For the second time in a day, he woke on a beach.
A firetruck blared into his ears, a cacophony of bells that rattled his sore head. He groaned and tried to roll over, covering his head with his arms. The tangy scent of his waterlogged clothes hit him hard, and he retched.
Smells almost as bad as that squid, he thought.
He lurched upright, suddenly remembering the sea monster. He looked around frantically, heart pounding with adrenaline. It was early morning, the sun just beginning to shine on the gray sands and dull green sea. There was a heavy mist in the air, as if the sun hadn't had a chance to burn it away yet, and it clung to the low places around him. He could see his left leg where the creature had grabbed him, the skin was blistered and torn. The same was true of his left forearm, and my god, they hurt so bad!
He held himself still, riding out the pain until he could get a handle on it. He focused on details to cope, running his hands through the coarse gray sand (why is it gray?) and noticed that both of his wounds had small, circular ridges where the flesh was torn.
Suction cups. He shuddered.
A bell rang brightly in his ear three more times, spiking the pain in his head but distracting him from his arm and leg. Then he saw it: a small icon shaped like an exclamation point was flashing in the corner of his vision.
"What is this?" He thought it looked like...No, that wouldn't make sense.
Looking directly at it was impossible, it kept moving to the side. He stood up, his legs protesting as the blistered skin stretched tight. He tried spinning toward the blinking object, but it'd dance away immediately. After five minutes, he had had enough. "AGH! What the hell! Open!"
And it did.
His vision was suddenly inundated with small blue boxes, semi-transparent and filled with large off-white script. He couldn't place why they seemed so familiar until he read one.
"No way."
The Continent Welcomes You, Unbound!
Choose Your Race!
This is insane, he managed, his mind reeling. It's like a game. What's an Unbound?
Dozens of names began to populate beneath the Race header, and he caught a few. Human, Elf, Dwarf, something called a Traxik. But then there was a stuttering glitch with the screen and sparks of crimson light bled onto the blue. Three notifications appeared in rapid succession, all save the last tinged by that crimson hue and accompanied by a droning tone.
ERR0R((#)! Extra Options Granted!
ERROR#12! Race Already Selected!
You Have Chosen: Nym
Nym: Will Unyielding, Soul of Fire. A Lost Race.
+1 to WIL, INT, DEX And END Per Level, +5 Bonus Stats Per Level. -5% XP Gain.
All Choices Have Consequences.
"What? I didn't choose anythi--"
Before he could finish the sentence, his jaw snapped shut as his body was wracked with Pain. Capital 'P' pain that hurt so bad it felt like his blood was on fire. Screams tried to worm their way out of him, but his throat had swollen and his lungs felt like they'd burst. That droning tone grew louder, more insistent, more textured; it rattled through him like a subwoofer had been installed beneath his skin, shaking his bones until everything just came loose. He thrashed in the sand, in silent agony.
Then, in an instant, it stopped.
The pain disappeared, as if it had never been, and his notifications cleared and repopulated.
Race Successfully Changed.
Prepare For Your Reveal!
My what? What the hell is going on?
Congratulations! You Have Revealed Your Omen!
ERROR! Omens--ERR-0R!
Omens Are--#F(=)
Y*% H*@V3 ReV$al$#: (#$ F00--ERROR
More red light, more noise, though each subsequent notification was met with more and more blue and gold. A pain slowly gathered behind his eyes, intense any only getting worse at each flashing box.
A burst of blue and gold sparks inundated his vision, completely obscuring everything else and drowning out that irregular static with the sound of a ringing bell. A single stout-bordered blue box appeared. There was not a hint of red to it.
You Have Revealed: The Magician
+2 to WIL, +1 to INT, And PER Per Level.
A wave of rainbow light exploded outward from him, like an expanding orb. It happened so suddenly, he could only watch as it whisked into the distance, a receding line that didn't touch the loose sand at his feet.
What? He looked down at himself, confused and slightly terrified. Omens? Magician? He didn't even know what that meant!
And then he did, as if the knowledge was shoved into his brain:
The Magician: The Will To Know.
That's...less than useful. He ran a shaking hand through his dark hair, slicking it back with an increasing amount of sweat. All of this had him covered in a flop sweat, not to mention the building heat in the air. He was overwhelmed. Whatever was going on had more rules to it than he could grasp. And that light show was...concerning, to say the least.
And the pain...it still tingled his fingertips, an echo of torment he couldn't shake. The pain more than anything had him sure that this, whatever it was, was all real.
But it couldn't be...could it?
As stupid as it sounded, even in the privacy of his own head, it felt like he was in an RPG or MMO game. Fantasy races, blue menu screens, magic and monsters...it all felt terribly familiar. Save that he wasn't familiar with the Nym race in any fiction, and the term "Omen" was also unfamiliar, though he guessed it was something like a class. If this was all a delusion, his imagination was smarter than he had ever thought.
In less than a breath, another notification popped up.
Choose Your Born Trait!
This time the window was populated by dozens, hundreds, then thousands of options. A scroll bar on the side of the notification window slowly grew smaller and smaller, until he could barely see it. The error messages didn't reappear, thankfully, and he found himself staring at more options than he knew what to do with. The growing list of options ranged from useful to downright bizarre.
Mighty Thews: +2 to STR and +2 bonus to any Feats of Strength performed.
Talented Voice: +2 to VIT and +2 bonus to all Negotiations with sentient creatures that share your language.
Fish Breath: Breathe underwater, able to eat entire fish in a single swallow.
...
"So many...."
Suddenly, he was almost glad his race and omen were chosen for him; if there were this many options for everything, then he'd be hip deep in these notifications for hours. He tried to close the window, hoping that he could put this off longer, but the notification just shook before returning to its original position. Looked like he had to make his choice now.
He put his hands to his temples, feeling the remnants of his hangover resurfacing. The world felt like it was spinning just slightly too fast, and he had to crouch and sink a hand into the warm sand beneath him. This was too much. First the yacht, Chad, and Gabby...Dear god, Gabby.
What happened to her and her friend? Had they made it off the boat? It was storming too, so--
The storm.
Again the memory of the storm and the lightning strike rose up inside him. He flinched from it, like touching a hot stovetop, but he couldn't deny what he recalled. He'd been pulled from the sea, yanked into the storm and...and left here. Beside a terrifying ocean and killer monsters. What next? He wasn't even human anymore, apparently.
"Where the hell am I?!" he half-shouted and fell to his butt in the sand. He was so tired. He tried to close his eyes, but the pop-up notification was still there. He thrashed his arms and legs in the sand and yelled. "AAARRRAAAHHHH!"
Thirty seconds later, he panted in the white sands, physically and emotionally exhausted. His limbs were heavy from his little fit, and his left arm and leg throbbing from where he had torn open parts of his blisters. He was all alone in a strange land, with deadly monsters everywhere, and opaque RPG-style game rules.
Why? Why am I here?
He scrunched his eyes closed and tried to envision himself laying on his futon in his tiny studio apartment. He tried to remember the feel of his down comforter, and the uncomfortable slats beneath the thin mattress. But the notification taunted him, glaring bright and blue and unavoidable. He opened his eyes with a sigh.
I don't know why I'm here, or how I can get home, but if I'm going to survive this insane place then I need some serious advantages. He set his jaw and sat up, confronting the notification.
His Omen was called The Magician. It had something to do with will or willpower, according to the vague description. His Race was Nym, and he gained bonuses to some sort of stats. He couldn't remember, exactly. He started fumbling around his display, hoping for some reminder of what those bonuses were and received a single line of text in reply.
Cannot Open Status Page At This Time
"Huh. So that means there is one."
Despite himself, he was intrigued. His fears and frustrations began to fall behind curiosity. He was blind to whatever stats he had, but he thought that his Race and Omen gained bonuses to WIL, INT, DEX, END, and PER. If this was anything like the tabletop RPGs he'd played then those hopefully stood for Willpower, Intelligence, Dexterity, Endurance, and Perception. He had double bonuses to WIL and INT, which fed into the idea that his class had access to magic or something. His breath caught for a moment. Was magic real, here?
"Don't get distracted. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The Trait options might clue me in. What sort of Traits do I have available?" He refocused on the Born Trait selection window, slowly making his way down.
There were thousands of options and he quickly got lost in reading them. They covered all sorts of options and character builds, but he had no clue what to expect in this strange place. Would the ability to cleanse his blood of impurities once daily be useful? Sure, especially if there was poison or something close by. Would it be better than the other options? He had no idea.
He read through twenty or so options before he realized how stupid he was being. He had just survived a wild animal attack, and now he was sitting out in the open? He was surprised at how easily he lost himself, feeling a powerful thrill of fear at the thought of being caught unaware by some beast. The area, aside from that terrifying squid, seemed to be devoid of any animal life at all.
But he'd never been an outdoorsy guy. Who knew what lurked out there?
He stood and stepped closer to the tree line. There was a collection of large boulders to his right, a number of which were close enough together that he had to squeeze between them. Nestled within the boulders, each taller than himself, he felt a sudden sense of relief. Perhaps it wasn't perfect safety, but he didn't feel so exposed any longer.
Back to the Traits, I guess.
Three hours. He spent three hours sitting on the beach and reading the various Traits. He ended up filing them into three categories: Utility, Neat But Useless, and Over Powered. Neat But Useless was easily the largest category, filled with thousands of Traits that seemed less than optimal. He was blind to the rules of this place and also his own stats, but even he could tell that being able to "eat a coconut whole and spit out the rind at high speed" was dumb.
Utility had some interesting options, including a way to jump up to three times his height at will. That would be cool as hell, he thought. There was even a Trait called Mageborn, which granted him a larger than normal Mana pool. It also confirmed the idea that magic existed on the Continent, wherever that might be. The knowledge thrilled him, and he couldn't help but feel a kernel of excitement thinking about hurling fireballs and other wizard stuff. But the last category contained the only Trait that seemed entirely perfect.
Keen Mind - +2 INT. You have perfect recall of all events within the past 30 days, and have a 20% chance of perfect recall beyond 30 days.
The nature of knowledge meant that memory was critical, and if his Omen description was any indication, knowledge was core to his class. While being stronger or faster might help him survive, Keen Mind would let him thrive. It was just a gamble on whether he could live long enough to make it useful.
He hesitated before selecting it. He spent long minutes going over the other options, but nothing caught his eye except for Mageborn which only gave him a small bump to his mana pool in the beginning. He didn't know how much mana he'd be using later, but he didn't even know any spells right now. He shook his head. Screwing up his courage, he selected Keen Mind.
Are You Sure?
All Choices Have Consequences.
Y/N
That phrase again. He frowned and mentally selected 'yes.'
You Have Selected Keen Mind As Your Born Trait!
CONGRATULATIONS!
What Is Your Name, Unbound?
He paused. Should he use his real name? He had never really liked his name, and who knew what things he'd encounter here. Maybe it was smart to hide his real name? So, feeling a little foolish he decided to input a name he had used in several games:
Felix Nevarre
Thank You, Felix!
Welcome Again To The Continent!
We Hope You Survive.
Then the blue window disappeared.
I'm sorry, what? He--no, Felix was worried. That last line was not encouraging.
Then his train of thought was interrupted by a metric fuck ton of PINGs and blue box notifications.
Combat Engaged Before Initialization!
ERROR! Logs Imperfect!
You Have Been Injured!
You Have Sustained Acid Damage!
Due to Attack Before Initialization, Deadly Damage Has Been Negated!
You Have Survived The Dread!
Due To Eating The Dread and Surviving, You Have Gained a Title!
Gourmand (Rare)!
Eat Your Foes! Learn Their Strength! Knowledge Fuels You!
+1 to INT and VIT!
"What?" Felix was dumbfounded. "A title? Just from biting the squid? That's...yeah, that's weird."
The notifications continued. Every time he closed one, another was ready to take it's place. Most of them said he 'sustained acid damage,' probably from that nasty green ocean which Felix now assumed was a low grade acid.
That's what I'm smelling! Vinegar!
That had been bugging him for a while.
You Have Learned a Skill!
Acid Resistance (Common), Level 1
Decrease damage from acid by a small amount. Amount increases slightly with Skill Level.
Felix grimaced, the taste of the Dread's ichor still faint in his mouth. At least it was good for something. The moment he closed the notification, another three appeared in quick succession:
Acid Resistance is now Level 2!
Acid Resistance is now Level 3!
Acid Resistance is now Level 4!
Huh. Felix's eyes widened as he felt his injuries begin to burn less. Now instead of a faint burning they just felt like a standard open wound, wet and stinging in the air. Did this mean he could train Acid Resistance by jumping in the brackish water? He glanced at the waveless sea before him, imagining the creatures squirming beneath.
He shuddered. Hard pass.
You have Gained a Title!
Survivor I (Uncommon)!
Your Health has dropped below 5%, but you lived to tell the tale! +1 END, +1 VIT!
You Have Learned A Skill!
Analyze (Common), Level 1
Intuit knowledge of people, places, and things! Will garner more information with further use!
You Have Analyzed Your Enemy!
Name: The Dread
Type: Blood Beast
Level: ???
HP: ???
MP: ???
Lore: The Dread is all consuming, all powerful, and unstoppable.
Analyze, huh? Felix was inordinately pleased. If he was going the route of knowledge gatherer then this would be a core skill.
That monster name and lore though...Yikes.
You Have Escaped The Dread! You Fled Rather Than Die A Painful Death! Wise Move!
XP Earned!
Felix let out a shrill yawp as suddenly light enveloped his body. He scrambled to his feet as a nearly inaudible yet haunting melody crashed against his ears, and the light faded just as quickly as it appeared. A new notification appeared before him, and this time the box was gilded and surrounded by a stylized border.
Level up!
You Are Now Level 2!
+3 to WIL! +2 to INT! +1 to DEX! +1 to END! +1 to PER!
You Have 5 Unused Stat Points!
"Holy shit," he said, his eyes wide. "It IS like a video game."
This only affirmed his increasingly paranoid suspicion that he had died and gone to a particularly strange afterlife. He had stats. And levels! What even was this?
The notifications continued, unabated.
Your Title Gourmand Has Garnered You Insight!
You Have Learned A Skill!
Memories of the Past (Uncommon), Level 1
Capture Memories from the Mana of your foes! Relive collected Memories to gain insight and learn from your enemies! Memories last until relived, then fade. Percentage retained determined by Skill Level.
SYNERGY DETECTED!
Keen Mind Has Synergy With Memories of the Past (U)!
Do You Wish To Evolve Your Skill?
Y/N
"Uh, yes. Why wouldn't I?"
Evolution In Process...
Felix suddenly felt light-headed and sweaty, as if he hadn't eaten in days and tried to run a marathon. His hands shook as he held them up to his head. He saw more flashes of blue and gold in the corners of his vision, like fireworks just out of sight. That pain reawakened, flaring along his skin and burrowing up his spine.
The sound of a bell chimed, barely audible, and the pain rapidly spiked. Felix's breath was sucked from his chest, like he'd been punched in the solar plexus. His body felt like a deflating balloon, and all of his air was rushing out of him, gathering at the edges of his vision.
You Have Discovered A Skill!
Lessons of the Past (Rare), Level 1
Capture Memories from the Mana of your foes! All Memories are retained perfectly for 30 days, after which retention is increased by Skill Level. Chance of learning Skills from retained Memories increases with Skill Level.
GASP! Felix sucked in a sudden breath, finally able to breath, and he fell to his knees. His head felt stuffed with cotton and also vaguely on fire. The pain of the evolving Skill was vivid but brief, a dull burn that even now faded away. The notification hovered before him as he coughed into the sandy loam, blinking insistently until he acknowledged it. He looked up.
Ho-holy cow.
If he was reading this correctly, he could learn Skills from the memories of enemies he'd, what? Defeated? Encountered? That was wildly overpowered. His choice of Born Trait was already bearing fruit.
Memory Gained From The Dread! Would You Like To Review It Now?
Yes/Yes