This was shaping up to be a really bad week.
“I told you Ma, I tripped!” I protested, wincing as her hand lightly grazed my eye and ducking away.
“Don’t you lie to me Marcus, who did this? Was it someone at school? Hmm?” She snapped, giving me the most withering Mom glare that she could muster, which, believe me, was pretty impressive. How could a woman so short be so absolutely terrifying?
I forced myself not to look away. “I’m not lying Ma, honest! I wasn’t paying attention and hit a street sign.”
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips and looking at me disbelievingly. “Really? You swear? If I find out you’re lying to me…”
“Yes Ma, Jesus.” She looked at me a few moments more, then nodded.
“Alright then sweetie. You go rest now, okay? I already don’t like that you’re going to work when you just got over your fever two days ago.” She said, and I breathed a sigh of relief when she turned on my brother, who was picking up a long noodle and starting to slap it against the table. “Antonio Marino, you stop playing with your food!” He jumped and immediately let go of the noodle, dropping it onto the floor.
Quest Failed: Tell your Mother the truth
Failure Condition: Lie to your loving mother
Penalties: None
I glare hatefully at the blue screen that popped into existence in front of me, resisting the urge to swat at it. Great, even my hallucinations were chastising me.
“Marcus…” My mom warned, bending down to pick up the noodle while Antonio sheepishly started pushing his fork into his pasta.
“I’m goin’ Ma, I’m goin’.” I sighed, walking through the kitchen and into my room, closing my door behind me. I toss my bag onto the floor and kick my shoes off, collapsing onto my bed. I rolled onto my side and immediately rolled back with a grunt when my cheek brushed against my sheets.
Of course I wasn’t going to tell my Mom about the prick that was making sophomore year a nightmare to get through. If she found out, the entire school would know about it by the next day, and that was definitely not something I needed. And I certainly wasn’t going to tell her about the hallucinations I’d been having recently.
They’d been happening since I got over my fever a couple of days ago. ‘Quests’, ‘Status Updates’, ‘Warnings’. I’d tried googling it, but all I got as a result were games, youtube tutorials on how to fix computer problems, and links to stories on stupid websites about kids who got ‘sent to a different world’.
“Status.” I say quietly, and am immediately met by another blue screen.
Name: Marcus Marino
Lvl: 1 (Locked)
Class: (Locked)
Titles: Chosen
Skills/Spells
Perks
Items
Resources
Stats
Spells: None
Actor: Lvl 2
Shirt (Common)
Pants(Common)
Boxers (Common)
Health: 87/90
Stamina: 37/43
Mana: 9/9 (Severely Restricted)
Defense: 11
Mana Resistance: 5 (Severely…)
Energy: 11 (Severely…)
Remaining Stat Points: (Locked)
Vitality: 16
Endurance: 14
Strength: 13
Agility: 20
Physique: 12
Perception: 16
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 13
Expected Remaining Lifespan: 62 Years
Unarmed Skills: None
Eldest Child
None
Unarmed Proficiency: Lvl 2
None
I looked at the screen that popped up, still with no idea what any of it meant. I pushed a finger against it, and just like the past couple of times, my finger touched what felt like glass. I looked at the top corner, where what looked like a bell icon was, and just like I did every time before, tapped it. The… stat window, I guess, was replaced by a list of notifications. Mostly the long list of quests I'd failed over the past two days. I glared at them, before huffing and scrolling all the way past them and the weird 'warnings' about low ambient mana, whatever that meant, before finally getting to the very last notification I'd received. I hesitated for a few moments, but finally clicked on it once again, the one clue I had about what exactly these delusions and hallucinations were.
Congratulations!
You have been given the rare privilege of being Chosen! A role reserved for the very select few, and an opportunity to help you grow to face the dangers to come. Over the course of your role as Chosen, you will be given opportunities to grow stronger through the means of completing Quests or completing certain tasks related to your Class. Quests will be given dependent on the scenarios you find yourself in, and completing them comes with a reward. These rewards can be anything! Experience, Stat Points, Titles, Perks, Class Unlocks, Items, or even Levels! Be warned though, failing a quest may result in a penalty, so try to accomplish them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
(To review any key terms, simply tap on them either in this screen or the status screen')
To review your Status Card, simply say or think "Status"
To stop reviewing your Status Card, or to close out of any system display, say or think "Close"
I stared helplessly at the screen that popped up, but just like every time before, found no clues about why I had been 'Chosen', or why these screens started appearing. I'd clicked through every one of the key terms in the message, but it was all stuff that anyone who's played any RPG could figure out.
"Marcus?" I heard my mom call from outside my door, and I hurriedly closed out of the message, before rolling my eyes. It's not like she'd know that I was looking at it… if it really existed at all.
"Yes ma!?" I called back, propping myself up on my bed in case she decided to come in, and breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't hear a knock.
"I made vermicelli for dinner. Do you want to eat it now, or eat at work and have it for dinner when you come home?"
I thought about it for a few moments. "I'm not really hungry right now, I'll just eat at uncle Loui's."
"Alright sweetie." She said, and I heard her footsteps walk away from my door.
"Actually ma, I was thinking of staying at Miguel's house after work tonight if that's okay!" I called, and I heard an 'mmmhmm' in response.
"I'll pack up enough for both you and him to share for tomorrow then. Get some rest sweetie, and text me when you get there!" She said, before another sharp "Antonio! What did I say about playing with your food!?"
Smiling to myself, imagining my little bro back to slapping his noodles against the table, I laid back down on my bed, my black eye still throbbing a little bit. I decided to take a quick nap before heading to work, hoping that it would help with the ache.
Fuck you Brian, you cunt waffle. I grumbled in my head, before yawning and closing my eyes.
I tugged on my bike lock, making sure it was secure, before tucking my helmet underneath my arm and walking over to the side kitchen door with a faded 'Employees Only' sign hanging on it at an angle. Pulling it open, I was immediately enveloped in the comforting aroma of pizza and the hot air of the kitchen, and a grin split my face as I saw one of the pizzaiolos turn to look at me, flower on his apron and a similar grin on his face.
"Yo Marcy!" He called, a familiar handsome larger guy with hairy arms and a gut, slathering sauce onto some dough. "Glad you're her- woah! What happened to your eye there, big guy?"
"Hey Uncle Loui." I said, closing the door behind me and walking over to him. "Nothing, it was just Brian again."
He scowled, laying down the spoon and crossing his arms. "Did you do what I taught you to?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes.
"No, Uncle Loui. He's like twice my size, I'd get killed if I did." I said, hanging up my helmet, and in turn he scoffed.
"Listen kiddo, when I was young and skinny like you, I was piecing up other kids three times my size." He said, raising his hands in a boxing stance and throwing out a couple of slow jabs. "Most of 'em are used to pickin' on smaller dudes, so they tend to have glass jaws. One cross to the chin and it was lights out." As if in demonstration, he threw a slow hook to my chin.
I laughed, leaning back before sending a couple of soft jabs to his gut, to which he groaned and doubled over. "Ya killed me kiddo. Guess that means I gotta leave Rosie's to you now, huh?"
I laughed again, before shaking my head. "Nope, gotta feeling you'd still be running the place even if you were dead." I teased, to which he chuckled and stood back up, grabbing a big handful of cheese and sprinkling it onto the pie.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"You're probably right." He agreed, before glancing out of the window of the kitchen door to the restaurant outside. He flashed me the signature Marino grin, blue eyes crinkling and dimples flashing. "Guess who's working the front tonight?"
I peeked out of the glass and saw the unmistakable long, black hair with purple highlights, and blushed. Then I kicked myself for blushing, because uncle Loui's grin widened even more. "I don't have a crush on her." I grumbled, and he chuckled, carefully placing some toppings onto the pie before loading it into an oven.
"Right, right. And I don't have the hots for my wife, either." He said (gross), before nodding towards the breakroom. "Miguel's hanging out in there with some pizza, if you want to chill for a little while. It's a slower day today, so I'll just come knocking when we need a delivery."
I felt my stomach rumble, the bike ride over here having woken my appetite, and I smiled. "Thanks Unc." I said, shuffling past him and making my way to the back. I pulled open the door and saw my best friend, Miguel, sitting at the low table, half of a slice already in his mouth as he turned to look at me. He was a chubbier, but taller mexican dude, with wavy black hair and a cross piercing in his left ear. He nodded to me, chewing quickly before breaking out into a smile.
"Hey Marc!" He said when he finally swallowed, his voice still a little higher pitched than most of the other guys our age.
"What's up man." I replied, closing the door behind me and sitting across from him, grabbing a slice. He had his tablet propped up against a napkin holder, which he excitedly turned to me.
"Yo, you gotta check it out. They just dropped a trailer for the new Smash bros." He said, taking another bite as I did, and I immediately grabbed the tablet.
"No fucking way." I crammed my pizza into my mouth and rewinded the video as my heart raced. "It's been like four years!"
"I know." He said, just as excited as he scooched his chair next to mine, and I hit play. It started how they usually go, with a dramatic cinematic. It was honestly pretty fucking cool, and I felt his hand tap my arm. "You're not even at the best part yet." He giggled, practically bouncing in his chair, and I shushed him, focusing on the video.
"WHAT!? THEY CONFIRMED HIM FOR THE NEXT GAME!?" I exclaimed, turning to look at him and he grinned even wider.
"I know! Everyone said they'd never do it, but apparently they ran a poll inside of the company and he won." He said giddily, and I laughed.
"That's so fucking cool man. Here, check this out, I also got some news." I pulled out my phone, and showed him the newest chapter of a manga we were reading. His eyes widened.
"What? But I thought it was on hiatus?"
"It just dropped. Hiatus officially broken."
"That's sick. You already read it?" He asked, and I shook my head.
"Nah man, you know I wouldn't read it without you."
"Well hurry up bro, let's go, I've been waiting on it for like a year."
I propped my phone against his tablet, about to press 'read', before I heard the door open. I turned my head, then immediately tabbed out of it when I saw who it was, my heart spiking up into my throat.
"What's up guys?" Sadie said, with probably the cutest voice I'd ever heard. She was stunning, even with the shirt that had the "Rosie's" logo on it, slim and tan skinned, and long black hair with purple highlights. I swore she had to have been wearing contacts to have eyes that green, and a smile that almost always made my heart flutter. She was a couple of years older than me, so she had a huge mature vibe going on. "Whatcha doin back here?"
"Oh, uh, we were, uh…" I stammered, struggling to get the words out as her smile widened and the embarrassment flooded in.
"We were just about to read a new chapter of a manga." Miguel, my savior, stepped in, and I nodded along with him. Dumbly. God I must have looked so dumb.
She immediately looked back behind the door, before closing it behind her. "Which manga?" She asked, stepping in closer, and immediately I was able to pick up her scent. Like a mix between raspberries and mint. Did she get a new shampoo?
Okay Marc, time to stop being weird and creepy now.
I cleared my throat. "Uh… ever heard of Dawn of Survival?" I asked, and she immediately stepped back.
"Nope, I'm outta here. I just started reading it, can't have you guys spoil it for me. Not that you would." She said, and we both laughed. I might have laughed a little too hard, and I cringed, but forced myself to nod.
"Okay, good luck out front!" I said, and she smiled back at me.
"Thanks Marc." She said sweetly, before closing the door, and I immediately felt my face go hot.
"S-s-sadie, w-w-we were uh, uh…" I heard Miguel's mocking voice mimic mine, and I groaned, burying my head into my arms. I peeped an eye out to look at his grinning face.
"I wasn't that bad, was I?" I mumbled, and he rolled his eyes.
"Dude, it was like watching a deer in headlights. It was so bad."
I groaned again, and he laughed. "Oh come on bro, I'm messing with you. It wasn't that bad."
I felt my hopes raise a little bit. "Really?" I asked hopefully, and he shook his head.
"Nope, I lied. It was terrible."
I punched his shoulder, which only made him laugh again. "Dude, how do you not get nervous around her?" I said, half in indignation and half in admiration, and he waggled his brows at me.
"Because girls like her throw themselves at me on the regular. I'm a big, lovable scoop of caramel ice cream bro."
"What-ever dude, you wish." I snarked, but it did have some truth to it. He was chubby sure, but still pretty good looking. "How are you and Tianna, by the way?"
He sighed wistfully. "Another one bit the dust." He said, shaking his head. "It just wasn't working out between us."
I nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry man." I said, patting his shoulder, and he shrugged.
"Don't be. Tianna's old news. Now I can game in peace without having to hang out with her all of the time." He replied casually, but I knew he'd really liked her. Still, if he didn't want to talk about it right now, I wouldn't either, so I didn't say anything else. He clicked the power button on my phone and put in my password. "Now let's go ahead and-"
The door opened again, and we both turned to see Uncle Loui poking his head inside.
"Sorry to ruin the fun kiddos, but Marcus, I've got a delivery for you." He said, and I nodded, standing up and looking over at Miguel.
"Don't read it without me." I said, and he gave me a thumbs up, snagging another slice of pizza while I followed Uncle Loui to grab the address.
.
"Night everyone!" I called as I shuffled out of the door, the pizzarios calling out the same farewell, and I saw Sadie peek her head into the kitchen.
"Night Marcus." She said, smiling, and thankfully ducked back to the front before my face went too red. I took a deep breath. Damn it man, stop losing it every time she talks to you.
I walked through the rear parking lot, just about to tug on my helmet when I heard the door open again.
"Yo big man!" Uncle Loui called, and I turned to look at him, standing half in and half out of the door. "Your mom said you're going over to Miguel's, yeah?"
I nodded, and he held up some keys, the metal flashing in the streetlight as he jingled them. "You want a ride? You can just toss your bike in the back of my car."
I thought about it for a few moments, before I shook my head. "Nah, thanks though Unc. I'll be fine."
He pulled out his phone, the screen light illuminating his face, before he looked back up at me. "You sure? It's pretty close to three, just want to make sure you get there safe."
I smiled, and shook my head again. "I'll be fine." I repeated. "It's just a few blocks down. Thanks again!"
He nodded. "Alright, just wait there for a few secs!" He said, ducking back into the restaurant before coming out with a pizza box. "Here, bring this over to Miguel's family."
I nodded, not bothering to tell him that my mom had also sent me off with food. What kind of Marino would I be if I said no to more food? "You stay safe out there kiddo. Don't take any candy from strangers, don't say yes to the free wifi, you know the drill."
I laughed, taking the box and strapping it to the back of my bike. "I will Unc, don't worry." I said, undoing the bike lock and putting it into my backpack, before kicking up my stand and hopping on. I pedaled out of the exit, and soon I was cruising down the bike lane, the breeze in my hair and on my face pure bliss after the heat and steam of cleaning up the kitchen.
I always enjoyed the ride back at this time of night. It was so peaceful, yet still carried a lot of the distant noise of the city. And it was pretty safe, so long as you stayed on the main roads. I took in a deep breath, ignoring the wail of a siren passing by on another street.
Tomorrow was Saturday, so Miguel would probably still be up, even if his fam wasn't. I had a key, so I'd just drop the leftovers in the fridge, probably have some for breakfast. Maybe I could ask for some tips on how to not act like a total weirdo whenever Sadie talked to me, in between beating his ass twenty ways sideways in smash. That'd pro-
Alert! New Quest Available: Save the Savior!
Oh no! Someone might be in trouble! Quick, follow the map to its destination, and save them!
Quest Rewards: Level Unlock, Class Unlock, +3 stat points, +400 xp
Failure Conditions: Don't follow the map or arrive at the destination, fail to save who needs help
Failure Penalties: ?????????????
"Son of a bitch!" I screamed, the blue window popping up out of nowhere and sending me careening to the ground oh fuck this is going to suck OW!
I crashed onto the asphalt, trying to catch myself and skinning my palms - fucking OW! - but I managed to stop the bike from fully careening over. This shit again? I'd almost forgotten that this was happening. For a little while, I…
I paused my internal tirade as I read over the quest. I felt the hair on my arms raise, and my heart, already pumping from the fall, started beating faster.
This quest was… different, from every other quest I had been given so far. All of the other ones were for mundane things. Standing up to my bully, telling Sadie about my crush on her, telling my mom the truth, etc. But this one was obviously important, if the illusions were real at least. And normally, all of the other rewards for the other quests were super small. Somewhere in the +5 to + 10 xp range, but there were a lot of rewards here. And, failure penalties. Normally there were none.
And for some reason, the multiple question marks disturbed me more than any concrete failure condition.
For a brief few moments, I thought about ignoring it. These were just illusions in my head, right? My brain coming down from my fever? And even if they weren't, this sounded bad. Like, really bad.
But…
Someone might be in trouble. Save them!
I already imagined the quest failure message. Letting me know that they might have died. And that thought terrified me. That someone might have died when I could have done something.
I bit my lip.
Fuck it.
I pressed the 'map' key word, and immediately what looked like a minimap you might see in a video game popped up in my field of vision, at the top right. Okay, weird, but definitely in the theme of the game elements. And on the map, there was a guiding line, like a GPS, a good few blocks down, way past Miguel's apartment..
I stood my bike up, swinging my leg over the seat, and pedaled. The wind whipped through my hair as I went, pumping my legs as fast as I could. Faster, and faster, until my legs were practically screaming in protest as I followed the guiding line. Ten blocks away. Then seven. Then four. At the last block, I finally slowed down, braking and swinging my leg off of the seat.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I walked. It took everything I had to keep one foot going in front of the other. It was so eerily quiet here, so much so that the sound of the chain on my bike clicking beside me was almost deafeningly loud, right next to the thumping of my heart in my head. It wasn't too late. I could still turn back. At least, until I heard voices.
It was coming from around the building right up ahead. The glow of the street lights seemed ominously bleak, and I eyed the guiding line. Sure enough, the turn up ahead was where the voices were coming from. I kept walking, my heart pounding in my ears, and I finally rounded the corner to see four… no, five figures just a little further down the street.
Two of them had their backs to me, while two more were behind another guy. I almost had to do a double take. The one in the middle was huge. Tall, yeah, but even from here I could see the muscle underneath his clothes.
“BACK THE FUCK UP! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!” I jumped as one of them shouted, high and shrill, and the huge guy did so, taking a step back and raising his hands. I watched one of them get closer, and almost unthinkingly I too took a few steps forward. Just as I was about to call out, another blue screen popped up in front of me.
Quest Update: Save the Savior
Stop the mugging
I had barely read the description of the update before pure disbelief filled me. It was ridiculous.
"WHAT!? A MUGGING!?" I shouted. How was I supposed to stop a mugging!? I was just a…
I looked down just in time to see that the two in front of the guy had turned around, and I had just enough time to see something metal glinting in both of their hands.
"NO WAIT DON-"
Were those-
BOOOOOM!
At first, all there was was the noise. It was so unbelievably loud that I immediately could hear my ears ringing in the deafening silence that followed afterwards. And then… huh, that's weird… my stomach hurts.
I look down, and see red welling up around underneath my clothes. The pain is dull, at first. What just happened? Why is my shirt getting more red? Almost like someone else was controlling my body, I let go of my bike, putting my hands over the growing stain on my clothes.
Oh. It hurts. It HURTS SO FUCKING MUCH.
I hear more of those loud booms… gunshots, now, I know they are. It's weird, some part of me was able to figure that out. The rest of it is focused on HOW MUCH IT FUCKING HURTS GOD PLEASE IT HURTS SO MUCH.
I feel my legs give out, but it hurts too much. I can't focus on anything else. And all of a sudden, past the pain, I just want…
I just want my mom.
I just want to see my mom.
It hurts, it hurts so bad, it hurts so fucking bad and I just want to see my little brother and my mom.
It hurts so bad, and I'm so cold, and… everything's getting… darker…
I just…
Want my mom.