The Misadventures of Rodrick and his Assistant

As he was contemplating suicide, Rodrick heard the buzzing of the System.

*Roulette has succeeded. User is granted: Random teleportation Device(2 uses).*

Puzzled about what the hell was 'Random Teleportation', Rodrick waited and waited but nothing happened. No magical item popped of thin air, no information was forced into his head, just nothing.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"User, I have received the location of the Random Teleportation device. Please follow my instructions."

His Assistant A.I spoke, oblivious to his growing frustration. Rodrick waved his hand dismissively and sat on the edge of the fountain, his stomach growling.

"At least give me some money…" He whispered as a sigh escaped his lips.

Drinking water was enough to satiate his thirst, but he was overwhelmed by hunger and exhaustion.

"Go 237 feet forward and then turn to the left. User, that's the wrong way."

Rodrick ignored the monotone voice and headed to a nearby alley. He searched for a while until he found some cardboard boxes, which he ripped apart and then laid on the ground. He covered himself with some of it and used the rest as a temporary and incredibly shallow mattress.

He mumbled incomprehensibly for a while before falling asleep. It didn't take him long to fall asleep despite the harsh conditions.

He had never been homeless, but there have been a handful of times where he slept in places no better than this.

Time passed by in a flash, though Rodrick woke up not because the sun shone on his face but because someone poked him.

"Ah!"

With a gasp, he sat up and looked around, his sunken eyes proof of his indignation. Yesterday wasn't a nightmare, he really did appear in this strange world and had to survive.

"You can't sleep here."

A deep voice cut his faze and made him raise his head.

The one who spoke was a tall man wearing a black uniform. Even at a glance, it was apparent he wasn't just a normal passerby.

Although mostly ignorant of this world, Rodrick did see a couple of people dressed like him yesterday, most of whom were patrolling the streets.

"They are called the Lineage Police." Declared the Assistant A.I.

'No shit.' Rodrick broke into a smile and slowly got up.

"My bad, I drank a lot and couldn't return home."

The Lineage Police Officer frowned and leaned just a bit closer while sniffing. He couldn't smell any alcohol, nonetheless, he didn't press for answers.

Although Rodrick was dirty, he was wearing an expensive-looking black suit, which made the possibility that he was a homeless man very slim.

"Don't drink too much, sir." As if feeling sympathy, the officer patted Rodrick on the shoulder before leaving.

"User, are you feeling refreshed? How about going to retrieve the Random Teleportation Device?"

Rodrick waited until the officer was out of sight before cursing,

"What Teleportation Device? I'm going to die out of hunger."

Initially, Rodrick did think of stealing from the many food stalls, but he wasn't confident in being able to run from the officers, especially after seeing that masked man from yesterday night.

That lunatic jumped down from a roof and displayed superhuman capabilities. From that moment on, Rodrick was certain that he was no longer on Earth.

"I'm really hungry, assistant. I don't care if it's the System, you, or both… just give me money to eat. If you can't, then there's no hope for me to survive."

Rodrick thought of himself as quite the intelligent man, but when he was thrust into this world, he truly didn't know how to go about his survival. Starting from scratch with nothing to his name was harder than anyone could imagine.

Despite his threats, there was no offer of assistance from the A.I. After what felt like an eternity, in which he fiddled with his watch, Rodrick left the alleyway and wandered around for a good while.

Eventually, he found what he was looking for: a pawnshop.

The interior was cramped and dusty. The atmosphere was as unwelcoming as it could be, and the air was filled with smoke.

Behind the counter stood an old man with a small grey beard, smoking from a pipe while flipping through a thick book.

He did see Rodrick's figure enter, but he spared only a momentary glance.

"Hello."

The old man didn't give a response.

'He looks like those unfriendly elderly. Those who think they're wise because they're old.' Rodrick obviously kept his comment to himself and brightly smiled.

"I'm here to pawn this."

He took off his watch and put it on the counter, which, at last, prompted the old man to close the book.

Still refusing to talk, the old man lifted the watch, flipped it around, and then calmly said,

"20 Silver."

Rodrick didn't know the value of the watch in this world, but it couldn't have been 20 silver. Admittedly, this was a pawnshop, but he still felt bitter.

"This watch is special. It was made by a renowned craftsman and-"

"20 silver."

With twitching lips, Rodrick spoke, "Isn't the value of the pawned item dependent on its quality."

"No. It depends on my mood." Retorted the old man while grinning back.

'Motherfucker.'

The watch actually held a special meaning to Rodrick, but in times like this, sentimentality wasn't going to put food on the table. To begin with, to save his life, he was willing to part with it yesterday.

Apart from the watch, he also wore a simple silver ring, which could be pawned, but even now, he wasn't willing to pawn it.

"Can't you help me out? I'm really in a pickle."

"20 silver. Take it or leave it."

"..."

With a somber expression, Rodrick extended his hand and waited for the old man to pay him.

The transaction proceeded swiftly, afterwhich Rodrick turned around and walked away.

Before he left the pawnshop, he turned and said,

"I'll definitely come back for it."

"I'll only hold on to it for a month."

"I know."

The old man waved his hand, which was purposely holding the watch. He seemed to enjoy Rodrick grumbling under his breath and angrily walking out of the shop.

With a bit of money, Rodrick immediately went to eat. Fortunately, there was cheap food that cost a few copper coins. It wasn't delicious, but it was enough to fill his stomach.

Rejuvenated, he finally followed his Assistant's instructions and easily located the Random Teleportation Device.

It was buried in the corner of an empty lot, somewhere in this vast 'District' called Lineage.

"Well done, User. With the Random Teleportation Device, completing the mission should be 49,7% easier."

"You pulled that number out of your ass."

"I am a highly-advanced Artificial Intelligence, User. My calculations are-"

"So, how am I supposed to use this?"

The device in question was egg-shaped and looked metallic, though it was soft to the touch. There was a line at the center of it, small arrows right above them.

"It's easy to use, User. Hold down the bottom part and rotate the upper part. The teleportation will be instant, but the destination is completely random."

"What if I teleport inside of a wall?"

"Rest assured, user. There are countermeasures to that."

"Which are?"

"..."

"You don't know, do you?"

"I cannot answer questions not pertinent to the mission."

"How is that not pertinent? You just don't know. What about the range of the teleportation?"

"Within the confines of the Lineage District."

Rodrick fiddled with the device and sighed. He didn't say it outloud, but it was better to have this than nothing, however, he still felt that the mission was impossible to achieve.

"What about the target? Who am I going to kidnap?"

"Let's go look for an easy target, User. Many nobles ladies roam the streets of the Lineague District during the day."

"Yeah, I saw a couple of them yesterday. They all had bodyguards."

Since the System didn't specify, Rodrick was naturally going to pick out any suitable target.

"Wait, what if someone is dressed like a noble lady but isn't actually one."

"It wouldn't count."

"How can I tell, then? Fuck!"

After putting the device in his pocket, Rodrick resumed his aimless wandering. The streets were bustling with people, and, occasionally, he would see wealthy women descend from pristine six-wheeled cars or even large and sturdy carriages.

All of them were followed by scary-looking bodyguards. Rodrick wasn't the only person not daring to come closer. The normal civilians would step out of the way, either fearfully, politely, or respectfully.

"I'm going to die." Said Rodrick as he leaned against a wall and kept looking at the passerby.

As he lost himself in dark thoughts, going as far as planning to spend the rest of his day eating and sleeping until he died, a carriage stopped across the street.

It was noticeably larger than any he had seen so far, but what was more shocking was how it shone with resplendent golden light.

Even back on Earth, this carriage would fetch an astronomical price. After a couple of minutes, two people stepped out of the carriage: a very young girl and an old man.

The elderly was, from his attire, her butler or servant.

The girl, holding his hand, looked exceptionally gloomy as she was led into a fancy store.

"User, it would be easier to kidnap a noble girl of that age. She doesn't have any bodyguards."

"You think I don't have eyes?"

"This is your chance, User. Grab her and teleport when she leaves the store."

"The absence of a bodyguard is even more suspicious."

The girl was dressed like a doll. One look at her was a confirmation that had a special status.

"The device will teleport anyone I'm in physical contact with, right?"

"Correct."

Rodrick kept leaning against the wall, thinking to himself in silence.

Twenty minutes later, the girl came out of the store with her butler. Rodrick watched as the old man crouched down and whispered something before departing the other way.

He had actually left her on her own, soon disappearing from sight.

The lonesome figure of the girl did attract some attention, but no one approached her. Furthermore, she didn't move from that spot.

She stood there, quietly and obediently.

"User, this is your chance!"

"Be quiet."

Rodrick continued to wait, staring intently at the girl. At some point, the target of his intense scrutiny met his gaze.

They were separated by 30 feet, at most, so it was doable for Rodrick to sprint toward her and teleport away.

Even though the opportunity was right in front of him, Rodrick didn't budge. He grinned at the girl and waved his hand, but it only made her look away.

Rather than annoyed or afraid of him, she seemed like she didn't care at all.

After waiting for long enough, she moved on her own and got on the carriage, but the coachman was nowhere to be seen.

"From conman, to murderer, to kidnapper. What next? Am I going to be a thief?"

Rodrick let out a self-deprecating laugh before running toward the carriage. He expected the door would be locked, but it wasn't, which made things easier.

As soon as he jumped inside, he saw the girl sitting down, calm and unfazed. She looked at him in an eerie silence.

As he was pressed for time, Rodrick extended his hand towards her, pulling her towards him and then taking out the orb.

The girl didn't struggle or scream, which was strange, but he didn't care. Completing the mission took priority.

Once the upper part of the device turned, Rodrick felt a momentary dizziness as his surroundings instantly changed.

With a thud, he fell on hard ground along with the girl. Panicking, he looked around and then breathed a sigh of relief.

At least today, at this moment, luck was on his side. He teleported in a damp room that seemed to be underground.

While letting go of the girl's hand, Rodrick felt a bit regretful.

'I really went and done it.'

He did con a lot of people, but he would never hurt children, much less kidnap them. This girl couldn't have been older than 10 years old, so he felt guilty in doing this.

"Ahem." While standing up straight and fixing his suit, he awkwardly said,

"Don't worry, I'll let you go at midnight."

He wanted to give her a bit of reassurance, hurriedly adding,

"And I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl, still on her knees after that short and harmless fall, looked at her own hand and then at him.

Despite trying to seem friendly and non-threatening, Rodrick knew that anyone would be afraid if they were in her shoes. He backed away until he reached the wall, keeping his hands raised.

"See? I'll just sit here."

He subtly glanced at the door, but was rusted and locked.

'Guess I'll have to teleport my way out of here.'