I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I struggled to maintain my composure. My vision blurred slightly, and my body trembled with a mix of fear and adrenaline. Nearby, Nathan was crouched against a Ford Fiesta, whimpering softly, his eyes wide with terror.

I knew I had to do something. My breathing was coming out shallow and ragged as I took a step toward the creature, my mind grappling with the reality of the situation. I felt the weight of the box cutter in my pocket and pulled it out, gripping it tightly.

“Nate, get behind me,” I ordered, trying to keep my voice steady.

“A-already there, Li.” Nathan managed in a small voice, his body pressed firmly against the car.

The rage-tail hissed, its glowing eyes locked onto me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. This was just another Quest, I told myself. Just an ordinary Quest.

“Alright,” I muttered to myself, “let's see what this box cutter can do.”

I pushed along the slide mechanism that extended the box cutter’s blade, and to my surprise, the blade pushed out to nearly a foot in length. The handle itself was less than half a foot long. It seemed impossible, but there was no time to wonder at that; the rage-tail was already charging.

I lunged at the creature, the extended blade slicing through the air. The rage-tail dodged, but I was ready, swinging again and grazing its side. It yelped and lashed out with its claws, catching me on the arm. I hissed in pain but didn't back down. Darkness clouded in at the edges of my vision, focusing me singularly on what was in front of me. Blood trickled from the fresh wound, but I pushed the pain aside, focusing on the task at hand.

The rage-tail's fur bristled, and it growled menacingly, its eyes glowing even brighter. I made another attempt, but the creature was quick, darting to the side. Desperately, I tried to grab it by the tail, intending to swing it around and slam it into the ground. However, the glowing stripes on its tail burned my hand like red-hot metal. I cried out, releasing it immediately.

Gritting my teeth, I swung the blade again, this time making a deeper cut. The monster bled a glowing red liquid that splattered onto my skin, burning like boiling water. I bit back another scream, determined to see this through. Every cut I made seemed to weaken the rage-tail, but it was also met with a spray of boiling blood that seared my flesh.

The rage-tail, now desperate, lunged at me with renewed fury. I sidestepped and slashed upward with the box cutter, striking the creature's neck. The blade sliced through, and the rage-tail let out a strangled cry before collapsing to the ground. It dissolved into dust, the particles fluorescing and disappearing into the night air.

I stood there, panting and clutching my injured arm. My skin was red and blistered where the creature's blood had touched me. Despite the pain, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment. A new notification window appeared:

Quest Completed!

Kill the Rage-Tail

Rewards:

10 Experience Points

$200

1 Health Potion

Bonus Objective Completed!

What Are Friends For?

Rewards:

5 Experience Points

$100

1 Friendship Bracelet

Nathan Rivers Rewards:

2 Experience Points

A water bottle filled with a glowing red liquid and a small band made of colorful, braided plastic materialized in front of the notification screen. This time, I had the presence of mind to grab them before they tumbled to the ground. Another notification tried to appear, but I dismissed it with a thought. I quickly pocketed the bracelet and opened what my power had called a “health potion.”

Nathan’s voice came from behind me, filled with confusion and lingering terror, “Dude, what the heck is going on? You have some sort of magic box cutter? Where did that bottle come from? How did you—”

I held up a finger to forestall any further Questions while I drained the contents of the bottle. I could already feel the liquid working on my body. The gashes from the rage-tail’s claws closed and mended; the blisters from where its blood had contacted my skin disappeared. When the bottle’s contents had been drained, it turned to dust and flashed away just like the monster had.

I dropped my hand and turned to my friend. “So. I guess I’m a video game protagonist.”

----------------------------------------

Nathan opted to skip his club meeting. His heart was still racing too fast for card games, and he was eager to hear more about my newfound powers. Most importantly, he needed to change his pants after the fright he had endured. I can already hear some of you judging him, but have you ever faced a magical glowing raccoon monster? No? Then cut the guy some slack.

After giving Nathan a chance to change, we went to my apartment to discuss my new powers. Turning on the lights as we entered revealed a sparsely-decorated studio apartment. It might have been carpet or hardwood, but to find out, you’d have to move the thin layer of dirty clothes littering the floor.

I had rented the place after graduating from high school to make this whole “gap year” feel a little more legitimate. Well, that and to get a little space between my mom and me. I loved her, but every time we talked she made it very clear that she wanted more direction out of my life than I had seen fit to give it. With a place of my own, those conversations were down to a minimum.

Grabbing Nate and me some sodas from the fridge, I settled onto the couch and pulled up the notifications I had dismissed earlier.

“Can you see this?” I asked Nathan, gesturing to the floating screen.

“See what? Oh! Is it one of those video game windows you were talking about?”

During the five-minute drive, I had briefed Nathan on my day, my new power, and its workings.

“Yeah, but I guess it's just for my eyes,” I replied, scanning through the notifications:

Level Up!

Congratulations! You have reached Level 2!

+1 to all Attributes.

3 Power Points have been allocated to Quest

2 Attribute Points have been allocated to Strength

2 Attribute Points have been allocated to Perception

3 Skill Points have been allocated to Customer Service

7 Skill Points have been allocated to Knife Fighting

You have unlocked the new power: Help

1 Power Point has been allocated to Help

“Dude! I leveled up!”

“So your powers really are like a video game?”

“I guess so.” I shrugged, pulling up my new power description:

Power

Help

Allows the user to receive detailed information on a target they touch.

Mana Cost: None

Current Level: 1

Power Points to next: 8

Curious, I pulled out the box cutter and focused on using my new power. Sure enough, a glowing screen appeared above it:

Tool

Extra-Long Box Cutter

Tool Summary:

A box cutter, but longer.

This tool counts as magical when overcoming resistances to non-magical damage.

“Magical?” I mused, then realized I had spoken aloud. Nathan had been patiently watching as I tried out my new ability.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I got another power with the level up,” I explained. “It lets me view information on things I touch. I tried it out on this box cutter, and it told me it was magical.”

Nathan nodded, excitement in his eyes. “What else would you call it when monsters start spawning, and people can shoot lasers out of their eyes?”

“There’s a guy with eye lasers?” I asked, incredulous.

“A woman. Yeah, she just signed with Detroit’s Monster Defense Force. Calls herself ‘Pew-Pew.’ There’s some speculation on the forums about what exactly her powers do. They seem to generate more force than heat, but they don’t seem to knock her back like you’d expect.”

“Wait, forums? What forums?” I asked, intrigued.

Nathan shrugged. “You know, places for people to talk about the monsters and the powers and stuff. The ‘magic’ you don’t want to call magic. I’ve been nerding out about this stuff since it all started. I chat in forums, share theories…I even started a blog about it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You have blog? Like from the early 2000’s? How did I not know this?”

Nathan shrugged again. “You’ve been kind of wrapped up in your own world, Li. Like you’re just going through the motions or whatever. Today was the first time I’ve seen you act a little like your old self in a long time.”

I felt a pang of guilt. Ever since graduation, I’d felt embarrassed at my lack of a plan for my life; college, or trade school or whatever. I’d decided to take a year to figure things out, but honestly, I didn’t even know where to begin. I had a lot of shame wrapped up in that, and I guess I’d started to self-isolate. I hadn’t thought about how that would affect my friends. “Huh. Maybe I have been kind of distant.” I attempted a reassuring grin. “I’ll work on it. So anyway, what’s your blog about?”

“Oh! I write about everything—monster sightings, new powers people are developing, theories on how this all started. The forums are a great place to gather information and chat with others who are just as obsessed as I am.”

“So you’re like a mini-expert on this stuff?” I asked, impressed.

“Dude, I’m a maxi-expert on this stuff,” Nathan said with a grin. “I’ve even got a few followers who read my posts regularly. It’s crazy how quickly this whole thing has become a part of our lives.”

I nodded. “Alright, Mr. Expert, what does it mean when it says this box cutter can overcome resistances to non-magical damage?”

Nathan’s expression grew serious. “Well, you know how normal methods don’t work on monsters, right?”

I gave Nathan a blank look.

“Dude! Are you serious? Where have you been these past few months? Okay, so normal methods don’t work on monsters. None of the usual ways we’re used to killing things seem to have much effect. We’ve tried guns, explosives, even medieval weaponry; none of them seem to work. I mean, enough firepower will eventually take them down, but monsters can shrug off way more than they should be able to. The only thing that seems to work: powers. Or people with powers, at least.”

“So a gun won’t work but a laser beam from Pew-Pew will?”

“Exactly! But it’s not just her lasers! Any attack from someone with powers seems to do the level of damage you’d expect. If I punched a monster, it would be like blowing it a kiss, but if you punched it...well, it still wouldn’t do much, but it would be a normal punch.”

“So that’s why the box cutter worked on the monster? It was magical?”

“Well, yes and no. Whatever it is about people with powers that lets them overcome a monster’s resistances also extends to the things they’re touching. So even if you were holding a normal box cutter, it would still overcome the monster’s resistances.”

I thought about that for a minute, “In that case, why don’t you take this box cutter. It may not be much, but if another monster appears and I’m not around, at least it’s something.”

“What? Li, I couldn’t take that. Even if I had a +2 Box Cutter or whatever; there’s no way I’m taking on a monster.”

“It’s not up for debate, Nate. Look, if the options are run or fight; absolutely choose run. I would. But if the options are fight or die, I want you equipped to make that choice.” I handed the magic tool out to my friend.

Nathan paused for a second before nodding and taking the box cutter and sighing. “You didn’t, you know. Choose to run. You could have. I was frozen and you had a clear exit. If you ran, you could have gotten away. You chose to fight.”

Nathan was right, I realized. That didn’t sound like me at all. I felt a chill run up my spine. “Do you think this power is changing me? Warping my brain? Making me act recklessly? Running didn’t even cross my mind, and I could swear some part of me knew I could take that thing.”

Nathan smiled comfortingly. “I doubt it, Li. You’ve always been that way. Put an objective in front of you and you could move Heaven and Earth to get it done. That ‘Quest’ power gave you an objective. You set out to meet it.”

I grinned wryly. “So you’re saying I’m a follower to my core? Not a leadership bone in my body?”

Nathan shrugged, adopting a lofty tone. “We can’t all have the presence of mind and forethought to wet ourselves in the corner while our peons do our dirty work.”

We both laughed, some of the tension dissipating.

Nathan examined the box cutter closely. He looked up at me with curiosity. “Hey, what happens if you try your Help power on yourself?”

I paused, considering. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.” I focused on my own hand and activated the Help power. Instantly, a screen popped up just like it had for the box cutter.

Liam Cole

Species: Human

Tier: Red

Class: Cashier

Level: 2

XP: 22

XP to Next: 12

Mana: Very High

“Whoa! It’s a fully detailed character sheet!”

“Wow, I guess you really are a video game protagonist.”

I continued to explore the interface, noticing several tabs along the top of the display: “Attributes,” “Powers,” and “Skills,” Each tab seemed to hold a different aspect of my abilities and resources. Curious, I selected the “Attributes” tab first.

Physical Attributes:

Strength 26 (Average)

Endurance 61 (Average)

Durability 24 (Average)

Agility 27 (Average)

Perception 43 (Below Average)

Fine Motor Skills 36 (Above Average)

Mental Attributes

Critical Thinking 82 (Above Average)

Learning 71 (Above Average)

Focus 31 (Below Average)

Memory 76 (Above Average)

Creativity 61 (Above Average)

Improvisation 66 (Above Average)

Social Attributes

Charm 76 (Above Average)

Empathy 73 (Above Average)

Attractiveness 66 (Average)

Emotional Stability 112 (High)

Leadership 56 (Average)

Self-Awareness 77 (Above Average)

“Whoa! I’ve actually got some pretty good stats! My ‘Emotional Stability’ is even listed as ‘High!’”

“I wonder if that’s true of all fundamentally lazy people.” Nathan mused.

“Hey! Well...actually that makes a lot of sense.”

“Did you learn anything else?”

“Hold on, there are some more tabs here.” I opened the “Powers” tab.

Powers

Quest

Current Level: 1

Power Points Invested: 8

Power Points to Next Level: 2

Help

Current Level: 1

Power Points Invested: 2

Power Points to Next Level: 8

“Looks like each power can level up, and I need a certain number of points to get to the next level,” I explained. “Quest needs only two more points to level up, while Help needs eight.”

Nathan nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. You’ve been using the Quest power all day, but you just got Help. Anything else?”

I focused on the “Skills” tab and was immediately overwhelmed. Everything I’d ever attempted seemed to qualify as a level 1 skill! I marveled at the sheer breadth of skills listed. Some were practical, while others seemed almost whimsical. There were skills I‘d only ever attempted once, such as lock picking and close-up magic. There were a few skills at level 2, but the only skill I had at level 3 was “Video Games.”

I mentally attempted to filter the information and found the two skills that had increased during my level up:

Customer Service:

Level 2

Skill Points: 32

Skill Points to Next Level: 2

Rank: Novice

Knife Fighting:

Level 1

Skill Points: 7

Skill Points to Next Level: 3

Rank: Novice

Quickly, I summarized the information for Nathan. “It’s kind of surreal seeing it all laid out like this,” I admitted. “There are so many skills listed here, from everyday stuff like Cooking and Baking to more specialized ones like Lock Picking and Public Speaking. Apparently, I’m pretty decent at Crayon Coloring,” I added in a braggadocious tone.

“I never doubted you for a second.” Nate rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Li, do you realize what your powers could do for the Arcanist community?”

“The what?”

“Other monster nerds! You could use Help to analyze monsters and people with powers. You could finally provide some real answers. This could change everything!”

I raised an eyebrow. “You realize I have to touch the monsters for my power to work, right? ‘Hey, Mr. Monster, can you hold still while I poke you? Okay, now just a little longer so I can carefully read your stats.’ I’m sure they’ll be very cooperative.”

Nathan chuckled. “Okay, fair point. But seriously, think of the information you could gather! It would be groundbreaking. You could be a hero!”

I snorted. “Hero? More like a monster’s chew toy. Besides, monster fighting isn’t really my thing. I’m not keen on getting eaten just to fill out a data sheet.”

Nathan grinned. “Alright, I see your point. But seriously, think about it. We could do some good.”

“Maybe,” I said, yawning. “But for now, I’m beat. It’s been a long day, and I need to get some rest before I start my new career as a monster whisperer.”

Nathan laughed. “Fair enough. You’ve earned it. We’ll figure out the rest later. Goodnight, monster whisperer.”

“Goodnight, forum king,” I replied, as Nathan got off the couch to leave.

I got up to walk him to the door. Curious, I gave him a quick pat on the back as we walked and focused on my power. His character sheet pulled up for me and followed him as he moved. It seemed Help windows followed whatever they were tied to. I scanned his character sheet as quickly and surreptitiously as I could.

One entry caught my eye, and I nearly stumbled.

“Well, that’s interesting,” I muttered to myself, grinning.

“What was that?” Nate asked.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. It can wait until tomorrow.”

Nate rolled his eyes and pulled up his phone to call an uber.

Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.