Chapter 5: Tutorial

Chapter 5: Tutorial

[Mai] Selene finally said after a minute. [It would be best if we get somewhere secure to make further plans.]

The glowing shield over the solid metal doors hummed at me. It didnt make sense. There was no sign of damage showing that Anathema had tried to enter the shelter. So why? Why was it active?

They activated the emergency shield, I thought to her numbly. Why would they do that?

[It is not unheard of for people to panic and override the automated systems to engage it,] Selene answered somberly. [The shield is very powerful, something that only incredibly strong Anathema could breach. Knowing this, they think it is better safe than sorry to turn the shield on, even if it does potentially condemn any survivors outside the shelter.]

She... wasnt wrong. I mean, every drill wed done at school, they made a point of saying the emergency shield was impenetrable, and would only come down with the deactivation code.

Which was why nobody was supposed to turn the shield on manually, especially when the shelters were specifically designed to be able to let stragglers in without endangering anyone. The entrances were like airlocks, two sets of reinforced doors with a room between them. That way, if people arrived after the Usurpation began and the entrance shut, the first set of doors could be opened to let people in. Then they would close, and the interior ones would open to let people inside.

But now that the shield was enabled, nobody would be getting in or out.

Theres nothing I can do as a Magical Girl? I asked, a dull buzz in my head.

[No, not without the codes. They are automatically generated and sent to Guardian command when a shield is activated. It stops Magical Guardians from arbitrarily attempting to rescue groups of survivors without authorization or a plan to properly evacuate the people inside.]

I see I stared at the doors in silence.

[Mai, I know this is difficult, but we should move,] Selene said, her voice soft. [Brian is getting scared.]

I stiffened, looking behind me. Brain was a few steps behind where Id collapsed in front of the door. His eyes were wide and confused as he clutched his action figure to his chest. He was shaking as he stared at me. I cursed at myself silently, standing up and wiping the wetness from my cheeks.

Hey, come here, I said, gesturing. He ran up, throwing his arms around me in a tight hug.

Why arent they opening the door? he asked me. Whats that glowy thing?

They must have had an emergency, I told him, hugging him back tightly. It means theyre safe, but were going to need to find somewhere else to hide.

But I dont want to be out here anymore! he cried, pulling away to look at me. I want Mommy and Daddy!

I felt myself start choking up, and so I cleared my throat before I continued.

I know. But dont worry. I protected you from one of those things already, right? Ill definitely do it again. Besides, we have your lucky charm with us now, dont we?

He didnt seem entirely convinced, but he still managed a hesitant nod. I gave a weak smile, standing and pulling him along as I left, stopping only to pick up my ice axe from where Id dropped it on the ground. We started back down the hallway with the stairwell and room with the security-only sign. Selene was standing in front of it, staring at us. I almost tried to cover Brians eyes to hide her until I remembered that even when manifested, she was invisible to anyone she didnt want to see her.

[This room is unlocked and empty,] Selene said. [It would make a good spot to hide while I give you the introductory tutorial to your new powers. I do not believe we will be able to make it much longer without encountering more Anathema, and so you must be prepared.]

I swallowed, the thought sending a shiver through my body. I gave Selene a nod and made my way to the room.

The door opened, leading into what looked like a break room of some sort, illuminated in the red emergency lights like the rest of the mall. There were vending machines, a couch, and a small coffee table with chairs around it. There was another doorway leading into a room filled with monitors and a third leading to what looked like a small bathroom.

I closed the door behind us as we entered, and Brian let go of my hand to run over to the couch. The door had a lock on it that I turned, but I decided to move the coffee table in front of it, too, just in case. With that done, I let out a sigh. It wasnt much, but somehow the lock and barricade made me feel better.

[Serviceable,] Selene said, and I turned to see her sitting on the chair in the monitor room, looking at me. [We should have plenty of time to go through the tutorial here, which we will need because weve reached the limit of instant telepathy. From now on, my words will be coming to you in real time, as if we are speaking normally. If you would get settled, we can begin immediately.]

Selene I trailed off, struggling to arrange my thoughts. I just risked my life and almost died just to get to my only hope of safety and find it sealed off. Im tired, angry, and I have no idea what the hell Im supposed to do next. My only plan was to get to the shelter, and now Ive got nothing.

[I understand,] she replied in a soothing tone. [Things are not ideal, but there is another option: We head to one of the other shelters in the building. This mall was designed knowing there would be many people on every level, which means each floor has a shelter. I would suggest we attempt for one of those after you have outfitted yourself.]

I sighed. She was right, but the feeling of having my hope crushed still lingered in my chest. Still it wasnt over yet. Brian was relying on me, and if I did nothing, both of us would die. There was no other option but to keep moving forward.

I took a deep breath, nodding to myself as I turned to Brian. He was curled up on the couch, playing with his action figure.

Brian, Im going into that room for a bit, I said, pointing to the monitor room. Ill keep the door open, so come in if you need me. If you, uh, hear me talking to myself, ignore me. I just make plans better when I talk out loud.

He gave me a nod, but didnt really seem to be paying attention too much. The blank look in his eyes was shell-shocked, and I didnt blame him. I walked into the monitor room, setting my backpack down even as Selene gave up the chair for me, jumping onto the desk in front of the blank monitor screens.

Alright, I whispered, making a conscious note to keep my voice down for the rest of the conversation. Lets go through this tutorial then, if it means Ill be able to take on Anathema afterwards.

[It will most certainly help, especially considering we have skipped many aspects of being a Magical Girl that should have been dealt with already.] Selene said. [The tutorial itself is mostly a lot of information on your new capabilities, and it covers quite a few topics. Luckily, you already have a basic understanding of the special mechanics involved that will greatly assist your growth.]

Mechanics? I asked. What do you mean?

[You observed earlier that certain aspects of being a Magical Guardian were similar to things you have experienced playing video games. This is not a coincidence. As humans are an unattuned race and cannot access magic normally through willpower alone, the Zenith developed an advanced piece of Magitech to give humans access. This device is called a Soul Gem. During the contract ceremony, it was teleported into your brain and attached. As a side note, it is also where I now reside.]

You teleported a piece of technology into my brain!? I interrupted with a furious whisper, eyes bulging.

[Indeed! I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. There has yet to be a fatality from the process. At any rate, more information about the Soul Gem can wait until later. What you need to know right now is that you have access to magic through an interface specifically designed with humans in mind. This interface is designed to translate many aspects of using magic into a familiar medium. Without further ado, would you please think of the word Status while putting a measure of will into the thought?]

Status? I tried, still trying to process the whole teleported into your brain bit of information.

STATUS

Name: Mai Kuroki

Alias: None

Level: 1

Points: 130

Health: 73%

Mana: 162/300 (5/Min)

BASIC

Origin: [Hidden]

Aspect: [Hidden]

Class: Locked

Signature: Unawakened

STATISTICS

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Vitality: 10

Agility: 10

First Aid Vault (Common) None None

[...When you earn enough experience, you Level Up. This gives you 10 stat points to spend on your Statistics however you wish. Well get to those soon. Health and Mana track the overall healthiness of your body and your magical energy. Your health is still recovering, but should reach your current maximum soon. Speaking of health, you should swallow the Greater Restoration Gum now. It will still function just as well being dissolved by your stomach, and I imagine the flavor has gone flat.]

Oh. So it had. I swallowed the gum, immediately missing the cozy sensation it had sent through me.

[Skipping the Basic section for now,] Selene continued, [we have Statistics. They do not represent your normal physical abilities, but rather how much of a boost you gain after you do your transformation sequence. By raising these Stats, you will grow stronger. Please note: when you are not transformed, only a small fraction of these stats apply. While it still can be a noticeable boost, it will never reach the superhuman levels of your transformed state.]

I wanted to ask what transforming was exactly. I mean, Id seen the infamous magical girl transformation sequence in shows before, where light surrounded the girl and clothed them in cute outfits, but I was curious to know what it meant in reality. How did it work, why did it happen, and would my previous clothes really just disappear before my outfit materialized on me? Those and a dozen other questions bubbled up inside of me. Remembering Selenes reaction earlier, though, I instead just chose to give her a tip of my head to keep going.

[The stats are as follows: Strength determines your physical strength and damage with strength aligned items.

Dexterity determines your finesse with various things, how well you move, how graceful you are, and your damage with Dexterity aligned items. Your speed slightly increases as well as you become more proficient in moving the most effective way possible.

Vitality is how much health you have, how sturdy you are, and your physical resistances.

Agility determines how quickly you move and your reaction time.

Willpower determines the raw power of your spells, your resistance to hostile magic, and the size of your mana pool. Every point in Willpower adds 10 maximum mana.

Spirit determines your finesse over spells, meaning how quickly you can cast them, how much you can modify or aim them, how well they penetrate through magic resistance, and your mana regeneration rate. Every point in Spirit adds five mana regeneration per minute.]

Selene stopped, giving me a moment to mull the explanations over.

Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality were all what I expected to see from my experience with games. Agility was interesting though, as it increased speed and reaction time. I suppose it made sense, as reaction time would be necessary for someone as their own speed increased to beyond what humans could normally process.

Willpower was basically Strength and Vitality rolled together except only for magic, and Spirit was the same way but Dexterity and Agility combined. I was slightly surprised there werent more stats governing magic considering I was a Magical Girl, but I wasnt going to argue. More condensed stats meant less agonizing on what to spend my level up points on.

[Next, we have Permissions. The Grimoire and Vault section shows what you have spent points to gain access to. Grimoires and Vaults can be viewed as catalogs for magical spells and physical items respectively. You must unlock them to first buy the items they contain, just as you did with the First Aid Vault (Common). The (Common) tag indicates its rarity as the first of eight tiers, each tier providing a selection of better items or spells but also costing more.]

What are the other tags?

[Common is first, then Rare, Masterwork, Arcane, Legendary, Mythic, Ascendant, and finally Divine. There is also a second set of tags used for more esoteric items. The Arcane System, while useful, also has some oddities. Magic is not something that can be entirely codified or neatly labeled, and as such, the System sometimes does surprising things in its translations. The esoteric rarities are used to help label such idiosyncrasies.]

I resisted a frown. It didnt fill me with confidence that I was placing my life in the hands of something that had what even the Zenith considered oddities, especially when they were the ones who made the thing.

[The next section is your Abilities and Augments, together commonly referred to as your Skills. Slightly different from spells, Abilities do exactly what they prescribe without being able to be modified. They can cost mana to use or have a cooldown period before they can be used again. Augments are the passive or toggleable versions of abilities, constantly being active. Each Augment takes away from your total mana regeneration rate, even when not in use. You can have a total of seven Abilities and seven Augments, but acquiring them is slightly different. They are only unlocked through raising your level, your class level, or the corresponding stat requirements. Many require a combination, and once unlocked, they must also be purchased with points.]

Can I see the requirements of them in advance? I asked, wondering how far I could plan ahead.

[Only on the most basic, well known Skills,] Selene replied. [The System keeps most Abilities and Augments hidden until the person has either unlocked them or is simply missing stat requirements. The Zenith have attempted to patch this quirk, but have been unsuccessful. There are information brokers who specialize in collecting such knowledge and selling it. As such, it can be quite lucrative to sell any details should you acquire a rarer Skill.]

I nodded as I glanced back at my status menu, frowning.

Um Ive been meaning to ask, but whats with the creepy looking red text in the Grimoire and Vault section? And why do I have a Unique Augment Available, for that matter?

[Unfortunately,] Selene sighed. [Those both have to do with the Basic section that we skipped. Well get to that in a second. Back on Abilities and Augments, know that both have levels of their own that increase through use. Their max level is limited by either your level, or your class level.]

I squirmed. I really was getting curious now about some of the things we were skipping, and seeing two entries on my status menu with colored text bugged me. It made something inside me itch not knowing.

[Finally, your Inventory lists any weapons or equipment you have purchased and currently have on you. Other than the Basic section, that concludes the status menu. I should note that you can customize how your status menu appears at any time, as well as create additional sub-menus. Any questions on what we have covered so far?]

Having none but the ones Id already expressed, I shook my head.

[As for the Basic section let me simply say that I have hidden both your Origin and Aspect as knowing them will only cause further questions that we simply do not have the time to properly explore. Both are very important and have far-reaching implications, but I truly believe it is in your best interests to simply skip the explanations on them for now. Is this acceptable with you? I do not relish the idea of hiding information, and if you insist, I will reveal them and their meanings to you.]

Selene seemed sincere in her words, and I watched as her tails twitched slightly, almost in nervousness. I thought about it for a second before giving a gradual nod.

I think its okay for now, I said the words slowly, still trying to decipher my own feelings as well. But maybe only because you told me? I think because you said you were hiding something but explained why you were doing it, Im okay with it? It worries me that it seems to be a big deal, but well, youre supposed to be the expert. It would be kind of stupid not to trust your judgement, I guess.

Selene gave me a deep, relieved nod.

[What I can tell you about them is that they provide bonuses. For you, your Origin gave you a special Grimoire. While you cannot currently use it due to the issues I am keeping from you, it will undoubtedly provide an invaluable edge in the future. As for your Aspect, it gave you a Unique Augment that we can explore momentarily. The next field, Class, is locked until you reach level 10. Class refers to your combat style, and choosing one gives you bonuses as well as unlocks specialty Grimoires, Vaults, and Skills. Many games have similar systems, as you are aware.]

Nodding, I wondered what kind of Class I would end up going with. Normally, I played quick, dexterous types, but I wasnt sure how that fit with being a Magical Girl.

Selene resumed speaking, pulling me from my trance.

[Finally, your Signature or Signature Magic refers to your entirely unique magical ability. All Guardians have one, but no two are the same due to no two individuals being the same. While your Signature Magic is still technically magic, it is not something that will ever be truly replicated in a Grimoire. Signatures are incredibly powerful and capable of almost anything from actually stopping time to temporary invincibility. They do not function by the normal rules or limits of magic, and as such, are incredible resources.]

So its like my own original superpower? I asked.

[Exactly! For now, though, it will remain Unawakened. It is best to unlock your Signature through the proper facilities and observational tools. Certain Signatures can be hard to figure out or downright dangerous to their owners without knowledge about them.]

Yeah, I agreed, thinking about some of the crazier superpowers Id seen in shows. That might be for the best. So, whats next? Thats the entire status menu. I think I have a good idea of what's going on now.

[Yes there is still the issue of the transformation sequence that Guardians have access to]

She trailed off, then let out a soft sigh.

[The official name of your transformation sequence is your Astral Shift, and it is currently locked due to reasons beyond our control. As such, the benefits of your stats are greatly reduced. You will also be missing out on the significant protection your conjured outfit would provide. For now, the best resources to rely on would be the Gate and whatever you can purchase from it with points. While not ideal, it is manageable.]

I peered at Selene carefully. It really didnt make me feel good knowing she was keeping secrets, even if she told me she was doing it. Something about not knowing was starting to bother me on a fundamental level. Maybe it was because I relied so much on making plans just to get through even the simplest of days. Without the proper knowledge, though, how was I supposed to figure out what to do?

No, I shook my head at myself. I was thinking about this the wrong way. Selene had already saved my life and was most definitely trying to help me. If she wasnt telling me things, it was because it might actively hinder my chances of staying alive. Besides, as nice as talking about the role-playing game mechanics had been, it didnt take away from the fact that we were still in an Usurpation Zone. As time went on, only more and stronger Anathema would start flooding the area. Already, our relatively brief conversation felt like too long.

Okay, I said, gathering my thoughts. So. I have a slight boost to my physical abilities now, and each level will help with that. I also have 130 points left to spend, and that unique Augment. Thats what were working with, right?

Selene looked at me for several moments.

[You are taking this remarkably well, but yes that is the gist of it. As such, I would recommend unlocking a weapon Vault and buying something. The vault will cost 100 points, leaving 20 for the weapon. That should be more than enough to purchase something capable of ensuring your safety on the journey to the first floors shelter. Judging by your playstyle in Magical Girls Sunset: Rebellion, I would recommend Dexterity and Agility based weapons. Two enchanted blades or a spear would fit you well.]

Why not a spell? Wait, no, I think I get it. If my stat bonuses are reduced, any spell I use would be much weaker than normal anyway. Plus if I ran out of mana, Id be left without a weapon.

[Correct.] Selene nodded. [Even if your transformation werent locked, a conventional weapon with an enchantment is the best option for now as spell casting does require some explanation.]

I nodded and went back to thinking about her analysis about my playstyle. She had a point that I did play characters that were usually more focused on speed, but this wasnt a game. Remembering how hard it had been to fight with my makeshift weapon, how tough it had been to even hurt the Anathema, it made me feel less than certain. I had no idea how to actually use a sword or spear beyond stab them with the pointy end. Ideally, I needed something that wouldnt make for a long, drawn-out fight.

What exactly are those enchanted weapons you mentioned? What would they do?

[With access to only Common quality gear, it wont be anything too special. You could get a weapon enchanted with sharpening, making it capable of slicing through low level Anathema like paper. Alternatively, something more flashy like a fire or ice enchantment would be equally viable and effective. The only thing to consider is enchanted gear will draw from your mana. As you do not have much currently, you wont be able to keep the enchantment active for long.]

Right, and if I ran out of mana, it would take a long time to regenerate it. Which would only be more time for more Anathema to come in

I went quiet as my mind worked through the problem. A weapon that I could use without much training, one that I could confidently use to take out Anathema without drawing out the fight. The problem was that I knew nothing about weapons. My only real experience would be using what Id seen in movies or games, both of which Id only really been into for a few months now after Lily had insisted on showing me all sorts of her favorites.

A memory flashed through my head, of popcorn and an endless movie marathon, and suddenly I knew what kind of weapon I wanted. It wasnt traditional and probably broke the entire Magical Girl image, but right now, it wasnt like I really looked like much of one anyway. It would be me using the weapon, not whatever Magical Girl persona I might want to cultivate later.

It could work, but it all depended on the answer to my next question.

Selene? I asked carefully. How do you feel about guns?Updated from novelbIn.(c)om