by Arthur Stone
Ability Description: activating this ability before firing charges the ballistic projectile (bullet, shell, arrow, bolt, etc.) with destructive energy. This energy is completely discharged when the projectile hits its target. Effect: the discharge entirely destroys, or significantly reduces, the strength of the surface of impact, which markedly increases the penetration ability of the projectile you are firing.
Note: This ability only takes effect on one projectile—not on the entire magazine, clip, pack, quiver, drum, belt, or other container used to hold projectiles. Use before shooting.
Ability cooldown: 100 seconds. Cost: minimum 10 Spirit of Styx. You can use higher amounts of Spirit of Styx, in multiples of 10: 20, 30, and so on. The more you use, the more effective Explosive Shot.
Duration: the charge lasts for 300 seconds and then dissipates completely. Every 10 Willpower reduces the cooldown of Explosive Shot by 6 seconds. Every 30 Willpower adds 50 seconds to the length of time your projectile can hold a ready charge. Note: These are the base stats of this ability. Real-world results may vary.
Additional properties: Talent Rank 30 bonus: Your projectile ignores all kind of mechanical protection and will first penetrate 8 millimeters into any surface. Only then do the calculations of Explosive Round take effect, followed by the usual ballistic calculations.
Resulting stats (92 Willpower): cost: at least 10 Spirit of Styx, charge duration: 450 seconds, cooldown: 46 seconds.
Cheater would never forgive himself if he’d turned down this ability—it was every sniper’s dream in a world of armored foes! He’d have to test-run this new ability thoroughly, however, as the System didn’t tell him the amount of mana he’d need to blast a bullet through a young elite’s forehead. That said, a guaranteed 8 millimeters sounded great, enough to drop a trampler in armor 5 or 6 millimeters thick. He could aim for even more powerful beasts too…as long as he picked out their vulnerable spots. Until this ability, there’d been only one vulnerable spot available to him: the sporesac. He’d have to study up on ghoul anatomy to learn his options now, maybe even by dissecting one of their corpses with his axe. He’d also have to keep in mind that this species was considerably diverse, so a target that proved fatal on one might hardly phase another. Either way, he was willing to do the homework to maximize on his delightful new skill.
The second ability he chose didn’t pertain to combat. He also had to read it twice before he locked in his decision. It reminded him a great deal of a sensitive ability of March’s.
Ability Name: Flash of Omniscience.
This ability is activated when you clearly think or speak the code phrase “Flash of Omniscience.” Whether you think or speak the phrase, you must firmly will that the ability be activated. You can always change the working name of your ability. This will also change the activation phrase.
Note: Your command will not work if your ability is not included in your list of active abilities! You can view your active abilities in the Abilities tab.
Description of skill: a spherical wave spreads out from your character, moving through any obstacles. Along its way, the wave slightly illuminates all objects, creating a three-dimensional map of the surrounding terrain. The player using this ability can choose what kinds of objects will be highlighted much more noticeably than the others. Ability cooldown: 75 seconds. Ability range: 20 meters. Backlight time for all objects: up to 30 seconds, backlight time for chosen type of objects: up to 45 seconds. Note: These are the base stats of this ability. Real-world results may vary.
Important note: Highlighting opponents with high Perception values may not work. However, objects that such opponents are carrying can be chosen as the target objects, and Flash of Omniscience will reveal them.
Cost: 20 Spirit of Styx. Every 10 levels of Willpower reduces Spirit of Styx cost by 1, increases range by 2 meters, and reduces cooldown by 5 seconds. Every 30 levels of Willpower increases highlight time for all objects by 5 seconds and highlight time of chosen objects by 10 seconds.
Additional properties:
1. Talent Rank 30 bonus: When choosing an object type to highly, you can select “All objects which stand out.” The results of this option are unpredictable, but it may help you locate valuable items. After all, they are quite rare, so they should stand out.
Resulting stats (92 Willpower)—cost: 11 Spirit of Styx, radius: 38 meters, highlighting of all objects: 45 seconds, highlighting of chosen objects: 75 seconds, cooldown: 30 seconds.
His mind disoriented by pain, Cheater could barely think straight; therefore, he’d nearly turned down this valuable sensor ability. There were many sensor abilities available, such as the short-range one Tat used to locate the sack of loot in the Unnamed One’s carcass. Without it, they might not have retrieved the treasure in time—the monster’s corpse was complicated and had the power to revive itself. This seamless operation was thanks to their balanced team: March had killed the beast, Tat found the prize and Cheater increased its chances of including valuable items.
As perfidious Tat was obviously no longer part of the team, Cheater could now step in to select his trophies, activate his Flash and locate them. He saw no further use for this ability, to be frank: its radius was small, so he felt odd turning down the System’s flashier abilities for this humble one. Nonetheless, he understood the skill would make him an asset to any team. There also might be additional uses not instantly apparent to him. Confirming his choice, he closed his ability menu and moved on to pick his rewards for his heroic achievement: one perk and two bonuses.
In light of his first experience with such a choice, Cheater boldly made an absurd request for a distributable 9.5x worth of multiple points and 3x effectiveness for all of his abilities. The System, as expected, scoffed at his impudence—but hey, it was worth a shot. He instead received +0.2 to his Stealth, Perception, and Reaction modifiers; in addition, +2 millimeters were added to his Explosive Round’s bonus property. His bullets were now guaranteed to slice a whole centimeter through any surface, smooth as butter. Then, the explosive energy and normal projectile mechanics could kick in. This was as far as the System’s generosity extended.
The bonuses he could request for his second Heroism level weren’t as exciting as all the little perks that came along with it. Well, “little” by the System’s standards…for a player, dazzling. For example, he could avail himself of an additional new region link without having to wait a year or spend a golden pearl. Opening the region link menu, Cheater discovered he could now “link to region” twice, meaning he’d already received one link opportunity by crossing the two borders at record speed. The main System message hadn’t mentioned it, nor had he recently checked this corner of the menu, so it was quite the pleasant surprise. This led Cheater to wonder if the System might offer him secret bonuses he’d never suspect, sneaking in a full memory unlock for him to discover upon clearing his next Heroism level.
Two region links? Now that was worth something! Even if he died, he’d be able to respawn in this region, a comfortable distance from his ultimate goal. He’d spend his last link crossing to the next region…the one where Kitty lived. He’d always been willing to pay any price to do so, but now it cost him nothing. How had Romeo, with all of his capabilities, not taken advantage of such a loophole? Perhaps he didn’t feel moved to change his respawn region. More likely, Cheater was just far luckier. The obstacles between he and Kitty had been reduced by one, so Cheater had to make sure not to lose his second level Humanity and its benefits by, say, committing a crime. The Exploding Shot bonuses and multipliers were likely there to stay, but this was meager comfort.
Thus concluded his Heroism decisions, leaving one more task: finishing off his share of the loot. Everything he’d carried from infected kills was gone now—no stars, no peas, no nothing. Only prizes from the Unnamed One remained. Some could be consumed periodically over small interims, but others required many hours between them. The most frustrating thing of all was that he could only increase the size of his i
nventories once every five days. Cheater’s veritable mountain of valuable items had to be stowed in his personal cells, but the process would stretch far beyond the limits of his Hunger and Thirst. Could he use his new skill to seek out food? It only cost him 11 mana, so he decided to give it a try.
He first activated it normally, selecting living items as his chosen category. He then added a bonus ability highlighting anything that “stood out”. These moves uncovered a range of new things—for one, the astounding number of lizards in the area. The flickering wave diverged in all directions, a hypnotic soap bubble turning everything translucent. Corners and edges began to glow, outlining cacti and stones. Like a wireframe effect or loosely-sketched concept art, all turned into faded monochrome. The lizards, however, shimmered in a violent, conspicuous rainbow. Reddish dots littered the area as well, marking its flood of scorpions. To top it off, a large snake slumbered in a hole several dozen yards away, causing Cheater to smile. Raw snake meat was no ambrosia, but it was better than nothing. The ability’s value was proved in an instant, highlighting all things easily…including a certain surprise fifteen paces away.
Chapter 6
Life Nine. Packed with Happiness
The fortress must have been meant for some kind of bizarre, earthbound octopus. Some areas were impossible to pass through with his four limbs; other areas were too narrow to allow him to turn around. To find the right nook, Cheater had to activate Flash of Omniscience six times. Adjusting to his new skill, he couldn’t yet immediately discern it through its fleeting, flickering, foggy fragments. I’ll need to practice this—I can’t go around wasting mana. He’d poured nearly every bonus stat and meter point into boosting his mana, but still came up short. After finally finding his way through the maze, he alternated between crawling and climbing, intermittently resting against the rock. There might have been another way through the fortress before, but the ruins now offered only one—and a challenging one, at that. Skilled hikers and mountaineers might have balked, let alone a crispy, close-to-claustrophobic cripple like Cheater. Despite this stacked deck, he prevailed towards the prize waiting at the end of the tunnel.
Upon hitting a wall, Cheater fell onto his back. Above him led a curious corkscrew passage, oriented like a narrow and slightly-inclined well. This forced him to twist his body from a horizontal position to a vertical one, complicated by the lack of space and Cheater’s body type. The well’s surface was dry and rough, so his progress was punctuated with pained hisses as he scraped against abrasive patches. As his eye fell upon a tempting rope leading upwards, he reached for it…prompting a red inscription to flash intrusively before Cheater’s eyes. Note! Danger! Minesweeper sense triggered! Startled, he sharply recoiled; once his breath was steady, he activated Omniscience once more. While Cheater lacked the experience to use the skill to its full potential, it still proved helpful—here, crucially so. To Cheater’s surprise, the red glimmer above him was no scorpion. It was a cunningly-concealed grenade, squirreled away among the roof’s beams and boards. Had Cheater pulled the rope, the simple trap would have dropped the grenade on his head. He wouldn’t be able to escape in time from such tight quarters, and then…! Shuddering, Cheater silently thanked the System for granting him his passive ability.
Someone had been here before Cheater, perhaps even recently. Grenades couldn’t hide themselves, of course. Cheater’s moved slowly, with caution and intent. Not so much as a hair on my head is going to touch that rope. Grazing the trap was unlikely to trigger it, but Cheater wasn’t taking any chances. Upon reaching the top of the well, Cheater pulled himself up into a cramped room with slanted walls and scanty sunlight creeping through gaps in their stone. He dealt with the trap first. An unnerving situation like this was no party, the dangling grenade no typical piñata. However, Cheater became more confident as he examined the simple, unprotected trap. Tied to the heavy rope by its pin, the grenade didn’t seem to have taken much time, planning or genius to set up. Moments later, his inventory boasted a brand-new heavy grenade.
He next scanned the room for the main attraction: the prize. His bonus Omniscience ability gave the object a transfixing, holographic sparkle. His Continental magic illuminated an ordinary backpack, dangling from the wall around ten yards above him. This was no tacky tourist pack—just a run-of-the-mill, no-frills model. Players often used packs like these, as they were easy to come by in ruined towns and cities. Cheater chose not to grab the bag right away; instead, he activated Omniscience twice to double-check for any concealed explosives or gun traps. Cheater may not have come across any traps, but he did find something dangerous in a different way.
Dangerously delicious, that is! He found food—lots of it, with plenty of water to wash it down. Diving into the backpack, he yelped in glorious greed. The spread was enviable: Army rations! Cans of top-quality stew and fish! Biscuits and chocolate bars, thankfully preserved from melting in the shady room. The plastic water bottles had been unsealed; venturing a sip, Cheater tasted a touch of salt and lemon juice, a good touch for travelers through hot zones. Beyond the grenade, the rope and the backpack, the room was barren. Exhausting the dead end, Cheater moved for the exit. He wasn’t keen on potentially being cornered in case of trouble. Only upon returning to his refuge did he allow himself to feast. While he’d looked forward to his impending lizard genocide and snake assassination—he had it coming!—Cheater chose to rest for now. It was comforting to know that the four two-liter bottles of water should last him several days, along with his makeshift condenser.
With excellent food now available, Cheater would recover from his burns in no time. Even with accelerated regeneration, a player’s body was still able to heal rapidly sans any unusual items. Most of his damage had been repaired; with a little more mending, recharging, rest and nutrition, he’d be as good as new. Stomach full and spirits high, Cheater allowed himself to gently nod off….
This snooze was short-lived, however, as Cheater couldn’t rest without investigating the source of the mysterious backpack. Would its owner be returning? The cluster’s description didn’t reveal if its reset speed was standard or stable, and he could find no obvious clues in its terrain. Ever so often, the System kept players guessing to keep things interesting. In addition, the gray territories were dangerous—not just for the creatures roaming their bounds, but for the players drawn to these places like flies. Keen on striking gold, these players sought to gain riches off nodium, modifiers or rare Former weapons. A variety of loot could be found, or so it was rumored; still, these legends promised dazzling price tags for these pieces. Ancient ruins likely bore ancient treasures, ones belonging to the Former. It made perfect sense.
A player or group had stashed their rations here…then promptly left without excavating the surroundings? This choice struck Cheater as irrational, but perhaps had logic behind it. Perhaps the site was better for storage than treasure hunting. Who knows? He sighed. The pack’s owners might return, and he doubted they’d forgive him for ravaging their supplies. Was Cheater intimidated enough by the prospect to escape across the desert? Traveling across the open terrain by the light of day was risky; it was also of 24-hour importance that he sought shelter or employed his Chameleon ability. Additionally, his strength reserves were cratered and his senses were only beginning to return. No, he simply couldn’t leave. Instead, he’d sleep until the oppressive desert heat ebbed. Rest was the best path to recovery, after all.
After this, he promised himself he would employ his Flash of Omniscience to explore the whole fortress, every last nook and cranny. Who knows what he might learn? Perhaps he’d solve the confounding case of the pack, which was covered in dust but hardly worse for wear. He might not have known how long the pack had been abandoned, but he might stumble upon other crucial clues. If it were left for months, he’d likely not run into any confrontations. The gray lands were uninhabitable, after all, and the players might have died and respawned long ago. Who would fight their way back through the dangerous desert in the
name of a can of stew or two? Even fuzzy-brained Cheater could tell that was ludicrous. As the heat swelled and muddled his thoughts, he gave in to sleep’s siren call. Just a couple of hours…I need it.
Chapter 7
Life Nine. Underground Secrets
Goddammit! A couple of hours, eh? The sun is about to set! Once again, his body had betrayed him. He would have to rely on his System timer going forward, as his biological clock was clearly not to be trusted. He felt better, of course—sleep and sustenance was a player’s best medicine—but now, a mere hour of daylight remained. Once night fell, he’d have to rely on his Darkvision and Flash of Omniscience. While he wasn’t quite back to full health, his sleep had positively affected his meters: his mana regeneration had doubled, for example, regaining 12.6 points per hour. This allowed him to use one Flash of Omniscience or one Explosive Round with minimal charge. Before resting, of course, Cheater hadn’t been in any shape to play around with these new abilities whatsoever.
He didn’t yet have enough energy for his skills, however, despite his Spirit of Styx meter now reaching 413 maximum. Cheater was pumping everything he could into that that meter and its regeneration speed, but even a full 24 hours of rest couldn’t fill it from zero to max. It was possible if his Pleasure was also at max—it gave a decent regeneration bonus—but it was a notoriously difficult meter to fill, barely raising despite all of Cheater’s napping and snacking. What’s more, one’s Pleasure meter became tougher to move the higher it sat. It was more than unpopular; players vocally hated this meter.
Cheater didn’t yet trust his Darkvision entirely, so he chose to cover as much ground as he could before true night arrived. First, he’d scope out the approaches to the fortress. Chameleon! As he activated his ability, Cheater wondered what he looked like; while he didn’t know for sure, he assumed he’d stay concealed as long as he didn’t make any erratic movements. What bugged him was the ability’s endless drain on his mana, costing 50 units to activate and one per minute to sustain. The activation cost was lower than he had expected, however. Since Cheater had boosted his Willpower to 90, the description claimed the cost was 60. However, it seemed the System declined to apply this increase—the ability’s growth had not resulted in a reduction of the sustain cost. The System’s ways were mysterious, indeed.