NATE MERCER’S APARTMENT, SAFE HOUSE. HELL’S KITCHEN, NYC
NEIGHBORHOOD: UNCLAIMED.
CITY: CLAIMED BY SQUAD THE PARAGONS OF JUSTICE
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“This is your B.E.L.T., the Bottomless Equipment and Loot Transport interface. Please Note: Your current version of the B.E.L.T. will only allow items generated for Infinite Ascension to be placed inside. If it is non-human, can be highlighted by your HUD, and is an item specifically made for the game, then it can go in here.”
“Bottomless? So like, I can literally just keep shoving more and more into here?”
“That’s correct! Though statistics show most player’s B.E.L.T.s only carry on average around 200lbs.”
“Huh…” I got up from my bed and walked over to my desk, taking a seat at a folding chair. I tossed my sticker-covered laptop over onto my bed and leaned back. “Okay, now what?”
“Now, select your loot boxes and they will all appear on the table here.”
I followed her instructions, looking at the single stack of 10 loot boxes before mentally selecting them. In quick flashes of light, they all scattered over the desk. While they were all uniform in size, appearing like metal shoeboxes with a removable lid, they each had a letter and a small bit of text engraved on the top to differentiate.
I grabbed the one closest to me labeled “C : Quippy Longstockings”, and pulled the lid from it. There was nothing actually in the box, but a window opened and listed the contents as:
* 5 Enhanced Healing Injectors
* 1 Targeted Ability Level Up Scroll
* 500 Credits
“What’s the difference between a level up scroll and an Ability Augmentation? Also Credits? Is that like, the in-game currency? Kinda would rather have cash…”
“Credits can be exchanged at the Registration Center in Sanctuary Square at a rate of 1 credit to 10 cents. As for the difference between the scrolls and the Ability Augmentation. Your skills will gradually level up and get stronger with use over time within the set rules of the ability. For example, skills that use your Luck stat will gradually give you higher percent likelihoods the higher the skill reaches.. A Targeted Ability Level Up will allow you to choose and raise a single ability by one level. There are also Randomized Ability Level Up scrolls that will randomly raise a single ability by one level. Please Note: Abilities can only be leveled up with scrolls once per 24 hour period, but can still be leveled up by general use and experience.”
I mentally selected the scroll and an honest to god piece of parchment with illegible script written over it appeared in my hands. When I highlighted it it just said:
“Targeted Ability Level Up! Seriously, we just explained how this worked. Target one ability and raise it by a single level.”
It wasn’t like activating the Ability Augmentation. While that one brought my hotbar into a secondary screen, this time, a screen opened to list my current abilities. The major change was that there, for once, wasn’t any sort of ticking timer. I could also highlight the skills and get a brief description of what each one could do. But that wasn’t what had surprised me the most, it wasn’t just the abilities I had created that were listed there. There were two other very important ones I wanted more details on.
“Local Area Manipulation! This is your Primary Power! Creates a permanent zone in a 15-foot radius around your body. Within this Local Area, you possess the ability to alter and control various aspects of your environment and the objects within it, provided you have a General Understanding of how the desired effect works. Your influence includes, but is not limited to, the following: Object Manipulation, Environmental Control, Matter Transformation, Energy Manipulation, Perception Influence and more! Your Local Area Manipulation is limited by your understanding of the effects you wish to create. The more complex the manipulation, the greater the mental effort required. Overuse or excessive strain may temporarily reduce the effectiveness of your powers, necessitating rest and recovery. Please Note: Some aspects of this Ability are locked until it reaches higher levels. Those aspects will be revealed as they become available.”
“Super Luck! This is your Secondary Power! Subtly affect the Luck of everything within your Local Area Zone by .1% for every 1 point of luck that you have. Events and outcomes within your vicinity have a higher chance of unfolding advantageously for you. Whether it's dodging an attack, finding useful items, or having circumstances align perfectly, luck is always on your side. This Base Ability stacks with other generated abilities. Luck Bomb. Activated Ability. Once per day you can consciously invoke a surge of good fortune, increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome for a specific action or event. Please Note: Unlike other abilities, this does not need to be on your hotbar to activate!”
I almost couldn’t believe it and I reread both of the descriptions several times as I contemplated how to use my scroll. Now that I had a full explanation, I couldn’t help but feel Local Area Manipulation could be downright broken with the right application. Though I wasn’t sure just how a “general understanding” of things was supposed to work.
“It works as it is described. While you were granted the abilities you thought of on the fly during the tutorial, future ability creation will not work the same way. You can’t just bend gravity to your will, you have to have at least a basic understanding of the physics behind it.”
“So what? I’m supposed to just start reading about literally physics and all this other shit?”
“If you want to do it the long and boring way, absolutely you can, but we really don’t have time for all that nonsense. There are certain tomes and scrolls that will provide you an immediate skill level of 3, the minimum required understanding for your ability to be able to implement the effect. I’m sure you will get at least one or two more of these scrolls from your loot boxes, let’s get a move on already.”
I sighed and selected my Local Area Manipulation as the target of the scroll. The text in its window flashed before a new message appeared.
“Local Area Manipulation. This power has increased to Level 2. Your local area's radius is now 16-feet.”
Before I just started to randomly grab and open the rest of the boxes, I decided to quickly organize them. I wanted to get a baseline of what to expect from the different tiers and to my luck, I did have a pretty good spread. Not counting the C:Tier I had already opened, I still had 3 other C:Tiers, 2 D:Tiers and an F:Tier. Then I also had 2 B:Tiers and a single A:Tier sitting at the far end of the table.
“Are A:Tiers the highest?”
“There are 3 Tiers higher than A:Tier for Loot Boxes. A+, S, and S+ Tier. These are all much rarer than the previous tiers and are generally only given out for specific high level quests, ultra rare achievements, and as rewards for placements within the various phases of your wave. They also will almost always give unique items, immediate level up scrolls, and other features that you would otherwise not be able to receive.”
I opened the rest of the C:Tiers first, getting 15 more Enhanced Health Injectors, 2 more Targeted Ability Level Up Scrolls, 2000 Credits and an item labeled How The Hell Does This Fool Anybody. I left the Level Up Scrolls alone for the time being, intent on circling back to them later in the day when I had time to just think and highlighted the last item on the list which was marked as “equippable.” In a flash of light, it materialized on the table in front of me.
“How The Hell Does This Fool Anybody? Equippable Mask! Color: Black. This is a Basic Item and does not improve any stats, but it does count as a disguise to allow you to use your abilities outside of your safe house and comes with the Who’s That?! Feature. This item can be transmogrified. There Augment, now you don’t have to look like a bank robber from the 1970s, are you happy now?”
I highlighted the feature that stood out bolded in its window and Angie immediately started back up.
“Who’s That!? This feature subtly alters the perception of people who are not aware of your Secret Identity, meaning that even though this mask is barely covering any part of your face, even your closest friends won’t put two and two together when they see you in costume. So that’s how this fools people.”
“Do I have to actually put things on like they are clothes? Or is it like a video game here too and I can just equip the-, oh, yeah there it is,” I said as a small menu opened next to the mask that included: Stow, Destroy, and Equip. I selected Equip, and the mask disappeared, with small bits of black appearing on the edges of my vision.
“To answer your question, yes, you can just put things on as if they are clothes, but all items generated for Infinite Ascension can be Fast Equipped using this menu. Additionally, when you have chosen your costume, I will show you how to set the necessary items to the Equipment Readying position. This will allow you to quickly materialize or hide your costume when you are moving through public spaces.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“That’s… huh that’s actually pretty cool,” I said as I reached up and felt the lightweight mask clinging to my face.
I looked at my remaining boxes and decided to get the lower tier boxes out of the way first. The 2 D:Tier boxes each contained 50 Credits a piece and a total of 10 Basic Stamina Injectors. Like the Basic Health Injectors I had already used, the Stamina Injectors would replenish 25% of my energy when used. The F:Tier surprised me though, containing an equippable item labeled Nutcracker Stompers. I was expecting it to be nothing but a joke item given what should have been a degrading tier system, and with a name like that, it was certainly possible that it was a joke item. Angie, as I was getting used to, anticipated my question.
“While the Tier system is degrading in terms of the quality of the rewards, F:Tiers are unique in that they are completely randomized. You will only ever receive a single item from any individual F:Tier box, but it can be anything that can be generated within Infinite Ascension, however they tend to oftentimes be related to the achievement that spawned them. These boxes are affected by your Luck stat.”
I selected the Stompers and a pair of white leather combat boots materialized on the table.
“Nutcracker Stompers! Equippable Footwear! Color: White. Grants +1 to Charisma. Grants +1 to Style. These boots grant the Steadyfoot feature and will make you look absolutely fabuuullooooous. Deal an additional 10% damage when striking male enemies in their nuts with an unarmed strike! This item can be transmogrified. You do need to take off those ratty converse before you put these on”
“Steadyfoot! This feature grants you exceptional balance and stability, making it incredibly difficult for opponents to knock you off your feet when they are firmly planted. When activated you gain an additional +2 to Toughness and +2 to Stability for 15 seconds from the time your feet are planted and grants an additional 5% damage to any counter strike thrown. ”
I kicked off my converse and equipped the boots, finding they were either perfectly sized or fit themselves to my feet when I equipped them. When I stood up to feel how they fit, I could tell they weren’t exactly the most comfortable shoe I had ever worn. As I planted my feet, my health jumped up by 200, though instead of being like my normal red health bar, the temporary health flashed in a darker, more maroon shade.
“These are kind of…. noticeable. How the hell am I supposed to hide these when I’m out? I don’t really want to have to take an extra pair of shoes around.”
“In Sanctuary Square you can purchase disguise kits for items that you will always keep equipped. This will allow the items to look like basic items from your wardrobe, however they do need to be reapplied whenever you break the disguise.”
I took a moment to silently appreciate that as another thought crossed my mind.
“Hmmm okay. Putting that aside for a minute, my health just went up by 200 here… what exactly does that mean? Like… if I hit 0 health… Am I just dead?”
“It… depends. If a strike is with a lethal enough weapon or power and it drops you to 0 health, then yes, you will die. So a laser to the face when you have 10 health left is probably going to melt your brain. But if a basic mob gives you a donkey punch when you’re at 10 health, you’ll just receive the KO debuff. This will leave you vulnerable to enemies to kill you though, so I don’t recommend relying on that for safety.”
“Great…” I muttered and turned to the last of my boxes. I opened up the first B:Tier box that had been labeled “Mission Tutorial” and received an equippable item called Serpent’s Fang Bracers and 1500 Credits. The second B:Tier held only a single item, a “Trophy” titled Turnabout’s Fairplay. “What’s this trophy?”
“Oooo lucky you! We will get to that in just a moment when you finish with the last of your loot boxes as it will flow more naturally into Sanctuary Square, those bracers are quite the lucky find too.”
I highlighted them and a pair of dark bracers dropped onto the table. They were intricately designed and seemed to be made from a dark, durable leather. To make them look even scarier, they were adorned with three sharp spikes. Around them, there was an elegant, coiling snake design that seemed almost alive and the serpent’s eyes were set with tiny, glinting emeralds.
“Serpent’s Fang Bracers. Equippable Bracers. Color: Black Leather. Grants +5 to Strength. Sheesh, these things are really gonna clash with those boots of yours, but they will make for a great backhanded strike. Activated Ability: Venomous Strike: Once per encounter, you can activate the bracers to deliver a venom-infused attack. Upon activation, the spikes on the bracers release a potent toxin that temporarily paralyzes your target, reducing their movement speed and attack effectiveness by 30% for 15 seconds. This item can be transmogrified. This Activated Ability does not need to be on your hotbar to activate.”
“Damn… +5 to Strength, that’s going to bring me to 10. Does that mean if I made my appearance match my strength, I’d look like some crazy bodybuilder right now since 10 is supposedly the max base stat?” I asked as I selected equip, watching as the bracers moved onto my wrists in a flash of light.
“Not necessarily. While a heavy lifter who enters the game might have a base Strength stat of 8 or 9, the game's feature to match your appearance to your strength is judged based on your base appearance and strength at the time you enter the game. Trust me, you’re already weird looking, making yourself an over muscled manchild shouldn’t be the look you are going for.”
I nodded at that. I was already considering the pros and cons to using the appearance feature and was planning on not letting my appearance match my strength, at least, not yet. It would just raise too many questions from people who knew my disdain for the gym. I turned to my final box, the A:Tier, and opened it revealing another 2500 Credits and an equippable item that I automatically made materialize on my table.
“Fortune’s Guardian Jacket. Equippable Overcoat. Color: Orange. This eye-catching orange and blue leather biker jacket is imbued with a hint of magic, designed to attract good fortune and protect its wearer. A small, tacky silver horseshoe charm hangs from the main zipper, adding an extra touch of luck. How fucking lucky are we going to make your ass? +6 to Luck. +3 to Toughness. This jacket grants the Lucky Charm Feature and the Fortune’s Shield Activated Ability.”
“Lucky Charm! This feature slightly increases the drop rate of rare items and loot. There is a 15% chance for received loot boxes to be upgraded by 1 tier. This feature has a 12 hour cooldown upon being triggered.”
“Fortune’s Shield. This Activated Ability does not need to be on your hotbar to activate. Once per encounter, your jacket can activate to provide a protective barrier for 10 seconds, reducing all incoming damage by 20%.”
While I didn’t have anything but the other items I had received to compare it to, this felt like a good item and instead of equipping it with the Fast Equip option, I lifted the jacket and tossed it over my shoulder, pulling the firm feeling material on as my health jumped up by an additional 300 points. Once the coat was on, it actually seemed to shrink, adjusting to a nearly perfect fit.
“Well it’s not the best costume, but it’s at least a start,” Angie muttered as I moved over to a small mirror hanging next to my door. “Yes yes, admire yourself later, now let’s discuss your new piece of furniture. I need to show you what to do with that trophy.”
While I did want to take a better look at the gear, finding my overall appearance to look like a hodgepodge mess, Angie was noticeably less… abrasive, when I responded to her requests quicker. Plus, it was hard to say that I wasn’t curious.
“Yeah, so where exactly did this bookshelf come from?”
“It’s actually a display case, but I suppose that’s just semantics. This case has two specific uses. First, you may place gained trophies on them, go ahead and do that now with that Turnabout’s Fairplay trophy. Highlight the case, then select Add Trophy, if you had multiple trophies, it would provide a list of which to add. Please Note: At your current Safe House level, you can keep a maximum of 3 trophies activated at a time.”
With a quick move through the menus, the trophy appeared on the shelf. It was a little model figure of a man wearing a bandana on a motorcycle that looked almost exactly like one of the grunts I had easily put down and I highlighted it.
“Turnabout’s Fairplay! This is a Standard Trophy. Passive Effect: Increase the damage opponents do to their allies by 5% whenever you are directly responsible for causing the Friendly Fire. Safe House Modifier: When you sleep for 8 or more hours in your Safe House, gain a 10% increase to your Maximum Health for 20 hours. Now you don’t have a reason to skip the beauty rest you so desperately need.”
“Ha ha yes you think I’m ugly, we get it. The trophy is up, what’s next? You said this case you guys magicked into my already cramped bedroom has another use?”
“Sheesh touchy touchy. Okay fine, feel underneath the third shelf from the top.”
I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get an actual answer and just followed her instructions, poking a hand under the surprisingly sturdy structure. I felt around until I found a metal protrusion that was well out of place. As soon as I placed a finger on it, expecting to have to push some sort of button, the display case hissed, pulling backwards into the wall. A bright white rectangle that glimmered at the edges was left in its place as the bulky piece of furniture fully vanished into nothing.
“Um… This wall faces the street…” I said, looking over to the side at a window. “I swear, I’m just in a bed somewhere with my head caved in. I just… what the actual fuck Angie?”
“You were given super powers, just fought a bunch of bikers in a bank, and you have a literal dimensional inventory but a small sub-space portal is what gets you to finally ask that? Wow, not what I was expecting.”
“Okay, seriously… What the hell is all of this technology? This is literally world changing shit here…”
“It is the technology that makes Infinite Ascension possible, that is all you need to be made aware of. Now, though this may seem impressive, it is really no better than any of the Augments that have teleporting abilities. This is a one way connection from your safe house entrance to Sanctuary Square and other players cannot follow you back through from the Square to here unless your Safe House was the original entrance they took. Basically, this isn’t a fast travel system, so don’t go trying to skip across the world just by making a few friends.”
“Is it… Is it safe?”
“Please, we haven’t lost an Augment to one of these doorways since the Second Wave, and it stopped physically hurting players in the Sixth Wave. We got all the kinks worked out of it at this point, now go on and hop through, we’re almost done with your onboarding.”