----Initializing Start-up Sequence

---Status: Immersion Pod-Optimal

---Status: Pod Occupant-Sped up Heart-rate

-----Calibrating...

-----Calibrated

---Software detected: Modern Age Online

-----Start?

------ [Yes]/ [No]

“Yes.”

Kaleb’s voice echoed in the darkness of his new Immersion pod. Recommended by the Creators of Modern Age, the Pod was allegedly the cutting edge in gaming. Kaleb couldn’t tell the difference between the new version and his older Pod but, having come with a pre-installed copy of AGE Incorporated’s latest game, it was worth the price. Tired of the overflow of high-fantasy virtual reality games with their elves, dwarves, and ogres; Kaleb was ready for a new gaming experience.

He cashed in every favor and Sick day he could and netted himself 2 months of unobstructed gaming time. While restrictions wouldn’t allow him to spend his full time in-game, he was still looking at a lot of serious playtime with the worlds first full sensory immersion Super Hero VRMMO. If he could believe the advertisements.

The inky blackness of the Immersion Pod’s start-up sequence faded from view as small white lights pierced the dark. A female voice rang out in the void which Kaleb supposed was outer space as a large yellow sun crested over the horizon of a slowly rotating Earth.

“Years ago mankind thought themselves alone in the universe, content to wallow in their ignorance of the greater universe and then they came.”

said the voice as a large red-orange spot appeared in the atmosphere above the Earth. The camera zoomed in whisking Kaleb’s view closer revealing itself to be a spaceship burning brightly as it entered Earth’s atmosphere. Large and egg-shaped, its front thrusters flared trying to slow the massive vessel until its eventual crash into the Atlantic Ocean. Kaleb’s vision blurred with color as the scene changed to a blue-skinned bald alien humanoid and an elderly woman in a black suit shaking hands for the cameras in front of the U.N. as a crowd of people cheered and applauded.

“They were refugees from several alien races, sent beyond the stars of their galaxy to escape the ravages of their own dying worlds. Placed in hibernation, they did not know where they were or how the others of their kind fared in the cold vacuum of space.”

“While hesitant and fearful at first, mankind grew to accept these visitors from beyond the stars. Their alien technology and knowledge benefited mankind and while some had abilities both wonderful and terrifying, the visitors adapted to their new home and to humanity. The many alien races created new lives for themselves on earth.”

The scene shifted around Kaleb again and he found himself on a moonlit grassy hill. A dark silhouette of a man on his knees lay before him, head grasped in his hands he appeared to writhe and shake in pain as bone-white spikes erupted from his body. Nearby the silhouette of a woman shouted her own agony at the moon as a violet energy beam erupted from her mouth. Further down the hill, another silhouette drew some arcane sigil in the air with sparkling blue energies, shooting 3-foot long pillars of ice up the hill.

“The visitor’s arrival, however, seemed to spark a change in mankind as evolution seemed to race to match the visitors. Some still speculate whether these changes were always in the making or man-made.”

Again, Kaleb’s vision blurred as the scene shifted to a battlefield. Two sides battled on an open and once grassy field; energy beams streaked by as beings of earth and stone clashed with mechanical monsters. Above, multi-colored humanoids clashed with fists and swords as Kaleb’s view slowly ascended over the cacophony of battle.

“This new Earth was not without its problems, some newly powered rushed to wrest dominion over the world. Drunk on power, these forces of the dark clashed with those who sought to protect the world and its inhabitants.”

“These heroes and villains, even now, battle worldwide. Alien, Mutant, Magical, and the Mundane all live and fight for their own sense of what is right.”

Kaleb’s view slammed back down to the ground looking at the battle that had frozen in front of him. The games logo faded in, golden letters shimmering against the frozen battle.

“You, are one such a being.”

“Hero or villain, good or evil, the choice is yours.”

“Are you ready?”

Kaleb nodded as his mouth seemed to go dry at the prospect of joining a battle such as the one that raged around him. The game noticed the gesture, opening a notification window in front of his eyes.

*New account detected*

*Create Character?*

Kaleb licked his lips and swallowed as the excitement of a new game, a new adventure, rose before him.

“Yes.”

Immediately the surrounding scene darkened and two screens popped up in front of him. one depicted a 3D model of himself slowly rotating in a pair of briefs. Fists on hips, his chest seemed to gleam with some kind of oil smeared on it and his dirty blonde hair shook softly in a non-existent wind. The other screen held text on the various races or Origins as the system called them.

Alien–These visitors from beyond our galaxy have powers and abilities the likes of which, the world has never seen. *nearly limitless Power selection, but limited power variation*

*PLAYERS BEWARE! If you select the Invulnerable power, the system will generate a fatal weakness*

Mutants–Aberrations in the evolution of mankind, Mutants have abilities similar to aliens but with less variety. However, with time and training, they can exceed even the mightiest of Aliens. *Limitless Power Variation, but limited Power Selection*

Magical–Along with Aliens, Magic also appeared in the world. With careful study and judicious practice, wielders of the arcane arts can become a force unto themselves. *With study, limitless Power Selection and Variation, not for the fickle*

Mundane–The men and women of Earth have adapted to the Powered among them. That does not mean they’ve left the defense of their home to such beings. *Only your imagination limits Power Selection and Variation. A players Power Selection and Variation are limited to what you can find, build, or create*

*PLAYERS BEWARE! The Mundane Origin is not for the faint of heart. EXPERIENCED GAMERS ONLY!!!*

“Well, every noob with a power fantasy will go Alien.” Kaleb thought as he looked over the options, he could see the allure of Aliens but being one of many wasn’t something he wanted, he always tried to go for the path least traveled when playing games.

Mutants seemed okay, but according to the text, the game limited them in what powers they could select; so it was between Magical and Mundane. It was the final warning that clinched it for him “Experienced Gamers Only. If that isn’t a challenge, I don’t know what is” he smirked as he reached out and tapped Mundane and a notification window appeared in front of him.

*Warning*

You have chosen Mundane. Power Selection and Variations are restricted at the start of the game. Players will have to find their own ways to combat powered foes.

*Confirm?*

[Yes] / [No]

He tapped “Yes” while wondering how Mundanes could get powers akin to the other origins. He imagined it would be through equipment or genetic engineering. That was good, at least he had a blank slate to work with if he wanted to go either Mutant or Magical later, though those routes may be tougher for a Mundane. Several more options appeared after he confirmed his choice.

*Please choose your archetype*

Athlete

Doctor

Entertainer

Gang Member

Government Clerk

…

The list went on and on containing the various walks of life a person might find themselves in and when he clicked on a few; he found that they contained subsets of other professions. Soldier contained law enforcement and mercenaries, Store owner contained everything from a grocery store manager to a blacksmith.

Traveling down the list, selecting the different archetypes, Scientist jumped out at him. Geneticists, engineers, Roboticist all had the complete freedom to build or invent their own powers. “Why choose one power when I could have as many as I can create?” He thought.

Clicking on it pulled up the list of sub-types, everything from government researcher to a college professor. Each one, however, seemed to come with a perquisite or limitation; Government workers could only take government sanctioned jobs building items for other heroes, well paid but they rarely got out of the lab, or professors could only work as a hero between teaching classes to NPCs and PCs and required you to link your teaching credentials to your pod to play. They all appeared to require a certain level of real-world knowledge or came with way too many strings attached for a full-time hero except for one.

*Garage Scientist*

Disgraced professors or DIY hobbyists. These Scientists have absolute freedom to design and create their own gadgets and devices if they can afford it. Without the resources or backing of their more illustrious counterparts, Garage Scientists must get creative with everyday items and scrap. Decreased Research Point gain and increased cost to upgrade your lab, but increased success rate with blueprints containing lower-grade items. No Quest restrictions and Secret Identity is optional.*

He frowned as he read over the entry. He disliked the total information blackout the developers had enacted before the release of the game. To build hype, the developers had shared little about the overall game mechanics or how those systems worked. He understood, not that he liked it.

“What are research points?” He thought as he scrolled back through the other archetypes. All the other types had resources points of some kind too; Athletes had the standard Stat points, Doctors had Medical points, and Gang Members had Face points. None, however, said what the things did; although the Athlete’s Stat points were obvious. Eventually, Kaleb decided the Garage Scientist was just as good as any other Scientist Archetype and at least he had experience as a DIY hobbyist.

Selecting his Archetype, the 3D model of himself glowed brightly as clothes appeared on his avatar. Faded blue jeans, a plain black T-shirt, and simple white tennis shoes all appeared on the model. Along with a generic white lab coat, which looked like it had seen better days. Dirty and torn in places the lab coat spoke of hours in the workshop and a man who could not care less about appearances. Kaleb studied the model as the first screen faded out and a new one faded in. The new screen asked him to select two skills from his Archetype’s list.

---skills

----- Chemistry

----- Genetics

----- Mechanical engineering

----- Robotics

…

While robotics looked appealing Kaleb figured that Mechanical engineering and Genetics would be most helpful when dealing with super-powered individuals or at least allow him to alter himself somewhere down the line if Mundane turned out to be too much for him. After being notified that both skills increased to Beginner Lvl. 3 Kaleb waited for the next screen to fade in.

The next window was a typical character creation window complete with sliders and drop-down menus containing various body pieces. It surprised Kaleb that even though he had chosen Mundane, he could still create an avatar that looked alien. “I guess even aliens could be Mundane.” he thought as he scrolled through the choices; different species and colors of arms, heads, torso, and legs could all combine into many variations for his avatar.

He found robotic pieces that gleamed silver against the tan skin of his 3D model. Other pieces were more demonic looking, horns parting his avatar’s blonde hair in multiple ways or tails that peeked from beneath his model’s lab coat. Still, other pieces were animal-like in appearance, rabbit ears, tiger claws, even fur.

Scrolling through the various options for a while, he landed on a reptile-like body complete with blue-green scales and a robotic left arm he figured it could be part of his characters back story if he ever got around to making one.

Adjusting the sliders a little to give himself a tall, lean build, and doing away with the tail entirely, “That would have made sitting awkward.” Kaleb hit the confirm button as his new avatar rotated in the window. Around 6‘3” with a short snout and bright scales, if it weren’t for the left arm, covered by the lab coat, he would almost look like a mutated, bipedal basilisk lizard.

The 3D model enlarged to take up his whole view as the words “scanning...” appeared at the top and a bright blue line pulsed up and down the image. Once... twice... after the third time, he received two more notifications.

*Notice*

“With your selection of certain body parts you qualify for 3 special rules.”

*Special Diet*

“Your digestive system differs from the standard human allowing you to eat and live off of things that would make normal people cringe. Ignore any penalties incurred from eating small insects and rodents.”

*Limb Regeneration*

“Given your reptilian body, you can regrow any limb that has sustained significant damage. The rate of regrowth depends on the amount of damage the limb has sustained. Lost limbs will impact overall HP. Restricted to lost limbs ONLY. Heads do not grow back.”

*Robotic Limb*

“Because of injury or maybe even simple vanity you have replaced one of your limbs with a robotic counterpart. Although susceptible to electricity and mechanical failure you have the option to have your limb upgraded to a more powerful variant.”

Kaleb’s eyes widen at the information, sure the first one was a little weird and he couldn’t guess when he’d use it, but the last 2 could be immensely helpful in the early stages of game-play and apparently didn’t count as having super powers. He was still Mundane, just a Mundane 6-foot lizard with a robot arm. Confirming all three messages he moved on to what he figured was the last and most important part of character creation.

*Enter Name*

First:

Last:

While the option for a surname was different, it wasn’t unheard of in some RPGs. Kaleb mulled over the possibilities in his head as he stared at his lizard-like avatar. He was embarking into the virtual career of a Hero; he needed a name that was as grandiose and as campy as the old ones in the comic books he had read.

“It should say something about the character.” he thought as the avatar rotated in his view. But who was he? Just another average citizen out stopping crime and battling evil? No, wait, he wasn’t average, was he? Kaleb smiled to himself as looked over the shoddy lab coat the system had given him and entered his decision.

*Enter Name*

First: Professor

Last: Pack Rat

After Kaleb confirmed his choice and denied creating a back story, the screens faded away. He was in darkness before the world quickly formed around him. He found himself in a dirty living room of all things, complete with dilapidated orange couch and empty pizza boxes on a worn out looking coffee table. Immediately noticing the difference in height, now being 5 inches taller than before, he looked over the rest of his body.

Looking at his hands the blue-green scales on the top of his right hand seemed to dance in the light from the light-bulb in the center of the living room, the tan skin of his palm was a shade or two darker than pink, with five longer than average human looking fingers. In stark contrast, his left hand whirred quietly as he moved it into view. His left arm was heavier than he was used to but not unmanageable and seem to mirror his right arm except for the scales. Pulling the sleeve of his lab coat to just below his elbow he inspected the appendage.

On closer inspection he found the system built his arm from silver metal plates around a frame that housed wires and small pistons the whirred and hissed as he moved the arm. Given its weight he supposed the system had made it out of a nanocomposite metal, but its exact material eluded him. Holding both hands up side-by-side he had an errant thought looking at the long fingers on either hand. “How am I wearing shoes?”

Looking down at his sneaker covered feet, he moved to the old couch and sat down removing the shoe on his right foot. Noting he wasn’t wearing socks he looked down at what was a scale covered human foot, sure the toes were longer but the overall appearance was still human. Grunting at the discovery he put his shoe back on and looked back up at the room.

His new snout took getting used and he could listen to his own breathing coming through his large nostrils. Rolling his tongue around his mouth as he got up he could feel small sharp teeth, more teeth than any human mouth could hold, he moved through an archway that lead into a hallway. Taking in his surroundings he found to his left at one end of the hall was the home’s front door, across from the living room through another archway was a kitchen area with a waist-high counter separating the dining area and kitchen, and down the right side of the hall were three other doors.

Before he could investigate further, he noticed a small exclamation point in the corner of his vision pulsing yellow. Mentally clicking on it a large opaque window obscured his view.

*Welcome to Modern Age Online*

“Thank you for purchasing Modern Age Online and welcome to your in-game home. A separate but still game-connected area where you can relax alone or with friends. Coinciding with your login location we have placed you in southern Texas on Orion Drive, Travis Heights, just outside Austin. We have worked tirelessly to recreate a near perfect virtual representation of Earth and while several things have been changed, we assure you: We have succeeded. For legal purposes, MAO does not place players where they live but the familiarity with your home state should make for a fun game experience.”

“Please note that rent/utilities/mortgage etc… all have to be paid using in-game credits at the start of each game month (real world week). Enjoy and thank you again.”

*Current housing cost*

Utilities: 1000 credits

Lab: 1000 credits

Total: 2000 credits due in 29 days (6 real world)

Kaleb had just closed the first window when a new one popped into view.

*Tutorial Area*

“The high number of new players in your zone has created a Tutorial Area, A special separate zone where a Tutorial Event will occur within the next hour. We advise new players to familiarize themselves with their abilities, prepare their spells and build their gadgets. From here on out: The game is what you make it. Have fun!”

As the second window blinked out of existence, a timer appeared in the upper right corner of Kaleb’s vision. Trying hard not to panic at the time crunch, he ordered his thoughts “Okay, first I should look over my Status page...” as he thought the word “Status” the window appeared. Displaying text on one side and a 2D model of himself and his gear on the other.

*Name: Professor Pack Rat

Health: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Defense: 0

Research Point: 35

Gadget slots: 0/3

Skills: Genetics–Beginner Lvl 3

Mechanical engineering–Beginner Lvl 3

Abilities: Special Diet

Limb Regeneration

Robotic Limb*

“They went with the minimalist approach, apparently.” He thought, scanning the text, guessing the game would be more skill-based given the lack of traditional stats. Looking over to the second half of the screen he saw several empty slots for gear, everything from his head down to his boots could equip some kind of armor.

Also floating near either arm on the image of his character were empty squares and in the center of his left arm was another empty square. “Those would be my gadgets slots.” He assumed noting that there were other squares on his legs and 6 more up near his head, but they were all locked with an image of a padlock in the center of the square. Lower on that side of the screen, below his image, were 11 empty rectangles. One for each gadget slot.

Closing out his status page he thought “Okay, that was only slightly helpful, next I need to find my lab.” This time a small translucent blue arrow appeared in his vision pointing, not out the front door, but into his kitchen, following it he found a doorway wedged in the corner of the room next to the refrigerator.

Opening and walking through the door, the room was shrouded in darkness. A window informing him he had left his “House” and entered his “Garage Lab” and that Research Points could now be gained and used while in the garage. Casting his left hand out against the inside wall he probed for a light switch, finding the small toggle just within his reach he flicked it on causing the small florescent light-bulb in the center of room to bloom brightly across the 2-car garage.

The room was... a mess, filled with different scrap metal along the left wall all the way to the garage door. Sitting in front of garage door was a rusted metal shelving unit containing half-filled plastic tubs of detritus separated by type and cataloged by tan strips of tape with the names of what the tubs supposedly held scrawled on them in small spiky handwriting.

Along the right-hand wall was a large pegboard containing several hand tools, metal shears, and extension cords. Underneath the pegboard against the wall was another pile of more mundane items: a pair of skis, Christmas lights, a plastic sled, an old red wagon, a bicycle laying on its side, and several paintball guns lay against the wall along with other items that Kaleb couldn’t quite make out.

The back wall closest to where he stood seemed to be his workspace, with a small lathe on a stand and what looked like a home-made furnace and smelter in the far corner. His work area consisted solely of a large metal workbench, covered in notes and indiscernible blueprints, and a 4 foot round top stool. The whole garage looked more like a junkyard owner’s wet dream than a lab, but it’s what he had to work with.

“Well, this place is the pits.” He said out loud into the silence of his lab, surprising himself with how guttural and raspy his voice sounded.

*Garage Lab name change*

You have elected to rename your lab “The Pits.” Please confirm the new name.

Chuckling to himself which, he noted, sounded like he was gargling wet tar Kaleb considered the window. It was appropriate, but it was a bit off. “How about just The Pit?” He said aloud receiving another window verifying the name change. Laughing softly to himself he confirmed the change and headed into his lab.

Kaleb rolled up the sleeves of his lab coat and headed straight for his workbench while he had an idea for his first gadget he did not understand how he would make it let alone if he had the right materials in The Pit. But as he sat down on the metal stool, he received his answers.

*Welcome to The Pit*

As this is your first time using your lab, please read this summary: Scientist create gadgets, or serums within their labs using Research Points. Research Points are the lifeblood of any inventor. Based on the condition and location of your lab you will gain Research Points per day. You can increase this with study, research, or experimentation done in the lab. Every invention created in the lab has a Research Point cost associated with it, the more complex the item the higher the cost.

To create your first gadget: First create a blueprint it can be as vague or as detailed as you can manage, the system shall try to infer your intention. Second, set the crafting mode (automatic, assisted, or manual). Finally, select the items you want to use during creation (not available on automatic or assisted.) Please note that, while quick, automatically created gadgets will be of a lesser quality than those crafted manually.

However, we recommend that first time inventors choose automatic unless they are familiar with the machinery used. You can purchase upgrades and new machinery through the workbench interface.

*Current Research Points: 35*

* RP gained per day: 5*

Reading through the notification Kaleb scooted his stool closer to the workbench and thought of the best way to draw his first blueprint. Having no artistic talent he thought simple was best, picking up a nearby pen he prepared to draw out his thoughts on the back of a nearby sheet of paper. Touching the pen, however, brought up a design window projected over the worktable, placing the point of the pen gently over the window he drew.

After a few minutes he had a rough drawing of a bulky gun spraying snowflakes on several stick people, encasing them in blocky squares as others slipped on crudely drawn ice puddles. “Let’s hope that’s good enough” he thought as he hit confirm in the design window then setting the crafting mode to automatic he hit confirm again.

The table shook slightly as an odd hum permeated the garage. He noticed a loud clattering coming from behind him and as he turned to investigate; he noticed several pieces of scrap, wires, and metal piping floating and rotating in the middle of his lab. After some seconds of spinning the pieces lunged toward the workbench causing him to shield his face from the incoming junk. He felt no pain though as each piece quickly flew around him settling over his workbench and picking up speed as the ball of junk rattled loudly.

As quickly as it had started however, the noise died down and sitting atop his workbench was a heavily modified paintball gun with a liquid nitrogen canister sitting where the hopper should be. Just below the canister were several wires and metal tubing running the length of the gun connecting to a small rectangle toward the back which housed a brightly pulsing blue crystal about an inch long, the piping continued through the nitrogen canister, haphazardly welded to it. More pipes seemed to connect to the canister, wrapping around the frame of the gun and ending at the front of the gun. The glass front of the crystal housing seemed to be lightly frosted with white smoke swirling inside with the crystal.

Toward the front of the weapon the metal tubes combined into one nozzle that looked like it came from a larger than average water hose, like the ones that came with those retro style houses his grandparents loved so much. As reached out to inspect the gun closer he received another notification.

*Unnamed Gadget*

A combination of Alien and human tech, you have created a gun that sprays liquid nitrogen freezing your enemies. Amplified by a weak Alien Power Crystal the exact power of this device is unknown. Being automatically crafted this gadget has reduced damage, and its upgrade slots have been reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1. Would you like to name your gadget?

Naming the bulky gun the “Ice Ray” Kaleb closed the notification and opened his status window. Looking at his right arm’s gadget slot he saw a small image of his Ice Ray, and in the lower half of the screen showed its stats.

*Ice Ray*

Shoots a mist of extreme cold. Freezing or slowing most enemies. Beware: the addition of an Alien power source can make this a volatile weapon.

Damage: 15-20 cold damage

Upgrades: 1

Failure rate: 15%

Research Point cost: 15

Kaleb glanced up at the clock noting that he still had 45 minutes till the Tutorial Event and 20 more Research Points to play with. Having completed his first gadget with little effort he figured he’d try the next one using assisted crafting. But what to make?

Looking back over the little information on his status screen the big fat 0 after defense seemed to pop off the screen. “Okay, so something for defense” he muttered under his breath while glancing around at the junk spread through his lab.

His eyes alighted on a large galvanized steel trash can in the left corner next to the shelving unit, closing his status window and getting up he walked over to it trying to come up with something when he realized that the lid of the trashcan might make a good shield. Excitedly he picked up the round steel lid, it was a little cumbersome and thinner than he would like and he almost gave up the idea completely until he caught sight of several flat metal pieces in one of the tubs on the shelving unit.

Running with his wild idea, he grabbed a few sheets of metal, a drill and metal shears off the pegboard, and various screws nuts and bolts; taking them all over to his workbench he used the shears to cut the steel lid down to the size of a buckler then reinforced the lid on both sides with the metal sheets by drilling through the lid and the sheets and securing them with the bolts, cutting the sheets as needed. He noticed that he had no way to secure the buckler to his arms, so he scrounged through his useful junk pile.

Coming up with an old belt from one pile, he went back to the lid. Cutting the handle off with the shears and widening the holes from the screws that secured it, he slipped the belt through and around so he could strap the shield to his arm with the buckle. He layered several hose clamps across the part of the belt that showed from the front which he hoped would make it harder to get damaged or cut.

Clipping the excess pieces here and there he finally finished and pulled back to admire his work. It wasn’t much to look at but it would work and it felt good to make something with his own two hands.

*Congratulations*

Through hard work and ingenuity, you have earned the DIY Armorer skill.

DIY Armorer–Beginner Lvl 1

Using scrap and other odds and ends you can create all kinds of eclectic armor pieces. Increases the effectiveness of DIY armor pieces and an increased chance that enemies will drop DIY blueprints.

Current armor increase: 1

Current blueprint drop rate increase: 2%

Kaleb blinked at the new window, he’d been making another gadget, hadn’t he? Thinking back he realized he never even made a blueprint, let alone used the workbench interface. Sighing, he picked up the buckler and checked his status screen. Sure enough, it listed the shield under equipment, giving him a 5 in defense, and taking a slot in his gear instead of one of his gadget slots. Glancing at the countdown timer he had a little over 30 minutes to think of something.

Setting the buckler down on the workbench next to his Ice Ray he stared at it noting the places where the backs of the bolts peeked through the front. “Maybe I could sharpen them,” he said aloud “make a spiked shield.”

After a few moments of contemplation he decided that the idea was ineffective, the bolts were too short and he could be accomplish it without the interface. Looking down at the buckler of different metals he suddenly wondered if the thing could channel electricity, it was metal after all.

Grabbing a pen to bring up the interface again, he drew a crude design of the back of the shield. Drawing a small generator housing another crystal with wires leading to the many bolts, he completed the design with small lightning bolts traveling over the wires, after switching to Assisted crafting he hit confirm and waited.

Almost immediately a small metal box flew from the bins behind him floated over the table. Glowing with a soft white light it rotated over the table showing it had another blue crystal and a light switch on what he guessed was the front side. Not knowing the boxes original purpose, he reached for it causing the white glow to move to the back of the box and a tool to float to him from the pegboard.

The tool looked like a traditional screwdriver but instead of a standard Phillips or Flat-blade it had dark square as its tip. Grasping the screwdriver the glow at the back of the box moved to the four corners and swirled around four black screws embedded into the device. Using the screwdriver which he discovered was magnetic, he slowly eased the screws out and removed the back panel revealing what he assumed to be alien hardware. Wires and gears crisscrossed in an unorganized jumble that almost gave him a headache just starting at it. But, the white glow easily marked the wires he needed and even transformed into ghost-like hands he could copy as he set about stripping and lengthening several wires.

After several minutes of lengthening, stripping and splitting wires he readied himself to wrap the bare wires around the bolts, but the white glow mimed that he had to remove the bolts. Confused he did as the prompts ordered and took the bolts out; it wasn’t until the first bolt was out and he went to place it on the workbench he realized the reason he was taking the steel bolts out, floating above the table were several copper bolts.

Kaleb grinned as he realized he was replacing the original bolts with more conductive counterparts. After a few more minutes of work the white glow disappeared and Kaleb had what he assumed was his completed buckler.

*Congratulations*

With the help of your Laboratory’s workbench you have been awarded the Electrician skill.

Electrician Lvl 1–By Stripping, extending, and wiring, you have gained a small understanding on how to work with electrical wiring. Increases chances of success when working with electrical wires and increased understanding of same. Decreased chance of injury when incorrectly wiring a device.

Current success rate increase: 2%

Current chance of electrical injury because of incorrect wiring: 20%

*Congratulations*

You have changed a piece of equipment into a gadget increasing its effectiveness. The new gadget was placed in an available free slot and it has used 1 upgrade slot.

*New Gadget*

Using a Junk Buckler, you have modified it to deliver an electric shock to any enemy foolish enough to strike at you. The Alien Power Crystal used in the new gadget has increased the overall power. Would you like to name your new gadget?

He smiled again as he read through the pop-ups and dubbed his buckler “Shocky.” He brought his status window up as he noted that 5 minutes left on the clock he checked Shocky’s new stats.

*Shocky*

A buckler modified to deliver an electric shock that can stun most enemies. Beware: Alien power source makes the device volatile.

Defense: 10

Electrical Damage: 20

Chance to Stun: 10%

Failure rate: 15%

Research Point cost: 10

Upgrades: 1 out of 2

Noting the 5 point boost to his defense Kaleb smiled wide at the creation of his first two gadgets. With his Ice Ray in his right hand and Shocky strapped to his robotic left arm he decided on waiting out the clock in his kitchen. As he was about to close his status window, he noticed the gadget slot in his robotic arm. Curious, he moved Shocky into the unused slot and watched, wide-eyed, as the shield bent and conformed around his metal forearm forming a bracer with copper bolts sticking out.

Concerned he had lost the full protection of his shield he checked his status page again and found that he received the full stats but the shield was “undeployed.” Thinking about how to deploy the shield he noticed a frantic mumbling coming from his kitchen.

Still looking at his bracer/shield and ignoring the notification stating he had entered his home, Kaleb walked into the kitchen searching for the voice. The voice appeared to be emanating from a small rectangular radio on the island countertop between the kitchen and the dining room table.

“I repeat: The authorities have issued a state of emergency for the lower Austin area, they have sighted the notorious criminals Cog and the Mad-Witch Korrigan in the area. The duo were in the company of an army of the mad scientist Cog’s mechanical monstrosities along with the Mad-witch’s own enslaved elementals. The Hero Liaison Office has advised civilians to evacuate to the nearest safety zone if possible.”

“If it is not possible, do not engage, barricade yourselves in your homes, and await help. The Heroes Trap-Jaw and Stonemeadow were seen traveling south to meet the villains. The Hero liaison with city hall, Franklin Ozarious, has asked that all registered heroes in the south Austin area try to stall the small army reminding them to keep collateral damage to a minimum.”

“When asked about unregistered heroes Mr. Ozarious stated that while any help would be welcome, the city claimed no responsibility for damages by unregistered heroes and that the Hero-Overwatch committee has already sent out drones to record and catalogue the upcoming battle. This message will now repeat.”

Kaleb waved his hand at the small radio switching it off as he read a new window that had appeared during the broadcast.

*Tutorial Event Alert*

The villains Cog and Korrigan have invaded south Austin. While their true goal remains unclear, the call has gone out for heroes to assist. As an unregistered hero, you have to decide will you heed the call or do you take part in the chaos that is sure to follow in the villains wake.

Quest: Stall Cog/Korrigan’s forces or join in the mayhem they have created.

Rewards: Variable based on performance, possibility to draw the attention of a hero or criminal.

Time Limit: Until Cog and Korrigan are arrested or escape.

Kaleb exhaled deeply, this was it, looking down at his Ice Ray in his right hand and Shocky still wrapped around his left forearm he headed for his front door. Mentally going over what he knew of Austin’s layout, he headed for one of the many bridges connecting downtown Austin to the outer suburbs across the Colorado. Not knowing exactly where Travis Heights was he figured he’d eventually find a bridge if he found a major road.

Taking another deep breath, he opened the front door and stepped out. The soft glow of the setting sun partially blocked the identical houses of suburbia across the street from his own row of houses. It was quiet, the rustle of leaves on nearby trees being the only noise, glancing northward he spotted several plumes of dark smoke raising over the rooftops of nearby neighborhoods.

Deciding to head for the nearest one northwest of him, he set off at a mild jog northward along the street listening for any signs of distress or carnage. As he ran, he searched his view for his health bar, finding it nestled in the top left corner portrayed as a slim red line that grew as he focused on it eventually showing 100 Health; below that was a slim green bar that was decreasing as he ran, focusing on it displayed his stamina.

Noting that he was losing a point of stamina maybe every 30 seconds he inspected the rest of his view finding nothing expect a light blue glow around his vision that reminded him of the blue arrow that had led him to his lab. “Probably the quest tracker, but since I’m already in the quest area it glows.” Kaleb thought “The developers are true minimalist, there’s not even a minimap.” Bemoaning the lack of information on the game again, Kaleb kept jogging northward.