Hearing the doors slide open, I glance up from the computer to see Kyle, who seems to have gotten into a fight as he walks with a limp.

"You alright there bud?" I asked, after noticing his bloody leg and blood-stained jeans.

Shrugging, Kyle stepped forward, "I'll be fine, need a stimpak," he casually told me as he brought out some cash to purchase a stimpak.

Reaching behind the counter, I grabbed a stimpak and traded it with him for the money.

Without any hesitation, he stabbed the needle of the stimpak into his leg and pumped the syringe's fluids directly into his wound.

He made no noise of discomfort, not even so much as a grunt to show that it was painful in any way.

'So he's even become desensitized to pain?' I thought to myself, watching as his tense shoulders relaxed and he tossed the empty stimpak into a trash can I had next to my counter.

"What happened?" I asked, showing my interest as I examined the wound on his leg as it was rapidly healed.

"Just some scum who thought I was an easy target," Kyle told me, his voice revealing his apathy towards whoever attacked him.

"Can I get some water?" Kyle asked, placing more money on the counter.

Without answering, I walked over to the fridge, where I grabbed a cold bottle of purified water, and tossed it to him.

Nodding to me, he poured the water on his leg and began wiping off the somewhat dried blood on his leg and pants.

"You won't get the blood stains of your pants doing that, you know," I commented, earning me a look that said, 'No shit.'

Once he was done, he threw away the bottle after drinking the rest of its contents and tossing the bloody cloth into the trash.

"Did you think about what I told you?" I asked, only to get a confused look.

"A new game has been released as of opening, what I suggested yesterday, was that you take some time off and away from Fallout, you know? To relax, recuperate, and think, in all honesty, I think you need a break, so do me a favor, try the game," I told him as seriously as I could.

He sighed, pulling out more money.

"Why are you carrying so much money on you?" I asked, baffled as he pulled out only 1s, 5s, 10s, and 20s, not a single one hundred dollar bill in sight.

He glanced at me for a brief moment, then asked, "What's the name of this...'Game?'"

Not talking about the clear change in subject, I answered, "Stardew Valley."

"What's it about?" He asked, curious by the name.

"You sure you want a spoiler?" I asked before he sighed and replied, "Sigh, no. Tell me this, Is it a dangerous world?"

"No, if anything it's quite normal, in most aspects, anyway," I told him, thinking about the game's mechanics and the world as a whole.

"Fine," he told me, walking over to the computer with me smiling behind him, victorious.

...

Checking out the game, I noticed different statics compared to the ones I was familiar with on Fallout.

[Stardew Valley - Difficulty Rating: 1/10

Time Played: N/A

Monster's Slain: 0

Crops Harvested: 0

Preferred Lover: N/A]

The statistics were strange to Kyle, just what kind of game was this? Monsters? Crops? Lover? Was this one of those weird smut games?

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Before hopping in the game, he decided to check out his stats on Fallout, having not looked at them in a very long time.

['Fallout - Warning, this game depicts great violence and many inhumane acts and is not recommended for children or anyone below the age of 16 years old, proceed at your own discretion.'

Completed Achievements: [Dedicated], [Teacher of the Wastes], [Lord Death of Murder Mountain]...+48 others.

Kills: 19,812

Deaths: 86

Completions: 1

Total number of Caps collected: 1,873,420

Highest Level Reached: Level 68

Longest Run: 302 Days ]

Noting the changes, he looked back in forth between the two games before eventually deciding to try the new game out.

Starting the game, he found his senses shut down and his vision darkened, before finding himself standing on a cliff where he could see mountains as far as the eye could see, covered in beautiful green life.

Floating in the air on the cliff edge, was a menu.

[New]

[Load]

[Co-op]

[Workshop (Coming soon!)]

[Exit]

With no reason to stop, he pressed [New]

Causing a new screen to appear.

[Select Name]

[Select Farm Name]

[Cat or Dog]

[Farm Type]

Inputting his name, selecting a dog, then the Default farm type, and pressing confirm, he suddenly found himself sitting on a bus, letter in hand and bag by his feet.

Opening the letter, he began reading its contents.

"Dear Kyle, I am your Grandfather. I am afraid, that if the unfortunate were to pass, and I would happen to no longer be in this world, this letter would be sent to you. You see, all of my grandchildren have received a part of my inheritance, you, I have given the deed to my land. It is my hope that one of you would make the best of my farm, and return it back to its prime. After learning about your story, and wanting a fresh start in life, I felt you were the best fit to receive the deed. Sincerely, your Grandfather, PS. I know the land will need a little fixer-up, so, I have left you a bit of money to help you get on your feet and get the tools necessary to fix the place up to a decent shape. Once you arrive at Pelican Town, ask for the mayor, he will show you where my old cabin is, good luck."

Humming to himself in thought, he closed the letter and picked up the bag, opening it to find an envelope with a few hundred dollars, a simple knife, a plastic bag with the deed inside, and a phone.

Noting the lack of clothes, Kyle figured he might need to get some clothes as well as some tools when he reached town.

Noting what he would need to get in his mind, he pulled the knife out of the bag and discreetly put it in his pocket, which apparently wasn't needed as he was the only one on the bus other than the bus driver.

Looking out the window, he saw nothing but a beautiful forest lining both sides of the road. The forest was so thick with trees, boulders, and bushes that he couldn't see very far into it.

Relaxing in the chair, he waited for the bus to arrive at its destination, which didn't seem to take long at all seeing as not even two minutes later did he find the bus slowing down before stopping at a small bus stop with a sign.

[Welcome to Pelican Town! Home to 28!]

Baffled by how small the town was, he got off the bus and found himself walking down a dirt path.

Soon he came across a fork in the road, with the road splitting off to the right and left.

To the left, was a sign that read [Pelican Town].

So, he began walking that way, soon finding himself in a small town square, where he could see some homes, a general store of sorts, and what looked to be a clinic.

Strangely enough, there was a board on the wall between the general store and the clinic that was covered in papers and a calendar.

Walking up to the board, he found it was some kind of request board as people were wanting some things in exchange for money.

Such as someone named Robin wanting help in finding an old axe they lost.

Suddenly someone's hand touched his shoulder, causing him to jump and retaliate in reflex.

He drew his knife, grabbed the hand of whoever grabbed him, and slammed them into the wall, causing whoever he grabbed to groan in pain.

Hearing the noise, someone came out of the general store, a man with brown hair wearing glasses, whose eyes widened upon seeing the old man I pushed into the wall and now had my knife against.

"Let go of Mayor Lewis!" The man shouted.

"Mayor?" Kyle asked, confused, before realizing his mistake.

Withdrawing the knife, he stepped back, letting the old man go.

"I am sorry, you caught me by surprise," Kyle apologized to the coughing mayor.

"N-NO! It was my fault, I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. I should have said something before grabbing your shoulder..." The mayor refuted, before continuing, "I should have known better, did you serve, young man?"

Not knowing what to say, Kyle simply nodded.

The other man gave me a soft glare for what I did to the Mayor but stayed silent.

"Even then, I should have not reacted like that, I was just surprised and reacted without thinking."

"Not your fault son, I accidentally confused with someone else and grabbed your shoulder without thinking, the fault lies with me, so, tell me, who are ya? My name is Lewis, Mayor of this small town of ours, we don't get many visitors," The mayor introduced and explained himself.

"I see, well, my name is Kyle, I believe you used to know my grandfather?" Kyle introduced himself.

"Grandfather...wait, you are that old man's grandson?" Mayor Lewis asked, getting a shrug from Kyle since he still didn't know the name of his supposed grandfather.

"So you are who he chose to inherit that old farm?" The mayor asked, Kyle replied with a nod, "That's right, I got the deed and letter if you want proof," Kyle offered.

"No need, I believe ya son, come, I'll show you the old place," Mayor Lewis smiled, seemingly forgetting the dire situation that happened a few minutes prior.

Not even getting to respond, the Mayor began walking the way he came into town from, not waiting for Kyle's response.

Sighing, Kyle followed the Mayor.