Chapter 3:
I Have No Other Proof
Sitting in darkness, I clung to the sitting thing, staring into the blackness that surrounded me. Nothing. Silence. I couldn't even hear my own breathing though I was panting hard nearing the point of stop breath. I try to call out, but nothing happened, I couldn't even hear my voice inside my head. What was I trying to sound? What was I trying to think and panic over?
I began to panic more, I couldn't comprehend anymore, my mind was refusing to think, only feelings and instinct were all that ruled my mind, I wasn't even sure what words or reason were anymore, was it a color? Colors are good. I can think in colors. Reds and Blues and Yellows, trying to calm myself down from the waves of Blacks and Purples that made me feel fear.
I still could see nothing with my eyes, the blacks and purples stayed there at the back of my mind like predators waiting for a moment of weakness. I lost track of how long I fought this small battle, was it days? Hours? Eternity? Five seconds? I cannot recall because I had no concept of such things. My stomach hurt from hunger, I knew hunger, I knew fear, I knew calm.
Calm. Calm is fluffy and fuzzy. I feel good with fuzzy but there is no fuzzy here only hard thing I sit in. Hard thing is safe. Hard thing is love. It is the only thing besides me here. Hard things friend? No! Hard thing making me sore from sitting. But are there other things out there?
I see a flash of something someone moving their mouth and sounds coming out, but I do not know what sounds mean. It feels important but I smile inside my head, sounds are silly, I know sounds are only sounds.
What else did I know? Was there something else I needed to know? Scary. I remember scary, and of things that were scary, and others, not scary but not friends. Light flashing things with stuff I didn't know what it was… pictures? Funny pictures. Pictures moving down to up making me afraid for some reason. Why would pictures make me afraid? Pictures bad? Bad pictures! Grrr!
Something about the picture caught my attention. The pictures were trying to tell me something. right?. Because I couldn't understand without the pictures to tell me. That's silly! Pictures don't tell things! Pictures supposed to be pictures. Just to look at.
But drawing pictures could mean telling someone what I need to say without showing them!
It was a light going off in my head as I shook and jerked in the chair, comprehension starting to come back to me. Pictures... No... Katakana. Words. Thoughts. Ideas!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed wordlessly until my voice was cut off from being hoarse and dry. Coughing and shaking my head, grasping onto those wonderful words that flowed into my head. "No… I will not let you take them" I shouted into the darkness, the thing that was trying to steal all that I was away.
Laughter. A chill running through my spine as I heard the laugh that was making me ready to wet myself. It penetrated deep into my soul, I could almost feel like a stain was washing across my entire being. "Silence is Golden, boy. But if you cling to your precious Word so. I'm up to the challenge if you desire."
I had no idea what this thing was or who. But I was far too scared to ask anything about it. The darkness seemed to coalesce together, though how I could perceive a black darker than total darkness I have no clue or way to explain such a thing. The thing laughed again before disappearing from view. The blackness getting lighter, and now I could make out a faint glow getting stronger slowly in front of my eyes. The computer screen and Mr. Paperclip again.
I quickly dragged and dropped paperclip down under the bottom of the screen so I wouldn't have to look at him. This was his fault! If I had just stayed my curiosity and ignored him like everyone in the world knew to do none of this would be happening.
Looking at the computer screen I noticed a new window had opened up.
WELCOME TO PAGEMASTER INSTALLATION PROGRAM.
PLEASE BEGIN INPUTS TO COMPLETE
YOUR (FANTASY) ISEKAI STARTUP:
Well, I was already in Hell, I might as well keep digging. I clicked on the window looking over the screen. The whole thing smelled of an RPG setup. Name, special skills, levels. Most of them were available to start messing with. I guess you have to them all in order, I always disliked this kind of system in games, I liked it when I could customize everything from the get-go that way if I couldn't get a particular look down for a class I could then go with my backup ideas.
So the first thing to pick was Color. Color... Really? No class in this game? Opening up the tab I found out why. Everything was Hero class, this was specializing in the style and type of hero.
Red: Pagemaster of Fire and Steel
It seemed like a strong beatdown bruiser from the stat bonuses but the drawback was having low stamina if you didn't have enough time to build your flames.
Yellow: Pagemaster of Light and Illusions
Isn't that essentially the same thing? The stats were good but it seemed reliant on getting enough sunlight.
Green: Pagemaster of Earth and Plants
I'm starting to see a pattern here. Was this system that cliched?
Violet: Pagemaster of Darkness and Gemstones
Hard pass. I was still reeling from the black and purple thoughts just a little while ago. I wasn't about to touch on being in control of something that…. Thing was made of.
Blue: Pagemaster of Water and Wind
Huh. I guess this was obvious. Its stats are kind of low to start with but. Mana Regen from your elements. Water and Air are everywhere It's like having infinite Magicka regeneration.
I click on my choice.
PLEASE TYPE TO CONFIRM
B-L-U-E
NAME CONFIRMED
WELCOME PAGEMASTER (BLUE)
Wait, what! It didn't ask me for a name! The hell kind of program is this? I guess since it's running off 95 I shouldn't be that upset. This system is probably lucky it's still even running for this long. I sigh trying to find a back button but alas there is none.
Looking through special skills, it only allows me one choice. I guess I can unlock more as I level up later. I already have one unlocked and in my skills bar on the side of the screen.
REWRITE- RIRAITO
Hmm, I wonder what that is supposed to do. I'll read about it later as I click on the only power in the list that looks like it will benefit me easily to start.
1000%- SEN PASENTO
A quick boost of up to ten times my normal power for a few seconds of magic or strength. That looks quite valuable for any situation I might be stuck in. I'm definitely taking that one to start with.
With that chosen I look at the next input.
CHOOSE STARTING SPELL:
There wasn't any kind of drop down or sub-menu. Was this a freeform input? I quickly typed in a pair of words that would make things incredibly easy.
Meteor Shower
SORRY THAT REQUIRES RANK 10
Well crap. I guess something that flashy wouldn't be given to someone just starting his adventure. A guy can dream but alas it was not meant to be this time. I start typing in whatever words I can think of, just to see what happens.
Splash, Icicle, Gun, Flame Shot, Fireball, Snowball, Blizzard, Cure, Handstand, Jack-in-the-Box
I can't even begin to comprehend what kind of system this is for magic spells. Some words are invalid because there "aren't enough meanings" and still won't work because "too many synonyms" while still others require higher ranks. I want to have a long talk with the program designer, and maybe a wall to mediate with.
"Are you being catty with me?"
CONFIRMED. CAT SPELL ACQUIRED
" Ehhh?!" Is this thing serious? It could take voice commands this whole time! I sat there waiting to see if something would happen now, but still nothing. As the screen was asking for the next input. I guess I don't get to see what happens until I'm done.
PLEASE CHOOSE METHOD OF SPELLCASTING
I raised my eyebrows so high I managed to hurt myself. Rubbing my forehead I could easily make that choice. It appeared that this was only for specifically Pagemaster style spells, not anything any other magic users would possess. Simple word spellcasting could cause trouble, and chanting could take too long. I typed in the letters and smiled to myself. I know it was similar to a certain manga by CL*MP but screw it I love this style of spell casting.
CONFIRMED. (CARD) CASTING SYSTEM DEPLOYING
Finally, something going right for a change. Leaning back as I finished the last input and waited for the installation to complete itself. Something started to glow in front of me reaching my hand up toward the small rectangular light and grasping it with one hand. Thinking back on all the things that had gone wrong this was probably stupid but fortunately, it was just the spell I had "chosen" to start with.
INSTALLATION COMPLETE
ISEKAI ACTIVE AND READY FOR ADVENTURE START
The window closes itself after briefly showing this message, leaving me sitting there with a computer and a chair.
Ummm….
I waited to see if something else was going to happen. Nothing. What kind of crap game doesn't even give you a starting zone or tutorial for new players? Looking around the screen I notice Mr. Paperclip climbing up on the taskbar. Wait how is he able to do that?
(I see you are looking for a tutorial stage. Do you need assistance?)
Oh no! I am not about to use him again. Fool me once, good sir. I refuse to give a second chance to this piece of programming nightmare. I sit there stubbornly and waiting for anything else to happen. The system surely wouldn't just let me sit here until I figured it out on my own.
I try to do various things, calling out "MENU" and "ACTIVATE", trying to see if there was some sort of mental way to bring open something, making hand gestures like a ninja, chanting weird noises unto I gagged on a wad of spit. Trying to find the Help feature on any of the other icons on the computer.
Dammit, I don't want to do this!
I reluctantly clicked on Mr. Paperclip.
{YES}
(Summoning Tutorial Guide)
I waited.
And waited some more.
"Hello? Is there anyone there?"
A blur of colors clipped my vision just before my eyes saw stars and nothing else. "Ye' damn fool! Ye gone and destroyed everything!" I rubbed my head in pain, hearing the voice of the old librarian, Silas Clarion, trying to find him as the bird starts rapping his beak on my head.
"Ow! Ow! I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing."
"No, ye did not ye bleeding idjut! But know we're going to fix what you've done and hope by the gods that Atlantis doesn't realize you gun and flipped the damn world sideways." the bird continued to peck on my head, fortunately it didn't seem like he was trying to bite me, just rapping his beak against my skull.
"I will... I will! Just call off the Bird please Clarion-sama!"
The bird landed on top of the computer monitor and glared at me with murderous eyes. "I am the damn bird, you fool!"