Chapter 1 Inadvertent Samaritan

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Click.

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The sounds of a boring office.

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Click.

“Hey, Axel, you got that proposal for the old couple?”

Axel cleared his throat. “Yes, Mr Johnson, it will be on your desk by the day’s end.”

Mr Johnson sighed. “You’re already behind with three other agreements. Maybe, you should stay behind tonight; get it all done.”

‘Yes, Mr Johnson, because I’m working three people’s jobs because your a tight, stingy bastard,’ was what Axel said in his head. However, in reality, he replied with, “Yes, Mr Johnson. I will work over the clock.”

“Great,” Mr Johnson said enthusiastically. The old, fat man slapped Axel’s shoulders aggressively, causing him to suddenly jolt. “Thank you, Axel.”

Axel’s face twitched. He took a deep, calming breath and said, “No worries ... Mr Johnson.”

Axel Smudge had been working at the same accounting firm for the past four years. His father died four years ago. Now, Axel wasn’t upset, as the man left to buy milk a few weeks after he was born. Unfortunately for him, it was the debt that his father had accrued in his lifetime. And that, all landed on poor 17-year-old Axel Smudge.

Before his mother was indicted on fraud, Axel was a semi-professional gamer. He thought it was where his life was heading, but dreams are often crushed by real life. From that day, he sold everything on that account. His loot, gold, weapons, armour; everything he held dear, to only pay off the debt company enough so they wouldn’t press charges. The rest, however, well, Axel had to earn it himself since his mother was not able to work. He had a younger sister too, who had joined an academy in the medical field.

Hereafter, Axel searched for a job involving money. Contrasting his father, he was good with money. He quickly found himself a job in no time at an accounting firm. He thought to himself, ‘Only two years of this and I can get back to gaming’. Nonetheless, he soldiered on for those two years, paying back the debt. In retrospect, it was a foolish decision. The debt company upped the interest rate, meaning Axel was fighting a long, drawn-out battle. He then found out it would take him six years to pay it all back.

Then his accounting firm got in trouble; halted all immediate promotions, and fired anyone with an IQ below 130. Luckily for Axel, he wasn’t dumb, his situation was. It was an endless loop; working overtime for free, having Mr Johnson whisper passive-aggressive phrases in his ear; it truly was endless, and soul-crushing.

It was dark out when Axel finally left work. He rubbed his red eyes as he yawned outside the building. He loosened the tie from his neck, picked up his briefcase, and headed towards the underground. He was just about to head down the stairs to the station when he was approached by three men.

“Really? Again?” Axel asked rhetorically.

It was the men from the debt collectors. Axel knew them so well; one of them was expecting a baby in a few months, the other had just got engaged to his gay best friend. Lastly, the leader named Brick had just gotten penis enlargement surgery on the NHS. He claimed it was to cure him of depression, and not ego.

“I’m sorry, Axel. We gotta get this underway,” Brick said, cracking his knuckles.

Axel swallowed slowly as he raised his eyelids. “Can we do it tomorrow?”

Brick pouted in consideration. “Yeah, alright ... Oh, also, you’ll need to pay £60,000 by the week’s end.”

“What?!” Axel questioned. “Why?”

Brick opened his hands out. “New policy. It’s that, or we break you and your mothers’ legs ... And charge you with fraud.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me; 60 grand? 60 fucking grand!? What do you want me to do, pluck it out of my arsehole?”

Brick only shrugged carelessly. “Remortgage the house, I don’t know, man.”

“The bank won’t do it again,” Axel claimed.

“Sounds like a you problem. So, we got a deal?”

Axel tapped his foot as he rubbed his chin. “Hmm, let me think … Fuck no. How can I get 60 grand in less than a week?”

“I made 15 grand in a month,” the expectant father offered.

“That’s not 60 in four days, you fucking moron!” Axel shouted, getting angry. He knew it wasn’t their fault, it was their job after all. However, Axel still hated them. He rubbed his already pressed temples furiously as he thought of ways to do it. Ponzi schemes floated about in his head, but he was just setting himself up for another count of fraud.

The debt company was more of a loan shark. There was a new law introduced a few years back, that declared that they owned all the person’s belongings, and could take them at will. Axel couldn’t go to the police; all he had to do was work, and keep working. It was terrible, and he one day hoped he could get himself out of the mess he was in. But now,h that dreadful news, it was now impossible.

“Is that a yes, or a no?” Brick questioned, taking a step forward.

Axel took a step back. He scowled, and said, “I’ll get your fucking money, low-life scum of the”

A powerful fist struck his face. He fell hard on the piss drenched streets of London. It was followed by a barrage of kicks. Then a final swab of spit on his face. The three men walked away, feeling good about beating up a defenceless man.

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Axel groaned. One of the kicks got him good in the ribs. It felt broken. He felt broken.

He picked himself off the street, wincing at every inch of movement. He leaned back, just as rain drenched him. That was it, he had enough. He had tried, failed, kicked back a dozen steps with everyone he took.

He wobbled down the stairs with only one thing on his mind.

His oyster card beeped on the sensor. He walked through, down the escalators and onto the platform.

“Train approaching, please stand back.”

Axel didn’t. His feet were over the warning line. Just before he was about to take a step off. He noticed a giant ad on the wall. It was staring directly at him.

‘Your journey begins with Islands of Elysium, made by Onwards. Released today!’

Axel just chuckled to himself. Onwards; it was the company that made the virtual reality game he used to play. He grimly smiled as memories flashed before him. He was in one of the best-ranked guilds in the world. He had everything at his disposal. From teammates to weapons, and everything in between. He killed raid bosses, conquered cities and almost reached the endgame. Then it all went away.

The headlights of the train illuminated him, giving him the illusion of bright light. He was just one step away. And that step, he took.

Before gravity took an effect on his body, two hands grabbed his blazer and yanked him backwards. He fell over onto the hard concrete. He fluttered his eyelids to look at the person who just stopped his suicide. It was a middle-aged man. Just an ordinary, impatient person.

“What the fuck you tryin’ do, huh? I gotta go home, see my kids. I ain’t gonna wait ‘till they mop up your bloody shit. Fucking kill yourself somewhere else.”

The train stopped just after. Ping. The doors opened.

“Get your arse in there now!” the man demanded.

When Axel didn’t move, the man grabbed his foot and dragged him on. Axel just laid down on the floor. His breathing was heavy.

“I swear to god,” the man spat. “You’re going to stay on this train until I get home.”

Axel huffed a heavy breath. He pushed himself up against the other side of the train. “I’m not going anywhere,” he replied.

He couldn’t believe it. He had just tried to kill himself. Now he was awake and functioning. His eyes were open. He clutched his forehead. ‘What would the old me think?’ he thought.

“Yeah,” the man said. “See? All it takes is a second thought.”

Axel nodded. His breathing calmed down.

He wasn’t going to give up, not yet anyway. He had been through thick and thin with himself. Over the past four years, he had earned close to £300,000. It was triple that of an ordinary accounts salary in 2038. He had gotten that money with his wit alone. He had done short term investing, flipping cars; whatever he could get his hands on. £60,000 was a challenge, but a challenge he was willing to take.

He stared into a blank wall, thinking of how he was going to make money. When he needed to make a lot of money, he first thought about what he knew. He knew all about banking and interest, terrible investments and likewise businesses. He was good at maths, excellent in fact. His brain churned out nothing, so he went back to what he did first.

He mumbled, “Maths, investments—” he suddenly remembered the ad on the wall. “Islands Of Elysium.” Axel was good at gaming. He had sold all the items on his character for £800,000 back then. It was just a pity that the debt had grown to double that. Nevertheless, he thought about ways to earn money inside the game. It was almost as fluid as the real world. The game he used to play almost mimicked the real-life economy. If it was new, then it would be even more refined for realism.

There was an easy way to generate money slowly: play the game. Axel knew that would take far too long. He spent three years playing it since launch. He had over 98% of all items in the game. When he started, he had set a goal to collect everything. He even changed his name to The Hoarder when everyone started calling him it. He often toyed with the market in-game. By selling a dozen epic items, the price of the legendary items would fall and he would buy them; wait a few days and then up to their price to extortionate amounts to just how much people were willing to pay for them. It was a game back then to him, but Axel knew he could make it his job.

“This station is Honor Oak Park.”

The doors opened and Axel bolted out, leaving his briefcase behind. The confidence he had in himself made the job worthless. He ran for 20 minutes until he got home. He still lived with his mother; his sister had moved out for the medical academy. The house was rundown, but it was still home.

He fumbled his keys in his hand and unlocked the door. Once stepping in, he noticed his mother in the lounge watching TV. She had a second plate of hot food waiting ready for him on a lap tray.

“Hey, mum,” Axel said, taking his tie off in hurry.

“Hello, dear, how was your day—what is it? Was it those men again?” his mother questioned, noticing the black eye.

“No, no, no, mum. I’m having a breakthrough.” Axel noticed the hot plate of food and felt bad. Regardless of his mother’s illness, she always tried her best to look after him.

“It’s alright, dear,” she said. She tried to get up and hug her son, but Axel hurried over to sit her back down. He then hugged her tightly. “I’ll get us out of this mess, ok?”

“You’re doing a great job already, dear.”

“No mum,” he said, holding her frail hand. “I’ll buy you a mansion. With servants and wine on tap.”

Her mother covered her mouth as she laughed. “Oh, Axel, you always were a dreamer.”

Axel smiled. “No, mum, it’s a promise.” He leaned in and kissed his mother on the top of her head. “If someone knocks on the door ignore them.”

“I always do, dear. What’s gotten into you?” she questioned. He seemed frantic and full of life.

“I just said. I’m gonna clear the debt and buy you a mansion.”

“But, Axel—"

“Mum. I’m not lying. I promise you.”

His mother was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after he was born. She rarely ate since her bowels were always inflamed. She was skinny, and the lack of food cause her immense fatigue. Axel hated to see his mother like this. Every time it would hurt him to his core.

“I trust you, Axel, in whatever you do … As long as it’s not illegal.”

“Illegal in another world, mum,” Axel reassured her with a grin. “Night.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

Axel ran upstairs, taking his clothes off in hops. He knocked open the creaking wood door and dived under his bed. There was not much there; he had to sell almost all of his belongings. The only thing under there was his VR headgear. It was the one thing he just couldn’t sell. It had given him so many wonderful memories, and always reminded him of the good times, and will hopefully, serve him well after he had gotten out of this mess.

Without putting on some comfortable clothes, or even getting in bed. he slipped the headset on as quickly as he could. He took a deep breath as the machine whirred to life. His back was on the cold wooden floor, but it did not bother him in the slightest.

“Welcome,” a robotic voice said. “Which game would you—”

“Islands of Elysium,” he said, quick as lightning.

“Oh no, it appears your account TH3_HOARD3R, does not own the game.”

“Would you like to buy: Islands of Elysium, by Onwards for £324?”

“Yes,” Axel said, regrettably. He was going to make the money back and then some.

“Purchase complete. You may now play, Islands of Elysium.”

“Play Islands of Elysium,” Axel said, trying to remain calm.

“Neural link processing. Remain calm.”

“I am calm.”

“Initiating full dive in three, two, one ….”