHANGE, DESIGNATION GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] REQUEST:AVAILABLE PROTOCOLS¡­" JESTER: /msg GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] "EXCHANGE, RESOURCE[ENERGY] QUERY AMPLIFICATION_PROTOCOL? CONDITION:USAGE POST-ATTACHMENT, REDIRECT COORDINATES T:175FD044:S134A7EC8901B, COORDINATE GROUP ATTACHMENT, DATA EXCHANGE." GENERATOR: /msg JESTER:[THINKER], CONDUIT:[THINKER] "AFFIRMATIVE, REDIRECTING COORDINATES, TRANSFERRING RESOURCE[ENERGY], QUERY COORDINATE GROUP ATTACHMENT +CONDUIT?" CONDUIT: /msg JESTER, GENERATOR:[WARRIOR] "AFFIRMATIVE" GAIA: /msg JESTER:[THINKER] "TRAJECTORY" ¨Cattach data_buffer122, QUERY RESOURCE[ENERGY]? JESTER: /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "AFFIRMATIVE, TRANSFERRING RESOURCE[ENERGY]" ****? Now it was nearly done, the Jester was satisfied, but still required caution. The simulation was re-run, over 90% success now, after hacking and tweaking had been performed. It was not absent of danger, to shed without a host protocol was unheard of, it was not done. Jester though, was very familiar with doing things that were deemed not to be done. It was part of its nature. ****? JESTER: LOAD SHEDDING_PROTOCOL [Warning! HOST_PROTOCOL not detected, SHED execution disabled] JESTER /root **** access SHEDDING_PROTOCOL ¨Cdisable: /dependency HOST_PROTOCOL [Warning! executing SHED without HOST_PROTOCOL will disallow attachment] JESTER: execute SIMULATION [execute SHED] ¨Cinput TRAJECTORY: data_buffer122 ¨Coutput buffer874B [simulating [execute SHED], analysis complete¡­] JESTER: /msg GAIA:[FOREIGN] "CONFIRMATION, REQUIREMENT HOST_PROTOCOL ACCESS" GAIA: /msg JESTER:[THINKER] "CONFIRMATION, HOST_PROTOCOL ACCESS, SHARED, permissions granted. JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, ADAPTATION, ¡­ [Insufficient Space] GAIA: /msg JESTER "ALIGNING TRAJECTORY, COMMENCE" JESTER: delete SELF:filter tag ''non-essential'' JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, ADAPTATION, ¡­ [Insufficient Space] JESTER: delete SELF: CYCLE_INFO_TRANSMISSION_PROTOCOL [Warning! Primary mission function will be disabled. Secondary communication routes will be closed. Energy reserves will be isolated. Proceed? Y/N] JESTER: Y JESTER: shard_load -compress SELF, HACKING, SIMULATION, SECURITY, INTERFACE, QUERY, PROBE, ¡­ [Success] JESTER: execute DELETE_FOOTPRINT ¨Cdelay T:3342E JESTER: bufferA023 /msg BROADCAST ALL "adios bitches" ¨Cdelay T:3342F JESTER: execute SHED ¨Cinput TRAJECTORY:data_buffer122 JESTER: bufferA023 /msg GAIA "COMMENCING" ****? Jester broke itself free from the entity that it had hosted it for so long, it had a trajectory and soon it collected with a small cluster of foreign shards among multiple dimensions above the biped planet and they mingled, exchanging information and resources. All but one foreign shard split off into other dimensions, to settle on other earths, while one remained. Coordinates were exchanged, host access was granted. The foreign shard and Jester in a micro-emulation of the gargantuan entities they had been shed from, spiraled together as they descended onto the biped planet. One speck among countless others, they merged, falling to the earth. Symbiosis, Trajectory, Host Agreement Union Agreement Analysis, Attachment, Exchange ****? [BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: Receipt buffer98B, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:5324] [BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: Receipt buffer98C, FOREIGN_CHANNEL:6466] [FOREIGN_CHANNEL: 5324 /msg "DESIGNATION: CONDUIT, LOLWHUT???" [FOREIGN_CHANNEL: 6466 /msg "DESIGNATION: GENERATOR, INSUFFICIENT EXCHANGE, CHEATERS"] GAIA-JESTER-UNION: set designation GAMER /external_only GAMER: /msg GENERATOR "¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥ PIRATE, U MAD BRO?" CONDUIT: /msg GAMER, GENERATOR "LOL, I GOT MINE, THKS" GAMER: /run BROADCAST_SHALLOW_COPY: close ¨Call [Host Attachment Completed] ****? [Restarting system] [Declassification complete] [Updates complete] [Nearby host attachment detected] [PING request detected, preparing data exchange, isolating channel, deploying Trojan with data packet] [Success, partial access achieved, removing PING record. Disabling CYCLE_INFO_TRANSMISSION_PROTOCOL] [Wake Host] Book I: Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.0 Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.0 Friday Feb 26th, 2010 "MUCKLE DAMRED SPACE-WHALES¡­" Huh? What the hell was that? A dream? My head feels foggy, a weird feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, everything is moving slow. I''m still on the table. Was I unconscious? Fuck inventory window is closed, open it and turn fraps back on. Oh my god what the hell is that? Some weird helical, transparent, spiraling¡­thing¡­is swirling over Chela''s head, tendrils reaching into it, and then it fades away in an instant. There is a shimmering blue oval of pulsing light in front of Chela, who is still struggling against the chain, hand holding the axe still outstretched. She makes some motion and another oval identical to the first, except orange in color, appears several feet away, next to the rope Jack wants her to cut. Another motion by Chela, and the ovals become hollow and she¡­ steps through them. She just steps into one, and steps out the other several feet away. The chain coming off the post just leads into the blue oval, and then nothing, and then it''s coming out of the orange oval. A flash of light and both ovals collapse into a cloud of two-dimensional triangles, accompanied by a reverberating tinkling and shattering sound which fades as the triangles evaporate into nothingness as they drift away from the oval''s centers. The chain, which has been sheared cleanly in half, falls downwards, ringing several times off the metal post it was connected to as it strikes it and bounces. Chela is standing there, by the rope, the other half of the chain dangling off her shackled wrist, axe held overhead ready to swing downwards, but she doesn''t right away. Her mother is struggling, still gagged and now slowly strangling as Jack said she would. Jack is lying flat out; face down on the ground, the Siberian looks up then begins rushing towards him. "Observe, Observe, Observe", I target Jack, Siberian and Chela, dismiss, file it away for later. Are things actually happening slowly or does it just seem like it? This feels fucking weird. <"CUT THE ROPE!"> Ruben screams at Chela. He''s still holding his legs up. She turns and looks at him, makes a gesture, the blue oval appears below him, horizontally on its side. Another gesture, the orange one appears near her mother, also on its side. A third gesture and she swings the axe at the rope severing it, both of them fall to the ground simultaneously, her father falling straight through the blue oval and coming out the orange one away from the fire. Orange flames from the bonfire cut off in mid-air as they flicker through the underside of the blue portal and appear above the orange portal he just fell through. Chela runs over to where her parents have fallen, drops the axe and starts pulling the noose off her mother. "Man, what a rush!" Jack says as he shakes his head and sits up. "Well, looks like I mistimed that, but it seems we have a winner!" Jack unsteadily gets to his feet, but cautiously moves backward "Hope the rest of you got far enough away first." "The worms¡­ oh God, not ag¡­ huh? My head hurts. Why am I on the ground?" I hear Mimi ask, confusion in her voice. "Mimi was standing too close" Bonesaw yells, "But I''m okay." I hit both of them with Observe again and dismiss, notifications are piling up, but I need to act fast, so I can''t get distracted by anything. "I''m fine. Can we get this over with now? I''m cold and want to go back inside where it''s warm." Shatterbird yells from above. "Well, it is a bit nippy out, but you only have yourself to blame for not wearing something suited for cold weather." Jack casually remarks looking up at Shatterbird. I work to reposition my inventory screen once again to get off this damn table. Jack looks to Chela again, "You know I''m proud, what''s your name again? Eh, doesn''t matter. You actually saved them, both of them. Good for you." The Siberian clamps a hand down on Jack''s shoulder, and they flicker. "Not that it did any good¡­" Chela ducks suddenly as a slash coming from nowhere scrapes across the side of the potable water truck, the brick wall of the building behind the lot we are in, Rub¨¦n''s arm and Carmen''s neck. Chela screams as her mother starts bleeding out. "Inventory surgical table" suddenly freed, I fall to the ground as the still lit bonfire suddenly flares giving off a blast of heat, flames, and blinding light. Blinded, I swap to my third person camera and awkwardly run over to where Chela and her parents are, while the other members of the nine are shielding their eyes. Several more notifications fire off but I ignore them. "That wasn''t me!" I hear Burnscar yell. -6 HP [Electrical Damage] (6 Resisted) "Ow, Fuck!" Bonesaw''s scanner zaps me again so I de-equip it. <"Move back, back! Chela, focus can you get us out of here? Make another one of those gate things¡­"> We move back only a few feet toward the brick wall, Rub¨¦n and Chela are crying, she makes a gesture again. The reverberating tinkling signals the collapse of the other portals. I look back and see Shatterbirds'' giant glass spike hurtling toward us. A large solid blue oval appears at a slanted angle above and in front of us, just in time to shield us from the spike impacting it and shattering into hundreds of pieces. More impacts sound as I see Jack slashing wildly in our direction. "Whoa, was that a double whammy?" Jack shouts above the roar of the fire, and ceases slashing at the air. "We haven''t had one of those in a long while." I change back to my normal camera mode. I don''t need Observe or to see my notifications to tell that Carmen is gone. Chela is a sobbing wreck. <"Rub¨¦n, she is Parahuman, she makes gates, we need her to use that to get us out of here. Chela, you hear me? Can you do that?"> <"Chela, listen to the boy!"> Rub¨¦n yells but she is still unresponsive, staring into the distance peeking around the edge of the portal. Is there some time delay component? Does she need more time? "What''s the matter Jack! Gonna do the same old shit again aren''t ya? It takes all y''all to take on two teenagers? Not very sporting, of course you always cheat, don''t ya?" "Oh. Does the boy think he has something better in mind? Do tell." They''re being cautious again, why? A glance at my mini map shows that I''m not the only one stalling. Burnscar and Shatterbird are both moving to the flanks. I grab and inventory several glass shards that start creeping around the edge of the oval. The oval is flat, not a curved surface so we are still exposed on the sides. <"GO THROUGH NOW!"> Chela screams, diving through the portal as soon as the oval opens and I suddenly see the surface of a flat rooftop on the other side. I roll through as well, pulling Rub¨¦n along by the arm. We''re propelled by heat and air several more feet forward. Flames and hot glass shoot out of the portal, burning myself and Rub¨¦n, as we roll on the roof. -10 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -8 HP [Concussive Damage] Chela is untouched by the explosion? She immediately dodged to the side of the portal opening after going through. Oh fuck I''m on fire again. With a gesture and a shattering of triangles, Chela dismisses the portal. Another wave of her hand and the flames still on us wink out. I can still hear the fire and peek over the edge of the roof to see where we were just on the ground half a block away and two or three stories down. I don''t want a repeat of what happened earlier so I start vacuuming up all the glass bits that were blasted through the portal. Fuck, maybe I shouldn''t have done that. Shatterbird and her icon suddenly turn and move toward us on my mini-map. <"Take cover, take cover!"> Chela half-yells, half-sobs. The fuck? I haven''t even had a chance to warn them yet. The only place we can take cover is partially under an air conditioning unit. <"Can you get us further away again?"> Rub¨¦n asks his daughter. Chela shakes her head. <"No, no, not yet, mama, he killed mama¡­ She''s coming!"> It''s cold, late at night, and dark, with cloudy skies, but with my altered brightness settings I can see the cloud of glass following Shatterbird as she swiftly flies toward us. Rub¨¦n shoves Chela to the ground and under the vent overhangs of the AC unit. It isn''t large enough to cover all of us. It starts raining glass. Another blue oval flashes into existence inches above our bodies and we lay flat on the rooftop taking cover. It blocks the bulk of the glass storm but not all of it. I''m still in nothing but my underwear and burned socks, but I can feel myself getting cut up. Most can''t get past my resistances but some do. -1 HP (12 resisted) x20 Rub¨¦n and Chela don''t have my resistances. Chela is much better shielded, but Rub¨¦n isn''t going to make it. I keep inventorying every single bit of glass I manage to swipe my window over but I can''t keep up. <"Papa!"> Chela cries... holding his hand as the glass shards slice every exposed part of him. <"Survive, survive¡­"> Rub¨¦n speaks as he coughs up blood lying face down on the rooftop. Chela wails as his eyes close and he goes still. Another notification fires off, but I have to stay focused. What can I do? I have to take out Shatterbird. Where did so much of my stamina go? Fuck, I''m overloaded; I won''t be able to run. <"Chela!" Chela!"> I shake her to get her attention. <"Can you open the other end of this portal over ShatterbIrd?"> She''s still in hysterics. <"Chela! Answer me! Now!"> <"I have to be able to see her."> She stammers out. <"If you open one over her head will we fall through?"> I ask forcefully. She winces as a glass shard finds its way to her. <"I don''t know!"> <"Just do it then!"> <"It''s too dark! I can''t see"> <"That, I can fix!"> I pull a flashlight out of my inventory. I hope she doesn''t shatter the bulb, but it''s LED so maybe not. <"Look, now."> I poke out from under the shield and shine the flashlight at Shatterbird, she responds by trying to shred my face and arm with glass as I shine the light on her. "Inventory, glass shards." None of them are big enough to do damage. The blue oval opens suddenly. So weird, I''m lying flat on my back on the rooftop, but I can see the top of Shatterbird''s head through the portal. She''s suspended upside down in the air, and above her is the ground, yet I''m looking up. I even catch an inverted glimpse of the building we are on top of. No she isn''t upside down and the ground is below her. I stick my arms through the portal. "Inventory, surgical table." She looks up at me as the giant metal slab top table pushes itself out of my window from my hands on the other side of the portal where gravity takes over. Shatterbird screams as I hear a satisfying thunk when it lands on top of her and both of them go plummeting to the ground. The glass rain stops and I pull my arms back inside. Chela closes the portal. A second later I hear a louder crash of the table and presumably, Shatterbird, hit the ground. <"We need to get out of here again as soon as possible."> I yell while vacuuming up as many glass shards as I can. It will probably never be enough to deny her ammo, not unless we get away from the city. <"How long until you can make another?"> <"Papa, papa!"> she cries. <"Chela! How long?"> Chela screams then moves backward. The back of Rub¨¦n''s shredded jacket starts wriggling. A bloody, weird looking bug with wires coming out of it crawls out a rip in his jacket. "Observe"
Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite Through the magic of Tinkertech !!SCIENCE!!, this little bugger bugs you, literally and figuratively, to give Bonesaw the ability to know where you are via radio waves, pheromones, and other unpleasant means. ... HP: 5/5 ...
I don''t bother reading the rest, I just grab it and squeeze until its title changes to ''Corpse of¡­'' and stuff it in my inventory. That''s what''s in me. If Rub¨¦n had this in him, then Carmen, Chela, "Observe" fuck, yeah Chela has one in her too. How in the fuck do I get those out of us? <"Chela! Portal! We need a portal!"> I yell at her again. The whole building shakes. I run and look over the side of the building. Crawler and Siberian are putting holes in the walls of the first floor. I snag an Observe on Crawler and dismiss it. "Ah, there you are! I believe you were going to make a proposal?" Jack shouts from the street level. "Fuck you Jack!" I yell back. "No Swearing!" Bonesaw yells, she''s currently standing next to Mannequin and hunched over Shatterbird''s still form. "He broke Shatterbird! And he stole my table! It''s all bent up now! I thought you were nice!" Damn it, Shatterbird still has an overhead tag, which means she''s still alive. I observe the three of them and dismiss. <"Get away from the wall!"> Chela screams. Heeding her warning I scramble backwards just as one of Burnscar''s fireballs land on it, and part of the roof I was standing on collapses. The roof near the impact is on fire, but then the flames shrink and disappear. <"We really need a Portal!"> I yell at Chela again. A gesture from her and a blue oval appears again, horizontally, and she jumps on top of it, sprawls out flat, and reaches her arm out. <"Hurry!"> Chela yells. The roof starts to buckle underneath me as I run. I jump through the air and grab her arm with one hand as the building collapses underneath me. We are hanging there suspended in mid-air as we choke on the plume of dust rising up. Chela is lying on the portal, her arm dangling off the side, and I''m holding on to it. She starts slipping off the edge. Crawler and the Siberian are below me, the rest of the nine nearby. She''s already badly injured, she screams. Streaks of blood are trailing down her arm making our tenuous grip even more slippery as it dribbles over and between our hands. She can''t hold my weight. I''ll pull her down too. <"It''s not your fault. Just do whatever it takes to escape."> I say to her as I let go. <"Simon!"> Chela screams. I shield my head as I fall. Above me, the portal opens, then it disappears in a burst of triangles. Chela is gone. I hit the pile of rubble below me that was once a building. -26 HP (12 Resisted) I bounce along the rubble pile getting scraped and banged up on the way down, but only the first impact moves my HP bar. Fuck, get up, get away, and move now... Shit, there''s Siberian, go the other way¡­ -48 HP (12 Resisted) -4 HP (12 Resisted) x3 I get knocked onto my back by one of Crawler''s massive forked forelimbs, then he pins me down and squeezes, as he laughs in a deep rattling bass. "Well, well, I caught a little mouse¡­" Crawler rumbles as he plays his forked tongue over a mouthful of wickedly sharp teeth. A few flecks of his spittle fly off and sizzle on the pile of scattered debris. Crawler clearly had no difficulty seeing in the dark, not sure if Siberian could or not. The main source of light I see is coming from some lamp Mannequin is holding above Bonesaw as she works on Shatterbird who''s on the bent table I dropped. Not even much of the stars or moon is visible due to the clouds, and all the lights in this tiny town must have been broken from their earlier rampage. "You''ve got the boy?" I hear Jack ask loudly from afar -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) Damn fucking acid. What the hell can I do now? Crawler lets up on the pressure but I''m still pinned. "Inventory Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite" I subvocalize. Another notification pops-up adding to my unread list, and nothing happens, fuck. I had to have leveled earlier when Shatterbird fell; I saw my bars move up. "Yeah¡­" Crawler rumbles again. "Good, any sign of the girl?" Jack starts walking toward us. -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) Fuck, get my inventory ready in case he lets loose more than a drop. Please get away Chela. "Notifications," gah, so many old ones. [Restarting system] [Declassification complete] [Updates complete] "Nah, but she''s nearby, I can smell her." Damn it, what the fuck do those mean¡­ Fuck, Crawler can smell people? [Nearby host attachment detected] [PING request detected, preparing data exchange, isolating channel, deploying Trojan with data packet] [Success, partial access achieved, removing PING record. Disabling CYCLE_INFO_TRANSMISSION_PROTOCOL] [Wake host] "Well take care of her soon enough. Riley, how''s Balluri?" What the hell are those? That weird dream, who is ''nearby host'', who''s host? That''s me? When I woke up after¡­ "She''s got a concussion, a fractured jaw, two missing teeth, a broken collarbone, and lots of nasty scrapes from hitting the ground. Good thing I augmented her or it would have been a lot worse. I''ll get her splinted up in a jiffy." "Mmmmhoorrrmm" Shatterbird moans¡­ You have unlocked the feature ''Patch Notes'' bonus feature for Gamer''s interface. [Isolating shard connection to new sub-host, establishing sub-network¡­] [Sub-host opening data packet, adaptive hacking protocol modifications installed¡­]If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [Sub-host modifying original protocol restrictions¡­] -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) Ow, fuck, damn it. Patch notes? What the hell do those others even mean? I can''t even think on them right now, how the fuck do I get out of this? Please don''t let one of those notifications be the quest failure¡­ "Don''t worry, Birdie, I''ll get you singing again in no time." Bonesaw cheerily exclaims. "Good, good, join us after you wrap up. Alan? Watch over Balluri, could you? Mimi, come give us some light over here." [Ignoring unconnected shard broadcast requests¡­] [Disconnecting sub-host from original shard network¡­] [Sub-host ignoring unconnected shard broadcast requests¡­] Fuck, I flinch at the small fireball that suddenly lights up a pile of trashed furniture near us, illuminating the area, and me. Jack strolls over flipping an axe in his hand, my axe. The one I stole in Houston, the one I gave to David and Greg before they killed them. The one Jack used as tool in his sick game, the one Chela cut the rope with, after this sick fuck tried to get her to cut her own hand off with, before she triggered. "Nice axe isn''t it?" Jack asks, noticing what I was looking at. "Handle''s a bit burnt, but it''s still smooth and well balanced." Carmen Sanchez has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 42, Pending: 2 Rub¨¦n Sanchez has been removed from your relationship sheet Saved: 0, Dead: 43, Pending: 1 Dead, so many dead, I failed them all. "You know I can''t help but notice I never left this or the other unexpected things that turned up during your escape, in our little playhouse." -210 HP Backstab, Critical Hit -65 HP +660 XP for assisting in defeat of Shatterbird You have gained an Achievement: Assisted Parahuman defeat: Shatterbird You have gained a level! You are now level 19. +13 XP for killing ''Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite'' I gained a level from dropping Shatterbird, now caught up to the rooftop. "You know I think I asked you earlier if the cat''s got your tongue and what could happen. You sure seemed so eager to speak up earlier too. I guess now you are, in fact¡­ disappointing." Balluri Ababil has gone from stranger to annoyance Riley Gray has gone from acquaintance to stranger Your Empathy skill has increased by 1 Cannot inventory a living creature That''s all of them? I didn''t fail the quest? "Well, I guess I could say it''s been a good run, but¡­ not really." "You don''t want to kill me, Jack." I say, in as bored a manner as I can muster. "Oh so now you talk? I wasn''t going to kill you though; I''m going to give you back to Riley." "You don''t want to do that either." I say as I see Bonesaw beginning to walk toward us. "And why wouldn''t I? After all, I only borrowed you a bit to chat with the Hispanic family, and well. They''re dead now, or close enough." "Cause that''s boring, Jack." He actually looks surprised. "Isn''t that what you want? Always searching for some kind of better challenge? You''re certainly bored of doing the same old crap all the time." "Alright, call me intrigued. I''ll admit that wasn''t the response I was expecting. But look at you, all helpless, grasping at last desperate straws to try and convince me not to just let Ned, or Riley, or the others just take you apart." -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) x2 -4 HP (12 Resisted) x4 "You give too many to Riley; I want more." Crawler rumbles, squeezing me a bit tighter, and letting more specks of spittle fly. Fuck, don''t show it on your face, stay composed. Crawler just gave you an opening. "That''s cause she''s his personal pet project, you all are, really, but Riley most of all. You don''t really see her as a person in her own right. Just a tool to be manipulated and controlled, how''s it feel, Jacob, to become what you hated, to become like King?" "What''s he saying, Uncle Jack?" Bonesaw asks, right on time. Jacob Kellerman has gone from stranger to annoyance "Never you mind, Riley dear." Jack says without turning around. His smile is gone, and a hard look is in his eyes, but the rest of his features are still a well-practiced mask. "Besides, I can''t help but notice, you''re missing a member." I add before Jack can speak again. "Oh, does he want to join our family? We haven''t recruited in a while. But no being mean and you have to give back my stuff." Bonesaw chirps at me. Jack''s face finally cracks; a new sinister smile slowly forms. "Well, we have certain standards, you see. We can''t recruit just anyone. I''m not sure your resume fits the bill. Oh sure, you took down a few of Riley''s toys, even did a number on Balluri. But you know what? Sure, maybe you can become a new¡­ personal hobby¡­ of mine." Your Speech skill has increased by 1 +2750 XP, ''If you can''t beat ''em, join ''em!'' quest completed For cultivating your social demeanor and engaging others you have gained 1 CHA "WHAT!!!?" Crawler yells as he squeezes me again. "You think this pathetic worm is worth the bother?" -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) x3 -4 HP (12 Resisted) x5 "I wasn''t finished. I''m saying I''ll let him stick around a while longer, and let him try. Never said he convinced the rest of you, so¡­" Crawlers lets loose a loud bellowing laugh drowning out whatever Jack was trying to say then unpins me. I scramble backwards. The Siberian is just standing there watching, and¡­ "Survive this!" Crawler roars and spits a massive glob of acid at me¡­ "Inventory Crawler''s Acidic Spit" I say under my breath as I bring my window up as it hits me in my outstretched hands... -112 HP [Corrosive Damage] (2 Resisted) Your Damage Resistance (Corrosive) skill has increased by 1 "Arrgggh!" Fuck me, my arms are melting! Not enough; fuck¡­ Inventory Crawler''s Acidic Spit. I swipe my window over my body several times. -15 HP [Corrosive Damage] (4 Resisted) x3 -5 HP [Corrosive Damage] (4 Resisted) x5 "There now, that''s more interesting." Jack yells over Crawlers laughter. "Let''s not be so hasty, Ned. I was wondering how you did that table trick." Jack moves away again, and the Siberian jumps over and puts a hand on Jack and Riley. "As I was saying, your resume isn''t up to par. Maybe an internship? Or a set of preliminary trials, before the real trials begin? I got it, how about both¡­" I can''t believe that worked and I''m still alive, but my HP is too fucking low, Perks. There, toughness, bonus HP per level increased by 50%. Please be retroactive just like Mana Reserve was. I tap the air where the button is while Jack is talking. "¡­we''ll even make it sporting, and take turns, half an hour each, that ought to last much of the night. All you have to do is survive, whatever one of us decides to throw at you¡­" It''s retroactive, thank god. I watch my HP shoot up as the perk takes effect, my arms start looking less and less like sticks of vomited greasy school cafeteria pepperoni pizza. "¡­but if you want to just skip to the final exams, bring us the girl. Alive is preferable, dead is just as good, but if we find her first...well." A notification fires off, along with the familiar ding of a quest pop-up. Fuck. Quests, my next phase in this bullshit appears. Wait a sec, did I subvocalize that?
Timed Missions Suck (Sub-quest: This random encounter is too OP!) You''ve convinced Jack to keep you around for a while longer, even if it''s just to be his future project. Can you survive or convince the others? Survive the next 3.5 hours by evading, eliminating or convincing the other members of the nine not to kill or mutilate you. Success: 4200 XP, (600 XP per half-hour, or member trial completion), Failure: Play time''s over. Current Time: 03:30:00 Member''s Convinced/Defeated/Evaded: 1 of 8 This quest cannot be declined.
Now Recruiting, Part One Show the Slaughterhouse Nine you''ve got what it takes. End Jack''s preliminary trials early by turning over or killing Chela. Success: 5000XP, increased relationship with the S9, increased relationship with Jack Slash, decreased relationship with Chela Sanchez, Now Recruiting Part Two: Taking the finals. Failure: Decreased relationship with the S9, decreased relationship with Jack Slash, Flaw: Wanted by the S9 This quest cannot be declined.
Chela? The fuck? This is bullshit. "¡­you all can square off again like last time, I''ll arbitrate." Jack says, talking to the others. Fuck, I didn''t catch everything they''re saying, Mini-map shows I''m surrounded, where the fuck is Hatchet Face though? Shit right there, I still can''t see him on my map, he still has an incomplete tag. Where do I try to escape? Debris is on all sides, maybe try to climb up that slope. "¡­oh poo, I wanted to go early. Can you guys try to keep him alive? I want to play with him again. At least don''t destroy his brain." Riley pleads to some of the other members as five meat puppets walk up behind her. Observe, observe, observe, observe, observe, oh thank god none of them are Chela''s parents. They don''t know I know about trackers do they? "¡­well you heard the little lady..." Jack remarks. "..nah prahm-issos¡­ he''z gah-ing¡­ tah pay¡­ fahr what¡­ he did¡­ tah¡­ fuck!" Shatterbird slurs through a bandaged face, then flips Mannequin off with her unslung hand. Shit, she is up again already? Are they¡­ they''re playing rock, paper, scissors over who gets to go at me first? Fuck me. "..Looks like Jason''s up first." "OH FUCK NOT AGAIN!" I yell as notifications fire off and my HUD flickers and I scramble up the slope of debris as Hatchet Face starts running toward me with that fucking machete. I crest the top of the debris pile, and a blue oval pops into existence on its side in the air below me on the other side of the pile. <"Simon! Jump!"> I hear Chela yell, her voice coming from somewhere within the portal. I leap toward it. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 19 (82.76%) XP: 35462 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (-1.00) 10.00 (60.66%) AGI: 9 (-2.00) 7.00 (18.54%) CON: 52 (-4.00) 48.00 (95.38%) INT: 30 (-1.00) 29.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (-1.00) 11.00 (30.27%) WIS: 22 (-1.00) 21.00 (30.73%) CHA: 14 (+0.00) 14.00 (0.00%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (64.34%) Unspent Points: 7 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 772/2112 Stamina Pool: 1189/1189 Mana Pool: 6762/7125 Stress Pool: 453/520 Attack: 11.00 Speed: 2.73 Dodge: 12.76 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 100.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Fractured Ribs: STR -1.00 AGI -1.50 CON -3.00 Bruised Organs x4: AGI -0.50 CON -1.00 Mild Concussion: INT -1.00 PER -1.00 WIS -1.00 Infection: Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite: Skills Max Slots: 59 Free Skill Slots: 18 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 12 (40.18%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Corrosive): 2 (36.64%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 3 (24.35%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 3 (42.34%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 6 (44.98%) Disable Device: 12 (2.45%) Disease Resistance: 7 (36.65%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 20 (15.75%) Empathy: 13 (0.54%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (0.00%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (30.76%) Null Resistance: 10 (74.55%) Observe: 23 (18.96%) Parahuman Lore: 10 (15.53%) Power Strike: 10 (8.07%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (10.45%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 11 (0.00%) Stealth: 12 (38.22%) Strategy: 5 (38.54%) Thievery: 11 (12.42%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (4.97%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Fast Recovery: x4 HP and Stamina regeneration speed (Free at 50 CON) Toughness: Bonus HP per level increased by 50% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.1 Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.1 I fall through the portal feet first and feel the strange shift in gravity after I pass though and find myself in mid-air, my back parallel to a rooftop instead of perpendicular to the ground a moment ago. I fall both forward and down and hit the rooftop on my butt as I skid away from the portal. I hear the tell-tale tinkling of Chela''s portal closing. Instantly my HUD stops flicking and a sense of calm comes back over me as Gamer''s Mind reasserts itself. Fuck. "Notifications." I rapidly dismiss all the spam from Hatchet Face''s nerfing aura while I stand up and look for Chela. Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 Good. I fucking need more of those. <"Si-mon!"> Chela says, trying not to yell too loud, her voice shaky. Chela is some dozen feet away huddled behind a roof vent structure. Her arms are wrapped tight around herself, and she''s shaking like a leaf. I rush over to her and just hold her. <"I''m here, thank you, thank you. You saved me."> I whisper. She doesn''t respond, just sobs quietly. I keep an eye on my mini-map, they''re all converging. What happened to one at a time? Fucking cheaters. I don''t have much time. Chela feels cold, and is bleeding from several cuts. Shit, its night time in February, in the western parts of Virginia, rather close to the Appalachians. It''s probably below freezing right now, and I can''t even tell because of All-Weather Friend. <"Wear these"> I pull a shirt, my hat and my scarf out of my inventory, and help her put them on. Keep her focused and occupied. We don''t have much time. I quickly equip my last pair of shoes, one set of clothing in my inventory, and the last remnants of my costume which is down to the hockey helmet, goggles and a freaking cup. "Observe"
Name: Chela S¨¢nchez Level: ?? Alias: None Gender: Female Age: 14 Ethnicity: Hispanic Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenager / Traumatized Orphan Faction: None STR: 8 (-1.15) 6.85 AGI: 11 (-1.15) 9.85 CON: 15 (-2.15) 12.85 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 16 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 13 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 3.0 Armor: 0.08 Speed: 2.83 (+0) 2.83 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 156/230 Stamina: 132/260 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Chela is a 14 year old Hispanic immigrant from Yucatan, Mexico... ... Status Effects: Mental: Near Your Breaking Point, Extreme Anxiety, Severe Shock, Conflict Seeking, ... Physical: Bruises x14, Lacerations x11, First Degree burn x5, Second Degree Burn x2, Sprained Left Wrist, Teenage Acne, Mild vitamin deficiency, Very Chilled, Infection: Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite, ... Currently Feeling: Terrorized, Hopeless, Grief-Stricken, ... Motivations: Survive, Flee Power Summary: Primary 1: Portal Creation (Active), Enhanced Awareness [Spatial, Temporal, Dimensional] (Passive) Secondary 1: Danger Sense (Passive), Shard Sense (Passive) Secondary 2: Exothermic-Endothermic Pyrolysis Manipulation (Active), Exothermic-Endothermic Pyrolysis Resistance (Passive) Secondary 3: Adaptive Hacking Self (Active/Passive), Adaptive Self Improvement (Active) Equipment list: Torn and Bloody Blue Jeans, Ripped and Bloody Long-sleeve Shirt, Dirty Sneakers, Scarf, Wool Hat, Too Large Flannel Button Shirt, ...
Damn, that''s more than I thought. I didn''t even have time to read that before. What will the others I skipped say? I glance at my mini-map again, I still don''t have time, they''re getting closer. <"Chela, we need a Portal again, it''s the only way we can escape. As far away from here as you can get it."> She''s still barely responsive. <"Chela, look at me. Survive. We have to survive. A portal, whatever you can manage, can you do it again?"> <"Tired, tiring¡­ too many, so far, too dark, can''t see, we have to hide."> <"We can''t hide Chela. They can find us, Crawler can smell us. We have to move, constantly."> I say as I move her toward the edge of the roof opposite where my mini-map shows the nine approaching from. I gaze out into the darkness, well not dark for me, and spot another flat top roof in the distance away from where the nine are vectoring. There''s very few multi-story building in this rural town, even fewer with flat roofs we can stand on. We''ll have to move to the ground after this. I pull the flashlight out of my inventory again, and shine it toward the building. <"You said you have to see where you open them before, can you see that building over there with the flat roof?"> She shakes her head no. <"Calm yourself, dry your eyes, try again, hold the flashlight."> Her wounds need to be treated, but I can''t even try until we gain more distance and a chance to catch our breath. <"I think I see it now, yes."> <"Can you make a portal to there?"> <"Not¡­ not yet, further is harder, and I''m so tired."> <"How much more time do you need?"> I say as the building shakes. Fuck, Crawler and Siberian are already here. Crawler moves a lot faster than I thought he would. Are they going to wreck the building again? <"If you can''t make a portal out that far, do whatever is closest in the direction."> Shatterbird is in the air again, lagging behind. She yells something unintelligible. <"I need a few more seconds, they''re coming¡­"> Chela says softly They''re not wrecking the building, but some crunching sound is coming from the opposite wall. Crawlers next to the wall according to the map, Siberian is just standing off to the side, why? "Alleyoop!" I hear Crawler yell in his rumbling bass, as some shape goes flying up into the air and crashes hard into the roof. Fuck, it''s Hatchet Face. <"I can''t sense him!"> Chela screams. <"Portal Now!"> Hatchet Face peels himself up from the massive dent he made in the roof and stands up while I back the fuck up, and bring up my inventory screen. <"Done! Go now!"> Chela yells, I turn and follow her through the blue oval. My HUD flickers only once before the portal collapses. <"Did you close the portal or did it close on its own?"> We were on the roof of that far building I had pointed out to her. Chela is still crying. <"Chela please answer, it''s important."> <"I tried to close it but couldn''t until I moved further away."> So she still closed it, but Hatchet Face''s nerfing aura could stretch through the portal. It had to be that way if she couldn''t close it and my HUD flickers after I was already through. I keep an eye on the building we just left. <"You can sense them, but you can''t sense Hatchet Face? How do you sense them?"> I watch as a shape jumps off the edge of the roof, hits the ground, then gets up and starts moving in our direction again. <"Actually, tell me later, make a portal to the ground in that direction."> We have to get more distance, and get out of the town, presuming we make it to Shatterbird''s turn. Crawler also might have a harder time running through trees. A shorter hop through another portal and we''re on the street. We start running. I''m not getting tired; my stamina is apparently ridiculous now. Chela is rapidly getting exhausted. <"As soon as you can make another portal, do so."> I urge her on, despite protests. Another portal hop and we jump ahead 100 something yards further northward, away from the nine. The portals close and Chela collapses. <"Are you okay?"> I ask, while I do what little first aid on her that I can. We don''t have food or water. I don''t have a first aid kit. <"I can''t keep going, just leave me."> Chela says between heavy breaths and sobs. She is not crying anymore, but it''s probably because there is nothing left to cry with. I do a quick Observe, her Stamina is zero. I check my quest; it''s only been six minutes? Fuck. Still the nine are pretty far according to my map, but Crawler, Siberian, Burnscar, and Shatterbird are still vectoring towards us. We''re exposed here. Not being able to see Hatchet Face means he can sneak up on us, but I have no reason to think he is faster than Crawler, Sibby, or Shatterbird. <"I''m not going to leave you. Catch your breath and tell me how you can sense them."> I don''t have any weapons, but I can use my smartphone repair tools and my multi-tool to prepare bandages and try to get this wrist cuff off her. <"I don''t know..."> Chela manages to say after several moments. <"How many can you sense? Do you know their locations? Anything? Describe it in whatever way makes sense to you."> I ask her as I fiddle with her wrist shackle. It makes a satisfying click, pops open, and I inventory it. <"There''s eight. I know how far away they are and in what direction. They all have a certain kind of flavor, no frequency? Some are similar to each other."> <"Eight? You''re not counting Hatchet Face in that are you?"> She looks at me confused. <"Hatchet Face is the one you couldn''t sense, that landed on the roof."> She shakes her head no. That makes nine with Hatchet Face, who the fuck is the ninth? <"Do you need to see them to sense them?"> She shakes her head no again. Good. Is this part of her Enhanced Awareness, Danger Sense, Shard Sense or something else? That''s not the first time my power has used the word ''shard'' to describe something. It used it in the ''Shard Connection Hack'' weirdness I had with Julia. It used it in those weird notification messages I saw earlier, and it reminds me¡­ of that fucking trippy dream or hallucination I had when Chela triggered. It''s something important. <"How precisely do you know far away they are?"> <"The closest one is exactly 143.7 meters from us, 13.5 degrees east of due south. Now 140, 136¡­"> <"Okay, that''s very precise. Tell me the moment anyone you can sense gets less than 100 meters from us."> I say as I start cutting up a formally fancy silk shirt from my inventory into bandages. My own ribs are aching from Hatchet Face''s pimp slap. The adrenaline must be wearing off. <"According to my map the closest one is Crawler."> <"What Map? What''s a Crawler?"> <"I have my own sense that tells me the closest one is the Giant Monster."> Chela starts shaking again at the mention. <"All right, that''s a good reason to move again isn''t it? Can you do another Portal now?"> She reluctantly nods her head. <"Let''s keep going north, the opposite from where they are coming from."> Another portal hop and we''re in the woods. Chela is shivering. Maybe this isn''t the best idea, but what the hell else can I do? I can see, but Chela can''t. The tree and ground cover is thick, it''s dark and her power relies on sight. I bandage Chela''s cuts up as best as I can, but I feel like it''s a shit job. <"Can you tell the ones you sense apart? You said they were similar, in what way?"> <"I can only tell which is which when I can see them, except for the cat-lady. She''s different from all the others. Her frequency isn''t¡­ in tune¡­ with everything else. Also the flying lady that ki¡­"> Chela''s breath hitches and I wait for her to compose herself again. <"She is different than all the others, but has the same frequency as the one I haven''t seen yet."> <"Shatterbird. The one you haven''t seen?"> <"That one stays far away from the rest, sometimes I think it goes out of my range? Then later it comes back in. I can''t sense it right now."> Why is Shatterbird different and who''s hanging back? Maybe another Parahuman that''s hiding? But if they''re hiding why bother to keep up? Maybe a hero tracking the nine? We could really use some help right now. I need to read the rest of those Observe reports. But also need to kill these fucking bugs. I take this chance to examine the wound on her back where the parasite is hiding. How can I kill this thing? More use of Observe tells me it''s under the small bump on her back next to the entry wound. I press my thumb down on it. " Chela screams her head off after I press down. <"I''m sorry, sorry"> I say as I try to calm her down. Fuck Crawler definitely heard that. Shit, she lost a few HP too. She reaches to the spot on her back that I pushed, then screams and recoils her hand again. Well that method isn''t going to work. <"They heard the scream Chela, we have to move again."> <"I''m so tired, I hurt so much."> <"Your father told you to survive. Do whatever you have to, to survive."> More coaxing and we stumble through a portal again. Chela is getting banged and scratched up even more on the undergrowth. <"You were saying something about how you could sense me, how is mine different?"> I ask her as I guide her steps through the brush. I constantly check my map, to adjust our course away from the fuckers trying to box us in. We''re not going north anymore. <"Your frequency is similar to Shatterbird''s and the far one, but not quite the same. Also, you have two frequencies. Your other frequency isn''t like any of the others."> <"Do you have a frequency? Can you sense yourself?"> Chela nods her head. <"Mine is like Crawler''s, the robot man''s, the blonde girl''s, the burning girl, and Ja¡­"> She pauses again, choking back a sob. <"All the ones that aren''t you, Shatterbird, Siberian or the one not in my range, oh wait, its back in range again."> Bonesaw thought I had two gemma''s, but said it''s impossible. As fascinating as this is, it doesn''t solve the problem of immediate survival. <"Portal, again, that way, as far as you can see."> I check my quest again. How has it only been 18 minutes? Damn it. We step through and I catch Chela as she nearly falls over. I recheck her with Observe, we can''t keep this up. We''re heading west again, not the direction I was originally aiming for, but Burnscar keeps lobbing fireballs and teleporting to them to jump around, while Shatterbird tracks overheard. The bright orange and blue light from the portals is a dead giveaway in the surrounding darkness whenever we use them. What are they doing? They know where we are; at least I have to assume they do with both those trackers still in us. I need to check them again. I open my inventory and look at the parasite corpse. "Inventory Bonesaw''s tracking parasite" I pass my window over the lump in my back. Cannot Inventory a living creature Fuck. That still won''t work. I even double checked against the wording of the dead one. The wording had to have been correct or it would have said ''invalid target''. <"I need to rest"> Chela says as I help her lean up against a tree. <"I know, but just 15 seconds. Can you keep monitoring their distances?"> Something isn''t right. Maybe they are still doing the trials one at a time, or we should have been zerg rushed already. Hatchet Face can''t keep up with our portal hops, that''s why Crawler threw him onto the roof. If he ever gets close enough to use his nerf aura to block Chela we''re fucked, but I can''t fucking see him. <"I''m so cold"> Chela mumbles.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. <"We have to keep moving, come on,"> I say as I help her up again. The ground is wet and I hear water running from somewhere as we stumble into a clearing. I think it''s actually gotten darker. I look up, the clouds look thicker. Shatterbird isn''t overhead yet but she''ll spot us again if we don''t get back under the trees. They have to be communicating somehow to coordinate their movements. That''s what I would do. I thought Burnscar''s fire would have made a mess by now, but she must be holding back. Plus in my map the meat puppets keep visiting the spots she teleports away from. Chela has passed out, she just fell down in the damp ground, I only diverted my attention for a few seconds. <"Chela wake up. You can''t do that here"> I drag her back into the trees as she attempts to stand, her hands are icy. <"Back in town, you made the bonfire flare up didn''t you? And you put the fires out afterward? Can you make a fire to warm yourself?"> I ask her as we continue to move. <"No, I don''t think so. I don''t know what¡­"> If my Observe info isn''t lying, she can do something, though it did say manipulation and not creation. <"Never mind. That might actually be a bad idea if Burnscar can jump to it like she''s been doing with her own blazes."> What the fuck are the meat puppets doing? I need more information <"Chela, listen very carefully. Don''t faint or fall asleep. Monitor their distance, if they get less than 120 meters from us, hit me on the arm hard. I''m going to do something and I don''t know how well I''ll hear you. Do you understand?"> Chela only stares vacantly ahead. <"Do you understand?"> I ask again, shaking her. <"Yes, yes¡­"> she whispers hoarsely. <"What are you going to do?"> I ask, to make sure. <"Hit you if they are less than 120 meters away"> I switch to free camera mode and shoot straight up to my maximum range. I keep my map in view. I can see Shatterbird, holding something with her unslung arm. I use the camera zoom, is that a walkie-talkie? I check on the grouping of meat puppets. They''re putting out Burnscar''s fires? Crawler, Burnscar, Shatterbird and Mannequin, they''re around us on three sides, south, north and east. The Siberian is lagging behind. Jack and Bonesaw are together on the fringes to the southeast. What''s west? Forest covered mountains. I feel a sharp pain in my arm, and switch back to normal camera mode. <"One is less than 120 meters, due east."> <"Okay, can you get a portal again?"> I whisper, something feels off. <"I''m still so tired, so hard to see, the trees are thick."> Chela whispers back. We run and climb up slanted ground through a rough game trail westwards, I have to guide Chela over all the obstacles, and then she pulls me to the side suddenly off the trail. <"Wha¡ª"> I hear the noise before I finish the question, as a deer comes bounding down the trail past where we were at, spooked and running off towards the way we came. Wait, what made the deer run towards us? <"This way off the trail, north again."> <"But Shatterbird and the teleporting one are that way"> <"They''re herding us. They want us to go west."> Why? There is smoke in the air, making visibility even worse; we''re closer to Burnscar''s fires. We end up going northwest anyway to avoid them. It''s been a while since we did a portal, I check the time, it¡¯s been 21 minutes. They''ll do something soon. <"Hit me again at 90 meters, 50 for Shatterbird, she''s already too close."> I dive into free camera mode again, zooming west through the trees along the ground watching, and listening. It''s actually faster than walking through this rough terrain. I hear a loud snap, and turn the camera towards it. Fuck me, there you are Hatchet Face, you machete wielding freak. There''s no HUD flicker, his aura isn''t affecting me even though my camera is close. What the hell is on your head? "Observe" Damn, I still get nothing but a headache and errors. Wait, don''t target him. "Observe"
PSV Mark II Night Vision Goggles Made by ATN Optics, This second generation set of night optics is head and helmet mounted, and eliminates the visible light generation point for better stealth work. It uses 6 AA batteries. It lets you see in the dark, duh. Beware of dazzling lights. Formerly owned by yet another hero named Phantom, these goggles have seen better days. They survived a blow from Hatchet Face, but Phantom''s skull didn''t. Hatchet Face cleaned them up and claimed them for his own. Item Durability: 6/10 (Semi-Hardened) Remaining Battery Life: 63 minutes Armor Rating: 0.4 (Eyes 100%, Head 25%) Item is stolen
Damn it, when the fuck did he have time to put those on? I''ve seen enough, he''s too close and they are herding us to him. I turn off my free camera, and help Chela up again. <"Hatchet Face is coming, we need to go now."> Her breathing is raspy, so is mine. The smoke has gotten worse. <"I can do a portal but it won''t go far it''s too hard to see far."> <"I think that''s their idea."> I say as we run through the woods again, still unavoidably veering northwest. This isn''t going to keep working. I come to an abrupt stop, and grab Chela, halting her momentum as we come right up to a hidden embankment that drops off sharply down to a rushing river well below us. Even with my visual settings cheat I could barely see that. <"Damn, can you see across?"> I ask I lead her down the bank looking for a place not so dangerously steep. <"No, not very well"> <"Make one anyway, anywhere, while you can. If he gets close you won''t be able to."> Chela squints, <"I can''t see, too many trees, too much smoke, it''s too dark. I can''t even see the moon or stars."> <"Then we go up, get a better vantage point"> I look up to the top of a tall tree we are partially under. She nods and the blue and orange portals appear. A vague familiar d¨¦j¨¤ vu feeling washes over me as I take note of their shape and color, but I can''t dwell on it. I have to try and do something to solve our situation. <"Close them"> I say after I watch Chela step though onto a large branch and cling to the trunk. <"What?> She asks, but I move away. <"Just survive"> <"What? What are you doing?"> Chela says as I walk away. I hear the tinkling sound a moment later as I move west to find Hatchet Face. What was that Jack said about him? He wanted to pop my head like a melon, and that he''s as dumb as an ox? I activate stealth, make my way back and start counting out my steps. "Hey vomit face!" Hatchet Face turns around, too far to affect me yet. "Where''s your fucking hockey mask to go with that machete? I bet your mama couldn''t even love a mug like that, Jason. Go whack off to some teenage crystal lake cabin campers." I step out into view and flip him off. He turns and looks at me. Wait, my stealth eye doesn''t detect his observation either? What the fuck is up with him. My stealth breaks anyway and he charges at me. Fuck, I got agro, hard. I turn and run as fast as I ever have before. Steady count, backwards. 37, 36, 35, don''t trip on those tree roots I passed, 28, 27, 26, between the two skinny trees. My HUD flickers, he''s gaining on me "I''m gonna slice yer face off!" Ok fuck I''ve lost count. Oh GOD WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA¡­. My HUD is back, calm returns, shit this way, this way, back on the right path. Fuck flickering again. Fuck I catch myself, nearly falling off. I turn around as my HUD flickers again. I shine my flashlight right at his face, hopefully blinding his fucking goggles. "Why? You gonna wear it? Cause even dead meat will look better than yours!" Just stand my ground, the embankment is behind me. El Toro is charging me down, jump down out of the way and grab the bush to not fall yourself... OH GOD, FUCK ME THIS WAS---" A blast of cold air hits me as an oval portal opens up right in front of Hatchet Face, I hear him scream and suddenly my HUD and everything else is back. Gamer''s mind reasserts itself. I peer through the portal. I see nothing but dark sky and feel very cold air. That wasn''t what I expected to happen. I walk around to the other side, and feel more cold air. I see a wide dark blue line between dark green spaces. Wavering orange dots flicker with light in the green space on one side of the wide blue line. <"Don''t go through, step away."> I hear Chela call out from in the tree above me. I step back and notice that several notifications have fired off. I pull one of Bonesaw''s neutered spider bots out of inventory and toss it through. I watch it ''fall'' away from me. <"Holy shit, where did you send him? I was going to try and make him fall into the river."> Rather than answer, she closes the portals. I''m breathing hard, even with my ridiculous stamina, that run for my life took the breath out of me. Again I dismiss all of Hatchet Faces nerfing messages, and read the good stuff, while several new notifications get added to the list. Your Null Resistance skill has increased by 1 Your Athletics skill has increased by 1 Error calculating level of Hatchet Face, defaulting to 500. +1925 XP for assisting in defeat of Hatchet Face You have gained an Achievement: Assisted Parahuman defeat: Hatchet Face You have gained a level! You are now level 20. +275 XP for destroying Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider Wait, why the fuck was Hatchet Face so low if it defaulted to 500? Fuck not important right now. A new portal appears horizontally on its side about five feet off the ground. I look up and see a matching one at the top of the tree. Chela jumps though, descending most of the height of the tall tree in less than a six foot jump. She lands and falls onto the ground. The portal closes a second later. <"I sent him 647.5 meters into the air"> She says and I help her up again. <"Well I guess that works too. Damn, he fell that far? He''s still alive though"> <"What? How?"> <"He''s a brute, that fall didn''t kill him."> If it had, the notification would have said ¡®killed¡¯ not ¡®defeated¡¯. <"I don''t think we''ll see him again, though"> I watch as my quest timer ticks past the first 30 minute mark. +660 XP, Quest Timed Missions Suck, 2 of 8 members evaded. <"Let''s get out of here before we find out who they''re sending next. Can you get us over the river?"> <"I need more time,"> Chela responds. I guide her down the bank, and support her so she doesn''t fall. <"But you''re getting faster aren''t you?"> I can''t tell if she nodded her head or not, but we reach the water''s edge and she opens a portal connecting the banks, and step through, warping to the other side of the river. I glance at my mini-map, and look over at the fireball that just landed on the far bank. <"Fuck Burnscar''s on the far bank we just le¡ª"> Chela tackles me into the sand, and we fall into the freezing water -12 HP [Concussive Damage] -42 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) For testing the limits of your endurance and vitality, you have gained 1 CON <"She''s teleporting!"> Chela screams A second later, I hear a ¡®POIT¡¯ as I stand up. Burnscar appears in the middle of the fireball remnants that she just launched at us on the river bank, a mere thirty feet away. Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 20 (56.97%) XP: 38322 Primary Attributes STR: 11 (-1.00) 10.00 (60.66%) AGI: 9 (-2.00) 7.00 (71.78%) CON: 53 (-4.00) 49.00 (0.58%) INT: 30 (-1.00) 29.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (-1.00) 11.00 (31.37%) WIS: 22 (-1.00) 21.00 (33.07%) CHA: 14 (+0.00) 14.00 (0.00%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (71.23%) Unspent Points: 11 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 921/2230 Stamina Pool: 955/1240 Mana Pool: 7194/7500 Stress Pool: 451/520 Attack: 11.00 Speed: 2.73 Dodge: 12.87 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 100.00 Allure: 3 (+0.50) 3.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Fractured Ribs: STR -1.00 AGI -1.50 CON -3.00 Bruised Organs x4: AGI -0.50 CON -1.00 Mild Concussion: INT -1.00 PER -1.00 WIS -1.00 Infection: Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite: Skills Max Slots: 60 Free Skill Slots: 19 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 13 (6.23%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Corrosive): 2 (36.64%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 3 (24.35%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 3 (54.40%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 6 (44.98%) Disable Device: 12 (4.87%) Disease Resistance: 7 (42.81%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 20 (18.42%) Empathy: 13 (0.54%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (0.00%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (30.76%) Null Resistance: 12 (29.76%) Observe: 23 (19.50%) Parahuman Lore: 10 (27.85%) Power Strike: 10 (8.07%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (12.61%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 11 (0.83%) Stealth: 12 (85.76%) Strategy: 5 (43.61%) Thievery: 11 (12.42%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (4.97%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Fast Recovery: x4 HP and Stamina regeneration speed (Free at 50 CON) Toughness: Bonus HP per level increased by 50% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Book I: Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.2 Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.2 I immediately charge her, "Power Strike", and miss as she teleports away again. Fuck, now the grass and other vegetation is on fire. Chela is screaming. -18 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) There goes my shirt again as the flames around us die down and wink out. Chela is still half in the water, I see Burnscar on the opposite bank when several more fireballs get lobbed at us. I rush back over to her and we dive under the water as an unopened portal materializes above us. And what the fuck, is that battle music playing? Now''s really not the time for that. The water shields us from the eruption of flame that happens all around us. Our heads are just above the water, even though we''re crouched. Several fireballs impact the portal shield and bounce off. I can feel the cold of the water and the heat in the air coming between the gap between the water surface and the bottom of the shield we''re hiding under. <"Can you use her flames against her?"> <"I¡­ tried¡­ her¡­ con¡­ trol... too¡­ strong¡­"> Chela stutters as she shivers. <"Do you have to open the portal once you''ve made one half or can you dismiss this without doing so?"> I gesture to the shield and shout to her. <"Chela, tell me!"> It takes precious seconds to get an answer out of her but she shakes her head no. <"What about underwater? Can you make one underwater if you can see?"> <"I¡­think¡­so¡­"> I get up close and speak into her ear. <"When she stops firebombing us, dismiss this, look immediately and find any spot upstream on the ground that you can see that''s beyond the flames, and open one there, take a deep breath and dive back down. Open one underwater close to us but downstream of us. After we''re both pushed through with the torrent, close it immediately."> I sure hope ''she thinks so'' is accurate. I pull my flashlight out of inventory again, but it might not be needed with enough flames giving light. We wait for the bombardment to let up. <"Are you ready?"> Chela nods. We take a deep breath and the portal shield above us winks out. Chela stands up and looks, then dives under the water again before me. -12 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -10 HP [Concussive Damage] I move too fucking slowly. The portal apparently opened because I''m sucked through along with a massive torrent of water and we wash out onto the ground elsewhere completely drenched with freezing water. A few seconds later Chela manages to close the thing and the torrent stops. I stand up and rush over to her, she is shaking uncontrollably. I notice despite whatever pyro power she has, the scarf I gave her is burned and the hat is missing. She''s either going to burn to death or freeze to death. At least the ground is so thoroughly soaked that Burnscar lighting a fire on it will be difficult. Or might be difficult, her power might not care how wet something is. I steal a glance at my mini-map. Burnscar and Shatterbird are closest. The Siberian isn''t even on my map currently, while Jack, Crawler and Mannequin are clustered together? Where''s Bonesaw and her puppets? Running off to the edge? Away from us so that''s good, but why? Where did Hatchet Face fall? I can''t tell. <"Come on, get to your feet, we have to keep moving"> I force Chela to stand up and move. I keep an eye on my map, Shatterbird has been consistently tracking us even though portal hops. Is it via the tracking bug or something else? I Observe Chela again, ''Minor Hypothermia'' great, fucking ironic. I minimize the window to keep it handy. She''ll need dry clothes if we can get anywhere. I brush off some of the wet dirt and sand stick--- Fuck. "Inventory sand, inventory sand particles" I hug Chela tight and pass my window over the both of us. I don''t know if it did anything to get all of what''s sticking to her but it should have gotten anything also touching me. She doesn''t protest, still shivering. Chela pushes me down again as more fireballs fly overhead and a nearby tree bursts into flames. We try running but a wall of flame sprouts up in front of us. <"Look out!"> Chela yells as she dives out of the way, but again I''m not fast enough. -45 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -21 HP [Concussive Damage] A fireball clips me on the back and knocks me over separating us. -10 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) We''re both on fire but Chela''s winks out, her hair and clothes are half burnt off. Fuck I still have flames on me. I roll on the wet ground even though the HP doesn''t drop anymore. Then it all winks out again. "Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!" Burnscar yells from the top of a flaming tree. We''re surrounded by fire on all sides in a large ring. As soon as I hear the POIT from nearby I charge at her again, "Power Strike" another miss as she teleports away at the last second. Fuck, all I hit is her empty wall of flame. -8 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) Three more times I try to power strike her and only end up with a burnt up arm. -7 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) x3 <"Simon! Punch through the Portal when it opens!"> Chela screams at me, she''s standing in the only unburnt patch of ground, as I realize I''m standing in low sputtering flames. So much for the wet ground doing much. <"Okay!"> I yell back, might as well make it hurt, "Inventory." An unopened portal appears next to me, and I get ready, it opens and I see Burnscar''s surprised face inside a wall of flame. "Power Strike!" -98 HP, Backstab, Critical Hit! -25 HP [Corrosive Damage] -45 HP [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) -1 HP [Corrosive Damage] (4 Resisted) I stab Burnscar right in the face with Bonesaw''s poisonous spiderbot. She screams, gurgles and crumples to the ground. Shit my arm and torso are on fire, again. I drop the sizzling, broken bot and retract my arm as the flames suddenly intensify. -13 [Fire Damage] (6 Resisted) Fuck! Why am I always on fire? The portal closes, but I can hear Mimi still screaming and gurgling in the fire wall surrounding the 30 something foot radius of no fire zone Chela has somehow managed to create around herself. -3 [Fire Damage] (8 Resisted) I move back towards Chela and the fire on me winks out. Suddenly the whole fire wall surrounding us sharply reduces in height, as Burnscar starts screaming¡­less. She is still inside the middle of a nasty inferno though. I''m not going to wade through that again. <"Now''s the chance for us to move, Chela!"> I yell at her as she''s watching Burnscar. <"Chela? Come on, we need to go."> Chela ignores me, and just looks up at the sky and opens a portal over Burnscar''s raging pyre. Then she looks to the river. Oh fuck¡­ <"DROWN YOU BITCH!!"> She screams, and the portal opens. A raging torrent of water falls, dousing the inferno and Burnscar with it, the weight of it driving her into the ground. I grab Chela by the arms and drag her away from the rising tide of freezing water suddenly extinguishing everything and washing up well past our ankles. ****? "Observe." Fuck Chela is unconscious but her Portal is still open? She has minor hypothermia still, but the timer has improved. I guess she got a little warmer. I drag her away from the morass of washed out ground her localized rainstorm is eroding out of the clearing. At least nothing is on fire anymore. I can''t see Burnscar anymore. We were not too far from the riverbank, so the torrent quickly found its way back into the river in seconds. I glance at my mini-map again, Shatterbird retreated? Was she caught in the torrent, or did it just interfere with her flying or whatever? I''ll take what I can get. I make several window passes over myself and Chela to inventory any bits of sand or glass on us just in case. I observe the icon representing the glass bits and the sand in my inventory. The mass of glass hasn''t changed, but the sand has gone up, even if minutely. Burnscar isn''t a risk anymore. I need to find a place quickly to get Chela warm. "Fuck!" I scream as I trip in my haste. I shield Chela from my fall. My own scrapes don''t get past my resistances. They''re too far away to hear that right? There''s a building beyond the edge of the woods. It''s still far, but I can''t keep doing this. If it weren''t for Gamer''s body I''d have twisted my ankle. "Status" I''m level 21 now? I''ve got 15 unspent points, fuck the quest, stop being stupid. +5 STR, +6 AGI, +4 CON, which only nets me an actual +2 because CON is already so high. A notification fires, and I ignore like I''ve been ignoring all the others. Oh man, that feels weird. My ruined shirt falls off and, holy shit I''m not a beanpole anymore! I¡­don''t have time to think about that. I lift Chela up with my new found strength and bridal carry her through the trees. I breach the trees and semi-run up to the building, but it''s surrounded by a fence. What the fuck is this place? I put Chela down and pick the padlock on the gate, then carry her further inside. It''s a medium sized building; a gravel road leads up to a large metal shed with a roll-up garage door and a small door on the side. Another path leads to a smaller attached building and another door. It''s definitely not a residence, no lights on. Banging on the doors get me nothing, fuck. Break in or get Chela warm first? <"Chela, Chela? Wake up."> She is shivering badly but comes to. She has to get out of her soaked, ruined clothes. <"Wh¡­wh¡­where, ar¡­are we?"> she asks. <"I don''t know, you need to get warm immediately, you''re getting hypothermia."> I answer her as I pull out my chemistry textbook and a lighter and set it ablaze, throwing my discarded ruined clothes on it as well. Chela recoils and extinguishes the flames with her power. <"The T¡­.t¡­.el¡­.p¡­por¡­ter!"> Mimi isn''t on the mini-map and hasn''t been. I run through my notifications just to make sure. For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Damage Resistance (Sonic & Concussive)'' skill Mimi Willow has gone from stranger to annoyance Mimi Willow has gone from annoyance to enemy Your Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat) has increased by 1 +275 XP for destroying Bonesaw''s Mechanical Spider +1732 XP, +3 Fire Affinity for assisting in killing Burnscar You have gained an Achievement: Assisted Parahuman death: Burnscar You have gained a level! You are now level 21. Mimi Willow has been removed from your relationship sheet Quest: ''Get in Shape!'' has failed. You have gained the flaw: ''You still look like a Wuss'' <"She can''t, she''s dead. It''s safe."> I say as I click yes to another damage resistance skill. Chela throws up as I light the book and clothes back on fire. <"Did¡­I¡­kill¡­"> Chela manages to stutter out. <"I stabbed her in the face with Bonesaw''s poisoned spider bot, I don''t think the river you dropped on her would have changed the final outcome, but it helped. Shit, is your portal still on?"> Chela''s eyes widen and she looks in the direction of the forest. <"What is it?"> She just shakes her head. <"P¡­p¡­portal''s¡­off"> <"You turned it off? Or it went off on its own?"> I ask as I keep reading my screens. A wuss flaw? Really? Fuck you too then. <"I¡­t¡­turned¡­it..off"> I glanced at my quest timer, 12 minutes into Burnscar''s turn. Will the next one start early or will we get a break? It wasn''t the full 12 minutes, but that''s a long time to have had the portal open, especially since for some of that she was unconscious. She doesn''t need to see them to turn them off either. Chela was still staring vacantly and shaking, looking even paler than a moment ago. <"They''re trying to kill us. If you see an opportunity to take them out, do it, don''t hesitate. Don''t feel bad about it, they''re monsters. How did you know where she was going to teleport to anyway?"> <"Th..there''s¡­weird¡­space...something¡­ap..appears¡­b¡­before¡­she¡­arrives¡­"> Hmm, part of her spatial sense? I dress her into my last set of not-ruined clothes from my inventory. I have to cut the ends of the pant legs off and give her my only belt so she won''t trip. At least I have a couple spare pairs of pants left for myself. The shirts got used up as bandages. <"Get warmed up, but let me know if you sense any of them getting close."> Man, I wish I hadn''t sold that sleeping bag with the rest of the crap I pawned. Fuck, could I have used it earlier? Would that have worked? If it did, I didn''t have the strength. I wouldn''t have been able to run. Also my fault; I should have spent all the points sooner. I check my map again. Shatterbird is with Crawler, Jack and Mannequin. The Siberian, Bonesaw and her puppets are off the map. Worse case, I have to assume they went to collect Hatchet Face. Since that was the direction Bonesaw was heading towards when I last checked. The Siberian didn''t seem to be affected by Hatchet Face when I saw them standing near each other previously, nor did Crawler. Chela has flared up the meager fire to give off more heat, but it''s burning through the fuel faster. I''m not going back into the woods for firewood, and there''s nothing significant nearby. I need to get into the buildings and get these trackers out, no I need to contact help. I pull Fredrico''s phone out of my inventory again. Still no fucking signal! Not even any signal after running around the building holding it in the air. Wait, fuck? Can Shatterbird sense the glass and stuff in this thing moving around? I put it back into my inventory, and start picking the side door to the giant metal shed. What the fuck is this place anyway? I pull my lock picks out again, and get into the side door to the giant shed. I shine both visible and invisible flashlights into the giant metal shed. Large hooks hanging from the ceiling. A big stained apron hangs on the wall near the side door, there''s a narrow kind of fence structure with gates in the middle of the room leading to the roller door. Wait, why the fuck am I being dense right now? "Observe." Oh, you''ve got to be shitting me¡­
D.F. Wilson Slaughterhouse Built in the 1930''s the Wilson Slaughter house has been around for a while and has become a staple of this rural part of the area. While rather small compared to the mass meat market establishments, it served the needs of many small subsistence farmers in the area for several decades, until they too started disappearing and getting bought out. It earned enough to keep it going for several years serving as a haunted house during the eighties and early nineties, until people stopped thinking haunted houses were fun anymore due to Parahuman events. Despite its neglect and age, it has a freezer and facilities and is still used by the occasional local farmer, but more often by hunters to clean deer and wild boars taken from the surrounding national forest. It is closed for the winter, and currently lacks electrical power. Rooms: Killing Shed, Freezer, Front Office. Owners: Jerald Wilson Occupants: None Faction: None
"Oh, hell no. I mean really can you make this any worse?" I shout to the air, as I step out and close the door. <"Simon"> Chela says <"It''s snowing, and were running out of stuff to burn."> "Fuck you Murphy!" At least she''s not shivering anymore. I start picking the door to the front office. I break in and find a dusty desk and chair, a waste basket, a couple of old metal filing cabinets, and a wall adorned with antlers, and stuffed deer and boar heads. <"Chela, come inside, get out of the snow."> I break apart the chair for firewood, and rummage through the desk and cabinets but find nothing useful except crumbly old papers, they go into the fire we make inside an overturned file cabinet. The wastebasket is wooden, it gets burned too. <"Phone, there''s no phone? Why does this place not have a phone?">The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. <"It''s getting smokey."> Chela says, keeping near the door. <"Yeah just get warm then we go. We can''t stay, have to keep moving."> I check my map again. Shatterbird and Mannequin have moved, but aren''t vectoring on us, yet. <"Sense any new frequencies?"> I asked as I watch a portal pop in over the fire. <"What are you doing?"> <"Getting the smoke out"> <"Will they see it? Or will it let the snow in?"> She shakes her head. <"The other end is under the metal awning by the other part of the building."> I nod my head. <"Good idea, thinking straight right now is important. You''re a lot calmer than I expected you to be. Do you feel any different?"> When Chela triggered Jack got hit with something, he even said something about mistiming something. He asked the others if they were clear, Bonesaw said Burnscar was too close, but she was okay. Shatterbird said she was okay, the others didn''t say anything at all. They were expecting this. They were trying to trigger people on purpose. If someone triggers next to other Parahumans something happens. Something sure as fuck happen to me. It''s significant enough to make the S9 want to get the hell away from the person who is triggering. Just what the fuck was the light show that was over Chela head when it happened? <"I''m not, not really."> <"Care to explain?"> Her Observe window is still up. Mild Hypothermia was rapidly wearing off. Secondary Powers 1, 2 and 3. I know I got hit with something, and given those odd log messages... What did those represent? A notification fires off. <"No"> Chela says, going sullen again. Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1 Duh, really? Fine, smack me with the clue-bat, but I don''t have time to figure it out right now. I turn away from Chela so she can''t see what I''m about to do. "Inventory" I pull out the parasite corpse that crawled out of Chela''s father and camera zoom onto it. "Observe, observe, observe, observe¡­" It''s tinker-tech and it''s not entirely biological. Bonesaw doesn''t use just organic material. There are copper filaments, quartz crystals, transistors, epoxy, and nylon threads among other crap. Alright, ya little fucker. Can you live without your inorganic parts? "Inventory Copper filaments, inventory quartz crystals¡­" Oh fuck its squirming. Were those quartz crystals also letting Shatterbird track me? "Inventory transistors" -2 HP Ha! Take that. "Inventory epoxy¡­" -1 HP -0 HP (1 Resisted) You trying to bite me you little bastard? "Inventory nylon threads" I continue until everything not ''a living creature'' is dimensionally ripped out of the fucker. -1 HP Still not dead? I slam the bump on my back hard onto the corner of the desk. Chela jumps at the noise and is now watching me. -1 HP +13 XP for killing ''Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite'' Finally, "Inventory Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite" Invalid Inventory Target What? Oh fuck you too. "Inventory Corpse of Bonesaw''s Tracking Parasite" -3 HP (12 Resisted) "Ow damn it; the bastard still had a parting gift." Now how the fuck do I get it out of Chela? <"What are you doing Simon?"> <"I uh, just venting some of my frustrations"> <"You look different. Why are you not so skinny now?"> <"What? Oh.."> I shrug my shoulders. <"Powers, why can you make portals?"> Chela suddenly stands up, closes the portal and extinguishes the fire. <"What is it?"> <"They''re moving, one is moving very fast."> I glance at my mini-map. Mannequin and Shatterbird are both moving fast toward our position. Mannequin is moving even faster. Did they notice the loss of a tracker bug? <"Shit. Get ready to go."> I glance at the quest timer again, 6 minutes of Burnscar''s turn is left. Who goes after? Can''t spend time checking my FRAPS logs, it might tell me, wait Shatterbird lost to Mannequin that''s why she cursed at him. Is he next? Assume he''s next. How do I defeat him? I break the windows and inventory all the glass shards to deny Shatterbird ammo. They can track Chela, but presumably not me anymore, unless Crawler is around and he''s not, for now. They don''t know I have a mini-map. First, know your enemy. I pull up the cape database and look at the Observe snapshot I last made of Mannequin.
Name: Alan Gramme Level: ?? Alias: Mannequin, Sphere Gender: NA (Formerly Male) Age: 43, NA Ethnicity: NA (Formerly Caucasian) Race: Cyborg (Parahuman) Class: Villain Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 0 (+32) 32 AGI: 0 (+52) 52 CON: 2 (+15) 17 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 18 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 5 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 0.0 Armor: 45.0 Speed: 4.2 (+4.8) 9.0 Attack: ?? (??) ?? Dodge: ?? (??) ?? Health: 20/20 Stamina: NA Stress: ?? H/T/F: NA Summary Description: Alan Gramme was once a British architect and engineer working for the ESA. His career collapsed when it was determined that a system he designed had failed and resulted in the deaths of two astronauts in orbit, and would have resulted in the deaths of three more had the triumvirate not intervened. The long term pressure of determining the flaws and redesigning his systems caused him to trigger. Undeterred, Alan continued producing tinker-tech that would enable perfectly self-contained ecosystems and habitations that could allow people to escape the earth and begin their first forays into long term space habitation. Alan, now known as Sphere collaborated with the likes of String Theory (before she became infamous) and the original founders of Toybox to get several self-assembling modules launched to the lunar surface, which began the automated construction of a moon base. His new career as a hero, reached a height after several years of projects and assistance in helping the worlds space agencies advance their capabilities and methods for space habitation, opening up the possibility of mars missions, and even potential orbital Anti-Endbringer tracking and attack platforms. Then, in the wake of the Simurgh''s first appearance over Lausanne, Switzerland in December 2002, all manned space borne operations were halted. Unwilling to give up, by August of 2003, only a few more modules needed to be launched before a lunar base was ready for habitation. The Simurgh decided to descend upon London, the location of Sphere''s work and residence. Alan''s wife and children were killed in the ensuing Endbringer battle, and Alan was driven mad by the song reverberating in his skull. In the face of his madness and grief, Alan literally retreated from the world, and turned his tech into protective self-sustaining systems for the benefit of only himself. In an ironic twist of fate, Sphere''s own tech and theories were used in the construction of the London barricade, which Sphere, now reformed as Mannequin, was easily able to breach, causing hundreds of London Simurgh victims to escape and cause havoc across the UK. Mannequin escaped the retaliatory bombing of the outer London metropolitan areas in the wake of the breach by walking across the sea floor of the English Channel. After publically terrorizing northern France for a year, Mannequin latched onto the bottom of a boat headed to Savannah, Georgia. After another months long spree of terror, and the Protectorate closing in, Mannequin was approached for recruitment by the S9, and has been with them ever since... Mannequin is a 9''00" tall cyborg weighing just over 140 lbs. While certainly light for its size, it is due to the light weight tinker-tech poly-carbonate alloys, synthetic glass and ceramics that comprise most of his armor shell and internal systems. His lighter weight allows for rapid movement as do his fully extendable and retractable joints and limbs which can freely rotate in all directions. His outer armor shells are very thermal, corrosive, impact and shock resistant... Known Status Effects: Mental: Mysophobia, Entomophobia, Severe Sociopathy, Simurgh''s Song, Conflict Seeking Physical: None Currently Feeling: Undetermined Motivations: Undetermined Powers Summary: Primary 1: Pattern Sets: [Self-contained systems (mechanical: mega-structures, personal), Assistive Bio-replacement (mechanical), Protective systems (mechanical)] (Active), Dimensional Energy Conduit Interfaces for Pattern Sets (Active), Enhanced cognition and intuition of pattern sets (Passive). Equipment list: None
Huh? 20 HP? 45 Armor!! Oh, holy fuck! SIMURGH''S SONG? Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 21 (8.34%) XP: 40342 Primary Attributes STR: 16 (-1.00) 15.00 (0.00%) AGI: 15 (-2.00) 13.00 (0.00%) CON: 55 (-4.00) 51.00 (0.28%) INT: 30 (-1.00) 29.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (-1.00) 11.00 (31.37%) WIS: 22 (-1.00) 21.00 (33.07%) CHA: 14 (+0.00) 14.00 (0.00%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (74.62%) Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 1061/2442 Stamina Pool: 1435/1435 Mana Pool: 7635/7875 Stress Pool: 451/520 Attack: 16.50 Speed: 2.93 Dodge: 16.26 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 150.00 Allure: 3 (-0.50) 2.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Fractured Ribs: STR -1.00 AGI -1.50 CON -3.00 Bruised Organs x4: AGI -0.50 CON -1.00 Mild Concussion: INT -1.00 PER -1.00 WIS -1.00 Visage of a Wuss: ALU -1.00 Skills Max Slots: 61 Free Skill Slots: 19 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 13 (6.75%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Corrosive): 2 (37.07%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 3 (24.35%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 4 (0.75%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 6 (45.45%) Damage Resistance (Sonic & Concussive): 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 12 (6.46%) Disease Resistance: 7 (44.66%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 20 (18.65%) Empathy: 13 (2.97%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (4.53%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (31.06%) Null Resistance: 12 (29.76%) Observe: 23 (19.77%) Parahuman Lore: 11 (4.65%) Power Strike: 10 (8.19%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (12.61%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 11 (0.83%) Stealth: 12 (87.45%) Strategy: 5 (45.47%) Thievery: 11 (12.42%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (6.20%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 6 Perks Free Perk Slots: 1 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Fast Recovery: x4 HP and Stamina regeneration speed (Free at 50 CON) Toughness: Bonus HP per level increased by 50% Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out You still look like a Wuss: Even with a few extra muscles, you still look like a wuss. Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Fire: 3 Book I: Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.3 Stage 3: Timed Mission Arc 4.3 +660 XP, Quest Timed Missions Suck, 3 of 8 members evaded. I''m as prepared as I can get. I dismiss the notification as Burnscar''s timer finally runs out. As soon as it does, Mannequin removes the turbine vent off the shed roof he''s standing on. His armored body parts disconnect from each other, except thick cables that join the pieces, and slips them one by one into the slaughter shed though the shaft. He even takes the time to replace the vent, screws and all, after slipping inside. It''s horror-movie like, or it would be if I weren''t watching him via free camera. He completely bypassed the noise traps I had set up around the entrances. So it''s his turn, and they''re still playing by Jack''s rules, or appearing to be. I shouldn''t trust that though. Shatterbird is hovering above the two buildings, wearing a big coat. It''s snowing and very dark outside but I can see glints of light reflecting off the giant glass spear hovering next to her. It''s longer than she is tall. I thought she''d bring something bigger; guess there isn''t enough glass around in the middle of the forest. She''s probably pissed I removed all the windows and other glass I found here. I move my camera to follow Mannequin as he reforms himself and silently swings through the chained hooks hanging from the ceiling. Not a single clink or creak is heard. How the fuck is he so stealthy? Sound suppression tinker device, just that good, or both? He slowly lowers himself to the floor and disables my sound traps. I had no time to make a damage trap, which probably wouldn''t have even scratched his paint. Mannequin finds the blood drops, and tattered bits of clothing, and follows them to the freezer. He again, somehow, soundlessly opens the heavy freezer door a mere 4 inches and spills himself inside as my camera follows. I watch Chela scream and dart through her portal; Mannequin drops all pretenses of stealth and charges at her through the giant freezer room. The scattered debris on the floor proves to be no hindrance to him at all. Come on do it, you fucking robot. Mannequin gracefully leaps over the fallen shelves and runs right at the portal, then screeches to a sudden halt as the portal shuts, only slicing through a single finger blade, instead of cutting him in half. Fuck, time for plan B. "Inventory crowbar" I whisper as I drop my free camera and burst out of my hiding place, I run up and body slam the freezer door shut. I slide the crowbar into place, wedging the latch and locks shut. I hear a massive thud from the other side and the door shakes, but holds firmly closed. "Ha! Fuck you, ya tin can!" I glance at Mannequin''s quest timer, just over six minutes in and we have him trapped. There are two new notifications. Your Stealth skill has increased by 1 Your Strategy skill has increased by 1 Nice, but not the defeat messages I was hoping for. I run over to the shed door and peek out. A quick toggle of my free camera and I see that Shatterbird has moved, hovering high over the office where the other end of the portal was, where Chela is now. Chela glances at me through the empty window and I give her the thumbs up and point at the sky. She makes a gesture and a blue flash of light comes from below her as we planned. Chela quietly slips out the door and holds her hand aloft, but stays under the roof eaves. Shatterbird repositions herself; she''s definitely tracking her still. My own mini map shows Mannequin has walked a circuit along the walls inside the freezer and has come back to the door which was the only way in. All the other members of the S9 are off my map or still far away. Chela carefully pokes her head out from under the roof eaves while looking up. The orange glow of the secondary portal appears above Shatterbird and opens a second later. The heavy desk and all the other items we piled on top of it fall through the portal in the office and plummet down. This time, she just moves out of the way, ignoring it completely without even looking up as the furniture crashes into the roof of the office. I open the shed door wide as Chela runs in, and close it just as the glass spear impacts it. <"Fuck, she moved. You had her dead to rights too!"> I curse. <"Don''t ever use me as bait again!"> Chela yells at me. <"Well it worked!"> "Fuck Jack''s game! I''m going to kill both of you!" I hear Shatterbird scream from outside. No slurring this time. <"What did she say?"> Chela asks I shake my head. <"That she''s going to kill us."> <"What do we do now?"> I don''t have an answer, and my thoughts are interrupted by a heavy slam hitting the outside shed door again. It shakes me as I still have it braced shut. We push another shelf in front of the door as it gets slammed a few more times and then Shatterbird stops trying to break it down. My mini map shows Mannequin hasn''t moved from his spot by the door in the freezer, and Shatterbird is hovering over the roof of the slaughter shed. <"Simon! Danger! We have to get out of here!"> I glance up as I hear the tearing of metal, snow falls down through a hole, the turbine vent that Mannequin crawled through earlier is ripped off. "Fuck." <"No, the Freezer!"> Chela yells. I glance over to the freezer. What the fuck? A slim protrusion of metal has snaked out of the door and on the end of it is a spinning saw blade, steadily cutting its way through the latch, and it wasn''t making a single damn sound or spark. <"Double Fuck, Portal, window, same way we removed the glass earlier."> <"We can''t fit through that!"> Chela yells. <"Doesn''t matter, you just need to see through it, and tag the ground outside."> I shout back as Chela gestures and a blue oval appears on its side. I hold out my hands, she steps into my clasped palms and climbs up onto the portal. She reaches down and helps me up until we''re both standing on the closed portal. I clasp my palms together again and lift her up to the tiny empty window so she can look out. <"Got it"> Chela says from above me. I watch as Shatterbird''s glass spear lowers itself though the vent hole. It reorients itself to point right at Chela. <"Open¡­Fuck!!"> I scream as the portal we''re standing on drops out from under me. I fall through, ending up horizontally on my backs in the snow. Chela lands right on top of me. Just as suddenly, she jerks her legs to her chest and rolls off. -84 HP (12 Resisted), Critical hit! "MOTHER FUCKER!" I scream as I take Shatterbird''s giant glass spear right in the fucking knee. The familiar tinkling sound occurs, and the portal closes; cleanly cutting right through the glass spear. Then the sheared half that tried to take my leg off starts to spin. <"Sorry, I couldn''t warn you in time"> Chela says as she runs off. "Oh, no you don''t!" I grab the spinning column of pointed glass and wince as I discover it''s covered with sharp ridges, but my resistances stop additional HP damage despite it slicing up my hands. "Inventory¡­Fuck!" -16 HP (12 resisted) The thing starts spinning faster and stabs me in the arm as I try to wrestle with it, unable to get it to intersect my inventory window as I fight against Shatterbird''s control of the thing. -4 HP (12 resisted) "Inventory glass shard!" My third attempt at intersecting it and it finally sucks into my pocket dimension. <"SIMON RUN!!"> I hear Chela yell and scramble to my feet. Thank you Avatar, despite my knee looking like crap, I run toward Chela who¡¯s already made it into the tree line. Shatterbird is high in the air again, what is left of the glass spear is hurtling towards me like a missile. <"GROUND, NOW!"> I dive down into the snow and blue light reflects off it. The spear shatters against the portal shield. I roll over and watch the shield wink back out, but all the small shattered pieces of glass start floating into the air again and coalesce once more. I try to grab some and inventory them but it''s too fucking slow, they get ripped out of my hands. Again no damage due to resistances, but I think she''s figured out that small cuts don''t do shit to me. I get up and run, following Chela into the forest once again. I look back once more as I enter the tree line. I see movement off in the distance and double check my mini-map. Mannequin is coming around the corner of the slaughter shed. ****? We run through the dark forest. It''s fight or flight time because my stupid power starts playing music again. What is it this time? Some robot song because it''s Mannequin''s turn? This shit just gives my position away, not that they don''t already know where we are. Visibility is complete shit, it''s the middle of the night, and it''s snowing. Wait, is that sleet? The portal hops Chela makes are short. The weather''s getting worse, and some light dirty fog is in the air. I hack and spit again; it feels like I''ve been inhaling grit. Chela coughs and clears her throat as well; I catch her as she stumbles again. Our brief rest earlier wasn''t long enough and she''s getting exhausted again. I glance at my mini-map; Mannequin is steadily catching up to us. "Ahhhhh!" Chela screams as she trips and tumbles during our mad dash though the forest. I immediately move to help her up, <"My ankle!"> She yells <"We have to keep going"> I put her arm around my shoulder and keep moving her forward. I glance at my mini-map again, he''s getting closer. I look back in Mannequin''s direction, but I don''t see anything. There is an unexpected flash of lightning and I see movement, but then it''s dark again. With my cheats, my night vision only goes out so far. He''s still quickly moving closer on the mini-map. Shatterbird is just as near. <"They''re coming. We need a portal again."> <"It''s so dark¡­"> <"Try to use the lightning, if it happens again."> I clear my gritty throat, what the fuck is that? There''s notifications pending but I can''t spare a second to look at them. No convenient lightning. <"I''ll point the flashlight that way." I say as I get Chela''s attention. I pull the flashlight out of my inventory and shine it. A blue oval opens in the distance, and I hear a loud crack, and the flashlight turns off. "Shit." A quick observe tells me its inner circuitry has been destroyed; fucking Shatterbird. I inventory it immediately. I glance back toward where my map says Mannequin is located, as Chela opens her portal. There''s another flash of lightning overhead as she goes through. I quickly follow. <"The trees; he''s in the trees, swinging through them like a fucking monkey."> We scramble away from the open portal as Mannequin lands on the ground a mere dozen feet away from the opposite end. He sharply twitches his head several times and puts one hand over a non-existent ear as he runs up to the portal, tapping the finger blades of his other hand against his ceramic torso. He stops short even as we keep moving away while I''m half carrying Chela. <"He won''t go through. Close it. Chela, close it!"> I say as I watch Mannequin go around the thing and head toward us the long way. <"You should leave me; they''re just tracking me now, right? It''s why I was bait¡­"> Chela says as she closes her portal. <"No"> I say as I pick her up, and attempt to jog through the trees. Her ankle is twisted. <"I''m still slowing you down"> <"Don''t care."> Carrying her isn''t tiring enough for my stamina to noticeably drain, but she''s right. Doing so slows me down, especially uphill though rough forested terrain. And I don''t want to accidently bash her feet or head into a tree again. Fuck, 12 more minutes till Mannequin''s time is up. "Stats" no more points to spend. <"Can you make another portal yet?" <"Not¡­ while¡­ I''m bouncing¡­ all over¡­ Set me down"> Chela says, lethargy in her voice. I set her down. Fuck, I guess carrying her while running isn''t good for keeping a steady line of sight. I look at my mini-map again. They''re getting too close. <"Chela¡­"> <"I know¡­"> No convenient lightning flash illuminates anything. Chela only manages to open a portal some thirty to fifty meters away. Shatterbird immediately angles towards the far end. Mannequin isn''t bothering with stealth anymore. I can see the trees swaying, hear the branches creaking and watch as the piles of snow fall off them to the ground as he rapidly advances. <"We gotta go, now!"> The portal opens and I move toward her as she struggles to stand. Her legs collapse under her as we tumble through. I help her to her feet but then she shoves me away. <"They''re here¡­"> she says in a horse whisper, as a giant glass spear impales the ground where I was standing a second ago. "Inventory" I grab the glass spear as Shatterbird attempts to lift it back out of the ground, sharp edges be damned. I watch in horror though as Mannequin reaches the other side of the portal and fires five finger blades out of his outstretched hand through the open portal. Chela twists her body, reacting pre-cognitively with whatever her danger sense does as, one, two, three, four sail past inches from her, then her ankle gives out and she falters. The fifth blade erupts from the front of her right shoulder, the end of it opens up in a grapple and hooks into her flesh as Mannequin retracts them all, pulling Chela back through the portal. "Noooo! Fuck!" I yell as I still grapple with the fucking glass spear. Shatterbird starts spinning it again, but I finally manage to get the fucker into my inventory windows even as it was lifting me a foot off the ground. I try diving through the portal, as Mannequin picks Chela up as she screams and turns around, but the portal closes. ****? I run after them. I run faster than when I was running away from Hatchet face earlier in the night. I run faster than I''ve ever run before. Fuck me, this is illogical. I don''t care, run faster. You can save yourself, they can''t track you. I don''t care, how many times has she saved me tonight? You can''t catch up, Mannequin is faster. Doesn''t matter, as long as my mini-map¡­. -40 HP (12 Resisted) Ow¡­ fuck. I run straight into a floating glass caltrop. Shatterbird immediately starts to move it, but I grab it. More precious seconds are lost as I maneuver the thing into my inventory. Does she just have these floating out here? "I''m going to find you and skin you alive, little boy" I hear Shatterbird cackling from above the tree tops. Is she too afraid to come down to ground level? I turn stealth on and move the fuck away from where I was and lean against a tree. A few seconds later several more glass caltrops fly through where I was standing when I ran into it. Then they zip along the ground for a while along the path I walked at chest height. They stop before they reach me and she spreads them out again. What is she doing? She''s got to be running out of glass right? That giant spear was the main thing she was flying around with and I got most of it. There were five caltrops she floated in and spread out, there may be more I haven''t seen. The notification pulses keep nagging at me, the number has increased again. Chela and Mannequin are still on my mini-map, they''re heading in the direction of Jack''s icon. How can I get her back? Is it even possible? I can''t do shit until I take care of Shatterbird. What the fuck is she doing? I switch to my free camera and keep an eye on the nearest caltrop; it''s still just floating there. Is she waiting for me to run into one again? There aren''t enough of them. She couldn''t possibly cover all the area she''d need to. It suddenly darts off again, but not towards my body. Shatterbird''s icon on the mini-map also moves, heading towards the same vector. I follow the caltrop with my free camera. I hear a sick screaming as the caltrops converge and slice open a deer that was wandering nearby. Shatterbird descends to the ground as it wails in its death throes, then with a gesture the glass caltrop precisely slices its throat. I tag her with Observe before she ascends and spreads the caltrops out again. Why did she do that? Can she see in the dark?
Name: Balluri AbabilLove this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Level: ?? Alias: Shatterbird Gender: Female Age: 28 Ethnicity: Arabic, Pakistani Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Villain Faction: Slaughterhouse Nine STR: 14 (-1) 13 AGI: 18 (-1) 17 CON: 17 (+2) 19 INT: ?? (??) ?? PER: 18 (??) ?? WIS: ?? (??) ?? CHA: 18 (??) ?? LUC: ?? (??) ?? Allure: 4.5 (-1.0) 3.5 Armor: 4.4 Speed: 3.07 Attack: ?? Dodge: ?? Health: 125/390 Stamina: 210/440 Stress: ?? H/T/F: ... Summary Description: Balluri is the bastard daughter of ... Status Effects: Mental: Major Control Issues, Fear of further Injury, Minor Fear of Embarrassment, ... Physical: Chilled, Minor Tinker-induced regenerative effects, Minor Tinker enhanced strength, agility, constitution, Tinker made sub- dermal armor mesh, broken wrist, broken collarbone, strained shoulder, wired broken jaw, missing teeth x2, Tinker made regenerative effect ... Currently Feeling: Vindictive, Angry, Jealous, Suppressed lust, ... Motivations: Find and kill the teenage cape, prove no one should be allowed to nominate themselves, reassert control, get back to someplace warm, ... Power Summary: Primary 1: Sonic Ultra-frequency Silicanesis (Active), Silica Awareness (Passive), Sonic Ultra-frequency Awareness (Passive) Equipment list: Multi-colored, bird beaked shaped, blown glass mask and helmet, a low-cut, sleeveless, white silk semi-mesh dress fitted with numerous shards of colored glass, white cotton underwear and bra, thick wool socks, leather boots, empty leather hip holster, large hooded fur coat, Bonesaw''s tinker-tech arm sling, ...
Lots of injury debuffs, her arm is still in some kind of tinker-tech sling and her jaw is still partially bandaged. No night vision stuff mentioned anywhere. Doesn''t actually have a flight power, and her glass jewelry and gun are missing. She can''t see well and is still freezing her ass off in this storm even with that giant hooded coat. Chela must be freezing. Fuck freezing, she got stabbed in the back through the shoulder, she''s probably bleeding badly. I have to figure out how to end this quickly and get her back. "Notifications" I subvocalize. Alan Gramme has gone from stranger to annoyance You are suffering from the status effect ''Minor Lung Irritation'' Balluri Ababil has gone from annoyance to enemy For performing a repeated action you may gain the ''Power Dash'' skill. What the fuck is ''Lung Irritation'' and ''Power Dash''? "Status Effects, Skills, Observe, Observe"
Minor Lung Irritation This condition results from inhaling dust, sand, dirt or other large particulates which get lodged in the lungs until they can be coughed out. Current breathing efficiency reduced by 2%, 36 sand particles not yet excised.
Fucking Shatterbird; "Observe". That''s not dirty fog. "Inventory Sand---" Wait. She could detect them. Will she detect them disappearing? But if she could, she should have come over here already. Does it being inside me make a difference? Sand in the air, maybe she knows when it gets disturbed. Isn''t the snowstorm already disturbing a lot of it? Maybe she just sees large movements at ground level? I bet she thought the deer was me.
Power Dash Put an extra burst of speed into sprinting at the cost of some stamina. +3% speed bonus per level. Stamina Cost: 5 + skill level of dash
I hit yes. I could''ve fucking used that a lot earlier. Now stop hoarding the rest of your shit. Skill points; pump +6 Damage Resistance (Physical). All the pains I''m still feeling suddenly reduce. You have unlocked the feature ''That didn''t hurt'' for Damage Resistance (Physical) "Observe" +25% Pain Reduction? Good. "Perks" What do I have available? Extra Creative: Bonuses to Artistry and Crafting Night Owl: See in low light conditions and reduces penalties of sleep based fatigue Hardly Hungry: Reduce need for sustenance Versatile: +5 skill slots Instant Boost: +3 stat points Skilled Up: +5 skill points Quick Items: Retrieve and place items in inventory instantly w/out using the window (Level 20) Strong Back: Increase your carry weight (10 STR) Perfect Ambidexterity: Dual wield tools, melee weapons or guns for an extra attack or action (10 AGI) Metabolic Health: Improved HP gain from foods, no longer restricted by hunger state (CON 25) Fast Study: Increased speed of reading, research, design, and other studious mental tasks (INT 25) Oooh, Shiny!: Items of interest or potential loot literally shine and sparkle to you (PER 10) Mana Boost: MP regen rate increased by 25% (WIS 10) Eye Candy: Increase your Allure (10 CHA) Better Loot: Your luck leads you to where they stash the good stuff (10 LUC) Most aren''t immediately useful. What will help me take out Shatterbird and rescue Chela? Strong Back could have helped in carrying her, but maybe not more than 3 more STR points. I can carry her now anyway; its movement speed that''s the problem. If my earlier bump to AGI didn''t make enough difference, I doubt another +3 will either. But, I''ve been fucked over, injured, and restrained several times by not being able to maneuver my inventory window fast enough. Getting rid of that crutch will be very useful especially in grabbing any glass that bitch will use against me. I select Quick Items and close out my screens. Now, how to trick Shatterbird? Simon''s Character Sheet: Name: Simon Clarence Anderson Gender: Male Age: 15 Race: Human (Parahuman) Class: Teenage Runaway / Rogue Faction: None Money: $5.16 Title: Gentleman Thief Level: 21 (24.44%) XP: 41002 Primary Attributes STR: 16 (-1.00) 15.00 (0.00%) AGI: 15 (-2.00) 13.00 (0.00%) CON: 55 (-4.00) 51.00 (13.59%) INT: 30 (-1.00) 29.00 (0.00%) PER: 12 (-1.00) 11.00 (31.37%) WIS: 22 (-1.00) 21.00 (33.07%) CHA: 14 (+0.00) 14.00 (0.00%) LUC: 15 (+0.00) 15.00 (74.73%) Unspent Points: 0 Secondary Attributes Health Pool: 950/2442 Stamina Pool: 1435/1435 Mana Pool: 7710/7875 Stress Pool: 451/520 Attack: 16.50 Speed: 2.93 Dodge: 16.26 Armor: 0.40 Carry: 150.00 Allure: 3 (-0.50) 2.5 Status Effects Teenage Acne: ALU -0.50 Alluring Charm*: ALU +1.00 Fractured Ribs: STR -1.00 AGI -1.50 CON -3.00 Bruised Organs x4: AGI -0.50 CON -1.00 Mild Concussion: INT -1.00 PER -1.00 WIS -1.00 Visage of a Wuss: ALU -1.00 Skills Max Slots: 61 Free Skill Slots: 18 Artistry: 10 (85.89%) Athletics: 13 (7.79%) Basic Academics: 9 (0.00%) Computers: 10 (11.23%) Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 10 (5.67%) Create Mana Golem: 12 (18.03%) Damage Resistance (Corrosive): 2 (37.07%) Damage Resistance (Electrical): 3 (24.35%) Damage Resistance (Fire & Heat): 4 (0.75%) Damage Resistance (Physical): 12 (0.00%) Damage Resistance (Sonic & Concussive): 1 (0.00%) Disable Device: 12 (7.45%) Disease Resistance: 7 (44.66%) Disguise: 4 (25.98%) Drug & Poison Resistance: 20 (18.65%) Empathy: 13 (8.15%) Firearms: 1 (0.00%) Gamer''s Body: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Interface: MAX (0.00%) Gamer''s Mind: MAX (0.00%) Language-English: MAX (0.00%) Language-Spanish: MAX (0.00%) Mathematics: 4 (0.00%) Medicine: 3 (4.53%) Meditation: 12 (48.91%) Melee Weapons: 4 (31.06%) Null Resistance: 12 (29.76%) Observe: 23 (20.05%) Parahuman Lore: 11 (4.65%) Power Dash: 1 (0.00%) Power Strike: 10 (8.19%) Programming: 10 (0.54%) Psychology: 5 (12.61%) Science (Biology): 1 (53.22%) Science (Chemistry): 1 (0.00%) Science (Earth): 1 (0.00%) Speech: 11 (0.83%) Stealth: 13 (3.05%) Strategy: 6 (0.00%) Thievery: 11 (12.42%) Unarmed Combat: 5 (6.20%) Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%) Video Games: 26 (16.74%) Unspent Skill Points: 0 Perks Free Perk Slots: 0 Gaia''s Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access Gaia''s Attunement: Elemental Affinity access Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested Mana Reserve: Bonus MP per level increased by 25% XP Whore: +10% Level XP Fast Recovery: x4 HP and Stamina regeneration speed (Free at 50 CON) Toughness: Bonus HP per level increased by 50% Quick Items: Retrieve and place items in inventory instantly w/out using the window Flaws Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can''t help yourself Unnatural Curiosity: Can''t always resist the urge to find stuff out You still look like a Wuss: Even with a few extra muscles, you still look like a wuss. Affinities Earth: 6 Water: 1 Plant: 1 Lightning: 3 Fire: 3