Now that I knew what to listen for I could hear the rampaging lizard barely a half mile from my apartment as it did it’s grim work. The occasional blood curdling scream would echo out in the distance muffled by the walls around me and my head would turn to look into the kitchen. I decided to listen to what the little, blue, orb shaped AI had to offer. This thing needs a name.

“Alright, Veep. That’s what I’m going to call you. Let’s get on with this.”

“Oh! Thank you, this will definitely facilitate better communication.” She vibrated and spun in place for a moment, “designation, Veep, registered. Now, first I need you to bring up your status. You can do that by simply thinking about it. You can say it out loud too, but, sometimes the system will mistake it for a command given during a normal conversation. Enabling ‘directed thought’ commands generally eliminates that issue.”

Alright, let’s see what we’re working with here. Status.

As soon as I sent the thought through my mind an information panel popped up into my vision that provided me with some enlightening information about myself.

NAME: Karl Burnett AGE: 43

CLASS: ----------------

LEVEL: n/a, LLvl: 43

HEALTH: TBD

STAMINA: TBD

MANA: TBD

Current Effects:

Genetic Normalization In Progress. ETA 1:02:12

Gout: 0:0:34:13 -2 Agi

Pre-Diabetes: 0:0:41:21 -2 End

Morbid Obesity: 1:01:12 -1 Str -4 End - 2 Agi

Vision Correction: 0:00:05:36 -1 Per

Most of this stuff already looked familiar to me as issues my doctor had diagnosed years ago. The only thing interesting about the information was what I would call debuff timers. The most interesting of which was how closely the Morbid Obesity status timer mirrored the Genetic Normalization timer. Does that suggest that some obesity is actually genetic. Something for a scientist somewhere else to worry about. The attribute debuffs were more concerning to me and rather confusing considering I realized I felt better than I could recall. I could even tell my vision was far better than it had been for years.

“Veep, what’s with the negative attributes? I don’t feel much different. In fact, I’d say despite what that information is telling me I feel great.”

“Oh yeah, with the help of the Mana that has been saturating your body the Genetic Normalization process is working to correct any deficiencies, as I mentioned before. Your attributes have been distributed based on your previous life experiences though you can’t see this until you finish selecting a class. In fact, if you think of the word Messages or Notifications, you’ll find a few answers to your question.”

So this thing is absolutely reading my mind and sifting through my head. MESSAGES.

….. LIFE EXPERIENCE CALCULATIONS COMPLETED…..

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve been awarded 43 Free Attribute Points for reaching the age of 43 before system implementation!

Life Skills have been calculated and associated attribute points have been automatically distributed. Visit the SKILLS tab of your status menu for further information.

Life Abilities have been awarded based on accumulated Life Skill Experience ranks. Visit the ABILITIES tab of your status menu for further information.

GENETIC CORRECTION IN PROGRESS… VISIT STATUS SCREEN FOR CURRENT TIME REMAINING.

I did as the messages directed and thought Skills and found a blue screen with the image of a lock superimposed over the menu. When I tried to mentally force the issue I received a warning message.

SKILLS and ABILITIES currently locked until Class Selection is complete. Consult with your Virtual Private Assistant for further information.

Fine. “Veep, I’m locked out of my Skills and Abilities until I pick a class. How do I do that?”

The orb that contained Veep’s personality visibly vibrated in anticipation. “I can help with that. This is the best part I’m told. Give me a moment to sort your selections. While I do that take a look at your attributes.”

Before I could ask how to do that a list of attributes and their levels appeared before me.

STR: 35

PER: 121

END: 33

CHA: 7

INT: 66

AGI: 33

LCK: 3

WIS: 41

Huh? I’d have a better idea how these attributes line up if I knew what the human average was.

“Alright, how does this compare to the baseline example of humanity?” I asked the question bouncing around in my head, “And what do all of these attributes affect?”

“As to the first question you are well ahead of the game. Average starting attributes for humans start at about 10 across the board with an average variance of +-3. Your attributes would place you at the tail end of your Basic Class progression. And you haven’t even distributed your Free Attributes Points yet.”

“I see. My Perception is really high. What affects that?”

“Indeed, this attribute will make you a good ranged fighter, looking at your Skills I see you have been ranked rather high in Pistol Marksmanship and Rifle Marksmanship. You also served for a few years in your nation’s military so you received a one time bonus to your STR, END, PER, and AGI. So, I’ve selected some Classes that will compliment your current skill set and some that will bolster your weaknesses. Take a look.”

RIFLEMAN - Focuses on superior rifle marksmanship and squad combat tactics.

+1 Str, +1 Per, +3 Free Attribute Points every other level.

That one was a little too obvious but it certainly played to my strengths. Even more so were two very similar classes, the Gunfighter and the Gunslinger.

GUNFIGHTER - Focuses on skills related to fighting and dominating in various fields of battle with projectile weapons, offers both solo and group combat synergy.

+1 Per, +1 Agi, +3 Attribute Points every other level.

GUNSLINGER (MODERN) - Like the gunslinger duelists of the Wild West, though not solely relegated to the traditional revolver, and lever actions of the old era. The Gunslinger focuses on attacking quickly and accurately, eliminating single opponents while controlling the flow of battle.

+2 Per, +1 Agi, +2 Free Attribute Points every other level.

Both of these had their high points. On one hand I liked the idea of the Gunfighter and being able to control battlefields. On the other the Gunslinger just sounded cool as fuck. Two more class options caught my eye though, one was in line with my current occupation, the Lawman. The other was diametrically opposed to that, the Outlaw.

LAWMAN - One who stands as the enforcer of the established law of the land, and generally works for the betterment of the community they serve.

+1 End, +1 Agi, +3 Free Attribute Points every other level.

OUTLAW - One who stands outside the law, often working against its enforcers, acting on their whims and desires, sometimes they work within a code of honor, and sometimes they pursue only anarchy. Regardless, they do what they want and refuse to answer to any standing authority.

+1 Per, +2 Agi, +2 Free Attribute Points every other level.

While I had been discussing my new reality with Veep I had been mindlessly flicking through the hundreds of Youtube videos of people fighting, running, and dying from the sudden appearance of monsters and creatures of various sizes and compositions. What disturbed me more was how people within designated safe zones had quickly turned on each other. It was like COVID all over again but cranked up by a factor of 10.

Then the news reports and the declarations by world leaders came rolling in. Some blamed the monster attacks on each other and vowed retaliation. Others made promises of military intervention within their own borders to stem the tide of blood that now flowed through the streets of the largest cities. Hell, my own backyard! What became completely apparent was that law and order had essentially broken down in the span of about two hours. If law and order were a person falling from the sky you’d have broken your neck trying to keep up with how fast they fell.

Something inside me seemed to latch onto the Outlaw. My brain churned through the logic. Law and Order was essentially dead. The military wasn’t going to be of much help, from the short videos I saw, every military base in the world was getting absolutely crushed by massive hordes of monsters and sometimes even the occasional fairy tale dragon. I had an inkling of the reason for that but it didn’t matter much at this point. What was that quote? “Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

Yeah, that sounds right. “Alright Veep, I’ve decided, I choose Outlaw for my class.”

“Alright, done!”

Congratulations! Your basic class is now Outlaw! You have gained +1 Perception, +2 Agility, and +2 Free distributable attribute points.

I suddenly felt the changes the system had been making to my attributes take root. I felt stronger and more agile. If I focused I could hear the screams of men and women dying on the highway or the out of time buzz of the refrigerator. I could smell the blood in the air and the months old bite of chicken that got away and fell under the table out of reach.

“Now that that’s set, take a moment to look at your Skills and Abilities.”

I did as she directed and looked over a dizzyingly long list of Skills that I had earned from 43 years of living. Every significant thing I had ever done was quantified in some way by the system. And all the skills had ranks that conferred varying bonuses to my attributes. My skills varied from completely mundane Cooking (Intermediate) to those which coincided with the Bachelor’s in Art Science I earned like Color Theory (Advanced). And then there were the military related ones, I had only spent four years on active duty but the system quantified all the knowledge I had gained from that short but not insignificant time of my life. I was a ‘tanker’ in the Army so the skills relating to that profession made sense. Armor Crewman (Intermediate), Armored Vehicle Maintenance (Intermediate), and so on. All contributed a few points here and there to my attributes to form the whole of what the System believed me to be.

My stand out Skills were Pistol Marksmanship (Expert) and Rifle Marksmanship (Advanced). I then I finished reading the class selection notification and reviewed the skills and abilities it granted.

You have been granted the following Skills:

Silent Movement (Basic) +1 Agi

Ability to move silently, 25% reduction of sound while moving

Keen Observation (Basic) +1 Per

You see details that others do not, 10% Increased chance to detect hidden objects, persons, or other things of interest.

Cold Blooded Intellect (Basic) +1 Int

Using knowledge of the world you identify strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. Applying that knowledge you are able to stay one step ahead of them.

You have been granted the following Abilities:

BRUTAL STRIKE - A physical attack that does increased damage that can cause various effects depending on where the attack lands on your target.

STEELY GLARE - With but a look you engage in a contest of Will with your opponent, potential to cause fear if you win a direct Will check. (Must be able to look in an opponent’s eyes.)

I then thought about looking at the full list of abilities I had and one presented itself to me complete with tables that described how the ability worked, how much it cost to use, and if it was on a cooldown or not.

LIFE/OTHER ABILITIES

TYPE

COST

DURATION

COOLDOWN

Steady Shot (Rifle Basic)

Toggle

10 Stamina/ second

N/A

N/A

Controlled Bursts (Rifle Intermediate)

Active

50 Stamina

20 seconds

N/A

Selective Ammo (Rifle Advanced)

Active

50 Mana

N/A

N/A

Crippling Shots (Pistol Basic)

Active

50 Stamina

15 seconds

30 seconds

Mag Dump (Pistol Intermediate)

Active

75 Stamina

N/A

N/A

Crack Shot (Pistol Advanced)

Active

100 Stamina

N/A

2 minutes

Vital Aim (Pistol Expert)

Active

150 Stamina

N/A

5 minutes

My two class abilities were listed in another table and as I already received the cliff notes on those I perused my life abilities for a moment. Steady Shot seemed like it improved my overall aim while moving and reduced the effects of recoil. Controlled Bursts allowed me to fire rifles quickly without recoil or aiming penalties. Selective Ammo was the really interesting one, its description indicated that I could imbue my rounds with Mana to impart one of four different effects, Penetrating, Explosive, Plasma, and Shock. Shock rounds seemed to be a non lethal option. Overall I was fairly pleased with my rifle abilities.

My pistol abilities didn’t disappoint either. Crippling Shots lasted for 15 seconds and made it so all of my rounds had a chance to inflict status effects based on where they hit the target. Mag Dump actually got me kind of excited, it reduced recoil by 50% while rapidly emptying my magazine into a target. Crack Shot seemed to indicate it couldn’t be stopped from hitting its target regardless of dodge or defense ability. And finally Vital Aim was literally a one shot ability. It had a chance to instantly kill a target if the attack struck ‘life critical areas’. Meaning hearts and minds. Even if it didn’t grant an instant kill it did 400% damage. The drawback was the long cooldown, which honestly seemed fair in light of what it was capable of.

“Alright, I think I’m ready to distribute my free points.” I had already been looking at the numbers and what they affected. “Any advice?”

“Yes, your Perception is your best attribute and it directly affects your damage output with all those guns you own. Agility allows you to better manipulate them, and Strength and Endurance combine to increase your stamina which is what all of your abilities use to activate. I’d leave Intelligence and Wisdom alone for the meantime as they are already rather high and you don’t have much need for them. I would boost Charisma to 10 as anything less will get you attacked on site in some cultures. Oh, don’t worry about Luck, it’s function is the least understood of the System.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s rather nebulous, there’s been adventurers with high luck that actually have the worst shit happen to and around them, and then those who have 1 point in the attribute constantly winning the lottery and surviving encounters that even an Ascendent Classer would have trouble getting out of unscathed. While no one can agree on its function, all sane beings agree that it’s a waste of points.”

With that information in hand I proceeded to distribute my free points. When I was done I went from this,

HP: 680

ST: 330

MA: 540

STR: 35

PER: 122

END: 33

CHA: 7

INT: 67

AGI: 34

LCK: 3

WIS: 41

To this,

HP: 950

ST: 450

MA: 560

STR: 50

PER: 122

END: 45

CHA: 10

INT: 71

AGI: 50

LCK: 3

WIS: 41

“Alright, I think I’m done.” I said out loud even though I had already determined I didn’t need to. Veep was seemingly wired directly into my brain and knew everything I was thinking. Fortunately, she made it clear that as long as my actions resulted in our further survival she didn’t have much of an opinion on what I did. She was literally an unbiased helper.

“That’s good, Karl, because something’s coming.”