Tutorial 2.1
[9:54:34 AM]
"You're early," Taylor greets me, perched on a rusty oil drum. An overstuffed duffle bag rests beside on the corroded deck of the container ship she's selected for our training.
"Thanks for the directions." Only moments after I entered the Ship's Graveyard, ladybugs had formed arrows in front of me; clustered on walls, crawling along the ground, and even buzzing through the air. I'm not quite sure how she spotted me, though. Considering how much of a maze this place is, I'm glad her powers are good for scouting and guiding like that. We're fairly deep in the labyrinth of destroyed boats of all varieties. Seriously, I think I see a canoe over there. I wonder if someone left it here as a joke?
[Quest Completed!]
[You have gained 200 XP]
[You have unlocked the tutorial!]
[Would you like to view the tutorial now?]
[Yes] [No]
Taylor's voice comes from behind the floating blue window in front of me. "Are you okay? You've got a weird look on your face…"
"I just finished the quest to meet you here. 200 XP and it 'unlocked the tutorial'. It wants to know if I want to view the tutorial now?" I push it to the side, next to my level up notice from last night. "It's kinda annoying that these block my view when they pop up. At least I can just slide them to the side if I'm not ready to close 'em."
"Why would you leave them open?"
I don't want to admit how little I know about my powers, especially not to someone who has already shown me some pretty cool tricks with her power. But I'm not seeing a way around it. "Um… I'm not sure how to open screens up again. And I don't want to wait for however long it'll take to level up again to spend my points."
"So you really do get points? Do you know what this means?" Her eyes widened alarmingly. She's suddenly right in front of me, a large book in her hands now. I don't think I even saw her move. "What stats can you spend them on? What are your stats at now? Why haven't you spent them already?"
I take a half-step back, sliding my backpack to the ground while I'm at it. "Yes. No?" I pull the level up screen (level 2) just barely back into view. "4 strength, 7 agility, 12 vitality, 39 intelligence, 4 wisdom-"
Taylor's chuckle interrupts my recital. It's not the most feminine laugh, but it doesn't grate like the giggles of some of the girls at school. Madison being an infamous, ear-splittingly bad example.
I've been told enough times that I'm inattentive (a symptom of low Wisdom in Dungeons and Dragons) that I can understand it, ignore it, and soldier on. "-and 5 luck. I wanted to check with you before I spent any. Should I focus on vitality to tank for you? Strength to put attackers down hard or hold them still for you? Agility to actually be able to hit them?" Taylor is silent, so I continue, "I also practiced with Observe some -"
[Taylor Hebert]
[Level 12]
[Novice Hero]
[A classmate of The Gamer, Taylor has revealed that she can control invertebrates with a Parahuman power.]
"What happened?" A slim hand pokes through the window and waves in front of my nose.
"I… just accidentally triggered that power that gives me a little more detail about who or whatever I'm focused on." I really hope unintentional power use isn't the cape equivalent of peeing one's pants. Or worse. "Your title has changed."
"It was [Unaffiliated Parahuman], right?" I can only assume the look on Taylor's face is much like the one I get when I'm reading notes in my head.
I nod. "And now it's [Novice Hero]. I wonder how much that even means? After all, titles in games can be purely cosmetic, or really awesome boosts to stats or skills or growth."
"No way to tell though?"
"Not that I've found yet."
"Well, maybe we should learn more about your power first. Go ahead and open the tutorial."
"...sounds weird without a computer around…" I mutter as I pull the window back into view and poke the Yes.
Taylor doesn't let that slide. "...looks weird, poking your fingers at nothing."
She's probably right.
[Tutorial Start!]
[Tutorial Part One of Five: Stats and Skills]
[The Gamer is a power that allows its wielder, also known as The Gamer, to live in the real world as if he is a game character.]
[Stats are quantified and improve only by discrete amounts. Say "status window" with intent to open your character page to review stats and spend points earned by leveling. Try it now.]
I just stare at the screen. I can't believe I missed something that obvious. Heck, I can't believe my powers really are that videogame themed. Kinda thought all those windows were just my own weirdness effecting my power, to be honest.
"Are you okay?" Taylor's voice breaks me from my thoughts.
"Yeah. [Status Window]"
[James Barron]
[The Gamer]
[Level 2]
[200/500 XP]
[HP: 160/160]
[MP: 430/430]
[STR: 4]
[AGI: 7]
[VIT: 12]
[INT: 39]
[WIS: 4]
[LUK: 5]
[Points: 5]
[Money: $0]
"Okay, that works." I dismiss the nearly-identical level-up window from the corner of my sight. I spent about half an hour bouncing off walls before I realized I could shove windows out of my face.
[Stats can be improved by spending points or through concerted effort. Each level of a stat takes more effort to earn, but any level only takes one more point to improve.]
Good, some games make you spend more points every certain number of levels. Like one point per level from 1-10, two per level from 11-20, and so on. It adds up quickly, and makes min-maxing almost wasteful. This gives me more freedom in how I build my chara- Myself. God, that's creepy. I'm my character.
[Skills is the term for special abilities granted or boosted by The Gamer. Skills also increase by discrete amounts. Say "skill window" with intent to review your skills and their levels. Try it now.]
"[Skill Window]" A window with four icons appears in front of me. The first two are unfamiliar, but I immediately recognize the others. [Sense Danger, Level 1] and [Observe, Level 3]. I played around with [Observe] a bit last night, but got bored when leveling didn't seem to change it much.
The other two I haven't seen before. I poke the first one.
[A Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl MAX]
[Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.]
I guess that's why I know when Taylor is being scary, but don't really feel fear normally. Wonder if it affects Master powers? Let's see what the other one does.
[A Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl MAX]
[Grants the user a body like a game character. Health and general soundness of body are reflected as HP. Powers and special efforts use MP. Sleeping restores all HP/MP and relieves all status effects.]
I had guessed as much, and there had been a popup about being fully restored this morning. That one I'd felt safe dismissing.
[Skills can be gained from special actions or by using skill books.]
I wonder what counts as a skill book? I've got a few how-to books in my room. Chinese calligraphy and programming in BASIC. Nothing amazing, but I can use them to check if regular books count. I dismiss the skill window for now.
[Tutorial Part One: Completed!]
[10 XP Awarded]
[Tutorial Part Two of Five: Party System]
Party system? Really? How… I wonder how much this even does?
[Leaving your friends out is rude. Share the fun by forming a party and inviting them!]
...what's up with this tutorial? I look over at Taylor, who looks like she can't decide whether she's bored watching me stand there silently or amused by me essentially making odd faces and flailing at what looks like thin air.
[Say "create party [name]" with intent to form a party. Try it now.]
"[Create Party] ...tutorial?"
[Party "Tutorial?" Created]
I think my power is mocking me.
[Say "invite [name]" with intent to invite that person into the party. Try it now.]
Well, there's only one person to invite.. "[Invite Taylor Hebert]"
"What was th- AH!" She squeaks, but composes herself quickly and pokes the window hovering in front of her.
[Taylor Hebert has accepted your invite.]
So not fair. I was hoping she'd freak out a just a little.
[Party members can benefit from some aspects of The Gamer's power. Stat points and skills can be earned in a manner similar to The Gamer.]
"Really?" Taylor looks more excited by the text than by having freaking windows appearing in front of her face. "[Skills Window]" She's now happily jabbing away at the screen, humming thoughtfully. "How do you gain stats and skills?"
"I got five points to spend on stats from leveling up. Some games you get more points at higher levels, but most actually stay the same amount each time, so it'll probably stay the same." I think I'm forgetting something. "Oh! Not only did I get the one point of vitality in your locker, I earned three running home last night and two more running here today. Exercise works, with diminishing returns. Which I guess is kinda normal"
She nods behind her screen.
"Skills… so far I seem to get them based on things I do, but the tutorial said I can also use skill books to get new skills."
Taylor dismisses her window and starts giving me that wide-eyed look again, but more so. Like she's got ideas. She raises a finger, then drops it. "We'll come back to that. Can you make the tutorial continue?"
It seems that's the cue it was waiting for.
[Party members can also voice chat by stating the name of the party member they wish to contact, or all, with intent. Ending a chat simply requires stating "End" with intent. Please be aware that this is voice chat, not telepathy.]
I want to be insulted, but I'd probably make a call during stake-out and get someone killed without that reminder. ...I might still…
"I'll remind you." Her smirk is just as evident in her voice as on her face.
"That obvious?"
"Wis 4. On that subject, I want to see how much better level 12 is. [Status Window] Okay. Nice. Nice. Sweet. Awesome. ...FUCK!"
"What's wrong?"
"I have no luck." Her voice is flat and emotionless again, like at Fugly Bob's. Even aimed at her screen instead of me, her glare is still impressive.
I'm not sure what the deal is, but she seems really upset. I try to empathize. "My luck isn't exactly great eithe-"
"Not low luck. No luck. None," she rants, "Zero. Zilch. Cero. Less than one. It's…"
[Party members can choose to share XP evenly, regardless of actual contribution to earning the XP, provided all party members are within 10 levels of each other. Otherwise, XP is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.]
Maybe I can lighten the mood. "Hey, I can just leach off my level 12 friend until I've got a few levels to work with."
She gives me a fake glare.
Well, I hope it's fake.
[Tutorial Part Two: Completed!]
[10 XP Awarded]
[Tutorial Part Three of Five: Illusion Barriers]
[Now that you've stood around poking at thin air and generally looking silly to any outside observer, it's time to show you how to practice in private.]
It really does seem like my power likes teasing me. ...I wonder what that says about me, psychologically speaking… Taylor's short laugh lets me now she's still reading along.
[This power can only be activated by The Gamer, but companions can be brought into the Illusion Barrier. To create an Illusion Barrier, simply raise one hand over your head, focus you energy there, and then flare it. Try it now.]
It reminds me of an Earth Aleph series I watched a few years ago. For a few minutes back then, I almost managed to convince myself I could feel a glowing energy throughout my body and draw it into one finger so I could fire off a Spirit Gun blast. Today, I really can feel the energy when I focus. I raise my right hand and energy from throughout my body converges there. I pulse the glowing energy hidden inside my hand.
[A skill has been created through a special action!]
The sudden silence is disturbing. I'd barely even noticed the creaking of shifting wrecks and gentle sloshing of waves, but it's obvious when they stop.
[A skill to make Illusion Barriers, [ID Create], has been created.]
[ID Create (Active) Lvl 1 XP 0.0%]
[Used to create instant dungeons. Stronger instant dungeons can be created according to level.]
That sounds like more than just a way to get some privacy. Too bad "stronger" doesn't really tell me anything useful. It could mean a lot of things.
"It worked, right? Everything looks the same, but the noise all stopped. And I can only sense the bugs I had on me." Taylor looks around uneasily, but the small swarm of wasps and ladybugs suddenly surrounding her are buzzing and zipping around like they're trying to find a hidden attacker.
Looking around, nearly everything looks the same. I do notice my backpack is gone. A second glance reveals that Taylor's duffle is missing as well. Better keep anything important in my hands if I use this in the future. "Yeah, it worked. And I got a skill called [ID Create] to do it again."
[Exiting the Illusion Barrier is almost the same. Raise your hand, focus your power, and flair it with the intent of exiting the barrier. But don't do it yet. We'll be finishing your tutorial here in the Illusion Barrier.]
[Tutorial Part Three: Completed!]
[10 XP Awarded]
[Tutorial Part Four of Five: Inventory and Equipment]
"…" I think I love my power. Even the lamest game inventories, with space and weight limits, are infinitely better than fumbling through your pockets for the right item or fighting to keep everything balanced in a heavier load. And since I didn't find the opening on accident, even when showering this morning, I bet anything I put in there will be pretty damn secure. Not to mention concealed. I can actually start collecting manga again, without having to worry about smuggling it past my mom.
[The Gamer has access to an extra-dimensional storage space that cannot be accessed by normal means. The interface for this inventory can also be used to review and quickly change equipment. While party members don't gain access to their own extra-dimensional space, they can still use this feature to sort items on hand and manage equipment. Say "inventory" with intent to access the inventory. Try it now.]
"Yes!" Taylor happily spins to look at where her bag was. "No!"
"What?"
"You don't get it? We can use the inventory to do quick changes. My costume takes almost half an hour to get into, but with your power, I can switch into it in a second." Her excitement fades as quickly as it appeared. "Or I could, if your power hadn't left it in another dimension."
[Presents have been left for The Gamer and party member in the inventory. It's rude to withhold a present for a lady.]
Hint taken, power. "[Inventory]"
A beige window appears in front of me. There's a diagram of me on the left side of the screen, displaying everything I'm wearing, and little box-like slots with each item displayed separately. [Red Hand-me-down T-Shirt], [Comfy Blue Jeans], [Worn Socks], [Old Sneakers], even [Expired Sample Contacts] and [Lucky Boxers]. Nope, never ever letting anyone see my inventory screen.
I focus on the right side of the screen. A four by six grid of boxes fills most of the space, with left and right arrows at the bottom. I guess that means I've got more than just 24 slots to work with, but there's no indicator of how many there are in total. I really doubt I've got infinite pages. And if I did, it'd be a huge pain to find everything out of hundreds of pages of junk. The first two spaces are already full. The first has an [Aluminium Baseball Bat]. The second is a [Pink Wooden Bat].
This feels like a trick question. Wordlessly, I draw the metal bat out of thin air and hand it to Taylor. The pink bat's icon is slid into the "main weapon" slot. The bat instantly appears in my hand. So cool.
Taylor gives the bats a look, and smirks at me, but doesn't comment.
[A smart decision causes you WIS to go up by 1.]
[Relationship with Taylor Hebert increased!]
[Tutorial Part Four: Completed!]
[10 XP Awarded]
[Tutorial Part Five of Five: Combat and Victory]
I think I should have kept the better bat.