Chapter 1 Interview?
The Summer Sun reflected off my pale skin and raven hair as I made my way through downtown San Antonio. I made my way into the office building, set my broad shoulders and my brown eyes scanned the list of offices. Finding the name I was looking for I’m thrown off a bit at the room number, 420, but quickly move on.
Looking toward the elevators I looked down at my gut, I’d been working to get back in shape, but I still had dunlap. Although, more and more thick muscle had been revealed over time. From the outside it looked like I had a large gut with a flat front but only if I took my shirt off would you be able to see the faint ab lines that slowly disappear near the middle before meeting the fat hanging off the bottom. Shifting my gaze away from the elevator I took the stairs. Only four floors right?
I sighed at the thought, “Ah, jeez.”
Exiting the stairs on the fourth floor, I made my way to room 420 and opened the door. I found myself in a large black room of seemingly obsidian the size of a high school gym. A single large yellow crystal hung from the ceiling giving off light. A man in an all-black business suit and dress shirt stood in front of me, his solid 7 feet towering over my 5 '6 height. A halo of purple blacklight hovered behind his head as it turned in geometric patterns.
The Recruiter greeted, “Welcome Julio Lionheart to The Samsara Agency.”
Alarmed, Julio asked, “Who the fuck are you?!”
The Recruiter, “I am the local recruiter for the Samsara Agency.”
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Julio asks, “What exactly is The Samsara Agency!”
The Recruiter, “The Samsara Agency recruits cultured men such as yourself and others from countless worlds, to farm karma and fate by sending them to other worlds. Agents can even choose to take on requests from the gods and other powerful beings to perform specified tasks, for additional pay.
Negative Karma is one token.
Positive Karma is two tokens.
Fate is five tokens.
The pay for requests varies based on a case-by-case basis.
Tokens can be used to buy almost anything, but mostly things that’ll help you in your next world. You're paid when the job is done, and the job is done when you're dead or the request has been fulfilled.
We would like to hire you Mr. Lionheart for a position as a field agent. You have the prerequisite knowledge all you need is a body tune-up that comes with our free starter package, and we can send you on your way. After you trade your karma and fate for tokens of course.”
Julio, “What happens if I say no?”
The Recruiter, “Then you’ll have to have your memories of today and signing up for this interview wiped, along with all evidence of us removed. You’ll also be blacklisted from any future employment opportunities with us.
However, if you join now I’ll waive the 10 token fee and throw in the starter package for free. My treat.” He said with a wide grin, I couldn't make heads or tails of.
Julio, “You’ve said what I would be doing and what would happen if I refuse, but the only thing I can’t understand is why you would do this. You said you farm karma and fate while taking requests on the side, but what value is there in that?”
The recruiter chuckled, “Fate and Karma when mixed and distilled into their purest form is raw unharnessed potential. Or as we call it Potentia. Potentia can be used to create, to alter, to heal, to resurrect the dead, and even to destroy. Potentia is the raw conceptual power to become anything. My employers the gods cultivate and harvest the omniverse for potentia via the agency.
That said we only own a tiny portion of it the Agencyverse, our home ground so to speak. You may if you so choose be sent to other multiverses. The Aetherverse, the Psychicverse, the Divinityverse, the Astralverse, the Monarchverse, the Manaverse, the Mirrorverse, the Gapverse, all these are options.
So what do ya say? Wanna be an isekai protagonist?”
He reached forth with his hand and I didn't trust it, but I knew they wouldn’t let me go without getting rid of evidence. Even if that was just my memories and a few records I didn’t want to lose them. That and I’d be blacklisted, eternity is a long time.
Julio, “Fuck it!” I reached forth and shook his hand.