Home Is Where Your Portal Leads

Ben and I walked through the portal and when we were firmly on the other side of it the thing shut behind us. I sensed it vanishing, as I found myself in a strange new world that was very decidedly neither Earth nor the world known as Abeir-Toril.

"Welcome home Andrew…" Ben told me, an enormous grin on his face. The smile that was on his face was actually too wide for a human to replicate, but I was able to mostly ignore the uncanny valley effect he caused. The reason I could ignore it was because I was studying my surroundings.

Ben and I stood in the front yard of a vast mansion. The area around us was a perfectly manicured lawn, and behind us I could see a gate in the distance. The sky above us was a perfectly clear, cloudless sky and in the distance I could spy a strange sun-like star that seemed to be the source of this light.

"This really is… Weirdly Earth-like." I remarked. The reason I was that specific was because of the effects of the "Essence of the Human Science God".

That particular vial had been filled with a bright yellow liquid. It hadn't tasted particularly pleasant to drink but the note that outlined its effects made it clear that it'd be one of the greater essences I could have consumed.

That particular essence was one that boosted my intellect to the very pinnacle of peak-human but also gave me ownership of an Earth-sized megastructure.

I could tell, just by studying my surroundings, that that megastructure had been used in the construction of the warehouse that Ben had mentioned. Ben studied me as I studied the mansion I could see in front of the two of us.

I heard sounds coming from within it. The sounds of… metal on tile, like wheels were being driven inside of a mall. I immediately knew what it was, thanks to my perfect memory; the sound I was hearing were the noises produced by my robotic servants, who themselves were given to me as part of my ownership of this megastructure.

My eyes widened when I came to this realization, and the look on my face made Ben audibly laugh.

"Oh the look on your face! I love it! I had forgotten how much fun this little honeymoon phase of jumpers being jumpers could be." He proclaimed, eagerly.

"There's so much shock and so much joy in those first few days. And for you it'll be more intense then it's been for the others, by virtue of your powers." He told me, excitedly. He began to drag me to the mansion, even as I continued to focus on the sounds coming from the mansion. I also began to hear other things…

Deep beneath my feet I could hear and feel vibrations. I could also hear the sounds of machinery moving, though the size of the machinery in question must have been on a truly gigantic scale because the noise would have been audible even to me in my capacity as an ordinary human! It was so loud it seemed to penetrate the very ground itself…

Ben read my mind, causally and began to smirk as he led me to the mansion. He also stopped laughing as he began to speak.

"Oh don't mind that. That's just where we're storing your 'Commander' Alt-form." He revealed, which almost made me stop moving. I wanted to stop and examine what he had said, but he was physically dragging me along so that wasn't up to me.

What he had revealed was that underneath my feet, I had another body lying in wait for me to use it. That body was of a "Commander" a type of command-unit from the "Supreme Commander" universe. It was a very powerful piece of tech, though it was actually weaker than something like the "Primordial" form that I was slowly sensing, intuitively, was also here. With every step I was forced to take I immediately grew more and more attuned to this dimension…

"I can sense your senses expanding. That's good! In some ways this private home is my masterpiece and I'm glad that you are able to attune to it." Ben bragged, clearly proud of himself. To be fair… even just this portion of the place was gorgeous, so I knew for sure that the rest of the place would be as well.

"I'm glad you can appreciate my artistry, Andrew. Though even for me this place was a hell of an undertaking to make. I only just finished it!" He complained, even though the amount of time that had passed since I first imbibed the essences was less than a handful of hours.

I chuckled as he complained, and he glared at me. There was no bite to his look, no sharpness in his gaze as he stared at me, only mild annoyance, so I could tell he'd let this one slide. A second later he turned his eerie, almost glasgow-like face away from me and began to talk again.

"We're gonna go inside, and then we'll talk about your perks. I want you to see the most basic house in this area." Ben revealed, causing me to turn and stare silently at him and mentally demand an explanation to what he had just said. He didn't laugh or even chuckle, and a second after I began to stare quizzically at him he sighed and provided me with an explanation.

"Look, Andrew, this is an Earth-sized world inhabited by more robots than have ever lived on Earth. It is also a special dimension that has multiple other dimensions… absorbed into it." He added, as a beginning to a clarifying statement.

"Deep underground there is a truly gigantic palace which will serve as, if not your home, then at least as the seat of your power. It is bigger than some cities, and has every amenity that you could ever want. But if you want a home on the surface of this world… Well, I will see to it that you can have one. Or one million." Ben stated, somewhat bluntly. There was a casualness to his tone that suggested that he saw something like that coming, which caused me to have to stifle a chuckle.

I was silent, both physically and mentally, while Ben led me to the mansion's front door. As we began to reach it the door swung open from the inside and I watched a robot that looked deceptively human greet Ben and I from just beyond the self-opening door.

"Hello Master, Maker." The robot greeted in an almost stereotypical British accent. He refered to me as "Master" and Ben as "Maker". He was dressed in a typical butler's outfit and had electric blue eyes.

The give-away that he wasn't human was that his neck wasn't the same color as his face and lacked any attempts to disguise their true nature. The body part was obviously mechanical and was a dark blue in color, compared to the rest of his head which was painted the same color as a mildly tan white man's skin.

The butler turned and began to walk into the mansion proper, and as I followed him with my eyes I was surprised to see a checkerboard-style foyer greeting me. The foyer was pleasantly grand, and the checkerboard-styling of it all made it pop visually.

The space was furnished in an admittedly spartan style with an emphasis on utility rather than asesthetics. The few pieces of furniture that existed in the foyer were focused on function over form and included things like vases that housed plants and even musical instruments for entertaining guests or impressing visitors.

The robotic butler silently led Ben and I to a massive living-room-like space. This space was painted in a rich mixture of warm and welcoming colors that gave the place a calming atmosphere. I could see a number of coaches lined along a wall opposite me, and as I stepped into the space I saw a fireplace atop which sat a gigantic television screen.

"Television? How strange…" I muttered, fully aware that the place was not connected to Earth. If I wanted to use the television in a meaningful sense I'd have to supply either some sort of DVD to the thing, or connect it to the internet so it seemed an unnecessary luxury.

"This whole place is connected to an omniversal internet supply that lets you connect to the internet of any world or setting you've been too that has such a thing." Ben revealed, smirking as he spoke. I was simply silent for a moment as he revealed that since it meant that I could effortlessly watch Netflix if I wanted, from the comfort of this cozy room.

Ben continued to lead me through the room until we reached one of the sofas. We sat down in it, and Ben finally set my hand free. When he did he gazed into my eyes and began to consider how to continue from here.

"Well… You've been doing well so far, Andrew." He began, as he gave me a rather soulful look. There was still a glint of mischief visible in his ancient gaze, one that refused to ever really leave.

"Since you've been doing well I want to go ahead and unlock most of what you've been missing as a jumper. What that really means is that I want us to go ahead and fire out your perk situation." Ben said, rather casually. As he said that I felt my divine heart begin to quicken in my chest.

Ben was actually going to do it! If he unleashed my perks, even though they'd only be ones from this jump, they'd still make me much stronger than I was before.

"So before we really dive into all of that I want to take a second to talk about the Generic First Jump. It's not like other settings where you only select one place to go to and live there for ten years. The Generic First Jump gives you ten places that you go to for a year each. Each setting corresponds to the most common themes that jumpers have experienced in the past. Well… There is another one, but that might be a topic for a different time." He tells me.

I look at him curiously and shake my head. He falls silent as he considers my reply to his cryptic statement.

"Well… The other most common setting, outside of the ten in this jump, is probably a lewd one. Lewd settings are no pushover, despite how they may seem at a glance. But you aren't visiting a lewd setting just yet, you're just going to ten differently themed worlds, and in each you'll have to make it a year." He explained, which me raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

The idea of visiting a lewd world sounded fun. A setting like the world of the Monster Musume books I found in Barnes and Noble would be quite entertaining…

"Each of the ten levels is set in a different world, though in some cases the only things that change are little cosmetic shifts here and there. One example of this is if you visit an Earth where superheroes don't exist after having been in one where they do, during this particular jump, no one would recognize you even if you were the world's symbol of peace and democracy in the superhero setting and you married somebody who knew you in the other one." Ben told me, which made sense.

In my enhanced mind the idea that events in one universe usually didn't spill over into unless there was some sort of connection between the universes made sense. It was perfectly logical, to me, that separate universes had insolation from events from outside of their universes. Though there was also the added wrinkle that each of the universes I'd be visiting were actually simulations. That was probably the real sticking point in this case.

"In addition to perks from each of the levels you'll be completing, this particular jump also offers you one out of a set of four possible 'Origins'. An 'Origin' usually refers to the species, professional, age, or social class of the identity that is made for you when you arrive in a jump. The four possible origin choices are the 'Power Gamer', 'Tourist', 'Collector', and 'Creator'." Ben said before pausing and alliwung me to speak next.

As he spoke I felt my mind's eye be overtaken by something wholly new. It was a vast menu that was lined with choice after choice, beginning with "Levels", then going onto "Origins", and followed by "Perks". The menu wasn't done either!

The final settings of the option were "Items", then "Drawbacks", and finally a special thank you message for those who chose to participate in this rather special jump. I chuckled when I saw that last little area but Ben's voice quickly cut through the din of my mind.

"Before you pick any perks, go ahead and pick one of the origins. That isn't especially important given your particular affinity for choice points, but it is tradition. And that's a tradition I actually quite like." Ben explained, a smug smile on his face.

I read the descriptions provided for each of the origins and I paused as I thought about which choice would be the very best for me at the moment. I didn't have to pause for very long though.

I was embarking on a dangerous journey through the omniverse. I needed power more than I needed to create something, more than I needed to be a skilled tourist, and more than I needed to collect the world's most beautiful collection of spell books and other magical item.

To me this wasn't just some game, it was life or death, so I needed to make the best possible choices that could grant me greater and greater odds of making it through this jump itself and all other jumps that would soon follow.

"I'll be picking the 'Power Gamer' origin." I explained, with a soft smile on my face as I gazed up at the randomly omnipotent being. Ben stared back at me for a second before nodding and accepting my choice. I felt my muscles grow a bit more dense a second after I spoke, and I let out a soft little laugh. .

"What an interesting choice…" Ben muttered as he watched me get excited about the minor changes to my body that I was actively undergoing. A few moments pased before he clapped his hands and began to speak again.

"Excellent! Now you can go ahead and pick out your perks. When you're done with that I can show you… the really fun stuff." The older looking man told me, promising me some sort of strange delight.

I began to turn inward as soon as he was done speaking so that I could begin my perk and item selection process. I already knew exactly what I was planning to do… I was going to have fun messing with my chain and strengthening myself further!