"This is nice." I comment while gazing at the anti war monument from a distance.
The vicinity around the monument is as busy as always, with more and more tourists bustling about. Apparently people just can't resist taking photos of themselves standing in front of a towering heap of scrap metal. Strange, but what do I know.
Shrugging to myself, I turn my attention back to the steaming plate of sausages and scrambled eggs in front of me. The greasy diner I had chosen to have breakfast at might not look like much, but damn, the food here is way better than eating at the guild canteen. Or at least that's how it tastes to me. After Breath's warning not to leave the Peace Hill district because of reasons, I had checked myself into a motel and spent the last two days just sleeping away. Truly it was a wonder how much good this impromptu holiday was doing for my mood. But a new problem quickly revealed itself.
I don't have any of my luggage with me.
Oh, I know where the luggage is. Its probably still stashed at that doctor's office the Sensorium uses as a front for their drug running operation. And the issue being I can't leave Peace Hill due to Breath's warning. Neither do I have the clinic's number so that I can arrange for the luggage to be delivered to me.
Thanks to my clothes smelling increasingly ripe, some shopping was in order so the people at the motel don't think I'm some kind of homeless bum. Or rather, a dangerously armed homeless bum. That's guaranteed to get the local police siced on me. Trouble I don't need. Especially when I'm actually enjoying this holiday away from all my troubles.
Away from Breath and the Sensorium. Away from Phoenix Guild and the Supervisor who's probably conspiring in the darkness with someone right now. And most importantly, away from that monorail station where I'm supposedly going to meet my fated end.
Seriously, I'm living my best life right now at Pay 2 Win.
Finishing off the breakfast plate, I sigh in satisfaction and leave the diner. I reckon that I'll just wander about Peace Hill until I stumble across a store or bazaar that sells clothes. Take in the sights, live the slow life. The sky is even slightly overcast today, making it just the right temperature for a leisurely walk. Hope it doesn't rain though. That would suck.
Joining the crowd, I let the tide of humanity carry me away to wherever it wills. There's a certain adventure in just letting yourself drift like this, so that you can be pleasantly surprised by whatever you find along the way. A passing cop car rolls past, the Freelancers Guild grunts idly staring out the passenger windows as they patrol the district.
"Adam!" a voice shouts and I nearly jump out of my boots. My eyes scan the crowd in vain, trying to lock on to the potential threat.
"Over here!" a man waves excitedly at me while leaning on an old but well kept sedan. Memories click into place and I realize that its the tout from the bus.
"Long time no see." I jog over to the tout and we shake hands. The tout's grip isn't particularly strong but he's an enthusiastic hand shaker. My shoulder tingles from the vibrations as we speak.
"Just been a couple of days since we last met." the tout smiles broadly, "How're you finding Pay 2 Win?"
"Honestly, haven't seen much of the town yet." I admit while scratching my head, "Spent the last few days sleeping in at the motel. Just taking easy from all the recent excitement."
"Yeah." the tout's face turns apologetic, "Fighting bioforms on the way here must have ruined your holiday huh?"
"It is what it is." I shrug, "Still, its nice to be in a new place. Going about seeing Peace Hill this morning."
"Oh man, then its a good thing we ran into each other." the tout opens the door of the car and reaches in, "I've got a whole bunch of stuff that will help you make up for lost time."
Without any further ado, the tout hands me a pile of pamphlets, most of which have been published by the Pay 2 Win Board of Tourism. Flicking through the pamphlets, I realize its all about the history of the town, the tourist attractions and most importantly, the best casinos to lose your money at.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Look at the booklet right at the bottom of the pile." the tout prompts hopefully. I raise an eyebrow and obligingly turn my attention to the said tract.
PAY 2 WIN, HOME OF THE STARS. VISIT THEM NOW!
Perusing the booklet's contents, I realize its a listing of all the sportsmen, actors and various rich people that allegedly live at Pay 2 Win. And with the help of the right kind of guide, you too can drop in on these elites at their homes completely unannounced.
"So how about it?" the tout puts on his best salesman like voice, waggling both eyebrows at me.
"You work for a bus company." I droll flatly.
"Hey, you got to hustle to make bread in this town." the tout responds defensively, "I guide tourists to Pay 2 Win and inside Pay 2 Win. It all works out brother."
"I'm not a movie or TV guy." I shake my head, "I can't even recognize half of the names in your brochure."
"But aren't you curious about how they live?" the tout gestures toward the horizon, "Its not like anything you can find back in Crossroad City, let me tell you."
"Is this business even legal?" I narrow my eyes critically, "I read somewhere that your racket is harassment or something similar."
"The Freelancers Guild didn't arrest me when they drove past right?" the tout grins, "I would say the law is ambiguous on the subject."
"Thanks but no thanks, not really my thing." I demur as a wave of nausea suddenly hits.
"You alright Adam?" the tout suddenly looks concerned, "Your face just went green."
I open my mouth to speak but before the words emerge -
Your life is in danger!
The voice of my heart roars in panic. What the hell is this, I had followed Breath's warning to the letter. Just who is gunning for me now?
The world spins and pain pierces through my back. Impossible. I sensed no one sneak up behind me. Even if someone did managed to sneak up, the tout would have seen the attacker and warned me.
Before I can make any further complaints, a sword blade literally bursts out from my chest in a rain of gore. The tout's figure melts away with the rest of the world, sending me plunging into the darkness.
A reconciliation. Someone had just assassinated me in the past, as ridiculous as that may sound. I grit my teeth, stilling my panicked heart. Remember, for an Awakened, perception creates reality.
"I am on holiday in Pay 2 Win." I speak to the unending darkness, "It is logically impossible for me to have been killed in the past."
The churning world begins to stabilize and my original surroundings takes form. Somewhere in the depths of the past I sense the assassin stab repeatedly into my back, with each and every success immediately annulled by my perception of the present. The ease at swatting aside this reconciliation causes me to realize something.
My assassin isn't an Awakened. Someone else must have baited the assassin into making the attempt. That's pretty troubling actually. It means the person who wants me dead is smart enough to hide behind a proxy, preventing me from reaching out with my perception to strike back.
As the world solidifies around me, my gaping chest wound completely heals and the assassination attempts are erased out of the timeline. Whomever put the murder plot into motion aborted it once they realized that I'm no easy prey. Yet I feel reality subtly shift according to the will of the unseen manipulator. The past is still being altered, but in a way that doesn't directly affect me. Annoying.
"- is your friend alright?"
I come to, leaning on the tout's shoulder. A group of police officers are standing next to us with solicitous looks on their faces.
"He just spaced out all of a sudden." the tout explains as he gently tries to shake me awake.
"I'm fine. Just fatigue catching up with me. And the heat." I speak up, easing myself back to standing position.
"The heat here is a killer. Especially for someone from Crossroad City." the cop nods, "Better keep a bottle of water with you just to be safe sir."
I'm about to reply before my eyes finally take in the faces of the three cops in front of me. All of them are deformed, with ugly burn scars on their faces and arms. I must have visibly blanched because one of the cops laughs at my distress.
"Would you like a photo?" the cop asks.
"No, its fine." I shake my head rapidly, hoping the uggo cops leave. Since when did the Freelancers Association hire these guys?
"Well, OK. Take care sir." the cop waves as the group disappears back into the crowd.
"What the hell -" I'm about to start with the questions and the tout smoothly begins with the explanations.
"Disciples from the Order of Baiji. They're the police here." the tout leans back on to his car, "They're something of an eyesore but the guys in charge PR for the town marketed them as a tourist attraction. Imagine that."
"Disciples of what? I thought the Freelancers were hired as the police?" I shake my head in confusion.
"Hey, keep up Adam. That was like how many years ago. Ancient history." the tout frowns, "The Disciples kicked out the Freelancers. Said it was because Pay 2 Win was sacred to them."
"Huh." I bite my lip, idly flipping through the tout's brochure.
"Are you sure you're fine?" the tout sounds really concerned now, "You still seem out of it."
"Yeah." I nod absently, my stomach clenching. The presence of the disciples wasn't the only thing that had changed in the present. Some of the names in the brochure were different as well.
"I want to visit a celeb." I say to the tout.
"Knew you were interested." the tout cheers, "So which star are we going to drop in on?"
My mouth forms a thin line. Doing this means ignoring Breath's warning. But now that the past has changed, I don't know how valid that warning still is. Only one thing for it. Sink or swim.
"Padu the Beast."