(POV SWITCH: First Person)
Sensation: Falling. Nausea. Disorientation.
Hypothesis: Neural handover protocol is too aggressive.
The transition wasn't a fade to black. It was a violent tear.
One second I was in the Frankenstein, smelling ozone and rust. The next, my senses were assaulted by the smell of crushed sage, boiling lavender, and... blood?
I opened my eyes.
Visual Input: High definition. No pixelation. Lighting source: Sunlight, ambient, approximately 4500 Kelvin.
I was staring at a ceiling made of heavy, dark timber beams. Stone walls surrounded me. A medieval aesthetic. This wasn't a digital lobby. This wasn't a character creation screen.
"You're twitchy," a voice boomed.
I snapped my head up. Observation: Female subject. Height: 6'2". Musculature: Dense. Attire: Nurse/Martial Artist hybrid.
I tried to sit up, but a hand—large, calloused, and incredibly strong—pushed me back down into the straw-stuffed mattress.
She was massive. She poured a ladle of water and held it out. "Drink. Your chi is scrambling your guts."
"Easy now, little spark," a woman's voice rumbled. "Your chi is still settling. You try to stand, you'll vomit your soul out."
I blinked, focusing. A woman stood over me. She was massive, easily six feet tall with shoulders that could linebacker for a pro team. She wore a simple nurse's apron over what looked like reinforced leather martial arts robes. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun.
"Where..." My throat felt dry. "Where is this?"
"and you're in 'First and Lasting', our human capitol," she said, dipping a ladle into a wooden bucket of water. She brought it to my lips. "Drink."
I took the ladle. My hands were shaking, but I forced them still. I drank. The water was cold and tasted of minerals. Real water. "Chi?" I asked, testing the word. "Is that the local mana system?"
"It is what keeps you alive, kind of like blood," she said.
I looked for the UI. I squinted, tried to swipe the air. Nothing.
I pulled back. "I'm Lee. Is this... is this the tutorial?"
The woman laughed, a booming sound that shook the dust from the rafters. "Tutorial? You hit your head hard, boy? I am Gilly, of the Ramdulus Clan. I've been wiping bottoms and setting bones in this nursery since before you were a glint in the Creator's eye."
Ramdulus Clan. I filed that away. Cultivators? Martial artists?
I looked around for a User Interface. I squinted, trying to summon a menu. Nothing. No health bar. No map. No 'Log Out' button.
"Looking for flies?" Gilly asked, amused.
"Looking for a status screen," I muttered.
"You won't find one here," she said, turning to organize some glass jars on a shelf. "Not until you prove you exist to the Guild. Can't measure a man who hasn't made a mark."
I sat up slowly. The nausea was fading. I looked down at my body. I was wearing a loose white robe. My hands were mine—golden-tinted skin, familiar scars.
Then I saw it.
Leaning against the stone bedside table was a sword. But it wasn't just a sword. It was encased in a scabbard of polished ironwood, capped with a heavy brass pommel and a rounded brass tip.
It looked exactly like a walking cane.
I reached out and grabbed it. The weight was perfect. Balanced, dense. I ran my thumb over the hilt. It was a weapon designed to be hidden in plain sight. A gentleman's tool.
"That was with you when we found you," Gilly said. "Odd choice. Most boys want a broadsword or a flashy gun, maybe a wand. You carry a stick with a sharp secret."
I stood up, using the scabbard as a cane, leaning my weight on it. It held.
"Bartitsu," I said softly. "It's not about the flash. It's about the leverage."
Gilly turned and looked at me, really looked at me. Her eyes narrowed, assessing my stance, my grip on the cane. For a second, the 'nurse' vibe vanished, replaced by the aura of a warrior who could crush a boulder with a palm strike.
"Ramdulus respects leverage," she said with a nod. "You got good balance for a newborn. But balance won't save you from what's outside those doors."
"What is outside?" I asked.
She walked to the heavy oak door and threw it open. Sunlight—brighter and cleaner than anything on Earth—flooded the room.
"Terra," she said. "And it eats the weak. Go on then, Lee. Go register at the Adventurer's Guild. Find out what you're made of."
"Do I pay, am I free to go, I don't know how all this works." Lee said confused.
"You're free to go little spark, I don't charge Fledgling." said Gilly
I walked to the door and looked out.
My breath caught in my throat.
It was a city, but not like the metal graves of home. It was a sprawling tapestry of stone spires, floating crystals, and bustling markets. In the distance, I saw a creature—a massive lion with the body of a rhino—pulling a cart. High above, something winged soared through the clouds.
I gripped my cane-sword tight.
"Okay," I whispered. "Let's play."