Chapter 1
AN: I do not own the ides that are present in this fictional work. Some of the skills used are inspired by other works.
'' Thoughts
"" Speech
[] Gamer Abilities
NY, New York, USA
Central Park
Early Morning
Sometimes, it's good to take a moment and reflect on where you are. Not only does it help with sorting out the past, but also moving forward. So, when I found myself laying on a bench in a sunny day in Central Park, I though now was as good a time as any. Plus, my quiet reflection would allow the massive migraine in my head time to die down.
'How did I end up here?' I thought with a wince as I stood up on the bench. 'It feels like someone slowly jabbed a hot knife into my skull.'
As the pain started to subside, I checked my clothes to see if anything was amiss. I still had on my navy blue button up shirt along with my black dress pants and matching belt. Checking my feet, I saw I was still wearing my black Adidas sneakers with blue dress socks.
When I checked my pockets, I found my wallet, ID and keys were still on me along with all my money. Oddly enough, the only thing missing was my cell phone.
'Who would steal my phone, but leave me with everything else?' I thought as I started to stand and get my bearings.
'Now I just need to find out what the time is and…' I faded off as a jogger passed me by.
The woman was running on the path in front of me, completely focused on her morning jog. Her phone was strapped to her arm and headphones in her ear. She was wearing a burgundy top and black leggings. Her hair was up in a tight bun. But that was not the most interesting feature about her. The most interesting thing was the text that was floating above her head.
Caroline Simms - level 36
I stood there rooted to the ground in shock, the last of the migraine leaving me like a sharp breeze. 'Whatever I did, I must have hit my head on something.' I thought as I looked to my left. Coming down the same path was an older white man in his 50's. Jogging in front of him was a small dog, a poodle on closer inspection. Both of them had text appearing above their heads.
Harvey Court - level 51
Mr. Dimples - level 54
'Whatever I did to my head, it must have been harder then I thought. This must be what a concussion feels like. Also, why is the poodle a higher level then the dude?' I thought with an incredulous stare. 'I need to get out of this park and find a hospital to take care of this.'
I looked into the park and turned to one of the side entrances of the park and quickly walked for the streets. The more people I walked by, the more names I saw floating above their heads. I did my best to ignore it and walked out of the street entrance. I found that I was on 88th street, near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the sidewalk was a newsstand. Over the attendant head appeared the same information as everyone else.
Jan Młynarz - level 33
Behind the attendant was a mirror. In the mirror, I saw my face for the first time today. I looked the same as I last remembered. My face was slightly chubby with a thin mustache. I saw my beard was small and still moderately kept from my trip to the barber. My skin was still it's chocolate color and my hair was still short and black. Above my head was the same text that I saw above everyone else's, with my name in the feature and an additional feature.
Albert Banks - Level 1
The Gamer
'Well, I can't say this delusion isn't consistent.' I thought while glancing down at the newspapers on display. My eyes widened as I went across one of them. I picked it up from the rack, reading the top headline with some amusement.
"Hey, I didn't know you guys packed joke papers. I have to say, this one even looks real. The other stories on the bottom give it that authentic feel. Did you have to order this special or was this a promotion?" I asked Jan with a small smile on my face.
Jan looked at me for a decent beat, annoyance clear in his eyes. "I don't know what your talking about. Now, are you just going to read it will you pay for it?"
"Sorry man, I was just curious." I said with a small laugh. "I'm really not trying to bust your chops. Let me just get the regular weekend issue."
"Listen guy, your holding the weekend issue. Now, if you not going to pay, out it down." He answered, exasperation clear in his voice. That is when I realized that he wasn't joking with me. I looked at all of the other papers and realized that the story was the same.
Holding the paper like it was a lifeline, I read the headline like it was an ancient text from long ago. "Merchant of Death, M.I.A." was laid out in bold text on the front page with a picture of the one and only Robert Downey Junior. Only, this wasn't the actor who played Tony Stark in the movies. The person featured in the picture was noticeably younger then that.
He is doing the same pose I remember from the first Iron Man with his hands pointing to the right into the sky. The name and date of the paper also raised a big red flag with me.
The Daily Bugle. January 25th, 2010.
Quest Alert!
Find out where you are.
Find out about your abilities.
Reward-
100xp
1 Random Skill
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Early Afternoon
The halls of the New York Public Library are usually quiet by design. Many people come here to use that quiet for study or research. Others came to marvel at it's architecture. However, if you listened closely, there was a dull sound that could be heard. The only sound that could be heard outside of pages turning or low murmuring. This sound was my head rhythmically hitting the desk.
'Okay, lets recap. One, I'm in a world where the Marvel movies are real. Two, I seem to currently not exist here. And three, I have no Idea how I got here.' I thought while continuing to knock my head on the desk. 'Oh, also, I'm almost a decade in the damn past.'
Once I got over my reaction to the paper, I decided to do some research. So, I headed off to the closest public library for some additional information. After grabbing a computer, I searched for world history. Specifically, that from around world war II to the present. What I found was not what I was taught in middle school.
Photos of Captain America capturing Hydra forces in black and white appeared on several websites. Full length movies showing Captain America punching an actor that looks nothing like Adolf Hitler aside from the mustache in the face. They even have a Museum for him next to World War II Memorial. I also found way more information on Tony Stark then what I knew was produced. There is no way they would write a five page story on Stark about the perfect muscle car. I even saw a clip of a young Stark talking about robots with an even younger Tom Brokaw.
On the flip-side, I couldn't find any record that I existed, at all. When I searched my name, the closest Albert Banks was an accountant in West Virginia. That could have been one thing, but I couldn't find any indication of my family or close friends. Every person I knew was seemingly wiped clean from the Internet, from the world. I knew that was impossible, but I couldn't deny the facts in front of me. All of this information was enough for me to have a nervous breakdown. I could feel the panic start to set in and take over, if not for this skill kicking in.
[Gamers Mind Activated!]
Yep, it looks like I wasn't dropped of in the Marvel universe without a gift. It looks like I am officially the Gamer. I had read enough of the Manga to recognize the boxes in Central Park. But seeing the boxes and a Wikipedia bio of Peggy Carter that had no comic book references hammered the point home. So, let's go down the rabbit hole and see how far things go as Morpheus would say.
Quest Completed!
Find out where you are.
Find out about your abilities.
Reward - 100xp
1 Random Skill - Mana Bolt
"[Stats]" I whispered softly.
Name: Albert Banks
Level: 4
EXP: 50/1000
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Title: The Gamer
STATS
HP - 150/150
MP - 320/320
STR - 15
DEX - 10
VIT - 10
INT - 20
WIS - 16
LUC - 10
MONEY - $65 USD
Stat Points - 40
PERKS
Gamers Mind - Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to negative psychological effects.
Gamers Body - Your body is that of a Video Game Character. You recover HP and MP when sleeping.
Skills
[Mana Bolt: Level 1. Active. Mana Bolt was created by channeling your magic to attack directly. Effect: damages the target for 100% of your INT score and explodes on contact. Percentage chance to knock down and stun enemies based on the difference between your INT and their combined VIT and STR. Cost: 15MP. Range: 10m. Speed: 10m/s.]
'Well, at least I know what it looks like to suck in this universe.' I thought with a healthy amount of sarcasm. Baby Groot could kill me with a badly misplaced yawn. I need a plan and I need one now. I sat down for a minute at the computer desk before I picked up some paper and pen and wrote down what I needed to do.
The first thing I needed to due was test out my abilities. The greatest strength of being the Gamer was that I had an unlimited amount of potential. I can grow smarter, stronger and faster than anyone on the planet. Having the abilities of the Gamer won't make me a powerhouse overnight, but it will get me up to speed for the trials ahead. Sadly, I will need every last bit of it to survive this crazy story line.
After that, I needed to find a place to stay. Preferably one that wouldn't ask questions. Since I do not exist in this universe, my ID won't hold up to any kind of background check. Also, the fact that it is six years out of date doesn't help. But, that will be the least of my troubles.
Technically, I am not an American citizen. Or even a citizen of earth. Best case scenario, ICE finds me and deports me to another country. Worst case would involve getting on SHIELD's radar to soon. Depending on the person that finds me, I could become another Winter Solider for HYDRA. Fact is, I would need a place that I can train and store valuable items for the future.
Once that is completed, I would need to gain some capital. Without money, all of my other options will be limited. As I saw with Tony Stark, having money got you influence in this world. That is not something that you can punch your way into. Also, with large amounts of money I can hire others to take over jobs that I will take up my time. My abilities make me the ultimate Jack-of-all-trades, but I can't fall into that trap. If I branch out into too many things early on, it will only set me back for the major events. Why study and learn everything about property or business law when I can hire someone else to do it for me?
Finally, I would need Allies in the near and distant future. I could not make it in this world without them. There are just too many different organizations that would want a guy like me. Bottom line, if I try to solo this entire experience, I am not doing myself a favor. I am actually signing my own death warrant. I don't want to be on the run from HYDRA and live out of my inventory.
Speaking of my inventory, [Inventory]. Suddenly, a brown box appeared in front of me. I saw that this new box was labeled Inventory at the top, showing a scale model of what looked to be my body, surrounded by several individual boxes. The body itself showed 'me' in my current state of dress. Each piece of clothing was occupying one of those boxes. Below that were rows of more boxes. On the bottom of the screen was a label that read 'Total Weight: 5/150 lbs.'
On the side of box were three additional tabs. One tab was highlighted with the Inventory name. The other tabs were named 'Sets[+]' and 'Vehicles[+]' respectively. When I selected the 'Sets[+]' option, I saw a new screen pop up. Within the screen was another model of my body with additional boxes on the side with the provided label above it. Within that box was a option that read 'Default'.
I selected the Inventory tab once more. Deciding to experiment, I took my keys and pressed them against the box, pushing it forward. Golden light rippled over the box and the keys disappeared from my hand and reappeared in one of the inventory boxes. The name in the box read 'House Keys' The weight also changed to 'Total Weight: 5.5/150 lbs.'
'It looks like my abilities don't mirror that of the manga. It would have been nice to have unlimited Storage. But, better to have something then none at all.' I shrugged while tapping on the plus sign next to the 'Sets[+]' label.
The Sets option allows you to create multiple armor, weapons or clothes combinations that can be equipped at a moments notice. Simply equip the gear you want on your person, then save the gear in one of the slots below. Simply say or think 'Equip'
-Note: Gear taken out of the inventory will not re-appear in the saved slot unless placed there.
Looking at the setup, I could see how it would be very helpful for me. It would all but guarantee that I would never be defenseless. I can walk into any situation and be fully equipped and like James Bond. Or, I can be super goofy and pull a Power Rangers by pulling off my regular clothes into my battle attire.
When I selected the 'Vehicles[+]' tab, I was immediately prompted with two new skills.
[Skill Created!]
[Claim Vehicle: Level MAX. Active. Claim Vehicle allows the caster to add nearly any vehicle as a summonable mount.
Effect: adds vehicles to the Inventory to summon and use later.
Cost: None. Casting time: 5 seconds.]
[A skill has been unlocked!]
[Summon Vehicle: Level MAX. Active. Summon Vehicle allows the caster to summon claimed vehicles from Inventory. Effect: summons a previously collected vehicle from the Inventory.
Cost: 100MP. Casting time: 3 seconds.]
The Vehicle option allows you to store and summon nearly any mode of transportation at a moments notice. Simply touch the vehicle you wish to acquire and use the [Claim Vehicle] skill. To use the vehicle, simply use the [Summon Vehicle] skill along with the vehicle name.
-Note: Vehicles need fuel to operate and will be claimed at their current fuel level. Damaged vehicles will remain damaged until repaired. Vehicles can only be stored when they are at a complete stop.
Looking at the screen, I saw that it looked almost identical to the 'Sets' screen. The only difference was instead of there being a display of myself on the left was a blank box. I only saw three boxes on the right side, so I may not be able to save every single vehicle I saw.
But that was neither here nor there. I needed to act on my list and test out my powers. I went back to the computer to look for a place to train. Since this was New York, the odds of a kid having a camera were a little to high for my taste. Staying off of the radar is the key factor. Also, I didn't know how visible my abilities would be, so I needed a large space. Also, I needed to look into places that I can stay in with no questions asked. Sadly, even seedy motels these days needed at least some form of ID. And those that don't, can't be found by surfing the web.
Looking at the map just made me wish for more money. If I had more cash, I could rent a space in New Jersey. Or just go into upstate NY and practice in one of the parks. I could chance going back to Central Park, but again, that lead to threat of possible discovery. Cops always patrolled the park 24/7.
What I need is something indoors that nobody goes into. Looking at the maps, I figured I would start my search on the west side of Manhattan. From what I remembered, things didn't really take off in the area until around 2013. So I should be able to find an abandoned building or something. If not, I could always go to the outer Burroughs and try my luck there.
Pier 94
Mid Afternoon
Searching the city, I was able to find a spot on the west side. It was an abandoned warehouse on the waterfront. Even though it was the afternoon, I did not see a soul in sight. I entered into the building and saw there was no one around except broken bottles. 'This looks like a decent place to start.' I thought.
I walked back to the door and ran as fast as I could to the water at the end of the building. Once I reached the end of the building, I received the following skill.
[Skill Created!]
[Run: Level 1. Active - A skill for running away from, or towards, danger or more mundane objectives has been created—Run! Effect: increases your movement speed by ((STR+DEX)*lvl)% for a number of minutes equal to your VIT score.]
I looked at the skill and saw that it was a little bare bones. I know I have run before. The game is treating me like I'm an invalid. I actually had a social life outside of my computer.
Brushing it off, I decided to focus back on my training and not my pity party. I raised my right hand and called the name of the skill out loud "[Mana Bolt]." Suddenly, a ball of deep blue energy formed in my palm. The ball was the size of a baseball. It shot off toward the wall I was aiming at. When it hit, the bolt caused a sound like a firecracker against the wall along with a small crack around a quarter of an inch deep. I fired a few more Mana Bolt's against the wall to get the feeling of the mana escaping my body.
Once I got the feeling down, I concentrated into myself for that same feeling. It took a few minutes of concentration, but I was able to feel it without using any skill. The only way to describe my mana would be to say it felt like a small river. It was always moving through my body, but it only interacted on a superficial level. Only when I called to it did it interact with my body as a whole.
I willed it to cover my hands at first, causing them to glow the same blue color. Then,I forced the energy to form into a cube above my left hand the size of a domino. Once the cube had fully formed, I changed it into a pyramid. After that, I heard a ding like I would on my absent phone and saw a message before me.
[Skill Created!]
[Mana Manipulation: Level MAX - Mana is the energy produced from your very spirit. This skill allows the user to manipulate the Mana while it is inside and outside of the body.]
I looked at the skill with some satisfaction. With this, I could begin to create some skills for myself. I focused on my mana once more and pushed it outside of my body into my left hand. Through my will, I shaped it into a crude blade. I imagined the blade being straight and double edged with a simple handle. I had seen enough movies and held a real sword to imagine what one would be like in my possession.
After that, I changed the sword into a one handed Axe like I saw from Skyrim. Then, I changed it into a simple longbow. I pulled back the string on the bow and imagined an arrow appearing on the string, notched and ready to fire. To my satisfaction, the arrow appeared with no hesitation.
[Skill Created!]
[Mana Weapon: Level 1. Active - For the man that needs a weapon at all times. Shapes your mana into your desired weapon of choice. Effect: Blunt weapon deals 100% STR damage. Bladed weapons deals 100% DEX damage. Durability of weapon is (STR+VIT)*lvl). Duration is (30+lvl) minutes. Level Mana Weapon to increase stats by 3% per level. Cost: 100MP]
Holding onto the Bow, I fired the arrow into the same wall as the [Mana Bolt]. The arrow flew straight and pierced the wall, sinking into the wall up past the arrow head. Once I saw that, I realized that I couldn't do anything super flashy. While none of my attacks were in danger of being seen by someone, It would not be good if I threw a mana attack and it burst through one of these old walls.
After using the Bow and Arrow a few more times on the wall, I gained another ability.
[Skill Created!]
[Archery Mastery: Level 1. Passive. Archery Mastery grants the user the ability to use bow to fire arrows. Effect: 13% increase in attack damage with Bow, 13% increase in rate of fire, 13% increase in arrow velocity, 103% increase in accuracy. Level Archery Mastery to increase stats by 3% per level.]
'I think this is enough for today.' I thought. 'Now, I need to figure out where to go from here.' I looked out the warehouse doors to the darkening sky, the sun setting over the New Jersey skyline. The breeze off of the water was soothing to my troubled mind.
I still had no idea where to go for the night. All of my problems with Identification were still there, they just became more real. I needed somewhere that I could simply build up my experience. And the worst thing was, I knew I had a deadline. I was officially in a world where Thanos would appear in the future. If I did nothing, my chances of living past that all depended on the fate of a snap. 'There is no way I'm going to leave if I die or not to chance. I need an edge to tip the odds in my favor.' I thought with some determination. My magic and knowledge of future events would have to be my advantage in this world.
As I was staring into the horizon, I opened my hand and formed a [Mana Bolt], looking as it floated over my hand. 'You would think that with me having magic now, I would have some secret sanctuary to help with this. It's not like I can go to doctor Strange and ask for his help, he is still a doctor.' I thought with a sigh. Then, like a light went off over my head, I knew where I needed to go.
New York Sanctum
Late Evening
Placed in Greenwich village, the New York Sanctum looks like a historical artifact from the 1800's. The four-story townhouse looks more at home in modern day London than New York. It's classic architecture is accented by the giant circle window on the roof. To most people, it just looks like four circles intersecting. To others, it's a symbol of the group that protects the earth. For me, it was a symbol of possible shelter and knowledge.
Finding the secret haven of sorcerers wasn't very hard, just time consuming. It didn't help that even though I knew the general location, I didn't have an address.
I knocked on the door hard three times, waiting for an answer. A few minutes later, the door swung open partially. Standing in the doorway is a tall African American man around six feet. He has a muscular build with brown eyes and a bald head. He is wearing a set of dark green robes that would not be out of touch in a kung-fu movie.
"Can I help you?" The sorcerer hiding in plain sight asked. His face was set in a neutral expression, bordering on pleasant.
"Hey. I was wondering if you could take me to Karma-Taj please?" I asked with as straight of a face as I could. Considering that I had [Gamers Mind] activated, it was very straight indeed. The look on the Masters face instantly changed to one of guarded suspicion.
"I don't know what your talking ab.." He was about to finish saying before I responded. "Listen, I have no time for the back and forth of magic and everything else. So I'm going to do two things. First, I'm going to do this." I held up my right hand and formed a [Mana Bolt] the size of a baseball. The sorcerer looked at the ball with a small amount of shock. "Then, you will take me to Karma-Taj to speak with the Sorcerer Supreme. So, can we please just get to the part where you take me to the other masters?"
Kathmandu, Nepal
Karma-Taj
Early Morning
Walking through the halls of the ancient fortress, I was reminded of how crazy the last 24 hours was. Yesterday, I was just a regular guy on his way to work a job he didn't hate. Today, I'm being escorted through the home of the Sorcerer Supreme by Master Drumm as I learned his name was. However, instead of being in awe at my location, I was wondering about cost as I walked though the court yard on my way to the main complex. 'I wonder how much this place cost in terms of taxes? How do Sorcerers make money anyways? I don't think any of them have jobs outside of training. I also remember Mordo in the movie talking about WiFi. Where did they get the money for that?' Before I knew it, I was in the same room that Steven Strange was in when he first arrived.
I saw that they were setting up the tea at the far table on the right. Standing near the table was the aforementioned Sorcerer, watching me like a hawk. Sitting with her back to me was the woman of the hour, pouring tea for herself and her sitting companion. To her right, was the familiar face of the villain Kaecilius. Unlike the movie, he didn't have any followers with him. And he didn't have the weird magic inspired eyeliner that showed he was in league with Dormammu.
Overall, the scene looked very familiar, almost like I saw it before. Then I realized where I saw it. This was almost exactly like the scene from Doctor Strange. You surround the real Sorcerer Supreme with her students and reveal it later to throw people off balance. If I new nothing about these people, it would be a great strategy. To bad for them, I was not in the mood.
Deciding not to play the game they wanted. I sat at the open seat across from Kaecilius. I grabbed the tea and took a small sip. "I don't normally have tea, but this is good." I immediately turned away from Kaecilius and looked at the being I new as both the Sorcerer Supreme and a bald Tilda Swinton. "So, are we just going to play games, or can we actually have a conversation?"