The light didn't last long. It was like falling asleep. You're awake, and then suddenly everything has changed.

Kreme jerked awake at a rough wooden table. Sat near him in equally rough wooden chairs were Cole and Mac who were now wearing ragged robes tied with twine. The two met eyes with Kreme, then all three looked at themselves, noticing their change in wardrobe.

"Did that reaper guy just roofie us by opening a book?" Kreme said as he stood up and looked around. They definitely weren't at Mac's house anymore. Cast iron cookware and tools hung from the walls, the walls and floor looked as if it would give you a splinter just by looking at it, and there was not an electronic device in sight. At the far end of the room was a workbench. Behind the teens was a bookshelf with several dusty leather-bound books. Next to it was a pendulum powered grandfather clock that ticked softly.

The door to the outside suddenly swung open with a shadowy figure silhouetted by the sunlight.

"Get y'er tools. Its work time." The figure said, stepping into the room and in to view. He wasn't human. He was covered in ragged dark brown fur and was dressed like a 19th century farmer. He also had short pointed ears, like a dog, one of which was cut even shorter and a short tail poking out from his overalls.

The three teens stared at this human-like dog barking orders at them, flabbergasted. The dog returned their stare with an angry growl, particularly at Cole.

"What're you squinting at, pint size?" The dog looked at Kreme and Mac. "Same goes for you!"

Mac and Kreme exchanged looks.

"Are we slaves?" Kreme asked, looking at Mac for support. Mac stood up and cautiously grabbed a random tool hanging on the wall, hoping it to be whatever he needed for his "work." The dog groaned and stormed up to Mac.

"This one you half-wit!" Grabbing what appeared to be a scythe and shoving the handle into Mac's hands.

"Ah, uh, okay." Mac stammered out as he began to walk towards the door leading outside, but turning around just before leaving. Kreme grabbed 2 more scythes from the wall, handing one to Cole, and followed Mac outside. The dog stopped Cole before he could move.

"Not you. You stay in here and clean up."

Cole flashed Mac and Kreme a disgusted expression as the dog shoved the teens, minus Cole, outside. Mac and Kreme both stumbled out the door, carefully trying not to cut themselves with the scythes they were holding.

Just outside the door was a small deck that lead to a cobblestone pathway around the house. Surrounding the house was a thick field of wheat.

"You see this house here?" The dog said, pointing to the house.

"Yes?" Mac replied timidly.

"I want the pile to be that tall by the time I get back." He then stormed off, leaving Mac and Kreme alone in the wheat fields.

Several seconds passed, making sure he was gone, then Mac and Kreme dropped their harvesting tools and went back in to the house, completely disregarding their apparent master. Cole was still sitting at the table, quietly crying into his arms. Kreme sat beside Cole and put an arm around him to comfort him.

"I can't believe that, not only did we get sold into slavery, our owner is some racist jerk who doesn't know how to shave. I don't even remember what happened. One second we were at your house, and then suddenly we're here." Kreme said.

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"Well, before we freak out, we need to get out of here before that guy comes back." Mac stated, to which Kreme agreed. Mac looked around the room, then picked up a large harvester's bag off the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

"Kreme, grab those tools we dropped outside, I'm going to see if there's any food somewhere in here." Kreme nodded and went outside. Mac turned around to the large workbench. It was covered with several dirty ceramic plates and cups, some of which had mold growing on them. On the far end was a medium rusty shield and a worn pendant with a cross on it. Kreme returned into the house holding the two scythes and set them on the table, briefly stopping to console Cole again.

"Find anything?" Kreme asked. Mac turned around holding the shield, but accidentally bumped one of the cups off the table. It fell off and hit the floor, but instead of shattering, as one would expect, it instead exploded into a few pieces of paper with writing on them. Mac and Kreme stared the paper on the floor for several seconds in disbelief, then at each other.

Mac placed the shield back on the workbench then grabbed another cup and threw it on the floor. Again, it just burst into paper with a muffled crash.

"That sure didn't feel like paper when I was holding it." Mac bent down and picked up one of the sheets of paper. His eyes widened, he then turned the paper around to show Kreme what was on it. On the paper was a sort-of character sheet with all of the cups attributes. Its durability, now zero, describing what it was made of, and the mold on it.

"Is everything in here made of paper?" Kreme asked.

"I'm completely lost dude." Mac replied.

"What're you two doing in here just yapping to each other!?" The dog had returned already, and was clearly furious. "And you!" He continued, looking at Cole who had stopped crying and was now staring at him in fear, "I told you to clean this house up!"

Mac grabbed one of the scythes from the table and pointed it at the dog.

"I ain't nobodies slave!" Mac said, mimicking the dog's southern accent. The dog pulled a whip out from under his overalls and cracked it in the air.

"I don't see no pile outside!"

"Lets make one then, starting with you!" Mac shouted, forcefully shoving the dog out the door, and then pushing him off the deck onto the ground below. However, when he hit the ground, like the cups, the dog also burst into several sheets of paper. Kreme rushed to Mac's side to defend him, but was shocked to see the dog missing and only sheets of paper rustling on the ground.

"What on earth--?" Mac couldn't believe what he was seeing. Cole stood up and peeked between the two curious as to what just happened.

"Well this is a new feeling, guilt over killing someone." Mac remarked. "Unfortunately its overshadowed by all this unyielding confusion."

Suddenly the trio started glowing, then came a flash of bright light followed by golden confetti swarming around them before quickly disappearing into nothing.

"Oh look, we leveled up." Kreme joked.

"Ah, it would appear so." Mac said, pointing to the large golden letters floating above their heads spelling out 'Level Up!'

Cole suddenly perked up. After a brief pause, he tugged on Kreme's robe to grab his attention.

"Did you guys hear that too?"

"I don't hear anything." Kreme replied.

"You didn't just hear a voice that said 'you have learned Scan'?"

Mac looked around.

"Well, nothing else has really made any sense. Try it out."

Cole awkwardly looked at Kreme for support, who gave him an equally awkward expression.

"What do I do?"

"Try saying 'scan'." Kreme replied. Cole gave Kreme and unsatisfied expression.

"Scan." He said shyly. Cole suddenly jerked backwards hearing a voice ring out in his head. He then looked back at Kreme. "You weigh 140 pounds?"

"No way." Kreme gave Cole a surprised but also slightly violated expression. Cole turned to Mac and used scan on him, since he wasn't one to discriminate.

"You have a splinter dealing 1 damage per second to you. Its in your left hand." Mac looked at his hand and scratched it.

"I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here."

Kreme turned to Mac, as if pretending to confront him.

"Oh yeah?"

"You challenged Death to a game for our souls. He then pulled out a book and opened it, which lead us here. From the looks of it, we were transported us to some isekai story and now we have to beat the game in order to survive."

Kreme and Cole both stared at Mac blankly for an uncomfortably long time.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" Kreme sneered. Mac sarcastically motioned to the pile of paper that was being blown around by the wind outside, giving a strong implication of how ridiculous everything else has been up to this point.

"Anyway, so what now?"

Mac looked around the room, formulating an idea of what to do, then turned back to Kreme.

"You and Cole go outside and look around. I'll stay in here and do some reading."

"Reading?"

"There's a bunch of books over there. Since this is where we spawned, there's a good chance those books have a bunch of lore in them that can help us get through things. Like a tutorial."

Kreme laughed and hooked arms with Cole.

"Alright then. Cole, lets go bury the body."