Arc 1 Introduction to the sphere, Chapter 1: Before the Sphere
Martin Cortan closed the door and let himself slowly drop on the couch.
Finally Home – if I never met another suit with opinions on how to improve the companies webshop, it’ll be ten years too soon. Four hours wasted to explain that one of those ideas is illegal and the other two would double the administrative work without any improvement…
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“[bing] – you got mail” comes from the computer in the next room.
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“Can’t I get five minutes pause today?” Another quarter of an hour later Martin sits down before his computer and opens the mail.
“Hi Martin, what’s up? You promised to help us programming the NPCs in the new Icewind zone. We’re currently in the developer’s chat to discuss the planned story”.
[activate chat window]
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“So, now where did I put the bread this mor…”
FLASH
WHITE
Everything around is white
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…
After a short while the whiteness slowly leaves. I blink my eyes trying to see something– I don’t feel the floor or anything else. Looking around I see a large black room with several people floating in the air, about one or two meters above strange golden circles.
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A bit before me floats a very old man in hospital gown with the ends of several catheters and tubes hanging down. Behind that a young Asian girl in a school uniform shouts agitated in a language I don’t understand.
Suddenly another flash comes from the right, and then there is a man in a pastor’s cloak floating next to me on the other side. This repeats a few more times, and like myself no one seems to know what’s going on.
“Hello? Can someone tell what’s going on?” I shout into the room. All the people around just look confused.
With a black flash a giant man appears before us. He is about three times as large as even the larger people floating here. He looks like a medieval merchant, but one in extremely expensive clothing.
“Hello everyone – let’s get started now since everyone is here. We haven’t got all day after all.”
Xenotic Conversion
Phase one started
Processing 01% complete
Some form of holographic window suddenly floats before my eyes, blocking a part of my sight. But before I can even think about this, the giant continues to speak.
“Yes, you have been kidnapped. And no, I have no intention of letting you return home or hear any complains about it. So don’t bother with that part. But since the rules require giving you some explanations, let’s get that out of the way.”
“I’ve been around for quite a number of centuries, and your ancestors sometimes called me a god because they were too primitive to grasp realities. I’ve been given names like Loki, Lugh, Coyote or Kutkh – but there is no need to bow down to me as a god or use any of those ancient names.”
“You can simply call me Rob – that is R.O.B. or short for Royally Overpowered Bastard - that would be enough on niceties.”
Suddenly there is a shout from the right “You’re like that Q from TV”. It looks as if it came from some colored kid with a skateboard and a baseball cap, but difficult to be sure with that blue screen partially blocking.
Xenotic Conversion
Phase one Processing 47% complete
Rob is obviously incensed. He turns around and shouts “Hey – I hate Treckies with their boring ‘everything is a bright future’ mentality. And for comparing me with that low power failure that can’t get a single plan working correctly – for that insult you’ll get an extra curse!”
A small light shoots from his hand and hits the kid that grunts in pain.
“Ok, let’s ignore that unpleasant interruption and get back to business. You all will be send into a world we created and have to live there from now on. You’ll even get ten fate points to make sure that you are unlikely to die on your first day.”
“And I’ll grab some popcorn and watch how you handle your conversion and your new world – I even have a side bet going on how many of you will survive their first month, their first year or their first decade.”
A bright smile appears on Rob’s face. “Please, try to survive – it would get me quite some rewards if enough of you survive for me to win the bet.”
“I even promise that we’ll let you live without further interruptions – unless you become interesting for us, of course. If you do have an interesting life in the Sphere, then we might meet again someday. And now off you go…”
Xenotic Conversion
Phase one Processing 100% complete
Initiating Transfer - Phase two
Suddenly the force that holds us afloat vanishes and we fall down into black tunnels inside the golden circles below us.
Before everything vanishes I still hear Rob’s last whisper “Of course interesting means the same as in that old Chinese saying ‘May you live in interesting times…’”
Xenotic Conversion Phase two Transfer ongoing
Initiating Body Conversion – Phase three