Liza, Sam, and Conner followed Brielle of the Lightfoot Clan deeper into the forest and away from the obvious path that led away from the portal. Connor easily picked out the multiple paths, pitfalls, and traps they were being led through as they made their way toward a small village, although “village” would be a generous designation. There was a water well and four structures made to blend into the forest under the canopy of the trees and only three other elves in the buildings.
Connor had detected the village when they were 10,000 feet out with his skill Eyes of Eris, though the path they took to reach the village took just over an hour as Brielle tried to confuse their sense of direction. There was no way the elves could know that so long as something was within 10,000 feet of Connor, he would know where it was immediately. He did consider the path they had taken and realized that it had been a roundabout path with more than 1,000 feet between various locations along the path. It looked like they were cognizant of perception skills but didn’t expect anyone to have one above the Advanced Rank or fourth tier, depending on how they named their ranks.
As they moved into the village, Connor noticed another thing. Nine thousand feet to the north of his current position, the information he received from Eyes of Eris ended. At that point, there was a barrier he could not see past, and it stretched off to the left, right, up, and probably down as the ground went right up to that point. Could they be in something like his Astral Pocket?
Connor’s attention was brought back to Brielle as she walked up to a more regal-looking male elf. He wore a light brown robe with green highlights and looked at the three of them with a bit of interest as he asked Brielle, “Who are our guests?”
“The one in the middle is Connor. The woman is Liza, and the third is Sam. They came through the portal to Earth, though they seem to have already been integrated into the SYSTEM.
“I can see that,” Elder Vinlan said as he answered Brielle. He then turned to Connor, “Connor, I am Elder Vinlan of our small group. If I might ask, how did you find the entrance to this Realm? Or are you associated with the government of the country our portal opens into?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“I’ll answer that question if you answer a question for me first: Are you part of the Malicore Sect?”
Every elf that he could detect flinched before Elder Vinlan asked, “Where have you heard that name before?”
“Based on your reactions, I’ll take that as a no. They are the Sect that will lead the integration of Earth into the SYSTEM in 22 years,” Connor stated matter-of-factly.
“You sound very sure of yourself when you state that,” Elder Vinlan said.
“I am. And my question concerning the Malicore Sect?” Conner asked.
“They tried to invade this Pocket Realm about 10 years back. We were more than capable of pushing them back out. For the most part, that sect is comprised of a bunch of common Thugs and Thieves. There are a few Uncommon and even Rare Classes back on their Capital planet, but as far as I know, that planet isn’t even in the Galaxy Earth is in.
Liza made a movement or gesture with her body that Connor noticed, but he couldn’t really describe it. Elder Valin immediately noticed and asked, “Yes, Liza, do you have a question?”
“I do. If you’re saying that the Malicore Sect are from another Galaxy and that they’re going to invade us during the SYSTEM Integration, how did they find, let alone get to our world?”
Elder Vinlan Noded, “We were lucky to find this Pocket Realm, though we didn’t enter it through the portal you did. On the opposite end of this Pocket Realm, from where you entered, there is another portal. We came through it, some 100 of your Earth years ago.”
“You’ve used that term twice now, Pocket Realm. Are you to imply that this is like an Astral Pocket?”
Elder Vinlan nodded, “Yes, this is a Pocket Realm. It is attached to your Universe and is much like an Astral Pocket. Do you not know about the various Planes and Realms?”
“Not really,” Connor answered
“No,” both Liza and Sam said simultaneously.
“Very well, but information is not normally free. I can see that both Sam and Liza here have Common or Tier I classes. I cannot determine what class, race, or core level you have, though, Connor. If you’ll answer that question, I’ll answer any questions you have about this Pocket Realm and how we arrived here.”
“Can we find a place to sit down, maybe?” Connor asked.
“Of course,” Elder Vinlan said.
“Very well, I am considered Master, or Tier V rank.”
Connor felt the change in the elves around him as they all shifted into a more defensive posture. He could also sense the three that had been shadowing their group since they arrived move into a more advantageous position and prepare to attack.
“Hold!” Elder Vinlan declared. He waited a moment to make sure everyone had stood down and then looked at Connor, “How did a Master rank individual end up on Earth?”
“That’s part of the story. For now, could you let the three who were with Brielle know they can drop their concealment or stealth and relax? I have no intention of attacking anyone who does not attack one of us first. Besides, based on everyone’s reaction when I mentioned the Sect Malicore, I believe we share mutual feelings towards that Sect, at least. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that.”
“When did you know you were being shadowed?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“The moment we passed through the portal.”
“Ah...Very well, “Elder Vinlan said, making a hand gesture. The three scouts became visible and relaxed. Now, if you will follow me, I believe you have asked for a place to sit. We will, of course, provide refreshments as well.”
Connor, Liza, and Sam followed the Elder toward an area where a table and six chairs had been set up near the well. The area was near the center of the village and outside, though the canopy of the trees sheltered it from direct sunlight.
Once everyone was seated and drinks had been handed out, Elder Vinlan nettled his hands and spoke, “First, On my Honor, all food and drinks are safe for everyone to drink. While we might be able to affect Liza and Sam, I somehow doubt that if you are Master Rank, you will be affected by much.
Connor nodded and lifted his glass before he took a sip of the water they’d provided. He quickly checked his Status Sheet but found nothing had changed. When he was satisfied it was safe, he nodded to Liza and Sam.
“Additionally, I would like to apologize for our reactions. Master Ranks are rare throughout the Realms and Planes. To run into one in a Pocket Realm, unless it was their Pocket Realm, of course, is almost unheard of,” Elder Vinlan saw that Connor was about to ask a question and raised his hand, “As I said, I would like to apologize. We will go first during this exchange of information.”
Connor nodded in acknowledgment, “Thank you.”
Elder Vinlan took a sip from his glass and then started in a tone that left the listener with no doubt that he knew what he was talking about, “The First thing to understand is that this Iteration of the Multiverse is young, very young. Before you ask, an iteration is the cyclic pattern that the Multiverse follows of expansion and contraction. The Planes and Realms that make up the known Multiverse did not have the SYSTEM until, well, no one living, save maybe the Gods knows how long ago the SYSTEM integration of this region of the Multiverse started, but in the history of the Multiverse it was a recent thing.”
Elder Vinlan paused for a moment as he took another sip of water. While he did so, Connor noted that even the other elves were listening intently to what Elder Vinlan was sharing. The Elder set his drink down and continued, “As with anything new, it took a bit of time for the sentient races to figure out what the SYSTEM was doing to them and even longer to figure out how to take advantage of those changes. Now, Connor, may I ask you a question before I continue?”
“Please,” Connor said with a smile.
“By your demeanor and presence and my observation that the three of you are hearing this information for the first time, can I deduce that you are from Earth?”
“Yes,” Connor asked truthfully.
Elder Vinlan smiled, “Then, by your comment that Malicore will begin the Integration in 22 years, can I also deduce that you are from that era?”
“We are.”
“So, the three of you are newly integrated. Based on your reactions concerning Malicore, are my assumptions correct that you have seen the Sect for the monstrous entity that it has become?”
“Yes,” Liza growled through clenched teeth as Sam reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Were they a thing? Shit, it didn’t matter. Connor thought before he brought his thoughts back to Elder Vinlan and answered, “Yes, we have.”
“So, how are you here, 22 years in the past?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“Honestly, we have no idea,” Connor said questioningly.
“Did the SYSTEM, by chance, give you any Notification before you appeared in this era?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“It did. From your tone, I take you wish to see those Notifications, and if it will help us understand, I’m willing to show them to you, but only to you,” Connor said.
“Very well,” Elder Vinlan said as he made another gesture. All the elves in the area backed away from the table, leaving only Elder Vinlan and Brielle sitting at the table with the three of them. “Brielle will not let me remain in a privacy screen with the three of you alone; she must remain.”
“That’s fine,” Connor agreed as both Liza and Sam nodded in agreement.
“Very well,” Elder Vinlan said as he spread his hands, and an opaque bubble surrounded the table, “This bubble will not allow sound to enter or exit, and the opacity of the field prevents lip reading. The Magic of my spell will prevent Common or Uncommon level magics from scrying our conversation. Though Rare magics may be able to penetrate the protections, they must overcome my skills and level to do so.”
Connor nodded, “That’s fine. Let me pull up the information and share it with you,” Connor said as he pulled up the SYSTEM Warning Notifications. He edited the output and kept out the Ability, Title, and Skill he’d received during the explosion.
Warning! Mana Saturation has reached 5,966.587112%
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Interconnected Dimensional Travel Activated within Spell Matrix…Absorbed
Interconnected Personal Shroud active…Absorbed
Unfettered Status active…Absorbed.
Error!
Shadow Step attempt includes the entire connected Matrix
Energy Influx has destabilized Matrix
Unfettered Status has decoupled Temporal and Dimensional Location
Unfettered Status reset to starting point
Three as One has Decoupled. Individual entities reset to their origin point.
Personal Shroud has taken effect.
SYSTEM Connection Lost
SYSTEM Connection Lost
SYSTEM Connection Lost
SYSTEM Connection re-established during Pre-Integration. Some functionality may be unavailable. Please wait until SYSTEM Integration has been completed.
Unfettered Status Recognized. Limited SYSTEM Link established.
Mana Regeneration in Mana Deprived World is currently at 5%
Elder Vinlan looked over the window Connor had created and took his time reading each line. After about five minutes, Elder Vinlan spoke, “What caused the Mana Saturation Event.”
“An explosion, a very BIG explosion,” Connor said.
“And the Dimensional Travel?”
“I tried to Shadow Step away from the explosion; I was sure we were going to get hit,” Liza offered.
Elder Vinlan laughed with a hint of mirth in his demeanor, “Liza, is it? There is no “were”; you were all hit by the explosion. As for the Personal Shroud, I’ve seen that ability before. It is rare, but I understand it was active when the explosion hit, which brings me to Unfettered; why is that line in the SYSTEM Notifications?”
Connor considered how to respond but decided that if he was in for a penny, he was in for a pound: “That would be me.”
“How so?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“That’s my class, Unfettered”
“Truly? Your Master Class is Unfettered?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“All of my classes are?” Connor answered truthfully
Elder Vinlan looked contemplative, while Brielle looked shocked. Connor had no idea why she was having such a reaction, but he noted it and would ask her about it later if he had the chance.
After a moment, Elder Vinlan shuddered slightly before he spoke, “I have an idea about what happened to you, but it would only be mere speculation to voice it.”
“Please, any insight would be helpful,” Connor said.
Elder Vinlan took a moment to compose himself before he explained, “The amount of Mana available, in addition to the Dimensional opening that connected to the three of you traveling together? Yes, this would have only worked if you were traveling together. Anyway, the opening created a crack that the three of you should not have been able to escape through; the Personal Shroud, at the energy level mentioned, became supercharged and probably had an effect that it should not have, coupled with the unfettered designation and class you carry. I believe that the SYSTEM lost track of you for a moment, and when it reset your Matrix to try to draw you back, that linked to your individual origin points, which is what forced you to travel into the past. There was plenty of energy to do so, after all. The only question I have is why you weren’t immediately transported back to the future when you stepped back into a SYSTEM Integrated Realm. The SYSTEM would have noted the Temporal displacement and automatically moved you back to the future?”
“It tried,” Connor said as he pulled a more recent Notification and shared it with Elder Vinlan.
SYSTEM Connection Re-established.
WARNING! You are chronically misplaced.
Status “Unfettered” Noted.
Automatic relocation to the original time period has been halted.
“So, the Unfettered Class of yours protects you, but that does not explain the other two?”
“Actually,” Sam said; when we arrived, we also had those SYSTEM Notifications as well as the ability, Title, or Perk, which we didn’t have before. I received Personal Shroud and Unfettered, “Liza said.
“I received Shadow Affinity, Shadow Step, and Unfettered,” Sam offered.
Elder Vinlan looked at Connor. Connor sighed and said, "Yes, I received a Shadow Affinity, Shadow Step, and Personal Shroud."
“So, your Class provided an Ability then,” Elder Vinlan said as he looked at Connor?”
“I believe so, yes,” Connor said.
“At those energy levels, there’s a good chance that the changes are permanent, BUT they could be temporary,” Elder Vinlan said.
“Temporary?”
“Yes, Temporary, I’ll use unfettered for my example. As that is your class and now ability, it is most likely a permanent change for you. For the other two, however, if unfettered fades from them or is combined into another skill or spell, then normal SYSTEM functionality for chronically misplaced beings will be initiated.”
“What does that mean exactly,” Connor asked.
“It means they’ll the SYSTEM will remove them from this era and return them to their own, generally in the same place they are taken from, though the person I heard that from kind of laughed it off as something he’d heard of, but never witnessed. He was sure that they were returned to their original timeline, though.”
“And me?”
“If Unfettered is your Class and you also have the ability, it should be much harder for the SYSTEM to impose its rules on you,” Elder Vinlan explained.
“Why is that important?” Connor asked.
“Two reasons. First, The SYSTEM limits time travel. If you are Integrated within the SYSTEM, you have been marked by the SYSTEM. If the SYSTEM detects that you are from another time, it will try to return you there as quickly as possible. If the Time Traveler is in the past, it can do that quickly enough by placing you in stasis and storing you until you have returned to the moment you left your original timeline. It takes a lot less energy, and the chance of a paradox happening is reduced. Now, if the Time Traveler has traveled to their future, it becomes a little more problematic. Still, I was assured during my course at University that the SYSTEM could return individuals to their past if necessary.”
“Did you say University?” Sam asked.
“Of course, where else would we learn about Advanced Magical Theory,” Elder Vinlan said with a smile, “The world we came from wasn’t as technologically advanced as Earth. That brings me to the second reason, which is that the system takes such harsh measures against time travelers. No one really knows; it’s just the way it’s been as far back as anyone can remember. I should quantify my statement, though. Some spells and skills allow individuals or creatures to make short hops through time. The SYSTEM does not care about such short hops through time, especially if they remain within the same solar system and are limited to no more than two weeks. Individuals who have moved through time more than two weeks, however, see themselves returned to the moment they left their original time.”
Connor cleared his throat to interrupt Elder Vinlan and then asked, “Is that a cumulative effect?”
“How do you mean?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“Let’s say that I can jump 10 days into the future. If I immediately jump another 10 days into the future, will I be returned to the original time, or will I be returned to the point after my first jump?”
“I understand. The tests that were conducted and recorded showed that an individual jumped two weeks into the future and then immediately tried to do so again. They ended up returning one second after their original departure through time. A second test was conducted. The test subject jumped two weeks into the future and then waited two weeks before traveling forward again. The test subjects stated that they were not returned to the original point. Where the world had aged four weeks, they had only aged two,” Elder Vinlan stated
“And traveling into the past?”
“The SYSTEM monitors traveling into the past much more stringently. Most Spells and abilities, even Epic and Legendary Skills, cannot travel farther back in time than 8 minutes without the SYSTEM stepping in and returning them to the future. Certain Abilities, Titles, Perks, and classes can prevent this, as you know, but as I’ve said, those safeguards can be circumvented.”
“So, in short, the SYSTEM does not like Time Travel?” Connor said.
Elder Vinlan nodded, “Do you intend to return to your original era?”
“Of course,” Connor said.
“Do you have any idea how you will return?” Elder Vinlan asked.
“Some, but it really wasn’t on the top of my list of things to do right now; why do you ask?”
“That brings me to your question about how we came to be here. For approximately 120 years, we left our home through a portal to explore. As your world will be, our world was newly integrated into the SYSTEM, but with our low population and magic to rely on, the monsters that appeared were easily dealt with, and we acclimated to the SYSTEM quickly. When a stable portal appeared near our forest city, a group of us went to investigate.”
Elder Vinlan smiled sadly. “We lost a few along the way and discovered that while the portals might appear stable, they sometimes change destinations, or a portal might lead you into an area, and if you step back through it, you’ll end up somewhere else entirely. We still do not understand how they work exactly, but we soon discovered that we were lost with no way to get back to our world.”
“Why did you stay in this place if you can continue to search for your world??” Sam asked.
Elder Vinlan looked at Liza before he answered,” Before we stepped through the portal into this Realm, we had stepped through a portal into an area very similar to this one. It was heavily forested and also contained large open planes and tundra where translucent beasts could be seen from miles away. Once we saw their translucent nature, we realized that we were in one of the middle planes, either the Astral or Ethereal plane and that we were within a Pseudo or Phantom Realm within the Astral Plane. In that place, the environment had copied a nearby physical universe. Before we could even think about staying in the area to set up a camp, one of your numbers was attacked and dragged off by a translucent tiger as large as a cart.”
“Liza’s eyes lit up; it was a large cat, are you sure?” Liza asked.
“One tiger dragged off one of our members; the rest of the pride chased us until we fled through the portal that led here. As you can surmise for yourself, we were not followed through the portal and found ourselves in this small Pocket Realm, which acts as a bridge between Earth and the Astral Plane. Unfortunately, the portal that we came through still exits into that area of the Astral, and we’ve been stuck here for over 100 years.”
“Why not travel to Earth?” Connor asked.
“Until recently, it was primarily a mana-dead world. Besides, we did travel into the world, but we never made it further east than the Rocky Mountains, and of course, your Pacific Ocean is to the west of the entrance,” Elder Vinlan explained.
Liza looked at Sam and then at Connor excitedly, “We could clear the way for them.”
“Do you think your class will allow you to influence the tigers?” Connor asked.
“Possibly, but even if it doesn’t, Elder Vinlan, You stated that most creatures throughout the Multiverse are Common, Uncommon, and Rare, yes?” Liza asked.
“When we encountered them, most of the tigers we saw were uncommon while a few had attained the rank of rare.”
“See, if the cats don’t listen, me,” Liza said as she looked directly at Connor, “you can handle a couple of cart-sized kitty cats, can’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“They’re large cats, I can add large cats to my Clowder,” Liza said.
“True, but you could also get stuck in the Astral Plane,” Connor said.
“I know you’re the leader,” Sam hedged, “But I’m kind of with Liza on this one, boss. I don’t see how we could cause a Paradox if we try to get her some more cats in a place that’s not Earth. Even if we wander around for 22 years, that would be good for us; we could earn some experience and levels.”
“We may not be able to get back to Earth if we step through the other portal…Shoot, we may not be able to get back to Earth from here if that portal changes its destination.”
Elder Vinlan interrupted Connor’s statement, “Actually, that’s one of the things I still needed to mention. A Pocket Realm that is attached to an Anchor Point on the Prime Material Plane, or Universe, is one of the most stable portal types that exist. As long as we’ve been here, the portal to Earth hasn’t fluctuated. While the portal to the Astral realm could fluctuate its destinations, it hasn’t in the last 100 years. We check on it almost daily to make sure nothing from the Astral Plane has wandered into this Pocket Realm.”
“I do have to ask: if we clear the way for you, will we earn anything from you?”
“Are you asking to be paid?” Elder Vinlan asked as he looked thoughtful and then made a pushing motion toward Connor. “
A New Quest has been offered.
Clear the Path!
Elder Vinlan of the Lightfoot Clan has asked that you Clear the Path for his clan into an adjacent Realm for him and his clan.
Reward: 10,000 XP.
Accept, Yes or No?
Liza looked at Connor questioningly while Sam just waited for him to make a call.
“Fine, let's accept the quest. As you said, there’s a lot less chance we’ll bring down the SYSTEM for messing up our own past if we’re nowhere near our bodies in this time,” Connor said.
Liza gave Connor a warm smile as the three of them accepted the quest.
Elder Vinlan smiled. “If you succeed, I would love to hear the story about how you attained a Master Rank Class during a SYSTEM Integration.”
“When we succeed, I, too, would like to learn a little bit more about the SYSTEM, Clans, and Sects.
Elder Vinlan smiled, “Then let me wish the three of you a successful completion of the quest you just accepted.”
Connor, Liza, and Sam stood, “Let’s go,” Connor said as he unerringly led the way toward the location that had appeared on his internal map when he accepted the quest.