Matt was half listening to his friend Bethesda as she rattled on about something her roommate had said before she left with him. He hated the idea of making a friend feel ignored but couldn't shake this feeling sending alarming tingles up the back of his neck. 'Something is wrong' was screaming from somewhere primal and ancient within.
It was at that moment as he slowed his car and began making the left turn onto their friend, Josh the DM's red dirt road when he spotted strange lights in the western sky far above the few clouds meandering around. The lights were unlike any natural phenomenon that could be attributed to swamp gas or human engineering. But, before he could even give that thought time to begin processing into further questions he felt something terrifying. It was like gravity turned off and then like every fiber of his being were being stretched apart into infinitely thin spaghetti strands going in every direction all at once as though it was instantaneous and so slow as to feel like at least a dozen eternities. The feeling disorienting on a level unfathomable by anyone who merely hears a description of it. For the briefest infinity he lost all sense of himself beyond that inner presence which witnesses our thoughts happening.
And then, as though the universe decided to snap it's fingers and press control+z on the changes to him, he felt a popping sensation and his perspective back into himself as though nothing had happened.
Except it clearly had, he noticed as he heard the sound of screaming coming from his own throat and his friend beside him. His vehicle was spinning down the dirt road careening towards a stone mailbox. Instincts took over as his hands moved on autopilot guiding the car out of the spin into a drift that he corrected as quickly as he could. During this he barely noticed the strange semi-transparent blue box filling most of his primary vision space.
Notification
System Initializing. . .
Bethesda's screaming became slightly more coherent if not less loud in his ear as she said, "What system?"
Matthias shook his said, "I have no clue but I'm seeing it too!"
And just as he said that, the blue box in their eyes disappeared. He blinked, let his foot off the brake and quickly sped the 200 feet to Josh's driveway. He slipped over the bump at the end of the long driveway shrouded on both sides by untamed forest. Well, what little remained in the rural area that had seen a new subdivision built within 2 miles every 6 months for a couple years now. Just as he was slipping the gear shifter into park, they both heard a loud noise like thunder growling to the left. As their heads turned to see where that noise was coming from, they saw a massive goat as big as a VW Minibus charging out of the woods and ramming the car with it's horns, hitting it so hard the car flips up onto it's side as the goat bounds away like a rabid dog chasing a running rabbit. The two of them barely seeing it hop off into the forest again as they are thrown around the interior from the impact of it's hit.
Bethesda yells, "What THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
Matthias chimes in after a pained 'OW!' from smacking the dashboard with his head in the tumble from his seat and onto Bethesda in the passenger seat now that it was the new down. "Not what I was trying to do. Such Ow, much suck." Then he angled himself around and had to climb up to the driver's door and out of his broken window, since the door itself was all smashed up from the goat-thing hitting it. After pulling himself up and through, he looked down at Bethesda, "Come with me if you want to live." And you know he said it in his best Arnold accent too, Bethesda completely missing the reference though says, "What kind of shit is that to say?"
Matthias blanches a little, "It's from a movie, sorry I make jokes when I'm stressed. And this shit is stressful. We need to hurry, I don't know what's going on but it's getting crazy." And while he's rambling all that, Bethesda grabs his hand and climbs up and out the window to perch atop the car with him. He reaches back inside under his driver's seat and grabs an expensive machete he got for himself after he got his new job last year.
Bethesda looks at him quizzically, "That's a big knife, but that goat was bigger. Like a lot bigger, not a little bit like when a girl is trying to be nice and say no that other guy she was fucking didn't have a bigger dick." She stopped talking as she saw his face, "I guess we both have nervous habits when we're stressed. Let's get inside Josh's."
They hop down from their perch on top of the car and hear a new noise unlike the thundering sound of that giant goat thing running and screaming like it was. This noise is more like a train horn, but higher pitch and quiet but getting louder. They both look around for danger and sprint towards the gate to the fenced in yard that leads onto the porch where the front door to the house is. Before they can reach the gate, they see flashes of colored lights from overhead and glance up to see honest to god spaceships of all shapes and sizes fighting in the skies overhead. One of them fires a blacklight ball at a big glowing red sphere that punches a hole right through it and into the edge of the moon taking a groove out of the roughly 2pm area if the moon were a clockface. Small, but noticeable with the naked eye, just a piece of the moon is gone. They blinked trying to process all of that, while they noise grew louder and louder in their ears, to the point it was painful to hear. They stop at the gate to the yard, trying to unlock it as the sound and the pain it is causing grows higher, when all the sudden something crashes into the corner of the house. The corner that Josh uses as a home office and game room. They see him through the hole in the wall, sitting at his computer with a dime sized hole in his head at the temple.
The hole begins to glow as purple and green flames, tiny in size but growing rapidly in coverage spread across his body and incinerate it in the blink of an eye. They stare at the spot he was just sitting as the ashen form of their friend begins to fall apart and dissolve from the growing wind.
"NO!" Bethesda rages at the universe, tears fighting with her anger at the unfairness of this moment, at the loss of life of one of her only close friends.
"Well, fuck..." Matthias croaks, his mind threatening to take a break from all the chaos of the last minute. "Boy Scouts said to always be prepared, but I didn't get the fucking manual for this shit!"
Their collective shock weighing heavily on them both, they don't hear the sound of more goat hooves until they hear some nearby trees snapping and starting to fall. Looking around for the source of the noise, their vision is once again covered with a semi-transparent blue box.
Failed primary defense system, activating alternative options.
Info
Trap Dungeon Defense Plan Activated
And before their eyes a grey stone obelisk started rising rapidly out of the ground between them and another goat coming from the woods. A strange light began radiating from the obelisk and swirling, somewhere between green and the color of the light emitted by a blacklight. The goat is pulled off it's feet into the light and disappears as Matthias see's Bethesda turning to wrap her arms around the fence, he reaches to do so too. The fence isn't made for this kind of pressure though and begins to shift, which causes them both to lose their grip and fly off into the air towards the light that was still swallowing up other goats and debris from nearby.
Matthias felt time stretch out into forever as he touched the light. His body felt like gravity passed through him and he turned inside out. He blinked, his eyes clearing to discover he had not in fact turned inside out. He was laying on the ground in a strange stone room. He thought it reminded him vaguely of some of the stone architecture he saw in Europe while adventuring there a few years ago. As his eyes and mind continued to wander about the room, he spotted Bethesda's tiny frame against the wall to his left. She was just sitting there, back against the wall staring at him blankly before she said suddenly, "Oh Hell No! Absolutely not! If I gotta play this game looking shit, I'm not sticking with this name. From now on, I'm Cleo Shepherd."
"What?" Matthias asked as he tried to get to his feet and felt dizzy a moment before powering through it and standing.
"There's a status screen, like those weird notifications before we got sucked into this room. But it has our names and a bunch of stats. I woke up a couple minutes ago. IDK where we are, I've just been playing with these screens in front of my eyes waiting on you to wake up. I was scared you were dead when I first woke up, and I'm not losing a second friend in the same day. So I was freaking out, then I noticed you were breathing so I sat back down here and then you woke up while I was playing with this status screen." Cleo said to him.
"So, Cleo. . . Okay what is a status screen?" And then he blinked in surprise as a new box full of information appeared in front of his eyes.
Status:
Character Sheet
Name: Matthias Bell
Origin: Beastmaster
Unique Starting Benefit: "Animal Affinity": Begin with a Pet Bond Contract, and gain +1 to Social Interaction Checks with Animals and Beasts.
Bonuses: +1 Stat Point/Path Level. +4 HP /Path Level, +2 Mana and +2 Stamina /Path Level.
Completion Bonus: Gains Mana Bolt Level 1 and Heavy Blow Level 1. +1 to all Stats per Level, +4 HP per Level, +2 Mana & Stamina per Level.
[Taming Path] Lvl [0/100]
Bonuses: +1 Control every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: +5 Stat Points
[Hunting Path] Lvl [4/100]
Bonuses: +1 Perception every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Tracker's Eye Skill.
[ Soul Bond I Path] Lvl [3/125]
Bonuses: +1 Wisdom every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Gain +1 Shared Skill.
[Crafter I Path] Lvl [0/25]
Bonuses: +1 Focus every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Analyze Skill.
[Spellcrafter I Path]Lvl [0/75]
Bonuses: +1 Intelligence every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Choice of Mana Sight or Mana Manipulation Skill.
[Experimenter I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Reaction every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Danger Sense Skill.
[Mana Engraving I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Focus every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Identify Skill.
[Trapmaking I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Agility every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Trapfighter Skill.
[Enemy of Evil I Path]Lvl [0/150]
Bonuses: +1 Action Stat every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Avenger's Cleave Skill.
Skills: (List all Skills, categorized and leveled)
Soul Skills:
[Skill Name] Lvl [Number]
General Skills:
[Sneak] Lvl [1]
[Inspect] Lvl [1]
[Survival] Lvl [1]
[Disassembly] Lvl ][1]
[Climbing] Lvl [2]
[Animal Handling]Lvl[1]
Stamina Skills:
[Thrown Weapon (Spears)] Lvl [2]
[Heavy Blow]Lvl[1]
[Running]Lvl[1]
Mana Skills:
[Mana Control]Lvl[1]
[Mana Bolt]Lvl[1]
Crafting Skills:
[Woodworking] Lvl [2]
[Trapmaking] Lvl [1]
[Cooking] Lvl [1]
Boost Skills: (List passive skills and their effects)
[Acid Resistance] Lvl [1]
Spells: (List Spells taken and current level)
[Spell Name] Lvl [Number]
Affinities: (List Affinities and current level)
[Void] Lvl [1]
[Beast]Lvl[1]
Perks: (List Perks taken and rarity)
[Spirit Companion ]Lesser Perk]
[Regenerative Core ]Medium Perk]
[Overclocked Reflex ]Large Perk]
[Voidwalker’s Path]Greater Perk]
Achievements: (List Achievements)
[In the Mouth of Madness] Gained from entering a Hellspawn infected Dungeon.
Gain one [Divine Spell Scroll] or one [Arcane Spell Scroll] or one [Primal Charm].
[Through Fire And Flame] Gained from surviving your first Hellspawn infected Dungeon.
Gain one [Divine Loot Box].
[Crazy Bastard] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without a Class or Level.
Gain one Greater Perk.
[Wild Abandon] Gained from Entering a Dungeon 10 or more Levels above your own.
Gain one Large Perk.
[Without a Clue] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without any skills or paths.
Gain one Medium Perk.
[Without a Care] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without any equipment or supplies.
Gain one Lesser Perk.
[Crafty l] Gained from crafting your first item in The System.
Gain one Stat Point.
[Challenge Dungeon Traveler] Gained from being one of the First on your planet to use a Traveler Waystone to enter a Challenge Dungeon.
Gain one Traveler Multipass.
[Prime Beast Slayer] Gained from being the first Human of Earth (B-1337) to slay a System Leveled Beast.
Gain +50% Experience Gain from Slaying Beasts, or all Humans of Earth(B-1337) gain +5% Experience Gain from Slaying Beasts.
Quests: (List Quests goals and rewards)
[Complete the Dungeon: Bane of Hunters] Beat all primary objectives of each zone in the dungeon. [repeatable] Status: [Incomplete]
Rewards: Gain one Skill Tome for completion. Gain one Copper Coin per Beast slain upon completion. Gain one Stat point per beast above your level that is slain as bonus reward upon completion.
Objectives
Zone 1: Kill one beast wave (2 Beasts for each Party Member) and one Boss Beast.
Beasts Slain: [1] | Bosses Slain: [0]
[Fight the Powers of Hell] Gained from Entering a Dungeon with a Hellspawn Incursion. [repeatable] Status: [Incomplete]
Gain one {Lesser | Medium | Large | Greater} Perk for surviving to complete the dungeon.
Gain one Silver Coin per Hellspawn destroyed. First time you collect this reward gain paired Title.
Companions:
Soul Bonded:
Donnie: [Horned Bunny]
System Companions: [Undefined Elemental Spirit with Assistant Archetype]
Contracts:
Donnie:
Type: Pet Soul Bond
Duration: Until Death
Terms: Shared Growth and Stats. May share up to two Skills with bonded companion for up to 1 year at a time or until next evolution.
Skills Shared (2):
Equipment:
Weapons: [List weapons and their stats/bonuses]
Armor: [List armor pieces and their stats/bonuses]
Inventory: [Pet Bond Contract - Donnie the Void Horned Bunny],
Soul Points: [0]
Path Points: [3]
Stat Points: [0]
Skill Points: [0]
Skill Upgrade Points: [0]
Genetic Upgrade Points: [0]
Tek Points: [0]
Experience Points: [0]/[0]
Status Effects:
[Effect Name] Effect Description.
Duration: [x] Units
Mechanics:
Notes: [Space for character backstory, goals, contacts, etc.]
"OH," he said surprisedly after that. Cleo laughed, hard, "Yeah this is some magejosh game type shit in real life. I'd ask what he gave us but it all started before we got to his house and then he died in front of us. Oh. . . " Her tone drawing down to a morbid tenor with that last realization as she remembered what all has happened to them in the last couple of minutes.
"I can't believe he just dissolved in colored flames in the blink of an eye. It happened so fast, but it's etched in my eyes when I close them." Cleo said. "But if we're really in some kind of game world now like this character sheet screen in front of my eyes tells me, then I refuse to believe magejosh doesn't have an extra life saved and he's out there right now gonna show up and help us figure things out."
Matthias dismissed his status screen as she said this, looking at her and smiling as he says in a kind and warm tone, "Sure thing buddy, I'm sure you're right. But until then, we need to take care of ourselves. Let's figure out where we are. Are those doors?" He asks pointing to two walls that have door sized grooves etched into them.
They both moved towards one of the doors and noticed there was strange writing on it, yet they could clearly read it.
Label
Dungeon Exit
Bethesda reached for a circle on the door near where a door handle might be and touched it. Nothing happened from Matthias' perspective but she said, "What the shit? How do I get a level then?"
Matthias reached out and touched the circle on the door, and a notification popped up, followed by more as he cleared them.
Notification
Must be at least Level 10 to use Dungeon Gateways.
Warning
Entering a Dungeon without a Level is not advised.
Warning
Entering a Dungeon more than 10 Levels beyond your own is not advised.
Warning
Entering a Dungeon without any Skill or Path Levels is not advised.
Warning
Entering a Dungeon without any equipment within your inventory or carried is not advised.
Warning
Entering a Dungeon with a Hellspawn Incursion is not advised.
Notification
Achivements Unlocked!
Matthias willed his Status screen open again.
Status:
Matthias Bell
Character Sheet
Name: Matthias Bell
Origin: Beastmaster
Unique Starting Benefit: "Animal Affinity": Begin with a Pet Bond Contract, and gain +1 to Social Interaction Checks with Animals and Beasts.
Bonuses: +1 Stat Point/Path Level. +4 HP /Path Level, +2 Mana and +2 Stamina /Path Level.
Completion Bonus: Gains Mana Bolt Level 1 and Heavy Blow Level 1. +1 to all Stats per Level, +4 HP per Level, +2 Mana & Stamina per Level.
[Taming Path] Lvl [0/100]
Bonuses: +1 Control every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: +5 Stat Points
[Hunting Path] Lvl [4/100]
Bonuses: +1 Perception every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Tracker's Eye Skill.
[ Soul Bond I Path] Lvl [3/125]
Bonuses: +1 Wisdom every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Gain +1 Shared Skill.
[Crafter I Path] Lvl [0/25]
Bonuses: +1 Focus every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Analyze Skill.
[Spellcrafter I Path]Lvl [0/75]
Bonuses: +1 Intelligence every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Choice of Mana Sight or Mana Manipulation Skill.
[Experimenter I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Reaction every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Danger Sense Skill.
[Mana Engraving I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Focus every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Identify Skill.
[Trapmaking I Path]Lvl [0/50]
Bonuses: +1 Agility every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Trapfighter Skill.
[Enemy of Evil I Path]Lvl [0/150]
Bonuses: +1 Action Stat every 5 PP.
Completion Bonus: Unlocks Avenger's Cleave Skill.
Skills: (List all Skills, categorized and leveled)
Soul Skills:
[Skill Name] Lvl [Number]
General Skills:
[Sneak] Lvl [1]
[Inspect] Lvl [1]
[Survival] Lvl [1]
[Disassembly] Lvl ][1]
[Climbing] Lvl [2]
[Animal Handling]Lvl[1]
Stamina Skills:
[Thrown Weapon (Spears)] Lvl [2]
[Heavy Blow]Lvl[1]
[Running]Lvl[1]
Mana Skills:
[Mana Control]Lvl[1]
[Mana Bolt]Lvl[1]
Crafting Skills:
[Woodworking] Lvl [2]
[Trapmaking] Lvl [1]
[Cooking] Lvl [1]
Boost Skills: (List passive skills and their effects)
[Acid Resistance] Lvl [1]
Spells: (List Spells taken and current level)
[Spell Name] Lvl [Number]
Affinities: (List Affinities and current level)
[Void] Lvl [1]
[Beast]Lvl[1]
Perks: (List Perks taken and rarity)
[Spirit Companion ]Lesser Perk]
[Regenerative Core ]Medium Perk]
[Overclocked Reflex ]Large Perk]
[Voidwalker’s Path]Greater Perk]
Achievements: (List Achievements)
[In the Mouth of Madness] Gained from entering a Hellspawn infected Dungeon.
Gain one [Divine Spell Scroll] or one [Arcane Spell Scroll] or one [Primal Charm].
[Through Fire And Flame] Gained from surviving your first Hellspawn infected Dungeon.
Gain one [Divine Loot Box].
[Crazy Bastard] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without a Class or Level.
Gain one Greater Perk.
[Wild Abandon] Gained from Entering a Dungeon 10 or more Levels above your own.
Gain one Large Perk.
[Without a Clue] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without any skills or paths.
Gain one Medium Perk.
[Without a Care] Gained from Entering a Dungeon without any equipment or supplies.
Gain one Lesser Perk.
[Crafty l] Gained from crafting your first item in The System.
Gain one Stat Point.
[Challenge Dungeon Traveler] Gained from being one of the First on your planet to use a Traveler Waystone to enter a Challenge Dungeon.
Gain one Traveler Multipass.
[Prime Beast Slayer] Gained from being the first Human of Earth (B-1337) to slay a System Leveled Beast.
Gain +50% Experience Gain from Slaying Beasts, or all Humans of Earth(B-1337) gain +5% Experience Gain from Slaying Beasts.
Quests: (List Quests goals and rewards)
[Complete the Dungeon: Bane of Hunters] Beat all primary objectives of each zone in the dungeon. [repeatable] Status: [Incomplete]
Rewards: Gain one Skill Tome for completion. Gain one Copper Coin per Beast slain upon completion. Gain one Stat point per beast above your level that is slain as bonus reward upon completion.
Objectives
Zone 1: Kill one beast wave (2 Beasts for each Party Member) and one Boss Beast.
Beasts Slain: [1] | Bosses Slain: [0]
[Fight the Powers of Hell] Gained from Entering a Dungeon with a Hellspawn Incursion. [repeatable] Status: [Incomplete]
Gain one {Lesser | Medium | Large | Greater} Perk for surviving to complete the dungeon.
Gain one Silver Coin per Hellspawn destroyed. First time you collect this reward gain paired Title.
Companions:
Soul Bonded:
Donnie: [Horned Bunny]
System Companions: [Undefined Elemental Spirit with Assistant Archetype]
Contracts:
Donnie:
Type: Pet Soul Bond
Duration: Until Death
Terms: Shared Growth and Stats. May share up to two Skills with bonded companion for up to 1 year at a time or until next evolution.
Skills Shared (2):
Equipment:
Weapons: [List weapons and their stats/bonuses]
Armor: [List armor pieces and their stats/bonuses]
Inventory: [Pet Bond Contract - Donnie the Void Horned Bunny],
Soul Points: [0]
Path Points: [3]
Stat Points: [0]
Skill Points: [0]
Skill Upgrade Points: [0]
Genetic Upgrade Points: [0]
Tek Points: [0]
Experience Points: [0]/[0]
Status Effects:
[Effect Name] Effect Description.
Duration: [x] Units
Mechanics:
Notes: [Space for character backstory, goals, contacts, etc.]
"It says we can't use the door until we're level 10, but doesn't say how we get to level 10. Mine still shows N/a on my Status screen." Bethesda said after watching him staring off into space for a few minutes.
Matthias slowly responds to her, "Yeah mine shows the same, but it says I unlocked achievements and some of those grant perks. I'm trying to figure out how to spend the perks it granted. My best guess is the way to get a level will be revealed as we unlock stuff. We must be in the tutorial right now or something."
"Oh! Perks, you just think it like you do status and it gives you a big ass list of options. Way too many options. I don't even know where to start," Bethesda trails off despondently.
And with that they waste at least a half hour just browsing options without another word. The silence only interrupted by a rumble from Matthias' stomach. Bethesda replied, "Me two homie, me two!"
