It was a typical Friday night for Mara, bundled up in an office chair and hidden away in a dark den. The only marginal light stemmed from a half dozen monitors and an assortment of LEDs. The ambiance underscored by the cacophonic hum of a few dozen computer fans and her incessant typing. Plastic clattered away as keys were struck in rapid succession to transition a monolith of code from conceptual thought to digital implementation. It was dark, quiet, and productive. What more could a gothic workaholic game-dev ask for?
Her nights had been passing her by like this, one after another for almost a year now. A marathon of programming that had become her life, and a choice she'd been all too happy to strive towards since highschool. Now though? The marathon had become a monotony. Eat, sleep, create. She'd barely found time in the last two years for a good book, let alone much of a social life.
Pausing mid-bite, sushi roll still between the chopsticks, Mara struggled to grasp the feeling she was having. Is it boredom? Apathy? A lack of fulfillment? Chewing as she tossed the now empty chopsticks back to her plate, Mara stretched her back against the chair, her ashen mop of hair sprawling all over it. She'd been grappling with whatever-it-was for nearly two weeks, or thereabouts. The feeling was relentless. Regardless, tonight was turning out to be like any other. Or is it the morning already? Mara had no idea, but she could certainly do with some hot leaf water.
Thirsty, and motivated enough to stumble up from her chair, Mara shuffled out of her office. She looked like a shambling corpse untangling itself from a cybernetic parasite in a desperate search for tea. Tea that was in her kitchen, which was through her office door and down the hall. However she'd never make it to her kitchen, her door was no longer her door. The former threshold had been consumed by a flickering static gate, a shifting construct of black and white pixels like the visual mess of an analog television out of tune.
Surprised by the unexpected discrepancy, Mara stumbled back to grab hold of her chair in support. "Uhh..." Should she be scared? Excited? She had no idea, but bewildered was a start at least. Is that a door? Or is it a gate? Or is a gate a door if it appears in a door frame?
A deep boom interrupted her concerns, its chest-rumbling vibration thrummed through the archway as if to signal "Last Call!" Her walls shook and her monitors flickered, whatever manifestation responsible was clearly growing impatient. Or it takes a colossal amount of energy and I'm squandering precious seconds debating threshold semantics.
Mara really had no idea, but the intent was clear. Okay, fine. Prioritize. Am I stupid for taking the mystery portal, or stupid for not? Another boom rocked her world, almost urging her to make a choice. Stay and drift further into a complacent death, or venture forth into an impossibility in search of 'something more'. The choice was obvious really, this was no time to play it safe.
Grabbing her phone, another thrum echoed into her office as she punched a quick message into her group chat and snapped an attachment. Only a few moments later, her phone hit the floor of an empty and entirely normal room as her group chat received a very impossible picture and its caption.
> <<
>
> [ pic.jpg ]
>
> "yolo?"
>
> >>
∆ ∆ ∆
Deep in the wild woods surrounded by trees unseen by human eyes, a wind-swept clearing broke from the endless canopy. A small grassy knoll no larger than an acre, capped only by a little stone construct. A dark-grey plinth of three or four meters and cylindrical in construction. Its surface displayed beautiful concentric engravings with interwoven symbols and gibberish. These were Runes, for they could be nothing else. Powerful conduits of magic formed by precise artisans with purpose and practice.
This particular set had been dormant for centuries, abandoned by the hands that birthed them long ago. They did not mind, they were Runes after all, but a little excitement wouldn't be unwelcome. Thankfully, today was shaping up to be a little more than exciting. Like condensation on a hot day, the runes could feel the Mana clinging to them, fighting for ingress at every point. A deep red glow began to fill the ruts, the power building as it coalesced within the rocky mass.
Then it flared, an overpowering red light coating its surroundings in a surreal visual filter before ten-thousand people yelled "SCHWOOP!" and clapped once. An unparalleled experience if anyone was around to hear it. Approximately two seconds later, and four meters higher than she should be, Mara popped into existence as if her room had vanished from around her.
"Whoah-fu-" her immediate reaction cut short by the effects of gravity as it compressed flesh into stone. Air left her lungs like a popped balloon while bruises competed for real estate across her boney frame. Her nose felt puffy as blood had already begun to pool across various bits of the runic engravings, smothering out what glow remained within. Groaning out an "Ooowww..." she rolled onto her back and plugged her nose. It was sore, she was sore, but nothing seemed broken. Not the best welcome, but pretty decent for face-planting concrete, she thought.
Above her was a crystal blue sky and a wobbly sun. Or blobby? It's like it's shifting around... Squinting for answers, she found none but the image burned into her retinas. The sun was weird, that much she was certain of, but it was warm and bright. That checked the minimum requirements of 'sun' in her book. Anything else was not her problem.
Rolling over and up, Mara skimmed her surroundings. The clouds were normal enough, the trees were green, and the air was fresh. The skies were littered with avians of varying sizes, some betraying their goliath scale by their slow crawl against the distant sky. Beneath them the forest stretched as far as she could see. She was in a valley with steep sides on her left and right, and a gentle slope and curve behind her. In front was a distant slope obscured by pines, likely her valley led to more valleys. Shocker.
"So a wibbly-wobbly sun, endless trees, and no signs of life -at- all. No cult members to enslave my soul, no corrupt king requesting my aid, and not even a great evil in need of slaying? A startling lack of urgency in any form, I'm not sure if I should be terrified or relieved. I guess the onus is on me then," Mara could hardly ask the stone beneath her feet for answers after all, it was truly gibberish. Pretty and nuanced but still gibberish. She knew she'd need a proper education to even approach something like this. It reeked of magic, and the top-shelf stuff too.
A smile unknowingly crept across her face as she inspected the luke-warm engravings– she was excited! It was a melting pot of stuff she only had passing familiarity with, Norse, Celtic, Latin, among others, and stuffed full of arbitrary geometry. Familiar in pieces, entirely alien in an ensemble. Sure it was impossible for her to understand now, but it was far more than the sum of its parts. It meant magic, harnessable, tangible arcana. She felt a hunger at the sight of it, a need to understand and employ. She hadn't been this excited since she started programming.
Practically bouncing around the platform she arrived upon, Mara questioned every facet of it for answers. Yet the mystery plinth refused to yield under her scrutiny. It was simply a huge chunk of dark-grey rock with some really old engravings. Nothing more. Fine, it's not going anywhere. It could be my way home after all, doors go both ways. Or was it a gate? At least it's secluded around here, there's safety in isolation.
Plopping down at the edge as she considered the larger implications of interdimensional thresholds, Mara took a self-census. She was beat to hell, that was obvious, but it was clear the drop could have been far more serious. Nothing was broken after all, but she had a -bunch- of bruises. Then she pictured it, her unwitting pun infectious, she was one of many over-ripe bananas dangling in a bunch. Mara struggled to keep a straight face at her own mental imagery, but it was a lost cause, "Pfft- hahaha..." Unable to contain her laughter, she felt it was infectious and cathartic. Either she was still in shock, or she had a mild concussion. Could be both. Regardless, the laughing lightened her mood as she looked over what came along for the ride, "Clothes and empty pockets huh?"
Oh, I'm wearing my flip-flops, that's unexpected. Should I be glad I didn't show up barefoot? But my lighter and phone are gone... So someone or something fleeced me before sending me through... She paused to consider her unknown 'benefactor' for a moment before speaking to nothing in particular, "Thanks, I guess." She knew she wouldn't get a response, but there was a high possibility she wasn't quite as alone as she thought. She had her clothes though, her passing attempt at pajamas, working from home has its benefits after all. She was still wearing her favorite skeleton hoodie along with some barely-visible floral lounge shorts under the oversized garment. Both were mostly black, the only outliers were the x-ray print on the hoodie and the intricate violet bouquet on the shorts. Overall, it was far more comfortable than appropriate. Not exactly adventure-ready, but- "It'll do for now."
Slipping off the edge of the plinth, down the remaining meter, her feet hit the soft grass with a "Ding!"
Wait, 'ding'? As she processed the abnormal reaction, a small voice made of words appeared in her mind.
> < You have entered the Lost Wilds Dungeon! >
The voice was crisp but foreign, like perfectly recalling how an actor delivered a memorable line. She knew it was in her mind, but it was uncanny. Her eyes went wide when the gears clicked into place, Hangon- There's a system here!?
∆ ∆ ∆
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The ashen-haired girl was making her way down the clearing while muttering arbitrary words to herself, "-appraisal. - Observe. - Evaluate." The woods around her seemed indifferent to her approach, her experimental monologuing yielding little results as she crossed under the canopy. Pausing as she passed the first pair of trees, "Huh, I almost expected another notification. Strange then that first one prompted only after I hopped off the platform."
I really hope I'm not just going crazy, but I did just arrive in an alien land... No, no. That was a notification through and through, I just need to figure out how to interface. I'm pretty much out of appraisal-esk skill names, uhh- "Debug- No. No way. Pffffft, what!? DEBUG?" Mara had come to a complete standstill, a menu had appeared before her with a little loading wheel spinning in the middle.
"You've got to be kidding me, this place feels far too real to be a game." Of course, ruling out the obvious time-traveling kidnappers with hyper-realistic full-dive tech. She watched with excruciating patience as the display continued to whirl with no visible signs of progress. Minutes passed until she tore her eyes from it, distracting her impatience with her surroundings. Above her the canopies were aglow with vibrant greens and lush complementary hues. Underbrush lined the trunks, their roots obscured and narrow gaps occluded. an unending bramble lending safe hovels to small critters scampering to and fro. It was natural beauty, truly, and she was impressed. "I'm not sure I'd even mind at this point." After all, if it waddles and quacks, it might just be a duck...
The floating window was clearly unhurried by Mara's impatience, so setting off again she watched as the frosty grey pane dissolved away. It was easy enough to bring up again, but it faded as soon as she started moving away again. Figuring she could make better use of her time than watching a magic panel whir, Mara got her bearings and headed downhill. Towards food and fresh water, hopefully a nice stream with at least a few nice fruit-bearing plants. That was the hope at least, she'd barely watched survival shows and most animes had a tendency to gloss over stuff like that. Usually the protagonist was on the run, or headed to an obvious goal. Finding and forging her own path in a world of magic and mystery? What an opportunity. She'd never have dreamed of such a chance for adventure, the possibilities with magic alone were tantalizing.
So she trekked on, occasionally pausing to rest and check the panel for any changes. A few hours went by without much change to her established pattern. Dropping down to a relatively comfy looking boulder-and-tree chair, Mara felt her stomach bemoan her lack of snacks. The sun had moved all of 5 degrees, but was significantly dimmer since she set out. She'd been walking for hours after all and yet she still wasn't out of the valley. Water, let alone food, would likely be another day's walk at minimum. Prompting the display once more, she figured she could experiment a little. She'd yet to see anything larger than a rabbit and everything seemed to be herbivores, suspiciously safe. Putting aside her paranoia, Mara figured she could catch some shuteye in the daylight while her little friend crunched his numbers.
It didn't take Mara long to find a good nook and then she was out like a light. Years of sleep deprivation had ingrained her with the innate ability to 'drop like a rock' at a moment's notice. As her head lulled to the side, her dreams were awash with foreign imagery. A running spigot and a drain, spinning on a wobbly bike wheel. A locked briefcase with handcuffs attached. A snarling gullet of spinning teeth-
Mara bolted awake, her grey box fizzling away. The sky was dark, the woods were black, and the growling was deep. There was something -no, somethings- lurking in the darkness, just out of sight. She'd overslept and she was out of time. One of the night prowlers crept to her right, circling behind her as the other two fanned out in front. Options Mara, options. Spinning around she checked her surroundings, she had less than little to work with. Up it is then. Pulling her legs up onto her rocky seat, Mara boosted her jump and latched onto a hefty lower branch. Yes- Mid celebration, halfway through her first of many pull-ups, she felt it. The impact to her core, flesh ripped from her like a thousand pinches stabbing into her depths. The sky whipped by as she was thrown to the floor like wet laundry. The shadows moved upon her near instantly, the only real saving grace to the unspoken butchery she quickly succumbed to. It took the beasts less than a handful of minutes to leave naught but gnawed bone as they skulked back into the underbrush, complacent and satisfied.
∆ ∆ ∆
The sun was shining gently upon a small clearing in the middle of an expansive forest when a small ashen haired girl appeared approximately four meters above her intended materialization point. Anomaly logged. Cause unknown. "Fuuuuuc-" was all that could be heard before Mara once again impacted the runic bulls-eye she would soon come to despise. Wheezing until the ringing dissipated, Mara peeled her face from the plinth to find several grey panels waiting for her attention.
> < User Interface: H.L.H. Installed. >
> < You have been Startled by Fear. >
> < You have died. >
> < System Cycle Complete: yolo? >
Mara stared at the four prompts, speechless. Words alone could not convey the emotions running through her mind. She could recall her last moments, they just happened- the noise... She shuddered for a moment, suppressing the feeling. She was here, now, and that was then. She had died in those woods, naive and underprepared. How was she here now? Eyes narrowing, she re-read the last box, yolo... "Oh. Aren't you a sarcastic git- Is that a skill?" Struggling to her feet, she summoned up the original box that started it all, "Debug."
> <<
>
> Name: Mara Odinavi (Mara)
>
> Race: (Half-Elf)
>
> ● Elevae (Elf) [50%]
>
> ● Daemon (Demon) [50%]
>
> Class: Null
>
> Titles: Null
>
> Stats:
>
> ● S.6
>
> ● D.16
>
> ● A.8
>
> ● C.10
>
> ● M.18
>
> ● F.13
>
> Passives: Null
>
> Reactives: Null
>
> Actives: Null
>
> Lore:
>
> ● Abyss Shifter
>
> ● Daemon Root
>
> Divine:
>
> ● [ yolo? ]
>
> >>
Mara nearly choked as an unstoppable laughter erupted from her miniscule frame. "Hahahahahaha, oooh what even is this, I'm a half-elf!? Loooool" slipping off the edge of the plinth, she saw the notification pop up as her feet touched the ground.
> < You have entered the Lost Wilds Dungeon! >
Somehow coming out smiling after her clear-death, Mara squinted up at the sun. It was about the same time of day as her initial arrival. No - exactly the same time, that can't be a coincidence. So is it time travel or a respawn timer? I guess only -time- will tell! Giggling at her own pun, the sun seemed to wiggle in response, but it was likely just the usual wobble. So she set her eyes on the more horizontal options. Uphill seemed the best bet, she could use as much distance between her and last night as she could get.
So six stats, S D A, C M F. Reopening the menu multiple times to read as she walked, Mara practiced quickly iterating the command while moving. She pondered their possible expansions while crossing under the canopy. The trees seemed visibly indistinguishable from their opposite counterparts. So, Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Constitution, Magic, and something. That's at least the best I've got until I learn otherwise. It'd be nice though, a high stats in the magic and mystery category is bound to be beneficial.
Mara stopped to listen for any pursuers, it was broad daylight but she couldn't shake off her recent encounter. However, the forest appeared to be just as peaceful during the day, regardless of the location. Ducking under a fallen tree, Mara's thoughts lingered on her race. Half elf, half demon, what happened to being human? Is that why my magic stat is abnormally high? At least it looks like it displays as "Half-Elf", that's bound to save me some headaches.
"It'd really be nice if these things came with tooltips or something, what's lore supposed to be?" Mara spoke aloud, rhetorically, but in the vain hopes of an answer. Finding none, she continued her trek on an ever-steepening incline. It wasn't long before the trees began to thin and the ground to grow more rocky, the underbrush had recessed while the winds grew emboldened. "Christ that breeze is cold, curse my spoiled upbringing in climate controlled environments!" Shaking her fist in mock protest, Mara quickly tucked her arm back underneath the other. Despite the chill, her goal would remain unchanged. Shelter for the first night, as far from those teeth as possible.
Stumbling over a particularly rocky region, Mara had managed to trek far enough uphill to get some space between trees. So, skills, or at least that's what I presume they are. The only one I have is in the 'Divine' category. That's got connotations. No idea what those could be, but that's a sticky statement. Why's it gotta be 'yolo?' Is that even legal? It's supposed to be divine right? Her face was plastered with confusion as she grappled with the levels of immaturity to name a 'divine' skill 'yolo' - it physically hurt to accept.
Yolo.