A Game for a Prince
~XxX~
It was a cold evening and I could feel a shudder going down my spine as I walked home from another night of service.
The life of a line cook wasn't an easy one, but I enjoying it all the same.
I was listening to music, my earbuds blaring Eminem loudly into my ears, louder than they should probably, but I liked it. It was calming.
I didn't really pay attention to my surroundings as I walked. I took this route every single day, once in the morning, and another time at night. I knew it like the back of my own hand and could walk it blindfolded.
So it came as a suprise when I suddenly saw a light coming from behind me.
I turned around and soion wished that I didn't as the only thing I could see, wwere the headlights of a truck speeding right at me.
I shouted and ran, but it was no use.
There was a hard impact against my back, and then there was a bright flash of pain, then nothing but darkness.
~XxX~
My head hurt badly. It was like a hammer pounded away at my skull, driving nails straight into my brain.
If that wasn't bad enough, I also saw flashes of things. A white haired woman, beautiful and elegant, and strangely familiar. An old man, filthy looking, with long rough looking gray hair and extremely long fingernails. There was a crown on his head, and the look in his eyes, it was mad. Utterly mad.
Then I saw flashes of another man. This one was young and beautiful and proud. Silver hair, violet eyes, and standing tall with broad shoulders and a flat stomach. I remember him . How he told me stories of great knights, riding great dragons. Stories about family and honor, and about a past that seemed so much more colorful.
Then the picture of someone else flashed before my eyes. A little girl with silvery-white hair. She was smiling at me, as she clung to my clothes. Looking up at me with bright, intelligent eyes. Eyes the color of amethysts and filled with adoration as she looked at me.
I couldn't help but wonder who those people were, even as the faces and names of many more people moved through my thoughts.
I also wondered where I was.
I remembered the truck quite vividly. So I was probably in a hospital. The headache I felt certainly fit the bill. It's the kind of headache that could only come about by being hit by a truck, or being hit by a sledgehammer would also do it I guess.
Slowly I tried to blink my eyes open, and I regretted that greatly. The little light I saw caused a searing pain to shoot through my head. Fuck, what I wouldn't give for an Aspirin right about now.
If this was a hospital, then why wasn't I on some goddamn pain meds? I don't care how much they wanted to charge me for some ibuprofen, just hit me with it!
I blinked again, and groaned as my head was once more assaulted by intense pain. But I pushed through it, and took a look around at my surroundings.
The fuck?
I certainly wasn't in any hospital. Nope. Hospitals didn't have curtains of red, or couches of purple. They didn't have candles, and incense burning, and they certainly didn't have bed's like this. Or if they did, then those were hospitals that I couldn't afford, not even in my dreams.
Where the fuck am I?
This room...the closest thing I could liken it too was one of the fancy brothel's that I remember from movies and games.
But even then, who the fuck still used chandeliers with real candles instead of bulbs? Didn't they know that that was a massive safety hazard?
I groaned and slowly sat myself up, and I had to admit, the bed I was in was really comfortable. Like really, really comfortable.
My head still hurt, and I was getting a bit lightheaded from sitting up, but it was becoming more and more bearable the more I distracted myself with other things.
But nothing could have prepared me for the shit that was about to happen. I nearly jumped out of my skin when my ears were assaulted by a loud blaring drumbeat followed by letters appearing right before my eyes, floating there in the air.
!Quest Completed!
Awakening
"What the fuck!" I screamed and huddled back onto the bed but the letters didn't get further away, and the drums didn't stop either! "What's happening!?"
!Quest Started!
A Game of Thrones
You've awoken as Viserys of the House Targaryen, true heir to the Throne. Yet a Usurper sits your birthright. Play the Game of Thrones, claim your birthright, or die trying.
"What the fuck is going on!?" I shouted as panic rose from within me, only to jump as the drums beat yet again.
!Quest Started!
What is going on!?
The last thing you remember was the truck that hit you before you suddenly woke up as a character of a supposedly fictional world. Figure out what happened.
"Oh great!" I shouted sarcastically, throwing my hands up. "Very helpful!"
It's a pleasure, my prince.
"I'm not a prince!"
You are now. Just accept it.
"If you can answer me then start explaining!" I shouted at the letters floating before me.
You've had a meeting with Truck-kun. What happenes when people meet Truck-kun?
"They die you goddamn weirdo!"
And so did you. Seriously, have you never read an Isekai before?
"What the fuck is an isekai?"
….
…..
The higher ups really need to take a closer look at the people they select for shit like this.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
'Sigh'
Don't worry about it. To keep things simple, you died, took over the body of a weird, insane, loser prince, and gained the Gamer System that will help make the Loser Prince, no longer a Loser Prince. Simple enough for you?
"That explained nothing! I died, I can understand that, but how did I take over the body of someone else?"
The power of God, Magic and Anime.
"You are fucking with me, right?"
A bit yes, but not as much as you probably think I am.
"Wha-"
Shut up. Seriously. You know, normally people are happy when they get the Gamer. Stop bitching. And stop asking questions. You want to know how you got here? Figure it out. It's a quest. You'll get a reward if you do.
Now you are a Gamer. Your name is no longer Michael, it's Viserys. Viserys Targaryen from a Song of Ice and Fire and the TV Show Game of Thrones. You know it. You've read the books and you loved the show, minus the last season.
"I-"
Shut it.
I felt my lips close on their own and even though I wasn't happy about it, there was nothing I could do. My body wasn't responding to my mental commands.
I am the System. You are the Gamer. We are in this together, so let me make one thing clear, do NOT fuck with me. Behave, accept what happened to you, and you and I will get along swimmingly. Play the part of a whiny bitch, and I will send you on one fetch quest after the other, and believe me, once you are done with them, you'll know every single flower of this universe by heart.
I nodded, sweat trickling down my temple.
Good. I was looking forward to finally getting a Gamer of my own, so don't you dare ruin this for me.
Again I nodded, and I made a mental note to play along with the thing that can apparently take control of my bodily functions whenever it wanted.
Now then, have you played video games before?
I nodded, I did.
RPG's?
Again I nodded. I was a big fan of the Souls series.
Good, you are in one now. The quests you received before, the Game of Thrones? That is your main quest. Everything you'll do from now on, should be something to bring you closer to that goal.
And as you work towards completing your main quest, I will give you side quests and miscellaneous quests from time to time. Those will be things that are optional, but completing them will be an easy way to get gear, loot, abilities, perks and levels.
As for levels and attributes, you can call up your character sheet whenever you want, by just thinking about it. You can also be an idiot and shout "Profile" every time you want to take a look, but caution is advised. The world already thinks that you Targaryen's have a few screws loose, so you might not want to encourage them.
Open your profile and take a look.
I nodded and realized that I could move again. I thought about opening my profile and it did.
The first thing I noticed was that I could see myself, or what I thought would be myself, or Viserys, or...shit this was all so confusing!
I saw Viserys's body before me, dressed in the clothes that I was wearing right now. In the right corner, the time and date were displayed. It was 6am on the 27th day of the third moon of Spring, 295AC.
In the left corner I could see what coin I owned. Right now I had 0 Gold. Great.
Next to Viserys's body there were my stats, I suppose. From top to bottom there was:
Lvl 1
Name: Viserys of the House Targaryen.
Age: 19
Title: Crown Prince of Dragonstone. King of The Andals, The Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. Beggar King.
HP: 35/50 (Weakened)
AP: 30/50 (Weakened)
MP: (?)
Stats
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Endurance: 3
Charisma: 5
Intelligence: 5
Willpower: 1
Luck: 1
Available Stat points: 15
Huh, it all certainly looked like any other stat sheet I've ever seen. Though…
"Why can't I see my Magic Points, and how do the stats actually affect me?"
There is magic in the world of Ice and Fire, but it's not something that is easy to come by. Magic here does not function like it does in many other fictional worlds. You'll only be able to see your Magic Points, if you manage to figure out a way to actually do magic.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Opportunities will come, don't worry. Now as for how your stats affect you, it's simple really. With a strength of 3, you won't be able to lift something that would require a 5.
I shake my head, "I get that. What about Willpower? I mean, I don't have the mind of a video game character, and I still feel like my old self, so I know that I'm not a coward. So how does willpower work?
Your willpower will be an important part to your ability to perform magic. It also goes hand in hand with charisma and will be a tangible thing to the people of this world. With higher willpower, people will take note of it and will see you as someone with either an iron will or the opposite if you should neglect it. Right now everyone thinks that you are a craven, thus your will is only 1, and your charisma is basically useless.
"Great." I mutter, this sucked. "And what about my Luck? Why is that so low?"
Because you are Viserys Targaryen.
"...yeah that makes sense."
Would you like to spend your Stat Points?
"Sure." I said and went over my stats. I decided to pump 5 points into Will and 5 Points into Luck, bringing both those stats up to 6. The remaining points I spent on the other stats, leaving me with this…
Stats
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 6
Luck: 6
Are you sure?
I nodded and looked on curiously as my body glowed lightly and motes of light floated around me for a moment, and then I felt...better. Not by much, but better. As if I became a little bit healthier or something akin to that.
Your Stat Points have been allocated!
How can I get more Stat Points?
Each level up will grant you 5 stat points to spend. You can also gain stat points by completing side quests and challenges. There are also Perk Points that you can trade in and exchange for Stat Points.
"Challenges? How will those work?"
This world's history is filled with great knights, warriors and even monsters. And all of them became known for something or another, they set records, performed great feats, and those things can be topped. For instance, a challenge might be something like...Beat Oberyn Martell's record in the fighting pits. Win more Jousts than Jamie Lannister did. Or even defeating great knights or renowned fighters might be a challenge for you.
I nod, that made sense. As long as the challenges weren't too crazy, I don't think that I will have a problem with them.
Now then, would you like to take a look at your Skills?
"Obviously."
Gamer's Body (PASSIVE) - Grants a body capable of rapid growth, and superhuman ability if the stat's are raised high enough.
Gamer's Mind (PASSIVE) - Prevents the player from being mentally manipulated, mind controlled, or mentally invaded.
Observe - Allows the player to see an object's or person's information in the same format as the Player Profile. Some information may be obscured if the target is more powerful than the player.
Huh, those are some useful abilities. Especially the gamers body and mind.
"How high would my stats have to be to register as superhuman?"
100
100 Strength for instance would give you the ability to bench-press a War Horse with it's rider. 100 Intelligence would give you an IQ of over 200. 100 Charisma and girls would undress if you only looked in their general direction.
"Is there a level or stat cap?"
There is not. But be aware, each time you level up, the amount of xp needed to reach the next level will increase exponentially.
"I see, makes sense I suppose." I mused, "and am I able to re-spawn if I were to die?"
No, it's perma-death unless you are lucky enough to get a golden gem as a drop.
"Golden Gem?"
There are four different gems that can drop as loot after you kill an enemy in combat. Red Gems, which upon use permanently increase your HP. Green Gems, which upon use permanently Increase your AP, Blue Gems increase your MP, and Golden Gems are additional Lifes, or re-spawns if you will.
That's interesting…
"Ok, is there anything else that I should know?"
Yes. Your HP are not just your Hit Points, they are your Life Force if you will. The higher your HP; the longer your natural life will be. Right now with 50 Hp, you'll life to 50 years old. Each Hp, is a year you have.
That...sucks...or does it?
"Are red gems the only way to increase my HP?"
No. Each Level Up will give you the option to increase either your HP, AP, or MP by 5. A gem increases the Attribute permanently by 10.
I blinked. Ok, the system didn't suck. If there was no level cap then I could basically life for a damn long time.
Provided I didn't get killed before I managed to get my hands on a Golden Gem.
Now then, is there anything else you wish to know, or shall we start out adventure, Gamer?
I shook my head before smiling lightly, "no I think I know everything I need to know. Let's do this."
Good, then let the Game, begin.