Chapter 1
"Cya guys next week!" A chipper voice exclaimed, head to the side as she walks out of the front door of her friends house. Her hair an impossibly genetically possible midnight blue, her eyes a more vibrant shade. A backpack full of D&D materials from personal character sheets, miniatures, and books.
"By Carol! Have a safe time getting back home!" Her friend, Olivia responded with a wave full well knowing she can't actually see it. Carol being the last one to leave, mostly helping her clean up her house and clean out the battle mat the group uses.
Olivia herself was the GM, and was one of Carol's best friends. Having been an orphan, Carol had a hard time making any really friends due to having changed from house to house. eventually, she managed to land herself in a very loving family which kept her around. Though her integration into school society in middle school was rough when friend groups were already well established, it made it hard to approach others. Carol decided it was better off to keep to herself. The experience never really leaving her mind however, always being wary of others, combined with a dramatic life of a poor orphan led to stealing more than her fair share of items when things got rough. Her new family may treat her well, but they actually weren't too wealthy.
One thing that came out of it though was her great imagination when she couldn't afford the traditional ways other kids her age used to pass the time. Carol read a lot of books in her time, probably more than any other person her age, particularly liking fantasy. It helped take her mind of her more bleaker reality.
It was in Freshman Year of High School when Olivia approached her. She first appeared out of curiosity, having quite literally carpet bombed Carol with word Barf the 2nd day of school during lunch.
"Hey! Are you new here? I've never seen you around here before. Oh my gosh, I love your hair, what did you use to dye it?" The rambunctious blond asked Carol, the sudden boldness catching her off guard.
".....It's natural." Carol responded, with an awkward smile. Stay cool Carol! A chance to make a friend! The blond leaning more forward. As if personal space was a myth, Olivia reached out a hand to pick up a piece of it.
"Really? That's so cool! It's as if your from a character of an anime with how ridiculous those genes are. Am Olivia, a Sophomore here, is it fine if I sit here?" Without even waiting for a response, Olivia already put her tray down on the table and taken up a seat.
"I have no problem with that" Quick, make an excuse to make it not sound as if I'm a loner! "All my friends were put in different lunch periods, so it's just me."
"What are you talking about, you're sitting with a friend right now aren't you?" Olivia questions with an eyebrow.
Carol stares at her with a puzzled expression before taking a small sweep across the circle table, seeing nothing but ghost filling but the seats. "Are you sure? Because I don't see anyone." Please don't let her be a bully. A seed of doubt as the conversation continues.
"Well, I'm sitting here, and we're friends. So don't be such a downer."
Mam, I literally met you less than a minute ago!
"Ahh.... Well, sure..... I guess we can be friends if you want." And with an unsure shrug from Carol, her fate has been sealed.
"Great! Now tell me what you use for your hair, I gotta have it!"
Reminiscing back to her first encounter with Olivia, Carol continues on her way back home. In hindsight, she should have probably been way more careful about it with how lightning fast it started off. But after all was done, it was the best time of her life. Her forwardness helped push Carol's more reserve and quiet tendencies (crippling anxiety) and be more talkative and outgoing. It never did stick in day to day life, but when it came to talking with Olivia on their own time, she can match Olivia's energy word for word.
It was a month after their friendship when Olivia offered her to join the D&D sessions she was hosting at her house. This was the first time Carol has ever heard of D&D at first, so she was skeptical if she would be a good candidate.
"C'mon, Carol! You gotta! From what I heard in the hallways your like the smartest person in class while also not being some stuck up nerd who studies all day!" This statement was true for the most part. Having bounced from house to house, the same also was said for schools. With the whirlwind of experiences, Carol was forced to simply learn quickly to be able to absorb content only after a single or a few examples. It was a skill vital to maintaining her GPA score at a change of scholarship money to help escape her less than stellar economic and orphan situation, becoming as self-sufficient as possible. Her quite and mean nature prohibited her from actually showing off her grades, but nosy student's always found ways to pin at her paper when they were handed back no matter how fast she tries to hide it.
Arriving at her house after practically being dragged along by Olivia, the first session with Carol bean with a pre-made character sheet. The other people in the group was also very chill and say to talk with, and any good friend of Olivia was deemed as more trustable by Carol.
To say Carol loved D&D was an understatement. From her fantasy novels, it was as if it was the next natural step of progression. Being fully immersed in role play, separating her role from herself gave her confidence in speaking on the table, a breath of fresh air for her. Her knowledge of game mechanics was also fn ad rewarding, learning the best ways to break the system (while staying within reason to not ruin Olivia's game). Luckily, all the knowledge and D&D guidebooks can be found online for free as PDF's, which she is thankful for. Looking it up on your phone is much cheaper than spending a WHOPPING FIFTY DOLLAR PER BOOK!!
It was reminiscing of all these events to led up to todays session that distracted her while crossing the road. The only warning Carol got was the load sound of a horn, turning her head to the right coming face-to-face with cold hard white steel of a truck.
The death was near instant, her vision and mind instantly cut to black.
What, what just happened? I look around the room(?) I suddenly found myself in. I was just crossing the road when I heard a sound to my right. I turn my head and text thing you know I'm in some black starry void?
I look around to get a baring of my situation. But everywhere I turn is just more of this starry void, no evidence of walls, roof, or even floor is present.
Best not panic Carol, perhaps this is just a very odd and sudden dream, Olivia does say I fall asleep very fast in class. Lucid dreaming! That's it!
I blink, and in the span of that fraction of time a white chair of what I guess is marble materialized in front of me. I stepped back in nervousness of this odd phenomenon. Okay, sure, why not?
"Carol of many last names, but holding the name of 'Sunder' upon your time of death. Welcome to the after life." A voice starts speaking in a calm voice behind me. Turning around, I see who looked like a very late teen or super young adult walk buy. Her clothes were rather fantasy life in shades of white and blue, white a very short skirt (without any panties?). Her hair was light blue compared to my darker shade, kept together in a hair ordinate looking similar to a water molecule.
Okay, there it is, the fantasy character lucid dreaming. Wait, time of death???
"Unfortunately, you passed away moments ago." The girl continues, making her way to the chair before sitting down and continuing. "Your life was a short one, but you are, in fact, dead." She finishes, before locking her eyes with mine and giving me a small smile.
Theirs no way I really died, did I? But they're so much I still haven't done! What about Olivia!
"I have one question, how are my friends and family? Are they doing well?"
"They're alive if that's what you're asking" the girl answers in a calm tone.
I let a breath out in relief, "Thank goodness. I hope they take my death well. I'd hate to be burden to them after death."
"Yes, when your current parents heard of your death after being hit by a truck, they weeped and cried at your funeral. Only a few other showed up, but one particular blond one was crying very loudly."
That must have been Olivia, hope she's doing okay. She has other friends, many more I'm sure.
It was just then that the assumed goddess after all this talk of death started to break out into laughter.
"Really though, how could you get yourself killed so easily?!?! Ha Ha Ha! I've been doing this for a long time, and I have seen my FAIR SHARE of people run over by Truck-kun, but you were by fore the most oblivious! Not even done to save somebody or even an attempt to dodge! Haven't you read about them in all those anime and manga's you weeb's read? Ha Ha Ha!"
Wha???? How rude! Just because I died because of a little day dreaming doesn't mean you get to make fun of me for it!
Despite being outraged, my disposition stopped me from speaking out on it, so I calmed down and thought what she said over. In fact, now that I think about it, their was a few part's I don't really understand.
"Ahhh... Well..... Light novels? Weeb? Truck.....kun?" What the heck is a '-kun?'
Her laughter dies off after hearing what I said. A face of confusion of her own. "You know, light novels? Like the ones about reincarnation and transmigration? The trash dime-a-dozens where the main character gets run over by a truck, those fantasy books?"
Oh, those. Olivia and her friends would always talk about them when I happened to be around. I always planned to get into them, but never had the time.
"I've read thing's like The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. Does that count for fantasy?"
Upon hearing my words, the girl breaks out in even more laughter. "Ha Ha Ha! Wow! This is the best! You don't even know what I'm talking about, don't you, yah ignorant girl. Where are you from, America?!?"
WHY I OUTTA-
"He he, yeah...."
"Oh, wait, actually? I shouldn't even be the one you are sent to then. Mmm... Ohh well, I can tackle on his stragglers for him, he'll owe me one for this anywho, perhaps get him to lend me some his specialty wine!"
Is this how gods normally function? As the girl continues to talk, everything I've thought was true about god(s) (depending on the religion) was breaking into thousands of fragile little pieces before shattering into dust.
"Well, that's enough teasing." The girl announces, before standing up and assuming a more dignified expression and tone. "My name is Aqua. I'm a goddess who guides humans who die young to the afterlife."
"You have two choices. You can start from square one with a new life, or you can go to Heaven and carry on like an old hag." The now named goddess Aqua leans in towards me, a mouth up to her mouth as if to whisper me a secret.
"To tell you the truth. Heaven isn't the dreamy play you all imagine it to be. Not only is there no TV, there are no manga or games, either. You don't even have a physical body, so you can'y do anything sexual, either."
Wha, no games? You mean I can't ever play D&D again?
"There's nothing to do there but bask in the sun for all eternity."
"........So no games?"
"Yeah! No video games at all. No shooters, or Minecraft, or RPG's, rogue like deck builders, the whole shebang!"
Not exactly the game I was talking about, but okay.
"You don't want to go to a boring place like heaven do you? And starting over from zero isn't fun either. With that said, I have a great offer for you!" Aqua leans even closer to me, face inches apart with enthusiasm.
"You like games don't you?" Before I have time to answer, Aqua already leans back and poses dramatically, one arm in the air. "That world, which has long enjoyed peace, is being threatened by the Devil King's army! The livelihoods its citizens have worked for are being trampled by monsters. Everyone lives in fear of the Devil King's army's merciless pillage and slaughter!"
Her speech ending with a spectacular star shaped pose, a spotlight somehow shining above her. Before abruptly dropping it.
"And so, the people there refuse to be reborn there, causing the population to decline. So we have decided to why not people who died in other worlds with their bodies and memories intact?"
Okay okay, cool plan. NOT, sounds like I'd just die instantly. Also, she talked as if I was suppose to be familiar with it.
"Umm..." How to I put this into words...
"Mmmm, have something to say?"
"Ihaven'tplayedanyrealvideogamessorry." I manage to get out in a rush with the volume as strong as a whisper. It appears she managed to catch it though, thankfully.
"What? No light novels, no anime, no video games? What the heck did you even do to pass the time?"
"..............................." CMON PUBLIC ANXIETY, LET ME SPEAK.
"Well I don't have all day here! Speak up!" The god appeared to be getting fed up with my quietness, that only makes it harder for me you know!
"D&D" I get out.
"D&D? That nerd board game?" It looked as if she was gonna break out into hysterical laughter, but managed to hold it in and keep a straight face.
"You look hesitant, but don't worry! I'm granting you the right to bring any one thing of your choosing with you, a boon if you will. It could be a powerful weapon or a tremendous talent!"
"................"
"Oh my gosh, fine! Say right there for a few seconds." Aqua finally relents, pulling out a white staff (from where???) with a flower design at the end. Creating a portal in which she sticked her hand in, taking out the mentioned stones and putting one in my hand "Here hold this stone for a moment, it'll allow you to transfer your thoughts to the person holding the other one, which I have here."
Why didn't you do that earlier! Huh! I'm struggling here to form simple coherent sentences and you had this solution the whole time!
"HEY! Easy they're on the talking! Wow! Your much more talkative in you mind then I would have thought. I didn't want to give them to you to make fun of you, but a this point it was just getting annoying."
Whatever, I just have a few questions, how does this magic, fantasy power system work?
"You know, the traditional JRPG? With skills, spells, strength, agility, endurance, luck, magic power, defense, efficiencies. Add's up to really high numbers, the wholes shebang."
Ahh, yeah, about that. I don't really play JRPG's, or videos games at all really, can't really afford to. I'm more familiar with D&D systems, would it be possible for me to use that system instead? It works with small scale numbers and calculations.
"Your little nerdy board game mechanics? Pfft.."
You let out a single laugh and I'll mind voice rape you till next reincarnation!
"Okay Okay! Calm down... Well, I don't see why not honestly. There no way your silly tabletop system will be stronger than how the current JRPG system the world uses anyway. Now go pick your weapon or skill already!"
It was then that a bunch of paper fliers starting flying out of her hands, scattering all over the floor. Presumably each having an optional boon.
Gee, thanks for the theatrics. I mentally groan, before I get on my knees and evaluate each one.
Help, It's been what I guess 2 hours and I still can't decide. All of the papers featuring skills and whatnots had their original descriptions crossed out. Under them had changed descriptions that fit the thematic style and mechanic structure of D&D.
A pair of golden boots with feathers that was simply described as "Making you go godly fast" was replaced by a more fitting detailed description seen on D&D Magic items:
"You run as fast as a god. It can be activated as a free action. During your turn, your movement speed is quadrupled on use. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your dexterity modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest."
All of them were reworded like this, armor giving you +30 AC, a wand giving nearly infinite spell slots, magic robes giving immunity to all elemental damage, it was a lot to look through.
It was all honestly hilariously broken honestly.
"Okay, look Carol, I have other dead people to send you know, so hurry up and pick one already." Aqua whines with an annoyed tone. Eating a bag of potato ships during the exchange.
I'll be sure to do so, I've got it nailed down to one between five, they are all really god tier picks..
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH ONE YOU PICK, THEY ARE ALL THE SAME IN THE END! SO HURRY UP AND PICK ONE!"
The nerve of you woman. I'm trying to pick what's best for my survival here, so calm down and let me choose on peace!
"I DONT CARE! JUST PICK ONE AND LEAVE ALREADY YOU BOARD GAME OLD HAG!"
Wha, FINE! YOU DARE INSULT ME? I PICK YOU, YOU WILL BE MY ITEM!
Aqua, upon hearing that I have finally chosen something without really listening, proceeded to send up after finishing her chip. "Okay, just stand in the center of the magic cir... HUH"
It was then that a magic circle appeared below, large enough to capture both me and Aqua in it. Father out, another portal opened up in the sky, out coming some orange haired harpy liked monster girl creature.
"Your choice have been heard and considered acceptable. The goddess Aqua shall by your godly boon. If you defeat the Demon King, Aqua will be granted the right to return to the land of the gods. And you, Carol Sunder, will be rewarded one Wish to do whatever you want to do with."
A free wish spell? Awesome! Suck It Aqua, with you around, I'll be the strongest Cleric around! Not like I'll need it when you can just heal and buff me.
"No, Wait! This hast to be a mistake! I'm a god! This can't happen to me!."
But is was already to late, as ever since the magic circle appeared, the both of us have slowly drifted upwards. And with a flash of life, we were both gone from the godly realm.