“What is the System?” I asked once I’d caught up.

“Not the System, just System,” Stratos corrected.

“Sure, whatever. What is System then?”

“You mean besides a pain in the posterior?” Stratos muttered as we strolled across the flagstones. “Did I get that right, pain in the posterior?”

“I think you mean butt.”

“Ah, right. Thank you. Even after all those years on Earth I still struggle with things like that. The way you use language is bizarre.”

They’re good at dodging questions, but I’m not gonna let them wriggle out of answering.

“You were about to tell me about System.”

“System coordinates things.”

“Like the nanobots you say are everywhere.”

“Yes, System tells them what to do. For example, if you need to become instantly stronger, or tougher, or faster, or whatever, System can make that happen by instructing the nanobots to rewrite the RNA of your cells and cause your body to change on the fly as well as augment your physique directly to achieve the desired results.”

“That’s a lot of power for one person to have,” I said.

“Calling System a person would be unfairly limiting to System. It would be like calling me human. Worse, even.”

“It’s hard to not take offense when you say things like that.”

Stratos shrugged. “You can take offense to opinions. Facts should simply be accepted.”

“That’s your opinion,” I mumbled. “So, does System control the Status screens?”

“System can affect your senses, causing you to see things that are not really there, like Status displays, or prevent you from seeing things that are there. It is why to anyone else who might see us right now it appears as though you are wandering around talking to yourself.”

I looked around. There weren't many people around who could see us, and the few who might weren't paying us any attention.

“You mean nobody else can see you?”

“Nor can they hear me. Think about it: how would it look, you and I having a private conversation like this? They might think I was playing favorites. Do you really want to be singled out like that?”

“Definitely not.”

“As far as anyone else knows, I am not here and you are a bit crazy.”

Is that any better?

“Pity I don’t have a phone to pretend to talk into,” I said. I looked around at the fantasy world surrounding us. “But that wouldn’t fit the milieu, would it?”

Stratos shook its head. “Not really, no. Besides, there is System.”

“Okay, but you still haven’t told me what System is. Is it a computer? Is all this a really complex program, or a virtual reality? Am I in the Matrix? Is System an AI?”

“Your concept of a hive mind would be a fairly decent analogy. System is everywhere, but also nowhere. System simultaneously receives input from every single nanobot at every moment, and responds accordingly.”

“According to what?”

Stratos sighed again, then stopped to turn and face me. “You are getting bogged down in the details. Just understand that you,” they placed their hands gently onto both my shoulders, “this body you are in, and everything in the world around you,” they let go and gestured to the courtyard around us and beyond, “it all overflows with technology you cannot see, but that can produce magical effects.” They used air quotes around the word magical. “All those abilities you have seen in people’s Status screens, those are all made possible by System’s interaction with that technology.”

I chewed my lip as I tried to grok it all. “Do you control System?”

Stratos started walking again. “What do you think of your abilities? Impressive, yes?”

They were still dodging the big questions, the slippery bastard.

I ran a few steps to catch up. “Uh, yeah. Sure, I guess.”

“You guess?”

Stratos looked genuinely disappointed by my lackluster reaction.

“Well, if I’m being honest, my abilities seem a little underpowered. I can see the Status of other people, which I probably only got to help with my team building quest, and I can learn skills, which is something everybody should be able to do. Not really the stuff of superheroes, you know what I mean?”

“I do not. You have two gifts.”

“Right, of course. The one that lets me learn skills and one that nerfs me so that I can’t advance anything beyond a certain level. How could I forget the special ability that makes me even weaker?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Do not sulk, Daniel. It is unbecoming.”

“I’m not sulking,” I snapped. When Stratos didn’t respond I took a moment to reflect. “Yeah, well, okay, maybe I am sulking a bit.”

“More than a bit.”

“What’s the difference between gifts, powers, and skills?”

“Skills are the most basic ability: with enough time, practice, and education anyone can learn them. Powers cannot be learned, but they can be acquired in various ways and require mana to use.”

“So they’re better than skills, then,” I said.

“They are different.”

“And gifts?”

“Gifts are generally more passive in nature. They do not require conscious activation, no do they consume mana the way powers do. Some are unique to a single Player.”

“So they’re the best.”

Stratos sighed. “They are different.”

“What’s the deal with mastery? All my abilities are a Novice, and with the Good At Everything thing none of them can achieve mastery beyond Adept.”

“Not all of your abilities. Only Powers and Skills can be evolved, as well as Affinty. Gifts cannot be improved.

“What are the different levels?”

“You will see.”

“More fun that way, huh? Fine. Who decides which abilities we get? Is it System? Or you?”

“It is based on the individual’s personality, aptitude, and memories. Your abilities may not seem that good compared to what you have seen in other Players’ statuses, and I will be honest: there will be plenty of Players far more powerful than you. Stronger. Faster. More evolved.”

“Nice pep talk.”

“Power comes in different forms, Daniel, I know you of all people understand that. If you are as clever as I believe you are, you will find ways to make those seemingly underwhelming abilities work to your advantage. Who knows, you might even win.”

“So there’s a winner to all this?” I asked.

“Have you ever played a game that did not have a winner at the end?”

“If this is all a game—”

“It is.”

“—then who decides who wins? Is there a Dungeon Master or Game Master or whatever you want to call it? Is it System?”

“That,” said Stratos with an infuriating hint of a smug smile, “would be telling.”

We had strolled a complete circuit around the courtyard and found our way back to the central gazebo. Stratos was starting to piss me off. I’m sure their condescension was probably well-founded, but that didn’t mean I liked it. I decided to check their Status.

System: Error - Status information incompatible with All Shall Be Revealed

Figures. They knew I just evaluated them and saw nothing too, I could tell by their smug smirk.

I stopped short of reaching the base of the gazebo steps, and this time it was Stratos who was forced to follow my lead. They stopped too.

“Is there anything else I should know about how this all works?”

“Let me think. You might be interested in the extra-dimensional aspects — dimensional travel, pocket dimensions, and the like — but honestly, it is much simpler to just slap the magic label on it all and just have fun with it.”

“Is that what this is all about? Having fun?”

“Daniel. Listen to me. This is a game, and what are games about if not having fun?”

“Everything is a game,” I recited.

“I knew you would get it in the end.” Stratos took the last few paces to the steps and ascended them. They turned to face me, looking down from the top step. “I think I have wasted about enough of your time. You must be eager to get out there and start working on your quest.”

I stayed where I was. “Since All Shall Be Revealed is a power and not a unique gift, am I right in thinking I’m not the only one here with this team building quest?”

Stratos smiled. “I really only wanted to have a word with you now to say thank you for your help. None of this would have happened if it was not for you. If this succeeds or if this fails will all come down to the people you chose to bring here.”

“Wait, I didn’t choose—”

“There is also the matter of your compensation,” Stratos said.

“Wait, what?”

“I did tell you that you would be compensated for spending the day with me at the convention. Do you not want to know what your reward is? I made it especially for you.”

Dammit, I knew I was being manipulated but I couldn’t help it. Of course I wanted to know.

Stratos looked as though they were going to say something, then changed their mind. Instead, they nodded once then turned and started walking toward the middle of the gazebo. “Have fun, Daniel,” they said over their shoulder. “We will talk again soon.”

“Wait, what about my reward?” I called out, but it was too late. Stratos had already vanished. Whether they escaped through a dimensional door or they were still there and I just couldn’t see or hear them because System was preventing me, I couldn’t tell you.

System: You have acquired a new Gift: [Hidden]

I could only assume that my reward was a new gift. But what was it exactly?

Daniel Lamont Team Builder Affinity: Life - Novice Gifts: Good At Everything Jack Of All Trades [Hidden] Powers: All Shall Be Revealed - Competent Skills: Game Design - Novice Teaching - Novice Trivia - Novice

I sighed. Nothing was ever simple with them.

I was left with lots of unanswered questions, the most pressing of which was: where the hell was I going to spend the night?

Despite its size, the courtyard offered few options for places to lie down. I saw a few benches scattered around the perimeter, and there were those ledges around the twelve fountains, but I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable with the thought of sleeping in such an exposed place. The shops had all closed up tight for the night. My prospects were starting to look pretty grim. I perched myself on the edge of the fountain that had the word “Nature” written on it in several languages to ponder my fate.

I was just about to resign myself to a restless night wandering the streets when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, the shifting shadow of some movement over by the arena.