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Welcome sentience. You have been chosen to participate in an extradimensional operation. How are you feeling?
“Who- who are you? I’m dreaming aren’t I?” I asked the voice, the way it sounds is indescribable and I can’t see anything around me. Just a moment ago I was about to go to bed.
I will be your guide. You may name me if you wish. Are you ready to begin your briefing?
“Do I have a choice in the matter?” I questioned.
Unfortunately you do not. The transformation is permanent, and there were no other potential candidates. Please fill out this form.
A piece of paper and a pen sitting on a table appeared, and I suddenly could see my body. Am I in a physical space? I looked at the paper, it was a contract with a space to sign my name at the bottom. The text didn’t change when I looked away. “And what does it mean? I don’t speak lawyerese.”
In short, it gives us permission to form a new body for you in a new world. A world called “Vahruz”, where magic is real and gods walk amongst the mortals. If you do not sign, you will be stuck here forever.
“Well, I don’t have much of a choice.” I said, putting my signature on the line. “Anything else?”
There are questions on the back. Please fill them out.
I flipped the paper over, the questions were about me and my preferences, asking me to construct a new name for myself from an alphabet differing from the normal english one. It went as follows: A B D F Y K L M N O T U V W Z R. Below it was a space to write my new name and some example names. “Avyohn.” I said, writing it down.
Good. Now please choose what species you would like to be. Only select one.
Next on the paper were images, each with a label and a check box next to them. The first one was a human, the second one was a taller, skinnier person with pointy ears labelled as an elf, the third one was a short, stocky person with pointy ears labelled as a dwarf, The fourth one was a blob of some kind of goo labelled as a slime, and the last one was a person with red skin, horns, and small wings jutting out of their back, labelled as a tiefling. I chose this one.
I will now give you access to customization tools. Please standby.
A tiefling appeared in front of me, it had no hair and its skin was dark red with large lighter splotches. A scale appeared next, the female symbol on one side and the male symbol on the other. An indicator was right in the middle. I moved it left towards the female symbol and the body’s proportions changed. I kind of liked it… I was a guy in my previous life but I had always wondered what it was like being a girl, now’s my chance to try it out. “Will I be able to change it later if I want to?” I ask.
Appearance and sex changing spells, potions, and rituals are common in this world. Some permanent and others temporary. You will be able to change your body as you please as long as you have access to one of those magics.
The sex slider disappeared, being replaced by a colour picker. One primary colour and one secondary colour, it was currently set to red for the primary and a lighter red for the secondary. I think these colours fit me, I won’t change them. Next to the colours was a new slider, I pushed it to the right and the pattern of splotches on the tiefling body changed, adding more light red. I decided I liked this, keeping it.
Hair appeared on the body next, with a style picker materialising in front of me. I chose a longer option that I liked, changing the hair colour to a light purple. I stared at the body in awe. Was this really going to be what I look like from now on? Even without a face yet it looks perfect.
Speaking of a face, new options for one appeared. The pupils and irises of the eyes were rectangular and squiggly, like a cuttlefish. I chose an eye colour to match my hair, light purple. Long, droopy ears appeared at the sides of the head, it doesn’t look like I can customise them.
Are you satisfied with the body you have created?
“Y- yes.” I say. I feel a slight pain at the back of my head and my vision starts to fade. At the last second I feel a stabbing pain in my neck as I collapse to the floor.
My vision returns. I’m standing up now. I look down at myself, seeing that I’m now in the body that I had created. It surprised me at first, but then again I don’t know what I expected. It feels weird… like I’ve lost some body parts but gained others. “Can I have a mirror or something?” I ask whoever is guiding me through whatever’s going on.
A mirror appears, and I begin checking myself out. I’m kind of hot, I could get used to this. There’s a new weight on my chest, not the most pleasant feeling but I’m sure I’ll get accustomed to it. And I have a tail! I swish it around testing how flexible it is. I’m able to get the tail to wrap fully around one of my legs. “So it’s clothes next right?” I say.
Affirmative. These clothes have been specially tailored to your new body, do not worry about them not fitting.
A wardrobe appears next to the mirror, filled with clothes. I rifled through them, picking out different colours I thought would go well together. I took underwear first, slipping it on. The clothes were mostly rings of fabric like short skirts, some of them had arm holes cut into them.
The Tiefling’s native environment is a hot, magmatic region of the planet. The clothes are short to not catch fire or drag along the ground. They are also designed to be breathable and dissipate heat.
I put on one of the short skirts with another one that has arm holes on top. Next I took a tight piece of fabric and put it in the middle of the gap between my shirt and my skirt, covering a bit of my midriff. I stand in front of the mirror, spinning around. I look really pretty. I walk back to the wardrobe, taking a pair of leggings and putting them on. “Shoes?”
Shoes are in the bottom drawer.
I open the indicated drawer. Inside are leather boots with thick metal soles. There isn’t much difference between the shoes, so I take a pair and put them on. They make my already tall stature even taller. I continue exploring in the wardrobe, finding a box filled with jewellery. I take a large plain gold ring, placing it on my tail.
Are you satisfied with the clothes you have chosen?
“Very!” I exclaim, hopping up and down in front of the mirror. The loose clothes sometimes rise up a bit high, revealing my underwear, but I think that’s fine. How much jumping around will I be doing anyway?
Do you feel used to your new body?
“Yes.” I confirm, touching my tail to my head. I’m actually a bit surprised that I can do that.
You will be placed into the world with your clothes, a small knife, a compass, and a notebook with a pen. I do not know where exactly you will be placed, but it will be on land and out of anyone’s view. It will be like you have always inhabited this world.
Initializing drop…
My vision fades again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Drop procedure successful. Welcome to Vahruz, Avyohn.
I open my eyes, finding that I’m laying down on the floor of a forest. The tall trees tower around me, their dark brown trunks twisted and scarred. The ground is covered in a myriad of different leaves, mostly green and brown with the occasional red one scattered about.
I stand up, using a nearby tree trunk as support. I’m sore all over, probably part of the procedure. “Hey voice in my head, are you still here?” I ask.
Confirmed. To prevent alarm, please refrain from talking about me out loud.
[Gotcha] I thought to myself. [So now what? You never gave me a goal.]
You will explore this planet and study the culture of the native inhabitants. There is a settlement to the north of your location.
[And North is what direction exactly?] I thought, walking around in a circle. I kicked at the leaves, revealing the wet ground underneath them.
You are currently facing: South.
I spun around on my heel, beginning to walk North. The sounds of nature fill my ears, birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees, and the occasional scuffle of an unseen animal scurrying away from me. There are both deciduous and coniferous trees here. The coniferous trees have bright blue flowers on them, I don’t think that’s normal.
Flowering Needles, or
Florentibus Acus
. The petals are safe to eat but the needles contain a mild stomach irritant.
I continue walking, eventually stumbling upon a trail heading in the same direction I am. Not really having a reason to change course, I follow it. The tree canopy thins, letting me see more of the sky. It’s blue with white clouds, just like earth, but hanging above me are two suns, a large blue one and a small red one. They’re almost overlapping each other.
Vahlyuhm and Vohlyuhm. Their names mean
Blue sun
and
Red Sun
respectively. The day they fully overlap is the hottest day of the year, with recorded temperatures of 300.15-316.15 degrees kelvin. A full 23 degrees warmer than average temperatures. It is currently 311.15 degrees kelvin, 10 degrees above average for this region. Your maximum comfortable temperature should be around 423.15 degrees kelvin.
I continue on my trek, trying not to stare at the pair of stars for too long to not burn my eyes out. The trees eventually give way to a field of grass, filled with red and gold flowers. In the distance I spotted a circle of large stone pillars, behind which stood a small collection of circular looking houses with grey foundations and light cream coloured walls.
After about another minute of walking I reach the circle of stone pillars. On the inner side of the large blueish-grey rocks are carvings, some are pictures and some look like some kind of writing that I can’t read. On the ground are round stones arranged in a geometric pattern, a square and then a circle within that square. Four lines extend from the inside corners of the square, meeting in the middle at an even smaller circle.
I decided to continue towards the village, so I could ask the people there about the monument. The path between the monument and the village was well worn, the dirt packed firmly to the ground. It even looked like someone was starting to pave flagstones along it. As I approached the village I could make out more detail on the houses, there are pictures painted onto the domed walls, I’m still not close enough to make them out though, and there are four bent wooden beams following the curve of the walls and meeting at the top of the dome houses. There are windows cut out from the walls, with flaps above them. All the windows on the houses are open, probably because it’s so hot out.
One of the villagers spots me approaching and runs over, stopping in front of me. “
Zyuht
.” They said before stopping to catch their breath. “Fyhbahlato-ka Mabuh ahb. Fahbahlato-ka ahb?” She’s short with long black hair and cat ears on the top of her head. Her eyes are orange with slit-shaped pupils and she’s wearing a plain cotton shirt with short blue pants. I would guess her age to be around 7-8 years old.
“Sorry I- I don’t speak that language.” I say back.
I apologise. The translation is: “Hello.” “My name is Mabuh. What is your name?” From now on I will automatically translate for you.
“Fyhbahlato-ka Avyohn ahb” [My name is Avyohn.] I say. It feels weird to be thinking about saying one thing but my mouth saying another thing. “Fahfyhmal-ka bahlato?” [What is this village called?]
“Tumohvahru Varahl.” [Ocean lettuce.] Mabuh says, taking my hand and attempting to drag me into the village.
Tumoh - Great. Vah - Blue. Ru - Liquid. Va- Green. Rahl - Leaf.
I let Mabuh drag me into the village, walking with her. “Avyohn-ka fahl kyh?” [Where are you from, Avyohn?]
“Fah-ka lyhta ruz ohkbam-vo.” [A far-off land you’ve never heard of.] I say, looking around. There weren’t many people around, the few that were looked busy working on some kind of building. They all had black or dark brown hair and cat ears.
“Yhz-ka luht kuh?” [What’s it like?] Mabuh asked me.
“Zo dahkla Mabuh-ka nalovo maht kuh.” [Stop pestering that young lady with questions, Mabuh.] A large man said as he walked over. He had the same eye and hair colour as Mabuh, I think he’s her dad. Mabuh huffed, running off. “Zyuht, fyhbahlato-ka Rayuh ahb.” [Hello, my name is Rayuh.]
“Fyhbahlato-ka Avyohn ahb.” [My name is Avyohn.] I said. “Fah-ka yvlaz rah da.” [Nice to meet you.]
“Fah-ka ruz vylakoh” [You need a place to stay?] He asked.
“Rala” [Yes] I replied, looking around. “Kyh?” [Where?].
“Bokyfyh.” [Follow me.] Rayuh said, walking towards one of the domed houses. “Dyhna-ka ahbwa yhl.” [Dyhna seems lonely.] He led me to a house at the edge of the village. The house’s walls are painted with evenly spaced purple eye symbols. “Bokyfyhvo.” [Wait.]
I watch as Rayuh pushes aside the portiere and walks inside. I hear muffled words but I can’t quite make them out well enough for the voice in my head to translate them.
Do remember that you are allowed to name me, Avyohn.
After a few minutes of talking, Rayuh came back out again. “Dyhna-ka uhkbahm |fah-ka maht mal zu ahbly|.” [Dyhna says you can live with them.] I begin walking towards the house, it feels like the eyes painted on it are watching me as I put one foot in front of the other, inching closer to the entrance.
“Z-zyuht, Dyhna?” [H- hello, Dyhna?] I say as I push aside the door curtain and look inside. It’s pitch black and I feel a shiver down my spine, like I’m being watched.
“Zu-ka umahltvo.” [They don’t bite.] Rayuh teased, seeing my hesitation. “Fah-ka zu zahla wof” [Unless you want them to.]. He laughed.
I push on through the curtain, finding myself in a pitch black room. I try blinking, maybe my eyes just haven’t adjusted.
The darkness is unnatural. There is nothing I can do.
[Well that’s reassuring.] I think as sarcastically as I can. “D-Dyhnla?” I call out. The darkness retracts, and I jump back as I come face to face with a person, who I’m assuming is Dyhnla. They have shoulder length black hair and small cat ears, a purple blindfold with three white eyes embroidered onto the fabric lay across their face.
“Zyo, Avyohn.” [Hi, Avyohn.] They greeted me. The eyes on their purple blindfold burned into me, I could feel them watching. “Fah-ka byht ahbna?” [How are you?]. Purple outlines of eye symbols appeared in the air around their head after they spoke, blinking and then disappearing again. “You do not actually speak our language.” they said, with perfect pronunciation.
They are trustworthy. They’re Vohbruz aligned and as such are able to see the true nature of the world. I suggest making friends, they’ll be able to hide the truth.
“That’s so cool.” They said, “I’m doing the same thing you are, having Vohbruz translate for me, but into your language while you’re translating into mine.” Dyhnla moved their face closer to mine. I instinctively look down, look down to try and avoid eye contact. They’re floating above the ground to match my height.
You are 6”6 and Dyhnla is 5”0. You are a whole foot and a half taller than them.
[Wow I’m really that tall?] I thought.
“Yes.” Dyhnla responded. “That voice in your head isn’t Vohbruz, it’s someone else. You don’t know who it is either, do you?”
“No, I don’t.” I responded. “Who’s Vohbruz?”
Vohbruz is the god of knowledge in this world.
“Vohbruz is the god of knowledge.” Dyhnla responded, at the exact same time as the voice in my head.
Telepathic link between Avyohn and Dyhnla has been established. You are able to choose what thoughts to show them, there is no risk of them learning information you do not want them to know.
[Fyh-ka fah lahwa.] I could hear Dyhnla’s voice in my head for a second, before it stopped. It was in their native language.
Dyhnla asked me not to translate that. Please ignore it.
[Dinner will be soon.] Dyhnla thought to me. They walked circles around me, not looking at me but I knew they were looking at me. Eyes appeared as they walked, moving around me, staring. I saw one go under me and I quickly tried to shoo it out.
[They don’t always go where they’re supposed to, sorry.] Dyhnla thought. [Fah-ka yvlaz
dahvyhzbah luh.] I took the opportunity to study Dyhnla, as well. Their clothes were large for their size, their white cotton shirt extending all the way down to their upper thighs. Dyhnla doesn't seem to be wearing pants, and isn’t wearing shoes, instead a kind of thick sock, made of what looks like a material similar to leather.
“Dyhnla… can you get out of my head please?” I ask. “One voice in there is already enough.”
Telepathic link severed. You are able to disconnect and reconnect at will. The farther away you two are from each other the more concentration it will take.
“Sure thing.” They reply. “Say… do you wanna go somewhere fun before dinner?”
“I guess so… why not.” I said. Dyhnla is already moving towards the door, they’re rather fast. I do notice however, that they’re not actually walking, rather floating just above the ground.
_–=|=–_
Dyhnla leads me out of the village, passing through grassy fields and arriving at the beach. Dyhnla waits for me, floating just above the water as I navigate the tall grass and rough terrain. The beach sand is a cream white, with blue crystals strewn about. Some of the crystals glow, some don’t. The whole beach and even parts of the ocean are lit with the light from these small blue crystals.
Dyhnla dropped down into the water as I started walking toward them, splashing me with a wave. They giggled, floating back out of the water and rushing toward me. They stopped right in front of me with a gust of wind. “Didn’t mean to splash you that hard.”