Chapter 2
Fate Zones
----------------------------------------
Michael Nueroghast
Staring at the screen in shock I start attempting to wave it away, as soon as my hand comes into contact with the bright blue screen it seems to shatter into particles of light falling to the ground. Well then is everything going to calm down or is the world going to keep breaking?
…
*Ding*
“Thank you for your questions about the JEST system. Any questions can be sourced through the help function accessed by thinking *help*”
God dammit. Okay, calm down let’s think about this if this universal “prompt” is telling me to do something then it's probably best to do as it says.
…Help… please?
“Help Options”
* Status –opens status screen
* Fate – shows the direction to the nearest fate zone
+You must unlock fate points in order to access new commands+
Well that’s certainly helpful. The world's a video game and there are only two commands, that’s going to help. Well at least I don’t have to go searching for a fate zone, this thing apparently tells you exactly where they are. So is this classic RPG swords and magic, or is this going to be laser pistols and spaceship type game? Well, only one way to really find out. Like I did for the help command, I think about the word status and suddenly.
*Ding*
Name
Michael Neuroghast
Class
N/A
Race
Human
Phys
-------------
Ment
-------------
Fate points
0
Str
8
Int
24
Stat
points
0
Dex
14
Wis
13
Class points
10
Agi
9
Will
10
Con
10
Cha
8
Well that’s certainly accurate; if 10 is the average then it’s got me down pat: smart, but nothing much else. Well then since that’s apparently all I can do without a fate zone, then I guess I’ve got no choice but to move. Will there be monsters and stuff outside my door ready to attack whenever they get the chance? Not likely: if there were then these thin dorm walls would’ve been torn down instantly.
Well then here we go.
Fate
The word seemed to ring out like a gong had been rung right next to my head, a small 20 sided dice appearing directly in my vision directly to the south, not budging no matter how I moved. So no path there, we’ve just got a d20 on the horizon here huh. Well better than going in the wrong direction completely and ending up in the middle of nowhere.
As I begin to head down towards the door I hear a large group of students gathered around the front door of the dorm. “Okay, okay everyone calm down. What’s going on here?” “Mr. Neuroghast, you teach quantum physics, do you get what’s happening,” a young man dressed in nothing but his bathrobe asked.
After taking a look outside I understand why everyone’s freaking out: the scenery of the sky had completely changed. No longer were we the only planet within miles of void, rather we were a pebble to the massive entity we orbited: a massive gas giant that seemed to dwarf Jupiter in comparison, that seemed to dye the sky around us in a light purple color. Over the horizon of the gas giant one could see space shattering around itself like a spider web of flashing colors over a black background.
So lasers and spaceships probably, it’s either that or Lovecraft, and sorry H.P but I’d prefer a spaceship right now. Turning my view towards the south I still see the silver dodecahedron pasted over my vision. Well seems my apprehension to get a car didn’t really pay off. Oh well, guess I’d better start running.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Hugh, Hugh, Hugh
That was the worst decision I have ever made in my entire life. Why the heck would running be so hard to pull off. It’s supposed to be a necessity for survival. As I pulled my tired, exhausted body up from the ground I finally got a good look at the building ahead of me: a stone tower that rose up above the treeline. Once it got to about 500 feet in the air, a metal cable seemed to rise up into the atmosphere connecting itself to a black cube about 1000 feet up. The stone was beautifully etched with designs that seemed to come straight from the Renaissance. On the inside there was various booths and screens lining the wall with about 8 balconies surrounding a gigantic dodecahedron locked in the centre of the room, constantly spinning, seeming like it would never land.
“congratulations on entering your first fate zone”
Due to your race’s situation you gain the following choices
(choose two)
* Customization
* Title: sigil of the latecomers
* Title: the story-tellers
* Title: Creators of Wonders
Well that’s certainly foreboding, but you know what they say never look a gift horse in the mouth. Hmm which ones should I choose; though it’s not like they give you much information. Customization seems to be the most variable but the others seem more vague and misleading. I won’t take sigil of the latecomers, but the other two certainly sound interesting. Story-tellers might rely on the charisma or intelligence stat which means it’s a large gamble, but I’m not sure what creators of wonders would require.
Well no time like the present to make mistakes and be a fool.
“Customizations, and Creators of Wonders”.
You have gained the title Creators of Wonders (rank 1). This title grants one the ability to imbue objects that they create with different forms of energy. This energy grants the object different effects when used.
“You have chosen customization, please choose a way to customize yourself”
* Variant race
* Stat placement
* Shifter forms
Well more options to choose from. Stat placement seems useful but quite dull, meanwhile variant race and shifter seem like they’ll change my body. Variant race seems like the most suitable option, and may give me a more precise choice than the others.
Variant Race
*JEST system specification has been activated, choosing variant race based off of signifying characteristic*
characteristic chosen – name
(Michael Neuroghast)
new variant race created
“Mental Wisp”
‘commencing variant change’
Nix Aegis
I finally arrive at the Fate Zone, it was only about 5 miles south of the city and into the woods neighboring it. I still have all my fencing gear on me, though they probably wont do me any good in this situation. This building looks massive from the outside as the multiple stone arches from the towers base.
As I walked inside I noticed a large group of people standing around the outer ring of the building, seemingly avoiding the large dodecahedron.
*Ding*
“congratulations on entering your first fate zone”
Due to your race’s situation, you gain the following choices
(choose two)
* Customization
* Title: sigil of the latecomers
* Title: the story-tellers
* Title: Creators of Wonders
“Congratulations, due to a minor God noticing you you have been offered the class: void paladin
* Class: Void Paladin
* Condition: (scion of the void)
Well, that class doesn't sound terrifying at all but still, a class offered by a God has got to be at best pretty good. But what's with the condition; do I get sick if I take this class? Well it's more cool sounding stuff, and that's usually my strategy in games anyway, other than that storytellers sound like a good choice.
Story-tellers, and Void Paladin
You have gained the Title The Story-tellers This title allows for the manipulation of the universe through the weave.
* You have gained access to the mana resource
* You have gained +3 points to Charisma and +2 to intelligence
“You have pledged allegiance to Trixis of the void faction. Due to this, you have gained the class void paladin, and the race scion of the void”
JEST system has recognised a pattern. Synchronisation will commence
The story-tellers title will be fused with void-paladin
*Fusing*
You have unlocked the class: speaker of the void
Uhmmm what exactly happened there. It can fuse?
So what does Scion of the void give me then? I don't really feel any different, definitely not like a completely new race.
Status
Name
Nix Aegis
Class
Speaker of the void
Race
(activate change)
Human
(scion of the void)
Phys
-------------
Ment
-------------
Fate points
0
Str
13
Int
11
Stat
points
0
Dex
19
wis
8
Class points
10
Agi
16
Will
12
patron
Trixis
Con
13
Cha
16
Oh looks like I've got to activate the change then, why is so needlessly complicated, all the other things just happened in the background. Ugh, why is all of this even happening? I didn't wake up this morning and think ‘I want to be a different species of human today’.
Oh well. Activate change
At that, I began to feel a burning sensation in my left chest, almost as if I was having heart burn but over ten times over. I looked down my shirt in order to try and find the source, and there from my chest was spreading pitch black tattoos that began to spread up and down my body. Everywhere the tendrils moved an intense burn filled my body, at this sensation I fell to the floor almost unconscious due to the pain. Finally black void took my vision and all went quiet.