This Game Called Life
By: Bubbajack
Betas/Co-Authors: IcySnowSage, Heliosion, Loamy Coffee, Geoffry Lannister
Disclaimer: We do not own the following anime/mawha, comics, or tv shows or to the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Goblin Slayer, references to Highlander, Highschool DxD, How not to Summon the Demon Lord, I'm Really not the Evil God's Lacky, Overlord, references to Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson, Solo Leveling, Solo Max Level Newbie, and Star vs the Forces of Evil, or Wardstone Chronicles.
Ch.2: Breaking Hearts and New Ground.
Xander woke up to a blue screen in his face.
[This is a notice concerning the Tutorial Dungeon for all Players: The Tutorial Dungeon has been cleared! As of now, regular Dungeons, and shops shall open up around the Starting Zone aka Sunnydale. Additionally, all players shall receive a Daily Quest. While there is no penalty for not completing it, completion shall grant rewards.]
Swiping right with a satisfied smile on his face, a new pop up immediately appeared.
[Daily Quest:
Do 100 Pushups: 0/100
Do 100 Situps: 0/100
Do 100 Squats: 0/100
Run 10km: 0/10km run.]
"Umm, how much is ten kilometers in miles?" Xander asked the System.
[Six miles.]
Rolling out of his bed with a sigh, Xander commented, "Isn't that a bit much?"
[We remind you that you are 'not' required to do the Daily Quest Player 2.]
"Yeah but rewards are a good thing in games," Xander replied, putting out a fresh set of clothes before he started doing push ups. Deciding to multitask, he said "Stats"
Name: Alexander 'Xander' Lavelle Harris
Path: lvl.5 Fighter
Title: Friend of the Strange
Perks: Apocalyptic Maiden Saver, Cretin King, Evasive, School of Hard Knocks, Head of Lead
Skills: Adrenaline Rush lvl. 1 Novice, Alchemy lvl.1, Cooking lvl.1, Harvesting lvl.2, Taunt lvl.1, Moment's Respite lvl1, Jog lvl.1
Perk Points: 2
Attributes:
Strength: 15 Intelligence: 17
Dexterity: 17 WIsdom: 25
Constitution: 15 Charisma: 17
Fatigue: 0 Luck: 17
Attribute Points: 22
Looking over his stat's page, as he continued doing pushups, he said, "I've got twenty-two points, can't put points into Luck directly, and strength and Constitution are lower than the rest. So if I get them up to par, that'll leave me with eighteen points which, if I ignore wisdom, should let me level all my other stats up to twenty."
Attributes:
Strength: 20 Intelligence: 20
Dexterity: 20 WIsdom: 25
Constitution: 20 Charisma: 20
Fatigue: 0 Luck: 17
Attribute Points: 2
Deciding to save his two remaining points, Xander finished doing his pushups and took his fresh change of clothes and took a quick shower before changing and cooking himself a quick breakfast this time frying up some bacon alongside some eggs in a skillet and plopping it all in-between some toast.
[Cooking lvl.2: Your Cooking Skill has leveled up! Things you cook or consume now lowers fatigue, and add +1 to stat increases and -1 to demerits.]
"Heh, sweet," He said to himself, taking a bite out of his breakfast sandwich as he raced out the door.
He ran to school using [jog]. By the time he made it he'd run about 5km, and Jog had leveled up to level 2. 'Well, today is starting off rather well for me,' Xander thought to himself as he turned his skill off and finished walking through the school doors.
[Well done Player 2, also you should know that you have reached the first skill threshold for Wisdom. Before you ask what a Skill Threshold is, it's a special perk or ability you unlock when you level up your attributes to certain levels.]
"Cool, what'd I get?" Xander asked,
[Martial Initiate: You become aware of your own ki by awakening your Dantien. You now have a ki pool of 12.]
"Nice," he thought as he stowed his bookbag in his locker and made his way to his homeroom class. Xander noticed walking to class that his steps flowed more easily. It almost felt like a weight on his body was lifted just a little and he was able to "breathe" easier. It was hard for him to identify just what the ki flowing through his body was doing besides this.
Once in class for attendance, he asked the system a question that was on his mind after seeing it on his status screen 'What're perk points for?'
[For unlocking Perks, duh. You get one every two levels, and they can be used to unlock perks for your chosen path. Since you're on a starter path, the perks you have to choose from won't be groundbreaking but they could prove useful.]
'Can you show me the list of perks, actually can I get info on the perks I already have first?' The teen mentally inquired.
[Certainly just a moment,
Apocalyptic Maiden Saver: You are despised by destiny. For you and you alone have thwarted fate and saved the maiden who was to bring an end to the world. You get an extra point to charisma and two to luck whenever you save a maiden that is "doomed" to die. Warning this perk makes you hated by those who believe fate is unbreakable.
Cretin King: When dealing with the unsavory sort their starting feeling towards you is moved up two steps from 'hostile' to 'neutral' or from 'untrusting' to 'friendly'.
Evasive: You are hard to hit. Unless an opponent is particularly strong you can't be outflanked by enemies. You also have a knack for dodging when others would be hit. Slight increase in evasion chance for you.
School of Hard Knocks: You've had a hard life, but are used to taking the blows of all kinds. You take less damage from common blows not enhanced by magic. You also deal extra damage to those who hurt you first.
Head of Lead: Previously explained but you are so dense that you cannot recognize a forest for its trees. You have gained a perk that harem protagonists everywhere have standard. This makes you less likely to be charmed, bewitched, influenced and resilient to love/lust potions. Congratulations, you are the natural enemy of succubus everywhere.]
'Wow, didn't expect that first one,' Xander thought dryly.
[You broke a prophecy and saved the chosen one from her fated death and helped avert an apocalyptic event. That more than qualifies especially since this perk usually costs 25 perk points to unlock unnaturally.]
'Wow, okay that's cool,' The teen then thought. 'Can you show me the available perks now?'
[Just a sec,
Cultivation of Heaven and Earth, Perk Point Cost 1: For about an hour a day you are able to meditate and purify the qi in your body. This helps cleanse you of contaminants and impurities. This perk is low level for it can only be used once a day and drains your stamina and gives fatigue for every minute it is used.
Hellish Constitution, Perk Point Cost 1 (optional 0): You are born and raised on a portal to hell. The corruption flows through your veins. You have the capability of greatness in you. Forsake the light and walk down the path of darkness. Forfeit all good karma and gain this perk for free. Increases con, dex, and str by +5 as long as you have corruption in your veins. Hell mouth replenishes and increases corruption at a rate of 0.1% a day.
The Midnight Guard, Perk Point cost 1 must have some good karma: You are a watcher of the innocent. You travel and walk into the darkness regardless of fear. You are one of the few who stand against the darkness that encroaches. You gain low light-vision 120 feet and gain skills vigilance and alertness. Both skills are used to stay on point and not be deceived by the tricks of darkness. You are less likely to be caught off guard or surprised by enemies. Also makes sneak attacks hard to be done on you.
Hunter of the Damned, Perk Point Cost 2, You hunt the hunters of the night. You are what they fear. Gain bonuses to intimidation, and attacks against those who prey on humanity. Let them know fear. +2 to str and gain unique skill designated prey. Designated prey: You can track this target anywhere they go up to three days behind them. Tracks and signs of your prey are easier to notice, understand, and identify. Continued use of this skill instills paranoia and a mental debuff on your prey that reduces all mental attributes by 20%. Those of evil alignment are 50% more susceptible to this perk and increase by 25% if they are not of "human" origin.]
'I'll take Cultivation of Heaven and Earth and Midnight Guard.' Xander decided at last.
[Understood, they have been added to your perk list.]
Then homeroom was over and Xander was curious as to what else would give him level ups in school. 'Wow, I'm actually excited to go to school for once,' Xander realized with momentary shock. 'Is this how Willow feels all the time? Oh… right I still need to talk to her still… and there goes my good mood,' He thought grumpily.
[Oh c'mon man, you hunted vampires for a year but you can't talk to a girl? Nut up or shut up.] The System challenged.
"Are you challenging me?" Xander inquired.
[The System throws down the gauntlet.
Personal Quest: Be a Man, has begun.
Details: Talk to Willow and let her down gently… you pussy.
Time Limit: End of the School Day.
Success: A key that gives you first dibs on a Dungeon.
Failure: Revocation of your man-card for all time, and your balls will shrivel up and fall off, since you obviously don't need them. Don't worry it is as painful as you think it will be. We swear it will.]
Xander's eyebrow twitched, there was one thing you never did, it was threaten another man's balls, that was almost as bad as farting on them. "Oh, it's on bro."
[Consider it brought bro.]
Xander screwed up his courage, "I'll do it right now!"
[Go on, do it! Just DO IT! Coward!]
Xander walked into English class, right in the back of the class, to the seat Willow always saved for him next to her, and when she saw him she smiled. "Hey Xander!"
Seeing her smiling, her cheeks turning slightly rosy, it was obvious to him now that she had a thing for him.
[Well, go on do it you Chud.]
'I will… during lunch,' Xander decided with the confidence leaving his body, 'It would be awkward to do it right now.'
[Pussy… pussy… total pussy…]
'Shut up,' Xander groused. As he opened his textbook.
"Alright class, now continuing from yesterday, can anyone tell me who fought in the French and Indian War?" spoke of the history teacher Mr. Smith.
Xander looked around, seeing everyone but Willow looking listless, he raised his hand.
"Mr. Harris?" The English teacher sounded surprised, as he called on him.
Xander was quick to reply, "Was it the French and the Indians on one side and the British on the other side, sir?"
"What Treaty ended up being signed at the end of this war?"
"The Treaty of Paris in 1763, which led to the succession of Canada to the French."
The teacher beamed, "That is correct Mr. Harris. And what world wide war did this lead up to?"
"The Seven Years War."
"Correct again, it's nice to see someone other than Miss Rosenberg participating in class for a change."
[+3 to Intelligence for getting all the answers correct. +1 to wisdom for proper application of your knowledge. Causality lingers on you.]
'Nice, I don't know what that whole causality bit means but, I'm not going to worry about it.' Xander decided.
[Oh, I'm sorry, should I use smaller words?]
'Fuck you.'
[No thanks, not interested.]
During his internal verbal spar with the System, Xander never noticed Willow staring at him in a state of near shock. 'This is wiggy, this is definitely wiggy,' she thought. 'Xander just doesn't answer questions! Not… not correctly at least!'
[Player 3, you do realize that everyone in the town is now a Player correct? Including Xander? Thus by applying himself he too can get stat increases? Also that is very demeaning to Player 2. His intelligence is not that terribly low.]
'What?! Why on earth would you make Xander a Player? He's… he's just Xander!'
[Child, what did I just say? I said, quote everyone in town, end quote.]
'Yes I heard you, but making Xander a Player will just make him do dangerous things. Can you get rid of it?'
[No.]
Willow scowled and asked, 'No you can't or no you won't?'
[As in, no I will not even think of fulfilling your selfish request. You want Xander to remain weak so you can use the System to become strong and he can depend on you to protect him and prove you are just as capable as Player 1 aka Buffy. Well, that's not happening and that's not how love works, Player 2.]
"I…I don't I'm not…" She stammered out.
"Wills," Xander asked, concerned upon seeing her pale and muttering to herself, "Is everything okay?
"Y-Yeah everything is fine Xander don't worry," She assured him, giving him her best disarming smile.
He stared at her for a moment before giving a slow nod, "Okay if you're sure." then he thought '[observe]'
While her Stat's hadn't changed, she now had a new dislike besides Cordelia…
The System itself.
'What did you say to Willow?' Xander asked.
[Something she needed but didn't want to hear. Don't worry about it Player 2. She asked for the impossible and it pissed her off.]
'Ah, I see,' Xander said after a moment. When the bell rang he went to his next class for the first time ever dreading the lunch period.
By the time lunch rolled around he'd raised his Intelligence by an additional +2 in Science Class, Wisdom by another +3, and Dexterity by another +2 in Miss Calander's computer class.
He had also unlocked the first tier of Intelligence when his Intelligence stat hit 25.
[Student: You gain EXP 5% faster due to your studious nature.]
'Well an EXP boost is nice,' Xander thought as he approached the table he usually ate lunch at with Buffy and Willow like a man walking to the gallows.
The moment he sat down, Buffy pushed half a cold roast beef sandwich his way. "Here, I packed extra because you were right, the lunch here is cursed.
[You received Copper item: Roast Beef Sandwich: +2 to Strength and Constitution for 4 hours and -35 fatigue when consumed.]
"Thanks Buffster," Xander said, "I'm trying to teach myself how to cook so once I can make something beyond toast and eggs I'll make it up to you."
The Slayer smiled, "Thanks Xan. For the record, I can't remember the last time I actually ate breakfast. Usually I'm so tired from the slayage that I leave the house with little more than toast, so that sounds good to me."
[+1 to Charisma for flirting with Player 1. +5 affection with Player 1]
'I wasn't flirting… I wasn't!' Xander denied.
[Sure you weren't Player… sure you weren't.]
Xander glanced at Willow who was looking glum during this exchange. [Player 3 does not like this atmosphere -5 affection.]
'Well, her affection for me is about to drop like a rock,' Xander thought. Sighing he said, "Willow, can I talk to you about something in private for a moment… over there?" He nodded towards the doors that led out into the hall.
"Sure," Willow agreed, looking confused. "We'll be right back Buffy." She said in her befuddled tone.
"Yeah… I'll be right out," Xander turned to Buffy as Willow walked away. "Buffy I need a solid."
"What's going on Xan?"
She watched her Xander-shaped-friend take a breath and say, "I'm about to let Wills down easy."
The Slayer's eyes widened in complete suprise. "You… know?"
Xander ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah… I do… I'm not interested in her like that so… yeah. If you could just be there for her, I'd appreciate it."
Buffy nodded. "I… sure Xander. You're being very mature about this… This isn't about me is it?"
"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy… you used me as a glorified stripper pole at the Bronze to make Angel jealous… and you never apologized for it," stated Xander in a tone that was showing how hurt he really felt about it.
The Slayer made a choking noise in the back of her throat as Xander continued, "That killed any affection I had for you. That, and you left last summer. I mean, I get it, you had a near death experience, but just because the Master was dead, doesn't mean all the monsters just up and vanished… someone had to pick up the slack while you were gone… Can you guess who that was?"
"You?" she squeaked out now feeling really guilty about leaving her Xander shaped friend alone to clean up her slack.
"Got it in one," he replied, "So just be there for Willow like you weren't for me," He said, picking up the sandwich she gave him and making his way out of the cafeteria.
'Why… why does it feel like my heart is breaking in two?' Buffy asked herself as she sat there feeling numb.
Xander got one last message from the System before he left the cafeteria.
[Affection value from Player 1 has not decreased due to conflict caused by herself.]
Pushing the door open with his elbow as he finished his sandwich, he swallowed and said to Willow who was standing out in the hall near the window, "Okay so… where do I start?"
"I don't even know what's going on. What's this about Xander?" Willow asked curiously.
Rubbing the back of his head so hard he felt he might've started a bald patch, Xander sighed, "I'm not good at beating around the bush so I'm not going to do it alright?" Seeing Willow nod, he continued, "I've recently noticed the way you've been looking at me… but I don't… I can't like you the way you like me."
"Why?" She asked, tearing up her voice sounding broken and hollow. "We've known each other for so long and… and… we know everything about each other."
[Affection value for player two has decreased by 10]
In response, Xander told her a truth she probably didn't want to hear, "You and Jessie are like family to me, more so than my own parents. I… just can't see you the way you want me to. Sorry Wills, I'll always love you, but to me, you've always been like a sister, much like how Jessie was a brother," Then Xander thought to himself, 'And it was this hell that took him from me. I cannot love you like that because at the end of the day. How can I love you knowing that you may be taken from me just like Jesse due to my own weakness.'
He then turned on his heel and walked away, because there was nothing more to say, and there was nothing he could do in this situation to make things better. In fact, he was sure if he stuck around things would just be worse. So he left his best friend there, crying, hoping Buffy would pick up the pieces.
He walked without thinking to the nearest bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He could feel his heartbeat pumping in his ears. 'God, I hate myself right now,'
[You have completed the Personal Quest. You do not receive the title Heartbreaker. The Dungeon Key has been added to your inventory. Affection value with Player 2 has decreased by 15. Your relationship with her has been reevaluated as Friends instead of potential lovers.]
'Thanks… wait, I have an inventory?'
In response, a new screen popped up, it showed his clothes, which all said +0 slots for necklaces, rings, and other gear. There were twenty-two different slots in total.
'Okay this is cool. And I can store things in here, like a hammerspace?'
[To an extent Player 2. Every player has a base 100lbs (or 45.45kg) of inventory space. For every one point you have in Strength you gain one kilogram (2.2lbs) of inventory space. Thus, right now, you have 140lbs (or 63.63kg) of inventory space.]
'That's cool I guess,' He clicked on the key and an info box popped up.
[Rusted Old Key: Can unlock the Subterranean Tunnels beneath the Calax Building.
Warning: Challenge Rating: 2 recommended level 8 on Nightmare Difficulty due to completion conditions.]
'Well, I know where I'm going after school,' Xander said to himself. He also noticed there was a Mithril breastplate in his inventory, along with some metal greaves, vambraces, and a cool sword.
Clicking on the sword, he read, [Wyvern's Barb: +25% chance to poison on hit, Poison: -1 Constitution point lost every six seconds for 30 seconds. If their constitution score hits zero, death occurs.]
He also found the sword he 'borrowed' from Giles the other night. 'I should return that, and try to not get caught doing so,' He thought as he exited the bathroom.
"Hey Harris," A voice he really didn't want to hear right now called.
Xander sighed, "What do you want, Harmony?"
The blonde member of the Cordettes scowled at him a bit, before she put her hands on her hips and said, "I wasn't going to say anything mean you know?" When she saw him looking around randomly she asked, "What on earth are you doing now?"
"Looking for the flying pigs, they need to be around here somewhere for you to attempt to be nice to me," Xander replied in a flat tone as he continued to look in random directions in the hallway.
Frowning at him the blonde noted, "You know, you make it very difficult to be nice to you Mr. Harris,"
Xander blinked because for just a moment there, Harmony went from dumb valley girl to Southern Belle debutante. "Harmony?"
"Uh, what is it Harris?"
He shook his head, 'I must've been imagining things, today has been stressful,' he thought to himself. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"
"I… it's just very mature of you to let Willow down like that. Most men these days would lead a girl on. It's nice to know that gentlemen still exist in this day and age."
For a moment once again Harmony sounded older, different than she usually acted. It was such that Xander used [Observe] on her.
Name: Harmony Ellinore Kendall
Path: lvl.10 Rogue, lvl. 4 Duelist
Title: The Immortal Southern Belle
Perks: The Quickening, Master of Disguise, The Peach of Rebirth, Inheritor of Columbia's Will
Skills: Curse Skill: There Can Be Only One lvl.4, Etiquette lvl.9, Dueling lvl.10, Political Subterfuge lvl.5, Spying lvl.4, Poisoning lvl.1, Swordsmanship lvl.10, Quickdraw lvl.2, Military Medicine lvl.9, Bedroom Arts lvl.8, Seduction lvl.7, Honeypot Technique lvl.9, Assassinatination lvl.8, Nursing lvl.10, Interrogation lvl.10, Mystic Slayer lvl.6, Engineering lvl.7, Art of Sewing Death lvl.2, Immortality lvl. MAX, Regeneration lvl. 5, Resistance to Disease lvl.7, Resistance to Poison lvl.8, Resistance to Cold lvl.9, Resistance to Heat lvl.9,
Perk Points: 7
Attributes:
Strength: 14 Intelligence: 20
Dexterity: 25 Wisdom: 25
Constitution: 18 Charisma: 20
Fatigue: 0 Luck: 25
Attribute Points: 92
He blinked looking at all the skills and then asked, "Harmony… what are you?"
The blonde suddenly became suspicious, "What do you mean?"
"I can see other people's status windows… it says you have the immortality skill maxed out?"
Harmony's mouth open and closed like a fish for a moment and then sauntered up to him sexily, and said in a southern belle accent while fluttering her eyelashes at him, "Do you wanna get out of here and talk some place a little more private, Mr. Harris?"
[Player 33 attempted to use Seduction lvl.7 and Honeypot Technique lvl.9. Since you had prior knowledge of them, they automatically failed.]
"Harmony, are you trying to use your honeypot and seduction skills on me right now? Cause, I know you have them, so it's not going to work." Xander deadpanned in what he thought was sheer audacity that Harmony was exhibiting.
She backed off looking ashamed, "I… I'm sorry, Mr. Harris, it's just normal people aren't supposed to know about this… can we actually go somewhere private and talk?"
Xander gave her a sideways look, "Sure as long as you promise you won't try to seduce me again."
"I won't, I promise," Harmony replied, sounding earnest.
[Player 33, sincerely wants to talk to you about her condition, and she may need your help in the future Player 2.]
'If the System is nudging me to help then,' He made up his mind, "Alright fine, but no more feminine wiles."
"Well you don't have to worry about that Mr. Harris," Harmony replied with a smirk, as she walked towards the exit, "Your sense of style is enough to turn away almost any woman's wiles."
"Yeah… hey!" He yelled in retort as he ran to catch up with the laughing blonde.
He followed the second in command of the Cordettes to one of Sunnydales many abandoned churches. This one looked well kept though. The lawn was trimmed, with small rose bushes flanking the casement brick steps, ascending them, Harmony opened the wooden doors and said, "Do come in, just take your shoes off in the foyer if you please."
Xander poked his head in the chapel and found it had been converted into a house. There was a kitchenette, which was separated into a living room by a half wall, there was a bathroom and a room that was further down the hall that might be Harmony's room there were floor mats placed here and there, a small wooden table surrounded by four chairs, and a rocking chair next to a reading lamp in the corner near a bookcase. Taking his shoes off Xander decided to ask, "Are you living here Harmony?"
"Yes… would you like some peach tea Mr. Harris?" She said offering him a glass filled with ice of the brackish brown swill G-man usually drank.
'Well it'd be rude to refuse… but just in case,' He activated [Observe] to make sure she wasn't going to poison him and then bury him out back in the graveyard.
[You receive Copper Item: Sweet Peach Tea: +2 Dexterity and Intelligence for 4 hours if drunk.]
'Okay so it's not poisoned,' He took a sip, finding it was sweet and not at all like the garbage Giles drank. "Thanks, this is good."
"You're most welcome…" Harmony paused, smirking at him mischievously before asking, "Did you use your skill on it first to see if I did something to it?"
"Yes," Xander didn't see the point in lying. "You asked me to follow you home, in the middle of a school day, cause I found out something probably about you I shouldn't have, and we live on a half closed portal to hell in case you didn't know, so yeah, you could say my bullshit detector was going off. Pleasantly surprised, the tea was sweet though."
A grimace appeared on Harmony's face, "Sugar if that tea ain't sweet then it is a sin. I don't understand how yanks and brits drink their tea unsweet."
"Here here," Xander took another sip of his drink… and then said, "So, what's your story?"
"I could ask you the same sugar," Harmony said with a disarming smile, before she stretched. "I must say though it really is nice to not have to act like a dumb blonde for once and play second fiddle to that sniping harpy Cordelia… though I've a feeling there's some good in her buried very, very deep down it may be."
"What do you mean, what's my story?" Xander asked, "I thought we were here to talk about you?"
"We're here my dear Mr. Harris to talk about what you know due to what happened on Halloween. So, what do you know?" Harmony asked while sitting in a recliner. She seemed at ease but ready to act if things went south.
Xander had fought vampires for a year. He wasn't too afraid, "That you're immortal, somehow, that your stats are higher than most peoples, and you have some kind of cursed skill called There Can Be Only One, and a strange perk called Quickening and you've already got a second class called Duelist?"
"Hmm, so that became a skill did it?" Harmony muttered under her breath but Xander caught it. "Harmony, do you not know how to look at your stat's page?"
The blonde girl flushed, looking embarrassed, "Umm, no. I don't really understand what all of these screens mean."
Feeling a bit bad for her, Xander decided to throw her a bone, "Just say stat's and the screen should pop up and I can walk you through it,"
"Stats… alright go ahead."
"First I'm going to tell you what everything does. Strength determines how strong you are, how hard you hit, how much weight you can carry things like that. Dexterity is how quick you can move, avoid danger, things like that. Constitution is how healthy you are and how well you shake off things like poison and the like. Fatigue is something that builds up overtime and the higher it is, the more tired you are from what I've gathered. Intelligence shows how smart you are. Wisdom shows how well you can use that intelligence, and Luck is luck.
Slowly Harmony nodded, "I believe I understand… but what kind of thing is so powerful it can physically affect the people in town like this?"
"A god, specifically the Roman god Janus I guess. Somehow he ended up making everyone a part of his little game."
[Hey, we'd like to think we're being very fair to all involved Player 2. This is light for divine punishment.]
"Ah, the Lord of Portals and Transitions… yes this seems like something he'd do for his amusement. Thankfully he seemed to be in a good mood. Heaven knows what might happen if he used a more 'creative' punishment," Harmony said with a sigh.
"You've run across such things before?" Xander asked.
Harmony just smiled, "The world is greater and far darker than you know."
Xander just shook his head bemused, "You sound like G-man… uh, Giles the school librarian."
"Ah yes," She said with distaste, "Whatever could a Watcher be doing here?"
Xander was even more surprised than before, "You know about the Watcher Council?
"You know about the Watchers?" Harmony parroted, equally surprised.
"Well I mean first things first why do you think a Watcher is doing here?" asked Xander, a little confused that someone else knew about Giles' actual reason for being here.
"Well obviously the Watcher council usually keeps tabs on immortals like me, so clearly they found out where I was hiding and decided to send someone to keep tabs on me,"
Xander blinked owlishly with dawning horror on his face, "Oh… oh no…"
"What?" Harmony asked confused.
Shaking his head he replied, "No, he's from another Watcher's Council."
Harmony sighed and rubbed her temples, "You mean there's another one?"
"Yep… So what's this about you being immortal?" Xander really wanted to know.
[+2 to Charisma for convincing Harmony to tell you her story.]
The blonde sighed, realizing there was no more point in delaying. "As you know, I am immortal, what you don't know is I'm not the only immortal running about. We don't know how many of us there are, where we come from or what makes an immortal, but when we die our first deaths, several hours later we revive, whole and healthy, incapable of death except for beheading."
"Does this also have something to do with you living in a church?" Xander asked waving his arm around the refurbished church they were both sitting in.
[+1 to Intelligence for deductive reasoning.]
"Good eye sugar," Harmony replied, "We Immortals are a part of what we call The Game. We can fight and behead each other and the winner takes the losers… I guess you could call it experiences… but we just call it the Quickening."
Xander suddenly understood, "That's a skill you have a level 7 so that means…?"
Harmony grimaced and nodded, "I've taken the heads of seven other Immortals."
"Wow, sounds like a really cut throat game," the teen noted dryly. "Who wouldn't want to take part in a death game for the price of immortality? I mean really, who could pass that up?"
[+1 to Charisma for humor, and +1 to Wisdom for realizing the stupidity of this situation.]
Harmony giggled behind her hand, "Yes quite sugar," she took a sip of her own cup of tea before continuing, "But yes this Game has two hard-set Rules, one is no fighting on holy ground, the other and most important one is, There Can Be Only One."
"Hence why you live in a church, you can't be attacked here. I'm assuming there are lesser rules, no attacking in broad daylight, cause it would be stupid, and if you die normally you gotta pack up and leave?"
"Yes actually how did you know?" Harmony asked surprised.
[+1 to Intelligence and Wisdom for sussing out the lesser Rules of the Immortals Game.]
Xander shrugged. "It just felt like commonsense. Don't worry though, I'll keep this quiet for you," downing his peach tea like a shot, Xander stood saying, "Anyway I should be going, I've got some stuff I need to take care of."
Reaching across the table, Harmony quickly grabbed his hand, "Now hold on a minute sugar, I've got questions of my own. I've answered your questions, it's only fair you answer mine, don't you agree?"
Xander looked at her as she smiled at him, a real and honest smile not the ones she, Xander now realized were faked, at school, and then he sat back down, "Sure but if I'm gonna be talking for a bit, I'm gonna need more tea."
"Coming right up sugar," Harmony said with a wink as she got up and practically pranced to the kitchen with pep in her step.
'She seems excited to have company,' Xander noted
[Of course she is Player 2, you're the first person she's been able to talk to with total honesty in many years. Why wouldn't she be happy?]
'Point, so does that mean I shouldn't check the tea for poison?'
[Trust yet verify, Player 2. Trust yet verify. Many a hero has been subdued from false good will sadly.] The System advised.
'True,' Xander admitted as Harmony came back with another tall glass of peach tea.
Sliding it across the table to him while setting a glass pitcher full of the concoction next to her as she said, "Here you are sugar, now it's my turn to play twenty questions."
"Oh no don't tell me you're gonna ask me if I'm still a virgin? Also the answer is yes," Xander said deadpan and with such a straight face Harmony had to laugh.
"You're incorrigible," she said, slapping his arm playfully, "But no, what I want to know first is, if Mr. Giles isn't here to watch me, why is he here?"
"I can't tell you that?" Xander replied after a moment.
"Whyever not?" Harmony pouted, "I've been forthright with you Mr. Harris, you can at least extend to me the same courtesy."
Holding up a hand, he replied, "I would, it's just not my secret to tell. All I'll say is he's here to advise someone else here at the school."
"I see… so it's either Miss Summers or Miss Rosenberg then?" Seeing his dumbfounded look, she giggled, "What, did you honestly think it would be that hard to figure out? You three are thick as thieves, you know? And it's common knowledge around school that you three spend an inordinate amount of time in the library."
Upon learning this, Xander had an epiphany of sorts. "Ah… so I'm a social outcast because people think I'm a nerd?"
"No, you're a social outcast because you refuse to conform to the social hierarchy of the school, the 'pecking order' as Miss Chase calls it, and thus do not fall into any of the cliques. Which some people myself included, find commendable. You carve your own path… even if your fashion sense leaves much to be desired," She joked, smirking behind her hand.
Xander was affronted, "Hey, I don't buy these shirts, my Uncle Rory gives me one every Christmas. I don't know why, the man just does it."
"I see, I apologize for my faux-pas," The Immortal saw with a short bob of her head.
Yet he waved her off. "It's fine. Anyway, what else did you want to know?"
"So these attributes? If I put these points into them, I'll get stronger, healthier, faster, smarter, and wiser?"
"Yep, I'd suggest getting all of your skills up to twenty-five first as you unlock special abilities when you hit certain thresholds. Twenty-five seems to be the first threshold."
Ah, I did wonder ever so much why I felt lighter on my feet these days. But now that you pointed it out, having this… Ki explains it," Harmony said more to herself than him. "So if I raise my Strength to twenty-five then… OH!" She jumped slightly probably because a screen appeared in front of her
Xander used [Observe] and took a look himself.
[Congratulations! By raising Strength to the first threshold you have increased your inventory capacity by 33.3%]
'The initial 100bls plus one kilogram per level plus 33% would equate to 206lbs or about 94kg wouldn't it?'
[Correct, +1 Intelligence for figuring that out without a calculator.]
'Thanks,'
"What does it mean by inventory? Ahh!" Harmony yelped again when her personal inventory popped up.
"You can store things in an invisible, undetectable space," Xander replied, trying and failing to hide the amused smile on his face.
Putting a hand to her chest, Harmony replied, "That useful, now if only this blasted thing would stop scaring the life out of me… it's not funny Mr. Harris!" She said when she saw the smirk he was trying to hide.
"Your right, your right, it was just cute seeing you get startled like that… also what happened to sugar?"
"I'll call you that when you start acting like a proper gentleman," She sniffed, before giving a small smirk of her own, and then they both had a good laugh.
"Okay so… what next?" Harmony asked.
"Getting intelligence lets you level up faster. I know that much," Xander replied.
Harmony only jumped slightly when she put five points into her intelligence. "Hmm, interesting," Looking at her guest she asked, "What do you think I should put points into next?"
"Well can I ask you a serious question?" Seeing her nod, Xander continued, "What kind of fighter are you? Cause if you fight with one big weapon you're probably going to want to put more points into strength. If you fight with smaller weapons, or one in each hand, then you might want to consider putting points into Dexterity while not neglecting Constitution cause that seems to determine how healthy we are."
Harmony nodded slowly, looking determined, "Right, I think I know what I need to do thanks to you Mr. Harris,"
Seeing her so serious prompted Xander to use [observe] on her again.
Attributes:
Strength: 25 Intelligence: 25
Dexterity: 50 Wisdom: 25
Constitution: 50 Charisma: 39
Fatigue: 0 Luck: 25
Attribute Points: 0
'Did…she just fucking stat dump… hold on, wait a minute, did her chest just get bigger when she passed the Charisma threshold? Dude what the fuck…?'
[Well, that is pretty charismatic right?]
'Dude you're kidding right? Is this gonna happen every time a girl passes a threshold?'
[No… don't be silly, only specific ones where special rewards are handed out. Also, what do you think happens to the men?]
'We get boobs too?!' Xander was panicking.
[I see your putting Head of Lead to good use… no you moron! What specific bodily organ do you think will get bigger as you pass charisma thresholds?]
'Oh… ooh…oooh! You wouldn't be willing to tell me what thresholds these are would you?'
[Haha… no.]
'What about how many? Cause there's like a limit to how big things can get before it gets weird you know?'
[...I see your point, there are five such special reward tiers.]
'Isn't that kinda a bit much?' Xander asked. 'Cause girls like who have C-cups now or something would be five cup sizes bigger. They'd be EE-cups.'
[And? What is the downside here? Girls who have breasts get bigger breasts, and girls with no breasts get breasts, I fail to see the problem here.]
'I guess you have a point? I guess I've been around Willow and Buffy so long that sympathizing with back pain has become second nature for me.'
[+1 to Charisma for your empathy.]
'Thanks but if they don't actually want the increased cleavage? Call it me playing devil's advocate here.'
[I do believe you humans have developed something called 'breast reduction surgery'. If they truly don't want them all they have to do is spend some coins in a shop to get them reduced. But back in my heyday, large breasts and wide hips were the hallmark of a woman of good marriage material.]
That's when Xander knew this was an argument he couldn't win. He was in an argument with a Roman god, who had different ideations on women and men. Sighing he stood, "I've enjoyed spending time with you Harmony, but I really do have some things I need to take care of… if it's alright with you, can I come visit some other time?"
Harmony, who'd silently been watching her guest as he seemingly argued with something she couldn't see, nodded when he spoke, "Of course Mr. Harris! Feel free to drop by whenever, I'd love the company…" She paused before adding sullenly, "Do be aware however that I must keep up my facade in school. So during school hours…"
"You'll be acting like one of the Cordettes and we never had this conversation, I got it," He said understandingly. He made for the door and she got up, seeing him out. Once at the bottom of the steps he turned and said with a smirk, "Oh, and Harmony? My friends call me Xander. Mr. Harris is my father."
Harmony just smirked, "Of course sugar," She suddenly dashed inside really quick and came back out with a pencil and notepad. "Gimme your number! If you let me know you're coming in advance I'll make fried chicken, and maybe if you're lucky, peach cobbler."
"Trying to fatten me up before you eat me?" He joked.
"Don't be silly," Harmony replied as she wrote something down and tore it off the paper before putting it in his hand. "You're too sweet to eat, you'd give me diabetes."
Opening the paper as he walked away he read it, it said 'Call me sometime sugar! 831-867-5309' realized it was her phone number 'Did I just get a girl's number?'
[+5 to Charisma +3 to Luck for somehow managing to score a girl's digits while wearing a Hawaiian shirt.]
"Gee Thanks," Xander said, his tone as flat and dry as Death Valley itself as he made his way towards the end of town that held the old Calix Building. He had a dungeon to conquer…
'Right after I return Giles' sword,' he thought, turning around and making a beeline for the library now that school was out for the day.
Xander poked his head in the library and looked around seeing no Slayer, Watcher, or childhood friend present, he walked into the library and headed for Giles' armory, throwing open the case, he opened up his inventory and pulled the sword he 'borrowed' from within. Placing it back where it belonged, he shut the armoire and turned to walk away, only to see the one British Man he didn't want to see looking at him from the doorway of his office.
"G-man," Xander said kind of nervously.
"Xander," Giles said after a moment's pause he stepped back from his office door and said, "Let's have a chat shall we?"
Knowing an order when he heard one, the teen sighed, and made his way into Giles' Watcher Cave. It was his first time here, and he thought it was cluttered. Scrolls, old books, and half open filing cabinets full of faded leather journals were set against the back wall. A majority of the room was taken up by a desk that was covered by even more old books, a whirring desk fan, and a hotplate that had a kettle on it.
Sitting in an old leather desk chair that he had somehow managed to get in here, he motioned for him to sit down on the seat opposite the desk, which was covered by a stack of books. "Umm, where do you want me to put these?"
"Oh, terribly sorry… ah the floor will do, they aren't terribly important, just my personal Watcher Journals since I've come to the Hellmouth."
"You've been chronicling Buffy's adventures?" Xander asked with a smirk.
"Well I am a Watcher, it is part of my job you'll recall?" Giles reminded his young charge.
Deciding to use humor to lighten the mood he continued, "Let me guess, I'm portrayed as a bumbling idiot much like Meriadoc Brandibuck from Lord of the Rings?"
"Pff, perish the thought," Giles said with a wave of his hand, "You have your… quirks Xander, but you've proven to have… a particular set of skills. Though they don't pertain to Nazgûl slaying."
"No definitely not…" He coughed, "so… about the sword," He stopped when Giles waved his hand dismissing the topic.
"I don't care about the sword, if you took it I'll assume it's for a good reason. What I'd like to know is what's going on between Buffy, Willow, and yourself. Buffy showed up in the library earlier and told me she wouldn't be able to patrol for a couple of days because something happened between you and Willow but she didn't elaborate… so if you wouldn't mind filling me in?"
"Ah… I let her down easy Giles… Willow I mean, during lunch today," Xander told the watcher with the uncomfortableness in his tone.
"Oh… oh dear, I see," Giles took his glasses off and polished them on his shirt. "I'm sorry Xander, that must've been uncomfortable for you, is that why you disappeared after lunch?"
"Something like that…" the teen replied evasively. Just like Buffy's story wasn't his to tell, neither was Harmony's.
The Englishman nodded understandingly. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it," He reached into a drawer, and pulled out a melena envelope. "I took the liberty of collecting your homework assignments from the other half of your classes for you."
Accepting the envelope, he replied with, "Thanks G-man, I appreciate it."
Turning on his hotplate, Giles replied with, "Not at all… though I do hope you won't make a habit of skipping school."
"I don't plan on it, something bad always tends to happen around here anyways so it's probably for the best that I show up," quipped Xander.
"Quite… out of curiosity what did you borrow that sword for?" The Englishman asked as he waited for his kettle to boil.
"I had to slay a particularly large frog and spider," was Xander's reply. He told the 'truth' to avoid any real suspicion from Giles.
"What did you really use it for?" Giles said while giving him a pointed look.
"I cleared the Tutorial Dungeon last night," When the 'truth' didn't work.
"GOOD LORD!" Giles cursed, before he ignored the kettle in favor of reaching into his desk and pulling out what Xander thought looked like bottle of scotch. "By yourself? You didn't take Buffy or Willow with you?"
"No, apparently they decided to skip the tutorial… by doing so they became ineligible to complete the tutorial dungeon. I also did it on Nightmare Difficulty which is the hardest difficulty setting," Xander stated to clear the room of everything he did.
Taking a swig directly out of the bottle, Giles replied, "What am I going to do with you Xander?"
"Hopefully not hit me while drunk like my dad does?" The teen replied while watching the man warily now, like a rabbit ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.
"I… He what?!" Giles said as he slammed the bottle down hard on the desk and Xander skidded back on reflex. Xander did notice that the bottle didn't actually smell of alcohol but minty herbs or chamomile.
Seeing the reaction he was causing, Giles held out his hands placatingly. "It's alright Xander, I'm not going to hurt you… I am, however, going to have a long talk with your father."
"I shouldn't have said anything, please just forget about it, it's just going to make things worse," grimaced Xander now worried Tony will want to "rough" him up after having a talk with Giles.
Grimacing, the Watcher asked, "Is there anywhere you can go? Stay for a bit?"
"Well I can't stay at Willow's and Buffy's is out too, cause she might be comforting Wills at her place, plus we also had words. So no, there is nowhere else I can go… well there is one place," he said as he thought of the key he obtained earlier.
"Where?" Giles asked intrigued. "If you need to, you can stay in my flat, the couch is a pullout."
Pulling the key out of his inventory which to Giles looked like an invisible hole in the air, Xander said, "The old Calix Building where we fought Moloch last year? I got a key to a dungeon. I can stay there for now."
Giles didn't seem to be happy about that idea if the grimace on his face was any indication, "Fine, just try to stay out of the dungeon won't you?"
"No promises, I had to break Willow's heart to get this key, and before you ask, no I did not willingly break her heart for it," when He saw the makings of a look of disappointment on Giles.
"Of course not… Well, do your homework or borrow a book then," Giles replied pointing towards the library as he got up and took his jacket off the chair he was sitting on. "It would be more productive and certainly less life threatening."
"I guess reading something that isn't a comic won't kill me. Got any recommendations?"
"Sherlock Holmes might be a bit dry for you, The Sword in the Stone or Treasure Island perhaps? The first is about knights, chivalry, and magic swords. A more fanciful take on Arthurian Legend. The second is about pirates, swashbuckling, and treasure," Giles rattled off.
"Both sound pretty good to me," Xander said as he went down the aisles of faded bound paper looking for the two books. He found them easily enough…
Mainly because they were glowing slightly.
'Okay System, I'll bite, why're they glowing?'
[Congratulations! You've found a couple skillbooks, if you read them, who knows what types of rewards you'll obtain?]
'Okay, I'm gonna take these with me… and look for any other skill books while I'm at it,' Xander thought as he did a quick sweep down all the rows of the library.
To his surprise, he found a few in various sections of the library. Taking them all up front with him, he placed them on the counter Giles raised an eyebrow, "Taking up a new hobby are we? Are those books glowing?"
"They're skillbooks G-man. They'll teach me more than anyone in this crummy school sans you and Miss Calendar, ever have. Surprised by the lack of books from the East. Does the Watcher council have an eastern division?" asked Xander confused as the mix of cultures from Asian immigrants should have brought some materials to their library.
"We…There's a story behind that, and not one that needs discussing right this moment Xander," Giles replied distractedly as he wrote down on a checkout card the books the Twinkie loving boy was taking. He still refused to use the 'devil box' as he called the computer, even though it would be faster.
"Would you like me to drop you off at the Calix Building?" Giles offered.
"Nah thanks man, but I could use the exercise," Xander replied as he recalled he still had some running to get in to finish the daily quest, not to mention some squats and crunches. "Seeya tomorrow man."
"Of course, be safe Xander," Giles called as the teen ran out of the library.
By the time Xander arrived using [Jog] it had reached lvl.3. He'd also finished running his ten kilometer run just as he arrived out front. Hands on his knees as he bent over panting, that's how he noticed the sign in front of the building. He glanced up and saw it, it was crudely made of three planks hammered to a wooden pole with a crude picture of a house painted on it in white paint. As he approached the sigh, a window appeared in front of the sign.
[Congratulations on finding a Player home! These buildings can be turned into both Bases and Guildhalls with enough resources put into them. Note: Creation of a Guildhall, requires a Guildmaster to have maxed out the Charisma stat. Would you like to buy this property for 1,000 gold?]
"I don't have a thousand gold. I just want to go in and use this key," Xander said tiredly.
[Accessing the Dungeon here requires you purchase the building first. If you lack the funds, we here at Janus Industries are willing to remove the most valuable items in this location in return for payment. Do you accept? Y/N]
"Yes," Xander replied.
[Removing the following items: Demonic Essence, Soul of Moloch (Demon), Cyber Demon Corpse, Cyber Demon Heart, Cyber Demon bones, Cyber Demon Blood, x2 Human souls, several gallons of Human Blood, and x4 Dismembered Human Skeletons… total value is… 25,000 gold. This exceeds the price of this home. Is there anything on this list you would like to keep?]
Xander was a vindictive bastard so when the soul and corpse of that prick Moloch showed up, there was no way he was gonna just let him get away so easily "I want the Demonic Essence, Soul of Moloch, and the Cyber Demon parts. You can take the rest."
[Calculated value of left over materials valued at 1,500 gold. The excess gold shall be put into your inventory under gold coins. Congratulations on earning 500 gold. Also a "sponsor" would like to make a request.]
"Who, and what do they want?" Xander inquired tiredly.
[Eater of Innocence: I request the soul of the whelp that dared claim my name. I am willing to offer you skills, abilities, or anything within reason you desire. The soul is all I want. I want this wretch to know the sin of crossing me. He shall suffer. That I can guarantee.]
"I'll need some time to think about it. Not about giving the soul to you, but about what I want for it. Is that okay?" Xander asked, slightly nervous as he was talking to a God famous for child sacrifices.
[Eater of Innocence: gives you 500 gold as a down payment for the soul. "Consider this an investment."]
"Nice thanks," Xander replied as he made his way inside his new house.
[I respect strength and the means to punish Defender of Man. I owe you a debt. And it will be paid.]
"I'll keep that in mind," Xander replied as he looked around the place, it looked like it had just been scrubbed clean by a power washer, all the dirt, cobwebs and rust was gone, and the machines looked pristine and brand new. "Well, this place looks brand new. I could make a lot of cool stuff in here once I figure out how these machines work."
[Machines valued as scrap due to losses and damages done by the killing of Cyber Demon Moloch. There is no intrinsic value to the system from these machines. However, maybe you, Player 2, can salvage them.]
"Ah… I can try. First though I need to find a bed and sleep."
[A bedroll and a pillow were supplied to you in the basic supplies you earned from the tutorial.]
"That'll work," Xander said more to himself than the System as he climbed the stairs to the manager's office. 'Actually now that I think about it, should I refer to you as The DM, the System, or just Janus?'
[Whatever tickles your pickle is fine with me Player 2. I have been called worse names by my fellows. Just please don't call me a doorman.]
"Phrasing," Xander replied tiredly as he tried the lightswitch and was happy to see it work. The manager's office had a ledger sitting on the oakwood desk long with a comfortable looking leather chair, but the area in front of the desk looked big enough for him to put down a bedroll and pillow.
[Your masterwork basic supplies which are also considered +1 items also came with an oil lamp, a pillow, quality rations, a military surplus backpack, a basic dining kit, a nice engraved zippo lighter, a metal icy hot thermos, and hemp rope reinforced with magic.]
"Nice, I should probably push the desk up against the door in case a vamp or something else tries to get in during the night."
[No need, you now own this property meaning no creature of the night can enter without your express consent. You're safe here Player 2. Only those you expressly allow in can get in without alerting you or activating the "safety" measures employed in this specific home. Thanks to my sweet niece Vesta.]
"Cool if that's the case I'm laying down. I'll think more on this Moloch thing in the morning… hang on a sec… umm Daily quest?
[You have completed the 11/10km Run
You have completed 100 pushups.
You have done 0/100 Squats.
You have done 0/100 Crunches.]
Xander sighed, "Right not sleeping yet."
[May we suggest eating a ration before you start your exercises. You haven't had dinner yet.]
"Good idea," Xander replied as he pulled one ration bar out of his inventory and munched on it. It was made out of oats, berries, and honey. It was oddly filling and not terrible like some granola bars Xander had tried before, "Not bad."
He then proceeded to do the squats, and once the system notified him he did a hundred, he did a hundred crunches. With the exercise done, a new popup appeared.
[Congratulations on completing the Daily Quest! You earned 3 Attribute Points, a Full Heal, and a small random item box.]
"Small random item box?" Xander pulled said box out of his inventory and found it was a small gift box wrapped in green wrapping paper with a red bow. It was very cliche.
[To be honest my niece Eris made them. She mentioned they are all the rage in the far east as a Gachapon or something like that. Doesn't hurt to offer one for free to the first player to do the daily quest. Honestly these players ignore the most basic things on this Gateway to Hell.]
"Okay… it's not gonna kill me or cause a war if I open this right?"
[No, the box will not do that. We learned our lesson with Pandora. I think Prometheus still has her pithos somewhere?]
Xander decided not to comment on that. "Knowing my luck it'll be an incredibly hot woman… who wants to kill me," Xander said to himself as he pulled the red bow off the box…
There was an explosion of confetti and when it cleared Xander found an interesting set of items. The most eye-catching was a voucher that had a woman in what Xander thinks is something similar to a kimono holding a fan to cover her mouth. It states one free visit to Lady Han's Pleasure Palace, the Frozen Maiden, food and drinks included as well as an experience of a lifetime.
The second was a potion that said "Phenex Down". Xander used [Observe] on it while muttering, 'We're ripping off of Final Fantasy now?'
[Phenex Down: Grants Fast Healing +2 for 60s when drunk, and cures all status ailments.]
The other eight or so items were a hodgepodge of strange things like a mini Goku statue, a mood ring, a rubber mallet, what looks like a necklace of the moon of all things, a whoopee cushion, a joy buzzer, a vial of what Xander hoped is tomato juice, and a two headed gold coin,
"Right, I'm going to bed," He said as he put all the junk on the desk, threw down his pillow and crawled into his bedroll, and went to sleep. It oddly felt more comforting and pleasant than his own bed at his house. Almost as if it was made to maximize comfort and feelings of safety.
Xander was awoken the next morning by a buzzer going off.
[Good Morning Player 2! We apologize for the rude awakening but if you don't hurry up and get ready, you'll be late for school. That is, unless you're going to play hookie again? We encourage either choice as it's the choice that matters.]
"Fuck school right now, I've got more important things I could be doing right now, Like reading those skillbooks, dismantling those machines downstairs, or going into that dungeon," Xander said before crawling out of his bedroll and he started doing crunches and then squats. Now that he knew what the Daily Quest rewards were, there was no chance in hell he was going to pass it up.
[Learning trade skills is just as if not more important than the education you are going through. Back in my day people would sell their children for the chance to work with the materials you have on your hands. Good decision gain +1 point to Intelligence and Wisdom. ]
Once he finished the crunches and the squats, he did the pushups and then the only thing left was the six mile run. 'That can wait,' Xander decided as he sat in the plush leather chair behind the desk and pushed the knickknacks aside for a moment, looking at the ledger on the desk. To his surprise, it showed upgrades to his Player's Home.
Furnished Master Bedroom: 100 gold
Ensuite bathroom: 50 silver
Commons area: 25 gold.
Forge: 150 gold.
Enchanting Area: 300
Group accommodations: 2,000 gold
Guild Accommodations: 4,000 gold
Storage Room: 50 Copper
Larder and Pantry: 12 gold
Guard tower or Security Tower: 15 Gold each
Automated Security: 50,000 gold (10 Iron Golems)
Gate Room: Immeasurable
Safe Room: Based on decisions of player can range from 100 gold up to 1,000,000,000 gold
Kitchen: 10 Gold
Trophy Room: 15 Gold but must be furnished by players
Crypt or Graveyard: Complimentary it's a damn Hellmouth. There are more graves than people here!
Meditation Room: 50 Silver
Hall of Idols: Complimentary one bust of Janus included for Free.
Outhouse: Complimentary
Shrine to the Fallen: Complimentary. First Name Engraved. Jesse McNally Sworn Brother in All but Blood taken too Soon.
Altar of Sacrifice: Gifted by Eater of Innocence
Armory: 75 Gold
Extra Furnishings can be unlocked at a later time
Cistern Well: 1 gold
"Wow," Xander said as he looked over the list… "That's a lot of stuff,"
[No need to get it all at once Player 2.]
"Right better get the basic amenities first," Xander on a hunch tapped on the things he wanted to buy on the page they were magically circled, then a popup asked,
[Do you wish to buy Cistern Well, Kitchen, Larder and Pantry, and Storage Room for 23 gold, 50 Copper? Y/N]
"Yes," The teen confirmed. Upon doing so, the selected items were crossed off, showing they could not be bought again.
[You spent 23 gold, 50 copper, you have 575 gold 99 silver, and 50 copper remaining.]
"Cool," Xander said before he pulled out another ration bar and munched on it before he asked a simple question. "You said earlier that shops were available now that the tutorial was beaten. Where are they?"
[Check the computers downstairs. Also please please please I cannot emphasize this enough do not mention the L-word when using the shop.]
Intrigued, Xander did just that as he continued to munch on his ration bar. He checked the monitors on all the machines. None of them worked, except one.
[Welcome to the item shop, how may we help you today? This station only sells up to Gold [Epic] Rank items, or push your chances on the nearby roulette store to get an item of Platinum [Unique] rank or something of lesser value.]
'I'm not really a gambling man… but I might give it a shot.' Xander thought as he scrolled through the item list.
[Uncommon book] How to turn Crap into Cash, Scrapping for Beginners. 50 Silver.
[Rare Book] The value of combining useless items, the true value of junk items. Price: 10 Gold
[Gold Weapon] Diamond Dilldo: Bane of the Handsome: Weapon Damage Type: Blunt or Piercing if used in a backstab or sneak attack. Thousand Years of Death Indeed!
Info: This phallic weapon supposedly came off a unicorn made out of diamonds, kill your opponents like a pimp… with a unicorn dick, and make them your bitches… People slayed or incapicatated by this weapon get ressurected as your slaves (Bitches) or get absorbed by the Unholy Master Butt Stallion empowering the weapon further. Price: 1,000 gold.
"No…" Xander said to himself shaking his head and blinking owlishly. "Just no," He bought both books
[Thank you for your purchase! Your items have been placed in your Inventory. Tip: Store Refreshes every 24 hours or can be refreshed with a deposit of 5 gold]
'Good to know,' Xander thought as he pulled out the book on scrapping and cracked the book open and began reading.
[Congratulations, you have gained Skill: Scrapper (Novice) lvl.1 by opening this skill book! If you read it in full, you may gain further insights into this or related subjects.]
'So I just have to open the books to get skills, that seems… kinda lame but okay… so what happens if you actually read this thing?' Xander thought and that's what he did for the next hour, it wasn't a very long book, but it was informative.
[Congratulations, by reading the skill book, your Skill, Scrapper has increased to lvl.2 and upgraded one rank from novice to apprentice.]
"Neat," Xander said to himself.
He then read the other book he bought on combining items, it took him all of thirty minutes and then another popup appeared.
[By reading that book you have unlocked the Fusion Menu. Here, you can combine seemingly mundane items to possibly create things of great worth through trial and error.]
"Sounds cool," Xander was intrigued so he went back to the manager's office and looked over the seeming junk he got from the box yesterday. Sitting down at his desk he looked over the items, and then said on a guess. "Open Fusion Menu?"
[Welcome to the fusion menu since this is your first time using this function let us walk you through it, pick up to three items and attempt to fuse them together. Some, rarer items require you to fuse other items together first.]
"Okay… hmm…" Xander picked up the joy buzzer, the whoopie cushion and the rubber mallet, placing each of them in the window and then hitting the 'Fuse' button. The items blended together and then a new item appeared.
[Item acquired: Sonic hammer [Gold rank]: This hammer does half its damage as sonic damage which is especially effective against machinery but may damage internal mechanisms of computers and higher technology if swung too hard. It can however attract monsters who have tremor sense if not used carefully.]
'Effective against machinery huh? Well, now I know how I'm gonna get those machines apart.' Xander thought as a grin slowly spread across his face. Deciding to try another fusion he threw the Goku statue, necklace, and vile of fluid into the chamber and hit the button.
[Item acquired: Artemis Necklace [Pearlescent Rank]: This is an immense find. You have made a blessed necklace of the Goddess Artemis. You are endowed with blessings of the Hunt, wild animals, vegetation, chastity and childbirth. You cannot be seduced and are immune to charm and polymorph spells. You gain a 200% bonus when hunting wild animals or those designated as prey by another skill or perk. You are naturally able to gather fresh food and water regardless of the environment for yourself. You are very fertile and any children you sire will have a safe birth. You gain the skills Bowmanship and Tracking at Journeyman rank lvl 3 each. You are more invigorated in moonlight and feel a connection with those of the moon. You are not hated by man haters and feminist. The hunters of Artemis will trust you and can only have a neutral or positive attitude of you on first meetings. You gain a bonus to luck whenever you save a maiden or young girl in distress. ]
"Holy shit," Xander swore under his breath before he put the necklace which was a crescent moon with a mix of silver with platinum plating and an arrow making the moon seem like a bent bow on a leather cord around his neck.
[Moon Blessed Maiden has taken notice of you.]
'Oh crap that can't be good,' Xander thought.
[Moon Blessed Maiden is curious what a disciple of her great uncle is doing with a necklace made in her name? She is confused but intrigued on how you made it.]
"Umm, dumb luck if you can believe that?" Xander spoke respectfully as he didn't want to be smited.
[Moon Blessed Maiden just sighs and wonders what her sister and niece did now.]
"Umm, which sister and niece?" Xander asked.
[The Giver of the Golden Apple and the Maiden of Fortune replies the Moon Blessed Maiden]
"So Eris and… Tyche I think," commented Xander hoping to anyone who would listen he doesn't screw this up.
[Moon Blessed Maiden is surprised you managed to guess their names from their epithets. She praises you for being an exemplary male and having more than two brain cells. She is smug. You worshiped her instead of her great aunt. It has been long since a man has eluded her Aunt's purview.]
"Well there's a story behind that, and I doubt you'd be interested… because you know, you're a virgin goddess," Xander jokes, hoping to prevent himself from being shot with a silver arrow.
[Moon Blessed Maiden giggles. The birds and the bees are taught to all her hunters. Nature must run its course after all. Tis the cycle of growth and Maiden of the Moon Dare not cross Father Time. So go on, I'll humor you.]
"Okay if you really wanna know…" He told her about Buffy, how he saved her from a prophetic death, and how she was in love with a vampire with a soul Angel… and how to make him jealous she used him as a stripper pole, and how he had just recently broke the heart of his best friend. "I just don't see Willow like that. She's like a sister you know?"
[Moon Blessed Maiden threw up in her mouth a little bit when you mentioned the girl loving the vampire… was enraged when you mentioned being used as a stripper pole, and empathizes with you and your situation with your friend Willow. Moon Blessed Maiden offers to smite this Buffy person for being a harlot.]
"Please don't," Xander said with a sigh. "She's a 'chosen one', I'm just… a Xander, oww," He said when he felt what could only be called a slap to the back of his head.
[Moon Blessed Maiden chastises you, telling you to stop self deprecating like that.]
[The Powers that Be beg Moon Blessed Maiden not to smite one of their champions.]
[Moon Blessed Maiden tells "Switzerland of the Heavens" to piss off.]
[Eater of Innocence wonders if you considered his offer, as he too mocks the Powers That Suck.]
[Moon Blessed Maiden glares at you wanting to know what kind of 'deal' you have with Eater of Innocence.]
[Eater of Innocence happily explains Defender of Man has attained the soul of a demon who has been besmirching his name for the past several thousand years. I'm a fertility god, damn it!]
Xander coughed, "Well, he was trying to forcefully marry my friend Willow so… Yeah…"
[Moon Blessed Maiden grants you 1,000 gold for saving a maiden in danger.]
"You really don't need to do that Arty… uh Artemis."
[Moon Blessed Maiden giggles at your etiquette and embarrassment but assures you she doesn't dislike the nickname, she also tells you to shut up and take your just reward.]
[Eater of Innocence coughs politely and reminds Defender of Man about their previous arrangement.]
Xander cleared his throat, "I can't think of anything I need or want right now so can I just take like, an IOU?"
[You Receive: Miracle Ticket. Allows for you to request one miracle from Moloch. You also receive 49,500 gold. You lost the Demon Soul of Moloch.]
Xander was happy with the ticket, and he honestly didn't expect the gold. "Pleasure doing business with you Mol."
[Eater of Innocence cackles. Finally the soul of this usurper is in their grasp! Defender of Man, I hope we may do business in the future. There are more imposters running around ruining not only their name. So many charlatans and heretics]
[Moon Blessed Maiden asks you what you're going to do now.]
"Probably take apart those machines downstairs and prepare to go into the nearby dungeon," Xander replied as he flipped the sonic hammer in the air letting it spin for a moment before catching it by its handle. "If you're ever on the West Coast, Arty. Feel free to drop in."
[Moon Blessed Maiden tells you she'll keep that in mind, be safe, and good will hunting Alexander.]
"Thanks," Xander said as he made his way back downstairs.
Tapping the hammer into the palm of his free hand, Xander looked at all the machines on the ground floor. 'Where should I start?'
The first thing he decided to do was unplug the shop computer and carry it up to his office where he plugged it back in and checked to see if it still worked. Thankfully it did. He then proceeded to lightly tap at the closest computer, just to get a feel for what the hammer did…
It fell apart, and then a screen popped up. [You receive 1kg scrap iron, 1g gold, 5g glass, 1g Silicon, and 1kg of plastic.]
"Okay I think I get how this works… he looked at all the metal machines and grinned, before acting like he was playing whack-a-mole at Chuck E. Cheese. Not that he's ever been of course but he enjoyed himself regardless.
[You have 1.2 tons of scrap iron, 15 drill grade diamonds, 12g of scrap gold, and 5kg of glass, 5 g platinum, 6 g silver, 1 kg of copper and 7 g of silicon.]
Being far too much to keep in his inventory, Xander found some old crates and stored them all away properly labeling everything and pushing them towards a back wall.
Taking out the old key he asked, "Where is the dungeon?"
[Look for the chained up door.]
After a bit of searching, he found it, a door with chains all around it and a giant padlock holding it all together. As he reached out to use the key a screen popped up.
[Cavernous Depths: Challenge Rating: 2. Do you wish to do this Dungeon on Nightmare difficulty? If so, an extra condition shall be instilled: Save at least one of four adventurers that have ventured in this place unprepared.]
Hearing people were in danger made up his mind for him, "I'm doing it on nightmare difficulty."
Quickly donning his armor from his inventory screen and arming himself, he unlocked the door and seeing the maw of a cavern staring him in the face, he prepared a few torches and lighting one before he trekked into the unknown dark, determined to save as many lives as he could.
Xander didn't notice the last message the system posted. It would not have changed his mind though.
[Adventurers are not of your world. Be warned destiny dictates they shall die. Will you oppose this Truth? Or will you offer a better Illusion?]
Name: Alexander 'Xander' Lavelle Harris
Path: lvl.5 Fighter
Title: Friend of the Strange
Perks: Apocalyptic Maiden Saver, Cretin King, Cultivation of Heaven and Earth, Evasive, School of Hard Knocks, Head of Lead, Midnight Guard
Skills: Adrenaline Rush lvl.1 Novice, Scrapper lvl. 2 Apprentice, Alchemy lvl.1, Bowmanship lvl.3 Journeyman, Cooking lvl.2 Novice, Taunt lvl.1, Moment's Respite lvl.1, Jog lvl.3, Alertness lvl.1, Tracking lvl.3 Journeyman, Vigilance lvl.1, Harvesting lvl.2 Novice.
Perk Points: 0
Attributes:
Strength: 20 Intelligence: 29
Dexterity: 22 Wisdom: 32
Constitution: 20 Charisma: 30
Fatigue: 25 Luck: 20
Word Count: 12,583 Number of Pages: 32 Date Completed: 4/7/2022
AN: Welcome one and all to This Game Called Life Chapter 2. Snowy and I worked our asses off to bring you this one, so we do hope you all enjoyed it. Remember to Favorite and Follow so you know when we update. Now I'm going to hand the mic over to Snowy for a bit.
Snowy: I did my best, hope you guys appreciate it and be warned things are gonna get good! I feel for Xander it is hard to let a girl down who is clearly in love with you. Let's hope this doesn't cause any problems down the line.
Yes indeed Snowy I too hope everyone appreciates our efforts. Well its late and I need to post this chapter so till next time everyone, this has been an Icysnowsage a Bubbajack Production! Peace!