Nerves still tingling, Nate prepared to force himself to his feet. He expected everything to hurt. Instead, he found that he felt…good. Incredibly good. His body felt light and lithe, his muscles smoothly responsive. Even his head felt clearer, some of the haze of shock that had been clouding his thoughts burned away. It was odd.
“Jean, what just happened?” he asked. Before his guide could respond, another prompt popped up, not on the table like his character choices, but swimming before his vision again.
Rogue Level 1 HP: 15/15 MP: 3/3
Stats
Strength: 5
Constitution: 5 Free Points: 2
Dexterity: 10
Willpower: 5
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 7
“You have passed through the Awakening process, and your initial stats have been assigned. The realignment requires some modifications to your mind and body that can be quite jarring. You will experience similar conditions at each level up, though they will not typically be so intense.” Jean answered, unphased by his momentary collapse.
Nate was half listening as he stood and stretched. He had no basis for what a “good” stat might be, but suspected that 5 represented something like average back home. His eyebrows rose a bit at his dexterity, significantly higher than any of the others, until he remembered the +3 he was supposed to get as a Rogue. That meant his base stat for Dexterity had been a 7, which was…well, not very surprising. He had always been quick and good with his hands. He was considering what tests he could do to figure out what this increase translated to in ability when Jean spoke again.
“Time is running out, and you have nearly completed the process. Please approach the…”
“I know, I know, the freaking Tablet thing needs me.” He muttered, annoyed at being rushed. He stepped to the table once more, touching the surface. It shifted again.
It is now time for you to gain your Attribute. Each of the Affiliated Worlds has pre-selected an Attribute to assign to its members. These can take many forms, ranging from additional skills and stat bumps to unique powers and passive abilities. Attributes are intended to balance the discrepancies in resources and opportunities between worlds, with weaker Affiliates receiving more impressive Attributes. Your chosen Attribute is as follows:
Nathan Farlance
Affiliated World: Unaffiliated
Attribute: Unassigned
Nate read through the prompt twice, waiting for something to happen. The moment stretched. He touched the table top again, trying to jar it to life. Nothing.
“Ah, Jean?”
There was a flash, and the text box changed. The font was different, and the box was now red. Red was never good.
Critical Error. Participants world Unaffiliated. Unintegrated. Unaligned. Critical Error. Character creation aborting. Emergency protocols active. Purging participant from system.
The words hit Nate like a fist. Something was wrong. He was about to cry out to Jean, but before he could open his mouth, the box disappeared. The tabletop flickered. Then a new prompt appeared.
System update. Critical Error resolved. Special Designation.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The prompt was there and gone in an instant, Nate barely able to absorb the text before it vanished. Then the familiar blue box returned.
It is now time for you to gain your Attribute. Each of the Affiliated Worlds has pre-selected an Attribute to assign to its members. These can take many forms, ranging from additional skills and stat bumps to unique powers and passive abilities. Attributes are intended to balance the discrepancies in resources and opportunities between worlds, with weaker Affiliates receiving more impressive Attributes. Your chosen Attribute is as follows:
Nathan Farlance
Affiliated World: Iconoclast
Attribute: System Blessed
Again, there was a flush through Nate’s whole body, but rather than the burning heat, this time it was merely warm and comforting, like a thick blanket settling down around him. Faintly, as if from far away, there was a hint of music. Not the orchestral, celebratory pomp of his character assignment, but the mournful trill of a single horn. It faded as though swept away by a gentle breeze.
Then the prompt vanished. The table was again blank.
“Jean, what the hell just happened?” Nate asked, still trying to process everything.
“You Attribute has been assigned, Nathan. The Factions of the worlds choose these for their representatives, additional boons to increase their odds of success while in Farandway. As your world has no Faction, the System has designated an Attribute for you.” Her voice hadn’t changed. Not really. Yet, it was different. More intense. It triggered something deep in Nate’s gut, a feeling he had come to trust over the years. There was danger here.
“And that error message?” He asked, cautiously.
“You will see them from time to time.” Jean responded smoothly. “It is not something to worry about. However,” there was an ominous pause, “Factions and Affiliations are a significant factor in the workings of Farandway. The Games of Farandway are competitive in nature, and many will strive to acquire information about you that will provide them with an advantage. Should other participants learn that you are Unaffiliated, they may response in unpredictable ways. Remember this, Nathan. Be careful who you trust, and cherish your secrets.”
“Uh, huh.” Nate said, noncommittally. The core of what she said wasn’t a shock to him. He didn’t need a lecture to explain to him that people were bastards, and he well knew the value of keeping his cards close to his chest. But there was a gravity to his warning that hinted at something more profound. And he didn’t like it.
“It will not be as challenging as you might think. The Attributes of some of the larger factions are well known, but there are many from smaller factions or recently integrated worlds that do not yet have factions that are quite secretive. An attribute, after all, can provide a powerful advantage.”
“And what exactly is my attribute. What does ‘System Blessed’ mean?”
Jean’s head did that annoying twitch again. There was a long pause.
“Chance and randomness, like so many things, are governed by a different set of rules in Farandway. In many cases, such as the flip of a coin, those differences are inconsequential and undetectable. In others, however, the outcomes are determined directly by the System itself. In such cases, your attribute will allow for more favorable outcomes than would otherwise be probable. A proverbial finger on the scales of fate.” Jean’s head twitched again. She was hard to read, having no face and all. But, if Nate had to put a name to her expression, he would have called it considering.
“I don’t believe in fate.” He said, echoing his thoughts from earlier.
“Your belief is not required. However, if the concept makes you uncomfortable, you can instead choose to think of it as luck. I believe you will find that you are quite lucky, Nathan. And you will only become more so as you grow in power and your Attribute becomes more active.”
Nate only nodded, his thoughts already cascading in other directions. Disturbing directions.
“Jean, what is this System you mentioned?”
Surprisingly, this question did not provoke her thoughtful tick. She answered immediately.
“The System is a series of rules governing the unique environment of Farandway.”
“Like a computer?” he asked.
“Not accurate, but as close an approximation as you are currently equipped to conceptualize.”
“And, does that mean that this whole thing isn’t real? That it’s some kind of virtual world?” His recent joking thoughts about a broken simulation suddenly rang uncomfortably loud.
At this, Jean did pause a moment. Then she answered.
“Your question is simple, but the answer is complex. In many ways, Farandway is artificial. In others, it is as real as any world in the cosmos. In at least one way, it is the very realist. I would advise you not to probe this line of questioning. Not yet. That time may come. But you must grow first.”
Nate nodded, though he didn’t really understand. The clarity he had felt after receiving his character sheet had evaporated, leaving his mind hazy and confused again. He tried to push his questions back to that quiet corner of his mind, tried to picture that deep pool inside him. But it wouldn’t come. Instead, he asked another question.
“Jean…are you the System?”
“If the System is a jewel, I am but one of its facets.” She inclined her head, and somehow, impossibly, Nate had the impression she was smiling.
“Yeah. Okay. So, what’s next?” he finally asked.
“Now you have a ceremony to attend. Many of your questions will be answered there. It starts shortly. Follow me, Nathan Farlance.”
Jean turned and strode to the far wall in an impossibly smooth gate. She touched the wall. Instantly, a glowing portal, a twin to the one that had brought him here from that place of darkness, appeared, its surface opaque. Nate followed.
He paused at the doorway and turned to Jean.
“Will I see you again?” he asked.
“Yes. If you survive.” She offered no further explanation, but motioned for him to continue. Through the doorway. Nate gulped. Then he straightened, his bearing resolute.
“Surviving is what I do, Jean. I’ll be seeing you.”
“Best of luck.” Jean said. Nate couldn’t be sure, but it felt like she put some extra emphasis on the word ‘luck.’
With a deep breath, Nate stepped forward.
There was a flash. A blink. Then another prompt.
By what name will you be known in Farandway?
Current Designation: Nathan Farlance
Keep/Change
Nate considered for a long moment. Then he smiled. Mentally, he made his choice.