Christopher Day woke up feeling light. The election was today, and he was certain that as the sun rose over Buckhannon, so too would the collective anger of a town betrayed. He had done it. He had committed political suicide.
He lay in bed for a few minutes, picturing the chaos unfolding on the Upshur County Community Forum. He imagined the headlines, the angry all-caps posts from Gary L., the disappointed-but-understanding rebukes from Brenda G. His supporters, who had championed Bucky Watcher as an anti-establishment folk hero, would be waking up to the news that their champion had secretly donated money to Ralph Hardwick—the least popular, swampiest creature in the local political ecosystem.
The betrayal and backlash would be severe. His approval rating would plummet well below the 10% threshold required by his [Campaign Trail] quest. He would fail the quest, take the hit to his [Community Standing], and finally, finally, be free from this nightmare. The thought of failure was wonderful. He felt like a prisoner who had successfully dug the final inch of his escape tunnel.
He stretched, his muscles still pleasantly sore from his new workout routine, and rolled out of bed with an energy he hadn't felt in weeks. He was so confident in his clever self-sabotage that he didn't even check his phone. He decided to savor the victory first. He would go into the kitchen, pour himself a bowl of cereal, and then he would log on to read the burning wreckage of his own political campaign.
He shuffled into the kitchen, a small, knowing smile on his face, feeling like the cleverest man in West Virginia. Pete was already at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. He wasn't scowling at the news. He wasn't muttering about the price of lumber. He was shaking his head with an impressed grin, a look of admiration on his face.
"Misty, you will not believe what that Bucky Watcher fella pulled last night," Pete said, taking a sip of his coffee. He chuckled. "I gotta admit, I misjudged him. The man is a stone-cold genius."
Chris froze, his hand halfway to the box of Froot Loopers on top of the refrigerator. The smile on his face faltered. Genius? That wasn't the word he was expecting. The words he was expecting were "sellout," "traitor," and "hypocrite."
"What did he do now?" Misty asked from the counter, where she was packing her lunch for the day. "Did he team up with the Pothole Phantom and fix bunch of potholes?"
"Nah, better," Pete said, turning his phone around to show her the screen. "He went and donated two hundred and fifty bucks to Ralph Hardwick's campaign. Anonymously, of course, but he left a note."
Misty looked confused. "He gave money to Ralph Hardwick? The man who was practically Mayor Thompson's lapdog? Why would he do that? That sounds... corrupt."
"That's what I thought at first, too!" Pete said, his voice full of excitement. "But then I read the comments. You're not thinking three steps ahead, Misty. That's why Bucky's playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers."
A sick feeling began to spread through Chris's stomach. He slowly lowered his arm from the cereal box. His plan, his beautiful, self-destructive plan, was starting to feel very wrong. He fumbled for his own phone, dread building with every passing second.
He opened the Upshur County Community Forum. The entire feed was dominated by the story. The headline from the Record Delta blared at him: "MYSTERY DONATION ROCKS MAYORAL RACE ON ELECTION EVE." The story detailed how an anonymous donation of $250 had been made to Ralph Hardwick's campaign yesterday evening, with a note simply saying, "A donation from Bucky Watcher."
Chris scrolled past the article itself to the comment section. His eyes immediately found the top comment, the one with hundreds of likes and shares, the one that was setting the narrative for the entire town. It was from Jessica Lange.
[Jessica Lange]: "Guys, think about it for a second! You're not seeing the big picture here! This isn't Bucky supporting Hardwick. This is Bucky exposing how easy it is for anonymous dark money to influence our politics! He used Hardwick as an example to show us that the whole system is broken. He proved that anyone can buy influence. It's a brilliant move to show us why we need real reform! He's playing 4D chess!"
Chris read the comment once. Twice. No. No, that's not what I meant. I was just trying to lose.
He scrolled further, watching as the rest of the town eagerly and enthusiastically adopted Jessica's interpretation. His act of sabotage hadn't been seen as sabotage at all. It had been re-contextualized as an intellectual piece of performance art.
[Gary L.]: "SHE'S RIGHT! I DIDN'T SEE IT AT FIRST BUT IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE! BUCKY WATCHER IS EXPOSING THE ROTTEN CORE OF THE SYSTEM! HE USED HARDWICK'S OWN GREED AGAINST HIM! GENIUS!"
[Tim M.]: "I gotta say, I was skeptical of the deer thing. But this? This is next-level political maneuvering. He didn't just win the debate by not showing up, he won the election by funding his opponent."
The final, devastating blow came from Brenda G., whose post cemented the narrative.
[Brenda G.]: "I knew it! Only someone that clever could have uncovered who pulled off the musket heist all those years ago. It all makes sense now. Bucky Watcher isn't just a folk hero; he's a strategist. He's showing us the problems instead of just telling us about them. It all makes sense now. We need that kind of big-brain thinking in City Hall. My vote is more certain than ever."
Bucky Watcher was no longer just a beloved folk hero. He was now a revered political mastermind, a silent, deer-faced genius who saw all the angles.
The other campaigns, predictably, imploded under the weight of this new narrative. Ralph Hardwick, in a state of panic, issued a frantic press release first thing in the morning. He vehemently denied any knowledge of the donation and publicly stated that he would be returning the $250 immediately.
The forum's reaction was swift and merciless.
[BucNuts82]: "LOL, Hardwick returning the money now that he got caught. Too late, buddy. Bucky already exposed you."
[WV_Mom_of_3]: "So let me get this straight. Hardwick's campaign is so desperate for cash that a surprise $250 donation throws his entire operation into chaos? And this guy wants to manage the town budget? Hard pass."
Milla Slater and Skip Jenkins, seeing the writing on the wall, hadn't even bothered to issue statements. Their social media feeds had gone silent. There was no recovery from this. Bucky Watcher hadn't just defeated them; he had lapped them on the final turn.
Chris stared at the screen, numb shock settling over him. His final attempt to fail had backfired into a political triumph.
As he was processing this victory, his HUD chimed. It was an almost mocking sound. A new notification appeared, updating his quest log.
[Quest Update: Campaign Trail]
[Voter Approval: 90% (Status: Unassailable)]
[System Note: User has successfully executed a high-risk/high-reward political maneuver, resulting in the neutralization of all competing candidates.]
[Bonus: +50 XP Awarded for 'Creative Political Strategy']
The System had given him bonus XP for successfully sabotaging himself.
Chris let his phone clatter to the table. He put his head in his hands, the world closing in around him. He heard Pete in the living room, telling Misty, "I'm telling you, honey, this Bucky Watcher is exactly what this town needs. A real outside-the-box thinker."
He looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. 6:58 AM. The polls opened in two minutes. There were no more moves to make. There were no more tricks to try.