I woke up in darkness. No, not darkness, a kind of dim half-light. I could see the ceiling above me clearly in all its white painted glory, but the lights in the room were off. I struggled to remember where I was. Suddenly, a prompt appeared floating in my vision.

  Name: Victor Vasquez

  Accept: Y/N

  “What the fuck?” I said.

  The prompt flashed at me, insistent. I reached out and tried to tap Y, but my hand passed right through the message. A face appeared next to the prompt. It was a square, robot face with big round eyes and a slightly curved mouth giving it the appearance of a friendly smile. The thing looked a bit like Bender from Futurama. I started and instinctively tried to slap the face away from me. My hand passed through it as well.

  “Just think what you want,” it said. “Imagine clicking on Y with a mouse, only your brain is the mouse.”

  I focused on the Y and “clicked” it. The prompt disappeared.

  “What the fuck?” I said, again.

  “Good job!” the face said, it’s tone that of an obnoxiously helpful sales associate. “I’m your AI assistant, Jasper! It’s a pleasure to meet you, [Victor]. Are you ready to view your character sheet?”

  “What the actual fuck is going on?” I said. I tried to sit up and couldn’t. I tried to turn my head and failed. I could move one arm, but that was it. I started to panic. Was I paralyzed? Was this some kind of fucked up dream?

  “Movement has been disabled during this part of the tutorial,” Jasper said. “Currently, you may only move your right arm. User feedback has determined that allowing functionality of a single limb during the tutorial is less traumatic. If you wish to leave feedback about this decision you may do so once the tutorial has finished.”

  I blinked at the face. What had it said? It called itself Jasper?

  “Your name is Jasper?”

  “Yes, [Victor]. I’m Jasper and I’m here to help! Are you ready to view your character sheet?”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “I’m sorry, [Victor],” Jasper said. An animated tear dripped out of one eye and rolled down its face. “I’m unable to answer that question during the tutorial. Are you ready to view your character sheet?”

  “Help!” I yelled, or tried to yell. My voice didn’t get any louder. I pounded my fist against something soft. It felt like I was lying in a bed.

  “I can’t even shout?”

  “I’m sorry, [Victor],” Jasper said. Tears welled up in both eyes this time. “Your options are limited during this part of the tutorial. Are you ready to view your character sheet?”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “Your character sheet provides vital information about your condition, statistics, and abilities.”

  “Like in a game?”

  “Yes, [Victor],” Jasper said. Its eyes turned to stars. “Just like in a game!”

  I’d played a few RPG video games, but not many. I tried to move again. Nothing. I sighed.

  “OK, Jasper. Show me my character sheet.”

  Jasper’s eyes turned briefly to hearts before the face vanished, replaced with a box of text.

  Note: You have an unassigned specialization from your [Hand-to-Hand: Expert] skill.

  You may not assign a specialization until after the tutorial.

  Some of the character sheet made sense. I guessed the statistics listing Agility, Intelligence, and so on were a measure of my raw physical and mental abilities, though I wasn’t sure exactly what Presence or Will meant. I was briefly gratified to see Hand-to-Hand ranked as Expert, then annoyed that Melee only rated Skilled. I’d never won a competition with my eskrima sticks but I’d at least placed.

  “What’s the message about specialization mean?”

  “I’m sorry, [Victor],” Jasper said, a smaller version of its face floating to the right of my character sheet. “You may not assign a specialization until after the tutorial.”

  “OK, but what is a specialization?”

  “I’m sorry, [Victor]. That information isn’t available until after the tutorial.”

  I rolled my eyes. I could still do that, at least.

  “Fine.” I looked over my sheet. “What’s a hemophage? And what’s a Matrix?”

  A thumbs up emoji sprouted from the top of Jasper’s head and floated upwards before fading out.

  “Hemophage is your Archetype, which replaces your base race. Every Agent has an Archetype and many of the Agents even share an Archetype! Hemophages require blood to survive and to fill their Matrix. Every ability is fueled by drawing from the Matrix. You currently have 20 blood points stored in your Matrix.”

  That was a lot of information to take in all at once. Agents? Base race? I had so many questions. I decided to start with the basics.

  “Um, Jasper? If I’m a hemophage, what was my base race?”

  “Human.”

  I suddenly felt nauseous.

  “Are you saying I’m not human?”

  Jasper beamed with a smile.

  “That’s right, [Victor]! Isn’t that exciting?”

  I tried to punch the smiling face, but my fist just passed right through it. I gritted my teeth and pounded my fist on the bed again. It felt good to hit something.

  “Fuuuuuuuuuck!” I screamed, or rather, tried to scream. It came out at a normal, conversational level. “Damn, damn, damn.”

  I lay there, breathing hard. Not human. This had to be a joke. A dream. A hallucination. I tried to remember what I’d eaten the night before. A microwave burrito? That couldn’t be it. Maybe someone had slipped me something? Maybe a gas leak? I tried to move again, to shift my head even an inch to the side. Nothing happened. I sighed and closed my eyes. Being angry wasn’t helping. I focused on my breathing, slowing it, feeling it flow in through my nose and out through my mouth. Eventually I calmed down.

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  “Alright, Jasper. I’m a hemophage.” The anger boiled up again at the word, and I shoved it down, breathed it out. “You said I need blood to survive, to fill my Matrix, that it fuels my abilities. I currently have 20 blood points in my Matrix. What happens if I spend them all?”

  “When your Matrix is empty you can no longer activate your abilities, which would put you at an extreme disadvantage.”

  “Does it refill by itself?”

  “Very slowly,” Jasper said. “Fortunately for you, blood is easy to find! Everyone has some!”

  I blinked.

  “Jasper,” I said. “Am I a fucking vampire?”

  Jasper’s face chuckled into a big laugh emoji.

  “Of course not, [Victor]!” it said. “A hemophage is completely different! You absorb blood through your skin. You can go out during the day, and you can still enjoy the delightful taste of garlic.” Jasper’s face grew serious. “Being set on fire and decapitation will still kill you, and I don’t suggest letting anyone stake you through the heart.” It smiled again and winked.

  I pinched myself on the leg, hard. Yep. That hurt. Definitely not a dream. My stomach churned and I briefly wondered what would come up if I puked. Did vampires vomit blood? I pictured a spray of blood blasting from my mouth and splashing against the white ceiling. Calm. Be calm. I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, in and out.

  “Are you ready to continue, [Victor]?”

  I opened my eyes to see a question mark floating above Jasper’s head. My right hand twitched.

  “Fine,” I said. “Fucking fabulous. Go on.”

  Another thumbs up floated toward the ceiling.

  “Do you have any questions about your stats?”

  I scanned the sheet again. Nothing lower than three or higher than five.

  “What’s the average for a stat?” I said.

  “Humans are rated from one to five for each stat, with three being the average,” Jasper said.

  “I think I understand most of the stats but give me a run down.”

  Jasper’s eyes briefly turned to stars, and it began to explain.

  “Agility measures your hand-eye coordination and body awareness. Intelligence measures reasoning and remembering. Perception measures how well you notice small details about people and places. Presence is a measurement that can manifest as charisma or an aura that demands attention. Strength is a measure of your pure physical power. Vitality directly influences your Health and is the base for your damage absorption and resistance to negative status effects. Finally, Will is a measure of your mental resilience.”

  Tutorial Step One Complete!

  Movement restored!

  The words floated in front of me, and my character sheet vanished. I tried turning my head. It moved and I saw a window covered in black curtains to my right. I didn’t recognize them. I sat up and looked around. I was sitting on a large bed with black sheets. Industrial style metal nightstands flanked the bed, each with a small, covered lamp atop it. Neither of the lamps were lit.

  The opposite wall held a framed painting that I recognized but didn’t know by name or artist. It featured a long-haired man in the process of eating a smaller figure that I think was meant to be his child. I looked to my left and found two doors. One was a double door, painted black, that looked like it led to a closet. The other was a normal door, made of dark wood.

  I was positive, one hundred percent certain, that I’d gone to sleep in my apartment. This was absolutely not my apartment. My apartment was a shitty one bedroom with dingy gray walls and cheap second-hand furniture. I rubbed the black sheets between my fingers. They felt expensive. I stood up and looked down at myself. I was wearing a black suit with a button-up black shirt undone at the neck. My feet were clad in black shoes that looked like they probably cost more than my car. A notification popped up.

  You have received:

  FlexWeave Jacket (+5% Physical Resistance)

  FlexWeave Trousers (+5% Physical Resistance)

  Jasper’s face appeared to the left of the message.

  “Physical Resistance reduces physical damage. Mental Resistance reduces the effectiveness of mental attacks,” it said. “Two of your six gear slots are now filled. When out of combat, you may change your equipment at any time.”

  I grunted and walked over to the window. Pulling the curtains aside, I looked out. It was night outside, with just the sliver of moon in the sky. I was high up, like really high, and all I could see was a city spread out before me, lights twinkling into the distance. I stared out, looking for landmarks, but I didn’t see anything I recognized. Was this even San Diego?

  “Where am I?” I whispered.

  “I’m sorry [Victor],” Jasper said, its face still hovering in my view. “But your mini-map and HUD have been disabled for this part of the tutorial.”

  “Of course they have,” I said, letting the curtains drop back in place. “Jasper? Why do you keep pronouncing my name like that?”

  “Like what [Victor]?”

  “Like that! You sound pretty normal most of the time, except when you say my name, then you sound like a robo-caller or something.” I did a quick robot impersonation. “Hello VIC-tor.”

  “I’m sorry [Victor], but I’m not sure what you mean,” Jasper said, it’s face adopting the equivalent of a raised eyebrow. “Would you like me to run a self-diagnostic?”

  I sighed.

  “No. It doesn’t matter.”

  I walked around the bed and opened up the closet. It was a large walk-in and completely empty, except for some sturdy wooden hangers. Closing the closet, I moved to the door I hoped led out of the bedroom and opened it. I found a hallway just outside, but I could only see a few feet before it vanished into inky black. I searched for a light switch but didn’t find one. A new message popped up in front of me.

  Ability: Low-light Vision

  You can see normally in low-light situations. Can be enhanced.

  Spend 1 blood point to see in full darkness for 10 minutes, or 5 blood points to extend the duration to an hour.

  Your eyes glow a creepy red while in use. Sunglasses or other eye protection will disguise this effect.

  “Low-light Vision is one of your abilities!” Jasper said. “It has both a passive and active effect. The passive effect lets you see in the bedroom because there’s just a hint of light leaking in from outside. The hallway is too dark for your passive effect, but you can enhance Low-light Vision by tapping into your Matrix and spending blood points to improve the effect.”

  “How do I spend blood points?”

  “Have you ever played with bubble wrap?”

  I blinked at the question.

  “Yes?”

  “Focus on the ability and visualize a row of bubbles. Pop one to activate your ability!”

  Ignoring how stupid that sounded, I did what it said. I pictured a piece of bubble wrap and imagined myself popping one of the bubbles. Nothing happened.

  “Yeah,” I said. “That didn’t work.”

  “Focus on the ability,” Jasper said.

  The words Low-light Vision appeared in front of me. I stared at the words and imagined popping a bubble. Suddenly I could see all the way down the hallway, like someone had just turned on a light.

  “Holy shit!”

  A bunch of hearts bloomed out of the top of Jasper’s head and floated up.

  “Good job, [Victor]!”

  I walked down the hallway, pausing to look into an open door on my right. It was a bathroom, complete with shower. I continued down the hallway until it emptied into a large, open plan apartment with the kitchen and dining area situated to my left and the living room to my right. All the furniture and fittings were industrial themed, and every surface was either chrome or black. The floor looked like it might be black marble. I could see another door just beyond the kitchen that I assumed led out of the apartment.

  I started moving toward the door when a ninja, a fucking ninja, dropped from the ceiling in front of me. I stared at the figure, scanning it from its hood down to the split-toe tabi on its feet. The ninja used my shock to draw a short, straight sword that I recognized as a ninjatō. I scowled.

  “That isn’t even historically accurate,” I said. “You should have a wakizashi. Someone’s been watching too much anime.”

  The ninja stepped forward and slashed down with the ninjatō. My training took over, and I immediately stepped back and to the side, dodging the attack. I’d trained in a variety of martial arts since I was little and been teaching students for the last five years. I watched as my opponent recovered and stepped into a basic chūdan-no-kamae stance. This guy might look like a cosplayer, but his form was smooth and practiced. I raised my hands to defend, desperately wishing I had my eskrima sticks.

  The ninja started to slide his front foot forward when he froze in place. I tried to take advantage of his hesitation with a quick jab at his eyes but found I was also frozen in place. Jasper’s smiling face appeared to the right of my attacker.

  “I bet it’d be easier to fight this guy if you had a weapon!” Jasper said.

  “No shit!” Apparently, I could still speak.

  “You better arm yourself then!” Jasper said. “I want you to reach out and imagine you’re grasping the handle of a weapon. Don’t think too hard about it, just do it!”

  My right hand and arm were unfrozen, and I did as the AI instructed. Not thinking, just reaching out and grasping. A sheathed tanto appeared in my hand.

  “What the fuck?”

  You have received:

  Tanto of the Void +2

  This weapon only exists when you reach out and will it into your hand. Improved accuracy and damage.

  Note: If you are disarmed or intentionally drop this weapon it cannot be recalled until you physically touch it.

  Note: This weapon does not count as equipped.

  As soon as I had the weapon, both the ninja and I completely unfroze. His foot continued to slide forward as he readied another strike. I unsheathed the tanto, maintaining my grasp on the wooden sheath. The ninja’s sword shot forward, and I blocked the strike with the sheath, feeling it jar in my grasp and seeing wood chips fly. I responded with a feint at his face, before sending a slash at the inside of his elbows.

  He released the ninjatō with his left hand and dropped his arms to his sides, angling the sword to deflect my attack. I continued to turn, using the momentum from my attack to launch a spinning kick at his head, which the ninja avoided by bending backward at the waist, allowing my foot to whoosh through empty air. I completed my spin, dropped into a ready stance, and watched in disbelief as the ninja used his left hand to pull a pair of shuriken from a hidden sheath and launch them at me.

  I managed to dodge one of the shuriken but the other slammed into my right shoulder with far more force than seemed possible. My arm immediately went numb, falling slack to my side, and I could feel blood pouring down my side. Without taking my eyes off the ninja, who had returned to chūdan-no-kamae, I dropped the sheath from my left hand and tugged the shuriken out of my shoulder. I gasped with pain and felt more blood pour from the wound. A red bar appeared in the lower left of my vision, and I watched as it ticked down from full by about a tenth. The world froze again.

  “Wow!” Jasper said, popping into view again. “That sure looks like it hurts! This guy will kill you if you don’t get that bleeding under control. Always make sure to keep an eye on your Health bar.”

  Ability: Regeneration

  You heal much faster than humans. Can be enhanced. Automatically heal 10% of your total Health every 5 minutes.

  Spend 1 blood point to instantly heal 10% of your total Health. Spend 5 blood points to regrow a severed limb.

  Note: You cannot regrow your head!

  The world unfroze and I didn’t need to be told what to do. I concentrated on Regeneration and popped a bubble. My Health bar immediately shot up to full, and I could feel my flesh knit itself back together. It didn’t really hurt, but it wasn’t pleasant. It felt kind of like the drag and pressure of getting a tattoo. I raised my tanto in front of me, right arm as good as new.

  I moved forward, trying to get inside the ninja’s reach, looking for an opportunity to grab and entangle, while slashing high with my tanto, trying to use the weapon to distract him. The ninja blocked my attack and took two quick steps backward, moving away from me, looking to reestablish his reach advantage. I followed but was forced to stop and dodge when he suddenly shifted one foot forward and swept out a cut at my head.

  The world froze and Jasper appeared, yawning with little Zs curling up from its head.

  “This is boring,” it said. “Why haven’t you just killed him? Maybe this will help.”

  Ability: Sanguis Vita

  Improved Strength, Vitality, and Agility. Can be enhanced.

  Spend 1 blood point to increase your Strength, Vitality, and Agility by +2 for two minutes.

  Repeated use refreshes duration but does not stack.

  I immediately activated the ability. I didn’t feel any different, but when I moved toward the ninja to attack, he seemed much, much slower than before. I easily stepped aside from a thrust, redirecting his attack with my left hand while my right darted in to slash at his throat.

  I’ve probably practiced that sequence thousands of times. Sure, I’d never actually slit someone’s throat before, but I still thought I had a pretty good idea of what would happen. My cut would cause a quick splash of blood but would only spurt if I managed to hit one of the big arteries. It wasn’t necessarily a killing blow. So, I readied a follow up attack. It wasn’t necessary. His head flew off. His whole head. Sliced off right below the jaw.

  Blood geysered into the air, splattering down all around and over me. The pressure was so high, some of it hit the ceiling, staining the white paint red. The ninja dropped his sword and his body collapsed like a sack of potatoes, slumping onto the floor and spraying even more blood. The hooded ninja head fell, bounced once, and rolled toward the kitchen. I stared, frozen again, only this time with shock. A few drops of blood fell from the ceiling and made plopping sounds as they hit the floor. Holy fuck.

  Music blared from nowhere. It almost sounded like the victory music from Final Fantasy. Jasper appeared and a giant thumbs up slowly squeezed out of its head and floated upward.

  “Winner!” it shouted. “You did it [Victor]! Don’t let all that blood go to waste. Quick!”

  A new message appeared, but I couldn’t read it. I was too busy bent over double, puking my guts out.