Falling Through the Crack – a litrpg tale

 

Chapter 1 : Baby, its cold outside.

 

It was bitterly cold outside as David hit the button on the coffee grinder.  The loud wrenching sound was in stark contrast to the rich aroma of the freshly ground coffee permeating the air.  Looking out the frosted over window in the kitchen of his one-bedroom apartment the snow was blowing sideways.  He felt a chill down to his bones just watching it.  He turned and pulled open the skinny fridge door and grabbed the cold filtered water.  He did a hip check to close the door and pivoted back to pour the water into the coffee maker.  Setting the water pitcher into the sink and flipping the water on he reached up and pulled out a coffee filter even as the coffee finished its grind.  He folded the filter’s edge over and placed the cone shaped filter into the coffee maker.  As he grabbed the plastic box that held the ground coffee he took a deep pull through his nose…closing his eyes…

 

“Ahhhhhh….” he said as his senses filled his body with a moment of peace and joy.  It was one of the moments in his day that he allowed himself to just stop and smell the roses…or the coffee.

 

He poured the coffee grounds into the coffee maker and flipped the brew switch, then reached over and turned the water off and returned the water filter pitcher to the fridge.  He picked up his car keys and hit the remote start. He thought, “It’ll be just starting to warm up by the time I’m finished.”

 

Today was going to be a good day he thought to himself as he turned towards the hallway and his daily ablutions.  Shit, shower and shave followed by a bagel with dill cream cheese and a big ole mug of joe and I’ll be on my way to the lab.  He used to have an hour of exercise built into that schedule from his days in the army, but a nagging foot injury shortened up his morning habits and added some softness around the middle.  He grunted as he patted his gut, acknowledging it was more like a flat tire now.  Not so much in frustration, but a weary acceptance that age was beginning to catch up to his worn-out body.  Forty-five wasn’t the same morning experience as his early twenties.

 

After his morning ritual, bundling up in his winter parka and threw on his hat that was more like a baklava covering his face.  His gloves were left for after he got situated in his jeep.  He poured the full coffee pot into his oversized Yeti mug and headed toward the door.

 

In the pre-dawn light, the wind and snow hit his eyes and the bridge of his nose with a bite that almost felt like a physical punch.  His eyes immediately began to water and freeze.  With a shake of the head and a grunt, “Mother fucker, it’s cold outside campers!”  He didn’t even try to open the door.  He slammed it near the edge with his fist.  Ice and snow fell down to the ground.  A few more hits around the frame and the door reluctantly came free with a good solid tug.  The inside of the jeep was a nice and toasty single-digits in Fahrenheit and there were a couple of ovals of melted frost on the windshield from the vents.  Setting his mug down he grabbed the scraper and went to work on the windows.  With that done, he settled into the jeep his breath fogging the inside of the windshield with each breath and thawing just as quickly.   The jeep rumbling and the wheels bumping as he drove from his apartment down the semi-plowed road towards his lab.

 

David had done a lot of reading over the years on deployments or simply during his down times.  He grew up reading everything he could get his hands on that resembled sci-fi or fantasy books.  Later he discovered Japanese isekai, Chinese waixia, but Russian litrpg took him back to his childhood D&D days. 

 

His reading triggered some random searches online where he began to read about materials, physics and chemistry.  The science behind some of these concepts became almost as interesting and fun to explore as the stories themselves.  His imagination and curiosity was pulled by the physics of blackholes and wormholes, the metal lattices or alloys of metallurgy and the reactions of various chemistries from black powders to more complex reactions or even simply making his own still.  Some of the more bizarre explorations around animal husbandry or some of the ongoing work for gene therapies were simply on the verge of the crazy sci-fi stories he read when he was younger.  Science seemed to have almost surpassed the stories.

 

Ultimately, he landed on material science, engineering and physics when he was honorably discharged from the army.  The foot never truly healed right and would act up every few years.  He’d still head over to the range and practice both his pistol and rifle, but it often felt more like he was holding onto something than it being a part of him like it did when he was still in active service.  His hand-to-hand had gone to crap.  There wasn’t a gym or a dojo in this small town halfway up the Rockies.

 

Who would’ve thought this city boy would end up at the ass end of no where. He bought the building because the equipment was built-in and the prior owner had gone out of business.  He’d landed upon an idea as he finished his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering.  The distraction had resulted in his taking an extra year to explore a handful of advanced materials science, physics and chemistry courses.  Hopefully it would be worth it. 

 

For the past five years he’d been shooting graphene with a high powered laser.   It was the laser that brought him here.  It had been used to test the levels of various molecules in the atmosphere.  With some creative destruction and reconstruction on his part he’d reversed the direction of that laser inward toward the center of the lab instead of skyward.  Now he repeatedly bombarded blocks of graphite and it went from a solid straight to plasma and when it cooled formed diamond.  He’d tested it over his final year at the university on much smaller lasers, but he had visions of entering into the Diamond Age…or even making new materials with diamond as an alloy.  Maybe even the mythical adamantium.

 

His thoughts came back into focus as he pulled into the unplowed parking lot.  His jeep did a bit of fishtail as he turned the corner.  His counter steering brought him back on track as he pulled into his spot right outside his second home.   He hustled from the jeep to the lab as the wind had picked up even as the sun had finally crested the treeline.  Fumbling with his keys left him shivering as the cold air found every gap in his winter gear.

 

David had to kick the half foot of snow so that he could open the door.  He slipped inside and the heated lab blew warm air over his face and brought a sigh of relief.  He could see the laser had been going overnight and even from here he could see the accumulation process he had developed was separating the black as night graphite from the glittering diamond.  Coming up with that process had taken almost as long as coming up with the original idea itself!  He could see that the system was beginning to work and with each improvement he was one step closer to being able to move towards mass production.  The laser ablation was fairly loud and a constant snapping sound like an electric arc shocking across the air could be heard repeatedly in the large open space.  He plopped down in front of his workstation, the old office chair springs squeaking almost as if arguing with him.  He grabbed his old mug and poured a cup of coffee.  The steam rolled up as he leaned over the mug and let the aroma wash across his face and of course he burned his mouth as he took a quick sip.  He just couldn’t help himself.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

His hand paused on its journey to place the mug off to the side of the workstation.  The laser was a constant flashing of light coupled with snaps of electricity, but the buzzing, well, that wasn’t right.  His head tipped to the side a bit.  His eyes squinted as if that might help him hear just that much better.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

“What the….” David said out loud to the empty room.  Talking to himself wasn’t new.  Long hours alone in the lab coupled with a whole lot of frustration with the process of invention had left him with the habit. 

 

The creak of his old chair could be heard over the background noise as he rose.  His body leaned over as he stepped towards the source of the buzzing behind the laser setup. 

 

“Okay, well, shit… this can’t be good.”

 

There was a jagged cut of inky blackness that held a tint of purple haze along the edge.  It ran a good six inches vertically about three feet behind his setup.  It only took a moment before his mind caught up to what he was seeing and he lunged forward to the emergency shutoff switch.  With a solid ‘clack’ the button depressed and power to the system was cutoff.  The silence from the laser reaction stopping was alarming.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

The purple haze seemed to almost glow a little, if blackness can glow.  It pulsed in time with the buzzing.  The width of the jagged cut was almost three inches wide at the middle and tapered to a point at both ends. 

 

David’s mind was racing now as he attempted to make associations with his work and what appeared to be happening as a result.  His body relaxed a bit and he let go the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  He stepped forward and unlatched the door that allowed for maintenance and setup to be done on the laser manufacturing process.  The light from the room shone inside enough that he didn’t need to grab the flashlight he left there.  Nothing appeared to be happening inside the setup.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

His eyes jumped back to the jagged cut.  He couldn’t tell any difference from when he first saw it.  It didn’t appear to be growing or anything, at least not rapidly to the naked eye.  Even as that thought occurred to him, the inky blackness bulged and obscured the purple haze on one side.  It was almost like a mist with substance pushed outwards and then there was a small ‘pop’ as it dropped to the raised floor.  The mist flowed like a liquid and spread out from where it landed.  David was frozen for an instant as he couldn’t decide to step forward to try to capture the mist or to make a hasty retreat.

 

Before he could let the more sane parts of his brain take over and talk himself into backing away, he reached over with his left hand and grabbed a chemistry beaker.  He wasn’t sure if the oversized glass would work, but it was the best he had nearby and he quickly moved forward and stooped down to scoop some up into it.  It flowed into the glass and filled it like a fog, but he couldn’t get it all.   The blackness almost seemed to cling between the glass and the floor.  As David pulled the glass closer to his body the blackness stretched and appeared to gain a more material form.  He could now feel the blackness as a light tug where before there had been no mass or weight. 

 

It wasn’t a rip, but that was the only description that came close inside his mind.  The blackness separated into two separate parts.  The one in the glass beaker rolled to the bottom and fluttered upwards about halfway up the side before cascading back down into a turbulent pool at the bottom.  The other part began to flutter back towards the ground for a barest of an instant before suddenly it burst forward towards David’s bare hand and forearm.  In that flash of time David’s mind, heart and soul was filled with a tremendous sense of danger verging on fear.

 

Pain!  Pain jarred upwards from his hand, through his wrist and up his arm. 

 

Seven years of training kicked in and without any hesitation he moved his hand and quickly, but gently set the glass beaker down on the ground even as his right hand moved to his to grab his buck knife from his hip.  With a smooth motion his thumb flipped open the folding knife and swiped across the misty blackness.  The resistance spiked for a split second before the blade slid through the body of the mist.  He could feel it cut through and it felt a lot like the resistance he’d felt so many times filleting fish he’d caught over the years.

 

*DING*       

 

His vision filled with scrolling text.  It took him back to the heads-up displays the teams had worn towards the end of his army days, except he wasn’t wearing any gear of course.

 

You have taken 3 points of damage from the planeswalker Larvae. 

 

You have done 20 points of damage to the planeswalker Larvae with a *%&%$.  Planeswalker larvae has taken critical damage.  Planeswalker Larvae dies.

 

You have been awarded 10 experience points.

 

Receptacle is not compatible with the System…..

System is correcting…  Everything froze for David.  He wasn’t breathing.  The mist in the glass beaker was still, including the turbulence that had been there just a moment ago.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. 

Receptacle compatible….Planeswalker Human

 

Everything instantly began in motion again.  David wasn’t certain if it was simply his perceptions or if in fact ‘the world stood still’.  All things being equal, the former made more sense, but then it seemed he was standing right next to a crack in the space-time continuum.  He had a flitting thought about Back to the Future, Michael J. Foxx and Doc Brown’s crazy hair.

 

“Focus.  C’mon, man.  Focus.”  Hearing his own voice in the silence brought him back from the edge.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

There was a distinct pulling sensation across David’s body that matched the pulsing buzzing sounds and the purple haze.  The mist in the glass had come to rest at the bottom and only an internal swirling turbulence remained in motion.

 

With a deep breath, David thought ‘STATUS’.

 

Status:

%*^(&

*^$$_@#

@#$%^^^

.

.

.

 

While the header came across in his native language, the rest was gibberish.  He blew out a burst of breath and stepped backwards a step before dropping down on his butt on the floor.  While the room was kept at a stable 72 degrees Fahrenheit his skin was cool and clammy.  He knew shock was beginning to set in from all that had happened.

 

“C’mon, don’t fuckin’ isekai my ass…”  The words once again seemed to pull him back into the moment.  Another deep breath and he shook his head.

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

He leaned forward and pulled a second beaker from the rolling cart next to the laser setup.  With the glassware clinking he set that down snuggly inside the glass beaker that held the mist.  His eyes were drawn back to stare intently at the crack in the space above the floor.  Then down to his arm which he realized no longer hurt, like, at all.  He clenched a fist and sure enough, there was no lingering aches or pain.

 

As he moved his arm around to just kind of get a feel for things he noticed the edge of his arm smudged…making his eyes bulge a bit in surprise.  Before he could react he could feel a sense of disorientation as his perspective began to shift towards the crack…as it sped forward the last thing he heard was…

 

Bzzzzzzz…..Bzzzzzz…..

 

…blackness…and comfort.

 

As he opened his eyes he realized he had lost something.  It wasn’t a groggy feeling, but he certainly wasn’t in his lab any more.  The air felt almost moist and the temperature was warm, verging on that uncomfortable midday summer heat.  Around him stood a forest bordering on jungle, except there was quite a bit of spacing between the trees and he could even see the blue sky above him.  The sounds of a forest were everywhere as he realized he was still sitting on his ass liked he’d been in the lab.

 

His training kept him from muttering out loud, but his mind was cursing up a storm.  Most of it covered ideas about being isekai’d without any gear or preparation…and hell, he hadn’t even been hit by a truck for God’s sake.  He rolled to a knee and slowly rose to a horse stance as he scanned his immediate surroundings, then as he detected nothing threatening he slowly stood in a more relaxed standing position.

 

Thinking ‘STATUS’ brought up the screen again…

 

STATUS:

Name: David Stelling

Race: Planeswalker Human

Level: 0

Experience: 10

Age: 10 (45)

Health: 105

Mana: 140

Strength: 12

Constitution: 9

Dexterity: 17

Agility: 11

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 13

Charisma: 9

Luck: 17

 

Class: None

Job: None

Skills: None

Spells: None

Racial Abilities: Phase Shifting (Planar) – lvl 0

Traits: Planeswalker Human & Injured (left foot)

Titles: Rift Carver, Progenitor & Planeswalker

 

“Alright…I sure wish I had kept up with my exercise regime.  What the hell?!?” he muttered as he saw the age and looked down at his body.  Everything looked skinny and his clothes fit just fine.  They shrunk and fit to his body.  He shook his head and said, “Fucking magic.  Great.  Ok, it is pretty cool, but does physics even apply here? At least I still have my knife…and my phone, keys, wallet and my watch,” patting himself down quickly.

 

He focused on the titles…

Rift Carver: Even the joker gets lucky sometimes.  Having played with the powers of Gods you ripped space and time.  Let us pretend it was intentional.  +10 INT, +2 LUCK/lvl

 

Progenitor: You are the first of your racial type.  All Planeswalker Humans will follow in your footsteps.  May you live long and prosper!  +10 CON, +2 CON/lvl

 

Planeswalker: You are the first of your race to travel across the Planes.  Balancing fortune against prudence will be your path.  +5 LUCK, +5 WIS, +1 LUCK/lvl, +1 WIS/lvl

 

“Nice…and racial abilities…”

 

Phase Shifting (Planar): Space is no longer defined for you the way it may be for others.  Good luck being the first of your kind to learn to use this.  You don’t want to come out in the middle of a tree. -At level 0 your control is negligible and this is more of an instinctive response.

 

“Deep breath…” as he inhaled and worked to find some inner balance.

 

You have learned Meditation.

“Alright.  I can learn skills,” he said as he considered how his learning various martial arts over the years had entailed flirting with mediation and Buddhism.  Given that I didn’t do much there, I’ll assume the more experience I have with a skill the easier it is to learn it.  Maybe I need to do it correctly and with intent?

 

He turned to a nearby tree that had some large bark features that might lend itself to climbing.  David rapidly scaled the tree and before he was halfway up the trunk toward the lower branches he saw another notification.

 

You have learned Climbing.

 

He climbed down a few lengths before dropping to the forest floor into a smooth roll converting his downward momentum into horizon momentum of the roll.

 

You have learned Falling.

 

With a quick thought…

 

Meditation: Even at early levels of understanding you will achieve balance that can strengthen your inner sanctum and increase the rates at which you recover. Mana & Health recover 1% faster.

 

Climbing: You have an understanding of how to scurry vertically scaling surfaces welcome back to monkey-ing around. 1% Faster Climbing

 

Falling: You have achieved the ability to convert fall damage to mobility…or mobility to minimize damage. 1% Converted Damage

 

David thought there was more snark than he envisioned for some sort of higher entity or the System, but it was still nice to have some guidance.  He was skeptical that any of this was some sort of grand scheme.  The way the System had “fixed” him and how he’d seemed to have created the rift led him to believe he wasn’t some sort of main character, MC or some God’s champion.  Though, even as he had that thought, he realized he should avoid any conscious thoughts of Gods if he could.  You just never know what can be in a world of Magic.

 

He tried to envision an inventory, thought the word inventory and even said, “Inventory,” but nothing happened.  He had the same results with trying to get a help interface or several other commands he thought might be possible.  His last thought around the interface was that it might just be something he had to run across first before he had the ability to interact with it…or maybe it just didn’t have those functions.

 

Survival 101…First Aid, Shelter, Fire, Water, Food.  Not much to be done about first aid right now.  David began to formulate a plan for the surrounding branches, leaves and even some of the smaller saplings for his shelter and it looked like there was enough loose branches and kindling for a fire.  Some of these leaves were large enough that he should be able to fashion a water trap from dew overnight.  With the humidity here it seemed likely that he would run across some pools and running water without too much effort as well.  So far all he had seen was the Planeswalker Larvae which may not have even come from this forest and some insects that were buzzing around the area.  He had heard enough forest noises that he believed some were larger animals, but he had yet to actually see any with his own eyes.

 

He decided that since he wasn’t familiar with the area and the risks from the local flora and fauna that he should construct a basic spear.  After a quick search he found a sapling that appeared to fit his needs and worked at the base with his knife.  He’d considered using a rock, but there weren’t any immediately visible and he didn’t really want to make a lot of noise that the hammering with it would bring.  He worked his way around the base and finally winnowed it down enough that he was able to twist it and wrench it free.  A few quick strokes eliminated the stray branches.  Another few minutes he had whittled one end down into a sharpened point.  He would char it later once he had a fire going.

 

You have learned Crafting.

 

Crafting: Hey, even a pointed stick is toolmaking!  Congratulations.  Crafting 1% faster.

 

“Seriously.”

 

He hadn’t seen anything special or especially favorable about the area he’d arrived at within the forest.  However, he was also reluctant to simply depart from his point of arrival without being able to return to it.  He looked around for a way to identify the location, a landmark or some way to create one.  There really wasn’t anything already present.  It was a challenge as none of the local fauna matched that from his own world.  The trees were still pretty much trees, but everything about them was shifted just enough that it wasn’t quite “right”.  The colors weren’t quite the right shade of green, the bark wasn’t quite the right texture and the leaves weren’t quite the right shapes.

 

Maybe if the trees are marked outward from my arrival point there will be a reference.  Using the sun as the initial reference point and calling the rising sun being east. 

 

Crack!  Snort!  Sniff!

 

David froze and scanned towards his left where he heard the noises.  Barely visible through the underbrush and saplings from which he’d recently made his spear he saw the outline of a massive jaw leading up in a backward sweeping arc along a lizard-like muzzle to a terrifying eye.

 

Sniff!  Snort!

 

He saw the hole for the beast’s nose draw inward with the sniff and a liquidy mucus spew out with the snort.  He felt his heartrate peak, but remained still.  He felt his fist clench on his new spear, not really gaining much confidence that it would hold off the massive beast that had to go with the huge head and eyeball.  He saw the beast’s eye dart downward in line with where his fist had just clenched upon his spear.  Either the movement or the sound had triggered its attention. 

 

Even as he prepared for flight the monstrous jaw opened and he was torn between the terror he felt at the gaping maw of multiple rows of massive shark-like teeth or the blood curdling roar that he could almost felt louder with his body than the ear bleeding volume he heard with his ears.  Spittle flew in all directions from the giant lizard’s mouth.  David’s body clenched and his bowels released as an overwhelming sense of fear struck him still.

 

You have been affected by <Terror>.

 

With an overwhelming power and mass the beast lunged forward through the trees which simply snapped like the smallest, driest kindling.  Dirt, dust and wood bits flew everywhere.  David could feel the presence of danger and death fly forward faster than even the lunging monster. 

 

The giant maw was all he was able to comprehend as it flew towards him and he witnessed both the upper rows of teeth sweep well above his head and the lower rows of teeth come upward from the forest floor.  The tongue filled the side of his vision just over the spear held in a death grip.

 

Critical Hit!  You have done 300 points of damage. Terminal brain strike.  Saurian is dead.  You receive 2,000 experience points.  You have killed an opponent 20 levels higher than you, experience doubled to 4,000.  Title received: Giant Slayer

 

The smell of rotten meat from the warm moist breath and the rough tongue that pulled his head and upper torso deeper inside the massive gaping maw with its rows of sharp jagged teeth.  Chomp!  The feeling of tons of pressure as the rows of teeth cut cleaning through his clothes was agonizing.  As the jaws closed he could feel a numbness in his lower body even as his mind went blurry from the pain and shock. 

 

Critical Hit!  You have received 2,000 points of damage.  You are hit with multiple debuffs:

<Massive Blood Loss>

<Greater Bleed>

<Greater Shock>

<Loss of Limb (Left Leg)>

<Loss of Limb (Right Leg)>

<Paralysis (Lower Body)>

<Disemboweled>

 

His awareness faded as the next thing he realized in a flash that he was flying across the forest floor free from pain.  He barely recognized the area and his markings on the trees as he returned to where he had entered this world. 

 

Pop!

 

His perception became aware of crossing the blackness and he saw that purple haze at the edges of his awareness.  Then he saw his body before him and it felt like he was stretching to connect with his body.

 

Pop!

 

He was back in his body, looking at the jagged crack with his arm out before him towards it.

 

You have gained the title: Hard to Kill, Help I’ve Fallen & I CAN Get Up, I’ve Seen the Other Side & Planeswalker II

 

He wanted to stand up, but everything around him was still.  He had no control over his own body.  Time had not restarted…

 

…and he began to feel that pull towards the crack in reality before him.

 

The last thing he saw as he was drawn back through the portal was yet another notification:

 

You have received the trait: Eldritch Taint

 

He could feel his body as he fell face down from several feet onto a hard metal tiled floor.  His body hit hard enough to make a thudding clang and his breath was knocked out of him.  As he raised up to a knee his eyes flicked from side to side and he jerked his head around to take in his surroundings.

 

He gasped as he tried to catch his breath.  He was whole again and without pain.  His intestines weren’t spread out before him and his body was not in two separate parts.  He moved his hands moved to test where the worst injuries had been.  No injuries.  A small chuckle escaped between gasps and finally the beginnings of a grin took hold on his face.

 

A long uniform hallway lay in front of him and as he looked over his shoulder an identical view went the other direction.  The lighting was excellent, but he wasn’t able to place a source.  The flooring was large sectional metal plates with a visible seem, but perfectly placed together with no apparent spacing.  The walls were a darker color and gave off a warmer visual feel, but also appeared uniform and identical spacing to the floor plates.  The ceiling was identical to the flooring.  He couldn’t see any doors in either direction. 

 

While there weren’t any distinctive noises, there was a sense of a constant background noise that registered to his modern sensibilities as an HVAC system.  Just a low level thrumming he couldn’t quite make out, but still there.  His eyes tracked down the hallway and he realized that it didn’t go dark, but still tapered to nothing.  Sort of like when you looked out the window on a plane and the horizon dropped away from you.  He turned and looked behind him and saw the same affect.  His mind struggled for a moment, before he made a connection to a game he had played back in high school.  It was an FPS (first person shooter) where the character was on a space station.

 

Realizing that he isn’t any immediate danger.  David thinks about the trait eldritch taint…

 

Eldritch Taint: The space between reality is beyond comprehension.  Unstable barely scratches the surface of pure chaos.  Even passing between in an instant has an affect as time has no meaning in the in-between Eldritch spaces.  Those who witness the Eldritch directly face insanity.

 

“Brilliant,” he muttered in disgust under his breath.  David doesn’t see how he can manipulate this planeswalking, but it appears that until he does he’ll be risking his very sanity.  Though on the plus side not dying goes in the win column.  He thinks, “Titles rock…” While reviewing his status window David drops 5 pts into each Dexterity, Agility and Charisma.  I’m not entirely sure about how things work, but I’m pretty sure I need to be at the high end of normal human performance.  It felt like I was standing still facing off against that lizard.

 

STATUS

Name: David Stelling

Race: Planeswalker Human

Level: 15

Experience: 4010/5119

Age: 19 (45)

Health: 755/755

Mana: 1,465/1,465

Strength: 27

Constitution: 94

Dexterity: 22

Agility: 16

Intelligence: 115

Wisdom: 148

Charisma: 14

Luck: 162

Eldritch: 35

Willpower: 15

 

Class: None

Job: None

Skills: Meditation, Climbing, Falling, Crafting

Spells: None

Racial Abilities: Phase Shifting (Planar) – lvl 0

Traits: Planeswalker Human, Injured (left foot), Eldritch Taint

Titles: Rift Carver, Progenitor, Planeswalker II, Giant Slayer, Hard to Kill, Help I’ve Fallen & I CAN Get Up, I’ve Seen the Other Side

 

“Fifteen levels, that is just ridiculous.  I suppose taking on something like a T-rex as a piddling zero level human probably gains max EXP.  I’m going to have to watch out for getting careless with taking risks.  Not dying, being reset to another location and another plane…or whatever, sure opens some doors for options,” he said, then reached down to rub his belly where he’d been bitten in half.  “Though that hurt like nothing I’ve ever felt before, so, mind breaking pain might temper that risk taking a bit.  Hmmm…and it looks like there are hidden stats.”  His mind shifted to his new titles.

 

Planeswalker II: Falling into a hole is an accident, but returning takes skill.  Well, in your case its still an accident, but maybe you’ll figure it out.  5 WIS, 5 Luck, 2 INT/lvl, 2 WIS/lvl, 2 Luck/lvl, 1 ELD/lvl

 

Giant Slayer: Killing an opponent 20 levels above you takes incredible skill and bravery…or in your case becoming lunch while holding a pointy stick. +50HP, 1STR/lvl, 1 CON/lvl

 

Hard to Kill: Being attacked, approaching death and surviving requires remarkable resilience…or a cheat skill that pulls you out of this world. +15/HP/min, 1 CON/lvl

 

Help I’ve Fallen & I CAN Get Up: It doesn’t matter how many times you fall.  What matters is how many times you stand back up to face your enemies and life.  At 0 HP automatically recover 10% HP, 1 CON/lvl, 1 WIL/lvl

 

I’ve Seen the Other Side: Death is something few see in this life and live to talk about.  You on the other hand will likely die often. 0.01% chance of insanity per level, 5 WIS, 5 ELD, 1 WIS/lvl, 1 ELD/lvl

 

David pulled out his knife and tried to mark the plating on the floor where the crack…or planes rift was located.  At first, he wasn’t able to make a mark, then as he leaned into it a scratch showed up on the deck plate.  He smiled at the result, but then grimaced as it magically repaired itself.

 

He stood up and the rift was a few feet above his head in the middle of the hall.  As he stared at it, he recognized that feeling he’d felt in the lab, that pulling sensation.  He closed his eyes and it was still there.  Stepping to the left he could tell where it was.  Ducking, he could still feel it.  He just knew where it was.  He opened his eyes and stood up.

 

Phase Shifting (Planar) – lvl 1 achieved.  You have taken the first step on a long journey.  You now always know where the rifts you create exist.  With hard work you might be able to sense other rifts as well.

 

David grinned just a bit as he stepped forward down the hall.  His steps were intentional and he tried to walk as stealthily as possible.  He recalled somewhere that he shouldn’t shift his weight from one foot to the other until he had established that where he was stepping was steady.  It wasn’t a natural stride and it took attention and focus, but he was hoping that perhaps he could gain the sneak or stealth skill.

 

He was trying to focus on everything around him.  Not just out of the zombie’s in a space station fear, but also to see if he could gain analyze, perception or trap finding…or some such skill.  With no information or feedback it was pretty much just go forward and see what could be seen.

 

As he tried to focus on his surroundings, his mind wandered and he thought about the chain of events and how he was now 19 years old and had been 10 years old on the last world, but was 45 years old in his own reality…or world. 

 

“Stay in the now, soldier,” he muttered as he brought his attention back his immediate surroundings.

 

He wasn’t absolutely certain how long he’d been walking or stalking along the hall.  Though his years in the service had taught him a pretty good sense of blocking out his time.  He felt he’d been going for about 50 minutes which was about how long it usually took for him to get anxious or restless on guard duty or doing coursework.  It was a bit mind numbing as everything was identical and the hallway ahead simply bent to a horizon in a never-ending fashion.

 

“Finally,” he thought as he stopped with his foot just beginning to touch the floor ahead of him.  The view at the horizon showed a break in the wall and it was darker in coloring.  As he leaned his weight forward into another step, he could see that there was some sort of opening on the righthand wall.  He didn’t hear any changes in the background noises or any other cues that might indicate a change to the environment.

 

As he continued forward toward the opening, he saw a panel on the left-hand wall that appeared to be centered on the adjacent opening.  As he approached within about six feet the panel lit up in a gradual way that went from dead to dim to on, but still didn’t seem to project light outward into the hall.  Almost as if the surface was projecting inward and he was witnessing the inverted side in a way that he just couldn’t quite understand or explain how it worked. 

 

David asked his mind to calm down and found his center again as he took another few steps.  Merging towards the wall with the opening he came to the corner and crouched such that his head wouldn’t be where it might be expected given the height of the hallway.  As he peaked around the corner he saw yet another hallway heading towards yet another horizon.  The difference being that this hall held a series of doorways or portal like openings on both sides running the entire length of what he could currently see.  They stepped between one another with a door and an unlighted panel, then another door.  This pattern was repeated on both sides such that no matter which door you exited you’d face a panel.

 

He turned his head towards the panel behind him and was shocked as a being was looking back at him.  It was sitting behind a desk and to one side was what might have been a computer screen in his own world.  The being appeared to be similar in size to himself, but had an oversized head with a mouth that was twice as wide as his own and a nose that seemed to project two or three times longer than a human’s.  Long ears projected upwards and away from the skull and came to a rounded off point.  The top of the head was completely bald and the skin was a light dull greenish grey.

 

The being’s jaw slowly dropped in surprise or shock.  The teeth were longish and came to points, not like needles, but predatory.  The tongue was a deep, dark red.  It was wearing a flat navy blue uniform with a flash of colors above one side of the chest and a black stripe over the other with some sort of text, like a name badge.

 

All David could think was Navy or Fleet followed by Goblin. 

 

Even as he had that thought he watched as the Goblin closed its mouth and leaned forward reaching for the screen on the desk.  Then he was clearly shouting without really looking at the screen.  Its eyes never left David’s face.  David never heard any sound.  The Goblin mouth moved dramatically it also gestured with both hands in a way that David read as, “No, I am looking at this crazy alien invader right in front of me on my screen you stupid idiot!”

 

David stood up tall and tipped his head while touching his index and middle finger to his forehead and flipping his arm forward in a ‘Hey there’ type of gesture.  The Goblin just stopped what it was doing and looked at David gob smacked, then slowly raised his hand in a stuttering wave that kind of hung in the air before dropping to its side.

 

He turned his head to look back down the corridor with all of the doors as he’d heard a series of ‘whooshes’ that he assumed were the doors sliding open.  Sure enough he saw a handful of Goblins in Fleet uniforms of slightly varying heights and builds surge out into the corridor.  The next thing he saw was that they all appeared to have a sidearm and most of them were either pointed at him or held off angle in a safe position by those without a clear line on him.  These were definitely trained individuals.  All of their faces held a similar serious and intense expression. 

 

With as neutral an expression as he was capable of having, David very slowly turned his palms towards them and slowly raised them up to the side of his head.

 

Silence filled the corridor and neither side moved. 

 

It was only a moment, but it felt like forever to David, before he heard a consistent drumming of footsteps in both directions of the corridor he had been traversing.  He slowly turned his head back the way he’d come and saw a wall of armored Goblins five wide and shoulder to shoulder.  It looked like there were about 3 rows behind the first one.  They continued to approach him in a controlled march with the front row holding a longer weapon somewhere between a submachine gun and a long rifle to their shoulders.  The armor, helmet, visor and weapon were all a matte deep navy that was almost like a shadow black.  Turning his head the opposite direction, he saw a similar force arrayed there which had come to a stop.  The front row dropped to a knee and the second row brought their weapons to bear on him.  He heard a similar rustling back the direction he’d come and assumed they had done the same action.

 

Turning his head back down the hall of doors he saw that they had also formed up with the front row kneeling to allow the second row to aim their side arms in his direction.

 

Taking a deep breath, David said in a calm voice, “I come in peace.  May I please speak with your leaders?”  He doubted that they would understand him, but he hoped that his demeanor, tone and even his effort as being polite might come across to them.

 

He heard a deeper rumbling from his original corridor in both directions that sounded like a bus or maybe a tank…and he realized the armored troopers had likely been driven down the corridor in an armored vehicle.  As he came to that realization, he heard a squeaky, rumble of a voice back down the hall of doors.

 

The actual voice coming from the larger Goblin who stepped through the formation was tracked with a louder voice in David’s own language inside his head.  The uniform was subtly different from that worn by the rank and file, a slightly better tailored and fitted uniform with some stripes on the shoulder and forearm.  Probably an officer.

 

“Who are you?  From which stellar nation do you hail?  How did you penetrate or defenses?” The sense David had was that the officer was taking over the situation and seeing no weapons visible was moving towards information gathering.

 

“My name is David.  I come from a distant planet.  I come in peace,” he said it in an almost hopeful way, but quickly realized that the officer did not understand him.

 

The officer reached into a pouch on the hip opposite his sidearm and pulled out a rock and pitched it forward towards David.  As it clattered towards his feet he realized it was a faceted crystal that didn’t really glow, but gave off its own impression of light.  It was a similar technology as what he’d seen in the viewing portal where he’d seen his first Goblin.  The officer was gesturing towards the crystal sweeping his hand upwards towards David, in a way that suggested he should grab the crystal.

 

David crouched down and grabbed the crystal.  Even as he grasped it his vision was filled with a sense of bright light and a pinprick of pain just behind his forehead.  Then he heard the officer’s voice again, “Please repeat yourself.”  His eyes were still on the crystal which was actively disintegrating into dust and finally to nothing in his open palm in an instant.

 

You have learned Psionic Translation. +1 PSI gained.

 

Blinking for a moment, he replied, “My name is David.  I come from a distant planet.  I come in peace.”

 

“That is good to learn.  May it come to pass as truth.  If you will please come with me, then we will find a place to sit down and learn more about you and your people,” said the officer as he twitched his arm, shoulder and head in a body language that wasn’t human, but clearly meant for him to come this way back down the hall of doors.

 

David stepped forward in a calm and smooth stride where he tried to communicate no urgency or threat and just that he was simply following the officer’s request.  As he neared it, the officer said, “I am First Claw Hyl and will be your liaison for the immediate duration.  You are currently an unclassified threat that appears to be cooperating.  We will proceed to interrogation where we can classify you.”  Hyl gestured with his hand, which David now recognized had substantial claws.  It was an almost human gesture of ‘after you’, allowing David to walk abreast with him.

 

The troopers in the hallway ahead parted and lined up against the walls to allow us to pass side by side.  He heard more than saw troopers forming up behind them as the proceeded down the hall.  He could see that this one also carried forward into a horizon similar to the last hall he had been traveling.  It was only a handful of doors, which he counted off in his as four such that he could find his way back if needed. 

 

Even as they approached the door disappeared sideways into the wall as it swished open and the image portal flickered on with a light that wasn’t a light.  He wasn’t positive, but it seemed that this Goblin was different from the last one he’d seen at the entrance to this hall of doors.  This one had many doors, but fewer than the last, and it ended in a T-intersection with yet another portal screen that lit up and yet another Goblin appeared.  This one had an almost bored expression.

 

First Claw Hyl reached a hand forward indicating that David should proceed him into the room.  David’s view as he turned the corner was a bit of a surprise as he saw what could have appeared straight out of one of his cop shows or movies.  The table had a simple chair with a backrest on one side and a pair of identical chairs on the opposing side.  The wall behind the pair of chairs held a broad panel screen of the type he’d seen throughout the facility.  It went from a foot off the floor to a foot from the ceiling and a foot from each wall.  The only difference was that this one did not turn on as the other had previously.

 

Hyl indicated toward the single chair as he entered behind him and said, “Have a seat.  Does your species drink water or do you have other specific needs?” 

 

“Thank you, water would be fine.  What language are you speaking?  I hear it within my head as my own language,” David asked as he pulled the chair back and sat down at the table.  The table was the same material as the floors, ceiling and walls had been so far.  The walls themselves were bare of any decoration or coloration.  It certainly was an interrogation room.

 

First Claw Hyl pushed one chair towards the side and dragged the other opposite David’s and as he took a seat he said, “I am speaking Goblin.  What language are you speaking?  Also, what is your race?”

 

What David heard was something more like ‘Ghukliak’ when his mind registered the language as Goblin.  He paused only a moment before answering, “I am speaking English and am Human.  How do you call your race?”

 

David tried to focus on First Claw Hyl as if he could trigger an analyze or perception event.  He was also trying to identify features on Hyl’s face that might be unique and consistent across the various Goblins he had seen so far.  It patterned in a way that was similar to a human face, but different muscles would flex and contort an expression that just simply didn’t map over to any context he had. 

 

The goblin made a slight nodding expression and a half smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but then answered in a mild voice, “Why Goblins of course…you are well within our borders.  How do you not recognize that? Where do you come from David?”

 

Looking the officer in the eyes he tried to be as sincere as he could and said, “First Claw Hyl, I am not certain how to describe my arrival.  I woke up in your hallway without having traveled anywhere.  My last memory was kneeling on the floor in my workplace on my home planet.  Your group here is the first Goblins I have ever seen.”

 

The discussion proceeded for hours and most of the questions were repeated and asked in different ways.  He didn’t bother to attempt to hide most of the answers, but also made his best attempts to remain as vague as he could.  David wasn’t entirely certain these Goblins wouldn’t discover his crack in space and find a way to invade and take over his planet, destroy it or enslave all of humanity or worse.  He simply just didn’t understand what was going on overall or even what these Goblins were capable of doing or if they were inherently evil as all the stories and shows had portrayed them to be when he was a kid. 

 

One thing he did realize fairly early on was that the stat changes he had weren’t just on paper.  They were real and tangible.  His mind worked at rates that were alarmingly faster and his memory was virtually eidetic or perfect recall.  He was also able to make connections through direct observations, associations or even loose nonlinear connections which he was able to tie together into a new coherent context which he simply was able to grasp at a level he’d never felt before now.

 

You have learned Negotiation… Negotiation II… Haggling… Lying… Diplomacy… Obfuscation… Perception…

 

Beyond the joys of learning these skills, David had also discovered that he was on a massive battle station in space that sat adjacent to a portal that sounded an awful lot like a wormhole gate.  The Goblin fleet held sole control and managed the comings and goings of the gate network.  The First Claw was incredibly proud of the fleet and the Goblin Empire which he mostly referred to as The Empire or The Emperor.  Overall David was led to believe that there were only Goblins within the empire, however there was an occasional reference to others and over time he was able to gain a sense of hunger or yearning when those themes or undercurrent rose near the surface of the discussions. 

 

It became clear that the Goblins were mostly looking for information and wanted to discern whether they should be expecting a raid or even an invasion… or if David was simply a spy who had successful penetrated deep within the Empire’s borders and even within their, believed to be, impregnable battle station.

 

The tone was drifting between handling him as a guest with the thought of coaxing out more information or being done with him and tossing him out into the void or maybe something more…dark.  There were a few threads which led to impressions of hunger emanating from the First Claw.  David began to realize that perhaps, just perhaps, he may be considered dinner material.  He could identify different gestures, body language, expressions and even sometimes just increased salivation in Hyl’s mouth.

 

You have learned Perception II.

 

David took a leap of faith by asking, “Would The Empire be interested in opening trade discussions with my people?”  He leaned forward and assumed as confident and prideful an expression and posture as he could hold.

 

…silence…  He could see the comment clanging around inside Hyl’s head.  Then he saw a moment of recognition where the Goblin’s body stilled followed by a brief nod of the head.  David had an insight that the Goblin had some mode of communication.  It occurred to him that it could be an earbud or something more incredible through advanced technology or even magic for all he knew. 

 

He wasn’t sure why it had taken him so long to arrive at such an obvious conclusion, but with it he took another step.  David leaned back in his chair, taking a relaxed posture and stated, “I appreciate your need for security, but my people can travel across the universe in the blink of an eye.  I would like to suggest that I capture some examples of items your people might be interested in trading and a list of items, materials or foods your people might be interested in receiving.  Before I return, I would appreciate a basic understanding of how The Empire might value those in an exchange so that I might return with a proposal for a longer term trade negotiation.  If you could provide another crystal, or several, such that I could enable others to learn to communicate with your people it would facilitate both our people in future relations.”

 

First Claw Hyl eyed David intently, then David could see that someone was talking to him, “We might be interested in such trade.  Travel as you suggest would be something we would be willing to trade for learning. Some of the other commodities could be of lesser interest as well.”  There was a slight whooshing sound as a slot opened to the side of the large portal screen.  David could just make out a rectangular shape within the blackness of the slot.  First Claw Hyl slid his chair back, stood up and strode over to the slot where he pulled out what could only be described as a tablet.  David could only see a portion of the screen from his angle, but it was scrolling blocks of text and images would slide past as well.  Finally, the scrolling came to a stop with a gentle beep.

 

First Claw Hyl returned to his chair and laid the tablet on the table facing David.  It was the oddest feeling to know that what he was seeing was in a language he clearly did not comprehend, but simultaneously capture the full screen with his increased intelligence and understand all of it due to his universal translator.  He leaned forward and asked, “May I?” as he indicated picking up the tablet.

 

With the Goblin’s nod, he suspected that he’d begun to interpret body language via the translator as well, David pulled the tablet closer and began scrolling.  He saw an indicator that he ‘knew’ to mean return to the beginning and then he rapidly scanned and consumed the information.  He made the effort to go slower than he truly needed to in order to not reveal his actual abilities, but he also understood that he went through the information at a pace his old self would never have attempted. 

 

You have learned Partitioned Mind.

 

Suddenly a portion of his attention was rapidly processing the data and making connections about technologies or capabilities on one track, even as another was making logistics assumptions on separate track.  He kept his expression neutral as he went back to the beginning and forced himself to scroll through the information a second time at a similar pace.  By the time he was finished he realized that The Empire was made up of no less than 39 systems and trillions of individuals with a caste system that was derived from a tribal and clan based system at its base. 

 

He also identified no less than 20 subjected races that had been acquired through conquest and acquisition, both through trade and through diplomacy.  Those races were not even classified within the caste system and were not included in the Goblin conquered slave classes at the lowest end of the spectrum.  They were simply Other.  The other stellar nations of many varying types of government were all lumped into the same group of Other.  Humanity was already considered Other and would never have any real standing within their system.

 

David raised his head and made eye contact, “First Claw Hyl, I believe we have a basic understanding of one another and the beginnings of possible trade.  I would like to propose you provide me with a bag or container I could carry back with me such that I could have some examples I could show that might demonstrate the value your people would have for my own people in trade.  I would propose that I return in three days time where I could share some examples that my people might believe would be of value for The Empire as well as examples that you have shared in your list.  Would it be acceptable for me to carry this device back with me that I might have the list at hand?”

 

The conversation carried forward along the path of potential trade.  It was not long before a smaller Goblin in the nondescript trooper uniform entered the room carrying a backpack.  The trooper’s face held a grimace and there was a wetness to his mouth that suggested drool.  David held back his own reaction as he realized he was being viewed as cattle.  Instead, he leaned forward and held out his hand and took the pack from the trooper.  He inclined his head towards First Claw Hyl saying, “Thank you.  If you can escort me back to the hallway I was originally in when I met you, then I’ll return to my people.”

 

David was not certain he’d actually be able to trigger his own return, but it was worth a shot.  As he rose from his chair, he opened the top of the backpack.  He saw only blackness, but without hesitation he transferred the tablet from the table and stuffed it into the field of blackness.  It reminded him very closely of the black field of his own crack in space, but without the purple haze.  In a single motion, he closed the backpack and slung it over one shoulder and slid his other arm through the opposite strap and settled the pack in place. 

 

As he turned and took a step towards the door, he gestured for First Claw Hyl to lead the way.  His next step would have placed him face to face with the standing trooper, but at the last moment the trooper scrambled to the side and avoided close contact.  Hyl lead him out of the interrogation room and they retraced their steps with the squad of armored troopers following close behind them.

 

They walked back down the original hall.  As it was becoming somewhat awkward and David could sense from Hyl’s body language that he was becoming strained, they arrived back at the crack in space.  It was just high enough that it was out of normal line of sight for both David and Hyl.  David stopped below the crack and turned to Hyl and said, “Thank you for your time and patience.  I am hopeful that we will arrive at a mutually beneficial trade agreement upon my return.  I will endeavor to return at this location, but sometimes there is variance to our location of arrival.  I apologize in advance for any inconvenience that may occur as a result.”  A brief pause where First Claw Hyl simply nodded in acknowledgement, followed by David bending his knees and jumping towards the ceiling with a hand outstretched. 

 

David could feel the crack in space and knew with certainty that it was his gate.  Even as he came in contact with it, he knew it would bring him home…blackness and that purple haze in the background flirting with his mind, and his soul.

 

Pop!

 

You have gained the title Astronaut. 

 

David’s perspective shifts back to his lab.  His first thought is Astronaut title:

 

Astronaut: 593 Humans have achieved this prior to you.  You fell into this one.  Not even a launch or anything.  +1 Perception/lvl, +1 Agility/lvl, +1 PSI/lvl

 

Tumbling out the other side into his lab, he felt his essence flow into his homebound body.  With a deep draw of air he felt himself emerge within and merge back into his physical self.  He fell backwards to the floor away from the still present gate as time resumed for him inside his lab.  As he hit the cool cement floor he felt the lumpiness of the backpack and a chuckle came out from him that rolled into a deep belly laugh, “Ho-o-ly shit!  That was THE most incredible thing.” 

 

A part of his mind had partitioned off and was maintaining his connection with the gate.  Another was opening up his status window.  A third began running through his gained skills.  In all the effort took barely more than an instant and he was still laughing as he rolled over to his stomach and rose to his feet.  Once again his abilities let him know with certainty that no time had passed here in his homeworld while he had walked the planes.

 

As he strode over to his work table, he flung the backpack off his shoulders and dropped it on the surface.  Even as he opened the top flap he realized he felt another connection to the black field and again realized it was the same as his gate.  With the briefest of thoughts, he instinctively made a link to it and it became ‘his’.  He felt the same connection he did to this backpack and it was bound to him.  He knew others wouldn’t be able to access it or see into it.  He grinned and thought ‘inventory’.

 

INVENTORY:

Bag of Holding (leather backpack, elfin made)

Contents…

 

 

 

 

 

…then status:

 

STATUS

Name: David Stelling

Race: Planeswalker Human

Level: 15

Experience: 4010/5119

Age: 19 (45)

Health: 255

Mana:

Strength: 12

Constitution: 9

Dexterity: 17

Agility: 11

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 13

Charisma: 9

Luck: 17

 

Class: None

Job: None

Skills: None

Spells: None

Racial Abilities: Phase Shifting (Planar) – lvl 0

Traits: Planeswalker Human, Injured (left foot), Eldritch Taint

Titles: Rift Carver, Progenitor, Planeswalker II, Giant Slayer, Hard to Kill, Help I’ve Fallen & I CAN Get Up, I’ve Seen the Other Side

 

 

 

 

 

There was a pull upon David’s perceptions as he felt like someone was watching him.  As he was just about to turn to look, he felt a sensation like some slimy film was covering him.  He even felt like it was covering his brain or his mind.  It made him feel dirty.

 

<Resistance to mind magic raised…>

 

<Resistance to time magic raised…>

 

<Your ability to use Time and Space Magic gives you the opportunity to resist their affects upon your being.>

 

He could feel the slimy sensation peel off of him and finally left with a snapping sound within his mind.  If he could see behind him…and with some mild disorientation he opened his eyes above his head looking backward.  It was the craziest thing, but he could see from another perspective as if his eyes were above his head.  What he saw was a floating cylinder of a darker faceted material, almost an onyx, but the shine was only at the edge of each facet.  While the sheen shifted to matte and then to an endless depth of darkness at the center of each facet.  The feeling was similar to what he felt when he saw or felt his own gates.  It was almost as if each of the hundreds of facets was its own gate. 

 

“Subject is unstable with a genetic drift at 6.5.  Being has been exposed to the Eldritch, further accelerating the forecasted drift.  Planar Magic, Space Magic, Time Magic detected,” said the cylinder.  The voice wasn’t the awkward computer voices, but there was a detached coldness present just the same.  David felt like a lab specimen.  He could also sense that this floating crystal was massively powerful.  He felt such an overwhelming sense of danger that his fight or flight reaction was just frozen.

 

<You have gained the skill Danger Sense.   Sometimes knowing you are the bug might just save your life.>

 

“Interesting.  At level 15 you are able to resist me.  What is the designation for this test subject?  Where did you get exposed to the Eldritch?”

 

Ever so slowly David turned to face the cylinder, even as his wizard eyes remained glued to this well of power.  As his own eyes gazed upon the cylinder he realized that all of the faceting he was seeing with his wizard eyes was not showing up to his normal biological eyes.  He blinked to try to merge the two, but no matter how many times he blinked he was distinctly aware of the difference.

 

“My name is David.  What is yours?” the words leaving before he could think to keep his mouth shut.

 

“Subconscious manipulation unaffected.  Where were you exposed to the Eldritch?” the cylinder asked again.

 

“In Between” again the words escaped faster than his thoughts.

 

A dart flung forward from one of the lower facets towards David.  It flew towards David almost faster than he could see and he felt it strike his right shoulder.  Expecting to feel pain or be physically moved by the speed of the dart he was surprised when it simply disappeared upon touching him. 

 

“Subject David has been marked for further study.”

 

He could feel power build up within the room with the cylinder at its center.  Finally gaining control of himself, David asked again, “What is your designation?”

 

The power in the room dissipated and David could feel its gaze upon him once again, “My designation is Cylindar Guardian.”

 

“What are you doing here?” David asked.

 

“It is my primary duty to protect the Atlantean population within my sector.  One of my subroutines is to track genetic drift and cull the negative or rampant outliers from the pool,” was the matter of fact response.

 

“How do I fit into that equation?” David was trying to keep the conversation going in an attempt to learn something about this power on his homeworld…who was visiting his hole-in-the-wall lab.

 

“Subject David has been found to contain various types of magical abilities which were thought unable to occur upon this planet after the battle here knocked out the System in this sector.  This planet had been a zoological experimental ecosystem testing genetics across many solar systems.  As a result, it was believed that this planet would be a reasonable designation for the final remnants of Atlantean civilization to flee and hide from their enemies.  The Guardians were sent ahead to prepare the planet and create a local source of magic that wouldn’t be detectable off planet.  In this effort we were thwarted when the Anunnaki knocked out the Controller Guardian in space and subsequently captured the Pyramid Guardian.  They proceeded to design and breed a slave variant of Atlanteans which they called the Adamo who were then used to support their ship of warriors who had been stranded during that battle,” replied the Cylinder matter of factly.

 

After a brief moment of silence, “I am required to support all Atlantean citizens.  Subject David’s designation has shifted to Citizen David.  As the highest ranked Atlantean citizen on the planet Citizen David’s designation has shifted to High Governor.  It is presumed that the government has fallen.  As the highest ranking government official, High Governor David’s designation shifted to Emperor David.  …how may I serve you?”

 

<Title Gained: Citizen of Atlantis>

<Title Gained: High Governor of Planet Earth>

<Title Gained: Emperor of Atlantis>

<Quest awarded: Determine the state of the Atlantean Empire outside the local solar system>

<Quest awarded: Secure the safety and defenses of the local solar system>

<Quest awarded: Secure the safety and defenses of the planet>

<Quest awarded: Secure the Atlantean dreadnaught in local orbit>

<Quest awarded: Secure the safety and defenses of the six planetary regions>

<Quest awarded: Establish the operations of the Atlantean Empire>

.

.

.

<Quest awarded: Become strong enough to wear the Mantle of Atlantis>

 

Dozens of quest prompts flooded David’s perception.  For a moment he could only stand there with his mouth open wide and a dumbfounded expression upon his face.  Too much had happened to him today and he was struggling to process it all.  His own personal transformation was one thing, but then adding upon that a mountain of complexity that is an ancient alien civilization and the warping of everything that he had learned in school about the history of his world had left him gobsmacked.

 

<Minor Shock> debuff added.