Tutorial 2.2
Oh fuck no. I do not want to fight a level 12 when I'm only level 2, and haven't even spent my stat points. This is bullshit. I want a refund. I want to talk to the man in char-
[Combat works largely the same as in the real world. To demonstrate, here's a zombie.]
Oh good. I'm not fighting Taylor. Wait, zombie?
A shambling corpse appears about twenty feet from us, near the bow of the ship. If it were dark out, I'd almost believe it had just melted out of the shadows. It's grotesque. Rotten flesh, maggot-ridden flesh, drooping flesh, swollen flesh, and missing flesh all mix into a patchwork horror no movie has ever truly portrayed. If it weren't for Gamer's Mind, I'm sure I'd already be puking from the putrid smell of it. As is, I can hear Taylor fighting to hold her own gorge down.
[It's always best to know what you're getting into. Use {Observe} on opponents to identify potential weaknesses.]
I can already see the floating tags identifying it as a level 6 zombie, but more information can't hurt. "[Observe]"
[Zombie Lvl 6]
[HP: 600/600 MP: 37/37]
[A walking corpse. No matter how it died, it hates the living, attacking and eating their flesh. Although it's slow, its strength is twice as much as when it was living.]
"It's strong but slow. Pretty basic zombie, I guess." I don't know if Taylor has [Observe] or even if she can get it. It's not like she couldn't have guessed, but it's probably safer to share.
[Attacking works just like in real life. Hit your target until it stops moving, using whatever weapons you have. Try it now.]
Well, that's easy enough. While I really don't want to approach the reeking, rotting revenant, I'm not really afraid to do it. Thank you, [Gamer's Mind]. I choke up on the bat and rush forward.
Taylor's upward swing hits the zombie below the belt and takes it clean off its feet before I even get in range. [Critical!] Over half its red HP bar disappears in an instant. I'm too close and moving too fast to make the strike I was planning, but I manage to slam the butt of the pink bat into the airborne zombie's chest, throwing it into the ground. A sliver of HP vanishes from the initial hit, but impacting the ground takes it down to a little over 20%. With a quick spin of her bat on the downstroke of her initial blow, Taylor pulps the zombie's head. At 0% HP, the zombie melts into some kind of semi-solid shadow-stuff that evaporates in a matter of seconds. Damn, that must've looked badass. I only wish it was on purpose.
A wave of blue and pink windows appear in my face.
[You've got 64 XP]
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[A skill to knock enemies to the ground, {Grounding Strike}, has been created.]
[Grounding Strike (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0% / MP 10]
[Knocks the target out of the air. 15% increase in attack damage per foot to ground.]
[...and knock 'em down.]
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[A skill to utilize blunt weapons freely, {Blunt Weapon Mastery}, has been created.]
[Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.0%]
[Allows user to freely handle blunt weapons. 10% increase in attack damage with blunt weapons. 5% increase in attack speed with blunt weapons.]
Oh hells yeah. With the number of flying capes out there, I'm sure to benefit from [Grounding Strike] sooner or later. And [Blunt Weapon Mastery] is just plain overpowered. 5% increase in speed AND 10% damage? What'll that be like at max level? And XP is always welcome. I dismiss my windows.
Taylor is swiping at thin air. Oh, that's what I look like doing that. Hmm. Might want to figure out how to be more discrete about it. Best case scenario, I look like I'm trying to act cat-like and failing. More likely, people will think I'm having a spaz attack..
I guess she really can get skills too. "What did you get?"
"[Rising Strike], [Blunt Weapon Mastery], and [Finishing Blow]. What did you get?" Pride or maybe even glee fills her voice.
Ah. That's the face she keeps making when she finds something about my power interesting. "Nice. I got [Grounding Strike] and [Blunt Weapon Mastery]. That weapon mastery is freaking awesome. Something's weird about [Grounding Strike] though. The description had an extra line, dot dot dot 'and knock 'em down'?"
Taylor's laughter is unexpected. "My [Rising Strike] says 'Set 'em up…' " She waits for me to get the joke.
"...my power is weird."
She starts laughing again, and I have to chuckle a little.
[Nicely done! Defending also works like real life: try to not get hit, and if you do, expect it to hurt. Since you've already broken your first zombie, have a few more.]
Only one new zombie appears, standing only a few feet further along the bow. That's not "a few more". I must be missing some-
Taylor suddenly lunges away. A rotting arm thrusts through the space she's just vacated. Oh. I turn just in time to catch the flash of white bone exposed through missing knuckle-flesh before pain shoots through my temple.
[Danger!]
[Critical hit!]
[-47 HP]
[113/160 HP]
Fucking ouch. I'm on my back on the deck, one zombie right over me and another stumbling towards us. Taylor seems to be handling her corpse just fine. There's some kind of indicator blinking in the corner of my vision, but I don't have time to look at it. I don't think crawling to my feet with an enemy so close is a good idea, and I am so not capable of just flipping to my feet. Instead, I tuck my arms in and roll down the shallow slope of the deck. Memo to me: see if I can create a skill for getting to my feet quickly. Safely away from the undead, for now, and face-down, I scramble to my feet.
Roll roll roll. Thunk. Conveniently, the pink bat decided to follow me. I glance down to grab it.
[Danger!]
That fucking zombie is in my face again, the other one only a little behind. I can tell which one is closer, as it's the only one with flesh-less knuckles. Thankfully, I've got a little more room this time. And I'm more than a little pissed. That hurt! I put my whole weight into one over-done overhead smash.
He goes to his knees, but only about a fifth of his health fades. A second indicator starts blinking and goes ignored. The other zombie, which I passingly notice is a woman, or at least was one. Great, I've got his and hers matching zombies. Either way, I've got no chivalry for the undead. Another over-wound swing, this one from the side, topples her on top of the other zombie, knocking him over again. Wailing wildly away on them isn't sporting, but, you know… zombies.
I might have felt a little bad about it, but the girl manages to grab my ankle and pull me off my feel. The danger notice only pops up after she's latched on. Her grip alone is strong enough to take 6 more HP off me. And landing on my ass does 2 HP damage. I smack her arm a few times to get her to let go, then scramble back to my feet. Thankfully, the two corpses are so tangled up they don't get back up as quickly. I go back to smashing them with the bat, now with a little more vigor. It takes an embarrassingly long time to finish them off, and none of my subsequent strikes do as much as the first few.
As the revenants evaporate, I look up to see Taylor staring at me. I guess she finished well before me. And I probably was laughing a bit for a minute there.
[You got 192 XP]
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Through the power of your body to endure pain and damage, {Physical Endurance}, has been created.]
[Physical Endurance (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 5.24%]
[The body's durability increases and you take less damage. 3% decrease in damage from physical attacks.]
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[A skill to deliver a strong blow, {Power Strike}, has been created.]
[Power Strike (Active) Lvl 1 Exp 23.4% / MP 10]
[Strikes the target with strong force. 15% increase in critical rate. 50% increase in attack damage.]
I might be drooling as I dismiss the windows. Just a few more skills like these, or a few levels in them, and I'll… probably still be no match for any real Parahuman. But I won't have to worry about getting mugged by a normal criminal. I might even survive facing two or three at a time.
"You… you've got a little something on your face." Taylor points to her cheek.
I reach up and wipe something wet off my face. Nasty. I'm not describing it, but I may have been a little overzealous with the zombies.
[Now that you've learned about attacking and defending, along with an impromptu lesson in handling multiple opponents, let's discuss loot.]
Someone's squealing with glee. It may or may not be me.
Author's Note: In regards to the "Guest" review - If you'd taken a moment to read the top of the page, the interlude was guest written. Beyond that... I'd give your comments more weight if you had the courtesy to attempt a more polite wording.