Harper
Safe within the confines of her walls, Harper focused on designs and building. After fully building and empowering the structure, a whole new set of options opened.
[“Hub” Prison - valid target
Empower + (0/5000)
Intelectus (0/500)
Reinforcement (0/200)
Plumbing (0/100)]
Looking at it, she didn’t see what benefits her speaking building intelectus had found so important. The lack of immediate benefits made her suspicious of investing in empower +. Cheapest to most expensive, Harper started to work on them.
Dumping a hundred fortification points into plumbing, Harper watched the blue arcs of her magic sink into the spring. A rivulet of water began to flow up from the pool. Rebelling against gravity, it collected into a growing orb in the sky above her. It was beautiful and well, magical.
A new sting of worry reached her thought. A memory of a conversation between a fortune teller and the proud new owner of a crystal ball. It went something like:
Fortune teller, “Whatever you do remember to cover the orb before you leave the house.”
Buyer, “So the spirits can’t get out unattended.”
Fortune teller, “What no! So you don’t burn your house down.”
Watching the orb of crystal clear water form in the sky she suddenly became very aware of just how flammable the forest was.
As her magic finished drawing water into a table sized orb, it began to act on her concern. Harper couldn’t tell if it was responding to her thoughts or not. Either way, blue arcs of magic wrapped the orb and transformed into an opaque sapphire shell.
The new shell grew a tube that slanted over her prison house and dove into the ceiling. Rushing into her home, Harper caught the last second of its motion as the shell suspended itself over her sink like a faucet. So this is what empowerment did. The results of these 100 fortification points seemed expanded or stretched. Doing far more work than she would have expected.
While she’d originally planned to move straight into reinforcement, the idea of a working restroom overrode her better judgment. While she waited for her fortification points to refill, she worked on her design. It attached to the studio design of her prison home as an adjustment. Somehow that allowed it to maintain the properties of empowered and plumbing.
The difficult bit was working out how the drainage system would work. Thankfully, her intelectus could draw on memories that she didn’t know she had. Walking around a home improvement store. Watching a liquid plumber ad. These things and more all came together with a functional design. As her magic restored she spent it into the plan to make it reality.
Marginally faster than watching paint dry it was far more interesting. Earth broiled slowly outside her dwelling as though a hive of insects were going to push through the surface. Segments of the fallen tree would drop in from over the top of the wall and fuse into the frame of the structure. All the while Harper enjoyed the magic at work.
Piece by piece, the new room came together. Walls fusing into the floor. A door grafting itself to the wall. As the last of her magic settled in, she opened the door. There it was, a modern toilet and sink, albeit made of wood. She’d conquered the forest. If she was sent into the forest with a duffel of knickknacks how long would it be until she had a working toilet?
Not even a full week. Harper patted herself on the back.
Flinging the new magical cupboard open, Harper let out an excited “Eeeeeek.”
Toilet paper. Pillow soft with little flower textures, she couldn’t stop grinning.
A shower and a hot bath were on the way, for now though reinforcement was her priority. After she recovered magic anyway.
Taking a break to refill her reserves, Harper found herself a sunny patch for a picnic. It was an ideal little moment. Some self care time. She opened pictures on her tablet and sifted through her emails. Reading emails from before the end of the world as she knew it was a wild contrast. Randos asking her to perform commissioned art for "exposure." Contacts back and forth between herself and clients.
She missed her digital art supplies. Maybe in this world she’d be able to make a new version. A better one. The email reply she sent was a good final goodbye to all the things she left behind. A very professional “I’m sorry but I can’t complete this work due to unforeseen circumstances.” Tapping send she put her old life behind her.
The end of her meal was drawn short by another Shield Boar screaming in pain. This one was more distant than the previous one which welcomed her first full day here. Still, it put her on edge. Trying to distract herself with reading, Harper just couldn’t get into it. Even the security blanket of her magic being exhausted couldn’t keep her from worrying. Having her tablet did let her get a better measure of time though. 43 minutes. That is how long it took the Boar to go quiet.
Time chunked by in a hurry up and wait situation. Funneling fortification into the Hub. Then waiting for power to recover. If it wasn’t for playing around with her intelectus and trying to determine interesting exceptions that were valid targets she’d have had trouble waiting.
As it was she added a word document with a list on it.
1. Bug zapper trap (bug ranch for exotic bugs only)
2. Planters (think of grown plant barriers)
3. Greenhouse (anti-vampire construction)
4.
This was about as far as she got by the time she recovered fortification points to build reinforcement. What she did notice was that everything built by stretching the skill was more expensive. Harper gently placed her tablet back into the bag and then onto a storage shelf. Moving way, she poured her magic into the building and it grew more finished. The primitive edges of the structure polished off. Climbing the wall became a supernatural feat. Along with the polish it gained a dim sapphire tint.
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Closer now, Harper heard another shield boar cry out. This time a violent confrontation shook the forest and quelled all other noise. Snapping trees falling over and great booms filed the silence. Harper checked the time while waiting for her magic to rebuild. They only fought for about five minutes. After which the bellow choked out. The monster was moving closer. This was probably all her fault. Taking away its hibernation made it more active.
As the sky began to turn into golden rays Harper wondered how there was a sun in a tiny world like this. Her musing was cut short as something broke through the thickest underbrush around her camp. Looking through a gap in her wall she tried to get a clear view. With a pointed nose, beady eyes and rodent like teeth, Harper was first inspired to call it a giant rat. Scan!
[Vampiric shrew
Having an aggressive metabolism when active the Vampiric shrew is a monster that must hibernate or constantly hunt to keep from starving
Increase skill to learn more]
[New skill awarded: Scan 2. Scan 2 overrides scan 1]
The shrew's eyes met hers and sound waves began pounding on her ears. Even her eyes could feel the intensity of the vocalization. In the moments while she tried to cover her head and avoid the intense pressure the Vampiric shrew crossed the bus length and slammed into the wall in front of her. To her absolute surprise it held. Pressing her hand to the wall she sent all she had to reinforce it more. Abandoning the menu she focused on strengthening the blue tint created a matter of hours before.
Again the shrew attacked. Repelled again it circled the Hub. Upon it finding the door, the sonic pressure from the shrew redoubled as it claimed its victory. Looking through the window on the door, Harper watched the Shrew slashing at the door with both front legs.
Stepping forward to the rattling door Harper laid her hand on the door and communed with the beast inside.
Please, protect me. She asked.
Rather than the flat plane of energy Harper expected a phantom boar blasted out of the door. Cloaked in sapphire lightning the ethereal boar threw its skull into one leg of the shrew. It broke in a gruesome crunching. The shrew responded by launching out a vicious red tongue. Part hellish-straw part frog tongue the expanding attack pierced the shield. Raking its tusks across the shrews flank as it disintegrated, even from the other side of death the shield boar would fight to the last.
Thank you. Harper's heart was tight with fear and gratitude.
Through the window she saw the shrew healing. Visible wounds closed and even the broken leg drew back into shape and held the beast's weight. Without a solid wall between her and it, she had no idea how anyone would defeat such a beast. Looking closer she saw gray hair sprouting where previously it had a rusty hue. The healing had a cost.
Screaming at her one last time the shrew scuttled back into the forest.
She wasn’t worth the cost.
As there was a categorical difference between monster and not monster she hadn’t been sure if they would behave how she expected. Now though it seemed fairly clear. They were just animals. Powerful and special sure, but doing the same caloric math all animals did.
More violence erupted in the forest over the evening and into the next day. All the while Harper continued to secure her Hub as a fortress. A quiet hour into the early morning and she heard the sweetest sound.
DING
Welcome to Leternum, your new world. Adapt. Live.
Transition phase.
1) Vanquish the monster.
2) Prove a crafting skill.
After having the basic skills that will be required to succeed in Leternum you will be placed into the main world of Leternum. Enhanced skill growth is granted to aid this transition phase.
Congratulations on having the foundational skills to thrive on this planet. You will not be a valid target for inter-cosmic raiding for the next 237 years. Citizenship to Leternum granted. As a citizen you will have access to Leternum specific class options. Live and be strong.
The feeling of the text on her mind changed it gained a more personal touch.
Awards: Prepared - Uncommon foresight to bring the tools of your success with you. You were ready when most others would not be. Threads of fate will slightly encourage you to prepare according to your fated demands.
Jack of all trades 1 - Level more than 5 skills. Skills share a fraction of their progress to lower leveled skills.
Prodigy 1 - Learning two skill abilities without a mentor within a day of each other. Learn your highest level skill faster.
Thief - Robbing an apex predator is a daring act. Improved stealth against alphas.
Sequence breaker - Disregarding fate and completing the transition out of order. Secret skill unlocked.
Civilizer - Generate a planet recognized node of civilization, the work of Pioneers and Emperors. Hold a city title.
Warden - Oversee the full operation of a planet recognized prison. Non-lethal take downs and suppression 50% more powerful.
Harper and the entire Hub were wrapped in a chromatic bubble. She understood this was the transition process. Opening her class options she found it rimmed with gold lettering.
[Class menu
Current class offering: Hub Master
This custom class is ranked above [rare]. It is offered due to your vision of a strong Hub of operations and your efforts to make the world conform to your vision. This unique class will highlight your building powers and magic. Within any Hub you own your powers will be enhanced. Eventually this class will unlock adjacent magic for yourself and new upgrade paths for anyone unseen to this planet.]
Dumbfounded she accepted the class and readied to transition to her new world. Her original dreams of being somewhat wealthy and important were blown out of the water. Imagining the wealth that new upgrade paths would bring almost seemed shallow. That seemed like a strategic resource. If she ever unlocked that power she’d only gift it to an inner circle. The chosen ones! Adventurers given gifts of power. Only she would be the one doing the choosing. With fate to guide her hands to boot.
Excitement wavering for a moment as she considered the very real world she was about to transport into. Fun is built on a foundation of safety, and she was about to be dropped into the unknown again.