//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9: The Meaning of Lives 
// Story: The Gamer's Game 
// by Chrome Masquerade 
//------------------------------//

(Sun's Day - Home - Midnight)

You might be wondering why I was up at this hour. Well, I'll tell you.

At the time, something was bugging me. Even with my enhanced stats, it boggled my mind.

Though I wanted to figue it out myself, I would have to rely on the troubleshooting system.

"System."



What is your query?



"I have a question; a bit of an existential one."



Go on...



"Thing is, just before becoming The Gamer, I was confronted by a Game Over screen. What happened? Why can't I remember what happened?"



You died.



"No, I mean, what really happened?"



Are you sure you want to know? [Yes]  [No]



I sighed, really taking time to think about this. Did I want to know? Would Gamer's Mind protect me from any potential scarring? 

Did it really matter?

The answer to all of the above was hopefully the same.

"Yes."



Very well.

For several successive weeks, you'd been having the same nightmare; a powerful vampony, named the Lord of Bloodsoaked Dreams(1). Each time you'd have more and more trouble fighting it off; Each time it came back stronger. 

Each morning you would awaken with more scars under your coat.

 

I then saw a montage of myself defeating the nightmarish creature.(2) Each time, it would take me longer to slay it, and it would come closer to defeating me.



Naturally, this would either confuse your mother, scare her, or both, you figured. So you didn't bother asking her about it. Princess Luna later explained to Princess Celestia that she'd been having trouble entering your dreams. And little did she know that the closer she came to entering... the easier it became for your adversary to invade your dreams. In a similar but more powerful form. 

Eventually, it defeated you; you fell to its blade. As it was about to take you over, Princess Luna intervened. But it was too late. For all intents and purposes, you were already dead. 

So she came and took you to Princess Celestia, who is more well-versed in healing spells. In that moment, you took your Second Breath. You were returned before morning's light, which is why your mother didn't know of it.

It took both Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia's efforts to bring you back from the brink. That's why both are your Divine Parents. That's part of why you now have the ability of The Gamer, and became their Scion.

Is this answer satisfactory?



This explained a lot. One more question remained.

"What happened to the... nightmare?"



Banished, hopefully forever.



Amen to that! A nightmare of that kind of power? Who knows what would have happened with something like THAT in the waking world?

"Thank you. That's a load off of my mind."



Any time.



At length, I asked, "Is that update finished?"



Yes. Your character chart has been updated to use a different system(3). Display the results?



"Yes."




Strength: 3/15
Dexterity: 5/25 (+3)
Stamina: 4/20
Charisma: 3/15
Manipulation: 4/15
Appearance: 4/15
Intelligeence: 3/12 (+2)
Perception: 4/20
Wits: 5/25 (+3)
[] Academics ***
Art: Games *****
Athletics ***
Awareness  **
Brawl ***
[]Command * 
Control *
Craft **
[] Empathy **
Fortitude ***
[] Integrity **
Investigtion **
Marksmanship  **
Medicine **
Melee ***
[] Occult **
[] Politics ***
[] Presence ***
Science *
Stealth *
Survival ***
Thrown **

Virtue: Justice/Compassion/Harmony

Virtue Flaw (2): Red Rage of Compassion
Activation: When seeing the innocent harmed right in one's view.
Effect: When the gauge for this fills, he will be filled with rage and will attack the object of his frustration until it is defeated or dead.

Vice: Wrath (mild)

Knacks
Roll With It
Omnidexterity
Cat's Grace
Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body (natural knack)
Gamer's Spirit (natural knack)
(Gamer's Mind, Body and Spirit combine to create Gamer's Soul)
Monkey in the Middle
Jack of All Trades
Immaculate (3)

Purviews: Video games, Good, Magic, Knowledge, Protection, Sky, Sun, Glory, Strength.

Birthrights
Resources: 3
Mentor: 4

Willpower: ******

Soak: B6/L4/A3

Legend: 6
LP: 36

BP: 0




I nodded, satisfied. I'd be able to go to sleep now. In the morning, I'd continue on with my life as The Gamer, but for now, I had some logs to saw.