《Heavens Path》 Prologue: Fate鈥檚 a bitch Victor was having a crappy day, not only had his boss chewed him out at work for helping a few of the new employees instead of attending one of his pointless meetings. He¡¯d also had the terrible luck of getting a flat tire while driving to his parent¡¯s house for his little sister¡¯s birthday and the cherry on top of it all his battery died so now, he was waiting for his tow truck in the cold. Despite everything he smiled when he thought of the ribbing he¡¯d get from his sister, despite him being 24 and her 16 they had always been close growing up and had stayed in touch despite him having to move to the next province over for work. He was excited to see the look on her face when he gave her the tickets he¡¯d managed to get for her favorite band, it wouldn¡¯t be till the spring, but he would sweeten the pot by promising to chaperone her and her friends. Victor let out a loud sneeze that he felt in his bones. ¡°Where is that damn truck?¡± He muttered. ¡°It¡¯s almost been an hour.¡± As he began to curse the very concept of Winter, Victor heard a snapping sound. Slowly, he turned around and saw a dark shape staring at him from the tree line a few feet away. He squinted and tried to get a better view of it. Was it a moose or something? A moment later, the figure stepped into the dim light, and Victor¡¯s heart nearly stopped. His breathing quickened as he scrambled to open the opposite door of his car. When he scrambled out of his car, he heard a crash as what he could only describe as a troll from folklore stomped down on his Honda Civic and crushed it like a tin can. The creature was at least six meters tall, thick with muscles, covered in dirt and leaves, and looked toward him like a tasty snack. Victor ran across the road as fast as he could without slipping on any errant patch of ice. He heard a guttural roar from behind him as the creature stomped forward to give chase, and with its size, he had a hunch it would catch up sooner than later. His eyes darted around the forest floor as he ran, maybe there was someplace he could hide or¡­ Then he caught himself on a tree as he nearly ran off the edge of a steep hill, which would no doubt break his neck if he tried to run down it. Another gut-clenching roar resounded from behind him as he turned to see the troll had caught up to him. Despite his fear, Victor had a small kernel of wonder at seeing a creature pulled straight from an RPG standing before him. Though he was less enthused about the prospect of getting eaten by it. His mind raced to find something he could use to defend himself, but besides a couple of fallen branches, he didn¡¯t see much. Wait, he looked over to his left and saw in the trolls stomping that something had been uncovered. What looked to be an honest-to-goodness bear trap lay on the ground, rusted and worn but it still seemed serviceable, at least he hoped. Gathering his courage Victor stared the troll down, he didn¡¯t know if it could understand him, but he took a deep breath and shouted ¡°Hey!¡± The troll tilted its head slightly. ¡°Yeah, you big, green and ugly! Come and get me if you can!¡± A roar resounded as the troll barreled towards Victor, he darted to the left and prayed his gambit would work. Another roar was let loose but this time it held an unmistakable note of pain as he stopped to turn back and see the troll fallen on its back. It was attempting to pry the bear trap off its now mangled leg but as he had hoped the mechanism was lodged tight. He shook himself; he didn¡¯t know how long that would keep the creature occupied, he needed to get out of here. As he turned back around to head towards the nearest gas station, he hit what felt like a brick wall and fell to the ground in pain. Rubbing his now broken nose he looked up to see a tall figure cloaked in a long billowing robe.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Holy hell!¡± Victor stammered. ¡°Who are you?! Wait it doesn¡¯t matter, we gotta run that thing isn¡¯t going to stay down lon¡­¡± Victor¡¯s words were cut short as a sharp pain coursed through his abdomen; he looked down to see a medieval fucking spear stuck through his guts. He let out a cry of pain, he tried to grab the haft of the weapon and throw the figure off him, but it felt like the weapon was held in place by an intractable force. As he felt a cold sweat come upon him Victor looked up to see the figure staring down at him, two piercing amber eyes meeting his own. A voice that made his blood run cold spoke. ¡°This was the one fated to bring me low?¡± The figure let out a mocking laugh. ¡°A mortal from a low-tier rock like this? Ha! The oracles must be losing their touch.¡± Victor¡¯s consciousness was fading, he felt the spear drawing something vital from him and he knew he didn¡¯t have long. He gritted his teeth and barked out through bloodied lips. ¡°Fuck you!¡± spitting a glob of blood and flehm that spattered on the figure''s cloak. The figure seemed unfazed but leaned down slightly, Victor could make out an androgynous-looking face that at first glance appeared human until you noticed their eyes were slitted like a cat¡¯s. His murderer spoke again. ¡°Well, I suppose you have some will, alas I can¡¯t allow you to live even if there is but the slightest chance you could halt my plans.¡± They grasped the spear as to give the killing stroke when a voice boomed in Victor''s ears. Attention, you have met the requirements to be selected for the special privilege to ascend from Low F Class Planet 214534, designation Earth. This however is your choice; you have 5 minutes to decide. May the stars light your path, Ascendant. Victor blinked up after the jarring words to see the spear wielder frozen in place, he saw a small transparent screen displaying a countdown. 4:42 Okay now he was truly questioning his sanity, was he suffering from a frostbite-induced hallucination? Not everything that had happened so far was too real and painful to be a figment of his imagination. So, either he accepted this offer or let this evil fuck kill him. Dammit. God Damnit!!! 3:31 Victor¡¯s mind spun, trying to think of any possible way he could escape this situation without presumably being flung across the universe by some godlike being. But there wasn¡¯t a choice, he couldn¡¯t escape from this monster. His only chance was to hope whatever this thing was, it wanted him alive. 2:12 Was this the right choice? 1:06 What about his family? 0:42 Would they be safe? 0:10 He needed to protect them and get stronger. 0:05 And kick this fucker¡¯s ass! 0:02 Choice has been confirmed, the stars bear witness to the start of your path. Locating appropriate seed world¡­ Low D Class planet 13467 designation Zaivis. Initiating transport. Chapter 1: A Cold Welcome Adriel felt their spear pierce cold earth, as they looked down to see the dying mortal that had been struck through with their spear was now simply gone. They felt anger roil in their core, stirring enough energy to level the surrounding woodland. Slowly Adriel reigned in their anger, they reminded themself that any blatant use of their might on such a low-tier world would call the heavens judgment. Thoughts began to spin through Adriel¡¯s mind, how could a pitiful mortal with no ties to the heavens call down its providence? Had their preparations been faulty? No, they had spent centuries worth of resources to ensure that the heavens gaze was well away from this squalid corner of the universe. Had the oracles been right then? Did this mortal welp truly have the potential to lay them low? ¡°No matter, I shall find him and finish my task¡±, Taking a breath Adreil sent their senses outward to find traces of the mortal¡¯s passage¡­ Only to find nothing. ¡°Damnation!!!¡±, Adriel¡¯s voice boomed out, shaking the trees around them and scaring away any animals still lingering. The damnable heavens must have hidden the boy¡¯s passage from their sight, how would Adreil be able to find him? He could be anywhere in the vast universe and Adreil had no desire to risk his enemies finding out about this boy and turning him into a weapon against their person. As they contemplated their options they heard a whimper, turning their head Adriel saw the troll they had sent to kill the boy limping towards them. It fell to its knees and spoke in a deep yet reverent tone, ¡°Master, forgive this one¡¯s failure¡±. ¡°Forgive? Why should I forgive a wretch such as you? If not for your incompetence the boy would be dead, and my time would not have been wasted!¡± Adreil¡¯s voice seemed to push the Troll further into the dirt. ¡°Please Master, this one believes he has a way to make up for his failure¡± the troll replied meekly. ¡°Very well speak and choose your words carefully, my patience wanes by the moment¡± Adreil leaned forward on their spear and listened to the troll¡¯s words. To their surprise the troll did have something worth its miserable life, it had cultivated a tracking skill it believed could allow it to track the scent of the boy¡¯s closest blood relative. A wicked smile spread across Adreil¡¯s face; he couldn¡¯t pierce heaven''s obfuscation, but a blood connection could allow them to narrow the scope of their hunt. Yes, this would do nicely although they would have to work fast as the protections set in place would not last now that the heavens gaze had been drawn to this planet. Another thought came to Adreil as they began to follow their servant, a wonderfully terrible thought.
Victor slowly blinked his eyes open as a chill spread through his body, he looked up to see a night sky brimming with stars. He let out a gasp and saw a plum of frosted air escape his mouth, another shudder of cold wracked his body as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. Looking around he saw a tundra surrounding him as far as his eyes could see, great he thought he¡¯d escaped being killed by that maniac only to be frozen to death. He looked down at himself and saw his clothes had been shredded from his earlier ordeal, his chances of survival seemed to be dwindling by the moment. Just as he was about to lay down and let the cold take him, he heard a familiar voice speak in his mind. Congratulations Ascendant, you have arrived on Low D Class planet 13467 designation Zaivis. Please stand by¡­ Victor let out a weak chuckle, so whatever godlike thing had pulled him to this place had returned? Great, at least he¡¯d know his miserable end would be witnessed for posterity. Thank you for your patience. Your soul has been integrated into the heavenly tapestry. Brace yourself ascendant. Brace himself? For wha¡­ Victor fell silent as a shudder that had nothing to do with the cold ran through his body. No, it felt like it was shaking the very essence of his being, his legs shook but his stiffening body and the deep snow that went to his knees kept him upright. The cold was quickly replaced by a searing heat and pain, he tried to scream but all that came out was a gurgle as he felt like he was being torn apart. Then it stopped just as quickly as it began, he fell but hit soggy dirt rather than snow as whatever had racked his very being melted the snow around him. Just as he felt his consciousness slipping away the voice returned. Your path has truly begun Ascendant. As recompense for a greater power meddling in your fate, you will be given the following benefits: Your star sign will be revealed. You will be allowed to gain a blessing from your celestial patron. You will be given 3 starting skills. Do you accept? Y/N Victor blinked at the screen that appeared before him, trying to sort through the information being thrown at him. Star sign? Blessings? Skills? He was hesitant to accept anything from a being he knew nothing about but given his current circumstances, he needed all the help he could get. With a bit of reluctance, he pressed yes.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The choice has been made. The stars look upon you with interest Ascendant. Error Apologies Ascendant, multiple Patrons have shown interest in you. Would you like to view them or be assigned one randomly? Victor was surprised, he guessed being plucked from his home and flung across the universe made him a hot commodity. Well, he wouldn¡¯t say no to having options rather than a choice being thrust upon him. As though the voice read his mind a list of names appeared in front of him. The following Celestial Patrons offer to illuminate your path: Virgo, the maiden, peacemaker, and healer. Taurus, the bull, is wrathful and driven. Libra, the scales, balance and judge. Capricorn, the chimera, loyal and tenacious. Polaris, the brightest star, unmoving and guide. What the heck? Victor was even more confused as he looked over the list of names in front of him. He¡¯d heard of them but besides knowing their names he wasn¡¯t someone who checked their horoscope. However, it seemed those who believed in what he thought of as superstition had some ground to stand on if this wasn¡¯t a cold-induced hallucination. Victor shook his head; he couldn¡¯t get distracted like this he needed to make his choices and find a way back home. He began to mull over the choices in front of him. Focusing on Virgo he got a sense of warmth and support, that she would ease his pain and the pain of others he encountered. Taurus on the other hand seemed to challenge him, asking him how far he wished to push himself to attain his goals. Libra asked him why he wanted revenge and if he could bear the weight of the justice he sought. Capricorn said they liked his spunk and thought it would be fun to watch his path. Victor felt his head spinning as the various impressions of the patrons who wished to sponsor him flashed through his mind. As he regained his composure he focused on the last option Polaris, of all the names this one was out of place. Victor remembered Polaris was another name for the north star, who would¡¯ve thought it was more than a ball of space gas? As he focused on the option he didn¡¯t get as much as from the others, all he felt was a thought to turn his head and look toward the mountain range to the east. Wait, Victor was no survivalist and had no idea how to know which direction he was looking in. Then he thought about the description again and remembered the last word used to describe Polaris was guide. He had a tough choice, he could gain utility from Virgo, strength from Taurus, control from Libra, freedom from Capricorn, or direction from Polaris. One choice stuck out from the others, Polaris promised that he would guide Victor, and while he didn¡¯t know where he did know he would have a hard time finding his way in such a harsh environment. Steeling his resolve, he focused his intent and chose Polaris, a message appeared a moment later. You have chosen Polaris as your Celestial Patron. May his light guide you well Ascendant. Polaris grants you a blessing to help you stay true to your path: Celestial Compass (Blessing-Moderate) While some may lose their way in the dark there is always a light to follow to find your way again. This blessing allows the bearer to summon the guidance of Polaris to lead them to their fate. While safety is never guaranteed under the heavens know that Polaris will never lead you astray. Victor scratched his head as he read the description of his blessing, so he could ask for Polaris to point him in the right direction? It was a bit vague, but he might as well try, he looked up to the sky and said ¡°Hey¡­ Umm¡­ Polaris. Could you tell me where I should go next?¡±. For a moment nothing happened, and Victor felt like an idiot. Then a warmth went through his chest, and he knew that he should head southeast until he saw an outcrop of rocks near the bottom of the mountain shaped like a kneeling giant. Victor blinked as he realized a flood of unfamiliar information had just appeared in his mind, so that was his blessing. It wouldn¡¯t directly help him survive this place, but it was better than wandering aimlessly. As he was about to head in said direction, he heard the familiar voice return a final time. Three skills have been specially chosen to help you on your path. Unmoving Physique (Body-Common). Wanderers Eye (Mind-Uncommon). Ethereal Armament (Soul-Rare). Victor had been taking most everything that had been happening in stride but this? He had skills, what was he a video game character? Well, anything that could help him was welcomed, he wondered how he could view his new skills when another screen popped into existence in front of him. Filling him with even more questions.
Name-Victor Brown Age-24, Ancestry-Human
Advancement-Mortal
Patron-Polaris
Blessings- Celestial Compass (Moderate)
Skills: Unmoving Physique (Body-Common/Apprentice), Wanderers Eye (Mind-Uncommon/ Apprentice), Ethereal Armament (Soul-Rare/Apprentice)
Heavenly Aperture-0/4 slots filled
Soul
Body ??? Mind
Attunement