Page 19 of Code Bound
“Get out!” I spit, immediately wrapping my hands around my skull as if that’ll help.
“I can’t do that.”
“I said get out!” I screech.
“It is physically impossible until the moment you leave The Harrow,” the voice continues. “You may be able to kick me out of your thoughts given enough practice, but you cannot remove me completely.”
Locke is just watching me. “It’s the system,” he explains when I fall quiet, trying to help. “If you’d just let it explain to you, it would.”
“Ithas a name,” the system continues almost snootily. “I am Cipher.”
“Cipher,” I repeat.
“Good,” Cipher says. “You are not a total bumbling idiot if you can learn. Are you calm enough now that I can do my job without your awful panic?”
I blink and look at Locke who shrugs innocently and squints up above us. I follow his gaze and stare at the bottoms of the trees again. My breath whooshes out of me as I’m reminded of its existence. My head still hurts with the brightness of it all.
“Trees,” I whisper.
“Indeed,” Cipher hums. “Welcome to the Verdant Nexus, player two million, six hundred and one thousand, three hundred and thirty-three. The zone you currently stand in is called The Whispering Canopies. You can access your map at any point by tapping the implant in your arm. This is also where you can access your inventory and stats as needed.”
I look at the metal in my arm and tap it like Cipher says. My eyes flicker and I nearly fall on my ass as an image appears floating in front of me. It’s transparent, so I can see still Locke behind it, but the words are easy enough to make out.
“It’s not a very large map,” I say.
“The map will unlock by zone and region as you reach it,” Cipher says condescendingly. “I couldn’t very well doallthe work for you.”
I scowl and touch the implant again, bringing up a bunch of empty squares.
“Your inventory,” Cipher supplies helpfully. “Currently empty. It is limited to fifty spots. Use the spots wisely. There will be storage points along the way, mostly in safehouses, but they are not everywhere and should be considered rare. To place an item in your inventory, simply pick it up and say, ‘Inventory.’ The item will automatically transfer. To remove it, open the inventory and hover your hand above the item for approximately two seconds. It will reappear in your hand.”
I click the implant again and a new menu pops up, this time showing my stats.
TIER 0 – UNALIGNED
Wastrel, entry-level
STRENGTH: 10
AGILITY: 10
VITALITY: 10
WILLPOWER: 10
CHARISMA: 10
LUCK: 10
Above that, there’s an XP bar, and something called HP that’s faded. It’s so pale, I can’t read it, as if it’s meant to be hidden from me.
“Your HP bar will solidify and be easier to track as you level up. This is your health bar. As you are human, you must rely on your instincts first before you can track your health by other means. XP means experience points. You will need to generate XP in order to choose a Glitch and level up through Tiers,” Cipher says. “This is often called grinding.”
I close my menus and squint up again. The trees are so thick, it’s almost dark in some places that aren’t touched by the bright streams of light that come through the leaves.
“Sunlight,” Cipher says.
“But everything isn’t . . .”
