Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and any original techniques and abilities that may show up.
I'm putting this in the Naruto section because it will eventually get around to Naruto. Don't know when, but eventually.
Enjoy!
xXxX
Beep, beep, beep, bee-CRASH.
'Ping'
"Fucking alarm clock." I said as I slowly opened my eyes, awakening to the new day. I looked at my alarm. " God fucking damn it, that's the third one this week." The device was completely shattered. "That's the third one this week. I knew I shouldn't have stayed up so late reading that new webcomic The Gamer." I rolled over in the bed, eyes shut. Something was bothering me, like I was missing something. Then it hit me. What the hell was that ping? I'd smashed a number of alarms, but never heard that ping before. I sat up, opened my eyes, and saw something that would change my life forever.
Welcome to the Game.
I pinched my self a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
'Ping.'
Oh for fucks sake, that's gonna get old.
For enduring damage you have created the skill Physical Resistance.
'Well that proves I'm not dreaming. I guess I'm the Gamer now. I'll play along for now'
I took in a breath, and let it out slowly, clearing my mind, like I do every time I start a new game, and do the tutorial, so I can take in the new information easier.
'Ping.'
For steady breathing, and calming your mind, you have created skill Meditation.
'Hmm, that's odd, I guess pretty much anything I do can become a skill.'
'Ping'
For learning about a facet of the game before viewing the tutorial, take 2 to all stats'
'Well I guess that clears that up.' I mused to myself. I guess anytime I figure out something new about this thing, I get stats.
'Ping'
Take 2 INT and WIS.
'I'll take that as a yes. Well I guess I better check my stats.'
"Stats," I said out loud, echoing loudly in my sparsely decorated apartment.
Name: John Colt
Title: He Who Resides in Infinite Realms
Level: 1
HP:100
EP:1000
Age : 22
Height: 6'4"
Build: Muscular
Eye color: Extremely dark brown(nearly black)
Hair color: Black
Skin tone: Very tan.
STATS
INT: 32
WIS: 32
STR: 30
VIT: 25
DEX:20
LUK:??
CHR:5
"What's up with my Luck and Charisma scores? Let's try 'status'."
Status Effects
Severe Depression: -25 to charisma, -5 to vitality, -50% EXP
Heat Stroke: -90% to HP, -5 to STR, VIT, DEX
'Well, I reckon that explains my super low charisma, but what about my luck? How about ' attributes'?'
Attributes
Colt family luck: Your family is cursed with the worst good luck imaginable. Thing will go horribly wrong, but will still somehow manage to work out for the best in the end. Functionally gives a LUK of 100, adding 5 LUK for every level you gain.
I sigh, exasperated. "Well that explains so much. Let's take a look at the 'tutorial'."
Hello, and welcome to The Game. First off, let's give you the most basic attributes and skill The Gamer needs
'Ping'
You have been given The Gamer's Body. Sleeping cures all status afflictions, and restores HP and EP. Nothing can kill you except your HP dropping to 0. Also cures any physical ailments you had before entering 'The Game'.
'Ping'
Heat Stroke has been cured. Here are your stats changes
HP:1000
STR:35
VIT:30
DEX:25
I felt a slight tingle, and I shuddered, I hadn't felt this good in years.
'Ping'
You have gained The Gamer's Mind. You are immune to mental attacks, mental and psychological disorders, and any pre-existing conditions have been cured.
'Ping'
You no longer suffer from Severe Depression. You now gain EXP normally. Your new stats are:
VIT:30
CHA:30
'Ping'
You have gained the skill Observe.
'Ping'
Because of your title, Observe is now Level MAX.
'Ping'
For leveling a skill to max before completing the tutorial, all stats are now set to base 40. You now gain EXP and stat points at twice the normal rate.
'Ping'
You now have the Instant Dungeon skill. Now that you have all the essential skills, let's start the tutorial.
I spent the next few hours combing through every inch of the tutorial, and menus, learning the ins and outs, gaining 10 in both WIS and INT. 'I am beginning to think that I'm OP.' My title, 'He who resides in the Infinite Realms' was given to me because of my near encyclopedic knowledge of hundreds of worlds I once thought to be just fiction, but now revealed to be fact through The Game. It allows me to travel to a random one of these worlds once a month, where in the span of a second in my world I can spend as long as I want in the other world, gaining strength, saving lives, and generally being a badass. The only down side is I apparently can only visit a specific world once, and can never go back, which is a bummer cause that means anybody I connect with would vanish from my life forever. The title also grants Max level Observe, allowing me to see all information about any thing or any one. Histories, levels, stats, emotional states, and abilities to name a few.
'Ping'
Here are your updated stats.
INT: 50
WIS: 50
STR: 40
VIT: 40
CHA: 40
LUK: ??
'Ping'
For raising INT to 50 you gain the perk Man of the Arts. All non-combat skills cost no EP.
'Ping'
For raising WIS to 50 you gain the perk Conservation of Energy. Skills cost 50% less EP.
'Ping'
For raising one stat to 50 before Level 2, you will now gain HP equal to VITx10 for every level. You will now gain EP equal to WISx10 for every level.
For raising two stats to 50 before Level 2, you now gain 2.5 points in all stats except LUK(due to Colt Family Luck)on level up.
"Well damn, now I know I'm OP. It's like I'm the main character of a bad fanfiction, hahaha," I laughed out loud. That notion is ridiculously outlandish, even considering what had occurred this morning.
'Ping'
I quickly swiped away the notification, not willing to read what I was sure was a revelation about my existence. 'Really don't want to deal with an existential crisis today.' I shook my head, removing the thoughts. "Well, I guess it's time for training." I got up off my bed and walked to my closet. I opened the door to reveal….. a gigantic gunsafe. I opened it, and proceeded to fill my newly discovered hammerspa… inventory with guns, ammunition, knives, swords, maces, and spears. "I knew being a weapon-nut and picking up blacksmithing would pay off someday.
'Ping'
For remembering that you are good at something, take these skills.
Blacksmithing Lvl 80
You are a master Smith, capable of turning iron and steel into works of art, and tools of death.
80% effectiveness to any armor and weapons you craft, and allows you to repair any metal weapons that may become damaged.
Gunsmithing Lvl 80
80% effectiveness to guns that you craft, and allows you to repair any guns that may become damaged.
Ammunition crafting Lvl MAX
Allows you to craft any type of ammo in any caliber, provided you have the equipment and materials.
Gunplay Lvl 60
60% fire rate, accuracy, reload speed and damage to all fire arms. (1% per level)-30% recoil.(.5% per level)
Swordsmanship Lvl 10
10% swing speed, parry speed and damage with edged weapons.(1% per level)
Spearman Lvl 10
Same bonuses as swordsmanship, but with spears and other polearms.
Bludgeoner Lvl 10
Same bonuses as swordsmanship, but with blunt weapons.
I looked at the new skills, pleased that all the time I sunk into learning those things didn't go to waste. After I loaded up my inventory, I pulled up my equipment screen, and equipped one of my favorite swords. I pulled it out and used Observe.
The Unnamed
Type: zweihander
Length: 6'6"
Weight: 14lbs
DMG: 500
The Unnamed is a Damascus Steel blade forged by John Colt. It has never been used in battle, but has been practiced with for many hours. It is a Mastercraft quality blade. Extra effect: Terrifying presence- 10% chance to inflict status Terrified on hostiles with lower WIS than wielder when drawn.
'Damn, a Mastercraft quality blade at level 80? Wonder what I can do with a forge at MAX.' I shook my head, and decided to grind out my smithing at some point. I also equipped my pair of prized pistols.
Custom made m1911(x2)
CAL: 10mm
DMG: 200 per round(standard ball ammunition)(60%)
CAP: 7 rounds(1 in the chamber)
These pistols were custom made by John Colt. Coated in protective layer of green ceracote. Equipped with carved onyx handle scales depicting a white Eastern Dragon on each scale. Extra effect: Dragonslayer- 40% damage to draconic foes.
I also equipped my sawed off shotgun to my right hip next to one of my pistols. I then pulled out my training gear, a leather trenchcoat, al la Blade, a pair of loose, comfortable leather pants, and my combat boots, giving me a total defense of 50, with no extra effects. And so, sword on my back, guns on my hips, and a fire in my soul for the first time in years, I intoned "Instant dungeon create."
Warning! You have only unlocked empty dungeon. You can unlock more dungeons by leveling up the skill.
"Goddamn it."
xXxX
'Ping'
Your instant dungeon skill is level 20.
You have access to the following dungeons:
Zombies(slow)
Zombies(fast)
Goblins
Drakes
"Fucking finally. Now I've got enough dungeons to train for a while without getting bored grinding on the same enemies for hours, and today being my day off, I've got all the time in the world to grind." I opened my inventory to check all my ammo one more time, and satisfied with it, I intoned "Instant Dungeon create: Slow Zombies." And with that, everything became tinted red, everything became decayed, rusted and broken before my very eyes. What was once a sprawling apartment complex, was now just a rusted out pile of junk. And as I took in the sights of a world barely recognizable, I heard groaning behind me, so I turned around. "Observe."
Zombies(x40)
Level 4
HP: 100
I didn't care about any of the other information, so I ignored it. I knew there was no way I could take on a group that large with my sword at my current level, so I reached into my inventory and grabbed my favorite rifle.
Suppressed AR-15
DMG:150(FMJ ammo)
CAP: 90 round drum
Effects: suppressed-(-100% to chance to alert hostiles with lower INT than user)
"Hells yeah, glad I spent then extra money to get this mil-spec suppressor. Time to get to work thinning the heard." I kneeled down behind the collapsed wall in front of me, and rested my rifle on it, took in a breath, picked a target, and squeezed the trigger. 'Ping'
"Not now, I'll read the messages after the fight." I found a new target, and put it down. "God this is fun," I said with a grin of sheer joy on my face. 30 times I pulled the trigger, 30 times a zombie dissolved into a cloud of red haze. " Alright, time to test out my sword skills." I kept over the wall, tossing my rifle back into my inventory. I charged at the remaining 10 zombies, and drew my blade. A horizontal swing bifurcated one zombie, and bit deeply into another. "And then there was eight." I sucked under a swipe, and a diagonal swing cleaved one in two, and I used the momentum to come down on another with a vertical slice. Two came at me from different sides, and at the last moment, I dodged out of the way, and a swing of my blade decapitated them. "Just four left." I spun around driving the pommel into a zombies sternum hard enough to liquefy everything in its chest cavity, and then a upwards swing brought down another one. "That just leaves 2." I hadn't even broken a sweat. I spun around to find the other 2, only to find the running away. "That can't be good." Not willing to risk my luck acting up, I dropped the sword and drew my pistols, and put a bullet in both of their heads. "Holy shit that was a rush. I'm definitely liking this." I holstered my pistols, an reached down to grab my sword, when something caught my eye. "What the hell?" I picked the object up. "Is this…… a gold coin? Observe."
Gold piece
This is the standard currency for use in the Gamer's Market.
" What is the Gamer's Market?" I shrugged off the confusion, assuming that the answer would be in one of the many screens I'm gonna have to sift through. I looked around and saw about 100 more of the coins scattered throughout the area, as well as some bottles of some kind of liquid, revealed to be elixers that restore both my health and stamina, as well as a few bone bits, and vials of blood. "Not sure what I'll do with the blood, but I'm sure being able to start a zombie apocalypse will come in handy. Now, game, would you kindly show me all the windows I missed?"
'Ping'
"Thank you."
For killing a zombie for the first time, you gained attribute Beginner Zombie Hunter. 10% extra damage to the undead, and 10% better chance for drops.
For earning EXP for the first time you are now level 2.
You leveled up 3 times. You are now level 5
HP:3100
EP:3500
INT:70
WIS:70
STR:60
VIT:60
CHA:60
LUK:??
Stat points: 40
For having 50 STR, you gain perk Herculean Strength. Weapon and armor weight no longer effects swing and run speed.
For having 50 VIT, you gain perk Endless Vitality. You no longer need sleep to function( it just restores health like normal).
For having 50 CHA, you gain perk Gilded Tongue. You automatically gain 50% discount on all purchases, and CHA checks never fail.
For Sprinting, you have created the skill Sprint. (lvl 5) Your sprint speed is your level in the skill as a percent of the product of VIT x 100. Your current sprint speed is 30 mph. You are faster than the fastest man alive. EP cost- none(non-combat skill)
For finding gold coins, you have unlocked the Gamer's Market. It's where Gamers from all over the multi-verse buy and sell. To access, just think 'Open Market'.
Your Gunplay is now Level 65
Your Swordsmanship is now Level 20
'Well, not only am I now faster than the fastest man. In the world, I can run indefinitely. That pretty handy. Now lets check out this market. Open Market.' A screen popped up in front of me.
Welcome to the Gamer's Market. To buy, press buy. To sell, press sell.
I figured it be best to start with buy, being I have nothing to sell. I surfed through the buy pages, finding only a few things I wanted, that I could afford. I bought 20 Elder Scrolls ebony ingots, a daedric bow and a couple hundred arrows, and 5 each of Terarrian cobalt and luminite bars. The I bought several thousand steel bars from Terrarria as well, to grind out my smithing, cause I knew I'd need it to be maxed for what I have planned. Thank God for that half price perk I got. All that cost me 80 gold, so I decided to go ahead and buy an Ancient forge and an auto-hammer, both Terarrian, and those cost the other 20 gold I had. 'I'm broke now, but I'm sure I can sell all the steel swords I'm about to make and recoup most of it. I exited the ID, and called my boss to quit my job, loaded up my forging equipment, opened an empty ID, and got to work.
xXxX
Your Blacksmithing is now Level MAX.
For maxing Blacksmithing, you gain the perk Hand of Hephaestus. All metal working now takes half as long.
Four days. It took me four days with no sleep, and very little to eat or drink to grind out my skill. On the plus side, I sold all those swords that I made for a tidy profit of 1000 gold. 'Alright, I'm gonna go home, and go to bed, then I'm going to get to work on my new weapon and armor.' I put all my stuff away, and exited the dungeon, took a shower, then went to bed.
You slept in your bed. HP, EP, and all status effects are healed.
'Man that was a good sleep.' I yawned and stretched all the kinks out of my body. I looked at the clock. "Noon? Damn, I passed out. 12 hours is pretty good for a nap." I yawned again, and slowly dragged my self out of bed. "I'm gonna grab some food, then I'm gonna get started on my new weapon and armor." I walked to the kitchen poured a bowl of cereal, and opens the Market. "Let's see what kind of goodies I can buy with my new found wealth." I browsed, and purchased blood from 20 different brands of demons, and dragon scales, blood and leather. I bought some Alegasian sung brightsteel, and shade blood. I bought vials of blood from gods, angels, spirits, and legendary creatures from all over the multi-verse. "Well I reckon I've got all I need for my new gear, so time to get to work. Instant Dungeon create. Empty."
xXxX
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
The sound of ringing metal rang out loudly. I had melted down the luminite bars into one large bar. I was slowly working all the blood from the holy type creatures as well as some of the brightsteel and dragonscales into it. I draw out the billet, start a fold, make a slight cup with bottom half, pour a vial in, and seal the billet. I'd then continue to fold the billet until I was confident it was completely mixed, then repeated the process with a different vial. I did that 40 times before I was done with the blood, so I did the same with both the scales and the brightsteel. "Observe."
Big demonbane luminite-dragonsteel bar.
This bar of luminite has been infused with so much holy blood, that just being in the general area as this metal would kill most low level demonic beings. It is also made nearly indestructible by the combination of enchanted brightsteel and dragonscales.
'Well that's one bit down. Now for the other two metals.' I repeated the process with 4 different big bars of ebony and the blood of demonic beings. "Observe."
Big holybane ebony-dragonsteel bars(x4)
This bar of ebony has been infused with so much demonic blood, that just being in the same general area as this metal would kill a low level holy being. It has been made nearly indestructible by the combination of enchanted brightsteel and dragonscales.
"Man, when I'm done with my stuff, I'm gonna have one hell of a trump card." I shook my head with a smile. Then I took a short break, drank some water, then continued on to the cobalt. I did the same process, but the blood came from pretty much every kind of non-demonic or non-holy creature you could imagine. "Observe."
Big lifebane cobalt-dragonsteel bar
This bar of cobalt has been infused with blood from hundreds of magical, mythological, and legendary creatures, to the point where a blade made from this metal is impervious to any damage from all non-demonic or non-holy creatures, and can bypass pretty much any magical defense. It can also slow down healing factors, and can perfectly channel any element, as well as resistant to them once quenched. It is made nearly indestructible by the combination of enchanted brightsteel and dragonscales worked into it.
'Damn, this is some badass stuff. Well I guess it's time to start the weapons and armor." I took one of each bar and cut them in half, and drew them out long and thin, and then layered them. I forge welded them together, and then cut up the the new billet into equal parts, then layered them again, forge welded them, and drew it out. I repeated the process a a dozen times. "Observe."
Anti-Life Damascus dragonsteel
Through the layering of three types of bane metals, this bar of Damascus dragonsteel possesses Anti-Life properties, making it lethal to anything cut by it, like normally impossible to kill beings, or creatures normally immune to anything but certain types of metal, or attacks on certain body part. Is also impervious to any attack from a living being.
'Well that's, unexpected. But not unwelcome.' I cut off a little, enough to make 5 arrowheads and a few cores for armor-piercing ammo . 'I'm sure this will be useful someday. Now back to work.'
"Observe."
Sanguis Requiem
Type: zweihander
Length:6'6"
Weight:20lbs
This Legendary Mastercraft sword is the stuff of legends. The 4 types of metal worked together to create this work of art were Sung Brightsteel, Demon-aligned ebony, holy-aligned luminite, and cobalt bathed in the blood of many different creatures. This blade will kill pretty much anything. It negates Resistances, healing factors, reincarnation, regeneration, cuts through magic wards of all kinds, and pierces most natural defences. and also binds souls to bodies. All the metals used to make the Damascus billet were also infused with powered dragonscales, which increases its already ridiculous durability and magical resistance to make it pretty much indestructible.
DMG: 20,000
Extra effects: Indestructible-never breaks, piercing-is unnaffected by defenses other than armor, and soul bind-binds souls to the physical body it's in until the soul decays and passes on.
I picked up the sword, and gave it a few practice swings. The balance was perfect. The sword is magnificent. One of the most beautiful blades I've ever seen, irl or not. The metal itself had a gorgeous pattern of blue, black and green waves where the metals making up the original billet alternate.(a/n look up low count Damascus pattern steel.) Then right below the secondary handguard is a red dragon leather wrapping. The hilt was carved from dragonbone, also wrapped in red dragon leather, with unicorn hair binding wrapped around it. Set in the pommel is the most perfect blue sapphire I could get my hands on. "This is my Magnum Opus. And my trump card." I placed the blade in my inventory, and set in a quick setup, along with my normal pistols, sawed off and leather. "Now for the armor." I drew one of the ebony bars out of my furnace, placed it on my anvil, and brought down my hammer.
Clang.
"Observe."
Armis ex Deus
This armor is legendary MasterCraft level. It was forged from ebony, infused with demon blood, enchanted brightsteel, and dragonscales. It has been inlaid with Holy-aligned luminite, and lifebane cobalt. This armor is incredibly durable, and magic resistant.
DEF: 50,000(entire set(gauntlets, sode, chest plate, greaves, and boots))
"Now that's what I call armor!" I smiled a very large smile. The armor it's self was pitch black, with blue and green inlay all over the armor. It also had traditional Japanese sode plates attached to the shoulders, mainly cause I think they look bad ass. I also decided not to make a helmet, cause I hate having anything over my face(a/n think ebony armor from Oblivion, but instead of gold inlay, it's blue and green. And sode are those layered shoulder plates you see on Japanese armor.) I set the armor to the same preset I set up earlier and tried it on. "Wow, this feels incredible. I feel invincible. Now lets go test this out." I drew my sword. "ID create, Drakes."
xXxX
'Ping'
You are now Level 41.
HP: 4600
EP: 500
INT: 160
WIS:160
STR:150
VIT:150
CHA:150
LUK:??
STAT POINTS:400
Sprint is now Level 35. Speed is 4800mph
Swordsmanship is now Level 60.
Physical resistance is now Level 40
You have gained the perk Beginner Dragonkin Slayer.(10% effectiveness against dragonkin, and 10% better drops.)
For raising INT to 100 you gain perk Scholar. All skills from skill books start at level 10
For raising WIS to 100 you gain perk Master Tactician. Strategic moves have 80% better chance to succeed.
For raising STR to 100 you gain perk God-like Strength. When attempting a STR check, your strength is doubled.
For raising VIT to 100 you gain perk Limitless Energy. Physical skills cost no EP.
For raising CHA to 100 you gain perk Master Orator. Speeches will always have the desired effect.
I pulled Sanguis Requiem out of the head of the Drake I had just killed, and set about collecting the drops from the latest group. 10000 gold pieces, blood vials, skin, scales, bone, teeth and claws. Standard fare, nothing really special. "ID escape." I appeared back in my apartment, and changed to my lounge clothes preset, and opened the marketplace. I browsed through, just looking to see if I could find anything good. "No, no, no, no, n…. Hello? What do we have here? A book on… thaumaturgy? Thaumaturgy of Fate/Stay Night fame?" I read the description of it, and it said the author was Shiro Emiya, and the title was Reinforcement and Projection. "God I hope this is a skill book." I bought it, it appeared in my hands, and a window popped up.
Would you like to learn skills Tracing and Projection?
"Hell yeah!" I hit the yes button with a mighty poke of enthusiasm and excitement.
Warning! You are unable you use the skill as you are. Would you like to optimize your self to be able to use the skill?
Again, an enthusiastic poke.
Command confirmed. Adding origin, weapon. Adding element, weapon. Adding 40 natural magical circuits.
Select Magic crest.
Emiya fam-
I didn't even need to see the rest of the choices. The time manipulation abilities of the Emiya crest would be invaluable. I pressed the selection button.
Confirmed. Applying changes.
And then came to pain. All consuming, soul crushing pain. All I could do was shout incoherently. And then as swiftly as it came, it went away, and my world started to fade into darkness, but just before I fell unconscious, I managed a glance at my HP. 1/4600. 'Well that was close.' And then darkness came over me.
You slept on the(admittedly very comfortable)floor. HP and EP are 75% restored. Status conditions are healed.
"Goddamn, did anybody catch the plates on the planet that hit me? Fuck that hurt." I sat up slowly stretching the kinks out of my body. I looked at my clock and saw it was noon. 'Damn, either I was out for a week, or I was grinding for a whole lot longer than I intended.' I got up off the ground, and decided to eat some instant ramen. "Worst 3 minutes ever…" I looked at my stats to see how I was looking, to see if I might be ready to try to go to a new universe. My eyes widened when I saw my new top speed with my Sprint. "4800 mph?! Mach 6! Holy crap! Definitely gonna have to buy some of the Flash's suits, and dye them black." I looked at my Projection skill.
Projection lvl 10
Allows you to trace, memorize, and project almost perfect copies of weapons you see. Max number of copies active is equal to your skill level times number of natural circuits you have. EP cost per weapon: 1 EP at rank D, 4 EP at rank C, 10 EP at rank B, and 20 EP at rank A.
I let out a long, drawn out whistle. "Damn, this is some op shit. Now lets check out my time manipulation."
Time manipulation lvl 10
Allows you to accelerate, stop, or slow down the personal time-space of a person or object, increasing, stopping, or decreasing the velocity of the object or person relative to those outside the time-space field. Active time is equal to your level in the skill as seconds. EP cost: none(non-combat skill). Currently unlocked factors: 0x, .5x, 1.5x, and 2x.
"Damn, I really am OP. Now I can Sprint at Mach 12 for 10 seconds. And I can double the force of my bullets, and also I can shoot off Projections even harder. I can stop projectiles in their tracks. This is almost looks limitless in its applications." I let out another whistle and grabbed my noodles. "Marketplace." I bought a few Flash suits, and some black dye, and dyed the Flash suits black. I set one to another preset, and finished off my noodles. I grabbed all my gear, guns, and ammo crafting supplies and shoved them in my inventory, along with a bunch of food, bottled water, and basic survival gear. "Sometimes being a former Boy Scout makes things a pain in the ass. Always be prepared. Goddamnit it's not like I'm going to prehistoric times, so why can't I make myself leave this shit behind? Ah, fuck it. Not like I've got limited packing space." I spent the remainder or the next hour packing, organizing, and making sure I had everything thing I might need in the worst case scenario. "Well I think that does it. Game. How do I initiate travel to another universe?
Just say 'Activate Infinite Realms protocol.'
"Well then, activate Infinite Realms protocol."
Activating Infinite Realms protocol. Where would you like to go?
"I want to go to the Marvel universe."
Starting travel sequence in 5…4…3…2… ERROR! Colt family luck is now active. Randomizing universe, replacing character.
And with a flash of light, and rush of air, I vanished into the unknown.
xXxX
My vision darkened temporarily, and then returned. I was in a forest at dusk. I looked around. I saw nothing that could distinguish where I was, save for the distinct freshness of the air, leading me to believe I was either in a world with very little technology, or just far, far from civilization. Either way, I took stock of what I was wearing. Handmade wool clothes? Definitely narrowed down the possible time period. And in my hands was a recurve bow and my quiver was stocked with arrows with goose feather vanes, wooden shafts, and simple broadheads. Definitely low tech. I decided to take a look at my game menus to see what they had to say. "Stats."
The Game is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 168 hours. Please note you will be unable to access your inventory or use your skills during this time period. All attributes and perks are also temporarily disabled.
"Well, fuck. The one scenario I didn't fucking plan for ends up being the one that happens. Damn you CFL(Colt Family Luck)!" I finished cursing my luck, and looked around me to try to get my bearings. I looked at the ground below my feet. "Deer tracks? Guess who ever I took the place of was hunting. This scenario feels oddly familiar." I shrugged off my feeling of trepidation, and followed the track, knowing I needed food anyway, and continuing whatever was going on before I arrived seemed like a good idea. Two birds, one stone and all that. I followed the trail for another hour before finally finding the heard, bedded down for the night. Towards the rear of the group was a doe with her leg awkwardly latest out to the side. Quickly, and silently, I drew an arrow from the quiver, and drew the string, aiming dead center of her heart. Then, just as I released the arrow, a bright flash of light kit up the small clearing, along with the sharp crack of air being displaced at hyper-sonic speeds. 'Ting.' The unmistakable sound of metal hitting stone. After my vision cleared I looked down to see a large crater in the ground, about the size of a man. I walked to the edge of it, arrow drawn again, ready for anything to leap out at me. I peered down into the hole and saw a blue oval shaped stone, that kind of looked…. like…..an egg.
"Goddamnit. I replaced Eragon. This is Alegasia. I'm in the fucking Inheritance Cycle."
I rushed down into the hole, scooped up Saphira's egg, a sprinted full tilt back the direction I came. I followed the most worn game trails down the mountain, back towards what I was hopping was Palancar Valley, and Garrow's farm. I ran for hours, till I found the Anora River (thankfully Gamer's Body was still functional, preventing me from feeling fatigue) and followed it till I reached a waterfall, which as far as my knowledge of Alegasia told me, was Igualda falls, marking the start of Palancar Valley. I quickly found the path down, and began the half mile decent. By the time I had made it down, I could see the sun start to rise. "Shit. I've got to get to Brom's." I started to run again, and after a few more hours of running through field and forest, Carvahall came into view. 'Finally. Now to find Brom.' I slid to a stop, and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I sat down, then reached into Eragon's… well, my pack, and placed Saphira's egg in the bottom. I pulled out the waterskin, and took a deep drag, and grabbed a hunk of bread, and quickly devoured it. Then I put the pack back on my back, and thought back to the books to see if I could remember where Brom's house was. Nothing. My mind was in such a jumble, I couldn't remember any hints as to where Brom might be. So I did the only thing I could think of. I went to the tavern. Always ask the barkeep for information. I walked through the doors.
"Eragon my boy, it's good to see you." Said the man who I could only guess was Morn. "What brings you to my tavern at this hour."
I paused, trying to think of the best way to turn this to my advantage. I slightly exaggerated my fatigue from running nearly 16 hours. "I saw Urgals deep in the Spine. Thankfully they were headed the opposite direction, but I ran down as fast as I could, try to spread the word, tell everyone to be on the lookout. Probably need to start arming up, and building defenses. Now, have you seen Brom? I need to ask him something." I just prayed my little white lie wouldn't hurt anything, and maybe even help the village weather the coming storm.
"Urgals? In the Spine? But… Why? Bah, no sense in fretting over it now. I'll be sure to spread the word. Maybe convince everyone to buy weapons from Horst and get some walls going. Not like it's a pressing matter, eh? But enough about that, yeah I seen Brom. He was over by Sloan's just a minute ago." He pointed in the vague direction of what I hoped was the bastard butcher's shop.
"Thanks Morn. Be sure to pass along the message. Goodbye!" I left the tavern and headed in the vague direction that Morn pointed me in. I walked around a corner and saw him. A stooped man with a long, white beard, and a black cloak about his shoulders. I called out to him. "Brom! Brom wait! I caught up to him. "Brom we need to talk."
Brom turned to look at me, and stood there. After a second of silence, he barked, "Well don't just stand there, speak boy."
I put my hand on his shoulder, and said "Not here. In private." He nodded and turned to walk away.
"Well come on then." He started off towards what I could only assume was his house. "How was the hunt Eragon? I see your pack looks awfully empty."
I shook my head. "I got nothing. I'll explain more once we get out of earshot and no one can overheat us."
He glanced at me through the corner of one eye. "This sounds important, Eragon." He turned away. "Best we hurry then."
"It is of the utmost importance Brom." After another few minutes of walking, we stepped through the door. I walked through and Brom shut the door behind me. I sat down at his table, and pulled my pack off. I set it on the table, and pulled the flap off. "Brom, Arya has been taken." I pulled Saphira's egg out and placed it on the table. "She was ambushed on the edge of Du Weldenvarden almost 17 hour ago. She is being taken to Gil'ead to be tortured for information on where she sent the egg. It was a shade called Durza who ambushed her along with a squad of Urgals."
For a few minutes, Brom just stared at me and I was afraid I'd broken the man. Then he spoke. "Well, I guess we better be headed to Gil'ead then. It's a 5 day ride from here." And then he walked to out the door. He paused just outside the doorway, and stood straight. "Well come on then, we don't have all day."
I quickly put Saphira's egg back in the pack a quickly followed Brom out of his house, and to the stables. "Wait, I don't have a horse. So how are we going to ride to Gil'ead?"
Brom once again looked at me through the corner of one eye. "It's a good thing I have two then, isn't it?" And just then, we made it to the stables. "You ride the black one. Saddle and bit are at the back of the stable." We saddled the horses, grabbed our packs of provisions, and took off. We rode in silence till dark, and made camp. After making dinner, beef stew and half stale bread, Brom broke the silence. "So who are you? I'm assuming you know I was a Rider, so you know I've been trying to pull the information from your mind, unsuccessfully. Your mind feels like Eragon's, but also not."
I sighed. I had been waiting on this. For him to start questioning me. But how do I respond? How do I tell a man his son was gone? That I had taken his place? I couldn't lie, cause he'd make me swear that what I said was the truth. So I only told half the truth. "I'm from the future, more or less. Long story short, I found a way to come back, and prevent a lot of bad things from happening. I really can't say more without risking things I don't want to change changing." I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped he bought it. Brom starred at me for a long while, as off trying to stare into my soul.
"Very well. I'll believe you for now. But eventually I want an explanation." And then he went back to eating his stew. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I ate my stew and then leaned against the tree behind me, and went to sleep.
xXxX
"John, why did you let them do this to me?" came a voice I could only vaguely recognize. "Why didn't you save me in time?"
xXxX
I sat straight up, in a cold sweat. I looked around. The forest was only just beginning to light up. 'What the hell was that?' I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. 'You know, come to think of it, that's the first dream I've had since I got my gamer power. I guess Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body are only half working right now. 'Status.'
The Game is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 140 hours.
Well, only 6 days left. I might have it back about the time we make it to Gil'ead. "Hey Brom wake up. We need to get a move on." I looked to my left, only to see Brom not there. I jumped to my feet. All of the gear was gone, as we're our packs. 'Did the bastard leave me behind and take Saphira's egg?' I ran to where we picketed the horses. And there the old man was, saddling the horses.
"Ah, good. You are awake. Saves me the trouble of waking you up. Come on. We are wasting daylight," he said as he mounted his horse. I quickly followed suit.
For 4 more days we followed this pattern. Wake up, ride till dark, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. All in almost complete silence. We finally made it to Gil'ead at dusk on the 5th day, almost 6 days after I arrived in Alegasia. 'Status.'
The Game is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 30 hours.
'Good. I'll have access to my inventory, and Sprint in 30 hours. So tomorrow night, I'll rescue Arya, and see if I can find Murtagh. It's a shame I don't remember much about this time from the books.' I shook the thoughts from my head and turned to Brom. "Tomorrow night, I'll kill the shade, and rescue Arya." He turned a suspicious eye on me.
"Why wait till tomorrow? Why not now? We run the risk of being found hanging around the walls after dark the longer we wait. We should go now." He reached to the bottom of his pack and pulled a wad of cloth out. "Zar'roc will give us an edge." He tried to give me the sword, but I pushed it away.
"Brom, by tomorrow night, I'll have access to the entirety of my powers again, and no one short of Galbatorix himself could stop me from saving her and killing Durza." Brom looked at me suspiciously.
"Why don't you have access to your powers? And what powers do you have?" he questioned, as he continued to stew the venison I had killed earlier.
"Coming here took a lot out of me. I'll be fully recovered by mid-night tomorrow. As for what powers I have, it's magic unlike anything you have ever seen." And with that said, I turned away and leaned against the tree once again. Brom starred at me for a few minutes longer, I could feel his eyes on me. Finally he looked away with a non-committal grunt. And then I went to sleep.
xXxX
John, why didn't you save me? Why didn't you come for me?
xXxX
'Goddamnit, that dream again. Who the fuck is that? Who did I fail to save?' I sat for a while in the darkness, trying to remember something, anything. 'That voice sounds familiar… but I just can't remember… damn it.' I sat awake for a few more hours till dawn. 'Status.'
The Game is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 12 hours.
'By dark, I'll have my powers back.' I Sat there awake until Brom finally woke. I waited until he fully regained consciousness. "Good morning. You should go into town, and sell the horses and saddles. We won't be needing them once I regain my power. See if you can't gather some information while you are there. I'd do it myself, but subterfuge and subtlety was never my strong suit." I waited for the questions to come.
"Why wouldn't we need the horses? How are we going to make it to the Varden? We can't cross the desert on foot, that's as good as suicide," he almost shouted.
I shook my head. 'Understandable. I'd be pretty skeptical myself if I was in his shoes.' I looked Brom in the eyes. "I am faster on foot than the fastest of dragons in the sky. And I can carry both you and Arya easily. It will be awkward, carrying a grown man, but Arya might need Tunivar's Nectar as soon as possible. I can use my abilities to put her and one other person in a magical pocket of sorts, but I'll need you to navigate. I'm not sure how to get to the Varden. Also see if you can find a man named Murtagh. It's vital we keep him out of the hands of Galbatorix. If you find him, bring him here." I didn't like ordering around a grown man, especially one so much older than me, but I really didn't have much of a choice. The fewer questions he asked the better.
He starred at me for a few moments. "Very well. I'll do as you ask. But I expect answers once we reach the Varden." I just gave a non-committal grunt. He turned and walked off, taking the horses and saddles with him. I sighed a deep sigh. 'I'm not really looking forward to telling him that Eragon is gone. Come to think of it, why does everyone see me as Eragon? Eh, once I get the Game back, I'm sure it will tell me. Speaking of which, 'Status.'
The Game is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 8 hours.
'Almost ready. Might as well take a nap.' I laid back against a tree, and went to sleep.
xXxX
What did I do to deserve this John? Why didn't you stop them?
xXxX
'There it is again. Why am I just now starting to have these dreams? Gah, fuck it. I'll worry with it later.' Just as I was about to check the timer, Brom walked back into the rapidly darkening clearing. "So how'd it go?" I questioned lazily.
"I sold the horses, found out that Durza just made it back to Gil'ead this morning, Arya is being held in the dungeons below the castle, and I found this… Murtagh. He is on his way here now." Just then a man walked into the clearing, with a bow across his back, and dark cloak on his shoulders.
I looked at him for a moment. "I assume you are Murtagh. Well met." I stood up, and stretched my body. 'Ping'. Fucking finally. 'Inventory.' The box appeared in from of me. With a motion of my hand, I expanded it to fit over Murtagh's body. I then slowly walked towards him. "Alright, I don't have much time to explain. I'm going to place you in… a magical storage area. It will be as though no time has passed for you between now, and when I bring you out. It's totally safe, and you will be none the worse for wear." And with the speed afforded me by my Sprint skill, I rushed forward and put him in my inventory. I closed my inventory, and turned to Brom. "See, I told you I could store people."
Brom starred at me, wide eyed with disbelief. "What manner of sorcery is this? Magic without the Ancient Language? Don't you know how dangerous that is?" he nearly shouted.
I shook my head. "Its not magic as you know it. It's something only I can do. Now, my plan is to store you, and all of our gear, rescue Arya, and run as far away from Gil'ead as I can in one hour, then bring you out of storage, and get you to navigate me to the Varden. Now come on." I reopened my inventory and stuck Brom in it, along with all of our gear, and Saphira's egg. I then decided to check out all the new windows I had been ignoring.
The Game is back online, and updated. Thank you for your patience.
You have traveled to a new universe, and replaced the main character. Those around you who know the main character will see you as them, until you tell them that you have replaced the original character. Those who don't know the character you replaced will see you as you.
The update has changed some of your skills. All weapons now fall under one of two categories. Melee Weapons(level 70) and Ranged weapons(level 70).
The update has added the quest system.
You have unlocked the quest 'Killing Shadows'.
Objective: Kill Durza
Rewards:?,?,?
You have unlocked the quest 'Princess in Distress'.
Objective: Rescue Arya
Rewards:?,?,?
You have unlocked the quest 'Memories of the Past'.
Objective: Recover your repressed memories.
Rewards:?,?,?
You have unlocked the quest 'Death of the Black King'.
Objective: Kill Galbatorix
Rewards:?,?,?
Objective: Rescue the Eldunari from Galbatorix's control.
Rewards:?,?,?
Objective: Find a way to save Shruikan.
Rewards: ?,?,?
You have unlocked the quest 'Vault of Souls'.
Objective: Travel to the Vault of Souls and gain entry
Rewards:?,?,?
You have unlocked quest 'FireRed'.
Objective: Rescue Thorn's egg, and get him to hatch for Murtagh
Rewards: ?,?,?
You have unlocked quest 'LeafGreen'.
Objective: Rescue Fírnen's egg and get him to hatch for Arya.
Rewards:?,?,?
You have unlocked quest 'OceanBlue'
Objective: Find Saphira a Rider.
Rewards: ?,?,?
Your Sprint Skill has leveled up to level 50. Top speed is 7500 mph.
'Hmm. I never noticed that I wasn't getting any quests.' I mentally shrugged. 'But what's this about repressed memories? What in the world could I have repressed? Well I guess I'll find out soon. Now with that out of the way, it's on to rescue Arya and kill Durza.' I equipped my Armis ex Deus, and Sanguis Requiem. The I took a deep breath, and ran towards Gil'ead as a slow pace, not wanting to break the sound barrier. I managed to make it to the gates just before they slammed shut, and slipped through unnoticed. 'Perfect. Now to make my way to the castle.' I walked through the dark alleyways towards the castle, avoiding any patrols and citizens along the way.
'Ping.'
You have gained the skill Sneak(lvl 1). You are 10% less likely to be noticed.
After 15 minutes of sneaking, I leveled the skill to 10(20%), and made it to the main castle doors. I walked up to the gaurds.
They two of them leveled their spears at me. "Halt. The castle is closed. The Governor is-" With the slight rasp of steel on steel, and a slight pop of displaced air, I appeared behind them, and flicked the blood off my sword, and sheathed it. Just as it slid home, I heard 4 wet thumps behind me. 'Dude, that was badass. Too bad nobody will ever see it… Oh well. Now to move to the dungeons.' I opened the door as quickly and silently as possible and slipped in side. I heard the faint screaming of tortured people, which nearly brought me to my knees with a pounding headache. My world turned black.
xXxX
John, why didn't you find me? You said you loved me. Wasn't I good enough?
xXxX
A split second later, I returned to consciousness. 'Who the fuck was that? I've never said I loved anyone.' I shook my head clear of the image of the woman, who looked so familiar, yet was a perfect stranger, from my head. 'Well I guess I'm about to find out what memories I've repressed.' I continued forward, following the screams. I followed then for a few minutes until I finally found a set of descending stairs. I pulled my sword from it's sheath once again, the steel barely rasping against the wood, and descended. Slowly walking down, careful not to make to much noise. Once I made it to the bottom, the smell hit me like a wall. Death, blood, and waste. It smelled... familiar. Then came the headache, and my knees hit the floor, and my world faded to black.
xXxX
"Holly? Holly where are you?" I shouted, as I rushed through hallway after hallway, trying to find her. My girlfriend of 5 years had been kidnapped by the Drug Cartel while we were on vacation. I'd went Liam Neeson, tracking down drug dealers, and pumping them for information, before killing them and acting on the information I'd gotten. For 4 weeks, I tracked them through the country, before finally finding the place where they kept their kidnapping victims. The smell was… overpowering. Sickening. I ran through the hall to the building, killing anyone who stood in the way with what ever I could get my hands on. Knives, guns, sticks, pans. Whatever it took to put down the bastards that took her from me, so I could find her. Finally I'd killed everyone in the building, and reached the last door. Just as I reached the building, everything faded away.
xXxX
As the world faded back into view, I heard a ping.
For partially recovering your memory, you have remembered skills. Your melee weapons skill is now 80. Your ranged skill is now 80. You have gained 10 levels as a result of you remembering your kills. Your new stats are
Lvl 51
HP: 6350
EP: 6850
INT: 185
WIS: 185
STR: 175
VIT: 175
CHA: 175
SP: 500
For reaching level 50, take 100 stat points.
SP:600
I slowly rose to my feet, with tears in my eyes. 'Holly….. how could I forget you? Five years we were together, and then you were taken from me. But what ended up happening to you? I guess I'll find out what was behind the door soon.' I wiped the tears from my eyes. I walked through the halls, searching the cells for Arya, or Durza. 'This is one sick son of a bitch.' There were people in incredible pain and agony. Beaten, burned, drowned. I could feel the rage building. The anger burning in my soul with increasing intensity with every passing moment. And then I heard it.
Smack!
"Just tell me where the egg is, and I'll kill you quickly." His voice was… horrible. I felt dirty just hearing it. It was like a snake had crawled up my spine. I followed the voice till I came upon a closed oak door.
Smack!
Once I heard the sound of a person being slapped, I slammed my boot into the door, slinging it open. And saw…. Darkness.
xXxX
I opened the door. The last door left in the building. And screamed. Hanging from two chains… was Holly. Kneeling in a pool of her own blood. Bleeding from stab wounds, and whip marks, like they used a cat-o'-nine-tails on her, with chunks of flesh missing from her body. She lifted her head, looked at me with her green eyes. She then said words that will now haunt me forevermore.
"What took you so long?"
Then she took one last, ragged breath, and then… she died.
xXxX
'Ping'
(P.O.V shift- third person)
There was a loud slam as a boot impacted the solid oaken door of the room, and a crash as it slung open. A man adorned in armor as black as pitch with green and blue engravings burst into the room, and laid eyes on the elven woman hanging from chains, covered in blood and bruises. His eyes clouded over for a split second, and then cleared. A look of rage, unbridled, unholy fury appeared on his face. He turned to the redheaded man standing beside to elf. Then the man, with his visage of rage, raised his blade at the redhead, and spoke a single word. A word spoken with so much fury, it made the world quake.
"Die."
After the word left his mouth, a miasma of energy burst from his body, an aura of tangible energy, colored red, the color of rage. And then, he vanished, reappearing with a blast of sound that shook the whole castle, with his sword driven deep into Durza's chest. The Shade let out a blood-curdling scream, and then turned almost transparent, with glowing red balls of light swirling around inside. Then with an ethereal wail, the spirits burst from Durza's body, and hovered in front of the man who just slew Durza. They slowly faded from angry red to soothing pink. Then the man said "Accept," and the 10 pink spirits slowly merged with his body, and he pulsed with a red glow for a split second, and then he was back to normal. He looked around, then at his hands, flexing them. "Hmm, becoming a pseudo-shade is much less painful than I imagined. Alright now to get out of here," he said in a dead, lifeless voice.
(P.O.V shift- John, first person)
'Ping'
'I will look at the notifications once I'm clear of Gil'ead.' I unequipped my armor and equipped my standard trenchcoat and loose leather pants. Then I reached out for the chains holding Arya, and snapped them. I pulled a cloak out of my inventory, and wrapped it around her. Then I picked her up bridle style, and left the room. I walked back up the stairs, only to find two hundred soldiers waiting with their swords and Spears at the read. On brave, or foolish, it is hard to tell, soldier stepped forward and barked "Halt! You are carrying a prisoner of the King! You are now under arrest and sentenced to dea-" he stopped mid word.
With a sound like broken glass, four hundred swords appeared from nowhere. "Step aside, or perish," came my dead and lifeless voice, like I was hearing it from afar. I almost didn't recognize it. 'Is that…my voice?'
Another soldier stepped forward, shaking in his boots. "We serve the King! We will not let yo-"
With a slight move of a finger, all 400 swords rocketed forward, cutting down the garrison. I walked through the bodies, blood slowly pooling underneath them. "I told you to get out of my way." I continued out of the castle doors, and then to the South gate. As I got to the gate, another pair of soldiers confronted me.
"Stop! Who are you, and why are you carr-" Again, the sound of broken glass, and a pair of thumps. I crouched low, focusing my strength to my legs, and jumped. I rocketed upwards a good hundred feet, and landed on the other side of the gate. I took one last look at Gil'ead, and walked south until just before Dawn, when I stopped and set up camp, pulled out one of the sleeping bags I brought with my, and put Arya in it. I built a fire, and made some breakfast, buying some clothes for her off of the market. I put them beside her, and started to make some breakfast. "Arya, I know you are awake." I heard a small gasp, and heard her sit up. I didn't look at her. I couldn't bear to. Not after remembering…her. "Put on those clothes, then we will talk. Unless that is you want me to see you naked." Then came the sound of hurried dressing. I just continued to stir the stew I was making. After she finished dressing, she sat down across the fire. I never looked up, still starring at the stew. "You have some questions for me." It wasn't a question.
"Who are you? Why did you rescue me, and how did you know where I was? What were those swords you summoned, and why did you kill all those soldiers? Are you a shade now? What are you going to do with me?" She belted out the questions rapid fire.
I slowly blinked, surprised by her personality. 'She's nothing like she was in the books. I guess it's cause I rescued her before too much torturing happened.' I then replied, my voice still dead. "In order, my name is John Colt, and I'm more or less a time traveler. I rescued you because it was the right thing to do. I knew you were in Gil'ead because I'm a time traveler. Those swords were the result of a branch of magic unique to me. I killed them because the wouldn't move. I'm not a shade. The spirits tell me I'm now an Avatar, a person the gave all the abilities of a shade to, with none of the downsides in exchange for something. My pact with them is simple. If I find a shade, I kill it. In return, they also get protection from sorcerers. And my plans for you? I'm going to help you find," I reached into my inventory and grabbed Saphira's egg, "this dragon a Rider." I held the egg in my hand, still watching the stew. Then I heard a soft, barely audible crack.
'Ping'
"Well, shit."
xXxX
So what do you guys think? Pretty crappy huh. Honestly, I'm just writing this for the hell of it, I really don't have any plan for the direction. I'm just seeing the plot unfold just like you guys, and I just want to see where it goes. Review if ya want, I mostly just curious to see where it goes.