Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Personal Reality

As I shut the door leading in and out of my “Personal Reality” behind me I take a beat to study my surroundings. I am in an elegant foyer that leads to several different doors with words displayed above them that are clearly meant to convey the sort of areas they lead to.

One of them is called a “Cosmic Warehouse”, another is “Living Area”, and among others are “Amenities”, “Control Center”, and “Medical Bay”. The doors have arranged themselves freely on both the floor I am on and atop a small stairwell that leads to an equally elegant second floor. The room that catches my eye is one of the other rooms, a simple looking door hidden among other, grander doors with a curious name: “Empowerment Bay”.

I approach the small door and open it with an easy push. It opens and reveals a small room that is little more than a curious hallway and a small chair in the middle of the room. Doors line the hallway, with each one having a unique motif of some sort or another.

I begin to walk towards the machine in the middle of the room all while studying the doors that line the hallway. One of them has images of a blocky world complete with a strange looking man doing things like scaling cliffs, delving deep underground, and mining.

Another has images of strangely stylized figures standing alongside men and women building a world together. A third door has images of a figure with glowing eyes who is surrounding by a ball of rushing air floating over a valley of what I can identify as spirits of various natural objects and phenomena.

All the doors are unique, that much I can tell at a glance. As I study the doors I can feel my keychains vibrating within my inventory, with each keychain corresponding to an individual door. It takes me a moment of intense focus to be able to stop paying attention to the doors and focus on the mechanical chair in the middle of the room.

I reach the chair and when I find myself right in front of the thing, I notice a small piece of paper that I am certain was not there a moment ago. The thing is curious, and I reach out and grab it immediately so that I can arm myself with knowledge about this place.

“Hello [Owner]! Welcome to the [Sanctuary]. This term is simply another term used to describe the [Personal Reality] you now own.” The paper begins, causing me to stare at the paper silently even as I continue to read it.

“You are now a [Jumper], which means, in essence, that you are a multiversal explorer with the capability to grow greater and greater with the passage of time. You are currently in your first set of [Jumps], or settings that you can explore. All [Jumpers] are equipped with a [Personal Reality] of their very own to help them as they explore the multiverses they get to visit.” My eyes widen as I read this and learn more about where I am.

“You possess a particularly powerful [Personal Reality] due to the nature of your [Evolving System]. Because of this you can use this [Sanctuary’s] most distinctive feature right away: this [Empowerment Bay]! By sitting on this chair once a jump you will be able to access the powers of a special variety of [Generic Worlds]: ones that lack [Origins]!” The paper explains causing me to begin to feel excited.

“[Generic Worlds] that lack origins often have particularly special powers to make up for their lack of origins. The ones you can can tap into right now are [Generic Warlord] and [Generic Commander], both of which are military-focused [Generic Worlds] that offer you military and combat based abilities.” The note reveals, causing me to look at the thing curiously.

“The abilities these places offer will greatly empower your ability to wage war. They will also give you unique abilities that are quite handy for doing something like becoming a mercenary commander. These powers are in addition to the ones you will get by virtue of being an owner of a [Sanctuary]. To receive these powers please sit in the seat.” I finish reading the note and then I pause for a beat.

I contemplate whether I ought to sit in the seat for the briefest of moments before realizing that I am, in strict theory at least, the owner and commander of this place. It should, logically, not be able to deceive me. I can sense that I can trust this place and the limited will and sapience it seems to possess…

If I want to grow greater than I must take risks. I decide to sit in the chair and as soon as I do my senses are temporarily overwhelmed by a flash of brilliant light which seems to come from nowhere but instantly overwhelms even senses as sharp as mine. The light lingers for a few moments but quickly begins to fade.

As it fades, I feel many new abilities and traits etching themselves onto my soul. I can keenly feel the presence of the new additions to my powers, and they are quite meaningful. They range from distinctive abilities like the power to grant objects souls and give them humanoid forms that I can shape when I awaken them, to simpler but incredibly handy powers like telekinesis and the ability to unerringly understand the emotions others are feeling.

I can also feel my mind being improved, sharpened, and changed by the process I have just undergone. I sense my ability to think tactically improving to an absurd extent.

By the time the light has faded completely I understand the new abilities I possess and it is hard not to smile. These new abilities are extensive, and impressive, and with them I am much more powerful in very distinctive ways than I had been before now. I am not worlds stronger than I had been before now in a direct, personal sense, but I am much more versatile, and I am frighteningly more skilled at making allies than I had been just minutes ago…

“How incredibly neat…” I mutter, as my altered mind begins to envision the countless ways that I can take advantage of these new powers. Everything from creating my own settlements with ease thanks to my ability to bring objects to life, to creating my own armies by using this ability to create soldiers, are all things that I can easily envision myself doing.

I am also aware that the power of the lifeforms I create by making use of my ability to “Awaken” things depends, in part, on the quality of the item that is “Awakened”. This means that my ability to create incredibly high quality items synergizes very well with my power to “Awaken” objects. And that is just one way that my abilities synergize with each other. If I elect to focus on something like my new abilities that relate to elemental manipulation then I can think about how neatly my nordic blood synergizes with my ability to manipulate ice and snow, which is a [Sanctuary Ability] that I now possess.

When I manage to pull myself up from the chair I find another note stuck to the power-bestowing piece of furniture. This one, thankfully, is shorter than the other one was.

“Please note that as you accrue power and influence you’ll be able to gain more power by coming here and sitting in this chair. The final power-related things you were given were [Essences] which are sets of powerful abilities that are thematically linked to each other. You were given the [Essence of the Ultimate Salesman], the [Essence of the Scholarly Monster], and the [Essence of the Apex Lover]. These abilities all boost different aspects of you in mighty ways, but their full activation will take a while.” The note explains, which causes me to smirk.

I don’t rush to leave this place, instead I turn around and opt to explore the rest of my new home. I walk back towards the door I came through, and as I do I look at the doors I am passing by my altered and enhanced mind is able to better detect the power coming from the doors.

I can tell that they are portals to whole new worlds, ones that will grant me great power when I decide to walk through them and that at least one of the things would open if I inserted the proper key into it. I also know, instinctively, that at least one will respond to my keys if I try to open it right now. That said I can resist the urge to step through them right now, as I want to take a beat to adjust to and master my current abilities before I hurl myself into new worlds.

I eventually reach the door leading in and out of the bay and when I approach it I am surprised to see what I can somehow recognize as a touchscreen appear next to the door. It says “Foyer” but when I touch it I am able to see the same titles I saw earlier, like “Cosmic Warehouse” and “Living Area”. My mind fills with knowledge about this particular device just by touching it which is a curious sensation, and I know that if I select a particular area I will be able to walk through the door and find myself there instead of in the foyer.

I study my options and decide to select “Cosmic Warehouse”, before opening the door and finding myself standing at the end of a gigantic storage facility. I step through the door and the thing shuts behind me but doesn’t slam or try to surprise me.

I don’t have many treasures but the items in my possession are on display around me. A still dog sits not far from where I am, but seems inanimate for now, a number of weapons lines the walls of a distant room, and various other items like soul gems are on display in a set of cases that line a portion of a nearby rack that extends for dozens of feet and is as tall as it is wide.

The most intriguing area that I can see is what I assume must be an armory of some sort. It is filled with weapons, most notably the weapons I acquired in the wake of my victory over the orcs who had occupied the watchtower, and such things are incredibly tempting to me now that I possess the ability to bring objects to life. I can already tell that I might become a hoarder, of weapons at least, given this new ability of mine…

There are new additions to this area as well. I now possess items from [Generic Warlord] and [Generic Commander] that are all highly valuable. I can see over a dozen new weapons, as well as a sort of weapon that I know as “Guns” but that I don’t remember ever seeing before. I understand what they are capable of intuitively and seeing them as part of my arsenal makes me smile.

I study the room for a bit longer before I opt to leave. When I do I select “Living Area” from the list of available and explorable areas. This time what awaits me when I open the door is the interior of a massive and opulent apartment.

---

The young jumper steps through the door and finds himself standing in the middle of a wonderful apartment. Perfumed air hits his nostrils and causes him to smirk smugly. The powerful creature curiously studies the luxurious apartment he finds himself in, one he is far from alone in.

Maids dart around the apartment and busily clean various pieces of furniture within it. The creatures are all busty women but mysteriously they lack faces, and the nord realizes this with a bit of a start when one of them turns and sees him. The busty woman waves at her master eagerly, and though it takes Hendall a second to react he eventually returns the gesture causing the throw herself into her work with more intensity than before.

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The figures are cleaning an elegant and massive bedroom. At one end of the place is a gigantic bed covered in dark red silk sheets and several fluffy pillows. Not far from the bed is a see-through door leading to a massive walk-in closet containing an array of clothes. The nord examines the clothes, and when he turns away from the closet there is an appreciation for the clothes he now knows he owns etched on his face.

For the next few minutes the strange hero explores the apartment. He finds various pleasant amenities such as an extravagant bathroom and an elevator that takes him down to a gigantic open-air courtyard. The young man’s curiosity compels him to explore every corner of the living space he now owns. During this time the creature practices shifting back and forth between the two forms at his disposal: that of an Orsimer and that of a Nord. He eventually stops shifting and readopts his "native" form as a proud nord, including his impressive "natural" height.

Minutes turn into two hours as the strange Nord explores the curious new world he owns. He familiarizes himself with the place, and before long he has explored every section of the strange world, from the “Amenities” to the “Control Center”, to the “Medical Bay”.

The being is silent as the first powers from the essences that etched themselves onto his soul begin to manifest. His senses are powerfully bolstered and he begins to be able to do curious things like sniff the air and parse through countless scents, including the scent of femininity. He also memorizes the scent of his own treasures, which smell incredible to him. It only takes him a few minutes of smelling even the tiny amount of treasures he owns before he wants to go to a place where he can acquire more treasures.

The quiet figure silently finds himself back in the “Empowerment Bay” he had been in over one hundred and twenty minutes ago and gazing at the ornate doors that promise many adventures once more.

---

I gaze at the twelve doors before me. Six doors line one side of the hallway and another six line the other side of the hallway. Each of the doors subtly vibrates and I can sense different kinds of power radiate out of them now that I have had more time to adjust to my new abilities. I am aware of how odd it is that there are twelve doors, but I also know that in many cases the answers I seek simply have yet to reveal themselves, and will do so in time. I don’t need to be impatient.

As I approach one of the doors a note appears on the thing. I reach out and grab the note, so that I can read it curiously.

“A primer to jumping:” The note begins, causing me to lightly smile.

“Under normal circumstances a jumper can only exist in one setting at a time. For you that would be Aurbis, the name given of the universe that Skyrim is a part of. However, an evolving jumper does not have to deal with that limitation. The doors before you are a manifestation of your ability to ignore the ‘One setting at a time’ rule.” The piece of paper explains, even as more words begin to appear on the note in my hands.

“Each door is linked to a unique setting. When you step through any of the doors for the first time you will be presented with text boxes like the ones you saw hours ago. You will be able to make choices that determine your new ‘Origins’, which in turn affects the perks you start out with, as well as your starting location, and what new things are added to your inventory. As a jumper you carry over your powers and items from one setting to another, at least generally.” The note reveals, causing me to smirk.

“The door with the spirits on it is linked to a world known as Earth, where some humans can manipulate one of the four most basic classical elements; earth, water, fire, and air. If you enter that door your ability to interact with spirits will improve, as will your newfound elemental manipulation abilities, but you’ll be the ‘Avatar’ in a world that is about to enter an era of vast change. Being able to retain the powers that’d grant would greatly boost the abilities of almost any jumper.” I read, even muttering some parts aloud.

“The door with the stylized images is a world of ‘Cartoons’ and superpowered beings. In that world cartoons, creatures that are stylized depictions of other sorts of creatures, exist and possess an array of startling and incredible powers. Those powers could be yours, as could the power to create living cartoons yourself.” The note tells me, even as I continue my practice of reading certain parts of the thing out loud.

“The point of these reveals is to show the power that lies in your reach. Jumpers, even ones not as initially capable as you, are capable of incredible feats given enough time. Jumpers like you are even more capable than their lesser peers. If you wish for power, you ought to reach out and take it.” I mutter, having read that entire last passage aloud.

The words on the piece of paper do not change anymore when I finish reading what I have just read. My sharpened mind effortlessly realizes that the note is done updating. Whatever else my home wishes to tell me it will not be telling me right away. It looks like I’ll have to earn the rights to know more secrets, but between telling me about the existence of other “Jumpers”, revealing “Essences” to me, and empowering me I’ve already gained more than enough to make my choice to come here worth it…

I study the doors again and I consider whether to open one of them. I can still tell that if I open one of the things I’ll be let through, perhaps as a sort of “Freebie”, but I also know that it’d be the only door I can go through for now. I spend several seconds contemplating what to do next, before I decide that my original plan of gaining more mastery over my current, and new powers.

“I’ll be back… But for now the right path is clear.” I say, even as I manage to turn away from the door where the note was located and make my way to the door I stepped through to enter the room in the first place. When I reach the place I touch the touchdown display and see a new option: “Skyrim”. I smirk at the door and select that option before opening the door and finding myself back in Skyrim.

I am alone facing the tiny camp that the orcs set up right outside of the tower I brutally liberated from their illegal occupation. I can instinctively tell that time has passed, but as I look up at the sky and note the position of the sun I quickly intuit that somehow more time passed in my personal reality than passed here.

“I wonder how that’s possible…” I mutter as I quickly guesstimate that perhaps half the time that I spent in the personal reality has passed in Skyrim. I spent perhaps two and a half hours in my private dimension and that amounts to about seventy-five minutes passing in Skyrim, making it early afternoon here.

“Well I guess I can go and introduce myself to the local soldiers…” I remark as I ponder what to do next. I silently walk past the watchtower and I peer at the distant encampment of “Stormcloaks”. The men are sternly watching a number of cooking pits and food they almost certainly hunted themselves earlier today.

I practice one of my new abilities, and I focus on the sights I can distantly see. As I focus my vision itself seems to zoom in on the distant encampment and allows me to make out the features of the soldiers who are guarding the place. I begin to make my way towards the encampment even as I study the soldiers who are stationed throughout the camp.

In a matter of moments I am hiking over uneven terrain as I make my way towards the armed rebels. A few of their more eagle-eyed scouts have noticed my distant visage and my keen hearing allows me to hear them warning their peers about my presence. As the commander of the encampment orders the troops to prepare for whatever his scouts have seen I smirk and begin to sniff the air.

My nostrils pick up hundreds of assorted scents. I can feel an unconscious part of my mind begin to parse through the different scents and a few of them immediate stand out to me, particularly those I can instinctively tell belong to nordic women. My monstrous senses have been bolstered in several particular ways but one of the strangest boosts to my senses is my ability to physically sense women, which is a consequence of my absorption of the “Apex Lover” essence which has begun the process of entering and altering me.

I sniff the air again and this time my awareness of the shieldmaidens only increases. I can instinctively sense the health of the few healers and warriors my more bestial senses allow me to distantly detect. I also make use of a handy “Editoria” ability which allows me to perceive the world around me as words on a page rather than in a direct, sensory way.

By using this odd perception-based ability I am able to learn about the busy day the healers of the encampment have had, as well as the curiosity of the encampment’s leaders about my proximity to the camp. I “read” the “script” in my mind’s eye and note details like the fact that the healers cannot cure diseases and that the warriors are in desperate need of true arcane healing. Which I know, immediately, is an area where I can help them!

When I manage to reach the bottom of the small, fortified hill leading to the encampment of the warriors, both male and female, I am stopped by the sight of a rebel appearing atop the hill dressed in the respectable leather armor of the leadership of the “Stormcloaks”. He gazes at me for a moment before beginning to speak.

“Halt, stranger. Before you proceed any further, allow me to ask you, are you a true son of Skyrim?” He asks me, causing me to smile at the man. I stop and glance at the well-defended hill. A number of spear formations have been set up to funnel enemies into traveling up the hill one at a time and thus to a probable death.

“My brother, I was born near the peak of the Druadach Mountains. I first wet my blade by drawing Reachmen blood and I have helped defend Markarth itself. I have explored ancient nordic crypts and I have drunken with the people of Falkreath. I am a proud, true son of Skyrim.” I assure the figure, speaking grandly of a life that I made up on the spot. The nordic warrior gives me a once-over before beginning to smile at me from behind the visor of his helm.

“Well met, then, brother. If you have any supplies to trade, or serves you could offer our men, we’d be glad to have you stop by for a spell.” The warrior tells me, causing me to look at him curiously.

“Do you need a healer’s services? I am both an alchemist and a mage. I can certainly heal some of your men.” I offer, causing the man to smile even more widely at me, though I suspect he doesn’t know that I can see his smile. I begin to walk towards him as I speak. He nods at me and turns to face the camp when I reach his side at the top of the hill.

“If you’re a healer we absolutely have work for you. Come with me and let me show you where we keep our infirm.” He replies, before beginning to walk toward the center of the camp. I follow behind him, having to work hard to keep myself from smiling smugly and thus suggesting that there is something impure about my intentions towards the warriors.

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