Benjamin – Individual Subspace Pocket
Breathing like the couch conversationalists indoctrinated me to whilst being told I’m about to receive the judgment I deserve, I scan space around me, looking for something with which to orientate myself.
Certain I have turned more than twice and still not seen anything I feel the panic rising as I begin the exercises once more.
‘in 234 hold 234 out 234 hold 234 in 234’
I notice there is an absence of scents in between counts as my mind refuses to give up on solving this conundrum.
The monotonic voice speaks anew and I barely stop from shitting my nonexistent pants for the umpteenth time.
“Your planet’s population of sentient beings has reached the threshold of 10,000,000,000 individual specimens and all, like you, are currently undergoing elevation.”
Either I am hearing a totally new variation of my illness or I just got fucking isekai’d. Playing the words over and over in my head again I realize that my first idea was just plain wrong and in fact this might be an apocalypse scenario.
‘Well shit.’
Looking at nothing in particular I ask. “So um, hey mr disembodied voice guy?”
Silence.
My inner turmoil increases as the voice speaks again:
“You and your fellow sapient’s will have to adapt your psychology and physiology to be compatible with your new mana enhanced environs. Naturally this will entail you undergoing a brief and limited exposure to the afore mentioned ‘mana’.“
Narrowing my eyes at being talked at rather than answered, I prosecute.
“Mate I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had a pretty shitty day so far. So if you could just sent me back to my shack I wou-“
The monotonic voice cuts me off as it dictates.
“I shall now commence low grade mana exposure which may cause some discomfort, please stand by.”
‘Is this thing going to irradiate me or some shit?’
Valiantly making a play to protect my sperm count I counter. “now just h-hold on a second ma-“
Then I begin experiencing a sharp burning sensation behind my solar plexus.
The pain doesn’t stop there, continuing to spread out from where it began, to the extremities of my hands, feet and worst of all. My fucking head!
It was like someone had shoved a molten hot knife into my brain and no matter how much tried to hit the thing loose with some open palm slappage, I couldn’t. Left with little other option I can only grit my teeth and bear it.
Over my life I’ll be the first to admit that I have developed a strange relationship with pain. We are certainly not mates or anything, but we have meet each other enough that we can coexist in the same space. At least for a time.
It seems this was only a short meeting however, and as we begin to part ways with only a searing memory, I’m astonished to find that to all outward appearances my body looks nothing like its just been dropped in a vat of acid.
Gritting my teeth as I stretch out my cramped and aching muscles, I check my surroundings again to find I’m still the only one in this white void.
Making an effort to restart nonexistent negotiations I offer.
“So, ah, now you have kinda been inside me and we have gotten acquainted, can we exchange numbers or something?”
The smug monotonic bastard states.
“You are to be congratulated ‘Human’ for having survived the low grade mana exposure test.”
Scowling at its non-answer I retort.
”Great I passed your test! Now do I get to meet your parents?”
Still not entirely certain if I’m hallucinating all this shit or not, I can feel the aching muscles in my neck protest as I look up to see where the light for this place is, and decide to listen to my body and take this a bit more seriously as I’m told that I’m a weak ass cunt.
The monotonic voice breaks into my internalized session of damage control as it states.
“I am now about to begin the class aptitude test, this test will take into account your life’s previous experience, natural predispositions and bodies compatibility.”
‘oh fuck not again’
I mentally prepare for another proverbial dip into lava and look down to see a blue-ish cloud of what looks to be gas, appear around my feet.
‘in 234 hold 234 out 234 hold 234 in 234’
The cloud makes its way up my body and I notice an ever so slight tingling sensation like someone put too much chlorine in the public pool, but thankfully nothing else.
The cloud gets to my head and i hear a *Whaaaaaap* coupled with another bright flash of light.
“Fuck a duck!”
I exclaim, blinking quickly to free myself of the flash photography.
The monotonic asshole speaks again.
“After reviewing the test results I have complied a list of available class choices, they are as follows.”
I blink in surprise as a blue screen pops into existence in front of me.
Swiveling my head then my eyes, I notice it’s always in the center of my vision.
The most pertinent thing however, is that it appears to have a timer.
If previous events and information contained in this white room are anything to go off, this is not the hand holdy, help menu type of rpg-apocalypse scenario. Given that…whatever I’m going to choose I better be quick.
Taking in the screen I begin to grin:
Classes available for selection:
>Apprentice Beastmaster (Uncommon)
>Apprentice Knight (Common)
>Apprentice Mage (Common)
>Apprentice Man at Arms (Common)
>Apprentice Diplomat (Common)
>Apprentice Shaman (Uncommon)
…Selection time remaining 4 minutes 11 seconds…
There is only one clear choice to make, though that realization gives rise to the new fear that my dogo has just been obliterated, or worse turned into a Manabeast! Suppressing that train of thought I make my selection:
Class chosen >Apprentice Beastmaster<
2 preexisting bonded animals have been detected.
“Oh thank you great and beneficent flying spaghetti monster!”
I say while exhaling a held breath I had forgotten existed:
Please select one of the following:
>Preexisting canine analogue
>Preexisting marsupial analogue
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
My eyes bulge at this new and cruel choice that’s forced upon me!
I must choose with what I’m assuming is Max the one true dog, and the dexter-esque joey I rescued.
Decisions decisions…
To make Max into super dogo, or to do battle on the back of a kangaroo…fark….
But in the end it wasn’t even a contest.
Sadness takes root within me anew, as I apologize emphatically to the headless ghost of mama roo:
You have selected preexisting canine analogue, manifesting now.
In a flash of blue-white light Max’s outline appears against the white backdrop and he *woofs* in greeting as he bounds over. Scratching behind his ears as I clutch my towel, my melancholy eases as the voice speaks again:
“Congratulations human 00,210,863,731 on your new class. Given that your initial integration of mana and class has been successful, you now have access to your ‘status’ interface giving a truncated and itemized visualization of your current state. To monitor this visualization simply mental invoke the word ‘status’. To modify and distribute attributes and skill activation, you must mentally command the appropriate attribute or skill to be modified by invoking ‘increase attribute’ or ‘skill name’. Whilst accessing the status interface all selections and modifications are final so please choose wisely.”
I struggle to pay attention to the lecture as I’m told I’m still a useless loser and begin my breathing exercises.
I vow to not become a min-maxing dropkick as I hold a centering hand on my canine friend, when the monotonic voice speaks again.
“Having completed your initial aptitude test, mana exposure and class selection successfully I shall now disseminate basic information on your soon to be new home and habitat and the system that is now part of it.”
“The world as you once knew it is no more, what domiciles, structures and facilities that previously existed have been reconstituted and relocated to better facilitate this planets elevation process. The biomes that used to exist haphazardly have been consolidated and reorganized in a more uniform manner.”
The information washes over me as I allow the tactile sense of Max’s fur and the warmth of his body to distract from my whirling thoughts.
“In light of this your species has been provided with new basic accommodations known as ‘Outposts’ in level appropriate zones along with access to a goods trading system known as a ‘Shop’. Currency to trade for items in the ‘Shop’ will be attainable from vanquishing mana enhanced entities in the form of condensed mana known as Manamotes. Manamotes come in different densities with according value ascribed to them and being universally attainable throughout the elevated cosmos are universally accepted currency on any world.”
“Having just been introduced to the system your species plus the native flora and fauna of your biomes will have to undergo drastic changes alongside your planet to be able to survive in this newly mana enhanced environment. Any previous technology relying on electrons vigorous interactions will no longer function without the interaction of mana , this is by way of mana having altered your previously lived in environment at both the atomic and sub-atomic level.”
Now that I have some of my marbles, I gather that what I’m experiencing now is probably the equivalent of a tutorial in the Manwah’s I’m fond of:
“To further advance yourself as an individual you are able to absorb mana from entities your own mana field has interacted with at the period of time before the entity ceases to be. The more you are responsible for hastening said entities demise the greater portion of it’s mana you will be able to assimilate into your own mana field conversely should another entity be responsible in a similar fashion for your demise the reverse effect shall be applied.”
Wondering how all this applies to when people form groups, I file the question away for later while the voice keeps on going:
“The process of gaining mana with this mechanism is called “gaining experience” and will quantified in your ‘status’, only when a sufficient amount has been gathered and your level is increased.”
“Another Method of gaining experience is through the quest system, there are two means by which to obtain and complete quests.”
“The first method is by being present in a specific geographical location and participating in a locally broadcasted system activity ranging from but not limited to exterminating other entities, destroying a specific structure or securing an area for a set amount of time.”
“The second method is by obtaining a quest from an ‘outpost’s’ quest bulletin board, these quests are refreshed every 24 of your hours and you are limited to taking only one per 24 hour period.”
“Rewards for the quests can also differ greatly aside from a rewarded set amount of individual experience you may also obtain a cache of mana motes, enchanted items of varying rarity, consumables and much more.”
“All beings in a mana enriched environment are subject to the ‘experience’ system and are treated equitably and fairly regardless of beings existing belief’s or values.”
Ok so quests, rewards, experience, status screens and levels.
I definitely took the RPG pill this morning, though odds are pretty even at this point that this is just a psychotic break brought on from the trauma of today.
Though if it was I wouldn’t thin-
The voice cuts off that train of thought as it espouses yet more info.
“While being an individualized instance of the Arbiter of the elevation tutorial protocol for your species’ personal subspace pockets my knowledge is limited to only what is applicable to my task. I must apologize if afore mentioned information on your current and upcoming circumstance is insufficient for you or has caused any distress, please take 5 of your minutes to familiarize yourself with your new class and ‘status’ interface.”
I startle as another blue box pops into the bottom right hand corner of my vision:
4 Minutes 59 Seconds until elevation tutorial ends, you have also been provided with class specific equipment please prepare yourself.
Max barks and runs toward what appears to be a white circular Pedestal. On the Pedestal in question there seems to be a run of the mill looking wooden cudgel, strapped with metal bands. Max jumps up and grabs it between his jaws and brings it to me to play fetch.
Grinning at my budday, he bounds up to me like the best dog he is. However when he gets to within about 2 feet of me and I look at the cudgel, another blue box takes prime position in my vision:
Apprentice Beastmaster’s Cudgel
Level Requirement: 1
Attributes: Melee Damage + 1 – 5
Durability: 10 / 10
Description: An apprentice beastmaster’s cudgel and one of their most reliable tools. A common magical item synthesized for phase 1 worlds.
I can’t keep the grin on my face from growing as my kelpie is handing me free loot, whilst I endeavor not to get my hand covered in canine slobber and fail miserably.
Noticing the timer in the right hand corner of my vision was now at 4 minutes and 5 seconds and still ticking down. I remember the part about ‘status’ screens and put some mental oomph into the word and while I’m told I’m a pitiful excuse for a human being, a new blue screen comes as a welcome distraction:
STATUS
Name: Benjamin
Age: 29
Titles: N/A
Class 1: Apprentice Beastmaster Level:1 + 1 Vitality per level
Class 2: N/A
Profession: N/A
HP: 23/23 MP: 32/32
Status Effects: Schizophrenia Type C
Vitality: 9
Strength: 11 Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 3 Luck: 1
Undistributed Attribute points: 5
Passives –
Human: + 5 attribute points per level
Lingua System: Able to communicate verbally with any system integrated entity and be understood
Parasitic Mutator: Ability to absorb a prevalent trait of a recent killed entity by the host. Must be within 1 meter of target, maximum 3 traits at any one time. Current traits:
1) Schizophrenia Type C: Permanently experience persecutory hallucinations, mood swings and paranoia.
2) n/a
3) n/a
Loner: +15% all damage dealt when fighting alone, -10% all damage taken when fighting alone, -10% all damage dealt when fighting beside others, +15% all damage taken when fighting in a group.
Bonded Animal: Canine analogue (Max)
Skills – Apprentice Beastmaster
1) Command Bond (LvL 1): Command your bonded animal with an absolute order, your bonded animal must be within 2 meters for command to be effective. (Range, cooldown and mana cost scales with skill level). Cost: 5 Mana, Cast time: 1 second Cooldown: 1 minute
2) N/A
3) N/A
4) N/A
5) N/A
6) N/A
I barely register anything else on the status screen except for the bit about ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘parasitic mutator’. It’s there in blue and white, my illness laid bare.
Worse still, the implication of the Parasitic Mutator trait means that the other foster children weren’t just being little spiteful assholes.
I actually am responsible for my mother’s death.
The ‘gift’ she left me with an indisputable truth.
Unless this too is just a hallucination about my hallucinations…
Maybe Karen slipped LSD into my water tank…
No!
The pain, the smell of my dank bath towel, the sensation of Max’s tongue licking my cheek and grounding me.
Too real.
My childhood in foster care seems more deserved now.
More just.
My act of being born, which killed my mother and took her madness into myself as penance, finally has some karmic worth.
Searching for some positive in the storm of fuck that is now my inner world, I land on an oddly comforting notion.
‘Holy shit, is this finally a form of absolution?’
‘The long line of government funded quacks who thought I was making this shit up, are they finally invalidated?’
Running with the idea I childishly revel in the vindictive thought of having quantifiable proof that I’m crazy and so I laugh…Like a madman…
Then my elation dies on the vine as I realize that it probably doesn’t matter anymore.
If what this Arbiter thing said is true, then there probably isn’t going to be any sort of medical establishment left to give a single finger salute to anyway.
Gripping the cudgel I stare off into the distance before I realize I might have a chance to do something constructive and get some answers that aren’t contained in the script.
“So ah, Mr Arbiter. What’s the best way to get to one of these outposts?”
Aaaaaannnnnnd the thing just remains mute as the seconds continue to tick down on the blue boxed timer.
“HELLLLOOOOOOO?”
When my echoing yell produces an identical non answer, I ponder what to do next as someone calls me a dickhead and tells me that I better watch my back.
Opting to dump my 5 free attribute points into vitality, because who doesn’t want more health when shit is likely going to try and eat you?
It’s with only 10 seconds left on the clock that I try once more to get a response out of the voice that apparently isn’t one of mine.
“What’s funnier than 10 babies in one bucket?”
Noticing I’ve waited too long to correctly mete out the punch line, with only have 3 seconds left I blurt out.
“One baby i-“
Unfortunately for my standup career, the blue white light claims me halfway through.