“...and that was when I knew I had to get out. Rescue wasn’t coming, and if I wanted someone to help me, I had to help myself first.” The man said, taking a swig of his beer. He was a shorter man, but he had a powerful build. It was easy to imagine him in a movie, fighting off monsters in screen-worthy combat. Reality, however, was often less glorious.

He shook his head ruefully. “I almost regret it. I was running through the dark with some… things, chasing after me. Scraped my leg up real good,” he said, lifting the bandaged limb. “But, I made it here. And this place is much better.”

The young woman beside him pulled anxiously on her beanie, nails with some truly brutalized polish poking out of her gloves. “I’m amazed you managed to get out on your own. I don’t think I could have done it. There were things walking through my neighborhood all night. I could hear them whispering to each other, and– other noises.. It–” she shuddered. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sounds.”

She drifted into silence.

The others sitting next to her gave her understanding looks, and a pat on the shoulder.

Frank looked around at the group he found himself in, more than a little surprised. Apparently he’d been lucky, in many ways, on ‘The day of Integration’, as people were starting to call it. There were five of them, not including himself, and they each had their own tales of narrow escapes and rushed evacuation. The one thing they all had in common, Frank included, is that they had lived on the west side of the city, which had apparently become home to most of the dangerous creatures lurking about.

The rest of them had been in the city when the Integration started. They had been there when there was confusion, then panic, and then desperation. The way they described the flight from the west end, the raw, unprocessed emotions in their voices, gave him goosebumps.

He’d lost his appetite, but he took a bite of the food in front of him. He wasn’t sure if the chef was Korean, or just liked Korean food, but he’d been handed a bowl of japchae, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. As the noodles hit his tongue, he had to physically hold back a moan.

What the hell? What is in this?? He thought, eyeing the noodles suspiciously. I don’t think I’ve ever had food this good before.

He heard a snort, and glanced over. The kid at the table, a 14 year old dressed in what he could only describe as loungewear-skater chic, was smirking at him. The woman beside him flicked him on the shoulder with a disapproving look, but it was obvious she had a little smile trying to break through.

If the two of them didn’t look so different from each other, he might have suspected they were mother and son.

Grant, sitting next to Frank, just chuckled. “It’s pretty good, isn’t it? There are a few people who’ve unlocked cooking Skills, and the food they can make is just something else. They can even give… What did you call them, Kevin?”

The teen, Kevin, lifted his chin. “Buffs.”

Grant snapped his fingers. “That was it, ‘buffs’. Apparently some Skills can be used to support other people really well. Using something prepared by someone using a Skill has some benefits.”

A notification from the System dinged to existence in front of him as he ate.

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Status received.

[Well-fed]

Food is the fuel of life. Better food is better fuel.

As the buff applied itself, Frank immediately felt a notable change in his condition. It was hard to say he felt bad before– Well. Yesterday I biked several miles without much exercise under my belt, fought a deer to the death, had a gaping hole in my shoulder that had to be magically closed up, and witnessed what is possibly the start of the end of the world.

He grabbed some more food, taking a moment to relish the growing sense of energy with each bite. Knowing that the others had been through challenges at least as bad as his, he almost felt a little guilt at how much the sense of health from the buff was boosting his mood, but it was quickly washed away.

Kevin leaned forward, eyes lighting up. “I was talking to some of the other people in the same building as me and Mai,” he said, gesturing at the woman beside him, “and there’s a lot of Skills out there. I don’t know if it’s easier to get Skills when you don’t have any, but I think I’ve only met a few people who don’t have any yet. I started talking to Victor, over at the library, and we’re trying to figure out as much as we can about them!”

The teen kept going, overflowing with enthusiasm for the apparent magic that was Skills. The others listened patiently, taking comfort in his resilience and simple joy in the face of circumstances.

“Victor’s a bit of a gamer too, and we started putting together some ideas for builds and Skill development. Obviously, we don’t know much about what to build for yet, so it could all change, but with the Skills the System is giving out, you can figure out some rough outlines that should hold up.” He interrupted himself with a sudden thought. “Oh! And if you guys need any help figuring out builds, I’m happy to help. As a master,” he said, putting on a false sense of grandeur, “it is my duty to help those less knowledgeable.”

Mai looked at him askance. “‘Build’? Build what?”

He blinked a few times, thrown off his trajectory. “Oh. Uh, it’s slang from the gaming community. Basically, in video games where you have things like stats and skills, ‘build’ is how you.. build your character. So like, for us, based on your stats you might be better off learning certain Skills that rely on whatever your highest stats are. Or, just pick Skills that work together to do… whatever you want to do.” He waved his hand about. “Fighting, support, whatever.”

Frank nodded along. He’d only been a casual gamer, but the idea was familiar to him. Based on what Victor had mentioned about his [Librarian] Skill, it was also familiar to whoever had built the System.

The others looked thoughtful. The shorter man, the one who had been speaking earlier, nodded decisively. “I would like to go back home. The monsters drove me away, drove all of us away, but it wasn’t just a place to live for me. It’s the home my parents built, and they’ve lost too many homes in the past; I want them to have somewhere to return to. Working on a ‘build’ would help me fight back, yes?”

Kevin just nodded.

“Then I’m interested.” He flashed a rakish grin. “And I wouldn’t mind getting a few ‘magic’ powers either.”

Kevin grinned, putting his hand up for a high-five. “Alright, Ramy!”

Ramy indulged the kid and turned to the young woman in the beanie beside him, slowly picking at her food. “What do you think, Violet? Having the strength to kick some creepy night-stalking monsters face in wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”

She nodded hesitantly. “I… don’t want to be scared of them.”

Grant turned to the teen, a grin on his face. “I think it’s safe to say we’d all be interested, Kevin. Especially if the [Librarian] is involved.”

Frank nodded enthusiastically. It hadn’t been long since he’d met these people, but he already was developing a sense of camaraderie with them.

As he opened his mouth to voice his agreement, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning in surprise, he was met with a cool gaze from a man wearing khakis and dress shoes, holding a clipboard. “Frank Vila, yes?”

He nodded.

“The Mayor would like to see you. Come with me, please.”