5 VICKI
"VICKI...summarize and report the situation," Doc commanded.
[Dr. Garrick, we have crossed the bridge into a new world.]
[The Project is a success, your body has been rejuvenated and evolved.]
"How can you say the project is a success? The experiment was meant to be conducted on animals, not humans.
Speaking of humans, are the others also in this world?"
[Unknown]
"Where are we?"
[Unknown]
"You said I was rejuvenated and evolved explain what you mean."
[Your body was de-aged to your sixteenth year. Additionally, your body has evolved to make it better able to adapt to this world.]
"I'm sixteen?!"
[Correct]
"How have I evolved?"
[Would you like an overview or in-depth analysis of your current state?]
"Let's begin with an overview."
A window popped up before Doc Garrick listed his current stats.
Basic information was listed on the panel before him.
Player: Dr. Alexander Joseph Garrick
Species: Human
Age: 16
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 180 lbs
Strength: 1
Durability: 1
Dexterity: 1
Intellect: 2
Wisdom: 1
Agility: 1
Character Slots Available: 3
"I don't understand, what do character slots available mean?"
[Dr. Garrick, in order to allow your body to maximize its evolutionary potential, a new master system was created. This master system is called the "Cultivation Tropes System" and begins with three potential characters for you to play.]
"By play do you mean that I can use these characters, or does the play refer to myself?"
[Dr. Garrick, you are not a playable character. You are a human who lives in this world. However, you have the ability to create three characters and play each one. These playable characters have different skills and abilities. You may also choose from a variety of races.]
"Do these playable characters also live in this world?"
[They do, however, they are more like avatars. You can inhabit each one, but they are tied to your timeline.]
"What do you mean?"
[They cannot progress forward in time beyond you. You are like a temporal stop sign. For them to make progress, you must live and move forward in time.]
"That's strange, tell me more."
[Of course, each character's beginning point in time is from the moment you opened your eyes. After selecting a character, the maximum amount of playable time is from where you last logged out until your present.]
"Why?"
[Unknown]
Doc thought about it for a long time. He was standing in the middle of the road. He could see the shops in the town.
"What happens to my real body while I'm playing?"
[Nothing]
"What do you mean"
[Your characters exist in your past up to your present. When you play, you will no longer move forward in time.]
"Are you saying that I can time travel at will?"
[In a way, your body cannot travel through time, but your mind can when it inhabits one of your three characters.]
"What happens if my character dies?"
[You will return to your body. That character will be gone, and you will need to create a new character and start from the beginning.]
"That means I'm immortal?"
[No, if your real body dies then you will die. Only you are real. You must eat, sleep, and find ways to make yourself stronger.]
"I can make myself stronger through the characters?"
[Correct. You will gain their knowledge and experience. You can even learn their skills and copy their abilities. However, to do all of these things you need points.]
"Points? How do I get points."
[You must experience "tropes." Each trope you experience will give you a certain number of points. Just now, you experienced your first trope "Cultivation Artifact." You currently possess a cultivation artifact that you may use. You encounter a sub-trope "Mysterious entity in the artifact." You earned 3 trope points for "Cultivation Artifact" and 2 points for "Mysterious entity in the artifact." You chose to destroy the entity rather than force it to submit. Your choice earned 4 points.]
"Why did I get 4 points for killing that creature?"
"There are different types of tropes. One trope is a situational trope. Another kind of trope is your decision. If you choose to behave in a typical way, then you will receive fewer points. If, however, you act contrary to typical behavior you will earn fewer points. You cannot control the situation, but you can control your decisions.]
Doc looked around and felt it was odd that he was standing in the street talking to himself.
"VICKI, I'm going to find a hotel or something. We can talk more later."
[Very good, Dr. Garrick.]
Garrick continued on the road looking for a place to stay for the evening. After asking around, he eventually came to the Mortal Paradise Hotel. After getting a room, he went to the bed and threw his things on the floor. He was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.
A few hours later, Doc woke up and felt his stomach grumbling. He walked downstairs to get some food. The hotel had a connected restaurant and pub. He found a small table and sat down. Not long after, a pretty woman approached him.
"Sir, would you like something to eat or drink?" The young woman asked.
"I would, what kind of food do you serve here?
The woman gave him a strange look before replying. "Just normal food."
"What's normal food?"
"Uhm, beef, rabbit, chicken, vegetables, bread...you know, normal food."
Doc looked at the young woman and felt things were awkward. He looked around at the other tables and saw a middle-aged man eating something. It looked pretty good. Garrick pointed at the man.
"I'll have what he's having."
The young woman nodded. "Anything to drink?"
"Something without too much alcohol."
"Okay." The young woman smiled and left to get his food.
Doc studied the inn and the people in it. The first thing he noticed was that everyone was armed. It was then that he realized he left his weapons in his room along with his other things.
It didn't take long for the young woman to return with his food. He took in the savory smell of the meat and thanked the young woman before digging in.
Almost immediately he heard the door of the restaurant bang open and a group of young men burst in like they owned the place. There weren't more than four of them.
The leader of the group was a tall and skinny man who looked like an evil weasel. He looked around the room and seemed upset.
"There's nowhere for me to sit!" The man said loud enough so that everyone in the inn stopped and looked at him.
It was then that his eyes landed on Doc Garrick and his table.
Without batting an eye, he charged over to Doc's table and threw down a couple of silver pieces.
"This is my table, you can get lost!" He roared.
