Chapter 2: Tutorial Stages
A/N: Thank you so much for the positive responses and links to other fics of the same type.
This chapter kind of got away from me, I got about 1/2 of what I wanted to do done. Oh well, at least its longer right DeadDragon?
As penance I'm uploading this a day early. Whenever I don't hit my chapter goals like this I'll upload a day early, meaning I'll likely rotate back to Sunday updates in 6 weeks xD
So weekly updates if I don't end up splitting chapters in half, 6day schedule if I do. That means next friday if I dont meet my goals again or next saturday if I do.
Note I'm using my (Australian) time of GMT+10
Review Responses: Also I can see why some writers beg for reviews. Now I wont admit I squealed in happiness when seeing it got hits and a bunch of reviews...So I'll just answer you and hope you forgot what I just typed.
Waukee: Thank you. If your interested there are two links in the review you could read that have a similar premise
Mychakk: Thanks :) It's not entirely original, simply the result of about 15 years reading all sorts of things and me sitting down to type stuff. It came to mind, I put it to typeface.
Yes Harry will remember though he cant go spouting off about Sirius and such because of reasons shown soon
DeadDragon: My apologies for not including enough. Hopefully this chapter will be more to your liking?
Spear of the doomed: I'm making a mashup system of lots of tabletop games Ive played, video games and things I have locked in my head that I have no clue where it came from.
I actually havent played an Elder Scrolls game, though from cultural osmosis I think it's a level-by-doing system, gaining specific XP for specific actions
Wolfy & Raiponse: Enjoy your cookies and your internets. Thanks so much for the links :D
Kieran: Care to share the video game fics you've read? *offers cookie*
God of All: Wow I never thought I'd get a God reviewing my little fic! And a positive review too. I am honoured
Note: I am currently betaless. I blame any spelling mistakes on the Aether. Yes they got added in between me sending the document to and it arriving. That's my story, I'm sticking to it
Disclaimer: I am Australian and was born around the time the 1st book came out. If you believe I'm the author I have this bridge I'd like to sell you
"That manipulative old goat! This was what I had last time and I dont have a horcrux. He lied to me." The realization bringing several cusswords to the boy's mouth
"Leaving me with the Dursleys, the letters 5th year the..." The ranting continuing for a couple minutes before he looks up. Blinking in shock, finally seeing the room had vanished, replaced by his old primary school.
The little brown building over there, the library. The broken swingsets exactly how he remembered them. The glowing ! over there right where he lef...Wait a minute that wasn't there before
"Some warning would have been nice. I thought there was more options or something." Looking up, just saying it to the air in the futile attempt at expressing his grouchiness over being tricked to death and having his entire worldview shattered.
To activate a quest please touch a glowing excamation point. Gold means it is a story quest, it must be completed to progress further, though it is not the only type of story-advancing quest
Looking down at himself he blinks, he looked 11 again...How, when...Who doesn't notice they shrunk a foot and went through reverse puberty?
Still, Gryffindors charge ahead. Gathering all the red and gold he can pluck up Harry explores his surroundings.
All exactly how he remembered it, everything seemed normal...Bar the fact anything he put in his pocket seemed to disappear.
A few minutes of reaffirming reality was at least semi-normal despite the setting he walks over to the golden floating exclamation point and touches it
Welcome to the Tutorial. The tutorial occurs only one time per user so pay attention. It rusn through the basics you need to play in Harry Potter and the Legacy of Magic.
Quest "Life Lessons" Begun
Objectives: Walk around, access inventory, level up to 1st level in any skill, Defeat Dudley
Objectives complete: Walk Around (Life Lessons)
Reward: Play the game proper
MiniQuest complete: Getting ahead of yourself. Achieve one or more quest objectives before activating a quest
Reward: +10Galleons
"Um right then...But how do I do any of that?"
To bring up the inventory screen please touch both index fingers together and say Inventory, or if your hands are bound say clearly Open Inventory Please. Do not worry no NPC will notice you saying as such
"Oh well then, the explains it." Fingers touching "Inventory."
Harry would have stumbled back if he could, a screen descending over his field of vision, totally eclipsing it
Objectives complete: Open Inventory (Life Lessons)
Seeing a small mannequin of himself modelling his primary school uniform, with strange gray boxes beside the rotating Harry. His pants, top, even his socks had their own box. Some empty grey boxes showing he wasnt wearing all he could. There was even a weird black box with "option not accessible" that when he tried to touch it another sickly green warning box appeared
Clothing slot inaccessible due to current settings. Please activate R-Rated option in the options menu
hitting the smaller box inside the box saying simply Ok a second line of text appearing
Opening the options menu is done via the main menu, accessed by touching your index fingers together and saying Main Menu, or if your hands are bound stating clearly 'Open Main menu please'.
"Yeah yeah one thing at a time." Grouched the young wizard "Its not like my entire bloody reality got turned into a stupid game."
Looking to the side he saw a strange box with only a single line of text
School Uniform complete set bonus: +2HP
"Well thats...Either underwhelming or HP is very scarce in this game." Harry comments, remembering faintly time spent playing such games, stolen time unfortunately and scarce leaving him ill-prepared for this
Underneath the mannequin and the text box a grid forms, about 10*5. The only slot on the grid filled had the icon of a book
"I wonder..." Reaching and tapping the icon, the inventory screen suddenly closing
Finding himself back in the playground and able to move, in his hands a hardcover book with "Instruction Manual" embossed. Curious he opened it
Instruction manual read. This book can be accessed at any time by touching index fingers and saying "Instructions". Instruction Manual item used and destroyed
Blinking as the book turns to dust, quickly complying with the order.
A new book, identical to the last appearing in his hands. Harry shrugs and opens it, reading
Harry Potter and the Legacy of Magic
Beta 1.43
Welcome to the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If you are reading this you have agreed to be a part of the beta test for this new addition to the cosmology. Here's hoping with luck it will be rolled out over many new worlds and become a standard option for new creations.
"I agreed to nothing. I just appeared here in that black expanse."
If you do not wish to participate in your second chance please touch your index fingers together and state clearly "I, Harry Potter, wish to return to my original world where Tom Riddle wins and slaughters all muggleborn, then muggles, then squibs creating an unending reign of horror and carnage after I died barely a year into adulthood instead of perhaps changing things for the better with a multitude of retries that can be picked from to be the very final option when I get bored playtesting this new universe model."
"Um...well when you put it that way." Harry flushing, looking embarassed
Still here? Good and yes I do put it that way...Please don't stare at the book like that. I created an entirely new type of universe you don't think I can take a peek at your reactions and write accordingly?
This instruction manual will tell you everything you need to know. And everything your party needs to know too Hello bookworm. Yes you.
Honestly did you not read what I said to scar-face up there? Wait of course you did I know because Im Me. Now be a good girl and turn to page 34 for your own introduction. Dont make that face at me young lady or I WILL add you to malfoy's list of potential romance targets
Harry stared blankly at the page. Bookworm? Who, how would a girl get their hands on this?
Now she is gone we can continue Harry. Oops almost out of room. Oh you'll figure it out.
The page ends leaving Harry more confused than before
Turning the page simply has an index of what seems to be every page, though almost the entire thing is simply ? in place of a title. With the exception of some things, like a page for the Options menu, the Inventory screen and such. Looking up from the book he notices the world around him is completely frozen. Several leaves halted mid-fall
Pausing the game happens automatically when reading the Instruction Manual, in a screen such as the Inventory or if you simply say Pause doing the normal routine
"Is it me or is the writing getting lazier?"
Games can be loaded and saved at any time (with some area-based exceptions). Multiple save files with different starting options may exist as can two slots of the same starting option. Please remember to save before dying. This is not a threat due to what you said. Not at all. Saving requires the word "Save Game Slot" then any slot from 1 through 6 in the usual way, saying Autosave instead will save in same slot as was loaded last
Harry grew rather twitchy, looking around nervously. Didn't the quest mention something about Dudley attacking?
Thinking it better safe than sorry the young player brings his fingers together, saving into the first slot and opening the main menu...
Why was everything dark again? Harry looked around seeing nothing for a couple seconds before a familiar green light emanated from behind him.
Turning he saw a rather familiar screen
Harry Potter and the Legacy of Magic
Beta 1.43
However this time instead of two boxes, there where 3
Options had joined the duo, well trio now.
Now very thankful he saved before opening the main menu he looked down. Eyes widening in shock, he was Him again. Fully grown and 17. Shaking his head Harry enunciates the word required to access the new option and vanishes
Appearing on a small off-white pedestal in the centre of a room Harry looks around, a door in each of the cardinal directions off the room, each one with a nameplate
Player Perks and Player Options was to the north, though judging by the cast iron padlock currently inaccessible
Settings to the East was unlocked, as was the western Game world options
But what drew his eye first was the door to the south Credits and history of the game
That sounded like Answers in his head. And of course answers was a very good thing for the boy-who-reloaded, this afternoon being the most confusing in all his life.
Stepping of the pedestal, approaching the southern door. The door opening as he walks up to it, showing two small books on their own lecturns inside a small room of similar design to the options room
The one on the left entitled "Who made this" the other "What is this". Harry opens the right first, figuring out what the hell is going on seems to be a better idea than who is in charge. Then again He already had sort of an idea...Too late anyway.
The book open wide, though harry strangely finds it blank. Looking confused for a few seconds, flipping pages before looking up
"Hello there. Took you long enough." A middle-aged man with Hermione's chocolate eyes and a blonde thinning head of hair. A memory from years ago springing up, of a train station, seeing his best friend race towards that man and what could only be Hermione's mother
"Yes yes, I've taken his form, I'm not actually Mr Granger. You couldn't comprehend the real me so I simply put this NPC here and gave him set dialogue as opposed to the modular sets given to the main-game NPCs to give them a greater level of realism and...You don't care at all do you. Right then...What are you here for?"
Staring blankly at the muggle
"Well first what's an NPC? And second what the bloody hell is going on! I died and woke up here and now I'm 11 except now I'm not and the world does not have Inventories and giant glowing letters and..." The post/pre/post again pubescent Potter screams, mind finally dumping all the reality disconnects into a torrent of questions finally ending with, after he'd calmed down slightly
"Why the fuck did I get a negative score on my life?"
The NPC standing there calmly as if frozen in time until the end of the tirade when he comes to life just a little bit
"I believe this was explained to you by the text. You really should pay attention Harry. But fine, cliff notes version, I made a new kind of universe, I grabbed your life to test it out before offering it up to be mass-produced as entirely new universe as opposed to copying them. I took you from your home universe at the moment of your death, meaning you arent in Reality any more, you're in a new kind of world where Inventories DO exist.
The reason you changed ages was because mentally you see yourself as the 17yr old you used to be, so that's the form your Player Avatar takes. I'm sure in a couple weeks you'll find you retain the young form even in the main menu and a little after that you might gain control to the point you can consciously adjust how you look.
Oh and as for your score, I looked back over your life, plugged in a few things to calculate it. I didn't plug in everything though, which is why you only unlocked Harry Weasley and Head For Two, I'm sure youll unlock a lot fo things just playing through, some for immediate benefit others a lot late and some in between.
Oh and remember this, when Hermione asks every percentage modifier is Cumulative. 25 + 30 is 55, not 30."
Having enlightened Harry (and confused him with the last sentence) the man vanishes
"Well then...I need to think on that a bit, I'll leave the other book for now." Turning and leaving back into the Options Room Harry heads through another door, into the Settings
This room is rather sparse on furniture, well completely empty, but the walls are covered in (legible this time) green script
Examining them Harry raises his eyebrows. Why is Music here? Ooh does he get a music player in his head? Or Brightness and other settings? Adjusting his vision may help with the whole glasses thing...
Maybe later, after he has sorted all this stuff out in his head.
Difficulty: Medium said the next panel, though strangely the other settings (Boy-Who-Always-Lives, Easy, Hard and Scarhead) have a red line through them, disallowing access to them
Several other settings are also there but blanked out and hard to read. The only exceptions, a shiny block with "Erase all character data" and "Erase all Player data" though the distinction eluded Harry for now.
Shrugging he exited the room, looking over at the opposite wall
"There next. But first, I need to think, just, just have to sit down and get used to this."
A/N: Reviews are always welcome, same with Favs, Follows and telling all of your friends. Next time, i promise the crunchy, crunchy mechanics and statistics, a fight and the end of the tutorial.