CHAPTER 6

“Welcome,” said the man who had fed me the potion. “I’m Stone McGee.”

“How does that leg feel? It looked a pretty nasty bite. One of the viper critters get ye?”

“What? Oh, the snake bite? Yes, a viper, the poison has a real kick to it.” I answered wryly. “The drink you gave me, how did you get it?”

“Long story mate, can’t tell you right now and more important things are afoot, first things first, you and the lass here need to touch the beacon, and if I’m not mistaken, you will be the last of the new recruits to arrive, so when you get back, we will welcome you to the unit” He showed a large rock in the center of a clearing.

It seemed to hum to me in sync with the blinking beacon light. I stumbled forward, adjusting to my newfound health and reached out to touch the rock. As I did it, a lot of things happened.

First thing I noticed was my vision went dark and looking around I found myself in a large hall. The second thing I noticed was that before me in a long line were effigies of myself. Each differed slightly in their garb and items they were holding. They were all highlighted by an inner radiance, making them stand out with a subtle glow in the dark. I looked around for the group I had been with just seconds before, but it was as if they did not exist. I was all alone.

In front of me was a small pillar. It throbbed seductively, a pulsing light source coercing me to touch it. I deliberately resisted the impulse. Instead, I went towards the first effigy and above the statue a name appeared identifying it, and below it, a scrolling text box appeared in the air before me, so I bent my will to read it.

RANGER

A ranger has a wide array of skills aligned with survival in different worlds. The ranger needs to further develop skills in agility, stamina, strength, intelligence, and wisdom. A Ranger’s hit points are legendary, and with the agility buffs, can survive trying circumstances as the need arises. A ranger’s true versatility comes to the fore when teams are on the move through unfamiliar terrain.

I stepped back and thought to myself how little the words actually told me. I was more than convinced that I was taking part in an RPG or Role-playing computer game of sorts. I was being afforded the option to choose a “Class” that would define my lifestyle and abilities within these simulations. Ranger definitely appealed to me. It was one of my favorite classes when playing RPG’s. Sure I was in my early fifties and had spent a lot of time in the military, but with 5 years of retirement under my belt, I had had a lot of time to catch up with all the iconic games.

This was way more enjoyable territory than the swamp or desert scenes I had just experienced. Despite my circumstances, despite my internal struggle with being a captive, this fed some deep inner desire to define myself better, to know that fixed actions had fixed consequences defined by fixed laws.

The scenarios I had been in though, were anything but fixed and seemed to be as real as if I was back on Earth, thrust into weird places and asked to survive for some reward at the end of the trial. I stepped to the next statue of myself. This one appeared more buff, more muscled than what I knew myself to be. I read the title.

WARRIOR

A warrior’s lot is to fight and protect his companions. The warrior needs to further develop skills in strength, agility, and stamina. At certain levels, a wise or intelligent warrior gets to broaden his horizons into other disciplines. Warriors need to be stubborn, protective, arrogant and brutish. They need to dominate their foes in every way. A person who gets the job done will thrive as a warrior class.

Moving away, I went to the next statue in line. There were four more figures, and I wanted to see all that was on offer before I committed to any one of them. The next statue was an imposing effigy of me. It had a distinguished dark robe and a staff not dissimilar to the one I had been using regularly through these last simulations.

MAGE

A mage is a wise choice for an intelligent and experienced participant. Skills required for a mage to be successful include wisdom, intelligence, and stamina. The level of control and abilities can be combined with further options, provided the correct attributes are acquired. A mage is a powerful force that has as much to do with formulating team strategy as they do with implementing that strategy through the use of magic. The magical arts are wide and varied, and further specialization is required before a master magician title can be achieved. Remember, a well-placed spell at the right time can change the course of a battle.

Rubbing my chin in thought, I wondered what the magical arts entailed? Did it have the fireball stuff of legends and games or was it more esoteric, using psychic energies to manipulate minds and perceptions? I also wondered if it encompassed healing. Moving on to the next effigy, I saw the appearance was almost the same as the mage, except that the robe was more rustic, like a bathrobe from a cheap hotel. Course and rustic. The hairstyle was almost monkish in nature.

HEALER

A healer requires agility, stamina, and intelligence. The healing of wounded comrades at crucial times can make all the difference when facing adversity. Reaching those fallen comrades safely is equally important. Challenges are impossible without the support and dedication of a healer. If you are the type of person who loves to be needed, who craves deference and respect. The type of person who does things for others simply to help them, then the Medicinal Arcanum is for you.

This choice seemed appealing. Knowing how to heal others and yourself is crucial in any battle. I knew that first-hand. The summary hinted at arcane arts so probably this included magical abilities. I wondered how much crossover there was and if it was possible to develop offensive capabilities beyond the obvious supportive role. I knew in the modern military that medics in the Special Forces were some of the coolest customers in a pinch. They kept their cool when everything around them was going to hell. They usually had to do it while under fire. Moving on, I found the next class, which immediately caught my interest. With all the hints that these Sims would include battle, challenges and so on, I thought to myself that this would probably be the one that had the most benefits for both myself and any team.

ASSASSIN

The Assassin class is both a blessing and a boon. Skills required include agility, stamina, and intelligence. Further skill trees required include stealth and alchemy. The assassin infiltrates areas using stealth and guile. As the name suggests, their main purpose is to kill. Assassins are experts in hand-to-hand combat as well as armed combat. They can adapt to use anything as a weapon. This class will be available only if you have the required innate basic skill-set. Can your conscience combine with an assassin’s duties?

Arriving at the last statue, I noticed it was the most obscure. It was an ever-changing cascade of different styles, body shapes and poses. Different handheld weapons appeared and disappeared. It seemed to be fluid with even the physique of the effigy swelling and diminishing as the figure changed from a wiry build to bulked. I read the highlighted text.

PRODIGY

A prodigy is a well-rounded individual with a broad range of skills extending across all the main classes. A prodigy class requires a prodigy intellect and a desire to be the best of the best at everything. A prodigy defines how their respective skills and attributes are used to best effect. This class will be available only if you have the required innate basic Abilities. Are you such a talented individual?

I paused in thought. This was the one I REALLY wanted. It left me a lot of room to grow into my natural abilities, but it worried me because it seemed to hint that my abilities would need to be well rounded throughout. Thinking about my past military lifestyle and how it had prepared me for just such a class, It may have been lacking in some aspects of skill craft though, so I would probably have to grind those particular skills to make up for the shortfall in those areas. Without the direct list of abilities listed under each class however, gave me no idea what I was getting myself into.

As exciting as the option was, I was also a little intimidated by it. I walked back to the small pillar where I had started. Grabbing the recess in the top of the pillar, and my hand melded with it as if made for it.

Before me, more text appeared along with a voice prompt.

Congratulations! You have achieved level 1. You have 2 points to distribute. Congratulations! You have achieved level 2. You have 2 points to distribute. Congratulations! You have achieved level 3. You have 2 points to distribute. Congratulations! You have achieved level 4. You have 2 points to distribute. Congratulations! You have achieved level 5. You have 3 points to distribute.

Additional 6 bonus points to distribute.

Total Ability points: 17

Would you like to edit your Character sheet?

Y/N

I selected the “Y” and before me appeared a typical character sheet. It could have been for any of those RPG games I had played. A 3D representation of myself, lifelike and in all my naked glory portrayed on one side of the screen view. It was odd to see myself twirling on a pedestal. Usually, you get to choose your own avatar from a wide selection, but in this case, I was really me, and I couldn’t change it. I guessed a blue mohawk and tribal tattoos were out of the question.

On the left was a list of abilities:

Abilities

Strength

14

Agility

14

Intelligence

17

Wisdom

17

Stamina

14

Luck

13

Constitution

14

I immediately wondered where the numbers would fit in the grand scale of things and what the highest number could be. After all, what this was telling me is how my real life abilities scaled.

My next leap of intuition was if I added to these numbers with the attributable points, would it make any difference in reality or would the added on benefits only be found within the simulation? Definitely, a point to ponder and something to ask Grant whenever I had some one-on-one time with my handler. I looked closely at each ability, which seemed to glow slightly as my gaze flicked over the text. If I focussed closely, however, a small descriptive pop-up box appeared.

STRENGTH

Strength is a direct measure of your ability to manipulate items physically in the world. The higher the number, the bigger the mass you can manipulate with ease based on your core physical and mental strength. At level 1, the average Strength is 9.

AGILITY

Agility is a direct measure of your ability to manipulate your bodies’ dexterity, suppleness, and reflexes. The higher the number, the more responsive your body is to observing your bodies’ commands. At level 1, the average Dexterity is 7.

INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence is a direct measure of your ability to process situations accurately and deduct a reasonable respons quickly. The higher the number, the faster your response times. Instinctive fight-or-flight responses are also factored in. At high numbers, the quicker you arrive at a cognitive solution. At level 1, the average Intelligence is 12.

WISDOM

Wisdom is a direct measure of your experiences and your ability to draw on those experiences to further your internal reasoning and subsequent external solutions. Age is often considered a direct correlation to wisdom, but not in every case. The higher the number, the more options you have to any solution. This ability also adds to a deeper understanding of one’s limitations and capabilities. At level 1, the average Wisdom is 8.

STAMINA

Stamina is a direct measure of your endurance at rest and under duress, combined with your recovery time. It also factors in your overall ability to withstand external and internal damage. Stamina has a direct link to Hit Points and should never be neglected when compiling your overall character.At level 1, the average Stamina is 14.

LUCK

Luck is determined by how often you make choices that work out for the best. If you are a lucky individual, then more often than not, your actions will align with the overall goal to achieve success. Luck, while random, tends to aligning when you least expect. At level 1, the average Luck is 10.

CONSTITUTION

Constitution is a direct measure of your overall health and conditioning while at rest and ability to withstand hardship under duress, combined with your ability to heal. It also factors in your overall ability to withstand detrimental stimuli. Constitution has a direct link to Health Points. At level 1, the average Constitution is 12.

There were some other descriptive attributes like species, I looked at the text with intent.

Species: Human (Male), (Homo sapiens).

The human species is found on Earth, the third planet from the sun in the Sol solar system. Sol is in the Orion belt in the Omega plane of existence. Humanity is considered one of the most adaptable soft-bodied biotic species, with prolific breeding habits and an above average intellect. Intuition and a thirst for knowledge are some of humankind’s main driving forces. They are also renowned as one of the most aggressive sapient species ever encountered. While under observation, they have consistently been at war with one another. The observation period has extended 5000 Sol Earth years. It is expected that when Humans make first contact, they will be aggressive rather than defensive.

Now that was very interesting. We had been under observation by the Absinth for a very long time indeed. It was also alarming, a bit like discovering a peeping tom had been watching you shower your whole life. It also meant that they had avoided observation themselves, which corroborated how advanced their tech was. Another point that caught my eye was the part about plane of existence. Mathematicians had long theorized the existence of alternate planes, but our physicists had yet to prove it conclusively.

I was getting off track. Looking at the points I had to invest in my character creation. I immediately went for luck. Being lucky was one of the main reasons I had made it this far and I would not let that attribute slide. I notched it up to 15. A bright golden aura suffused the avatar, and a chime went off for each point. Next, I decided on strength. In almost any scenario I could think of, strength came in handy. It would have to go up. I notched it up to 17.

As I did so, I felt a wave of warmth suffuse my body at the first chime, and then a terrible pain bent me over as the next two chimes dinged. Every, and I mean EVERY muscle and bone in my body was suddenly screaming at me in protest. I was pouring with sweat and could barely stand. The burning intensified and seemed to suffuse my entire being. Something akin to being immersed in lava and acid at the same time. I thought it must be the snakebite venom affecting me. Perhaps the health potion I had imbibed had worn off.

My hand was still locked to the console though, and regaining my composure I looked at my Avatar.

From sleek, trim and slightly flabby around the stomach, my body had developed muscles. I gaped. The avatar looked formidable. I looked down at myself and saw ripped muscles bulging like coiled vipers beneath my skin.

Wow! I mean just wow; I had my six-pack back. In fact, it looked like an eight-pack. The layer of flab I had gained in my retirement had vanished as if burned away. If I could get this machine back to Earth, I could make a fortune in the slimming industry. With the amount of pain I had just felt, I guessed that my real live body had undergone this same transformation. It answered one of the questions I had pondered earlier. The simulation required live guinea pigs to work on. With every answer came more questions. I continued.

Next was Agility. I wasn’t looking forward to this. Have you ever joined a yoga class and then had the instructor decide you were not stretching enough? They always took you to the next level of pain and suppleness. Cringing, I added 1 point to Agility. Again I felt warmth suffuse my body, but fortunately there was no pain.

Relaxing I quickly added two more points. Then it hit me. I spasmed in absolute agony. The pain shot into my hamstrings, up my back, along my arms. I felt myself contort every which way, but no matter what I did, the pain would not relent.

I fell to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, my one arm still stuck on the pillar console. It felt like I was being eaten alive by piranha. Thrashing back and forth, I longed for a way to make it stop. I even tried reverting the points back but to no avail. I knew it was going to be bad; I should have listened to my intuition. At last, I blacked out.

A gentle chime reverberated through my skull, waking me from the nightmarish dream of endless agony. Something to do with being stuck between two bells that tolled and then swung apart to stretch me. The reality wasn’t much better.

A machine voice in my head said, “Corrective reconstructive surgery complete. Agility levels are within defined parameters.”

The pain had subsided, and I gathered my feet. Standing was much easier, and if I was honest with myself, I felt great. Like when you go for a massage, and while the whole process is painful, you walk out feeling like a million bucks. I had always wondered if the feeling of relief from such massages wasn’t because they had stopped kneading out all your stiff muscles. That the euphoria was a simple result of no more pain. Ah, whom was I kidding? I looked at myself and smiled. I was in my early fifties age-wise, and yet my Avatar looked like I had lost 20 years. Sure, the wrinkles were still around my eyes as I smiled, but damn I was looking and feeling wonderful. It seemed there were definitely some perks being abducted by aliens.

I moved on to the next attribute and balked. Intelligence was innate. It wasn’t something that one could change with the press of a button, was it? Would my brain grow, my head expanding with it? Would I have an AI installed? I didn’t want to mess with my brain the way they had messed with my body. Did I? With a mental sigh and a steeling of my resolve, I added one point to Intelligence.

Again a sparkling aura suffused my avatar, but I felt nothing untoward happen to my body. Breathing out with relief, I moved on to Wisdom and added one here too. With them both at 18, I was fairly sure I was giving myself enough of an advantage to qualify to learn any of the skills the simulation provided. I had 7 points left to distribute and the two remaining skills were Stamina and Constitution. If I bumped Stamina up to 18 and Constitution to the same, then I would have a well-rounded character. Since I was level 5 now, I expected the scenarios would get decidedly harder and I would need lots of life points to keep myself alive.

The stamina gains would also contribute to that. It was so immersive and I was really getting into the swing of things. If I took a moment to gather my thoughts, I was being plugged into a system and asked to survive. Like being thrown in the deep end to sink or swim. I still wasn't sure why I had been abducted yet, but the clues were adding up. I was still hesitant though. What if I amped my intelligence and wisdom to a full 20? Wouldn’t that be a huge advantage? Especially if I needed to use things like magic as had been hinted at with those effigy classes. I instinctively knew that I had to choose one of them once I had completed this phase.

With these thoughts in mind, I amped the intelligence and wisdom to 19 each. Again the aura suffused my avatar but this time I felt a sweep of vertigo. No pain fortunately and I left it at that. The last two abilities would be painful; I knew it. I hesitated at first and then thought to hell with it. What’s the point in stalling when you only have one choice? I adjusted Stamina to 17 and before the effects could hit me. I changed Constitution to 17

What happened next I cannot explain adequately with words. Even my actions failed to fully imbue the kaleidoscope of pain that racked through me. I blacked out again and woke up a good while later with the same tone and prompting as before. “Reconstructive surgery complete. Constitution and Stamina levels are within defined parameters.”

It then listed what it had done to me. Over the years, the life of a Special Forces soldier had left me many latent injuries. I had also taken up smoking and a few other bad habits along the way for short but detrimental intervals. As it turns out; to have a Constitution and Stamina of 17 in this crazy Sim, required me to have a new liver, pancreas, small intestine, and lungs, both of my kidneys, several glands, including the prostate but fortunately not the family jewels. Add to that a new heart, spinal reinforcement (whatever that was), bone marrow enhancement for heavier and denser bones. The blood vessels and nerves were fortified and elasticized, which seemed superfluous and overkill to this whole experience.

My lungs were also reinforced. I glanced at the list and realized I had just had an entire body makeover WITHOUT anesthetic. The scars of my past however were still apparent. I did a mental scream. Sadly, the scream was too late. They had done it already.

How long I had been glued to this machine, I had no idea. Then I remembered this was just a projection in my mind. My real body was lying swollen and healing in some fancy whitewashed space ship room somewhere.

I looked at my avatar again. A magnificent male specimen looked back at me and I was quite pleased if I was honest with myself. I doubted I had ever looked so good. A prompt appeared as my hand finally came loose from the console.

Select your Character class.

The final word 'class’ was highlighted so when I looked at it with intent, it opened up more of an explanation.

Character Class is the title you will embrace. It will become the embodiment of your abilities. Every class has benefits for the team. However, we expect you to select the best class suitable for you, not for any perceived team. Teams will be made up of needed classes from the talent pool for specific situations.

Embrace your true-self.

With a final chime that made me wince, I stepped to the effigies waiting in the wing. I knew which one I wanted and so made straight for the shifting form of the Prodigy.

As I passed each effigy, it brightened as if beckoning me. I ignored them, and continued to the one and only Prodigy statue. This time as I approached it, a prompt appeared.

You qualify for the Prodigy Class.

Is this your final choice?

(Please note that due to your unusually high and balanced level of Abilities, you may be flooded with skills previously unknown. It is recommended that you take time to become acquainted with them before attempting them. They are dangerous and while some can be beneficial to those around you, some will undoubtedly harm. You have been warned!)

Y/N

I realized inwardly that since I had upped my intelligence and wisdom, that the prompts were providing much more information than usual. It was a good thing. Bracing myself I selected Y.

The most amazing thing happened. My body became rigid and a glowing golden light emitted from my fingertips on my left hand. Like pixie dust it sprinkled towards the effigy. Startled, I watched as the dust left my hand and that my hand no longer existed.

Freaked out, I watched as the dust I was becoming diffused from me into the effigy. I was becoming the statue. I was… well, this was another one of those experiences best left to the imagination. I felt insubstantial and yet more solid than ever before. It took moments and lifetimes until my view switched over and I was looking at the last of myself dissolve to become me. I stepped from the statue's pedestal, leaving it empty behind me.

I was still buck-naked except for the loincloth which fortunately had transitioned with me. I had become the ever-changing statue of the Prodigy.

A new prompt appeared as a voice read the words into my mind.

You have embraced the way of the Prodigy.

It is not an easy path, but with your abilities, you have every chance of success.

You are the third Prodigy to exist.

Make wise choices, make balanced choices, and you will prevail.

With a final chime, it released me with a bright flash.