The first quest, and the title is all about him. Of course.
Scott rolled his eyes and mentally requested Brianna to play the message.
<<… 'Mr. Degen, I assume you have a lot of questions right now. And the foremost question in your mind is, whether I have reneged on our deal and betrayed you. Let me first tell you something - even if I had done that, there would have been zero consequences as far as I am concerned. If you have any thoughts about making me pay for my little antic, please, do follow through at your leisure when we meet again. I rarely get a chance to humour myself heartily nowadays. Anyway, that being said, no, I have not broken our agreement. And yes, bringing you to Athionia is definitely one of them. If you follow the System's guidance and instead of being petulant and rebellious fruitlessly, work towards meeting the rest of the conditions, your wish will definitely be granted. I won't waste any more of our time. I'm sure you can tell from the quest's title, you'll receive valuable information when you complete it. I wish you all the best'…. >>
Scott was pissed at the subtle way Hraxanthus hinted at his powerlessness. He hadn't missed the not-so-subtle incitement either. It seemed this deity took pleasure from riling others up, or so it seemed to Scott. He didn't know the purpose of those words. Was Hraxanthus simply having fun by telling Scott he's insignificant in order to discourage him, or was it meant to enrage him and act brashly just to serve as his entertainment?
'One day, jerkface. One day, I'll make you eat your words. I don't care whether I win or lose, but I can guarantee you, you will not be able to ignore me on that day.'
Even though it was probably a pipe-dream, Scott felt good when he made that vow to himself.
~Brianna, can you tell me more details about the quest, what it entails and such?~
<<… I do not know the specifics, but there are a pair of geographical coordinates mentioned. I can tell you that it's roughly 20,000 km to the North-west, from your starting zone, once you get out of this dimension. Though I have detailed information about the creatures, races and culture about Athionia, I lack a descriptive map. I advice you acquire one on your journey so that I can update my database….>>
'Note to self: get a map. Well, I guess a location is all I can hope for but 20,000 km? That would be a lot of walking…'
~Brianna, can you tell me if there are any large water bodies or mountains in between?~
<<… I am sorry Scott, I am unable to provide any further information about your quest location until you acquire a map…>>
Scott sighed. He realized there wasn't much else to do except get started. He suddenly looked down at his clothes, realizing he'd forgotten to do so. He rummaged inside his pockets. A few coins, a pen. He had his wallet, which was basically useless except it contained a picture of his family from his younger days. That was the most precious object he owned.
~Brianna, I suppose my outfit will stand out…in this realm, am I right?~
<<…That is correct Scott. The material and style of your apparel will attract a lot of attention. If you are planning to keep a low profile, and I would advise so, it is in your best interest to find suitable garments for this realm as soon as possible… >>
Scott nodded, then immediately felt a little foolish for nodding silently to someone who's practically inside his head.
~Yes…I suppose you're right. Tell me Brianna, is this zone…safe? If I store some of my personal belongings here, will they remain undiscovered?~
Scott had no intention of bringing the pictures of his family out there into an unknown world. Even though they were technically dead, Scott didn't want to take any chances. And he surmised, if he could transmigrate from his world to this one, there was no guarantee that the opposite could not happen.
His hopes however were dashed.
<<… I am sorry Scott, the moment you leave this zone, it'll cease to exist. It was created solely to transition your interdimensional transfer. You will have to take all your personal belongings with you. Anything you leave behind will automatically appear near your feet after you exit…>>
'Well…so much for that.'
Scott removed the picture from the wallet and stared at it. Should he destroy it? Better to erase its existence than risking it falling into the wrong hands?
He realized he couldn't do it.
"Guess I'll have to keep your safe." He whispered.
He stuck the wallet deep inside his pocket and mentally called out to Brianna.
~Brianna, before I leave this zone, can you show me my …stats…err…values of the attributes I have?~
<<… I am sorry Scott, but your interface will be fully activated once you leave this zone. Also note, any physical activity you perform in this zone will not affect your physique. Same applies to meditative techniques to enhance your Essence and Recovery…>>
'Huh. Guess I can't stay in here for a couple of months doing bodyweight training and katas, huh. You've really got your bases covered, Hrax.'
Scott took a deep breathe and then closed his eyes.
This was it.
In his mind, Scott summarized his goals for the near future. Lay low as much as possible, survive, get stronger, fulfill Hrax's accursed conditions and get the hell out of here so that he could complete his ultimate wish.
Scott didn't have a hero complex. He didn't want to be anyone's saviour. He decided he wouldn't partake, at least willingly, into any political mess that crops up in this realm. Of course he was pragmatic enough to know sometimes he would be forced into situations like that, without a choice of his own. But he decided he'd cross those bridges when they arrive.
As for his immediate priorities - Get food and water, a shelter, a change of clothes, a weapon.
~Brianna. I am ready to leave.~
<<… Very well Scott. Since you are ready, I will initiate the command to eject your body from this dimension. Please note, in Athionia, my power will be limited in the beginning. I will not be able to converse with you this freely. Only my vital modules will remain active, all else will enter a state of hibernation. In order to activate the hibernating modules, you will need to interact with people, and through those interactions, generate quests. The quests you generate and then complete, will ensure the awakening of my hibernating components. Also note, the more you interact with the environment, the more information will be stored and updated in my database. This will allow me to have greater accuracies in predicting the relative strength of your components, decipher and exploit any weaknesses they might have and also assist you during intricate socio-political interactions, by providing you with information that you might have overlooked by yourself…>>
'Oh great. Nerfed at the start. What a cliche.' Scott couldn't help but roll his eyes. Hrax definitely copied this from some game.
<<…Command for exiting the Starting Zone initiated…>>
The emotionless machine-voice was back. Scott frowned and then braced himself for another roller-coaster vomit-inducing ride through interdimensional space or whatever he'd traveled across.
<<… Command for exiting the Starting Zone executed successfully. User will be exiting the Starting Zone in 5…4…3…2…1…0…>>
Scott felt a deafening ripple around him. It felt like he was inside a giant bubble that had just burst. His legs trembled and he dropped to the ground once again. He'd closed his eyes in self-preservation.
He didn't feel the gut-wrenching pull into a spatial whirlpool.
After several seconds had passed, Scott slowly opened his eyes. Trees, trees everywhere around him. He'd replaced one forest by another.
Except this forest was different.