Welcome to the Game

"Aghhhh!" I yelled as I awoke. My eyes fluttered open in a jolt. A noise rang through my head like a screech. I pushed thick covers away to free my hands then pressed my hands against my head to stop the sound from going through and found that the back of my head was drenched in sweat. The sound didn't lessen at all from my attempt to stop it. It was like the sound was coming from all directions I opened my eyes to look at the surrounding area but there was nothing but pitch darkness.

The sound stopped as soon as it started,

'It stopped' I thought, and I was happy for a split second then took a second look across the room and a sense of terror enveloped me. 'This isn't my room'

I took a second to catch my breath unlatching my jaw that had been grinding from the noise. Not noticing I was clenching it to push out the sound from my mind. I looked around the room again and I guess my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The room kind of looked like what I would think that a room looks like in a castle the grand wooden bed frame with a canopy like a bed you might see in a movie when a king is about to give his final words. The room wasn't decrepit it was just the design was old.

'Where am I' I thought my fear increasing very quickly. I pulled to the side of the huge bed I was currently in my feet hit the cold wooden floor, the covers that were on me were thick and quite soft a much higher quality than my ratty old quilt and generic sheets that I was familiar with.

I brought my hand up to my face to rub the side of my hands feeling them go through the slight stubble on my chin like id just had it shaped up and as I did, I noticed that my hands looked strange. I studied my hand for a moment the hands should have been slightly chubby and rough from my time working outside with my grandfather during summers as a kid. They were completely pristine unrecognizable. That's when my eyes explored the rest of my body. Fear struck me, and I jumped to the side of the bed my bare feet touching the cold marble floor.

As I stood, I finally looked in the other direction of the room and it was a marble top dresser with a mirror on top. what I saw in that mirror brought a deeper fear through me than being in a strange bed in a strange place even than the ringing that had stopped but I could an echo inside of my skull.

'that's not me' I thought 'who's is that'

The face that stared back at me had raven black hair, the bright green eye that seemed to be glowing not something super noticeable in the daylight but in this room that has only a small ray of moonlight it was very apparent. My weight was gone I touched my stomach and saw that it was more defined than it had been in my entire life. The figure in the mirror was lean and kind of built with a body a professional swimmer might have. I didn't recognize this man in the mirror that breathed at the same time I was staring not able to process through the profound confusion. Then as if lightning went off in my brain

I might not recognize the shape of the body, but I recognized the familiar shape of my features even though now they seemed sharper. It was like someone grabbed the base physical characteristics he always knew and threw them on an underwear model.

A thousand thoughts shot through my head all at once. Thinking of possible scenarios that would explain this. The more I thought for a moment he started breathing heavy nearly hyperventilating as I remember My last memory.

'Did I Die?' The dark thought crossed my mind. unless some rich lord from the 1800s pulled a face-off type situation with me that's not me and this isn't a hospital… I started going through different theories in my head of what could be happening and what had happened over and over, and they all didn't sound plausible.

'Is this heaven?' I thought then looked at the moonlight shining throughout the room 'Does heaven have a nighttime?'

I started to move toward the huge door next to the cabinet. I wanted out of the room to find some answers, but I've played enough video games that exploring the creepy castle is not always a good idea. I debated with myself for a while trying to think a bit about everything I thought about my family and my friend and I knew I needed information about them I need to find them I needed to contact them and I knew I wasn't going to get information staying in this room so I mustered the little courage I could and walked to the door and just as I was about to twist the crystal door.

My hand passed right through the knob. The little bit of confidence I had for a nanosecond slipped away and my fear tripled. I walked to the bed and sat for a second with my hands in my hair. My hair was now a lot softer than I remembered it and even though it was kind of nice it didn't much help the panic attack I was going through.

{BING}

A noise rang out from the front of the bed I tilted my body to see where the sound came from.

'It's already so creepy in here now it has to be haunted' I thought.

{Welcome Candidate to The Game of Chess}

A screen with a blue hue popped up at the edge of the bed between the two poles of the canopy like a mystical tv. The words are written in black.

{You Have been selected to be a candidate for a special once in a lifetime opportunity}

The screen had a backdrop of a beach the works were written in the blue sky above the beach. 'High tech infomercial' I thought in awe at the screen my nerdiness kicked in and I couldn't handle how cool it was it had just appeared. As much fear coursed through me, I let myself get distracted and tried to touch the screen.

{While participation is encouraged there may be some candidates that would rather opt out and as the proctor of this game I would be amiss to tell you nonparticipation has CONSEQUENCES.}

The dark red hue of the consequences the word seemed as a thinly concealed threat. IT wasn't just that the word was red it almost looked like it was dripping from the sky. It gave a very uneasy feeling that sobered me on how cool holographic screens were pretty quickly.

{Though the consequences may be undesirable the Incentives for willing participants are quite extravagant}

{For Candidate willing to move further and accept this vibrant opportunity or choose to decline to play please select.}

[Accept] [Decline]

I quickly choose Accept not wanting to find out about what consequences that someone powerful enough to make this whole thing possible could achieve.

{Candidate Chase Caine has: 3 supporting figures and is considered a high-profile representative of the game which will be reflected in the boons of said candidate as well as DIFFICULTY In game}

{BING}

The whole room shook, and I stood up grabbing on to the canopy pole at the edge of the bed for stability. Then it stopped as soon as it started, I still was holding the pole for dear life when the screen updated with added information.

{Candidate has now received access to profile to view Candidate must say aloud View Status}

'Status? Like an RPG?'I think

"View Status" I Say in a voice that sounds dry and unfamiliar but also smooth like velvet. A screen appears in front of me before I can think more on my new voice.

Status

| Candidate name: Chase Caine | HP: Health Point

|HP: 75/75 MP: 250/250 | MP: Magical

|Floor: has not Ascended to first | STR: Strength

|Supporting figures : 3 (Unrevealed to a candidate) | CHR: Charm

|Titles: Angels On Your Shoulders, Sis's and Bro's, | SEN: Sense

|For Life, For Death, For Magic, The First Trio | AGI: Agility

| STR:14 CHR:25 | VIT: Vitality

| AGI:18 SEN:10 | AP: Available stat Points

| INT:33 VIT:20 | Average Stats:10

| Fatigue:0 Satiety:0 AP:0 |

| Weapons:0 |

| Skills:4 Passive:2 active:4 |

|Inventory: empty |

Titles

Angels On Your Shoulders: Two opposites sit opposed pulling you in different directions

You now look as attractive as you were ugly: 5x Charm

Sis and Bro's: Sibling rivalry and love both powerful and deadly

At least your sister loved you, a Sibling pair gives you an infinitesimal amount of their power: 10x MP

For Life, For Death, For Magic: The desperate desire for all three

You gain a taste of your dire for power something you've never had: 2x STR, AGI, VIT

The First Trio: A Dark King's last hope

This is the first time three supporters are supporting a being like you a completely undeserving candidate

You gain the three paths of your supporters

Skills

Passive:

BATTLE MIND: Growth Type: Rank F

Emotional and Erratic thoughts suppressed by 10%

Critical Thinking and rationalization Increased by 10%

MAGIC TOUCH: Growth Type: Rank F

Magic power is 10% more effective

Magic Power is 10% Less expensive than active skills

Active

LIKE A FEATHER: GROWTH TYPE: Rank F

Activation cost: 10 MP/Sec

Increases Speed by 25%

SLICK TONGUE: GROWTH TYPE: Rank F

Activation cost: 20 MP/SEC

Makes a double of yourself Infront of someone as long as you engaging no one can see you the real you while your double is up

I carefully read every detail of my status. At first, I was happy from a game perspective starting with such high stats must give me an edge in the Game. Then I started reading Titles and saw how the system was mocking me. I fumed at the system for a second but looked at the stat multipliers if the charm was 5 times more my original stat is 5 and if 10 is the average. Then I normally had half the charm of a normal person.

The only stats that qualified as average were intelligence, vitality, and sense. So even though I'm a bit upset it pointed out my flaws I know that I don't have any room to complain. I look away from my status screen back up at the tv.

{The Rules of engagement will be explained momentarily as players have been given adequate time to study individual status sheets}

The screen faded and stopped updating after the last line like a slide show fading into a new slide.

{For those Who are unfamiliar With the Game of chess it is a game where two individuals face off a set of pieces on a 64-piece board each person has sixteen pieces and of those they have a king, a queen, 2 bishops, 2 knights 2 rooks and 8 pawns.}

{In Chess your objective is to Kill the Opposing king.}

{In this game alongside the objective there will be a secondary object of clearing all the monsters of the 24-floor tower in the center of the game.}

{Our game will be played in the land of Irtandia, irtandia's both beautiful and deadly each participant will be given a starter weapon and 1 gold piece each person besides the kings they will then perform duties/deeds to unlock their classes.}

(The Kings will need to recruit 15 people to be in their court while the participants outside of the court will still be able to be strong the growth of the people in the court will be faster and it will be necessary for both kings to build their court to ascend the tower.}

{they will also be able to access other abilities that lie in their class set that were previously unavailable.}

{The two Kingdoms will be.

The Kingdom of the Light

The Kingdom of the Dark}

{Each floor of the tower will have an increased Difficulty.}

{The Tower must be cleared inside of five years, or all participants forfeit and there will be dire CONSEQUENCES.}

{If The Tower is Cleared and Both Kings are alive, all Participants forfeit and there will be dire CONSEQUENCES.}

{IF the Tower is Cleared correctly and a side Wins the game that side will keep and Rewards and be able to return to before you were selected for candidacy}

{Players should check Inventory for Starter Supplies Concluding Rules of Engagement}

{Good Luck}

As I finished the last two words the screen disappears leaving me to my thoughts in the now again poorly lit room. I try to process everything. If this really was like an RPG then this would mean this is like the open story quest that all players need to achieve. He could understand the necessity of knowing this, but he also needs to focus on survival.

I think I'm going to put the whole kingdom on the back burner for now I mean that's more of a luxury anyway I must make sure I survive the first day in this new place much less I can make it out of this ridiculous situation.

At this point, it's 50/50 that I'm just in my own head and I've gone bonkers but honestly, even though I dig nerdy crap I don't have enough imagination to imagine this. I steel myself for a second. I push my fear down into a little, tiny box and stand up straight. As I do the door of the room opens up creepily there is no light escaping from outside the room. It's like something is telling me I can leave now.

"Fuck it" I mutter as I inch towards the door every step I move more confidently, and my posture straightening let a small smirk get on my face and I think of my family and my friend and say "It's Cinco de Mayo