Filler Episode - Drop In

NOTE:
My brain has not been making with the creative stuff. Filler episode until I can get it to work.

1.

Lucas rocked back and forth as he waited for the crosswalk signal to change. The canvas bag bumped against his thigh. Inside he had the special edition of Hero of Legend. It was the latest release in the game series, the first of the current generation of game systems, and the reason he had requested the next week off. The special edition came with a complete world atlas and hardcover book official lore. For the next week he would be delving into dungeons, fighting monsters and maybe even get around to the main quest at some point.

He had fallen in love with the series with its first release. The game had been an 8-Bit masterpiece. It was one of the first of its kind that had a save-system. The company had figured out a way to put a small battery inside the cartridge to keep the game on even when removed from the system.

 At twenty-four he was single, had two roommates, and had worked at a temp agency since he graduated high school. It had started as a part-time thing, but he liked the change.  Being a temp also gave him the option to choose what jobs he was going to take. There was a fine balance of keeping the main office happy with him and staying sane.

The train of thought was interrupted by a stray bit of movement. A kid, probably no more than ten, walked up beside him and stepped out into the street without sparing a look in either direction. Lucas stared at the child.

What is he doing? Why isn't he in school?

A horn blared in the unmistakable tone only a delivery truck could. Lucas sprang forward. His hand closed on the kid's shirt collar. His pulled hard, tossing the kid back onto the sidewalk. Something hit him. The world around him blurred as he launched into the air.

Gravity regained its hold on his body. He slammed into the ground, rolling along the hard asphalt. Lucas came to a stop, flopping onto his back. Grass the back of his neck. He blinked.

Grass?

Lucas sat up and looked around. The cars were gone, as were the buildings, and the even the road. He was in the middle of a field of grass that was dotted with patches of flowers. The kid from the street lounged nearby with the world atlas out flipping through the book of lore.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

The kid closed the book. They looked at him. The child shifted forms into the form of a towering being made of light.  They flickered before shrinking down to become an elegant woman with skin the color of the sunrise. She smiled.

"Hello Lucas," she said.

"Hi," he managed to squeak.

"Thank you for saving me," she said.

The woman offered him a hand. Lucas took it. She lifted him to his feet as though he weighed nothing. A sweet smile crossed her face.

"It has been a while since I've been to your planet," she said.

"My planet?" He asked.

"Earth," she replied. "I like to stop by when I have some extra time. You humans make such interesting things."

"Am I dead?" He asked.

Lucas closed his eyes as he waited for the answer. Like somehow that make him feel better.

"Yes and no," she said.

He opened one eye, focusing on her.

"Meaning?" Lucas asked.

"You died on your world, but you did so saving me," she voice shifted to a softer tone. "I would like to repay your sacrifice. Unfortunately, I cannot return you to your world. You're dead there."

Lucas blinked. He stared up at her. Even in this smaller form she was at least eight feet tall. Her face was familiar, beautiful, and reassuring. There was no telling what she was. If he ventured a guess, it would be a goddess, but he didn't know which one.

"What are my options?" He asked.

"I could send you somewhere else," she said.

Her eyes twinkled, as though a pair of stars had been plucked from the night sky. She held out a hand, the hardcover book floated over to her.

"Perhaps, even this one," she said offering him the book.

"You could put me in a video-game?" Lucas asked.

She laughed.

"Yes," she said. "The world the game is based on."

Lucas looked from her to the book. He had written countless fan fiction about the game where his Original Character would adventure through the world. There were multiple folders on his computer of official and fan art. He had even tracked down scans of the limited run of the manga that had only been released in Japan.

"This sounds like an anime," he said. "But those usually turn out to have some massively over-powered main character that starts a harem."

"Would you want that?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"No," he said. "The best part of the games was the adventure, you know. Growing in power as the adventure progressed. Being over-powered makes the game boring."

She gave him a sly smile.

"And the harem?" She asked.

"Having a romantic option is fine but have everyone throwing themselves at the main character isn't my thing," Lucas replied.

"I find your terms acceptable," she said.

"What?"

"I will give you a life in another world," she said. "I wouldn't want you to be unprepared, and I will grant your three boons."

Lucas stared at her.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course," she said.

She patted him on the shoulder.

"What would have happened if that truck had hit you?" He asked.

"My form on your world would have perished," she replied. "I would be in the same situation as you are, unable to return to the world."

They settled into a comfortable silence as he took in the knowledge.

"I'll do it," Lucas said. "I would like to take your offer."

She smiled broadly at him. He found himself smiling too.

"Now," she said. "What three boons would you like?"

"Well," he said looking down at the book. "There are monsters everywhere and I don't know how to fight."

"Reasonable," she said. "Anything else?"

"I don't speak the language," Lucas added.

"And third?" She asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I can't think of anything else. Thank you for the chance."

"I bestow upon you the skill of a warrior, the will of a scholar, and a chance," she said.

"Oh," he said. "Could I be an elf?"

She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Go forth, Lucas," she said. "And take with you my thanks."

~

Lucas opened his eyes to find himself lying flat on a stone slab. It was solid, he could see that, but it was rather comfortable. A smile crossed his face as he turned his attention to the room around him. Glowing blue swirls provided illumination. The shapes formed a flowing script that he had seen many times before. It was the Language of the Spirits and it was one of the pieces of lore that carried over in every game.

His body felt different, smaller, but stronger too. A wave of sun kissed brown hair fell in front of his face and tickled his shoulders as he stood. He made to pull the hair back only to bump into a set of pointed ears. Running a hand along his torso he discovered he could trace the shapes of his muscles of his lithe form.

I'm an elf. He thought following the edge of his new ears. She made me an elf.

An image of the book cover flashed in his memory. The new game was unlike the ones before. It was an open world, incorporating the lands of the previous releases, as well as the different people who lived in them. Beastfolk, Dwarves, Gnomes, Goblins, High Elves, Humans, Night Elves, Ogres, Orcs, Stone Gnomes, Sun Elves, and Wood Elves filled the world. The cover contained a group of each of the playable races looking out over an expansive clearing.

Something drifted in the top left of his vision. Lucas tried to brush it away with his hand. It didn't move. Focusing on the shape solidified its form. A row of three short red bars floated at the edge of his vision.

·         Health: 60/60

There was the face of a compass on the lower right of his vision. Dots rang along the edge between the directional markings. The marker for North was brighter than the rest. Turning to face another direction shifted the highlighted mark. A small arrowhead rested in the center of the compass. He had played enough games to know a mini-map when he saw one.

"Inventory," he said.

Lucas jumped. The voice that echoed through the chamber was not his own.

That is going to take some getting used to.

"Inventory," he repeated.

Nothing happened.

Inventory, he thought.

Only the mini-map and hearts showed up when he focused on them. There didn't seem to be any obvious way to access his inventory yet. He looked down to realize his only piece of clothing was, for lack of a better word, a towel. It hugged his waist and was held in place by a simple clasp.

I need clothes. He looked up at the stone walls around him. Getting out of here would help speed that along.

Following the blue glow led him along a short tunnel to a chamber with a raised dais at its center. There was a distinct lack of another exit. Lucas stepped up onto the dais. An orb of light appeared its center.

"Greetings, champion," the orb said. Its warm voice had even tones that didn't give a hint of emotion. "What is your name?"

"Lucas Nightrock," he said.

It was the name of his first original character in World of Legends fan fiction. If he was going to go out into this world, then that was the name he was going with. 

"Welcome, Lucas," the orb said. "You will feel the touch of this world once you leave this chamber. The sensations of hunger, thirst, pain, and exhaustion, all these will be yours to experience. Take care; this world is not the same as the one you come from."

Lucas smiled but didn't say anything.

"There are rules to this world," it continued. "You have already activated your Link. This connects you to the greater energy of the world."

His hearts and mini-map appeared as the orb spoke.

"Your health can be monitors via the bars your Link displays," the orb said. "Each bar represents twenty points."

"Can I get more?" He asked.

"Yes," the orb replied. "There are ways."

"Such as?"

"Gather four Soul Stones," the orb said. "Absorb them to gain another heart."

"Where do I get Soul Stones?"

"Some are hidden around the world," the orb answered. "Others are at the bottom of dungeons, and then there are those that reside in powerful creatures."

Lucas nodded.

"Are you ready?" The orb asked.

"I was hoping for a pair of pants first."

"Apologies," the orb said. "I cannot provide pants."

"Then I guess I'm ready."

The orb drifted toward him.

"Do no be alarmed," the orb said as it made contact with his chest.

The world went white.