Chapter 4 - System Power

[System Unlocked: No Deaths Allowed]

[Requirements to Unlock: Tears of grief]

[No Deaths Allowed: Do not allow any of your species, companions, or allies to die in your presence]

"What?" Daron said as his tears stopped. Staring at the information in front of him, he knew the quartzite tablet had given him a different power from an ordinary ability domain. But he didn't know what it was about. He thought of his parents and thought they might have an idea.

Getting to his phone, he dialed his mom and after a few moments she had picked up the phone. "Honey, what are you doing calling so early?" She yawned.

"Um, I," Daron started but his voice had cracked from his recent crying session.

"Honey, is something wrong?" She asked.

"I... Nubby..." Daron's voice cracked again.

But that was enough for her to get the message. Hearing the news devastated her as well, but she would keep strong for Daron. "I'm sorry, honey. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, mom, I'll be fine. But, that... that wasn't the news I called to tell you about." Daron said.

"What? Then what was?"

"The... the tablet... I unlocked it."

"What!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah... but... I'm a little confused. It's not an ability domain. It's another kind of power. It says it's some kind of system?" Daron said.

"System? Like, computer system?" She asked.

"I don't know, that's what I called you for."

"Hmm, system, huh? Maybe it's like a game? Try thinking something like, menu, or stats. Maybe notifications, even." She said.

"Okay, I'll try."

Giving it a try, he first thought of 'Menu', and a screen only he could see appeared in front of him.

[System: No Deaths Allowed]

[System Level 1]

[Stats]

[Tasks]

[Quests]

[Notifications]

"Uh, it worked," Daron said.

"Really? Well, that's good. If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage to unlock it?"

"It said it was unlocked because of tears of grief," Daron said softly.

A moment of silence passed between them. "You call me if you ever need anything, Daron. Okay?"

"Okay, mom."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

After hanging up, Daron looked at the menu in front of him. He thought 'System: No Deaths Allowed', and the screen that appeared earlier had popped up.

[No Deaths Allowed: Do not allow any of your species, companions, or allies to die in your presence]

No matter what he thought about, he couldn't get more information about the system other than this. Frowning he thought 'System Level 1'.

[System Level 1]

[0/100 Experience]

[At Level 1 all of your species, companions, or allies in your presence, including yourself will be given a 2% buff to all stats to increase their chance of survival]

Daron's pupils widened as he read the buff. Without even doing anything yet, he had already become 2% stronger by just gaining the system. He now realized that this was like a game system he had heard of. Games had gone out of style a few years after the advent of ability domains and other powers, but given they had been around for decades, it would be difficult to not know what they were.

He next thought 'Stats' and was excited to see what they would be.

[Name: Daron Finley]

[Health: 244/244]

[Energy: 500/500]

[Gender: Male]

[Species: Homo Sapiens]

[Physique: [Unnamed Special Physique]]

[Ability Domain: Unobtained]

[Constitution: 30]

[Endurance: 20]

[Strength: 30]

[Intelligence: 15]

[Healing Power: 30]

[Agility: 12]

Daron had expected a lot less information to be in the stats page, but he wasn't displeased that it wasn't the case. Looking at his physique, he noticed that it was unnamed. Instead of trying to think the entire thing, he tried mentally clicking it, and it had worked as well.

[Physique: [Unnamed Special Physique]]

[Would you like to name the physique?]

As Daron was given the option, he thought what would be a good name for it. In the end, he paid homage to his parents by naming it Finley's Archeologist Physique.

[Physique: Finley's Archeologist Physique]

[Finley's Archeologist Physique: Greatly enhances one's strength, constitution, and healing power]

[Techniques: Expand/Retract Progression, Life-Saving Energy Focus, Meditation]

Daron was surprised to see the techniques he had learnt have names in the system, but he supposed it made sense. He was also surprised it counted normal meditation as a technique. Clicking on it, he found out why.

[Meditation: Increase the normal regeneration of energy by 50% while meditating]

What interested him the most on his stats screen, was the ability domain section. It said unobtained. Seeing this, Daron's eyes shined as he thought he would also be able to get an ability domain along with his system and special physique. Clicking on it, Daron read the information.

[Ability Domain: Unobtained]

[Find an ability domain from a power artifact to obtain an ability domain]

[Skills such as ??? and ??? will be able to help know what ability domain an artifact has before absorbing it]

Daron's mouth opened wide as he read the info. Even with the question marks there he had gotten incredible information. With no chance of obtaining an ability domain currently anyways, he could try to get one of the skills mentioned in the prompt before then.

Going back to the menu, he went into the tasks tab.

[Tasks]

[No deaths in your vicinity in 24 hours: +1 Experience]

[Prevent a possible death: +10 Experience]

[Mourn for the dead: +5 Experience]

Reading the last task presented snapped Daron out of the excitement he felt while reading the information in the system and put him back in reality. He looked over to Nubby on the couch. He was really gone, and nothing could bring him back.

Daron wrapped Nubby in a blanket and put him in a box. He would have to deal with this before school started in a few hours.

Looking online, he found a crematorium open near him and carried the Nubby filled box with him towards it. It was surprisingly no hassle and a cheap process for cremating a pet.

No more than an hour had passed before an urn of ashes sat on the counter of the main desk of the crematorium. Daron quickly went back home with the ashes.

As he sat on the couch, Daron pressed his forehead on the top of the urn.

"Goodbye, Nubby," Daron whispered.