"We are going to help teach humans how to save themselves from Earth," Kazi said
Jeff finally broke eye contact with Emily to look again at the eyes in the crowd. They looked scared, but there were many determined faces as well. He felt his own determination grow as he realized the duty he must fulfill.
"I will take a moment to address the gathered crowd directly." Kazi stated and Jeff could feel a similar determination course through his body from the Spore.
"Hello humans of Earth. I have been granted a brief moment to address you directly. I will try to help you as much as I can while I can. The Boschyan Army has protected your planet from the Mysts for as long as we could. And now, we can no longer do so.
"The Mysts will come within the next 10 days. We do not know the exact time, but you should be safe for the next few days. When the Mysts arrive you must be prepared to seek out Spores that match you and block out those that do not. I will be teaching Jeff to do the same and you must learn from our example. Unfortunately, that's the easy part.
"The 6 billion humans remaining on Earth must face off against the Monsters that the Myst will create when it reaches your planet. Even if that Monster is the human sitting next to you.
"If we had enough Sapient Spores for all of you we would gladly give them away. However, our resources are limited. I am one of only several thousand Boschyan Spores available for this Tutorial. The rest of the Chosen have been fused with other types of Sapient Spores. Boschyan Spores are only one of main types of Spores that we hope each of your will somehow fuse with.
"The rest of our resources went toward protecting your children. We have removed them from the coming dangers and they will be assimilated into the System as they grow into maturity. We will allow communication with your children through the cost of merit points. Jeff and I have already showed you one way to earn those points, and we will show you more soon.
"Be wary of needless destruction. Do not go about destroying the world around you to avoid potential threats. It can be an effective method, but it will also connect you to Spores that seek out destruction. Those almost always produce monstrous results. Instead focus your efforts on protection, safety, unity, and growth.
"Now, you must be asking the question, why? Why did we open the Myst Gate and start all this? The answer; war is coming. There is another System coming to this planet and we must prepare you for the System War that will unfold.
"That is all I'm allowed to say at this time." Kazi ended it's speech.
Jeff felt for the first time that he wouldn't mind being fusing this Spore. He'd been justifiably angry toward it before. Now he felt he could at least trust it to want what was best for him and humanity.
"Time to say goodbye," Kazi prompted softly.
Jeff looked deeply into Emily's eyes. He felt like he was in the safer place now. He wished they could swap places. But Emily was no damsel in distress. She would be able to face the coming peril and prevail.
He blew a quick kiss her way and then the image of the parking lot faded away. He felt a gentle tug and he released his wifes hand. He knew she was still watching and he would make her proud.
Jeff went back to his table and shoved the cube of meat in before anything else could distract him. He was starving and really wanted comfort food right now.
The purple meat burst with flavor in his mouth. The meat tasted like sweet bacon. The savory gravy it was covered in made a perfect balance of flavor. Food had always been his comfort in hard times. At least he would still have accept to good food. Jeff excitedly prepared his next bite.
As Jeff ate Kazi went over the last things they hadn't covered on his stats screen. "As you saw the Title and Renown sections are locked. Those will be opened up to us as we upgrade our Spore Suit. We can do that by following the Quests the System gives us. That will help us rank up and be allowed to do more within the System. Ranking up can also get us access to armor and weapons that will match our System Assignments."
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That all made sense to Jeff. Then he asked his question through a mouthful of succulent green fruit. "You never answered about the name. My last name isn't Kazi."
"Ah, yes, as we now share a body, we now share a name. When we meet others in the System they will see us as Jeff Kazi. If your wife fuses with a Sentient Spore she will also be renamed with her first name and the name of the Spore. The name is actually our very first Title. That title is what gives us 1 to every attribute to start with. Without it we would start with each attribute at 0."
Jeff choked on the turquoise drink in his hands. Emily would no longer have his last name? I guess there are worse things, he concluded. It wasn't like they would stop being committed to each other. They didn't need rings or names to signify that. Love and loyalty was all that was needed.
He did have another pressing question though, "How can someone have 0 strength? Wouldn't they be unable to lift their own body?"
"You are misunderstanding how the stat system works. The stat points only build off the strength your body currently has. If you spend time working out and improving your strength then the 3 stat points you have in strength will be able to build off your improved muscles."
“Okay,” Jeff interjected, “so doing push-ups still helps, but the bigger the number is also helps.”
"Exactly. A stat point is actually a representation of connection to the Myst, much like your connection to Discs. The System decided long ago to take over the Mystic Connection of those 9 stats. Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Cognition, Processing, Imagination, Might, Sense, and Depth. When you put a point into Cognition you are increasing your Connection to Cognition. The Myst in your body then helps you improve your base line abilities with that connection."
Jeff considered Kazi's words. That actually seemed like a more realistic system to him than many games he had played. He could still improve with stats, but he was still limited to his human body. The strength of a giant would start with a higher baseline than his. And the dexterity of a cheetah would start higher than his. Then the stats would come into effect after that. If he had enough points in those stats he could still be stronger than a giant and faster than a cheetah, but the disadvantage was still there.
He put his fork down. Delicious food did wonders for his mood. Doomsday was nothing a good meal couldn't fix.
The screen before him crossed off everything except the last two items.
6. What is the Boschyan System?
7. Tutorial basics
"These last two will be quick. I've already alluded to the System quite a bit and the 'Tutorial basics' is just going over the Quests the System has assigned us."
Jeff was eager to end the lecture, but a little worried about what would come after. If this was like any game he had played then quests usually led to killing monsters. He was still shaken up a bit from his recent near death experience. He remembered Emily's face and knew she would have to face these same things without a Boschyan Spore like he had. He would do anything to help her even a little bit. Even if he had to face hoards of monsters.
Kazi continued, "The Boschyan System was created by the influence of our five strongest fused. Those who have reached the peak of Mystic cultivation. Those five leaders used their incredible Might to shape the Mysts to their will. One leader gave us the System Pillars, to let us travel through the multiverse. One gave us the blue screens we use to communicate between Spore and host. One gave us access to Stats to boost our growth. One gave us Spore Suits. And the last gave us the Titles and Renown system.
"They are not the only powerful beings that provide benefits, but their influence creates the cornerstone of our System. Their influence shines like a light through the multiverse. Everything in their influence gets these benefits, even the monsters we fight."
Jeff saw number 6 get crossed off on the screen before him. He had some questions, but it felt more like a first day of work to him now. He knew he'd learn little details and get used to things as each day progressed.
Jeff stood up and stretched. He was ready to face what was ahead. His ankle still hurt a little bit, but he could put his full weight on it safely now. He tried bouncing on his toes and found he felt much lighter than normal.
He had lost weight and improved his strength. He smiled. All it took was the apocalypse to finally lose that extra weight I carried, he thought sardonically.
A new screen popped into his vision.
Quests:
Complete all Tutorial Quests: (0/5)
Reward: Upgrade Spore Suit to Chosen Recruit
Tutorial Quests:
Kill 30 monsters: (1/30)
Reward: New Weapon
Reach Level 10: (2/10)
Reward: New Ability
Survive 10 nights in the wild: (0/10)
Reward: Personalized Pillar Room
Improve Depth to 5: (4/5)
Reward: New Myst Connection
Earn 500 Merit Points: (12/500)
Reward: Spore Suit Attachment