Surviving the Lock Keeper's Game

003- Reincarnated

“Rise and shine, Corey! Today is your lucky day!” a male voice shrieks, startling Corey out of what he thought was slumber. He shook his head from one side to the other, that can’t be right. His body was light, too light. Corey tried to remember what happened.

I was plugging in my new game. The lock keeper. Then….

Right. The memory flooded back just as the male began talking again.

“Get up, Corey.”

He did, mostly out of curiosity. This man sounded nothing like his step father. Or his mother for very obvious reasons. The man didn’t sound human either, the psychotic bite followed with each word. Who is this man? Corey thought to ask.

The stranger answered his unasked question.

“I am-” Corey got to his feet, eyes still slammed shut. He forced them apart, and gaped. “- the god of games!! Welcome to the lock keeper.”

The most cinematic scene played out before Corey’s eyes. A vast patch of greenery surrounded him, the trees taller than skyscrapers. Jellyfishes dangled off each branch, and a roar resonates through the air from a beast Corey hoped he wouldn’t meet.

Little birds flew around him, each getting plucked off one by one by the Jellyfishes. They stretched down, apparently not able to detach from the tree. They picked a bird every second. Corey stepped away, confusion stroked his brain.

“What the fuck?” he found himself speaking. He turned around in a circle, searching for an explanation. The voice said he was in the lock keeper. But that made no fucking sense. How can he be in a goddamn game?

A game that he hasn’t even seen.

“You’re confused, aren’t you Corey?”

“Who is that?!”

“You should be confused. You died after all. You’re in a fucking game.” The man laughed. There was no one around Corey besides the strange trees, and birds. The little creatures didn’t look any different from the pigeons he saw around his little town. But what the hell does he mean by died?

“I’m not dead. I’m-”

“You are definitely dead. Didn’t you feel it? Those bolts of electricity, frying your skin. Do you want me to show you? I have proof that you’re dead. I was watching.” The man continued to explain tauntingly.

“I….”

But why? Corey had so many questions. He died? He was killed? After all he had gone through. Life just allowed him to die?

“Don’t be sad, Corey. I’ve got good news.”

How could there be any good news? Corey thought back to his life. He had no reason to actually be sad. What did he have back home that was better than this? Atleast here he could find a ditch to lay in and die. No abusive step father or dumb bullies. Strangely, that didn’t make him feel anything. Emptiness still ebbed in his chest.

“What is your good news?” Corey asked, he still had questions. Why was he brought here? People don’t die and wake up in videogames? Do they? No one really knows what happens after death.

“I’m here to challenge you.” Strings appeared in front of Corey, forming the shape of a man. If Corey could even call him that? This looked nothing like a man. Whatever those strings were trying to portray, Corey saw right past it. The figure had several heads, and arms. It was tall, leaning over to glare at Corey.

He didn’t feel the burning rush that came with fear, Corey stared the creature back impassively. Tilting his end to try and figure out exactly what it was.

Dismayed by the lack of response, the narrative eerie voice began to speak again. “Welcome to the lock keeper Corey. You don’t deserve to know why you’re hear, it might add to that worthless ego of yours. But I can promise you, by the end of this, you won’t have that ego anymore.” To Corey, the voice was speaking gibberish and it made no sense. Corey had to ask himself, where have I heard that name? He recalled the voice had announced itself as the God of Games.

Similar to the silent player Corey had defeated easily. If they were the same people, then he had a pretty good idea on why the odd creature sounded a tad bit pissed. But he would be too, it he had collected an L that bad.

“I’ll make you a deal. You can have the life you want. Filled with excitement. Extensive world creation. Everything you ever wanted, if you beat me in a game.”

That got the teen to perk up. Cold wind brushed up against his shoulders. Corey noticed they were bare. Infact, all of him was bare. Excluding his arms. He brought them up to stare, bandages wrapped around hiding his scars like normal. But there was something deeper inn them. Corey noted a writing on one of the bandages, it skill set and he blinked. Soon he could see a dashboard sitting on top of the strange man, who was patiently waiting for him to say something.

Clearing his throat to not give away what he was seeing, Corey responded the same way he did whenever a challenge was presented in form of a game. Especially one like this. The chance to have the life he always wanted. Free to do as he pleases without the emotionless drain of just existing, where can I sign up?

He only tugged the ends of his mouth, having no idea how to actually smile on purpose. “Beat you how?”

“That part is tricky.” The man created a thin piece of brown paper from nothing, he rolled it and dropped it into Corey’s hand. “That is the image of the lock keeper’s mansion. The most important level of this game. But only someone of the rank 1000 and above, can step foot into it. Right now you are nothing but a vermin. So level up. Make your way to the mansion and challenge me. If you win, I will relinquish my abilities and title to you.

You will be named the god of games. You would be able to turn this game into your paradise. Not just the one you see on your screen. No one can disrespect, or every make you question parts of your life. Corey, think, you can gain that happiness that was snatched away from you?”

Involving anything else, Corey would have thought long and hard about it, only to either keep his mouth shut or tell the person no. But he never backed out of a game. No matter who the challenger was. He would see it through to the end. And considering he was dead, and not freaking out, what better motivation is there than the ability to give himself oh what would you call it? Life.

Corey wanted it. More so than he thought. He needed the life everyone kept depriving him of.

“What do you say Corey? Are you up for it? The chance to be eternally powerful?”

He could only nod. He had all the images flashing through his mind. There was just one slight issue, how does one win an in person game? There are no revives, atleast he didn’t think so.

He glanced at the man’s skill board, where would he even begin? There was a multitude of things this man could do, but all his weaknesses were locked. Sealed tightly. For only a level three hundred to see. Corey wondered if everyone had this ability, or if it was just him? His question was answered.

“What are you looking at? Are you going to accept this or not?”

“I never back out from a challenge. Gamewise.” His voice was louder than it had ever been, shocking Corey. He usually spoke softly.

The man smiled like a demon, he had gotten Corey where he wanted him.

“If you lose, Corey, if you can’t make it to my mansion.” A chuckle so vile it froze the animals all around them rolled out of the man’s lips. “Better hope you don’t lose. You wouldn’t be the first person I’ve brought here, and you’re most certainly not going to be the last. Try to enjoy the game, here, I am the god. Beating me is going to be a lot harder than it is on a computer.” The strings faded to nothing and Corey only blinked.

The skill board remained, he tried to reached for it. Only for his eyes to make the same sound as a shutter flashing from a camera. He closed his eyes, and almost like a robot, Corey had the image stored like a data in one of his files. He found that to be incredibly amazing.

“So I can see skill boards?” he chuckled. Game on, Lock Keeper. You don’t know what you just brought upon yourself.

He flicked his arm to stretched it, and the resounding boom that he felt made him stagger to stay on his feet. Corey stared at the long empty space where some trees used to stand, what the hell had he done? And how? He eyed the mess he had made, and felt something else that was odd.

He was bare a few minutes ago, and now his body, cladded with-

“The fuck is a T-shirt and jeans doing in a fantasy game?” Corey huffed out. He couldn’t help laughing a bit at the ridiculousness of his attire. But at least he wasn’t nude anymore.

He was slowly starting to piece things together. He definitely doesn’t have a regular ability, but he would have to survey other players in the game to get really sure.

Corey turned in the direction to his left. He needed a way out of this forest. His stomach grumbled and he saw a warning flash above his before his eyes.

WARNING: HUNGER LEVELS- 0.0% CONSUME FOOD NOW TO NOT DIE.

SECRET: YOU ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING. HUNGER WON’T KILL YOU, BUT IT WILL MAKE YOU WEAKER.

Amazed, Corey decided to test just how different he was.

“Mirror.” He muttered, feeling a bit ridiculous.

The warning shifted, Corey had the mind to not drop his jaw. A mirror floated in front him, and Corey blew a hit breath out. He looked like his game character from Clash of Thunder. Purplish skin. Demon golden eyes. He was taller, just the six foot seven of his character. Different from his ordinary five foot ten. His shirt was black with the large glowing neon letters BG. His pants ripped but not due to his step father using them to test his knives.

He hand four skull rings, and he had to grinned at his reflection, he didn’t wince from looking at himself. His teeth veered sharply.

“Wow!”

Another warning flashed.

WARNING: A BENTALION IS HEADING YOUR WAY.

WEAKNESS: UMAI PEARS. THEY GROW ON THE TREES WITH GREEN OR ORANGE EYUCK- AKA JELLYFISH.

And just in time, Corey heard the battle cry of the bentalion. He kept a small note to himself, geek out later when you’re safe and sound. Corey made a dash just as a creature slid into his vicinity. The Bentalion is a big, creature that walked on all fours. It had the face of hand infant, and mouths on its shoulders and neck. Corey was fascinated.

Fear wasn’t a part of his vocabulary. Excitement dance through him as he ran, keeping a good distance between himself and the creature. He laughed, he was fast. Blasting through with the animal trying to catch up.

Remembering the thing he had done with him hand, Corey’s excitement led him to stop. A smirk broke his cheeks. The creature’s claws dug into the ground, it had no idea what it was running into. Thinking this would be an easy lunch as its prey had stopped running.

Feeling lucky, Corey repeated the previous movement accidentally snapping his fingers together. His eye drew apart, he feared they might leave him when the same boom nearly shattered his hearing and the creature froze mid air. Its body began to shake and shiver. Bits of its skin fell off in chunks.

Corey thought of a basket to catch them, maybe he could cook them and eat something. A basket was quick to appear, floating around the whimpering creature. The Bentalion was alive for the seven minutes its body was tearing off and dropping into the large brown basket.

As the creature took it’s last breath, Corey felt something he had felt before. Power. He felt….alive!

The basket plopped in front of him, and he reach for a chunk. Thinking about how he would create fire when something smacked his hand. He groaned and caught the lines of another writing.

ERROR: LEVEL ONE AND ABOVE ARE THE ONLY RANKS ALLOWED TO EAT. PLEASE LEVEL UP TO BE ABLE TO FEED.

WARNING: STAMINA RUNNING LOW. EAT TO GAIN SOME ENERGY.

SECRET: COMPLETING A QUEST OF ANY KIND CAN BOOST YOUR RANKING.

Feeling even more intrigued by the game, Corey left the creatures flesh forgotten and began walking down a path. There were arrows pointing towards dangerous plants, but secrets beneath them, telling him that he was immune to their toxins. He was thrilled, beyond words.

“This is the best thing to ever happen to me!” he cheered. But he still had his goal. He needed to eat, something and find his way to the lock keeper’s mansion.

But how to do that? He still hadn’t figured out how to get there. And most importantly, what his power and skills were. As far as he knows, he can create things with his mind. And he had a second sense that warned him of danger. That was cool on its own.

“Move, Greta! Come on girl.” A female shouted. Corey’s ears perked, he quickly shifted his footing and followed the sound of the silvery tone.

“Greta! Fuck! Listen to me and move!” the woman was clearly getting more agitated with whoever this Greta person is.

Corey snuck up, hiding his slim build up against a tree. He caught the sight of a lady, dressed in a warrior armor with a large axe strapped to her back. Her hair, so long it stopped at her ankles, flowed with the waves of the wind. Her fingers were wrapped around a rope, or leash.

A twenty foot tall dragon sat passively as the woman tried to force it to move. It appeared both bored, and just tired.

Corey could have laughed, but his brain was already working. A skill board popped just on top of her head. He was in a bit of awe.

She would be useful, Corey said to himself. Then it clicked. The way for him to make it to the lock keeper’s mansion. He needed arsenal of females who knew their way around and could help him with the minimum task he didn’t know how to do.

It would also give him company.

RANK: 0005

TAG: DRAGON MAGE OF LITHUA, THE SEVENTH AND STRONGEST MAGE SOCIETY

NAME: ELEANORA APHELION, NOBLE

BEST TECHNIQUE: GRETA FURY

WEAPON: THE AXE OF BEERE

WEAKNESS: IF YOU WANT COREY, JUST LOOK DEEPER- YOU CAN KILL HER. WITH EASE....

Corey wiped his eyes, and the actual weakness appeared. He was weirded out, but still, his fascination for the game was growing.

Eleanora, would be Corey’s ticket to getting some food. But he needed a way to get her to help him. A lie that would work very well as the truth, but he also needed a starting point.

He drew his knowledge from playing Blood of Fire, the dragon fighter game that gave him extensive knowledge of dragons, to figure out why Greta wasn’t moving.

‘Of course. Why didn't I see this earlier?'

He hummed and stepped into the light, the answer was so clear.

Greta puffed a gust of smoke on Eleanora, snickering and padding the floor with her massive talons. The mage released the leash and fell flat on her butt, making an omph sound from her mouth. Corey, never one to admire a female's curves, decided Eleanora would be more welcoming if he used a bit of compliments. But this was out of his comfort zone. So he thought over what to say as he approached the large, black dragon.

He waltzed past Eleanora, trying not to trigger her.

“Who the fuck are you?” she leaped to her feet. Shifting into a fighting stance. Fist closed and ready to swing. Corey continued walking until he was standing in front of Greta.

He planted on hand on her scaly arm. One soft pat, and Greta swooned. She seemed comfortable with Corey. Comfortable enough to allow him to pat her some more.

On the second pat, she bent her head to nuzzle his face.

“How-” Eleanora cut herself off. Her cream skin glistened under the sunless gaze. She was surprised by how easy this strange man had been able to tame her dragon. A dragon she has had since its birth. “Are you a fellow dragon mage? What level are you? How can you do that? What kingdom do you stray from? Kita? Perilion? Dare I ask, Octiba?”

Ignoring all of her questions, Corey continued patting Greta. The dragon was slowly imprinting, what Eleanora didn’t know wouldn’t kill her. But Corey was making sure her dragon would go nowhere without an order from him. Dragons are obedient, mainly to the people they trust. Her dragon clearly didn’t trust her enough.

And also, she was missing an important fact. Greta is a black Dane Dragon. They need to have left an imprint on you through a civil stroking method, humans called patting, for them to acknowledge you as their owners.

POINT GAINED: DRAGON TAMER.