Perception

You breathe heavily the chilly air as you crouch at the top of the precipice. It has been a long journey, and you are the only magispy to make it this far, but finally you are here! You squint down at the well-concealed entrance below. There do not appear to be any guards, but you know there will be heavy security. After all, the Darmud Enclave is well known for their deadly trickery. Steeling yourself, you creep down the shear wall to the opening and slip into the gaping mouth of the cave, using the Ligero spell to quiet the sound of your footsteps. [[Click here to enter the cave.|Click here to enter the cave.]]

As soon as you enter the cave the temperature is warm and cozy. It must be an environmental stabilization spell cast in an attempt to put you off your guard. Silently you follow the cave as it stretches forward into a twisting tunnel. After a few minutes, you arrive at your first obstacle. There are three large pools of liquid. The angrily glowing one on the left is a slowly bubbling pool of molten rock, the one in the middle is a cool pool of water, and the one on the right appears to be a sticky pool of black oil. A slowly bobbing message in magical letters reads: //A simple task for you to do: On Earth which is most plentiful? You must leap into its pool.// [[Jump into the molten rock.]] [[Jump into the water.]] [[Jump into the oil.]]

You can feel the heat from the lava as you run towards it, but as soon as you leap into the air, the lava and heat vanish, and you fall through the hole in the ground into a new tunnel below. You did it! But you have little time to celebrate. Ahead of you, you hear a cacophony of new sounds, with barking and yelling being the most readily identifiable. You pull out your taser and slowly advance down the new path. Around the next turn you see a room that is well lit. There are four large magical cylinders. You recognize them as Unus-modo Cylinders and put away your taser. You know you can enter them, but nothing can ever come out of any of them. Inside one of them you see a little mosquito angrily buzzing around. A fearsome black dog barks furiously in the next cylinder. The third cylinder is occupied by a huge menacingly hissing snake. And the final cylinder contains a frenzied person who shouts at you. The floating magical letters read: //These four creatures kill people each year. But which of them kills the most? Join them now, or you’ll be toast.// [[Enter the cylinder with the mosquito.]] [[Enter the cylinder with the dog.]] [[Enter the cylinder with the snake.]] [[Enter the cylinder with the person.]] (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Roughly 84% of the Earth is magma. So about 840 billion cubic kilometers of molten rock! This makes it by far the most common liquid on Earth.]

As soon as you enter the cool water, you realize that you made a mistake! Merfolk shoot out from hidden underwater caverns and drag you down to your watery grave. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Earth has about 1.36 billion cubic kilometers of water, making it the 2nd most common liquid on the planet.]

As soon as your feet touch the oil it bursts into flames. You scream in agony as you are slowly consumed by fire. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*The Earth has an estimated 0.275 cubic kilometers of oil left, making it the third most common liquid on Earth.]

The mosquito continues to buzz angrily as you carefully step into the cylinder. But as soon as you are all the way in, it instantly vanishes and the floor in the cylinder begins to sink down. You notice that the magical walls do not extend below the stone’s surface. After a few minutes this strange elevator stops with a welcoming tunnel open before you. You made it! A cool breeze from the tunnel tousles your hair. Trying not to let your guard down, you walk down the new tunnel towards the faint blue light at its end. After a hike of half a kilometer or so, you enter a wonderfully large chasm. You almost feel like you’ve stepped inside a video game. You appear to be surrounded by five different biomes. The most majestic is the beautiful rainforest that stretches away to your left. Next to it, a pleasant grassy field rolls off into the distance. The biome on the other side of the field appears to be a park with trees, bushes and flowers. The oddest one comes next, it appears to be a magically suspended wedge of ocean full of plankton. The final path just looks like a normal warehouse with large metal columns cheerfully humming. It takes you a minute to notice the floating magical letters in the vastness of the cavern. //Consider these paths which before you lay, each provides oxygen day by day. Choose the one which provides the most, and you will not yet become a ghost.// [[Follow the rainforest path.]] [[Follow the path of grass.]] [[Follow the path of plankton.]] [[Follow the garden path.]] [[Follow the path of cryogenic distillation.]] (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Mosquitos are responsible for about 1,000,000 human deaths per year, making them the most dangerous creature on Earth.]

As soon as you enter the cylinder, the psychotic dog jumps at you and tears you apart. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Dogs are responsible for the deaths of about 25,000 people each year, making them the 4th most dangerous creature on Earth to humans.]

You don’t even make it all the way into the cylinder before the viper strikes. You feel its venom coursing through your veins as you collapse and die on the stone ground. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Snakes kill about 50,000 people each year, making them the 3rd most dangerous creature on Earth.]

The psychotic person turns out to be very real. You don’t last long. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Humans kill about 475,000 people each year, making them the 2nd most deadly creature on Earth to other people.]

As you walk down the rainforest, you slowly get sleepy from lack of oxygen and fall asleep, never to wake. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Rainforests produce about 28% of the Earth's oxygen, making them the 2nd largest producer of oxygen on the planet.]

Your stroll down the grassy path. Eventually you get bored and take a nap on the soft grass. But you never wake. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Grass produces far less than 2% of the Earth's oxygen.]

When you stick your hand into the floating ocean water, you notice that it is just an illusion. You start walking down the ocean path, admiring the beautiful ocean around you. Eventually you start to get hungry and consider having some of your meager remaining rations. But right when you are about to open the foil container, you smell the delicious aroma of food. You pick up the pace and the ocean soon disappears behind you and you enter a room containing a large round table with platters full of food. But it's not what you expect. As you walk around the table you note that each platter contains only one ingredient. The first platter has milk, the second has corn, the next sugarcane, followed by oil, then a platter of rice, and finally a platter with a pile of wheat. Confused, you look around for the magical letters you know will be there. When you find them, you read this message: //These wonderful foods you have at hand, are the ones most produced in all the land. Sample the one produced the very most, and you will finally meet your host.// [[Drink the milk.]] [[Eat the corn.]] [[Eat the sugarcane.]] [[Drink the oil.]] [[Eat the rice.]] [[Eat the wheat.]] (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Plankton produces about 70% of the Earth's oxygen, making it the largest producer of oxygen on the planet.]

The garden grows ever more beautiful as you proceed. However, you start to feel weaker and exhausted as the air grows thin. Eventually you collapse, never to rise again. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Gardens produces far less than 2% of the Earth's oxygen.]

As you stroll down the warehouse, you marvel at the power of man. But you notice that you are starting to stumble and lose focus. When you try to turn around in fear, you trip over a pipe, bang your head, and are knocked unconscious, never to wake. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*Cryogenic distillation produces far less than 2% of the Earth's oxygen.]

As soon as you swallow the sweet warm milk, it congeals in your throat! You can’t breathe! Choking, you look around for help, but as your sight dims, all you think you see is fairies. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 718.04 million tons of cow's milk are produced each year, making it the 5th most common food produced on Earth.]

The sweet corn is delicious, and you have several helpings. Soon you feel full. Too full! You feel the corn swelling inside your stomach. You try everything, but can’t get the magical corn out of your bloating abdomen. Your end isn’t pretty. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 1.16 billion tons of corn are produced each year, making it the 3rd most common food produced on Earth.]

You peel the sugarcane and eat the sweet, delicious center. You feel re-energized and confident! As you happily munch, a door silently slides open on the far wall. You grab another piece of sugarcane and walk through the door. The room on the other side is quite different from the previous ones. The light is dimmer here, and there is the faint sound of technology humming. When you take another step, you trip a laser and seven computers on a long table against the far wall flicker to life. Each monitor displays a different word, and you recognize them as common last names: da Silva, Garcia, Wang, Devi, Khan, Smith, and Ivanova. You can already guess your final task, but decide to read the floating poem just to be safe: //Welcome guest, for here I am, the brightest computer in all the land. I know the way to a happy life, even if it’s filled with strife. But one last test before you peek, at the truth for which you seek. My creator had the most common last name of all, So, choose his computer against this wall.// [[Sit at computer da Silva.]] [[Sit at computer Garcia.]] [[Sit at computer Wang.]] [[Sit at computer Devi.]] [[Sit at computer Khan.]] [[Sit at computer Smith.]] [[Sit at computer Ivanova.]] (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 1.87 billion tons of sugarcane are produced each year, making it the most produced food on Earth.]

The oil is strangely pleasant and you take a second sip. Unfortunately, moments later you discover this magical oil is also a magical laxative. You have an unpleasant end. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 418.44 million tons of palm oil fruit (which is used to make vegetable oil) is produced each year, making it the 6th most common food produced.]

Confident in your choice, you grab a generous portion of the cooked rice. It appears to be sticky rice. Too sticky! You can’t get your hand to open, and the rice is magically multiplying and spreading across your body! You fall to the ground, where you are stuck, never to rise again. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 1.26 billion tons of rice are produced each year, making it the 2nd most produced food on Earth.]

The kernels of wheat are surprisingly chewy. You enjoy a couple helpings, confident in your decision. Then you notice that the wheat currently in your hand is disintegrating into flour, as are you! After a few more minutes, you are merely a pile of white powder. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 760.9 million tons of wheat are produced each year, making it the 4th most common food produced on Earth.]

You sit down gingerly in front of the computer with the name da Silva. The name disappears from the monitor to be replaced by a beautiful video. The mesmerizing images continue for hours, hypnotizing you with their beauty. You never emerge from your alpha state. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 13.3 million people have the last name da Silva, making it the 36th most common last name. This name comes from Portugal.]

As soon as you sit down in front of the name Garcia, the name vanishes and is replaced by the opening scene of an amazing video game! You are astonished by the graphics, the storyline, at how well it keeps you in flow! You are completely immersed as you play for hours, then days, then... nothing. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 10.6 million people have the last name Garcia, making it the 47th most common last name on Earth. This name comes from Spain.]

As you sit gingerly in the seat, you remember the reasons why you agreed to come on this dangerous mission. To help those you love find happiness. Life is hard, so how can you help them be happy? You look at the screen, hoping for the secret to be revealed, but it doesn’t change. After a few minutes, you pull out the photo you always keep with you and put it in the corner of the screen. You smile down at the faces smiling up at you. The screen flickers and the word //Wang// is replaced by the word //Correct//. Then there is a small click off to the side of you. You look over, and see that a door has opened in the wall. Curiously, you get up and head over to the door, where you soon discover that it leads out of the mountain and to a hidden transport. Smiling to yourself, you board the transport, and within a few minutes you are on your way home to your loved ones! ''Congratulations, you found the secret!!'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 107 million people have the last name Wang, making it the most common last name on Earth! This name comes from China.] (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[**Research suggests that the greatest predictor of happiness in life is quality relationships.]

The name Devi vanishes when you sit down and is replaced by an interface which gives you access to what you soon discover to be all the knowledge available on earth! You now can learn anything you want; all knowledge and truth are at your fingertips! You lean forward eagerly! Within hours you have learned more than most people learn in an entire lifetime! Each new thing you learn fills a hole in your understanding and opens up three new questions for you to explore! You continue to learn and learn! Never leaving your seat again. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 71 million people have the last name Devi, making it the 6th most common last name on Earth. This name originates in India.]

There is a flash of light and pain when you sit in front of the screen that had displayed the name Khan. You look around confused, and realize that something has been injected into your arm. Fearful at first, you watch as something begins to spread out under your skin. Then you realize what has happened, you have been made immortal! Glorying in your victory, you sit there and relish living. And you continue to do so, forever. ''You haven't died. But, like, your end still sucks.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 22.9 million people have the last name Khan, making it the 17th most common last name on Earth. This name originated with the nomadic tribes in the Central and Eastern Eurasian Steppe.]

Nothing happens right away when you sit down. You tap the keyboard and the name Smith doesn’t change, but then the room starts to shake! You try to stand up, but straps shoot out of the chair and wrap themselves around you, securing you to the seat. As the ground continues to rumble, the room around you falls away as a titanium capsule forms around you and you rise up, up through the ground and high above the landscape around you. You are in a giant battle mech! You have unlimited magical and technological power at your fingertips! You can go and do anything you want! Within days, world governments crumble beneath your might! You rule the world! Then you run out of sugarcane and die. ''You have died.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 4.5 million people have the last name Smith, making it the 130th most common last name on Earth. It originated in England.]

Sitting on the seat triggers the screen to change from the word Ivanova to the prompt: “Enter your wish.” You are still hungry and thirsty, so you type “a glass of water”. A few seconds later, a robot brings you the best glass of water you have ever had! You soon discover that anything you enter into the prompt will be given you! Treasures, food, servants, anything and everything you want! You revel in the finest comforts life has to offer! Constantly filling every void in life with anything you can ask for! And yet, you feel empty and alone, which is also the way you die. ''You have died. Eventually.'' (text-colour: (rgba: 255, 255, 255, 0.5))[*About 1.2 million people have the last name Ivanova, making it the 423rd most common last name on Earth. It comes from Russia.]