Let's Play a Game – Chapter 2
"I have super powers! I'm a cape!"
As soon as I said those words, I leapt straight out of my bed in sheer excitement. As my mouth began to turn upwards into a big smile, a giggle bubbled out of my throat. "I'm a cape…" Then, a chuckle slipped out. "I'm a cape." Soon I was completely bent over laughing harder than I had in years, joyful tears making my face wet again. "I'm a cape!"
I spend a few minutes standing there, basking in happy emotions I thought I'd never feel again. Just when I thought life couldn't get any worse, I finally have hope again. I wipe away some of the happy tears from my eyes. I can't even remember the last time I cried happy tears…
…I really need to clean myself up a bit. Alright, that's enough revelry for now. I'm a cape. I have powers. Now, what exactly are they?
I stare at the blue box still floating in front of me. I raise an eyebrow as I reread it. I take a step back. The box follows. I nod slightly to myself. The box is clearly about me; of course it's going to be centered on me since it's my power. Okay, but what about HP, MP, and status effects? That's clearly gaming jargon…
Not that I'm much of a gamer. I did play some video games years ago, but that was back before the bullying, and generally, I just played games with Emma rather than anything on my own. So, my powers have to do something with gaming? That's weird. It's not the flashy Alexandria package of my childhood dreams, but it is, well, interesting.
Alright, let's figure this out.
I walk over towards my desk, my little blue floating box following me, and sit down. I noticed the X in the corner a while back, but I don't want to close out the box just yet. Grabbing a nearby notepad, one that is not filled to the brim with a chronological archive of the Trio's greatest hits, and a pencil, I begin copying down the little message that has just changed my life irrevocably.
Once done, I turn towards the box once more tapping my pencil's eraser against my chin. Slowly, I reach towards the box, and poke it. Then I poke it with my pencil. My pencil goes straight through it like it's not even there. I raise my eyebrows.
I keep my pencil halfway through the box, and then place my hand on it. Okay, so presumably, only I can touch the box. I'll need to see if anyone else can touch it, but I assume they'll act just like the pencil did for now.
I take a deep breath and finally push the X in the corner. With no fanfare, the box pops out of existence just like closing a window on a computer. I swivel in my old office chair back towards the notepad. Given the vernacular, at least no can tell I'm talking about my powers here. That's a plus.
I begin writing some notes. So, HP obviously means health points, MP stands for magic points, and status effects are self-evident. …Status effects also possibly include mental conditions, like the depression I had earlier that just went poof. I chuckle. Apparently, my naps are now anti-depressants.
The question is what else constitutes a status effect?
I'll need to do some research on what status effects are common in most games. If it's anything like what my mind is jumping to…that's…wow. If status effects include diseases then any time I sleep, I'll be 100% healthy in the morning. If HP is talking about my health, then that could include any injuries as well…
I'll wonder about my MP later, because being 100% healthy after a nap alone is amazing all by itself. It does specify "my own bed" though, so I'll need to check and see if sleeping on Dad's bed or on the couch gives me the same message and presumably the same effect.
Even still…the first thing I know about my power specifically is my bed is literally my own personal Panacea. That also does brains. Not exactly an orthodox self-healing ability, but it sure fits the theme I have here.
Moving on from the healing aspect, I "have" HP and MP. So if my health has a quantifiable meter…where is it? I'm guessing that information is in another floating box, so I just have to do something to make the one that has my health information pop up.
How do I do that?
From all of the interviews of capes I've seen, there's suppose to be something like a new sense or a switch you can feel in your head to work your power, and you're kind of suppose to almost know that said sense or switch is there…
For me though, I don't feel that switch or sense. I just feel…normal. Sure, I feel great health wise, normal aches and pains are simply gone, and I also feel better emotionally then I have in a long time, but I don't feel…a power.
I scratch my head. I know I've got powers…I just don't know how to work it yet. Just thinking that the box with my health bar should appear isn't doing anything. I check the time. Dad's going to be home in about the next half hour, and he probably would like it if dinner was ready for him.
Quest Alert:
Cooking Dinner
The Gamer's father will be home soon. Let's surprise him with a hot meal!
Time limit: 34 minutes
Reward: +500 EXP, Increased closeness of father
Failure Penalty: Microwaved Leftovers.
I blink.
Well, I wanted a box to appear in front of me. Two birds with one stone: I can cook dinner for Dad and continue experimenting with my powers. I'll figure how to get the box I want to appear later. Before I head downstairs, I make a quick stop in the bathroom to wash up. Just a few splashes of water and a dab of my towel should be good enough for my tear and snot stained face.
I do a final look over in the mirror. My eyes widen. I forgot something that's been second nature to me for most of my entire life in all my excitement. In the mirror, there's the clear reflection of myself…sans glasses.
"Nearsighted is a status-effect too!?"
I can't stop the smile that's slowly creeping on my face. Note to self, my powers give me the best naps.
"Well, if I ever go blind or lose an arm, I can always just take a nap…"
I let out a small laugh. Then I frown. Now…what do I do?
Should I just go make dinner and let Dad see me without my glasses as a lead-in to "Hey, Dad, guess who woke up with super powers today? This girl!" Knowing how…overprotective he's been lately since the locker, he'd probably want me to join the Wards…Not that I really know all about what I can do.
I really doubt I can make a cape career out of super sleeping powers alone. 'Oh villains, tremble before the might of nap girl!' No, I'd rather have a clear idea on exactly what I can do before I tell him, and I'd rather not trade one teenage hell for another before I even figure out how my powers work.
So, what do I do? The timer for that…quest is ticking down so I need to be quick.
I don't have any contact lenses. I was never really comfortable with them, and Dad knows that. An excuse like that won't fly, not to mention I'd be flat-out lying. I've been lying about the bullies for years now, and I don't want to start lying to him about my powers.
Obfuscating the truth a little…sure, but not lying. I guess I could just grab my glasses and put them on when he gets home? Not exactly the best plan, but what else can I do?
With a frustrated sigh, I grab my glasses from my room. Alright, let's see how blurry the world looks….with my glasses.
Today is officially the weirdest day of my life…
Just holding them up to my eyes, I can make up how blurry everything looks through them. With a sigh, I slide them on. Immediately, the lens clear up and I see just fine…
"What?"
I slide the glasses off my face slightly. Just a few inches forward and the world through the lens is once again a blurry mess.
"…What?"
I slide them back on. Clear.
I slide them off. Blurry.
Clear. Blurry. Clear. Blurry. Clear.
My hands drop to my side.
Okay, floating blue boxes and naps that cure pretty much everything are one thing powers, but…glasses that conform to my eyesight? Really? I shake my head. Whatever, problem solved.
I should have taken the hint to begin with that my powers follow not only a game theme but also the logic of a game as well. I guess there's precedent.
If something as simple as sleeping in my own bed heals me, then there must be games with similar mechanics where characters can also just pick up glasses anywhere and wear them without a problem regardless of how little that makes sense in reality. Heck, it shouldn't be limited just to glasses either. Any clothes or shoes might auto-fit me now as well! My life isn't governed strictly by reality anymore; it's governed by the absurdity of game mechanics!
For a solid and correct deduction, your Intelligence has increased by 1.
"…Did my powers just make me smarter?"
You know what, I'll make dinner first. I'll deal with this later.
Aaaand done.
Another blue box pops up.
A skill has been created through a special action.
Through the use of culinary arts, a skill to create food, "Cooking", has been created!
I slowly close out the box in mild shock, as I feel knowledge accumulate in my head out of thin air: all of it about the basics about cooking. I now know how to make stock, the correct method of cutting numerous vegetables, the specific wrist motion in whisking, and more.
Just by making a simple dinner that anyone can do, my brain now has knowledge that for all intents and purposes came out of nowhere on the basics of how to be a proper cook… I even know a few dozen simple recipes now off the top of my head. Sure, it's simple things like a nice soup or what's the best seasoning for a good BLT sandwich, but they are things I didn't know at all five minutes ago.
If this is something that happens from just trying to cook…what other skills can I create? While still shocked, I'm calm enough to look at a new red box that has replaced the old blue one.
[Cooking (passive) Lv1 EPX: 0.00%]
A skill using ingredients to create food.
With more mastery, the quality of food created will increase
while the chance of failure will decrease. The higher the quality,
the more bonuses food items grant.
5% increase in HP and/or MP restored by food personally cooked.
I stare at the box with wide eyes. Food I cook restores my HP and MP just like sleeping in my bed…
I can heal myself by just eating food. I turn towards the quickly made dinner of pasta, green beans, and bread rolls. It's laughable how simple the meal is in comparison to what it just did for me power wise.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway pulls me away from my thoughts: Dad's home.
