Captain Bartholomew began speaking again, "Now these are just the races we have had a chance to interact with. There is a chance there are more. Another subject I must pass discuss is something I'm sure all of you have heard rumors about, the Automatic Learning Interface Connector, ALIC for short. One of it's functions allows you to understand every language from the natives of Agartha in real time. Most important it connects you to the Archaic System. The Archaic System is a large part of the greatest difference between Agartha and Earth. It is also the main reason the natives overpower humans so easily.

To access the Archaic System you need an origin stone. Origin stones can be found scattered throughout Agartha and in the majority of both human and native settlements. When the native races kill a living creature they absorb something we call essence from that creature by utilizing the natural laws of their universe. Then when touching an origin stone the Archaic System automatically enhances them using that essence.

For reasons unknown, when humans kill something they cannot absorb essence naturally. ALIC will absorb and store it for you. It automatically syncs with the essence of any living creature the moment you kill it. If the killing blow killed it over time the last person to inflict damage on the creature will receive all of it's essence. Their is also a distance limit. You cannot be further than a kilometer away from the creature when it dies or the ALIC cannot sync with the creatures essence and the essence will simply disperse."

"After storing the essence you can connect with an origin stone by placing your hand on it which allows you to access the Archaic System. However, it cannot automatically enhance you like it does other races. The Archaic System needs direction from ALIC on what aspects of your body to enhance.

For your convenience this process has been put into a format that is easy for you to understand. This format closely mimics video games."

"First you have levels and when you have enough essence you can level up allowing you to distribute 2 points for each level up to your stats. The stats for the human body fall under these categories strength, constitution, willpower, and dexterity. Unlike a video game every person does not have the same starting stats. For reference an elite soldier would have about 10 in each category. Unfortunately, at this point their is nothing you can do to alter your stats with exercise, because in Agartha your body will require essence to improve due to the universal laws there. Once you go through the portal no amount of exercise will increase your stats."

I couldn't help but sigh. From my past life I knew my starting stats would put me at a significant disadvantage to start.

"Moving on, the skills you can develop will be largely dependent on the essence you gather. For instance, the Fey are extremely adept at wind-related abilities so if you kill a Fey and absorb their essence you may obtain the chance to earn a wind-related ability. However, skills also cost essence to activate since it involves restructuring the human body. Some of these abilities can even alter your appearance. Choose wisely."

He paused.... then said, "Before administering ALIC and sending you through the portal to Agartha I want to stress the importance of developing your abilities and power strategically. The only thing you can truly rely on in Agartha is yourself. Good luck!"

This amount of information was a lot for those in attendance to process. Mike sat in the seat next to me dazed. Having already known this information, and more that they haven't discovered yet, I had no problem and was just waiting for Mike to break out of his stupor.

"You ready to go bro?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I just didn't realize that there would be other races in Agartha and that humans might not be at the top of the food chain. The Fey sound frightening," Mike said with a bit of worry on his face.

"What did you expect to find in a different universe?" I replied snarkily.

"I don't know. I at least thought it would be similar?"

"It doesn't look like it. Regardless, we don't have a choice."

"That's true. Me and my spear will take them on if they dare!" said Mike regaining his former bravado.

"Remember your own safety is more important. Don't take stupid risks"

Mike looked at me slightly offended. "I got it. I got it. Stop worrying, mother."

"Fine." I scoffed, "Let's get up there and get going."

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Mike and I got up and walked towards the front of the portal. We were among the first in the group to recover from the shocking information. From our spot in the queue we could see people getting their ALIC inserted. Ugh, it's so painful. I can still remember the searing pain I felt in the back of my head when I got it in my last life. As we got closer I could see Mike getting nervous. I chuckled knowing he's not a big fan of shots.

"Getting squeamish?" I prodded him with my elbow.

"Jerk! You know I don't like needles."

I just laughed in response as we got closer.

Finally, we were at the front and a guy in a white coat asked Mike to lean forward. Real quick he jabbed the needle in the back of his head.

"Ahhh! No warning?!?!"

"I find this works faster." Responded the guy in the white coat with complete ambivalence.

"Next."

I walked up prepared. Leaning over I felt the jab in the back of my head and the searing hot pain in the back of the skull. At least the pain doesn't last too long but it still stings like hell. We continued forward toward the portal. You don't really feel any different with ALIC unless you are absorbing essence or connecting to the Archaic System through an origin stone. The only difference I felt at the moment was a soreness at the back of my head

As we got closer to the portal we could see people passing through the dark liquid and disappearing beyond.

Finally, it was Mike's turn. He was in front of me, spear strapped to his back with the water and food in a duffel bag around his shoulder. The spear was almost as tall as he was. He turned to me before passing through and said, "I'll find you when we reach the other side."

"Not if I find you first." I retorted.

We spoke the exact same words last time. I really hope nothing changes and I can see him soon.

Chuckling he took large steps towards the portal and was swallowed by the dark liquid substance.

I took a deep breath and said to myself, "Here we go."

As I neared the portal the pull got stronger until it eventually swallowed me in a tumultuous darkness.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be put through one of those old drying machines they had centuries ago? That's what it feels like when you wake up after having portaled to Agartha. Every part of your body feels like it was pounded on. Traveling through a rip in space and time to another dimension is not a fun trip even if you were prepared for it. However, those that are able to wake up are the lucky ones, some unlucky people die before their consciousness can return.

Before opening my eyes I prayed, hoping that I got sent to a different place than I did in the last timeline. As I opened my eyes I could see a dark cavern above me. So dark you could barely see what looked like tunnels running through the ceiling. A sense of déjà vu hitting me. Why? Why did it have to be this place?

This absolute godforsaken hellhole.