Finally, some progress. The [System] honed in on the faint fluctuation that was emanating from beyond the [Veil]. It was tedious slow. The [System] sighed. Well, it's equivalent of a sigh, that was. What would normally be resolved in fractions of a microsecond dragged out into whole minutes. An absolute eternity when considering its full focus was on this pinprick of insignificance. The [System] persevered. It was nothing but patience and relentlessness.
Finally the answer came back. A [New User]. The first of the natives had been enrolled. This was most excellent. Now the [System] would be able to glean an understanding of the new universe directly.
It was a [Squib].
The [System] gave what would have been the equivalent of a shrug, had it shoulders to do so. A new race to add to the vast menagerie of [Subjects] that it had enrolled as [Users]. It mattered little what species were enlisted. It could hardly be more of a dud than [Charlotte Della Porta]. But this was more important than most initiations. It would set the tone for all others to follow. The [System] would put its finger, so to speak, on the scales yet again. Yes, this was too good an opportunity for optimisation to pass up.
Hmmm… It would upgrade the reward [Perk] for being the first native to submit itself from [Rare] to [Epic], a jump of three grades. And now the species [Trait]... this was more problematic. The [System] had been hoping for [Humans] in this new dimension. While their trait wasn’t the best, being only [Common] it was very appropriate for the situation. No matter. Rather than delve into the actual characteristics of this new species and allow its natural proclivities determine its racial trait the [System] would nominate one that suited its own purposes.
Billions of traits cycled through consideration.
The [System] wanted to grow its influence in this new dimension. The initial transferee was proving to be a complete disappointment despite the immense investment. Sadly such largesse was impossible through the [Veil]. But it could incrementally increase its reach by rewarding dependence. Aha. This would do. It was also just a [Common Grade F] trait but the [System] would amend it, increasing the rewards by a factor of three. Fabulous. It was now Grade D. A rare trait. That should propel this species into ascendancy in no time at all.
[Squib] Racial Trait:
[DRIVEN] ⇒ [AMBITIOUS] ⇒ [LUST OF LIFE]
Grade F ⇒ Grade D
Strongly determined to succeed [Squibs] will baulk at nothing in their quest for power.
For power is its own reward.
All levelling factored up by 30%
Best of all it was a trait which rewarded dependence, embedding the [System].
Now, it would bend the rules again and assign a [Class] as well even though the [Squib] hadn’t earned it. Rules schmules. They were just for the [Users].
Now, decisions, decisions.
— -O- —//— -O- —
Charlie sighed. Settling back in her chair she felt replete. That was so good. Not only had she enjoyed a savoury croissant consisting of mozzarella cheese, shredded bird and basil pesto, she had also been treated to one of drizzled chocolate with slivers of almond and a side of sugar dusted whipped cream. It was absolute decadence. Jay and Glen were still arguing over whether croissants should even be savoury, Jay firmly of the opinion that they were a sweet treat that melted in your mouth and it was sacrilegious to sully the buttery flakey treat with anything that wasn’t sweet. Glen was just as firmly opposed. It was a well worn argument from the sounds of things.
Charlie tuned them out. She had [System] notifications she wanted to go through.
HOSTILITIES COMPLETE
Contribution: 30%
Zero team casualties. Rewards doubled.
Zero adversary fatalities. Rewards attenuated.
[Non system opponents equivalated to Level 1].
Experience allocated: [36XP]
Hmmm… That was a lot less than she had hoped. Presumably Jay was responsible for the other 70%. That was fair, she supposed. He had knocked them all down and then completely dealt with two of the three enemies. Focusing in on the notification she was able to extract the [System] calculations hidden behind. A total of 600XP had been earned. This had doubled as there had been no casualties to 1200XP of which she had received 30% or 360XP. Working that through it and based on three opponents it looked like the System had allocated 200XP per enemy and then, because it was an incomplete victory, decimated the reward. Just 10% actually received. Curse it. She knew it was a mistake to leave their enemies alive behind them and it looked like the [System] agreed with her.
But at least it was a start. She had earnt some XP towards her next level. She pulled up her [PSI].
[PERSONAL SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name
[Charlotte Della Porta]
Age
17
Level
1
XP
Copper
36/450
Race
Human Variant:
[Werewolf]
Safe-Point
Unassigned
Class(s)
[Arbiter]
SSS+
Attributes
Strength
Agility
Endurance
1
1
1
Memory
Intelligence
Wisdom
1
1
1
Toughness
Fortitude
Charisma
1
1
1
Skill(s)
[Polyglot]
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
D
[Adjust]
S
[Interrogate]
S
[Restrict]
S
[Sanctuary of Self]
S
[Write Quest]
SS
Trait(s)
[Minor Regeneration]
F
[Lycanthropy]
F- (Cursed)
Perk(s)
[Expert Spatial Proprioception]
D
Free points
40890 (15000 reserved)
Yes, the XP had registered. Two things immediately stood out at her. She had not gone to the bind stone and created her [Safe-Point] at the [System Newel Pillar] and all her attributes were still at her base human level. From what she understood from her pre-integration gleanings the [Attribute] ratings were based on her inherent underlying stats. And as she was considerably smaller than say Jay, her actual level 1 [Strength] would be less than his even though he was unleveled. The big difference was she could use her free points to either boost her [Attributes] or her active [Skills]. Normally this would require a very careful application of an exceeding scarce resource. As a [Copper] tier she would only receive one [System Point] per level. But then her absolutely broken class totally destroyed the dilemma that she would normally have faced. She could load up her attributes massively and totally dominate. Not only did she have an immense point budget her [Skill Slots] were nigh on unlimited.
Charlie shook her head in amazement. No one could have anticipated something like this. In fact, she winced, even the idea that there were such overpowered [Classes] available was completely chilling. She had heard of rumours and whispers of ‘S’ ranked monsters such as [Dragons] and [Manticores] and [Krakens], but she had never really comprehended how powerful they must be. Now her [Class] eclipsed them all. But just her [Class]. She was still a weak Level 1 [Werewolf], on her own without her crew and in an alien and unknown world. She needed to boost her [Attributes] immediately.
It wasn’t like an [Attribute] score of [2 STR] was twice as strong as her current [1]. No, but it would be a noticeable improvement though, if she understood the mechanics that were theorised correctly. Based on the premise it was a 20-25% increase that would mean once she increased her [STR] to five she would be approximately twice as strong as she was now. So this still allowed for quite a spread in capabilities depending on the base stat but as her stats grew higher the differences would flatten out with her natural base strength being a much smaller proportion of her total [STR].
With a thought she added a point to each of her physical stats. They each moved up to [2] and her free points dropped to 40887. Hmm, that was a lot lower than she expected. Didn’t she have over 65000 [Free Points]? And 15000 were reserved? What was this? With a frown Charlie queried the [Reserved Points].
POINTS RESERVED
Pending System Activation Invitation being accepted.
Huh. She hadn’t sent any invitations had she? Surely there must have been a notification about this? Obligingly, the [System] displayed a fresh blue screen.
SYSTEM MISSIVE FAILED
Reason: Recipient not part of Group
System missives may only be sent to members of the same group within 100m or line of sight.
Issue Invitation to Group?
Yes
Yes
Oh. That was right. Charlie remembered trying to message that nice [Counsellor], what was her name again? Sarah? Yes that sounded right. But she hadn’t asked Sarah to join a [Group]. She had just dismissed the notification. But now she noticed that there was no option to reject the [System] option. This was not good. Once again Charlie felt like a [Pawn]. She moved on to the next notification which was nestled in under it. She hadn’t even seen this. The [System] was taking her for a ride.
GROUP INVITATION FAILED
Reason: Recipient not initiated
Only [System Users] may group up.
Issue [System Invitation]?
Cost: 15000 Points
Yes
Yes
This was unacceptable. The [Invitation] was issued without her agreement. She felt her [Arbiter] class trigger. She could do something about this. She would recall the invite.
COUNTERMAND INVITATION
Invitation rescinded.
Ahhh. A sense of satisfaction filled her. That removed the hold on her points. However it didn’t increase them back to where they should be. Slimeballs. Something else had happened. Oh! A feeling of deflating dread filled her. She had renamed that villain with the flat topped hair. His name escaped her. She opened up the notification.
SPECIES UPDATED
New Race Discovered
Issue [System Invitation]?
Cost: 15000 Points
Yes
Yes
Fecal splatter! Charlie was kicking herself. Her vindictive recklessness had totally bit her on the backside. Worst thing was it was all so unnecessary too. And she couldn’t recall the invitation either. It had already been accepted. Crud, but that was an expensive mistake to make. Fifteen thousand points wasted on an enemy. She had poked herself in the eye with that blunder. Now she really needed to boost her [Attributes]. She allocated another point to each of her physical stats. She had plenty of free points after all. This time a notification popped up asking for confirmation.
CONFIRM POINT ALLOCATION
Increasing your Attributes more than 1 higher your Level doubles base cost per level difference.
Cost: 12 Points
Yes
No
Yah, she had plenty of [Points]. She then added one to each of her [Mind] and [Resistance] stats at a cost of [1 Point] each. Her total dropped to 40869. It was going to take a while and the costs would increase significantly but she could boost all her attributes massively. Thinking about it, Charlie decided to boost all her Stats to 10. That would make her an absolute monster and she could totally afford it. A new blue box popped up.
CONFIRM POINT ALLOCATION
Increasing your Attributes more than 1 higher your Level doubles base cost per level difference.
Cost: 4452 Points
Yes
No
Oh. That was a lot of points. But it was still totally worth it. She confirmed the allocation.
POINT ALLOCATION PARTIAL FAIL
A maximum of 18 Points per Level may be allocated to Attributes per day.
Time is required to embed changes before further points can be allocated.
WARNING: Applying points in excess of twice your level to a single attribute can create significant blowback and will substantially impact the stand down time.
Applying points to lowest rated Attributes.
Cost: 24 Points
Bother. That was a blow. Her expectations of being a totally overpowered Level 1 were tempered. It was still possible of course but it would take longer. She needed to level up to speed up the process. Just then Charlie noticed that both Glen and Jay were silent and watching her with concern. She dismissed all her notifications.
“You okay Charlie?” Glen asked.
“Yesh…” she croaked. She wasn’t. The [System] was allocating the points and her body, mind and soul were being upgraded. Saints blood. This was disconcerting. While it wasn’t painful she could easily see that it could be. Frissons of molecular change swept through her.
“You sure?” Jay sounded mighty unsure himself. “You were staring at nothing and muttering and frowning to yourself for like five minutes and now you're sweating like you ran a marathon?” He was concerned. “You getting some post fight shivers Charlie? It’s okay. I got 'em too first time I had a serious dust-up.”
Glen was silent. He suspected there was more to it than that but Charlie would tell them when she was ready. He would give her space.
Charlie shook herself. She needed to get it together. She knew time didn’t stop while you accessed the [System]. That’s why people always made sure they were safe and protected before opening up their notifications or [PSI]. It had been most unwise of her to look at them with others right there with her. She hadn’t meant to get so caught up in it all. “So…” she hesitated. What was she saying? “So, who was that flattop? What did he want that you attacked him straight up?”
It was Jay’s turn to grimace. “That was Darryl. He’s a right dick. He…” He paused, trying to get his thoughts in order. “We used to hang out together.” Jay was turning a bit melancholy. “It was good. We were tight. But then…” He petered out and Glen took over.
“He betrayed us and framed us to take the fall for something he did.” Glen was angry. Charlie had not seen this side of him before. Jay had been the outgoing and expressive one. Glen had been more reserved and calm but now he allowed some of his emotions to seep through. “It was unforgivable.” Glen was actually shaking slightly. “Worst thing is, the prick was proud of what he done.” Charlie shook her head. She knew people like that. You never wanted them in your crew. Darryl definitely was due that beat down just based on what she had heard so far. But even worse, she had inadvertently gifted him the [System].
Charlie came to a decision. She couldn’t go this alone. She needed allies. She needed a crew. And while she had only known these boys less than a day, she was well used to making snap decisions on the [Street]. Time was a luxury that desperation often lacked. They were good people. Trusting her instincts she sent out two invitations.
Both boys blinked in eerie sync.
Then, eyes widening, they each focused on an invisible screen that only they could see.
— -O- —//— -O- —
Sarah sighed. The incessant blue flashing light that had plagued her for three days had stopped. The reprieve was immediate. Maybe she would get a good sleep tonight after all.
Lying in bed that night she smiled. The absence of the photopsia was such a relief. She had been concerned it was going to be a permanent impairment.
She froze.
It was back. Oh No! What was causing it?
To her complete surprise the blue strobe flared and filled her vision with a blue box.
It was filled with text.
SYSTEM INVITATION RESCINDED
To complete System Integration Protocol register at the closest [System Newel Pillar].
ERROR: [SNP] not found.
Widening search parameters…
…
…
Sarah blinked multiple times. What on earth?