Once upon a time, there was a useless Damsel that needed saving. After being saved, they sat in their ruined tower and rolled for Traits—

“Just give me the damn Traits, System!”

Rolling…

You have 3 Tier 1 Traits

Dashing Hero

Mighty Savior

Resilient Rescuer

Dashing Hero

Effect: movement buffs are 25% more effective

Cost: 5 TP

Mighty Savior

Effect: strength buffs are 25% more effective

Cost: 5 TP

Resilient Rescuer

Effect: Defensive buffs are 25% more effective

Cost: 5 TP

Hmm. Those were useful? Potentially? 25% increases seemed good, but what good were percentage boosts if his Class was useless.

He read over the System’s words again—a useless Damsel.

Michael clenched his fists, causing his arm to throb. Dammit!

~<>~<>~

Steven stared at Buford.

The dog stared back.

“You, my four-legged friend, have just become scarily strong.”

“Roof.”

“Indeed. I guess that’s the difference between a rare and uncommon Class. Well, and Skills. Hand-Shield is much stronger now, but you essentially gained another Skill from Jugger-Hounds level 5 bonus. That’s wild. And amazing, since it’s going to help keep us alive.”

“Roof.”

“I’m glad you agree.”

“I’m off cooldown,” Margie called from the ruined kitchen. The coffee pot had remarkably survived, and the old woman had quickly brewed herself a cup.

“Right!” Steven said with a clap. He was still a little tired, but the level-up had given him enough energy to keep going.

Micheal’s arm was probably broken. He had injured it flying through the window, but gaining a Class had healed him enough to move around without gasping at every motion.

He didn’t want to stay here alone, which Steven couldn’t blame him for. So he had opted to go with them.

Their Skill points were spent, what Traits they could buy were bought, which was none, and their one cooldown was refreshed. It was time to enter the manor.

~<>~<>~

The sky was just as dark and ominous as before. He could even see a few lightning strikes in the distance. And one struck far too close for comfort. They were a couple hundred yards from the manor when a bolt of lightning slammed down on its massive coil.

The device seemed to suck the lightning into it like a giant straw.

They all blinked at that. Micheal sighed. “Chances are that powers something we’re going to have to fight.”

Margie nodded. “Almost definitely.”

Steven sighed. “Yeah.”

Nothing attacked them on their way to the manor. That wasn’t to say the night was quiet. Screams still sounded in the distance, but these were far enough away that Steven had to grit his teeth and keep going.

The best way to help everyone was to end the scenario.

They made it to the manor's front door, easily eight feet tall and made from thick brown wood streaked through with dark iron. It was closer to a castle gate than a conventional door.

“So…what now?” Margie asked.

“We could try knocking?”

She gave Steven a look, but Micheal shrugged and knocked.

…Nothing.

“Well, I’m out of ideas.”

Margie sighed. “So far, this has been all game-like, right?” They nodded. “Well, don’t levels usually have solutions? People wouldn’t play something that just dead ends you.”

Steven nodded and looked at the door with new eyes. He had been looking at everything like an action-rpg, but there was no reason to assume the System wouldn’t throw puzzles at them.

Walking around the manor wasn’t an option. The trees went right up to the manors edge, and they weren’t the kind of things he wanted to navigate in the dark.

Steven glanced at the door again, and something caught his eye. The lines of metal running through it all led to the handle.

“This whole scenario has had an electric theme, along with the Biopunk. You think all the metal running through the door is a siphon, like the one on the roof?”

Micheal nodded. “Could work as a key once charged? Worth a shot.”

Margie turned to Buford. “Well, I was going to buff him as soon as we got inside anyway. Alright, sixteen minutes, starting now.” Her hand glowed crimson as she laid it on Buford’s head.

The change was immediate, rippling through the dog in a wave.

He grew in every direction, mostly the same as before, if maybe a little bigger. But the crimson light pouring off the dog noticeably thickened. It hung off him like a thick curtain. And around his head and neck, the crimson changed to a bright, crackling yellow.

“Bite the door handle, boy.”

Buford walked up to the handle and gently bit it.

Micheal frowned. “That dog is either unreasonably well trained or unreasonably smart.”

Steven chuckled. “A bit of both.”

“I didn’t have much to do in my old age, so I got really into dog training. And Buford here is a little bafflingly smart.”

As Buford bit the handle, a spark traveled from the yellow energy around his jaws and rushed into the door. Every line of dark metal lit up and started pulsing.

They all took a few steps back. The pulsing sped up until a steady thrum filled the air.

Then there was a click, and the door swung inward.

“Well, I guess we solved the puzzle.”

Steven glanced at Micheal. “Mind trying your Skill?”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

Steven didn’t feel any different.

Micheal frowned. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. The Skill feels…asleep. I don’t think I can wait for a half-hour after the rescue.”

Steven shrugged. “Makes sense. It would be broken if you could store up the buffs in advance. Since it sounds like part of what keeps your buff balanced is its weird conditions.“

Micheal frowned. “You're assuming that the boosts are actually strong.”

“True, but it is a rare Class. Margie is making a great case for why that matters.”

Micheal just nodded and turned to the door.

They all readied themselves, then with Buford in the lead, they slowly walked into the Mad Doctor’s manor.