Aiden
“I don't think this is God or heaven.” Dax began. “I mean the sheet is exactly like a character sheet from an RPG game, and we got to even assign points to our stats with the level up.”
“I even got more toned!” Janet lifted her arm up to make a muscle, “I put my points into strength so I could actually do something helpful if we got attacked again.”
Dax raised his hand to point at Janet, “Exactly, we were attacked. Doesn't seem like heaven to me. Strength will most likely be more muscles, and will help us do physical feats. Agility is going to help us be more flexible, kind of like the dexterity of some games.”
“So endurance is how long we can push ourselves? What is constitution then? Is that our rights or something?” Heidi was staring into space as she spoke, probably looking at her sheet.
“No, its how quickly we recover most likely from being hurt.” Dax shrugged as he talked. “That is how it would be in a game. Or ability to resist certain things like spell effects in D&D.”
“That's helpful.” Janet rolled her eyes as the sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“Hey! I am speaking about games, this isn't a game, so I can't be sure, but at least I'm trying to get answers!” Dax's face was getting more red as he spoke, and Janet was puffing up as well. Before they could continue though the angel reappeared and looked around at us. The expression on his face went from confusion to excitement as if he had just had an epiphany by looking at Dax.
"Ah yes. An explanation; of course, you want one. Let's see." The Angelic figure sat down on the ground with his legs crossed and his finger tapping his bottom lip. He reminded me of a little kid trying to think of an excuse to get candy in the morning.
"Well, eons ago there was what I would refer to as universe prime. Some unknown power blasted through the entire universe altering it for better or worse. The inhabitants of that universe along with myself gained the interface and powers. We began to get stronger, we started fighting with weapons and moved on to fighting with skills and powers. The desire for power led to wars as it does. With the level of power, we were gaining our wars expanded from cities to continents to worlds to whole galaxies."
Our host waved his hand and a table appeared out of nowhere with place settings for the four of us and steaming cups of tea at each spot. He waited until we took our seats before continuing.
“We fought with each other for millennia until only a respective few remained. That is when we discovered the ability to travel across universes and dimensions in search of new ways to gain power. We learned that as the same power that gave us our abilities was flooding a new universe it provided a conduit we could hijack. In these new universes we could build up the people and as they followed us we would get stronger, or we could just destroy them and take the power for ourselves.
The remaining forces from universe prime split into two factions, those who worked at the creation of strong universes and those who destroyed them to gain power. This continued for a while until a third group formed. The third group, which I'm from, believes it falls to us to maintain a balance between the forces. After all destruction needs creation and vice versa."
"Hey Mikey, got any sugar for this crap?" Heidi speaking up caused us all to look at her resulting in her blushing instantly. "Well, he's an angel, right? So I thought Michael. But look at him. He looks like a kid sitting like that, admit it. So like, Mikey." She waved her hand as if she just explained the most logical thing in the world.
Mikey waved his hand. I mean our host waved his hand, “That crazy girl's stupid names and thoughts are contagious.” A bowl of lightly glowing blue balls appeared on the table.
“It's not sugar but should work the same. I'm not an angel either, this is the form of an Athriki. They were the controlling force of the last planet I took up as home. As for Mikey, that's not my name. You can call me Michael though as my true name has sounds you wouldn't be able to make.”
The blue orbs were disconcerting, to say the least. When they hit the liquid they fizzled so much that the cup of tea looked like a mini fountain. None of the liquid spilled out of the cups surprisingly, and as the activity died down, the tea was sweetened as if it had been sugar but with a strange fruity hint that I could not place. The flavor complemented the flavor of the tea surprisingly well and I even felt as if I felt a bit stronger and mentally clearer after drinking it. From the expressions of surprise and happiness on the other's faces, I would think the effect was universal.
"Now where was I?" Michael tapped his finger on his lip once again as he thought. "Oh yes, those of us that went from universe to universe split into three groups, the destruction-prone ones, the ones who believe in growth and creating strong universes, and the third faction I am a part of, the ones to maintain balance. When we notice the scales tipping in for one of the other factions we intervene. At this point, the forces of destruction have been exceptionally lucky as of late, so I brought you all here to work for growth and creation. I will help when and where I can, but unfortunately, the powers here have not been concentrated, and are too weak for us older powerhouses, so I am limited in this universe. I also can not directly get involved, as natural laws have been rewritten by the system itself to stop us from steamrolling new universes in an instant. This is why we need to select champions to nurture and raise in power. Even the forces of destruction need to grow some new champions in every new universe. There are some loopholes and exceptions to these rules, but I won't bother you with all the technical stuff yet, just know you are starting on an almost level ground currently with everyone you might compete with. For now at least."
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“So you are claiming to be a god that is being handicapped by an even stronger being?” Janet asked with skepticism and sarcasm dripping from her words.
“Oh no, we are not gods. We are lords with followers much like a king from your world, only infinitely more powerful. Gods as you know them are most likely banished champions who used the power they gained from an integrated universe to gain a following.” Michael chuckled and I could not take it anymore.
"How do you know the lord isn't what is limiting you? God is above all." I knew that I was right but even as I spoke I felt a pang of regret from speaking up. Michael smiled and looked into my eyes and I felt like my entire being was ripped away in an instant, leaving my soul bare in front of him. The gaze felt like it went on for eons as galaxies were both born and died in the span of a heartbeat while I was locked in his gaze.
Michael finally broke eye contact and laughed. "That failed water manipulator actually did it!" Michael looked like he was struggling to stop from doubling over. "Jesus as you know him was a champion for me. I called upon him and he could manipulate water pretty well, even transmuting it with an alchemy skill. He became a bit too fond of the water to wine trick and I finally had to banish him back to his home world, which was your Earth. He must have sobered up and created a following. He told me he would be worshiped and I never believed him." Michael waved his hand and sat back. "No, the system is not a god or the God of your bedtime stories. It is a natural force unthinking but smarter than every being combined. Uncaring, just spitting out what is needed to keep the multiverse moving forward and becoming more, better, stronger. Some of the more philosophical among us believe it was birthed when the original power swept through the first of the universes and the goals of so many gave birth to the system and the interfaces. The system only gets smarter and stronger with each universe that it integrates with the release of the power." Michael shrugged, "That is one theory anyway. No one knows for sure."
“Tell us about these sheets with our names on them that popped up when we got here.” Janet crossed her arms. “Tell us what it means, how it works, everything we might need to know.”
“The tricky thing about champion sheets is almost every creature starts with the same base champion sheet. Over time as each person separates themselves their sheets will change to be uniquely theirs, maybe displaying different bonuses or features that apply to their path better. There is a standard set of information that will maintain on all sheets though. This is your name, race, your level for example. Your base stats will also remain and will be a standard that can be compared to your peers. Though different things may cause the comparison to be quite misleading."
This was a lot of information. We could compare our sheets with each other but they will begin to be different. I mentally willed my sheet into view and thought about how it might change. I honestly was bothered that the race of human had a qualifier. Did it really matter where I was from if I was still a human? As I watched a haze like the heat coming off a hot road went through my sheet and I stared in shock at
[Race] Human.
"Ummm my sheet just changed! I am no longer sol-3 human, I am just human!" I was looking from face to face and the glossy-eyed looks told me that the other three were checking theirs.
"You figured out how to make adjustments. You can clean up your sheet for ease of reading for you. This is the first reason they start to change. The system is wise and learns from the changes you make, and the strengths you show and this guides the changes that happen to your sheet." Michael had a look that reminded me of someone watching a toddler barely manage to stand for the first time. It was only made worse with his next words, "Good job. You're doing great."
Heidi gave a little jump and a clap, “Got it!” and we watched the other two. Janet looked like she was getting more and more upset.
Dax furrowed his brows before grunting. “I can't figure it out right now.” He shrugged looking only slightly annoyed. Janet let out a huff and stomped a foot. “You can't get it either?” Dax was looking at Janet as he spoke.
"No! I fixed the human part, but it won't let me add or take things away. Like how come it doesn't show I am a Virgo? I also wanted to move the stupid stats around to make them look more organized." Janet huffed and stared at Michael.
“You are still very low level, and the system won't let you make many changes because it does not want you to hinder your own growth. And what is a Virgo?” Michael said the last work with confusion as if it felt overly weird to say.
"It's an astrological sign. Based on the Zodiac constellations around Earth, and it helps you understand your personality based on what stars were dominant or whatever." I tried to explain to Michael as best as I could. I had no belief in the Zodiac. Michael even began to laugh as I spoke.
"The stars? They have no bearing on who or what you will become!" Michael was almost screaming because he was barely controlling his laughter enough to squeeze out words. "That is the craziest superstition I have heard in a very long time. Of course, the system would not put that in the sheet, it is nonsense made up information."
Michael finished going over the character sheet and it really did correlate well with the RPG mechanics that Dax explained.
"What about classes?" Dax asked with a chuckle. He looked at us with an expectant look, as we all shrugged and gave our attention to Michael for an answer. Dax seemed genuinely shocked when Michael began speaking again.
“Ahhhh yes! You are already familiar with classes. That is excellent, saves us some time. We seeded some information with your world just a few years ago. I am glad to see Gary was able to disseminate it quickly.
When you hit level 10, the system will review your accomplishments, your personality, and your means of survival. Taking that into account, your interface will assign you a class. This can evolve as you hit milestones, but not always. We have noticed that some classes are stronger than others at a base, but it ultimately depends on the individual. Some of us elders from the stronger forces have developed a general sense of how strong a class is by its description and title. One thing you don't want is a generic class. Soldier or fighter or some simple mage. Those will provide the hardest path to become truly powerful."