"Are you kidding me? These apples cost a copper penny just last week and now they are up to three copper pennies? I can get two apricots for just 2 pennies!"
"And how are you going to bake apple tarts with apricots?", Archie responded, smirking at the baker. The bakers of Maidenpool came to Archie almost daily. Lord Mooton's favorite dessert were apple tarts. Story goes he first tried them during Robert's rebellion and couldn't look at riverland desserts the same way ever since. They had no other way but to buy from Archie. His family was given the apple orchards three generations ago, long before the apple became the most sought after fruit in Maidenpool. His father had died during the rebellion, when he was seven and ever since, his mother and he were looking after the orchard.
"Fine, I need ten apples", the Chef looked pissed. Archie didn't know why. Lord Mooton spent golden dragons in the whorehouses. It was comical to Archie, spending multiple gold dragons in one night but being stingy about a few copper pennies.
Archie furrowed his brows. 3 copper pennies per apple, three apples… that would be… 30 copper pennies or… "Three copper stars, one groat and one half groat"
Yes Archie knew his numbers, he had to, he had to make sure he sold his goods at the proper prices. His family couldn't afford to hemorrhage money. He could read too, he was bad at it but 'bad at reading' was still better than not being able to read at all.
The chef grumbled a few curses under his breath and counted out his money, placing ten apples in his basket.
Archie happily took the money and put it into his pouch. Looking up into the sky, it was getting dark. His mother would have food ready any moment now. He picked up his baskets with apples -only four apples left, today had been a good day- and walked through the streets of the city, deciding to take a shortcut to the gate through one of the alleys.
This little decision would change his life forever in a way he couldn't have forseen.
As he was halfway through the alley, a man jumped from behind a crate, knife in hand, a serious expression on his thin face, "Hand over your money, twerp"
Archie paled. That knife shone dangerously in the man's hand. Archie had no combat training and -in that moment where his life depended on it- he just froze. He screamed at his body to move, to hand over the money, to do anything but no muscle in his body seemed to want to listen. The mugger moved closer, "I said hand it over, you deaf or something squit?"
Archie opened his mouth, not quite sure whether to scream for help or agree to his terms but either way, no noise escaped his tongue. In this moment, where life depended on him moving, speaking, doing something to appease this man with a knife, he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. The mugger lost all patience, "You made your choice. You are brave and very much stupid"
But Archie didn't feel brave, not at all. He was scared shitless. His heart was beating at his ribcage with the force of the king's warhammer as the knife came closer and closer, the rusty metal glinting in the warm, summer's sunset like those bronze mirrors which the merchants carried with them sometimes. It moved fast, faster than his eyes could follow. One second it was still a meter away and the next, it was plunged into his chest.
Being stabbed was a sharp pain, as if a thousand needles -the ones his mother used when repairing a tunic- were stabbing him all at once. The warm blood trickled down the blade, dripping down onto the ground *drip* as he looked the robber in the eyes *drop* as he grabbed for his pouch *drip* as his body grew colder *drip* as his life flashed before his eyes *drip* he didn't want to die like this, just another smallfolk, becoming a statistic *drip* he hadn't even been able to marry yet *drip* he wanted power!
[System initialised]
Statblock displayed(time temporarily frozen)
Archie
Title: Gamer
Health: 120/200
Mana: 100/100
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Constitution: 10
Dexterity: 14
Intelligence: 5
Skills:
Gamer's mind: 100/100
Farming: 31/100
Reading(Common tongue): 3/100
Common tongue: 56/100
Bartering: 25/100
Numbers: 11/100
"What?" Archie looked at those words and numbers as if they were essosi, "what is this?"
Answer: This is the gamer system, your path to power! Attributes, skills, titles and everything else you could need is recorded here
"Those numbers are about me? Strength seven? Is that good or bad?"
Answer: The usual smallfolk had stats ranging from 5 to 10
"That means my strength is average? I mean, I'm no blacksmith, so that sounds about right but… above average dexterity? I guess I am a little nimble… wait! I was frozen in fear just a few seconds ago, now I can think and talk as if this were normal, why is that?"
Answer: That is the effect of gamer's mind, it keeps you thinking logically
"okay… i guess that is as sound as anything else. What now?"
Answer: I suggest you kill that mugger
"How? I don't know if you noticed but I have been stabbed. I have maybe ten seconds to live once this crazy feverdream is over… is this what dying is like?"
Answer: You aren't dying, not anymore. As long as your health doesn't reach 0, you won't die. A dragon could breathe fire on you, as long as you have health, you will survive. Just rip that knife out of your body and drive the mugger away. Time will unfreeze in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1!
"Wait! I'm not ready!" but despite his protest, time resumed. The pain returned but it felt more distant and he no longer felt the life draining out of him. Gingerly, he took the handle of the knife and ripped it out. There was no wound, no blood which started gushing.
"The fuck?! Sorcery?" the mugger ran away from him but Archie couldn't let him escape, he would just hurt others, so he ran after him. With his 14 in dexterity, he was faster than the robber and grasped him by the arm, "I'm sorry man! I didn't mean anything by it! Please don't turn me into a pig! I'll even take the black!" for a moment there, he could see the same fear he had felt when that knife had struck him in his eyes. He knew then that he couldn't kill this man. He may have also almost killed him but it was just not in his heart to take a human life like that. Animals, sure but people?
"I am turning you into the city watch"