I dragged my mind from a deep slumber, unsurprising as that's what one does after they fall asleep. What was strange about my waking, was that I opened my eyes to a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds and ringed with trees. The trees were odd too, having the needles of an evergreen, but the overall shape of a palm tree, with a ball of spikes atop a pole of wood. Each one was clearly naturally grown and had strong roots, which dug heavily into my back.
I sat up, finding myself in the middle of a perfectly circular patch of grass with roots growing throughout it. I popped my back, as I had since I started high school, and found myself completely naked. I honestly wasn't surprised at this point. If I'm going to wake up in a strange place it would simply feel half-hearted to leave me the decency of clothing. I did not appreciate that I was a skinny software engineer that hadn't seen the sun in months. I also did not appreciate bugs at that moment. I didn't see any yet, but the thought of being so exposed when I do. . . I shuddered at that line of thought.
"What's going on," I slurred.
Luckily enough, the words did seem to conjure some sort of instruction, as a notification seemed to manifest out of nothing in front of me. It was matte black, yet completely transparent at the same time, with bold white lettering in very clear print. I felt lucky that it was in English, even though I didn't get much out of the vague system messages.
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Notice!
You have gained: Boon of Temporary Racial Trait: System Message.
Expires in: 00:05:12
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Notice!
You have gained: Boon of Language: Kaldar.
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Notice!
Congratulations! You have been randomly chosen by us, the wonderful gods of this dimension to join this world in an attempt to introduce genetic and intellectual diversity amongst our people. They have much to learn from you, and you have much to learn from them! Us gods hope that you see this as a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as a person, and maybe even reinvent yourself! We in our infinite wisdom see your presence as a great gift and hope that you can think likewise during your life here!
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Notice!
The Five do not like it when powerful beings mess with the barrier between dimensions with great frequency, and as such you will be the only person from another world brought over. As this may seem sad, rejoice! You have the wonderful opportunity to grow as a person in a way you never could in your world, as personal and unified growth is rewarded swiftly and with the highest of honor!
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"Shit, I'm going to die out here," I said. I had a feeling computer programming wouldn't be very useful in this world. I'm still a little impressed at how I handled the situation at the time, I mean, could you imagine? Confusion and being in a strange place with reality itself telling you what's what? It would have broken some, but I was valiant. Instead, I cried a little and ignored the next few windows to pop up before one made a very angry sound.
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Notice, Dimwit!
Read your damn notifications, this boon only lasts so long, we don't have time for you to sit here and cry, get a move on!
-God
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Damn, God was up my ass about this. I started frantically reading the notices.
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Notice!
As the first of your race: Human (American) you will be given two racial traits chosen randomly from a list based on your personality. These racial traits will become the standard for the (American) subspecies of Human and will pave the way for more of your kind.
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Notice!
Racial trait gained: Eyes of the Watchful Scribe.
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Notice!
Racial trait gained: Soul of Book and Quill.
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Eyes of the Watchful Scribe:
You can see the mononym of any creature as well as any pseudonyms the public may recognize them as. You may mark a willing creature and become their scribe. A marked creatures status sheet is available to you at any time and you gain their notices as they do. You also know their direction at any given time and can estimate the distance from your target to a fairly accurate degree. You may only have one marked creature at a time and when you attempt to mark a second creature the first mark fades.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
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Soul of Book and Quill:
You may summon a magically imbued book and quill from within your soul with a small expenditure of Mana. The book is designed based on the makeup of your soul and has infinite pages. With a thought the book turns to the page or event that you need to view. You can then dismiss the book at any given time and summon it again at a later date. The quill needs no inkwell and will never run out of ink. The ink dries instantly and can change color with a thought. The quill needs no sharpening and can be dismissed at any time to be summoned again later. Ink drawn by this quill can be erased with a thought.
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Notice!
You have accomplished a feat that no creature on this plane has ever completed! As the first to travel worlds, you have been Named.
A Naming is the acknowledgment that you have become a master at some craft. It is common for a crafter to perform a Naming on an apprentice who he truly believes to have become his equal. They then hold this Name until they die. The other way to earn a Name is to make a new advancement in an area of expertise or accomplish a feat never before seen on this plane.
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Notice!
Name gained: Trajike (Traveler of Worlds).
Name: Trajike, has enhanced the skill: Aetherwalk.
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Notice!
Skill: Aetherwalk not found.
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Notice!
Skill gained: Aetherwalk.
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Aetherwalk:
You have learned that the barrier between reality and oblivion is paper thin, and you have learned how to bend that reality into the oblivion, creating a safe space removed from this layer and into the Aether for a short time. You may move as normal in this state but you have no perception of physical reality while in this bubble. While in the Aether your Mana regeneration and Mana pool is increased to several times its normal limit. Leaving the Aether and entering into an object that cannot contain your mass causes heavy damage to you and the object, and can lead to solar system devouring black holes. Please don't do that.
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Notice!
You have a Name that has never been seen on this plane! As a reward, you have earned a random spell chosen from a list determined by your personality!
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Notice!
Spell gained: Mightier than the Sword.
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Mightier than the Sword:
You may expend Mana to turn a quill you are wielding into the hilt of a wonderful magical blade. This blade is nearly weightless and is more effective than any mere metal placed against it. The blade can be shaped to the situation, making this a wonderful tool as well as a weapon! Further effects from the blade may occur due to the high concentration of pure Mana in the blade reacting with the affiliated Mana in the surroundings. Once one of these reactions occurs you may expend extra Mana to replicate the effect.
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Notice!
Your Boon of Temporary Racial Trait: System Message has expired. Without a racial trait to replace it, this is the last system message you will see.
Good luck brave adventurer, we believe in you!
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As I read the messages I felt a burning in my right shoulder, right where a bicep would be on someone with muscles. I reached over, grabbed the area in pain, and saw a bright light before the skin started rising like a brand, but the skin didn't discolor at all as a brand would have. The area of raised skin looked like a portal and was about three inches in diameter. After the pain faded I realized I hadn't even noticed myself gaining the knowledge of how to use my other abilities. I knew how to pull a book from my soul, how to turn a quill into a deadly blade, and even how to step into some magical area called the Aether.
I could feel the sheets of reality around me, and if I wanted to I could step through. But it was a skill, not an ability. That meant there was a trick to it, not just jumping in. I would have to experiment after I got clothes on.
I looked around, still seeing nothing but strange trees, dirt, and sharp rocks. This wouldn't be fun at all, I was sure. The only problem was, starving didn't sound so great either. And I was pretty sure that magical forests had monsters. Although I was sure most of them just wanted to have a beer, I didn't have a beer, and if Irish folklore taught me anything in middle school it's that you should always have beer when you meet a monster.
Looking up, I found that the sun seemed to be setting. I didn't know much about survival, but I was pretty sure places like this got more dangerous at night. I needed somewhere to sleep for the night, but as previously mentioned, no survival skills. I had no tools with me, obviously, so I went to go find, if nothing else, a tree with leaves big enough that I could cover the dick swinging freely between my legs. I wasn't sure how common such trees were in my world, let alone this one, but I could hope.
I walked slowly and gingerly, clearing a place to put my uncalloused feet with my toe before each step. My progress was slow, but I wasn't crying in pain and saw that as a major upside. I was slowly walking what would have been north in my home world, where the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but I couldn't make any assumptions about how the sun rose and set here with my very limited knowledge of astral physics.
Eventually, I made it to a point where I could no longer see the area I arrived in. It had grown dark in that time, and I still had no idea where to go to sleep. "I should have slept in the grass," I said to myself. I threw my head back to shed some manly tears before I saw a tree that seemed to have normal leaves. It was shaped closer to a redwood, although it clearly didn't have the red wood of the original tree, even from a distance.
I decided to run there, not wanting to be awake any longer and hoping that I would wake up back home. This was far too real to be a dream. I assumed. I had never actually had a dream before, so this would have been a first. A scary first, to be sure.
I got to the tree, breathing heavily, feet aching, and dirt coving my naked body, but that dirt only seemed to extenuate my nakedness. Doubled over and gasping for breath, I paused. After a few moments, I looked up and realized that such a tree would be quite popular amongst the wildlife.
I had to admit, giant spiders are far more terrifying in person than they are in the movies, especially when they seem rather angry that you got as close to them as you did.