Circles of lightning exploded from all around Rift like ripples in a pond, settling softly on the far side of the eight beds. Each wave building upon the previous one, increasing the energy of the circle until the last wave settled in place. A loud boom shook the walls and floor after the magic circle snapped into place, calming the ambient mana inside. He made a few quick gestures and cast another spell, red and white gems flaring up on his sleeves. Wave after wave of lightning pulsed from his body, filling the area inside the circle with electricity. The storm of lightning was so intense that it would blind anyone that dared look at it. Then, with a surge of force, two purple gems blazed, and he was able to push the energy back to the edge of the circle. It formed a cylindrical wall, from floor to ceiling, on top of the ring of raging energy on the floor.
His finger drew a straight line in the air in front of him, leaving a blueish-white light in its wake. The line split, creating a tear in spacetime that Rift reached into and retrieved his staff. Then the tear closed itself forming a straight line that reduced to a single point of light before popping out of existence.
Rift went to work immediately, spinning and turning as he thrust his staff into the empty air all around him. White outlines of magic sigils were left hanging in the void after every strike he made. After the ninth sigil he let go of the staff allowing it to hover for a second before erupting into little motes of ball lightning. They were identical to the ones that filled the previous room before Rift first appeared. The motes sped their way to the nine sigils floating in the air, empowering them, causing them to grow brighter. The sigils flared to life when each absorbed the last of the motes of lightning.
Rift stood up straight and raised his hands out above his head and the sigils directed the magic toward him. He gathered this mana and added his own from his vast reserves as every gem along his sleeves flared out brightly. He slammed his fist into the gold plinth, releasing the spell in a quick burst of power, followed by a steady stream of mana to sustain the magic. A dust devel filled the inside of the circle pulling all of Timothy’s ashes toward him and the square. Once they settled, he pushed another surge of mana through him and into the plinth, causing strings of lightning to form. Eight strings connected the eight beds to the plinth underneath him, pulsing with energy. Each pulse started at the square and slowly made its way to the beds. He stayed this way for hours, hoping for a glimmer of Timothy’s soul to latch onto one of those pulses and ride it to one of the bodies.
Rift was about to abandon his hopes and let go of the spell when one of the pulses had an amber tinge to it. It was riding on top of the pulse of the string of electricity connecting the plinth to the human bed. It moved a few inches along the string before the pulse passed under the amber node and continued without it. The excitement Rift was feeling from this glimmer of hope would have caused most casters to lose their concentration. Fortunately, he was far too experienced to allow this to happen and he maintained the spell with minimal effort.
The amber node of Timothy’s soul grabbed onto the next pulse and traveled a few more inches down the line, then this pulse passed as well. This continued for the next few hours, the node moving a few inches at a time. When it reached the bed the body atop it arched violently, shoulders and heals staying on the bed. The body gasped for air as if it had been holding it for far too long, then screamed so loud that if there was any glass in the room, it would have shattered!
The body radiated with the same amber light as the tiny node and then slammed back down on the bed. It disappeared from the body as the string connecting the bed to the plinth turned that amber color in a rush. When the light reached the plinth, the strings attached to five of the other beds flared instantaneously. The dwarf, elf, orc, mistfolk and sanctified beds glowed for a split second before the amber light retracted back to the human bed. The glow faded as the human body came to rest.
Rift cut the spell creating and maintaining the strings of energy connecting the bed and the square, trapping the soul in the body. The body, now Timothy, fell flat on the bed after the long scream and light show. Rift stood up and walked over to Timothy, he was barely breathing and looked almost dead. He felt for a pulse. It was there, faint, but it was there. He sighed with relief and leaned against the shadowborn bed behind him.
“I thought we lost you,” Rift said as he patted Timothy’s arm.
After a few hours the body had a faint trace of detail, the cheek bones, jaw line and eyes showing a small resemblance to Timothy. The body became, well… male. Rift drew another line in the air and reached into his storage, pulling out a blanket and laying it over Timothy. Over the next several days this body finished forming into a replica of his old one, minus the hair.
Rift continued to maintain the ring and walls, blocking any outside influence or chaotic mana from interfering with Timothy’s recovery. He believed that this could be a vulnerable time for him, and should any god take an interest, he could be in trouble. He was even blocking his master out of the circle, leaving nothing to chance.
It had been a few weeks now and Timothy’s vitals were improving, slowly, but improving. Rift could easily feal the pulse on Timothy’s neck and he could now see his chest moving as he breathed. Both were a major improvement from last week when he looked half dead, and his pulse was barely perceivable. Timothy’s hair started growing back, leaving him with dark peach fuzz on his head and the beginnings of a beard. Rift summoned a chair and sat beside Timothy, a consummate sentinel waiting for him to wake.
Rift waited… and waited…and waited, for almost two months before the first signs of Timothy waking began. He had not slept during his vigil, constantly maintaining the circle and the walls. He was tired, haggard and weak. If not for his high stamina, energy and resolve he would not have made it through all this time. He saw movement and stood up.
Timothy’s hands moved to his face and rubbed his eyes, “What…? Where am I?”
Rift put a hand on Timothy’s shoulder, a smile teasing at the corners of his eyes, “You are still in the prep room. You have been asleep for a very long time, what is the last thing you remember?”
“The human body. I was trying to tell you that I made my choice but my body would not react. I think I was missing my jaw, so I couldn’t say anything and my body was so weak that I wasn’t able to make any gestures. I guess you figured it out though, huh?”
“Not exactly,” Rift bowed his head in shame, “I took you to the last two beds and read the text for you. I take it you don’t remember that?”
Timothy shook his head.
“Then I fear I may have, inadvertently, almost allowed you to fade out. By the time I finished reading the last two you were little more than a human shaped pile of ash. I dragged you to the plinth, but you turned to dust in my arms. You have my deepest apologies,” Rift said, still not looking at Timothy.
“You will never have to apologize to me for doing what you thought was best. In the short time that we have been together you have helped and guided me so much. I doubt I will ever be able to repay that,” Timothy told Rift, his tone sincere and somber at the same time, “So… If I faded, how did I survive?”
Rift took a few minutes to explain what he did, giving the fragment of Timothy’s soul a chance to find a way to one of the bodies.
“Do you remember any of the time when your soul was moving toward the body?” Rift asked.
“No.” Timothy turned his head to look at Rift for the first time after waking up, “You look terrible! What happened?”
“I have had to stay awake to maintain this circle. It has been about two months, so I am kind of drained,” Rift informed him.
“I think you can let it go now. I am awake and actually feel pretty good,” Timothy said.
“Not yet. I want to make sure you have full mobility and full control of your body before I break the circle. After what we both went through, I do not want to leave anything to chance,” Rift explained to Timothy.
“Well then… I think I should try and get out of this bed,” Timothy said.
Rift extended his hand to Timothy to help him sit up. Timothy took it and was surprised at the strength that Rift had, even looking as weak as he did. It felt like he was being pulled up by a machine, not a human. He got to a sitting position and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Rift continued to hold his hand as he helped him off the bed and onto the floor. Timothy stood up, a little off balance at first, but he gained his composure quickly and straightened up. He looked himself over.
“Umm… I’m naked,” Timothy said.
“So you are, would you like some clothes?” Rift asked sarcastically.
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“Silly question, but yes!” Timothy said with a chuckle.
“Are you good to stand on your own?”
“I think so,” Timothy let go of Rift’s hand and tested his balance. Everything seemed to be good, he gave Rift a thumbs up, a smile creasing the corners of his mouth at the running joke.
Rift traced his finger in the air again to access his dimensional storage space and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt. He handed both to Timothy and turned his back to him, allowing him to dress without onlookers. He quickly stepped into the pants and tossed the shirt over his head before tapping Rift on the shoulder.
“Good to go,” Timothy said to Rift as he turned around, “I even dressed myself. Another point for the good guy. I think you can drop the circle and rest now.”
“Probably, but let’s finish one more thing before I do. I want to make sure your ability scores are in place before I drop the barrier. Most of the people on Draconous have time to study and learn how to feel their abilities before they choose their paths. Obviously, you have not had this and that is what that stone was supposed to help you with. My gut says that is what the tablet you created will do for you,” he pointed to it on the floor by the plinth, “Go pick it up.”
“Is that where I dropped it? I am surprised you let it sit there all this time,” Timothy said with mock admonishment.
“This is the thanks I get?” Rift mocked back, “I did try and pick it up, same as the last time you decided to take a long nap,” he gave Timothy a flat look, “I can’t lift it.”
“Really? Timothy asked as he walked over and picked it up off the ground, “It is so lite.”
“I suspect it is bound to you. It has nothing to do with weight and everything to do with your bond to it.”
Timothy gave it a quick look over, “Kinda like Thor’s hammer, huh?” He shrugged, “Okay.”
“I have no idea what that means and my master cannot talk to me right now to let me know what you just said. Is it important?” Rift asked.
“Not really. It is a legend about a god and his weapon from my home world,” Timothy sat on the corner of his bed and put the tablet on his lap, “Let’s see what this little toy tells us. What do you say?”
“I think that is a great idea, especially because I suggested it,” Rift said as he sat next to Timothy on the bed, “Is this tablet familiar to you? Is it something from your home world?”
“Not exactly, but it is close enough to something we called a computer in my home world, or Earth, as we called it,” Timothy explained.
He held the tablet so Rift could see as he swiped his finger across the screen, revealing the four apps. He tapped the character sheet icon, a “Main” sheet popped up with seven tabs at the bottom. The tabs names are Main, Attributes, Skills, Magic, Weapons, Armor and Items, Timothy stayed on the Main tab.
“It’s empty,” he said, “None of the fields have anything in them, even the name is blank.”
“Well…if you are looking for anonymity, I think you have it,” Rift said dryly, “or you could make up a new name.”
“I like my name; I would like to keep it. Do you think I should change it?”
“That is up to you,” Rift said.
“Any reason I should change it? Do I have to worry about someone or something having power over me if they have my real name?” Timothy asked.
“No, nothing like that…Unless you are a god,” Rift paused, “You’re not, are you?”
They both looked at each other before erupting into laughter.
Rift composed himself and continued, “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Great! I will keep my name then,” and he tapped the field for his name, a little keyboard popped up at the bottom. He typed his name in.
As soon as he finished and hit the enter key some of the other fields filled themselves in.
Race: Human (Sort of)
Level: 0
Hit Chance: 50%
Gem User Scores:
Caster – Score 3 – Gem 1
Forger – Score 1 - Gem 0
Wielder – Score 2 – Gem 0
Magic Gem Capacity: 3
Wielder Gem Capacity: 1
Forger Gem Capacity: 1
Bonus Gems:
Base – Caster – quantity 1
Elf – Caster – quantity 1
Orc – Wielder – quantity 1
Dwarf – Forger – quantity 1
Other Bonuses:
Mistfolk - +2 energy
Sanctified - +5 mana per level. Double at each wall
“Um…It has my race as Human (sort of). What the hell does that mean?” Timothy asked.
“I don’t know. I have never seen a person’s characteristics laid out like this,” Rift scratched his temple as he continued to look at the screen. “It may have to do with the fact that you pulled different bonuses from different races. An extra caster gem from the elves, wielder gem from the orcs, forger gem from the dwarves, energy bonus from the mistfolk and extra mana from the sanctified. That should not have been possible.” Rift answered.
“But I thought is said ‘Pick and Choose’ for humans.” Timothy said.
“Ya, but that was only supposed to be for attribute bonuses, not anything you want. It worked out for you though, you will have a big advantage at level one,” he gave Timothy an appraising look, “A level 1 user with five gems, that is unheard of.”
“What do people usually start with?”
“Two to three, depending on the race,” Rift said.
“Nice! I will take a little Santa Clausing,” Timothy beamed.
“What do you mean?” Rift asked.
“Eh…Santa Clausing is a term from a game I play. Basically, it means that one of the players is getting showered with good items by the person running the game. Generally, it is frowned upon, but I will take it. I think I can use every advantage I can get.”
“As you should,” Rift confirmed as he nodded his head.
“So, what is next?” Timothy asked while clicking from one tab to the other.
“I think you should go to the Attributes tab. The other tabs should come into play later when you have the opportunity to pick out some items,” Rift said.
Timothy clicked on the tab and the screen changed to something that looked like an Excel sheet. It had three categories, each with three attributes as row headers. Each category had a number flashing next to it.
Mind – 2
Intellect
Wisdom
Charisma
Body – 4
Strength
Agility
Stamina
Soul – 6
Spirit
Resolve
Energy
Rift looked at the screen, “I have never seen the attributes displayed that way, but it makes sense. Do they all make sense to you?”
Timothy looked the list over, “The first six are self-explanatory, but the last three are new to me. From my time in the doors, I think Energy is for mana and Resolve effects the overcharge ability, but Spirit is new to me.”
“Your spirit will affect the regeneration of your health, dodge and mana. It is useful but not critical. In my opinion, mana is the most important,” Rift told him.
“Since I went caster first, I agree,” Timothy tried to put four points into Energy but it capped out at three. With the mistfolk bonus it gave him a total of five Energy, “It capped me at three points.”
“Don’t look at me, this is my first time seeing it this way. Whenever I leveled it always felt as a full feeling, at least that is the best way I can describe it,” Rift replied.
Timothy nodded and continued to hammer away at his attributes, assigning all of the available points. It only took him a few minutes to go through them all and look them over to make sure he was satisfied with his allocations. When he finished there was a button that appeared in the bottom left of the screen that said ‘Confirm Point Allocations’. His finger hovered over the button for another minute.
Might as well look it over one last time.
He nodded again and hit the confirm button.
Mind – 2
Intellect: 1
Wisdom: 1
Charisma: 0
Body – 4
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 2
Soul – 6
Spirit: 1
Resolve: 2
Energy: 5 (3 + 2 bonus)
“Weird, I don’t feel much different, other than I can sense my mana. Is that normal?” Timothy asked.
“Yes. There is not much of a power jump from a normal to level one. You shouldn’t have felt much of a difference,” Rift glanced at the tablet, “You ready to move to the Magic tab?”
“Ya, let’s do it,” Timothy clicked on that tab and another sheet popped up. The layout looked very similar to the previous tab and it took him a moment to realize that this one was different. There were three more categories, each with three types of magic.
Elemental – 6
Fire
Air
Water
Physical – 3
Rock
Metal
Life
Ethereal – 9
Force
Dimension
Mental
Below this there was another section for gems, what the total capacity was and which gems were slotted. His total gem capacity was set at three, one from the base, one from the elf and one because his primary is set to caster. He looked to Rift for advice.
“I can’t help you with this one. We don’t get to set a value to our magical acuity, it just happens. Someone needs to work very hard to force growth in a magic that is not their forte. You, on the other hand, seem to be able to assign points wherever you would like. I am a little jealous,” Rift said.
“Where should I start?”
Rift pointed at a few of the magic types, “Force, fire and life are good starters. Don’t worry about finding the gems just yet, we can work on that later.”
Timothy looked at the screen and started allocating points to the different areas of magic. There was a cap to these point allocations as well, there was some trial and error, but he eventually figured it out.
Elemental – 6
Fire - 3
Air - 1
Water - 2
Physical – 3
Rock - 1
Metal - 1
Life - 1
Ethereal – 9
Force - 5
Dimension - 3
Metal – 1
DING!!! A sound like a hundred small bells ringing at the same time as they collided with each other.
WELCOME TO LEVEL 1, a loud, mechanical voice came from every direction in the room at once.
“What was that?” Timothy said as both he and Rift looked around the room.
“Well…My educated guess would be that you reached level one, but I am only speculating,” Rift said with a laugh.
“I am glad you are here to guide me through that. Where would I be without you.”
There was a moment of laughter between the two before Rift started, “I think I can drop the circle now. Do you feel like you are ready for this?”
“As ready as I will ever be. Let’s go for it,” Timothy replied with slight nervousness, but excitement lurking behind his tone.
Rift walked over to the edge of the circle and used his foot to smudge the ground, breaking the continuity of the ring. It buzzed before there was a crackling sound as the lightning wall dispersed into the surrounding air, the circle fading out shortly after. He extended his hand and the nine sigils floating in the air dimmed then winked out of existence, leaving little motes of lightning. The motes streaked toward Rift’s outstretched hand. When they struck his palm, they exploded into bolts of lightning stretching from floor to ceiling. As the last mote hit his palm the lightning coalesced back into his staff. He stood there and looked at Timothy.
“That was impressive…show off,” Timothy smiled and then continued, “What next?”
“Go back to the Main tab, your Health, Dodge and Mana should have values now.”
Timothy poked at the Main tab and true to Rift’s word, the values were in place.
Level – 1
Health – 4
Dodge – 1
Mana – 20
Hit Chance – 51%
“Um…my health and dodge are low. Will I be able to survive anything in Draconous?”
“You’re a caster. A first level caster at that, find some friends and stand behind them. Your mana is exceptionally high for a first level, use that to your advantage. Oh! And don’t get hit.” Rift finished with a chuckle.
Timothy gave him a banal look, “You’re a big help.”