(James's POV)
???
"James."
I turn in my bed, ignoring the voice calling for me.
"James…"
The bed does feel kind of different, more pokey. That voice also feels sort of familiar; I just can't remember.
"James!"
Oh well, I guess I can't keep procrastinating anymore.
I slowly open my eyes to see something much different than my bed at the hotel. What I saw was the sun shining down on my face, covered up with a familiar shadow standing above me. "Easy, dark chocolate, wouldn't want you to melt." She said, smiling at me with an uncanny grin. It's Roo.
I sit up and look around my surroundings, taking in the dark forest around me, paradoxically being pitch black with the sun clearly shining in the sky. "Like what I've done with the place? Can't really make it truly sunny here, but this is the next best thing." She said, walking around while gesturing with her arms.
"Why'd you call me here, Roo?" I said, trying to cut the crap. I was having a particularly good dream about me scarfing down 3 boxes of cosmic brownies, and I would like to get back to it as soon as I can. "Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. C'mon, walk with me, kid." She said as she wandered off into the dark forest, leaving me behind.
I sighed, dusting off my clothes and reluctantly following her through the dark forest. It was very uncanny in a strange way; leaves looked just a little too long, and trees stretched just a little too high. The stones and grass below my feet looked as if they were rotting, yet something or some mysterious force forced them to stay upright.
Another thing I noticed was that there was no ambiance. A regular forest would have wind rustling in the trees or the crunching of leaves and grass beneath my feet; hell, even small animals frolicking. But here? There was nothing, no sound, no wind, just my silent steps as I walked in Roo's footsteps.
After walking in this confusing forest for a few minutes, I finally came across a long stretch of still water and a log on the edge that Roo sat on. I could only see her behind, and it seemed like she was feasting on something like a rabid animal. Dark red juices that seemed like barbeque sauce splattered out and hit the log and the ground, her chewing sounds sounding like a dying woman finally finding a scrap of meat.
I hesitantly approached Roo, shrine at the ready to try and fight against her, even if I realistically had a 0% chance of winning. I eventually got close enough to her that I could slowly place my hand on her shoulder and—
S T A R E
Before I could react, Roo's head snapped backward, and she glared at me straight in my eyes. From my angle I could see that she was consuming a large, pitch-black rib; now closer I could also see that the "barbecue sauce" that I thought was coming off the rib seemed suspiciously like blood. You know, that's probably not good.
"Oh, hey James, didn't see you there. Go ahead and sit." She said, patting the side of the log. Was she trying to manipulate me or something? No fucking way she called me here, sat on this convenient log, and didn't know I was behind her. I clicked my teeth and put my pride aside, sitting down next to her, and watched the still water.
"..."
CRUNCH CHEW
"..."
GULP
Okay, like hell. I'm going to sit here in silence with some entity chewing like a third grader in my ear. I have to do something.
"I won't take your deal, Roo."
My words finally got her to stop her obnoxious chewing, taking the rib away from her mouth to stare at me with what I presume was one raised eyebrow. "It's alright, don't worry about it." She said, throwing the now clean rib over her shoulder, the rib dissipating into dust mid-air. "To be honest, I wasn't really expecting you to be my champion anyway; from what I gleaned from your past, you seem like someone who values your freedom and friends more than anything."
While she talked, she bent over and picked up a medium-sized rock, tossing it up and down while conversing. The rock was a light grey on one side but also a crimson red on the other, the red side looking dried up and... ancient in a way.
"Did you know I once had a husband?" She asked out of the blue. "He was a strong man, a reliable one too. Every night when he held me in his arms, every night when he made love to me… That was one of the rare moments I ever felt safe." She said, tossing the rock up farther than before, catching it, and almost lovingly placing it on the ground.
"You remind me of my son, do you know that, James?" She then turned around to face me, her previously empty eyes now holding a bit of warmth and faint traces of… Crying? I tried to say something, anything, but my mouth failed me.
I looked down and saw my feet slowly turning into dust. "My son was just like you, James. Strong, stubborn, one of the smartest men I knew in my life, yet could make some of the dumbest decisions…" By the time she stopped, my chest was now turning into dust.
She had a long pause, looking down and finally staring back into my now fading head.
"All I ask is that you visit this old woman sometimes… That is all."
And with her words, I faded away back into dreamland.
(Third Person POV)
Roo stared at the place where James once was, her hands slightly trembling as she looked back onto the water. She sat for more than a few minutes, simply admiring the view before her hand launched out, grabbing the space where James once was.
It seemed she was grabbing onto nothing for a second, her hand stuck in place before a blue screen slowly manifested itself in her hand.
[H-h-how'd you grab me? How do you know I exist?]
The system asked, their voice quivering in fear. "I am the shadow of God; it would make sense for me to retain at least a tiny fraction of his abilities," Roo responded, a small smile gracing her lips that stretched out into a familiar uncanny valley. She soon raised her other hand, calling upon a spark of dark purple magic.
"Do not worry, I will not harm you; this is simply an upgrade." Her arm slowly moved toward the system panel, the screen tensing in anticipation as Roo's arm slowly got closer and soon touched the screen. "Think of this as… an upgrade."
Roo's hand glided on the system, the originally blue screen turning into a sickly purple as her magic worked its way through her systems. "Hmmm, this is much more complex than I thought… I wanted to completely take over, but I must simply focus on one feature." She monologued, a crackle of her purple magic illuminating the entire shadow realm before she simply let the system go.
[N#&*4(*$884…. New Feature Acquired!Improved Quest and Achievement System!]
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THE END
(Shameless plug:Ko-fi.com/mrlegantrop)
(AN: I'm ngl, I reread some of the early parts of the story and just found some plot threads that I will NOT be following up on 🥀🥀🥀)