The old library basement smelled like mold and forgotten dreams. Alex arrived early, having used Jessica's money to buy a baseball bat and pepper spray from the campus store.
*PARANOIA: +1 VILLAIN POINT*
*TOTAL: 26/100*
A figure emerged from the shadows—a girl about his age with short black hair and eyes that seemed to calculate the value of everything they looked at.
"You must be Alex," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Maya. And before you ask, yes, I have a system too."
"What kind?" Alex asked, not taking her hand.
Maya smiled. "Thief System. I get points for stealing things, hacking systems, and generally being sneaky. I've been watching you since you got yours."
"How many of us are there?"
"In this city? Maybe a dozen. Worldwide?" She shrugged. "Hundreds? Thousands? The systems don't tell us everything."
*INFORMATION ACQUIRED*
*+2 VILLAIN POINTS*
*TOTAL: 28/100*
"What do you want from me?" Alex asked.
"Partnership. You're new, clumsy, but you've got potential. I can teach you how to really use your system." Maya's eyes glinted. "In exchange, I want protection. Some of the other system users are... dangerous."
"Define dangerous."
"There's a guy with a Murder System. He gets points for killing other system users. Another girl has a Destruction System. And then there's the one we call the Puppetmaster—nobody knows what his system does, but people around him start acting weird."
Alex felt his blood run cold. "And they're all in this city?"
"Welcome to the game, Alex. The question is: do you want to survive it?"