Chapter 8

I had lost track of exactly when 10 years here would be. I knew generally which month it would be and that it would be any day now. But I was still surprised to wake up one morning with a piece of paper and a pen on my nightstand. The paper only had three checkmark options. The first was the option to go back to my original world. The second to stay here. Then finally the option to go somewhere else. I considered it for a moment, but I knew all along I wouldn't be staying here. I decide to write a couple of quick letters that explained I was going on a long exploratory vacation and not to worry about me. Then I check the third box.

The sheet of paper goes up in flames and in its place are two new packets of paper. After a brief look through I determined that the first was a selection of features for a pocket dimension base that I was being given. The next was a selection for body improvements that would be the base for me in future jumps.

I decide to do the pocket dimension base first. It is appropriately called the warehouse and it only starts as a large building with a concrete floor with some shelving. I'm given a certain amount of selections to make. I start by selecting the utilities electricity, plumbing, and heat/ac. Then I select some features I add in housing which is a fully furnished home, a Medbay capable of healing even the worst of injuries, and a stasis pod capable of holding one person which would allow me to bring someone with me. Then I go to warehouse abilities and select portal, force wall, and food supply. Normally in order to access the warehouse, I have to use a key on a doorway. Portal removes the need for key and doorway. I can now use any flat surface and the portal can be up to 80 Square feet. Also usually when I would open a door to the warehouse it would stay open allowing anyone behind me to just walk in. Force wall seals the entrance behind me. The food supply provides enough food for 5 people. It's not everything I wanted but it's good enough for now. Once I finished with that packet it too burst into flame leaving me with one.

The next packet let me choose my base body performance. I was basically given a character creator budget. I could choose a basic body shape for free and that would give to most freedom to customize or I could choose an archetype and it would be more cost-effective but automatically assign a portion of my budget. I choose the more cost-effective method. Choosing the archetypal athlete as a base. The character creator is broken into traits with 5 levels each and some additional abilities. The traits are strength, endurance, speed, dexterity, appeal, shape, and sense. The first four are pretty self-explanatory, but the last three are maybe not so obvious. Appeal is attractiveness focusing on the face and shape is attractiveness focusing on body proportions. Sense is situational awareness including all of the five senses. The five levels go from 0 to 4. 0 is average Joe, 1 is lightly trained, 2 is heavily trained, 3 is olympian level, and 4 is peak human/Captain America at the border of supernatural ability.

From choosing athlete I am at level 2 for speed and dexterity. I also got a rank of the flexibility perk which makes me as flexible as physically possible. The hypothetical next rank would make me more flexible then physically possible, but I don't need that. The perks are kind of expensive and are mostly just for ease of life. Flexibility is actually one of the most useful. I do however select one additional perk metavore. It allows me to eat whatever I want in any amount and it preserves my physically fit body without ability decay or getting fat. The only exception is starvation and malnutrition. I still need to eat it just doesn't matter what I eat as long as it is enough food or an excessive amount of food.

With metavore selected I have enough for 8 levels which I distribute 1 each and then an additional level to endurance. At level one that means I can bench 180 lbs, never get acne, have no excess fat, and have 20/20 vision. For level 3 speed and dexterity this means I'm an equal to Usain Bolt and have the dexterity of a tightrope performer. Level 2 endurance means I have the endurance to run a 5k effortlessly.

Now happy with those selections that packet also burns up and now in its place is a longer document and on the front, it says Game of Thrones. I start to regret my decision to leave a bit now, but there's no going back. The first page is about starting location and origin. Starting location is random and I'm assigned the Stormlands which isn't great but I'm not sure which place would actually be good. I know which places I don't want to start and the stormlands aren't overtly bad so I guess that is good. I then select to start in 298 AC which is when the shows starts, and where I have the best metaknowledge. For the background, I can go as a drop-in, commoner, sworn-sword, or noble. I eliminate Drop-In because I really have no idea how to live in medieval times, so going in as-is will be rough, not even considering I would constantly be harassed for being a foreigner. Yea none of that is good. Commoner is eliminated as a choice even quicker. Commoners are basically slaves and can be regularly killed by nobles with no consequences. I'm torn between sworn-sword and noble, but the more I consider it the more I realize that most nobles have a terrible life expectancy. If I choose to be a noble or even worse a noble of a great house I'm going to be facing murder plots and assassinations my whole time there. On the other hand, most of the famous swordsmen in game of thrones do pretty alright assuming they don't sacrifice themselves or become dislikable and hated. So, I select Sworn-Sword.