Instantly, the six light-figures around him returned to their orb forms, and then flowed back into Theo’s body. He could feel himself absorbing their energy, feel the skills feeding his body with strength, with power. His muscles flexed and his back arched as the Interdimension vanished, and he once again had the feeling of dissolving and moving across space and time. His body broke into those millions of blue spores, and then swept away to somewhere else.

Zap.

The smell of ozone overwhelmed him as he fell to his knees. His eyes opened, and he saw only green and bright white light. Then, before him, his ring menu appeared, feeding information directly into his brain. He couldn’t explain it, but the ring menu wasn’t actually in front of him, like it had been earlier. It appeared in his vision, almost as if it were displayed on his retinas, or through contact lenses.

Achievement Unlocked: Arena Participant

Item gained: Woodsman’s Cloak (Basic)

Item gained: Woodman’s Boots (Basic)

Item gained: Traveling Clothes (Basic)

Item gained: Quarterstaff (Basic)

Cantrip Learned: Minor Magic

Two Spell Selections available!

The world came into focus, and he was on his knees, his hands tangled in long, soft grass. The scene before him spun as he tried to stand, still dizzy from the teleportation. Eventually, the scene settled, revealing breathtaking terrain.

He was standing in a rocky, windswept field under a bright blue sky. Beyond the field was a deep valley filled with sprawling verdant forest. Beyond that, mountains rose, white capped and shadow-dark. Storm clouds roiled among the distant mountain peaks, sending bolts of lightning crashing to their ancient stones. To his left, a cliff face overlooked a wind-swept sea, white waves crashing against craggy stones.

But he was not alone in the field. At the same time he’d teleported there, five other flashes of blue light appeared. They vanished, leaving the same smell of ozone and electricity, and five people stood in the clearing across from him. Each looked as confused as he did, gaining their ground as they stumbled from the teleportation, as if drunk.

Instantly, his eyes fell on Jessica and Blake. They stood next to each other, patting their chests as if to confirm they were still alive. Jessica wore plain white robes, and her curly black hair was tied back under a white hood. Blake stood in basic leather armor and a white tunic, and held a simple shortsword. A wand hung at his waist, made of smooth brown wood, nearly the same color as his leather pants.

Theo looked down at himself. His outfit was similar to Blake’s, except instead of leather armor, he wore his Woodsman’s Cloak. It was deep green in color, clearly meant for blending into the forest. His boots were thicker and heavier and Blake’s, made less for fighting and more for surviving the wilderness. His clothes were made of cotton and leather: a cotton tunic, a leather vest and pants that matched Blake’s. They were comfortable, brand new but clearly tailored specifically for Theo’s body. And in his hand was a simple quarterstaff made of rough-hewn wood. Sigils were carved down the side, and at the tip, the wood snarled into root like structures and then reconnected.

He had to admit, he looked good. They all did. The clothes were undeniably sexy; the leathers fit every curve of their bodies, and the white fabric flowed and billowed in the wind. And there was… something else. Jessica had always been attractive, but she’d had some old scars from acne in her teenage years. Now, those scars were gone, leaving only her smattering of freckles. Blake had always been in shape, but he seemed just a little taller, a little stronger… could it be that entering the Game, choosing their classes, had altered their bodies somehow? He supposed it made sense, given that they’d been dematerialized and completely reassembled. Still, he never minded Jessica’s acne scars, not really. In fact, he kind of missed them.

There were three other people next to them. Next to Blake stood a large man in simple chainmail. He was overweight and a little older, and he wore a simple iron cap that partially obscured his face. He looked flustered, with red cheeks and heaving breaths. Next to this man was a young woman with close cropped hair and several piercings. She wore form-fitting black leather from head to foot, and two daggers were strapped to her waist. A bandolier with throwing knives was slung across her shoulder. Additionally, she held a sleek bow in one hand.

Finally, a middle aged woman with dark brown skin stood next to Theo on his right. She wore nothing but a simple white cotton tunic and pants. Her hair hung in long braids, and she had a strong jaw and knowing gray eyes.

Suddenly, between all of them, a glowing ring menu appeared, followed by a Dev’s calm voice.

Welcome, Travellers! You have been paired with five other participants whose skillsets complement your own. Should you choose to, you will be able to create a balanced party and gain experience as a group. Your party members names, primary ability, class, and subclass are as follows:

Blake: Intelligence: Wizard: Spellsword

Jessica: Charisma: Bard: Cleric

Theo: Wisdom: Sage: Druid

Ron: Durability: Knight: Tank

Alice: Agility: Rogue: Assassin

Leyah: Strength: Fighter: Monk

He frowned. He would have thought Blake was more charismatic than Jessica, but he guessed he didn’t read the description well enough. What really was Charisma, anyway? All in all, the other three looked formidable, especially Alice, with her knives and bow.

You are free to explore this Hex, enter Dungeons, and gain experience through combat. Killing any being in the multiverse transfers some of their Universal Power to you, rendered as skill points. This Hex has been stocked with beasts appropriate to your level, as well as some new beasts portaled from your reality. But beware: the beasts you meet will level up as well. The Law of Universal Power states that in any combat interaction, the Power must flow to the victor. Your goal is to acquire as much Universal Power as possible before you leave the Arena. Doing so may attract a powerful Patron who can open many doors for you throughout the multiverse. There are only so many Patrons seeking to invest their power, so be warned: your team members may be your allies for now, but they are also your competition.

Theo watched the other party member’s faces as they understood.

You are currently stationed on a Hex. Hexes are hexagonal portions of land harvested from worlds that have entered the game. As you progress, you may unlock access to more Hexes. If you wish to summon your map of this Hex, select the map icon from your ring menu.

Before them, the ring menu shifted to reveal a three dimensional map of a hexagonal portion of land. However, the entire thing seemed to be obscured by mist. The only portion of the map that wasn’t obscured was the tiny segment of land where Theo and his party stood. The scope zoomed in so that their party was revealed in full detail on the map. Six miniature versions of themselves in different colors stood in the clearing. Theo looked at himself, glowing green, the color of wisdom.

As you explore the Hex, the information you gather about the terrain will be stored here, in the map. However, you will not be able to locate each other or your enemies if you are not in sight of one another. And you are not the only party who have been summoned to the Hex. A number of other parties are receiving the same information. These parties are your potential allies and your potential enemies. Beware.

The map vanished, and the ring menu returned to its usual circle of glowing runes.

All experience and skills gained in the Arena will transfer to the Great Game. Once the Arena is complete, this Hex will integrate into a larger gameplay arena. In the Arena, you will be allowed to hone your skills in an environment that is suitable for your levels. Your actions here will determine your trajectory in the multiverse and your path to power.

In addition to your goal of acquiring skill points, each player will be given a Quest. Completing this Quest before the Arena ends will result in substantial rewards upon exiting the Arena. Your individual Quests are loading now. Upon receiving your Quest, the Arena will officially commence. Go forth on your Path to Power.

With that, the menu between the party vanished, and the Dev’s voice went silent. Then a bright light flashed in Theo’s eyes, and his vision was filled with a notification.

Notification received!

Quest received!

Kill Blake Hansen