Standing in the sunlight as it filtered through the leaves, Lefty looked down at Feathers and then at the empty space before him where the Attendant had just been. He still had more questions. Like, just how many people were watching him now and just how was he supposed to know when and where he had any privacy? Was this all designed to make him uncomfortable or was it just the sort of thing you got used to after a while? He strongly suspected it was the latter.

Beside him, Feathers was had found a puddle where he was snatching at the water bugs. Lefty found himself wondering if perhaps he would have preferred to enter into this world as a duck instead of a wizard. Less conspicuous. Flight for escape purposes. Flexible diet. Possibly higher chance of mating. Almost certainly a higher chance of survival.

He wondered, perhaps, if he should make it a goal to just see if he could get his hands on a [permanent polymorph] potion. Then again, perhaps it would be easier and he would enjoy it more if he just found the nearest city and looked for a job as a shop keeper or wizard’s apprentice.

The duck tilted his head back as he gobbled down his latest catch. Above, the sun was burning against the horizon. Lefty had hoped to reach a village before dark. He remembered the pillar of smoke he had spotted while floating down from the cliff. It shouldn’t be far. Off to his right, he could hear the river rushing over the rocks. There should be a footpath here somewhere along the shoreline, he just had to find it.

He wondered again at his situation. He was on an alien planet that had somehow been metaphorically terraformed into a world that somehow resembled a video game. He was a level one wizard, perhaps the most vulnerable class in the game, particularly at low levels. As such, he was armed with nothing but a quarterstaff, a few meager spells, and his wits. He had no map and didn’t know where he was. His best friend and ally was a bad-tempered waterfowl.

Still working at the puddle, Feathers was now spooning in the mud with his bill.

Seeing as Feathers was busy – Lefty watched as the duck produced a muscle from the mud and swallowed it down – he decided now was as good a time as any to take stock of just what he did and did not have regarding skills, equipment, and abilities, and so he opened up his H.U.D and selected his character sheet. In an instant, the blue, holographic image of his stat block was floating in the air before him.

Name: Lefty

Occupation: Wizard (Level 1)

Wisdom: 10

- Diplomacy: 14

Intelligence: 14

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

- Spellcraft: 18

- Knowledge: Arcana: 15

- Knowledge: History: 15

Speed: 10

- Dodge: 16

Constitution: 6

- Melee Combat (Quarterstaff): 7

- Climb: 7

Technical: 6

- Craft Magic Item: 9

Charisma: 9

Hey, I’m smart! At least I got that going for me. And I’m going have to keep that Diplomacy skill in mind next time I’m interacting with any NPC’s. He was also encouraged by his Dodge skill of 16. Not that he was in any hurry to test it out, but he knew it would come in handy the next time he was in danger. Which this game appears determined to do.

He moved on, scanning his way down the sheet.

Special Abilities:

Spellbook: As a wizard, you are able to keep all of your spells recorded inside your spellbook. There is no limit to the number of spells you can record here.

Spellcasting: As a wizard, you have trained in the arts of magic and can cast spells in accordance with the level of your character. This is modified by your Spellcraft skill.

Background: As a child you grew up in a small fishing village just south of Port Hollow. However, your village was plagued by pirates and so as you grew older, you sought for a way to defend your home. When you discovered you had an affinity for magic, you immediately said good bye to your family and set off for the wizard’s college at Sea Gate. Sadly, after your training was completed, you returned to your home destroyed and your family killed. You now wander the land as an adventurer.

This is completely lame. That sounds like something a super edge teenager might come up with. What the hell? I had a much, MUCH better backstory before. While his special abilities seemed fairly standard to him, he was disappointed in his backstory. He had written up his old backstory himself and did not see why that hadn’t transferred here. Whoever is running this thing obviously has their reasons, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with them.

He decided to keep reading. There wasn’t a lot left.

Boons & Afflictions

Boons:

Brilliant – Add +2 to your Intelligence Score.

Afflictions:

Cowardly – Whenever in combat or faced with danger, your character must make a wisdom check against a difficulty number corresponding to the threat or become panicked.

Spells:

Cantrips – Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, Light

1st Level – Magic Missile, Feather Fall, Flameblast, Sleep

Why in the Nine Hells am I a coward? He was upset now. It was like whoever had designed him had been making some big joke on him and the rest of the world, only he was the only one who wasn’t in on it. Then he thought on it a little longer. The coward bit, he decided, was maybe not a terrible thing to be. For one, cowards were excellent at surviving, as evidenced by a his current status of being very much alive.

This turned his mind to just how he had ended up here.

Next, he tried to think back to just how he had ended up here. There had been the bush where he had woken up. Then there had been Feathers standing on his chest. Next had been the ogre, which the duck had somehow dispatched. He had ran. Then there was the dead man and the goblins. He had ran away from them too. And finally, there had been the bear and the dive off of the cliff.

He checked his inventory. It was still full of the gold he had found on the ogre. Well that’s fortunate, I guess. He wondered briefly about the village ahead and if he would need to spend any of the gold there and just how he would go about hiding the fact that he held a small treasure on his back. He wondered, Is three hundred and eighty two gold pieces a lot? It sounds like a lot. Why can’t I remember if that’s a lot. For a moment, he wondered if whatever audience was watching him had the benefit of a laugh track. He had his suspicions. He suddenly felt very, very small.

Finally, Feathers looked up at him. There was something expectant about the duck, as though he were saying Are you done yet?

Am I? He decided it didn’t matter. None of it did. I was best to just make for the village and have a good sleep on it. He would figure the rest out in the morning. After tapping his staff against the ground, he took aim for the sound of the river.