DCM Volume 2 - Chapter 1: Statistic Improvement

'Status.'

[Albert Nelson

HP: 20/20

MP: 9/9

SAN: 40/47

LCK: 45/45

IP: 4

Skills:

- Appraise: 25%

- Art/Craft (Photography): 55%

- Disguise: 25%

- Fire Arms (Handgun): 62%

- Library Use: 60%

- Listen: 32%

- Navigate: 21%

- Occult: 35%

- Psychology: 53%

- Spot Hidden: 60%

- Stealth: 43%

-Psychometry: 2%

Talents:

- Resourceful

- Lucky

-Psychic Power

Cthulhu Mythos: 0%]

"Albert!" He was shaken out of his appreciation as a gruff but harsh voice shouted at him from across the room," I'm not paying you to look off into the distance! Get back to work!"

'It was just for a second..'

But despite his internal grumbling, Albert continued to sweep up the random bits of debris and eyed the nearby tabled covered with leftover paper plates full of grease. The last couple of weeks had not been too eventful for him. After naming his private investigation agency, The Seeking Eye, nothing of worth had happened. And unsurprisingly enough, no one had dropped in looking to have something solved for them.

He means, it's not like he expected a line of people to themselves around the corner just waiting to witness his investigative genius. Definitely not. But in all seriousness, he had expected there to be very few people willing to take up the risk. Whether it would be due to their desperation or just the level of unknown he represented.

But for no one to at least be curious enough to poke their head in? It had gotten so bad that he needed to get a part time job just to make sure he had a financial cushion so that he wouldn't have to miss too many meals.

Honestly, he was just glad that the city had practically waved all taxes and utilities in that area until further notice. After the incident, the news were calling it 'The Neighborhood Massacre', that left multiple blocks completely devoid of any residents, Gotham has been trying it's best to make that area as appealing as possible to any potential buyers. From lowering the cost of any buildings, to completely voiding any property taxes, to even making utilities free...up to a certain point. All this just to attract the eye of any possible residents.

But let's just be honest, who would want to stay anywhere near a place with that many dead? Killer Croc had eaten well over forty odd people that night and even the most skeptical of person considered the place to be at least a little haunted. It had gotten so bad, that he had even asked Marceline, the friendly neighborhood medium, to spare some of her oh so precious time to make sure his own home wasn't haunted by some specters.

She only charged an extra large pizza and a two-liter of some sort of sparkling fruit punch to do so, and they should be meeting up later on today to do a short walk-through. All he needed to do was make it through the day without getting fired, else it would make getting that pizza quite awkward.

His boss was a rather portly man, nearing the evening of his life. Short, thin gray hair strands peaked out from underneath a black baseball cap that most assuredly hid a shiny dome. Slightly tanned skin that always had this healthy hue about it, Albert attributed it to the stone oven behind the man. He had sit through multiple days where all he heard was the geezer bragging about that oven.

'This baby here is over a hundred years old!'

'This was the same oven my grandmother used!'

'There's no way I'm letting you within touching distance!'

Things like that. But he could understand why the man's pride and reticent, after all his current appearance wasn't that of a desperate adult trying to squeeze in a few hours after their full time job. No, just looking in a nearby mirror was enough to tell him why his boss treated him like some kind of no good thief.

Albert had a short and skinny frame, his bony arms peaked out from underneath a white t-shirt with the pizza places name plastered over the chest. Despite it being the smallest uniform available, it still looked baggy on him. Combine that with his nose that was a bit too big, brown eyes a bit too close together and shaggy black hair that looked like it was in desperate need of a comb. Overall, he looked like the exact kind of punk that would tamper with a century old oven. Somehow.

How he would actually steal the thing was beyond him, the thing was practically apart of the building infrastructure. He could only chalk it up to his low Appearance and nonexistence social skills like Charm or Fast Talk, but given his soaring skills as of late it was well worth the price.

It wasn't a surprise that Fire Arms (Handgun) had shot up by a margin, apparently shooting at incredibly dangerous creatures like Killer Croc was quite the lucrative. A whole two percent might not seem like a lot but given how high the skill already was to begin with, even the smallest of improvements was more than welcomed. Stealth, Listen, Disguise had seen some minor increases over the last couple of weeks due to his nightly activities. His Psychology development can be placed strictly at the feet of the person that dragged him through the night streets quite routinely. Just trying to not fall head first into whatever verbal trapping the blonde had in store was a battle all in its own, but still useful none the less.

Now as for the new talent and skill..?

That was it's own story.

'Psychometry….'

Just the thought of the weird skill made him glance down at white cotton gloves covering his hands, the smooth texture making it increasingly difficult to keep a firm hold on the wooden handle. The pizza boss had tried on multiple occasions to get him to take off the blasted things, but his obstinance eventual made the other man consider them normal for youngsters like him to walk around wearing. Or just thought the teen was a weirdo in the making.

Albert felt a his stomach churning just thinking of the day that particular skill popped up on his status screen, equal part regret and frustration at himself bubbled up to the surface. If only he waited, or just thought thinks through then maybe things wouldn't have turned out so awful. He could feel himself fall back into the memories completely unbidden as the world faded out of existence for just a moment.

***********************************************************************************

It was dark that day, but that was nothing new for the city he decided to call home. The teen sat in his small office behind a large wooden desk overlooking the ghostly empty streets, the sun just barely rising above the nearby skyscrapers and alighting the general smog in an orange fire. The nearby wall now devoid of any photos, placard or posters, giving the room a rather spartan feel. Two filing cabinets were pushed off the side, their contents now completely empty he knew for a fact. Just hauling all that paper downstairs was enough to be vividly burned into his aching body. His body near vibrating in place as he tried and failed not to nudge that feeling deep within his chest.

Without even knowing what it was, he knew the feeling was his reward from his first ever Major Case. And unlike his regular rewards like IP, these items weren't added to his character sheet. Instead, it felt as though someone had places a hook inside his body and hung something increasingly heavy there. The mass slowly pulling at his attention, drawing him in to ignore everything and just give in. There had been plenty of sleepless night where he had wasted the night away just poking at the swinging mass, over and over again.

There were plenty of reasons why he had waited this long in claiming his prize, the primary reason being the hyperactive blonde that had somehow confused his home as hers. Albert had no idea how she knew but every-time he was preparing himself to latch onto the swinging mass with his metaphorical claws, Harley always showed up with some wacky plan halfway done. Whether it was the pull bar she installed in his backyard, or the bench she had somehow convinced Ivy to help move over or even the 'curvaceous' mannequin that now stood off to the corner of his downstairs work area.

'Solving my youthful urges my ass…'

He wasn't alone in his love for Harley Quinn as a character, many people saw her as some kind of icon in his old world. Whether it was those shallow enough to only see her as some 'bad bitch' to look up to, or as inspiration to separate themselves from their own toxic relationship. Or they just found her extremely attractive because of the actress who played as her.

Albert had grew up on those old Batman television shows and had also fell in love with the jokester harlequin sidekick that went around hitting people with a bright red hammer. Her iconic black and red jester spandex suit, heavy white make-up and pitch black lipstick had gotten rid of his aversions to clowns entirely. She was always an enjoyable sight to see on screen and there had been many Saturday mornings where he had spent plenty of time on that familiar couch with a bowl of cereal giggling without a care in the world as the pretty clown lady expertly fought toe-to-toe against the Dark Knight. After he grew up and got more into her lore, they all saw her grow from a sidekick beaten by her abusive lover to an anti-hero all on her own.

But Harley Quinn the person was sometimes a bit too much, and now he fully understood why Ivy had warned him. If this was how the blonde treated all her perspective friends, then no wonder she had so few. She wanted to be helpful, he knew that. But her repeated unplanned visits had really begun to rankle on his nerves, especially when he had something he needed to do. Even now, he had no idea when the blonde would just pop out of nowhere and drag him off to do who knew what, eating up a majority of his day entertaining whatever she had in store.

'No more waiting.' He mind was firm with this,' Today is going to be the day..'

Gotham was a pretty dangerous place just to live in regularly, anyone could be randomly mugged at anytime for the last twenty dollars in their pockets. In fact, just last week he got shaken down by a gang of teens a bit older than he was. Gratefully, they backed off real quick after he flashed his hand-sized bit of death.

So yes, he felt like he needed more to provide him with an edge in this city. It wouldn't take long before some more pushy thugs pulled out their own guns and tried something. A new talent and statistic increase would go a long way to make him feel even the least bit secure.

After craning his head back to make sure the office door was locked, he closed his eyes and steady his breathing, allowing that gentle suction force to pull him deeper into himself. It was a rather strange feeling, like halfway between blinking for just a moment to falling fast asleep and all it would to take a jump back into awareness was a single distraction.

There he floated alone in the dark, that swinging mass calling to him. The bundle practically oozed potential, making his mouth water as he thought of the possibilities, the power just a mere poke a way. Inching his fingers forward, he tore through the paper like covering, clawing at the motes of light that flowed out of the newly made hole and towards him. When these motes touched his skin, they sunk through and traveled deeper into his body. Passing his flesh, to bone to something more ethereal and out his ability to fully understand. Before he could dig deeper, a sudden system notification took up the entirety of his inner eye.

[Reward Bundle Activated!

1 small increase in a chosen Statistic

1 Talent Voucher]

'It doesn't seem like I can save either of them for later, can I?'

Even now, he could feel that the existence of these motes weren't entirely real. Like they existed in another reality and only in this current window would they be able to interact with them on this level. If he was rushed before because of the tornado known as Harley suddenly dropping in, then now he was hoofing it double time. His throat lurched at the mere idea of missing out on either of these rewards, especially after all this time spent waiting and working.

Mentally clicking the first option, something new formed in his mind's eye. Ten cards floated out of the void, each with a single symbol alluding to their identity. These thin rectangles were huge, massive in a way he couldn't fully comprehend. In one moment, they were the size of his palm and in the next, a building.

The first card had a picture of a single arm flexing for all the world to see, nothing too much if you didn't account for the limb lacking skin. Showcasing every strand of muscle as it bulged and twitched in motion, the sight sending a shiver to run down his spine and made him look away from the vivid image. That obviously represented Strength (STR).

The next card was, gratefully, a lot let gruesome. Only showcasing two bulbs with a series of small electrical bolts stretching across the distance and as he looked on, the streaks of energy taking on a rhythmic pattern as they suddenly sped up with every passing moment.

'Is this Dexterity (DEX) or Intelligence (INT)?'

He didn't know, it was obvious this image was showing synapses which dictated how fast the mind can send commands to the rest of the body. Whether this card would make him faster or smarter, he couldn't honest say.

'Maybe the clues are in the other cards…'

With that in mind, Albert turned his attention to the next card. It had the image of a series of circular objects the color of deep red, besides them were more spherical white items that hovered around like bouncers. As they floated down this fleshy tube, a sudden invader appeared and tried to attach itself to the red circles only to be swarmed upon by a multitude of white spheres. After the bouncers finished their gruesome work and checking in on the target of the intruder, it continued it's patrol.

'Definitely Constitution (CON), no debate.' He wouldn't disgrace his fifth grade science teach that easily,' That's definitely white cells fighting off bacteria.'

Besides that, another card was present. It had the image of a basic human skeletal structure, like the ones in science classes around the globe. This close up, he could tell the image would be taller than him if it scaled down to his size. That alone was enough to tell him that this represented Size (SZE).

Next to that stood a blank outline of a face with rays of light streaming off it's surface and into the void. Looking at it, he noticed it morph and shape itself into the most idealized version of masculinity. A chiseled jaw, pronounced cheek bones, hard eyes that seem to glimmer with secrets untold, and hair so fine that it glossed even in this dark environment.

'Hello Chad,' The image was pretty clear in what it represented, Appearance (APP) was the stat that dictated how physical attractive one was and paired nicely with social skills,' I think I saw some of your relatives in this world already.'

Moving past the winking image that stirred his jealousy to new heights, there laid the image of a figure hunched over a stack of thick tomes. A single black, square shaped cape tilted off to one side. Their tassel off to one side as they read through whatever nonsense was before them, the symbolism clear as day. This had to stand for his Education (EDU) stat, which told him how academical smart he was.

Besides that card, another one stood with the simple image of a pulsating brain. But this image was bit strange to say the least, instead of the wrinkles he expected for a human, this one looked slightly too smoother in a way. In the next moment, it was covered in dense wrinkles. If that wasn't backhanded, then Albert didn't know what it was.

'Is..is the system calling me a smooth brain?'

It was obvious this card meant to stand for Intelligence (INT), meaning the previous unknown must've been DEX in the end. Move on past that insult of a card, he looked towards the next one with a bit of confusion on his 'face'.

The card was almost a direct replica of the previous one, just without the smooth brain insult thrown in. It showed the picture of a mind in less detail but this one was wearing a suit of leather armor like some kind of adventurer, or at least some strange mockery of one. Metal plates appeared the 'chest' area and slid into place, until eventual the organ became even more protected. Given the symbolism, it had to represent Sanity (SAN).

Next to that card, another floated with just a very simple picture. A four leaf clover that took up the entire front side of the object. It's bright green petals flickered with a golden light. It didn't need to be said which stat this symbolized.

And finally, the last card gave off an entirely different vibe than every other card so far. While the other's felt 'human' in some way, this one didn't at least not all the way. He could hear slight whispers from the thing, foretelling the power he could acquire from just peaking beyond the veil. But it also had this unyielding sensation, a stubbornness to never to falter nor bow to anyone in this world or the next. How all this could be told from a blank card devoid of any defining features, the teen didn't know. But what he did know was that this elusive building sized card represented Power (POW), one of the most powerful and dangerous out of all the stats.

Each of these cards floated before him, just waiting to be chosen. All of them would be useful to him in his current situation, the only thing that matter here is how small of an increase did the reward mean? One point? Two? Five? He didn't know, and given how stingy his system was being with his full status sheet, he wouldn't even be able to tell without testing them himself.

'Maybe I should just increase POW?'

There are parts of his Grimoire Subsystem hidden from him due to his low POW score, but honestly he really wasn't looking to have that unlocked anytime soon. The farther down the line he can kick that pot of poison down the road, the better.

'What about just increasing LCK or SAN?' The thought came to him suddenly,' Either option would not only let me see what the systems meant by a 'small' increase but also increase either of those resources.'

There was no such thing as too much SAN or LCK, and given how easily both pools had fallen in just one night that statement couldn't have been more true. As though the cards could sense his intent, all but those two flew off into the distance. My fingers hovered over both, switching every so often to make sure I didn't accidentally pick either or just yet.

In one hand, increasing LCK would allow me to use more Fortunecraft even if barely. While bumping up my SAN was never a bad idea, especially if he was going to be seeing the things he saw last time. This world was dangerous and a mob like him needed to be able to keep pushing through all the death and destruction that laid before him.

Albert didn't want to end up in Arkham Asylum, he would rather die than go there of all places. Just the thought of being bound in a stay jacket and surrounded on all sides by cushioned walls, made his stomach churn in a frenzy. That fate wasn't something he would wish on even his most hated of enemies.

So with his mind made up, the clover covered card flew off to join its brethren in the void leaving just the last one. It didn't last long and exploded into a rain of falling motes, they twinkled in the darkness as they sunk into his body. He waited, and waited but didn't feel anything different at all.

[SAN: 39/47]

'Only two points?' He knew he should've kept his expectations low...but still. All that work for a measly two points? 'It only increased my max? What a stingy system… Hopefully it won't skimp out on the talent..'

With that done, the teen could feel those motes begin to fade and a sense of urgency filled him as he tried to scrambled towards his next reward. Floating there waiting for him, a single notification laid open for him.

[Talent Vouch Activated!

Please choose from the following options:

-Linguist: Addition dice added to Language skills

-Lore: Learn specialized knowledge skill

-Heavy Hitter: Spend 10 LCK to add an additional damage dice to melee attacks

-Psychic Power: Gain 1 psychic power

-Mythos Knowledge: Gain 10 points in Cthulhu Mythos]

'Yeah that last one is a no go,' Albert shivered at the system trying it's best to dangle that before him like it was some kind of grand prize,' What kind of madman would even want that?!'

Not only could he possibly gain the attention of beings he didn't wish to name, but increasing that blasted skill by ten much would drop his max SAN all the way down to thirty-seven. The trade just wasn't worth it.

Besides that trap of a talent, there were others he could cross of the list. Heavy Hitter while good, wasn't something he would waste his first talent voucher on. Maybe if he was a brawler or had some kind of fighting skill then it would for sure be on his list. But his highest skill was literally in handguns, so taking this talent wouldn't suit him in the slightest. Add that in with it's high LCK cost, it was an easy talent to reject.

Next up to be tossed to the side had to be both Linguist and Lore. Don't get him wrong, they're both excellent talents that normally he wouldn't have any problem taking. Linguist more so with it's ability to help him learn and understand language. And best of all, the effect was constant and essentially free.

Lore was a bit different, it would grant a lore skill that had a slight supernatural edge to it. Like Lore (Werewolf), or Lore (UFO). Useful if he didn't already had Occult so high and honestly, that skill was already enough for anything weird in this world.

That only really left one option, Psychic Power. If he was being honest with himself, the moment that popped up as an option everything else became a lot more unappealing. Flashes of moving things with his mind, seeing far distances without moving himself, speaking to the dead or just reading the future. Any of those options were appealing to him, telekinesis being the most appealing to him.

What could he say, it was a childhood dream of his.

The moment he 'clicked' his choice another window popped up that ruined his entire day, shattering his dreams with the callousness of an unruly Greek God. All the aspirations he might've had of flipping cars on their sides or being able to fight on equal footing with some of the monsters in this world, came tumbling down just a single system prompt.

[Psychic Power Talent Chosen! Please choose 1 of the available psychic abilities below! This list below has been calculated based on the host's personality, actions and inner most thoughts!

-Medium

-Psychometry]

In that moment, he honestly regretted not sticking with another talent instead.