“This place is a dump,” Bella remarked, sitting on my shoulder as we exit my front door. I feel her turn her head towards my neighbors, hearing her stupid bird yell something through the paper thin walls. I kick some trash in front of my door down the hallway. I’d thrown on my long black coat and my messenger bag. Didn’t look too shabby with these glasses.

“Well this curse didn’t affect a person with a shit ton of money.” I roll my eyes and turn to lock both deadbolts on the door. “That’s Petey, stupid cockatoo. Never shuts up, but it’s owner is cute.” I stare towards her door and smirk.

She knocks her tiny fist on my glasses. “Well, I think this will be a fun teaching moment. Try to focus on...Gina? Gina’s name, and Petey,” she said. I hear her mutter about how original the name is.

“Stay out of my head or you’re gonna get some weird images,” laughing, I start to look at Gina’s door. I squint, glad these dark glasses keep me from looking like a moron. Her name appears, slowly, but she has no level underneath. I shrug, and look towards where I know the bird’s cage is. At first, nothing appears, even as the stupid bird keeps talking and whistling or whatever shit it does.

“Try to feel that spark of power in your gut. You don’t actually have to make that face either, it just makes you look slightly more stupid than usual,” she remarks condescendingly. I roll my eyes behind my glasses and concentrate. I try and look past Gina’s floating name, knowing the bird is always on top of his perch in the corner of her main room. Smiling, I finally got his name to come up.

PETRA

Level 9 Alkonost

“What the hell is an alkonost?” I ask Bella, getting closer to Gina’s door.

Before she can answer, Petey starts screeching. “BAK, GO AWAY GO AWAY!”

I jump back, cocking my head to the side as I see Gina's name head to the door and look through the peephole. I'd normally be very interested as she opened the door in just a towel and a smile, but all I could see was the monster perched where Petey usually was.

A three foot parrot was launching it's way across the room towards the door and me. It had a woman's face and...chest, voluptuous creamy skin between the colorful feathers starting at her navel and ribs. It also had talons like a hawk aimed at my head as it screamed. It flew past Gina so fast she squealed as her hair ruffled and her towel dropped. I got no time to enjoy the show as I jumped sideways towards the stairwell, Bella holding onto my coat’s lapel.

“That...shouldn’t be in this city!” she yelled. Even as tiny as she was, it was still a bit too loud right in my ear. I heard Petey, or Petra I guess, slam into my door and squawk as it righted itself. I didn’t wait to hear what Gina yelled as I lept down the stairs a few at a time, a crazy naked lady bird not far behind me. Luckily I only lived on the third floor as I flipped over the railing of the second story to land on the dirty landing next to the exit door.

I slammed my back to the door as the alkonost hit the other side. “Well, she’s had that bird since she moved in a couple years ago,” I pant, winded and holding the door shut. There were a few more bawks and thumps before I heard Gina yelling down the stairway. The weird monster bird gave up and I heard it flapping off. I phewed, and almost jumped out of my skin as something slithered between my legs. I was across the small trash filled alley and turned with my pocket knife in hand before I realised it was Pudding Cup, licking her front paw and wiping her face.

Pudding Cup

Level 2 Feline

“Oh shit Puddin’, you scared the hell out of me!” I smiled and dug a piece of corn dog from the night before out of my pocket and bent down and held it out for the dark grey cat. She continued to wash her face for a few more seconds before sauntering over and pulling the food out of my hand.

Bella made a gagging noise and face. “Ugh, what are you doing feeding this flea-ridden beast? Cats can’t be trusted you know! And how did it get a level?” She peered suspiciously at the cat as it first ate the bread around the hot dog.

I just shook my head and shrugged as I scratched between the dark cat's ears as she chewed the hotdog. “Idk, she kills a lot of pests. And she's a sweetie, poor girl has lived in this alley for years, and loves when I bring her snacks.” Pudding Cup was purring as I gave her a few more scratches and stood up. Seeing my red bar down a bit, I wished it had numbers instead. Suddenly, it read 102/110 in the middle. Ok, that was easy.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Whatever you think of in terms of the…game, I guess, if that makes it easier for you, will change. Think of it in terms of settings or options. There are a lot of different ways it could appear depending on what you are familiar with or whether you could read or not." Tapping her foot, I could tell she was thinking as I walked to the mouth of the alley. "Hmm. In terms of a game, think of your character screen!"

Lockes 11

Shadow Warlocke

Hp: 103/110

Mp: 648/800

Body: 15

Mind: 7

Ether: 43

Luck: 19

Bella just stared at my screen. "I gotta stop being surprised by how much you don't make sense. The only thing that does, actually, is the fact that your mind stat is slightly below average-HEY" she yelled as I flicked her off my shoulder. She hovered beside me with her hands on her hips.

"Don't be a rude little bug and you won't get flicked, got it?" She glowered, but nodded. "And I'm a little..dim. I'm aware. How good or bad are my other stats?"

Shooting me a dirty look still, she continues. "Average level 0 humans have around 9s in all stats. Some a point higher, some lower. And all have a 1 in ether. Your awakening made you quite a bit more fit than you used to be, and a lot luckier. Not to mention how deeply woven into ether you seem to be. Make sure your hidey skill is always active, because you are gonna send out vibrations like a bug in a spider trap."

I glanced over at her. "You certainly enjoy food analogies. Why is that?"

"They're similes," she says, rolling her eyes. "And I use them because they fit the context. How do you think you get more ether? It's basically experience points: the higher ether a being has, the more exp you get."

"Oh, that kinda blows. How many mice did pudding have to kill to level up you think?" I could basically feel Bella roll her eyes on my shoulder. "Also, do I look nuts like I'm talking to myself by talking to you?" Looking around, all I saw were a couple meth heads and a drug dealer walking by.

"Does it matter here?" she asked, looking around in disgust. "But yes, we can definitely talk without saying things out loud, or at least you can. Doesn't matter for me. Now that you are my awoken, we are linked. And the amount of entities that could see or hear me are very few and far between. If they could see me, you probably should already be running."

"Oh cool, ok then." I start heading to the corner store, glancing at my health numbers. Weird to have your wellbeing simplified to a number. "Do I lose health if I get a cold?"

I'm certain she purposely let me hear her mentally sigh. "I forget how much an awoken differs from a natural born seer. Think back to the last time you had the flu. Weak, dizzy, probably excreting things from both ends right?" I nod. "You don't really hurt yourself when sick, they are...ugh debuffs as you'd understand it. Temporary lowering of your max health, sickened status, that sort of thing."

I nodded. It made way more sense in video game terms. Maybe something would happen when I finally got some breakfast? Needing some carbs after last night, I finally got to the corner store and walked in, bell jingling above me. I waved at Frankie behind the counter and headed straight for my favorite hangover cure: $1 rotisserie breakfast taquitos. Who knew what the fuck was in 'em, but they sure felt good in me. I was also getting used to Bella making gagging noises. Of actually gagging, who knows.

Got an oversized burnt to hell coffee and headed for the counter. Breakfast of the champions! Which I almost dropped seeing the 7 foot, paunchy, green skinned humanoid behind the counter in three stripe track pants and a wife beater.

"Hey kid, 'another long night, eh?" Frank asked, looking over a tabloid. He frowned. "Iffin you forgot your wallet again, I'm not gonna be too happy."

"Uh…..no, I got it." I looked up as I juggled my food and wallet, noting he was an orc. Huh, learn something every day.

"They tend to run underworld stuff in seedier parts of cities like this. Who knows what's in your burri-DON'T USE YOUR SKILL ON IT, for god's sakes!"

I flinched and smiled at Frank, then left quickly, eating my burrito. It did give me a buff to health for being full, which was awesome. I stood there, suddenly thinking of everything going on around me, and feeling like my world was spinning a bit.

Bella started to explain something else, but I got distracted by someone I knew waving at me from across the street.

"Hey Lockes!" shouted the cute girl from last night as she came jogging from across the street. Damn, she still looked really good. "I went to get us coffee this morning but I got lost!"

"Oh it's ok….uh," shit. Her name was...uh...I looked above her head and concentrated, glad she couldn't see me squinting.

Monica

Level 24 Vampyre

  Oh yeah. Monica. Kinda wish I'd known that other tidbit of info before I brought her back to my place.