War Geek Doomed To Conquer

"Death is not a misfortune but an opportunity," echoed a raspy, ominous voice.

Clouds surrounded his brain, and glimpses of a dream flashed before him; however, they were all distorted to the point that it triggered dizziness.

Conrad awoke to this disturbed voice and instinctively jolted up from his bed. Once his eyes began to notice his surroundings, he realised no one was in his room, and even more peculiarly, he wasn't even in his own room. 

The trash-filled, cramped apartment that reeked of depression was Conrad's safe space, and now he found himself in a foreign environment. A colourless and simplistic room that felt empty due to the large space and light furnishing. 

Conrad's once pale and overweight figure now felt lighter and weaker. It was as if he had lost all his weight overnight, and his body couldn't cope. Looking at his arms, Conrad's had begun to spin. The once fat and flabby arms he had were now almost twigs. His wide frame now felt narrow, and oddly enough, he felt taller than he once was.

Feeling disoriented and in need of fresh air, Conrad staggered to the one window in his room. The sun was the only source of illumination in the dull room. Once at the window, colour began to drain from Conrad's already colourless body. 

Outside was a dying garden with two skinny fellows walking whilst holding Muskets. They had tattered black pants and worn-out blue shirts.

"Muskets! Where the hell am I? Is this some shitty reenactment because those soldiers look like knockoff French soldiers" Conrad muttered to himself.

As someone who lived a life of unemployment, Conrad had time to take an interest in history. More specifically, Napoleonic era history.

Slightly panicking, Conrad looked for the door to find out more about this baffling situation. Again, he staggered towards the door, almost reaching out for the handle. But then 'click', the door handle wriggled and the door began to fly open.

In barges, this unimpressed maid looked like she was forced to come in. Breezing past Conrad, she went to close the window he had previously opened, completely ignoring him. Slamming it shut, she then turned to leave, but she suddenly stopped and looked at Conrad.

Her jaw dropped, and her eyes looked like they'd fall out of her head. 

"Young Lord? You are awake? When?" She questioned flusteredly 

"Huh, you are talking to me, right?" Conrad retorted.

"Of course, I am Young Lord. You are the only one in here, and I doubt there is anyone else called Victor Luxenberg."

"Pardon? What did you say my name was again?" Conrad said with a face twisted in confusion.

"Seriously? Victor Luxenberg. Eldest Son of Vipon Luxenberg and his first wife Vaella Cassell." The maid said with a perplexed face. 

'Has the Young Lord lost the plot or suffered memory loss?' she thought. 

Doubt began to invade Conrad's thoughts. Something was seriously wrong, and yet it seemed like the only thing odd in this place was him. Realising that dealing with this maid wasn't going anywhere, he had to collect his thoughts some more and figure out what the hell was going on.

"Thank you for your answer, madam. If you don't mind, could you leave me for a moment? I feel a bit tired." Conrad asked calmly. 

Although he had not interacted with many people in recent years, Conrad was at least capable to be polite and hold a small conversation. However, due to his lack of confidence and his appearance, he was more of the reclusive type. 

"Certain Young Lord, I shall return later this evening with your supper." Courteously said the maid.

Just like that, she left, closing the door gently. Unlike her entrance, it seemed her whole mood changed in an instant when she saw Conrad. 

Left alone with his thoughts, Conrad sat on the edge of the bed and began to replay his encounter with the maid. 

'This whole situation is fucked. Why does she treat me like a noble? Why does she insist I'm this Victor Luxenberg fellow? Where the fuck am I?

Glancing up in front of him, he noticed a small mirror on the table in front of him. Curious about why he felt unusually weak, he once again staggered across the room to this crude-looking table. 

Dusty and slightly cracked, Conrad picked up the handheld mirror and blew away the dust.

Gazing upon the mirror, Conrad's face turned white. The once chubby cheeks he had grown accustomed to stuffing food in were no more. His acne-infested face was clear, and the once murky brown eyes of his were now a light shade of blue.

His greasy and unruly black hair was now an elegant purple, although it was flowing all the way down his bony back. 

Flabbergasted, Conrad could only stare. Whether it was astonishment or utter confusion, Conrad's eyes didn't leave the mirror. He could only marvel at the image that appeared before him. Although he looked malnourished, he looked like one of those pop stars you see on social media.

While lost in thought, a blue illuminating screen flashed before Conrad, its appearance was so sudden that it almost made Conrad stumble backwards. 

Regaining some composure, Conrad began to study the blue screen in front of him. It was about the size of his PC monitor but translucent. You could stick your hand through it, and it didn't disturb it whatsoever. 

On the screen read ' Congratulations on completing your introductory quest: Who Am I?'

Once reading it, another screen flashed on top of it. 

'Here are your rewards for completing this quest. Tap to claim.' 

Hesitant but curious, Conrad tapped the weird floating screen in front of him.

As soon as Conrad's finger touched the screen, his head began to feel a sharp throbbing pain all around. It was like a migraine on steroids. All these fragments of memories flooded into him. Conrad's physical and mental strength was not well equipped for such sudden and violent pain. 

Grasping his head, Conrad dropped to the floor, squirming frantically. What felt like hours was only 3 minutes before the pain began to subside. As Conrad lay on the floor, aimlessly staring at the ceiling, he began to settle down and quickly another message appeared in front of him. 

'Congratulations, you have claimed the following rewards: Victor Luxenberg's memories. A 1000 store points and a 10-man bodyguard unit summon.'

Overwhelmed, Conrad couldn't begin to comprehend all the memories he had just absorbed. Depression, inferiority, and loneliness were but a few of the feelings that took control over Conrad's emotions. 

"Victor, you poor soul, how harshly have you lived," Conrad whispered, holding back the storm of tears brewing in his eyes.