Just a Guy and a Gate to the Multiverse - Chapter 18 (Patreon)

Chapter 18 - Another departure

That last encounter with Nina was a bit of a downer. Who would have thought that meeting a random person at a food stall would turn into a full-on assassination attempt? But then again, this world had been a bit too relaxing.

A small workout like this was a welcome change of pace. A nice test to try teleportation during combat. I couldn’t just have fun. It was important for me to keep myself prepared. While I never stopped my physical training, after all I needed to make sure my body was always ready, that alone wasn't enough.

Spending time in this world simply lacked the edge that had always been present in the Fallout universe. That combative spirit, along with the constant life-and-death experiences, just wasn’t there.

I needed that edge, the worlds I want to visit in the future will be far more dangerous and powerful.

At least I had made some memorable and valuable experiences. Even Nina had been a valuable experience, reminding me to never let my guard down. Well, in the end, she probably didn’t really want to hurt me herself, or she wouldn’t have indirectly revealed her status as a Paladin to me, just before they attacked.

If she hadn’t done that, the sniper could very well have killed me.

But it didn’t matter that the Paladins knew about me now. My time in this world was all but over. It had been a year since I came here. I was now twenty-one years old, almost twenty-two. More than half a decade had passed since I started my journey.

This world had been a nice holiday, especially since I gained an amazing ability and some great upgrades, for basically free, but it was time to head for the next one.

That brought up an interesting question. Where should I go next? In four and a half years, I would become immortal. That was the only fixed plan I had right now.

While I had a long list of worlds I wanted to visit, most of them were pretty interchangeable. Still, they were all working toward a bigger goal I had. There were simply some things I wanted to do and experience. Dreams that were impossible to fullfill before, which were now real possibilities.

Originally, it would have taken several decades to reach the first of those things I wanted to accomplish. A teenage dream of mine, you could say. But the changes I had experienced in this world could speed up that big dream considerably.

Especially the possibility of upgrading my Multiversal Gate. Since that had been the limiting factor before.

Let’s make a list of things I needed to do, in order to fullfill my first dream:

I needed a form of immortality so I can travel for a long time. Altough that is a more general goal, but the earlier I do that the better it is.

I need to strengthen my body and increase my fighting abilities to a certain level. I also needed to find an actual teacher for that.

I need to improve my brain far beyond the limits of a human.

I need to get some life-saving trump cards and/or recharge my Philosopher’s Stone since it was getting towards its limits.

I need to upgrade my Multiversal Gate.

Those were the things I need to do before I can go for one of the major milestones in my journey. Preferably, I want to be done with all that before, or shortly after, completing the first point on my list: immortality in four and a half years. Since my big dream itself takes also a multistep plan, that just requires these milestones first.

The real limiter of my journey had been point five, my Multiversal Gate. It simply wasn’t big enough and couldn’t take enough people with me to fulfill one of my longstanding dreams. Main problem is the size. The amount of people is just an nice addition, since I don't want to be alone and some of my other dreams would be easier to accomplish if I could take a lot more people with me.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could speed up before, so I hadn’t been in a hurry for anything besides immortality. Every other milestone would have come naturally while I level up my Multiversal Gate.

As long as I didn’t at least level up my Multiversal Gate to a certain size, there would have been no point in fulfilling my dream. I am pretty sure I could get to it with some troubles, if travel to that World next. But I would have had to leave it behind once I go to the next world, and worse couldn't even really use it.

But upgrading my Multiversal Gate by gaining space-time abilities, along with being able to at least partially access the power systems of different universes without needing a World Attunement, changed a lot of things.

I somehow need to go to worlds now, that can teach me space-time abilities while also allowing me to reach the milestones two through four.

Milestone three was a bit complicated. While I can think of a few temporary improvements for my mind, like the drug NZT from Limitless or intelligence potions from different magic universes, none of those were quite what I was looking for. Most importantly, it needs to be permanent.

While NZT temporarily unlocks the full potential of my brain for a price, that was simply not enough. Human limits were far from enough. At least at my current evolutionary stage.

I need a permanent upgrade beyond my limits. And I have an idea for that. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much with any of the other milestones. That particular world doesn't have much else in it that would be valuable to me.

Maybe I should put it at the end of the next four and a half years, like another holiday right before getting my immortality, or maybe even after it, depending on whether I could reach my milestones in that time.

That left getting stronger, gaining some survival trump cards, and obtaining some space-time abilities to upgrade my Multiversal Gate.

Hmm, what was the best move?

Honestly, I still didn’t fully know how those upgrades worked. There were some major questions I need to answer to do it effectively. For example, if I learned space magic and there were different spells, would it count as one overall upgrade or one upgrade for each spell? What if two space-time abilities did pretty much the same thing? Would they still count?

What world should I go to next?

…

Wait… could that actually work? That world had all of that.

Also, it wasn’t much stronger than my current level, so I would fit right in while pushing myself to the next level. Maybe there was even a method to upgrade my body and reach the next level of superhuman strength. That was only a small possibility, though.

There were more than enough teachers who could teach me how to fight properly. So far, I was only self-taught, after all. Those teachers were far, far more experienced than almost anyone else I could think of.

And there would be at least one space-time upgrade, but multiples spells I could learn, which will answer some of my questions about those upgrades work. That meant I could plan my next steps better.

Yes, that world has Magic. But it doesn't work on Mana or anything like that, but acutally stamina. So I can use it with the new Passive Skill from World Attunement.

I might also be able to gain some life-saving trump cards there.

And there was even a small technique that might actually upgrade my mind slightly. At the very least, it could protect it.

Okay, those were quite a few maybes, but I was guaranteed to progress at least two of my milestones, with the chance to progress in all of them. Hell, that world even had some forms of immortality, or rather longevity.

While I don't believe I could get any of them, it wouldn’t hurt to see if there was a chance. After all it's never zero. It wasn’t a priority, but it would save me a World Attunement if I could.

Fuck it. I have no other idea that could progress all five milestones while being on a level of strength I could cope with.

———

Of course, I didn’t jump to another world instantly after coming up with a plan. First of all, I had started planning a few days before my cooldown was actually over, so I wouldn’t waste any time.

Secondly, it was simply prudent to make preparations.

There were also some people I had to say goodbye to. I have kept in touch with Chloe and Josh after Miami. While I didn’t pursue a deeper relationship with Chloe, even though I could take her with me, we still ended up being friends.

As for why I didn’t attempt a relationship, well, she had a loving family. It would be hard to just leave them behind for some guy who claims he can travel between universes. If I had a family, I probably wouldn’t have left my world either.

Family is something that has to be cherished. A lesson every orphan learns early in his life.

I wasn’t really planning to come back here either. Even with Jumpers and Paladins around, it was just another Earth in the end. So Chloe would have to say goodbye to her loved ones forever, just for me. No way that is going to happen.

But I still got a nice piece of tech from this world. I grabbed it from the Paladins after tracking them for a while.

Honestly, I wanted a bit of revenge for them attacking me. I robbed them of quite a few of their fancy electroshock sticks and net-shooting guns, along with one piece of technology that I had completely forgotten existed in this world.

For Earth in the year 2008, it was a very advanced piece of technology.

Those Paladins were really obsessed with Jumpers. A bit of context here. While teleporting, Jumpers warp space around them in order to create a wormhole from one point to another. That wormhole leaves behind a so-called jump scar, a small distortion in space that takes a little while to fully reform.

To put it simply, those Paladins had somehow developed a machine that could create another wormhole from a jump scar and follow Jumpers through their teleportation. Yeah, 2008 Earth had wormhole generators.

And I liberated one of those very expensive devices from the Paladins. Hey, it was a device related to space-time. Maybe by studying it, I would be able to unlock another upgrade.

I also met David again while chilling a bit on the Sphinx. We have stayed in contact a bit after that. He actually managed to avoid the Paladins completely and even got the girl. His childhood crush. A happy ending for him, I guess, as long as he was careful.

So obviously, I also said goodbye to him. While I told Josh and Chloe that I would be traveling for a long time and wouldn’t have any mobile connection, I told David a version of the truth. I told him I was planning to jump to another world.

Which was technically true. Just not in the way he probably thought, like another planet.

Besides that, I stocked up on resources. My mobile home now had a ton of entertainment, ranging from games to movies. Not only did I get the biggest flat-screen TV 2008 had to offer, but also a cinema projector. Besides that, I had now my own fully stocked library with real books, better furniture, a very nice kitchen, several grills, and so on. I didn’t really hold back with my money.

Right now, I still have enough gold to spend several lifetimes in such luxury.

I also stocked up on meat, nicely preserved in my cryogenic refrigerators. The place I was planning to visit first was unfortunately filled with hardcore vegetarians. I am not going to be a force vegetarian again. But as long as I brought my own meat, they shouldn’t complain.

I also made sure that my storage was stocked with enough mundane crafting materials. While I didn’t know if I would need them, I also wasn’t sure what I could actually get in that other world. Better have them, just to be safe.

Lastly, I transmuted several boxes made out of different materials, each one bigger than the last. Wood, gold, silver, steel, lead, and finally concrete. Inside the smallest wooden box, I placed my Philosopher’s Stone before storing that box inside the next bigger one, and then finally placing everything inside the concrete box.

I have the distinct feeling my Philosopher’s Stone could cause some misunderstandings. After all, it was made out of the souls of thousands of Ishvalans who had been captured and sacrificed during a civil war.

The people at the place I was planning to visit first could sense all kinds of things. I had no idea if isolating the stone like that would work, but it was at least worth a try. For one, I chose materials related to magic, like wood, gold, and silver. For another, I chose materials that could stop radiation, like lead and concrete. I could only hope that one of them would prevent those people from sensing my Philosopher’s Stone.

While I felt a bit naked without it, it might be better this way. I need to conserve it as much as I can.

And with these preparations complete, the day of my departure arrived.

This time, I didn’t laze around. The moment the cooldown was over, I opened the Gate, letting the massive rainbow-colored portal form in front of my mobile home. Which I had to dig out first.

While it still squeaked and creaked this time around, the noise wasn’t as scary as the first time. It sounded rather normal now. During the last year, I had made sure to strengthen the different spots where the wear and tear had been most prominent last time.

I didn’t want to worry about my house collapsing above me while I was still inside.

Moments later, I was blinded by the rainbow-colored lights of the Multiversal Gate.

———

— ?, 8000 AC —

As soon as I drove out of the portal and my eyes finished adjusting to the light, I couldn’t help but gape at the sight revealing itself in front of me. It was beautiful. So ancient that I had never seen anything comparable in my life. It had an ethereal kind of beauty.

Trees of all shapes and sizes filled my vision wherever my eyes fell. Many of them grew in unique ways I had never seen before. Some were outright massive, the kind you would never be able to find on Earth. Thick branches stretched overhead, blocking my view of the sky. The only reason I could tell it was day was because of the sparse sunlight shining through.

I was in a forest, a very ancient forest that felt strangely alive and aware of my presence. I could feel it watching me from the second I arrived, and it didn’t feel very welcoming.

Old protective magic hung in the air. While I had no idea how that actually felt, having never come into contact with magic before, I logically knew it was the case thanks to my meta knowledge and somehow instinctively became aware of it.

With my Multiversal Gate, I had completely bypassed those layers of very old and powerful protections, so it was no surprise that this place didn’t feel very welcoming to me. I was an intruder, after all.

Not trusting my own eyes and senses, I kept driving in a straight line, only following the compass and tools in my driver’s cabin. After all, I had requested my Multiversal Gate to let me out directly in front of the entrance to my goal.

It should be any moment now. The forest around me felt like time itself had fallen into a slumber.

Then he stood right in front of me in the middle of a clearing. He was sheathed in rays of light, his face old, noble, and serene, his robes flowing in the wind. The sight was almost supernatural.

Most importantly, he had noticeably angular features, slanted eyebrows, pointed ears, and a thin, angular face. Humanlike, yet far different. An Elf!

In front of me was an insubstantial avatar of Gilderien the Wise. Without his permission, nobody was allowed to pass further.

Now came the moment of truth. I stopped my moving home and stepped out, looking directly into the eyes of this ancient being. As far as I knew, he was several thousand years old.

Remembering the sentence I had started practicing a few days ago, I began to speak.

“Eka eddyr aí fricai un vrangr.”

I am a friend and wanderer.

Unlike before on Earth, when these words were just words, I felt their weight with every syllable I spoke. In this world, this language was magical, and you could only speak the truth with it.

But the elf kept staring at me. Then I felt something inside my mind change. I think he was reading my thoughts. I did my best to focus on what I wanted him to see.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much my limit with the Ancient Language. I only knew a few single words and sentences, and I lacked the vocabulary to convey why I was here. The Ancient Language also wasn’t the most commonly spoken language in this world.

At least this elf also knew the language I had learned through one of the passive abilities of World Attunement.

“I am here to visit, to learn, and to exchange information. I have some useful knowledge, as well as some knowledge that should be kept secret until the right time. I mean no harm to your people. All I want is to learn from you. In exchange, I am willing to help to the best of my ability. Eka thorta du ilumëo!”

Lastly, I said that I spoke the truth in the Ancient Language to prove that I was not lying.

The moment I finished, the presence in my mind vanished, and the elf opened his arms.

I could pass.

I quickly entered my mobile home, but as soon as I looked out of the window, he was gone. As if he had never been there. Instead, there was now a wide opening in the trees, big enough for my house to fit through.

[ End of the Chapter ]