I Am Gamer

by Gabriel L Rathweg

  TRACK 14 – WHERE IT’S AT – BECK

  “You!” Moon Flower and I called out at the same time, each of us jumping up from our seats.

  The beautiful woman and I shared a quick glance of shock then turned back to the newcomer. Colt was walking towards us already close enough to be outlined by the firelight in the growing darkness. My new Danger Sense hadn’t even gone off, figured the guy who brought me here would be able to circumvent it. I had a bunch of questions for the old guy and I wanted some answers.

  “May I join you at your fire?” Colt asked.

  “Of course Old One.” Moon Flower answered bowing her head and gesturing to her place.

  I raised an eyebrow at that then turned my attention back to Colt.

  “Now, now Moon Flower, I don’t need your seat just some of your delicious cooking and the warmth of the fire is enough for an old man like me. Sit, sit and eat both of you.” He replied.

  A third log bench had appeared at some point, I was pretty sure there had only been two before. I sat back down and studied the man who was very different from the one I remembered from just the previous day. His garb had changed completely. Gone was the rugged looking cowboy from before. Now he was wearing an outfit similar to Moon Flowers but made for a man.

  He wore light brown buckskin pants, boots, and shirt. His long hair was steel grey and pulled back in a ponytail. He looked a little younger than before but still old, if I was to guess I’d say he was somewhere in his late sixties or early seventies. One thing that hadn’t changed was his eyes. They still held the same power in them and knowledge looked to be hiding just below the surface. Moon Flower had placed another rock on the fire and added some more wolf steaks then sat back down. Colt inhaled the aroma and sighed in satisfaction.

  “Nothing beats a dire wolf steak cooked by a beautiful woman.” He said, as Moon Flower pulled the rock off and set it in front of him. The gorgeous girl blushed under the praise.

  “Yeah, the steak is amazing and all that. But I have some questions…” I started to say. Colt cut me off with a look.

  “Now Law, we should enjoy this delicious meal made for us by Moon Flower. It’s not everyday that you’re blessed to be served by such an amazing woman.” He said, nodding at Moon Flower who blushed yet again before sitting back down and continuing her meal.

  I sighed and shook my head. This fucking guy… Not only did he transport me back in time but now he was telling me what to do and hitting on my girl. Well, not my girl, but maybe one day… Anyway, that wasn’t the point. I growled under my breath and took a bite of another chunk of meat. I tossed one to Freak who snatched it out of the air with a quick snap of his jaws. The three of us ate in silence until all of the meat was gone.

  “Ah… that was delicious Moon Flower. I thank you for the food and the fire.” Colt said, patting his belly and sighing. “I was starving let me share some drink with you.”

  He pulled out a water skin and took a long pull. Then he smacked his lips together when he was done and passed it to Moon Flower. She accepted the skin with both hands and put it to her lips taking a long pull as well. Halfway through she coughed and spluttered spraying the liquid into the fire. The golden hued liquid hit the flames and the fire flared up. Whatever was in that skin it definitely wasn’t water. Still coughing and wiping liquid from her chin Moon Flower handed me the skin.

  I accepted it gratefully and smiled at the coughing girl. She gave me a small smile in return and sat back down. Putting the skin up to my lips I smelled a familiar scent as I sipped. My eyes widened and I took a longer pull, it was Jack Daniels. I handed the skin back to Colt who was grinning at my reaction. He took another sip and passed it on to Moon Flower. This time the girl took a much smaller sip before passing it back to me. I took another long pull and handed it to Colt who did the same. Instead of passing it to Moon Flower he handed it back to me.

  “What about…” I started to say, but he just winked and gestured at the girl who was already blinking rapidly.

  Right before my eyes she lay down and curled up asleep, in moments soft snores coming from her cute nose and a small line of drool already escaping her lips. Damn she was hot, even asleep she was gorgeous, if not even more so. I looked back at Colt who grinned and now had a long wooden pipe in his hand and was stuffing it with a green leaf from his buckskin pouch.

  “Is she going to be ok?” I asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, she’s never had strong alcohol and Jack Daniels is probably too much for her. She’s just sleeping, which is great because you and I have some things to discuss.” He replied, putting the pipe to his lips and snapping his fingers.

  A small flame appeared on his fingertips and he used it to light the pipe. He took two long puffs then passed the pipe to me. I accepted it while passing the skin full of Jack Daniels back to him. The smell of marijuana hit my nostrils and I stopped before hitting the pipe.

  “I don’t know if I want to be drunk and high, we were just attacked by the wolves that we’re now eating you know.” I said.

  “Don’t worry I’ve arranged for you to have an undisturbed night tonight. Enjoy it it’ll be the last time for quite awhile.” He replied gesturing for me to hit the pipe. “No wolves or any other animal or being will bother you this night. We have some things to discuss.”

  Ah well, fortune favors the bold and all that. I took two quick puffs and passed the pipe back to Colt. We smoked and drank in companionable silence while Moon Flower slept. The effects of the booze and ganja kicked in and I began feeling really good. All the questions I had for Colt from earlier seemed less important now. I felt relaxed and peaceful for the first time since I arrived here. Of course, that was the moment that Colt chose to break the silence.

  “So I see you’ve found the clothes and weapons I left for you.” He said.

  “Yeah thanks, they fit great.” I replied.

  “Good, good. I had hoped you would like them. Your cat and horse made the transition well it looks like. Also, you and Moon Flower seem to be getting along.” He said.

  I nodded, taking a swig from the skin and passing it to the old man.

  “Now that the small talk is out of the way let’s get down to brass tacks as they say.” He began. I perked up and began paying attention. “If you recall I told you when we first met that you were sent back in time to help reset the balance and all that.”

  “Well I was pretty fucked up but yeah, I remember.” I replied.

  “That’s still the case but some things have changed. Originally you were going to be sent back to the late fourteen hundreds. Due to some outside influence and meddling you were instead sent back to the early fifteen hundreds, 1511 to be exact.” He said, puffing on the pipe.

  I blinked and searched my brain for historical references from that time. It took a minute to breakthrough the alcohol and weed fuzz but I did eventually access the information.

  “Wait a minute, that’s after the Spanish have conquered pretty much all of the Caribbean, South America, Central America, and most of what will be known as the southwest United States.” I replied.

  “Yep, glad you remember your history. That’s right the Europeans have already gotten a huge head start. You see I had intended for you to take your time build up a nation and take on the invaders with plenty of time to prepare. Things have changed and you no longer have that luxury.” He took a huge puff and blew a giant smoke cloud into the air above the fire.

  Colt gestured and the smoke began to spin and twist finally resolving itself into grey cloud shaped like the earth. The orb spun slowly until the Americas were centered and then the view began to zoom in. Small pinpricks of light appeared in different sections on the map. I watched as he gestured to each different blip of light.

  “The invaders have already conquered the Aztecs and all of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. South America and the Incas are about to fall and they are already moving into the southwest of North America.” He punctuated each statement by pointing to a glow
ing light. “Ponce de Leon has taken Florida, Hernando de Soto and Francisco Vazquez de Coronado are already moving up the Yucatan into North America. The other gods caught wind of our plans and moved against us. I still managed to get you back but they messed with the timeline. Hence why you’re in 1511 instead of 1400, they also moved up their plans and that’s why all these conquistadors have all become part of the current time and not in the one where you’re from.”

  “So you’re basically saying that we’re fucked before we even start. Other gods have arrayed their forces against us before I’ve even had a chance to do anything?” I asked, defeat already in my tone.

  “Now I wouldn’t say that. You still have some time and our people are very resilient. It’s also the reason I came to see you. Originally I had planned on not seeing you for quite some time and letting you figure some things out on your own as you have been doing. But due to the new circumstances and the updated timetable I have changed my mind.” He replied, gesturing at the sleeping Moon Flower. “The first of the things you should know is that girl is the daughter of the largest tribe in the area. You saving her life and getting a life debt out of it is basically a jumpstart on your task.”

  “Right my task. I’m still not quite sure what that is and how to go about it.” I interrupted.

  “Well son, that’s why I’m here. Let’s get you educated.” He said with a wild grin.

  TRACK 15 – IN THE MEANTIME – SPACEHOG

  For the next few hours Colt and I smoked, drank, and talked. The skin and pipe were never ending and Moon Flower never once woke up. Freak and Winston slept soundly the whole time as well leaving the two of us completely uninterrupted.

  He explained what it was that he wanted me to do. I was to unite the remnants of the plains tribes that survived the recent plagues all while we built up a tech base and then fight off the Europeans. As he said before nine out of ten people had died and none of the indigenous peoples were doing so great. It was the main reason the conquistadors, or invaders as he called them, were able to roll over so much territory so quickly. Granted he said there were some other mitigating factors like guns and things but mainly the disarray and lack of any real organized resistance were the major factors.

  Colt estimated that I had maybe six months before the first invaders were here. In the grand scheme of things it didn’t leave much time to prepare. I was quiet mostly, listening to Colt explain things and only interjected when I had a question. He explained that my class Jack-of-all-Trades was purposefully given to me so that I could do a little bit of everything I needed to do, while I would never be the best at anything, I would be pretty good at everything.

  The class along with my skills and abilities would let me use the knowledge I had of history and what I learned over my short amount of years and teach the people I met. The fact that I was a trained teacher already combined with my Total Recall ability I would be able to jump the tech base here by years. Colt didn’t sugar coat things. The task was huge and now made even more difficult by the timeline changing.

  He explained my first goal was to use Moon Flower as an in and get her tribe to join me in my difficult task. He continued to explain that the reason he sent me here to this place was that it was full of natural resources for my task and that Moon Flowers tribe was one of the ones best off since the calamity hit. Although, he also said that better off meant little since her tribe also was nine tenths of the size it once was. Putting it into perspective her tribe was once over a thousand strong and now there were less than a hundred left. I was to get her tribe on my side and turn their area into my base of operations. He said it so easily that I almost thought it would be a breeze, almost.

  By the time we were done talking the moon and stars were fading and the darkness was slowly being replaced by the coming dawn.

  “Man it’s going to be a rough day, drunk, high, and no sleep.” I said, already feeling the effects of the booze and bud.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that.” Colt waved a hand and snapped his fingers.

  My tiredness, along with my head fog from the drugs disappeared. Holy shit! It was like getting one of those IV’s when you had alcohol poisoning. I felt great.

  “Don’t get used to it. It’s a one time deal.” He said. “Now, before I leave let’s discuss the last thing on the agenda, your magic ability.”

  “Did you say magic?” I asked sitting up as excitement flooded through my whole body.

  “Did I stutter?” He replied. “What did you think the Magic Points meant on your character sheet? Anyway, you were supposed to find out about it on your own but I’m going to start you off with the basics now due to the circumstances. Get up and follow me.”

  Colt stood up and began walking away from the campsite towards the tree line. I glanced at the sleeping forms of my animal companions and Moon Flower then stood up and followed him. Jogging slightly to catch up I then slowed down to walk just behind him. We walked in silence when we entered the forest with Colt leading the way. After walking for a few minutes we left the tree line and came to a rocky outcropping overlooking a cliff. Colt walked to the edge and sat down in Lotus position on a large flat boulder motioning me to sit next to him. I did as instructed sitting next to him in Lotus as well.

  A few more minutes passed and the sun broke the horizon shining light over the vast landscape. I watched awed as I saw valleys, lakes, and mountains from the side of the cliff. It was awe inspiring. Silence reigned between us only broken by the calls of birds and other fauna waking from their slumber.

  “Look Law, everything the light touches is our kingdom.” Colt said, holding his arm out and gesturing at the beautiful vista.

  “Thanks Mufasa.” I quipped, laughing at his joke. He chuckled as well then turned facing me and gesturing for me to as well.

  “Ah yes, it was a great movie, one of many. Now, let’s get to business.” Colt began. “In your time there is no more magic. Science and technology reign supreme and humanity had forgotten their connection with the earth. That’s what magic is, our innate connection with what many in your time call Gaia, the zeitgeist, the ether, and many other such names. For the sake of convenience we will just use the basic term magic.”

  He paused making sure I was following along, I nodded in the affirmative and he continued.

  “There are five elements that pertain to magic these are Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Metal.” He said.

  “I totally thought you were going to say heart.” I joked.

  “Heh, stupid show, first things first forget all the stupid shit you know or think you know about magic. Forget all the movies and idiots you have listened to, we are talking real shit. Now, the first of those elements and the easiest to wield is Fire.” He continued. “As you grow in power and level up you will gain access to the other elements but for now you only have the ability to use one and that is Fire. So that is what we will concentrate on. Now do as I tell you. Close your eyes and place your hands on your knees forming the Ohm symbol with each hand.”

  I did as he said and assumed the position, hands forming the Ohm eyes closed to the world.

  “Now picture a small flame in your minds eye, like the tip of a candle or the flame from a lighter.” Colt said.

  In the blackness of my mind I pictured a small flame, it appeared in the darkness small but sure, flickering ever so slightly.

  “When you have the flame pictured in your mind I want you to imagine it growing until it’s the size of a bonfire.” Colt said.

  I continued with my eyes closed imagining the small candle flame growing larger and larger until it was the size of a small fire. I pictured the fire Moon Flower had made earlier and then I pictured her bent over and blowing on the small ember. The curve of her back and the way her lips were shaped as she blew. Suddenly, the fire in my minds eye exploded raging like an inferno.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I screamed my eyes shooting open as pain erupted from my hands.

  I stared as fire erupted from both my ha
nds and I leaped up waving them around crazily hoping to staunch the burning fire.

  “Jesus Christ Law. Did I tell you to imagine Moon Flowers sweet ass?” Colt said shaking his head at me. “Now calm down and sit back down.”

  “But my fucking hands! They’re on fire!” I screamed still running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

  “Calm down!” He commanded, voice cracking like a whip.

  His voice brooked no argument and I immediately stopped moving staring at my burning hands in horror.

  “Good, now do you feel any pain?” He asked.

  I was about to scream yes my fucking hands are on fire but then I stopped and thought about it and he was right there was no pain. But, what was that shooting pain from earlier?

  “Well no…” I finally answered, staring at my burning hands in awe.

  “Sit back down and let’s continue.” He said again.

  I did as I was told sitting back in Lotus and holding my burning hands up and making the Ohm again. When I was set he continued.

  “Now close your eyes again, don’t picture Moon Flower and imagine the fire as the candle flame again.” He instructed.

  Once again I did as I was told, deliberately not thinking of the goddess sleeping back at the campsite and pictured the flame shrinking.

  “Good, now open your eyes.” He said.

  I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. They were no longer enveloped in burning fire. Instead two small flames burned at the ends of the Ohm between my thumbs and index fingers.

  ABILITY LEARNED

  MAGIC MANIPULATION (LEVEL – 1)

  You have gained the ability to access and manipulate the natural energy given off by the earth in the form of the five elements, earth, wind, water, fire, and metal. As your level increases so will your connection to the earth’s magical energy and your ability to manipulate said magic. Your basic Magic Points will increase with subsequent levels. Once your MP is exhausted you may not use magic until you recover your MP.