Lair by Carl Stubblefield (recommended reading TXT) 📕

limited by the bulkiness of the domed visor but from what he could tell, the outside of the suit was seamless.

“That’s odd, I don’t remember it being like that in the escape pod. Do I have to push something internally to remove the suit?” he muttered, and in reply, there was a brief vibration throughout the suit, like he’d just received a text message.

Do you want to remove suit? (Y/N)

“Yes!”

You must complete the tutorial before continuing without the support of suit failsafes. Do you want to begin the tutorial now? (Y/N)

“Not really,” he said flatly.

The message didn’t change, ignoring his reply.

There’s always one more thing. Gus rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Ok… if I must,” he muttered.

Would you prefer text or a verbal interface during the tutorial?

“Verbal, if it speeds up the process. I’m too tired to keep reading, plus these blue windows keep blocking my vision.”

A heavily autotuned voice began to speak:

“Acknowledged. Assembling Nanobot Interface Construct, reviewing a suitable framework based on scan history…

“Collating memories…

“Personal preferences…

“Evaluation complete. Assessing suitable mentor framework…

“Miyagi, Pennyworth, Xavier, Merlin, Dumbledore, Yoda, Picard, Morpheus…

“Selection complete.

“Initial Nanobot Interface Construct will be patterned after Alfred Pennyworth.

“Evolution set at level 10.”

“Good morning, sir, how may I help you—” the same synthetic voice began, this time without accompanying text on his display.

“If you’re going to pretend to be Alfred, can you at least do the accent?”

“Indeed, sir, is this more to your liking?” the voice replied in a crisp British accent.

“Hells yes, that would’ve become annoying in no time. Should I call you Alfred?”

“I am not actually Alfred, but mimic his mannerisms and patterns of speech in order to acquaint and assist you with your new nanobot interface. I am a construct, and as such will respond to whatever you deign to call me.”

“Well Nanobot Interface Construct is too much of a mouthful, how about Nick? Easier than saying N-I-C, or nanobot-blah-blah.”

“That is suitable,” Nick assured.

Gus put his hands on his hips and tried to assess the mess he had gotten into this time. It was kind of depressing how he managed to keep getting into these types of situations. His grandfather had nicknamed him Mr. Magoo because of his propensity to get into trouble and stress everyone out, yet somehow arrive unscathed in the end. Maybe it was related to his special skill. But things were different now. Now he could actually make a change; he wasn’t stuck like he was before. Gus’ stomach growled again for him to get on task.

“Let’s get on with this stupid tutorial. What is it, and why do I have to do anything before you will finally allow me to take off this annoying thing?” Gus growled, his impatience growing. He was eager to get started, but this felt like another hoop he had to jump through. Not to mention how his temper was flaring the hungrier he became.

“I do apologize; this is built into the programming of the suit. I cannot speak to all the intentions of the maker, but in simplest terms, you are in tutorial mode. One intent of this mode is to familiarize you with the leveling system, as well as stat increases. Understanding how this process is facilitated by the nanobots embedded in the various body systems will allow you to work symbiotically to unlock more abilities. Once you have shown competency in this process, the suit can open and you will have the opportunity to progress and develop new abilities, uncover latent ones, and maximize the full utility of nanobot assistance on your own. Locking the suit is a failsafe to protect the host from various types of exposure until the host is able to begin synchronization with nanobots. Your situation precluded the typical transition time, and you will need to finish the tutorial more quickly than usual.”

Some of Gus’ frustration drained away at understanding there was a logical reason for the suit to be locked on, but it still was a major hassle.

“What do I have to do then, Nick?” Gus asked, resigned to his fate.

“It is 11:36 AM. Sunset is at 7:45 PM today. I recommend you focus on shelter, food, and later find a way to protect yourself from possible predators or unfriendlies. This will be vastly facilitated by your new abilities and give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the interface.” A ding sounded.

First Objective: Lose the Suit

Objective Conditions:

1) Familiarize yourself with the display and interface

2) Find suitable shelter

3) Find 3 sources of food

Objective Rewards: 500 XP.

Points to next level: 500 XP.

Do you want to accept this objective? (Y/N)

“Yes. But can we change the objective notice to a quest notice? Just to make it more familiar.”

“I don’t see why not; the interface can be adapted to personal preferences. This change will be in effect for all further objectives.”

“Let’s get started then. What are these bars? Are they like health and mana bars in a video game?”

“Precisely. They are the simplest way to conceptualize and quantify what you experience in reality now. Red is—”

“Health, green is endurance or stamina, and blue is mana, I’m assuming?”

“Mana or psionic energy, however you choose to classify it, that is all semantics. It is basically energy available for your special abilities. By default, it can be referred to as MP, and you can always change it later in the settings.”

Gus played around with various windows and screens. He was able to bring up a table of his stats:

Agility: 7/?

Constitution: 6/?

Charisma: 7/?

Strength: 6/?

Perception: 9/?

Intelligence: 10/?

Luck: 5/?

“I knew I had bad luck! No wonder my life has been so rough. What’s up with all the question marks after my stats?”

“That indicates an ability you already possess, whose access and potential are currently locked somehow. If you direct your attention here, you will find more information as you evolve and grow.” Different tabs began to be highlighted, indicating where to look next.

Gus rifled through the skills section, where only one ability was unlocked: Wreck-less (Level 1).

Wreck-less: This skill dramatically increases the durability of used items, weapons and