I felt a sharp pain in my heart then a loud noise and then nothing.
My name is David, and I died of heart failure while driving to my three-year-long DnD campaign.
I was supposed to fight the green dragon again, for fuck's sake. Instead, here I am dead and standing in a place that definitely isn't Earth, in the body of my DnD character.
That character is a Level 15 Open Hand Monk and a Level 5 Wildfire Druid. I played him for three years in real life, but in-game, he's lived for seven.
He was my favorite still is, really. But being him in a world I don't recognize worries me deeply. For three days now, I've been walking without finding a single soul. This land stretches out endlessly, dry and lifeless, like one of those deserts my character once crossed in the Land of Dry Sands.
And then it hit me my memories are fusing with his. That's… curious. I didn't expect them to blend together. Still, maybe it makes sense. After all, at the end of the day, we are the same person now.
I guess I should start referring to myself as Moro. I've always liked that name better anyway. But seriously… Where the hell am I?
All I could see was an endless desert.
Then I felt it energy moving in the distance. It was unmistakable: the ki of a human… and something else. A demon, or maybe a fiend. I couldn't see them yet, but I could feel them, and that was enough to pinpoint where they were.
I knelt down, scooped a handful of dry earth, and let it run through my fingers. My lips moved on their own, chanting words I'd never spoken before while my arms formed gestures that felt alien yet familiar movements my DnD character had practiced countless times.
I cast Longstrider.
Energy surged through me, and I dashed forward at incredible speed 140 feet every six seconds racing toward the presence of the human.
When I arrived, the scene unfolded before me: a lone man fighting a massive dog-like beast, easily ten feet tall, its maw spewing fire.
The man raised a shield of sparking yellow energy, holding his ground well until the creature's claws connected, sending him staggering. Then it lunged for his head with terrifying speed. He dodged just in time, the strike narrowly missing.
But then the beast breathed fire. Even through the man's second shield, the flames seared him. If this kept up, he wouldn't last much longer.
From where I stood, I focused ki into my legs. The ground cracked beneath me as I launched myself upward, sand exploding outward from the force. I soared higher than the wolf's massive head, then came crashing down on it with a punch infused with ki.
The blow staggered the creature, giving me the opening I needed. I unleashed a flurry of strikes, hammering its head again and again until black ichor spilled from its wounds.
But the beast quickly regained its senses. With a violent shake of its head, it threw me off, sending me tumbling across the sand.
I landed near the man who had been fighting the beast first.
Pushing myself up, I gave him a quick wave. The beast turned its burning eyes toward me, watching warily. To my surprise, the man waved back. Now that I was closer, I could see he looked young maybe seventeen, eighteen at most. Definitely younger than me.
But there was no time to dwell on that. We needed to kill the thing.
Reaching into my Bag of Holding, I pulled out a bow and notched an arrow. Channeling my feat Gift of the Chromatic Dragon I infused the arrow with crackling lightning and let it fly. At the same moment, the young man clearly a wizard cast a spell that split the single arrow into many.
The wolf tried to dodge, but bolts of lightning-laced arrows pierced its legs, snout, and flanks.
I slung the bow back and charged forward. My fist glowed with focused ki as I slammed it into the beast. The blow struck true its body convulsed, ichor spilling and that was the breaking point. The wolf collapsed, dead where it stood.
I checked the wolf's body to make sure it was truly dead before turning toward the young man. He seemed overjoyed at the victory, relief bright on his face.
"Hello. My name is Moro. How are you?" I asked.
The man straightened, quickly regaining his composure. "Umm… hello. My name is Tray. Nice to meet you."
"So, Tray," I said, "can you tell me where I am right now? It seems I'm… lost."
The young man winced slightly before answering. "I don't really know where this is. I ended up here by accident while my master and I were fighting a demon. It was summoned by a cult… in China."
My eyes narrowed. "Did you say China? So you're from Earth?"
"Well, yeah. Where else would I be from?" he replied with a shrug.
I pressed further. "Do you know of a place called Waterdeep? Or Faerûn?"
He shook his head. "No… never heard of them."
"I see," I murmured. "Then do you know how to leave this place?"
"Oh, yes. I do."
He slipped a peculiar ring over two fingers and began tracing deliberate circular motions in the air. Sparks burst to life, swirling outward until they formed a glowing yellow portal.
I froze for a moment. I knew that ring. That was a sling ring straight out of the MCU.
Was I sent into the Marvel universe? I thought to myself.
Tray stepped through the portal without hesitation, and I followed close behind.
We emerged into what looked like a training ground. The air was charged with energy, the stone floor worn from countless battles.
A woman approached, her steps confident, her gaze sharp. Tray immediately bowed his head.
"Master Minoru," he said with respect.
"Tray," she greeted, her voice calm but carrying authority. "It is good to see you again. Tell me how was your trial of battle?"
Tray lowered his head further. "It didn't go well, Master. I needed help to defeat the wolf. I… I'm sorry."
She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "It's fine. It was your first true battle, after all. Do not let failure weigh you down it is only the beginning." Her eyes then shifted to me. "And who is your guest?"
I gave a small bow. "My name is Moro. I was lost when Tray found me."
She looked at me with an intrigued expression, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then I felt it her energy spiking, sharp and deliberate.
Did she just cast a spell? And what kind of spell is that? I wondered.
"Well," she said at last, her tone polite but firm, "as nice as it is to meet you, Mr. Moro, we have procedures when unknown beings enter Kamar-Taj."
"What kind of procedures?" I asked warily.
"Oh, the usual kinds," she replied, almost casually. "We make sure you're not a demon in disguise, not carrying any kind of virus, not under mind control or charm effects, and not connected to a dimension trying to invade ours. And, of course, the most important one making sure you're not carrying a bacteria that might turn us all into zombies."
I blinked. "You're serious?"
"Oh yes," she said without a trace of humor. "Very much so. Oh, and Tray you'll have to go into quarantine as well."
She turned her attention back to me. "Mr. Moro, please follow me."
"Um… okay."
I soon found myself in a large chamber filled with sorcerers wearing quarantine masks and full-body protective gear. They moved with precision, chanting spells and weaving sigils I didn't recognize, their magic glowing faintly in the air as they examined me. The atmosphere was clinical yet arcane, like a hospital fused with a temple.
It took an hour before they finally concluded that I was safe.
I found myself standing before the Sorcerer Supreme the Ancient One herself. She sat at a low table, carefully preparing tea for five miniature cups. She hadn't spoken a word to me since I entered.
Finally, I decided to break the silence.
"Where am I?" I asked, choosing to act as though I didn't know. Explaining reincarnation was the last thing I wanted to do.
"You are in Kamar-Taj," she replied calmly, still pouring the tea. "This is the place where sorcerers are trained one of the main points that defends this world."
"And what is this world called?"
"Earth," she said without hesitation. "I'm guessing yours is not called that."
"No, it's not. It's called Toril. Do you know where that is?"
She glanced up at me briefly, her expression unreadable. "No. I'm sorry."
"I see." I exhaled slowly. "Well, I should get going. I've intruded on you and your disciples long enough."
I stood, bowed slightly, and turned toward the door. The Ancient One watched me curiously but made no move to stop me.
Outside, I found Tray waiting. Wasn't he supposed to be in quarantine?
"Hey," I said.
"Hey," he answered, stepping closer. "I wanted to thank you for saving me and to say I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in getting you back home."
"It's fine." I gave him a faint smile. "Actually, I have a question. Do you know of a populated city nearby where I might find work or something similar?"
"Oh New York is a city I know very well." He slipped on his sling ring and opened another glowing portal. "This is the most populated city I know. You could stay with Kamar-Taj until you get to know this world better."
"No, it's fine," I said, stepping through the portal with him. "Besides, I already feel like I'm intruding.( "Even there, I could sense multiple energies watching me, and spells scanning me even if I couldn't see who was casting them.") I'll be all right. This isn't the first time I've traveled to another world. I'll adapt quickly."
I turned and left him where he stood, walking off into the crowded streets of New York. I needed to get my bearings.
For about an hour I wandered, asking for directions, until I finally found a pawn shop. Pulling out a few gold coins, I sold them four in total for six thousand dollars. It wasn't much compared to what I had in my Bag of Holding, but it was enough to start.