Jack once again opened his eyes, this time more cautiously than the last. He was astounded by his surroundings. No longer in his hospital room, or on Elentarr’s couch, he was surrounded by trees. Their branches moved lightly in the wind. I’m in a forest. He sat up slowly, bracing himself for the inevitable headache the movement would incur.

The pain never came.

His thoughts were clear for the first time in weeks. At first it seemed quiet, but he began to make out sounds of the land around him. The call of a bird, the rustle of a squirrel, and the bubble of a nearby stream began to flood his senses.

As he stood, a transparent screen appeared in front of him, halting his motion. Jack swiveled his head, but the text box followed his movements, centered in his vision. What the heck? He read the prompt on the screen.

Welcome to Nessag. In this world, your attributes are measured and are available to view by thinking of the word ‘status’. As you gain skills, spells, abilities, boons, or other powers, they will appear on your status. To gain more in depth knowledge about your status, focus on the item in question and more information will become available. As events occur, notification windows may appear. You can customize when, how often, and how your notifications will appear to you. To clear this message, mentally will this window to fade.

Let’s see if it works. Following the instructions, Jack willed the window to close. His vision cleared, so he examined his surroundings. He was alone in an old growth forest standing on a pile of pine needles. As he could see no immediate danger, he thought ‘status’ to see what would happen.

Name: Jack Herring

Race: Human

Level: 1

Experience: 0/100

Health: 100/100

Strength: 7

Agility: 9

Vitality: 10

Intelligence: 12

Boons:

Polyglot

Contestant

Jack examined the numbers assigned to him. I have seven strength, is that a lot? He wondered as he continued to read. Well, considering my intelligence is at twelve, probably not. He had never been much of an athlete, and if he assumed 10 was average, this confirmed it. Focusing at the bottom of his status window, he thought, What the hell is Polyglot? Over top of his status window, another appeared.

Polyglot - The ability to speak many languages. This boon was gifted to you by the goddess Elantarr, allowing you to speak, read, and write in every language of Nessag.

Jack realized that without this boon he would have been helpless in this world. It would take months to learn the local language. He willed the explanation away and focused on the word ‘contestant’.

Contestant - You are a contestant in a competition to become the goddess Elantarr’s champion. Time until the competition ends: 30 days

Jack had 30 days to become “the most powerful.” Whatever that means. Will Elantarr choose whoever has the highest level at the end, or is she talking about something like accumulated wealth? Shaking his head, he decided to try for both, just in case.

Cleared his thoughts, he removed the status windows and focused on his next step.

One step at a time, he thought, repeating a mantra that had helped him in the past.

Reevaluating his surroundings, Jack saw no signs of civilization. There were no roads, sign posts, or anything man made to guide him. He heard the bubbling of a stream in the distance. The first step for survival is water. The human body can survive weeks with no food, but only a few days without water. That fact also assumed that a person spent that time in a shady, humid environment and not exerting themselves. Unless the water’s stagnant, I’m drinking it. He started walking toward the stream. I can’t believe there’s no pain, he thought, delighted in the lack of headache.

Pain pierced his left foot and he pulled it back swiftly. “Oww!” he yelped. Jack looked at the offending branch and saw his foot, still clad in the hospital anti-slip socks. These aren’t the best clothes to walk through the woods in, he observed.

Reaching the stream, he found the water to be clear and moving steadily. Crouching, he cupped his hands and brought the cold water to his mouth. He braced himself, ready to spit the water out if he tasted anything nasty. This is good! he thought, pleasantly surprised with how pure the water tasted. He greedily gulped down as much water as his stomach could hold.

Belly full of water, he took an inventory of his possessions. The inventory did not take long. Jack arrived on this world with only the clothes he had been wearing at the hospital. Unfortunately, that meant he had no shoes, only socks and a hospital gown. I’m not going to blend in like this, he noted. Glancing down at his feet he added, I need shoes, badly.

Dropping the complaint as he could do nothing about it, he decided to follow the water source downstream. He would not grow stronger just sitting there all day. I bet if I follow the river it leads to a town, there are always towns built along rivers.

Stepping carefully along the riverbank, occasionally stubbing his toe, his thoughts returned to home. What happened with my body in the hospital. Did I teleport here, or did I die and I now have a new body created in this world? Jack’s mood plummeted, I’ll never see my family and friends again, I never got to say goodbye.

After an hour of walking and stopping to rub his sore feet, a mechanical clunking sound brought him to a stop. He strained his ears to identify the rhythmic beat. It was a steady metal on metal sound ahead and to the right of him. He cautiously continued downstream, the sound to his right growing steadily louder. I hope they are friendly, he worried as he neared the racket.

Finally, at a bend in the stream, the forest opened into a large clearing. All of the foliage had been removed for about a half mile. A rough wooden fence made of logs buried vertically in the ground stood ahead. Enclosed within the short fence, was a small village, roughly half the size of a football field. This is clearly not a rich town. The structures were not much more than plaster sided huts with thatched roofs. Only a few two story buildings rose above their neighbors. Outside of the fencing, people worked fields and herded sheep.

Jack approached the village through the field, careful not to place his bruised feet in sheep dung. After circling the village, he found an unmanned gate left open. He paused to pull up his socks once more before entering. I bet they close this gate at night.

The dirt packed street was easier on his sore feet. Attempting to blend in, he avoided sightseeing and looked ahead. The buildings were situated closer than houses in his rural hometown, they more like the historic row houses in Atlanta. If all of these houses hold at least three people, the village could hold hundreds. Everything was wedged tightly together with no room for yards or even alleys between buildings. No one seemed to want a house outside of the wall. They definitely close the gate at night.

Jack’s light blue gown was a stark contrast to the villager’s coarse woolen tunics and trousers. His socks were nothing like the rough leather boots of those around him, although it was his gown that brought the majority of the stares. Boots are the first thing I’ll buy.

The street remained wide as he entered a market area. Small shops sold clothes, weapons, general goods, and food. A few of the shopkeepers pulled their wares back from his gaze before retreating into their shops.

Ahead he saw a large building with a sign above the door depicting a pig roasting over a fire. Beneath this drawing were the words, ‘Pork Belly Pub.’ Bacon sounds delicious, he thought.

The door stood open, soJack entered. The room was half empty, with scattered tables and benches. All conversation stopped, and an eerie silence filled the room. All eyes were focused on the newcomer in his garish clothes. Jack worked his way to the proprietor behind the counter, doing his best to ignore their stares. This is awkward, he let out a nervous laugh before clearing his face.

Stroking his beard and eyeing Jack’s clothing, the owner hesitated. “How can I help ya, stranger?”

Thank God I can understand him, Jack thought, releasing the breath he had not realized he was holding.

“I’m looking for work, do you know of any jobs that need to be done?”

The man sighed with annoyance, “I got no work fer ya here, do ya want to buy some food and ale or not?”

“How much for each?” he asked. Let’s see how much it costs to eat in this world.

“Fifteen coppers fer a flank, five coppers fer stew, three coppers fer ale, one fer water,” the owner stated, grimacing at the word water. Not a fan of water I see.

“Thanks, I’ll come back later,” he said, backing away from the counter and swiftly exiting.

Hopefully the next place has a job they can offer me, he thought as he headed next door. The store seemed to sell general goods. The shop contained shelves full of rope, tack, flint and steel, packs, clothes, and jewelry. Everything a fledgling adventurer needs, he quipped.

As paused as he saw a shelf holding swords. This is so awesome, he thought as he ran his finger along a rusty, notched blade. He stared intently at the damaged edge and a notification window popped up before him.

You have learned a new skill: Inspect

Woah, it’s just like Elantarr said, like a video game. He mentally pushed the window showing his new skill Inspect away and another appeared.

Rusty Iron Short Sword

Damage 5

Durability 37/55

Strength required 5

The windows showed him the rusty iron short sword had 5 damage and required 5 strength. I’ve got enough strength to use this, he thought, proudly.

“Careful there, I don’t want to have to clean up your blood off my merchandise.” said a teasing voice from behind. “Are you looking to buy anything special?” the saleswoman asked, examining his clothing with a doubtful gaze.

Dropping his hand to close the gown and swiveling to face her, he asked, “How much for one of the swords?”

Her face betrayed a predatory smile, which she quickly dropped for one of concern, “Well, I could part with that sword you were inspecting for only 8 silver.”

She has to be overcharging. The question is, by how much. Instead of answering, he asked a followup question. “I’m sorry, I am not from around here. How many coppers are in a silver?”

Taken aback, she responded, “You must be from far away indeed to not know that.” After an uncomfortable pause as she noticed the stained socks, she continued, “There are 20 copper coins in a silver, and 50 silver coins in a gold.”

“I seem to be short on money at the moment, do you know of any paying work available?” he asked hesitantly.

“I am not aware of anyone needing work done at the moment. How short of coin are you?” she asked.

“Well…” he drew out, “I actually don’t have any coins at the moment.”

Her concerned smile instantly dropped and she pointed to the door, “If you have no coin, and you have nothing to sell, please leave my shop.”

Jack dejectedly left, wondering what he would do if he could not find anyone willing to pay him. He spent the afternoon going shop to shop, asking prices and looking for work. With each rejection, his worry rose.

Steeling his resolve, he walked into the next shop where a elderly woman with short gray hair sold vegetables. He recited, “Hello, my name’s Jake. I’m a hard worker and I was hoping you’d have some paying work I could do.”

“Well….” she hedged.

Sensing the opening and hoping for sympathy he continued, tripping over his rapid words. “I don’t have any money and I’m desperate for work. Whatever work you have, I’ll do.”

She pressed her lips together and looked down at his dirty socks. “Hmmm,” she hedged. Deciding to give him a chance, she said, “I have a problem with rats in my root cellar, I do. The little buggers are eating half my stock, they are! I would kill them myself, but then I wouldn’t be selling any vegetables, would I now?” She paused and eyed Jack’s gown. “How about this, I’ll give you 5 coppers a rat.”

“Do you have anything I can use to kill them? I literally only have clothes on my back.”

Amused at the word ‘clothes’ she responded with a laugh.“Sure young man, I have a shovel you can use, yes I do. I also have a lantern. I don't want you ruining my walls running into things, no I don't.” she said as she led him into her house.

She collected the items and showed him to the cellar door, keeping a careful distance. She slowly bent and opened the creaking doors. Massaging her back, she motioned towards the steps leading into the dark. “Don’t be afraid now, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!” she cackled.