by R. A. Mejia
Dungeon Mapping has a prerequisite of the skill Mapping level 1 and Dungeon Inspect requires that I have Inspect level 1. I decide that it’s worth the investment of skill points. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to find a dungeon on my own, and there goes the entire plan. From my initial ten skill points, I spend one on Mapping, then one each on Dungeon Scan, Dungeon Inspect, and Dungeon Mapping. That leaves me six skill points to save for other skills I may want or need.
The abilities section of the guidebook is a lot smaller than the skills portion.
Abilities
Abilities are much rarer than skills since they have to be inherited, taught, or earned. Some books were discovered that teach abilities, but these are rare and very valuable. Other abilities are passed down genetically from parent to child. Some abilities are taught by a master of a particular branch of magic or technology. Some abilities are earned as a reward from special quests bestowed by the System. Each User has one randomly chosen ability assigned to them when they become a part of the System. To view your abilities, just think or say ‘Abilities’ with the intent to view your own.
I say, “Abilities.” Then a new window appears. I realize that the room is starting to get a bit crowded with blue boxes and I close the ones that I’m not using anymore. My ability screen displays one word—Absorb. When I think of the ability, a new window pops up.
Absorb - Level 1
SSS
Active
The User has the chance to absorb the essence of a defeated foe from their corpse. The chance of absorption is based on the difference in level between the User and the foe. If the User has a higher level than the foe, then the chances of absorption being successful upon activation are increased. If the foe has a higher level than the User, the chances of absorption being successful are decreased.
To activate, touch the body of a defeated enemy and think or say ‘Absorb’ with the intent of activating the ability.
Well, at least I have one freebie from the System, though I’m not sure what ‘absorb the essence of a defeated foe’ means.
The section on portals is almost exactly as Lillian described. Red door—Dungeon, Green door— Home base. However, the manual adds an additional type of door. Blue—Commercial. Apparently, some people purchase a unique type of portal key meant for business. The System offers them exclusive perks and upgrades not provided to a home base type.
Speaking of which, I forgot to bind my home base portal key to myself. I know Lillian said to do it immediately, but I forgot in the confusion of her explanations. When I pull the key out of my pocket and hold it up, another prompt appears.
You’ve accessed an unbound home base key. Would you like to bind it to your person?
I say, “Yes.” Then the prompt changes.
Congratulations on finding your home base key. Would you like to set your home base now?
I don’t have any idea what this means, and I flip through the guidebook to the home base section.
Home Base
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home base. Your home base is more than a place to rest your head and recuperate. It’s a safe, private space that you can develop. To initialize your home base, hold your portal key in your hand in the room you want to designate as your home base and follow the prompts the System gives you.
Your home base is the only place that you cannot be harmed or killed by default. A User may change this setting to his or her home base, but the System charges an outrageous amount to do so, and guests are notified of this change before entering. The User determines who enters a User’s home base. They may grant and deny access to their home base at any time by holding their portal key and thinking or saying, ‘Home Base Permissions.’
Upgrading your home base is one of the joys of having one. Once you initialize your home base, you’re given access to a simple version of the System store and can purchase and sell a variety of products. With the level 1 store, all Users are given access to buy/sell simple products, including upgrades that they can make to their home base.
Woah. That’s some cool stuff right there. I can upgrade my home base? I wonder what kinds of things I can upgrade. Then I realize I don’t have to wonder, holding my home base portal key I look at the still floating prompt.
Congratulations on binding your home base key. Would you like to set your home base now?
I answer yes. A pencil thin beam of light explodes from the key in my hand. The light scans every inch of the room, from floor to ceiling. Then the light disappears back into the key, and I’m left blinking spots away. When the spots clear, I see a new prompt.
Congratulations on initializing your home base. To see your current benefits, think or say ‘Home Base Bonuses.’ To access the System store think or say ‘System Store.’
I pull up the home base bonuses.
Home Base Bonuses
Non PvP or PvE zone
Health Regeneration +10%
Mana Regeneration +10
TP Regeneration +10%
Not bad, I think. I don’t have a point of comparison, but I figure any type of bonus is better than nothing. Next up is the System store. I pull up the store by thinking the proper command, and two windows pop up. The first is a blue window labeled System Store with tabs along the top of it with a different stock. The second is a small window with a message.
Welcome to the System store. As a first-time visitor, you will be granted five credits.
Oh, free money! That’s always a great deal. I dismiss the message and hear the sound of a cash register as another message appears.
Five credits have been added to your inventory.
My inventory? I open the guidebook again and flip to the section on inventory. The book says that I have an extra dimensional space, called an inventory, set aside to hold items. I call up my inventory, and it’s just another blue box subdivided into six smaller boxes. I touch the guidebook to one of the boxes. It disappears from my hand, and a miniature version of it appears in the inventory box. I tap the small book in my inventory, and it reappears, floating in front of the System window full sized once again. The book floats there for five seconds then drops, and I wince in pain as the edge of the book hits my unprotected foot. I rub my sore footsie, then pick up the book and place it on the bed next to me. Looking at the inventory screen again, I see in the bottom right hand corner of the screen is written Credits: 5. Well, that’s an easy way to keep track of my money. Too bad I can’t deposit my regular money here since only credits show up. The inventory screen would make the best wallet ever since no one else could see it.
I close my Inventory and return my attention to the System Store window. It has several tabs along the top of the window for the different items in the store. From left to right the tabs read All Items, New, Popular, On Sale, Consumables, Weapons, Armor, Upgrades, and Miscellaneous.
It also has a small search bar that can be used to look for items or specific keywords. The New tab has what I can only assume are the newest items. The ‘Popular’ tab has items and upgrades that are the most purchased. The ‘On Sale’ tab has discounted items. I’ll have to remember to come back there. Consumables are items that are one-time use only—Items like potions, spell scrolls, ammunition, and the like. Weapons and armor are self-descriptive. I’m surprised by the different types of basic weapons and armor available in the store. There are all kinds of medieval weapons like spell wands, swords, shields, and chainmail. However, there are also handguns, machine guns, retractable batons, and bulletproof body armor. Even more fantastic are the futuristic items like laser pistols and energy shields. Heck, there’s even a battle suit like the one that Lillian had, though the one in the store isn’t nearly as cool-looking. The miscellaneous tab has a collection of tools and items that just don’t fit in the other categories. There’s everything from rope and duct tape to lockpicks and hacking tools. There’s even a rather expensive artificially intelligent assistant program. There are also cosmetic items in this tab, thin
gs like costumes and hats that don’t provide any real benefit but change the way I’d look. Well, it’s good to know I won’t ever have to worry about getting a Halloween costume again.
There’s also a ‘Sell’ tab but with a bunch of boxes that remind me of the inventory space and a big sell button at the bottom. I guess that this is the tab I can use to sell things to the System. I grab a shoe from the floor and test the sell feature. I tapping the shoe against one of the boxes in the ‘Sell’ tab. The shoe disappears from my hand and appears on the store screen. Above the sell button, a one appears next to the word ‘credit.' I assume that means that my shoe is only worth one credit if I wanted to sell it. I tap the icon of a single shoe, and it appears in the air in front of me, and I grab it before it falls then toss it in the corner of the room.
The upgrade tab is what catches my eye. In this section are all the upgrades that can be purchased for my home base and me. I can upgrade the System store so that it shows more advanced items and can access the bazaar, a place Users put up items for auction. I can also upgrade the bonuses that my home base gives me. I can increase the regeneration bonuses to health, mana, and TP. Most amazingly, I can add new bonuses. The one that seems the most interesting is the time compression option. It would let me change how much time passes in the real world when I’m in my home base. The cheapest option is a 10% time compression. Which means for every 60 minutes I spend in my home base, only 54 minutes will have passed in the real world. However, the upgrades on that feature go all the way up to 50% in the store. Which means that only 1 hour would pass in the real world for every 2 hours I’d spend in my home base. Not only can I upgrade my home base, but I can also upgrade me. Well, the System parts of me. I can upgrade the number of slots I have in my inventory space; I can purchase themed User Interface packs that change the way the System looks. I can make it all themed for things like a hacker, fairy princess, noir, or after various video game and movie characters. I especially like the Spiderman theme that changes the color scheme to blue and red and adds webs. None of the User Interface themes change how it works. It’s all cosmetic. But it is good to know that I could change it if I wanted to.
Now I’m not sure what the dollar to credit conversion is, but things in this System Store are expensive. I mean, they gave me five credits, and the only thing that gets me is a can of Super Ultra Wake Me Up Coffee drink. Even the cosmetic stuff starts at 20 credits. The cheapest weapons and armor are hundreds of credits. Don’t even get me started on the good stuff in the store. That battle suit? 198,000.17 credits. Why did they add on the .17? I don’t know, but it seems like a dick move because nothing else in the store costs .83 credits. So the .83 credits are just going to sit in your inventory forever, taunting you.
So, I buy the one thing I can afford, the coffee drink. On the outside of the can it promises to make you feel like you had a full night's rest. If I plan to check out a dungeon today, I’ll need the boost in energy. I pop open the tab on the drink and take my first swig. Hmmm, not bad. It tastes like a sweet coffee drink with a bit of a metallic aftertaste. A feeling of euphoria and refreshment comes over me as soon as I finish off the drink. I notice a small icon appear in the top left-hand corner of my vision. I look at it, and it expands.
Nectar of the Gods Buff
For the next 12 hours, you will not need sleep and will function as if you’ve already had a full night's rest. However, there may be some side effects at the end of the 12 hours.
Well, there you go. It’s official; I love this drink. I wonder if I can just pound one of these things every twelve hours and just stay up indefinitely?
Well, time to change into some day-wear and get to that dungeon. It’s not going to clear itself.
Chapter 14
All energized from the coffee drink, I head to the autobus stop and jump on the first one that comes. Since I don’t have any idea where a dungeon will be, I don’t have a particular destination in mind and figure I’ll just ride the bus and scan for dungeons until I find one.
I pull up the information on the skill Dungeon Scan.
Dungeon Scan
Level 1
When activated, a scan for dungeons is done in a 50-yard radius from where the User is located. Higher levels of this skill increase the radius of the scan. The highest levels of this skill add options to scan for dungeons with particular characteristics.
Not being sure how to activate the skill, I open the guidebook, but the book provides no guidance on this particular skill. So, I think about how I activate most of the commands for the System. I just say or think the right keyword with the intent of using it, and it happens. So, I think ‘Dungeon Scan’ while focusing on my desire to find a dungeon. A thin beam of white light shoots out of my chest and extends about half a football field’s length away, then the line rotates around me on a horizontal circular plane, passing through everything around. No one else seems to notice the line, and I can only assume that the line is only visible to Users or maybe just me since I’m the one with the skill. The scan only takes a few seconds, and when it’s complete, a blue window pops up.
No dungeons detected in scan radius.
Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I was hoping I’d find something right away, but I can’t expect a dungeon to land right in my lap. It takes three hours of riding the bus, transferring lines, and scanning before I finally get a hit.
Dungeon detected within scan radius.
I grab my backpack and get off the bus. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to find the dungeon, but at least I know that one is nearby. I know that the dungeon scan skill has a one-hundred-yard radius and I try to eyeball that distance from my location. Looking around, I see an empty parking lot and a two-story indoor mall, so I can only guess the dungeon is somewhere in the mall.
I haven’t been to one of these in years. I remember when I was in junior high, some of the guys from school and I would meet up here to check out the cute girls. I would tell my mom that I was going to study, but I would really take the bus here to meet up with friends. We’d walk around, pretend like we had enough money to buy stuff at the stores, and of course check out the cute girls. Occasionally, one of the guys would get up the nerve to talk to one of the girls our age. When it was my turn, I froze up big time. I thought it was so scary to approach Ruth Quiroz when she was with her friends that I couldn’t say anything besides, “Hey, you look nice.” The group of girls all giggled and laughed, then walked away. That’s what actually happened. However, my school friends heard an entirely different version of events. They heard the version where I was a smooth operator and had no problems laying down the compliments and jokes.
This mall looks like it’s seen better days. There are only a few people coming in and out of the place. The outside looks like it could use a fresh coat of paint, and the big Macy’s sign outside is missing a letter. It just says ‘Macs.’ As I walk towards the mall entrance, the doors slide open with a slight squeal, and I’m greeted by a gust of air as I walk in. Another squeal tells me the doors have closed behind me. Just inside the entrance is a store dedicated to anime next to a puppy model agency masquerading as a pet store. Next to that is a hair salon and a Wetzel's Pretzels. Even though this isn’t the mall I used to visit as a teen, it feels very similar. All the same stores are here. The jewelry stores, the shoe stores, the food places. Heck, there’s some poor kid wearing clown colors putting hot dogs on sticks. However, what isn’t here are customers. I mean, there are people here, but they’re mostly older retirees and some moms walking around with their kids.
The more I walk and look, the more I notice that there are lots of spaces that are empty or have old signs in the window saying ‘coming soon’ that have obviously been there for years. Walking past the food court, I see a clock and note that it’s almost 1 pm. I realize I’ll have to go home in a few hours since I still have to make dinner for Marie before I leave for my evening classes.
After a half hour of walking around, I catch a glimm
er of red out of the corner of my eye—on the second floor, in the farthest corner of the near-empty mall is a bright red door. I start to feel a slight tension in my shoulders and a vague sense that I should not be here as I walk toward the door. When I look around me, I notice that not a single person is in this area. I look back towards the main walkway and see people moving in a hurry. Not one person even glances this way. It’s like their brains are telling them not to look over here.
Still, this is why I’m here. I turn back to the red door, which has replaced the usual glass door to an empty shop. It’s a bit odd. If I look to the left or right of the red door, I can easily see into the empty store through the floor to ceiling windows. Walking up to the red door, I use Inspect on it.
Dungeon
Recommended for levels 1-5
Well, it seems like I lucked out. I hadn’t realized that there would be dungeons that were out of my league. My hand touches the doorknob of the red door, then pulls back. Am I really going to go inside one of these again? What if it’s some hellscape full of evil demons that think that brown people taste delicious? Sure, the last one wasn’t that bad. I mean, a slime did try to kill me, but I showed it who’s boss. That’s right. These dungeons aren’t that bad, I’ve been in one before and kicked that slime’s ass.