I Don’t Want to Start a Story!

Max put down his plate of biscuits as Cy closed the door behind him. He was about to speak when Darius beat him to it. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” He didn’t say anything as Darius maintained his relaxed posture despite the implications of his words. “What do you say, boss?” Max didn’t like hearing that term, not then or now. “I quite enjoy the plays you read in your original world. Shakespeare, isn’t it boss? Maybe we should team up and recreate his works here. With a few devotees, we could make a fortune. And you’ll need every penny you can get for Cyrus.”

How was it that in just a few sentences Darius was able to embed word after word hinting to his past: boss, Shakespeare, devotees, and penny. It was admirable. Max fought hard to maintain a neutral face and relaxed posture. If he lost his concentration, he could feel that this honest face would reveal too much for the system’s liking. “Shakespeare?” Max asked, as if it were an innocent question.

The response seemed to have angered Darius. “Don’t play games with me, boss. You spoke about it with BB just the other day… I have met my fair share of people like you, so let’s get straight to the point. Why are you here?”

“Cy invited me to come here.” Max picked up a biscuit and began to eat it. If he were to get food poisoning, then so be it. He waited for the conversation to continue, but there was only an unimpressed look from Darius. He began to lie. “These biscuits are pretty good-”

“Why does the system want someone like you here? Or are you still just running away from story prompts?”

Max sat back into his wicker chair and casually tossed the bitten biscuit back onto the plate. It was too sweet for him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. For some reason, I seemed to have lost my memories.”

Darius tutted in disappointment. “Surely, you don’t expect me to…” Max’s neutral and unworried face hinted that two can play with their words. ‘For some reason’ could be interpreted in many ways, and it was vague enough to keep the system at bay. Seeing as his guest was willing to somewhat play along, Darius got back his wide smile. “It’s a real shame you have no memories. It can’t be helped if the cat’s got your tongue.” The message was understood without the open acknowledgement of the system. “Do you have any plans while you are here, boss?”

“I’m here to help Cy with his magic. He says I don’t have a fate.”

“And anything else?”

“Maybe get a job while I’m here. It seems like I’m going to need money at some point. Or at least, enough to recoup however much Cy is going to spend with my savings. Do you have any recommendations? I’m a hard worker-”

Darius gave an approving nod. “Oh, I know. What else?”

Max thought for a moment, what could he be fishing for? He tried to think about the list of things Cy suggested they do while they were heading to the community. “I can… teach a little bit about the runes I use.” A prompt suddenly appeared.

Story Name:

Teacher! Teacher?

Genre:

Dystopian

Description:

A magic community starts to show its cracks as the MC gets more involved.

Goal:

Tear down Tsujuma.

Difficulty:

★★★★★

How to Start:

Try to teach people how to use rune magic!

“You’re willing to teach the community how to draw the runes you’ve been using around Cyrus?” Darius asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“…No.” Max thought for a second as he took in the details from the prompt. Luckily, it was fairly easy to swerve away from this one. “Cy told me that this type of magic seems to be able to change fixed fates. It would be irresponsible to teach everyone.”

Darius gave a questioning look for a moment before a knowing one replaced it. “That must be really annoying, isn’t it boss? Having to change what you do and say so drastically. Tell me, what can you do instead?

“I can teach you.” Person versus people. “The devil is in the details. I have a feeling you’ll appreciate that more than most.”

Max’s words seemed to be met with approval. “You’re willing to teach me?”

“I’m willing to teach you and only you,” Max emphasised. “What you do with that knowledge afterwards is up to you, but I don’t recommend passing it down to more than one person.” Unless he wanted to start a story. With the rating and the aggressiveness of the system’s messages, Darius wouldn’t last long.

Cy’s father stared at Max, as if trying to figure out the hidden meaning behind his words. Max wasn’t too concerned about himself with this story prompt. The biggest potential issue could be Cy. Would indirect learning count? He would just have to be more careful with obscuring the runes and adding in more duds to throw him off the real meanings.

Finally, Darius gave a nod to show he agreed with their deal. “But there are a few rules if you want to live in my house, boss. I ask you to listen to them.”

“Okay, seems fair.”

“Don’t commit any crimes here. And if you get permission to stay, then obey any restrictions.” Reasonable.

“Under no circumstances can you cook in my kitchen.” …Fair. “Ever.” … “Especially, nothing with flour-”

“I got it! I got it.” Max said bitterly. It was embarrassing. He didn’t need his past mistakes to haunt him so much. Getting a fresh start whenever he died and was reborn was meant to be one of the few benefits of his situation.

Darius let out a knowing chuckle. “If you’re hungry just take some snacks from the cupboard.”

Max was getting desperate to change the subject. “Any other rules you want me to follow?”

“Don’t get Cyrus in trouble.” Vague. “He’s sticking his neck out by bringing you here. His life has been difficult enough before he stumbled across you.” His words were pointed as if it were Max’s fault. “Cyrus doesn’t need you or the system making things worse, if you get my drift, boss.”

Max was surprised. Cy usually had a bad first impression with people, but it didn’t take long for them to warm up to him. Aside from that, he didn’t notice Cy facing any significant difficulties. “Cy is having a hard time here? What do you mean?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Darius picked up a biscuit from Max’s plate. The gesture was like a breath of fresh air. Max wasn’t too sure what had happened or said to suddenly alleviate the tension, but he was thankful that he was more relaxed now. “Just stay by his side as you have been doing, but don’t let him in on what’s really going on.”

The words held an air of mystery. Max hadn’t been fighting to keep by Cy’s side in any sense of the word. It had just been convenient until now. “I can do that.” Darius ate a biscuit in a singular bite. “Any other rules for me?”

“Not at the moment, boss. I’ll be sure to add to them if I think of any. But I do have one more request, if you’re willing to listen to this humble one.” Again, with the dated terms of the past. “There’s quite a few of your kind lurking around these parts. The members of the Elder Council call you guys Nnita, and you’re not welcomed here. Other members of Tsujuma don’t know of your kind’s existence. Over the years, I’ve made a fair share of friends with your lot in exchange for knowledge and control. Lately, it’s getting a bit… crowded. Lucky for us humble people, you’re the kind of man that can rope them back in line.”

Max didn’t say anything. Almost any way he could respond to the request could be classed as an acknowledgement, but his silence didn’t seem to bother Darius in the slightest.

“You and I both know nothing I say is really going to make a difference to a person like you. I can only ask for you to keep my simple rules and requests in mind. When it comes to sheltering unknowing people like Cy, I trust you better than the others.”

In a second, Max’s opinion on Darius had changed. The system over exaggerated. It must have. He had little doubt Darius could see every detail of the past in his current life, but it seems like his vision of his other pasts were sporadic like his ability to see the future. Or perhaps it could just be overwhelming with the amount of past to sift through. Not even Max remembered all of it.

Darius couldn’t see everything. If he had, then he never would have declared his preference for him. Instead, he would have sent warnings of the times unknowing people got hurt by bringing up more rules related to his past.

No use of other worldly magic without expressed permission.

No setting up a casino.

No conspiring with people like him.

No trusting witch-doctors with minor ailments.

No destroying the community, both physically and socially.

No petting ducks.

No subjugation.

No genetic modifications.

No true freedom.

Instead, only a few things were asked from him. Teach him about runes. Don’t break the rules of the community. Don’t cook. Don’t betray Cy or let him know about the system. Don’t let the others wander around freely. Simple enough. Max started to reach for the biscuits again as a sign of good will.

“But if you break my rules, boss, me, the other members of the Elder Council and any other person you piss off while you’re here will hunt you down and throw you in a nice tight box. You know, the kind where you can’t even move your arms or legs. And don’t you worry, we’ll make sure you live a nice, long time in that little box of ours… What’s the matter, boss? You look a little pale. Did you suddenly remember something bad?”