Chapter 5
Patrick sat in stunned silence as pop-up after pop-up appeared. With some mental focus, he managed to scroll to the top of the list just after his temporary class was assigned.
[Single Use Item Whistle of Danger Expired]
[Temporary Level Up Removed]
[Side Effects Added: Fatigued Level 7]
You have been fatigued by the extra power that has coursed through you. You take a penalty equivalent to the level of fatigue from your attribute points. Fatigue condition can be removed by rest and recovery or through certain high-level items and spells.
[Temporary Class Removed: Brawler]
[Temporary Skills Removed]
Quick Flurry
Second Wind
Knockdown Motivation
Demoralising Taunt
Glancing Strikes (Passive)
[Temporary Class Boost Removed]
[Side Effect Added: Weakened Level 5]
The effect of a Class Boost comes at a price. Your effective level takes a penalty to the level of Weakened. Weakened condition can be removed by rest and recovery, or through certain high level items and spells.
[Aspect Removed: Flow of Battle. You no longer meet this Level Requirement]
[Congratulations, you are the first to clear Labyrinth of Rot (Level 40]
[Reward: Feat: World’s First obtained]
You are titled World’s First for clearing this specific Dungeon. You have been granted +5 points to your Luck Attribute and an additional 10 Attribute points for assignment.
[Dungeon Rewards]
* Experience that has been provided reduced due to the Level Disparity
* Cursed Bones (Rare Alchemical Ingredient)
* Skull of Darkness (Rare, Unascended. No Aspects)
* The skull of the soon-to-be Lich King. Using a charge of this skull will unleash a scream that will attempt to extinguish all sources of light. Non-magical lights will be immediately extinguished. Magical Light will be extinguished by those weaker than you. The Skull has three charges that replenish at dawn.
* Boots of Shadow-walking (Epic, Unascended. No Aspects)
* Darkness can be your ally. Using a charge of these boots allows you to navigate shadows in the immediate vicinity with concentration. The boots have five charges that replenish at dawn.
[Level Up. Level 10 reached. Class Specialisation must be chosen before further experience can be assigned. Outstanding Attribute Points to be assigned]
Patrick lay in bed, staring at all the information. Had he levelled up? Had he received the items?
“I, uh, reached Level 10 apparently and got a Skull and some Boots and a feat?” he asked, incredibly confused.
“Wahey, Level 10 always calls for a celebration! What do the Skull and Boots do?” asked Marius, almost vibrating beside Patrick.
“The Skull lets me extinguish light around me, and the Boots let me shadow-walk a few times each day-“
He had barely finished the sentence before Marius clasped his hands laughing.
“Oh Svenja is going to be SO pissed you got shadow-walk boots, they’re a Rangers dream. She got some heavy gauntlets she can’t use. Let me go get her, she’ll looove hearing this.”
Patrick tried to reach out and grab Marius, but he had already bolted from the room. He let his head fall back against the pillow.
Great.. he thought. Another reason Svenja would dislike him.
Silence took over the room for a moment before his eyes drew back to the notification about outstanding Class Specialisation and Attribute points. He tried to focus on them, but nothing happened. Patrick thought back to all the games he played and thought of what screens that information was usually on.
Character Sheet
Nothing.
Level Up
Nothing
Inventory?
Another screen appeared, containing only a few sparse items.
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Common Clothing
Unequipped
Skull of Darkness
Unequipped (Unclaimed)
Boots of Shadow-walk
Unequipped (Unclaimed)
Otherworld Device
Unequipped
At this moment, Patrick also realised he was undressed underneath the pile of blankets. He let out a moan. Someone had undressed him. He focused on the clothing with another mental probe, hoping to equip it, but nothing happened. Another attempt was made on the ‘Otherworldly Device’, hoping it was his phone so he could call for help, but there was no response. There was a brief pause before he tried it on the Skull of Darkness, as right above his head appeared the decayed Skull of the Lord of Rot and Decay, causing a screech from Patrick as it fell onto his lap on the bed.
[Skull of Darkness claimed]
Throwing himself onto the floor in a pile to escape the Skull, he tumbled and landed in an awkward pile. Sounds of rushing were heard out the door as Marius and Svenja entered the room, grabbing candle sticks as weapons as they entered the room, as they stared at Patrick on the ground and the head lying on the bed.
Svenja snorted at the sight.
Patrick tried to rise to his feet but found his arms and legs still couldn’t support his weight, so he collapsed back into a pile underneath the blankets. Marius came over laughing and began helping Patrick to his feet. As he felt the blankets start to slide off him, he threw himself back to the ground, turned around, blushed, and looked at Marius and Svenja.
“I’m, uh, not wearing any clothes..”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before!” laughed Marius in response as he began trying to lift Patrick again.
“No, no, no, please, can you both maybe look away?” Patrick asked, pained.
Svenja snorted again, crossed her arms and turned her back.
“Sure,” Marius replied, still chuckling. He theatrically turned his head and began helping Patrick to his feet. Patrick gripped the blankets with one arm, this time around his waist, as he stood uneasily on his feet. With the blankets firmly wrapped around him, Marius maneuvered him back onto the bed.
“That Skull is definitely a creepy sight. Do you mind if I put it over here?” Marius asked, lifting the Skull and placing it on a couch, covering it with a blanket.
As if exhausted from even getting into bed, Patrick waved his hand.
Svenja suddenly said, “I will give you 2,500 gold pieces now and another 2,500 for the Boots once we reach Tyril.” This caught Patrick and Marius off-guard.
“Svenja..” Marius said with a scolding tone. “Leave him alone. He’s only just awake, and you can’t pressure him for his loot like that.”
“2,500 now, and 3,000 once we reach Tyril, but that’s more than you would get for them, and you can’t even use them.” she countered even though Patrick hadn’t spoken.
Patrick cut Marius before he had a chance to follow up.
“Honestly, it’s fine. You can have them. It’s the least I can do after you saved me.”
“3,500 once we- wait, really?”
“Of course. I don’t even know what they are, and you could use them far better than I would.”
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch, honestly, here have them.”
He claimed them, narrowly moving his head as leather boots fell onto the bed. He gathered them up and held them out.
[Boots of Shadow-walk claimed]
Like a feral cat, Svenja inched closer until she was just in reach and snatched them from Patrick’s hand. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before the ever so slight nod of her head, and she fled the room.
“You shouldn’t have given them to her. She lowballed you with that offer. You could’ve gotten at least twice that amount selling them to the Guild in Tyril.” Marius said disapprovingly.
Patrick leaned his head back against the pillow and sighed.
“I don’t care, excuse my bluntness Marius. I want to get home. I’m confused and honestly want to get back to normality.”
“The Republic you mentioned?” Marius said, rifling through books on a shelf nearby.
“Yeah, Republic of Ireland.”
“Ah, hah, here we go,” Marius said, pulling a book from the shelf. He perched himself on the bed beside Patrick and began to flick through the book.
“Republic of Ireland… Ireland… No, that’s the Knights Republic.. Republic of Isatoa… Republic of Alliance of Associated Garguantuan Heralds… Hmm, I don’t see it in the recognised list of Nations. Is it recognised?”
“Uhh, for about 100 years, yeah.”
“Hmm, this was published only 14 years ago… Is it one of the Roaming Hundred Islands?”
Patrick stared at Marius blankly.
“Right, not one of the Roaming Islands… I’m sorry, Patrick, but I don’t think your country is legally recognised”.
His mouth opened, closed, opened and closed, genuinely lost for words.
Marius moved back to the shelf with a finger to his lips, once again rummaging through the books. He picked up a book, flicked through it, and dropped it, to pick up another book, just to drop it. He repeated this several times before another exclamation as he brought another book over.
“Can you point out where the Republic of Ireland is on this map?”
Patrick sighed, taking the book to point it out before he paused.
“What map is this?”
“Of Serra?”
“What’s ‘Serra’?”
It was Marius’ turn to look blankly at Patrick.
“The uh.. world?”
“Terra, you mean Earth?”
“It’s made of earth?”
Patrick’s head hit back again into the pillow and slammed it repeatedly against the soft, feathered pillow.
“Marius, please, I don’t know what type of joke this is, but it’s getting old. Ireland, in Europe. From planet Earth” emphasising the final word. “I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what these ‘notifications’ are, I don’t know what these levels are. I need you to tell me how I can get home”, a level of frustration entering his voice.
Marius stared at him blankly for another moment before he winced. He went to speak before pausing as if choosing his words very carefully before he continued in a very level tone.
“Patrick, it’s been a while since I went through the training for this, but I need you to listen to me very carefully. I had questions when we realised you were levelless in the Dungeon, and honestly, a part of me thought you were just a mechanic we’d get extra points for rescuing, but you didn’t despawn in the Dungeon, and Grunt was eventually recovered enough to carry you out. I think I know why your country isn’t in any of the records or on any of the maps..”
Patrick stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.
“Patrick, it’s not on any maps because this isn’t your world. You’re a Wanderer.”
“I’m a what?”
“A Wanderer, Patrick. You’re from another world. It happens a few times every cycle, but never this late. We’re already halfway through this cycle, and all the Wanderers have already been claimed.”
Patrick laughed, not believing what he had been told.
“You’re telling me I’m from another world? I’m an alien?”
“Not another world, Patrick. Another world. Something connected through the planar strings, nothing in this reality but a reality connecting our own. I’m explaining this so poorly, I’m sure there’s a book..”
Marius tried to get up, but Patrick gripped his wrist as he tried to move. Patrick knew he didn’t have the strength to hold him, the memory of the fight still fresh in his mind, but Marius paused anyway as Patrick took a breath.
“You’re telling me I’m in a different reality?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, but I know I’m doing a poor job, they’ve written books on this. It’s a pretty common thing.”
Marius gently prised his wrist loose from Patrick’s grasp as Patrick’s head fell back again to the pillow, his blood pounding in his ears as he struggled to take all this in. Thoughts were running rapidly through his head as he lay there.
I’m in a coma.
This is a dream.
I’m still unconscious after the car crash.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the bed sink beside him and Marius sit back beside him. He opened his eyes to see Marius looking sombre and holding another book.
“Here. Take this. I know this is a lot, but I’m telling you the truth. I think you’re a Wanderer. You’re not the first, by any stretch. This guide was written should any Adventuring Group stumble across one.”
He held out a book tentatively, which Patrick took, and looked at the title.
So, you’ve found yourself in another world by Amelia Earhart.
“This book will give you a lot of basic information and a quick overview of Leveling to get familiar with the process. You mentioned you had hit level 10, so you'll see the options available once you look at your Class screen. Please trust me on this, don’t make any choices until you read the book, or ask any of us some questions. You can make some wrong choices early on, and we can help guide you.”
Patrick stared at the book, not sure what to say.
“Let me get the others, we can help you make your initial choices. Tyril is a large Kingdom, and we have other Wanderers. We can check the records and see if any are from your world. We’ll make sure you’re not alone, Patrick.”
Marius stood and paused and then walked towards the door.
“I’ll give you some time before I come in with the others, but we’ll help you, Patrick, I promise.” He said as he left the room.
Patrick continued staring blankly at the book in front of him.
His thoughts raged, with one thought cutting through all of them.
Was this what happened to Amelia Earhart?
His curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the book.