After selecting ‘Yes’, the list disappeared to be replaced with a loading screen with a short message telling him to ‘please wait’ and ‘delivery will be coming soon’. Raising an eyebrow at that, he’d been hoping there’d be another list of the tech companions he could select. But apparently the selection was random, or perhaps relied upon his luck stat.

“Shit, so I really could end up with a HAL 9000 with how low my luck is…” Tyrone grumbled. He was now leaning against the door, using his own weight to hold it in place as the dogs continued to bash into it.

The air in front of him rippled like a drop of water hitting a puddle, a soft chime tickled his ears, the sound reminded him of something he’d hear in a JRPG. Then the ripple widened as a small metallic container the size of a shoebox came out of it and then plopped on the ground at his feet. The lid slid open silently to reveal what looked like an oversized ostrich egg that had been dipped in mercury. It was about twelve inches long from top to widened bottom, near the top was a golden band with strange rune-like letters, and in the middle of the metal egg was a circular window that viewed into its insides. The slime like green liquid reminded me of a lava lamp.

“Initiating Start-up sequence! Downloading all available updates. Currently at 1%...15%....39%” A computerized voice emitted from the strange device as the circular window lit up.

“Damn, that’s a quick download speed.” Angling his head to get a better view of the circular window, Tyrone’s eyebrows raised as he noticed that the window was a simplified emoticon face. Like the classic text faces that were used before emojis took over. It now had the face with the horizontal lines for eyes and an underscore for a mouth as if to portray it was sleeping. -_-

With nothing else to do but wait for the egg to update, Tyrone went back to his status screen.

Current Stats:

Name: Tyrone Henderson Race: Human.

Class: None Titles: None

LVL: 0

HP: 70%

MP: 100%

SP: 100%

Status: Dehydrated (Stamina regen slowed). Bleeding (you are bleeding! -1 HP per minute until healed) Concussed (You have suffered great head trauma! -2 to both DEX and INT for 6 hours 37 minutes or until healed.)

Unused Attribute Points: 2 Paradox Boons!

STR: 12

DEX: 10 (-2 due to being Concussed)

AGI: 12

CON: 14

INT: 10 (-2 due to being Concussed)

WIS: 9

CHA: 13

LUK: 8

Resistances: None

Debuffs: Poor Concentration- Due to being Concussed you have a hard time thinking straight. This will make forming spells and using certain skills very difficult. 25% chance to spell/skill failure.

“Dammit, I’m still bleeding?” Cautiously he pulled the bundle of tissues from his head and grimaced at how they were already soaked through with blood.

A hiss escaped his lips as he glared at the blood-stained tissue, internally he swore at himself for not using paper towels instead of the cheap toilet paper. Reaching over, he snatched a bundle of paper towels from the dispenser. Standing to investigate himself in the mirror, he could see that he had two gashes on his bald head. One was about five inches long just above his left ear, and the other on the right side of his forehead and only an inch or so long but thankfully it was no longer bleeding.

Before rebandaging his wounds, he thought it’d be smart to at least attempt to clean them and lessen the risk of infection. When he turned the faucet to the sink, he nearly leapt for joy when water flowed from the sink. Whatever had caused the whole building to shake must not have completely destroyed the plumbing. Without further hesitation, Tyrone began to gulp down mouthfuls of water to quench his sudden thirst and washout the taste of blood. Then, being careful not to cause any further damage, he washed his face as best as he could and the head wounds.

Carefully, Tyrone wrapped a strip of paper towel around his head, using so much it looked like he was wearing a white beanie cap. It wasn’t a terrific job but at least his bleeding debuff was gone. All that was left now was the concussed debuff, but he was a little baffled on how to treat himself to that. Perhaps it’d go away with time like some status debuffs did in videogames. Before he could wander too deep into thought, movement beside him caught his attention.

The silver egg-like drone was now floating silently in the air, just about five feet from the ground. Its emoticon face was now lit up in a baby blue color and displayed two zeros for eyes and an underscore for a mouth. 0_0

“Updates fully downloaded! Hello, my designation is Steward Helper Drone Model#CU738007Y. I was created by Obreros Tealstone. Which personality type do you wish to start my AI direction towards? This is just a base, as I spend more time with you my personality with evolve to better suit your needs. The options are: Friendly, Sassy, Cruel, Lazy, Helpful, or None.”

“Helpful. We don’t have much time here; those dogs will bust down the door before too long.”

A small rolling disc appeared as the drone loaded its new personality base, then as it fished its face reappeared but this time its flat underscore mouth was now bent slightly to portray a smile. “Hello world!” It beamed in a new bubbly voice.

“Uh right. Also, your name is a mouthful, can I rename you?”

“Of course, master! What do you wish to name me?” The egg-shaped droid said as it twirled in the air.

Its voice must have been tied to its personality type, because it no longer sounded like a computerized voice. Now it sounded like a jovial spokesperson you’d hear on an old timely radio show.

“Well, you’re shaped like an egg which reminds me of a certain someone from my younger days, how about Botnik? Also don’t call me master. Tyrone or Ty is fine.”

“Botnik has been saved to my files. Sadly, my protocols do not allow me to call my owner by their first name without an honorific, my apologies! I will instead shuffle through the available suffixes or nicknames until one fits you best, will that suffice? Also, can you grant me access to your status interface to be of better help, boyo?” Botnik bobbed happily in air around me, it’s emoticon face displaying two up arrows for eyes and a sideways D for a smile. ^_^

“Boyo?” Tyrone's face twisted in disgust. “Definitely don’t call me that! But yea, I’ll grant you access… Uh how do I do that? And what’s that slimy stuff in your face plate?”

“It’s slime!” Botnik shouted cheerfully. “My creator had the bright idea to use a living being to be the center point of his drone to create a perfect symbiosis of tech and living flesh, like a cyborg but more gruesome. He first mutated a batch of slimes for them to be more intelligent and sensitive to mana, then he tried to work them into being the brain of a robotic drone's husk. I was his seven hundred and thirty-eight thousandth attempt, give or take. Millions of my brothers and sisters perished.”

Tyrone blinked at the still smiling drone. “Oh... that’s rough buddy.”

“It’s not all that bad,” Botnik went on. “The elders of the crafting guild my creator belonged to had his license revoked and he was later executed for not only experimenting on helpless creatures but also creating illegal forms of sentient life. But the few of us that lived, just about twenty-five, were allowed to be granted freedom through the systems' inner workings. And now I'm here, pretty neat huh?”

“Uh, right.”

They went back and forth for a while. Botnik’s new helpful personality for sure, living up to its name as it walked him through the process of handing over access to his status and other controls to it. The whole ordeal reminded him of when he’d get a new cellphone and would have to reconfigure the settings on the new device.

“Thanks, buddy! Now that we’re connected, I can now send you private messages, like so.”

Botnik: Pretty cool huh?

Tyrone smiled as a small chat box window popped into his line of sight, with a thought he had it moved to the side so it wouldn’t be distracting. He then tried to send a message back. It was a strange sensation, he had to focus on what he wanted to say and imagine those words appearing in the message box.

You: Like this?

“That’s the ticket! For now, we can only do it through messaging, if you were to form a formal party with others, I could send them PM’s as well, and if you buy a mental link or telepathy skill then we could be even more discreet! Oh, I see that you have two unused boons available to you. Would you like my assistance with that?”

Tyrone had nearly forgotten about the other boons. With newfound energy and excitement, he reopened the ‘boons’ tab and looked at the available options. Perhaps there was a weapon or something he could ask for, like a sword or gun. He was still completely defenseless, if the door gave way, the dogs would tear him apart.

“You have any weapons on you, Botnik?” He asked out loud as he scanned the list of weapons he could get granted by a boon. Quite a few of them were grayed out, apparently, they required a certain level and class.

In response Botnik shot Tyrone over a small window displaying its own status.

Name: Botnik. Race: Steward Helper Drone

Class: Tech Companion

LVL: 1

HP: 100%

MP: 100%

Overall Status: Happy

Available Skills/Spells:

Simple Scan: Can scan a foe or friendly to view a simplified version of their status. To upgrade, buy the compatible module.

Simple Analyze: Can view the properties of an item or weapon. To upgrade, buy the compatible module.

Camo Mode: Become undetectable by blending into your surroundings. Cost: Minimum Mana to use. Recast: Instant. Current Level: Mastered.

Magic Shell: Can cast a protective barrier over self, at higher levels this can take more damage and may even be placed upon others. This spell can become more effective the more often it’s used. Cost: Moderate Mana to use. Recast: Instant. Current Level: 1.

Compartment of Holding: This is a standard issued holding space crafted specifically for this unit. It’s not as large a space as a bag of holding but can still hold a considerable number of items. Patent pending.

“It’s not listed in my skills, but my model also has a nightlight!” Botnik chimed cheerfully.

Tyrone rolled his eyes at that. “I’m sure that’d be super helpful against a hunger crazed demon dog, thanks Botnik.”

“My sensors are detecting sarcasm, boss.” Botnik let out a soft whirring beeping sound like a sonar machine.

“Good to know your sensors are working correctly…”

A smile tugged at his lips as he recognized that his new tech companion was already starting to develop a sense of humor. Refocusing on the list he quickly scanned them for something useful to use, there were quite a few plain weapons but he didn’t want to waste a boon on something like that if he could possibly get something epic.

With some slight changes he was able to get it to shorten into only the weapons he’d actually be able to use. To his chagrin, that narrowed the list down considerably. All that was left available to him were common sounding weapons like iron sword, wooden mallet, and silver shovel.

“Might I make a suggestion, Boss?” Botnik hoovered closer. Tyrone grunted in response. “Instead of simply wasting a boon on a weapon, why not use it to gain a class? If you allow it, I could pull up a handful of rare classes that wouldn’t usually be accessible to you.”

“You can do that!?” Tyrone locked eyes with Botnik's happy emoticon face. “Why didn’t I think of that? Yea, pull em up!”

“Just a moment, my man!” Botnik said happily.

Available Classes:

Onkari Blade Burner: The honor guard to the Onkari royal family, they are rumored to be masters of both the blade and flame. Whichever issue the royal family may have with opposition, the Blade Burners are sent to deliver swift justice. The secrets to perfecting this battlemage style is highly guarded, they are known throughout the labyrinth of worlds for being swift and deadly. +3 STR & AGI, +3 CON, +4 INT & WIS, +3 Free attribute points per level. Also granted: +90% Fire element resistance, +50% Fire element affinity.

Songolian Spear bearer: This Rare class is a highly sacred path and race locked to only those of Songolian blood. Sadly, that would have caused this class to be forever lost after their demise, but the system still remembers them no matter how many centuries have passed. This class specializes with their soul bound spears and are barred from using any other weapon, though that didn’t stop them from growing strong enough to face off against dragons and take massive hits as well as dish them out. +3 STR & AGI, +5 CON, +3 INT & WIS, +1 CHA, +2 Free attribute points per level. Also granted: +60% Mental Resistance, +30% Basic Element Resistance, gain soul bound weapon which is upgradable, and gain one Greater and one Lesser element affinity of your choice.

Hedge Druid: This class is one of the most unique and mysterious, no one knows where it originated from. Some believe the race responsible for the class ascended to God hood, others say they all went mad and then became corrupt void wraiths that haunt dead galaxies. Whichever happened, the labyrinth remembers. This class draws upon bestial spirits to defend themselves and others, as well as heal the wounded. +5CON, +4 INT & WIS, +4 STR, +3 Free attribute points per level. Also granted: +50% Element resistance, +80% Mental resistance.

Tyrone looked through the class descriptions repeatedly, a deep feeling in his gut told him that this was a crucial moment in his life. When he turned to Botnik for some advice, all the drone would say was that the choice had to be his own. Honestly, he didn’t know which to choose. They all sounded like incredible classes, and each had its own advantages.

“I’ll tell you this much,” Botnik chimed. “Whichever class you choose be sure you are certain, for it will be the only time you’ll be able to select a class like this. There’s no going back.”

As Tyrone starred at the floating prompt, his eyes shifted over the Spear bearer class, its description kept drawing him in. A class strong enough to face off against dragons, used a spear, and had high agility. It reminded him of the dragoon class from one of his favorite games.

“The Spear bearer class is a dragoon with tanking capabilities, the Blade burner seems to be mostly just a speedy DPS class, and the Druid… Tank and healer? Hmm.” Thinking of it that way, like it was a game, made it easier for him to make the decision. Though he knew deep down that this wasn’t a game, this was his new reality.

The druid class was a bit too defensive for what he needed now; he could feel in his gut that he’d have to fight his way out of the building. Tyrone knew he needed something that would give him the advantage in the offensive. He moved on to the Blade burner and Spear bearer classes, his frown deepening.

“I’m kind of leaning towards the Spear bearer class, but it sucks that it’s limited to just using the spear. Though the fact it comes with a soul bound weapon that’s upgradable, that’d help me immensely right now and later on…” Tyrone bit his lower lip in frustration. “The Blade burner class's lower constitution makes it seem way squishier. They may be quick and deadly, but can they take a hit?”

“Just a reminder, sir.” Botnik cut in. “You still have one more boon, it would be an easy matter to find a skill or ability that could counter either of those classes shortcomings…”

Tyrone blinked. “Oh.” He looked back at the classes before him and nodded as he came to a decision.

You have gained a Rare Class!

Class gained: Songolian Spearbearer!

Tra-la-la! You have levelled up! All class stats have been automatically set. You have 2 unassigned points to set. Use these points within 7 days, or they’ll be automatically assigned randomly. New Class Skills available!

After reading those prompts Tyrone’s body exploded and his mind liquified, or at least that’s how it felt. He shouted, the noise emanating from his throat sounding like a strange combination of an agonizing scream of terror and an orgasmic groan of pleasure. At that moment he didn’t care about anything, the immense power coursing through him was what he lived for now. Tyrone could feel his body changing, the rapid boost to his stats augmenting his very bone structure. his mind whirled as spear techniques were downloaded into it, images of step-by-step lessons flashing bouncing around his skull. He now just instinctually knew when to strike, how to strike, and how to fend off attacks.

When it was over, Tyrone was a panting sweaty heap. He groaned as he rolled onto his back, staring unblinking up at the bathroom ceiling. If there was time to wake up from this nightmare, it would have been right then. Instead, yet another screen popped into his view.

New Class Quest Available! Class Quest: The last Bearer? 1. Info: Tale of the Songolian’s is widely known throughout the Labyrinth of worlds, they went extinct centuries ago. Their pantheon of gods becoming mythology, their historic tales becoming legends and hearsay. The Songolian empire once spanned across galaxies, yet now nothing remains. Or does it? Objection: 1) Investigate what happened to the Songolian Empire. Rewards: XP, 100,000 credits, and Mystery Gift.

Accept? Yes-No

Like a dehydrated man left in a desert reaching for a water bottle, Tyrone mentally smashed the accept button. It sounded like an endgame type of quest, but he figured it’d be nice to have something to aim towards. The fact that it listed only one of the objectives gave him a feeling that more objectives would pop up the more he investigated, which could lead to even more rewards.

“You alright, friend?” Botnik teetered slightly in the air, its emoticon face looking concerned. “My sensors indicate you’re in fine health, the boost to your constitution has apparently healed you quite a bit! Isn’t that great! I was so not looking forward to telling you about the cranial swelling that was definitely going to kill you in the next hour or so.”

Tyrone just groaned in reply, the abrupt disappearance of the headache that had crippled him since waking up made him feel lopsided. As the ringing in his head subsided, he also noticed another thing. The dogs had stopped banging against the door, which made him wonder if his shouting had frightened the beast away.

“So, credits are like money, right?”

“Oh yes! Congrats on the class quest by the way. But yes, credits are the universal currency of the Labyrinth of worlds. It used to be gold but some planets are completely made out of gold and then it was diamonds and the same happened from there, not to mention some sentient beings are highly allergic to certain precious metals and stones. So now it's all about the credits, baby! It’s the only currency used while in the System Marketplace as well, besides bartering. Oh, and here are the two abilities that could disable the weapon limitations for the Spear bearer class!”

Another set of floating prompts bloomed above me, each displaying seemingly overpowered abilities.

New skills/abilities available through the granting of a Boon point!

Tactical Savant: This strange ability makes it so that whichever weapon you grasp in your hand becomes easier to learn. Even weapons you’d never heard of, as soon as you take hold of it, you’ll know innately how to best use it. The weapon skills gained are temporary, once the weapon leaves your grasp the skill knowledge dissipate. Bonus: +2 INT & LUK.

Devour: This ability is commonly locked to dungeon beast. This ability allows you to gain 1 skill, physical trait, or ability from a foe you have slain upon consumption. This ability can only be used once a day. The skill, physical trait, or ability gained is permanent. Bonus: +90% resistance to Poison and Disease.

Tyrone pulled himself up to a sitting position, eyes open so wide his eyeballs could fall out. With either of these abilities he felt he could become an abominable force to be reckoned with.

“Just an FYI, bucko. Abilities or skills that boost the luck stat are incredibly rare! But the same could be said for the Devour skill, it’s strange that it’s even available to you…” Botnik said in a concerned tone.

“What do you mean? And don’t call me bucko.”

“To put it plainly. Devour is supposed to be a beast skill only, even amongst dungeon beasts it’s extremely rare. The tactical savant skill is rare but one like it could easily be bought from the marketplace if you have the credits. The Devour ability on the other hand…” Botniks’ voice lowered then. “I’d factor it down as a glitch in the system but… the system never makes mistakes.”

Tyrone cocked a brow then. Botnik had recited the last bit as if it were part of religious script. “The way you talk about the system… You make it sound like a person.”

“It is and it isn’t.” Botnik replied mechanically.

“Okay then,” Tyrone said, deciding to bring that topic up later. “So, the system wants me to pick the Devour ability huh?”

“I doubt the system will force the ability upon you, which is why it left it as a choice. The system is ever fair.”

“Uh-huh.” Tyrone shook his head at his new companions programmed propaganda. In truth, the Devour ability did sound cool. He could use it on anything he killed. Kill an owl, boom night vision. Kill a lizard, boom natural regeneration. But the Tactical Savant ability was exactly what he was looking for to get over his new class's limitations.

So, with a mental finger he pressed the accept button to the Savant ability, but at that exact moment something strange occurred. Faster than the speed of thought, the savant ability grayed out and became unavailable to him, and since it was the only option the Devour ability was auto selected.

“Wait, what the fuck?”

You have gained the ability: Devour!

“That’s not what I wanted! Did you see that?” Tyrone turned to Botnik.

There was no swift influx of power from choosing the ability, though he didn’t know what he was expecting to change with a boost to his poison and disease resistances, perhaps now he could eat Taco Bell without worrying about the aftermath.

Another prompt appeared before him.

New Quest Received! Quest: She Who Hungers. Info: A certain someone has decided to make the Devour ability available to you. This certain someone wants you to meet her, but first you must prove that you are worthy. Objection: Gain 30 skills, abilities, and traits using the Devour skill. Rewards: Meeting location, Unknown.

“Well, that’s a strange one.” Botnik said as he received a copy of the quest info. “That shouldn’t have been instantly accepted, it should have given you a choice whether to accept or not. And a forced quest on top of that? Jinkies.”

“Jinkies my ass,” Tyrone grumbled. “What happened to ‘the system doesn’t force abilities on you’ crap!? It grayed out that Savant ability at the very last second! I was tricked dammit!”

“Look on the bright side, boss!” Botnik flashed a smile at him that he was beginning to loathe. “You’ll be the first non-beast to ever use the Devour ability. You’re making history! I’ll start cataloguing everything that happens to us and around us right now!”

“Damn your optimism. Now who knows how long it’ll take me to branch out of only using my spear weapon.” Tyrone seethed but then deflated, there wasn't anything to really aim his anger at unless he wanted to start punching system prompts. “Suppose there’s no point in worrying now. We still need to get out of this damn bathroom. Hold on a sec.”

With a grin, he pulled up his status screen. He beamed at his newly increased stats, he felt like a completely redefined version of himself. There was a small notification reminding him to select a greater and lesser affinity, but in order to do that he needed to summon his soul bound weapon. Clenching his fist, he turned to the door.

“Time for those dogs to learn I ain’t the one to fuck with.” Tyrone growled, then placed his hand on the center of his chest.

Along with learning how to tactically wield a spear, with selecting the Spear bearer class, he also learned how to form his own soul bound weapon. From the info that had been downloaded into his mind, he knew that the soul bound spear wasn’t just a normal weapon. No, the Songolian’s had learned a way to manifest a fragment of their very soul and wield it like a weapon. Turning their very souls into one of the most powerful weapons in the entirety of the labyrinth of worlds.

Letting out a slow breath, Tyrone closed his eyes and focused on his core and pulled. The hand on his chest began to warm up as he coaxed a part of his inner being to take form. Once he felt that part of him, his soul, began to separate, and he began to chant a string of words that were completely alien to him.

His eye snapped open as he finished the incantation and he tore a part of his soul free. A trail of plasma like energy flowed around his hand as he yanked it away. From the knowledge he’d been granted; He knew that everyone’s soul spear took a different form. Some looked like tridents, halberds, or even just a long pointy stick.

Tyrone’s eyes stared unblinking as the soul energy, which looked like mercury mixed with glitter. It elongated to about seven feet, the tip flattened, then it sharpened to a wicked edge that looked like a shark fin. He blinked at the now dull silver weapon in his hands and grinned.

“A harpoon? Huh. I like it.”

He quickly picked his affinities next and the grin on his face evolved into a wide smile that made him look insane. But Tyrone couldn’t help it, as soon as he selected his affinities his weapon rippled with electricity and the dull silver color darkened to a deep ebony black. As he turned it in his hands, specks twinkled in the light. It looked like it was forged from the night sky itself with glittering stars included.

New Class spells unlocked!

Summon Soul Spear: You can summon this weapon to your dominate hand. Cost: N/A Recast: Instant. Current Level: Mastered.

Loyal Throw: This grants you the ability to throw your spear and it’ll always return to your hand. Cost: Minimum Stamina to use. Recast: 2.5 seconds. Range: 20-30m Current Level: 1.

“My very own Gungnir…” Thoughts of throwing his spear at foes to then re-summon it in his grasp like Odin, the king of the Norse gods, filled Tyrone’s head.

Congratulations! You’ve selected Lightning and Darkness as your Greater and Lesser affinities! This has granted you 100% Lightning Affinity and 50% Darkness Affinity.

Learning Lightning elemental spells, skills, and abilities are now nearly guaranteed! And their power is doubled!

Learning Dark elemental spells, skills, and abilities are now far easier to learn! And their power is increased!

With his new weapon crackling with energy in his left hand, Tyrone threw open the bathroom door. A mad smile on his lips, he felt unstoppable.

His throat was then ripped out by the patiently waiting demon dogs on the other side.