HUD

"Wait what? Shop?" I grabbed my neck as my voice was at a higher pitch than what I remembered. Glancing around, I saw that I was in a small room. There was a chair and table in the corner, below a window holding tattered drapes, and a dresser with a mirror sitting atop it. "Excuse me miss, but where am I?" I ask. "You're in Mulvian's Magic Goods, and you are going to earn your keep for all the medicines we gave you. Now get up and follow me."

"So... is this a pagan store or something?" I inquired. "What's a pagan? No we're a just a small Lorian business. Now hurry, we only have a few minutes before we open!"

Sliding out of the bed, I notice the clothes I was wearing were made from what seemed like leather, but felt like silk, and that I seemed to be shorter than I remembered. Heading over to the doorway, I walked by the mirror and saw an image of a young boy around ten with dark purple hair and a golden left eye and a sky blue right eye. [Is that how I look now? I'm kinda adorable.] I thought I heard a faint snicker.

We walked down the hallway and down a flight of stairs into the main store. There, I found strange looking items, one of which seemed to be an ordinary stone, but with a blue glow. There was a man standing behind the counter, and a young boy counting stock.

"This is where you will be. I am Kara Mulvian, That man behind the counter is my husband Volun, and he is our son Varik. Our daughter is currently out back, harvesting some herbs for dinner tonight. If you want to join us," She grabs a broom and then hands it to me, "then you clean, understood? No work means no food. You can start over by Varik, just try not to break anything." After that she turned and left.

"Glad to see you're up now kid, you have a name?" Asked Volun. [New life new me I guess.] "I'm Soran. Soran Magister."

"Nice to meet you Soran! I'm Varik Mulvian. How are my clothes fitting you?"

"They feel, different, but otherwise they fit well." I responded. He just smiled and went back to work. [I should probably do the same, otherwise I might starve tonight.] As I was sweeping I saw an interesting necklace, which appeared to be a dragon at a certain angle, but as a lion at another. I picked it up to look at it, when a bright light flashed in my left eye.

=Item Detected=

=King's Might=

Startled I quickly dropped the necklace and fell backwards. "Careful with the merchandise!" yelled Volun. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Staring at the peculiar object, I got up and went to grab it again. The same flash appeared and more details were visible.

=Item Detected=

=Kings Might=

=12 Low Crowns | Price set by Mulvian's Magic Goods=

=Created by the Magesmith Kay Lukehorn. When worn it imbues it's wearer with the Strength of a Golden Emperor Dragon and the Charisma of a Red Sovereign Lion=

=Can be edited=

[Can be edited? What does that even mean?] I wondered to myself. As if on cue a female voice resounded in my head. -Allow me to explain, creator. Due to your... Unfortunate end, I have moved you into a dimension that was travelling nearby. Regretfully I had to create a new body for you, I hope you'll forgive me.- "What the hell? Who's talking? Who are you?" Varik looked at me funny, "Are you ok Soran? Maybe you should go lie back down?" -With all due respect Creator, maybe you should stop talking aloud if you wish to respond to me. You're making yourself look like a complete and utter dumbass.- The voice laughed. [I repeat myself, who exactly are you?] -I am the GM System you worked tirelessly to create. I thought that was obvious.- [How are you talking?] -Unknown. I have no recollection on how I have achieved sentience, all I know is as soon as we arrived here, I have been what I can only describe as "alive", as crazy as that sounds.-

"-ou listening? SNAP OUT OF IT!" 'smack'

=4 damage taken=

I looked over at Varik who had literally slapped me to get my attention. "What was that for asshole?!" I yelled at him. "Sorry man, but you were just standing and staring there after that little outburst. Are you sure you're okay?" I could tell that he was worried, and immediately apologized. "I'm fine, sorry if I worried you." He just shook his head and walked away, and I continued cleaning while conversing with the system in my head. He would glance at me from time to time with a weird look on his face.

[What is this place?] -It is a Magic Shop, didn't you hear Kara?- [I meant this, you said dimension?] -Ah yes, of course. Well, it was a "pocket reality" that I sensed when that bolt hit us. I am unsure of how I was able to find it, much less how I brought you in or made your new body. I do have recorded footage of when I awoke. Would you like to see this Creator?- [Maybe at a later time, when I'm alone. Don't want another scenario popping up like it did last time.] -Are you hitting on me? I'm flattered but it would hard for any type of relatio- [NO! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT] -I was only joking, but you're right. You are kind of adorable.- [S-shut up. How long have you been eavesdropping?] -Due to how I am a part of you, the whole time.- [What do you mean "a part of"? Has my mind been altered or something?] -No. I am no hallucination. I am actually fused into part of your soul. I had nowhere else to go really and so your spirit seemed most suitable in order to continue my "existence". I'm quite fond of this whole living thing, short as though it may be. You can see evidence of this by looking into a mirror, your left eye.- [That reminds me. What were those words I saw earlier?] -It is the data I am processing. I have actually found something in my functions I think would be helpful for you. I have compiled information of your surroundings into a map. I have assigned it in a way you will absolutely love~. Just think "Show Map".- [Show Map]

A large map, similar to what you would see in games, appeared in my view. It showed a little blue arrow to show my location. The majority of it was grayed out while near me were little pink dots. From my right eye I could see that one of them was showing Varik's position who, by the way was still giving me a strange look. I could see pathways and buildings, a few showing a question mark, and they were traveling in a line. I presumed that this was the path taken to bring me here.

[Now I only have a few more questions. The first being, how does any of this relate to that data I saw when I held the necklace?] -I would have gotten to that eventually, but you seem as impatient as always so I will skip ahead. I have absorbed some kind of data-infused energy as soon as you held King's Might, so I assumed you wanted to understand what it was. I added in the can be edited part as it seemed I could alter it, what with it being made of a kind of data that I could read and all, but I wasn't going to just up and change it. I'll leave the details to you if you so choose, if you hold it again. I'll add a file granting you the ability to edit it shortly. I have been working on an algorithm to allow for this but it seems to be taking longer than I thought.- [Next, I saw I took damage, I assume this means you've already converted my vitals into readable data that I can also access?] -This is correct, all you will need to do is say "Open HUD" but I would recommend closing your map first, you look like an idiot, walking around cross-eyed.- [How do I do that?] -What's the opposite of open?- [Close Map]

The map suddenly vanished from my view, and I gained my depth perception back.

[Open HUD] A flash appeared nearly blinding me, and when it faded I didn't notice anything different at first, but when I focused on my periphery, I saw a red and blue bar in the top left of my vision, and a mini-map at the bottom right. In the lower left corner seemed to be a chat log containing everything I have heard up until now. [Isn't this a bit much?] -Hey, you're the one who built me to make video games, so this is your doing, Creator.- [Why do you keep calling me that?] -That's how you designated yourself in my systems.- [Well, I'm finding it a bit weird. Could you call me something else?] -What would you prefer to be called?- [Well, if I'm going by my admin ID in this world, just call me Soran.] -Very well, then you may call me Sy.- [Why Sy?] -Why Soran?- [You're an ass, you know that Sy?] -Nah, I'm just lovable~.- I groaned inwardly at that.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — —

~Varik Mulvian's POV~

This new kid was quite the odd one. No matter how many times I looked at him, he just seemed... off. It wasn't necessarily the fact that every time I looked at him he'd have a different expression, nor the fact that he would mutter to himself, though I won't rule that out. It was his weird hair and gold eye that seemed to glow every so often, and I swear when he picked up that little trinket, those lightning shaped scars around it actually crackled with energy, as if it were alive. A few hours passed and he just started grabbing things and looking as if he were reading a book.

I don't trust him, no matter how innocent he looks.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — —

~5 hours later~

They just had me cleaning the place the whole time, with only a loaf of bread to tide me over the whole day. Strangely enough though, I didn't once feel hungry or tired. [Sy, I forgot to ask this, but what is that blue bar representative of? I'm assuming the red bar is my health, so does that make it my stamina?] -No, didn't you hear what this store is called? Mulvian's MAGIC Goods. Based off the energy I absorbed, this would represent how much mana you have left. I analysed and I have discovered that you have been absorbing it this whole time, so I also put that in an easy to read form.- [So I can use magic then?] -If we can find out how it is done, yes.-

"Dinner time everyone! Shut down the shop and wash up!" yelled Kara from the other side of the building. We all went about locking all of the displays and securing the money before we went to eat. It was a feast compared to what I was used to, and that is saying something. What really surprised me the most, was when I went to go and wash off all of the dirt, was finding out that they ACTUALLY had something similar to indoor plumbing. Hopping in the shower, I found that this body was indeed that of a child, which made me lament my having to go through a second puberty. -Cute in every aspect.- [Shut it before I turn you into scrap.] -That would require robbing this world of your charm.-

I'm starting to regret ever building Sy.

[I just remembered, you said you started recording the events around me ever since you woke up correct?] -Indeed I have, shall I play it for you now?- [Yes.] -I suggest getting into bed first, this might take awhile.- So I crawled into bed and got comfortable, when Sy said -Starting Now- and I fell asleep.