Ivy’s hands tingled and her arms felt weightless as she clapped. “Yay! Level up! Lay it on me, Hugh!”
The famous actor’s voice chuckled, making her feel even warmer. “You’ve done well thus far, Ivy. You’ve learned a spell and everything. You may now review your skill increases and allocate points.”
You have succeeded at these skill checks and gained points in each. Investigate +2 Persuade +3 Psychology +4 Research +3
“Not bad so far,” she said, accepting those increases.
You also made a successful Perception check, rewarding 5 skill points you can apply to whatever skills you wish.
“Can I psychoanalyze myself to help with my Stability loss?”
“Unfortunately, no,” the GM said.
“Then let’s put all those points into Con. I may need to smooth-talk these people.”
Her Con skill pulsed with glow as it increased to 60%.
“Since you leveled up, you may now allocate two points to increase your character traits.”
Her Strength was the lowest trait, only 9, which was the bottom end of human average. It made her feel a little puny. She wanted to be stronger. “Put both points into Strength.”
“Excellent choice,” the GM said.
Her Strength rose to 11, the high end of human average. Beyond this, she would start to become truly athletic, something that had always been beyond her capabilities and the choices she had made.
* * *
James executed a bit of cabbage patch then shifted to a moment of flossing as she sing-songed, “Leveled up, leveled up…”
You have succeeded at these skill checks and gained points in each. Latin +4 Occult +3 Occult Languages +2 Persuade +2 Research +3
“Nice! Been rocking the skill checks,” he said.
“Indeed,” said Sean Connery’s voice.
“Hey, Sean, would you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Say, ‘There can be only one, MacLeod.’”
“There can be only one, MacLeod.”
James chuckled. “That’s so awesome.” Then he went back to perusing his character sheet.
You also made a successful Perception check, rewarding 3 skill points you can apply to whatever skills you wish.
“Can you put it into Eldritch? That sounds important.”
“That is the only skill can cannot be increased with points, only through obtaining eldritch knowledge in the game.”
He sighed. “Okay, fine. Persuade, then.” Maybe he could persuade Anastasia to kiss him.
His Persuade rose to 48%.
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“Since you leveled up,” Sean the GM said, “you may now allocate two points to increase your character traits.”
He wanted to be Prom King handsome. It might help with his sweet-talking of Anastasia. “Put it into Appearance.”
His Appearance increased to 15.
* * *
Ash inwardly jumped with joy with the level up notification came, largely dispelling the internal malaise he’d been carrying around his respawn.
As he stood alone in the vast whiteness with only his character sheet for company, he reflected that this was all going pretty well. Ivy had just smiled at him. The team was gelling. The game was an incredible achievement in storytelling, and everybody was having a great time.
You have succeeded at these skill checks and gained points in each. Investigate +2 Research +3
He’d made a boatload of Investigate checks. It was too bad that he only got to bump up skills once per level, but he understood it from a game design perspective.
You also made a successful Perception check, rewarding 4 skill points you can apply to whatever skills you wish.
“Put it in my Handgun skill,” he said without hesitation. His Handgun skill chimed up to 74%.
“Since you leveled up, you may now allocate two points to increase your character traits.”
He still felt like he needed some help with Ivy. He might have recovered since the earlier awkwardness, but wanted to be sure. “Put it into Charisma.”
His Charisma increased to 14.
The basement and his companions reappeared around him. The players were looking off into space, moving their hands to manipulate invisible interfaces. He noticed Anastasia was rubbing her sternum as if in pain, frowning, distracted.
While he waited for the others to finish their level-ups, Ash grabbed the poker again and dug around in the sludge, but found nothing else. The Diamond wasn’t here. In the dim light of the oil lamp, he noticed end of the poker now had the same dull, greenish patina as the watch. Could there be something corrosive or reactive about the sludge. Best not to put naked skin in it. He knelt, craned his neck, and peeked back up the shaft again. Maybe the Diamond was up there.
“Ready,” Elwood said, looking around, twisting his stately mustache.
“I’m back,” Ivy said.
“Yo,” James said, looking for Anastasia, then taking her hand to kiss it with great panache.
Ash smiled. The kid was really hamming it up.
Then came another fanfare. The GM’s authoritative voice seemed to fill the basement. “You have completed Level 1 of your mission. You may now leave the game, and your progress will be saved until you visit again. Do you wish to leave or stay?”
James glanced at Anastasia. “I’m all in. This is awesome.”
Ivy smiled at Ash in a way that made his knees wobbly. “I’m ready for more.”
Ellie said, “Yeah, let’s keep going.”
Ash grinned, trying to ignore the soreness that lingered at his throat and torso. “We are unanimous, GM. We’re staying.”
Another orchestral fanfare. “You may proceed to Level 2 of your mission.”
Then from somewhere in the house came the clear ring of a bell. The sound brought Anastasia out of her reverie. “Ah, dinner is served,” she said, “come, you can ask the family all your questions.”
“You mean, like, actual food?” James said.
“We have the Ruby Ticket,” Ash said with a grin. “And Ultimate Mode.”
“Yeah,” Ivy said, rounding on Ash, “about that. You didn’t ask us.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think anyone would object to having ultimate game experience this place has to offer. Especially a professional gamer.”
Ivy frowned. “Well, fine, you’re right. But just ask next time, all right?”
She said next time! “You got it,” he said with a wider grin.
“Shall we go to dinner?” Anastasia asked. “My family is waiting.”
* * *
As Savannah had waited for the players to complete their leveling up process, she felt a little envious. As an avid gamer herself, she knew the feeling of a massive dopamine hit from reaching a major milestone. Did Karnath’s Crimson Castle offer discounts to employees? She would love to play a session sometime.
James rubbed his hands. “Bring on the dinner. I could eat the ass out of a roadkill rhinoceros!”
Serena the gambler gave him a withering look. “That sentence is wrong on so many levels.”
James glanced at Savannah, who snickered behind her hand. She said, “Let us proceed, uh, good sir,” she said.
Ash said, “So, James, this Ruby Ticket Ultimate Mode package is supposed to be all-inclusive. Maybe we can get you some roadkill rhinoceros bung.”
Serena and Elwood said simultaneously, “Gross!”
As Savannah followed the four players back upstairs, she tried to pinch through her gamesuit to situate the talisman Himura had given her to a different location against her skin. It felt like it was burning her. She wasn’t allergic to any metals she knew of, but who knew what this trinket was made of? At the first opportunity, she was going to excuse herself, step out of the game, and take the thing off.
She distracted herself from the burning sensation with how well she was getting into character, how well she understood Anastasia. It was like Anastasia’s lines were coming to her before the game master and visor fed them to her. The poor, rich, isolated waif, hungry for romance, like a Jane Austen heroine trapped in the strictures of her austere society.
But she was also just hungry. Her stomach roared like she hadn’t eaten anything in days.