The Gift
‘Loki, Did you perhaps forget I was a freaking BABY!!’ I mentally shouted at him ‘How am I supposed to effect what my new parents do and do not do? I can’t even move my body properly let alone make anything resembling words!!!’
“Calm down there little tike, this is where the “Fun” part comes in!” Loki replies, giving me the waggling eyebrows, before continuing on. “You see, the system being gone for so long and the fact that there is an overabundance of work it has to perform rolling back your world and all that, I should be able to give you a little gift. In the form of a type of communication with your parents!”
Wishing I had the capacity to look skeptical I have to ask ‘ What type of communication are we talking about here….Cause a mind talking infant won’t freak them the fuck out at all..’
Loki’s smile is getting to be as big as it was when he saw my luck state, and frankly it’s starting to scare me a bit. “I’m going to grant you the ability to use my power to grant your parents quests and tasks via the system! Now this of course will drain me of most of my stored energy and well… it will only last so long… Till around your 10th birthday or round about. But with this you should be able to get somewhere safe, while guiding them to not giving all your stats into Charisma!”
‘So it will show up as a type of system message when I want to assign them something?’ Isn’t that… I dunno a little over powered??
“No. No. No. Not at all, I am basically granting you access to my divine prerogative to grant quests to my devotees… As a descendant of mine it is perfectly within the rules, it’s just any powers I grant to you I cannot use myself, so once done I will basically be sitting on the sidelines for the next 10 years. Watching you work of course! OH, and it’s not just your parents that you will be able to grant quests to, others you deem worthy as well. But it’s the system that will decide the rewards for the assigned quests.” Loki continues on lecturing me about this and that... and consequences on tasks outside my scope of power… impossible tasks and so on… really I don’t pay attention, it’s not like I’m going to go and give Derrick the task of hunting a dragon to drain its blood and bath me in it to make me immortal…
‘Right, Got it. So how we doing this? Need some blood? A virgin sacrifice? A goat?’ I respond when it seems he is done with his verbal diarrhea.
“What?! No... geez what the hell did you people think up while we were gone? Just give me a minute to go through the menus and change some security settings and permissions” Loki says while giving me a look that clearly says “You are a moron”
‘Hey you should really read some of the stuff we came up with before it degrades, hell we wrote about this happening to our world many times!” I respond.
Loki looks away from whatever he is doing to focus his gaze on me “Really? You had books that described the world being integrated into the system and didn’t for one minute think it might just be a warning?”
‘Why would we? Hell I wrote a book about this happening! It was just a genre of our fantasy and science fiction to us. Bring gaming rules and regulations into the real world, what would happen scenarios.’ I explain, wishing I could use my hands to articulate my points.
“Really? I might have to pick some of the books up, they would probably be the last things to degrade if kept in my inventory” He says to himself while finalizing what ever settings he is going through cause as he finishes.
Attention!! Divine Powers Granted (limited)
The God of Chance Loki has decide to take a vacation and has granted you the following rights.
Grant Quest
Divine Message (Familial)
Select the names for more information.
‘Neat!’ Select Grant Quest.
Ability: Grant Quest (dv)
The God Loki has delegate to you the ability to grant divine quests in his name. Rewards may vary based on difficulty. Beware assigning impossible or nonsensical quests they will have consequences
Cost – 10 Divine Energy
‘What’s this about Divine Energy?’ I mentally project to Loki upon seeing the cost of the ability.
“Yes, That. You should have that stat and energy pool unlocked now, keep in mind the stat cannot be raised with free points, only by having quests completed do you gain divine EXP to increase the stat. Also your parents will not be able to see those stats or the energy pool.” Loki replies.
‘Interesting’ let’s check out Divine Message before looking at my stats.
Ability: Divine Message (Familial)
The God Loki has granted you the ability to send Divine Messages to your Family.
Messages must be pertinent to the current situation and not give proprietary information about quests assigned or secrets locations, treasures, dungeons, or mobs.
Cost – 60 Divine Energy
So Glorified Notification system. But cannot use it to give them proprietary information. ‘Well, we wouldn’t want and spoilers anyways best to let them handle the details, I’ll just stick to overlying strategy!’
“That’s the spirit! And with that done I must be leaving, the energy required to keep the time stop in place will run out soon, you’ll have about 10 minutes, after I leave to get any messages or quests prepped before the spell reverts and time in the local area goes back to normal” Loki says while placing back down in my crib. With a last wave he is striding out the door, with a quiet Thor following.
‘huh, completely forgot about the hammer wielding uncle, man, except for when he wields his hammer… he doesn’t have that much of an impact.’ Laughing at my own jokes, I decide to get to work, ‘Status’
Name
Trevor Albrook
Level
0
Class
None
Race
Human
Title
None
Attributes
Unspent points
Strengh
2
11
Perception
3
HP
20
Endurance
2
Qi
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
0/100
Charisma
5
Divine
80/80
Intelligence
3
Agility
2
Cultivation Level
Luck
50
None
Divinity
2
‘Soo limited Divine energy to work with, Might as well see what these abilities actually entail.’ I think to myself after looking over my recently added stat and energy pool. I’ll be honest here I didn’t feel any different once the stat was active, no influx of power or sense of a muscle I didn’t know I had. Nothing typical of what I would think when getting access to an energy pool of the divine.
‘Well here goes nothing’ I mentally brace and will the divine quest ability to activate.
Divine Quest Tutorial activated!
System Processing…
‘Oh Come on!! Really I have limited time here!’ Luckily it seems that the system had some beefed up tech as, as soon as the thought finished I was rewarded with an updates screen
Attention!!
Unable to graft divine energy pool to biological subject.
Chance of Death exceeds 90%.
Alternate method found, granting Divine Well Stone.
Mapping biological Divine Regen to Well.
Process Complete
‘Note to self: Punch Loki in the face when I grow up.’ Wishing I could shake my head I bring up my inventory to look at my newly acquired Item.
Divinity Well Stone (u)
Divine capacitor capable of storing divine energy.
Evolving
Current Capacity 80/80
Regen based on Biological soul bound .01 per Minute
‘Looks like about 2 hours to regen from empty, better ration it well then.’ I think to myself before attempting to access the ability again.
Divine Tutorial
Greetings Fledgling Godling!
Welcome to the Divine Tutorial! You have been granted the skill Divine Quest!
With this ability you can bring up a Divine Quest Overlay, and plan out and map current and future quests for your disciples! Creation of inactive quests for future use cost no energy until such time as they are granted.
Please keep in mind, should you create a Chain Quest, all energy for each leg is due at the start of the quest, not as it progresses.
What follow is best left up to the imagination, it walked me through the HUD and overlay on how to set up a quest, and then went over types of rewards I could assign. Not the amount that the system would grant have you, but if it were EXP, an Item, or system Currency, which surprisingly was the standard copper, Silver, Gold. Platinum for our sector. No other currencies were accepted or recognized as valid. Which if what Loki told me was indeed the truth, not a single human being had any sort of wealth any more. We were all poor, copper less Noobs.
‘Right enough wool gathering I need to get these kids set up to GTFO of dodge’ You see something Loki said had been nagging at the back of my mind, something about books being the last things to degrade if kept in your inventory. It seemed to me that the system although not recognizing the physical matter of the books as property, it might consider the knowledge within valid and therefore by absorbing said knowledge one might gain skills granted by the system. With that in mind I started outlining a set of chain quests and an introductory note explaining that due to the nature of having one of the only children born on the day of integration a local system deity had taken notice and decided to give them a boon. Of course nowhere did I mention Loki in this. That would probably have adverse side effects… I sure hope they don’t watch the Marvel Movies before they degrade… that might bring about some problems…
It wasn’t a long 10 minutes. Time seemed to flash by, and before I knew it, I heard an exclamation from Stacy.
“TREVOR!” she screamed then I hear a sigh as she leans over my crib and sees me laying here. “Mommy must be going insane! I could have sworn I had just picked you up and was holding you!” She continues in a more normal town of voice, but still sounding a little out of breath from the short panic moment.
She picks me back up and cradles me. Then starts the baby talk and cooing… which is very distracting as her head keeps interposing itself over the divine quest overlay and messing up my thought process typing. ‘Hope the system can differentiate between what I want written versus cursing at her about being a door and not a window’
By the time I finish and wrap everything up for the first stage of my plans Derrick is walking back through the door with a frown on his face. Stacy holds me up and faces him, saying “Look! Who is that? Is that your daddy? Yes it is!
“Stacy.” Derrick pauses and taking a deep breath continues “The place looks abandoned, I didn’t see a single orderly or nurse, and most of the room doors are locked. I tried knocking on several and no one answered. I don’t think we should stay here. We need to find someplace more secure, with resources and food preferably.” He concludes while moving to pack everything and anything he can grab into his inventory.
Seeing as how they are debating on leaving I decide to use the Message skill and send them the first message before giving them the start of the chain quest.
Divine Message Activated
Please select message from list or select a new message!
Greetings and Salutations!
Get out of Dodge!
Stop being Stupid!
O’Natural!
Don’t Forget the Baby
New Message
I was rather proud of my titles, and since they were young I had to include a “you forgot your baby” hot message just in case… you never know. ‘Hope I won’t need that last one’ I think to myself, as I choose to send them the “Greetings and Salutations!” message.
Greetings and Salutations!
From your friendly neighborhood god! Due to the unique nature of birthing a child during integration
You have attracted the notice of an old soul! This Divine being has taken an active interest in your continued survival! Count your blessings mortal for this is the stuff dreams are made of!
Message Begins: System does not recognize any manmade or man wrought changes during the period of protection due to being completely cut off from outside influence and registration protocols! Monster Spawning set to entire world and system to roll back geographical changes from man to original specs at time of Vheil Implementation! Extreme Caution advised when in highly populated areas!
That was about the extent I could get away with before the system started giving me dire warnings.. Most it considered normal information that everyone should have already known. But giving advice… that’s where the system was blocking me the most.
Stacy and Derrick had both stopped moving while reading my little message, but Derrick was the first to respond “Fucking hell, if I find out what colossal douche bag activated this Vheil without leaving even a hint to be passed down..” I can’t make out the rest, but it would do a Marine or Sailor proud!
“Stacy, Get out of that bed and get dressed, you should be fully recovered from the birth now that the system regenerates our bodies like a game” he says while pulling the metal rails on the bed off. To me it looks like he might be trying to make a weapon of some type. After a lot of banging some cursing and a very loud screeching he comes away with the top most rail and has kicked off the bolted raisers. “Nice got a skill!”
“What skill?” Stacy inquires while getting her clothes on and packing away diapers and random junk into her inventory.
“Crafting : Improvised Weapon” Derrick respond while striking the baby Ruth pose with the make shift club. I wish I had the motor skills to face palm and shake my head but alas some things are still denied me... such as Blatter control it seems, as I realize I have a problem with my lower self, I decide to make it know in need something by starting to cry softly.
“Derrick stop being a dork, and go see if Trevor needs changing!” Stacy responds while rolling her eyes and motioning to my softly crying form lying on the bed.
Seeing Derrick grab a diaper and proceed changing me, with all the accompanying gaging and yucking all new fathers doo when the change a shit filled diaper for the first time. ‘You know,’ I thought to myself ‘there’s a joke here about going from an old man who had to wear diapers, to a young baby that still had to wear diapers…Fuck you universe’
It didn’t take long for my new partners in life to pack anything they think they might need and scope me up and head out the doors. Derrick motioned for Stacy to stay behind him and he moved down the halls. Finally, able to get a better look at the layout I had a vague recollection of these hallways. ‘If I’m not mistaken this is the maternity ward of the same hospital I was admitted to. Wonder what the chances of that are?’ I busied myself with idle thoughts while seeing what I could, it was annoying that Stacy kept shifting me around, fist cradle then over the shoulder then other side… ‘geez woman pick a side and stick to it, I’m starting to get dizzy from all the back and forth.
It didn’t take very long to clear the floor and get to the parking lot, I couldn’t really tell what exactly the make and model of the vehicle they put me into, from the feel it was a large Van or SUV. It wasn’t long after getting into the car and hearing Derrick Start it that I sent them the series Quest I set up.
Congratulations!
You have decided to embark on a most epic journey, instead of hunkering down and waiting for the walls to crumble around you, you have set out to make your mark on this brave new world.
Quest Alert!
Divine Quest: Knowledge is Power
The System may take your homes, and monuments. But It cannot erase your mind and memories.
Preserve the knowledge of your world.
Objective: By any Means, obtain and preserve as much technological and historic knowledge as you can.
Rewards: Variable, based on results.
EXP, Gold, Items.
I hear a set of gasps from the front seat, and then Derrick is the first to speak “Neat! Quests! Knowledge ehh? Well I suppose that the system though it would not recognize the material gains of our world, would have to acknowledge the skills and knowledge of the individuals and collective knowledge of our civilization. However, that knowledge is written on materials created after the system, so its in danger of being lost. I suppose a library would be our best bet for now. I wonder if you can get system recognized skills for reading books?”
“Well, there is a library on the other side of Town near the high school, we could start there and see what type of books they have. Hey what’s this Qi thing listed on my Character sheet? Isn’t there mana in all those games and books you read? Is it the same thing? And what’s Cultivation level anyways!” Stacy starts in with the heated questions. Sounds like she is finally taking this seriously.
I tune them out as they discuss the changes the system has wrought, it has been a good bit since my last nap and I can feel the tiredness in my bones, babies are not meant to be so active it seems. Ill have to work on my Endurance. As Derrick pulls the car out and starts off on the road to the library I am falling fast into the land of dreams. Wishing I was grown.