"Urrrgh...."
Why the hell do I hurt all over? Why do feel pain in my legs....
"WHY DO I FEEL PAIN IN MY LEGS!!!"
I should not feel... well... anything! I can't move or even anything below the waist. Not after that... 'accident', that destroyed my spine.
Fucking hells....
Can I move them?
'Wriggle. Wriggle.'
I can move my toes.
I can twist my ankle.
I can bend my knees.
I can... "URGH!" stand up.
I can walk again.
I... I....
"I CAN FUCKING WALK AGAIN!!!"
This feels great. I'd rather feel the pins and needles in my legs, thighs and feet, than feel nothing. I'd rather suffer this pain than be an invalid once more. And I'm no longer wheelchair-bound or anything. I can go anywhere my feet can take me.
I can move again on my own two feet.
Whoever healed me, whether it's God, Satan or even fucking aliens... thank you. Thank you very much.
....
Wait... where the hell am I?
This is not my bed... or even the dinky little room I live in.
Why was I sleeping in the middle of the desert? What the hell?
Is this some kind sick practical joke?
The only people who could have done this is my mysterious 'benefactor'. I'm thankful to having regained use of my lower body. But this... this is just too ridiculous. Why on Earth am I dropped in the middle of fucking nowhere? If they want, they could have just dropped in my own house... er, house.
It's still night out here. It's quite a bit chilly out here. I'm wearing nothing but boxers and pajamas. See, the moon....
... What the hell?
"WHY IN GOD'S NAME ARE THERE TWO MOONS?"
==================================================
No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. NO!!!
This can't be happening! It can't be fucking happening!
Earth doesn't have two moons!
Earth one has one moon. ONE! And Earth's moon doesn't glows blood red and looks like it's going to drip blood.
Even the other one is too smooth and too bright to be the moon.
Those things only exists in novels and manga where the guys lives or is transported onto an another planet.
Does that mean I'm not on Earth anymore?
If that's true... then where the hell am I?
> Ekrios...
What the hell?
> Ekrios... the forsaken land...
Who are you? And is that the name of this place?
> Ekrios... the forsaken land... the world is dying...
Why don't I like the sound of that?
> Ekrios... the forsaken land... the world is dying... it needs a hero...
Wait... oh for....
Don't tell me I'm the....
> Ekrios... the forsaken land... the world is dying... it needs a hero...
>
> My final act...
Oh no... you're not saying that you....
> My final act... your health...
Thank you for that... I guess?
> My final act... your health... for their salvation...
Wait.... Are you telling me I need to save this planet for healing me? Isn't that a very lopsided deal in your favor?
> My final act... your health... for their salvation...
>
> I grant you power...
What power do I get?
> I grant you power... receive my last gift...
What gift are you talking abouAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
==================================================
"UUUUURGH!!! My fucking head... it hurts... so much!"
(Groaning sounds)
Fucking... asshole... shoving things... inside my head... Ow! Even thinking... hurts!
(More groans from our dear... 'hero'.)
Urgh... I need aspirin.... Or a fucking drink!
Never felt like this... since I was still driving trucks for a living....
Fucking company! Wriggling out of paying damages for my work-acquired disability. They were the cause of my injuries... and they didn't fucking pay for my hospital!
....
Calm down, Marcus dear boy. You don't need to waste your energy for those assholes. You're healed now... oh right....
I'm in an another world now, aren't I? Or dimension. Semantics.
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Ekrios. This world is named Ekrios. A magical fantasy land in the most literal sense. Gods... and monsters... and magic.
Oh wow... this place is awesome!
And the whole planet is huge! It has 30 times the surface area of Earth. That's fucking massive!
I'm on Zhekhatan Desert, found on the southern tip of Aglonria, one of the this planet's 13 major continents. It's situated just above the planet's equator line. So it means that it's very hot in here. But since I'm in the desert, it's way too cold in the evening. It's also shaped like Africa, if Africa is more wider and has 10 times the land area. That is big enough the fit 3 or 4 more of Earth's continents.
And it's also a dangerous place. A VERY dangerous place.
Hordes of monsters now scours the planet of life, consuming every living thing that they encounter. They will feed on just about anything. Plants, animals... even sapient beings. They will stop at nothing until everything is gone.
And these monsters, these... 'Devourers'... they came from an another dimension, too.
The civilized races of this world; Human, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Orcs, Goblins, Beastkin. They're losing ground and people badly to these otherworldly invaders. They never expected hordes of powerful monsters invade their lands and devour everything.
The Humans. The most numerous and most extensive race on Ekrios. From desert kingdoms to arctic fortress, Human the most widespread of all. But most of the Human settlements are gone. Destroyed by relentless tides of Devourers. Those that remain, fortified themselves into massive citadels. With walls at least a hundred meters highs and ten meters thick. They served as bastions of Humanity's resilience in the face of adversity. But those trapped outside... they must hide in what caves and underground shelters they found or build, using magic and what scant knowledge they have of these Devourers to conceal and protect themselves.
The Dwarves dug even deeper into the Earth. Masters of the forge. Their metalwork prized by anyone in this world. Their fortress-kingdoms built inside mountains, offering unparalleled defense against their enemies. But even they feel the pressure from the Devourers. Seeking refuge in the deep reaches of Earth, they survived the onslaught somewhat. They may enjoy relative safety in their massive underground cities. But hordes of Devourers pound continuously at their gates, trying to crack the egg that is the Dwarves' prodigious defenses.
The Elves lost four-fifths of their forest enclaves and two-thirds of their population. A huge blow to Elven society. They may be long-lived, with an average lifespan of a thousand years, but their population growth is very low. And they prefer living on top of the trees, making their homes on the canopies. The ravenous Devourers swept their forests like a tide of locusts, eating every living thing that they encounter. . Only their mastery of magic saved what few enclaves remains with masterful application of illusions and concealment wards.
The Gnomes. The fun-loving and adventurous nomads. Great artisans and tinkerers. They have no kingdoms of their own, preferring to travel far and wide and make their temporary homes wherever they please. And they were devastated. Almost 80% of their population were wiped out by marauding bands of Devourers that roam the planets. Lack of stout defenses condemned their race. Those few that remain has found refuge with the other civilized race.
The Orcs are also heavily affected too. Their shamans crying out in agony while the land they are linked to are slowly being cleansed of life. Their semi-nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering unsuitable to face the hordes of Devourers scouring the planet. Even their famous war bands are shattered by the sheer number of Devourers that they face. They were forced to fortify themselves into whatever underground an high places they could find. A shame to this war-loving race.
The Goblins did the same like the Dwarves, digging down to make their undergrounds redoubts. The most prolific breeder among all the races. Only their lack of self-preservation and love for explosions and unsafe research cutailed their growth rate. Now... this is the only thing that prevents the extinction of their kind.
The Beastkin. A tragedy what happened to them. They were the first ones hit by the Devourers. The portals which brought the Devourers to Ekrios first appeared in their territories. Their lands becoming the staging areas of massive hordes that swept through the planet.Losing more people than the Gnomes, having 90% of their population eaten by the Devourers. Thus, they were forced to abandon their lands. What remains of their kind resides within the fortresses and redoubts of the other species.
Even the local wildlife, magical creatures, and hostile monster populations were not safe from the devastation. Tens of thousands of native wildlife species were rendered extinct. The Undead Kingdoms just barely surviving due to their mastery of the Death Arts. Beast hordes become extinct, their survivors scattered throughout the land. Even the noble dragon, pinnacles of power of magical prowess, were not left unscathed. Some of their hatcheries were raided, losing a large portion of their future population. And the Behemoths, the massive beasts of the Devourer hordes, can easily match adult dragons in combat power.
It's a good thing, a very good thing, that my mysterious... 'benefactor'... granted me powers of my own.
I now have access to the collective knowledge and technology of Earth. And beyond.
Knowledge and tech from Humans in several fictional settings. Mostly from video-games, especially real-time strategy games in modern or futuristic settings.
All technologies developed on Earth. From warfare to welfare, these blows out anything available here out of the water.
Even just basic chemistry like antibiotics and modern explosives can really turn the tide against these invaders.
Yeah, they have magic. But I have technology, both modern and futuristic. And I can also learn magic... well if I have someone to teach me, that is.
Firearms would really change the way they fight. Their way of fighting is unsuited for dealing with fighting against overwhelming numbers. Melee, bows and magic? Fighting outnumbered at least 10 to 1 is just plain stupidity. Especially that even the smallest Devourers can easily match a trained melee fighter in single combat.
Not to mention the sheer variety of them. Devourers that can shoot spikes at supersonic speed. Devourers that can spit acid. Devourer that can breath fire. Devourers that can fly. Massive Devouvers that an take down even the tallest and thickest walls. Devourers that can use magics of many different types and functions. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
But with firearms? They can easily fight much larger numbers if they have defensible position. And it's easier to train someone in firearm marksmanship than in other forms of combat. A few weeks can easily turn a novice into a somewhat dependable shooter. It takes years to train someone to be proficient in melee combat. That means more combatants to bear against the enemy.
Not only that. Explosives and artillery can take down even larger amounts of monsters. The people here may have magics that can cause widespread devastation, but those are very few and they cannot do that all the time. It takes preparation and magical energy after all. And magical energy, or mana, is very hard to regain once used.
Plus, my technologies for agriculture, water purification and sanitation can really help with their packed cities. I even have a fabricator that can make everything, as long as I have enough matter and energy to do so. And the schematics for it.
For now, I only have the plans for all modern technologies and some more advanced ones. Like ration bars. These little things are packed full with the essential calories and nutrient for a normal human's daily need. Vitamins, minerals, protein, calories, even fiber... packed in one simple food bar.
I just hope they're not horrible-tasting....
... I just jinxed myself. Fuck.
Moving on.... With my knowledge, I can help these people fight off those monsters, eliminate them from the face of the plane, and drive them back to their own dimension.
I even got a really great starting gift. A 'Mobile Yard', a truck-like vehicle which can transform into a fortified bunker that can manufacture almost anything. It has all the basic necessities and more. At its truck form, it has a small living space complete with bathroom and shower. A fabricator that can manufacture items or parts that has its longest size a meter long or shorter. This has wheeled, tracked, and amphibious systems. On road, off-road, or crossing bodies of water... this vehicle can do all three. And it even has weapons on it. Two turrets on top, one on the front and one on the back. They only have machine guns for now, but they can be upgraded to better one if I want or need to. Several more turret mounts on the sides of the vehicles. Those are empty for now. And these turrets can fire on anything I track with my eyes or independently by their own active targeting systems. Powered by a fusion reactor rated at 500 kilowatts output. More than enough for my current needs.
And its Bunker mode? Even better! A fabricator that can churn out an Abrahms in a day. Plus more smaller fabricators that can be used for other purposes. Four turrets sit at its four corners. Currently armed with a heavy machine gun and a grenade launcher each. And a cannon that sits on top of it, able to deliver various payloads. From explosive shells to napalm bombs, this thing is a beast. Only thing that can tank this thing are the Behemoth varieties that the Devourers have.
But there's a catch. I have research the technologies that I have access to. Only things unlocked for me now is World War 1 Military Tech, some Modern Civilian Tech like water purifiers and power generators, and a few futuristic ones like the ration bars I mentioned earlier. And for that, I need to collect Power Points.
Power Points. An ubiquitous name. It represents a special kind of energy, that I have collected into my own body. With this, I can do lots of things. From researching new technologies, upgrading my sweet new ride, and even improving myself. I can unlock and upgrade my Mobile Yard's capabilities in both Vehicle and Bunker mode. Better turret weapons, more fabricators, tougher construction, autonomous combat drones... the possibilities are near limitless. I can improve my body's capabilities; making myself stronger, faster, tougher and smarter. I can even get cybernetic implants for my body.
And the technologies are endless. More ways to produce power, more advanced weapons, better technologies.
Power Armor.
Giant Mechs.
Spaceships.
Oh fuck... I'm drooling with the possibilities.
I need to go lie and get some rest....
Yes... need to sleep in it... let it sink in my head... so tired....
"ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...."