The sounds of screams, gunshots, and death rang all around Perrin as he ran from the hut to hut. He didn't know where he was running, but Perrin knew that he needed to get there or something terrible would happen.

He made a left turn down a pathway that was between two shanties and put on speed. How had he gotten separated from his team? Perrin heard shouting up ahead over a broken down excuse of a fence. He vaulted over the dangerous thing into the backyard of another local's home. The shouting was coming from the inside of the house.

He thought he could hear one of his squadmates trying to de-escalate the situation. He didn't recognize the words. It wasn't the foreign language he learned in training, but that's why they had teammates. Not every mission needed the same language.

Perrin moved around the side, trying to get an advantage on the situation. He checked the first window, but it was a bedroom. Moving to the next, he peeked in and saw his teammate on his knees, a small child not breathing in front of him. Perrin could tell that she was dead. There was too much blood around the little child. Three men with automatic's were pointing their weapons at his team member as a man screamed at him. Daven, his teammate, and their medic was doing chest compressions on the child's body. He checked the corpse's pulse, then looked up to the screaming man.

Perrin keyed his mic and let Daven know that he was on his left. He moved his hand in the affirmative to let Perrin know he had heard. The man went silent, and Daven said some words in the man's language. The man's face went purple in rage.

No no no no no no no noooooo!

Perrin tried to raise his weapon as the world slowed down around him. His movement like molasses. He strained to move it faster but felt like the weight of the world was pushing down on his weapon. The screaming man made a chopping gesture, which he assumed was the kill order. Daven looked up at Perrin, and their eyes met. The son of a bitch smiled at him and shrugged as the goon's automatics emptied into his chest.

*********

Perrin jerked up, screaming, his body soaked in sweat. The disorientating memories from the nightmare fading from his mind. He scanned the room, noting all the corners and exits, without fully realizing what he was doing. Recognizing that he was in the study's bedroom, he took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Mazikeen was at his side, rubbing his back in a comforting way.

It had been years since he had dreamed that particular nightmare. He thought he had made peace with Daven's death. No, he did make peace with it. The stress of everything recently must have been hitting him harder than he thought. Against his better judgment, he shrugged off Mazikeen's attempts to comfort him and got out of bed.

Perrin had woken up briefly the day before. Mazikeen explained to him what she had done before putting him back to sleep so his body could be healed. He had said some very justified and ungentlemanlike words to the woman before she put him out.

A berserker rage is what Mazikeen called it. She had been somehow controlling his rage. She said she did it to keep him focused during the deathmatch. All Perrin heard was that she had been controlling his mind. Her reasons behind her actions be damned for all he cared. She had stolen what little control he had over himself and turned him into a mindless beast.

He could remember most of his thoughts during the red haze. The other competitors were begging for his mercy as he slaughtered them. He took every one of them in dishonorable ways, to boot. He didn't actually fight any one of them one on one until the panda man. He didn't regret that fight. They had been the final two standing, and Perrin came out victorious. He did regret smashing the things head and upper torso to goo, though. He would have never done something like that.

So yeah, he was fucking pissed at the bitch.

She could have easily gotten me killed. It was stupid fucking blind luck. That I didn't get blindsided by someone or outright killed by the panda during that haze, pure luck. When her fight started getting hairy, she lost control of whatever she had been doing to me. I turned into a mindless beast after that and in a situation where I should have been using my head. Had she not stepped in on three separate occasions, which almost cost her her life, I would have died just because I had zero situational awareness. "I'm sorry, Perrin. I was trying to…" blah blah blah… she can fuck off with that bullshit. I was already a killer before I stepped into that portal, and I sure in fuck didn't need her help to do that.

It's not that he would have actually done anything any differently. Hell, he had even learned somethings from the memories. It was the fact that she'd stolen his most valuable possession, his ability to choose. He might even have let her do whatever she had done if she had just asked him. The focus and enhanced senses were almost worth the side effects… almost. But no, she had decided for him. Stealing away his choice and ability to reason. The people that he'd killed that he could have granted mercy to… would have granted... dead at his hands. The contestants could clearly give up if the eccentric half-breed's timely departure was any indication. He wasn't sure, but it was too late for them now anyway.

The thought that he had killed so many that he didn't have to cause him to temporarily lose control, and he lashed out, punching the bathroom door as he passed it. He immediately regretted the laps despite the gratification it gave him to dent the beautiful wood door. He slammed it behind him as he heard Mazikeen call out to him for probably the third time since he'd left the bed.

Fuck her.

He knew that he would calm down, eventually, and they would talk it out like adults. But right now was not that time, and her repeated attempts to talk to him and apologize were just pissing Perrin off. Thoughts of the faces begging for mercy flashed through his mind, twisting his stomach. He rushed to the toilet and spilled his stomach contents in the bowl. It was mostly acid, and it burned Perrin's throat and mouth. It was exactly what he deserved.

He continued to dry heave for a time before he finally got a grip on his self. Walking over to the sink, he washed the stomach bile out of his mouth and looked at himself in the mirror. The large gash he had taken from the fight with the panda was gone. What Mazikeen had done to heal him had been otherworldly effective. It was like it never happened. He was grateful for that, but he wouldn't be thanking the woman anytime soon.

Whatever she had done to him had destabilized his mind. Perrin having nightmares about things he had dealt with long ago being a blazing sign of that fact. He had been troubled by Daven's smiling face for years after his death. It had taken him a long time to realized that the man had smiled for a reason. Daven had known that there was nothing Perrin could do to save him. He had already made peace with his death. He was just trying to let Perrin understand that it was okay and that he wouldn't be having that lucky light with him this time. Yes, he had accepted Daven's death, and he had let his battle buddy go.

He wasn't sure how long he would be like this, but he could tough it out. He refused to ask Mazikeen for help or answers on this fact. He'd drink water and drive on like a good soldier. He needed to focus now. He needed to get into town. The portal supposedly would take him to the town square now that he had passed the opening credits.

Finding Dio was a priority, figure out how to persuade him to give him information, and start gaining some control back over his life. That began with gaining power. It was the only thing he lacked right now that prevented him from taking control of his life. It seemed, ever since Avaya had shown up in his dreams, that his life had been slowly slipping out of his power. He had thought Addison's betrayal had been brutal. The last forty-eight or whatever hours had proven otherwise.

Has it only been that long? Gods some much… I don't even know what to call it other than bull shit. It has happened in such a short time. Everything is just so messed up. I need to find some sibilance of stability over this situation, but I lack one key thing, control. Yes, control is what I need, and power is what I need to get it back. If I cannot figure out how to even the playing field, I'm going to be dead or a puppet. I have a clear path to some type of power if the man in the recording was shooting me straight. I just need to find Dio. Enough thinking about this shit Perrin. Buck the fuck up and start doing shit.

The thoughts felt right, so that's what he did. He gave himself one last look in the mirror. Slapped his face a few times and strolled out of the bathroom. Searching around the large bedroom, his eye fell on his clothing folded up neatly on top of a chest of drawers. He was confident that the rosy mahogany piece hadn't been there before.

And the list continues to grow.

Perrin put on his clothing and looked over to Gertha. She sat hanging in some type of wall mount. He was confused about that. He had thought it would change back to his rifle, but it seemed whatever had happened to change the rifle to the ridiculous sword seemed permanent. He mentally shrugged as he thought about the ammo issue that would have eventually come up at some point.

If it would have even done anything to anyone in this place, to begin with.

The memories of Mazikeen's battle in the sky was a somber reminder of the power gap he was facing. He wasn't sure what power exactly was, but everyone around him could do some insane shit. The fact that she wasn't even completely done with the third stage probably meant she would grow even further.

"Where are you going, Perrin?" Said Mazikeen.

Perrin continued to ignore the woman as he took up the blade. He was still able to hold the thing, which seemed quite odd. He felt like the thing was actually quite dense and heavy. The opposite was true, though, when he picked it up. It was easy to move and felt quite balanced for what little he knew of the weapons. He knew some of the common names from games, books, and television. Gertha had no sheath, so he just shouldered the thing.

Looks like I probably should go to that shop first. I need to find a better way to carry the only weapon I have now. Get me one of those famed bags of holding. That world is based on a video game somehow, so there should be cool shit like that.

Perrin turned and started walking towards the bedroom door. Before he could exit, Mazikeen appeared in-front of him. She stared at him, her face impassive. "You aren't leaving without me. That is to say, you won't be leaving this bedroom until you acknowledge me at the very least." Mazikeen said.

Perrin sighed and looked back at the woman who clearly couldn't read a situation. He was pissed at her, but he wasn't fair right now. The comfort she attempted to give him earlier was appreciated, even if it was probably her fault.

I can at least tell her why. This little action shows that she doesn't understand why I'm mad.

He pointed at her then said, "Maze, what you are doing right now. What gives you the right to stop me from doing anything? Do you even understand why I'm ignoring you?"

"No, I don't, Perrin. You said some very uhm… inappropriate things to me, then you haven't spoken to me since. I saved you. You should be thanking me." Mazikeen said.

He tightened his grip on Gertha and attempted to keep his anger from boiling over at the idiot woman.

"You used an ability or whatever and stole the thing… you took something I have so very little of right now. Control over my life. My ability to think in a situation where I needed it the most was gone. You didn't help me. You just got lucky that I didn't die. And now look at you…" he gestured at her.

"Yet again taking my ability to choose away from me. You basically mentally raped me Maze… in the absolute worst way possible."

Mazikeen looked visibly stricken by his words. She looked away, apparently unable to meet his gaze. "Are you going to forgive me?" She said in a quiet dejected tone.

"Right now, today?" He chuckled morosely. "No, Maze, I'm not going to forgive you right now. I'm still angry with you. I'm a big boy, though. I'll eventually want to talk to you about it, but right now is not that time. Will you please move?"

She moved away from the door but still wouldn't meet his eyes. He paused at the top of the stairs and turned back, calling to her. "You need to get ready. We need to go into the first portal." Mazikeen looked up at him with hope then nodded.

*******

Stepping into the portal, this time Perrin and Mazikeen found themselves standing in a bustling town square. The square was precisely what he imagined a small Roman Empire era town would look like. There were smatterings of archways, doric columns, and red roof tile buildings. He got the feeling that the town wasn't rich, but it wasn't poor either. Sounds of conversations and smells of food permeated the air. He guessed the square was the market of the town due to the traffic and cloth-covered stalls.

Most of the people he saw were the blue demon race with their crystalline black horns, but he could probably guess at the names of the races. They all wore some combination of tunic, toga, and stola in various colors. A few looked more influential than others, but not many. Now that he looked at himself, he had on a white tunic covered with a blue toga. Mazikeen wore a purple stole with accented silver scrollwork.

He appreciated the buxom purple-eyed beauties get up then said, "We need to find an adventure shop on the South end of town. I met someone while we were fighting in the arena. I think that we can possibly find the information there. When I think on the memory, it's just to eh… advantageous to meet someone who "owe's me one," too scripted. At least that's my guess."

She turned to look at him, considering his words, then said, "Yes, that does sound a little too convenient. So where is this shop owner."

"Do you know which way the South end of the town is? Wait… Does something seem off to you?" Said Perrin.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason, he didn't think he was welcome here. He looked around at the faces of the townsfolk, and every time he met the eyes of one of them, he could swear they sneered at him.

"I think we need to go. Follow me; I know where the South Road is," said Mazikeen.

She, too, had started noticing the adverse reactions all of the inhabitants were having towards Perrin. Mazikeen grabbed his arm and started pushing through the market's crowd. On several occasions, blue demon men and women were openly hostile as they were jostled. Nothing ever escalated, but it was clear that the people of this town did not like Perrin at all.

Breaking free of the crowded market, they made their way down one of the four cobbled stone roads that exited the town's square. "He told me that I would know it when I saw it," Perrin said.

"That's all he told you." She snorted.

"Well, I wasn't exactly in the talking mood," He shot back at her. They walked in silence after that. Neither wishing to say any more about the currently fresh wound.

Perrin was reading the signs of the shops as they walked by. Cobblers, smiths, tailors, and alchemy shops peppered the left and right of the street. He thought that this was most certainly a video game world if he'd ever seen one. He had tried walking into one of the shops, but the looks he'd received from the owners was so full of vitriol that he thought better of it.

What is going on here? Did I do something in the arena that caused them to hate me?

The street took a bend, and as they made their way around it, Perrin saw something that was too out of place. I modern garish style building sat in between to red-tiled villas. That wasn't what really put it out of place. It was the massive casino inspired sign. The multi-colored lights rapidly strobing. Perrin thought he might have a seizure if he stared at the shameless display much longer.

The gaudy sign read, "Toggi's Adventure Emporium."

"Well, that's… interesting," he said.

"It's not the word I would use." She said in mirth.

"Whatever, let's go in and check it out," Perrin said as they made their way to the epileptic lit shop.

Pushing the door open, they made their way towards the back of the shop—the isles in the abnormally large area were full of armor and gear. Nothing was organized in any way that he could make out. Grappling hooks sat beside underwear and barrels of swords set below several bows. Arrows bundled together with boots. Items in glass cases gleaming with a visible glow of power were surrounded by what Perrin could only conclude to be chamber pots, used ones at that. The place was a junk store for sure.

As they made their way to the counter, the shop owner popped into existence, reading a magazine. A magazine of a quite famous bunny was associated with. Perrin swore that the cover had an elf displayed in a tasteful alluring manner before the half-breed made the item disappear. Mazikeen snorted in disgust.

Guess she had an inkling what that was too.

The Half-breed man stood up with a face splitting smile and brushed off his immaculate crimson and black toga.

"Welcome to Toggi's Adventure Emporium. How may I… Oh, it's you, my timely hero." He clapped then appeared sitting on top of the wooden counter kicking his feet. Feet that most definitely had on crocks and socks. Perrin just stared at the man's feet for a second, shook his head, and figured it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd seen. Clearly, this place had somethings that didn't exist in the rest of the town.

"Hey there. Yeah, sorry I didn't get your name when we met in the arena. I'm Perrin." He said as he held out a hand to the man. The man instantly disappeared and reappeared behind the counter again, holding his hands up.

"Ah, forgive me. I don't do well with the shaking of hands. My name is Toggi. It is a pleasure to meet you officially, Perrin."

Mazikeen's snort of laughter caught Perrin by surprise, and he turned to her, missing the nasty look that flashed across the shop keepers face aimed directly at the woman. She choked it off abruptly then sent him an apologetic look.

"I'm sure I have something for your friend there. It would clear that fits of rude laughter right up. Where did a put that infinite diarrhea curse… I know I have it somewhere."

"No, No, please, I'm sorry. I'm sure that my companion was quite sorry about the outburst. Weren't you Maze?"

She had a look of horror on her face as the shopkeeper started feverishly searching for the proposed item. "Ehem, Yes, sorry that was very rude of me. It won't happen again."

The half-demon man paused, then eyed the woman before bursting in smiling joy once again. "Outstanding, outstanding, yes, see that she doesn't. Pooping forever doesn't seem like a delightful way to live."

Mazikeen paled and shuttered at the words.

"SO, Perrin, what can Toggi do for you? I owe you one, and I'll help any way I can."

"Well, let us get to the most important thing first. I'm looking for someone called Dio. Do you happen to know them?"

The shopkeeper shrugged and said, "I'm… familiar with Dio. But that information is not something I'm willing to share at the moment. You may have saved me in the arena, but that's information that you just aren't ready for." The man looked off to the side like he was reading something. Then looked back at him and shook his head. "You haven't even activated the interface yet, have you?"

"What interface? Look, I don't have any clue what you are talking about. Every single person that was supposed to give me information either did not do what they were supposed to or didn't have the time. I wasn't supposed to enter this place like I did. Since your in here, I'm sure you are aware of who I am and why I'm here, correct?"

Toggi slowly nodded. "I'm aware of your particular situation. How did this… one make it in here?" He waved over to Mazikeen.

Perrin told him the gist of what happened leading up to the jump into the portal. Toggi listened intently, scowling at Mazikeen when the attack was mentioned. Then he looked off in thought as Perrin waited for the reptilian eyed man to look back at him.

Toggi turned his gaze back and then smiled, "I suppose that I could be convinced to help you given your predicament. Let see, I have that thing somewhere around here…"

The man started searching a large barrel behind the counter. Perrin saw an assortment of odd things come out of the wooden item. Books to toaster oven's continued to pour out one after another until the man finally raised an old rusty looking bracer in his hand.

"Ah-ha, I was sure I had it in here. Now, this should serve you quite nicely." Toggi set the thing on the counter then backed away from it. It was almost like he didn't want to touch Perrin for some reason, but he brushed the thought aside. The man was pretty eccentric.

"What can this do for me?"

"Well, my dear hero, it can give you temporary access to the status screen. Unfortunately, you simply lack the ability at the moment, given your progress towards Ascension. You haven't even started infusing your body with energy. I could forge a path to the status screen for you if you had done at least that much, but that isn't the case. This item will do just that once you… well, you will see when you put it on."

Perrin reached out to put the thing on, but Toggi smacked his hand with a cane he had pulled out from somewhere. "It's going to cost you, my good boy, and those things are a one-time item. I'm sure you would like to know the cost before you in debt yourself to me."

Perrin rubbed the back of his hand and eye the fellow suspiciously. "Why am I not surprised that theirs a catch. Cut the shit Toggi and just tell me what you want."

Toggi laughed in a way that sent chills down Perrin's spine. "Oh, Perrin, aren't you just a ray of sunshine gleaming off a steaming pile of shit." The half-breed did not look amused with Perrin's blunt statement, but then the look on Toggi's face flashed back to the big sleazy salesmen's smile.

"Look, Perrin, I have a client that needs an escort. It's a simple thing. I'll tell you what. I'm going to do you a solid. You do this for me, and I'll hook you up with equipment as well, upfront." Toggi smiled even wider.

He looked to Mazikeen, but she said nothing. Her face was absent of any expression. Perrin couldn't get a read on her, so he asked, "What do you think, Maze?"

"I think… that we don't have much choice, Perrin. You need to start somewhere." She said.

Perrin thought she was acting very odd. She said everything convincingly, but her demeanor did not match her words. He had a bad feeling about this arrangement. The shop owner was going to just give him equipment upfront. No, he didn't like this at all. The longer he stood in front of the half-breed, the more he didn't trust him.

"We appreciate the offer, Toggi, but I believe I'm going to take a hard pass," said Perrin as he tugged on Mazikeen's stola to leave.

"If you don't accept the mission, I can guarantee that the townspeople will kill you before you can reach an area that you can access your "study." Honestly, doubt you will make it 20 meters from the door before you are attacked."

Now that was most definitely a threat.

Perrin turned back to the man as his stomach bottomed out. The smile was still on Toggi's face.

"It's not a threat. Go look out the window and see for yourself. Even your companion could tell you that much."

Perrin looked at her, and she nodded her head. "There is a rather large crowd outside. They have been slowly gathering since we started talking. Not sure what they want, but most have weapons."

Perrin moved to the front of the shop. He hung back behind a case with an armor breastplate and swimming trunks. He didn't want to be seen by the townsfolk just incase. He confirmed that yes, a rather large group of hostile looking demons and what he guessed were beast kin gathered just outside the garish shop.

Shit, come on! What's the deal with this place? This has to be part of the Alpha protocol thing. But what agreements exactly were broken. Maybe a lowered reputation? That would make sense given the video game nature this world was supposed to be based on. But how low was it? Attack on-site?

Cursing his bad luck again for the ridiculous rules that were put in place. He made his way back to Toggi in the rear of the shop. Stepping up beside Mazikeen, he looked at the sketch ass shopkeeper.

"How does this little quest prevent the group outside from tearing me apart once I leave this shop?"

"Well, my good man, once you accept my small little quest, agreements set down by your predecessor will prevent them from acting upon you until we have concluded our arrangement. You broke the rules by bringing the silver-haired skank in here." Mazikeen snarled at the shopkeepers words and took a step forward. "Please, huge tits, I dare you. Give me a reason." She froze, and a sick look came over her face before she looked away in anger.

"Anyway, like I was saying. Bringing the tramp broke agreements that protected you. The big one was a decrease in reputation with the inhabitants within this area. Clauses were put in place just in case Deccan got a little happy with the difficulty level. They were only supposed to be slightly less inclined to help you, but Deccan changed it to hostile. Being the clever bastard your old self was, he put in clauses to at least give you a fighting chance. Reputation with me staying neutral and accepting a quest from one of the town's inhabitants is that clause. Since I'm the only one that will not attack you on site after a set period of time… Well, you don't really have a choice." Toggi finished by setting down a piece of paper.

The smile on Toggi's face was ominous now. Perrin didn't like the situation. He knew this felt like some type of trap, but if the asshole was telling the truth, he didn't have much choice. He decided that he would try to get some more information out of the shopkeeper before he accepted the quest. He needed to start gathering this energy somehow, and he needed to learn how to fight with this damn massive Mac truck of a blade he now had.

"I need information on how to get started with the ascension thing. I'm at too big of a disadvantage right now. I don't know how to use a sword yet, and I'm stuck with this big ass thing. Hell, I don't even have a place to hold it. You are going to have to give me something more than just equipment. It's useless unless I can defend myself."

"Out of the question. I could help you, but I don't have to. I only have to give you a quest." Toggi said immediately.

Perrin felt his anger finally snap. This place and the people around him were always tugging at his strings. He was tired of it. If this place was going to continue to fuck him over when it could. Then he would stop playing along. Mazikeen was some type of broken ass character cheat here. She could probably fuck this place up if he asked her to.

"Well then… fuck you and your quest. I'll take my chances with the town. Come on, Maze, we will find another way to figure out this portal." Perrin said disdainfully as he turned away from the douche bag of a shop keeper.

Yeah, to hell with his quest. I'm tired of this shit. Day one is a bust. Let's just get back to the study and figure things out from there.

Mazikeen's face twisted into a grin at his word, and she shot a look of smugness towards Toggi as though she had won some type of victory against the shopkeeper. Perrin thought it strange but attributed the expression to the man's words earlier. He had clearly pissed her off.

"Alright, my silver haired beauty, it's time we started laying waste to this town. You capable of that while we try to get to somewhere we can leave this shit hole?" Mazikeen nodded in the affirmative at him, and she smiled brightly. Her clothing flashed momentarily, and a suit of sleek armor appeared covering her body.

It was made of small black metal plates. Perrin didn't recognize the metal or the style of the armor. It was beautiful and menacing all at the same time. It looked almost alive as the plates seemed to flex and flutter like it was coming to life around her.

"Stop!" Toggi's voice rang out in a powerful tone shaking the shop.

"Fine, fine. I can give you somethings that will help you get started." Toggi spit out in disgust.

Perrin considered ignoring the shop owner despite the voice causing him to flinch from its power. Mazikeen looked at him with distrust and skepticism at the offer. He just shrugged and mouthed, "we will see what he's giving us." She nodded, then flashed back into her purple stole.

"I don't know, Toggi. You are a prick if I've ever met one. How do I know whatever you are going to give me isn't just going to screw me over?"

"I keep my word. You want things that will help you defend yourself? I can do that. You want something that will assist you in the body path? Sure I can add that in too." The half-breed started digging in another barrel again. Kitchen sinks, flower pots, a car tire, and what Perrin was sure was a dishwasher came out of the improbably sized container.

Toggi pulled out a pair of black plated bracers this time before he stopped. He reached into a case on the back wall that had held several soda can-sized crystals. Pulling out two purples and a blue crystal, Toggi sat the items down on the counter. He removed the old rusty bracer, which he tossed behind him without a care. Perrin thought the thing looked like a piece of shit that was more likely to give him tetanus. So he wasn't surprised when it was tossed.

"Here. These things will do as I said they would." Toggi gestured at the items.

Perrin didn't pick them up. "What exactly do they do?" He said skeptically. He didn't trust Toggi in the least. The bastard was clearly holding out on him before.

Toggi sighed, "The blue crystal holds information on the body path, how to start, and the different options to pick from. The purple ones hold a martial arts and sword art, respectively. Simply place them to your forehead, and the information will be transferred to your mind."

"I already know a form of martial arts. How is that going to help me."

Toggi scowled at Perrin. The man looked to the side again and began scanning something Perrin couldn't see. The longer the man scanned, the more his face became unreadable. It went on for a few minutes as the shopkeeper kept scanning the air. He finally stopped and looked up at Perrin.

"Well, well… aren't you just the little killer. It does explain somethings from the arena." Toggi drummed his fingers on the counter as he looked at Perrin like a bug he was considering to smash out of existence.

Perrin had a sick feeling that this shop owner was contemplating killing him right now. He wasn't sure why, but he was confident that whatever he had just read was something akin to his military records. Mazikeen seemed to sense the danger because she had started moving in between the shop owner and Perrin. He felt like he should probably say something before this got out of hand.

"Not sure what you just read, but I can guess. You should also realize that it was my job. I didn't have much say in what I did or why I did it. You can't judge the weapon for the wielder's actions."

"I know, which is why you haven't gone, poof," Toggi made a hand gesture like he was turning Perrin to dust before he continued. "That was an unexpected little read. Now, what to do with you. Hmm… yes you are quite right, you do know something akin to a martial arts. It would be closer to say you know how to kill or disable someone quickly. It's really quite dirty, to be honest, what it lacks in finesse though, it makes up for inefficiency."

Mazikeen looked at Perrin in confusion, but he ignored her. He would probably need to explain somethings to her at some point. He planned on doing that during the arena conversation.

Toggi picked up the two purple crystals and walked through a door in the back of the shop. He returned a moment later with two new crystals. He sat down one silver crystal then hesitated before sitting down a clear one with a black four-pointed star in the center. It had a dark purple outline around the black void.

"I think these will build nicely off your other skills, and both should grow with you. The silver is a sword art and the other one I won't give you any more information on. You will know what it is once you are strong enough to access it. Don't bitch about it either. You are getting more than I should allow."

Toggi then looked at Mazikeen for a moment then smiled again like he had just figured out a troublesome problem. He reached down and removed the original quest paper. It flashed to ash, and then the ash reformed back into a new piece that he sat back down on the counter.

Perrin knew that didn't mean good things for him and his companion. He desperately needed the items that the cunt was offering, though. He had been considering the situation while the shop keeper was doing his thing. Perrin didn't truly have a choice in doing this quest. He had a strong feeling that even if Mazikeen and he escaped the town and made it back to the study. They would still have to come back to this bastard's shop to get information. There might be other ways to find Dio, but this one was set up for him by his prior self.

I can run around and explore this world, but this quest is most likely the start of the main questline. I don't think I can move forward without completing this one. I need to get stronger, and Toggi is offering me the tools to start. I don't have to like it, but I'm still going to have to do it.

Perrin looked down at the new paper and read the contents. He couldn't read a single line of the gibberish of strange and possibly runic symbols mix with numbers and letters. Some were even raised to a power. The longer he looked at it, the more he was sure it was some form of hexadecimal code. He could probably work out the hex code with time, but he had no clue what the symbols represented. A box the size of his thumb was at the bottom. It had several circular lines of the symbols around it.

"What the hell is this? You can't expect me to be able to read this."

"It is our quest contract. Just nic your thumb and place it in the box. I can't give you a quest until you actually gain access to the status screen naturally. This is a workaround that will create the quest window artificially." Toggi said as he lay down a small dagger.

Perrin looked over at Mazikeen, and she nodded to him with a shrug. He guessed that if he was going to take the quest, he might as well just do it. Pulling the silvery blade out of its sheath, he nicked his off hand's thumb and placed it in the box. It disappeared with a flash, and a blue screen popped up in front of his face with text. He began reading it.

Quest: Escort the Merchant

You have been tasked with escorting the Merchant Fotini to Jahcu, a neighboring town in the west. Escort the merchant with all due haste through the Wayward Forest.

Beware! The Western road is fraught with danger. Stop or leave the road boundaries in the Wayward Forest at your own peril. The forest may never let you go.

Reward already received: Three information crystals, Bracers of Prometheus, and equipment provided by Toggi.

Reward upon completion: Information on Dio.

Failure of Quest: Death

Accept or Decline

Perrin hit accept, and the blue screen disappeared. He looked at the shopkeeper, who seemed to also be looking at a screen. Toggi smiled, then looked back at Perrin and then Mazikeen. He was not even trying to hide the malicious glee now.

"Well, that takes care of that. Off with you know my contact will be waiting for their escort at the edge of the west road."

"Okay, but where is the equipment."

"Ah yes, you will be needing that. Hmm, where did I put that armor…" Toggi walked back through the door again, and Perrin heard crashes of things being thrown around. The man came back holding a piece of paper that he sat down on top of the bracers before vanishing.

"There, the equipment will be in your inventory. You will see, once you put on the bracers. The prostitute can explain how that works." He waved a hand dismissively towards the rage-filled face of Mazikeen.

Perrin ignored Toggi's comments. The half-breed clearly disliked Mazikeen for some reason, and Perrin felt petty towards her at the moment. He didn't feel like defending her honor.

Just another puppet master tugging my strings currently. That is about to change. I finally have my start. Now all I need is time to sharpen my theoretical scissors so I can cut said strings.

He picked up the bracers and inspected them. It opened on the underside with no discernible way of buckling it on to his forearm. The material that surrounded the dark shadowy colored plates was impossibly soft. He rubbed it between two fingers, but it didn't seem to generate any type of friction. His fingers just slid back and forth like he was rubbing two pieces of silk together. He found the novelty interesting, but he had no clue what it was made out of. He couldn't even see how the material was weaved together.

He laced one over his left arm, and he felt the thing tighten down. Turning his forearm over, he saw the material seal itself together from elbow to wrist. As it reached his wrist, the material wrapped around the base of his thumb, then half his palm, where it finally finished sealing shut. He put on the other one and watched the craziness happen again.

Neat! Now what? Where's the fabled game menu? Do I need to call it? Hmmm, Status?

The menu screen popped up. It had three tabs to the left that read Character, Inventory, and Status. Several icons seemed to be greyed out. He wasn't sure what they were, but he guessed they would become available once he reached the point that he no longer needed the temporary access that the bracers gave him. Still, the site of the familiar screen had him feeling like a pig in shit.

Oh yeah! Now we are cooking with Crisco. Gamer time, baby.

Relief washed over Perrin at the screen. He hadn't even realized how upset he was at not having access to this. He was supposed to be in a video game world. How could you game in a real-life RPG if you had no game menu? This was something he could work with.

He clicked onto his status:

Status:

Name: Perrin A

Level:

10

Current Health:

100/100

Current Mental:

Shared

Stats:

Strength

35

Intellect

65

Agility/Dexterity

47

Speed

20

Skills:

None

Well, it looks pretty straight forward. Don't know what that shared mental thing means—no amount of prodding the status is giving me information on it either. Meh, I play with this later and figure out what everything does. Now let us see… Interesting that it doesn't show any of my previous skills like a marksman. I would surely have that one if I had anything given my prior background. Let's try the crystals out and see what effect they have.

Perrin reached out for the blue crystal contain the information on the Body stage. He placed the thing to his head, and a popup screen asked him if he wanted to use the info crystal. He selected yes, and the crystal disappeared from his hand in a flash of blue light. Another popup screen showed him a progress bar with a timer set for 6 hours. He tried to mentally dismiss the screen and bring it back. It worked perfectly. Perrin tried the red crystal and got similar results, but this one was set for two days. The clear crystal with the little singularity in it gave a time of two days as well.

I guess I can live with that. I can look at my status again when they unlock. I've used the damn things at least, so they can't be stolen from me. Looks like I have armor in my inventory. I'll need to ask Maze about that swap thing she does.

Mentally switching to the inventory, he saw himself wearing his current clothes. The inventory screen had two line items. The first was supplies. He prodded it and another popup with a timer for two days came up. He guessed that it wouldn't be needed until their way back since the quest said it would take three days to escort the merchant. The other item had a much less generic name. It said, "Prometheus Armor." He mentally prodded the thing to see if he could get any more information on it.

Armor of Prometheus (Seed):

Item Grade: Beginner to Broken AF

Value: Priceless

Item is soul bound upon activation.

Item Description:

The armor of the Titan Prometheus, who gave the sentient races the fires of knowledge. This set of armor is but a seed of what it can truly grow to be. Growth will depend on user needs. It will modify itself to the user's innate talents and skills on their path of Ascension.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. Broken AF that's so dumb but still funny."

"What are you talking about, Perrin?" Mazikeen said.

"Nothing I'll show you when we leave. Are the people gone now that I accepted the quest?"

"Yes, they left shortly after the parchment disappeared"

"Good, let's get to the west end of town so we can get this quest over with. I'll tell you about what the quest said on the way."

Perrin and Mazikeen turned to leave the shop, but Toggi called out to them before getting out the door. "Good luck Perrin. You are more interesting than I thought you would be. I know this is a shit deal, but I didn't really have a choice given the situation. I hope you will forgive me if you make it back." Perrin didn't look back but decided to give a friendly wave.

If I make it back… that's a terrible way to say good luck. Bastard. He probably already suspects that I won't make it. The world is out to kill you, Perrin. You have always known that. Chasing the dream bubble of a civilian life didn't do you any favors. It's back to the shit. This place is a hell-scape, according to its designer. You need to take off that civilian mask and go back to what you know.

"Maze, how do I do the clothing swap thingy jiger you do?"

"Whats a jiger? Oh, you mean the inventory change out. Just mentally move the Armor over to your little avatar. It should prompt you to accept the swap."

"Okay, simple enough."

He tried out what Mazikeen said, and his clothing flashed, and shadowy dark armor appeared on his body. The metal plates and dark silky material covered his entire body. The plates accented his chest, abs, shoulders, and arms. It made him look more muscular than he actually was. He could feel that it had covered his back as well. The cloak sat over the shoulders and hung down to his ankles. It to was made of the same shadowy dark frictionless material.

He looked to his companion to see what she thought. He found Mazikeen's face in shock.

"Guess I look pretty badass, don't I? Well, dry yourself off and tell me what you think."

"I can't believe he gave you that. Out of all the shit he probably could have to give you, he gave you that… what a fucking asshole."

"What's wrong? Isn't this good shit? The item description sounded super badass."

"Perrin, that is a seed set. It requires Anima to grow and a fuck ton of it. Now that you have activated it. It's soul bound to you. It's going to take what it wants whether you like it or not. Prometheus armor is selfish. What an unbelievable bastard. I should have known something was up when he handed over those crystals."

"I don't understand. How does this hurt me?"

"Okay, look. He gave you an info crystal that would help you progress through the body path. Then he gave you armor that you shouldn't even be using until you have completed the body path. He's basically crippled any progress you will be able to make with the knowledge he gave you."

"That son of a…. I'm going to kill him. Come on, we are going back."

Perrin turned back and got three steps away before Mazikeen appeared in front of him with her hand on his chest. "Stop, Perrin. He could kill us with a thought. I would have blown that shop to pieces a million times over after what he said to me. I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. I'm also fairly certain that he almost killed you while we were in there, but he changed his mind after you said something to him. I know you sensed it. Let it go. He fucked us, and there's nothing we can do but push on."

He seethed inside. One step forward and eighteen steps back seemed to be the way of his life currently. He wanted to raze that shop to the ground and shit on the man's ashes. Mazikeen was right, though. If he was so powerful that she couldn't do anything, then he wasn't about to do fuck-all to the cunt.

"Come on, lover. Let us get to the west side of town. I'll think about the it, and maybe I can figure a way to help the issue."

"You're right, and thank you for keeping me from doing something stupid."

"Perrin, you may not believe it gave recent events, but I'm on your side. I… messed up. I'll try to do better."

He stared into her eyes as they started to tear up. He sighed internally and said, "I believe you, Maze. I believe you. We just… we need to talk, but we can do it tonight."

Perrins thoughts were twisted and vengeful things as the thought about how the shop keeper had fleeced the shit out of him. He’d known that he was getting screwed somehow but he had believed just maybe, there had been a little ray of light for a second.

Whatever, I can't do anything about it. I'm sure this quest isn't going to use lube either.