Chapter 5
Pop!
Drew was instantly alert as he found himself lying back in his bed. His head snapped to the right and he breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw his wife, Amber, snoring away. His eyes seemed to shift slightly, and Drew somehow knew that his bedroom was still very dark, and yet he could see as clearly as if it was day. Before he had a chance to marvel at the revelation, there was a sound from above.
Pop!
Spock appeared directly above him, nearly a foot in the air before dropping like a sack of bricks onto Drew’s body.
“Ummf!” Drew let out a muffled groan as the air was forced from his lungs.
Silence…
Drew turned his head ever so slowly back to the right and found that Amber had stopped snoring, and was shifting around. If she woke up right now, she’d find two strange men in her bed, with no sign of her husband. Knowing that she kept a loaded handgun in her nightstand, Drew made every effort to remain perfectly quiet.
After several nerve-wracking minutes, Amber’s snoring picked back up and Drew let out an internal sigh of relief. Carefully, oh so carefully, Drew maneuvered Spock off of his body and made sure that his feet touched the floor to the side of the bed before he slowly let him go.
Drew inched his way out of the bed, slipping out of the sheets and covers before quickly grabbing Spock’s hand and dragging him out of his bedroom as he tip-toed out the door before quietly closing it. Now in the living room of his house proper, Drew noticed that his vision had adjusted and his body must have been using his new [Darkvision] passive skill. He glanced back toward Spock, who was squinting comically, and realized that his new companion wasn’t gifted with the same ability.
He grabbed Spock’s hand once again before leading him out of the living room, through the kitchen, and quickly out the backdoor. Once he made it to the backyard porch, Drew’s stomach, which had been turning in knots the whole time, finally settled down.
“Can you see alright?” Drew asked in a whisper to Spock.
“I’m not sure, Drew Wright,” Spock said in a perfectly normal voice. It is surprising how loud a ‘perfectly normal’ volume voice sounds in the pitch darkness of pre-dawn. Drew flinched before freezing to listen in case anyone in the house had heard the voice.
After a minute passed, the tension Drew had felt dropped. He spoke again to Spock, this time more carefully.
“You need to whisper, my wife and mother are sleeping, and we have guns in the house. Follow me, quietly.” Drew instructed in as low of a tone as he could manage while still remaining audible.
Drew thought he was home free once he made it to the side gate of his backyard with Spock in tow, however as he cracked open the gate there was a small creak…
“BOOF!”
“BOOF!”
Drew waved Spock through the gate as quickly as possible before shutting it. After a few tense moments, the barking stopped. Drew watched the house for lights flicking on, but none did.
That damn German Shepherd almost gave me a heart attack! She’ll run up to strangers and the UPS guy without so much as a growl, but if a fucking mouse farts in the middle of the night, she wakes the whole damn house. Fat lot of use it does, the number of times she’s cried wolf her barks might as well be white noise…
Though, to be fair, I guess there are technically intruders this time. Good dog.
It was still nighttime outside, and thus pretty dark, but the light of the moon made things more visible and Spock was now able to keep up as Drew waved at the man to follow him. He lived out in the country, as rural as rural could get, so he wasn’t too terribly concerned over the possibility of any neighbors seeing him, as the nearest one lived nearly half a mile away.
Drew’s heart was pounding by the time they made it to the destination that he had in mind.
“What is the purpose of this structure?” Spock whispered poorly to Drew.
“It’s a chicken coop, Spock. We should be safe to speak normally here,” Drew said as he shook his head.
Spock eyed the shed-sized structure covered in chicken wire with curiosity, and Drew sighed as he realized that his new companion likely didn’t even know what chickens were.
“It houses chickens, Spock. They’re a type of animal that we use for eggs and meat. These birds are just layers, so we collect their eggs every other day so we have fresh food. Although… if doomsday is coming, we may want to pick up a bunch more to add to the flock.”
“Are these chickens vicious?” Spock asked cautiously.
“Uhh… no.” Drew shook his head. “Ours aren’t anyways. They’re kinda aloof and standoffish. They might peck your foot or something, but it wouldn’t be due to malice or any desire to eat you.” Drew shrugged.
“Interesting. I would very much like to see these chickens, Drew Wright,” Spock said as he turned to face Drew.
“Alright, yeah that’s fine. Just wait until the sun starts to come up. They’ll be roosting right now,” Drew said as he waved Spock off.
“Roosting?” Spock asked.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, this man really doesn’t have any basic knowledge. Patience Drew, it’s not his fault. He wasn’t even born yesterday, he’s not even an hour old yet.
Does that mean I just adopted an adult-sized child? …Fuck.
“Sleeping, they’re sleeping Spock,” Drew said with a sigh.
“I see. There was a person sleeping next to us when we appeared here as well,” Spock mentioned, as if revealing a particularly interesting factoid.
“Yeah, that’s my wife, Amber. She’s cute as a button, but twice as deadly.” Drew cautioned.
Spock was silent for several moments as if considering Drew's words. “How would a button be deadly?”
Drew sighed, halfway knowing what his day was going to be like. “Because you can choke on them, Spock,” he answered, trying to remain patient.
“Why would…” Spock began.
“Enough man. Just chill for a minute,” Drew said, cutting Spock off. “I know this is all new for you, and I’m happy that you get to experience it all, but I need some questions answered about our new situation, and then I need to think about what we’re going to do, okay?”
Spock quickly straightened his back and nodded his head.
“Okay, we didn’t have a lot of time during that tutorial, so I need to know the basics beyond what you were able to tell me,” Drew said after gathering his thoughts.
“What do you wish to know?” Spock asked in a serious tone. His innate curiosity had evaporated, replaced by the mechanical tone that Drew was used to.
“Eventually, I’d like to know everything, but for now I’ll settle for information about leveling up, using my abilities, and stuff about those monsters and beasts you mentioned,” Drew answered.
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Spock paused for several moments as he considered Drew’s request for information. Likely to figure out the best way to phrase everything, as Drew had asked for a lot of information all at once.
“The infusion of mana will begin once System integration is complete, roughly seven days from now. It is then that monsters will begin to spawn and beasts will begin to mutate from the natural wildlife present in the surrounding environment. Until that moment, I recommend that we prepare ourselves,” Spock began.
“When you say that they will begin to spawn and mutate, am I to assume that means that we will only have to deal with a limited number of potential enemies for a while?” Drew interrupted.
“Incorrect.” Spock shook his head. “While it is possible that the number of creatures you have to face may be limited, in most cases the opposite is true. The sheer volume of mana that will be used to infuse your planet for integration to prevent catastrophe will likely cause rapid mutation to occur, along with the spawning of hordes of monsters.”
“Fuck. So, it’s totally possible that we’ll be facing off against packs of the things the moment The System hits the Earth?” Drew asked while pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Possible and likely, yes,” Spock replied.
“So, there’s no chance we can level up slowly and somewhat safely before dealing with swarms of nasty critters?” Drew asked as he wanted clarification.
“That is incorrect. We, as token holders, are already integrated with The System, so we may level up at any time,” Spock replied in an upbeat tone.
Drew paused to consider the man’s words. How was that possible? They didn’t have any monsters to kill for experience points, how would they level up?
“How can we level up then?” Drew asked.
“By joining in battle against the native wildlife,” Spock answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “Though the experience they provide will be limited.”
“Please don’t tell me that we have to go out and kill a million boars to level up.” Drew groaned as he rubbed his temples. If he had to grind unintegrated animals, leveling up would take forever. Spock cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
“We don’t have to go out and kill a million boars to level up,” Spock replied happily.
“Did you just say that because I asked you to?” Drew asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Spock said with a slight nod.
“Ughhh.” Drew groaned again before slumping onto the ground.
“Leveling up in this manner will be inefficient, and we will likely only gain a few levels at most. However, the attribute bonuses from the level-ups will be greatly beneficial to us,” Spock added after a moment.
“Yeah, I saw stuff about the attributes when selecting my race and class. Is there any way to view that information?”
“Indeed, Drew Wright. Simply focus on the word, status, and it will be made available for your viewing.”
So, it really is like a game… well at least I have a bit of experience so I shouldn’t be completely moronic in any choices… probably…
Alright then, Status.
Status
Name: Drew Wright
Race: Dhampir (Grade -F) – lvl 0
Class: Caster
Profession: N/A
Health Points (HP): 60/60
Mana Points (MP) 100/100
Stamina: 60/60
Stats (Attributes)
Strength: 6
Vitality: 6
Endurance: 6
Toughness: 7
Agility: 4
Perception: 8
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 14
Willpower: 6
Free Points: 0
Well, at least it seems to be easy to understand. For a moment there, I was worried it would be based off some convoluted tabletop game that no one had ever heard of. Let’s see… vitality likely correlates to my health points, and intelligence is likely my mana points, which means stamina probably comes from endurance.
He checked his assumptions with Spock, who nodded like a pleased parent.
My agility is a bit shit to be honest, which is surprising after I chose an Elf as my Dhampir’s mortal parent. Maybe it grows faster as I level instead of naturally starting off high?
Also… it’s both satisfying and slightly depressing to see my life and body relayed to me in such a format. Maybe I’ll change my mind about it after I get a few levels? What were my bonus attributes per level again?
Additional Information
Racial bonus attributes per level: +1 STR, +2 VIT, +2 END, +2 TGH, +1 AGI, +1 PCT, +1 WIL
Class bonus attributes per level: +1 PCT, +1 INT, +1 WIS, +1 WIL, +2 Free points.
Yeah, that’s a pretty nice spread of stat points per level up, or at least I think they are… What skills do I have?
Skills
Manabolt (Grade – Inferior), Mana Manipulation (Grade – Inferior), Spatial Inventory, Raise Dead (Grade – Inferior), Mana Shield (Grade – Inferior), Corruption (Grade – Inferior).
Spatial inventory? Is that like a bag of holding or something? I don’t remember choosing that skill, maybe it just comes standard?
Spatial Inventory
A basic universal skill that allows for dimensional storage for any integrated sapient. While limited in size, most individuals use this skill to assist in carrying equipment, gear, emergency supplies and materials. Anything held within Spatial Inventory is outside the physical dimension and thus will not encumber the user.
“Hey Spock, does this spatial inventory skill mean I can just summon shit out of midair when I need to?” Drew asked as he looked up to find Spock intensely observing the inside of the chicken coop. When Drew spoke, the man let out a small squeak of surprise and quickly turned around.
“That is an overly simplified, yet somewhat accurate assessment of the skill in question, Drew Wright,” Spock said. “Also, I recommend that you check your notifications. If you don’t already have a notifications icon, I suggest adding one to your field of vision.”
“Uh, alright…” Drew replied cautiously.
Let’s see, how do I put an icon for it in my… oh. There it is, let’s just move that to the bottom right corner to keep it out of the way. Boom, locked in place. Good. Wait, why is it flashing?
Notifications
Title earned: [Progenitor]
A title system of some kind? Is that like achievements or something? What’s this title all about?
[Progenitor]
Chosen sapient of a pre-integrated world. Allows for the assistance of a System Guide within the Tutorial Introduction. Grants +2 to all stats. Grants skill: Multiversal Tongues (Unique).
Multiversal Tongues (Unique)
Allows for seamless communication across all racial and language barriers. This is a unique skill granted to progenitors of newly integrated worlds. Other inhabitants of newly integrated words start with an inferior skill that slowly upgrades when used, but still allows for faster-than-normal learning of new languages.
Sweet. I got a universal translator and plus two to all my stats. Can’t beat free stats and abilities!
“Alright, I think I’m done investigating my stats and abilities for the moment, I can look into them more thoroughly later. Does leveling up work the way I think it does? Kill bad things, get experience points, then level up and get more stat points?” Drew asked.
“Essentially, yes. We don’t have professions currently, so we’re limited to leveling up our classes and our race. Your race will advance as you level your class and future profession, should you choose to have one. Eventually, we will hit a milestone and our race will evolve to become stronger, and we’ll be able to change or evolve our classes.”
“Okay, cool. Stuff for later then.”
“Indeed, although I do recommend opening your status again if you’ve checked your notifications. Changes won’t occur until you do so.” Spock cautioned.
Strange, but alright…
“Do I have to look at the menu every time though, or can I just open it and close it? Like if I’m in combat and I level up, can I take advantage of that without having to stop and get somewhere safe before checking my status?” Drew asked.
“You may do as you say. Many individuals find that interfacing with the menus can be troublesome or obnoxious. As long as you purposely open it, level-up changes will occur, but I caution you against waiting too long, as you may forget that you have additional skills available to choose from,” Spock said before turning back to gaze into the chicken coop.
“Noted. Let me try it out.”
Drew focused his mind on opening and then immediately shutting the status menu down. Just as Drew began to breathe a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t need to look at his menus constantly, a surge of warmth filled his body starting in his gut and then radiating outwards. The feeling intensified as the warmth slowly turned into a slight itch that made him want to scratch at his skin before reverting back into a warm, almost glowing feeling. Within moments, the feeling passed, but Drew felt like he was suddenly brimming with power.
Almost instinctively, he knew that he was stronger, faster, and harder to hurt. It brought a deep feeling of satisfaction that Drew didn’t expect. He longed to experience it again as soon as it died down.
“Well, that was intense,” Drew muttered to himself.
“Indeed. The first several stat increases usually are,” Spock said almost absentmindedly as he shifted his body to try to see inside the chicken coop to see where the animals were resting.
“I may regret asking this, but what are the average stat points for humans?” Drew asked, morbidly eager to know how he stacked up to the rest of his species. Spock turned back to look at him for a brief moment before answering.
“The System expected most of Earth’s human population to fall within the five to seven point range for physical stats on average, and seven to nine points for mental stat points, with willpower being the exception at roughly four points,” Spock answered.
Drew recalled that his starting physical stats were all six, with toughness at seven, but his agility had been at four. It made sense in a way, he had never been an athlete of any kind, and he hated running back in high school and college. Physically, he was pretty average.
Mentally, he was a bit ahead of the pack. His intelligence was just one point above the average, and willpower was two above. Wisdom however, he excelled with that attribute, sitting at a juicy fourteen points. That one statistic made Drew feel a lot better about his otherwise average summary. Everyone wanted to be at least a little special.
“Good to know. How do I cast my spells?” Drew asked with glee in his voice.