11:57.

With three minutes on the clock, Max stared at the items on the surface in front of him. As the seconds ticked by, his mind ran over the preparations of the last year. His eyes flashed to the full backpacks and boxes scattered around the workspace around him, brow scrunching with doubt and tension.

11:58.

He got up, started to pace, and promptly sat down again in front of the table in a fit of restlessness. He moved two hammers on the table, shifting them ever so slightly to align with the other tools lying there.

11:59.

As the last minute started ticking down, Max leaned back and closed his eyes. In an effort to calm himself, he started counting down. As he hit zero, he opened his eyes to see the clock flip over.

12:00.

Max waited.

Five seconds later, he put his face into his hands and moaned, not sure whether to feel relief or grief.

It's not real after all. Everything I did in the last year, all for nothing. I'm an idiot, I should have known to get some help rather than considering myself some kind of Chosen One-

His mental rant was abruptly interrupted by a loud fanfare behind him. Falling off his stool in shock, he blinked up from the floor to see a set of screens floating in front of him. He blinked a few times, but they remained at the same point in his vision, even as he pulled himself up off the floor.

Massaging the hip he landed on, he began to read.

Welcome New Contender! Your planet has been chosen as the newest addition to the Interface! From here on, your species will contend for a place at the Table of Champions! Challenge yourselves, each other and even nature itself in your bid to become the ultimate lifeforms!

As new Contenders, you have been granted a tutorial period. Please be aware, some physical/geographical/biological/metaphysical changes may occur in your surroundings as your reality is integrated into the Challenging Grounds.

Integration Tutorial Period: 24:00:00

Max stared at the final box for a few moments, confirming that the tutorial period was in fact twenty-four hours as the seconds ticked down. He sighed and tilted his head at the roof, but his vision remained blocked by the information screens.

"Ugh, what was the word again? Dismiss?"

As he spoke, the screens flickered and disappeared. A tiny stylized bird popped in the corner of his vision, along with a timer. Looking at it, Max realised it represented the tutorial timer.

With his vision mostly free, he leaned against the table, staring at the ceiling. His mind flashed between all the information he'd gathered, recalling the plans in place. His mind soon slowed however, circling the same point over and over.

Either he had finally cracked completely, or truth was really stranger than fiction.

Either way, he was up shit creek and the paddles were long gone.

After stewing for ten minutes, Max shook his head and pulled himself out of his funk.

He turned back to his workbench, casting a critical eye over the implements and materials. He did a quick mental review of the steps he needed to take, and reached for the long steel blade. Working quickly, he attached and secured the hilt to the tang.

Looking the completed shortsword over, he gave a nod. Not the most elegant product, but it wasn't intended to take him far. He placed it on a separate worktable to allow the guard to cool and tighten, and proceeded to start the process again on a shorter blade.

Two hours later, Max grabbed a water bottle and sat heavily on the beaten couch at the side, looking at the two blades. Drinking greedily, he closed his eyes and leaned back, trying to let the tension fall from his body. After he felt some of the soreness fade from his muscles, he opened his eyes to look at the items on the floor. After a moment, he reached for the body armor, but his hand stopped just short.

Doubt clouding his face, he pulled out his phone, quickly navigating to a news site. He barely had to scroll down before a headline jumped out at him.

"The Interface: Hoax, or New World?"

He stared at the words, before searching for other sites. Across all of them, the top headlines had some reference to the screens Max had seen earlier.

"What is the Interface?"

"Reports worldwide of strange floating display screens."

"Coastal city relocated to mountainside."

"Meteor shower visible by day over country town."

Well, he thought, if I've gone crazy, looks like the whole world's gone with me.

He reached for the body armor again with determination set in his face. He rapidly stripped down and changed, then did a thorough check over the small backpack and its contents.

Satisfied, he let out the straps and swung it on to his back, and then grabbed a bulky object wrapped in a few shopping bags. With a grunt, he lifted it over his shoulder, shifting himself as he attempted to slide it between his back and the bag. After some adjustments, he managed to get it positioned, pulling the straps of the bag tight to hold the object between himself and the bag.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Max turned to the bench, picking up the two blades. Sheathing them both, he strapped the shorter one to his leg, holding the longer one loosely in his left hand as he marched towards the door.

Stopping to put on a motorcycle helmet, he stepped out of the door, blinking in the sudden brightness. Looking around, it didn't seem much had changed in the vicinity of his home, although he did seem a worried group of people talking quietly further down the street. He swung himself onto his e-bike, straining for a moment as the weight on his back threatened to topple him, before he set off through the city.

Forty minutes later he stopped in front of a boarded up building, looking at his phone to check it was the correct address. Noting that his marker and the pin overlapped, he secured his bike to a nearby lamppost, and began searching the front of the building for a way in.

He was just about to try and break through the front door when a teen girl nearby called out to him.

"Hey, are you with the cops?"

Surprised, Max turned to look at her. The girl was clearly distressed, with red eyes and mascara smeared.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

The girl grabbed on to his arm, eyes darting as she tried to find his behind the tinted glass of his helmet.

"Please, you gotta help, my friend, she got sucked in, please, save her!"

"Whoa whoa, slow down." He lifted his visor, fixing her with a stare to make sure she was listening. The teen took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded.

"Now, in as few sentences as you can. What happened to your friend?" Max asked her, trying to talk in a slow, soothing tone. The girl nodded again and started speaking.

"Okay, I know we shouldn't have been, but we were chilling inside in the demo building, and the weird message popped up, you know the one like a real life notif? We were just about to bounce when the air flexed or something, this weird portal thing just popped in and Mari was just pulled in." At this point the girl began to tear up again.

"Please, you have to help her, everything was just so fast, and I called like hours ago but you're the first person to show up, please please please." Her voice trailed off, quietly repeating 'please' over and over. As she began to shake with sobs, Max placed a hand on her shoulder, unsure how to soothe this stranger. The girl had no such reservations however, and latched onto his torso, the crying increasing to a flood of tears.

Unsure what to do with his free hand, the other still occupied by the sword, he hovered over her back, before awkwardly patting her on the back. Inwardedly he felt grateful that the arrival of the Interface meant anybody nearby had bigger things to occupy them than a girl bawling on the streets.

After a couple of minutes, the cries began to slow, and Max gently pried the girl off.

Leaning down to meet her eye-level, he rubbed her arm in an effort to further soothe her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

After a few hiccups, the girl managed to reply.

"Maria," she said, "and my friend's Mari. M and M, like a bag of candy."

"Maria. Listen. I know it's tough right now, but if we're going to help Mari, I need you to show me how you got into the building."

Maria nodded wiped her eyes. She lead him around the side of the building to a service door in an alley. Leaning her shoulder into the door, she gave it a sharp shove, then pulled it open and walked inside.

Following her, Max noted a a number of props and costumes. Along with clues from the door signs, he guessed that this had probably been a theater building of some kind, a guess further supported as they entered a door marked "Stage".

"Over there," said Maria as they clambered onto the stage. Pushing a dusty curtain out of the way, Max was stunned by the sight in front of him. A swirling surface floated slightly above the stage, the torn edges making it look like someone had stolen a galaxy and set it spinning on its edge in front of him.

He walked up to it in a daze, the bizarre reality truly setting in as he watched this unworldly occurence turn lazily in front of him.

"You okay?"

The question from Maria startled Max out of his reverie. He nodded, commenting, "It's so strange, you know? Life is never going to be the same."

"Yeah..."

Hearing the forlorn tone, he berated himself for getting lost in thought while Maria fretted about her friend.

Come on, you can do this. Through the portal, find the girl, save the day. Easy like Sunday morning.

When he had gathered up the determination to go through the portal, a thought struck him, and he twisted back toward Maria.

"Hey, I need you to head back out, okay? Wait for us outside, and when someone comes by, make sure you tell them what's going on." Seeing her about to refuse, he pushed on.

"Please, Maria. I need you to do this. Mari needs you to do this." Maria flinched at her friends name. She nodded, slowly walking back the way they came.

Max looked back at the portal, waiting for the sounds of her footsteps to fade. When he was left with silence, he took two deep breaths, flipped his visor down and reached for the surface of the portal. His fingers met a membrane-like surface, and a message popped up in front of him.

Mycene Nesting Tunnels Portal Would you like to enter the Mycene Nesting Tunnels? You will not be able to exit until the Challenge is cleared. Confirm Abort

Steeling himself, he said, "Confirm." He closed his eyes, preparing for the nausea he'd been told about. When nothing happened, he opened them again, finding himself presented with another screen.

WARNING

As you have not been initiated within the Interface yet, you will receive no Interface bonuses or assistance for the duration of the Challenge. Are you sure you want to proceed? Confirm Abort

"Confirm!" he said quickly, before his resolve could start crumbling at this interruption.

His fingers began to distort and stretch into the portal, followed quickly by his hand and arm. In a blink, he found himself in entirely new surroundings. He didn't have time to assess his new environment however, as a wave of nausea immediately washed over him, and he fell to his hands and knees, retching.

Closing his eyes, Max concentrated on keeping his stomach contents where they were. Minutes later, he felt steady enough to lean back and sit on the floor. He loosened the straps on his backpack, slipping the weight off his back as he suddenly became aware of the sweat soaking his back.

Retrieving a bottle of water from the backpack, he lifted his visor and turned his attention to a new screen as he drank.

You have begun a Challenge!

Be warned: Until you complete the Challenge, you will not be able to leave the Challenge zone.

Challenge Zone: Mycene Nesting Tunnels Clear Conditions: Incapacitate or otherwise defeat all inhabitants of the zone

Grimacing, he tucked the water bottle away and dismissed the screen. Looking around, he appeared to be in an underground cave, dimly lit by the glow of the portal behind him. A dark tunnel provided the only exit. Max swallowed nervously and took out his phone, navigating to some notes he had made previously.

Alright, just review one last time. 5 targets. Sequence is shoot, spray, stab. Keep an eye out for the girl.

He tucked the phone away in his bag. Unwrapping the shopping bags revealed a disassembled crossbow, which he put together and loaded. Placing it carefully on the ground to the side, he took out a spray can wrapped in velcro and attached it to a velcro patch on his right leg. Satisfied with his preparations, he zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulders, picking the crossbow as he stood. He pulled down his visor and walked into the dark, leaving behind only an echo of his voice.

"Geronimo."