Stevo grabbed his wallet off the kitchen table as he walked to the door, the pizza delivery guy having just knocked. A large meat feast pizza and a bottle of cola. Perfect. He passed the guy a couple of notes, took the food, and prodded the door closed with his foot as he turned towards the living room. Just as Stevo deposited his pizza on the coffee table, the doorbell went again. A confused Stevo, trying to work out what the delivery guy had forgotten, opened the door to find Debbie waiting there, grinning.
"Did you smell the pizza or something?" joked Stevo as he waved Deb inside.
"No, but I can now!". Replied Deb laughing as she opened the box and inhaled deeply.
"Meat Feast! Delicious! I was worried you might be one of those freaks who like pineapple!"
"Pineapple is great, but not on a pizza.". Responded Stevo handing Debbie a plate and pouring her a glass of cola.
They ate their first slices in a companionable silence, before Stevo started the conversation.
"That was an interesting mission today. Did you level up?"
"Sure did! Level 3 now! I didn't spend my points yet though. What about you?"
"Level 2, a bit behind you, but I'm working at it. I didn't spend the points yet either. After talking to Kahlil about unlocking magical abilities, I am probably going to put my points into intelligence to get that done."
"I was think of that too, but I also want to improve my charisma. I think being the sort of person people will listen to and follow is going to be important before long."
Stevo nodded his agreement, and took a sip of his cola.
"I'm going back to do another mission in the morning, I will spend my points on intelligence to unlock mana sense. I am keen see what magic I can perform."
"Do you think it will give us access to magical items from the shops? Asked Deb, between bites.
"Good question. I haven't seen any for sale so far, my guess is that they are hidden by the system until we can use them."
They went back to silently eating, each of them lost in their own thoughts, before long, the pizza was finished, the empty box ripped into pieces and put in the recycling. Stevo couldn't help it, he started chuckling.
"What's funny?" A confused Deb asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I just realized how pointless recycling this cardboard is, knowing what we do about the next year or two."
Debbie grinned, shaking her head as she did so.
"You're twisted Stevo, you know that right?"
"Absolutely, I must be mad as I am kicking you, a pretty girl, out, so that I can go to bed. Some of us still have to work tomorrow! I'll get you a taxi."
"Hurry up and quit! You really do have better things to do."
"I will, just a few more weeks. I want to use the money to buy supplies. Hopefully Kahlil finds a decent place for us to use as a base. Going to need somewhere for storage at least."
Stevo gave Debbie a hug, and a light kiss on the cheek, as she stepped out of the door and headed for the blue Toyota taxi that was waiting by the kerb.
A few minutes later, as he brushed his teeth, Stevo's phone buzzed. A message from Debbie.
"Thx for the Pizza. Goodluck tomorrow. I hope it is magical! ;)"
He typed a quick reply:
"Thx for the company. Will let you know if I have any new tricks!"
Stevo quickly sent the message, before climbing into bed and closing his eyes.
----------------
Kahlil smiled to himself as he read the advert on his laptop. His smile only grew as he continues to read. This would be ideal! A large, 5 bedroomed, three bathroomed, detached house, a few miles west of town. It came with a couple of acres of land, a greenhouse, a shed, and a double garage. There was a small stream to the rear of the property. The price was a little higher than he wanted to pay, but he had a trick up his sleeve that would cover a decent deposit. His credit was good, and by putting a large deposit down getting a mortgage would be straightforward. He wondered if Stevo and Debbie had discovered that you could pull your coins out of your inventory here on Earth? The gold coins were bullion grade, he'd had one tested a while back, before selling it for two grand at an auction. He had another eighty of them that he could use, although he had enough cash on hand that he'd probably only need to sell around a dozen. He would spread them around a few auctions and gold buyers to reduce suspicion, even if it cost him a few thousand along the way.
Time to set things in motion.
-------------
A loud buzzing coming from his bedside table woke Stevo. A text from Kahlil.
"Meet me at gym after work, something to show you."
Stevo frowned, he'd hoped to do a mission straight after work. Work. Ugh. Fuck it, I'm taking a sickie. His motivation was at rock bottom. Knowing he was going to quit, and that it was likely that at least some of his colleagues would be dead in a matter of months, did little to boost his enthusiasm.
He started tapping away on his phone screen.
"Not going into work, jobs to do, will be a little earlier."
He sent to Kahlil.
"Upset stomach, taking personal day, but will check emails."
That would keep Heather off his back. He'd long ago learned that if you tell your work you have an upset stomach, they don't tend to question it. If they do ask questions, oversharing by saying something like, 'It's coming out of both ends' kills the discussion stone dead!
Stevo pulled up his status screen and dumped the three available points he had into intelligence. Immediately he unlocked two new attributes.
Mana Sense was described as "The ability to sense and manipulate mana to create magical effects." Which seemed straightforward enough. Mana was best described as the amount of magical energy available for use. It would regenerate slowly over time, but could be replenished more rapidly using certain potions, or eating and drinking certain items.
Time to check the shop and see what his coins could get him. Something magical perhaps? Sure enough, there was a new section unlocked, "Magical items and Spells". Stevo had desperately wanted a new weapon since he started, but perhaps a magical item would be a better way to deal more damage.
There were a couple of things for sale that got his attention. A "Ring of Learning" , that gave a 5% experience boost (rounded up) would certainly be useful, but the one gold coin price tag was out of his range for the moment. The other item was a spell, "Shocking Spark" which fired a spark of electrical energy, shocking an opponent on contact. There was a cost of five mana per use. Stevo could afford this, just. It would leave him poor however, costing five silver coins. After a brief hesitation, he made the purchase.
Now to replenish his finances! Time to find a job.
Option 1. A large group of cyclops are harassing traveller's on the outskirts of Thorny Bridge. Join a group to drive them away.
Danger: High. Reward: 1 silver, 5 copper 40xp
Option 2. Escort a cargo of beer from Thorny Bridge to Drebun.
Danger: Moderate. Reward 1 Silver, 30xp
Option 3. Act as a security guard at a wearhouse in Thorny Bridge.
Danger: Low. Reward 5 copper, 50% chance of a mystery item. 20xp.
Thorny Bridge is a new location, I wonder if it's available now I have some magic skills? Steve considered all the options. It was a Cyclops that nearly did Debbie in, he wanted no part of that right now! The escort mission could be dull, or deadly. There was an element of chance involved that he didn't like. The third option, acting as a security guard also had that random element involved, but the system clearly thought it was an easier option. The possibility of getting an item was interesting. Even if he didn't get the item, a handful of copper coins and a little XP for doing practically nothing appealed to him. He made his choice.
Stevo (Citizen)
Level 2
Experience (XP) 4/70
Intelligence 17
Strength 13
Stamina 11
Agility / Dexterity 11
Luck 14
Charisma 9
Mana Sense 3
Mana 14
Health 50/50
Skills: Flee Danger level 1.
Spells: Shocking Spark
Items:
Basic Clothing
Simple Backpack
Wooden Club
Minor Potion of Healing x1
5 Copper
