Generic Gamer. An incredibly powerful jump with an array of dazzlingly strong perks and options to enhance the strength of any jumper who uses it. I think about the striking options the jump affords jumpers as I gaze at Alex and Amber.
In future jumps I'm guaranteed to skyrocket in power as a result of what I've gained here. I contemplate that little fun fact as I study the tunnel. My eyes effortlessly pierce the gloom.
My grimoire hovers ahead of my face, open to the mini-map page. I see the details of the tunnel ahead of us as I study the mini-map. The mini-map has a line in the direction we're heading; an arrow pointing us where we need to go to find diamonds.
The tunnel we enter is illuminated by spells cast by Alex and by torches that Amber and I telekinetically maneuver ahead of us. As we fully enter it I turn around and erect an entrance to the tunnel, placing a door and blocking off the rest of the entrance. I have multiple stacks of torches and I apply them liberally as we begin to explore the space.
Partway down the tunnel we encounter a skeleton but my friends dispatch it with laughable ease. The two work together extremely well, and at this point Amber has begun to gain some combat experience. It helps that she has both magic and telekinesis on her side.
We explore more of the tunnel and I am unsurprised when we reach a wall down at the bottom of it… Only for me to dig through it and find ourselves overlooking a large cavern. I look down into the space and easily spot countless monsters slowly and leisurely exploring the space. I spot both an enormous zombie and a skeleton with a blazing bow. I can also see some rocks filled with small numbers of shiny gemstones, including a few diamond ores, and I point them out to my friends. I can also see a mineshaft directly ahead of us though on the far end of the cavern. I go ahead and do my thing by putting up an oak door and narrowing the opening I made to protect my friends.
Some of the monsters in the cavern are living creatures. I can spot a number of creepers idly walking in small circles, and I spot an enormous, purple-skinned giant messing about with blocks in a corner of the cavern; an enderman. He could be a problem, but at the same time…
I have a gamer system feature named "Skill books", which, if mixed with "Loot"'; another gamer system I have could allow me to gain some of the cool abilities of endermen. They have a supernatural sort of danger sense that lets them dodge projectiles of any sort and they can teleport. Both abilities are really good and teleportation is one of the very few really basic psychic abilities I could have access to yet. Hmm… After a moment's contemplation I come up with a plan. If the monster attacks I'll put him down, but it's not cool to purposefully antagonize someone for the reasons that come to mind, nor is it really worth the added risk. I've never fought an enderman and I don't really like the idea of trying to fight one right now.
I glance at Alex and Amber. They're both looking into the cavern and I can see looks of worry on their faces. In fairness there's a lot there. I decide this is a good moment to step up.
"I got this. Just give me a few minutes." I tell the pair, confidently, through my grimoire. It's been rare since I've had a chance to truly go all out.
I "step" out over the ledge and allow myself to glide down to the bottom of the cavern. As I do I turn and place a door behind me and between my friends and the rest of the cavern. I close my eyes and focus on two of my eyerays: death and telekinesis. I key each ray to an eye of mine and when I open my eyes I am projecting two simultaneous cones. I grab my torches out of my grimoire and I get to work.
The cavern is enormous, the biggest cavern I've seen to date, and it is teeming with the undead and other monsters. I methodically explore the cavern, killing creatures with striking ease. My death cone deals multiple hearts worth of damage a second, enough to one-shot zombies and skeletons. In seconds many of the undead that were wandering the dark cavern have been slain and torches are beginning to counteract the gloom. When creepers spot me and begin to move in my direction I don't hesitate to crush them with telekinesis, creating forcefields around them that squish them.
As I explore the cavern I use my ability to fly to close off tunnels and fix ledges so they can't be used to ambush us later. I'm a paranoid Minecraft player fond of walls and doors and I'm really allowing that to show. And to be fair to myself here this sort of paranoia is really handy both when actually just playing Minecraft and in real-life.
I save the two elites for last, and I entirely ignore the enderman. Both Amber and Alex have been warned extensively regarding endermen and know that at worst they should drop a bucket of water in front of themselves and jump into it if the monsters get agitated. I've taken my time and taught Alex a lot, and in doing so taught Amber plenty as well.
I turn my focus to the zombie first. I focus on it and blast it with death rays. After the first death ray it turns to glare at me and roars, having more than double the health of the normal zombies. I then blast it again and attempt to hold it down with telekinesis but it ignores it. I groan in annoyance. This is a result of one of the two glitchy world drawbacks. They've reared their ugly heads every once in a while. The zombie charges and a few moments after it begins trying to close the distance between it and myself it takes another enormous burst of damage. It survives and I watch it begin to attempt an attack right before a third instance of damage brings it down, causing it to collapse, arms raised as if it died mid-cheer. The elite skeleton is all that's left, but I do put down a torch where the elite zombie fell.
I look at the skeleton. It is wandering idly and has entirely ignored all of the violence that has occurred in the last few minutes. My necromancy perks are just… perfect for this kind of setting. They'd also be handy for something like Generic Necromancer, one of the generics by Edrogrimshell. There's a whole drawback that can be cheesed in that jump that's amusingly good with my inability to idly arouse hostility from simple undead.
I create a forcefield that surrounds the skeleton even as I look at its armor and bow. The creature is wearing dark armor that is similar to the color of the bones of the wither skeletons in the nether though it's not an exact match. Its bow has a faint glow to it, a telltale sign that it's enchanted, and is not a simple thing made out of wood but something… fully original, a heavy looking metal bow and with even a glance I can tell it is a dangerous thing.
The skeleton, unable to surpass my perks even though it is a drawback-generated creature, is unable to muster the hostility needed to keep me from doing what I do next. I open the forcefield just enough for an object to come through and I subtly wrap something akin to a telekinetic fist around the bow. I wait for the skeleton to turn away from me and when its back is fully turned I forcefully rip the bow out of its hand. The monster makes a sound like it's been struck and I pull the bow to myself. The creature turns and sees the bow in my hands before I make it disappear, absorbing it into my grimoire.
I watch as the monster points at me and roars, making a sound I didn't know skeletons could make. It begins to run at me but before it can even hit the forcefield I turn the ground underneath it into a weapon. The stone block the monster is on is abruptly sent into the air. I raise the block high into the air, high enough that if the skeleton falls from it it'll take some nasty fall damage. The skeleton recognizes this and sulks, staring angrily at me. For the first time I use mind-to-mind telepathy to contact Alex, and I also contact Amber. I ask them to come into the cavern and they both rush through the door that has kept them safe from any stray attacks or the attentions of the cruel monster.
"Whoa… That skeleton looks mad." Amber says as Alex and her walk down the path I have created. I reach into my grimoire and pull out the bow I just got from the monster before tossing it to Alex.
"Practice your archery on that monster." I tell her, telepathically. She nods and aims the enchanted weapon at the skeleton. An arrow appears, already properly positioned, and Alex lets loose the shot. The arrow streaks through the air before colliding with the skeleton. It hits the monster with tremendous force, surprising all of us, and sending the monster off the floating block. I watch as the creature sails through the air before landing, hard, on the ground of the cavern. It roars and is about to charge when I drop the first block it was standing on and raise the new one, lifting it even higher than the first block I levitated.
"Give the bow to Amber." I telepathically tell Alex, who nods and does what I say. Amber takes the bow and focuses on the skeleton. She pulls the string back and I watch another arrow appear, slotted into place properly and impressively. Amber continues to focus on the skeleton and exhales quietly when she unleashes the arrow. It streaks through the air and smashes into the skeleton with another amount of shocking force and sends the monster careening towards the floor. I gesture to Amber and she hands me the weapon. I do the same thing my friends have done, though I'm much faster than they are, and when my arrow hits the monster the creature's ribcage is shattered. The rest of it clatters to the floor, dead in milliseconds.
"This bow is… something." I remark, speaking telepathically to both of my companions. They laugh, and I toss the bow to Alex who catches it with a deft motion. I point to a bit of diamond ore I noticed earlier while turning to look at the Enderman.
The tall purple figure is the last living being here. It, seemingly carefreely, explores a corner of the cavern I've not explored yet other than to go and illuminate it with torches. I glance at its body, which doesn't agitate it, and focus on its feet as I attempt to study its mind. I grimace a second later when my mind touches its mind and I hear a sound like screaming. I shake my head and break the connection as I recall bits and pieces of subtle Minecraft lore which might, maybe, be influencing this world.
I walk over to the monster as my friends reach the diamond ore I pointed them towards. The monster lazily explores its surroundings, picking up and placing different blocks with what seems to be an air of indifference. I touch the creature's shoulder, which feels only… somewhat present. I close my eyes as I activate a perk I possess. The creature goes rigid, freezing for a second and becoming more solid, more present, as I attempt to free it from what I suspect is mind-control and as I hit it with a use of "Ascension" a second later.
"Ahh… Ahhhh!" The creature roars, causing my friends to turn and look in my direction.
"I… I can speak." The creature states, speaking much more articulately as it begins to adjust to the power I used on it. It has a low, masculine voice in line with the "Man" part of its name.
"My thoughts feel free. You?" It asks, turning its head to look at me. I nod, and it nods back at me. "I still feel her… That monster." It tells me, its voice dripping with barely contained venom. I realize what the creature is saying and I activate another perk; "Possession-Be-Gone". The monster begins to tremble erratically for a second as I hit it with what is a real triple whammy of perks and after almost half a minute of violent shivering begins to relax. I touch its mind again and am pleasantly surprised to feel that it is clear.
"Oh. Oh! I can hear myself think." The enderman remarks. It looks down, tilting its head to look at me, and smiles. I can hear the movement of its mouth, at least this close to it, though I don't look up to see its face.
"You… little one. You did this. Thank you." The creature exclaims, as it pats my head gently. Amber sighs quietly, and she tells Alex to go back to digging up the diamond ore.
"You freed me. I no longer hear it." The enderman says, alien emotions filling its voice. I can hear the voice, the song, of the world and it changes as the creature speaks.
"I am free. But can others be freed?" It asks, speaking to itself. The voice of the monster becomes distant as it speaks, its mind growing clouded by strange thoughts. I look at it and nod.
"Others can be freed." I remark, speaking directly into its mind. It nods and thanks me, but doesn't go anywhere. When my friends are finished mining they approach me and look at the feet of the monster.
"Uhh… Are you okay? It's not going anywhere." Amber asks, and I nod.
"I'm fine. I don't know if it… If he is, though." I explain, telepathically. I try to move and the creature looks at me. When I take my first step away it follows after me. I try walking to the end of the cavern, to the entrance my friends and I created and when I reach the narrow passageway I made earlier it teleports to the other side. It is not hostile and I don't feel endangered, but it is hellbent on following us. My friends look at me again and I shrug.
"I don't know what he's doing." I remark, telepathically. I am quiet for a moment before I add something.
"Freeing him was an intense, multi-step process. It wasn't DIFFICULT but it took a lot of different perks working together," I explain. "Maybe he wants to thank me? Maybe he wants my help?" I add, genuinely unsure. I look at the creature and study it before opting to try something. I send it an invitation to join the party and it accepts the invite nearly instantly. I glance at the information on it that becomes visible and note that it doesn't have a name.
"La… Lo." It mutters, audibly. It looks at me and smiles again. It has a very… verbal smile.
"Thank you." It states, speaking quietly but more than loud enough for my friends and I to hear it. We walk back to our base and the monster follows us all the while. When we reach our base I take the spoils of our little adventure and I begin the process of converting the diamonds my friends gave me into diamond tools. They found a few diamonds and I quietly supplement the number by converting some of my resources into money for the shop and using that to buy diamonds from my grimoire. My strange guardian stays with me as I silently work through the night and create and then enchant diamond tools.
Partway through the next day I give my friends their new gear and we venture down into the mine. The place is illuminated and so no monsters spawn and Alex, Amber, the enderman, and I are safe as we gather lava. I take a few minutes to teach Alex about portal crafting before I ask her to go to the Nether and see where she ends up, before adding that she needs to come back immediately after surveying her surroundings. I get to witness her teleportation power for the first time when she suddenly vanishes. She abruptly reappears and when she does the enderman looks at her.
"Like… Me." It groans, its voice quiet and small. I can hear a note of wonder in its quiet words. Alex looks at me and I open my grimoire.
"I arrived atop an island in the middle of a sea of lava. It's… brutally hot. Too dangerous." She tells Amber, the enderman, and myself. Amber and I nod at her.
We begin a few days of exploration, with me teaching Alex and Amber about the gimmicky way to explore the overworld: using a network of nether portals. I don't show them exactly how to do it, as I don't feel like inviting the kind of danger that a portal could invite in this world and I want to only create one that my friends and I keep safe. It takes a little under a week for Alex to disappear and subsequently reappear with good news: in a forest far to the south of the mansion Alex goes to the nether and finds a crimson forest; a biome we can visit without getting hurt. The three of us begin to construct a portal, having already mined out the necessary obsidian. The enderman watches us silently, its eyes darting between each of us in turn. Creating the portal is normally a little challenging but we manage it easily enough since we both have the necessary materials and two of us can fly. When the structure is nearly finished I summon a few undead troops, pulling them out of my grimoire and ordering them to go and build a base around this structure. I "land"; not actually touching the ground and turn to face Alex.
I reach into my soul and pull out my Totem of Undying. I telekinetically toss it to Amber who pulls it to herself with ease.
"Remember what you were taught." I tell Alex, speaking to her telepathically. The redhead nods.
"The first thing we do is build a structure around the portal." She tells me, and I nod back at her. She's also not finished speaking.
"And if something bad happens, get out. Head back home and wait for you." She adds and I smile brightly at her. Alex can instantly dip out of the Nether at will. Amber and I are not so lucky but both of us have experience, magic, and telekinesis so we should be able to escape another way. Especially since I have more than enough obsidian for two whole portals, tucked away inside my soul. If my grimoire gets destroyed and I lose access to my inventory I'll still have obsidian for a way out.
We wait a few minutes while my undead minions busily create the beginnings of a base. They are overseen by one of the modern gangsters who tells them what to do. When a wall surrounds the unlit portal I equip my flint and steel; an item used to light fires and walk up to the portal. I light a fire within the confines of the ominous, enormous doorframe, and watch as the fire transforms into the dark, curiously amethyst-like shimmering surface of the portal. I nod at my friends and they step through the portal. I step into it behind them expecting to enter a weird void-like loading screen due to the effects of a drawback. That's not what happens.
No loading screen appears in front of me, and I instead find myself in a chrome laboratory. I look around, carefully studying my environment. I can see all sorts of impossible, but also ruined, technology. The stuff I'm looking at feels weirdly familiar, but as I try to remember what I'm seeing I find that my memory is fuzzy, human even. And thus imperfect. This causes me to look around and note that some of my perks still seem to work, like my telekinesis. I reach out and pull my grimoire to my chest. I open the book, expecting to learn something, and what I learn terrifies me. There is only one page in my grimoire and what is written on it is something that would haunt my dreams if I still dreamed.
[ERROR. ERROR. THE OWNER'S location is undetectable.]
I read, and then reread the message, noting the sudden capitalization change partway through the statement. As I study the words I realize I'm feeling something. Another impossibility. Drawbacks should be affecting me right now, but they appear not to be. I don't know why, but the possibilities that spring to mind are both scary and exciting.
"What the fuck…" I whisper, which sends a chilling shiver down my spine when I realize what I've just done. I'm speaking. Wherever I am, my drawbacks are not active. I can feel things again. Which right now is not good. Fear and confusion courses through me.
I don't know how to progress, how to get back to Minecraft, and a familiar feeling of hopelessness and frustration begins to fill me when nothing changes for several minutes. One thing I note is that there are two potions on a desk not terribly far from me. They remind me of the art I used in my essence meta jumps, and they are both filled with clearly supernatural fluids. There's even labels on the front of them but when I focus on them all I see is static that grows in volume whenever I focus on what I logically know are actually letters. For whatever reason I can't read what's on the bottles…
I almost lose myself in thought before I hear the sound of a door opening in the distance. I turn in the direction of the sound right in time to watch what I didn't realize was some sort of sci-fi door in the distance open and two figures step into the room through the newly created opening. The two figures pause when they see me.
"Is that?" One of them, a woman with a soft, beautiful voice, asks. I can hear the hesitation and fear, as well as hope, in her voice. Whoever she thinks I am, she desperately wants to be right.
"It must be… If it were anyone else it'd set off alarms." The other figure, a floating woman with impossibly dark hair and a curious… corona of blue light that surrounds her, says. Her voice is quiet, calm, and I can hear that it is a digital, synthetic thing. The woman whose voice is not synthetic bursts into a run and clears the distance between us in nanoseconds. She has moved impossibly, almost superheroically fast. I gasp when, as she closes in, I get to make out the finer details of her appearance.
She comes to a stop in front of me and I can make out details that cause me to recognize her immediately. She is a decently tall woman with auburn colored hair. A smattering of loose, gold armor covers parts of her body, like her feet and the lower part of her legs, as well as her shoulders. She has a delicately beautiful, almost ethereally striking face.
"Sif…" I whisper, and as I say her name she flashes me a look of heart-stopping joy. The other figure dematerializes from where she was before and rematerializes close to me. She is another person I recognize. Delphi: an artificial spirit oracle. She doesn't look excited, but she immediately seems to will a notepad into existence in front of her.
"Detecting 'Build'..." She says, and a strange light washes over me. I take a step back, and realize that I'm actually standing on the ground right now.
"'Build' assessment complete. The other one seems to have miscalculated something." Delphi tells Sif, speaking cryptically as hell.
"Two drawbacks built and built on each other, crossing paths and merging into something much greater than the sum of its parts. This… breakdown in reality is what's allowing Lalo to be here right now. It should be temporary." Delphi explains, turning to me. She is quiet for a moment before Sif begins to speak.