"See ya' later, kid, get some rest." The boss of the convenience store called out behind him. Halfheartedly waving, Gabriel clutched a salad tightly in his hands, making sure it didn't fall. Inhaling a deep breath of the fresh night air, he walked over to sit on his favorite bench next to the door and eat his food in peace. Of course, because he could never have good things in life, as soon as he sat down, the world around him swayed, and his vision faded to black.
There was a wooden table in front of him when his vision returned…there was no way he had fallen asleep at a table; he didn't own one. And looking around, this definitely wasn't his house. Maybe he'd been kidnapped? No, no way, it's not like he was important or good-looking enough to be a kidnapping victim. At least, that's how he thought these things worked. Also, it was with great disappointment that he noted his salad was missing.
Before he could get too into his own thoughts, a glowing box popped up before him. It was a bright blue with cheery white letters spelling out his eternal doom. The bright light beamed into his eyes and forced him to squint until his eyes got used to it. Once he could actually see, he scanned the letters for any information he could get about where he was.
Hello and Welcome to the Tower, Player 001! I am the System, and you have been chosen to participate in the first-ever instance of the Tower. The Tower is a place where all your wishes come true, provided, of course, that you make it through all fifteen Floors. You are currently on the first Floor. The premise is simple: survive for five days. Good luck!
And just like that, as soon as he finished reading, the wall of text disappeared. Ugh. Letting out a frustrated growl, he switched focus; it was better not to dwell on it, not worth his time. Instead, he chose to look around the area. The walls were wooden, a lighter brown color with a dark trim, and he was standing in the middle of what seemed to be a kitchen. There was no fridge, and everything inside was crudely made. In the midst of investigating, he scratched vigorously at his arms. Were his clothes always this itchy? Upon looking down…
What am I wearing?
It was an uncomfortable old white shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows and rough brown overalls. They were ugly, itchy, and coarse, and frankly, he wanted to toss them to the floor. But unfortunately, he didn't have much of a choice, considering he had no idea where his actual clothes were! So he ignored it in favor of wandering through the rest of the house. Poking around, he found a fireplace, and through the door to the left was a hallway. There were three doors leading from the hallway; peering through one revealed a small bathroom and a wooden toilet designed like an outhouse. How was he even supposed to use that?
The other doors revealed a simple bedroom for one and a workshop with countless half-finished wooden figurines scattered about, along with countless tools. With the house significantly scoured for the time being, it was time to head outside. No way was he going to spend his time twiddling his thumbs inside. Pushing his way outside, he was immediately blinded by bright sunlight. Rubbing at his eyes to try and reduce at least some of the pain. When he could finally see again, his eyes were greeted by a bustling village.
People were milling about, doing their day-to-day work, but what really stood out to him were a few other curious and confused people, all with glowing blue text above their heads. There were about nine of them in total, each one had 'Player' written above their head, with numbers ranging from two to nine. So he wasn't the only one stuck here then, that was a relief. Stepping toward the nearest one, he wasn't able to get very far before he was interrupted as someone threw an arm around his shoulder, freezing him in place.
Why is this person touching me?
"What're ya' doin', Gabe? Don' be tryin'a skip out on work, ya' hear me. Ya' got lots to do today. Can' believe you, of all people, slept in, hahaha!" A gruff man with a boisterous laugh was leading him in another direction.
"Haha, yeah, you know me. Such an early bird!" He chuckles awkwardly. Mentally, he was screaming. Should he just follow the man? Let him lead him around to who knows where? This was how people got murdered. But, against his better judgment, he followed the strange man until they ended up in front of a carpenter's shop.
You have taken the role of the village's carpenter!
The System 'helpfully' blinks into appearance before just as quickly disappearing again. Glaring at the spot it was previously occupying, his eye twitches.
"Well, have a grea' day! Make sure ya' finish my chair grahahahaha!" The strange man claps him on the back, releasing Gabriel from his grasp, whistling as he leaves and giving no further instructions. He almost reaches out for the man, pathetically wishing for some kind of instruction. The inside of the shop is a complete disaster. There are countless unfinished wooden items strewn about, and the requests of the villagers are strung up on the wall. There are a multitude of tools, none of which Gabriel has any idea how to use. His eye twitches again.
Oh god, this is a nightmare.
Have no fear, Player, as the System, I am here to make sure everything is run fairly. So I will helpfully provide instructions on how you can do your job most splendidly!
Ha, like he'd believe that for a second. It was all moving too fast; he didn't even have a chance to get his bearings about him before he suddenly had to perform the job of a well-seasoned carpenter. Maybe it was all a dream, and he would wake up in his bed or on the bench with his salad in hand. Yeah right. Still, it was better to be compliant until he had more information.
The Systems instructions were…lackluster, to put it nicely. All it gave him were confusing manuals leading to a lot of trial and error, fiddling around with different tools in the shop. This led to several new cuts on his hands; he made sure to curse the System out each time. But he did eventually fulfill one of the previous requests, albeit a highly butchered version of it. Really, it was supposed to be a chair, but it looked more like some sort of sleep paralysis demon. Somehow, the client didn't seem to notice when they came in to retrieve it. One thing that was a bit worrying was the high number of coffins requested. Every other request on the board was for one. Did everyone just decide to die all at once?
It was about midday when he threw in the towel. Carpentry work was not fun, and he was hungry. Stomach rumbling, his old salad wistfully called out to him from beyond the veil. Should he head back to the house he woke up in and find some food? Maybe there was a restaurant…scratch that, did he even have enough money? It was while he was overthinking that somebody entered the shop, only he didn't see her until she was right in front of him, effectively startling him, causing him to jump about five feet in the air.
"Oh my god, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He wheezed, a hand placed on his chest.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She giggled. She had short black hair with two longer strands flowing behind her and dark grey eyes enveloped by a pair of black glasses. She was wearing a black Priest's robe, and above her head were the words 'Player 002'.
"Ah, you're…" He trails off as he stares up at the glowing Player tag.
"Ahem, yes, hello. Geez, I've been walking around all morning, my feet really hurt and…" She drops into a long-winded tangent, mostly said under her breath, leaving Gabriel to just sit there while she talks, completely clocked out. After it's clear she's not going to stop any time soon, he interrupts her.
"Right, so do you know anything about what's going on right now?" Gabriel presses.
"Ah! Uhm, nope, not a thing." She sighed before continuing, "I've been talking to some of the other…uhm, Players? And they all happened to say the same thing, they showed up here randomly out of nowhere, same for you, I'm guessing?" The woman replies, and he nods in confirmation.
"Oh, geez, where are my manners? I'm Dahlia, nice to meet you." The woman, Dahlia, sticks her hand out politely, and he carefully takes it, shaking it as he replies, "I'm Gabriel."
"I've been walking around all morning because everyone else got carried away to their jobs. I don't have to work like the rest of you all since the System said I was a pastor, apparently I just have to lead a sermon on Sunday." Dahlia chats with a relaxed look on her face. She's rambling again; it seems she has a penchant for it.
"Ah, that reminds me, one of the other Players, someone named Maria, overheard a bit of gossip from the villagers. Apparently, there have been a few deaths in the village lately. Some villagers think it could be an epidemic, but so far it's just been older folks, so they aren't too worried. I don't really get what's so important about it, but she told me to tell everyone else, so…" Dahlia shrugs like it wasn't a big deal, despite finally giving him some information to work with.
"...Earlier, I was working on some of the requests that the villagers had made. Some of them were coffins." He reveals, and Dahlia's eyes widen comically large.
"Then…do you think it could have something to do with why the System said…survive?" She asks.
"I don't know, maybe? It would be just my luck to be dumped in some sort of horror survival game." He grumbles.
"Tonight, I think we should have a meeting. My house was pretty big, so we'll meet there. Can I count on you?" Dahlia probes.
"Mn, sure," He answers, and Dahlia smiles.
"Great. See you there then." She waves as she leaves, and he is once again left to his own devices. There were a lot of questions he wanted answers to, but currently…well, it was best to just focus on what's in front of him. He was trapped by a mysterious System in a Tower, and he had to 'survive' for five days. With the coffins and news of an epidemic, none of it painted a pretty picture.
By the time he had his head sorted, his lunch break was officially over. Highlighted by the new stream of villagers entering his shop with requests. Some had to be completed by a certain time, and with the System flashing in his vision with more manuals, it was just better to go along with it. Exhaustion clung to him, weighing down his steps and thoughts. Deciphering the complicated instructions the System gave him, along with an empty stomach, had him dead on his feet. But…he didn't come out of it with nothing.
"Hey, did you hear about that Night Merchant? He strolled into the village just the other day and is acting like some sort of king. Sleeping all day and only selling his wares at night, pah! That's what I call a bad work ethic."
"Now, now, Hector. You're only mad because you're afraid he might take away all your business if he stays."
"Huh?! Where'd you hear that from? That's hearsay!"
"Just admit it, I saw you checking out some of his stuff just the other night. You even talked to his assistant!"
"W-well, I…look, let's not talk about this in front of anyone else. Ahem."
Huh, guess this job wasn't as useless as he thought! Still, his body was begging him to rest or eat some food, preferably both. So he closed up shop and hoped he remembered where his house was. While walking, he had the opportunity to check out the village, and looking at it, the village was picturesque. The houses and shops made of wood and stone are packed together. The dense forest surrounding it, and a small trail leads to a church sitting up on a hill. It would've felt beautiful if it weren't for the aching feeling of dread and a false sense of security that swirled within him anytime he spent too long staring.
It probably took him way too long to find his house, but the village was very pretty, so sue him if he took the scenic route. Not only that, but he was also pretty bad with directions, so he got turned around quite a bit. Upon finally reaching it, though, he was prepared to relax and eat. Dahlia told him to come over, but she never actually told him where her house was. Maybe that meant he didn't have to go? If she asked, he could just give her that excuse.
Unfortunately, the universe has other plans. Right as he was about to enter his house, someone tapped his shoulder. She had a stern and wrinkled face, with light brown hair tied in a low bun, and was wearing a blue dress with a white bow on it. Above her head, it read Player 009.
"You're the last one." She said bluntly and grabbed his arm, dragging him inside the other house.
Nooo, whyyy.
Mentally, he reached for his door, but externally, he kept his face carefully blank. There were a multitude of people already inside the house, some were standing, others sitting, and the rest were leaning against the wall. Dahlia was standing at the end of a long rectangular table. With no other choice, he grabbed the seat opposite her; there was no way he was going to stand. The room was incredibly tense; nobody spoke, and everyone had a grim expression.
"Uhm, ahem, well, I believe the first thing we should do is introduce ourselves. I'm Dahlia, as you all probably know. How about you next?" Dahlia starts out nervously, but she slowly gains her confidence before pointing over to a girl with long red hair, glasses, a headband, and wearing a neat black dress with a brown vest over the top. The words above her head read out Player 003.
"O-oh, my name is Cassidy, nice to meet you." She stutters out, making a bowing motion before carefully aborting it in favor of a nervous wave. The woman standing next to her sighs before stepping forward.
"Name's Maria." She had short brown hair in a ponytail and was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt top with a long black skirt tucked underneath. She had Player 004 written neatly above.
"Katherine." The woman from the door speaks up.
"I am Stephen. I hope we can get along." A man with black hair that was gelled back and wearing a black vest over a white shirt, introduced himself formally. He was Player 005.
"I'm Marcella. I like baking but not cooking, though I can cook, and love looking at pictures of bunnies." She had curly black hair and was wearing a long green dress with a white apron. Player 008.
"Take this seriously, we're not introducing ourselves to the class. I'm Joseph." A man with short black hair and glasses wearing a grey suit scolded Marcella. Player 007.
"Well, now, why don't we all calm down? There's no need to start fights. My name is Charles." An older man with white hair and a mustache waved his arms in a calming manner. He was wearing a traditional black suit. Player 006. If he was being honest, Gabriel had zoned out about halfway through the introductions. So when it was a bit too silent, he turned back from where he was looking out the window to find the entire room staring at him.
"Ahem, I'm Gabriel." He says. Luckily, nobody calls him out on it, and instead, the room falls into silence once more, as nobody seems to know where to start talking. Eventually, Dahlia clears her throat and starts the conversation back up.
"Right, well, I called this meeting so we could talk about our situation a bit. I'm sure everyone has heard there is a bit of an epidemic going around in the village. I think we should try to figure out what we can about that to ensure our immediate safety."
"Why are you just going along with this? Shouldn't we be trying to find out who put us here? Maybe it was one of you, or this is all some horrible prank or dream?" Joseph questions, acid in his voice as he glares around the room in suspicion.
"Because if we get started on questions like that, we'll be here forever. There are a million possible solutions to why we are here, and we have no information to go on. What we do have is a System telling us to survive for five days and a potential epidemic. So you can either help us, or stop whining and shut up." Maria bites back, and Joseph looks sufficiently cowed.
Heh
"So, with that being said, does anyone have any information that could be helpful?" Dahlia carefully steers the conversation back on track.
"There's a Night Merchant who showed up recently." Gabriel offers.
"Oh, I think I heard somebody talking about that!" Cassidy brightens up, but blushes when everyone in the room turns to look at her.
"I also heard about this Night Merchant. A majority of the village seems to be of a split opinion. Some think the wares he sells are wonderful, while others want to run him out of town, thinking he might be here to steal business." Stephen adds.
"Right, okay, does anyone else have anything to add?" Dahlia's eyes roam the room, but not a single person makes a peep.
"Well then, seems like it's the perfect time to do an investigation," Maria says, the harsh smile on her face easily betraying the amount of excitement she feels for the situation. Yikes.
"Ah, before we do that, can I get some dinner?" Gabriel pipes up, raising his hand in the air to interrupt. The collective group blinks for a second before a few mutters of, "Yeah," and, "Me too," follow behind. Thank god, he was getting really hungry, and it'd be embarrassing if his stomach rumbled in the middle of this meeting.
"Before we all start rushing off, though, shouldn't we decide what we're going to investigate?" Charles blurts out, stopping Gabriel before he has the chance to rise out of his chair.
Tsk
"Isn't it obvious? The Night Merchant and the mysterious epidemic." Joseph scoffs, his voice condescending. He must be very brave to say all that within punching distance.
"B-but we can't do both at once." Cassidy squeaks out.
"What part of my words implie-!" A harsh glare from Maria shuts up Joseph. A punch would've been better.
"What. Did. I. Say?" She grits out each word.
"Now, now. We don't need to be fighting here. We have bigger things to worry about. Let's table the discussion for now and come back after everyone's had something to eat; that'll make everyone less cranky." Marcella begins to urge everyone out with careful hands.
Finally.
Taking the chance, he darts out the door, the thought of food making his mouth water.