Chapter 1: The World of the Twenty-Five Kingdoms621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFRE7eQ4uP
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I was lying on the couch, in front of the TV, which was displaying my maxed out Storm Wars warrior. Drowsy, I had to blink twice when a line of text began to flash before my eyes. Strangely, it seemed to float about half way between myself and the screen.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSnwhIkEk8
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I was lying on the couch, in front of the TV, which was displaying my maxed out Storm Wars warrior. Drowsy, I had to blink twice when a line of text began to flash before my eyes. Strangely, it seemed to float about half way between myself and the screen.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjn1IFNiq0
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You have an invitation to join the World of the Twenty-Five Kingdoms. Do you accept?621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpWA2gRBKf
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Yes / No
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Amazing. Some sort of new 3D advert?621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc7D7UO5YA
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Alert now, I sat up and I was surprised to see the text moving to keep its prominent position in the middle of my vision. That was strange. It was like I was wearing 3D glasses. And, for a second, I caught myself reaching up to my face to check whether I really was. How the hell did they manage that? It was annoying now, intrusive. Plus, I wasn't going to start a new game, no matter now smart the technology. Not after becoming the most indestructible warrior in Storm Wars. Two years and pretty much non-stop play during COVID lockdown had equipped me to be the most sought-after tank in the game. Only yesterday, I had been the main tank for a raid of three guilds, nearly two hundred players, against Warwrath, the mightiest dragon in the game.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiFsQMkBLb
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After attempting to get rid of the message with a finger movement, I discovered I could focus on the 'no' button with my eyes, getting it to glow, before a blink sent it away.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktBDhhw2t2
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Lying back on the couch, I felt tired. Of course, late hours playing Storm Wars made me tired. But it wasn't just that. It ran deeper. It was two years since my parents had died in a car crash and since then, I'd felt cut adrift from the world. There were friends whom I cared about and who cared for me. But since COVID restrictions, I hadn't seen them. Then too, my college course in Occupation Therapy had been moved online and I'd lost a lot of interest in that as a result. It was all biology now and the practical side of the course, with the opportunity to help people, was on hold. No, it wasn't lack of sleep. It was despair that made my energy levels low.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9FKnbXwha
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The popup came back.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ869m7EyiMG
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You have an invitation from the World of the Twenty-Five Kingdoms. Do you accept?621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae95kwRo6l
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Yes / No
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This time, more from curiosity to find out how this technology was working than any desire to try a new game I concentrated on the 'yes'.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAAE1TiEZq
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A huge lurch seemed to shake the house, like an earthquake. It was unpleasant and something dark crossed my vision. A feeling of nausea swelled up in my throat, which I was just able to quash. And then I could see again.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhGeU8aBKR
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I was in room with three other people: a silver-haired woman in fancy dress, like a medieval LARPer; a grey-bearded, slender man, dressed like a medieval noble; and a clean-shaven, stocky man in chainmail armour, scabbarded sword at his side. All three of them were staring at me with extraordinary intensity.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnABeoLmSki
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'Who are you?' asked the woman.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkKPxS7s4w
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'Sean de Courcy.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxFgG11OxO
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Astonishingly, there were smells; this wasn't a normal game: burning candles; incense; sweat; and that sharp tang you get when racing with electric cars. How did the game-makers achieve such realism? I looked around. It was a dim room, with a wooden floor, bare stone walls, with arrow slits in them. Like the inside of a castle tower. Across the floor was a complicated design, with unrecognisable, fanciful letters and candles distributed in an uneven way, like a constellation. And a slight haze of purple-tinged mist was everywhere.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLzfZTxOyw
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The warrior took a step towards me, then hesitated. 'Sire? Are you well?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAomIEDxi2
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Sire? Apart from that strange term, it was a good question. I felt disorientated but no longer sick. In fact, I was hungry. Looking down, I had a shock. My body was that of a very fat man. My fingers – I held them up – were stocky. My vast stomach blocked my view of my feet. There was a weight on my head. Reaching up, I felt a band of metal. A moment later I held it in my hands. A crown of gold with diamonds and rubies.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmEu8N3Esg
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'Where am I?' My voice was different too. Deeper, somewhat older than my own.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6fqxkBXdV
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The three people looked at each other and the concern on their faces shifted to becoming signs of excitement.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5kdOZJkRr
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The woman smiled and stepped over to offer her hand, which I shook. Perhaps I was supposed to kiss the back of it as for a moment she looked surprised. Then she spoke with a gentle voice, 'welcome Sean, I am Carlena and you are in my tower, in the town of Carrick, in the kingdom of Greyland, in the world of Regnia. You have been summoned to replace a king who was leading us to disaster. Please forgive us if this is undesired on your part. We will make it worth your while.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡht35ZNKD6K
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The bearded man fidgeted anxiously at my side. 'Now, sire. My name is Chancellor Parrin. If you would, please look up at the roof and raise your right arm, what do you see?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡji6FlZTPSX
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The roof was a dull, near-black set of planks and I was about to say so when I reached up and a menu of tables filled with silver words cascaded down to hover about three feet away from me.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJd5AEtiqlL
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Greyland621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA0IbfMhcq
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Economy Military People621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITR22vLtU8
Currently building: granary level 2621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLdHYDa0Lz
Monthly trade income: 0621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZWKJyqzlM
Monthly tax income: 54621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9xAzcnKRX
Research: steel pickaxes
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And a lot more that I didn't take in.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdyTp55BZz
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'What was that?' I blurted out in surprise. 'Those messages in the air?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwy7YTMenG
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'Oh, how marvellous,' the elderly man – Chancellor Parrin – brought his hands together in front of his chest: half a prayer, half a clap. 'You can access the kingdom's menu. We had very much been afraid that you would not be able to do so. And that would have been catastrophic. But matters are so desperate, we had to take the risk that bringing you here, into the king's body, would not cut us off from the realm controls.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34j5kyW5v1
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'So this is a game? But it's so real.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB52a4oqaI
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'A game? To you, perhaps, but this is our world.' The woman looked intently at me through startling indigo eyes, 'our lives are at stake.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3NlsWl0co
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'Sire,' touching my arm, Chancellor Parrin gave me a grin that was probably supposed to be encouraging. It wasn't. 'If our spell located you correctly, you are the foremost warrior and strategist of your own world?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JXKnLp1Pv
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I had been experiencing some anger at the thought that if this was true – and it certainly felt completely real – these people were effectively kidnappers. But at this I had to laugh. 'I'm a student of Occupational Therapy not… oh… wait. In Storm Wars, maybe I am. My warrior was maxed at level one hundred.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCvfqjQJHS
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For once, it was their turn to look puzzled.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4t12oc10kq
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'You can fight, sire?' The man in chainmail came closer, speaking with urgency. 'You can lead us to victory in war?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5mUOG001Q
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'Sure. No problem.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPgF1wYl3q
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The relief in the room was palpable. Everyone was distinctly more relaxed and their smiles were genuine. Probably mine was too. Admittedly, I knew very little about military command, but I was good at RPGs and assuming this was an RPG, they'd gotten hold of the right guy.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2muBvJ3ESl
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'Then,' said the chancellor, 'let us go somewhere more comfortable and explain the dire crisis faced by our kingdom.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCI8csSh2w
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***
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By the time we reached a large room with a huge map spread out on a table in the centre of it, I'd learned the name of the soldier – Lord Arval – and reached several conclusions.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbZMXd2GS4
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First, I absolutely hated this body. It was immensely fat and slow and made even walking up five steps a task that sapped my energy and made me breathless. It was also useless for fighting. Yes, probably this guy I was inhabiting was stronger than me and probably too, he had an ability to soak up blows, but he was so ponderous and lumbering that no opponent would have any trouble killing him. I wouldn't back myself against the kid I'd seen sweeping the halls. Plus, he reeked of stale body odour; his hair was greasy (I made the mistake of touching it); and he had sores and bites on his globular skin that I felt as incessant itches.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2Lp5LdNgA
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Second, this definitely was real. No game could get you to sweat and feel the signals of discomfort that this body was giving me. The ambient sounds alone, or the subtle scents, were too much for a game. Just possibly, I had somehow been hypnotised. But when Carlena had said that she had cast a spell to exchange my consciousness with the previous owner of this body, well, that had resonated with everything my senses were telling me.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUcsMfwXCU
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Thirdly, these people really needed me and feck it, I was going to embrace the challenge. Not only because at heart I was a decent guy and always responded to a call for help, but also because I was up for this. Having the task of saving this kingdom from its enemies energised me; motivated me in a way I hadn't felt for months. I needed this just as much as they needed me.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTs3icsXRZ
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'This is our kingdom, Greyland,' Lord Arval placed a finger on the lower left part of the map. 'Three days ago, having lost a battle against a united army of two of our neighbours, we forfeited control of all this region,' he moved his finger, 'leaving us with just the capital and the territory around these mountains.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNT2Vmh5yD
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I came to stand beside the soldier and studied the map for some time. It was detailed enough to give me a pretty good idea of the situation. We were easily the smallest kingdom of twenty-five in the bottom corner of a five-by-five grid. Worse, the region we had lost was farmland. The tiny patch labelled Greyland only consisted of hills, valleys and a mountain.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSNaDiazvV
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'Is the world a sphere?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZRFMqweCP
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Lord Arval looked shocked; Carlena snorted with what might have been derision; and Chancellor Parrin raised his eyebrows in a pretty good expression of surprise.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur21Hkn0Mi
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When Carlena saw that I was serious, she shook her head. 'No. It's as you see here.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnyOSOPEf7
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There was a small section of sea around the entire world. I gestured to it. 'What happens if you sail off the edge?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv7UfUXBOI
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It was the Sorceress who answered, 'some say there are other realms beyond the mist. But no ship can survive the thundering torrents.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qBOGUlzKj
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'Well, at least we have one flank secure.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuwsO5ZJSw
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'Indeed, sire.' Lord Arval gave me a nod. 'Although sea invasion is possible. There is enough sea room for an enemy fleet to avoid the current that draws you to the edge.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KcrUGKwCS
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I lifted my fleshy right arm and pointed up. Immediately the silver menus cascaded in front of my vision.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2A6xHoZCT
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Greyland621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoLGBPGmCF
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Economy Military People
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I didn't open any of the three sub-menus. Instead, I swept them away with a gesture and raised my left arm. A new menu appeared.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPRnK1N8qg
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Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QdcdHZbuQ
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Str 7621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVWubklsjz
Dex 4621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppuzVD1cUV
Con 8621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IcMIYZLTa
Int 16621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25Q6f91gjG
Wis 16621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ioqs5DAzV
Cha 3621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFSNfVxx5f
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Please choose a character archetype:621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPJTK0gJDV
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwTor3hkyl
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Interesting. Charisma 3 though. I waved it away. 'Can I improve my stats by exercise?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUCidhMT4j
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'Sire?' Chancellor Parrin had wrinkles in his face that fell naturally into an expression of uncertainty.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnVjNwr0LN
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'I've just called up my character sheet. My Strength is seven. Can I get it to eight by working out with weights?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQeujAQopn
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Lord Arval looked to Carlena, who shook her head. Not so much as to answer me but to say she didn't know.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMixQyJ0We0
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'King Carlos kept his powers secret.' It was Chancellor Parrin who answered me. 'We know he had access to menus for himself and for the realm, but he never, ever spoke about them. He was… He feared…'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ366lsjWrWd
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'He was a useless tyrant who bullied us all, knowing we couldn't replace him because he was the only one with the power to make decisions for the kingdom.' Carlena gave a bitter smile, 'but I found a way to get rid of him and still allow planning for our realm. I found you.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFjgeFp9Qk
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'Can you see your own levels and stats?' While I was interested in learning about my predecessor, I didn't want to change the subject. My focus right now had to be on understanding whether this world was like RPGs I was familiar with. In particular, if I was stuck with those starting stats, I'd have to choose Wizard or Healer archetypes. If, however, I could get my Strength and Constitution to rise somehow, I'd opt for Fighter. I wanted to be a Fighter, but if I was stuck with this body and those stats, choosing Fighter would be a complete disaster.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xugke7ep0
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'No, but I believe the king could. I know from my spells that I'm level seven Paladin,' said Lord Arval, 'but he never told me my stats and skills.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWv3kMovcb
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Carlena nodded, 'King Carlos was a liar, but I know that when he said I was a level nine Sorceress, he was telling the truth. I get one new spell per level and I have nine spells.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgt8I7HA7s
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'And that I'm a level five Scout,' Chancellor Parrin gave a shrug. 'I certain I'm above that, however.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlRpi95EZQ
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'Interesting.' I tried pointing at Chancellor Parrin in the hope of calling up some information about him. Then simply concentrating, looking into his eyes. Nothing changed. 'Oh well. I need to conduct an experiment. Can you assign me a trainer to work on my Strength?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoojMWPpwLZ
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'Now sire?' asked the chancellor, 'it's late.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnmY5iKEYi
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'In the morning then.' This body certainly felt tired. 'For now can I get a bath, fresh sheets on my bed and a clean set of clothes.'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur5egJAogK
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This request caused Lord Arval to chuckle and soon Chancellor Parrin and Carlena were doing their best not to grin.621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3B15LiW6sg
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'What?'621Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuVGLx6Jf9
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'Whoever you are, Sean de Courcy, you are certainly not King Carlos.'
