Gerry sat there thinking. There was a strangeness to his memory. He knew what a video game was and what being offside in football meant. But remembering playing a video game or going to a football game? Nothing. He knew everyone had a mother and a father, but couldn’t remember his or anything about his life before waking up in the field.

What would be great, Garry thought, was if there was a menu where could check out all of the skills that were available and figure out what was the goal of this game. He knew most games had a way for the player to interact with the interface on a meta-level, and he hoped that this might have something similar.

As he thought of the menu his perception skill kicked in and he saw a faint blue outline glow off to the left in his peripheral vision. As he turned his head, hunting the outline, the blue glow remained just out of sight. Remembering how he interacted with the information icon Gerry focused on the faint glow a moment. As he did, a menu popped up.

It had the following categories:

Character Ownership Journal

These seemed pretty basic to Gerry. His knowledge told him there should at least be a map or a settings list as well.

OK, he thought, sitting in a tree might not be a bad place to check out the menu and see what there is.

Garry opened up the Character Sheet:

Name: Gerry Holiday Sex: Male

Class:

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Level: --- Running:   2 Perception: 1 Wilderness Skills: 1

Evasion:

2 Patience: 2

It seemed to be missing a lot of information that Garry’s knowledge expected to be there. Like football, Garry knew the rules of D&D and expected to find some stats for strength and intelligence. Gerry found having these expectations without knowing why was highly disorienting.

He looked at his character sheet, and saw no surprises. He could remember earning every point on the sheet. He knew there were likely some other skills, but since he did not see them there he guessed that they would only show up once he leveled them. So it would be up to Gerry to find the skills that would suit him and to do that he would have to experiment. If something as simple as waiting could build a skill called patience, what else could he earn skills in?

Gerry was also interested in the level and class indicators. Those were classics. In the role playing games that Gerry knew of the class was one of the most important choices a person could make for their character. It dictated what skills could be learned, and as a character leveled it received a whole number of bonuses to their use of skills, and their abilities. These Gerry was sure would end up being very important. Somehow, somewhere.

Gerry did a quick check of his ownership and found that he currently owned himself and his underwear. Gerry didn’t like the implication of that. If Gerry owned himself right now, did that mean that people could own other people?

Gerry finally selected the Journal and saw that there were already two entries.

Stranger in a Strange Land

You woke up as a stranger in the middle of a field with 15 other new entrants. Find your purpose. Figure out the rules. Make allies, conquer foes, and whatever you do don’t die.

Rewards: By not dying you get to continue living. Some people find this to be torment, but it doesn’t have to be.

The Black Company

Typhon and his mercenary band have come to recruit you to join their number. Joining may be a great way to figure out what you are going to do with yourself or it may lead to naught. Will you Join?

[Update]

You declined the offer by running away before it could be made and hid in a tree while Tomi the Red looked for you (but not high and low, because then he would have seen you in the tree), and is heading back to the band empty handed. Typhon’s band may want you back, but if you spend too long away from them, this desire for new recruits may expire.

Tomi the Red, eh? Not that original, but it seems as though the Journal knows more about what is going on in the world, then I know at a particular moment. I had hoped that that red bearded bastard would stop chasing me, but according to this he is already heading back. That’s good to know.