Schemes and Dreams

The room was dim, cluttered with the spoils of procrastination. Empty cans were all over the place, and all that could be heard was the soft hum of an ageing computer.

Will Power was twenty-one years old, with his half-hearted ambition folded neatly into his slouched posture, as he stared at the flashing monitor in front of him. His fingers hovered above the keyboard, not out of hesitation, but just sheer disinterest. The final project, a looming deadline, waited somewhere out beyond the threshold of his concern.

Will: "Why bother? I don't want to work. Just… can the government pay me to do nothing already!? Some kind of universal basic income or whatever. I'll just sit here, just pressing buttons, and they can deal with the rest."

His eyes glazed over the half-finished code on the screen, the blinking cursor mocking him.

Will: "Final project, my ass."

His fingers twitched to type, then recoiled as if burnt by the very thought of effort.

...

He sighed, knowing the only way to survive today was to leave his lair and get something that had sugar in it.

Will: "Quest accepted: Gather Provisions."

With a sigh, Will dragged himself up from the chair, stretching his stiff limbs like a character respawning after too many failed attempts.

The evening air hung heavy with the scent of rain, the streets dim under the tired glow of flickering street lamps.

Will: "Warning: High risk of social interaction detected!-

...

Will: -I hope not anyways."

He stepped outside, his shoes crunching against scattered leaves and gravel. His eyes flicked downward, catching sight of a mysterious lone banana peel resting carelessly on the pavement.

Will: "Not today, slick!" 

He muttered with dry amusement, deftly sidestepping the hazard. Ahead, the rumble of an approaching truck echoed through the empty street. Its headlights cut through the gloom, rolling closer.

Will: "...If I'd slipped on that peel, I'd have been pancake filling by now. Lucky me!"

A crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, an uncharacteristic moment of relief. But as life always goes, fate had other plans.

Will: "So much for a fantasy hero. Those guys just get summoned and get free stuff."

Without warning, the sky tore open with a violent crack. Lightning jagged through the clouds, illuminating the street in blinding flashes.

He barely had time to react before a bolt struck the pavement beside him. Then another, and another, each one chaining through the air like furious serpents seeking their mark.

Will: "Okay, what the hell?! Who does he think he is, the king of lightning!?"

Electricity surged through his body, the world fracturing into shards of light and sound.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Will's eyes snapped open. He looked around, surveying his surroundings. His gaze adjusted to the dim light filtering through narrow, arched windows in front of him. Heavy tapestries fluttered softly in a chill breeze that whispered down the corridor.

Will: "...Probably a castle or some fancy place like that. Not bad for a guy who just got zapped into another world..."

...

Will: "Yes! No more working my ass off!!!"

He yelled while flinging his arms wide, like he had just won the jackpot.

His limbs moved as expected. The same body, and the same clumsy limbs. No glowing armour, no epic transformation, just him.

Will: "Ok... don't worry yet...   MENU, OPEEEEEEEEEEN!!!"

His voice echoed off the rough walls of wherever he had landed. Nothing happened.

He blinked, confusion crawling in.

Will: "Wait, what? Menu? Open? HELLO?"

He jabbed at the empty air in frustration, and scratched his head and shoved his right hand into his pocket almost absentmindedly. 

Click.

Suddenly, a translucent blue panel shimmered into existence before his eyes. It was simply called 'Inventory'.

Will: "Hello? Where are my stats? My armour!? My skill tree!? Who the fuck designed this UI!?"

Even more frustrated, he jabbed at the air around him, trying to make sense of the useless UI.

The only thing in this 'inventory', almost like a joke, was just a leftover, crumbled receipt.

He stared at it for a moment.

Will: "Is this some kind of practical joke? My whole inventory… is just rubbish!?"

...

Will: "If I'd known I was going to end up in another world... I would have brought my trusty intruder baseball bat. For all those late-night 'heroes' who think breaking in is fun..."

He sighed and rubbed his temples.

Will: "Well, guess I'm gonna have to make do with what I've got. Can't swing a receipt very far, though."

His hand stayed buried deep in his right pocket.

Will: "Alright, let's see if this thing actually works."

He pressed his left hand forward, fingers brushing over the words 'crumbled receipt' in his inventory. The words shimmered, and then materialized on to the ground before him.

Will: "Oh. This is nice." 

As he walked out into the hallway, his eyes caught something gleaming by a nearby window. A fancy, ornate pot, delicate with intricate patterns and a beautiful golden rim. He knew what he had to do.

Will: "Now this looks worth something."

Still keeping his right hand buried deep in his pocket, he reached out with his left and carefully lifted the pot.

Will: "Can I even store this... how do I do get it in there!?"

...

Will: "Inventory, STORE ITEM!!!"

...

Nothing. He threw the pot forward out of rage, but it ended up going straight into the inventory screen. The pot shimmered with a faint blue glow, and then poof. 

He blinked.

Will: "I meant to do that...!"

He was trying to sound confident, but failed spectacularly.

Suddenly, harsh footsteps echoed down the corridor. From around the corner, two guards burst in, weapons drawn.

Guards: "INTRUDER! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Will: "Oh crap! Busted!"

He dashed through winding hallways, heart pounding.

Rounding a sharp corner, his foot caught on something slick... a bright yellow banana peel.

Will: "No way... the cursed banana peel again!?"

His legs shot out from under him.

SKID!

He tumbled uncontrollably, crashing down a flight of stairs. Pain exploded through his body as he hit the bottom with a sickening thud.

The world faded to black once more. 

Game Over.

Will's eyes snapped open once again. He was met by his familiar cluttered room.

Will: "Shit… well that's why you go to bed before falling asleep... that dream sucked!"

Without thinking about it, he shoved his right hand deep into his pocket. Suddenly, the translucent blue panel shimmered into existence again, floating right before his eyes.

Will: "HOLY SHIT!"

He pulled out the ornate pot, gave it a lazy spin, then peered out the window.

Outside, flashing lights painted the street red and blue. An ambulance was parked nearby.

And lying on the pavement, was him. His original body, motionless, looking like it'd just been hit by lightning.

Any other person would be shocked. But instead of panic, Will's lips curled into a sinister grin.

Will: "Well, well… this could be interesting!"

Plans spun wildly in his head, like a roulette wheel teetering on the edge of jackpot... and disaster.

Will: "New quest unlocked: Exploit the system!"