There was a bright pulse of light and a tone like a bell, followed by the bizarre sensation of being dragged through time and space. Stars went whizzing past his head as Nick soared through the cosmos, riding the magical conduits and portal network that the System had woven to bind the multiverse together. He doubted that he would ever get used to the experience, although it no longer felt completely foreign to his existence.
Today’s interstellar voyage was far briefer than his journey to the Searing Isle; a flash of disorientation, accompanied by a feeling like every molecule in his body was being pulled apart piece-by-piece. As the fragments of himself slid back together, a surreal process that took a few seconds to complete, Nick found himself filled with a fierce and rising excitement. After getting a few days off to recover, it was time to save the world or die trying.
His vision was the last sense to come online, and he couldn’t wait to see what came next, caught up in the timeless joy of imminent discovery. I’m standing on the surface of an alien world. This is so fucking cool! Terrifying in any number of ways, but cool.
As it happened, Nick was wrong about one key detail. It turned out that he wasn’t standing on the surface of a planet after all, at least not yet. When his eyes were able to perceive light once more, he found himself floating in outer space, something that he had slowly been growing accustomed to since the System had entered his life.
Unlike his other orbital experiences, this time, he was back in his own body, rather than exploring the great beyond as a discorporate entity. This realization led him to a series of related questions. Wait. How am I breathing and regulating my body temperature? Then, a few seconds later. Where am I, and where is planet Drezen?
He discovered the answer when he turned around, trading his view of the infinite starscape for that of an alien world, its radiant curvature contrasted against the abyssal blackness of space. Nick’s jaw dropped in wonder as he took in the sight of the planet far below, so different from any of the others he had seen.
Instead of being covered with oceans or deserts, this world’s exterior was tinted with a thousand shades of green. A vivid, verdant collage that suggested a surface dominated by dense forests and lush jungles.
As his eyes traced the endless emerald contours, Nick realized that he was no longer carrying the blanket and the items wrapped inside, which wasn’t really a surprise but had still been worth a shot. He momentarily mourned the loss of his infinite supply of coffee, before returning his attention to the task at hand.
The Woodsman wouldn’t have been such a bad pick after all. The errant thought crossed his mind as he began analyzing every aspect of the planet he could perceive, intent on learning everything that he could from this vantage before he found himself standing on the surface far below.
It’s not all green after all, he observed as he caught sight of gleaming bands of silver threading their way across the overgrowth like a vast spiderweb. He realized that the luminescent lines were immense rivers when he paid closer attention to their reflective gleam, catching sight of coin-shaped patches here and there that were either vast lakes or modest oceans.
Nick opened his pack, took out his journal, and pulled out a nub of charcoal from one of his belt pouches. He took a moment to decide where to begin, then started sketching the planet turning below his boots. He didn’t know where they would wind up when he landed, and having a map to carry with him would be a major asset. Figuring out the relationships between major landmarks like the lakes and rivers would be impossible from the ground, given the prolific growth.
He had never been much of an artist, but it turned out better than he expected. His hands were steady thanks to his high dexterity, and his grasp of shape and perspective had been boosted by his improved mind and creativity. He finished his sketch within a matter of minutes, then nodded, satisfied with his work, waiting until he could see the far side of the planet before putting everything away.
It was around this time that Nick noticed the display, one of the physical interfaces that the System favored, seemingly supported by nothing at all. When he reached out to touch the screen, his fingers encountered a transparent barrier, extending past the edges of the display. The presence of the invisible force-field solved the mystery of what was preventing the air he was breathing from dispersing into the void.
Now that he knew it was there, he could sense an egg-shaped container formed from something that he could almost, but not quite perceive. Due to his recent experience, when the System had attuned his energetic core, Nick strongly suspected that the energy in question was force mana. A layer of magic serving as both containment and protection. Maybe I’ll be able to make something like that one day. It would come in handy in a wide variety of situations.
When he turned his attention to the screen once more, a block of text awaited his gaze. He read the same quest description for the fate of Earth that he had seen back in the safe room, along with a new line at the end.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Contestants will be moved to a random location along the periphery of Blackmist Bog in 5 minutes. Prepare yourselves for atmospheric entry.
After giving the quest message another full onceover, he set his eyes upon the planet turning beneath his boots, imagining what it would be like to be standing amongst the dense overgrowth. Visibility is going to be a problem. I might have to use the sun and stars to help chart a course. Deciding that he had learned everything that he could from this elevation, he started revising his plans and strategies to incorporate this new information.
While he was excited and a little bit scared, it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as his prior ordeal. This time, Nick wouldn’t be starting from zero. The knowledge that he had gained while learning how to survive in the forests of the Searing Isle would serve him well in the days ahead.
He was about to pull out his spyglass to take a closer look when he saw a woman waving at him, the unexpected sight driving all other thoughts from his head. She was floating several hundred feet out, suspended in her own magic bubble, her profile outlined against the emerald expanse below. She was too far away for Nick to read her expression, even looking through his spyglass, but he could tell that she was offering him encouragement, transmitting positive energy across the void of space.
Her gesture filled him with a warm glow, bringing tears to his eyes. It was a welcome and timely reminder that he wasn’t fighting alone. That there were others from the world of his birth struggling alongside him. Brave souls who were risking it all for the survival of their species.
Nick grinned and waved back with both arms; his morale boosted by this unexpected encounter with a friendly face. After going through his tutorial solo, he was immensely relieved that he wouldn’t be alone for much longer. That there were others fighting alongside him.
He should start running into potential allies before long, once everyone was on the ground and began heading toward the tower in the center of the bog. His curiosity aroused, he made another slow revolution inside his pod, trying to see if he could spot anyone else nearby.
Now that he knew what to look for, he was able to make out the forms of dozens of people who had volunteered for this quest. He knew that there must be many more, hundreds if not thousands, who were too far away to see just yet.
Some of the people floating nearby were standing still, their thoughts turned inward, but many more were waving and gesturing, cheering for one another as they waited for their ordeal to begin. Nick took in the sight, tears flowing down his cheeks, as the defenders of Earth reached out to one another across the abyss, sharing their courage, their resolve, and their hope for the future.
It was the most moving experience of Nick’s life. A sight that would fortify his morale during the dark days ahead. It made him think about his friends and family. About everyone he had known back in his old life. The trials they had overcome and the changes they had undergone along the way.
He wondered where they were right now, and what the future would hold. If he would ever see any of them again. Hang in there, Nick. You have to keep hope alive.
Surrounded by the defenders of Earth, Nick prayed that Sophia and Kenji were floating somewhere nearby, along with the other brave souls he had fought beside in the arena. He hadn’t known them for long, but somehow Nick felt certain that they were close. That they had volunteered for this challenge because they would never give up. Never stop fighting until their hearts ceased to beat.
He took a deep breath and then let it out, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes. Until now, Nick had been fighting alone, or with a small group of people at his side. But now, here in this moment, he could truly appreciate the scale of this struggle.
It let him internalize that this wasn’t just his fight. That his entire species was struggling alongside him. That despite their differences, they were all in this together.
It made him feel honored to be a member of the human race, something that he had never really considered until this moment. On reflection, he took pride in humanity’s achievements, both in the world that had been, and during this critical juncture that would determine their future.
We are the culmination of billions of years of natural selection. This is only one new challenge amidst the countless trials we’ve overcome. Our ancestors came down from the trees, then conquered the land. We overcame natural disasters and fearsome predators as we spread across the globe, until we rose to the top of the food chain.
With teamwork and insight, we mastered the myriad forces of nature, each generation building upon the achievements of the last. We developed language and science, with our eyes on the horizon, never giving up simply because something seemed impossible.
We watched birds fly through the air, then built machines that would let us soar alongside them. We turned our gaze to the stars and took our first steps to join the limitless heavens. It’s not just my generation that is rising to this challenge, but everyone who has come before, all the way back to the dawn of time. We stand upon the shoulders of giants, supported by every great mind in the history of our people.
And now it’s my turn to fight. Humanity, despite our myriad flaws and short-sightedness, deserves better than the hand we’ve been dealt. We’re not going down like this. Not if I have anything to say about it. As long as my neurons keep firing. While my heart still beats. While there is blood in my veins and breath in my lungs, I will fight for our future.
Gazing upon the champions of Earth, Nick felt his resolve deepen, his resolution stronger than steel. He would play the Mad God’s game, and with the help of the brave women and men floating beside him, he would win it all back. Carve out a place for his planet and his people in this strange new existence, Taltos and the System be damned.
The fight for Earth would only be one chapter in the proud story of humanity, and he vowed in that moment that it would not be the last. That the death of their old world would be the birth of the new. That the next generation would still take their place among the stars.
With his thoughts on the future, he returned his attention to the planet below. He was certain that the road ahead would be long and fraught with peril, but Nick was ready to face the dangers of an alien world head on.