55TH AND 9TH, STREET SIDEWALK. HELL’S KITCHEN, NYC
NEIGHBORHOOD: CLAIMED BY GUARDIAN: LOOPHOLE (CONTESTED/TENTATIVE)
CITY: CLAIMED BY SQUAD THE PARAGONS OF JUSTICE
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Several notifications stacked on top of each other as I lifted a hand and waved at the cheering bystanders. There was a flash of red and blue lights that suggested the cops had been called.
“So… Loophole, huh?” Angie questioned as I dismissed the Crime Alert Completed notification that sat at the top of my stack. The B:Tier loot box reward was added to my unopened box count and a new bar appeared at the side of my vision.
“Yeah, I felt like it fit. My ability sorta lets me change the rules of things in my area right? So I’ve essentially got a permanent loophole in effect if I can just learn enough,” I explained. It wasn’t exactly the full reason, but it felt like enough of an explanation to start. Though it was impossible for me to believe she'd let it go anytime soon.
"I suppose that makes about as much sense as any that people use when choosing their names. Though I don't quite know if that outfit of yours fits that name all that much. There's a "you need a fashion loophole" joke in here somewhere but it feels a bit too easy."
I rolled my eyes as the next on the stack of notifications opened, appearing similar to when I had used a scroll to level my Local Area Manipulation skill.
“Sting Like a Bee. This ability has increased to Level 2. Successful strikes now impart 30% increased damage. This ability has been augmented 1 of 3 times. Current Augmentations: Time Adjustment.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what had caused it to level other than the fact that it was a skill that I used rather frequently. Rather than guessing, I turned my attention inward. “How’d it level up?”
“There’s a few different elements that go into it and the math is probably a bit complicated for you, but the simple explanation is that it’s a mixture of the level of enemies the skill is used against, the situation it's used in, and the frequency of use. This generally will only apply to combat focused abilities. If you were trying to level up that Water Into Wine ability of yours I think you need to just crash a sorority party and get a bunch of coeds drunk.”
“Ah yes, getting chicks drunk, the perfect use of superpowers,” I said and briefly wondered if I rolled my eyes if she would know. Knowing how easily Angie could go off on a tangent, I moved and turned my attention to the bar that had appeared on the right side of my vision. “Is this actually a morality bar? Really?”
“Eh, not quite a morality bar but similar enough,” She said and a small glowing line outlined the bar for just a moment. “As the Crime Alert mentioned, on top of the loot box, you also received a Reputation Boost. Both the amount and direction of that boost was directly connected to how you completed it. You acted as a hero and thus both the Sentient and Non-Sentient NPC’s perspective on you has shifted along the Guardian line. On top of these two things, the crime alert came with a healthy chunk of experience. Just take a look at the next notification on your stack.”
“Holy crap that leveled me up already?” I asked as I selected the next window. “I wasn’t expecting to level again until I got to at least the next “main” quest or mission or whatever you want to call it."
“The first few are relatively quick, generally only needing a single mission along with some hidden objective completions to occur, however the higher you reach, the harder it will be to level. It will certainly require more than just beating up a few dumb bikers, I can tell you that much. You can expect the first large slowdown to occur after you have reached level 15 and unlocked the Hidden Power aspect of your ability.”
“Well I guess I won’t complain about it too much,” I said as I started to walk away from the scene.
Though I hadn’t taken the time to loot my enemies, the cops were already pulling up and I was sure more than a few of the bystanders would happily take the time to fill them in. Even if Lt. Nester was there, which felt like a big if given how job schedules should work (non-sentient NPC notwithstanding since I assumed they had to at least appear normal), I didn’t want to get embroiled into yet another mission just yet.
“You know at least one of your rivals is gonna end up calling you Poophole, right?”
“If that’s the best insult they can come up with, I feel fairly certain I can best them in a battle of wits,” I said with a laugh and prompted the next notification on the stack.
“Phase Points Gained! Territory Claimed: Extra-Large Neighborhood: 1000 points (Halved to 500 points, Reason: Contested)(Uncounted until Name Registration), Crowdpleaser (NEW!): Complete an Encounter with an audience of Sentient NPCs. 10 points per NPC. Total Value: 210 Points.”
“Well damn, that’s a heck of a start,” I couldn’t risk turning my equipment off so close to the scene, but I still cut down the same alley I had suited up in, unsure of where else I could go. “Unless other scores have changed, I’ve gotta be up on the leaderboard, right?”
“Oh look at Mr. Cocky over here. He takes down 3 pieces of cannon fodder and he thinks he’s on the leaderboard. First off, you haven’t even registered your name yet, so if anything is on the board, it’s just a bunch of question marks. Besides, you know you’re almost definitely not the only one still running around, right? I mean, sure, the majority of Augments in a wave tend to be centralized in one hemisphere at a time, but first off it's not even that late. Even if it were, there’s plenty of people who are night owls, not to mention those with night-based abilities.”
“You know, sometimes it feels like you’re trying a bit too hard with the “I’m a dick all the time” attitude,” I said as I tried to take in what she said. “Though if we are all supposed to be on the same side of the planet, I’d be willing to bet that’s also to make sure we are in direct competition with each other, isn’t it?”
“Something like that. I’m not saying that all of your wave are in this hemisphere, especially since I’m actually not allowed to be made aware of that but historically speaking that is the case, often times with new Augments being grouped in similar regions,” Angie explained.
“Yeah, why exactly does Axio keep so much basic information from you?” I probed. “Seems like that kinda goes against the idea of even giving Personal A.I.s to all of us.”
“It wasn’t always the case, but like The Common Ground, there are certain interactions that Axio is unable to account for. Some Augments can get the ability to influence their Personal A.I.s over time and Axio despises anyone having an advantage. Which is why I reiterate, I’m a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the base game, but when it comes to the others in your wave, I’m learning much about them at the same time as you. I just don’t have that fallible human brain that forgets things like you meatbags.”
“Yeah about that,” I started as another thought came to mind. “Earlier at the bar, Silver Wrangler mentioned an upgrade for my HUD that would give me access to my phone. Is that a real thing or was he blowing smoke up my ass? Like, he gave me some good information but at the same time like… I don’t know, feels like the perfect hazing opportunity. “Go get the breastplate stretcher” and all that.”
“Breastplate stretcher?”
“It’s- nevermind. Dumb reference. So is it a real thing or not?” I pressed her. So far no one had come following me down the alley, so I mentally clicked my inactive outfit, letting the clothing dissolve away.
“Yeah, there are quite a few HUD upgrades actually. Like the Wayfinder I mentioned earlier. Many can only be acquired through loot boxes, however there are several widely requested upgrades that Axio has made available for purchase once you’ve received access to your team’s shopping segment. I don’t have exact price guides, but the phone, being the literal most requested upgrade, tends to be on the cheaper side of things. The Guardian HUD Upgrade shop is called The Viewfinder. Though it would be up to you to explain how you’re answering texts and calls to people when you don’t have an actual phone on you, but that’s really a you problem.”
“And do the shops have hours or anything? Like, where the hell am I even getting sent to when I go to Sanctuary Square through that portal in my room?” I asked, wandering toward the alley exit and peaking down the street. The flashing cop lights glared and the crowd had grown as well.
I turned and immediately headed in the opposite direction.
“They tend to stay open late, however the location is classified. A keen mind might be able to put together the time zone, but trust me when I tell you it’s rather deceptive. I do suggest heading there as soon as possible, it would be wise to get your name officially registered. Though, I have to say, I really don’t know if I fully get it. I mean, maybe it’s a bit on the nose but Zone Control was right there.”
“Now that’s a terrible name,” I laughed and had to resist stopping in the middle of the sidewalk as I hid the desire to laugh with a cough. As was tradition with New Yorkers, they gave me a wide berth and kept moving. “Like… holy crap that’s bad.”
“Careful Poophole.”
“I thought you were only allowed to call me Augment or my chosen name?”
“Meh, close enough,” Angie huffed. “I’ll call you by your chosen name when you tell me the full reason. Sure you stopped me from replying to your inner thoughts, but that doesn’t stop me from being able to tell you’re actively trying to not think about something. I’m in your brain after all.”
“Can you not say it like that, makes you sound like some sort of weird parasite,” I said, peeking into the diner as I walked past it. Jon was noticeably absent and I had the feeling he saw the flash of cop lights and went running to look. Luck had been on my side so far, hadn’t it?
“Oh come ooooon, does it have some sort of deeper meaning? Did your mom tell you you were a loophole baby? What’s a loophole baby?”
“I’m starting to think you have ADHD. It’s- okay look, first there’s no such thing as a loophole baby, I don’t even want to know where the hell you came up with that. Second…” I felt myself hesitate. Angie was right of course. I had been trying my best not to think about it but something had been gnawing at me all day, and Jon’s “conspiracy” talk had made it all the harder to ignore. “I’m the loophole or er… the extra that is.”
“Extra?”
“When I first woke up, when Axio did his whole “Welcome to the Game” thing, he mentioned that there was a loophole that was exploited. It was used to add an extra Augment to the wave, hell he mentioned it again during his evening announcement just a little bit ago. You only said it once, during stat selection, but I remember it pretty clearly. I’m Augment #1001,” I explained, quickly finding my way back to the apartment building. “I didn’t think anything of it initially I guess. You know, just thought the numbers were randomized or something. But Jon was talking about how the array blinks before we all started to appear, and I might not have said it to him, but I have a distinct memory of the blinking stopping… and then restarting right before I lost consciousness. Again, I hadn't really thought anything of it, especially given I thought I was just about to die, but here we are. So it’s like… y’know, I’m the Loophole. That alongside my power and it makes for a name that sorta fits me.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Ah, yes I suppose that logic does seem to follow,” Angie replied. I wasn’t positive but she actually sounded unsure.
“Yeah, though he also said he was going to handle that bug before the next wave… so maybe I should be freaking out that he’s planning on killing me or something,” I said wryly. “I guess it has only been a day though, maybe he’s gonna hit me with one of those Critical Threats you all keep yelling about in the morning.”
“Hmmm, if he were going to handle the situation that way, historical data suggests he would have already deployed said threat. He may have meant that he intended to fix the loophole that allowed for the extra Augment to be added, not to delete the extra Augment.”
While I wasn’t entirely convinced, I did feel the butterflies that had started to invade my gut disperse. Sure, Angie might have been crude and incredibly abrasive so far, but I couldn’t say for sure she had outright lied to me about anything either.
“Well, whatever happened, I suppose I wouldn’t be standing here now if I hadn’t gotten augmented,” I explained as I walked up the stairs and around an older lady that I was pretty sure was Mr. Greyson’s wife, “Maybe it was a stroke of luck, but I’m not too sure.”
“Oh?”
I hesitated for a moment. I didn’t know what any of this meant, what me being added through some sort of loophole actually meant, but Axio had said he was looking into it. It was already clear I could be overheard, and if I wasn’t already in trouble because of it, I wasn’t sure if it was the best idea to put myself in that position either. Even still, the simple fact that I was thinking it probably meant it was already compromised.
“The First was there that night. He was fighting a dude named Firefist and I got hit by some collateral damage. You know, the dumpster. Like I said, I should be dead, but I’m not,” I explained what I was sure she already knew and then hesitated. I never asked her about the Code I had seen scrawled on the wall of The Common Ground, so I wasn’t even sure if she, or any of the P.A.I.s for that matter, were aware of it, but I pushed forward anyway because it simply seemed unlikely that all of the other Augments had kept the code from leaking. “Are you, or Axio for that matter aware of the Augment's Code that is written up on the wall in The Common Ground?”
“Those “rules” some of the Augments in the first few waves made up? Yeah, what about it?”
“The first rule was basically this whole bit about never letting “Sentient” NPCs get hurt and fixing it if it does happen,” I explained. “Okay… this is gonna be a hell of a lot of conjecture and guessing but I think it makes sense. Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, The First did live by that code and he did have some way to add me into the wave. If for some reason, let’s say I was in the process of getting crushed by a dumpster, that that was the only way to stop it, then wouldn’t he be like, the first person I should talk to about this? Not like I exactly know how to get a hold of him or anything, but it’s been going through my mind.”
“Ah, I suppose that makes sense,” Angie mused. “Though trying to get in touch with arguably the most famous Augment may be more difficult than you’d imagine.”
To that I just laughed as I pushed open the door to our apartment and found Jon, predictably, not there. I quickly moved to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I felt myself getting into a rhythm as I mentally opened my B.E.L.T. My loot boxes appeared on my desk as I fell into the seat with a sigh. Before I could even reach for them, my Level 3 stat sheet opened and shook for my attention.
I still needed to really push Angie on explaining exactly how each of the stat points affected me. Strength had easily been the most obvious and I could tell my strikes alone were hitting harder. At this point though, I was just trying to catch up on everything, get my name registered and then get some actual, non-coma related sleep.
To that end, I dropped 2 points into my Toughness, bringing my unequipped base stat to 5, and then one point each into my Intelligence and Charisma, raising them up to 6 and 7 respectively.
“You’re getting rather fluid at using the interface.”
“Well to be fair, it feels creepily natural. So let’s just be glad it works without too much confusion and move on, okay?”
With my stat points dispersed, I grabbed the B:Tier I had received for being on the News, opening it to find a trophy called Baby’s First News Appearance. When I materialized it on the desk, it was a simple framed screenshot of the very clip that was played on the News earlier.
“Baby’s First News Appearance. This is a standard trophy. This trophy CAN be upgraded! Passive Effect: Increases Reputation Boost gains by 1% times number of Unique News Appearances (Current Increase: 1%). The photo in this trophy can be altered to any of the appearances you have made on the News. NPCs who are not aware of your Secret Identity will see a boring stock image of a dog that is not yours. That’s up to you to explain if it comes up. This Trophy does not come with a Safe House modifier.”
Given that I could hold up to three trophies at the moment, I knew this was going to go in the case, but it might just be one of the first ones to get replaced when I found something that offered the extra modifier. I looked over at the display case, finding I could highlight it even from here. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t let me be that lazy, and the option to place the trophy was grayed out.
I put it back into my B.E.L.T and opened the second B:Tier I had received. This one had 1000 Credits and a non-equippable item labeled as Enchanted Shoelaces of the Nimblefoot.
“Okay, I’m assuming these are a crafting item, but it’s literally shoelaces. Do I need to take them to the tailor to add whatever these are to my Stompers?” I asked, materializing them onto the desk and finding a pair of obnoxiously bright orange laces.
“Crafting items come in tiers and different varieties. Some materials do require higher leveled tailors or tailoring skills to combine with other items, however you would be correct that a simple pair of laces would count as “easy”,” Angie explained as I materialized my Stompers onto the desk and then highlighted the laces.
“Enchanted Shoelaces of the Nimblefoot. Color: Orange. This is a Basic Crafting Item. Adds +1 Dexterity to a pair of equippable footwear. That’s it. What? Were you expecting every item to be an amazing game changer? They’re not, get used to it. Once applied to an item, these shoelaces cannot be reused.”
With a simple selection within the shoelaces menu, I attached them to my Stompers and put the newly upgraded item back into my B.E.L.T.
“Are these items actually randomized or is there some sort of method to it? Feels a little too coincidental that I’ve just happened to get a pair of shoelaces that match my jacket,” I said as I reached for the Bug Finder A+:Tier box.
“I don’t believe I ever said all loot box prizes were randomized, only the F:Tiers,” Angie replied. “Rewards for loot boxes other than F:Tiers are decided by Axio and he will oftentimes try to keep things thematically in line with what generated the box. For example, your Serpent’s Fang Bracer came from the mission reward for completing the tutorial against the Hell’s Kitchen Vipers. Colors that get chosen are also based on colors that our initial scans of your environment suggest you like with the intent of keeping any Augment from looking like a weird mismash of conflicting colors. I provided the initial color suggestion for your jacket, did I get it wrong with the orange?”
“No, not really, I mean, I might not have picked an orange leather jacket if I was shopping somewhere, but it is unique… Just thought it was interesting that it wasn’t a color that I didn’t like and hadn’t thought to question it in the craziness of today,” I replied and opened the last loot box with two items getting listed. A Scroll of Level Up and then a Beacon of Knowledge Bookshop: BOGO Coupon. I didn’t even get to click on the Scroll of Level Up before it disappeared from my inventory and another Level Up window took precedence in my vision.
Again, instead of focusing on what the stat point meant I quickly just dropped 2 points into both my Strength and my Luck and moved on, already prepared for the second window to appear in its place. Angie had said I’d get an Ability Augmentation every even level, and though I hadn’t been expecting to reach Level 4 today, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as I had earlier. To my surprise however, instead a different window opened first.
“Phase Points Gained! Powerleveler (NEW!): Gain more than one level within a single hour. 100 points times the amount of levels gained. Total Value: 200 points. Please Note: This gain can increase if you manage to level again within 60 minutes of the first level up that prompted this gain to activate, otherwise the timer will reset. ADDITIONAL NOTE: Timer on this begins from the moment the level gain happens not from when you apply the stat points.”
As soon as the window disappeared, the window I was anticipating appeared and my Ability Augmentation timer started to tick down. I had already augmented Sting Like A Bee, so that one was off the table for another 8 levels but I wanted to see how the modifications would work on one of my abilities with a more area effect anyway.
“Weighted Clothes: Level 1 Activated Ability. For the next 30 seconds, up to three articles of clothing being worn within your local area now each weigh a quarter of a ton (500 lbs.) Affected enemies take 500 minus Strength score points of damage immediately, and 50 minus Strength score points of damage every 3 seconds for the remainder of the skill’s duration. This ability has a 10 minute cooldown.”
“First Modification Option! Variable Weight. The amount of weight you can apply to the 3 items of clothing is now variable! While you still have the same 1500 lbs available, you may distribute it amongst the 3 items however you see fit. Affected enemies take damage equal to 1 point per pound distributed to them minus Strength score immediately and 10% of total weight minus Strength score damage every 3 seconds for the remainder of the skill’s duration. This does not mean you can distribute the weight to additional targets. If you want that, you might want to go with…”
“Second Modification Option! Party Mode. Weighted Clothes will now target one article of clothing on every hostile target within your local area. You will still, for now, only have 1500 lbs available to weigh your opponents down, so if you’re up against more people, they’ll be able to carry the load more easily between each other. Affected enemies take damage equal to 1 point per pound distributed to them minus Strength score immediately and 10% of total weight minus Strength score damage every 3 seconds for the remainder of the skill’s duration. ”
“Third Modification Option! Crusher. Weighted Clothes will now target only one article of clothing for the entirety of the weight you may distribute. If you ever wanted to see someone actually crushed, this is gonna be the choice to go for, but I’ve got the feeling you're a bit too squeamish for that. And in case you hadn’t gotten the rhythm of this just yet. Affected enemy takes 1500 minus Strength score damage immediately and 150 minus Strength score damage every 3 seconds for the remainder of the skill’s duration.”
With only 30 seconds to select I didn’t want to try to deliberate too long and have Angie randomly pick one for me like she had for Sting Like a Bee. Luckily for me, this felt like a no brainer.
The last option was by far the worst of the choices, as it felt like it would be permanently limiting the ability to a single target and while the second option felt like it could be detrimental, the wording felt key. I didn’t second guess myself as I selected the Party Mode modification and saw the ability icon glow briefly.
A secondary spark of inspiration hit me and with a quick flick through my B.E.L.T. I pulled one of my two remaining Targeted Ability Level Up scrolls out and immediately targeted my Weighted Clothes ability.
“Weighted Clothes. This ability has increased to Level 2. Your maximum distributed weight is now 2000 pounds. This ability has been augmented one of three times. Current Augmentations: Party Mode.”
A group that was big enough would still be unaffected by it, but it was a start.
“You know, I’d be insulted by how little you utilized me there if it wasn’t exactly what I was going to suggest doing. At least in terms of using that targeted scroll.”
“I might not be as much of a gamer as Jon, but I do know at least some of the basics thank you very much,” I said, feeling a little bit of pride in just how quickly I was getting used to it all.
I felt a large yawn force its way out of me as I involuntarily stretched in the wobbly seat.
“Do me a favor after we make this last trip out,” I said as I stood and walked over to the display case. With another quick flick through my B.E.L.T I added my newest trophy to the case before I activated the Sanctuary Square portal.
“What’s that?”
“Just don’t wake me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I just get this weird feeling that’s exactly the kind of thing you’d do if I didn’t specifically ask you not to,” I explained and Angie let out a cackle of laughter that caught me off guard.
“Oh Loophole, we’ve only been together one day and you already know me so well.”