Factions 4.4 was authored by Faria Lyton as a part of Co-Op Mode. This chapter is reposted as part of A Bug in the Game with permission.
Factions 4.4
Taylor fiddles with the stove a bit before turning her attention to shredding some lettuce into a large bowl. "Hey, speaking of skills. I had a revelation today. With your power high school has just become irrelevant to both of us."
I've seen just what happens to the uneducated in this town, and if you want to go to college, you've got to... "How's that? We still kinda need diplomas."
"Just that we can get more than a high school education in a few weeks by memorizing the right books. I already know more about «Computer Programming» by downloading that book than I'll in learn Ms. Knott's entire class. I'm sure we could find skill books to cover our other courses."
"Huh." Guess that's true enough. I wouldn't exactly call Winslow educational. At least not in a traditional sense. But getting good grades and a scholarship (or two) is the only way I'll be able to afford college. Also, pretty sure the better colleges don't accept a GED. "I'm not sure about the skill books. None of my text books are skill books, and I received a quest that gave me the «Biology» skill today." Are ours books just shitty, or are some things easier to learn through practice? Come to think of it, does it really matter what college I go to? Attending a college in a different city might not mesh well with being a superhero and trying to maintain a secret identity.
Taylor moves on to washing a cucumber. "But we know we can learn «Anatomy 25» from Gray's Anatomy." She slices the cucumber rapidly. In context of «Anatomy», that's a little scary…
"You've got a point, but «Anatomy» and «Biology» aren't exactly the same thing." Biology class spends a lot of time on habitats and interspecies interactions. "And some classes might take more than one skill. Who knows how many we'd need to cover everything. Beyond that, we'd still need to go to school." Still need a scholarship. Money doesn't just… appear… from… nowhere. Huh. Guess it kinda does, for me at least.
"Do we?" Taylor turns the two words into the start of an impassioned plea. "What good is it doing us? Why don't we just drop out? Pick up the skills to cover our classes, level them up, then take our GEDs. At the rate we're increasing skills we don't need Winslow. It's not like I'm getting an education there anyway. James, Winslow is holding us back. Think of how much we learned in two days. What if we could do that everyday? What kind of heroes would we become?"
"Oh, yeah." No more wasted time at Winslow. Seven extra hours every day to train or fight crime. And I don't think there's a college in town that doesn't accept GEDs. Probably cheaper that way, too. Just one problem. "Can we even drop out? Don't we have to be seventeen?" Don't think Mom would sign that paperwork for me.
"Like Winslow would care," she scoffs. "I'm sure we can find a home school program or something to cover it." The salad goes onto the table and Taylor bends to root around under the counter.
Hey oh! Let's check out that salad. Pretty simple, but that's the beauty of salads. "You're probably right about that. I bet the PRT could give us some options when we join the Wards."
She straightens up and starts filling a pot with water, completely silent. Once it's full enough, she faces me, face suspiciously blank. "What do you mean, when we join the Wards?"
"After Lung, I thought you'd be all for it. We nearly died. Hell, I was under 10 HP at one point. We'd be safer with a team backing us up." We might be improving really fast, but we need help if we're going to survive this town.
Taylor moves the pot to the stove and turns another burner on before replying. "We need to be more careful, but that doesn't mean joining a team. Not necessarily. You have «ID Create». We can run from any fight that turns bad. Also if we spend a few weeks training up, we'd be better heroes. We don't need the Wards."
"We'd still have those advantages, plus teammates if we joined." What are they going to do, tell me to not use my awesome training powers?
"Have you forgotten what we talked about?" She really sounds upset. "Once you join the Wards, the Protectorate will learn how your powers work. They'll use you to power up their other capes."
I've been thinking about it, and as long as I can still contribute directly… "Probably. We're kinda already doing that." Not to draw attention to it or anything, but Taylor is like twice the level she was on Friday. "And helping out the Wards feels like the right thing to do."
"If they let you stay here with the Wards. James, they might take you away." She sounds really worried.
"Maybe, but it's not like they're Empire Eighty-Eight or the ABB." They aren't going to lock me up somewhere and force me to boost an endless stream of faceless capes. "They're the good guys. Besides, I've got my Illusion Barriers. I bet I could get away if I really had to." Not exactly likely anyone can crash my private dimension, especially not before I escape whatever constraints I'm left in. Okay, shackles could be a problem. Maybe I should try to find an «Escape Artist» book.
"Did you forget last night already?" Hey, that's my argument for joining! "The Protectorate is led by people like Armsmaster. he didn't listen to us at all. What makes you think it will be different? People in power - they don't really care about people like us, James. Why do you think I'm ignored at Winslow? They'll use you up."
...can I be used up? My power seems to quantify everything, and I don't have a gauge or anything for how much improvement I can dish out. Of course, it's possible it's something invisible, like the maximum XP in the Baldur's Gate games. I'll check the book later. "Honestly, I think you're overreacting a bit. They can't all be that bad." Miss Militia was completely cool about ignoring me putting my foot in it last night. One of two Protectorate members was nice. Okay, that's actually really bad. "But I get it. I get why you don't trust people in authority. So no Wards. At least not yet." Maybe once we meet a few more heroes and she sees that Armsmaster is the exception, not the rule.
"Well. Good." Taylor doesn't sound convinced. She finishes cooking without another word. I'm not sure what to say, so I just sit at the table quietly. It's an awkward few minutes before she slides a plate towards me and smiles weakly. "It's simple, but I hope you like it."
Oh wow. My mouth is completely watering. "I'm sure that I will. It smells great." There's not much to say while eating, but it's still tense. At least the food is good.
Taylor finally breaks the silence. "So… I told my father about my powers."
"So, how did it go?" Hopefully her dad is more like my dad than my mom.
"He freaked." Crap. "He basically told me we were stupid for fighting Lung." Oh. That's not so bad. "Didn't matter that we won. About the only thing he liked was that I've got the beginning of a partnership worked out with Parian. He really wants me to be a rogue rather than a hero."
That's one way of staying out of the Wards. "Ouch. At least you were able to tell on of your parents. I don't think my mom would take it well." Understatement. I'm not exactly sure how she'd react, but all things considered...yeah, wouldn't be pretty. "And my dad would tell her sooner or later. So did you tell him about me?"
"I told him about Beetle Knight, but no details…" I wonder if there's a proper etiquette for dealing with the parents of your superheroic colleagues? "It's just my dad. My mother passed away a couple of years ago. Automobile accident."
My foot spends more time in my mouth than on the floor these days. "Crap. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" There's nothing I can say here.
"No, it's okay."
It really can't be. That was so fucking thoughtless. At least it was an honest accident. If I knew her better… Oh, hell no. "Emma." She knew.
"What about her?"
"That's what the «Treacherous Bitch» meant when she said 'cry for a week'. She was talking about… fuck." And I just brought that up again. I'm such an ass.
"Yes. Like I told Blackwell, she knows all my secrets and how to use them to hurt me the most." Her eyes are watering.
"Dammit, calling her a supervillain was too nice. That was…" There has to be a word for this… "Inexcusable. Like Slaughterhouse 9 inexcusable. We're going to complete that quest and see all three of them get what's coming to them. The bitches three are going to pay."
«Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!»
"Good." There's approval in Taylor's voice. And the vicious grin on her face. "So got any ideas?"
"A few." I never really stop thinking, even if it's frequently… off topic. This has been running in the background all day. "Blackwell claimed that we can make a complaint in writing. Considering how that meeting went, I don't think we can trust anything to come of that. But things could go smoother if we try to dot all our 'i's and cross our 't's. We file a report with her and she can't complain if we go over her head later. But we're going to have to make it good. The more evidence the better. The journal you mentioned is a good start. Blackwell slammed us on he said/she said because it's just the two of us, but it isn't really. Cera, that... large girl who's slept with half the chess club is a favorite target of Madison's." First noticed that one around mid-October. I'm not really that observant, but I was chatting with her. Okay, I was… considering. Unpopular teen boy here, emphasis on 'unpopular' and 'teen'. "Tony, you know, the junior varsity quarterback, is… um… I think Sophia 'likes' him. It's not pretty." I think he'd be happier with Cera after him. "And everyone picks on Greg. But I wouldn't use him as a witness. He makes an artform out of being unsympathetic." I bribed a few guys to stop swirlying him once. Let's just say I want a refund.
«Due to careful planning, your WIS has increased by 1!»
Whew, take a breath. Okay, continue. "There's a few others, but no one else gets it as bad. We can get old pocket voice-recorders, pre-digital, for something like twenty bucks." I'm pretty sure anything they say in the halls counts as 'public'. "Those bitches are sure to try something like today again, and next time we'll have them. If that isn't enough to get the school system to work, we take it to the cops. Then the media. Oh, and we should get a lawyer. Or a «Law» skill. Just to make sure everything is in order." Come to think of it, a lawyer will want to review the evidence. If there's anything in Taylor's notebook about her powers, it's going to be extra dicey putting it on the record without revealing anything extra. "Hey, do you mind if I take a look at that journal you mentioned?"
"I'll get it, and it's okay if you read it." The reluctance is expected. I'd have a hard time sharing something like that with anyone. "I meant it as a weapon against them, but I don't want to discuss it, you know?"
"I get it." Really. I'm sure I've only seen a fraction of what she was put through, and I can't even imagine what it was like in her place. There's no way she would want to relive all of that, rehash it. "How about I put it in my inventory and look at it later? No discussion, just want to know what we've got to work with."
"Yeah. That might be best."
Come to think of it, notebooks are just so much paper. Paper burns. It tears. It gets lost… "And we should make copies and keep the original. I wouldn't put it past Blackwell to 'lose' it or claim she never got it in the first place."
"I could so see that happening. For that matter the trio have a talent for stealing my things from my locker and my backpack. If they knew I had a journal of all their shit, they'd try to get their hands on it. I don't know if they'd go as far as breaking into my house, but I wouldn't put it past them. I know damn sure they can't steal it from your pocket dimension." With those encouraging words, Taylor heads up the stairs.
At least this time I have something to do. Soap, sponge, fresh dishes, done in a matter of seconds. But the sponge is still soapy and there are a few other things in the sink. Might as well.
"I was joking about the dishes." Taylor sets a simple composition notebook on the counter with a nod.
Geeze, make some noise, would ya? "I wasn't. You cooked." I gesture towards her and some suds launch themselves at her, but thankfully fall short. I've got the dishes. So, as soon as these are done, you want to go shop for books?"
"Um, maybe." Maybe? Before I can respond, the phone rings and Taylor grabs it. "Hello, Hebert residence." I don't think I'll ever enjoy listening to just one side of a phone conversation. Taylor looks bemused by whatever she's hearing on the other end of the line. "Really? Well, you can be sure I'll have a word with her about that. I'll make sure the paper is signed. Thank you for calling." Tell her? "Winslow. I'll tell my father, I guess. They'll probably call your home as well."
Oh. "Crap. Mind if we swing by my house on the way to the bookstore? I need to erase that message off the answering machine." They already want my parent's signature, do they really have to call as well?
Taylor shrugs, unconcerned. "You're not going to tell them?"
Fuck no. "Not if I don't have to. If my mom knows I'm not in school, she'll make me come with her to the office every day." Mom works as a shared secretary for the Internship Coordination office for Medhall. I've spend so many hours reading outdated magazines and listening to college students panic about graduation requirements. The only real upside is that a few of the other workers drag their kids in on occasion. Even though she's a year or two younger than me, Cynthea was a lot of fun to hang out with until recently. Somehow the friendly tomboy became a stuck-up prep. "That's just a waste of a week off school. Besides, didn't you want to get more training in?"
"Detour to the Barron residence approved." Well, she seems really happy about it.
"Awesome." I rinse off the last plate and put it aside.
«A new skill has been created through repeated action.»
«A skill to clean soiled dishes, [Dishwashing], has been created.»
«Dishwashing (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0%»
«A technique to wash dishes.»
«With more mastery, you can clean any dirty spots. 5% increase in dish washing speed.»
I didn't actually expect that. "Looks like it was a good thing that I did the dishes. I just got a «Dishwashing» skill."
Taylor thinks it's a joke until I read the skill description off. Then she commiserates with me over the waste of a slot, but isn't that bad. The less time it takes me to wash dishes, the better. And maybe there's something in the book about deleting useless skills. And apparently I hadn't mentioned the book to her before. Oops. Taylor also has a few things to catch me up on.
"Let me see. My father wants to meet you." What's she been telling him? "As Beetle Knight. Miss Militia wants to set a time for both of us to meet the Wards." Excellent. That should help Taylor reconsider things. And maybe I can get Clockblocker to sign the sticker. "Tattletale wants to meet both of us." Ooooh. Maybe I should brush my teeth while we're at my place? "Oh, and I picked up some kind of earring loot from Lung and I have no clue what it does."
First things first. "Your father wants to meet…" Me? That's ominous. Never done a meet the parents before. Oh, right, "Beetle Knight?"
"Relax," Taylor holds up a placating hand. "We took down Lung. Surely, my father is less scary than a fire-breathing man-dragon?"
Well, when you put it that way… I wobble my knees and add a tremor to my voice. "I'm not sure about that."
Taylor doesn't play along. "I'll tell you about all those on the way to your house. Let me grab my costume first though." She takes a half-step away and pushes open a door to a set of dark stairs leading under the house. Looks dusty. "Do you want to see my basement workshop? Most people would probably find it creepy. I've got several thousand spiders down there spinning silk for me, and most of them are black widows." Okay, I guess she is playing along.
"Sounds cool. Unless you've suddenly lost control of them. Lead the way, Lolth." Almost went with 'Mistress of Spiders', but remembered the evil goddess at the last second.
"Lolth?" Sounds like Taylor doesn't get it.
People say explaining ruins the joke. Not true. Over-explaining ruins the joke. "Demon Queen of the Spiders, Mother of the Drow, that Lolth." There. Just enough explanation.
The basement has less spiders in it than I was expecting. There's dozens of projects strewn across the room, lines of gold and yellowish grey stretching across counters and from rafters, but it's not like the room is covered in them. Still wouldn't want to be down here without a bug controller, but I can easily walk around without stepping on anything. Mostly, it just looks like a basement: dusty, filled with boxes, and only half-finished. Still, it's cool watching a cluster of black widows scramble around each other, weaving a delicate-looking cord. They're faster than I'd expect. Could be finished in a matter of hours. "Damn. This is impressive. Hail Lolth, Queen of the Demonweb Pits."
"Yes, yes, and you're making her majesty angry. Who is this Lolth person?"
And sometimes the joke really does need more explaining. Still, better keep it short. People complain when I ramble. "Lolth is a spider deity in D&D," please don't tell my mom I know that, "the evil goddess that the Drow worship." Well, the big one.
"I'm going to be sorry I asked, but what are Drow? Some kind of spider people?" Really? Her dad is cool with her presumably playing Dungeons and Dragons, but she doesn't even… Merf. She has a right to not be interested. Even if she's wrong. And a little fixated on spiders.
"Not quite. Drow are dark elves. Sometimes Lolth turns them into spider people called Driders, which are like spider centaurs." Should I mention Driders are like 99% male? Nah. "The Drow themselves are like the opposite of Lord of Rings elves." Well, the High Elves. Not that she'd know the difference between High and Forest, not with her unfamiliar with Drow. "Evil, black-skinned, white-haired, and kinda BDSM-y." ...I just mentioned BDSM. Why didn't I just say 'leather-obsessed'? Quick, say something less sexual. "Oh, and they're matriarchal. Women have all the power, men exist to serve them." In the bedroom. Crap. That wasn't much better.
"Well, at least they got something right." Good, ignore the awkward sex references.
Now, to shift focus before she catches on. "So…" I gesture towards a more complex, grid-like web. "What do you have them making?"
Taylor lights up in that 'someone asked about my unusual hobby' way. "Well first of all, they made me these three replacement skirt-nets and some silken cords so I can «Entangle» zombies again." Well, that explains that. "Over there is another silken cord being woven. Strands to threads, threads to cords, and eventually cords to rope. Next time we fight Legion Zombie, I plan to have a rope with us."
"Next time?" Wait, I was already thinking about farming it for tuition. And I might get another skill book. "You know, that's a great idea. The loot was awesome, and it should be much easier to kill now. We already have a strategy that works and we leveled up a LOT from beating Lung. And we won't even have to sacrifice your skirts. How long until you have the rope done?"
Taylor pauses for a thoughtful moment before answering. "I already had my spiders weaving this morning, they're pretty tapped out. Probably two more production runs, one later today, one tomorrow and I'll have my rope. Another day if we want to play it safe and have two ropes."
"Good call, boss, I'm all for playing it safe." Actually, I'd rather not wait, but I have been dragging Taylor headlong into messes lately. Better to slow down for a bit. Still, there has to be something else we can do for training. "Oh, and I've got other dungeons than just Zombies now. I think beating the Legion Zombie unlocked a Ghost dungeon," not sure where else it could have come from, "and beating Lung gave me a Dragon Yakuza dungeon. Now that we know there are bosses, we don't want to kill too many at once, but we could give those a try." Not really interested in fighting another dragon boss until I've got some more fire resistance.
"Really?" Taylor sounds very happy to have options other than the reeking dead. "Cool. We'll have to be careful scouting them. Can we even hurt a ghost? Will they be intangible? Or more like floating jello? And they'll probably be higher level, won't they?" Wow. Didn't know she could babble like that.
Let's see, what were the questions again? Jello? Some games let you damage ghosts with normal weapons or fire, so, "Maybe? I'm not sure, but we can always run away as long as the boss hasn't shown up yet. And yeah, but higher level means better loot."
"Okay then," she nods firmly. "Checking them out definitely goes on our to-do list. Right after getting some skill books. Damn, we've got a lot to do today. I'll get these guys to wrap things up and we'll get moving."
Given how spiders eat, that's an interesting wording. "Okay, as long as I'm not one of the things they're wrapping up."
"Not unless you keep up the puns." Hey, I'm a superhero now. Puns are required! "It will be just a few minutes. Plus we have a few things we can cross off the list." As the myriad arachnids finished or simply concealed their projects, Taylor fished around in a pile of fabric, her costume I guess, and fished out a few things. "These are for you, I guess they're «Dragon Scales» and used for crafting. I don't know what this earring does."
Ooh, jewelry! Hey, it's not weird if it follows RPG rules. I absently confirm the scales and their current uselessness before tucking them into my inventory. Let's see here... the earring is a big off-white white fang dangling from a silver hoop. "«Observe»."
«Dragonfang Earring»
«Type: Accessory; Quality: Rare»
«A simple earring made from a from a dragon's fang. Provides a 25% resistance to fire.»
Nice. That will help a lot the next time I face someone with fire powers. Or a flamethrower. Or most explosives. With this I can… crap. I've already got «Elemental Resistance» and «Gamer's Body». Taylor is flammable and scars. I read off the stats for her benefit. "And… it's yours." That hurt. Like, really hurt to give up.
"What do you mean it's mine? Are you sure?" Don't tempt me.
"Completely. You can't use the more…" awesome? magical?, "exotic skill books, so you've been kinda screwed over with the loot so far. And I just made myself some stuff from the blueprints the zombies dropped." And now I'm feeling shitty for being selfish about that. "Once we get in another run or two, I'll make you a set."
Taylor doesn't look convinced, but she still takes the fang and switches it out with a stud from her right ear. Huh. Didn't really notice that before. "Okay. How's it look?"
Kinda lopsided, and danglier than I usually like, but it isn't terrible. Kinda edgy, really. "Gives you a bit of a rebel look. I like it." I play up my approval a little bit for her sake.
"Really?" I give her a little nod. "Right. So… I think my spiders can close up from here. Let's get going to your house. We can walk this time. Got a lot to got over. Speaking of which. What did you get from that book Lung dropped?"
...I forgot. "Doh. The book teaches «Dragon's Scales», and I haven't learned it yet! I'm going to do that now." Before I can get distracted again. "«Inventory»." I fish the scaley book out and switch to the «Dragon Slayer» title. Click «Yes», ride the rush of non-Euclidean colors and coppery shapes deliciously engrave a new equation into my brain. "It's kinda like «Zombie's Hide», but it gives more armor and has fire resistance instead of others. And they can't stack. Which kinda sucks, but I'm not complaining." I feel a little better about giving up the earring now.
Taylor loads her backpack with her hero gear, the bat hanging out a bit. On the way back to my house, she tells me that switching clothes through the «Inventory» cleans them off, but doesn't fix them. If my clothes hadn't been crisped, I could have used that. Still, it'll come in handy later. I try to explain the odd mix of mundane and fantastic involved in «Crafting», but it doesn't seem like I'm doing a good job of it. I try to make up for it by asking Taylor to tell her dad I'll can come by and meet him at five tomorrow. Should still give me time to get home before the parents do, and Andy probably won't notice if I'm not there to fight over who gets to play on the computer. We both want to meet the Wards tomorrow, and while I'd like to see Tattletale again, I'd really like to see exactly what she said first. She may be friendly, and I'll admit an attraction, but she's still a villain.
As expected, no one is home at just a little after two. I let us both in and waved Taylor towards the living room. "We can use my family's computer, but we'll need to be quick." Andy might decide to ditch his last class (again) and I don't need the kind of crap I get from bringing someone home with getting permission. Especially a girl. Especially since I've never… had a girl over. "So this is the Barron residence, don't mind the mess. Bathroom is at the end of the hall if you need it. I'm going to go clear the answering machine. Do you want water or anything?" We actually have 'or anything' for once.
"No, I'm fine."
There's only one message on the machine, and it only takes a moment to confirm it's the right one. Beep, one problem down. Taylor is still standing when I get back to the living room. Of course, given just how old and shabby the furniture is, I'd be wary of sitting on it if I didn't live here. "Found a message from Winslow and took care of it. So, um, computer this way in Wil- the library." Will and Nick don't exactly have a claim on the room anymore.
Taylor is polite enough to not comment on the overflowing laundry hamper in the hall, or the piles of boxes cluttering the 'library'. I take a seat in front of the moderately obsolete computer and wake it up. "It's password protected, if barely. But I think Dad uses this password elsewhere, so I'll log on, then we can swap and you can log onto PHO."
"We don't have to swap places. I trust you to have my back against Lung, so I think I can trust you with my PHO account. It's Lady_Bug: capital L, capital B, underscore in-between. Password is Dickens with a capital D." Taylor parks behind me.
I pop open a window and log in. "You really didn't have to tell me that. Why Dickens?"
"Literary reference. A Tale of Two Cities. 'It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.' Seems to fit how I felt about triggering." Yikes. That's… got some weight to it. And here I was thinking it was an 'A Christmas Carol' reference.
Don't make a big deal of it. Change topic. "Oh. I did something similar with my user name." Come to think of it, "I should probably make a cape account later. And we're in."
Floral-scented curls cover half my face for a moment before Taylor pushes her hair back. "Um, sorry."
"It's okay?" I scoot a little to the side so she won't have to lean over me as I pull up the PM she indicates. It's pretty vague. "So, Tattletale says she owes us two and wants to repay? We should take her up on it. I know she's a villain, but she's also a Thinker." I can think of a few ways she could repay us. And most of them involve her powers. "She might have some ideas on paying back the bullies and a different perspective on trusting the Wards."
Taylor is quick to provide a counterpoint. "On the other hand, she's a Thinker. If we give her clues, she could quickly find our true identities."
"But she owes us. And if it's that easy for her to find us, she'll do it anyway." Besides, I'm sure she's too smart to flaunt the unspoken rules like that. "Isn't it better to keep things friendly, at least for now?" Until we catch her committing a crime or something?
"Okay, go ahead and write her, but we don't give her any clues about how your powers work." I get it. You don't have to look so stern. "Understand?"
Reading the message is one thing. "Okay, but I'm not typing PMs for you. Swap." I delicately slide past her.
"Fine." She's a faster typist than me, so I don't quite catch everything as I'm reading the original messages. I do get that she asks 'AllSeeingEye' when and where she wants to meet. Then she writes a second message to Miss Militia, offering to meet her and the Wards tomorrow, if possible. As she hits 'send', an alert pops up. "Weird. I have another message. Huh, Tattletale already replied."
Taylor doesn't read faster than me though.
Private message from AllSeeingEye
Subject: Proposed Meet
U can't dismiss a debt so easily. I'll meet you at the same spot we crossed paths last night, k? Don't have to get gussied up if you catch my drift. I'll be in casual wear. We could meet at 3. That will give you enough time to get there from your neighborhood with everything you need. Let me know.
Tt
"How the fuck does she know how long it will take us to get there?" I don't think I've heard her cuss like that before.
"That's a good fucking question." I may be a bad influence. "I guess the best way to find out is to meet her."
Taylor mumbles something under her breath, but shoots a confirmation message back at Tattletale. "We should go in costume. There's no reason to risk it before we've gotten a better feel for her."
Unless she's planning on screwing us. Over. Screwing us over, we'll be seeing her face whether or not we show her ours. "I'm not sure there's anywhere I'd want to change into costume in broad daylight, so maybe we could change here and use Illusion Barriers to get there unnoticed?" I back up a step so Taylor has room to stand and she gives me a LOOK. What? Oh, right. "That door's the bathroom."
"I'll be right back." She even locks the door.
Well, to each their own. And this gives me a chance to try out my first macro. "«Beetle Knight, Stag Mode!»" Works like a charm. My whole outfit changes at once. Wow, the «Undead Shirt» is a bit more form-fitting than I'd expected. I've never worn something I can see my abs through. Of course, I've never had abs like this before. The pauldrons look exactly as awesome as expected. Not that they look any different when worn.
"Did you say something?" And now Lady Bug is in my house. There's a superheroine coming out of the bathroom. In my house. Wei- no, weird is insufficient. Trippy?
It only takes a moment to explain macros to Taylor and open an empty Illusion Barrier. "We can…" We don't need to climb out the window, "go now."
In an empty, illusory city, «Sprinting» just feels more natural. Totally has nothing to do with being unnerved by the silence. And I get another level in the skill. We only get about two, two and a half blocks before things kinda haze as we reach the edge of the dungeon. Definite upside of living in a city? There's always an alley nearby.
"«ID Escape». Hey, since we're making good time, how about we try running through the Ghost Barrier? Just to get an idea what it's like." Don't really have time to go for a real fight, but it would be nice to have a better idea what we're facing for later.
It's really hard to tell why with masks on, but Taylor pauses a moment before hesitantly agreeing, "Okay, but we keep moving. And don't forget to «Observe» them."
I bounce a salute into my customary 'raised hand' pose before grabbing Taylor's hand.. "«ID Create: Ghost»!" Just like that, all the traffic noise disappears. Along with the few pedestrians I can see just beyond the alley. Hadn't seen that before.
«Restless Ghost»
«Level 12»
The ghosts aren't all identical, but they do all skew towards RPG typical. Flowing, tattered robes wrapped in dark chains, all hazy and indistinct around the edges. Under the hoods, though… dark pits where eyes should be. It's one thing to see on a computer or television screen. In person… I've got «Gamer's Mind». Taylor doesn't. "It's okay. Most of them are level 12, only a few are 13. It'll be a complete walk in the park. «Observe»"
«Observe's level has increased by 1!»
«Restless Ghost Lvl 13»
«HP: 650/650 MP: 1300/1300»
«A wandering spirit. No matter how it died, it resents the living, attacking them to rip their spirits and bodies apart. Lacking a corporeal form, it cannot be harmed by purely physical attacks or do physical damage without spending MP.»
Um… maybe special attacks count because they use MP? I silently «Power Strike» the nearest specter in the face.
«-200 MP»
Wait… MP damage? That's weird. And if I can't hurt them... "Nope. Nevermind. It's immune. Let's just…" Taylor is already running, trailing ghosts. I have to activate «Sprint» just to catch up to her. Her cloak billows majestically as she beats a tactical retreat.
"There! Get us out of here!" Taylor emphatically points to the next alley as I pull along her.
"«ID Escape!»" The spirits vanish, and a pair of… preoccupied college students appear, enthusiastically necking against a dumpster. They don't even look up. "«ID Create». Maybe we should leave that one alone. But the Dragon barrier can't be tha-"
"No." I don't need to see Taylor's face for that one.
"Bu… okay." We don't say much else as we dash across town, but we do each make it to level 6 on «Sprint» before Taylor says she's at her limit. Considering her higher VIT, I guess «Gamer's Body» is helping somehow. I also earn another two levels on «ID Create» and «ID Escape» from all the barriers.
Taylor signals me about a block before the alley. "Alright, this is close enough. Bring us out between the dumpsters. I'll locate her with «Combat Mapping» and make sure she's alone."
Thankfully, it's actually empty in this alley. There's not much for Beetle Knight to do while Lady Bug is handling reconnaissance, so I awkwardly try to find a place to put my hands without looking like a tool. Pockets is too relaxed. Hips feels too much like the 'Superman pose' for me. I settle on 'parade rest', both hands folded in the small of my back and feet shoulder-width apart.
"Looks good from here," Taylor interrupts my experimenting. "I want to check the far side. Open an empty zone and we'll go to that narrow side alley where we spied on the meet." 'Before you pulled that boneheaded charge on Lung' goes unspoken. We relocate the short distance quickly, and Taylor must have have sent some bugs ahead, because it takes her less time to speak up this time. "Okay, all clear as far as I can see. I'll use some bug arrows to have her join us… no, it's a bit narrow to meet here. Looks like we'll have to meet her on the roof. There aren't any other places to meet around here without being seen."
"I'll go first?" I wait a moment before jumping the first few feet up the ladder. Hate ladders. Taylor is up only a moment behind me. After a second's consideration, she sits on a air conditioner with her cloak spread regally behind her, bat across her knees. I loom over her right shoulder in my spiffy new pose. It's not bad for short notice, I hope.
A blonde head peers over the edge of the roof, a smirk already on her lips. Huh. Didn't expect the freckles. Guess they were covered by her mask last night. Very cute.
«Sarah "Lisa Wilbourn" Livesey»
«Level 28»
«Smart Ass»
Body follows head. She's wearing a purple blouse with just a hint of cleavage. Huh, think that's the same shade as her costume. In case we didn't realize it was her? Her jeans look snug enough to make scaling the ladder difficult. Nice. And oops.
"Lady Bug, Beetle Knight, I'm glad you were at least willing to meet with me. While I really am serious about owing you both, I need to ask for your help first."
Game Stats
«+1 WIS», «+1 Dishwashing», «+1 Observe», «+2 ID Create», «+2 ID Escape», «+4 Sprint»