My eyes snap open and I find myself atop the bed I felt like I just fell asleep in. The room I’m in is small, but the furnishings are nice and I sit up and find that new information fills my mind. But before I consciously unpack the new knowledge in the back of the part of my brain that is distinctly mine I glance at the cosmic timer. 

 

The number on it now is not as high as it was before. Instead of reading 5,256,000.00 it now reads 5,254,560.45, which I estimate indicates that to the minute a full day has passed since I arrived here. 

 

I have no real method of knowing what the precise local time is so I don’t bother trying to determine it. It’s late enough in the morning that I don’t hear the screeching sounds of pained monster roars that I would expect to hear if the newly spawned undead were first discovering how the sun affects their kind, assuming that every Minecraft rule I’m familiar with applies to this world. I’m unsure of whether or not any undead smartly found cover in the nearby shade created by the closest trees, and when I glance out a window in the room I’m in I don’t see anything indicating the fate of the monsters one way or another. 

 

My mind begins to wander and I find myself reflecting on some of the new knowledge I possess. I am now vaguely aware of the basics of the ten “arcane and esoteric” arts that have apparently been baked into my body. Each of them is a distinctive and unusual thing. 

 

“Alchemists” are practitioners of the art of alchemy. They are wise people, sages who can do acts such as creating liquid medicines that can cure diseases or bestow a range of favorable conditions on those who imbibe them. 

 

“Bards” are those who transform music and stories into power. They are entertainers and everymen who turn charisma into influence and influence into a form of subtle might. 

 

“Clergy” are those who are close to the gods and their kin. Faith is their bread and butter, and they gain powerful boons both from those who they speak for and from those who they guide.

 

“Culinary Warriors” are folks who have mastered the science and art of cooking. Their food is a balm for the soul as much as it is nourishment for the body. 

 

“Dimensional Travelers” are brave scouts who venture beyond lands known and into spaces unknown. They are masters of movement and travel, capable of deftly navigating the world around them.

 

“Enchanters” are creators. They forge objects and transform even mundane things into magical artifacts capable of changing the world. 

 

“Hedge Mages” are magicians and scholars, but not ones educated in vast universities or arcane palaces. They are magicians who listen to the world and who hone magic their own way. 

 

“Merchants” are travelers who buy and sell goods. They gather and utilize wealth, mastering the unsubtle power of riches and greed. 

 

“Style Warriors” are fashionistas who deftly clothe themselves in potent armor and good-looking threads. They are capable of weaponizing their own bodies in ways both surprising and frightening to those not expecting them to be fighters. 

 

“Tamers” are the best friends of animals, even monstrous ones, and possess abilities attuned to the welfare of animals, as well as emulating their abilities. Their skills are varied and potent and are the skills that most interest me at the moment. 

 

All of the powers inside of me, some of which I can now name and articulately call upon even without guidance from my other half, are powerful things. Even the least of them, traits more than powers really, amplify and empower me in ways both subtle and not-so-subtle. 

 

A simple trait I possess as a “Dimensional Traveler” amplifies the speed at which I learn. It makes me learn things five times as quickly as someone else would. A trait I possess as a cleric amplifies my determination and willpower. Another trait from the clergy art makes me immune to mind control. These are simple things, decidedly less potent than greater powers I possess and my rebis is aware of, but that yet elude my distinct awareness. Still, the comprehensive package that is now baked into me is a powerful thing. 

 

I quietly get up and allow my mind to continue to wander. As it does, I find that there is one area where my knowledge is strikingly complete: that of my items. 

 

I possess an array of delightful tools in my “Vault”. Some of these things are simple and direct, such as the “Templar’s Armor” which is a suit of well-made armor that has a built-in forcefield that uses my faith to shield me from harm, and others are more complex such as the “Sheele”; an item that is a fully living being. The “Sheele” is an elemental spirit loyal to me that is capable of casting spells and using magic of its own. I possess two such spirits, with one linked to myself and the other linked to my other self, my rebis. 

 

I opt to equip some of my items immediately, such as the armor, which I don with a thought by using the “Quickchange” power. “Quickchange” is a style warrior power that lets me instantly put on clothing and place the clothing I’m wearing in my vault. As the armor wraps itself around my body, I feel the subtle effects of other clothing-related perks I possess coming into play. 

 

“Style Warriors” possess an array of abilities that make clothing better to wear. Perks like “Practical Fashion” which makes it so that clothing never restricts me and “Like A Glove” which resizes any clothing I equip until it fits me perfectly, are just two of my clothing-based abilities. 

 

As I adjust to the sensations that accompany the lightweight metal armor I feel my rebis stir within me. It greets me quietly and asks me what the plan is for today, to which my answer is simple. 

 

“The best strategy moving forward is to continue to work on establishing our shelter. Doing so might well unlock how we could gain more powers related to this universe.” I remark, even as I begin to walk towards the cabin’s exit. My rebis accepts this, and notes that she is feeling quite good since I followed her advice yesterday regarding a special perk named “The Magic Of Living”. 

 

That unique perk is one of two such abilities I possess that grant me some mental slots that I can put abilities in and allow them to effectively always be trained. In exchange for the utility of said ability, it trains such powers at a rate of a tenth as fast as real training would. This means that even having an ability in it for twenty-four hours would only train any such ability for two and a half hours, but that’s still a lot more than not training a power would. 

 

In seconds I have stepped outside and can study my surroundings more than I could when stuck indoors. The sky overhead is clear and in the distance, I can’t see any monsters indicating that even the smartest undead were too shocked by the deadliness of the sun’s rays to take cover before they were destroyed. As I study my surroundings I do two things at the same time. The first thing I do is place my crafting bench nearby, and the second thing I do is mentally place some items around me. 

 

The first item that I place, other than my personal Minecraft crafting bench is an item I possess as a merchant. The thing is an android that looks like a tall, muscular woman, a “Constructed Guardian” which is a machine that is designed to loyally protect and serve me. It is clad in clothes that look like a suit of armor. The other items I place are faceless mannequins that are also designed to serve me, but in more utilitarian ways, six in total, that immediately look at me and wonder what to do. 

 

My “Constructed Guardian” does not await instructions and instead begins to silently survey the area around me. It has white, colorless eyes that emotionlessly study our surroundings. The mannequins, dubbed “Mannequins” even within the recesses of my mind, are potentially more intelligent but need instruction in the beginning. They all look at me and await my instructions. 

 

“Alright lads, here’s the plan.” I begin, even as I move over to the crafting bench and I begin to use it. I place sticks and planks atop the bench in the proper structure to replicate the “Recipe” as Minecraft defined it, of axes, and watch as they instantly transform into axes. The objects, being constructed by me, are both better looking and thus more effective than normal axes would be. Each time one is created I toss it to one of my servants. 

 

“We’re going to be terraforming this region. In this world, the darkness is an active and real enemy. Monsters spawn in the dark, and they have a personal, visceral hatred of us. So we’re going to obliterate the areas where the darkness is free to churn out monster after monster. To do that, we’re going to cut through this forest.” I say, watching as the faceless mannequins study the axes and then nod at me. 

 

“Get in pairs and work together to begin to cut through different parts of the forest. Stay close together, and if you find any caves immediately report back or signal to me that you’ve found one. Stay away from them for the moment. Additionally, before your axes break bring them to me. I can fix them so that we don’t have to keep creating new ones whenever ours break.” I order, and then release the creatures to set about their business. They immediately get to work, and I motion for my guardian to accompany me as I equip my iron axe and begin to get to work on trees nearby. 

 

I hurl myself into my work, doing the same grueling labor as the bizarre machine-like beings that are serving me. The sounds of the labor, theirs as well as mine, soon fill my ears and moments later I begin to hear the sounds of blocks of wood turning into the tiny, portable cubes that can easily be pocketed and used to craft various items. I am surprised when one of my servants touches a cube and it appears in my inventory, but that is quite convenient as far as gathering goes. 

 

Minutes begin to turn into hours as my crew diligently and tirelessly works to clear out the area. We work for a good long while and before I know it midday is approaching as the sun reaches the zenith of its orbit. The beach and the neighboring forest are warm but they are not uncomfortably hot, though I have no clue if that’d be my natural, organic reaction, or if it’s only perceivably the case due to perks I possess… 

 

I study the landscaped surroundings and note the impact of ceaseless diligence. Dozens of trees have been felled and that affords me visibility I previously lacked. 

 

The area neighboring the beach I first spawned on is a long stretch of forest. Previously I couldn’t quite determine how far the forest stretched, and I still can’t, but I can now begin to estimate that it stretches for a truly long distance. 

 

I can see and hear a range of animals, from cows to sheep, and even as I spot them, I begin to mentally count just how many of them there are. The animals are interesting to me, given the intense potency of “Tamer” powers. I silently summon my rebis and I turn to her with a smile. 

 

“Do me a favor and go and grab the bench, would you?” I ask as I look down at the spot where she’s standing. She’s on the forest floor, and I’m atop an artificial pillar I made to reach the upper reaches of a tall tree. She smiles at me and nods as she begins to walk towards the beach where the handy object is waiting for her. 

 

I begin to deconstruct my pillar, even as I begin to think about what I want to do next. As I pillar downwards I silently summon one of my “Items”; the “Sheele”. The begin comes into existence on my shoulder, manifesting as an ethereal owl seemingly made of wind. It is naturally translucent and I can tell that it is a stealthy thing.  

 

“Hello little one, how are you?” I ask, and the creature chirps at me cheerily. It is a tiny thing, but one that will be immensely useful in the minutes, hours, and days to come. I can understand what it says instinctually, thanks to a “Tamer” perk, and it informs me that it is feeling good. I smile brightly at the beast and lightly tap my head against its own. 

 

“That is excellent! I need your help.” I inform it, and it chirps again, cheerfully telling me it’s ready to help me. 

 

“I need you to go into the air and see if you can spot an edge to either, or both, the forest, or the beach. If you see any caves, also let me know.” I tell it, and its eyes narrow in determination. I smile as the beast flaps its wings and hops off of my shoulder, leaping into the air with ease and immediately sailing upwards. I reach the forest floor right as the owl above me stops ascending and begins to hover. I estimate that it must be hundreds of feet in the air and chuckle.

 

My rebis is walking back towards me, having gotten the bench and already placed it in our inventory. I place the bench nearby, and I immediately begin to place more planks and sticks on it. Planks and sticks form the necessary components of countless Minecraft recipes, and the ones I want to work on are just a pair of examples of that. 

 

I watch as sticks and planks, configured properly, transform into fences and fence gates. I begin to collect the created objects and as I do this I watch my actions cement their transformation, permanently changing the sticks and planks into fences and fence gates. My rebis reaches me and she looks at me with a curious grin on her face. 

 

“What are you up to?” She asks, studying the objects in our inventory with a curious look on her face. I chuckle as I get ready to answer her. 

 

“I don’t want to turn this place into a desolate landscape. I just don’t want it to be dark. I’m planning, effectively, our first farm. And preparing for our first native friends.” I tell her, causing her to smile at me curiously. 

 

“I’m planning to create some animal pens, and to begin taming nearby animals.” I explain, causing her to suddenly nod in delight. 

 

“Oh! That’s great.” She exclaims, causing me to chuckle. For the first time, I wonder how thorough and persistent our ability to read each other’s minds is, since we possess a telepathic connection of some sort but I appear to be able to hide some things and I have to assume that she can do the same thing. 

 

“So of all of your powers, which do you like the most so far?” She asks, curiously. I don’t hesitate to answer her question.

 

“Oh, my tamer abilities. In a world like this, the ‘Tamer’ powers are top-notch.” I tell her, causing her to think about it for a second before nodding. 

 

“Hmm… I can get that. ‘Tamer’ abilities are strong in any setting with a large emphasis on nature.” She replies, even as I begin to place fence posts and fence gates in an area around the crafting bench. 

 

I create decently large pens, and spend a few moments eyeballing measurements. Doing so is easy between some of my new abilities and the fact that my vision automatically frames the world into an array of equally sized blocks for the sake of things like this it is remarkably easy for me to create an array of pens. My rebis helps me by being the one to take the damaged axes brought to us by the mannequins and repair them so I can work without distraction. 

 

The perk we use to repair the axes is a handy one. It is named “Seamless Repair” and while it works best on things made of cloth and fabric, it works on any damaged object, and repairing something as simple as the wooden axes is not a challenging feat in the slightest. 

 

I create six different pens and once I’m done with that I recall my mannequins and equip them with different crops by using an item I possess as a “Culinary Warrior”. I instruct them to bring the animals that we can now see wandering the parts of the forest we’ve cleared to the pens, and teach them that luring the animals to us is as easy as showing the beasts the appropriate crops. Once armed with this knowledge the mannequins depart from me. In a matter of minutes, right before my rebis vanishes, having spent a little over an hour and five minutes out in the material world, a pair of the mannequins enter one of the animal pens with a pair of sheep. 

 

I shut the gate to the pen, and with that I have successfully captured my first animals. I desummon and resummon the mannequins outside of the pen and thank them for their work. They nod, silently, at me and then begin to walk off in search of more animals. I turn my attention to the captured animals who don’t seem to mind captivity and nearly mindlessly graze on some grass. 

 

The sheep have cute looks on their dumb faces, and I approach one of them even as I equip some wheat. This causes the sheep to look at the wheat intently and I chuckle as it begins to walk towards me. As it does I activate one of my powers, one that all “Tamers” possess; the power to tame beasts. The instant that I activate it I feel the creature, nearly mindless due to Minecraft’s simplicity, become “Tamed” by me. The beast’s eyes widen and I feel some semblance of intelligence enter its gaze. 

 

“Hi there.” I say, a bright smile on my face as I look at the beast. It looks at me in awe, and while I can tell that it has not become a genius or anything I can keenly sense the distinctly sharpened intelligence in its gaze. The sheep bleats at me, and the sound is filled with curious emotions. 

 

“It’s so nice to meet you.” I say, responding to the sheep’s “Words” which were an emotional greeting in its version of the language all animals speak. This is not a property of Minecraft, but rather something unique to me as a tamer, and I am left in awe of the potency of my powers.  

 

I also feel a new sensation in the wake of my successful taming of this gentle beast. I feel newfound energy flowing into me, energy which I harvest idly from my tamed friends, and I smile as I hear my sheele gliding down to me. When the beast lands on my shoulder I turn to look it in its azure eyes, a striking color for an owl. The instant that our eyes meet the owl chirps at me, telling me important news. My eyes widen as I listen to the revelation it brings me. 

 

“A canyon!?” I ask, wanting to be sure I understood it. The owl nods at me, brightly. I smile at it and cheer as I take in this news. 

 

“A canyon… Excellent. A source of stone, some lava, and a way to explore some caves.” I remark, brightly. I glance back at the owl and I ask it how far away is the canyon, which causes it to chirp in response to my remarks. My expression darkens when it reveals that the canyon is a good distance from here, at least a day’s walk away if the area between here and it, which is just a dense forest, is not cleared somehow. 

 

“Hmm… Well, that’s disappointing. Expected, but disappointing. Still, the knowledge that there is a canyon nearby is very intriguing.” I remark, as I thoughtfully consider what to do next. I allow the owl to remain perched on me as I turn my attention to the other sheep and I repeat what I did to the other sheep to this one, bringing up my total number of tamed animal friends to two. The sheep has a similar reaction, which is quite amusing to me, and I thank it for being here and joining my group. The animal nods at me, and I let the two sheep eat the wheat in my hands, even as the remaining mannequins begin to slowly bring over various animals. 

 

The next few hours are split between me taming various animal companions, the majority of whom are sheep but some of whom are pigs and cows, and me beginning to light up the region of the forest we’ve cleared. In no time at all the sun is beginning to descend and I call on my companions to come with me back home. As we march back towards the beachside cabin I use my rebis to study the area we’re leaving behind by having her focus on what is behind me. 

 

We’ve cleared a region a few miles wide and about two miles long of trees. I have, quite literally, hundreds of oak blocks in my inventory. The region is lit up by torches, but I am nearly out of the vital tools. Thankfully I can just “Smelt” some of my wood for charcoal but even doing that requires that I dig down somewhere and get stone to build a smelter… 

 

In minutes I’m back home, and I order my mannequins to stand guard near the various windows and the one entrance and exit leading in and out of the cabin. My constructed guardian follows me as I do a patrol of my home, and find it empty aside from the people who are supposed to be here. Night falls fast and in moments my keen senses pick up the first wails of the monsters that spawn in this world at night. They do sound noticeably further away, however, which is nice. 

 

I head over to the kitchen, a surprisingly grand and modern thing, of the cabin, and study it. I am no longer adventuring by myself or with just my rebis, and even though my followers are all artificial lifeforms I have powers related to cooking that make it worth my time to cook for them. 

 

As a culinary warrior, I possess powerful cooking-based abilities. Among other things, I can cook food for anything, even inanimate objects and the very land underneath me, and “feed” such things my dishes, which will make the things I feed better in various ways. I begin to get out some raw ingredients, all given to me by items I possess as a culinary warrior that provides me with a replenishing supply of food that is restored weekly, and I summon mindless servants. 

 

The servants are “Homunculi”, artificial lifeforms that vaguely resemble humans and serve as extra hands for me to operate with my mind. Together with a pair of them I begin to cook a meal for eight, which would ordinarily be a challenge but between perks I possess that simplify the act of crafting things, including meals, and my homunculi, as well as perks that give me exceptional cooking abilities, I find it easier than I could have ever imagined to manage the kitchen and to skillfully prepare a large meal. 

 

The meal I make is a simple ramen meal consisting of chicken and vegetables all mixed in and cooked in a delicious broth. I eat the meal, and watch as my artificial followers and my sheele finish up their portions as well. When they are done I subtly study them using powers I possess as a merchant that my rebis slyly told me about while she was out in the material world. Such powers allow me to appraise both people and objects and do so in the form of showing me bright status windows quantifying the stats of things around me, and in doing so I notice that their stats and intelligence are a touch higher than they were before the meal, which brings a smile to my face. 

 

I collect the dishes that we have just used to eat our meals and I clean them before heading to bed. By the time I’m in the same room I woke up in, over a full two hours have passed since I arrived back in my new home. Nonetheless, when I lay in my bed I feel satisfied that I am actually using my powers. 

 

There are many abilities I still haven’t used, such as my powers as a cleric or hedge mage, or even dimensional traveler, but using what I used today such as my tamer powers, my style warrior powers, and my powers as a culinary warrior allowed me to easily and significantly modify my surroundings and to begin to enhance the abilities that those who serve me possess. I have also made new friends, and I possess increased awareness of my surroundings. All in all, today was a success, and I begin to relax and muse on that as I shut my eyes. 

 

I fall asleep nearly instantly, and I feel as though I wake up almost as fast, with no hesitation or grogginess holding me back when my eyes open. I instinctively check the timer and notice that another 1440 minutes have passed since I last consciously checked it, so my internal clock must be more or less primed to start my day at whatever time it is that I keep waking up. 

 

I immediately get up and I get to work and before I know it another day has passed. For the next few days, my schedule is a simple thing. I get up, I work on terraforming the area between the cabin and the canyon, and I also hone my abilities as a tamer. 

 

During this time I allow for subtle changes such as digging a hole just deep enough for me to grab enough stone to assemble a smelter or utilizing some of my abilities like “Ethically Sourced”, a power that lets me harmlessly harvest animal resources like meat or wool without actually harming the animals I harvest it from, but for the most part, my schedule is monotonous. 

 

At night I cook for my companions, including my sheele and my rebis. We delight in the convenience of the items we possess and are thrilled to feel our abilities growing stronger while we consume delicious foods. During this time I do not get any new Minecraft abilities, which is curious, but ultimately not a cause for concern. 

 

On my sixth day here, shortly before the sun begins to set, we chop through enough trees to see the plains biome that I know is the location of the canyon. I quickly gather my companions and we dart back home, making it back into the area we’ve fully illuminated just in time to miss any spawning monsters. The rest of the night passes by uneventfully, and on the morning of my seventh day I wake up thrilled by the prospect of going and exploring the canyon which I know is not far from the boundaries of the plains biome.

 

“Stones, ores, lava, and access to the underground parts of Minecraft…” I mutter as I study the view my window provides me of the ocean with a bright, excited smile on my face. 

 

Canyons are a treasure trove for someone who is, effectively, a beginner, and while they aren’t without their dangers they are also incredibly exciting. In minutes I am out of the cabin, accompanied by my retinue of followers, and we are all marching towards the plains. I can barely contain my excitement.