Garion passed through the portal and ended in a massive area with thousands of other . . . . people?
Yeah, that should do. There were punk robots, businessmen, housewives, topless guys flexing more muscles then a gym full of body builders should have, some other guys trying to politely leave their company, cyborgs, tentacled creatures, living flame, and a zombie wearing a bikini among many more. Elementals, Celestials, Angels, Demons, Devils, and all other kinds of thing were commonplace in the crowd. Wait, was that a Beholder with multiple piercings and tats?
Oddly, despite all the craziness, it still somehow felt more normal and safer than downtown after dark in some areas.
Some people there knew each other and were clearly hostile, denoting bad blood between them, possibly literally.
Others did not seem to want to be there.
Oddly, some stoners were the most relaxed and calm people in the crowd.
As he was passing by, Garion overheard someone ask one of them why they weren’t freaking out about all the strange alien beings around them.
The stoner took his joint out from his mouth, looked at it, and said “I thought this was just some good weed. I see stuff like this all the time.”
“Wait, you don’t know where you are?”
“Normally I don’t. Why?”
Garion left hearing range at that.
There was a large line forming as the people entered a tent that seemed to accept hundreds of people at a time, despite looking small enough to hold only 20. Still, there would have to be a few different groups.
Garion waited in line and had the unique experience of hearing a steampunk chimpanzee debating the artistic merits of using explosives as musical instrument with a wooden elephant. While nearby a psychic being was trying to get as far away from a bimbo as possible, claiming per presence actually caused him to become dumber. Luckily he was upwind of what seemed to be sentient and animate turd.
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Hmm, from what he could overhear, that is what happens when an immortal gets eaten whole by a dragon. . . . And that implied this kind of thing has happened before.
Eventually Garion and a few hundred others entered. There were tables with some forms on them.
The spokes person for the place, a plan looking businessman, told them “These forms are automated. You just need to go to the desks, and they should fill themselves out for you in most cases.”
Garion went to his desk and watched the form fill out for him
Names:
Actual Name: REDACTED
AKA: Garion
Dorm Number: 1937
Current Domains: N/A
Current Powers: N/A
Evaluation results (Examiner use only)
Active Domains on arrival:
Potential Domains Earned:
Potential Domains bestowed:
Potential Domains Inherited:
Potential Domain via Ability/Skill:
Potential Domain via Inclination:
Notes:
Current Powers on arrival:
Dormant Powers:
Former/ Sealed/ Countered Powers:
Potential Powers (Innate):
Power potential via Skill:
Power Inclination via personality:
Notes:
After a bit the spokes man asked “Any questions so far?”
Garion and a few others raised their hand. One was picked, and the Treant asked “What is all this about an Evaluation? Why aren’t our current powers listed?”
“Good questions, and they are related. Here you will be learning how to handle Domain and Powers. You will all start on an even playing field. Those without Powers will be granted one. Those with powers will have to pick one of theirs, and even then it may be limited.
“Those with Domains will have to focus on one, possibly a small facet of one. Those without Domains will have to work to earn one, but have more flexibility in being able to chose what Domain they go for. The evaluation is to see what we have available to work with, and to set things up for you to have a chance to succeed. There is little point in someone who has Domain over bees getting the power to breath underwater. Boosting plant growth is a different matter.”
He was picked next and asked “Why don’t you want more information? Surely there is more that you need to know, isn’t there? Things like age, species, experience, training?”
“Actually no. This is all that is actually needed. The reason we need Domain is to avoid political problems by bestowing a Domain on someone who already has one. We don’t care about much.”
Once there were no more questions, the guy smiled. This lot seemed calmer than others.
“For this we will have people enter the next part of the tent and go to a curtained booth there for assessment and Power assignment.”
Someone called out “You can’t take my powers! I have rivaled ancients Gods in my time!”
The spokes being smiled. “And yet you are being so bound. Please try to summon more power. We find your futile attempts to be amusing.”
Everyone left to the next area, which Garion, like most others, had assumed to be the exit.