The Paragamer

Tutorial 1.6

Monday, December 21st, 2009

"Oh God!" I'm freaking out, Julia's freaking out. Stop! Think! I'm in the hallway at the top of the stairs. Water is lapping at the bottom stair steps. Go Up? Notifications are firing off. Images of the rain, being near drowned in the water in the dark, the Levi-" flash through my mind. "Nnnnghh!" What am I doing? Mentally substitute the name. Aquatic Chupacabra, that's better, the monster is a mangy skinny coyote, not what it really is; mental self-defense mechanism, calm down. What is happening to us is PTSD triggers. Why do I know that? Is that my psychology skill?

"Panic is not useful here. Let's calm the fuck down." Holy shit did I say that out loud? I did. I go to the window to see if there is a way onto the roof. No, not from here; not going up anyway. We could get down with a minor jump to the roof of the truck that made the hole in the wall. There's no way up from the other windows on this floor either. "Julia, Julia!" I yell to get her attention. "Attic entrance, where is it?"

"Hall closet, same as suitcases."

I glance down the stairs again; the water level hasn't changed. We open the closet again, it's filled with crap obstructing access and pull shit out as fast as two cripples can. We uncover the ladder, it’s physically built into the wall of the closet, I check the stairs again, Julia climbs up with a flashlight she got from somewhere, and opens the attic hatch.

The water level still hasn't changed, but a bunch of fucking roaches and other bugs start showing up on the walls and floor. "Gross!" It's everything that was below the water line downstairs now trying to not drown. This is disgustingly creepy.

I stomp one. +1 XP. Umm, really? I stomp another, +1 XP. Water level still hasn't changed? "How high does the tide get here? I don't remember."

Julia stops mid-climb up the ladder, and calms herself. "Oh God, we're stupid. It's one, maybe two feet at most."

Relief washes over me. "Well, we just panicked over nothing. Good news is we aren't going to drown then." I stomp more roaches and a weird ass beetle. +1 XP, +1 XP, +1 XP. "Bad news is—"

"Oh gross fucking roaches!" Julia climbs back down and starts stomping also.

We vent all our anger and frustration out on the invading bugs. At some point I stop gaining XP for stomping them. Julia has it in for a small rat that makes an appearance. She tears through the crap we dumped in the hallway chasing it down. She finally kills it in her sister's room by overturning a dresser and crushing the thing. We're exhausted, and sit down on her sister's bed.

"It's all gone, she's gone…" Julia cries again, the finality of the situation is sinking in. "Teresa had moved out and started college this fall. She came home for winter break, for me, because our parents were…"

I can't hear the rest because she's mumbling and then falls asleep. I go back to the hallway, crush a few more bugs to make sure I have no gains, and go down the stairs. My heart starts racing again as I sit down on the stairs at the water's edge to look through the railing into the room below. The water is disgusting, and definitely smells like the sea, and other stuff. Some nearby splashing reveals a goddamn fish bumping into a partially submerged glass coffee table. No way are we fucking wading through this shit, we can wait for low tide again. I go back upstairs and calm down.

It's a small three bedroom, two bath house. The bedrooms and one bathroom are upstairs. The living room, kitchen, dining room and guest bathroom are downstairs.

Despite trying, I'm unable to resist rummaging through shit, looking into the closets and what not of Julia's and her parent's bedroom. I'm too damn curious to know more about Julia's life. Except to grab the flashlight she obtained, I avoided her sister's room, so as to not wake her up. I guess her sister's name was Teresa based on what she said before. I hope she doesn't wake up and catch me, that will be embarrassing. Then again, she did want me to help her pack, so I can use that as an excuse.

It’s daylight, but the power is off. I try using the flashlight, but it's not working now. I could have sworn Julia had turned it on when she climbed the attic ladder. Oh well, I set it aside and look around her room.

Does she have the typical room of a teenage girl? I'm not exactly familiar with such. She is definitely in high school. A cheerleader, even, has the outfit in her closet, Ball High School Tornadoes. Why did her Observe result say former high school student then? Did she drop out or was it because there was no fucking high school anymore at the moment? Her room has a bed, a dresser, and a desk with a computer, textbooks, and papers on it. The textbooks are geometry and earth science. She still has a few stuffed animals on her bed; others had been relegated to the closet. There are a couple different boy band posters on the wall; there was another poster behind the door. Whoever this male model is, at least he was wearing pants. Signs point to her being heterosexual.

She also has some empty soda cans and drinking glasses on her desk. There's some headphones and an MP3 player; they're in working order so I throw them in the suitcase. Dresser has typical stuff, socks, underwear, bras, t-shirts. Oh, I did not need to find that. I shut the drawer and leave. Is she still asleep? Good, she is, don't want her thinking I'm creepy, because I'm probably being creepy right now and I need to stop.

I go to her parent's room. There’s no male clothing in here. All the family photos are still on the walls, but the ones only containing who I assume are her parents, are put away in drawers. Damn, her mother is gorgeous, red hair and green eyes, but lighter skinned than Julia. I hope she looks that good when she's older. It's an older picture though, not sure of the year. Must be where she got her red hair from, although it's a lot more reddish-brown in the family photos. Did she dye it? Her father has straight black-hair, brown eyes and brown skin, so does her sister Teresa. I sit down on the bed to think and go through my unread notifications.

Quest: Help Julia reach her house, completed. +100 XP

Your Disable Device skill has increased by 1

Your Empathy skill has increased by 1

'Antibiotic Infection Resistance' status effect has been applied.

'Narcotic Pain Reduction' status effect has been applied.

For performing a repeated action you may gain the 'Drug & Poison Resistance' skill.

You are suffering from the status effect 'Aqua-phobia'

Your Gamer's Mind skill has increased by 1

+1 XP x50

-1 HP x3

-1 SP x12

For practicing your whole-body reflexes you have gained 1 AGI

You have earned a new title 'Vermin Stomper', would you like to learn about titles now? Y/N

Drug & Poison resistance? What? "Skills"

Drug & Poison Resistance (CON) (Passive): Level 1 (0.00%)

Drugs are bad mmmkay? So are poisons. This skill enhances your natural ability to resist the effects of various drugs, poisons and toxins from interfering with your body's natural (or in your case, unnatural) processes. This applies to organic and inorganic compounds that have been consumed or otherwise come into contact with your person.

Would you like to accept this skill? Y/N

Accepting a skill takes up a skill slot, this cannot be undone.

Uh, negative effects or positive effects or both? I'm a teenager, have I ever done drugs? Don't know what to choose for this one. If I accept, will it start making the pain meds or antibiotics less effective? Though, not being poisoned would be a good thing. I minimize it without choosing anything for now.

"Skills" It shows up underneath 'Create Mana Golem' in a 'Pending' tab. Looking at it again, it also says I have seven days to decide before the option becomes unavailable and now has a time counter on it. It also says that the option to take it won't appear again unless the circumstances repeat themselves. It would be quite useful. It doesn't seem like a skill one could learn in any 'normal' way. It's just a bit too vague and I don't want to hinder the effects of the drugs I'm taking right now.

I look at the rest of the info. Fucking aqua-phobia now, really? "Status Effects"

Aqua-phobia

This is a mental condition causing an irrational fear of being near or being immersed in water. Causes penalties to INT, WIS and CHA when active. This is a manifested triggering symptom of the pre-existing 'Post Traumatic Stress' effect.

Currently inactive.

Effects partially negated by 20% due to Gamer's Mind.

Things just keep getting sucky. I did gain another level in Gamer's Mind. Why? Every single bad mental status effect I currently have says it's negated 20% by Gamer's Mind. That skill, at level 5 now, says it reduces stuff by 4% per level. Does this mean at level 25 it will be 100%? Will those status effects go away completely then? Every time I gain a level in this thing it was in response to getting my brain slapped with the suck, PTSD, depression, and now aqua-phobia? That is one hell of a sucktastic way to practice a skill. Gamer's Body went up when I got knocked out and had my HP drop to zero. That's really fucking dickish man. Geez I sound crazy, I am personifying my power, of course I am. My power is a god-damned troll. Well it's not all bad, I can gain levels in those skills automatically just by earning enough XP to gain levels. Just need to get to level 22 and 23 to get 100% in each? Yeah, how long is that going to take? Well fuck you troll. I need to figure out how to cheese-grind those skills without the bullshit of getting brain-screwed or punched with the suck again beforehand.

Now for my shitty consolation prize; I gained 50 XP for stomping roaches? A real, 'rats in the basement' quest right there, but XP is XP. Also lost 3 HP and 12 SP for jumping around like a moron, but at least I gained some agility. That hurt though, even with the pain meds, not sure how worth it that will be to do it again. Guess I can try to time my stamina regen now? Also yes, I want to learn about titles.

Vermin Stomper

Well aren't you a badass? Your middle name is Danger. Actually it's Clarence, dweeb. Gained after ruthlessly killing 50 'dangerous' vermin.

Effects:

+10% Attack, Dodge, and Damage against Vermin.

-10% Damage and Status Effect penalties inflicted by Vermin.

Would you like to equip this title now? Y/N

Only one title can be equipped at any given time. Say "Titles" to see a list of titles you have earned.

Yeah, sure I will equip this one now. "Titles" I never did take a look at Endbringer Survivor.

Endbringer Survivor

You've been in the presence of an Endbringer and lived when others haven't. Gained by surviving an Endbringer encounter.

Effects:

+40% Dodge against Endbringers.

-20% Damage and Status Effect penalties inflicted by Endbringers.

+10% Morale effect to self and others in a 20 meter radius from you when facing Endbringers.

It still won't be enough. You should run.

Damn. I toggle my active titles back and forth for a bit. While Endbringer Survivor is way better, it's pretty improbable that I'll need it again anytime soon. I'll leave Vermin Stomper active because encounters with roaches, mosquitoes and whatever else counts as vermin are a lot more likely. I throw an Observe at a roach that escaped our earlier wrath, because why the fuck not?

Name: A Cockroach

Level: 0

Gender: ?

Class: Vermin

Periplaneta Americana, the common North American cockroach.

The left middle leg is missing. The right antenna is broken.

Motivations: Eat, Sleep, Reproduce

Yeah that was silly, I try stomping it, fast fucker, it takes a couple tries before I squashed it. The Observe window updates to say 'A cockroach corpse, killed by you.' I dismiss it and go into the bathroom.

It isn't wrecked like some of the other rooms. The frosted window on the outside wall is still intact. It holds towels, toiletries, and the usual stuff. There are some clothes and a bath rug on the floor. The tub has a white floral design shower curtain. I open the medicine cabinet because I am a shameless snoop. It holds some Band-Aids, bandages, some generic first aid items, and pill bottles. The label on one pill bottle says 'Jennifer Mendez'. I don't know what the medicine is for at first glance, though Observe says it's for high cholesterol. There's also a weird shaped circular pill container, Observe says it's birth control but doesn't indicate who they belong to. The rest is just over the counter cold and allergy stuff. These and the first aid stuff might be useful, so I throw them in the suitcase.

I shut the medicine cabinet door mirror, and look around again. A lacy black bra is lying on the top of the toilet tank. "Observe." Nice… says it belongs to Julia too. Okay focus, jeez, not important right now. I look at myself in the mirror.

"Observe."

Name: Simon Clarence Anderson

Level: 2

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Race: Parahuman

Class: Refugee / Petty Thief

Ethnicity: German, Scandinavian, Native American, Hispanic

STR: 5 (-0.85) 4.15

AGI: 6 (-1.25) 4.75

CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60

INT: 15 (-3.50) 11.50

PER: 10 (-3.00) 7.00

WIS: 18 (-3.50) 14.50

CHA: 10 (-1.50) 8.50

LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00

...

Simon is a refugee from the Dec. 19th 2009 Galveston, TX Leviathan attack. He is without family, friends, or a home, having lost them all in the catastrophe. He got powers as a result of the trauma and near death experience, which also inflicted him with an unusual form of amnesia. He is trying to find his place in the world, and some returned sense of normalcy.

His left upper arm is fractured. It is set, bandaged and immobilized. His right eyeball is slightly swollen. His right cheek is bruised. His right brow is slightly torn. It is stitched and bandaged...

...He is suffering from Post-traumatic stress, depression, and aqua-phobia as a result of his trauma. He has a pained, sad, yet calculating look about him.

Currently feeling: Depressed, Traumatized, Pained, Intrigued, Introspective, and Aroused.

Wow. Everything is laid out, sure it is all info I know from my stat, skills, and status effect screens, but it was all accurate too for the most part. Embarrassingly down to what I'm feeling at the moment. Then it updates in real time, as I get my thoughts under control. It included things I didn't know about myself, like my ethnicity and middle name, unless the troll is just fucking with me. If this is an example of Observe at maximum info then my opinion of it is in error, if I could get that on others.

A notification fires off indicating I've learned something new about myself. Ethnicity apparently counts for the quest, but the middle name didn't? I recall the thing Julia had mentioned to me before, 'You don't look entirely white', tit for tat, I guess.

I hear a shriek and run out of the bathroom. Julia is sitting upright in her sister's bed, white as a ghost.

"Somebody's coming." she says softly, and rubs her forehead.

"What? How?" I whisper back as I hand the crutches she leaned on the wall to her.

We grab our backpacks and move out into the hall. I move toward the stairs, and hear loud sloshing, and see the shadow of a man fall across the steps.

"Get down! Hands on your head now!" the guy downstairs shouts up, backpedal into the hallway, next to the doorway to Julia's room. He's obscured so I can't see his overhead tag. Julia screams and someone grabs me from behind and forces me down onto the floor wrenching my broken arm. I can't see him to view his tag either.

"Ahhhh! Fuck my arm is broken!" Some of my HP drops as my face gets pressed into the remains of several of the smashed roaches. Julia darts down the hallway into her parent's bedroom. Where the fuck did this other guy come from? It wasn't the one down stairs because I hear him bounding up them right now.

"Female ran down the hall to the far room" the guy holding me down says.

I can't see the guy coming up the stairs, my head isn't turned that way, but he steps over me and follows Julia down the hall. "Don't you hurt her!" I yell, like I could do something about it, I can see the guy now, he's wearing some kind of military uniform. I get a glimpse of his overheard tag.

"What the hell are you kids doing in this restricted area?" Asks the guy behind me, holding me down and still wrenching my arms. More HP drop.

"Can you not see the cast on my arm?" I scream, I feel him patting me down.

"Coast Guard, put it down now!" I hear the guy that had dashed after Julia yell. I hear a loud thunk of something hitting the floor.

"I asked what the hell you are doing here?"

"It's her house!"

"Yeah sure it is, got any ID on you?"

"I don't have any ID"

Must not believe me, I feel him pull my wallet out.

"Wallet of cash, no ID, and nothing else in it."

"I'm only 15; I don't have a driver's license."

I hear a third guy coming up the stairs. "Lay down on the floor with your hands behind your head." The guy in the other room orders Julia. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here! I live here" Julia shouts between sobs.

"Is there anybody else in the house?" asks the guy holding me down.

"No"

"Alright keep your good arm raised and on the back of your head. I'm going to let you up but you will stay on your knees." I comply.

"Bathroom clear, west room clear" the third guy says as he steps into the hall, he has a gun drawn and the same kind of uniform as the other guys. He steps over the pile of crap we pulled out of the closet, looks inside, points his weapon at the ceiling, and climbs the ladder. "Attic clear." Third guy has the same tag information as the first.

I hear Julia and the man that followed her talking but can't make out what they're saying. I whisper 'Observe' at the guy that came back into the hallway from the closet.

Name: ???

Level: ??

Gender: Male

Faction: U.S Coast Guard Service

Class: Coast Guard Service Member

He is a coast guardsman assigned to search, rescue and security patrol. He has been stationed with his fellows on Galveston island in the wake of the Leviathan attack to rescue survivors, locate the dead, and keep the area secure from looters, thieves and ignorant fuck-ups that wander into dangerous areas.

Currently feeling: Agitated, Annoyed, Disgusted.

Observe what?" asks the guy behind me.

"Uh.. nothing….Sir"

The guy I observed speaks into his radio. "Two suspects found and apprehended, Male and Female, appear to be teenagers. Area is secure."

"Hey Cory, got ID, Julia Mendez, say it's her house, address matches." He hands it over.

Cory's overhead tag and Observe window update with his name. He radios again. "Got a Texas learner's permit here, female ID is Julia Mendez, DOB: 9/24/1994, ID address matches house address, this one is actually legit for once."

The radio crackles back. "Still not supposed to be any civilians in the area. Escort them out and report back. Got a lot of work to do next low tide."

Cory holsters his weapon and the 'Agitated' goes away. "What's your name kid?"

"Simon"

"Let's get you back into the room, on your feet, but keep your good hand on your head. John, you keep an eye on him."

I stand up and am led back into Julia's room. John lets me sit on her bed. "You can put your hand down now. You live here too? You related to her?"

"No."

"Why are you here then?"

"Trying to help a friend get to her house, see if she could find some sign of where her parents are, or if they left a note or something."

"Yeah, where are your parents?"

"Dead, Aquatic Chupacabra."

"What?"

"Leviathan."

"Sorry"

That puts an end to the conversation; I can still hear bits and pieces of Julia and Cory speaking. They are cross checking stories, asking her about me. Eventually I hear them coming down the hall.

"Please don't make us leave though all the water….I can't" Julia pleads; I can hear the fear in her voice. "This is all I have left of them, they're gone…"

Cory's Observe window, which I had never bothered to close, updates again. Disgusted has been replaced with Pity and Cautious.

"You pulled a gun on us, you could have been shot." Cory says to Julia. Whoa, a gun? Where was that? I look at her in shock from the open door across the hall. They've seated her on her sister's bed, but she isn't paying attention to me.

"I didn't know who it was; somebody tried to assault us once already yesterday"

"Hey look at this" says the third guy whom I didn't overhear the name of yet. Cory leads Julia back out to see what's being discussed. They come into the room, carrying our backpacks.

"These your bags?" I nod in the affirmative. "Care to explain the anti-shoplifting tags on some of the garments?" They are the magnet ones that I hadn't been able to remove yet.

"That's my fault sir. I lost everything; I didn't even have the clothes on my back because they were so cut up, bloodied and filthy. Tried to get some from the supply drops, but first one ran out. Hiked across the island to another drop only to find it was taken over by supervillains. What would you have done?"

Cory sighs. "Fucking capes" he mumbles. "If these had been filled with jewelry or electronics, we'd be having a different conversation."

"Please sir, we came here just so she could try to get some pieces of her life back and see if there might have been some communication left behind. We were at the temporary shelter camp this morning. We'll go back to it, I promise."

He looks toward John, "How long until the tides get low enough to minimize wading?"

"Maybe a bit over an hour."

"Alright, escorting them while it is more receded will be easier anyway."

A new unread notification appears, but I can't check on it. Cory speaks to both of us.

"You've got that long to pack your things, and then you will be escorted away from the area. How the hell did you even get this far anyway?"

"Water wasn't this high when we walked here, we didn't know the area sank below the tide level." I say.

"In situations like these, you're supposed to contact the authorities and get escorted to your place of residence."

"Would you have let us?" Julia asked.

Cory sighs again. "No, the underlying sand is too unstable. We've had a couple buildings collapse already in the last 24 hours as it resettles."

****​

I help Julia pack over the next hour, until we have two full suitcases. It's not all clothes; she had put photos, jewelry and other personal items within as well.

"I can't take my computer; it has a lot of photos and data on it."

"Two suitcases only." Cory responds.

"You can remove the hard-drive, stick it in a suitcase. You can get a new computer later." I add.

"How?" Julia asks.

I instruct her how to do it; I can't take it apart with one arm. The three coast guardsmen never help. They just stand around watching us or the perimeter, making casual conversation.

"Hey, can I borrow your textbooks?" I ask Julia. She looks at me oddly for a moment and shrugs.

"You're weird. I don't care; I don't give a crap about those."

I take that as a yes and stuff them into my backpack. "Not much else to read, something to keep my mind occupied. If you have room for other books, at least consider that idea for yourself."

Julia looks at me a moment again then sorts through a pile of stuff on the floor, picks up a small paperback and throws it into an open suitcase. 'Nightfall' I don't recognize the title, it's in a gothic font above a picture of some emo-looking high school kids on the cover art.

"It's time to go" The nameless of the coast guard trio says.

We zip up the suitcases, I put on my backpack, Julia pulls a jacket and rain boots out and puts them and her backpack on, and we head into the hallway. Julia stops and looks Cory right in the eyes.

"That's my fathers. It's about the only thing of his I have left right now, are you going to give it back?"

"I'm going to hold on to it for now, and decide later."

"My great grandfather was an Aztec Eagle in world war 2. It was his service pistol, it's a family heirloom."

Cory doesn't budge from the showdown. "It's time to go," he says, and we go down the stairs.

Julia's face is still tear-stained, but hard set. I am pretty sure she's run dry. I can still sense her apprehension at stepping into the seawater, even though it's less than a foot high now. I feel just as much tension, my heart races and I pause to calm down. I'm struggling with the weight of carrying one suitcase. Coast Guardsman John carries the other while Julia is using her crutches.

"Everybody's got rubber boots but me. Are there some plastic bags and tape or something I can use?"

"Kitchen pantry and drawer in the kitchen island." Julia says. The nameless one sloshes over and starts looking.

"I don't suppose there's any dry, usable food in there? We haven't eaten."

John retrieves the tape, bags, and some nuts and dry foods that were in sealed containers. I sit on the dry steps and assemble my makeshift water proofing. We stuff the food items into our pockets and backpacks.

We stay silent as they escort us out. We stop and rest a lot. The trip back is mentally and physically agonizing. Gee thanks aqua-phobia. I point out the bodies we passed on our way in, they radio it in. My SP keeps slowly dropping as I struggle with the heavy suitcase. Its weight is all the worse combined with my backpack and I can't swap arms, or set it down to rest in the seawater. I'm forced to stop again as my SP hits 0 and I get more notifications, probably more status effects. We're forced to continue on anyway.

We pass a road that just ends into the open sea. Beyond it, the tops of buildings and houses can be seen above the water, getting battered by waves. This area has sunk well below the tide lines. Another notification pops up as we finally get beyond the restricted area markers. The suitcase feels a bit lighter.

"Alright, y'all know how to get back from here?" Cory asks us.

"Yes" I say.

"And you will go straight back to Shelter Camp Bravo?"

"Of course, but Bravo? Are there other camps?" Julia asked

"There are three, Alpha, Bravo and Charlie"

Another notification and a ding sounds. I need to turn off the damn interface sound effects. I recognize it though, as a quest announcement. Cory pulls a gun out and my heart nearly bursts out of my chest, even Julia lets out a muffled shriek. The notifications bump up again. Cory pulls the magazine out of the gun and stuffs it in his pocket, then hands the gun to Julia. It finally dawns on me that this one is hers, or her fathers, and I relax again.

"I can't give you ammo. I shouldn't be giving it back to you at all. I have a daughter your age though; I wouldn't want her to be defenseless in a situation like this either."

Julia takes it and puts it in the inside pocket of her jacket. The three turn and leave, heading back into the restricted area. I hear their radio crackle as they give an update on the situation.

"Did you even know how to use a gun?"

"Yes and no. Do you?"

"Um no, but what's that mean?"

"My dad took me to a range a couple times, but he rented stuff for me. I've never fired this one. 'Ball in the bucket' and use both hands is about all I can remember."

"I guess we go back now?"

"No."

"What, no?"

"My dad's place of work is not far from here. I'm going to go there, but you can go back if you want."

"No, I'll go, if you'll still want me tagging along that is. But can we stop to rest and eat? I don't know how I am going to carry two suitcases."

Julia tosses one of her crutches on the ground and picks up the suitcase that John left on the dry ground. "I think I can manage with just one crutch now."

"I see an arts and craft store up ahead. We can sit and eat there."

"Why there?"

"Um, so I can look for some stuff too..." I say a bit under my breath.

"You mean you want to loot again?"

"Well I don't want to." Turning her own phrase on her from yesterday.

"Fine" she says as we start heading over. "And uh, thanks for going with me to my house. Sorry I yelled at you in there."

"It's understandable, thanks for putting up with me."

****​

We break into the craft store by smashing a window with Julia's crutch. No one has hit this place yet, probably because no one thought paints, knick-knacks, fake floral arrangements, and decorations are worth looting. We eat the food from Julia's house. It isn't ideal, but it gave me back as much HP as I had lost wildly stopping roaches and getting my arm wrenched by the coast guard. Julia stands watch while I do my thing. I take advantage of the opportunity to review my unread notifications.

For performing a repeated action you may gain the 'Speech' skill.

Quest: Talk your way out of trouble with the Coast Guard

Quest Completed: You have gained 50 XP for talking your way out of trouble with the Coast Guard

For exercising your strength to the point of extreme strain you have gained 1 STR

+10 HP

Your SP has reached 0. You have gained the 'Exhausted' status effect.

Your Gamer's Body skill has increased by 1

+1 HP

You have unlocked the 'Rest Anywhere' feature

The Rest Menu has been unlocked on your Interface

Your Gamer's Mind skill has increased by 1

You have unlocked the 'Enhanced Calm' feature

Quest: Visit Camp Alpha and Charlie to look for information, supplies, or anyone who might know you.

Okay, so what happened here? I got a quest I finished without realizing it by persuading the Coast Guard Cops to let us pack and be on our way? I trudged that heavy ass suitcase at least a mile over flooded ground, to the point of exhaustion. Although I got beat up a bit, was the repeated SP loss what got me enough gains in Gamer's Body? That might be the trick I have to use. SP regens a lot faster. Gamer's Mind came right there at the end, after the aqua-phobia fuckery during that entire trek, and then getting scared shitless for thinking Cory was gonna shoot us when he pulled Julia's gun out? I'll worry about that quest later. For now, "Skills"

Speech (CHA) Level 1 (0.00%)

This represents the art of using words and speech to convince someone to do something or to come to your way of thinking.

+1% relationship gains per level when used in the correct context.

+1% Morale boost per level to nearby allies who hear your words.

+0.5% chance per level to temporarily shift someone's attitude toward you in a positive direction, if given the time and opportunity to speak to them.

That looks pretty damn useful, I accept the skill. Now back to what I'm here for. I find the modeling clay I’m looking for, along with some off brand play-doh, drawing pads, and colored pencils. There is an office supply section as well, so I grabbed some paper clips, and try my hand at picking the register drawers like the face punching fucker did. It works, but only nets me an extra $64 in small bills. I could have gotten more with smaller coinage but it would just weigh me down. It looks like the drawers have been cleared of larger bills. Maybe they had closed for the day before the sirens had gone off?

My 'Disable Device' attempt on the manager's office door fails repeatedly. However, the door and door knob are cheap, and I had a screwdriver, pliers, debris to serve as a hammer, and no one around to watch me wreck this shit up. There isn't much in there, a desk, a computer, a stereo, and jackpot, a safe. Fuck, Observe on the safe says I have no chance. I don't want to drag a computer around, but I smash the stereo to get a speaker magnet. I use it to get the magnetic security tags off my looted clothes, and gain a level in Disable Device for my effort.

"Are you done yet?"

"Eeep!" I scream as Julia startles me. "Um yeah, let's go."

****​

We leave the store and reach Julia's dad's place of work without incident, but it’s getting late in the evening. I'm able to carry the suitcase now without my SP falling and it slowly begins to rise. Any attempt to go faster than a walk, lowers my SP or threatens to jostle my arm. The Exhausted status effect went away after I got SP into the positive range.

When we get to the site, it doesn't look hopeful. The building collapsed and there are active workers on site. They're not rescue workers, they're doing body recovery. We get directed to someone who can tell us what was going on. Julia talks to some foreman, and someone who works at the place. I can't make out their conversation, but I don't need to after she breaks down crying, near fainting to the ground. I can't do much more than wait.

Eventually, someone gives us a ride back to Shelter camp Bravo. Julia is in the passenger seat of a truck, and I rode in the pick-up bed. The bumpy ride hurts my arm a lot but I don't lose any HP from it.

We 'checked' back into the shelter. Fuckers had the gall to chastise us for being out past curfew times. Julia is catatonic. I don't take any of their crap this time, and escort her to her cot in the women's section, and go back to mine.

I'm tired, I have a status effect that says I have a fatigue penalty; the bar is at 0 and has been since getting in the pickup. I force myself to stay awake at least until midnight playing with play-doh and manage to get the Crafting (Stone & Pottery) skill and accept it.

Finally, I blow all my mana observing everyone around me, and manage to gain a level in that too.

Your Observe skill has increased by 1

What was that other stuff I saw about 'Rest Anywhere' and 'Rest Menu'? A quick scroll through my interface and I find it. Typical RPG Rest Menu that lets me choose to rest from 1 to 5 hours. Wait, why only 5? Why is that the max? I still have to be 'tired' enough to sleep, and according to more tooltips, 'safe' as well how does it define safe? I can also say "Sleep" to activate it. I set it to the 5 hour max and click the Rest button.

Simon's Character Sheet:

Name: Simon Anderson

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Race: Parahuman

Class: Refugee / Petty Thief

Money: $305.00

Title: Vermin Stomper

Level: 2 (98.75%)

XP: 395

Primary Attributes

STR: 6 (-0.85) 5.15

AGI: 5 (-1.25) 3.75

CON: 9 (-1.40) 7.60

INT: 15 (-3.30) 11.70

PER: 9 (-3.00) 6.00

WIS: 18 (-3.30) 14.70

CHA: 10 (-1.40) 8.60

LUC: 8 (0.00) 8.00

Unspent Points: 0

Secondary Attributes

Health Pool: 66/154

Stamina Pool: 143/143

Mana Pool: 0/300

Stress Pool: 55/330

Attack: 5.75

Speed: 2.66

Dodge: 6.68

Armor: 0.20

Carry: 51.50

Allure: 2.00

Skills

Max Slots: 27

Free Skill Slots: 8

Artistry: 3 (98.54%)

Basic Academics: 8 (10.22%)

Computers: 5 (11.09%)

Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 1 (0.00%)

Disable Device: 2 (97.56%)

Disease Resistance: 1 (0.00%)

Empathy: 2 (13.75%)

Gamer's Body: 5 (7.45%)

Gamer's Interface: 5 (48.85%)

Gamer's Mind: 6 (12.86%)

Language-English: MAX (0.00%)

Meditation: 1 (0.00%)

Null Resistance: 1 (0.00%)

Observe: 3 (4.64%)

Programming: 2 (67.45%)

Psychology: 1 (56.45%)

Speech: 1 (0.00%)

Strategy: 1 (0.00%)

Video Games: 25 (23.37%)

Unspent Skill Points: 10