by Eric Ugland
I sat up and saw that I was on a tiny island dominated by the singular tree. The water extended to the horizon in every direction. I saw no other signs of land. And yet, I felt calm. Everything about wherever I was felt peaceful and good. Great even.
I leaned my back against the tree, feeling the rough bark against my bare skin.
My eyes popped open again.
I was also naked.
Excellent.
At least I looked good naked now. I did a minimum (or minimum-ish) amount of flexing for myself, and wondered if this was what would happen every time I had to make the Choice.
Ripples formed in the water, and an elegant woman in a beautiful blue gown practically sashayed out. She had long brown hair, dark brown eyes, a pretty face, golden skin. She just looked, well, damn good. Gorgeous.
She smiled at me.
“Montana,” she said.
I scrambled to my feet, trying to somehow hide my dangly bits.
Her grin widened as she watched me. Then, with a wave of her hand, leather pants seemed to sprout out of my legs. Now I was half-clothed.
“Enough?” she asked. “Or do you require a shirt as well?”
“No,” I said. “I’m good. Thank you.”
She nodded.
“Can I, uh, I don’t mean to be disrespectful or nothin,’ but I have no idea who you are. Are you here to, like, give me the Choice?”
She laughed.
“Montana,” she said, stepping closer, her long blue train floating across the water. She stroked my cheek. “I am here to thank you for saving my children.”
“Uh,” I stammered, ever so eloquent. Her touch gave me chills. “I don’t mean to, uh, but I don’t know who your children are. So I’m glad I saved them, but it was, you know, incidental.”
She nodded. “I know. You saved them with no promise of reward. I am here now because I intend to reward you. And you may call me Eona.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Eona,” I said.
She laughed. It was musical, amazing. I’d never felt that great about making someone laugh before.
“There is something so refreshing about dealing with those of you who came from other worlds to ours.”
“Do you do that often?”
“Oh, not enough. Sadly, it would seem most of your kind are far too focused on themselves. This marks the first blessing I have bestowed upon one of you.”
“Like a boon?”
“Not quite,” she said with a smile. “For a boon, you would need to do more than what you have so far. I am marking you as favored in my eyes.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Ah, but it is. You have saved my children. I want people to take fewer of those I consider mine, so I reward you.”
“All right,” I said with a slight bow. “Thank you.”
She put her hand over my heart and closed her eyes. I felt a gentle warmth flowing out and spreading over my body.
RECOGNIZE: The Goddess Eona offers you an Indicium. Choose:
1) The Blessing of the Axe — You receive +10 skill levels in Axe, +7 skill levels in tracking, +5 skill levels in butchery, +10% movement speed in forests, +3 Str
2) The Blessing of the Spear — You receive +10 skill levels in Spear, +7 skill levels in swimming, +5 skill levels in fishing, +10% movement speed in water, +3 Agil
3) The Blessing of the Bow — You receive +10 skill levels in Archery, +7 skill levels in trapping, +5 skill levels in skinning, +10% movement speed in plains, +3 Dex
I saw the word fishing, and chose 2) without a second thought.
Eona pushed slightly against my chest, causing a pulse of energy. My first Indicium popped up over my heart. She looked at it for a moment, then traced her other hand over my body, eventually stopping on my stomach.
“Well, if I can’t have your heart,” she said, adding “yet,” with a wink, “perhaps I’ll need to point at it.”
An image of a spear began to form on my stomach. Lots of fancy things swirled around until it was very pretty, with filigree and color.
BE AWARE: You have received Eona’s Blessing of the Spear. You gain +10 levels in Spear, +7 skill levels in swimming, +5 skill levels in fishing, +10% movement speed in water, +3 Agility. Some might look upon this blessing with joy, others with anger. A side has been chosen.
A side?
Eona ran her hand over her blessing, moving a decorative bit from one side of the spear to the other.
“This,” I started, then stalled trying to find the words I wanted to say, “I mean, do you have time to mind or talk or…I mean, I’m not very eloquent.”
“Ah,” she replied, the perfect smile growing, “but your awkwardness has its own particular charm. I can speak for a moment, if you like.”
“I just find this world confusing.”
“And your old home-world, was it not so?”
“No, but, I guess, like, the rules were less codified. We didn’t know what the rules were — no one got any sort of notification. It all seemed much less certain than here.”
“What is your question, Montana?”
“What am I doing here?”
“Receiving my thanks and blessing.”
“Okay, let me rework the question. Why am I picking a side by receiving your blessing?”
“Ah, I think I understand.” She walked over to the tree and touched it, then looked into its crown. The tree seemed to shiver in pleasure, but that could’ve been my imagination. Not like it would have been that weird, there were all sorts of bizarre things going on in this new world. “Montana, were there gods in your old world?”
“That’s a matter of debate.”
“So there might have been, there might not have been?”
“Yeah. That’s about it.”
“Here, there are.”
“I mean, obviously.”
“Oh, I suppose that should be obvious. There are many gods here. And I hate to admit how much we do not get along. Every one of us vies for power. Seeking worshippers and greatness. Well, most. There are some who do not, but they are few and far between.”
“So you’re seeking more worshippers?”
“I am more seeking to preserve those I already have. In the time before now, there were always alliances forming and failing, fights and threats and treachery and war. Constant conflict meant destruction became more common than creation, and our universe began to fracture. To save ourselves, here was a great gathering of all the powers, and an agreement was reached. Rules were codified, and a game began.”
“A game. Is that what I’m playing?”
“No, not exactly,” she replied, shaking her head. “You are a plaything, Montana.”
“Well shit. What the fuck am I supposed to do then?”
“That I cannot tell you. There are rules. Hence why I could not bestow a boon upon you merely because I wished to. You must earn it. And I may not disclose any more about the game than I have. And even what I have told you might be construed as a violation. But we are in relative privacy here, so I felt I might bend things ever so much.”
I looked out at the water, the tiny waves lapping against the green grass. The stillness that had calmed me minutes ago now felt stagnant. Nothing changed here, nor could it.
“So your blessing means—”
“Very little in terms of the larger game. I suppose, if anyone cared to look, it would mean I was supporting whomever brought you here.”
“Mister Paul?”
She tilted her head to the side. Her eyes seemed to glaze over, like she was reading something. Then she came back.
“I see you have received boons from him already. Interesting.”
“Is he, I mean, is he one of the good guys?”
“Regretfully, I have no knowledge of this Mister Paul.”
“How many gods are there?”
“How many stars are there in the sky? There are many layers to the hierarchy, and many levels of power. Eight Gods rule over all, sixty four under them—
”
“And 512 beneath them?”
“Yes, and I am one of those 512. There are 4096 in the level below me, and—”
“I get it — it goes on.”
“It does.”
“And Mister Paul?”
“If I must hazard a guess, he could be one of the 512, or even the 4096. While it takes immense power to bring a hero over, there are—”
“I’m no hero.”
“Oh but you are, Montana. You may fight against it, but you have been brought here to be a hero. You will find the world has ways of making you what it wants you to be.”
She walked over to me and rested her arms around my neck in a delightful hug, cutely having to stand on her tiptoes to do so.
“Montana,” she said, leaning her head against my chest, “thank you. I have enjoyed our time together. Thank you, again, for helping me and mine.”
She turned her face to mine. I wondered if she was about to kiss me.
Instead, she smiled, and everything whisked out of existence.
Chapter 57
I popped upright in my bed, tangled in the scratchy wool blankets. Interestingly, I still had the leather pants on. Outside, it was still dark. Inside, the inn was quiet. The moons were high in the sky. Once again, I wished for a watch. I Just needed to know the fucking time. I wanted to curse the skies and scream to the high heavens, but one, given everything that happened to me I wasn’t sure there were high heavens, or even heavens, to scream at. And two, screaming would probably just wake everyone up. Then they’d all be pissed at me, and someone would probably push me off the boat tomorrow and ruin my fishing attempts.
Instead, I sulked. I tried to figure out what to do, wondering if I’d be able to get back to sleep.
A notification blared up, something even I couldn’t manage to ignore.
In appreciation of achieving both level five and level ten in the same day, you are hereby awarded a bonus of ten levels in any one skill of your choice.
IT IS TIME. YOU MUST CHOOSE:
For reaching level five and level ten in the same day, you are offered but one Choice. You must make a Choice. This prompt may not be minimized nor ignored.
First Choice
1) Nothing — Nothing is as it sounds. You receive no benefits, no penalties, nothing. You receive nothing. You will be nothing. Not the bravest of choices.
2) Warrior — A warrior makes war, not love. What they war is up to them. Why they war is up to them. How they war is up to them. All martial skills advance double.
3) Raider — A raider takes. Often kills. They are focused on the self above others. All martial skills, appraise, intimidation, and stealth advance double. Bonuses to interactions with evil-aligned entities, penalties to interactions with good-aligned entities.
4) Guard — A guard protects, fights for a cause (be it money or orders or something righteous), and places themselves between danger and innocents. All martial skills advance double, +10% HP. Bonuses to interactions with good- or neutral-aligned entities, penalties to interactions with evil-aligned entities, nobles.
5) Beast of Burden — A beast of burden carries things, hauls things, basically helps move things from one place to another. -10 Int, +10 Str. Bonuses to interactions dealing with beasts, penalties to dealing with sentients.
You have one minute to decide.
Helpfully, a countdown clock came up, which was a nice change. How nice to finally keep track of time. Otherwise I was somewhat underwhelmed with my choices. Obviously, choosing Nothing would be a bit funny, but Nikolai would have kittens if I did that, and I needed the guy to be on my team at some point. Similarly, Beast of Burden. Losing ten points of intelligence wouldn’t help anyone. Though I guess after I made that choice, I wouldn’t care. Raider was out, since I didn’t want to be a bad guy. So I was really left picking between Warrior and Guard. Technically, I was a guard. That fit better, but being a warrior didn’t have any specified penalties, so I figured that was the safer early choice.
I watched the timer tick down, wondering what might happen if I didn't make a choice, then realized I’d probably just remain Nothing.
10… 9… 8…
I chose Warrior.
BONG. You have made your choice. You are a Warrior. All martial skills advance double. Let us go to WAR!
Sweet.
A puff of black air suddenly swirled around my wrist for half a second, then disappeared. It left a small mark on me: two weapons crossed, a sword and a spear. Another Indicium. Neat. I’d never had tattoos before, and now I did. And these ones stayed hidden unless I wanted someone to see them.
I pulled up my character sheet, just to take a peek at things, make sure I was aware of everything going on. I needed to be a bit more cognizant of the notifications and things happening around me, if for no other reason than to keep Nikolai off my back. Naturally, there were notifications waiting I hadn’t bothered to look at. Though, for once, I had an excuse in that I’d just woken up and had to deal with the whole Choice nonsense.
Cool beans, you’ve leveled up the skill Spears (Lvl 14). You’re less likely to poke your eye out now! Not much, but less. +18% damage, +18% skill.
Cool beans, you’ve leveled up the skill Swimming (Lvl 16). You can move through water without drowning. +20% movement speed in water.
Cool Beans, you’ve learned the skill Fishing (Lvl 5). You are able to catch fish! +5% fish catching chance, +2.5% fish yield
Hey man! Because you leveled a skill past 10, you get 500 XP!
Hey man! Because you leveled a skill past 10, you get 500 XP!
A little added XP was always nice. Plus I felt like I could probably fly through the water now. I still had the ring of water-breathing, and I was really curious to see what I could do with it once we were out on the lake.
My character sheet looked rad — I felt like I was rounding out as a person in this world.
Montana - Lvl 10 Nothing
Traits
Race: Fallen
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 280 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Blonde
Renown: 0 - No one even knows you exist.
Statistics
HP: 299
STAM: n/a
MP: 412
Armor: +24 (Chain Mail)
Active Effects: None
Attributes
Strength: 55
Agility: 30
Dexterity: 29
Constitution: 53
Wisdom: 23
Intelligence: 28
Charisma: 20
Luck: 27
Unassigned points: 0
Skills
Riding - improvised (Lvl 1): You can now ride improvised devices. +5% to handling.
Falling (Lvl 1): You can flail through the air with the best of them. Watch for the sudden stop at the end.
Animal Handling (Lvl 5): You can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount from getting spooked, intuit an animal’s intentions, or, if you’re really lucky, tame a wild beast.
Harvesting (Lvl 5): You can pick plants, you can grab fruit, you can cut neat things out of creatures you slaughter. That’ll save the world, right? At Level 5, you are able to harvest common elements with no penalties. +10% successful gathering chance.
Investigate (LVL 1): Now when you don’t know, try and figure it out! +5% to find the hidden, +5% passive perception.
Swords (Lvl 5): You can swing sharp objects and likely not hurt yourself. +7% damage. +7% skill.
Spears (Lvl 14): Remember, the pointy end goes towards the enemy. +8% damage. +8% skill.
Unarmed Combat (Lvl 9): You can strike with the fist or the foot, and must register your hands as lethal weapons. -13% stamina drain. +13% damage.
Axes (Lvl 9): You can chop down limbs of trees or men. Or monsters. +12% damage, +12% skill.
Large Weapon Throwing (Lvl 10): Take that massive weapon and throw it away! +13% accuracy, +13% damage.
Warhammers (Lvl 5): Ev
erything IS a nail. +9% damage, -9% stamina drain.
Light Armor (Lvl 3): A little bit of leather goes a long way. +7% dmg reduction, -7% movement penalty.
Heavy Armor (Lvl 1): Metal protects better, but gets in the way a bit. +5% dmg reduction, -5% movement penalty.
Stealth (Lvl 1): Be sneaky! Move around in silence! Tip-toe up to giants and dragons. You’re totally going to start stealing stuff now, aren’t you? +10% harder to detect.
Jump (Lvl 1): You can leap, skip, perhaps even hop. Perhaps with enough practice, you’ll be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. But let’s not hold our breath. +1% to distance, +1% to height.
Improvised Weaponry (Lvl 1): You can make a weapon out of anything. Say, a dwarf stabbed to a chair. +5% dmg when using made up things as weapons.
Swimming (Lvl 16): You can move through water without drowning. +9% movement speed in water.
Fishing (Lvl 5): You can attempt to catch things in the water.
Abilities
The Sword of My Enemy is My Sword: You’ve found that, in a pinch, every weapon will do. +1% dmg for each new weapon used in a combat.
Iron Will: Stamina no longer applies to you. What a beast you are.
Make An Entrance: You really know how to enter a room! Once per day, you may use your ability to make a grand entrance such that those on the other side of the portal are stunned!
Feats
None
Boons
Powerful Build (Mister Paul) - You are bigger than you look. For all strength roles, you are counted as one size category larger than you actually are.