Vol. 1 - Chapter 22

Quick Choices

The new talent notification popped up just as expected.

Excitement flickered through me as I rapidly navigated to the appropriate screen. Talents could provide a significant edge, giving me access to new skills and abilities.

Just as previously described, I could see my existing talents listed near the top. I already had:

Awareness: 1

Handy: 2

Negotiator: 2

Below my existing points, the screen displayed the new randomly generated options, each with their own detailed descriptions:

History. Gain a deeper understanding of the city's past, and the events that shaped its present reality.

Driving. Develop expert vehicle operation and evasion skills. From high-speed chases to controlled getaways, mastery over various vehicles increases with each point.

Occult. Unlock dark vampire secrets with each point. Peer beyond the veil of reality to glimpse the unseen forces lurking in the city's darkest corners.

I frowned, considering the three choices as I weighed their potential benefits.

The History talent could shed light on the complex web of rivalries and power struggles between various factions vying for control. Invaluable context that may help me navigate situations more adeptly.

It might be a good talent to have in combination with Negotiator. Considering what Ms. Harmon had mentioned, I didn't want to overload myself with talents that didn't help me against the more brutish nature of gangs and the unknown of vampires.

I was hoping Mia Haoyu would join forces with me and Jason McArthur. I couldn't count on that happening, but if she did, I was sure her character might have that type of talent already.

If Mia was following her storyline, there was no doubt she already had History, or some type of equivalent talent. A journalist needed to know at least something about what they wrote.

We didn't have the internet or search engines within the game to simply get whatever answer we needed instantaneously. That was my reasoning, anyway. And in any case, if Mia didn't join us, I wouldn't be at much of a loss without History.

Regarding the ability to Drive, I was highly interested. Having elite driving capabilities could be a literal life-saver given how quickly things tended to devolve into violent chases and showdowns in all the mobster films I had seen.

The ability to outmaneuver and evade pursuers, or even just to get across the city in a short amount of time, would be an incredible asset. That one was high on my list for obvious reasons.

But the Occult. Now that one truly piqued my curiosity. Just what sort of dark secrets would I learn if I chose that talent?

The possibilities both intrigued and unsettled me. Still, ignorance could prove just as deadly as any physical threat. Perhaps having that deeper understanding of darker realms would grant me some edge.

My choice was suddenly more difficult. I suspected that was the point of limiting players to just one talent with each level gain.

There was no reason for me to choose quickly, so long as I used it within twenty four hours. Still, I wavered indecisively between Driving and Occult.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I forced myself to concentrate.

Jason had been offered the Occult talent as well, turning it down. I suspected that if he were to get that option again he might take it.

That didn't mean he would, just that I was gambling he would. If we were going to form some type of new group, it would take all sorts of different talents to be successful.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I wanted to know more about vampires, especially after getting Audia’s folder. Occult was critical to that. But in the end, I figured I wanted the ability to quickly travel across the map.

Together with Awareness, I figured Driving might be the best option for me in the moment.

Unless something drastically changed, I was planning on being hyper-focused on gang business for the next little while, and I planned on sleeping at night time.

I could learn more about vampires later, so I held my breath for some reason and selected Driving.

New Talent: Driving - You now have the ability to operate machines. With one point in this talent you can use bicycles and motorized scooters.

+100 XP

You have 2,800 XP total

You need 1,950 more XP to reach level 3

I forced myself to take a few steadying breaths, fighting off the rising tide of disappointment. I had point spender's remorse.

"Bicycles and scooters?" I asked.

No one answered, and I remembered I was standing on the sidewalk in front of Donovan's office. There were no players or NPCs around me.

I exhaled, shoulders drooping, and realized I should have guessed as much. It was silly of me to think I could get one point in a talent and then suddenly know how to drive an old 1920s vehicle.

It wasn't as easy as just getting in and turning a key.

"Oh well," I convinced myself. "I made my choice."

It was time to move on from that.

But, thinking about how much a bicycle or scooter might cost did suddenly remind me of the money in my wallet.

I could finally afford to do a little shopping. Thanks to all the wandering I'd done around Grimsborough Heights over the last few days, I knew where most of the shops were.

I walked from Samuel Donovan's agency, my mind still reeling from the conversation, and from having selected a talent allowing me to ride a bicycle or scooter.

It had seemed like the best choice in my mind, but I wasn't thinking straight after that conversation with Samuel Donovan.

My plan to let The Green Fists get themselves blown up seemed simple enough, but it was already weighing on me. Could I let them walk into a trap like that?

Of course I could, but what type of player would that make me? Did it even matter? The point of all this was to create entertainment and simultaneously build an audience and an empire if possible.

I needed to focus on something else, and finding a weapon seemed like a good way to distract me. I headed towards the nearest store I had seen that sold weapons, walking and still mulling over things.

The store was called O'Malley's, and it was a small, dingy shop I had passed several times before. The windows were grimy and the sign faded.

I pushed open the door and a bell jingled overhead like so many other places in the city.

The inside was cramped and cluttered, with shelves and racks packed full of all manner of items. There were tools, clothing, and various household goods, but I was drawn to the weapons display at the back of the store.

Behind the counter, a grizzled old man with a thick mustache and a missing tooth eyed me warily.

"What can I do for ya, kid?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"I'm looking for a weapon," I replied. "Something uncommon but affordable. I don't have a ton of money to spend."

The man nodded and gestured towards a rack of baseball bats on the wall. "We got a few options for ya. How 'bout a baseball bat? They're cheap and easy to swing."

I shook my head. "No, I need something better than that."

The old man grunted. "You said affordable!"

"I did, you're right. But maybe something more unique than a bat."

The rough looking man eyed me again, then reached under the counter, pulling out a black wooden club with a leather-wrapped handle.

"This here's a good option. It's a billy club, used by the coppers. It's sturdy and it packs a punch."

I took the billy club from him and tested its weight in my hand. It felt solid and well-balanced, but it was a little on the small side.

I asked, "How much damage does it do?"

"I don't know." the man said. "I guess it depends who's doing the swinging and what the thing hits."

Smirking, I shook my head and handed it back to the man. "Not substantial enough. I want to do some actual damage if I need to."

The grizzled shopkeeper looked unhappy with my changing requirements. I didn't care. I was looking for something more interesting than a baseball bat or a billy club.

“Maybe something with a blade.”

He looked around for a minute, thinking of something that might suit my needs. Then finally, he pulled out an item unique enough to catch my interest.

It was a knife, but not just any knife. It was a switchblade like the one Stalvek Dyomin had nearly stabbed me with.

This one was fancier, with a polished wooden handle and a gleaming silver blade. The handle was intricately carved with a pattern of vines and leaves, and the blade was etched with a series of small symbols I couldn't quite make out.

I took the knife from him and tested its weight in my hand. It was heavier than I expected, but it felt good. The balance was perfect, and the blade looked sharp.

"How much?" I asked, already knowing I was going to buy it.

The shopkeeper said, "nine dollars."

I immediately started negotiating. "Six."

"No," the rough man spit angrily. "Eight. No more haggling or I kick you out of the store."

Not wanting to push my luck, I realized he had a higher Negotiator score than I did. It made sense, as he haggled with prices every day.

I agreed to the man's offer. If the weapon protected me just one time it was worth more than eight dollars. I handed over the money and tucked the knife into my pocket.

Reviewing the item through my inventory screen, the stat block was still blurred out. When I held the knife it gave me the same message as the screwdriver regarding not being able to use it as a weapon yet.

Without knowing any stats, of course I had no idea if it was a good purchase. The lack of knowledge in this game was really starting to frustrate me.

Thinking harder on the matter, I had no idea if I could even use a knife unless I had some talent like knife wielding or bladed training, or something silly like that.

At the end of the transaction I felt better knowing I had my own weapon ready for when I hit level three.

I had thirty four dollars and fifty five cents left, and I still needed a fresh outfit. I was tired of wearing overalls and thick boots.

Sure, I'd started the game as an alcoholic handyman, but there wasn't any reason for me to keep that image.

I could still do repair work in something a little more fashionable.

"You be careful out there, kid," he said as I left. "The city can be a dangerous place, so if you need anything else, you know where to find me."

I nodded and left the store, feeling a little more confident with the knife in my pocket. I knew it wouldn't be enough to protect me from everything the city had to offer, but it was a start.

As I walked towards the next store, I started feeling a little more confident things were going well.

It was just a game, I convinced myself, and I was doing fine.