《Undefined》 Prologue: Startup Sounds Initialising... Gray space dimension loading... World linking loading... Candidate selection loading¡­ The Universe fired these messages and more throughout space to nestle in the minds of a select few entities. Numerous members of The Pantheon Of Gods were waking after hundreds of years to a bright blue box filling their vision. Any being with a high enough intelligence stat could receive the benefits of ''The System''. The blue screens, with which they would interact, gave them a path to self-advancement and provided much sought after information. However, the only entities privy to the details of The Choosing were The Gods. The only reason they were afforded this commodity was that they were integral to The Choosing. Among the Gods, many felt hatred toward the mysterious entity named ''The Universe''. After all, it was they who were supposed to be the supreme beings. Yet, going against rules established by ''The Universe'' was often impossible and other times brought great punishment, the likes of which none would even want to think about. Success! Candidates identified, attempting transportation... Again messages were displayed to Gods. They knew the drill. Every 500 years a select few individuals would be chosen from a human species in any of the lower ''cannon fodder'' universes. These humans would be called Candidates and would bring significant change to the new world they would inhabit. Champions, however, were candidates chosen explicitly by the Gods and would be their means to affect the mortal world. This wasn''t the first Choosing by any means. Every 500 years, the same process would occur and would bring to the land, worldwide chaos.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. By nature, all Gods were proud beings. It was because of this nature that they believed The Choosing to be named so after their choice in Champions. In actuality, The Choosing entailed far more than the decisions of the Gods. This time, preceding the messages was a brief flash of light around the bodies of Gods and Candidates alike. This light seemed to contain both light and darkness intermingled. Experience would identify these telltale signs as the teleport function of the grey space dimension that all Gods and Candidates would warp into for The Choosing. Meanwhile, a particularly strong demon was laughing from his throne in Hell. His plan to vanquish the influence of the Gods was coming to fruition. Gazing at the God bound in pulsing golden chains at his feet and surrounded by his army of fellow demons, he felt invincible. It was during this time that the Gods started to dissolve into nothing, only to appear in the grey space dimension a second later. The following message caused the hearts of all Gods to skip a beat. ERROR: Godly intervention detected Intervention prevented. Age Of Retribution triggered, deploying the necessary catalyst... All gathered Gods had concealed features, yet a trained eye could tell there was something off. This dimension had a unique effect on Gods, namely all Gods gathered would be shrouded in a smokey black shadow; their appearance almost completely concealed. And so all figures stood, some shuffling on their feet, some had movements that seemed oddly stiff while others were like predators trying to give off an air of strength and power. A trained eye could again tell that this show of force was just that, a show. The Pantheon was almost always engaged in some argument, yet none spoke a word at this moment. Even the Pantheon was subject to mortal emotions. The Pantheon of Gods waited in silence, pulses firing like machine guns. What being would dare risk the wrath of the system? No single known being even had the power to do so on a scale as large as this! Not even a God could! Lastly, and perhaps the most crucial thought coursing through their heads; What. The. Fuck. Is the Age of Retribution? Chapter 1: New Beginnings Cal sat at his desk, engaged in a new game his brother had bought for him. His PC was flaring up in an array of colour as it alternated between different lighting effects. An orange icon on his display indicated the game he had just minimised to check the time. It was the latest RPG that had just come out, needless to say, it was the most engaging game he had ever played and a genre he seemed to specialise in. Sadly, there was a limit to how immersive games like this could be without the technology to completely engage all senses. Cal stretched back on his chair and stared at the time.
15/1/2030. 4:50 pm
¡®6 hours straight and It only felt like 1. Not bad¡¯ A relentless deep grumble suddenly rose up to fill the tight room. Cal¡¯s stomach had spoken. It was time for food! In silent agreement to the demands of his stomach, he pushed himself up off of his chair to get up. Cal was halfway off his chair when a peculiar noise filled his ears. This time it was not his stomach. It was a noise that sounded very far away, yet was right in his ear. Thinking it was merely something from his computer, he ignored it, preferring to begin stretching his cramped legs. That was when the noise in his ear sprang to a crescendo. ¡°Attempting transportation¡­¡±. Not even afforded the time to think about what was going on, his body quickly flashed with light. Blinking his eyes down, Cal saw his arm completely dissolving into the air! His mortal brain struggled to process the situation, and after a long pause, his eyes promptly rolled back, he fainted. Around the world, the same situation was happening to a tiny percentile of the population. *** Cal cracked his eyes open and found himself lying on a hard grey floor. Just not his floor. ¡®Where the fuck am I..'' Cal trailed off mumbling. Standing alert, Cal took in his immediate surroundings. Everything looked rather bland, doing a full 360 revealed nothing in sight, but a mist cloaked, flat plane with grey wisps of smoke slowly curling as they rose. Most bizarre of all was the absence of fear or worry that he felt about his situation. That was, namely; waking up in an unknown location in the middle of the impossible. That aspect of Cal¡¯s emotions felt clouded, and while he knew he should feel some sort of anxiety about the situation that did not change the fact that he absolutely did not mind.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°First time teleporting, huh?¡± a deep voice rasped out. Floating above Cal''s head was a tall, solidly built figure. Grey hair and heavyset wrinkles framed golden piercing eyes. Cal¡¯s mouth dropped open. Originating from the figure was an indescribable pressure; an aura of unstoppable power suddenly suffocated the atmosphere. Contrary to expectations; however, the man just offered a grandfatherly smile at Cal before proceeding to speak. ¡°Greetings Candidate. You may call me Aldren.¡± Cal could only gulp and stare as Aldren continued with the next part of what seemed to be a formal exchange. ¡°I am sure you have many questions, but that will have to wait until after you finish your Choosing.¡± Not even drawing a breath to see if Cal would remain silent, Aldren continued. ¡°Every 500 years, the entity I serve triggers an event called The Choosing where human Candidates are gathered from various worlds to ascend and enter the real universe. You see, the universe you have been residing in till now can be considered cannon fodder for the one you will be ascending into; you are quite fortunate. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to gain a great reward.¡± Already Cal¡¯s mind was spinning, ¡®Triggers an event? What was being chosen? Candidates for what?¡¯ Yet the voice droned on. It was frustrating having to wait to ask this impressive figure the questions he needed answered, yet as Aldren continued, they seemed to be getting resolved on their own. ¡°During The Choosing, a lucky few Candidates will also be chosen as Champions by the Gods. These individuals will gain great advantages related to the God they serve. The Gods are limited in how much they can influence your new world; however, through their Champions, they can alter fate itself. In return, Champions gain special gifts related to the God they serve. Not only are these benefits greatly appreciated by the Champions, but are actually necessary to prolong their survival. Being a pawn *cough* Champion of the Gods is generally highly dangerous as it involves plotting against other Gods and in most cases, running from demons and the like.¡± At this point, it was already clear to Cal that this new world he would be entering offered a path to great reward at the risk of personal harm. He knew becoming a Champion would be like winning the lottery in some cases, but there were simply too many drawbacks. He definitely did not want to be the prey of some hell creature. Aldred''s next words brought a spike of fear to Cal¡¯s heart. ¡°Unfortunately for you, you are no regular Champion. No. You are the hand that will strike down those which dared to move against The System. You are The Universe''s Champion. Chapter 2: The Choosing
Beginning character creation. Please select what you would like to customise first: Name Race Appearance Ability Draw Special
The blue text box suddenly popped into Cal''s head, the various options indented and glowing with a golden underline. However, the last option, ''Special'' had a line through it. Cal knew if he focused on any of the options, except for the last, he would be able to select it and based on what the box had told him, make some "customisations"...whatever that was. Cal instantly decided to keep his name the same. He knew it would be too confusing having to adjust to a new one; besides, he was happy with his name. Focusing on that option, he thought his name and The System wrote it out. After that, he thought ''Back''. The System asked for confirmation with his name and then took him back to the screen with all the other options. This time the name option was in green, indicating it was all filled out. Being so wrapped up in the character creation process, Cal had forgotten entirely about Aldren. Anybody who knew who Aldren was wouldn''t have made such a simple mistake after all the reputation of the Universe''s lackeys were extremely fierce to those displaying disrespect. Fortunately for Cal, he was an integral candidate, at least for now and Aldren was one of the few serene individuals that served The Universe. Again his voice rasped "The Universe generally cannot give you too many benefits or else other Champions will proportionally gain compensation. In this special instance, however, it has managed to circumvent this and provide not only one but two unparalleled gifts." Succeeding Aldren''s words was an enormous boom that shook the very ground. Beneath Cal''s feet, the ground stirred as Grey mist abruptly rose up and condensed into a ball. Spinning, the tennis-ball-sized grey ball rose up until it was eye level with Cal. Golden lightning sparked along the edges of the grey ball of mist as it spun. Just as fast as it came into existence, it went, slamming into Cal''s head.
The Universe has deemed you it''s first-ever Champion and has awarded you two Special boons. Beware Champion; power attracts the loathing of many.
With those daunting words, the Special option shimmered, and the strikethrough faded away. Not wasting any time, Cal focused his attention on that very option. A new box appeared
  1. Ability: Undefined
  2. Summon Soul Familiar
''Holy shit''. The words ran through Cal''s head over and over. In all the other games he had played from his past life, soul familiars had been among the most game-breaking. Even better, Cal knew the aforementioned ability was likely to be just as powerful as the soul familiar, and he had a feeling it might even be more so. With a pounding heart, Cal focused in on the top item.
  1. Ability: Undefined
Undefined This ability offers fundamental changes to your mind, body and soul. Ultimately, allowing you to choose your destiny. Rank: Hidden The rank of this ability is currently unknown. The ranking of this ability may be discovered in time or automatically upon reaching a sufficient level. Level: 1 The current level of this ability offers fundamental changes to your soul. Your soul is currently in a state of flux and can not be defined. You will not be plagued with as many restrictions as regular candidates.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
While the ability didn''t give too much away, especially at this level, it was clear how great an ability it was and how powerful it was and could grow to be. Seeing Aldren was patiently waiting for Cal to continue he went back a stage to focus on the second gift The Universe had granted him
2. Summon Soul Familiar Upon spawn, places into the Candidate''s inventory a summon soul familiar scroll. This scroll breaks open a gateway across space and time to summon a familiar that may offer great utility or fighting prowess to complement you. The familiar''s soul will therein be linked with yours. The full implications of this may only be known in time.
One thing was clear. The information provided was currently lacking due to Cal''s poor understanding of the world he was into yet what he could read as of now gave him an idea of how great of an advantage he would have from the get-go. Cal selected both boons immediately, confirmed them and waited for some telltale sign. A few seconds later, Cal facepalmed, realising nothing was happening and returned to his customisation screen. Next on the agenda was the Race option. Focusing on this drew Cal''s heart to a frenzy, after all, what if there was no human option, what if he was forced to become some sort of...monster! Would he want to even live like that? The System shot a quick message his way before opening the Race option
"At this stage, Candidates may only choose from the following race options, yet further races may become available to later in time."
''So in other words, if I don''t get an option I like I could be stuck with it forever!'' His head pounded in time with his speeding heart as he saw the list of possible options:
Beginning Race Selection: Human Elf Dwarf
A sigh escaped his mouth with the first option, and he immediately chose it and locked it in. His friends might call him a pussy, but he just liked to play it safe! Cal unfocused from the screen to see the edges of Aldren''s lips curve into what looked suspiciously like a grin upon his stoic face. ''Bastard..'' Cal muttered under his breath before proceeding to his next option. This was the appearance option. Focusing on which brought up a 3D version of himself that was slowly rotating. Unsure what to do from here, Cal quickly asked Aldren. "During the Choosing, candidates cannot make dramatic changes to their appearance. Little things, however, like slight changes in skin colour are permitted. Focusing on what changes you would like will display it on the avatar you see in your vision" He answered in a patient tone, voice still rasping. Returning to the screen, Cal took a look at himself. With short black hair, a somewhat round yet chiselled face and a slight tan, he knew he wasn''t bad looking yet like anyone there were parts he would change given a chance. Firstly, he removed the evidence of acne that his 17 yr old body was still dealing with before moving on to provide a more defined look to his jawline. In doing so, he was confronted with the following message.
"Error: The last change proposed cannot be completed during this process."
''Bummer'' Cal thought although it wasn''t too big of a deal, so he wasn''t too put-out. Looking his avatar up and down, he considered the rest of his body. At 5 foot and 8 inches, Cal had moderately above average strength for someone his age, and it showed, yet he still possessed that of a runner''s physique. Overall he decided that any changes he would make would not be allowed within this appearance customisation and would have to wait. Ability Draw. This time there was no further information lying in wait when he focused on this option. Instead was a simple slot machine like those from a gambling joint. Seeing nothing else within the window, Cal imagined the slot in action. Slides slid by in a rush as different images were brought to the fore before retreating into the machine. Slowly the movement of the slides slowed until the machine finally stopped. Lying in wait for Cal was the following ability.
Telepathy This ability rearranges the neurons within your brain into a formation that, with the supply of Mana, allows you to establish a brain-to-brain link with living creatures. Rank: Epic Level: 1 The current level of this ability enables you to transmit some of your thoughts over a short distance with willing creatures that you have a high fundamental understanding of.
With everything completed the screen Cal was interacting with suddenly closed and a buzzing started to build in Cal''s ears. Aldren finally spoke again "Farewell Champion. You are now equipped to face the trials of the new world you will spawn in." With those words, the buzzing reached a crescendo. "I still have questions damn you!" Cal shouted before being scattered into motes of light. A final blue screen flooding his vision "Respawn Commencing" Chapter 3: The Tavern 33rd of Octavius, 500AC. That AC? After cataclysm. That was the date when Cal suddenly spawned into his new world, lost and with no knowledge of where he was. Cal stood, stranded in the middle of a gravel-paved street that twisted and turned as it made its way throughout what appeared to be a castle. It was midnight, and Cal knew the danger posed by thieves, thugs and other trouble-makers at this time was nothing to scoff at. Certainly, enough for a lone man to be afraid of. Hurridly Cal scanned his environment. Through the pitch-black night, he could only just make out the outline of large cobblestone buildings adjacent to the path he was standing on. One building, however, stood out. Light poured from its window, illuminating a large wooden door and above it, a modest sign that hung on a metal chain from the roof. Cal could only barely make out the words ''Dragonheart Tavern'' ''The best poly-race tavern in Sarat!'' Seeking an escape from the cold night, Cal strode toward the large wooden door. He grasped the handle and tugged; inch by inch the weighty door gave way. Sound instantly bombarded his ears as he took his first steps into what he hoped would be a safe refuge. The room he entered was quite large and was comfortably bright throughout. With adequate light, the first thing Cal noticed was his change of clothes that seemed to match the fashion of the citizens that poured past him. His simple set of clothes consisted of brown leather boots, plain black pants and a loose-fitting brown woollen tunic. At one end of the room was a small bar, to the right of which was an ominously glowing hallway. Through this walkway which Cal could just make out what looked to be a fighting arena, and based off the faint noises coming from that direction, Cal assumed he was correct. Not one with the stomach for violence, he quickly passed returned his gaze to study the rest of the tavern. Seated around the bar was a smattering of people, each greatly varying in size and with an array of different bodily features. Not all were human. Small wooden tables lay scattered around the bar which seated an even larger arrangement of people. Cal proceeded to an empty corner of the bar. Engrossed in conversation, food, or drink, no one noticed Cal moving into a secluded seat. That was fine by him. Exhausted from the sudden and unpredictable events of the day, Cal sat down and was preparing to order food when he remembered that in previous games he had played the character always had a sheet that described their various attributes. Thinking about his character sheet opened it up for the first time. Instantly Cal was surprised by the amount of information he saw, though he suspected it was due to it being his first time to open the menu.
Name: Cal Age: 17 Race: Human Sex: Male Level: 1 Leveling up will grant you points to assign to your attributes Experience: 0% Attributes: A 10 point attribute is considered the human average of your old world. A 20 point attribute is considered double that and so on.
Strength A measure of physical strength; how much force you can exert over an object. Affects attack power. 12
Constitution A measure of physical health and wellbeing Affects your maximum health 11
Agility How easily and how quickly you can move. 12
Dexterity A measure of ¡®nimbleness.¡¯ Affects reflexes and fine motor skills 13
Intelligence A measure of knowledge, memory, and deductive reasoning Affects maximum mana 10
Wisdom A measure of self-awareness, common sense, perception and insight Affects mana recovery rate 10
Charisma A measure of likeability and potential to be seen in a preferred manner by sentient species. 7
Luck Can beneficially affect probability related events. 8
Abilities:
  • Undefined
  • Telepathy
There were a few things about his attributes that he didn¡¯t like and some bits that confused him, but he resolved that in time he would come to a greater understanding of, and learn the nuances of each individual attribute. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Cal knew if he wanted to survive for much longer, he needed much higher attributes. Hell, he could barely even open the door to the tavern. The standards of this world were far superior to his old. Done with the character sheet and remembering the other boon he had been granted, he thought ¡®Inventory¡¯. A small grid of 3 boxes filled his vision. Two of these boxes were empty. The other, however, contained a shining scroll. Misty tendrils extended from the edges of the scroll and dissipated into the corners of the box it was contained in.
Name: Summon Soul Familiar Rank: Hidden Activation of this scroll will break open a gateway across space and time to summon a familiar that may offer great utility or fighting prowess to compliment you. The familiar''s soul will therein be linked with yours. The full implications of this may only be known in time. Other information on this scroll is hidden at this time.
Not one to rely on luck when it came to his safety, he retrieved this item from his inventory immediately and opened it. At first, nothing happened. Then he felt a warm tingling coming from his hands where the scroll was. Slowly, this warmth enveloped his whole body. The scroll slowly rose into the air and burst into flames. Promptly the warmth that had spread all throughout Cal¡¯s body spiked into inferno temperatures. Skin sizzled. Blood boiled. Cal screamed as his vocal cords were torn. His body felt like it was swimming in the deepest depths of a volcano. His health bar shon into existence and began to drain at an alarmingly fast rate. An eternity later, the blazing heat finally relented, and he managed to open his eyes. He found himself sprawled along the floor; a dozen unfamiliar faces crowded around his spasming body. There was, however, one face that felt as familiar as his own. It wasn¡¯t the face of anyone from his world. It wasn¡¯t even human.
Summoning Successful Innately strong in a random branch or branches of magic, yet physically weak. This weakness is thought to have brought them to extinction millions of years ago. The last members of this species supposedly evolved their previously fragile bodies to near godly standards, yet were too few to repopulate. Name: ? Age: 128 Different races age differently. Some, in relation to a factor other than time. The age of this being is considered a baby by its species Race: Great Terrestrial Turtle Type: Energy Bloodline: Great Terrestrial Turtle (locked) Sex: Female Level: 1 Rank: Epic (growth) Growth type ranks have the ability to progress in the ranking system through unknown prerequisites Attributes:
Strength 17
Constitution 17
Agility 2
Dexterity 2
Intelligence 5
Wisdom 20
Charisma 10
Luck 8
Abilities:
Energy Affinity The exalted power of energy is excessively difficult to master. This ability grants assistance to the user in the learning and leveling of energy-related skills. Rank: Epic Level: // This ability is not levelable.
Through using the summon scroll incorrectly, you subjected your body to needless tempering. Fortune favours the bold...or stupid. Attribute gain:
Unfaltering Will 1
You are less likely to be influenced by your emotions.
At first, Cal was disappointed by the result of his summoning. For someone who had a vast knowledge of different mythological beasts, a turtle was understandably dissatisfying. The more he progressed through the content of the blue box, however; the more his amazement grew. His soul familiar sounded like the type of being who had immense potential. Similar to Cal, because of his undefined ability, the other half of his soul would not be restricted like other individuals would. Cal didn¡¯t even want to think about what was implied in the last box he received. At this point, the barkeep rushed over, interrupting him from his thoughts. Cal belatedly realised that the faces surrounding him were those of concern and more than a little fear. All except one. Looking down, at the end of his feet was a half-meter-wide beast, sharp claws gleamed in the light of the tavern and small spikes stood stark upon a smooth shell that was faintly engraved with seemingly random patterns. Eyes sparkling with intelligence met Cal¡¯s gaze. Instantly, an archaic bond, more powerful than any Cal could form, was solidified between the two beings very soul. Before Cal could process anything else, the dwarven barkeep cleared his throat and exclaimed with an accent more pronounced through his anger, ¡°Yae be outa yer mind! We be unda¡¯ enouf scrutiny as is ta be doin¡¯ ya funny magic business here!¡± Cal was beginning to stutter an apology when someone from the crowd around his body burst out to address the barkeep. ¡°Calm down Greyson, the boy obviously didn¡¯t know what he was doing. He was just convulsing on the floor for heaven sake!¡± Greyson eyed up the other man for a moment before he took a deep breath and exhaled, clearly trying to rein in his frustration. ¡°Yer be right o¡¯ course. Ye know it jus¡¯ be stressful times for us folk¡±. Receiving only a ¡°hmmf¡± from the voice of the stranger the barkeep turned to address Cal once again. ¡°I dunno how a stone-head like ye¡¯ self got ye hands on a scroll that powerful an¡¯ I don¡¯t wanna know. Just get ye¡¯ self and ya strange beastie outa¡¯ here for t¡¯ night. I don¡¯t wanna be seein¡¯ ya till tha morn. Ye can stay upstairs for t¡¯ night, and then we be havin¡¯ a good ol¡¯ chat in tha morn¡±. Without a word from Cal, the barkeep turned on his heels and stormed off. Cal was watching him move back to behind the bar when a hand shot out to him. ¡°The names Bryce.¡± Realising the stranger had the same voice as the one who had just spoken up for him; he took the offered hand and was hefted up off the floor. Bryce stood straight, with black army-style hair and a rather strong jawline that gave off a commanding presence that was hard to ignore. ¡°Cal¡± he responded, committing to memory the name of a potential and seemingly powerful ally. Nodding, Bryce continued ¡°That was quite an introduction, though let me assure you, you do not want to get on Greyson¡¯s bad side. Or mine for that matter. Things could get rather...ugly¡± he trailed off. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he assured Bryce that what he had done was unintentional. Cal knew he was at the mercy of this authoritarian figure and that his little performance could attract the eyes of many. Why the tavern was afraid of that though was a mystery. Bryce clapped Cal on the back, not bothering to reply, and wordlessly escorted him to the hallway he had spotted earlier. His so-far nameless familiar followed closely behind. Now that he was closer, he noticed a set of stairs branching off the walkway, leading into what he surmised were a collection of rooms. ¡°You¡¯ll find the third one on the left to be empty,¡± Bryce said, handing him a key. With a nod, Cal took the key. ¡°And I forgot to thank you for saving me back there. I don¡¯t know what would have happened if you hadn¡¯t stepped in.¡± ¡°We have a policy here, I was just making sure that policy was upheld. Though I also realise you can¡¯t be totally to blame. It is likely whoever you stole that scroll from didn¡¯t know what would happen upon its use either. I just hope that piece of magic wasn¡¯t noticed by anyone in the upper echelons or our whole society here could be in danger.¡± Deciding it would be better to let his new acquaintance think he stole the scroll than risk exposing the truth he ignored the casual accusation. ¡°What society is that if I may ask? And why would it be in danger?¡± ¡°Hopefully for you, you¡¯ll find that out tomorrow morning- otherwise, well...¡± As if he didn¡¯t realise he had just made a death threat, Bryce continued ¡°Anyway, best you get into that room for tonight. I can¡¯t imagine Grayson will react well if he sees you again tonight. It is well known around these parts that a dwarves tolerance is only as large as they are tall.¡± With what Cal thought might have been a joke, the serene man turned and stalked off further down the hallway to the fighting arena where he vanished into the dim lighting.