Omega Point

Jeff awoke abruptly, his skin slick with sweat. He found himself at one end of a vast, high ceilinged space; the walls nearest to him crafted from a muted, slate-grey metal. Cathedral-like, vaulted halls and chambers stretched off into the distance. The sheer enormity of the space rendered the far walls indistinguishable.

He returned to the theory that he was somehow trapped in a simulation, a drug trip, a coma… but the ground beneath him was firm. He tentatively reached down to touch the smooth, crystalline surface of the floor, feeling the material under his fingers. Every detail was precise, every texture tangible.

Jeff glanced down his length, noting that he was clothed as he had been back in the bar, on Earth. Slightly faded cargo pants, combat boots and a rumpled grey shirt. Despite his journey through space and sojourn with the Autochs, a couple of stray potato chip crumbs from the bar still remained lodged in its folds. The sheer incongruity of the sight, the absurdity, was enough to dispel any remaining doubt in his mind. This was real.

Looking up, Jeff noticed an ethereal, slightly pinkish glow emanating from the arched roof high above, similar in color to sunlight at dawn, despite no obvious source. Beneath him, the slick floor resembled a single vast terrazzo tile, a dazzling mosaic of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other unidentifiable gemstones embedded within a translucent amber matrix.

Delving into his pants pockets, he did a quick inventory. As well as his phone, he found a couple of protein bars, crushed but still sealed in their original packaging, some coins, and scraps of paper. Finally he fished out his pocket knife, a cherished present from his father on his third birthday.

He stood a while, unsure of his next move. The awe-inspiring, cavernous dimensions of the space he found himself in were humbling. Somehow, he felt lessened, insignificant, in the same way a primitive hominid who’d been parachuted into an Apple Store might feel.

A jarring blast of static and hisses erupted, not from around him, but from within him. The noise was disturbingly intimate, emanating from the recesses of his own mind. Amongst the white noise, Jeff heard words, garbled and far away, reminiscent of the sound of an ancient long-wave radio, frantically being tuned, bouncing from one elusive frequency to the next.

Instinctively, Jeff dropped into a defensive crouch, eyes darting around the vast chamber, but seeing no immediate threat, he cautiously rose back to his feet. The respite was brief.

Hi Jeff. Shall we begin?

Jeff spun round in a circle. Floating in the air behind him was what looked like a semi-translucent soap bubble, roughly the size of a basketball. Pastel colors floated gently across its surface.

Welcome to The Tournament! I am your personal assistant, a synthetic, semi-autonomous construct, tasked with guiding you through these initial stages to ensure you can compete to the pinnacle of your abilities.

Pleasant sounding—definitely female in gender —the voice had an ethereal quality, too flawless to be entirely genuine. It spoke in English but its accent was elusive, hovering somewhere between the distinctions of American and British, much like the old-fashioned mid-Atlantic drawl.

The alien soap bubble hung in the air in front of him, rhythmically pulsing random colors as it spoke. It continued.

Would you like to begin the training?

Not receiving a response from Jeff, the floating ball of light reiterated its question, annunciating more slowly, as though it was talking to an infant, or a person of low intelligence.

Still receiving no response, the soap bubble changed tack, bobbing up and down slightly in the air in front of him. It continued attempting to initiate a conversation, adopting a variety of accents, ranging from a broad Australian twang to a ludicrously exaggerated, British cockney.

Jeff me old mucker, Would ya loike ter start training? Let’s take a butcher’s at your options, guv’nor.

Jeff suppressed the angry retort that bubbled up in him. He knew better than to lash out now—he had to be cautious. There was no use in railing against his situation—this wasn’t some fantasy novel or manga where a twist of fate or plot armor would save him at the last moment. This was real life. There was no blue pill.

Instead, pausing to collect his thoughts in silence for a moment or two longer, he finally broke his silence.

“Er, Hi. Can I ask some questions before we start…?” Jeff inquired cautiously.

Yes, certainly, Jeff.

replied the smooth toned voice, reverting back to its initial, bland accent.

“What’s your name? How should I address you?” Jeff quizzed the soap bubble, trying to get his bearings.

I am happy for you to address me in anyway you please. Pick a name you are comfortable with.

Jeff thought for a moment. “How about Misty?”

Misty had been the family’s faithful old Bullmastiff, long since passed away. Jeff had explored the Blue Ridge Mountains in his younger years, with Misty loyally padding at his side. It was a name he was familiar with, and tripped off the tongue easily.

Misty’s hitherto neutral voice responded, tinged with what sounded like genuine pleasure. The soap bubble vibrated slightly, almost purring.

It is an honor to be named after your former canine companion, or should I say, favorite Pokemon character?

Jeff was startled that the AI knew so much about his family history, not to mention the pop-culture of Earth. He had in fact named the puppy Misty after the Pokemon character, when he received her as a Christmas present. He guessed that with the tech at their disposal, no detail of his private life was out of the aliens’ reach.

Jeff mentally shrugged and carried on with his questioning. “Where exactly am I? And how did I get here?”

As your planet has not yet been subsumed by the System, teleportation portals or tokens are still inoperable. A slower, more primitive method of transport was utilized. The moment you were selected, you were transported via FTL wave transfer to the nearest regional Tournament center on Selis 2.

Unbidden, Misty conjured a glowing screen in midair. On the screen, a disturbingly ugly reptilian creature was giving a speech to rank after rank of other seated aliens of various types, within some sort of vast auditorium or parliamentary chamber. The speaker had pallid grey skin, eyes shaped like almonds with yellow sclera and pitch black pupils set in a lemon shaped skull. In place of a traditional nose, a sinuous, wrinkled, fleshy trunk or proboscis meandered down from the center of its face. Its head was crowned not with hair, but with a ghastly yellow chitinous crest like a huge, diseased toenail.

Cloaked in a simple white garment akin to a poncho, the creature’s grey, muscular arms protruded on either side, large muscles layering their lengths. Its powerful limbs terminated in a trifecta of ebony claws, which it held menacingly in front of its body.

The alien, looking down his prehensile nose at all of the attendees present, was ensconced on a grandiose throne-like, high backed chair, embellished with golden symbols, too detailed for Jeff to make out.

“…so it is agreed. When a non-System species is detected, lower than tech level Alpha-3 on the Halix Scale, but with an aura signifying they will soon be capable of migration into adjacent systems and about to be subsumed into the System, under the rules laid out in Article 23 of the Assembly Code concerning population regulation and control, the species must be rigorously tested to ensure their genetic traits are suitable for integration into the Community.”

Rapturous applause greeted his pronouncement.

“The species will be required to submit a champion to fight on their behalf in the next iteration of The Tournament in their sector. If the champion successfully completes the required stages of the Tournament, or vanquishes all other combatants, their planet will be ushered into the Community of Equals.”

The ghastly creature allowed a pause for dramatic effect, then continued in a portentous voice.

“However, should their champion fail to survive these trials, the species will be subjugated and its planetary resources will be reaped by the Vogel Ascendancy, for the betterment of the Community.”

You have been selected by the System as Earth’s World Champion, a Contestant in the Tournament. What an honor!

Jeff ignored the fake-sounding enthusiasm in Misty’s tone and pressed on with his questioning.

“Why me?” Jeff felt felt his usual good temper giving way to a rising tide of irritation, building up as he spoke. “I don’t remember putting my name forward for any of this shit.”

In a hushed tone the voice continued.

The workings of the great Algorithm are well beyond the comprehension of my simple thought processes. My role is to familiarize you with the functions of the System, planning media strategies, enhancing brand engagement within the MetaWeb community, and tracking metrics to ensure we're meeting our goals.

“Where are the other Contestants? How much time do I have before this Tournament of yours begins?”

Your fellow Contestants from this Sector, known colloquially as Glogly, are now proceeding through their own System Tutorials. New World Champions are constantly being inducted into the early stages of the Tournament as the System expands through the Multiverse and subsumes new territories.

“Selis? What…where is that?” Jeff felt an urge to identify his location, to pin down exactly how far from home he was.

Selis 2 is a planetary body situated in the Outer Fringes of the System-Universe. Distances are relative outside of the System-universe, but your home planet is currently only around 700 light-years distant.

Jeff sat down heavily on the gem bespangled floor.

“700 light years…” he whispered, the weight of the distance pressing down on him.

All at once he felt lost, more alone than he had ever been in his life.

After a while, Jeff raised his head and started quizzing Misty some more.

“So let me get this straight….” Jeff said, staring up at the sentient soap bubble, trying to piece together all the details and construct a timeline of events. “Just before Earth’s ‘System integration’ the Vogels swoop in and select a Candidate. i.e me…I get sucked up through space, and now I am here…”

Jeff deliberately left out the part where his transport beam was intercepted by the Autochs and his time on their ship.

Yes Jeff, that is correct. You are now in the System universe, an area infinitely larger and more complex than the mundane universe you were born in.

Another wave of emotion washed over him, this time homesickness tinged with worry for his family and friends back on Earth.

“Can I send a message back to Earth? They must be wondering where I am…”

Your people have been informed, Jeff. The Vogels make it a point to involve all of a Contestant’s species when one of its own is selected for the Tournament…

Misty continued, her voice deliberately slow in an attempt to calm him down.

As soon as you were chosen, one of Satrap Osmius’s sons—tasked with welcoming new arrivals to the Glogly sector—made an announcement. What’s more, regular updates on your progress are being broadcast across your planet’s audiovisual communications systems.

“So what am I supposed to do in this Tournament? What’s the prize?”

Successfully complete the preliminary stages of the Tournament, or vanquish all other combatants, and win a place for your people in the Community of Equals.

“And if i don’t complete the preliminaries?”

Then your planet will be seized by the Vogels and its assets will be liquidated. Your species will be subjugated and your planetary resources will be reaped by the Vogel Ascendancy, for the betterment of the Community.

Jeff paled at those final words, delivered in such a matter-of-fact-way. ‘Liquidated’ and ‘subjugated’. An alien invasion, then.

In his relatively short life, Jeff had been content with unchallenging jobs that left him plenty of time to relax, party, and indulge his gaming obsession. He had also occasionally chased romantic interests, though rarely with much success. But recently, a growing restlessness had taken hold. He had yearned for more direction, more purpose. As he moved from his teens into his early twenties, he had assumed that would come in the form of a better job—something more fulfilling than the low-paid, low-stress office work he had been slogging through. Maybe even a steady relationship—perhaps with Sally…

His ambitions had been modest: a bit more responsibility, a clearer sense of where his life was headed. But now, things had gotten real—real fast. Instead of a gradual shift into a stable middle-aged family life and career, Jeff found himself catapulted into the most responsible role of all: Earth’s champion.

Jeff sat a while in the silence of the huge cathedral-like hall, head in hands, eyes closed, until he was shaken from his morose introspection by a glowing blue rectangle appearing within his field of vision, directly in front of him. The rectangular info box was uncannily similar to a character sheet from a RPG game back on Earth.

NAME: Jeff Nostro

RACE: Human

Path: Spellsword [Hidden]—Path Rewrite: 0/7 Tribulations passed

HIT POINTS (HP): 10/10

EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP): 0

Strength: 1

Speed: 1

Vitality: 1

Endurance: 1

Cognition: 1

Offense: 1

Defense: 1

Total Attribute Points (TAP): 7

Unallocated Attribute Points: 10

GRADE: n/a

CLASS: n/a

SKILLS: n/a

Opening his eyes, Jeff continued to see the yellow dialog box. The sight, at once bizarre and oddly familiar, reminded him of some video game tutorials he had played in his youth. His mind latched on to the resemblance, his gaming experience coming to the fore. A small comfort, but he'd take what he could get. He noted the mention of a Path, ‘Spellsword', and its hidden aspect.

Remembering the System Challenge and the words of the Autoch on the ship, he recalled that he would have the opportunity to change his Path after experiencing seven ‘Tribulations’, whatever they were. He resolved to keep this a secret from Misty for the time being.

The interface can be accessed purely by thought alone. You can minimize the feed anytime you like. Alter the style and layout or add and remove content simply by willing it. Why don’t you decide how to use the unallocated Attribute points?

Jeff deliberated for a moment, then, putting on hold the numerous complaints and questions he had, for the time being, he turned his attention to his ‘Character Sheet’.

His gaming experience dictated that he would be wise to spread the free attribute points evenly across his stats, bumping them up by one each. All except for Strength, which he decided to raise to five, reasoning that he would need it for the coming trials.

He sent a mental command, allocating the free points to his Attributes. Instantly, his skin prickled and burned, a feeling of pins and needles running along the length of his body. However, as quickly as the burning sensation coursed through him, it ebbed away, replaced with an enveloping warmth and physical bliss. Vigor pulsed through his body, like a shot of some kind of super stimulant straight to his central nervous system. Each cell in his body seemed to be humming with a newfound energy, vibrating with potential. Jeff felt changes taking place at a cellular level.

Thoughts racing, Jeff felt his cognitive faculties flex and expand; he found himself contemplating higher mysteries—Philosophies that had previously been beyond his mental abilities now seemed obvious, even pedestrian.His mood much improved by the stats boost, Jeff laughed out loud in wonder and slowly rose to his feet, marveling at the newfound strength surging within his muscles. He hadn’t been a weakling before; workouts and strength training from an early age had ensured he was in a good physical condition. Now though, he felt an intoxicating, almost superhuman surge of power, reminiscent of the strength of superheroes and demigods, coursing through his veins.

Without prompting, the lights in the ceiling high above flashed briefly and the AI somehow materialized a meticulous recreation of his home gym equipment in front of him, identical down to the minutest scuffs and scratches. Jeff paused for a moment to goggle at the replica. Its sudden appearance brought home to Jeff once again the advanced level of the alien’s technology.

Eager to test his strength, he loaded every weight plate in sight. Not even breaking a sweat, he managed a deadlift of one thousand pounds, a leg press of two thousand pounds and benched two thousand five hundred, around the weight of a small car.

Congratulations!

You have learnt the Skill Physical Fitness (Level 1)

Huh?… So simply by performing an action, you could acquire a Skill. Jeff resolved to unlock as many Skills as possible, and work on leveling them up, ASAP.

His thoughts turned to his Attributes some more, and he realized that the average human was probably around one for Strength. By boosting his to five he had propelled himself into the range of an elite sportsman or bodybuilder.

When this is over, at least I’ll be able to start a career as a weightlifter or olympic athlete, Jeff thought to himself, mentally polishing his gold medals.

Misty’s voice intruded into his fantasizing.

Well done Jeff! You’ve enhanced your stats and started on your journey of self-improvement. Would you like to select your Class now?