“Ahh, what the fuck!” Brandon shouted, looking up from his phone. “Who said th—” He trailed off as he noticed that the asphalt street in front of him had been replaced with what looked like a forest. He spun around frantically. “Where the fuck am I?” he shouted.
As he turned, all he could see was an endless array of trees. Grass as tall as he was surrounded him, and in the distance, he could hear what seemed to be some kind of bird, though he couldn’t quite place what it was. Butterflies flitted about, blissfully unaware of what had just happened to him.
“Hello!” he cupped his hands to his mouth, trying to add volume. All he heard in return were indistinct animal sounds echoing somewhere in the forest.
What if they’re predators and come toward the sound? he thought with rising panic. I should probably move, he told himself, scanning the area for his cane.
“Where the fuck is my cane?” he shouted, frustration mingling with panic. As he looked around the area, he realized, Wait, I’m walking? And my back is fine? A look of confusion spread across his face.
He decided to test it. Momentarily forgetting about the possibility of wild animals lurking in the forest, he looked around and picked a small tree at the far end of the clearing. Its leaves were falling. Maybe it’s autumn here? he thought. Here? Where is here? Am I still even on Earth? His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he had earlier with Gary: “Almost like he just teleported to a new world.” He shook his head.
No, this is some kind of hallucination or dream or something. Maybe I fell, and this is some kind of pain protection from my brain? he reasoned. Then, recalling what he was about to do, he took off in a full sprint toward the tree.
“YEAHHH!” he yelled as he reached it. “I haven’t felt that good in years—not a single pain in my back!”
Looking around now that he was closer to the tree line, he noticed the animal sounds were definitely closer. “Well then, I’m going to go that way,” he said to himself, taking off in the opposite direction.
As Brandon reached the other end of the clearing, a voice echoed in his mind:
“Leaving the tutorial clearing is not an option until the tutorial is complete. Wizard has been designated as the most suitable class for you. You must now choose your specialization.”
Brandon froze, momentarily forgetting about the voice. Tutorial clearing? Wizard? Class? Am I in some kind of game? He glanced around, and now that he focused, he could see a shimmering substance in the air forming a wall around the clearing. Curious, he reached out to touch it.
As his fingers made contact, the voice reverberated again:
“Leaving the tutorial clearing is not an option until the tutorial is complete. Wizard has been designated as the most suitable class for you. You must now choose your specialization.”
Does that mean nothing can get in? he wondered, turning to walk back toward the center of the clearing. Almost as if it had been summoned, a creature emerged from the treeline.
It resembled a boar, but Brandon quickly realized this was no ordinary animal. While it had the familiar brown fur and stocky build, it stood taller than any boar he had ever seen. Large horns jutted from its snout and curving out from what he assumed were its knees. It was unsettlingly eyeless, and he couldn’t tell if it had lost its eyes in a fight or if it was simply born that way.
It hasn’t seen me or smelled me yet, he thought, a flicker of relief washing over him. But as the creature turned, horror gripped him. A massive chunk was missing from its left side, leaving only a ghastly black spot in its place.
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“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” Brandon muttered as panic set in. He watched the boar sniffing the air, seemingly searching for food. Specialization? Fine. What the hell do I do, and how do I choose it? He cautiously mimicked the creature's movements.
He couldn’t shake the image of the boar turning to reveal the gaping wound in its side, making him feel like he might vomit. Holding a hand to his mouth to keep from bringing up the small bits of toast from breakfast, he muttered angrily, “I thought tutorials were supposed to teach and help, not fucking kill! How the hell do I pick this specialization? And more importantly, how am I supposed to live with this? It’s missing part of its body and it’s walking around fine!”
He looked around and spotted a decently large tree he could hide behind for the time being. It was thick at the base and got slimmer as it rose. One thing he hadn’t considered, though, was how few branches the trees had—each one sported maybe one or two at most. Focus, idiot. Not the time to admire a fucking tree, he cursed himself as he made his way quietly to the trunk.
Brandon sat at the base of the tree and looked up towards the sky. “You know, tutorials are supposed to fucking teach shit. They’re not supposed to fucking kill people,” he muttered, a mix of anger and frustration in his voice. The uncaring voice responded, “Brandon Larente, Level 1 Wizard. Specialization not chosen. You must select your path to continue. Three options are available.
A screen suddenly appeared in front of Brandon, making him jump. “This is fucking insane,” he muttered under his breath. The voice echoed again, reading the options displayed before him:
“Option One: Summoner. Option Two: Evoker. Option Three: Conjurer.”
“Summoner? Conjurer? I’ve definitely lost my mind and am having some kind of hallucination. There’s no such thing as magic,” he muttered to himself, peering cautiously around the tree to check on the boar. It was slowly moving closer, and Brandon estimated he had about twenty minutes before it got too near to be safe, given how often it stopped to sniff the air.
"Ahh, focus, Brandon," he scolded himself. "Figure this out, or you're dead, idiot." He concentrated on the options, and as he did, each one expanded in front of him, revealing a brief description of what each specialization entailed:
Option One: Summoner. This specialization allows you to call forth creatures, spirits, or magical entities to assist you. As a Summoner, you can summon allies for combat support or other specific roles based on their unique traits.
Option Two: Evoker. This specialization focuses on harnessing raw, destructive magic to unleash powerful spells that can devastate your foes. You will draw upon primal forces like fire, lightning, and ice to create explosive effects.
Option Three: Conjurer. Unlike the Summoner, who calls forth creatures from elsewhere, you will create and manipulate magical constructs directly from your own energy. Conjurers can craft protective shields, illusions, or temporary weapons and tools.
Brandon felt a mix of intrigue and disbelief as the descriptions lingered in his mind.
He thought about it for a couple of minutes, trying to balance his urgency with his curiosity. “The Evoker seems like the best for outright damage,” he mused. “But that’s probably not me.” He weighed his options. “Should I pick what I think I’d be good at or what’ll keep me alive here?”
“Surely if this is a tutorial, all of these should be able to kill that thing.” He glanced at the boar, which hadn’t made much progress since his last check. “I’ve never been one for animals, so maybe the Summoner isn’t the best fit, though it does sound interesting.”
He pondered the Conjurer. “Magical constructs? Does that mean a magical gun?” The idea intrigued him. “I could use a gun. But what if it only lets me make shields and stuff and has no offense?” His mind raced as he considered the implications of each choice, all while keeping an eye on the approaching creature.
Ahh, fuck, make a decision, idiot! Stop wasting time!” he cursed, finally choosing Conjurer.
The voice chimed in his mind, “Specialization chosen: Conjurer. Congratulations, Brandon, you have taken your first steps.”
He heard the words and felt a strange energy rise inside him, glowing with a soft blue color. "Oh shit, stop, stop, stop," he muttered, frantically checking to see if the boar had noticed. As he turned, he saw the shimmering barrier glow around him before it quickly dissipated. The once distant animal sounds now felt unnervingly close.
“Ah shit,” he thought, glancing at the boar. Peering around the corner, his hand landed on a twig, snapping it loud enough to echo in the quiet. “Please don’t have heard that,” he thought anxiously, but he knew this day wasn’t going his way. Turning back, he saw the boar looking in his direction, still seeming unaware but definitely coming closer.