12 May: 5 days to Earth’s destruction

The humans show an uncanny aptitude for magic. Enslaving them will serve us well. —Orgtul Silverbane.

I left one world and entered another between one step and the next. The transition was seamless and without the slightest misstep in my footing.

I looked around.

Earth’s bright blue sky and concrete buildings had disappeared. Replacing it was a wide-open beach of fine white sand under a storm-wracked grey sky. Green waves of water rolled in from the ocean and, in a spray of foam, crashed onto the rocks scattered along the shore. Mum would have loved it here, I couldn’t help thinking.

As startling a contrast as the beach made from my hometown, there was nothing alien in the landscape. The beach I stood on could have been any one of a number of locations on Earth. I looked to my left and right, along the shore. Both directions appeared empty of life. I was alone, it seemed.

I swung around to see what lay behind me, then jerked back in alarm.

Standing patiently less than three feet from me and so very still that I would have assumed her a statue, if not for her lively and curious gaze, was an… entity.

“Welcome, human, to Wyrm Island,” said the strange creature, seeing that I had finally noticed her. “I am Aurora, your designated guide for your Induction into Overworld.”

“Uh, hello,” I greeted automatically while I surreptitiously studied the fascinating figure.

Aurora was uniformly purple from her bare toes, to the tips of the long hair that fell to her waist. On her back was a pair of feathered wings, as still and unmoving as the rest of her. Whatever—or whoever—Aurora was, she was clearly not from Earth. But at least, she appeared humanoid. “What are you?” I couldn’t help asking.

“I am forbidden from answering an Inductee’s questions,” Aurora responded primly.

The petite purple figure—half my own height—flapped her wings and rose gently aloft until she reached eye level with me. “Now follow me,” she ordered. Turning about, she zipped along the ground towards the island’s interior.

I rubbed my chin, perplexed by her behaviour. “Wait!” I called, but Aurora didn’t stop. She moved so fast I knew I would soon lose sight of her over the sand dune she was headed towards. “Damn it all,” I swore, and hurried after her at the fastest hobble I could manage.

As predicted, I soon lost sight of the purple woman, but with no other choice, I kept limping in the direction I had last seen her. Reaching the top of the hill over which Aurora had disappeared, I saw her waiting at the bottom, foot tapping impatiently.

Next to her was another gate, nearly identical to the one I had entered on Earth, except that this one was the same startling shade of purple as my guide. In the far distance, I could see where the dunes ended and the ocean began again. The island was far smaller than I had thought.

“Well hurry up,” called Aurora, interrupting my inspection of the surroundings. “Don’t just stand there—we are on a time limit, you know.”

“Huh? Where are we? What is this place?” I asked as I slipped down the loose sand of the beach dune to her side.

“In twenty-seven minutes, the gate which you entered will revert back to orcish control,” Aurora said, steadfastly ignoring all my questions. “If you have not completed your Initiation before then, you will be forced out to a destination of its owner’s choosing.”

I gulped. I definitely did not want that. But my guide’s response left me puzzled, since it implied I was still in the gate. Frowning, I looked around. Was this not Overworld?

Before I could frame more questions, Aurora continued, “Our first order of business is to determine if you will retain your current form on entering Overworld or if you will choose an entirely new one, one created from a clean slate with none of your existing blemishes.” The purple woman glanced down at my hobbled foot, making the meaning of her words clear.

My eyes widened in stunned shock. I could be free of my crippled foot? Never in my wildest dreams had I ever contemplated being whole again. The wiki pages I had studied had mentioned starting the Trials with a clean slate, but I had not delved much into what that meant.

Joy, sharp and bittersweet rushed through me. I’d never expected Overworld to free me of the handicap that had plagued me all my adult life. Yet it was a tainted joy. Why could Mum not be here to witness this moment?

I bottled away my conflicting emotions. Sort through them later, Jamie. Stay focused in the now and the choices you must make here. I heaved a deep breath to settle myself and opened my mouth to answer.

Aurora’s waggled a purple finger in front of my face before I did so. “I advise you to review the information in the Trials windows before you answer, and to carefully study the consequences of both choices.”

At my guide’s words, two translucent windows—shaded purple—unfurled and floated gently on unseen currents before my eyes. As Aurora suggested, I studied each intently.

You have the choice between the forms: Clean Slate and Made-in-Earth. In either form, your Potentials will remain the same.

In the Clean Slate form, your body will be refashioned to remove both negative and positive effects, including those of aging. Your Attributes, Traits, Feats, and Disciplines will be reset. In their stead, you will be provided with the same basic starting combination as other new players. This includes: twelve Attributes Marks, ten Discipline Tokens, one common Trait, and one uncommon Trait.

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In the Made-in-Earth form, you will carry over your expertise, strengths, and weaknesses developed during your time in Earth. These include: the lore Discipline, the scribe Discipline, the Crippled Trait, the Quick Learner Trait, the Orcsbane Feat, and your four newly acquired Traits.

My heart sank as I saw the Trials information. Starting with a Clean Slate was not an option. If I chose it, I would lose the achievements I had earned from slaying the five orcs.

Seeing the dawning realisation on my face, Aurora confirmed my suspicion. “If you choose to enter Overworld with a Clean Slate, you will lose your existing Traits and Feats. Twenty-six minutes remaining.”

I didn’t hesitate. It was no choice at all, really. “I will enter Overworld as I am,” I replied.

“Very well,” Aurora said. “Your decision has been recorded.” Waving her hand, my guide banished the two windows before me. “Next, you must select the Traits you earned through your recent actions.

“There are six categories of Traits, and they range from rank one to six. Rank-one Traits, also referred to as common Traits, are the least powerful and most easily attained. Likewise, mythic or rank-six Traits are the rarest and nearly impossible to attain.

“To begin with, choose your epic Trait from the options available to humans.”

Another translucent window opened. For a second, I stared at the listed Traits in bemusement, struck by the strangeness of what I was doing, but I brushed aside my doubts. Events had already proved beyond doubt that despite how strange Overworld and the Trials seemed, they were all too real.

Breathing in deeply, I settled my mind and scanned through the list. There were hundreds of Traits to choose from, and not nearly enough time to go through them all. I knew I couldn’t afford to dally. If I did, I would lose control of the gate. I repressed a shiver. It was not something I wanted to risk.

Skimming through the list, I scanned only the titles and did not bother reading the detailed descriptions of each Trait. There simply wasn’t time for that, and I had already determined my strategy. My first priority would be to find a Trait that helped me disguise my Potentials.

Kagan had perceived my Potentials too easily. His reaction had also suggested my Magic Potential was rare. How rare I couldn’t be certain, but, if I walked around Overworld with my Potential open to analyse, I would likely be too tempting a prize for most to ignore.

It took longer than I hoped, but finally I spotted two Traits that seemed to fit my criteria.

Trait: Mimicked Core. Rank: 4, epic. This Trait grants a player the mimic Technique. It obfuscates a player’s Potentials. The deception will be immune to all forms of detection.

Trait: Master of Disguise. Rank: 4, epic. This Trait grants a player the chameleon Technique. It allows a player to hide both their Potentials and identity. Foes of sufficiently high level will be able to sense the deception, but will not be able to penetrate the player’s disguise.

I deliberated between the two. Mimicked Core provided the more comprehensive protection. Master of Disguise, on the other hand, allowed me to hide more of myself. From what I understood from the trait description, it would allow me to hide even my name from other players.

“Twenty minutes remaining,” said Aurora.

Damn it, I thought, this is taking too long. “I choose Mimicked Core,” I replied, sticking with my original intent and not allowing the added benefits of the Master of Disguise Trait to sway me. Better to have an undetectable disguise.

“So noted. Next, choose your legendary Trait from the list of those available to humans.”

Another window opened up before me. I rapidly ran my eyes through the list. Less than halfway down, I stopped. Two Traits had caught my eye. Given their nature, I felt further study of the list unnecessary.

Trait: Twice as Skilled. Rank: 5, legendary. This Trait doubles the Discipline Tokens a player is awarded every level. The effect of this Trait is not retroactive.

Trait: Twice as Talented. Rank: 5, legendary. This Trait doubles the Attribute Marks a player is awarded every level. The effect of this Trait is not retroactive.

Considering that I was still level zero, I would derive maximum benefit from either Trait. But which one to choose? Disciplines or Attributes, I mused. Having more of either would significantly improve my power.

My study of the Trials Infopedia back on Earth had led me to the conclusion that Disciplines were more important than Attributes, despite the fact that each Attribute affected multiple Disciplines. With more Disciplines, I would have access to additional Techniques, and they could make all the difference between survival and defeat.

“I choose Twice as Skilled,” I said.

“Your choice has been recorded. Next, choose your mythic Trait from the ones available to humans.”

This time the list of Traits was not nearly so extensive, I noted with relief. It was only half as long as the one with legendary Traits. As I scanned through the Traits, in the back of my mind Aurora’s choice of phrasing played over in my mind again.

It was the third time she had worded her instruction as: ‘available to humans.’ Did that mean other races would have a different selection of Traits to choose from? I wondered in idle speculation.

The list of mythic Traits seemed as varied as the legendary and epic ones, with each Trait suited to a particular style of play. So what would my own be? I wondered.

Given my Potentials, there was little doubt I would invest heavily in the magic Disciplines and Attributes, which would leave me weak and less dextrous compared to other players. The proverbial glass cannon. Did I shore up my weaknesses or double down on my strengths?

Shore up my weaknesses, I decided. My Magic Potential, if Kagan’s reaction was anything to go by, did not appear to need further boosts. On the other hand, with my crippled foot and lacklustre Might Potential, I would easy pickings if I was caught without access to magic. I needed to either choose a Trait that gave me an escape option, or one that increased my survivability.

I scanned the list again, shortlisting two Traits once more.

Trait: Ghost. Rank: 6, mythic. This Trait grants a player the ghostwalker Technique, which allows them to disperse their body and wander as an invisible spirit for: thirty seconds, after which their body will be rematerialized. While in spirit form, the player cannot interact with the world, and they may pass through solid objects.

The Technique’s casting time is: fast. Due to the damage inflicted by the ability on a player’s spirit, it may only be used: once a day.

Trait: Spirit’s Invincibility. Rank: 6, mythic. This Trait grants a player the invincible Technique, which allows them to manifest their spirit as a shield against all forms of damage for: thirty seconds.

The Technique’s casting time is: very fast, but may only be used: once a day.

I chewed on the inside of my lip as I read the Traits’ descriptions. They seemed amazing, and I wished I could have both. Ghostwalker was definitely the better escape option, since it would allow me to cleanly escape difficult situations, and even to enter barred and locked areas.

But invincible would grant me immunity, and it could be used both defensively and offensively. It also appeared to be the faster-acting Technique. In the end it was this last bit that helped me decide. In an emergency, what would matter most would be speed of execution. “I choose Spirit’s Invincibility,” I said, quietening my doubts.

“Noted. Lastly, choose your unique Trait. Unique Traits are unranked, and rarely awarded, and then only in very special circumstances. Every unique Trait is just that: unique, and only a single player may ever possess any particular one.”