[Congratulations! You’ve Died!]
Well….Shit….
I swear I had the best intentions this morning, really, I did. Somewhere along the way, between the energy drink to get out of bed, the solder fumes, or the 3d printer residue I guess I keeled over?
At least, that’s what it looks like, as I stand there staring at my slumped over body sprawled out in the discombobulated mess that is my office floor.
Currently I guess I’m a ghost? My skin looks all spectral and see through…so I guess that’s what I’m going with! Currently a ghost!
Great…
As I’m pondering my no longer alive body, I suppose it’s about time to take stock of the situation.
Staring down at myself, I can see my dyed blonde hair…man I need to redo my roots… the flannel I had wrapped around myself and the 3-day unwashed sweatpants. By the black circles under my eyes, I must have been pushing through whatever stopped my heart for a while before I went out. Maybe in heaven I’ll take better care of myself?
Strewn around me is what I was currently working on, a Kernal based sine wave display with integrated Bluetooth monitoring and overvolt protection.
But really it looks like a bunch of wires held together with hopes, dreams…..and duct tape.
I’m a tinkerer! That’s what I do to de-stress I just start building shit! Like all the other random crap I had strewn around my office. I mean, name it, if it goes bang, zap, or clunk clunk, I’ve probably played with it, or at least know the theories anyways.
Speaking of theories, I’ve got plenty about this weird golden box that seems to be hovering in the middle of my vision congratulating me on my death
[Due to the young age at which you’ve died the Afterlife offers you a choice]
[Reincarnation]
[Ascendency]
[End of Journey]
……okay so this is like some weird video game, guess I really did inhale too many fumes
Well how the hell do I choose? Do I just think about reincarnation?
[Reincarnation: by choosing this option you will be reborn in this world anew]
Right…
Not the biggest fan of this world to be honest, I feel like there’s gotta be better ones out there, like ones without taxes, or better healthcare. OH, WAIT I’d have to be a baby again? Ugh, as if I wasn’t already leaning away from this option, being a baby sealed the deal. Hard Pass
So, let’s try end of journey? Sounds ominous
[End of Journey: you’ve demonstrated a want to leave this existence, your soul will be scattered as your journey ends, the cosmos thanks you.]
That’s because it is hella ominous! Do not scatter my soul! That’s me!
Okay third times the charm, bring on ascendency
[Ascendency: be transported to a new world and try again, memories intact.]
Well, that’s definitely the best option for me, but why do I have this lingering feeling of not want to choose anything just yet.
As if to answer me, I could hear the keys jingling outside the apartment door..right..of course..
“Luna! Are you in there? I’m done with classes for the day.”
The melodic voice of Cait sang from the door, my girlfriend and life partner, she’s currently in nursing school, and she was looking forward to graduating soon.
I barely have time to process what will happen before she opens the door to my office and sticks her head in
“Hey little moonlight! Watcha up…to…”
I watch the words die on her lips, before she becomes a flash of movement. She checks my pulse and immediately rolls me over and starts CPR, that’s when I notice the first tears start to fall on my own corpse, and at the same time I feel like a massive hole opens in the chest of my spectral form.
As she is rapidly going over my lifeless form she takes in the states of the room and shakes her head “come on little moonlight, can’t even clean up before I get home” she half chuckles and the words are strained through the tears falling from her face.
Cait… I’m sorry
She pulls out her phone while still valiantly trying chest compressions, somehow manages to call 911 and shakily talks with the dispatcher, all the while I can see how this is hitting her.
I love Cait, she’s always been so strong, she’s always known what her path in life was going to be, something I could never understand as I bounced around job to job, feeling like a useless sideshow to the magnum opus that was Cait. Her pet name for me twisting the knife in my heartIf you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“And I’ve never felt more useless than right now” I thought to myself as I knelt there next to her, just an observer to an outside event.
As the feeling in my chest deepens it feels like a force pushes the golden box directly into my line of sight
“GO AWAY” I try to scream at the box.
I try to cup her face with my ghostly hands, her beautiful green eyes filled with tears looking over my corpse.
God what a shitty last moment
The Golden box in my vision becomes fully opaque and blocks Cait from my eyes. The hollow feeling in my heart expands as a creeping inky darkness clouds out the edges of my vision. All that is left is the damn golden box and the emptiness of death.
[Please make your choice]
***
I’m… I’m not sure how long I spent in that endless abyss of darkness… minutes? Hours? I lost track as my eyes burned and my heart hurt, my thoughts hovered over the [Reincarnation] option
It’d be so easy, I thought. my thoughts ringing around my head like a bell, I’d go through life as a kid for a while and then go find Cait again.
But theres a nagging feeling in the back of my head as remember the description of [Ascendancy], it said Memories Intact, that’s got to be for a reason, [Reincarnation] doesn’t mention memories. Does that mean they’ll get wiped? Would I even remember Cait if I chose to stay in this world? Or would she fade away just like everything else. She deserves better than to be forgotten. So with a solemn feeling and trembling hands I think [Ascendancy]
[By confirming this choice, you will be transferred: Selected planet – Fareden, this is a world of swords and sorcery, to integrate into society a new race will be chose for you]
[scanning…]
[Most likely match found – Devilkin!]
What the hells a devilkin?
[as you are older than the appropriate age, please choose a class]
What appropriate age? Okay fine what are the options
[Berserker]
[Entertainer]
[Warrior]
[Priest]
[Holy Knight]
[Druid]
[Thief]
[Hunter]
[Mage]
[Scholar]
[Artificer]
Ooookay… lots to unpack there
Assuming these choices pretty much do what they seem like they would do, I feel like I’m really only interested in 2…
Mage, cause obviously, who in their right minds wouldn’t want to do magic! Let’s take a look
[Mage – a Class designed around the wonder that is arcane magic! Your magical potency is unhindered but as a trade off you will lack the durability of other classes.
+1Strength +2 Agility +2 Vitality +10 Intelligence +3 Willpower +2Charisma Per level]
Unhindered magical potency seems really cool! But what the hell are those stats? Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket, if I take that class I swear with the low vitality a swift breeze would kill me. Of course that’s assuming I know what any of those stats actually are, or do…but vitality has to be health right? And speaking of stats it looks like I get 20 per level? I wonder what the max level in this new world would be. “Hey golden box show me what the Holy knight gets per level, and with better formatting this time too”
[Holy Knight- Crush your enemies with the power of divinity, an up-close fighter with strong defenses but quite slow and often lacks magical defense]
Per level:
+6 STR
+1 AGI
+4 VIT
+1 INT
+3 WILL
+5 CHA
Yep looks like I was right about 20 per level, so assuming an average build by level 100 I’m looking at 300s in all my stats? Well Holy Knight seems fun and all I’ve never been one for the whole fire and brimstone type of religion.
If I’m honest with myself there is only one class that really calls to me, I’m a tinkerer at heart and I’ve been eyeing [Artificer] like a gremlin this whole time. “Come on Golden Box momma needs a cool new class”
[Artificer- a rare class just unlocked for those in Fareden, mold metal and technology with your fingertips, infusing its very nature with the arcane, an all round build where the only limit is resources and time]
Per level:
+2 STR
+4 AGI
+4 VIT
+5 INT
+3 WILL
+2 CHA
Yeah that very much sounded like her, magic, technology, and a nice balanced build where nothing truly lags behind! Alright Golden Box lets confirm [Artificer]
[Confirmed – Artificer: To assist with your relocation you will be allowed to convey items and equipment you own to this new world, be warned the form may not remain the same but the function shall remain unchanged]
With that a medium size toolbag seemed to appear in the middle of this endless void, I reached out to grab it and as I did a small screen appeared hovering a few inches off of the bag [items held 0/6]
“Okay 6 items to prepare myself for an entirely new world, I’ve gotta be picky I guess.”
As I was contemplating what items I would bring the endless void shifted once more and I was now back in my apartment, with a distinct lack of the woman I love. Walking around our cramped university apartment felt nostalgic in a way, I wasn’t gone long but the chance to look around at our photos on the walls and the memories they brought back felt nice, if not a little melancholic.
I suppose the first thing I’ll need is my screwdriver set, from there I should probably bring a sleeping bag? Uhh..then shoes? Maybe? Wow you think you’ll have to be picky and then when push comes to shove your mind goes blank huh.
“OH wait! Cait used to hunt on the weekends, I wonder if she still has her guns in here”
I walk over to our hall closet and take out the case hidden behind the coats, opening it up I see a pretty standard hunting rifle and a pistol both in the case.
“Right so those are definitely both coming with, thanks Cait”
So that leaves 2 items left, I should probably bring a battery just in case I need to power anything I put together. And finally, maybe something to start a campfire with? I’ve got a blowtorch that’ll work.
[Confirm Tool Bag?]
You bet! New world here I come!
[Initiating Transfer]
The first thing I feel is my skin begin to crawl; it feels like hundreds of needles are piercing my skin all at once. Then deep within myself I feel a pull, like gravity just reversed itself and all of my entrails want to be Outtrails. I begin to feel a throbbing headache near my temples and the base of my spine sends a shooting pain through my body. My skin finally gives up as I can see it char over itself like I’ve been burned at the stake, the nerves all burned away offer only a small reprieve before the pain in my head reaches a tipping point as I feel the pain exit from beyond the confines of my charred skin, “Horns! I’m growing Horns!” I think to myself despite the immense amount of pain my head is in.
The endless darkness has once again encroached as I try my hardest to focus on staying conscious and ready to enter this new world, my breath ragged I am rapidly looking at myself to check any damage done, my charred skin looks like its covered in small writing in a language I don’t think I can understand. My horns have grown out by now as the minutes tick by, they started forward but have curved back and lay in line with my hair, before curling up right at the very tips, the pain at the base of my spine seems to have abated now as well as I look down and see a tail! I have a Tail now! It’s the same charred color of my skin and was long enough to wrap around my waist, about as thick as my forearm? And it tapered towards the tip.
The last thing I noticed was my hair slowly turning silver as the colored drained out of it, not old lady grey but actual sterling silver! While trying to get a handle on all of these changes that endless void seems to encroach even further smothering the Golden Box in my vision.
As the last whisps of my vision were snuffed out, I felt all the pain catching up to me, my own brain screaming at itself to let it rest, and as my consciousness faded I had only one last though
“Pain really sucks…I’ll need to upgrade my Vitality”