Would you like to resume Tutorial?
Accept?
|Yes | No|
The prompt flashed in his vision again, but he still wasn’t feeling it. He was mostly focused on the new object in his pocket. He felt a sort of magnetism surrounding it, drawing not only his thoughts but also his fingers, rolling the marble between them while strolling down the street.
“Helios,” he said. “It feels like there’s something missing in this gamification. Shouldn’t there be some kind of inventory system?” In response a new icon appeared at the top, looking much like a satchel. Ryan focused in on it, the bag expanded, unbuckled and opened up. A few grids appeared with headings, such as: Bag: Rubbish 8/10; Jacket Front Right Pocket: Pen 1/1; there seemed to be a set number of squares depending on how much space was in each inventory pocket. Some items were already in there, most notably, a twenty dollar bill folded into an improbably tiny rectangle in his inner jacket pocket. Score! He focused on the minimize button and everything slid into the satchel icon in one smooth animation before going back up in its place along the icon bar. Another system message appeared.
New Achievement!
Inventory Unlocked!
Your curiosity and intuition have led you down the path of discovering hidden aspects of the game system.
Reward: 15XP (+15XP Bonus)
His experience bar maxed out, a chime sounded and the number next to it switched from 1 to 2. He knew it was stupid, that even though it didn’t mean anything in the real world, he felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. I guess that’s how they get you. He thought.
He noticed another piece of trash on the ground and reached to pick it up when a sudden gust of wind lifted it up and sent it tumbling through the air. He made to chase after it as it shot across someone’s lawn, landing next to one of the most morose looking dogs he’d ever laid eyes on. The poor thing didn’t even have the motivation to put any effort into a solid bark, letting out a meager harumph before putting its head back down, staring at the empty bowl in front of it.
“Poor guy,” Ryan said, crouching down. “Are you thirsty?”
“Harumph.” The dog said.
“Oh, hungry? I don’t have anything on me,” as if on cue a new quest appeared.
New Task: Give a Dog a Bone
A neighbor’s dog has been neglected, having not eaten for some time.
Objective: Purchase a treat to tide him over until mealtime!
Reward: 130CP
Accept?
|Yes | No|
“Yes,” Ryan said without hesitation. “I’m going to the corner store anyway. Don’t worry buddy,” he said, turning to the dog. “I’ll be back in no time.” The dog gave a non-comital whimper and moved his head away. Ryan sighed, patted his thighs and stood up, continuing towards his initial destination with renewed purpose.
The corner store came into view, a small building with chipped paint and a sign with half the lights burnt out. There were still the skeletal remains of gas pumps rising from the cracked and crumbling pavement along the side of the shop. He probably could have completed his entire daily Quest with a half-hearted sweep of the parking lot.
The store bell chimed when he pushed the door open, chimed again when he stepped through, and yet again when the door swung shut. He winced slightly, glancing around apologetically. For some reason, Ryan always felt guilty for disturbing the store occupants, like it was his fault for designing and installing an overly sensitive alert device. As usual, the store owner and customers ignored him.
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He looked around and his PerSpectives began scanning items on the shelf, listing prices, nutrition facts or uses, and eventually highlighting a row with an aura that began to pulsate. An icon that matched his quest log was floating over it. Once Ryan arrived at the aisle he was presented with several options.
Task Hint:
Purchase something suitable for a dog.
Basic Kibble: $7.50 or 75 CP
Premium Treats: $12.50 or 125 CP
Deluxe Chewbone: $13.00 or 130 CP
Ryan scratched his chin, contemplating the choices. Kibble would be nice, giving the dog a full meal, but the stuff at this store did not seem to be nutritious for dogs, or any animal for that matter. Treats were more for teaching a dog some tricks, and he didn’t really feel comfortable spending that much time in someone else’s yard. Deluxe Chewbone created a fine image in his mind of the dog casting away all his worries, lost in the ecstasy of chomping that bone into nothingness. That, and the fact that it matched the reward value seemed to be pointing him in that direction. It’s not like he was doing this for a profit, he just wanted to cheer up that poor dog. So, with the decision made Ryan grabbed the bone off the shelf and headed to the counter.
At the register, the clerk barely looked up as Ryan placed his item on the counter. “That’ll be thirteen bucks,” the man said in a bored voice. The Perspective Goggles notified him that his CP-to-Dollar conversion was active, once the item was scanned it automatically processed the transaction for him.
130 CP has been deducted from your total.
As the message appeared in his vision the counter at the top dropped from 235 to 105. Ryan grimaced, but reminded himself it would come back once the quest was completed. He thanked the clerk and headed back to the forlorn animal.
“Hey buddy, look what I got,” Ryan said, holding the Deluxe Chewbone out enticingly. The dog looked away, but his tail started to thump-thump-thump on the ground. “Oh, I know you want to at least sniff it don’t you?” He held it out further, the dog somehow managed to turn his nose without moving his head, nostrils flaring. Its tummy let out a rumble. Almost reluctantly it turned towards Ryan, as if giving into the hope would snatch it away. “Go on,” Ryan said encouragingly. The dog sniffed, licked, and finally gave himself over to the bone, tail wagging violently. Ryan felt a grin spread across his face, a pride in having done something good for a creature that needed it.
“What’re you doin’ to my dog!?” a gruffy voice almost shouted. Both Ryan and the Dog jumped at the sudden interruption. A man was approaching, the screen door creaking closed behind him. Everything about the man was unkempt, from the thinning mop of hair on his head and patchy beard on his pock marked face, to the frayed collar of his crinkled flannel shirt and torn faded jeans. As he approached, Ryan was hit by a profound stench of body odor and alcohol.
“I’m sorry, mister,” he said, standing and backing away, the dog whined but gripped the bone between his paws in a defensive gesture. “I just thought this dog looked hungry and I wanted to do something for him.”
“That mutt? He’s fine, he got food yesterday,” the man grumbled before looking confused and adding “…I think…”
“Well, I think dogs like to eat food every day,” Ryan said as gently as he could manage with the sudden anger he felt rising. He felt a sudden repulsion that he couldn’t entirely justify from this brief encounter.
“What business is it of yours, boy? Coming into a man’s yard. Seems your pappa din’ teach you respect,” the man seemed to be about to reach for a belt that was not there. Then that look of confusion clouded his face again, and his eyes began to mist over. “It ain’t my dog anyhow. Was my mama’s. But she gone. Left me that ungrateful beast.” He spat on the ground. Ryan couldn’t even be mad about the unnecessary stab about his father. This man was just pathetic.
“Dog ownership isn’t for everyone,” Ryan said, taking another step back. “But if you treat them right, they’ll be the most loyal friend you could have. You sure look like you could use a friend right now.” As Ryan tried to regulate the man the PerSpectives took a scan of him, showing biometric information that was somewhat alarming.
System Alert
Subject appears unstable.
Probable alcohol intoxication level: approx. 0.43%
Be wary of unpredictability.
“No kidding,” Ryan muttered under his breath.
“What was that, boy?” the man said, a wildness in his eyes. The dog began to whine.
“Maybe I should just get going,” Ryan said. For some reason the goggles took that moment to highlight the piece of littler that had brought him into this yard in the first place. It also highlighted a trash can sitting just off to the side of the man’s driveway. “I apologize for stepping onto your property,” he said, inching closer to the rubbish. The man squinted at him suspiciously. Another thought occurred to him. “I don’t know if you need to hear this from a complete stranger but, as for how you’re treating the dog,” he knelt down to pat the dog one last time, before grabbing the trash, “but I forgive you.”
As an incredulous “whaaat?” started to form on the man’s lips, Ryan bolted down the driveway, tossing his bag full of litter into the man’s trash. “Hey!” he heard shouted over his shoulder as he continued his sprint down the street, in the direction of the library.
