Worldlink Annotated Archives

Known Variant Abilities, Unit 000005674

-begin excerpt-

Variant abilities are graded similarly to Species Grades. The grading seems to follow a direct line of inverse frequency to power. The most common are the least powerful, versus the least frequently appearing are the most powerful.

Grades include Basic, Lesser, Minor, Mid, Greater, Potent, and Supreme.

It is known that through the System, one can upgrade a power, though the functions of this upgrade or how it is achieved seem to be based on individual achievements within the System’s quest protocols.

Variant abilities are known to break the limits of physics. When interacting with a known variant, expect the unexpected. Variants can be found in all biological species and are not known to display any significant markers of their abilities when these abilities are not in use.

Variant abilities can be found singly or in groups. When more than one ability is found to be possessed by a specimen, they will most frequently follow a theme. For example, a specimen with superhuman strength also has some form of supernatural sturdiness. This is presumed to allow the body to be able to exercise the strength it possesses. There are exceptions to this. One known specimen displays superhuman strength, but instead of physical strength, it is a function of a touch-based telekinetic ability.

It is unknown why or how variants are generated or selected by the System. Variant genetics show no sign of any specific markers, and these abilities do not show signs of passing through the genetic record.

In non-mutant-based variants, the capacity for variant abilities does seem to pass down to the offspring of one or more variant parents. The nature of the powers does not seem to follow a pattern. A supernaturally strong parent does not mean supernaturally strong offspring.

Mutants with variant abilities more commonly pass down their specific variant abilities. This is most commonly seen in the various bestial species that have developed since the Fall.

-end excerpt-

***

I approached the mutant rat colony carefully. The large and voracious rats could become a problem if encountered in groups. They were also a particular problem for me. My vibration abilities were disrupted by high frequency energy. This includes electricity. The rats were, of course, electrical.

I moved carefully, trying to find a lone rat. My senses turned up to eleven. Knife in hand, I carefully advance toward the markers that folks have painted in the area. Wanderers and scavengers have their own signs they paint as warnings to one another. I was looking for an S with a jagged line crossing it. A rat's tail with a lightning bolt. I turned a corner and looked down the road toward the trash pit that had become the rat’s nest itself.

A ping to my left, and I paused. I tapped my knife on the cement, and the ting sound echoed around me. The sound moved out in a wave and came back in a wave of information. There was my first target. I carefully moved around to look at the rat.

It was the size of most of the mutant rats. Think of a sizeable wrinkly bulldog, shave it and have its skin be all black. Add a three-foot-long black rat’s tail, pull the face forward and add a pair of shearing teeth at the front of the long snout. Give it all some sallow yellow striping and nasty puss oozing sores, and there you have it. I’d seen normal rats and some critter called a naked molerat, and both of them were less disgusting than this thing.

I readied myself and waited for a moment. The next closest one was thirty feet away. This was going to be my best opportunity. I charged forward, stabbing down with my knife, and activated the Vibrating Strike. I felt the handle of my knife vibrate in my hand. I swung down as the rat turned toward me. Stringers of electricity spread out on its whiskers as I struck.

***Bzrzrzrr-lorp*** The blade made a horrific noise as it cut into the beast. Flash, and blood and fur sprayed from the wound. Electricity tried to snap back, but I had worn my gloves and rubber-soled shoes. The rat didn’t even have a breath to squeal before it died. I wiped the gore from my face and looked down at the carnage, and carnage it was. The wound wasn’t a cut. It was a gaping hole blasted out of the rat’s body. The Vibrating Strike was devastating.

I looked down at the old U. S. Marine K-bar. It was ruined. The blade had been eaten away as if it had been corroded from the inside out. The density of the steel had kept it from being totally destroyed, but the rat looked half exploded.

*Ting* A notification buzzed in my head.

[You have slain a Mutant Rat, Electric - Experience gained

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

First kill bonus experience earned

Survivor Class bonus experience earned]

Cool, that was worth 240 experience. I sighed and stashed the ruined knife. That was a bit of overkill and too expensive. A knife like that wasn’t cheap or easy to come by. Fuck, now I needed a new weapon, a disposable one at that. I looked around and saw just the thing.

I walked over to the reinforced concrete wall and touched the bent piece of rebar that stuck out of it. I gripped the rebar in a fist and concentrated. I started to vibrate the metal bar, just a little, enough to feel just how it lay in the concrete wreckage. I focused on phasing myself and the bar very carefully. I felt the metal bar shift with me, and I focused on just taking the bar, just the bar.

After a few moments, I pulled with my new strength, and the bar slid out of the wall. Excellent, now I had a length of rebar about five feet long. I activated Vibrating Strike and am pleased to feel the bar shift phase. Time to hunt some more.

I quickly locate a pair of rats not far off. I think they’ve scented the dead one, and probably me too. I’m covered in splattered rat. I’m going to splatter more rats, so why clean up now? I’ll need some goggles in the near future, in any case.

I grasp the rebar and turn toward the oncoming pair of rats. Already their electric whiskers are flashing. I have to make sure they don’t hit me with those. I charge up the Vibrating Strike, only now noticing that my Stamina is half empty. Whoah, that’s unexpected. Can’t be helped now. I charge one of the rats and jab at it. It skitters to the side as the other lunges at my leg. I roll away from the whiskers and teeth. The first is on me, however. I swat at it to keep it away and catch it across the nose with the end of the rebar. ***Brzt*** The front of the rat’s face explodes, scattering teeth and bone fragments. The rat squeals and falls away, rolling around in agony. I have to finish this quickly as that screaming will attract more. My stamina’s just above a quarter. I spin around and catch the second rat as it leaps on me. Gah! Those claws are sharp. I grab it just under the jaws and pull it away from my body.

I pitch backward as electricity flows through me, the lights flash, and I’m on the ground. Staggering, I try to get to my feet. The rat is on me, and I punch it hard. The rat squeals and bounces away. I rush it and slam my fist down with a Vibrating Strike. That was dumb. Real fucking dumb. The rat explodes, my glove explodes, and part of my hand disintegrates. Holy fuck! I’m screaming. *Ting*

[You have slain a Mutant Rat, Electric - Experience gained

Survivor Class bonus experience earned]

I tuck my hand up under my arm to stop the bleeding and kick the first rat that still hadn’t died. It flies across the room and crunches against the wall. *Ting*

[You have slain a Mutant Rat, Electric - Experience gained

Survivor Class bonus experience earned]

Fuck I’m tired. My stamina is almost empty. I retreat from the shell of walls I attacked these rats in. My hand is on fire. Not literal fire, it just burns, and the aftershocks of being hit by the little fucker’s electric shock are still kicking my ass. I stagger down the street, fighting to keep upright. My health is not bad, only down twenty percent, but this pain is like nothing before. Holy crap, disruption is brutal. I can feel the flesh start to knit back together, fuck that itches.

I lean up against a tree, sitting at its base, right where I dropped my bike.

I sit and let my hand heal and stamina regenerate. I calm my breathing and take stock. Each rat is worth 200 base exp. Plus, ten percent for Survivor is 660, plus ten percent for that first kill bonus. It cost me all of my stamina and my knife and glove. What else did I learn.1. Vibrating Strike is stronk. Stupid strong. 2. I am strong. I punted that one rat across the room. 3. Vibrating strike is not to be used with my hands, feet, or anything I want to keep. 4. Goggles and a hood are essential. Vibrating Strike is super messy, which is super gross.

I drink some water and eat some of the dry cheese I packed this morning. My hand is mostly rebuilt and is pins-and-needles. Fuck I hate that. My stamina is back enough to do my little cleaning trick. I step out into the road and concentrate. I carefully phase in place, and the gore falls through me. Ugh, I dry heave. That feels nasty; something else’s gooey bits passing through you is always unpleasant.

An hour later, I am healed and full up on stamina. I think I’ve had enough for the day. I’ve gained almost a thousand experience running around and then killing some rats. Good enough for today. I pick up my bike and start walking home.

Back at the apartment, Tukey lets me in, but Lina is still out and about. He wrinkles his nose at me and says, “You stink boy. What sort of shit did you roll around in?”

I give him a look and say, “Long story. I’ll get clean up and tell you about it while I fix my bike.”

He nods and rolls back into his workshop. I strip down and toss my clothes into the wash and shower. I set about fixing my bike and updating Tukey. Lina comes in from her job midway and have to start over.

After dinner, I look at my Stats, and the experience total of 3187. Just enough to push a class to level 3, Survivor comes first. I plan to push Survivor to 10 for the quest, then catch Explorer up. I feel the attributes bump up, but I keep the free points for later.

I get dressed in my now clean and dry newish clothes. I let Lina and Tukey know I’ll be out late and head out into the night air. I swing down the road and see that Ada and her family are still closing up shop, so I keep walking. No, I’m not stalking; I was invited. I walk further down the road to the corner store and see what they have.

Woo, yess. I grab a six-pack of bottles of Darquiel’s Dark beer. Joachim tells me they have just been restocked. Perfect timing. I head back out into the night and around the corner after putting the clinking bottles into my backpack.

I climb the rickety old fire escape and wait outside a specific window. I’d done this a million times before over the years. I know how to wait.

The light in the room comes on, and I wait. A shadow falls across the window, and I hear it unlock and slide up. Meera's beautiful brown eyes greet me. She raises a finger to her lips and waves me in. I hand the pack inside to her before I phase through the wall.

She’s on me before I’m all the way through the wall. I’m so startled that I almost lost my new boot. Her lips are hot on mine, and I feel her arms around my neck. Her smaller hands are unbuckling my belt before I even know how to react.