Paranoia! 3 What Lies Beneath

Strolling around the streets, Jered kept wondering to himself what he'd do now. With his improved looks, he got more stares from the female population, not that he minded. But the problem is that it'd be hard to explain what happened to his face once he'd confront his family or his friends.

Thankfully it was Sat.u.r.day, so he had a bit of time to find something out to help him with this situation. Although he could find some job to avoid his mother's possible discovery of his 'new' face, it'd be still useless given that he couldn't skip school.

So, what to do?

He couldn't tell his mother that he got a strange system that could power him up by completing quests, now could he?

Let alone that the system had specifically told him to not reveal its existence, and sincerely he had a hunch that bad things would happen should he do so.

Seriously, this was becoming annoying. He didn't know what would happen in the future, but he was pretty sure that, in one way or another, he'd change. As for how this will happen he had no clue, but the fact is that he needed to find the perfect excuse to let him explain said changes.

...

With various thought going through his head he didn't notice that he was on an unfamiliar street. He looked around, trying to find something that might help him track his way back home.

He found nothing.

Well, not that it mattered anyway. With no answer to his dilemma, whether at home or at some G.o.dforsaken place it would not have made a difference.

So he just took his time and kept on walking, taking in his surroundings. It was a quiet place, unlike the bustling area he lived in, the flats seemed to be old but well-kept and so did the asphalt.

He noticed a bench and decided to rest for a bit. Once sat down he let his arms dangle at the back of the bench's wooden backrest. He gazed at the somewhat cloudless blue sky, breathing deeply, letting the clean air fill his lungs.

Thinking about the events that happened this morning made him all giddy inside. He didn't know what course to take. He was certainly happy with the way the events unfolded but also a bit worried.

He had no idea what to do with its powers. It has a 'Mana' attribute as well a related cla.s.s, 'Magician'. He would have taken it as a joke if he hadn't tested the system's veracity. He still had some doubts though, it doesn't matter how you look at it, a magician, not some old dude that claims to be one after taking a rabbit out of a hat. A true one, like those in the games, that can fly or summon meteors.

He clenched his fist trying to calm down the desire growing inside him. It was ridiculous, but if it was true then...

He shooked his head to get rid of these thoughts, it was no use indulging in sweet fantasies, especially since he wasn't sure if he could really become a magician.

Sigh.

"It'd be cool though." He mumbled quietly to himself.

Now that he thought about it he still has to control the system's shop. He opened his status and clicked on it.

[ Alert: The 'Shop' feature will be unlocked once you get 100 System Points. ]

Well, that wasn't surprising. He somewhat already knew that that would happen, he just wanted to see what were the requirements.

Whatever...

Seeing that he had rested enough, he decided to head back home.

Right when he was about to stand up he heard the sound of shoes pressing the pebbles, coming towards him, slowly but surely.

He looked over and saw an elderly woman just a few feet from him. She was short, not over 5'0 ft, with gray hair and wrinkles on her face. Her clothes were simple too, a beige sweater and light blue knit pants.

He thought that she just wanted to sit, but the bench he was sitting on was not the only one available, so he quickly excluded that theory.

Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, he a.s.sumed that he was the one she was aiming to. Moreover, he saw the sad look plastered on her face and got curious about what she would want from him, so he just stood up and approached her.

But before he even opened his mouth to say something she antic.i.p.ated him.

"Em... excuse me, but... have you perhaps seen a black cat around here?" She asked desperately.

He was surprised by her tone but answered nonetheless.

"No, I haven't." He shooked his head in denial.

"I... see." She said, sounding slightly downcast.

Obviously, he could always offer himself up to help her find the cat. But honestly? He really didn't want to. Why would he do such a thing when he's already busy with his own problem?

He felt a bit of pity for her, but even so, he wouldn't waste his time by playing hide and seek with a cat that might never come out. Who knows, it may have already gone home.

Seeing her still not moving, he decided to turn around and leave, but just as he was about to walk away she spoke.

"Ehm.. sorry again, but... I'm really worried, could you please help me?" She asked hopefully.

Oh G.o.d no...

He frowned, and just as he was about to politely refuse.

[ Quest received! ]

[ t.i.tle: What Lurks in the Dark? ]

[ Description: Beware of the shadows, they're not so merciful towards innocent hearts. Rescue the cat from its clutches. ]

[ Reward: 5 Attribute points 100 System points. ]

[ Time-limit: Till it wakes up. ]

[ Accept Decline ]

Another quest?

He furrowed his brows as he looked at the screen, even an idiot could deduce that this was going to be dangerous.

However, he really needed these points since he didn't know how frequent would these quests appear, furthermore both the description and time-limit screen hinted him that there was someone or something dangerous, giving him more reason to acquire these points and enhance himself.

If he got this strange power then it was not to be excluded the possibility of others having something similar. And if these 'others' are not so good-natured then there's still the chance, no matter how slim, that they might attempt something against him or his family.

So, even if it was risky, as long as he got to strengthen himself then it was definitely worth it.

Also, it seems that if he completed this quest, he'll open the shop.

He clicked 'Accept', making the screen disappear.

"Sure." He replied with a smile.

"Oh, thank you! I believe that with you we'll be able to find him quickly." She said, happiness clearly evident in her tone.

"I do believe that as well, Ms?" He paused, waiting for her to finish his question.

"Jefferson. But you can call me Amelia." She answered.

"Nice to meet you, Amelia. I'm Jered." He lifted his hand.

She smiled as she shooked hands with him.

"So, Amelia. Could you describe your cat to me?" He asked.

He needed his physical description if he wanted to find him, although he knew that it was black, it was insufficient. There might be other similar cats, he didn't want to get the wrong one.

"Uh, sure. His name is Mr.Puffles, and he is an adorable furball of sweetness, he's completely black with beautiful big blue eyes. You couldn't mistake him. He's very loving, you just need to call his name, and if he's in surrounding he'll definitely come to you." She ended with a smile

He nodded, remembering the information he's just been told. So there was only one thing to do.

"Good, let's separate." He suggested.

She just nodded before choosing a path to take and departing. Soon she was out of view, leaving him alone.

He glanced around himself, paying particular attention to find anything out of place, or at least attention-grabbing. The information he got from the quest was not very detailed, but it didn't take someone overly smart to know what is it about.

Obviously, he didn't know what these 'Shadows' were, but he was sure he was going to find it out soon.

.

.

.

Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

It's been more than 2 hours since he started his search and he didn't even manage to take a glimpse of that cat. And from her obvious lack of presence, Amelia must have got lost too.

"f.u.c.k..." He grunted in annoyance.

He laid down on the gra.s.s, closing his eyes to recover a bit of his stamina.

d.a.m.n, the uselessness of my low stats is finally showing itself.

He was now regretting not having ever partaken in physical activities. If he had done so, he wouldn't be so tired.

He slowly opened his eyes when he heard someone approaching him. He turned his head around and met Amelia's happy but anxious gaze.

"I found him!" She exclaimed excitedly.

He gave her a puzzled look seeing that the cat wasn't with her.

"Yeah? But where is him?" He asked.

"I need your help! I can't reach for him!" She said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.

He just didn't have enough energy to resist, so he let himself be pulled and followed her as they got further away from the district they were just in.

...

After a 10 minutes long walk, they were in front of a hut. It was made of iron, and most of its parts were rusted. The entrance was slightly ajar, and the lack of light inside it made it impossible to see what was inside.

He went ahead of her, and remembering that it was still a dangerous situation, trodded carefully inside, leaving Amelia waiting outside.

The wooden floor creaked as he stepped upon it, and a large number of cobwebs were hindering his path.

After a while, he finally saw what he's been looking for the past 2 hours.

The cat was on top of a sideboard, even though it wasn't that high, Amelia's short-sized body couldn't reach it.

He lengthened his arms and picked him up, only to put it down afterward, and watched as the cat made its way out.

"Mr.Puffles!" He heard her.

And then...

[ Quest: What Lurks in the Dark?. Completed! ]

[ Your actions have saved the life of a cat and spared his owner of many tears. ]

[ Reward: 5 Attribute points 100 System points. ]

[ Alert: Requirements met. The feature 'Shop' has been unlocked. ]

Finally...

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. He looked forward to what the shop had to offer.

His smile though vanished a second later, when the temperature in the room dropped drastically.

Why...

His face stiffened, as he tried to hold back the shiver that went through his spine only to stop at the back of his neck making his hair standing on its ends.

Why?

His beating heart echoed its cries in his ears, his feet froze cold inhibiting him from moving.

The door suddenly closed by itself, preventing the only source of light from reaching inside.

He gulped hard, almost like the lump of saliva on his throat didn't want to go down. He tried to stop his trembling hands but it was futile...

His own body was no longer his to control, like it surrendered itself to someone... or something.

Why!?

Almost instinctively he turned his head around, the movement was made with difficulty, yet he managed to complete it nonetheless.

And then he felt it...

He heard it...

He saw it...

Something so out of this world, but that fitted his name very well.

A Shadow...

"Well... h.e.l.lo there, dear guest." A distorted and demonic-like chuckle rang out through the room, its sound reverberating multiple times.

He tried not to look, but his head moved on its own, bringing his eyes to meet the voice owner's ones.

They were two humongous glowing green orbs. The power within them was so powerful that by just standing there he felt like going crazy.

He forced to close his eyes but to no avail, he was constrained to stare at this creature, if it could even be called that.

Its body was an amalgamation of black fog and a green energy-like aura swirling around it.

He tried to move his limbs but they seemed to be petrified. His struggle was like the last fight before his eventual demise.

At that thought, his breathing became erratic. He didn't want to die...

He tried to calm his emotions down, but its presence had an influence so strong on him that brought out his survival instincts, unleashing an explosion of fear inside himself.

The creature seemed to be amused by his fright but knew that it was normal. In fact, he was rather surprised that he didn't faint yet like many others did.

Still, he had something to do.

"Let's have a good chat, shall we?" It proposed, though it sounded more like an order.

He looked terrified for a moment and wanted to protest, to do something...

But in the end...

He was at its mercy...

The black fog started spinning around him, swallowing him inside the floor.

With no way to resist, he disappeared from the place, and along with him the Shadow.

After all, he had no power...