Luck looked at himself in the mirror. “I look so freaking good! I don't think anyone could recognize me in this!” He thought excitedly to himself. “I should do some faces!” Luck then made some faces, a smile, a frown, a shocked face, an angry face, he even made himself cry just to test out the mask. The mask perfectly captured his emotions, every time. In a digital way. His face had been reduced to pixels which Luck was unsure of. “Hmm, maybe I should ask him to add more detail to the faces… Not sure if I like the pixel art he's done…” Luck thought to himself, with a serious face. Which was also translated to the mask. Luck then went to take the mask off, feeling a bit uncomfortable with it. He put his hands on the sides and pulled it off. But it didn't come off. He tried again, being a bit more firm. The mask remained. Again he tried, in a much more panicked way. The mask remained cemented on his head. He tried to pry his fingers underneath to rip the mask off, but he couldn't slip his fingers underneath. “No no no! Get this thing off me!” He screamed in his head as he frantically tried to pry the mask off his head repeatedly. He failed endlessly, and gave up. The mask felt as if it had replaced his face. He left his home, and ran all the way to the person who made the mask. He burst through the door, which was unlocked due to laziness or an oversight. Not like it mattered to Luck, who ran down the stairs to the engineers massive workshop. Working at a bench with a welding mask on, is The Engineer.
“Hey, this wasn't part of the deal! Get this thing off me!” Luck shouts down at the Engineer as he rushes down to him. The Engineer doesn't respond, as he continues working. Luck reaches him, and starts to wait. Only to then shake his head.
“Wait, why should I wait for this? I paid millions! Get this freakish thing off my head damn it!” Luck shouts, his mask giving him quite a cute pixelated angry expression. Luck then taps on The Engineer's shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise.
“Whoa! Don't scare me like that bro!! Oh, you back to show off the mask? I love that sick costume you got for it, really showing it off! Honestly it looks sick! I did great!” The Engineer looks on with pride.
“No no, don't be proud! This stupid thing doesn't come off! How am I supposed to eat?! How am I supposed to drink water?!” Luck shouts.
“Hm? Oh bro you can eat through the mask. Like this.” The Engineer grabs a slice of pizza and pushes it against Luck’s mask. And although Luck was not convinced, the pizza somehow goes through the mask. Although it just looks as if the mask is eating, it somehow goes through and Luck can not just taste it, but he can actually chew the food like normal. Luck eats the slice and looks a little bit impressed. The Engineer then gives Luck a water bottle to drink, Luck unscrews the cap and brings the bottle to where his mouth would be, and to his surprise it also goes through as normal, as if he didn't even have the mask on.
“Wait, so how does that work? How is this even possible?” Luck asks, curious.
“What? The food thing? Honestly bro, no clue. But it's pretty sick right?” The Engineer says, turning back away to work again, but Luck grabs his shoulder and turns him back around.
“Dude, that's cool and all, but I don't want to wear the god damn mask anymore! How do I take it off?!”
“Oh, of course. My bad bro, let me get that for you.” The Engineer puts his hands on his mask, near the bottom of the mask, and he feels around. Luck recoils as it feels like The Engineer is putting his hands directly on his chin.
“Hey! Stop messing around and help me take it off already!”
“I'm working on it bro, there's just uh, we could possibly maybe have a small issue…” The Engineer says, nervously moving his hands around the base. He pushes at nearly every possible spot, to the annoyance of Luck who instead feels like The Engineer is pushing into his chin uncomfortably.
“Okay, if you're looking for a button or something, you're clearly missing it!” Luck grabs The Engineer's hands to make him stop prodding.
“Well bro, I hate to break this to you, but there's no way to take that thing off. I think I probably forgot to put a release button on that thing.”
“You have got to be kidding… So I'm permanently like this now? Dude, it was supposed to be an alter ego. Like a vigilante form! Not my new face!”
“Come on bro, it's not that bad! I made sure the inside of that mask has all sorts of cool stuff, and you shouldn't even notice the mask is on after like a day or two. And you look awesome! There's no downside really.”
“Is there really no way?”
“I can try installing a button on it, but it'll probably feel like I'm drilling a hole in your chin.”
“Ugh… Dude, why…?”
Luck just stares at The Engineer.
“Come on bro, stop being such a buzzkill. The mask is cool isn't it? I'll figure out some way to get it off, just give me a few days or something. I got other people that want me to make stuff for them so like buzz off bro.” The Engineer says, then turns around and gets back to work. Luck shrugs, and leaves. With the knowledge that he can still eat and drink, he's not as bothered. He leaves and returns home. He walks home, it's now the evening. “Damn, the screen is kinda bright… I wonder if there's a way to lower the brightness…” He thinks out loud, putting a hand on the side of his head, and feeling around for a button. He walks on autopilot, he notices a girl from one of his classes walking, he subconsciously tries to remember where he recognizes her. He notices someone walking behind her, rather quickly. Holding some sort of cloth, too dark for him to see what they're holding. Then the man puts an arm out to tap on her shoulder, causing the girl to scream.
In this moment, Luck didn't even hesitate to act, running over and punching the man without question. Before beating him.
“You saw fit for this the proper opportunity to attack this girl? Perhaps you should reconsider! Here, I shall assist you!” Luck said dramatically before pummeling the man who tries to fight back, but is unsuccessful, as Luck dodges all his attacks. Then suddenly he here's a voice from behind him.
“Hey, break it up!”
A tough as nails cop then walks by, a toothpick in his mouth, a baton in his hand, and stands between Luck and the man he was attacking in a one sided fashion.
“Now what exactly is going on here?” His strong southern American accent stops any further movement from either party, however another voice then speaks up.
“Uh, sir. O-Officer, this man just touched me suddenly, a-and this uh, person came and protected me.” The girl said, cowering and making themselves look small. Within a second of hearing this, the cop spits out his toothpick, a glare of anger behind his sunglasses.
“What the hell am I hearing right now!” He shouts out, making everyone except for Luck flinch.
“Thank you kindly for your assistance. I'll take it from here! You thought you could get away with this?! Not on my watch! We got LAWS!” Then without hesitation the cop starts beating the man with his baton. Luck steps back, and considers for a moment. Then he instead starts to walk off, stopping by the girl to speak with her briefly.
“Apologies for this disturbance.
Please, enjoy your evening.” Before picking up her previously dropped items and handing it to her. Then walking off, feeling smug and satisfied. Behind him he notices that the man has stopped resisting and cuffs are now being put on him. Suddenly it comes to him where he recognizes the girl, they both took a gym class. Then he makes another realization, the man being arrested was actually his gym teacher. “Wait, that cloth he was returning… What was he holding?” Luck tries to remember, having walked too far away, and not wanting to turn around. “Oh… That was the girls' gym clothes… No! That does not justify it! That man shall rot in a prison cell like the predator he is! I saved that girl, no doubt!” Luck justifies in his head. Feeling even better than before. He had already forgotten about the mask, as it no longer felt like he was wearing one. He arrived home and went to bed, not even bothering to take off his outfit, nor did he even realize how strange he might've seemed. As his fancy phantom thief attire was quite comfortable. The mask somehow also didn't bother him, not even as he looked in the mirror. He had actually become this different person he had wanted to be. As he lie down to sleep he started feeling a strange sense of peace along with the feeling as if the room was shaking, for some reason he couldn't hear anything, he couldn't even feel the air around him anymore, then he found himself in a dream. His dream that of him in a different city, with freakish monsters around, like that of fantasy or myths. He was being attacked, wait, he was being attacked?
He then felt a sharp pain, as he felt one of the monsters jabbing a blade into his side. He was awake now, however he was most definitely not home anymore. He was still in the same place as his dream. At least what had felt like a dream, it was quite real now.
“Ow! What the fuck!” He then punched the monster which had been attacking him as hard as he physically could, harder than he had ever in the past. The green little creature was knocked back, pulling it's blade out of Luck's side. Luck gasps in pain, feeling blood start to pour out of his now open wound. He rushed up to the creature and stomped on its head, adrenaline coursing through his veins, he felt high, the same high he had felt in the past. What had started his whole change of character. The creature cried out in pain for a moment, but was quickly silenced as another stomp and another stomp was given out by Luck. The monster's blood covered his boot now, painting it a sickening red. Luck started to panic, wiping the blood off his boot, however it was already stained. He heard a long scream in the distance, a deep voice filled with pure terror. This snapped him back to reality. He realized his situation and nearly began to scream as well. Screams were constant, the nearby city was full of them. He started scrambling, feeling woozy as more and more blood poured out of his wound. He rips a piece of the creature's white cloth, which was the only clothing the thing had. He is about to push it into his wound, then he sees the hideously deformed face of the creature, and reconsiders. “No no, definitely contaminated, too risky, gotta find something else.” He thinks to himself before carefully and quickly searching the streets , seeing another little green monster. Holding the weapon of the creature which had stabbed him, he rushed at the nearby monster, catching it off guard, the only noises are cries of pain as Luck doesn't hesitate to repeatedly stab the creature until it stops moving. The monster slumps over dead, and Luck quickly turns around another corner, holding his side with an immense amount of pressure, he barely holds back vomit as he feels his mind dozing off, he tries to shake himself awake, tripping onto the ground of the alleyway. However he then hears a voice in the distance.
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“Oh, have they struck yet another? Friend, if you can move still, I have an antidote… In my bag…” The voice in the distance also seems to get quieter and quieter. Luck struggles to move forward, his body weak from blood loss, and a strange feeling of sickness. However he notices the bag, on the ground, still closed. Along with two more bodies of more green miniature monsters. Their bodies shriveled up as if life had quite literally been sucked out of them.
“Please… Friend… Draw the life you yet have, the fates have already declared this my end… Perhaps they will serve you…” He hears what sounds like the click of a trigger, and he feels suddenly the darkness around him being removed and his body is covered in warmth, that of the sun. Although the moon shines brightly in the sky. His eyes shoot open, a sudden intense feeling of resolve. He rips the bag open and takes out the last remaining bottle, and drinks some of it, before suddenly feeling the same sharp pain he had felt when he was stabbed, as the darkness consumed the alley once more. He collapsed to the ground, head hitting the ground hard, however shielded by his mask, a somewhat cushioned fall, as his outfit somehow seemed as if it was made for this very thing. He starts to pass out, only to hear another click of what sounds like a trigger. His vision grows dark, only to fill with bright specs, tiny stars. He feels his weakness subside, only for a moment. He pours the rest of the vial down his throat, swallowing quickly. He attempts to keep down more vomit, however is unsuccessful and it comes out very forcefully. Afterwards, he feels a little better. His vision clears up, and he can finally clearly see the man who was speaking to him. “No! No!” Luck immediately rushes over to the collapsed man. The man was wearing an outfit just like Luck's, it was surreal, a genuine phantom thief. He was holding a strange looking gun, one that had a deck of cards as ammunition. Two cards lay on the ground, face down. However Luck didn't look at them, instead quickly turning to the man, who was silent and his head slumped over.
“No! Please don't die! No no! You're way too cool to die!” Luck shouts at the man, who was barely breathing. Luck observed his body, noticing multiple stab wounds all over his body, his legs slashed and stabbed to hell. Blood covered the ground underneath him, and the wounds had a greenish hue to them, a sickly green. Luck rushed over to the man's bag, and started searching it. Dumping out the bag’s contents he only found various tools clearly used for escape and disruption, smoke bombs, caltrops, and little rocks which flashed with bright light as they fell. All the vials hit the floor, all completely empty. He then rushed back over to the collapsed man, the gun in his hand slipping from his grasp and falling onto the ground in front of him. Luck immediately grabs it, and points it at the collapsed man. Unsure of his true reasoning behind his sudden choice, he pulls the trigger. A card is fired out, only to land on the floor in front of him. Before he notices the man starts moving.
“What is this…? I live still it appears… Oh, I see. You have taken up the mantle… I was able to twist fate in your favor… However… I think this is the end of my show, good sir… My injuries are fatal… The poison is unlikely to be cured with the cards…” The man speaks quietly and weakly.
“The cards, this gun is what kept me going? No! Why didn't you drink the antidote yourself! Can this gun save you? I have to try something!” Luck shouts before firing the gun again.
“Ah… It appears the gun has already attuned to you… This marks my end… The cards have decided… Patch up that wound… It will reopen… Soon…” The man then slumps over on his side, eyes still open. Not a single breath coming out of his mouth. Luck fires the weapon again, a card flies out and flops on the ground. The man's corpse remains lifeless, all light leaving his eyes completely. Luck drops to his knees, putting a finger on his neck to check the man's pulse. Finding none. Luck blinks quickly, trying to resist tearing up. Then he closes the man's eyes, and sits his corpse back up against the wall, moving his arms to lie on his lap. He looks at the cards on the ground. He picks them up one by one. Death, one reads. Then he takes another, one which had been closer to him. The Sun, this one reads. Then another. The Stars, then another. Strength. Then he takes the one which he fired last. The Fool. Even Luck recognized the meanings behind all these cards. Seemingly, as they were fired, the effects were transferred. He then heard a shriek in the distance which made him jump up. As he gets up he feels a sharp pain, as his wound reopens. However he continues to move, rushing towards the noise. A block away, he finds the source of the noise. One of the green creatures was walking towards what looked like a young girl. “Wait, that monster is attacking- Not on my watch!” Luck thinks to himself, then jumps into action.
“You shall torment no longer, foul monster!” Luck shouts heroically, kicking the monster from behind. Which falls over with no resistance. Luck blinks in surprise, blood pouring in mass quantity from the corpse of the monster. He ignores this anomaly, and immediately rushes to the young girl who was surely being tormented.
“Ah! Young one! Are you injured! I have slain the beast! You are safe now…”
However to his shock the girl looked completely stone cold, a stoic look. She was wearing a white lab coat, and a black dress underneath. The only thing of concern was the eye patch she was wearing. A white medical eye patch. The girl had her hand up in the shape of a finger gun, a strange looking device in her other hand. A stick with multiple batteries attached, strange looking batteries. Batteries that looked far different than the ones he had seen before, besides in The Engineer’s workshop. He starts speaking again, as the girl stands there motionless and emotionless.
“Uh… Ahem! Young one, apologies for the scene you witnessed, now are you alright?”
“...Mm… Yeah… I'm fine…” The girl said, Luck could barely hear her. “Oh no! She is definitely afraid! I should tone it down! She's probably traumatized! I shouldn't have kicked that thing so h-” Luck thinks to himself, but his train of thought is interrupted as the girl walks past him, and points her finger gun at the monster's corpse. She then pretends to shoot the body. “Aww… That's actually kinda cute… But she should definitely not be looking at a corpse so closely! Not even a monster! Wait, what the…?” He thinks, as he notices the body actually receiving more holes, as if her finger gun was legitimately shooting it. As soon as he starts worrying, the girl then starts wandering off casually, as if she hadn't witnessed a creature’s violent death. Luck immediately rushes to walk with her, ignoring the pain from his stab wound.
“What are you doing out here alone, young lady?” Luck asks, looking around the streets, noticing behind them lay another corpse, in a similar position.
“...None of your business…” The girl responds quietly, not even turning to look at Luck.
Luck senses the hostility, and responds.
“Ah, of course. Your business is indeed yours. However, these streets are quite dangerous, perhaps you may require some assistance? In truth, I cannot simply leave a young girl such as yourself with all these things around.” The girl stops for a moment, and turns to look at Luck.
“...Are there lots of monsters? I can fight them, they're all super weak…” The girl says, looking up at Luck with a more relaxed gaze. Luck notices some movement in the side alleys, but due to the reopened stab wound, he's unable to focus and the movement seems to fade away.
“Perhaps you have been capable of defending yourself thus far, however, I assure you these monsters are quite dangerous. I-” Luck isn't able to complete his thoughts as he feels a surge of weakness due to blood loss. He instinctively moves a hand to his wound, just shy of touching it. The girl looks curious, but Luck isn't able to focus on her expression, as he spots a flash of green, causing him to shove the girl, shielding her from the sudden attack.
The girl is caught off guard, only for a moment. In this moment, Luck feels excruciating pain, as he feels multiple blades piercing through his clothes and cutting through his flesh. The sudden sharp pain causes him to cry out in pain, as he feels his kidney being punctured quite violently, along with a blade in his right rib getting carved open, as the two monsters don't waste a moment, slashing and stabbing viciously. Luck can't even move anymore, as he feels the blades continue to stab him. His thoughts are emptied and replaced with agonizing screams, which he tries to contain, hoping to shield the young girl as long as possible. His vision very quickly gives way to darkness, the last thing he sees is the ground as he collapses. He passes out. His vision is immediately filled with a blinding light, in the distance he can barely make out something massive. He can hear what sounds like talking, the words jumbled and mixed up
“Tee seen, wo skaxarr vook axanethol timo.” none of it makes any sense. “What?” He thinks, noticing his mouth is not making any noise, as he attempts to speak his confusion. He opens his eyes slowly, blinking awake and looking around, he spots the same girl as earlier. As he remembers the events that just transpired, he also notices that the girl seemingly had no injuries, although there was a bit of blood on her shoes.
“...You're awake now… Are you better now?” The girl asks,
“Hm…? Oh, yeah-I mean yes, I appear to be awake now. My wounds, they seem to be…” Luck looks at his side, the wound stitched and sealed with a grey hue.
“...Healed…?” The girl finishes his sentence before continuing, “...All your hurt spots… They should be better now…” The girl finishes, pointing towards where his wounds once were.
“Uh… I mean, ahem! Your assistance is greatly appreciated! I owe you my life. You can call me Luck. May I know your name?”
“...Nano…” The girl whispers, staring off at something in the distance. Grabbing Luck's attention. The corpse of the man who had saved his life earlier, they were in the same alley again.
“...Will that guy wake up soon…?” Nano asked, looking up to Luck for an answer.
“Oh? That man… He's- You patched up his wounds?” Luck stops partway through, unsure what to say.
“...Yeah, I stitched up his wounds and stuff… He should wake up soon right?” Nano looks worried, which tugs on Luck's heart strings hard.
“Nano… He's… His injuries were…” Luck chokes up on his words, fighting hard to hide his emotions. Although he didn't really know the man, Nano's innocent reaction made the man's death even sadder. “I can't, I don't want to hurt her…” He thinks solemnly, before speaking.
“He was quite tired after protecting me earlier… So he's going to sleep for a long time…”
“But he'll wake up right? Good guys always wake up…” Nano asks, with a look of hope in her strangely bright blue eye.
“Of course, Nano. He's quite tired… We should let him sleep now. We should find somewhere safe now, perhaps one of these buildings. May I ask, well actually I suppose there is no need to ask that… Nano, do you know where we are at the moment?” Luck questions Nano, while squatting down to match her height. Trying to speak in a simpler manner, whilst maintaining his character.
“...No… I was looking for my Dad at my house, then I was suddenly here… I don't know why, but I think it's cause I need to fight bad guys… Cause there's lots of bad guys in this place… Since you're a good guy, you wanna fight bad guys with me…?” Nano asks. Luck doesn't even hesitate to respond, his earlier emotional state shifting instantly once he sees Nano's hopeful face.
“Of course! We shall fight and defeat all the fearsome foes of this place! We shall also locate your father, wherever he may be!”
Luck's enthusiasm rubs off on Nano, causing her face to light up, she throws her arms up in a cheer.
“Yeah!” Nano shouts, her volume still low, but much louder than usual. Before suddenly she seems to notice something, holding her hand out in front of her, pointing her finger gun directly at the end of the alley, where a little green monster then peers around the corner, before another pushes past him running wildly towards them. The two creatures start sprinting fast towards them, Luck draws his recently acquired weapon and fires without hesitation, causing the pair to trip as Nano fires multiple times, hitting the one creature in the side, and the other in the head, causing the first to scream in terror, and the other to go silent and collapse. Nano doesn't even seem to hesitate, as she fires multiple more rounds into the still living creature, only to stop as a loud deep intimidating voice is heard.