7 Outside communication

Warning: there is an info dump(?) at the end of the chapter.

You have been warned.

For the rest of the month I simply concentrated on finishing the settlement and making it self-sustained, which while possible given the strange 'powers' I seemed to have, it was still hard and took ages. When I finally finished it I then started something I had been planning on building, but hadn't set up completely. I then went to the approximate center of the settlement and started building. Linkon and the other person who had been in the wagon, who's name I had learned was Kyle, with the leaders name still not being known. Anyways, they asked what I was doing, and I simply stated "I'm building... uh... a beacon tower and a watch tower in one? I don't know what it would be called." to which they responded with either a grunt or an "Ah, okay." I shrugged and kept going. By the end of the day, I had finished a low, one block wall and had built large support beams - made out of wood going about two stacks of logs up for each of them - and had placed water in order to float down, as I would rather not test the limits of my 'death immunity'.

The next day, I simply focused on placing the walls and floors for all the levels, making two and a half block high rooms, with one and a half block thick floors. This was actually a suggestion from Kyle, who told me about 'Endermen', tall, menacing, humanoid monsters that are docile... until you look at any part of them over the waist, upon which they will become incredibly hostile, only stopping hunting you when they touch water or lava, both of which harm you. However, they actually can't fit in space below three blocks high, indicating that they are around three blocks tall, which I am figuring out how to measure. So far I believe them to be around 3'4" squared each, which matches up as I clocked at exactly 6'5" meters tall last I checked, meaning two blocks together form one 6'8" tall, and there't not too much (A/N: please alert me if I'm right with these measurements, I do believe that X' is feet and X" is inches, but I could be wrong) space between me and the ceiling of two block rooms. It doesn't really matter.

About a week or two later - you would be surprised how long it takes to mine and place enough stone and ladders, which I also figured out, over two stacks of blocks high with floors about every three blocks - I finished the tower, placing torches inside and around the top area, which was an open room of sorts with thinner pillars that Kyle - who I have identified as a construction worker of sorts - helped me to figure out. To our pleasant surprise, it actually turns out that anyone can use a crafting table and begin to use the strange powers I have, with the downside of them requiring tools crafted from the crafting table in order to continue getting the materials to keep building. The next day I went exploring on my own, leaving the others back to do their own things. I first went up to my watch tower, looking around for whatever looked most interesting, which I found in the form of a faint cloud of smoke or smog in the distance. It also looked man made, specifically, it looked like the kind of fire that would come from a large amount of fireplaces. I threw a stone I put ash on in order to keep track of the direction, and then climbed down.

When I reached the bottom I looked for the rock I threw, which I then used to orient myself before continuing on. I, of course, failed to get the rock over the wall, so when I reached the wall I just dug through it and replaced the stone behind me. I continued on, and made a trail by chopping away the grass and placing torches to my right. I simply continued on until I reached a ravine, which seem really common around here, and simply placed a bridge of stone over it. While I was at it I made it a bit fancier and much sturdier than before, making it seem as modern as possible while making it sturdy. I then continued on, making a little safe house for the night.

When the day came again, I continued on, keeping my path obvious and well built. Over the entire rest of the trip, I made one two more safe houses and encountered few 'mobs', but the ones I did see I made sure to check out. Of all the mobs I saw, I only saw a couple zombies, one zombie, three strange plant monsters that started glowing when they got close to me - I made sure to smack them away and back off, letting them go back to normal before attacking again - and about eleven giant spiders with too many eyes. They were the only neutral ones I found, so I just left them alone.

I eventually entered an oak forest, and just as I saw a crude wood log wall, I blacked out. When I woke up, I instantly noticed three things. One, I had a notification saying I had discovered 'Wood Elves', two, I was tied up hanging from a tree, and three, I was clearly inside whatever place I had discovered with over three dozen tall people - almost as tall as me I'd say, with the tallest having one or two inches on me -. and each of them was armed. and they were pointing their weapons at me. I then noticed two other people, unarmed, who were poking around me. One of them said "They have... nothing. Despite making it from an unknown distance, over a hundred leagues at least, he has nothing on him. No weapons, no food, not even a mana item to contain these things for them alone. Why, I don't even know what they are, we can't take it's armour off to even identify species or gender, I believe them to be one of the filthy Terrans, but I could be wrong." I then turned to face him, eliciting a gasp from everyone who saw, and said "First, you won't get my gear, I worked hard to get it and it takes death to take it from me. Second, why are you holding me upside down, and where am I. Third, what are you if not human, you act like we're monsters, and while we have done some nasty things where I'm from, we're trying to do better. And finally, I am a member of the highly trained SWAT team focusing on capturing foreign terrorists. This can't hold me if I don't want to be held."

They were clearly shocked at first, that I was awake, and second, that I was threatening them? At least I think that's what the last thing was. They then said "Maybe we should just kill him, he just threatened us and seems to be a knight, making him a threat if we let him go." I said "I can hear you just fine, and even tied up I can hurt people. Plus, you can't kill me, not truly. I'll just come back aware of the danger. Wait I probably shouldn't tell you that." everyone near me then started backing away, forming a semi-circle around me. Suddenly, the whispering got stronger and the crowd parted a bit from the middle, letting a very ancient looking person through. He was clearly nearing the age of needing to be in a hospital or stuck in bed with people helping him do... basically everything. He simply walked up to me and seemed to scan me almost, he looked at me so sternly.

He then said "Well, I suppose you need to learn some things about this world, you clearly are very uneducated in our ways. Come along, Void Walker. We have much to discuss."

All the other people upon hearing his words ceased talking and bowed down in an instant. I of course just sat there in confusion. The ancient person then turned around to look at me, waiting. I then shrugged, thinking 'This world is magical, way too well built and realistic to be a dream, not to mention I dream in black and white, and he seems to know lots about me, somehow.' and started following him.

As we walked, he started talking to me, explaining lots of interesting things to me. First, he is one of the only mages around, having managed to find and eventually understand mana, enabling him to live over five hundred years old. He then stated that he, along with the other mages and wizards around, had found something amazing. The last record from the people from before 'The Reckoning', the event that wiped all mana from the planet. He told about what it contained, and while half the book was burned away, they found records of what were called 'Void Walkers', some of the most powerful - and dangerous - people alive. Specifically, they are so powerful that only the ones who had been raised by kings to be their eternal servants were even considered to be left alive, and this cost lots of money. Specifically, they are the most powerful beings in existance, and the 'Old One', the person referred to as 'Him', was in fact, a Void Walker. They are creatures that are at least partially made out of void, not void mana he said, but pure void, and they can travel between all dimensions. Including the void. He then told about how the book had another mysteriously intact chapter, despite it seeming like it was the target of the flames, that said it described how to pierce the bedrock and travel into the void, as well as how to contain the breach with certain materials, preventing further leakage of void mana, but to their confusion, there was nothing actually on the book. The pages past that were all blank, indicating some form of seal or magical lock on it. He then handed me the book itself, asking me to try and read it. He didn't say how he had it.

I opened it, and when I looked at the part he pointed out to be blank, I instead saw letters in perfect english, but instead of being black like normal ink, they were... colorless almost, like there was no light in or being reflected off of them, which what appeared to be lines of stars and static inside the characters, with them almost shivering from a strange, purple... aura of sorts. I simply started reading, learning lots of interesting. For example, to pierce the bedrock requires a tool called a 'Condensed Obsidian Pickaxe', which while lasting only one block against the bedrock, could and would break it. It also told about various recipes using bedrock, like a 'True Bedrock Pickaxe', which required five bedrock and was apparently considered trash tier in the void, only able to mine a few things. Anywhere else however, and it was like the tool of some celestial being, as it was indestructible and could mine anything over here. There were also other variants of this tool, in the axe, sword, shield, etc... it was terrifying what these things could do, as well as how sturdy and powerful they were. And they were trash in the void! The armour of this tier that could prevent damage from effectively anything but 'celestial metals' was about as sturdy as leather over there!

I didn't want to go there, but I knew I would someday.