Rolly, Ozzy, Ben, and Suzette all found themselves floating in the grey void. The same message was given to each.

Your entire party has died. If this was Dungeons and Dragons, we'd call it a Total Party Kill (TPK), and your Dungeon Master would level up. But here we just call it Saturday.

As always, you have options for the next few hours:

-Log out and re-join the real world. (Over-rated and will cost you 1 SP as you are a Contract Worker.)

-Browse the Global Data Net for information. (Also costing you 1 SP.)

-Play vintage video games. We'll pick ones you are good at so you can feel like a winner.

-Review your notifications.

Since your entire party died, you have the option of moving to a common area to talk with your group members. Please Choose, or just sit here for four hours.

Not surprisingly, all four chose the group option. They found themselves seated on comfortable old leather chairs in a brightly lit room. The windows showed snow covered mountains, but there was no door. A bar stood in one corner. A data center in another. Snacks were placed on a table. Rolly headed for the snacks, and Ben for the bar.

"Oh what a shitshow that was. That damn wolf tore through us like we were toddlers." The next words Rolly got out were ignored as he talked while chewing. After filling a plate with deviled eggs, cheese dip and slices of bread he plopped back into a chair. "Or I certainly was. Ozzy waded into those undead like a pit bull on speed. Enlighten us mere mortals, oh Ozimandius the Great."

"I'm a Butcher. I chop bone and hack meat for 12 hours a day. I have special skills for it. Doesn't work on live stuff. All my messages said I had a default weapon when I fought the live rabbits. But the dead ones were different. It was just like I was hacking up sedgebeasts. No effort at all."

"And then you were throwing trees." Ben opened a bottle of wine and offered Suzette a glass. Ozzy waved off his offer."

"That's a bit different. I found a hidden skill of some sort. Caber tossing. Like in the Scottish games? I tossed a log at a sedgebeast that was trying to kill me. Ding! I learn a Primary Weapon Skill that needs a log at least 12 feet long and over 100 lbs as the weapon. The fething wolf did 240 points of damage with that fear spell and was tearing you guys up. I got a bit desperate. Sorry about that Rolly, I really wasn't aiming for you."

"No worries. Your aim sucked. I saw you were going to miss so I grabbed Mr. Wolf and made sure he got hit, which meant I got hit. Not your fault. But how did you get so damned strong?"

"Ok, I don't feel bad then. I even got 100 EP for killing you," Ozzy smiled. "As for the strength, I've picked up 3 points of STR from work and I've got 3 more points from my Heritage."

"100 EP? You are such a dick. I hate you. Do you know how many hours I've been herding cows around trying to get levels? I hope one of us gets EP for killing you some day."

Suzette downed her glass of wine and tossed it to Ben. He caught it, refilled it and handed it back. After another long drink she said "Wish granted Rolly. I killed him the other night and got EP for it." The flippant remark didn't hide that she wasn't happy about it.

Rolly laughed. Ozzy was shocked. Ben was intrigued. "I'd like to hear that story." He was also worried. He and Rolly tended to shrug things off. Suzette could get depressed if something bothered her. Killing a friend would do that. Ozzy tended to internalize things. He'd spent years hiding behind the mask of the perfect man servant."

"And I'd love to tell it, but I don't want to screw it all up. I got offered a hidden skill like Ozzy, big emphasis on the hidden part. This one is more involved and I don't think I should talk about it."

"Easy enough then Suzy. You tell us what parts you can - keep the rest secret. We've all been in these situations before."

"Thanks Ben. Thanks all of you guys." She leaned forward. "I've basically got a chance to learn some alchemy and poisons, maybe a bit more. I screwed up trying to heal that wound on Ozzy. The herbs had a poison in them. I got EP from killing him, and learned the poisoning skill. Now that I know how to do it right, I've been gathering different poisonous herbs and berries. That's how I got the poison I used to slow up the wolf.

"It's also why I was wandering around in the forest and got killed by a monster the other day. Horrible fight, and I lost, but even that turned out ok. I got another point of CHR out of it - which will be coming in handy with my new job. And my ears are so much cooler now." She flipped her hair back to illustrate her new look.

"Hmm, Heritage, hidden skills, Boss Monsters. I suggest we spend this time out in catching each other up on what we feel comfortable telling." Ben was pacing now. The other three smiled. When Ben started pacing back and forth he smelled mysteries and hidden games of death and deceit. Sometimes they were even real. "Ok, lets check our notifications, then go over skills, levels, stats, heritage etc. and see if we can put a plan together. It would sure be nice if we could just share the notifications we got."

Members of a group can elect to share notifications. When grouped, there is a box in the lower right corner of each notification, checking that will send it to other group members.

Rolly sat up suddenly." Hey, shouldn't we have gotten more messages? We did kill the bastard, right?"

"Haven't you been asking for a summary now and then Rolly? The game saves them all. Just ask for a Summary. Let's all go through our summaries, share what we'd like to share, and then compare notes." Ozzy leaned back and closed his eyes.

Your group has destroyed Chardok the Necro Wolf, a level 5 Elite Boss monster.

Your group has earned the following:

-Core skill points: Ben [10], Ozzy [10], Suzette [15], Rolly [15]. Points gained are based on your class level and the level of the boss.

-Each member of your party has earned 500 EP in skills where earned EP may be applied. You will also receive matching EP in the stats those skills are associated with. EP for Secondary skills is at 1/3 and the EP for Tertiary skills is at 1/10th.

(The EP from undead rabbit minions are included in Boss EP.)

A Tier 1 Loot Chest has appeared at the location you killed Chardok the Necro Wolf. Each of you may open the chest once to recieve random loot. Only your party may open the chest for the next seven days. If no one opens the chest in the next seven days time, the next person to open the chest will recieve the loot and the chest will disappear. Suzette

You have killed Chardok the Necro Wolf!

You have killed 20 Fat Rabbits.

-You have recieved 250 EP in Poisoning. Poisoning is now at Level 2.

-You have recieved 250 EP in INT. INT is now at Level 3

-You have recieved 55 EP in Pub Games. Pub Games is now at Level 1

-You have recieved 55 EP in DEX. DEX is now at Level 2

Rolly

[Maybe check your summary more often. I had to go back to the start of the week.]

You have killed Chardok the Necro Wolf!

You have killed 20 Fat Rabbits.

-You have received 10 points in CON

-You have received 150 EP in Herd Animal or Beast, this skill is now at Level 2.

-You have received 150 EP in Animal Healing, this skill is now at level 2.

-You have received 200 EP in Talk at Animals, this skill is now at level 2.

-You have recieved 500 EP in WIS. WIS is now at Level 3

You have gained a new skill. Bond Creature. Bond Creature is a Primary Skill that you have discovered. Bond creature counts as a skill for your Shepherding specialization.

You have received 500 EP in Bond Creature, this skill is now at level 3.

You have received 500 EP in WIS. WIS is now at level 5.

[NOTE: WIS is now at it's max skill level for Tier 1. Increase your character level to Tier 2 to gain further increases in EP for WIS. You may also spend Core Skill Points to raise the cap of this skill. EP gains will now be banked until that time. ]

-Shepherd has reached level 1.

You have strengthened your bonds with animals in your care.

Benedict

You have killed Chardok the Necro Wolf!

You have killed 20 Fat Rabbits.

-You have received 10 points in CON

-You receive a special Courier Quest. Destroying Chardok the Necro Wolf is part of a quest chain. Take proof of his demise to Rowan Keep and claim the reward for your group. This is a Courier Mission. A quest item has been placed in your Couriers Ring.

Ozzy

You have killed Chardok the Necro Wolf!

You have killed 20 Fat Rabbits.

-You have received 10 points in CON

-You have received 250 points in Caber. Caber is now at Level 2.

-You have received 250 points in STR. STR is now at Level 4.

-You have learned a new skill: Hack Undead. This skill is a secondary weapon skill based off of your butcher specialty. You will only be able to use this skill when armed with a cleaver. Special rules for Undead may apply such as the need for a silvered or magical cleaver to affect some types of high level undead. Hack Undead is a STR skill.

-You receive 85 points in Hack Undead

-You receive 85 points in STR

Rolly was the first to talk. "LOOT CHEST! Ok, first thing we do is head back and grab the loot!!"

Suzette smiled at Rolly "And it looks like all that work with Ferdinand is paying off. You leveled up! And got a new skill. Nice job. I look forward to seeing you riding along with your pet bull and his harem."

"Uh, yeah, me and Ferdy are getting pretty tight."

Ozzy nodded at Rolly. "Yes, very good job, Rolly. You also managed to max out your WIS. I didn't even know there was a max per tier, or a way to increase it. "

"So, what conclusions can we draw from all of this?" Ben had taken a piece of charcoal from the fire and was preparing to write on one of the walls. "I think number one is that we are unskilled with weapons and armor, and the system wants to keep us that way."

"Not the system - ACME. I think that's important to remember. The system was set up for players. ACME has screwed with our characters to get the most work out of us and keep us from gaining skills. They don't want their workforce slipping it's leash." The others nodded when Ozzy said this. The not so subtle mood control, things Billy had said, and their own experiences all confirmed this.

"Not all weapons though. Suzette is tossing darts, Ozzie is tossing tree trunks and hacking undead." Ben added to his list 'some weapons work.'

Rolly spoke up. "Different categories. I think we have two things going on. The first is these 'hidden Primary skills'. Both Ozzy and Suzy got one from doing something very niche and by accident. I think there are more of those skills out there, but they won't be easy to find. And darts and cleavers aren't weapons - they are tools. Ozzy needs cleavers to butcher, but they are a default weapon. He can only hurt things because of a synergy with his skills. Darts are just a tool used in a pub game, which is why Suzette could toss them at the wolf. They do next to no damage, it's the synergy with her poison skill that will make them hurt stuff."

"I think we all have to look for things like that. Stuff ACME didn't consider as a weapon and that we can turn into a weapon. Or maybe experiment and find more of these hidden Primary skills. "

"And along with that, we need to grind out some stats to make ourselves stronger. Ozzy mentioned getting 5 EP in CON from eating sedgebeast? I think we need to do that every day at lunch time. It will suck, but getting some poison resistance and a point of CON will make it worth it in the long run. The first couple points aren't too bad to earn. We should all be grinding out what we can."

"Ok, so far we have these, anything else?"

1. ACME is screwing us. We need to look for loopholes.

2. Default weapons suck. Find tools that work as weapons or odd weapons they forgot to blacklist.

3. Experiment and find new Primary skills.

4. Grind stats.

"What's a Core Skill Point, Rolly?" Suzette had scrolled through the messages again and saw the reward.

"No clue, other than you can use them to increase your maximum stat level per Tier. Maybe it's in the system?"

"HELP Core skill points"

"HELP Spending core skill points."

"hmmm......Maybe HELP LIST CORE SKILLS"

Displaying Tier One Core Skills available (Page 1 of 20) Core Skill Page 1 Description Cost + Attack core skill Not applicable to your creature type. + Defense core skill Not applicable to your creature type. + Harvest core skill Not applicable to your creature type. + Craft core skill Not applicable to your creature type. Increase Health 1 +50 points to health score 2 Increase Health 2 +100 points to health score (Must have level 1 first.) 5 Increase Health 3 +250 points to health score (Must have level 2 first.) 10 Identification 1 Gives information on an item or creature of levels 1-5 even if you are a lower level. 3 Identification 2 Gives information on an item or creature of levels 6-10 even if you are a lower level. 5 For pages 2-10 Use the command HELP LIST CORE SKILL PAGE X Minion Costs Note: Where there are two costs, the second is to buy this skill for a minion. Example: 4/1

Ben let out a low whistle, "Jackpot!"

Core Skill Page 2 Description Cost Increase Mana 1 +50 points to Mana score 2 Increase Mana 2 +100 points to Mana score (Must have level 1 first.) 5 Increase Mana 3 +250 points to Mana score (Must have level 2 first.) 10 Increase Stamina 1 +50 points to Stamina score 2 Increase Stamina 2 +100 points to Stamina score (Must have level 1 first.) 5 Increase Stamina 3 +250 points to Stamina score (Must have level 2 first.) 10 Mitigation 1 You take less damage from physical attacks. 5 less damage 2 Mitigation 2 You take less damage from physical attacks. 10 less damage 5 Mitigation 3 You take less damage from physical attacks. 20 less damage 10 Melee Damage 1 Your claws, horn, or other natural weapons do damge +10 2 Core Skill Page 3 Description Cost Melee Damage 2 Your claws, horn, or other natural weapons do damge +20 5 Melee Damage 3 Your claws, horn, or other natural weapons do damge +40 10 Sleepless in Seattle You already have this skill. Endure 1 You are less affected by negative mental effects and can endure hardships without complaint. You have a greater ability. Endure 2 You are not affected by negative mental effects and can endure hardships without complaint. You have a greater ability. Endure 3 You are not affected by negative mental effects and can endure shrug off hardships without complaint. If a minion, you are very happy and have less worries. You have a greater ability. Endure 4 You are not affected by negative mental effects and can endure shrug off hardships without complaint. If a minion, you are very, very happy and have no worries. You have this ability. Haul 1 You may move at normal speed while lifting your max weight. You have this ability. 1 Haul 2 As Haul 1, but you may lift 2x normal. You have this ability. 2/1 Haul 3 As Haul 2, but you may lift 3x normal. You have this ability. 3/1 Core Skill Page 4 Description Cost Haul 4 As Haul 3, but you may lift 4x normal. 4/1 Dig 1 You may dig at 4 times normal rate. You have a greater skill. 1 Dig 2 You may dig at 6 times normal rate, 50% less cave ins. You have this skill. 2/1 Dig 3 You may dig at 8 times normal rate, 75% less cave ins 3/1 Dig 4 You may dig at 10 times normal rate. Your tunnels do not cave in. 4/1 Run like the Wind 1 You move at 25% faster than normal. 5 Hide in Shadows 1 You increase your Stealth skill by 20% if in shadows or darkness. 2 Silent Step 1 While using Stealth, your steps make only 10% as much noise. 2 Sneak attack 1 You will do double damage against an opponent that is totally unaware of you. (Difficult in the middle of combat.) 10 Night Vision 20' Gives monochromatic vision to a distance of 20' when there is at least some light. 2 Core Skill Page 5 Description Cost Dark Vision 20' You can see normally in Darkness to a distance of 20'. 5 Dark Vision 50' You can see normally in Darkness to a distance of 50'. 10 Unlimited Darkvision You see in Darkness and Magical Darkness as if it was day. 20 Tier 1 Ceiling increase. Raises ceiling on maximum of a stat to 1 point over current Tier cap. Max of 15 points may be spent. 1 per 1 Tier 1 Ceiling increase across the board Raises ceiling on maximum of all stats to 1 point over current Tier cap. Max of 25 points may be spent. 5 per 1 Idiot Spell Savant Learn 1 spell of Tier 5 or lower from any college and cast at the base cost. You may not learn or know other spells 2 Spell Savant Learn 1 spell of Tier 5 or lower and cast at the base cost. You do not automatically know the spell. Choose wisely. You may take this choice multiple times. Cost increases. Maybe just go to college? 10/15/20 Hedge Wizard You are taught 3 random cantrips plus 1 per additional point. You may not have been classically taught prior to this. 3 +1 per Demonic Bargain The Devil is in the Details. A bargain. Angelic Bargain Remember where fallen angels come from. 1 Soul

Authors note: Pages 6-9 coming soon! For now they only have 10-15 points!

Core Skill Page 10 Description Cost Create Primary Skill Add skill to class. Requires Boss Tier 6 100 Create Secondary Skill Add skill to class. Requires Boss Tier 5 50 Create Tertiary Skill Add skill to class. Requires Boss Tier 4 25 Push Onward You may burn 1 health and gain 5 stamina.

You may increase STR by 1, for 1 minute, at the cost of 50 Stamina. You have this skill. 5/1 Tastes Like Chicken Any food can be turned into chicken in your mouth.You have this ability 1 Tastes Like Steak Any food can be turned into chicken, or steak in your mouth.

Food is 3x more nourishing. You heal at 2x normal rate. 5 Tastes Like Anything Food tastes as you would like. Food is 10x more nourishing. You heal at 3x normal rate. 10 Whip as Courier Weapon You may use whip as a weapon as well as a tool. [HARMONIA] 5 Main-Hand Hand X-bow You must have the Courier Class. You may use a hand X-bow in your main hand. This is a Primary Skill. [HARMONIA] 5 Off-Hand Hand X-bow You must have the Courier Class. You may use a hand X-bow in your off hand. This is a Primary Skill. [HARMONIA] 10 Hack Undead Requires Butcher. Secondary STR skill [WALLY] 5 Bond Creature Requires Shepherd Primary WIS skill [WALLY] 5