Let's Play a Game – Chapter 6
Time passed rather quickly. After I convinced Dad I could take care of the kitchen while he went up to change into his work clothes, I cleaned up after breakfast. There, I found out in a combined snort of amusement and consternation, that yes, my power did give something as mundane as a "Dish Washing" skill.
So apparently my powers are telling me that if this super hero gig doesn't work out, I can always become a super house wife…
Yeah, no.
Not going to happen.
After the kitchen was done, it wasn't long before Dad gave me a hug and a kiss, told me to rest, and left for work.
As I heard his car pull out of the drive-way and head down the street, I started making plans for the day.
Dad was, officially, supposed to be working from nine to five. That's not exactly the hours he kept. He went in early at around eight, and lately, hadn't been coming home until after seven.
So, I easily had more than eight hours to continue playing around with my powers.
First thing, finish messing around with the menu.
Second, look into skill books.
Third, create an actual combat skill.
If I have any more time after that, I'll work on raising my physical stats. My current gains in intelligence and wisdom have been mainly just byproducts of what I already wanted to do, so it should be interesting seeing how much my attributes improve by actually focusing solely on training them.
I also need to continue making sure that I don't feel tired, hungry, or thirsty.
That sounds like a good full day of power testing to me.
I just needed to see how that level up affected my stats before I started proper.
"Status."
Name: Taylor Hebert
Class: The Gamer
Title: N/A
Level: 2 EXP: 12.44%
HP: 200/200
MP: 380/380
Strength: 4
Vitality: 5
Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 2
Attribute Points: 10
Money: $32.15
Wow, my mana and health freaking doubled…
Dad still has more health than me at level twenty… but I should have more health within just a few levels. He definitely doesn't heal like I do even with his vitality, so…
I guess at best, it seems like attributes for other people are just abstractions based on their capability.
Dad even has zero mana…
I'm going to definitely explore my mana either tonight after Dad goes to bed, or tomorrow.
With two more taps, I saw my new regeneration values.
HP regenerates 3.0 points per minute based on Vitality and max Health.
MP regenerates 6.8 points per minute based on Wisdom and max Mana.
I gaped at the box. I knew my regeneration would increase…but I didn't expect it to increase by that much with just one extra level!
…Just how strong can I get with these powers?
I continue down the list.
It's good to know its five attribute points per level, but still, I want to save them for later. By level ten…I could dump fifty points into any of my attributes…
At what point would my attributes become super-human? Dad didn't have any attributes in the twenties…so are the tens the human average?
I'm technically kind of already a brute going by my regeneration alone, but would one hundred points in strength make me super strong?
Could…could I eventually be as strong as Alexandria herself?
As fantastic as that sounds, I'm not sure if that would be possible…
What about level caps? Would all my stats cap out at a certain point? Is there a point I would just stop growing like this? Or am I going to be like Dauntless and possibly have no upper limit?
I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it.
The only thing left to note that's different is the cash I have in my inventory now. I did stuff my wallet and whatever loose change I found in my room in there. I even found a few dollar coins lying around.
I snort. My inventory is my own personal bank that no one can rob.
God, my powers have the most ridiculous mundane utilities…
That's enough of seeing what changed in status…
"Menu."
Game Menu
-Status-
-Inventory-
-Skills-
-Perks & Titles-
-Party-
-Journal-
-Options-
-Extras-
"Skills."
A box with a tan outline and a pale yellow interior appeared. In the interior, there were small square cartoonish icons.
The icons were a little cute: a small pot of water boiling on a stove, a wide staring eyeball, a person that looked a lot like a cartoon version of flipping through a book, and a wet soapy sponge on top of a plate.
A few taps with my finger told me that they were skills I created, the familiar red boxes of Cooking, Observe, Speed Reading, and Dish Washing appearing and telling me their current level and their description. The description for some had changed slightly with their level. Observe for example had a slightly bigger list on what it could reveal in what I observed.
It's nice to know it's written down somewhere for me automatically.
"Perks and Titles."
Two tan boxes open. The one named "Titles" is just empty, and has a grayed out "equip" button at the bottom.
...I guess it's something that I'll have to explore later whenever I get titles.
The "Perk" one has two entries.
[Gamer's Mind]
Allows the user to calmly and logically
think things through. Allows peaceful
state of mind. Immunity to psychological
status effects.
[Gamer's Body]
Grants a body that allows for the user
to live the real world like a game.
…Ah, so that's the whole "Mute negative emotions" and "Wow, I've been thinking very clearly about my life recently" aspect of my power. Honestly, I thought the latter was just my wisdom increasing…
…Also, the "Holy crap, my power is outright telling me it's mastering me!" aspect.
Hell, going by this, getting over my depression wasn't just my naps in general; if I understand it correctly, this skill literally prevents me from ever getting depressed again…
I mean, in terms of master powers that affect people…this is I'd say a good thing. I mean, it only affects me, so it's not like it'll technically count as a master power from another person's perspective, they'd just consider it a thinker power probably…
…But still, the idea that my power is playing with my own mind by tampering with my emotions, even if it is doing it in an arguably good fashion…
I shiver uncontrollably. It's very unnerving.
The fact I can feel unnerved by it and those feelings aren't magically going away is a small comfort at least.
Do other capes have powers that do this to them? Mess with them on such a fundamental level?
Quietly, I go over the perk description a few more times.
On the other hand…immunity to psychological status effects sounds like a big deal. What all could that entail?
…Wait a minute.
Would psychological status effects include the powers of human-controlling/influencing Masters? Hell, what about Strangers that affect other people's minds?
My jaw drops for the second time as the implications hit me. If I'm right…that is…one fucking bullshit Trump power.
I start to laugh.
If I can somehow test it with something safe, like Glory Girl's aura, just to make sure…I could be someone that's completely immune to some of the scariest capes in the world.
Holy shit...
You know what; I'll take being mentally affected by my powers easily if it means literally no one else can do the same to me.
That's more than worth it.
As for Gamer's Body, I guess that's pretty much just the gateway power for everything else my power does. There's not much to go off of the text right now.
I am already testing the whole sleeping and eating thing, which Gamer's Body is probably responsible for. Also, it's probably why my attributes have more weight in how it affects me compared to Dad's attributes and his stats.
What would it be classified as though?
What were the differences between Changer and Breaker again? It'll either be one of those or considered a Brute power…I think.
I sigh.
…I need to go over the classifications again, now that they actually apply to me
At the bottom, the tan box has a counter for Perk points and a grayed out "Trees" button.
...A perk tree huh? I guess it won't show anything to me unless I meet some sort of minimum requirements. I don't even have a perk point yet, so it could be something I can do only once every five levels or something.
Again, it's something to check later.
"Party."
Another tan box pops into existence.
The only thing here is a cartoon version of me from the neck up smiling with my wide lips. Next to…cartoon me are numbers showing my current level and health.
Huh.
I guess it's just showing the current "party" and since I haven't…invited anyone else, it's just me. So…what happens if I invite someone to the party? How do I invite someone to a party?
I doubt it involves giving them a card…
It's…probably a vocal command. I'm not sure exactly what the point of it is, but it's something that I'll have to explore with someone else later. Someone I can trust talking to about my powers…
I sighed in frustration.
The inventory was a lot more exciting…
"Journal."
A green box with multiple options pops up. Ooh, haven't seen green yet. That's neat.
Journal
-Dossiers-
-Quest Log-
-Maps-
-Crafting-
-Misc.-
I blink.
That's…interesting.
I tap on "Dossiers."
Another green box overlays the first, and only has one option.
-Brockton Bay Civilians-
Another press of my finger and another green box shows up, again, with only one option.
Daniel Hebert
I blink.
I poke my Dad's name.
The entire entry from what I "observed" earlier sits in front of me. The brief history, his attributes, and everything else are all there.
Apparently, my power likes writing down notes too…
Right next to it, is a 3D cartoon model of my dad just calmly walking in place on a green circle.
Its appearance only slightly startled me. It's the first…non 2D portion of my UI I've seen. He's also wearing his bath robe…for some reason.
Oh. Is that because I observed him while he was wearing it? Well, I just need to observe Dad again in proper clothes to see if it'll fix it, at least for his dignity if nothing else.
So, any person I observe, that information is just…written down for me in my menu's journal, while also including an actual visual representation of the person in question.
Huh, neat.
My Sherlock power comes with its own Watson that writes everything down.
Yeah, if I can't be a super hero, I'll take future super investigator over house wife any day.
With a snort and a giggle, I close out of the screens and back myself up to the journal menu.
I continue down the list.
My "Quest Log" is fairly straightforward. It obviously goes over my quests, with a list of active quests on the right and completed quests on the left. I click on my current "Behind the Betrayal" quest, the only active one I have. It shows me the same message I saw before when I got the quest, however, this time it includes a new button.
Show on Minimap
I eagerly press my finger on it.
Suddenly, a new screen pops up: a very in-depth map of Brockton Bay. It's like an online map of a city with a few controls off to the side.
As soon as it appears, it zooms in by itself to focus on a specific area.
In that area are four tokens that look like blue arrowheads with a small circle at their points. A quick browse of the map shows me that two of them are at Winslow, one is at a law firm with a somewhat familiar name, and the last one is…at Emma's house.
Four icons, or waypoints, that tell me where I can complete this quest…which is specifically: find out what is causing the bullying.
…My powers come with in-built GPS.
…
Huh.
…
Moving on, are these pointing to people or objects that can tell me what's going on?
The two at school must be Emma and Sophia, since the first period just started. Also, the whole bully campaign began after Sophia showed up in my life, so it figures she'd be involved.
The law firm one must be Emma's dad, Alan…but what about the one at her house?
Is it a journal perhaps? Emma never really was one for journals though…
Well, if I have a map that knows exactly where Emma and Sophia are, at all times due to this quest, I'm almost convinced to never finish it…
…but, no, I want to know what happened. I need to know, and I'm motivated by just knowing where I can go to learn about what happened to take Ems, my sister in all but blood, and turned her into Emma, my tormentor.
I've thought about talking to Emma's dad before, to see if he could tell me why Emma hated me all of a sudden, but before now, Emma's taunting that her dad would always have her back and could ruin my family financially kept me back.
…Now in recollection, her words lack the bite they once had. I think I could just go up to him at his law office and ask to talk to him. As long as I'm not a threat to Emma, would he be willing to talk about why she's different?
Or, should I go to her house and see if I can take a peek at whatever else could let me know what's going on?
Depending upon how this works, it could be that only one of these points would complete the quest, or it could be I need information from each to get the full picture. If it's the latter…well, I'll have to take care of this one at a time.
Confronting Sophia and Emma will have to wait for next week…
There's no way I'll get them to talk without something to get my foot into the door.
I nod to myself. I won't do it today, but tomorrow, I'll…yes, I'll go have a chat with Mr. Barnes and see if Mrs. Barnes is at home and will let me in to take a look around.
God…I used to call them Aunt and Uncle…
They used to be family…
With a deep breath, I focus forward. I'll start on this quest tomorrow. Right now, I have power testing to do.
There's not much left to my Journal.
"Maps" just has the same mini-map of Brockton Bay. While it was the only option currently, it was arrayed in such a way that it kind of implied I might get maps of other cities too. I'll just need to play around with an Atlas when I check for skill books to see if I can add new maps to it.
"Crafting" only currently has a "Cooking tab" and it is filled with dozens of basic recipes, each one telling me exactly how much HP and MP they restore, and whatever other small bonuses they offer.
Home-made hot chocolate apparently gives me a bonus towards cold resistance for example.
"Misc." was the last Journal option.
Misc.
-Notes-
-Statistics-
-Log-
-Reputation-
"Notes."
A blank window opened up, still colored a basic green. New, open, delete, save, export, and import buttons laid at the bottom.
My right eyebrow slowly rose up a bit.
I selected new.
The green cleared to a white box with a blinking vertical line at the top. A slightly transparent qwerty keyboard colored blue like my boxes appeared in front of me, underneath the white page.
What?
My powers include a…word processor?
My eyebrow twitched.
Seriously?
Without much fanfare, I typed the words "Really?"
It wasn't the most ergonomic keyboard I've ever used, but it got the job done. Then again, it's a keyboard my powers conjured out of thin air.
I don't think I should complain.
I hit save, and it gives me a prompt to name the note. I reiterate by naming it "Really!?" and then I hit the enter key on the freaking holographic keyboard.
"Go back." I deadpan.
The document disappears and I'm back at the green "Notes" screen. This time, there's an item named "Really!?" in the mostly empty green.
I select it, and in unreal curiosity, I hit export.
Another box pops up in my face.
Your inventory currently includes "Notebook Paper" and "Pencil." Would you like to export to your inventory using these items?
"…Yeah, sure, whatever."
Export complete!
My eyebrow twitched again.
"Inventory."
As the box opens, I scan the contents. There at the bottom is a new item simply named "Really!?"
I grab it and pull.
A single sheet of paper is in my hand. On it, written in pencil and bizarrely in my own handwriting is the word "Really?"
…I don't know what I'm supposed to feel right now.
On one hand, it's convenient…
On the other, it feels absurd…
I mean RPGs have journal systems, and there were a few obscure games in my research that involved players being able to make their own notes...
To export it as an actual item into my inventory though…it's less of an RPG mechanic and more of something else.
Something was tickling a memory in my head. Something that Greg said once, about games where the character could do almost anything….
Something about box sand?
…Whatever.
So, what would I want to import into here?
I think only for a few seconds on that question, before I get an idea.
I go back to the notes section of my menu's journal. The note is still there, which I promptly delete, and I'm still holding the exported copy in my hand. So it just copies the information rather than cutting.
Good to know.
I stare back at my inventory. There are a few things I felt I should leave in my pocket dimension when I was playing with it earlier this morning, just for security.
I look at two of my notebooks, specifically one that details the heinous actions of a particularly set of bitches since September, as well as the one that I've been writing down notes about my powers in.
Within minutes, I'm leafing through my bully notebook through my power's journal system, specifically as a copy that can never mysteriously disappear or get ruined.
I stare at the box that popped up as soon as I hit the import button.
For a prudent course of action, your intelligence has increased by 1.
Oh, fuck the hell yes.
It doesn't take me much longer to round up a few more notebooks and a few binders with printer paper to shove into my inventory as fuel for the newest aspect of my powers. I also nab an extra ink cartridge for the old printer we have downstairs.
As I poke export and select my newly named "Bully Journal" note, I'm once again confronted with a box. A few pokes, and I've switched an option from pencil to printer ink.
A minute later, I'm leafing through a binder that's a complete copy of the bully journal in my inventory.
I'll just need to add a copy of the police report and my hospital records for the cherry on top. Once I have a…
I pause. Would it be considered a digital copy? I mean, it's essentially a digital copy in terms of function. I can't upload into a computer necessarily, but this is honestly a better alternative.
I'll worry about terminology later. The important thing is I'll be gathering all the evidence I have or can get my hands on and then I can sort it into my journal here, and then I'll print out a few more copies.
Whatever I decide to do with it then, I'll have multiple copies to do it with. I don't have to worry about my journal mysteriously disappearing on me if I take it to school now. The best part too is it looks like I copied it the mundane way!
I look at the other notebook I imported into my journal. From now on, I can also take notes of my powers …with my powers.
I snort.
My inventory and journal can work together to become an invisible mobile word processor, printer, and scanner.
Not only do I have super powered naps, apparently I have super powers geared towards office work.
All I'm missing is a mobile cubicle…
A few more snorts escape my lungs.
My power has a lot of quirks to it, what's one more?
Continuing on, I take a look at the last few sections: Statistics, Log, and Reputation.
For the most part, they're not that interesting.
Statistics has a few numbers written out for me, but they're rather boring. The number of steps I've taken since I've gained my powers, the amount of skills I have, my current "favorite" skill based on use, and other minutia.
The only interesting stats are the ones that I have zeros in. Number of crimes stopped, number of gang members incapacitated, and so on.
There's also…a few disturbing ones that I don't plan on padding any time soon: number of people killed, number of people eaten, and a whole slew of nightmarish phrases.
I shudder.
Yeah, I could do without seeing some of those. I did not need my power to give me a kill counter.
Next, the log option has two boxes. A chat log and a message log. The chat was empty, and likely has something to do with my party feature. Again, something to explore when I actually have someone I can talk to about my powers.
The other one just had a copy of all of my previous pop-ups with convenient time stamps. Specifically, when I leveled up, for whatever reason I gained an attribute point, and so on. Basically, if I accidentally close out a box too soon, I can just check what I missed here.
Reputation was next. It only has one entry, and…while hurtful, it's something I already knew.
Winslow High: Social Pariah
Reputation is going to be incredibly useful down the line. If this includes public perception or even just my reputation with the PRT or the gangs, it'll let me know how widely known I am as well as how I'm perceived.
Right now, it's just a painful reminder.
Finished with my journal, I close it out and move on.
"Options."
A blue box with three tabs at the top appears.
The current tab, gameplay, is already selected, with its options displayed below it.
Gore: On
Survival: Off
Controls: Vocal Only
Notifications: On
Dungeon Entry: Auto
Gore?
As in…blood and guts gore?
I tap on the word to see if I'll get a description.
The gore setting determines if the Gamer's body will show injuries when they take damage.
Huh? So if it's…off, I just won't bleed?
Okay, that's…odd. I might find a use for it later, but I'll keep it on for now. It sounds like an easy way to out myself honestly.
What about survival?
The survival setting determines if the Gamer requires maintaining their body with food, water, and sleep, while also requiring the performance of other mandatory biological functions.
Well…I don't need to worry about testing my need to sleep or eat anymore.
It's nice to know it's spelled out for me. I can do so much with those extra hours, and it's not like I can't eat or drink right now if I want to.
Yeah, I'm keeping that off. There's just no real reason to turn that on at the moment.
I tap on the next option.
The control setting determines how the Gamer interfaces with their menu and skills.
I immediately see what other choices I have for my controls.
-Vocal Only-
-Mental Only-
-Vocal and Mental-
Yeah, I'll go with voice and mental here, please. I poke the choice with an ever growing grin.
Alright, how does this work?
So, if I just think inventory will it pop up?
…
No…
Inventory.
A familiar window filled with all my stuff pops up in front of me.
Close.
The window disappears.
Okay, I think I've got the concept.
For a few minutes, I test saying and thinking several of the words that activate my powers. If I use the word out loud or in thought without the intent of using my powers, nothing happens. If I have the intent to use it though, even if I use it in a sentence, it'll activate.
This is going to make using my powers a whole lot easier.
The next option was obviously about my pop-ups. A poke later confirmed that. I checked over my options of what I could set it to.
-On-
-Off-
-Noncombat Only-
For now, I leave it as is. If I get annoyed by my boxes, I'll turn it off, but right now, they kind of cheer me up.
As for how they'll work in combat…I'll deal with that later. If it gets in my way, I should be able to just think "exit" for them to disappear, but if something vital pops up, I'll need to know what it says.
Aaaand then there was one. I tap on Dungeon Entry.
The Dungeon Entry setting determines if the Gamer will enter Instant Dungeons they come across manually or automatically.
I scratch the top of my head. Okay, what's an instant dungeon?
Unfortunately, tapping on the words instant dungeon in the description box does not tell me what it is.
Hmm, what should I do?
If I choose manually, I should get a prompt on what to do when the issue comes up. At least, I would assume that would be the case.
With a shrug of my shoulders, I switch the setting to manual.
The other two tabs left to explore in options are video and sound.
Neither had much to offer. I didn't really want to tweak how bright I saw the world or the volume of what I heard.
It's not like I'd ever need a hearing aid with my super naps, and my eyesight's already better than it's ever been.
Effectively, it did mean I could decide whenever I wanted to be practically blind or deaf. However, I'm not sure what situation would call for me to do that, beyond maybe doing a perfect Helen Keller impression…
It was comfortable knowing that there was a reset to default button on both pages after playing with a few of the settings.
There was a subtitle setting in the sound tab that I might explore at a later date. There wasn't much I could do with it right now all by myself, but if it translates other languages or lets me read what people say at a distance, it could be something I could use in a few niche situations.
Alright, last sub-section of my menu.
Extras.
A blue box materializes in front of me.
Extras
-Skins-
-Achievements-
Skins? What are skins? Throughout all my research on RPGs, I don't recall reading anything about skins.
Okay…skins.
A box appears with the title Skins at the top. I poke the name to see if I'll get an explanation.
Skins are cosmetic extras that have no affect on the Gamer's attributes, skills, perks, etc. and only affect their physical appearance.
So, these things change my appearance?
That should be really helpful for keeping a secret identity.
There was only one skin available right now.
Beanpole:
The Gamer's appearance the moment they gained the Gamer power.
Right by it, was a 3D model of me in all my bipedal frog-like glory.
With a small sigh of frustration, I think about the benefits.
It's currently not equipped, so it seems to me to be an implication that my body's going to change as my physical attributes do.
Maybe if I boost my strength and vitality up, I'll suddenly have muscles...
I glanced down at my chest.
...or something.
Okay.
This is perfect for hiding those changes…despite the name. While accurate, it does annoy me.
…I'm also pretty sure this is a Changer power.
...
…Or would it be Breaker?
...
Again, I really need to check the whole classification thing.
I move on to the last part of my menu, achievements.
Like titles and perks before it, an empty box stares back at me.
I guess it's something I'll earn later on.
Achievements are pretty much the video game equivalent of merit badges from what I know off the top of my head.
So, besides my powers patting me on the back, I don't really see the point of it.
I mean, pats on the back are nice, but beyond morale support, I don't see a practical purpose for it.
Maybe I'll get experience points out of it? That might make it worth something.
It's not like I can do anything with it now. Unlike most games, my achievement system doesn't even tell me how I unlock them.
Then again, I'm not beholden to a plot or specific actions in a game. An achievement for me could be anything really.
I shake my head. It's something to worry about when I actually get a notification for it.
Alright, step one finally done.
I close out my menus, and take a look at the nearest clock.
It's only been thirty minutes since Dad left.
Okay, time to hit some books.
