Archie, Mechanic, and Deadbeat ascended the stairs to the first floor. Archie was taken aback by the phrase, ‘Pain in the butt.’

They arrived at a double-sided door marking the entrance to the first-floor stairs.

Deadbeat swung open the door, revealing a vast room filled with objects shrouded in sheets.

Archie couldn't make out the shapes hidden beneath the sheets, but an eerie feeling washed over him.

The room was expansive, large enough to house an entire football field. The walls were adorned with sheet-covered objects placed in alcoves, and the floor boasted intricate designs, possibly mosaics. A high, vaulted ceiling with ornate details added to the grandeur of the space.

As Archie took in the room, they reached the end where a large table with three chairs awaited them. A solitary chair was positioned behind the table, its back turned to them.

“DRR…” The chair swiveled around, emitting a mechanical screech that made Archie wince.

Seated in the chair was a man dressed in a pink jacket with pockets, a white undershirt, beige pants, brown gloves, and white shoes.

The man's skin was dusky, and he sported a goatee and a large whisker mustache that bore a resemblance to Deadbeat, though it didn't quite suit him. His build was average, contrasting with his large belly that strained against his tight shirt.

Archie had expected to encounter another species upon entering the room, but the man appeared to be human, just like him, Mechanic, and Deadbeat.

Archie and the others took their seats, while the man observed in silence. Archie noticed his gaze was fixed on him, so he tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

“Why didn't you answer when I called you, you bastard?”

The man's voice was high-pitched and childlike, filled with longing.

Deadbeat remained silent in response to the man's proclamation, replying calmly,

“He's a virgin, here for his E-Screen.”

I like it more when you ignore me.”

The man teased, then turned his gaze towards Archie. His voice dropped to a low bass,

“So, you are a virgin. Which woman do you desire?”

“What!” Archie stammered, taken aback by the man's question.

“THUD!” To Archie's surprise, Deadbeat stood up and punched the man in the face. However, the man remained unfazed by Deadbeat's blow.

“Alright, I get it,” The man exhaled, while Deadbeat resumed his seat. The man then introduced himself,

“Kid, they call me Pain in the Butt. You can call me Butt or PB, whatever you prefer.”

“My name… My name is Arc…” Archie began, but was interrupted by Mechanic who placed her hand over his mouth and interjected,

“Let's get down to business first, then we can do introductions.”

PB sighed and asked,

“Why did you bring this stray here? You could have done the virgin test at the counter.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“You owe me one. Remember? I came here for that. Now do the virgin test here.” Deadbeat's tone was stern, prompting PB to reply,

“Follow me, kid.”

PB stood up and walked towards the sheet-covered objects. Archie and Mechanic rose and followed him, leaving Deadbeat behind.

PB pulled the sheet off one object near the table, revealing a towering dark blue machine box, standing over 7 feet tall. The box was illuminated with intricate patterns of blue lights, forming a design reminiscent of a spider’s web.

“THUD-THUD!” PB punched the box twice, causing the front panel to swing open like a door.

A horizontal panel extended outward, featuring a silver circular marking engraved on it.

“Place your left hand on the panel.” PB instructed, as he typed a code into the box. The entire side panel transformed into a black screen displaying various information.

PB typed something and asked,

“What Rift Runner name would you like to use?”

Archie pondered for a few minutes, unable to come up with a name like Mechanic or Deadbeat.

“Let's call him Chef.” Mechanic suggested, glancing at Archie's clothes. He was still wearing his dusty chef's uniform, which gave her an idea for Archie's name.

PB entered Archie's name as Chef and clicked 'Enter'.

“CLANK!” Suddenly, Archie's hand was cuffed to the panel, immobilizing his wrist.

“Mechanic, what's happening?”

Archie asked, confused. Mechanic wore a wide grin, clearly enjoying the situation. She teased,

“It's going to hurt a little for a virgin during their first time.”

“DRRRR…” Archie heard a mechanical sound and looked up to see a drill extending from the machine above him, aimed at his wrist.

“What's going on? Tell me.” Archie tried to free his hand, alarmed by Mechanic’s words.

“Don't worry, kid, you won't die. Probably,” PB reassured him, approaching Archie with a syringe in his hand.

PB injected the serum into the area where the watch would be placed, causing Archie to feel drowsy. His hand went numb and the blood flow stopped.

The drill was positioned right above Archie’s hand, but his nervousness gradually subsided as he began to lose consciousness.

"SLAP!" Mechanic slapped Archie's face, jolting him back to consciousness. She whispered in his ear,

“Enjoy the pain. Don’t faint.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….”

Archie screamed as the drill penetrated his skin and bored into his bones. No blood splattered, instead it slowly dripped onto the panel.

Archie's screams echoed throughout the room. The pain was intense, his bones being drilled made him grit his teeth to control the pain, but it was unbearable.

After a minute, the drilling stopped and the drill retracted back into the machine box. Another machine extended from the box.

The machine was claw-shaped, with a transparent vacuum inside of it.

“Please, stop. The pain is too much.” Archie pleaded. Mechanic leaned in close to his ear and hissed,

“We'll stop if you're willing to live the rest of your life as a nobody.”

Archie considered his options. To live as a nobody or to become a man who can control Rifts.

As Archie was contemplating, the claw descended onto Archie’s hand. The vacuum began to suck up Archie’s blood and all the torn skin.

Archie didn’t feel any pain, but he braced himself for what was about to happen. PB warned,

“Brace yourself, kid. This is going to hurt.”

The moment Archie heard his words, he grabbed Mechanic’s hand before she could react and said,

“Share my pain.”

“Wh… Ahhhh…”

Mechanic screamed as Archie began to squeeze her hand to control his pain. Archie’s nails dug into Mechanic’s hand as his grip tightened, but what Archie was experiencing was a thousand times worse than that.

The vacuum pushed a glass watch onto Archie’s wrist. After the watch was positioned above Archie’s wrist bone,

“SHINE!” The vacuum began to emit a hot red beam at his hand to secure the watch in place.

The red beams turned orange as the blood began to flow back into Archie’s body. The skin they had absorbed earlier started to form over his bones, and the orange beams began to heal Archie’s skin to its original state.

Once it was healed, the claw retracted back into the machine. The cuffs that were binding him released, causing him to fall to the floor.

Mechanic helped Archie to his feet. She was curious about Archie’s Ethereal and asked PB for Archie’s results,

“What does his Ethereal say?”

PB was silent, a look of horror on his face as he stared at the screen. He muttered in disbelief,

“He's a player.”