Chapter 11: To Home I Roam

  I step out onto rubble. For a second, I think my worst fears have come true and the world is nothing but ruin, but the sounds of honking cars quickly calms me. I look around, and find myself in what looks like the wreckage of a large building that just got knocked down. From all the white painted pieces of wall and equally white tiles that surround me, it looks like the building was a hospital. I suppose it must have been the hospital where I was taken to after the crash. Looking up at the dark sky and crescent moon, I take a deep breath. The city seems… less smoggy than I remember. Well, I suppose that’s a good thing. Quickly, I tell LS to not kill anyone and take a nap, and she grumbles annoyedly but obliges, curling up around my shoulders like a scarf. I walk out onto the street and find the nearest person (there aren’t many around as it seems a rather late hour), a tall middle aged black man reading a magazine under a street lamp. I walk up to him, but he doesn’t seem to notice me. I clear my throat.

  “Excuse me sir, would you mind terribly if I borrowed your cellphone, I uhhh…” I take a shot in the dark. “just came back from a tutorial dimension and need to contact someone to come pick me up.”

  The man glances up at me, looks me up and down, and then snorts.

  “Sure son, but don’t try nothing. I know how you fresh initiates think they can get away with anything just cause they nabbed themself a bit of power, but I assure you that things will not end well for you if you try to steal my phone.”

  Internally, I sigh with relief. From my talks with Pembleton, I assumed that the tutorial and system was common knowledge by now, and I’m glad to be right, instead of having the cops called on me and being admitted to a mental hospital. I carefully pick up the phone that the man offers me (it isn’t a model I recognize but looks like an iphone of some new generation), and before dialing anyone, quickly look up today’s date.

  October 30, 2040, 12:26:49 AM

  2040!!!!

  When I had the car crash, it was 2024. 16 fucking years have passed. Everyone I knew is 16 years older. My dad hasn’t talked to me in 16 years. I choke back a sob, but focus on the task at hand. I open the phone app and dial my dad. The phone rings… and a robotic voice answers.

  “The number you have called is no longer in use…”

  I hang up before whatever the bot was going to say next. That’s… worrying. Though, I suppose 16 years have passed and it wouldn’t be that weird for dad to have a new number. I dial a couple other numbers but none of them pick up. I look up sheepishly at the man who is still watching me with scrutiny.

  “Sorry sir, I’m gonna try one more number and then you can have your phone back.”

  He nods, giving ascent. I breathe in deeply. There is only one other number I know by heart, and there’s a reason I haven’t tried it yet. After all, for me, it’s only been a couple days since we broke up. I dial the number, praying she doesn’t pick up. The phone rings.

  “Hello, you’ve reached Lucy. Who is this?”

  Fuck.

  “Ummmm… hi Lucy. I know this sounds crazy, but… it’s Calvin. As in… your ex. You aren’t… uh… still in the Providence area are you?”

  The line goes quiet. The silence stretches out for what feels like minutes. Finally, Lucy answers, her soft voice quivering in rage.

  “Whoever this is, this isn’t funny. What you’re doing is not ok. Tell who put you up to this right now or I swear to all that is righteous I will find you.”

  “Holy shit Lucy, you’d think I kidnapped your daughter or something! I swear, I’m not lying. You don’t have to reveal your very specific set of skills ok? Ask me anything, it’s really me.”

  Another long pause passes.

  “Fine, I’ll entertain you. If you are really Calvin, what’s the last thing your mother told me.”

  Now it was my turn to initiate a long pause.

  “That’s a really fucking low blow Lucy, you should know that. But fine. She told you not to break my heart cause it’s fragile,” I say, and under my breath whisper, “and look how that turned out.”

  Pause.

  “...C-Calvin? Is that… really you?”

  “YES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LUCY! I’m not a doppelganger or an imposter or a evil spirit or whatever the fuck else is out there these days. I’ve been in the tutorial for a while and just got back. Now are you or are you not still in the providence area, cause I’m in the middle of the street with some random gentleman’s phone and could use a ride because I don’t know where the fuck anything is anymore.”

  After yet another long pause, Lucy speaks again.

  “Fine, what street are you on?”

  I glance around.

  “Uhhh, Eddy Street it looks like.”

  “Ok, I’ll be there soon, sit tight. And if after all this you aren’t Calvin… I think you get the idea.”

  Click

  She hangs up. I give the phone back to the man and he looks up at me ruefully.

  “That didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation.”

  I look back at him, annoyed from the call.

  “Well, it was exactly as pleasant as it sounded.”

  He snorts, and puts his phone into his pocket, returning to his magazine. I look around, quickly spotting a nearby bench, and go over to sit down and wait. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait too long.

  Only 30 minutes later, I hear the sounds of whooshing air, and look up to see… HOLY SHIT THAT CAR IS FLYING! A long flying car, similar in frame to what I would recognize as an older mustang, lands on the street in front of me, wheels touching down on the concrete softly and solidly. The car’s windows are tinted so that I can’t see inside. Curious, I turn on mana sight, and I can see the underside of the car is covered in magical symbols. From the look of it, this was a normal car that was magically enchanted to fly, rather than a car built with flight in mind. The driver’s side door opens, and stepping out into the night air, is Lucy. Only…

  “Holy shit you’re old!”

  Standing in front of me is a very Lucy shaped woman, with the same large brown eyes. However, it’s in front of the eyes that I notice the first difference. Gone are the barely held together glasses, replaced by smart and sleek wire frames that perfectly frame her face. Her black hair, shorter than I remember and missing the familiar highlights, is held up in a simple ponytail. Around the edges of her forehead, white hairs are poking through the black mass and the edges of her eyes show the barest hint of crows feet. She is a well put together black suit, which is almost certainly bespoke considering how well it fits her. She sighs, and I can see the exasperation in her eyes. She looks… happy. She raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth to speak, looking me up and down.

  “You’re as rude as I remember Cal. But yeah, 10 years will age a person.”

  “10 years? I thought I was gone 16?”

  “Ah right, you would think that, wouldn’t you. You were taken by the system 10 years ago. The 6 years before that you were in a coma. They were taking care of you in the hospital that used to be there, in fact,” she says, pointing to the rubble I appeared in.

  “Huh, funky. So, you got somewhere I can crash for a bit, to get back on my feet? I would also need someone to help explain what’s been going on in the world since I went into a coma.”

  “Yeah, you can crash at my place. Get in, we can talk on the way.”

  She motions to the car and I eagerly walk around to the passenger door, getting in.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Speaking of which, are flying cars normal or are you some rich oil mogul now?”

  “Something like that. I work for the IO.”

  “The what now?” I say, just as the car lifts off the road and begins sailing through the air.

  “The Initiate Organization. Basically, once the world came under threat by monsters and shit appearing through portals, the people most capable of defending the world, those chosen by the system, got a lot of negotiating power. The IO is led by some of the strongest Initiated in the world, and they act kind of like a global peace keeping organization. Or at least, that’s what we’re supposed to be.”

  “Supposed to be? What are they actually like then?”

  “Bullies for the most part. The organization provides a huge amount of privileges to Initiates, especially strong ones, and turns a blind eye whenever they abuse those privileges. There are some good people in the IO, but it’s mostly just a glorified cool kids club that abuses its power to do whatever the people in charge want.”

  “So then… why do you work for these people? Are you an Initiate?”

  “I work for them because I’m not an Initiate. I haven’t been chosen by the system and haven’t decided to awaken yet, so the best way to prevent the IO from running over me on a daily basis is work for them. Besides, I’d like to think things can change, but change has to come from the inside. All the world’s governments are terrified of the IO.”

  “Awaken?”

  “Only a million people over the globe are chosen by the system each year. The chosen get put into tutorials and given free access to the system. For those who aren’t chosen, the only way to get access to the system is to kill a system creature while being uninitiated. Those who choose that route are called awakeners.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever awaken then?”

  “Maybe after I turn 40, but I’m not in a rush. Every year between the ages of 20 and 40 you have a chance to be chosen, and chosen are pretty much universally stronger than awakeners. So, awakening before I turn 40 would be preventing myself the chance to be chosen.”

  “That sounds like a good choice I suppose. Though, the tutorial wasn’t necessarily a fun place.”

  Lucy looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

  “It isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be a grindstone that refines people into powerhouses. Out here, there isn’t a perfectly laid path to leveling up. If you want to find a dungeon or leveling area that’s good for your level range, you have to travel, and buy access, and get licenced, and lots of other bureaucratic nonsense. That’s why the chosen are almost always stronger than awakeners. They have a perfectly curated head start with no cost.”

  “Ugh, that sounds boring as shit. Still, if you do get chosen, I hope you’re ready. Some of it really sucks.”

  She snorts.

  “I’ve heard. You know, most people who get chosen come back within the first few months. Almost everyone comes back within a year. As far as I know, the longest anyone has ever taken to return is a little over three years. Most governments officially declare people dead after four. You took ten years Cal. What the hell happened in there?”

  I look at her, calculating. She’s 16 years older than I remember. She is literally working for some sort of super initiate government. I’m… not quite comfortable trusting her with everything just yet, I think. Still, I don’t want to lie.

  “A lot. I’d really rather not talk about it.”

  “Fair enough. I won’t pry.”

  “Really? I thought you’d start interrogating me or something. Use your super government powers to get me locked up.”

  She rolls her eyes.

  “It’s actually pretty normal for chosen to not want to talk about the specifics of their tutorials. Most of them have some sort of trauma from the experience, and from what I’ve heard from those who do talk about it, I can’t blame them.”

  “Y’know, considering what I saw in just the Very Easy Tutorial, neither can I.”

  “Wait, you were in the Very Easy Tutorial?”

  “...is that bad?”

  She sighs.

  “I personally don’t think it’s that bad, but you’ll get a lot of shit for it from other chosen. It’s called the ‘pussy pathway’ in a lot of circles, since it is both incredibly easy and gives comparatively such low rewards. People who beat the Hell Difficulty are instant celebrities, but that has a 0.3% survival rate, so a vast majority of chosen pick something between Easy and Very Hard, depending on their ambition. Easy has an 83% survival rate compared to Very Easy’s 97%, so people who choose Very Easy are kinda just seen as wimps. That, combined with the fact that those who graduate from the Very Easy tutorial are almost universally weaker than every other chosen, and yeah, their reputation among the initiated community is pretty bad. Some view them as worse than awakeners even.”

  “Right, wimps and weaker than every other chosen. That makes sense. Still, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I was in a coma at the time and the system just kinda selected it for me.”

  “Seriously? I would have assumed that it would wake you up but I guess not. Well you can tell that to your future bullies, but I doubt it will dissuade them to be honest.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried about bullies. I’m sure they’ll come after me, but they will quickly find that they get pissed on by a feral badger for their troubles. I doubt the bullies will see beating my ass a worthy trade for badger piss.”

  “So that is a badger. I wondered, but I thought it might be a scarf or some magical item.”

  “Nope, Little Shit here is a very real, very angry creature. My familiar in fact. When she wakes up, don’t try to pet her. The last person who tried it got their arm bitten clean off.”

  “...You named your familiar Little Shit?”

  “Well she’s a little shit, so yes.”

  “Nice to see you’re as mature as ever.”

  “Fuck off.”

  She snorts and the car goes quiet for a few moments. Quickly, I bring something else that’s been on my mind.

  “Hey, I called my dad when I got back, but he didn’t pick up. Do you know his new number?”

  Lucy breathes in sharply.

  “Calvin… your dad disappeared more than a decade ago.”

  “WHAT! You mean taken by the system? No, he was over 40, so what the fuck do you mean he disappeared!”

  She sighs, and I can hear the pity in her voice as she explains.

  “You know your dad was already in financial trouble, and when he had to pay for the hospital to keep you alive while you were comatose, the situation turned pretty dire. I did what I could to help at the time, but I was a broke college kid from a poor family, so I couldn’t do much. He was desperate and unwilling to pull the plug on you, so with no other choices, he turned to loan sharks. Nasty ones. Your bills were paid, but he disappeared a few months after, and I haven’t heard from him since. If it’s any consolation, I have kept up with various news channels since then, and nobody matching his description has been found, so there’s a good chance he is still alive somewhere.”

  I take a deep breath, and stave off the instinct to jump out of the car and fly at supersonic speeds around the planet till I find him. I could probably come up with some sort of tracking spell, but right now I need to figure out my life first. I won’t be any help to dad if I get arrested for being unregistered or piss off the wrong people or some shit like that.

  “You said the IO gives privileges to initiates right? I need a new ID and to be declared not dead, and I need it as soon as possible because I refuse to wait long to search for dad.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but Calvin… You are a small fish in a big pond now. You need to be careful who you get involved with.”

  I look at her, incredibly tempted to make some show of bravado and force. To impress her and show her how much of a man I am, and that anyone who stands between me and dad will get blasted into oblivion with a wave of my hand. Then I snort. I am 13 eons old. I’m too old for juvenile crushes, especially on a woman who I literally already dumped.

  “I appreciate the warning. I’ll be careful. Still have to try though.”

  “I know Cal. I know.”

  The rest of the ride is spent in silence.

  We land in front of a large black house, bordering on mansion-sized but not quite there. Through mana sight, I can see the house is covered in runes, all three floors of it. The house is made of concrete, a modern, sleek looking design. The large windows that line every wall are tinted black, and the reflection of the moonlight off their surface makes the front of the house look like a massive array of monitors, like in a security room with feeds to hidden cameras. The car pulls into a large garage, and as we step out, I feel LS stir around my shoulders.

  “Good morning you murderous little weasel, have a nice nap?”

  LS ignores me and perches on my head imperiously, looking around before her eyes settle on Lucy. In my head, I feel a questioning feeling, and an image of badger teeth in Lucy’s neck forms in my mind.

  “No LS! Lucy here is friend, not food.”

  LS grumbles annoyedly, but sends a feeling of understanding. She lifts her body and farts in Lucy’s direction, before setting back down again.

  “Wow, she really is a little shit,” Lucy says.

  I laugh and we head into the house. The inside is brightly lit and lavishly decorated.

  “God damn Lucy! How well does the IO pay?”

  “Well, to be honest, most of the money for the house came from Genevieve, my wife.”

  “Oh. You’re married. Neat.”

  Just as I say that, and before I even have time to process that the woman I broke up with two days ago is now married, the front door opens, and a tall brunette woman wearing a futuristic looking set of armor walks into the house. The armor is all black metallic plates with green lights shining between. At her side is clipped a long straight sword, and a shield is slung over her back. In one hand she carries a black helmet, which she places on a coat hook after entering. She walks over and gives Lucy a peck on the lips before turning to me. As she does, I feel a strange prickling sensation run down my spine, as if someone is watching me.

  “Yes, I rather think I am neat. Now, Lucy, who is… LEGENDARY CLASSER?!”

  “Ah fuck. Forgot to take the title off, didn’t I.”