Disclaimer: This is a fan work that was written with no intent for profit and within fair use laws. Worm by Wildbow and The Gamer by Sung San-Young are not owned by me. If you haven't yet, I strongly suggest you give both a try.
Character Creation 1.1
I'm in a locker. It's clean, and surprisingly empty, but it's still a locker. And is it wrong that right now I'm just happy it's not MY locker? I keep A LOT of largely random crap and WAY more books than are actually required in my locker.
Instead, I'm in Taylor Hebert's locker. She hasn't stored anything in it in months. Las Tres Putas seem to break in and steal or destroy anything she leaves here. On the plus side, that's why it's empty enough for me in here. On the downside... I'm not sure how long it'll take for me to get out.
[New Quest Alert: Get Out Of The Locker]
What.
[Get out of the locker, by any means necessary.]
The.
[Time Limit: 2 hours]
Fu- Two hours? What happens in two hours?
[Reward: Freedom, 200 XP, increased relationship with ?]
I'm still not sure what's going on, but my XP whore side is all into this.
[Failure: Decreased reputation (general), incontinence, dehydration, starvation, and/or death.]
Welp. That gets my focus back to the issue at hand. A countdown appearing at the upperleft edge of my vision keeps me focused.
I barely have room to move at all, but maybe if I twist just so...
[-1 HP]
Nope. Also: ow. I cannot get the leverage to kick even a little. Maybe I can elbow the lock itself.
[-2 HP]
Note to self: locks are hard. Maybe I should try something else.
Arching my back into the door while I push off the back wall does nothing but leave a lockprint in my back. Elbowing on the hinge side is equally futile, but less painful than the lock side.
Eventually, I hear voices outside my locker.
"Hey, isn't that HER locker?"
"Do you think she's in there again?"
"Can't be, I just saw her by Gladly's room. Besides, it doesn't smell enough."
[1:23:27]
I can't have lost yet, so I take a chance and call out. "Nope. It's me. James. Here's a tip: it's possible to simultaneously insult the skinheads and die drei Hündinnen enough that they'll put aside differences while they stuff you in the first locker they can open. Think I can get you to let me out or get a janitor or something?"
A pause. Really? What is there to think about? What kind of spineless-
"I don't want to get in trouble with anyone." Rapid footsteps.
Ah. It's Greg. Nevermind.
I try twisting my shoulders, and while it isn't comfortable, it isn't painful and I'm not getting damage notices.
I should probably have already mentioned, but I'm a Parahuman. Probably. I only triggered an hour or so ago. I say "or so" because I got knocked out right after Triggering while getting my ass handed to me by a few skinheads who didn't appreciate open speculation on the fallacies of their beliefs or the implications about their sexual preferences Freud, Jung, and Kinsey could extrapolate from their dress and habit. And to be fair, I probably deserved it a little when Sophia joined in. Even if she basically stood there watching after she wandered in, I did go a little overboard with what I said about her probable interests. But enough about that.
On second I'm coming to terms with the fact that "Hans" has a knife (and my mortality), the next I have a health bar and can see every hit bringing me closer to death. Still not sure why they stopped and lockered me.
So my power lets me see how close to death I am. Thinker 1, I guess. And whatever you would call the thing with the quest. Still Thinker 1, unless I can actually do something with experience.
Anyway, I'm able to get twisted into a shape where I can (barely) elbow BESIDE the lock. Now, if this locker was made of steel, or not older than me, this wouldn't do jack. But this is Winslow, the quantafiably worst funded school in Massachusetts. And that's saying a lot. In this case, it's saying our lockers are only made of tin because gallium is too expensive.
[-1 HP]
But the door dents. A little. And that's more than enough for me. I've been in here an hour, with no other progress.
[-1 HP]
[-1 HP]
[-1 HP]
...
[Due to your diligence, your VIT has increased by 1!]
Huh. I guess my power is doing something for me? My maximum health just went from 80 to 85. Still down to 13, though. Is it worth continuing or am I just killing myself? Each hit does almost nothing, but the dent has gotten fairly deep, and I THINK the door has bent enough that I can feel some give in the lock...
As I'm considering giving up, my health ticks back up a point. Regeneration? Even a little is worth a Brute 1. This power might be worth something after all...
Keeping an eye on the quest clock and my health reveals I'm regaining one health per 7 seconds. Roughly. Maybe a hair slower. Either way, if I just wait a little... wait.
[0:09:32]
...how long was I elbowing for? Whatever, I've got 21 HP, and I really don't want to risk failing. Maybe I can try to hover around 10 HP for safety...
[0:05:19] The give is real! I push harder, letting myself drop to 5 HP.
[0:02:02] I hear voices. Are they letting me out? Did Greg grow a pair?
...must just be whoever ends my quest. Probably Gladly to complain about me 'damaging school property' like I did this on purpose.
[0:00:24] I elbow as hard as I can. The door gives!
I fall out, head taking an early lead.
If elbowing a lock takes of 2 HP, I bet cracking my head on the floor will take more than the 5 HP I have left.