Clutching the single die given to me by Twos in a shaky hand, I nervously chuck it out into the air. As I watch it fly, I can feel my perception of time slow, dragging out one second into next; knowing that this roll is the decider of the rest of my life. It slowly rotates, showing me all six of its sides.
I close my eyes, not wanting see it land, anxious of the result.
Twos voice breaks me out of my spiral of worry, "Oh! A four!" It exclaims excitedly. A four?
Marvel.
The best I could've hoped for. As least in marvel I have the chance to escape any apocalyptic scenarios, maybe. As opposed to something like Worm, where I'll almost certainly be instantly killed by any powerful Thinker, such as Contessa; or, god forbid, I get mind controlled by the Simurgh.
I open my eyes, seeing the result for myself. Four black dots on a white surface.
'What do I know of the Marvel Universe?' I ask myself. I've seen most of the films and TV shows of the MCU, and I've read some of the more popular comics, so I have some idea of the general structure of its reality. If I can remember whatever I've read while on a 3 am wiki crawl, I should be able to avoid most of the super dangerous entities.
Unlikely, but oh well.
I look to Twos, who's ever-flowing lightning form has started do flash quickly, "What's got you so excited? Are you a fan?"
"No, no.I'm not interested in superheroes." It says, a smile in its voice. "I'm happy for you, is all. As a being born in a universe under the Heavenly Dao, you have an innate talent for Taoism, even if barely anyone chooses to seriously train in it nowadays." Its form starts to swirl into… the symbol for yin and yang? Taiji, I think.
"Although the universe you're heading to is separated from the Dao, some of its worlds have created their own philosophies that align with the Dao's powers and concepts. Meaning, if you happen to, say, I don't know... find yourself on earth during the 13th century, and… happen to find your way into a Taoist sect, you'll quickly gain power."
No.
No, no, no, no, no!
"I don't know anything about Taoism! Or the 13th century!" I shout, fearfully. "Please, don't do this to me. Can't I arrive in an era that I actually know? If I start in that period, nude, with no weapons or abilities, I'll die! Within hours!" I plead.
"Hey, no need to worry, it was just an example.Wink." Did you really ju- "I'm kidding." It laughs, before moving on. "I'm not, actually. Its been decided that this is when you'll end up, but you won't be completely helpless. You're not some kind of sacrificial body, sent out to die; you have a mission, one which is entirely voluntary."
"What mission?" I urge, calming down slightly. "I have no training or survival skills, so whatever it is, it's got to be something that I can reasonably accomplish."
Twos unswirls from its taiji form, and shifts itself to become a... compass? "Exploration, my dear girl! We want you to explore!" The compass's needle starts spinning fast. "You only need journey through time and space, at your own pace, when you feel that you can defend yourself from the dangers that come with being an intrepid adventurer!"
"...That's all? No fighting universe destroying monsters, or spreading the Dao to all corners of existence? Just… explore?" It seems to good to be true. A ticket to a life of potentially infinite power and knowledge, and all for the low, low price of… basically nothing?
"Would you rather fight gods? Or maybe... kill the One-Above-All and sacrifice it to the Heavenly Dao?" I shake my head. "Exactly. You're only a mortal, from a race of beings that are constantly at war with each other and their own selves; you are incapable of truly understanding that for the majority of life, peace is the all they know." It pauses, turning to the Heart. "I've dragged this on long enough, it's time for you to move on."
I follow Twos' gaze, and stare at the Heart. Such a simple looking thing, a black board set in a wooden frame; and yet, it holds the power of infinite creation.
And I'm about to walk right into it.
Twos' is right. I've fought and begged, but I'm not inherently against what's coming. I'm just scared. Before me is a life of freedom, of learning, of the chance to become more than I am; and I've tried to avoid it.
Why?
Because I don't deserve it. I'm not smart, or a particularly good person; and I haven't worked to make my world, or even myself, better. I was born to a poor family, and squandered any chance life threw at me to improve myself; I've snubbed my narcissistic family, and drew away from any friends I ever had.
The only thing I've ever done that is of any importance, is adopt a rescue dog.
Ah.
"What about my dog? Is he going to okay? I don't want him to be left with my body, locked in my flat; can you do anything to help him?" I'm almost begging when I ask Twos this favour.
"Your dog? Not to worry; on the off chance that you ever gain the opportunity to return here, your entire star system has been removed from time, and placed in a safe, comfy box." That's... I can't imagine that degree of power. Removing an entire star system with seemingly no consequences?
Fucking crazy.
With the knowledge that my dog is safe and sound, I take a step towards the Heart, then a second, before I'm walking to it with purpose. Placing a hand on either side, I prepare to step in. Just as my foot passes through, Twos speaks up, "Chotto matte, quick warning before you go in."
"When you're pushed out on the other side, there will be traces of the Seedbeds' power around you, lasting for about thirty seconds. In that time, you'll have to chance to create simple items and powers; but don't be thinking that you can turn yourself into a reality warper or anything like that. You can only make mundane objects, and only a low-tier, personal power. Okay?"
"...Okay." It's better than nothing. At least I don't have to be nude for much longer. "Am I ever going to see you again, Twos?"
"That, young miss, is entirely up to you."
I smile.
Then I step through.
…
I have the sensation that I'm falling. All around me, in the distance, are dots of light of unimaginable colours; spinning around me as I tumble through this unknown space. One of the lights, red in colour, starts to increase in size, coming towards me; or… am I falling into it? It grows larger in my vision, then greater still, before it encompasses my entire sight.
It consumes me.
Dust and ash starts to gather around me in swirls as I fall through the endless red light, before clinging to my skin. It starts to eat away at my flesh; nibbling on, and taking, my left pinky. I try to shake it off, to brush it away, but it flows like water over my body.
It eats my ring finger.
I start to scream in terror. This isn't right! Twos guaranteed me that this was safe, that nothing would happen to me! I start thrashing, trying to remove my carnivore, to no avail. I fear that I'm going to die, again, permanently this time; taken by oblivion.
As I scream, and I thrash, I see a light appear from the way I came, golden in colour. As it nears me I hear,
"BE!" It starts, with a booming voice.
"GONE!" It finishes. The light strikes me, sending me flying. I hear cries of anguish from the ash on my skin, as it begins to fall from me.
The voice shouts again, "No worries, young miss! Happy travels!"
Twos!
I stare at the light, hoping to make Twos out; but I feel a tug on my feet that begins to pull me down. The speed of my fall starts to quicken, before I'm thrown through a suddenly appearing hole.
On the other side, I feel myself land on mud and grass, sensation returning to me. As I look from where I came, with the hole starting to close, I hear one final word;
"Bye!"
Bye indeed, Twos.
I hope we meet again.
…
I take a second to gather my bearings, before I'm hit by the pain of my two missing fingers. "Ah!" I scream in shock. I attempt to push away the pain; I don't have any time to waste.
I need to create.
First things first, bandages. Focusing my senses, I feel the fading power of the Seedbed around me, similar in feeling to what I know, but with an added metal taste to it. As I think about what I need, the bandages starts to form from nothing onto my left hand. I tighten them around my wounds, and tie them up with the best knot I can make. With that taken care of, for now, I need clothes to protect me from the elements.
Before I can create any clothing, I need to determine my environment. Flicking my eyes around, I take in my surroundings. I'm standing in a clearing in a woodland area, the area above me clear of tree cover. The trees themselves, thin and tall, with leafage in the shape of a cone, are slightly familiar to me; reminding me of trees from the east.
My environment established, I draw on the power and create a camouflaged outfit. Underwear first, then socks, boots, a simple, warm shirt; and a set of woodland-camo style jacket and trousers. With that done, I can finally get to creating myself a power.
With the limitations I'm under, and little time to think about what I could potentially create, I settle for the simple, but effective power, of accelerated learning; with any of my abilities or skills displayed to me in a character sheet.
Finalising my creation, as I feel the power of the Seedbed dissipate, I see golden, unknown runes, that I can somehow understand, appear in my vision.
...Parameters Set. Creation Accepted.
...Welcome, to your new reality.
[Character]
Name – Sarah Worthington
Species – Human
Life – 27/83
[Skills]
Abilities: English (Mastered), Cooking (Basic), Accounting (Skilled).
Innate Powers: Dao Child, Accelerated Learning (Tier 1)
Learned Powers: N/A
[Hint: Tap for more info.]
Looking over the display, I see the small amount of skills that I gathered in my short life, and the power that I created. Though... life? Tapping on it, it shows - [Life: A counter of the amount of years you have experienced, and the limit of your natural lifespan.]
Scary.
At least I know how much time I have left, I guess. I'll have to look into extending that limit, somehow, in the future. For now, I'm much more interested in my so-called 'Innate Powers'. With excitement in my mind, I tap Dao Child,
[Dao Child: You were touched by the Heavenly Dao, which blessed you with the quest of adventure; and you have journeyed atop the grass of the Seedbed. There is no other who has achieved both of these Great Accomplishments.
You have been granted great talent in the ways of Taoism, and will find that the Dao of Creation comes to you with greater ease then all but the gods.]
This is... too much. Twos did mention that I would have innate talent for Taoism... but, I want to learn through my own efforts; not this fucking... cheat-like power. What's the point of study if the universe is just going to gift me things? I'm not a character in some wish-fulfillment fanfiction; I'm my own person, with my own ability to learn.
I hope this doesn't interfere with my path too much.
With the potential consequences of that power running through my mind, I move on to the power I created,
[Accelerated Learning (Tier 1): Learn mundane skills at an accelerated rate (+100%), and supernatural skills at a slightly increased rate (+30%)]
Perfect; this is exactly what I was hoping for. Although this power will help me to learn things quicker, it doesn't have such a great influence that there will be no effort required on my part. It's much better then... Dao Child.
Accelerated Learning is going to be an immense help in surviving until I reach some form of civilisation.
Turning my head to the sky, I see that the sun is starting to set, not leaving me much time to find shelter. As much as I don't like Dao Child, it has changed any plans I had before I arrived in Marvel. With the ability to learn Taoist skills with ease, I can hopefully use it to gain some ability in divination.
Although I don't know too many methods of divination, I remember a game I used to play as a child, whenever I hoped to escape the suffocation of my family home. Walking over to a tree, I reach up and grab a loose-looking branch. With a tug, It breaks off and falls to the ground, where I pick it up.
I move back over to where I landed and stand the stick straight up, before letting go. The stick topples and bounces off the dirt, before pointing away from me, to my right. I wait, but no notification appears. Bummer.
I grab the stick and step back until I'm about three metres from my initial test, and turn to my left. I repeat the 'divination' and move back as the stick falls. It lands in the same direction as the first attempt, only this time pointing behind me.
Still no notification.
Making a third attempt, this time I move right, facing the same direction, before turning left and trying again.
It falls, pointing in the same direction as the other two; only this time, I get my long awaited notification.
[Power Learned – Divination: The ability to divine an answer to a posed question, through various methods; be it seeking wisdom from the natural world, a revelation from a divine being, or through simple magic.
Methods Known – Stickfall: With a mighty length of wood in hand, and the ever present power of gravity, you can learn the direction to that which you seek. Whether it be person, object, or idea, the Divine Stick will always lead you straight.]
Flavour text aside, this might be the most important power I will ever learn, one that will most probably save my life countless times.
With this, I can create a plan of action.
Looking at the result of... Divination, I set off in the direction its pointing.
It's time to find shelter.