As Anton stood on the dirt road, he looked around. He was currently standing next to a cornfield, though he couldn’t tell if this was somewhere on Earth or elsewhere. Since the Goddess Keres wasn’t known here, though, he was pretty sure he wasn’t on Earth anymore.
How had he come to this point where he was on yet another planet and wasn’t even human anymore? When the craziness started, he’d been with Beth in Antarctica when they discovered the Pillar. He’d been struck by a beam that shattered his ability to utilize magic, so much so that the SYSTEM, an entity or computer program that oversaw everything, including Gods, had to keep tweaking his powers. He still thought of it as an entity that was just a more powerful god, even if that wasn’t correct.
He'd discovered that a planet, Minerva, was on the opposite side of the Sun and had even met some elves there that he’d tolerated even though he was pretty sure they were trying to wipe out humanity. Then Earth had been designated as a Dungeon World during a SYSTEM Reset or something. He might be able to live forever, but remembering all the weird shit that happened.
He'd met up with Jess Sifford in Minneapolis and freed a lot of slaves, which he felt good about until an Assassin had tried, well she had killed him, but he’d bounced right back and put his finger into her brain, then the SYSTEM had gotten all pissy and trapped him in the void. Sure, it looked like an accident, but sending out a message like “You Were Warned” gave it away.
He'd had a lot of time to work on some of his skills while he floated through the void, which also helped him learn how to navigate in that realm. Then he’d learned that the void he was in was that space behind, below…shit, he didn’t know how to describe it, so he’d say that space below a singularity or black hole. Then he’d found a Sphere of Annihilation, an artificial entrance into the void, and passed through into Evermet Forest on a planet that was most definitely not Earth.
He had to admit, he’d had a little fun on that planet, and he’d learned a lot. The Quest “Free the SYSTEM” hadn’t been bad either. While he might have gotten off to a bad start with the SYSTEM, removing an Artifact that limited it had generated a lot of favor from it.
Of course, he’d had to become a City Lord, and then he’d destroy the city node and make a ton of money from the SYSTEM on that deal. He had pissed off a lot of merchants and probably gods too. Then he’d made his way to the City and entered the Labyrinth, which had been weird. There had been a replica of 1928 Earth within it. Also, while he was in that version of Earth, there was a SYSTEM edit.
The next Realm within the Labyrinth he found had introduced him to the Carinus and vampires. It was the first time he’d suffered Soul Damage, which ultimately led to him being converted from a human that could turn into a Specter into a Vampiric Pseudo-Specter. That happened when he broke free from being Azre’el’s bloodsicle.
When he’d left the city of Dravul after slaying Azre’el and making sure a new leadership was in place, he found a portal and fell into a trap of sorts.
Catch Point was a space station built around a transportation point on the edge of the Solar System in another Labyrinth Realm. The people there had not known they were in the Labyrinth, nor did they know about magic. That had also been when he first met Caitlyn Sheppard.
He’d allowed a military team to escort him to the moon through a couple of technological portals, and then he just turned into a Specter and made his way toward Earth. Instead of traveling down to Earth, he went to a Station in Geosynchronous orbit above North America. That’s when he’d learned the skill Possession.
Then he discovered that it was the year 2086 in this version of Earth. He was recaptured and then found that Caitlyn Sheppard was part Celestial. Almost immediately after arriving, there had been a dimensional breach, after which he met Caitlyn’s boss, Felix. Something had happened, and he’d tried to use Planar Shift to get Caitlyn and himself down to Earth. Instead, they’d ended up getting kicked out of Labyrinth and sent to Universe 013aE013013. When they popped into existence, they were 50 feet from his house in Minot, North Dakota.
That’s when the LIMITED SYSTEM RESET happened. Multiple alternate versions of various worlds crunched their populations into specific Universes based on Prime Numbers. The Universe they’d appeared in was simply the 13th Universe after the reset. This had ended up pitting various governments or versions of the same governments against each other.
Anton and Caitlyn had been flown to Washington D.C, where he’d stopped an assassination attempt, and he received a .50 caliber bullet through the back of his head. Then, the Current President tried to be pushy. Anton Possessed him to make things easier and get things rolling.
The idiots still threatened his family, but that had allowed him to figure out that he could use Planar Shift to move between two locations on the same plane of existence instantly, at least until the last SYSTEM balancing happened. But that was getting ahead of himself.
Anton returned to Washington, D.C., and worked with the government to set up an expedition to Antarctica. The facility that he showed to the military. He worked with the President, Felix, and Caityln until the Magical Density reached 10%. The other President of the U.S., Mrs. Ellison, from a world that must have had magic, cast a spell that froze Caitlyn, Felix, and himself. He’d been stuck in a Stasis field for 10 hours. Caitlyn and Felix were stuck for two more days after that.
When he stepped out of the Stasis field, Anton confiscated a lot of weapons, ammo, and explosives from Mrs. Ellison's forces after he blew her in half. Then he’d had to take the Node device in Antarctica back because it was being used to bomb targets from afar by opening portals and dropping warheads through. They’d destroyed the Pentagon and were working on Andrews AFB when Anton acted.
He destroyed their bomb depot and put the node facility under 1,000 feet of water pressure, which made it very hard for anyone to get close to the Control Node there. With the President and the U.S. Government destroyed for the most part, Anton dropped off Felix with his family and went looking for the troops Felix had sent to Dover Air Force Base. Caitlyn stayed in Washington while he was doing that.
Then something weird happened: 100,000 Karmic Luck was removed from him, and an Earth Node appeared on the Runway at Dover Air Force Base right after he arrived. He wasn’t sure if he’d caused the event, but he was pretty sure it was somehow connected to him. When beetles started pouring out of the ground above the Earth Node, he stepped out to help and was shot by a sniper that had been set up on the aircraft control tower over a mile away. Even now, he could admit that was a hell of a shot. Even so, it made him angry enough to possess the guy and leave him up there with almost nothing.
Anton returned to Caitlyn after a short conversation with the Sniper. Then he brought Caityln to her troops in the fuel cell at the north end of the runway. A little bit after that, the SYSTEM announced that the Gods had returned, which no one understood. Then he’d been backstabbed by a servant of Keres, which he’d killed with a touch. Somehow, he’d linked with the man as he witnessed his descent into Hell.
That had been how he unlocked the skill Annihilate Life, which was pretty brutal. That’s also when he’d received the Divine Blessing of Keres. He’d been offered a choice by the system to decline, which he did. The Goddess had given him her “Gift” anyway.
When he’d made it back to the fuel cell, he’d showed Caitlyn his Mark of Keres, at which point she’d vanished. A few seconds later, she returned with the ability to create wings. A quick reconnaissance of the area around the hanger allowed him to discover the water, fire, and air nodes, as well as a Universal Gate.
He’d noticed that the Fire Node was putting out some salamander-type creatures called Zerenders. The people in the area had no chance against something that was on fire, so he’d stepped in and started a guerilla campaign against the Salamanders. He stayed near the fire node and killed any Zerenders he found there until the 24-hour spawning event ended.
When he returned to the Fuel Cell, he investigated the Earth Node and was able to recover the Artifact at its center. Doing so caused the Universal Gate to destabilize, and then the Giants appeared when Caitlyn was shot out of the air by a crossbow that shot spears as its ammunition.
Once he killed the initial attacker, he went to the other Elemental Nodes and removed the artifacts from them as well to shut down the Universal Gate. Some giants made it through, and he ended up in a fight. He took down a fighter and archer with little effort and, while destroying the mage, had the thought to combine a couple of his skills.
Anton combined Syphon, Material Breakdown, and Organic Breakdown, which created his skill of Assimilation. That was also when he learned not to be greedy when he absorbed far more energy than he could hold and exploded. That was when he found out that Explosive Dispersion was much worse than a normal Dispersion. He’d been knocked senseless for 168 hours.
When he woke up from his nap, a fort had been built on the north end of the runway. A quick talk with Felix informed him that his sister, Amelia, and the rest of the family had moved north into the fortified fort near Dover Park, a few miles north of the Air Force Base, and then the Undead attacked.
It had seemed like The SYSTEM was modifying his skills on the fly, but he had to admit the changes were okay. The guards had asked him to let the undead attack because they were good experience for the low-level troops, so he’d gone looking for the source of the zombies.
Anton had discovered that the dead came in two flavors: those who were spawned and those who were converted. That’s when he met the Death Mage Venetta in Philadelphia. She had captured Caitlyn and was trying to convert her with the Death Node Gem. Anton had pulled out the four Elemental Node gems he possessed, which had combined with the Death Node Gem and been absorbed by her.
Anton had then defeated Venetta. Before he could kill her, though, she accepted a Role of Divinity. He’d been given the same choice but declined. He didn’t want to be a God, at least not yet. He and Caitlyn made it back to the Fort, and over the next couple of weeks, they worked with Felix’s group to push back the undead that made it all the way to Dover.
An Acolyte from the Church of Ao had come to visit and called their own Divine Judgment on him when he walked into a room to meet him. A block of C4 and a detonator helped Anton send a message to the church through that Acolyte. This was when he learned that trying to remain in his Specter form when entering the Domain of a God was a no-go without permission.
Anton ended up crashing through the window of a church and landing beside the altar; he couldn’t fly in the material plane yet. Upon crashing, a lot more Acolytes of Ao attacked him. He killed one by Planar Shifting him to the Sun (Which led to the SYSTEM nerfing that skill later). He wanted to serve the light, and Anton had helped him do it. Not until Anton took the Elemental Node Gem for Light did Ao actually make an appearance. When he did, Anton Fled. Divinity could hurt him, and he wasn’t going to get in a fight with a god; he’d let Keres handle that.
On his way back to Dover, he met up with Caitlyn. She’d gone off to get the Life and Darkness Elemental Nodes, which she absorbed upon finding them. As they landed in front of the headquarters building, the Elemental Node Gem of Light flew from his hand and combined with a prismatic gem that had appeared on her head, which then expanded to surround her.
Amelia ran out of the hospital and informed him that the Goddess Keres had told her that Caitlyn would be undergoing a Class and possibly a Race Evolution. That’s when he learned that a Trial of Transcendence had been going on and ended. At the end of the Trial, changes to the SYSTEM were made, and all monsters and sentient creatures over level 100 on Earth were given three choices.
Anton had decided to participate in the Battle Royal as changes were made to most of his primary skills as the SYSTEM balanced powers, whatever that meant. That was when his skill, Planar Shift, lost its ability to push another through to another location or use that skill to move between two places in the same dimension or plane.
Still, once he became used to the changes, there was no way he wasn’t going to be the last person standing, and he was. He reached level 442 and earned all of the gear that Vincent Woodrow had acquired. The reward for winning The System Battle Royale was an ability of his choice. He asked for the ability to utilize spells. Instead of having to give up Anti-Mage and his Spell Immunity, he still didn’t have any mana to speak of; The SYSTEM provided him with a Mythical Ability that used Psychic Energy to fuel magical spells. He could, at will, reduce his immunity to the eight elemental spheres of magic so that he could use their magic and also be targeted by those spells if he wished. The Mythical Ability did not change any of his higher immunities, but he could now use spells of those schools as well, probably with a penalty. He wasn’t sure as he didn’t have any spells to speak of, which was something he was hoping to change.
Which lead to now. The SYSTEM had teleported him to this dirt road next to a cornfield. Anton opened his Status Screen:
Name: Anthony Nicholas Thomson
Birthday: September 13th 2013 (Friday the 13th)
Apparent Age: 27
Race: Human
Classes
Mythic / Vampiric Psuedo-Specter / 442
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Hit Points: 23,979
-Health Regeneration: 1
Stamina: 78,950
-Stamina Regeneration: 2,037
Psychic Energy Reservoir: 94,190
Psychic Energy: 25,696
-Psychic Regeneration: 285
Conviction Level: 100
Conviction: 25,706,770
Strength: 6,799
Agility: 6,803
Dexterity: 6,477
Endurance: 6,790
Constitution: 8,624
Perception: 6,803
Intelligence: 6,781
Wisdom: 6,471
Willpower: 9,419
Charisma: 6,781
Luck: 31,013
Chaos: 0
Order: 0
Skill Slots: 9,519 / 9,519
Spell Slots: 4,139 / 4,139
Psychic Skill Slots: 3,668 / 10,561
Running Speed
MPH: 4,284
FPS: 6,283
Flight Speed
MPH: 12,852
FPS: 18,850
Abilities:
Anit-Mage / Immortal, Vampiric Pseudo-Specter / Divine Luck / Master of Magic
Titles
I Ain't Worried / I Can Take it / Goblin Slayer 3 / Trifecta / Fate's Arbiter / Hijacker of Divinity / Human Slayer III / Goblin Slayer VIII / Beetle Slayer II / Zombie Slayer X / Skeleton Slayer X / Scourge of Anubis / There can Be only One / Backstabbing a Backstabber
Perks
Specter / Basic Map / Personal Storage / Pseudo-Undead / Cold Immunity / Annihilate Life / Mark of Keres
Skills
Basic Map: 29 / Personal Storage: 46 / ASL: 7 / Bows: 21 / Crossbows: 21 / Dodge: 29 / Firearms: 29 / Language: Common: 29 / Language: Standard: 55 / Long Blades: 38 / Long Range Firearms: 21 / Maggen's Exceptional Storage: 46 / Maggen's Gift: 46 / Scavenge: 3 / Short Blades: 38 / Snatch: 3 / Two-Weapon Fighting Style: 29 / Throwing: 1 /
Spells:
None
Psychic Skills: Skill Level:
Specter: 100 / Manifest: 71 / Spectral Reach: 8 / Spectral Scream: 17 Analyze: 5 / Aura Sight: 12 / Battle Meditation: 41 / Detect Magic: 2 / Eagle Eyes: 12 / Hyper Focus: 4 / Identify: 3 / Meditation: 51 / Mental Refuge: 5 / Mental Shield: 41 / Mind Bolt: 12 / Planar Shift: 4 / Possession: 17 / Quickened Healing: 1 / Telekinesis.: 2 / Telepathy: 5 / Assimilation: 50 / Annihilate Life: 1 Animate.: 50
Treasure
Copper: 8,000
Silver: 7,112,444
Credits: 1,919,596
Gold: 8,306
Platinum: 93,204
Treasure in SYSTEM Bank
Copper: 15,698
Silver: 1,263
Credits: 1,972,320
Gold: 0
Platinum: 26
Anton opened his Inventory from the Battle Royal, which had been added to his original Inventory Perk. The Perk had been increased to be able to hold 100 million pounds, which was now just over 80% full. The list of foods, equipment, armor, and items was long, really long. Too long to go through until he found a SYSTEM Store or Node. He could sell the items directly to the SYSTEM, but he had no idea what he’d need in this place.
He closed his Status Screen and looked around. He was on a dirt road that went in two directions. Also, he’d appeared in this Universe already manifested. He opened his Basic Map, which had a range of 1.9 miles. While it didn’t show anything he couldn’t see, it did have a compass. He chose to head east along the road.
After such a long time in combat or a combat-based mindset, Anton decided to relax and enjoy a leisurely walk through the countryside.
Up to this point, it had been one impossible emergency after another. Sure, he’d seen fantastic, amazing things, but he wasn’t even human anymore, not that he should have considered himself human once he learned that he was immortal.
Right now, though, he had a moment to relax. He had been gone for Earth for quite a while before he arrived here. Anton hoped his family was okay, but he wasn’t really that worried. The Goddess Keres was the Patron Deity of Felix’s people, his family, and Caitlyn. He might have quite a few advantages, but Caitlyn was a full-blown celestial now who had absorbed the power of eight artifacts.
If every person and monster level 100 or higher had been removed from Earth, she would have no problem keeping everyone safe. He did wonder what she’d become, which brought up the subject of getting home. His sister had brought his family to the new Fort using Conviction. Could he set up a temple here and use Conviction to get home?
Anton reviewed the notification he’d received when he arrived here.
SYSTEM Message:
You have left all Realms under the purview of the Goddess Keres.
The Mark of Keres may be utilized within this Universe to earn Conviction but will not allow you to commune with your Goddess until a Temple has been created and dedicated with ten million Conviction. The normal cost of one million Conviction has been increased by ten times due to the presence of a pantheon hostile to your Goddess.
He double-checked his Conviction. At over 25 million, He had Conviction. Maybe he could find a temple to one of the local gods and take it over. One of the evil gods. He really didn’t want to make an enemy of the good deities if he didn’t have to, although he was sure the Mark of Keres that he carried would put any Priest or Cleric ill at ease.
Anton was so lost in thought that the people walking toward him on the road didn’t register until they were 100 feet from him and called out.
“Hello, Stranger,” a burly man in pants and a nice shirt said. He was walking beside a woman in a light white summer dress with daisies on it. Both appeared human.
Anton considered how to play this and decided to start humble and uninformed. It shouldn’t be too hard to sell. “Hello, yourself,” Anton said, “Nice day for a walk?” as they approached him.
“That it is, that it is. If I might ask, where are you coming from?” the man asked.
Anton considered how to answer the question before he said, “Honestly, I don’t know. When I opened my eyes, I was on this road near the cornfields.”
“Ah, a traveler of realms, then. We haven’t had one in at least three years, right Ilsa?”
“The Great Arrival was some 20 years ago. Then, a few sporadic individuals appeared, but yes, the last appearance was over three years ago, Brandon,” Isla said.
“If people appear on the road, why is it in the middle of nowhere?” Anton asked.
“The City Council decided that when people arrived, it would be better to do so in a field or on a road, not in the middle of the city. Since the first Council could change where people appeared, the city was built about three miles away,” Brandon explained.
“City?”
“Yes, the City of Haven is about three miles down the road behind us. Every day, someone walks up this way to see if any Travelers have arrived. Today, it was our turn,” Ilsa said.
“Aren’t you worried about bandits or the like?” Anton asked.
“Not really, no,” Brandon said.
“May I ask why not?”
“The simple answer is the Gods protect us?”
“Truly.”
“Yes, Truly. Would you like to accompany us to Haven?” Ilsa asked.
“I think I might,” Anton answered as the couple turned, and Anton joined them.
Brandon and Isla walked beside Anton for a little bit before Brandon said, “I have to commend your courtesy,”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, when most Travelers arrive, they ask where they are, usually referring to the area or planet, dimension or planet they’re on or in.”
“Oh, that,” Anton said with a smile, “When you walked up on me, I was considering the fact that I’d been running around from emergency to event to emergency and so on for quite a while. It felt good to relax. You two seemed to be out here doing the same, and I didn’t want to interrupt your time, even if it’s a daily thing that people from your city take turns doing.”
“Well, that’s all over now, friend. The first council worked with the Gods to make the area around Haven free of monsters so people could have a chance at a normal upbringing. Also, I’m not sure what level of technology you're used to, but Haven combines magic and science.”
“Then why are we on a dirt road,” Anton asked.
Brandon smiled, “Simple enough. As I said, we do not want new arrivals to be overwhelmed, and the middle of farmland is usually pretty event-free.”
“In fact,” Isla interrupted as she pointed down the road as they came over a small hill, “That is Haven?”
Anton looked back and realized they’d been walking up a shallow hill for the last mile. As they crested the hill, Anton looked down the road and saw a city, a vast city that stretched north and south to each horizon. None of the buildings he could see seemed to be over three stories high, but he did see ground vehicles running along a street between the cornfields and Haven. A large spread-out city, wow.
“Brandon, why can’t I hear the sounds of the city? From this far away, we should still be able to hear something,” Anton asked.
There’s a sound-dampening field at the edge of the city. From the start, we wanted people to be able to get away from the sounds of city life. At night, you’ll also notice that any light the city generates is screened out at the city boundary, so anyone can come out into the fields just west of the city and look up into the night sky and see the stars without worrying about light pollution.”
“That sounds like a really powerful spell,”
“It is. Some of the wizards here have spells that are amazing,” Ilsa said happily.
“Any spells that could get me home?”
“Not here. The SYSTEM explicitly prohibits anyone from teleporting to another Universe from this plane.”
“But I have a spell that allows me to shift dimensions and planes?” Anton said.
“There are some wizards that have the same,” Brandon agreed. “They have reported that they can travel to alternate elemental planes and even the Astral Plane from here, but even on the Astral, the SYSTEM only allows them to shift planes back to this universe with any skill or spell they use. They say there are other ways to travel through the Astral and that you can find an exit to other Universes, but you have to look for them.”
“Why did the SYSTEM do that?”
“The Gods, when asked, say the SYSTEM sent us here for a reason,” Isla said.
“Interesting,” Anton replied as they continued walking toward the city.
“Do you have coin or SYSTEM credits,” Brandon asked.
“I do.”
“Well then, I’ll set you up at our local inn near this entrance into the city, and we’ll be on our way.”
Brandon and Ilsa walked with Anton to the second building on the right as they entered the city. Many people looked at him for a moment and then went about their business. He even noticed a few younger people eyeballing him, probably trying to decide if he had anything worth stealing.
This is Brax’s Inn. He’s a good sort and doesn’t charge too much, though there isn’t too much in his rooms. If you want luxury, you’ll have to head farther east into town,” Brandon said as he offered his hand.
Anton shook Brandon’s hand and then Ilsa’s, “Thank you. Also, my name is Anton. If you ever see me or need some help, just ask.
“Sure thing, Anton,” Brandon said as he let go of his hand.
Ilsa smiled, “If you need to find us, look for the Temple of Phanes. It’s just North of here along the edge of the city. Ask for either of us. One of the acolytes will get a message to us.”
“I’ll be sure to do that, and thanks again,” Anton said as he stepped up onto the concrete sidewalk and stepped into an Inn that looked like something out of the Wild West with twentieth-century technology. He watched as Brandon and Ilsa went back to the road that headed north along the edge of the city. They were probably headed to their Temple now.
Anton was drawn back to the fact that he was in an entryway when a man off to his left smiled and said, “Welcome to Brax’s Inn. Will you be staying the night?”
“Yes,” Anton answered with a smile of his own.
“Are you a new arrival to Haven from the west?”
“I came from the west, yes?”
“What I meant, Sir, are you new to this planet if you know what a planet is?”
“Yes, I’m from Earth,” Anton said because he wanted to see if there was any reaction.
“Very good, sir. We here in Haven welcome all visitors. Your first night's stay and meal are courtesy of the city so long as you agree to go to see a city official and answer a few basic questions about where you're from. As you can imagine, many people have arrived here and would like to know if any visitors have news about where they came from. If you would like to forgo talking with the city, the rate for a room and dinner is one silver. This establishment does not accept SYSTEM credits at this time.”
Anton pulled a silver coin from his inventory and handed it over, “I will probably still go talk with a city official, but I do not like being beholden to anyone, so I’ll pay for my room; thank you,”
The Receptionist accepted the coin and handed Anton a key, “Your room is on the third floor. The stairs are behind you and down the hall a bit. There is a platform if you need it.”
Thank you. I think I’ll be fine,” Anton said as he made his way to the stairs and to his room. Inside was a single bed and desk. There was also a bathroom with a bathtub and running water. While he didn’t need to take a shower, he could dismiss his current body and then Manifest a new one; it had been a really long time since he had a nice hot shower.
Anton placed everything he was wearing in his Inventory and then stepped into the shower. He soaked for at least 10 minutes before he rinsed off, pulled out some sweats and a shirt, and laid down on the bed. He didn’t need to sleep in a physical body, but he was going to stick with a normal route for a physical person just to see if anything untoward might happen.
Anton closed his eyes and activated Battle Meditation.
Why? Part of him asked.
The other part, with a little Common Sense answered, Because when something is too good to be true, it most likely IS too good to be true.