The Arcade Series

As soon as I had pressed the button, the screen in front of me disappeared with a Pop! and I heard a grinding noise come from behind me, making me whirl around as fast as my old bones would let me and I watched as a rectangular area in the center of one wall was being torn out and… Is that a door?

A door is sliding gently through the space left by whatever had torn out the wall, almost looking like it was always there. I looked at the door curiously and started to approach it, but I stopped when I heard the system’s voice ring out through the room “That door leads to your first arcade location. Please leave The Back and enter your arcade to manage sales, as you do not have any employees.” The robotic voice told me and I looked over at the screen, before sighing and walking through the door at a faster pace.

When I opened the door, my eyes were met with the staff room of the arcade I had designed not even minutes earlier. I stared around the room in astonishment, how was this built so fast? I had just designed this place! I shook my head in astonishment, but I continued to walk through the room, navigating through the kitchen appliances and shelves built out from the wall until I got through the staff room and exited through a door that I knew led to behind the counter in the main area of the store.

I walked through the double doors and into a large room that I knew very well. Technically I had never seen it before, but I knew every inch of this area. It was an exact replica of my old cafe, which I had just designed. Of course there were some differences, mainly in the furniture and the other half of the building, but the similarities were overwhelming to me.

I may have shed a tear, looking around the place that looked so much like my old cafe. “It's good to be back.” I said weakly and felt proud as I looked around at the room around me. “Now… Let's get to work!” I said motivated.

I walked around towards a gate that let me walk out from behind the counter and I scanned everything around, checking if everything was where it was supposed to be. My check was unnecessary though and I nodded satisfied before I walked across the room until I reached a set of steps that led down into a different room. This room was the arcade that the system was so insistent on adding during the design process.

The arcade room was not a typical arcade however and was barely recognizable as an arcade, with large windows on the wall the front door was on that looked out into an empty street, wood making up the consoles with bright metal making up details and edges making it look very cool.

I grunted in appreciation, while I had never been to an arcade personally, this looked almost better somehow, more distinguished. Everything was exactly as I had designed and I wandered over to an arcade machine with a game that I was familiar with, pacman. When I approached however, a blue screen flashed into existence beside me with a Pop! and it started to speak as a notification started flashing on the screen. “You cannot play in the arcade right now as this is during working hours, but if you come back during closing time you can play for free until the store opens in the morning.” The system told me in its robotic voice.

“Ok, ok.” I said, sighing disappointedly, still looking at the pacman game’s screen wistfully. “I suppose I can wait.” I said and I turned around the room, taking in all the little details, like the lights that looked different than what I was used to back on Earth, looking like little glowing balls suspended in midair, and another weird thing I noticed when I looked at where coins were normally inserted to play a game.

It looked almost like there was a black mist making up letters and numbers reading “25 cents”, while whatever was actually on the machine was being covered up. I looked closer interestedly and that was when the system spoke up again saying “What you are looking at is the effect of Manager's brain, specifically it is translating the native language and currency to your native language and currency.”

“Huh… That might take a bit to get used to.” I muttered to myself as I stood up and I started noticing that every letter and number that I could see in the building was made up of what looked like smoke of various colors “A lot of getting used to…”

But now I was sure the layout was the same as what I had designed, it was time to move on and figure out how this whole Arcade/Cafe thing was going to work…

Terance POV

As I hobble down the street, a scowl on my face, I think about what I am going to do now. All my life I was told that I would fail, that I would be a disappointment, that I was a useless piece of trash, and now I finally think that they might have been telling the truth.

My armpits press against my wooden crutches painfully as I make my way down the street to gods know where. My scowl turns to a painful wince as I put my weight down on my broken legs and I growl a little in anger at the constant reminder of my failure. I had been in a dungeon by myself when it had happened, when it came and did this… It was stupid, it was foolish, I thought I could take it, but that damned snake king just tossed me right out of its way, over a dozen feet into the air, and when I landed… My legs took the brunt of the fall, despite my armour.

When I crawled out of the entrance, crying from the pain and dragging my broken and bleeding legs, it wasn't looking good for me. I knew that I couldn't scrounge up enough money for a painkiller, nevermind a healer, after I paid for my cast and crutches. My life as an adventurer was over. I couldn't fight with two broken legs, anymore than a dragon could resist stealing gold. It was just not possible.

I couldn't go to a bank for some silvers either, I had already taken out a substantial loan to get myself a sword, which I knew at this point there was no way for me to return. I chuckled to myself, wondering what would kill me first, starving when my last few coppers run out, or the cold streets when I am kicked from my room in the local tavern.

Maybe it would be better to just end it now…

I sigh to myself as the dark thoughts crept into my mind and I slowed my shuffling movements to sit and rest for a moment. I wouldn't do it of course, I was too weak willed for that, but what else could I do? Run away and try to live in the dark woods like some hermit and get eaten by a shadow wolf? I look around the empty street, as if looking for something to solve my problems, but I see nothing unusual besides a small shop cramped between two older and taller buildings that I was sure hadn't been there yesterday.

The sign at the front read “Hope Arcade” and I was a little confused as to what an ‘arcade’ was, but I could see a bunch of tables and a counter with food through the windows, so I just chalked it up to some weird new thing from the capital. Those people do the weirdest things.

‘I could use some food though.’ I thought in longing and sighed before stumbling to my feet and I walked through the street and to the little shop, already internally groaning at the dip in weight my wallet was about to go through.

Leonore POV

“Ok, I think that's about everything.” I mutter as I look up from the system's floating screen that was placed on the counter for me to read. Over the last four or so hours, I had been thinking and asking the system about my new business, what the common currency was, why the prices were what they were, how the prizes for the arcade would work and the like.

Nobody had even walked past my store yet, that I noticed anyway, so I was almost sure that I wouldn't get very much business unless my shop suddenly became popular anyway. I still had to be ready for customers at all times though.

I looked up over the counter and looked out into the street, wishing that I could do anything else to stave off my boredom, but right then I heard a bell.

‘My first customer! On opening day too! Oh… they are not looking too good right now.’ I thought to myself as I saw a young man walk into the shop. Well, the walk was pretty inaccurate. His legs were in a large body cast and he was using two crutches to hobble himself through the open door. He had a large mop of dirty brown hair, torn and dirty clothes and I could see a scabbard and sword hanging by his side. Whatever had happened to make him end up in this condition must have been bad…

“Hello! Welcome to Hope Arcade and Cafe!” I said to the boy and winced a little as he jerked his head up to look at me. “Oh, sorry about that… Would you like some help?” I apologized to the boy who had apparently not noticed me, but the boy just scowled at me “I am fine.” he told me through gritted teeth. I could tell from experience that the scowl and gritted teeth were not from anger though, the war showed me what people did when in pain.

I smiled a little at the boy's tenacity all the same though as he determinedly made his way to the counter despite his obvious discomfort. “Can I get some food?” the boy asked when he had reached the counter and leaned on it. “I think so. What kind of food do you want? We got a lot of different food.” I replied, grinning at my little joke. The boy did not grin but his frown deepened and I could see him looking up at the large sign above the counter that lists what the prices were.

As he looked the list up and down, his face shifted into slight confusion as he read the food for sale. He glanced down at me in apparent confusion, but he just sighed “Could I just get some ale and meat?” I paused a little at his question, but realized the reason quickly. This world was very underdeveloped after all, they wouldn't have most modern foods or drinks I was used to. What should I get him though…

“You know what? Because you are my first customer, I can let you try something new for free. How about a few slices of pizza and a coffee.” I offered the young man quickly. The brown haired boy looked unsure at my offer, but I reached to get a small plate and put some pepperoni pizza in front of him on the counter before preparing his coffee and he apparently decided to just go with it and accept it.

After a few seconds, I finished the coffee and placed it in front of him. As he turned to leave with his meal, I called out to him with a kind warning “Drink the coffee slowly, it's quite hot!” The boy turned his head “I know that! This cup is burning my hand off!” he yelled out to me, clearly joking. I chuckled a little at his words and watched him sit at the closest table before he started eating the pizza.

I watched his face light up as he cautiously bit into the end of the pizza and he suddenly abandoned all his caution and started eating with the vigor of a starving man. But apparently he was distracted enough that he forgot my warning and lifted up his coffee and quickly downed a mouthful of the hot steaming liquid. He stopped quickly and started clutching his throat, that he had probably burnt a little.

I guessed that this would happen though and I was ready with a glass of water, which I walked over to him with. He took one look at the cold water in the glass and quickly took it from me and downed it in one gulp. “Should have listened to me!” I told him, fighting back a laugh at the boy, “Oh, shove off old man.” the boy told me, but I could tell that he was smiling a bit as he said that. Oh, how I have missed this.