Seriously, I died and have to wait in a void with green letters. I swear if death is just a long wait I'm gonna be pissed. I've always been happy by myself, but this will drive me insane.
Thane's thoughts stopped spinning out of control when another message appeared seconds after the last.
[Welcome to the system. your world's inhabitants have been chosen to transfer to a new world, Rellex. Do not panic. You, and everything else, are currently frozen. Everything will be unfrozen after the merge, and transfer completes.]
Everything? Frozen?
Thane tried to open his eyes. Nothing.
Wait—I can feel my pants are still wet. Feeling things is… good.
Okay... frozen, but I'm still thinking. That means I'm alive, right?
[TRANSPORT EXPLANATION INITIATING...]
[All humans, along with a 10-foot radius of surrounding land, will be transported to a preparation zone outside your atmosphere (Groups of people will have overlapping radii)]
[Inhabited structures will be transported in full, with all inhabitants, regardless of size]
[Land masses and buildings will be reassembled at preparation zone into super masses]
[To avoid excessive death in super mass molding humans will have an immunity shield during the molding process]
[Super masses size and shape will be molded according to the pre-prepared landing zones created by citizens of Rellex]
[Any excess land mass will be combined into an island]
[Once assembly is complete immunity shields will remain for 5 minutes, super masses will be transported through a spacial fold to the world of Rellex]
[ARRIVAL EXPLANATION INITIATING…]
[Upon arrival super masses will be transported to pre-prepared locations]
A new world? Immunity! Is my car a structure? Wait I'm in the air… will it just transport me mid air? I wish I could open my eyes.
[MASSES EXTRACTED. PROCEEDING TO TRANSPORT ZONE FOR REASSEMBLY.]
I can't feel any movement. Maybe it has to do with being frozen? No noise either? What are they going to do about anyone in the air ,like airplanes or people parachuting? The system did
say it wanted to avoid excess death. Maybe everything in the air will just be set on flat ground.
Yeah, that's it. That makes sense.
[INITIATING PRIVATIZED SYSTEM MESSAGING]
[Future messages will be visible only to you]
[WELCOME THANE ARTHUR COOK]
[The system continually expands, and passed Earth over 200 years ago. Worlds must have magic to sustain system functions. Earth had no magic. You are being moved to another world with magic, Rellex. Land mass molding will take time. Allowing for an abbreviated new system user tutorial.]
[NEW SYSTEM USER TUTORIAL INITIATING]
[Think menu]
Thane mentally shrugged.
Alternative's worse, right? Let's do this.
[congratulations first command accepted]
[MENU OPTIONS:]
[STATUS]
[INVENTORY]
[EQUIPMENT]
[NOTIFICATIONS]
[TITLES]
[CLASS]
[TUTORIAL STEP 1:]
[Mentally select status]
Thane focused and brought up his status screen. A square box with text straight out of a video game. Words and abbreviations he was incredibly familiar with sprawled across his vision.
Thane took a mental breath and focused. Alright, pay attention Thane. Treat this like it's life or death. No messing around. This is in my wheelhouse, but I shouldn't make assumptions. No missing a critical nuance. ADHD go sit in a corner.
[PHYSICAL STATS:]
[STR] [Strength - Determines physical power] [7]
[DEX] [Dexterity - Determines agility and reflexes] [7]
[END] [Endurance - Determines stamina and resilience] [4]
[Average Human Stat: 5]
[Peak Human Stat: 10]
[Minimum Possible Stat: 1]
Wow, so—basic… not really any room for interpretation. Seven strength seems a bit—high. I don't work out like I used to, but I can open a jar of pickles. I guess. Maybe it's an average for men and women? Not sure how dexterity is seven. Video games I guess? My skills at painting miniatures? HAH! Take that everyone who told me my hobbies were good for nothing. Only four in endurance. Yeah, I guess that's fair. I go on walks –sometimes. Thane sighed, whoam I kidding I'm a sedentary creature.
[MENTAL STATS:]
[INT] [Intelligence - Increases mana pool and magical power] [0]
[WIS] [Wisdom - improves mana regeneration and magical control] [0]
[CHA] [Charisma - affects positive interactions with others] [0]
[Average Human Stat: 0]
[Peak Human Stat: 0]
[Minimum Possible Stat: 0]
[Since Earth has no magic, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are defaulted to 0. You will receive +3 free stat points to bring them to 1 upon arrival.]
[RETURNING TO MAIN MENU…]
[Do you want more explanations? Y/N]
Ehhh, I can go over that stuff later. With how basic stats are I doubt there will be anything truly surprising. I mean seriously is this going to be the most vanilla world of magic ever? I guess even the most vanilla magic is still FREAKING AWESOME!
Thane selected no.
[Do you want to view tutorial completion rewards? Y/N]
Now this is what I'm talking about, YES!
[Congratulations on finishing new user tutorial]
[Title earned: NEW TO THE SYSTEM]
[Reward: +1 Free Stat Point]
[Do you want to view titles:Y/N]
Yes! Don't mind if I do.
[TITLES:]
[NEW TO THE SYSTEM:+1 Free Stat Point]
[TEMPORARY MESSAGE - For completing the new user tutorial +1 free stat point has been awarded. You can apply the free point in your status screen. Mentally, or vocally, choose a stat to add one point to. Then select yes on the confirmation box. Temporary title messages will disappear after reward selection is complete.]
[This ends the tutorial. Learn more about the system from your new neighbors on Rellex.]
[SYSTEM WIDE MESSAGE]
[Transportation to Rellex will begin momentarily. Your ability to move will return after transfer. Your free stat points will be available to distribute upon arrival. Immunity shield countdown initiated t - 5:00]
Well that answers at least one question. Sounds like our new neighbors will fill in the gaps. Oh man... from imminent death to a world with magic! Holy crap, you can't beat that with a stick. Time to brainstorm. What kind of magic would I want? What even is there? I'd eat my shoe if there isn't elemental magic. Vanilla stats... Vanilla magic. Hopefully, there's something more exotic like space magic? Maybe some OP time magic? I wonder what the requirements are to unlock magic? Is it innate? Maybe based on class? Wait... class was on the menu right?
[SYSTEM MENU:]
Let's see… yep right there.
[CLASS:]
[There will be no information about classes available before breaking human thresholds.]
Thresholds? What thresholds. Guess I'll find out from—Rellexians? —Rellexites? —Rellex-a-saurus-rexs? Heh—heh, heh. Well whatever. It is what it is I guess.
[TRANSPORTING NOW...]
[ERROR: CODE 103]
[User not found within 10 feet of solid ground or wall.]
[ERROR: CODE 221]
[User not above, in, or under water.]
[ERROR: CODE 375]
[User is not in an aerial vehicle.]
[No safety equipment detected.]
[Resolving...]
[Checking alternate factors:]
[Suicide jump... Negative.]
[Space station... Negative.]
[Extreme sport... Negative.]
[Attempting data retrieval prior to system initiation...]
[Please wait…]
"Holy crap! There's no way this totally screws me, right? All I have to do is wait for a bit."
Thane was starting to panic. It was lucky he was still frozen, or he would have started hyperventilating. I shouldn't have cut the tutorial short. I need a distraction. Focusing on impending doom, not good. Pulling up his menu, he noticed the notification option was flashing.
[Notification: Immunity shield — 03:16 remaining]
The reminder that his immunity was running out ABSOLUTELY did not help take his mind off things. With nothing else to do but wait, Thane stared at the timer counting down. His previously stabilized mood very quickly deteriorated with every passing second. His—
[Problem detected: attempting resolution...]
[ERROR: CODE 502]
[Insufficient energy remaining in transfer protocol. Cannot relocate to island overflow location.]
[searching for resolution...]
[Immunity T - 2:38]
[Resolution found:]
[Immunity T - 2:02]
[Dropping user at current location.]
An incredibly unpleasant, and all too familiar sensation slammed back into Thane like a speeding train. He was falling again. Fast. His stomach dropped. Gravity seized his organs and yanked them toward his throat. Wind roared against the windows, a banshee scream that built to a teeth-rattling crescendo.
Thane's eyes snapped open. The beautiful aerial view outside would have stolen his breath away, if he'd had any left to steal. A surreal patchwork of violet forest, jagged stone, and distant haze spun beneath him. He gasped in a lungful of air, and immediately regretted it.
The stench hit like a punch to the lungs: feted, rotting, and sickeningly sweet. He gagged, and doubled over. Hacking violently as bile surged up his throat. His stomach gave in. Vomit splattered across his chest, and soaked the steering wheel in a warm, sour torrent. Everything blurred.
By the time he wiped his mouth and blinked through watery eyes, the ground was rushing up to meet him. The alien landscape had narrowed. The horizon was gone. All that remained was a massive stone courtyard flanked by strange, purple-leaved trees that shimmered like glass. And in the courtyard center –
His brain lagged for a split second. Whatever it was... it could only be described as –beautiful. An elongated shimmering mass of purple crystals refracting the sun's light around the courtyard. A multi tone kaleidoscope of purple geometry frozen in time.
It shifted.
The– creature began to unwind itself, loops sliding free of loops, the kaleidoscope of purple fractals dancing through his vision. The beauty of it beggared mere words. Thane was unable to tear his eyes away. Even as pain erupted inside his skull that putting every migraine he ever had to shame. It was a symphony of knives, each note carving deeper. The pain spread, pouring molten iron through his veins, searing every nerve to ash.
A grating noise pitched higher than nails on a chalkboard shattered every window in his car. A vibration rattled his chest, the bass-heavy roar of an avalanche paled in comparison. Thane's mind tried to retreat, to curl away from the sheer, impossible agony of it all. His body betrayed him, not allowing the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Death a specter he couldn't grasp.
A faceted head rose in a slow, deliberate, almost regal motion. Crystal spikes angled backwards from the snout racing down the entire length of its body. Every spike was unnervingly uniform. No natural shape could encroach on this behemoth's true perfection. It was a perversion of the natural order. As if it had sensed something. The colossal—serpent—looked up. Its head kissed by four thousand pounds of shrieking metal like vengeance itself wore a chrome grill.
The impact was apocalyptic.
The Caddy cratered into the courtyard with a sound like a bomb going off. Metal screamed. Stone and crystal exploded. The front end of the car crumpled like paper. Shards of transparent purple crystal sprayed in all directions like shrapnel.
Thane's world turned to chaos. The airbag hit him square in the face, exploding outward with a deafening BWHUMP. His head snapped back, before momentum carried his body straight through the steering column underneath. Everything spun. Dust and debris howled through the car as it rocked, groaned, and finally settled—tilted awkwardly, rear tires still half-suspended over the ruined monster's neck.
Silence fell, made all the more deafening when he realized the pain in his head had vanished.
He fumbled desperately for the seatbelt, his fingers slick with sweat and trembling from adrenaline. Somehow, the belt was still intact—miraculously unbroken after the fall—but it was jammed tight.
Smoke choked the interior, thick and acrid, blinding him. The only light came from the fading shimmer of his immunity barrier and the flickering flames clawing up the firewall — like starving demons nipping at his heels. He coughed, sputtered, and cursed, yanking harder. The metal of the buckle creaked under the strain—but held fast.
Maybe the fire will burn through the seatbelt. Thane thought wildly. Argh, I can't wait that long—my immunity barrier might run out!
Wait—h-how much time is left?
Panic tightened its grip around his throat. Thane's body locked up, stiff as if rigor mortis had already claimed him. Defiance ignited inside him, building into a searing blaze. He forced his will through the chaos like a blade. He struck against the wall of terror inside his mind, shattering it to bring his notification window into existence.
A disorienting wall of text slammed into his vision, lines blurring together as his heart pounded in his ears. He didn't have time for this. Thane scrolled frantically to the top, eyes searching, finally landing on the countdown timer.
[immunity t - 00:15]
Oh c-crap!
Below the timer, another message blinked into focus: +1 Free Stat Point Earned!
By everything holy—
Without hesitation, he swapped menus, jammed the point into strength, and yanked on the seatbelt with every ounce of force he could muster.
Nothing.
No no no no—
Desperation clawed at him. He ripped open his status screen to double-check—and there it was: [STR] [8].
Just as the number registered, and dread set in a new line flashed at the bottom: +3 Free Stat Points Available!
Yes! YES!
There wasn't even a debate. Dreams of throwing fireballs and mastering magic could wait—dead men didn't cast spells.
Without hesitation, he dumped all three points into strength bringing it to [11].
The heat was oppressive now, the car popping and groaning as the incredible heat warped its frame.
Thane gritted his teeth, muscles straining, and pulled with everything he had. A deep whump rocked the vehicle—the fire had reached the gas tank. The world erupted in searing light and sound. Shrapnel and flame washed over him, but his immunity shield held. A stalwart defender allowing nothing to pass.
The belt finally snapped loose and he tumbled sideways, straight out the mangled door and dragged himself free of the wreckage. He collapsed onto the courtyard stone, coughing, sweating, eyes wide, his immunity shield blinked out. Flaming debris speckled the stone around him. His car—what was left of it—still burned, a tombstone fit for a giant.
"Okay," he wheezed, staring up at the alien sky, "so... not dead. Yet."
[strength threshold has exceeded human levels commencing upgrades]
Thane passed out.