The Clockwork Courier
1363 Words
(voice-over) Graviel’s market still hummed like a restless engine when Kaien stepped out from under the Adventurers’ Board yawning. Vendors called out, lanterns flickered, and some bard NPC was stubbornly plucking the same three chords on loop, as if mocking him.
(mutters) A simple fetch quest. Easy EXP. Zero giant bugs… probably.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Quest Accepted: The Clockwork Courier
Objective: Retrieve the lost parcel before scavenger imps snatch it.
Reward: 500 EXP, 200 Gold, Mystery Trinket.
Time Limit: 15 minutes.
(inner thought) Fifteen minutes? Great. The universe really wants me to sprint through back alleys like a discount delivery boy.
(voice-over) Kaien ducked into Graviel’s lower alleys. The cheerful market sounds faded into dripping water and creaking pipes. Rusted neon signs buzzed overhead. Somewhere, a distant NPC crackled, too gleefully for Kaien’s taste.
[Location: Graviel Outpost - Lower Alley]
Okay, parcel should show up on my minimap. I am glad that I bought a minimap from that store, or else I would be wandering around aimlessly.
(Flashback)
[Cartographer’s Curios - Maps for the Lost & the Clueless]
(Shop Interface Opens)
Cartographer’s Curios
- Basic Minimap Module (Common): 150 Gold
- Deluxe Minimap (Uncommon): 300 Gold (includes fog of war reveal & sarcastic AI voice)
- Explorer’s Omni-Map X (Rare): 800 Gold (auto-labels loot rooms and enemy spawns)
(mutters) 150 gold for the basic one… but the Deluxe talks back. Ugh, do I really need a backseat navigator judging my turns?
(He glanced at his gold balance: 4000)
Well, I don’t know what might happen to the maps due to the bugs. It might get deleted later. So no need for an expensive one. Basic Minimap it is.
[Purchase Confirmed: Basic Minimap Module Acquired]
System: ‘Minimap installed! Press [M] in your status window or think really hard about your location.’
System: ‘Remaining Balance: 3850 Gold.’
(voice-over) The corner of Kaien’s vision flickered to life, revealing a tiny glowing map with a single marker of himself, spinning in place.
(relieved) Finally! I can see where I am!
(Back to present)
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Minimap: Undefined Coordinates.
New Marker: [?? Error??]
...???
I knew it. Nothing good comes my way. But I still need to move. Time is of the essence. (mutters)
(voice-over) Kaien followed the nearest path that smelled least like a sewer. His boots splashed in shallow puddles, sending ripples through glitching textures on the wall.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
Instability Surge: +3%
Environmental Anomaly: Audio Loop Desync Detected.
(voice-over) Suddenly, every drop of water in the alley played at double speed, creating a bizarre machine-g*n-like soundtrack.
(Whispers) This game is haunted. Calling it now.
(voice-over) A faint metallic clanking sound echoed up ahead. Kaien rounded the corner to see a short brass courier golem limping on mismatched legs, its headlights flickering. It dragged a dented parcel behind it like a stubborn pet.
Finally. Easy grab.
[SYSTEM TIP]
- Approach Stealthily for Bonus EXP.
(inner thought) Sure. Because my track record with stealth is impeccable.
(voice-over) Kaien tip-toed forward and immediately kicked a loose can. The noise echoed like a war drum.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Stealth Attempt Failed
Golem Status: Startled.
Courier golem: ‘BWWWEEEEEP!’ (sound effect)
(voice-over) The courier golem boosted its thrusters. It zoomed off, knocking over crates and scattering a family of holographic alley-cats.
Oh, come on!
[SYSTEM WARNING]
Timer Reduced: 12 minutes remaining.
(inner thought) Yep. Fetch quest speedrun time.
(voice-over) Kaien sprinted after the fleeing bot, weaving past broken neon signs and garbage piles that popped in and out of rendering. His bugged healer robe kept snagging on protruding code fragments.
[SYSTEM TIP]
- Consider using System Surge to boost speed.
Risk bleeding out for a fetch quest? Nah... wait…
(inner thought) Actually, yes.
“System Surge!” (casts)
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
System Surge Activated (+20% INT & +20% WIS.)
HP Draining: 5% per second.
(voice-over) The world sharpened. His senses spiked. He could practically hear the golem’s gears grinding from fifty meters away. He darted over a glitching fence, narrowly avoided a collapsing texture wall, and closed the gap, just as his HP dipped below 50%.
(inner thought) Ugh, I feel like a genius detective… who’s also bleeding out.
(voice-over) Kaien lunged for the parcel, but his fingers phased through it.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Object Interaction Failed.
Reason: Collision Layer Mismatch.
YOU’RE KIDDING ME. (loudly)
(Voice-over) The golem zigzagged and bolted into a side street lined with flickering lanterns. Two scavenger imps materialized ahead, their jagged wings buzzing. They sniffed the air like greedy rats and spotted the parcel.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
New Enemies: Scavenger Imps (Level 9)
Behavior: Aggressive Loot Predators.
Oh no, you don’t. “Heal” (casting on himself)
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Touch of Restoration: Misfire
Effect: Aggro Magnetism
Duration: 15 seconds
(voice-over) Every hostile within 30 meters, imps, rogue rats, even a wandering drunk NPC, locked onto him.
(inner thought) Why does my healing spell have the same side effect as splashing myself in barbecue sauce?
(voice-over) The imps shrieked and dove at him. Kaien ducked, flinging a desperate Error Surge.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Error Surge - Secondary Effect Triggered: Reverse Gravity Pulse.
(voice-over) A shockwave blasted upward. The imps, the courier golem, and Kaien himself all lifted off the ground, weightless.
(mid-air) I said SURGE, not SPACE PROGRAM!
(voice-over) The golem wobbled like a drunk firefly. Kaien flailed, grabbed a rusty pipe hanging out from a wall, and swung himself back down. The imps collided with a sign, stunned. The parcel tumbled from the golem’s grip.
(voice-over) Kaien hit the ground running toward the parcel, just as the ground beneath him shook.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
Mini-Boss Spawned: Junkyard Hound
HP: 2,500
Special Trait: Scrap Bite (Ignores armor)
(inner thought) Of course. Of course, a side-quest spawns a mini-boss.
(voice-over) The hound, a monstrous fusion of gears and bone, leapt from a trash heap. Its red eyes locked on the glowing parcel.
Nope. Not today.
(voice-over) Kaien darted sideways, pulled a broken lantern off the wall, and lobbed it at the hound.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Improvised Weapon Critical!
Damage: 320
Status Effect: Blinded (2s)
(inner thought) Did I just crit with a lantern?
(voice-over) While the hound is blinded, Kaien grabbed the parcel.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Objective Item Secured.
(voice-over) The hound recovered fast, its jaws snapping inches from his arm.
“Error Surge, again!”
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Error Surge: Misfire
Effect: Duplicate Targeting
Result: Two Junkyard Hounds
(screams) WHY IS THIS MY LIFE?!
(voice-over) Kaien bolted, the two hounds chasing him down the alley. He threw the parcel skyward to distract them. They jumped for it midair, colliding with each other. A crate tower collapsed onto them in a thunderous crash.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Environmental Damage Dealt: 2,500 (Overkill)
Enemies Defeated.
EXP Gained!
[SYSTEM ACHIEVEMENT]
Achievement Unlocked: Courier c*****e
Description: Deliver chaos while delivering mail
Reward: +5% EXP from fetch quests
(inner thought) I’m not even mad. That was awesome.
(voice-over) Kaien stumbled back to the Adventurers’ Board, holding the battered parcel.
[SYSTEM LOOT DISTRIBUTION]
Reward: 500 EXP, 200 Gold, Mystery Trinket (Glitched Variant).
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Level Up! → Lv.9.
(inner thought) I’m going to have abs from all this stress.
(voice-over) The Mystery Trinket appeared in his inventory, labeled only: “???”. A faint hum pulsed from it, like a heartbeat inside the data.
(Eyes narrowed) You’re going to explode on me later, aren’t you?
SYSTEM: ‘…’
[SYSTEM TIP]
Warning: Some trinkets may trigger hidden questlines or reality collapses. Handle responsibly.
(inner thought) Responsible? Me? You’ve clearly got the wrong bugged healer.
(voice-over) As Kaien exited the alleys, Graviel’s neon skyline flickered unnaturally for just a moment, textures twitching, NPCs freezing mid-animation. The world stuttered, then resumed.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
Glitch Instability Spike Detected
Source: Unknown
…Great. Either the game is about to patch… or reality’s about to sneeze.
(voice-over) Above the rooftops, a shadow passed across the fractured sky, massive, segmented, and distinctly alive. A low tremor rolled through Graviel’s streets.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
New World Event Incoming: Nexus Breach
Cooldown: 72:00 hours
(snowy region) Unknown Player 1: ‘Something Massive is about to happen.’
(mountain area) Unknown Player 2: ‘It’s about to get interesting.’
(Kaien’s Pov) (inner thought) Welp. So much for a chill fetch quest.
- Writer
