Orimura Ichika: Game On!

by Temairine

When Ichika was kidnapped during the second Mondo Grosso he hardly expected to find one of Tabane's old inventions in the storage room that served as his cell. He was even less prepared for the device to grant him the ability to use the IS - but at a price. Ichika's life is now a video game, with skills, statistics, level ups and all the chaos that comes with them! Harem.

3. Chapter 3

Orimura Ichika: Game On!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or settings, and I am making no money from the writing of this story.

Authors Note

Thank you everyone – 25 reviews in total! Thanks everyone! If I am getting this much feedback, well... motivation levels will soar and chapters will be completed sooner – hint... This chapter is the last one before a time-skip to IS Academy. A beta would be very welcome as well for future chapters!

Ichika's Current Stats

Strength: 6
Perception: 5
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 7
Luck: 5

Fate - 50
Energy - 36
Explosives - 22
Knowledge - 35
Lock-picking - 33
Mechanics - 25
Medicine - 21
Melee Weapons -35
Mid-Ranged Weapons - 27
Negotiation - 22
Presence - 24
Ranged Weapons - 20
Reflexes - 46
Science – 33
Shielding - 17
Speech - 28
Stealth - 27
Unarmed - 46
Willpower – 37

Well my stats have increased a lot more than I expected. Those points I put into S.P.E.C.I.A.L really paid off. I just wish that fate was not my highest skill once more. Maybe if I had a lower Fate score I wouldn't be in this extremely dangerous situation. Speaking of danger, is my body actually still alright?

Okay... all limbs intact... check. No permanent disfigurements... check. Is my sanity still around... not too sure about that? Maybe I should ask a professional, except that I would probably be considered mad. So the professional would have to be someone I can trust. And the only professional I can trust is Tabane-nee. Tabane-nee's definition of sanity however is somewhat irregular. Note also that Tabane-nee got me into this mess – well at least some of this. Conclusion: I will never tell a soul about this. The fact of which is probably inevitable, after all dead men tell no tales.

Glancing around the room, it is exactly as it was before, with the sole exception of a missing invention. But it is different somehow at the same time. It takes me a minute or two to adjust but eventually I realise that somehow things are glowing? The crates and the door are emitting a dim light. The metal pipes in the box I opened earlier are one source of the mysterious light. I can't stop myself reaching down and touching one.

Weapon: Metal Pipe: Prerequisites – 7 Strength points, 45 Melee Weapons Skill

TUTORIAL: You have found a weapon!

Weapons may be bought from others, looted, stolen or created. Each weapon will have requirements for its use, which must be fulfilled.

Okay, so I have found a weapon that I cannot use. A quick attempt to lift it results in failure, and since I have no desire to risk a strained muscle in my back I give up. Walking over to the door brings up another message.

Lock: Difficulty Level: 5

TUTORIAL: You have found a lock!

Locks may be unlocked with either a key or more often with a lock pick. Each time that you pick a lock you will be rewarded with XP equal to the locks difficulty level. Lock picks are compulsory to open a door in the absence of a key.

Thank you kami, so much. Finally something is going right! I was right to put those extra points into lock-picking. Now, where is a lock pick...? KAMI you utter sadist! Why, why, why would you put me in a locked room without a lock pick? Do you enjoy granting hope only to crush it? I might as well hammer the door with one of the planks I pried loose... That actually might be a good idea though.

No, a better idea has just occurred. Just because the protagonist is in a game is handed lock-picks at the start does not mean that that is the only way to get them. Now if I recall, that plank had a nail sticking out of it. If I could get it out of the wood then it might make an acceptable alternative.

My nails will hate me for the next few days, but I now am in possession of one rusty nail, which apparently has other uses, at least according t o the screen.

Weapon: Rusty Nail: Uses: Ammunition, Lock-pick, Mechanical Tool

So apart from the rather scary thought that I will be facing not only fully grown professional thugs, but professional thugs armed with nail guns that was actually useful. The only thing that worries me is that despite the extra points, I have no idea on how to pick a lock.

Just calm down, approach door and listen to see if there is anyone outside. Running into a thug with a nail gun mid escape would not be ideal. Carefully I insert the nail.

Lock-picking Skill Check: 33/5: Chance of Success: 100%: SUCCESS: +5XP

Well, that was anti-climatic, and somewhat disappointing. I was beginning to regret putting all those points in lock-picking earlier if it was this simple to unlock them. Still holding my rusty nail I crept along a shadowy corridor. The warehouse appeared to be deserted for the most part, the only parts that were lit contained guards. Unfortunately those guards were what stood between me and the exit. Stealth was looking like a much better alternative right now.

So after a few minutes deliberation I had come up with three possible ideas for escaping. Idea number one was to find a phone, and make contact with Chifuyu-nee. But if that happened she would come to save me, regardless of where she was, and what she was doing. And I knew for a fact that she would not care a bit about any broken laws. I did though; I didn't want to see my only family, my most important person suffering because of my weakness. That ruled idea one out.

Idea two was the most logical, but also the most dangerous. Sneaking out would avoid conflict, and allow me to contact the police quickly to reassure Chifuyu-nee that I was well. That this was not an option was directly due to my stupidity. I really should have put points into stealth; I might have stood a chance then. As it was I had several near misses: poorly concealing my body in the shadows as a flashlight passed, and... It just wasn't worth the risk.

That left option 3, the craziest most impossible idea that I had discounted due to the fact that not only was it violent, but it was also risky. It was just not quite as risky as idea two, if my suspicions were correct. Retracing my footsteps in the dust – I really needed to work on covering my tracks – I went to yet another room filled with crates. Thinking hard, I tested several bags before deciding on several.

There was a place where light met shadows, a junction of sorts between where the thugs were watching what appeared to be the Mondo Grosso on the television. That place had an old stepladder, hidden for the most part behind several boxes, which I was currently sitting on, waiting with my bags. Soon a single figures shadow appeared - he would round the corner soon. I braced myself, and then jumped.

Reflexes Skill Check: 46/35: SUCCESS +25XP

As I fell I reached out and managed to loop the bag over his head, temporarily blinding him. Normally this would have stopped him for a few seconds at most. If this was most bags, that is. But the bag was filled with cocaine, the very same cocaine that the gang had evidently been trafficking. He was still alive, and would recover, facts I knew from the boost to my Medicine skill. So I left him under some sack-cloth mumbling something about a pretty fairy, and seeing stars.

Level 2 Thug Defeated: +50XP

My stomach felt like it was tied up in knots, and only partially due to fear. The other emotion was, strangely enough, guilt. I had never hurt a person on purpose before, the only time I had ever even attacked someone was in kendo practice. I was running on pure adrenaline as I defeated another two men.

Level 2 Thug Defeated: +50XP

Level 2 Thug Defeated: +50XP

By this time the way to the room with the television in it was clear, for the moment at least. It was the final match of the Mondo Grosso, or at least it should have been. A female presenter stood, looking very nervously, attempting to buy time for whatever was delaying the match. I could guess the cause from the muffled thuds alone coming from behind the arena.

There was only one person I knew with that kind of raw strength and that was the same person whose voice cut through the crowd, cold rage lacing every syllable.

"Where is my brother?"

This was bad; as much as I wanted Chifuyu-nee to win and not be held back by me... hearing her worried made my decision for me. There was a mobile phone in one of the men's pockets, alongside a knife which I was able to use. I took it as a precaution while I dialled Chifuyu-nee's number, I was not fool enough to call the police, calling them would probably set off an alarm of some sort.

"Ichika, is that you?" My sister's voice came down the phone, and now that I was talking to her directly I could hear the urgency in her tone.

"Nee-san, I've been abducted, I'm in an old warehouse, and it's guarded. I've just managed to get a phone." I was slightly worried when the call cut off, but hearing Chifuyu-nee giving orders for the call to be traced was a relief. At least it was until my lifeline was cut. The phone is plucked from my hand and there is a very threatening aura behind me, and something cold poking into my back.

TUTORIAL: Stealth Attacks can be used to incapacitate an opponent or hold them hostage!

It would have been nice to know that earlier, before I have an unknown metal object held against me. I hope it's not a knife.

Melee Weapons Skill Check: 35/25: SUCCESS: +5XP

Weapon Identified: Heavy Nail Gun: Add Gun to Codex?

YES
NO

A nail gun, I don't believe it. I am being held hostage by someone with a tool which is used to propel extra thick and sharp pieces of metal through solid objects. In this case I suppose I would be the solid object. This is not good. And that is an understatement.

"I don't know how you managed to escape, brat. I don't care either. Turn around slowly, hands where I can see them." I nod in agreement.

Weapon added to Codex: Heavy Nail Gun

Heavy Nail Gun: A more powerful version of the Standard Nail Gun, what it lacks for speed it makes up for in firepower. It holds a maximum of 5 nails at a time.

That might actually be useful to know. This person, I am assuming they are a man from the voice, has only got 5 shots before he will have to reload. Of course he might have a spare weapon, but anything that buys me some time is good, right? I just cannot die now. Not after everything Chifuyu-nee has sacrificed in order to raise me.

Slowly but surely I turn around, drawing my arm slightly backwards. The man is big, a whole lot bigger than me. Which is good for the technique that I have in mind right now, I suppose. It's time to see whether my unarmed skill is high enough. Just as I am almost face to face with the gun I abruptly head butt the thugs elbow.

Unarmed Skill Check: 46/42: PASSED: +10XP

That was a close shave, but it succeeded. The arm holding the gun wavers. I do not have the strength to win in a grappling fight, and allowing him space to shoot at me with a ranged weapon would be beyond stupid. So I take the course of action that Chifuyu-nee drilled into my head, always eliminate the greatest threat first. With those words echoing in my ears I grab the gun, pulling it so that the barrel goes over my shoulder.

I think the man is punching me, but my body is just not registering pain. My left eye is swollen and I am having difficulty seeing from it. But I only need to feel to carry put my plan. My finger finds his on the trigger and presses it quickly, repeatedly, a total of five times. The nails soar harmlessly over my shoulder, instead embedding into some unfortunate item of furniture.

Having robbed my assailant of his long range weapon I draw the knife that I had picked up earlier, a common make, much like the ones in the kitchen at home. My assailant is enraged by now, and I realise that I made a mistake. He can still use the nail gun – but as a blunt weapon! He approaches, muttering something that I cannot hear. The ringing in my ears is far too loud. With my last reserve of strength I dodge the first blow then trip him as he lunges.

The sound he makes when he falls dominates the room, his presence however does not. A powerful aura fills the area as a fiery angel descends from the sky. She came... Chifuyu-nee is here for me! I smile at her before I fall into her arms, and into unconsciousness. The last thing that I see though, shines through the darkness.

Boss Fight: Level 5 Thug: Won: +200XP

TUTORIAL COMPLETE: +100XP

LEVEL UP: LEVEL 2!
LEVEL UP: LEVEL 3!

5 years and a few months later...

I do not know why I was thinking back to that day. Maybe it was because the school I am scheduled to take the examination for has a similar structure to the warehouse. Either way I feel some strange... sense of...déjà vu?

It doesn't matter though. Today is an important day that will hopefully mark the beginning of my high school life. Huh... what a coincidence. The corridors seen to follow the same lines as the warehouse did. If my memory serves me correctly, as well as assuming that the structures are the same, the room that I was imprisoned in would be here. The door creeks open, and once again I feel the sense of having been here before.

It's... that feeling, the same one that I got from the black object that temporarily turned my life into a video game. Thank goodness that it ended at the same time the so-called tutorial did. I am walking towards a large item covered in canvas. Reaching out, the slightest of tugs causes the wrappings to fall away, revealing an IS.

I suppose it is no wonder that they felt the same then, both items were IS related, and both were at least partially made by Tabane-nee. I wonder if any of her other inventions have a similar feeling. I'll most likely never find out though, I have had no contact with the Shinonono's in many years. I did see that Houki became a national champion in kendo though. She was always talented at it, as well as working harder than anyone else I knew, myself included.

It is more nostalgia than anything else that causes me to reach out and touch the IS. It's just a simple reminder of my childhood friend and her eccentric sister. But when my fingers make contact with the IS the world spins before my eyes! An incoming rush of data floods my brain. I know how to manoeuvre it; I know the commands and the statistics of this Uchigane. It is almost as if... I could pilot it? But if that revelation was unsettling then what happened next was even more so.

CONTINUE: CONFIRMED

CONDITIONS: COMPLETED

GAME: START!

NO! No, no, no, no, no, anything but that! I remembered those flashing words all too well, the style, and the screen, everything! My breaths are coming in short pants and I am so overwhelmed that I obey the voice coming from behind the double doors.

"Are you done suiting up yet? If so enter for the exam."

It is testament to how confused I am that I have not noticed up until this point that the IS has taken form around me. Grasping the sword in my hands I propel the IS forwards through the now open doors. As I enter the voice calls out again.

"I attack on the count of three. Get ready... 1, 2, and 3."

She came rushing at me, sword held aloft for a blow that I only just managed to block. However surprise was on my side as the clash of our blades brought us close enough for her to see my face.

"What! You... are a boy... how can this be possible?"

She is so distracted that when I dodge backwards she attempts to follow me. However due to her shock her sword misses me and she instead crashes into the wall of what I now notice to be an arena!

As the examiners rush into the room, the game flashes up once more.

Quest Completed: Qualify for IS Academy! +250XP

Achievement Earned: Defeat an Instructor! +350XP

LEVEL UP: LEVEL 4!

Please kami, how on earth am I going to explain this to Chifuyu-nee? Preferably with me ending up alive by the end of this!

Ichika's Current Stats

HP: 80/80
SP: 60/60

Strength: 6
Perception: 5
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 7
Luck: 5

Fate - 50
Energy - 36
Explosives - 22
Knowledge - 35
Lock-picking - 33
Mechanics - 25
Medicine - 21
Melee Weapons -35
Mid-Ranged Weapons - 27
Negotiation - 22
Presence - 24
Ranged Weapons - 20
Reflexes - 46
Science – 33
Shielding - 17
Speech - 28
Stealth - 27
Unarmed - 46
Willpower – 37

IS Statistics

LOCKED

Authors End Note

Hope that everyone enjoyed this. Next chapter will be mostly canon as Ichika starts at the IS Academy. Please review if you liked it, or if you have something to comment on. Any comments about Ichika's IS, it will be Byakushikki, but with a few key differences... which can be influenced... Lastly, yes this uses the Fallout stat system, however since it features no story from the game whatsoever I have chosen to not make it a crossover. Thanks for reading!