The shovel made a rasping sound every time it slid through the loose sand. A hissing grind that was technically stone on metal, and yet, had sort of gotten away from what you might imagine that grinding hateful screech to be, and had become something more like the roar of heavy rain but in miniature. It was a calming noise, and I hated it; though I knew that it would soon change to something else as I hit the denser packed sand underneath, and then later to a hard *ting* when I hit sandstone. I knew this because this was not the first hole I’d dug today. But after hearing that shovel on rock ping, at least this grave would be done, and I could do something else.

[Skill unlocked : Digging. Strike the earth.

Ability unlocked : Manual Labor. Many hands make light work.

Stat improved : Strength +1

Pool improved : Stamina +3

Pool improved : Calm +2]

I could have asked for help, I suppose. But of the three other survivors in our little apartment complex, I didn’t feel like that was a good idea. One of them was an old woman who, to be fair, seemed to be speccing into blood mage and had the body of an olympian. And the other two were traumatized teenagers. Both of them, Dover and Katie, were in no shape to be helping me with anything. But I also hadn’t wanted to leave them alone or idle, so I’d sent them off with Martha to try to round up any perishable food that we could possible consolidate into a single freezer with all the ice that was left.

[Skill improved : Planning +1

Bond unlocked : Katie Alfor

Bond improved : Martha Giles +1

Steps taken : Leader 1/20]

As I worked on finishing digging my hole, letting my mind fall into a quiet space between the moving sand and the keeping an eye on the resource bars I had that were climbing back to full, I tried to think about something that had been bugging me. Through this exercise in transporting sand from inside a potential hole to outside an actual hole, I’d gotten both a skill, and an ability, that appeared to do roughly the same thing. Digging, according to the system, was my proficiency with digging, with natural or artificial tools. Manual Labor, the ability, was a boost to the effectiveness of any unskilled and physically demanding work. Now, setting aside that I instantly wanted to know if the bonus from Manual Labor would go away if I raised my strength too high and this was no longer ‘demanding’, this raised a huge question. What the fuck was the difference in a skill and an ability?

[Skill improved : Digging +1

Ability improved : Manual Labor +1]

I scowled, because that was exactly not helpful. I could practically feel myself getting better, but in *what way*? Was I shoveling faster, more precisely? Was it all me? Or was there some kind of external magic that was moving X% more sand with every shovel toss? What was the *point* of having all this overlap?

[Skill improved : Digging +1

Ability improved : Manual Labor +1]

Normally I’d spend some time being a large ham here for the benefit of onlookers. But that last message coincided with hitting the sandstone barrier, and also with my stamina bottoming out. My arms almost instantly turned into noodles, and the shovel dropped out of my exhausted fingers as I slumped back against the packed wall of the grave.

[Pool improved : Stamina +1]

I sat there, chugging a half full bottle of lukewarm water, under the glimmering desert moon, in the sandy grave meant for men I’d lived next to for years but had only met yesterday. As I did this, I tried to think about the points I had, and how to use them to keep myself and everyone else alive. Killing skeletons - masses of the fucking things - had given those who did it ‘free points’. I’d also gotten some free points for ‘milestones’, which appeared to just be getting skills to certain levels. I had a bunch of them stockpiled, and right now, I had some time and mental energy to use them. So the first thing I did was follow Martha’s advice, and pursue the Leader path, dumping all 16 path points I had into it.

[Steps taken : Leader 17/20]

None of us had finished a path yet. They had me curious, because they took way more effort and had no instant gratification like everything else. I had several of them open to me, and doing some things had pushed me forward on a few. Acolyte’s Steps was clearly for magic, and maybe if I’d gone for that I could have gotten another Sandshaping slot and dug graves without the need for hours of labor. The Way of Compassion appealed to me. Reaver’s Trail did not. Actually, you know what had worked yesterday that I hadn’t thought to try again? “System,” I spoke aloud, “can you define paths for me?” No answer. “How about Vim, then?”

[Vim : Resource. Pool improved by : Toughness, Willpower. Pool refreshed by : Healing, physical relaxation. Passive consumption : Blood and wound recovery. Active consumption : None.]

Okay, so, the system was still there, sadly. It would tell me what things *were*. Just only after I had them, I guess. It still didn’t really help me answer the question of what to do with my extra points, though. Almost fifty skill points. Did that translate one to one? Curiously, I tried to shift one of them into one of my skills.

[Skill improved : Gardening +1]

Guess so. 48 points left. I tried again a few times just to make sure.

[Skill improved : Gardening +5]

One to one the whole way. Maybe it got worse later. Though it did make me think; with 43 points left, I could easily hit milestones in five different skills, maybe six or seven given how easy they were to advance. And so far, milestones for skills had all given more path points. Was there, perhaps, an infinitely upward engine of progression? Was that the point of this whole imposition of reality, maybe? To create a singular individual that generated their own metaphysical power, in some kind of god-engine run amok?

[Philosophy Unlocked : Curiosity. Naval gazing at its finest.

Stat improved : Cunning +1]

Alright, get fucked! I know mockery when I see it! Still, maybe I’ll save the other points for later. Especially the ability point. Or at least, until I know exactly what the hell I *want*. And in that moment, all of my musing, all of my quiet contemplation and thinking about the wonders and nightmares the future holds for what’s left of humanity, are cut off by another intrusive popup of information.

[Skill improved : Meditation +1

Assessment ongoing! Your potential is measured.

Achievement gained : The Ascent Through The Natural

Stat improved as reward : Strength +2

Stat improved as reward : Balance +2

Stat improved as reward : Agility +2

Skill unlocked as reward : Climbing. Up and over.

Ability unlocked as reward : Brachiation. The leaves and branches overhead.]

It seemed like the assessments were coming down every few hours, though I was aware it wasn’t at an even rate for everyone. This one appeared to be because… I climbed a lot of trees as a kid? Yeah, a quick ask showed that The Ascent Through The Natural was for climbing one hundred different trees. It *also* showed that it gave a flat 10% speed bonus when climbing or moving through trees, which… uh… I should probably check my other achievement? I didn’t realize that was an option! And upon looking, yes. The Practice Of War - for winning a thousand competitive strategy games, go me - gave a 10% bonus to *units under my command*. Oh, holy shit. I clenched my fists, and tried to stay calm, as the feeling of complete idiocy came over me. If I’d paid attention… well, I wasn’t standing in a grave for myself, now was I?

[Pool improved : Kindness +1]

I took a deep, steadying breath, and pushed off the wall. I had a couple points of stamina back now, so there was no real excuse for not climbing back up. There was one last body to put to rest today, and after that, it would be time to discuss our future. There was a lot of work to do, and only a few of us left. Assuming there wasn’t anyone hiding in the other apartments. And there very well might be, given how horrifying the last few hours had been. At least getting out of the hole would be easier this time.

[Skill improved : Climbing +1]

Moving Zane’s body into the hole was difficult to do gracefully. In the last twelve hours, I’d acquired between eight and eleven points of strength depending on if it “counted” before the system showed up. But even with that, and even with Zane’s corpse missing a hundred pounds of flesh and bone, it was less a final lowering into the earth, and more a wet thud as the sheet-wrapped form was rolled into its last resting place.

[Ability improved : Manual Labor +1]

“All done?” Martha’s voice came to, words like soothing notes on the dry night breeze.

[Ability improved : Low Light Vision +1]

Something about her words relaxed my tired muscles and made my thoughts flow like a steady stream. I hadn’t really had much time to consider it, but Martha was clearly pulling in social and conversational skills and powers that I just wasn’t getting myself. Maybe because I hadn’t been actually… well, no, I guess I had my chants. My words had power, in a way. And honestly, the quick jump of a couple points of Calm and Stamina didn’t seem that creepy compared to everything else.

“I’m done.” I told her solemnly. “How are things going with the kids?”

“They need someone to tell them everything is going to be alright.” She said, and I frowned. That, I would consider ‘lying’ at best, and maliciously misrepresenting the world at worst.

“I’m okay picking up the leader path, and seeing where that goes.” I told her in response. “But I’m not going to lie to them. I’m not gonna be able to save us - I’m barely even qualified to dig holes.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Martha said. “And I’ll help where I can.”

[Bond improved : Martha Giles +1

Stat improved : Charisma +1

Skill unlocked : Etiquette - Community. The language of the close-knit.

Steps taken : Leader 18/20]

I guess figuring things out was just what the world was, now. Rapidly, and aggressively. And while all I really wanted to do was go take the world’s longest shower and then idly noodle on my guitar until I passed out, I suppose I had one last thing to do first, if the future was going to hold any promise for us.

[Philosophy improved : Optimism +1]

Not even close, but thanks.

“Did you get another assessment?” I asked Martha as we made our way back to the apartments. I was curious to know if I was, perhaps, getting *too many* upgrades compared to everyone else.

She nodded, though, breaking that guess into pieces. “It handed me an ‘achievement’ for all the meals I’ve cooked over the years.” Martha confirmed. “Wish I knew if a cooking of four was better or worse than a cooking of ‘I’ve been doing this for fifty years and I know how to make a soup’.” She cracked a grin, and I found myself grinning too.

[Stat altered : Charisma becomes Charm and Ego.

Charm set to 7. Show your smile.

Ego set to 5. Hold your opinions.]

The two kids were sitting on my couch, where Martha had left them. Both of them looked rattled, beyond belief, with Dover just kind of staring at his hands and Katie jumping at every small noise. They stared at us as we walked in the door, and I tried to project a reassuring aura at them. Actually, hell, a literal aura of reassurance might be possible now. What would it take to get that? I’d gotten a spell for exactly what I needed at the time with the sandstone wall thing, would it be possible to sort of push the system to give me the powers I needed? I waited for a second, trying to will some kind of anti-trauma field into existence. Nothing happened.

[Stat improved : Willpower +1]

Almost nothing. Anyway. I had to say something. Neither of them were going to lead the conversation here, and Martha had already vanished into my kitchen to put on a kettle, presumably to make tea salvaged from someone else’s apartment, because I knew I didn’t have any in mine. “I’m glad you’re both still here.” I told the two kids. I could have said something inspiring, or consoling, but I didn’t feel like that was the right call. What I’d want to hear, honestly, in a time like this, was that I was valued at all.

[Skill improved : Etiquette - Community +2]

“There’s still skeletons outside.” Dover muttered, eyes dropping back to his hands as he talked. “Not a lot, but a few. What do we… do you know what we should do?”

“I don’t have a clue.” I told him, honestly, and caught a sharp look from Martha from the kitchen, followed by an unassuming, but secretly horrifying notification.

[Resistance improved : Social +1]

“But,” I said, “I have at least a few steps of a plan.”

“For what?” Katie asked, voice shaky and scared. “Finding other people? Getting out of here? We don’t even have electricity.” It was true; my apartment was currently lit by candlelight, and while the moon was setting the dunes outside glimmering, it was going to get *dark* soon.

She seemed angry. She *was* angry. My newly granted pile of stats and skills made this interaction almost trivially easy to decode. The only thing that mattered was my answer, and Charm and Calm and Etiquette let me lay out the words in exactly the way I meant them. “I have exactly two plans.” I said. “The first is that I finish the leadership path, and see what that does for us. Ideally, everyone should use the points they have to finish some other path, so we can compare notes, and see if there’s something we should all pursue. That includes leadership, by the way, if it’s not exclusive or something! I wouldn’t mind a community of just leaders.” I tried to give her a reassuring smile, touching a point of Kindness into my magic to help. “The second part is that we need to sleep. You two, especially. I’ll keep watch; I can handle a few skeletons, you’ll be safe. Beyond that, my plans are vague and mostly involve trying to find and help as many people as we can.”

[Spell improved : Lorwyn’s Smile +1

Milestone Hit - Lorwyn’s Smile rank 10 : +3 Free Ability Points

Stat improved : Charm +1

Pool improved : Kindness +1]

“You think we can help people?” Dover asked. “We can barely help ourselves. Everyone else… everyone… just…” He sobbed lightly, the words stuck in his throat.

“Yeah.” I whispered. “I know. And it’s… I can’t even find a word for it. It’s abhorrent. The world is ending, and everyone is dying, and I think we’re supposed to not care because we can be wizards. But I do care. And I’ll always care. And I’d rather do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen to anyone else, instead of just giving up. How bout you?”

[Spell unlocked : Banneret of Hope. Forge the shining armor.

Compassionurgy slots used : 3/3

Steps taken : Acolyte’s Steps 6/20

Steps taken : Leader 19/20

Skill improved : Etiquette - Community +1

Stat improved : Charm +1

Bond improved : Dover Imperison +2

Bond improved : Katie Alfor +1]

“Okay.” He whispered back. But it wasn’t a despairing whisper. Instead, the word held a world of hope, a small steel needle of willpower; the need to not bend to the awful state of things. I understood that, a lot.

“Get some sleep.” I told the two of them. “There’s a bed in my room, and the couch. I’ll be out on the back porch probably, keeping an eye out.”

“How close are you to finishing the leader path?” Martha asked me from the kitchen, pouring hot water - and how exactly did she heat a kettle without electricity? - into one of my mugs.

“One point off.” I said.

“Then I acknowledge you as our leader.” She declared.

[Steps taken : Leader 20/20

Path complete : Leader. Hold high the flag of responsibility, and guide your charges forward.

Stat improved as reward : Intelligence +5

Stat improved as reward : Cunning +5

Skill unlocked as reward : Leadership. Someone to look up to. Leadership set to 5.

Option unlocked : Territory. A peaceful kingdom, ringed in spears.

Territory acquired : Timberwood Apartment Building B. Territory level set to 18. Stats allocated.

Achievement Gained : First Path]

Ow. My head. I sorted through the messages as my skull throbbed and I tried to keep an eye out from my back porch. Well. It would be bad form to not keep Martha in the loop about what was happening. I tried to keep my voice down as I did so, though, and multitasked by running my hands and draining my Kindness mana into the plants I was keeping on my garden. First Path - which I checked instantly by the way - let me trade four of any other point for a path point, if I wanted to. Kind of a small thing, but then, I guess it wasn't as hugely critcial as winning ten thousand games of Netrunner.

[Skill improved : Gardening +1

Ability improved : Arcane Gardening +1]

“What does the territory do?” She asked me, and I checked, not realizing there was a whole extra menu open to me now. I flicked through greyed out options until eventually I realized that I could pull up the individual screen for the building we were now in. The one we ‘controlled’.

[Timberwood Apartment Building B : 18

Wealth : 1

Security : 2

Influence : 2

Arcana : 13]

“I have no idea what these numbers represent.” I admitted. “But… okay, it looks like they’re a sort of currency?” Yeah, there was definitely a way to move them to something else, if I willed it hard enough. “But I don’t know what to spend them *on*. Like, if I spend a point of security, can I get...I dunno, better locks on the doors?”

[Security : 1/2 - Entrance Reinforcement]

“Guess so.” I muttered, trying to pretend the incredibly loud clack I’d heard from multiple points around the apartment hadn’t just busted through my fear resistance to jump scare me.

Martha nodded. “Then we’ll need to add the rest of the buildings. Especially mine! It has all my cookbooks, and my good comforter. Do you think we should have the kids take leadership, or do you want to be our conquering hero?”

“What about you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, it left my list when I pledged to be your loyal follower.” She flapped a hand at me, and I grinned back at her.

“Alright then. Guess tomorrow, we worry about conquering an apartment complex.”

[Skill improved : Planning +1

Bond improved : Martha Giles +1]

|| Free Points ||

Skill : 42

Ability : 4

Path :

|| Resources ||

Calm : 24/24

Kindness : 26/40

Assistance : 1/1

Grit : 13/13

Stamina : 5/20

Vim : 14/16

|| Conditions ||

Despair : 0

|| Stats ||

Strength : 14

Toughness : 5

Balance : 10

Agility : 6

Dexterity : 5

Intelligence : 16

Cunning : 15

Control : 4

Perception : 8

Willpower : 13

Magic : 15

Charm : 9

Ego : 5

Empathy : 6

|| Skills ||

Observation : 6

-Deduction : 4

-Forethought : 6

-Listening : 5

-Taste : 3

-Scent : 1

Planning : 15

Bike : 3

Meditation : 12

Cleaning : 1

-Laundry : 1

-Dishwashing : 1

Gardening : 9

Farming : 1

Strategy : 2

-Wargames : 1

Bluff : 1

Etiquitte : 3

-Military : 2

-Community : 4

-

-

Animal Husbandry : 1

-Cat : 1

Knife : 7

Scavenging : 2

Dodge : 4

Punching : 3

Digging : 3

Climbing : 2

Leadership : 5

|| Abilities ||

Chanting : 3

-Cadence of Denial : 5

-Whisper of Remorse : 1

-

-

Arcane Gardening : 2

-Floral Connection : 1

Low-Light Vision : 6

Feline Grace : 2

Sharpening : 1

Analyze Heart : 7

Spell Adaptability : 1

Scab Acceleration : 1

Manual Labor : 4

Brachiation : 1

|| Techniques ||

The Claw Of The Clear Mind : 3

|| Magic ||

Compassionurgy : 7

-Lost and Found : 5

-Lorwyn's Smile : 10

-Banneret of Hope : 1

Sandshaping : 3

-Sandblast : 4

-Sandstone Rampart : 1

|| Philosophies ||

Optimism : 7

Nihilism : 3

Curiosity : 1

|| Connections ||

Zane Magnus : Lost

Dover Imperison : 6

Martha Giles : 7

Mark Harrigan : Lost

Katie Alfor : 2

|| Knowledge ||

Religion : 1

-Mormon : 1

|| Resistances ||

Food Poisoning : 1

Fear : 2

Social : 2

Puncture : 2

Glass : 1

|| Paths ||

The Way of Compassion : 7/25

Travel Preparations : 2/10

Acolyte's Steps : 6/20

Persuit of Unity : 1/100

Reaver's Trail : 0/50

|| Completed Paths ||

Leader

|| Achievements ||

The Practice of War

The Ascent Through The Natural

First Path

|| Ranks ||

Netrunner : 456,111 / 17,215,016

|| Territory ||

Timberwood Apartment Building B : 18

-Wealth : 1

-Security : 1/2 - Entrance Reinforcement

-Influence : 2

-Arcana : 13