Chapter 1: The Fall
Today was a day like any other. The sky was the usual light grey with the occasional patch of blue; clouds raced across the sky as the autumn breeze descended on the quiet city. Feeling inspired to finally get her life back together after indulging in a delectable space cake, Michelle considered the cake's potential extra ingredients.
As the sun was eclipsed by the moon, I thought the cake might have been laced with something else. Under normal circumstances, the news would report on a rare event like the convergence of the two major celestial bodies, as this was a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. For weeks prior, shops had been selling DIY glasses for observing it, but nothing was on the shelves.
I switched on the TV to check the news before the cake took effect. I didn't want to delve into a rabbit hole of discovery only to find out that something significant was occurring. I turned on the news, and every major channel in the UK was reporting on the spontaneous eclipse. People claimed their phones could only connect to the internet, and calls were abruptly ending.
Shocked, I tried to contact friends, family, anyone I could think of. She even called her local supplier for some weed, because if freak eclipses weren't the time to get stoned, when was?
However, nothing happened. Minutes turned into an hour, and the cake started to take effect. With a "beep," a voice announced that the eclipse wasn't an eclipse, but rather the sun collapsing in on itself, creating a powerful concentrated energy source.
"People of the planet known as Earth, due to continuous abuse of the planet and sentient life, we will initiate a sort of reset. You may ask why, well initially you were a test to determine if sapient beings can live in harmony without the use of Mana to enhance their abilities. Over the years, your planet has witnessed countless wars over differing beliefs of what happens after death, crusades against the opposite sex for alleged witchcraft and demons, and the development of weapons meant only for causing agonizing demise or lasting damage. Therefore, we've decided to reset, evolve, and SURVIVE. Your sun's collapse generated energy that relocated your planet to a new universe. Applause, please. In this universe, your planet has been enlarged, and other sentient and sapient beings have been given a place, hidden behind vast deserts, jungles, tundras, etc. Be warned, they are there, and they also seek survival. They were granted another chance because they came close to achieving what humanity couldn't due to the actions of a few."
"First, you'll be given a choice after this message: Do you wish to remain human or join one of the other races? This choice might demonstrate that you can thrive and endure even if you're not human in appearance. Those who choose to change their race will receive a permanent, unremovable title: 'Humanity's Chosen.' This title grants you an additional perk. Depending on your location, the quality of this perk may vary, given that most races will either die out or become similar to the poor from your medieval times."
"Next, you will all be offered a class. All the classes offered will grow and prove useful in various ways, but a tool is only as good as the person wielding it. Don't select 'cleric' and rush into battle in cloth armour, and don't choose full heavy armour when you're a weaker elven mage. You can be anything you want, except stupid, as that will lead to your demise. Hahaha," chuckled the voice, unaware of how poorly received that last bit might be. However, I knew exactly what to expect, and it wasn't promising.“Kids and young adults will likely be the first to go. Yes, many are gamers, but they will be idealistic, hoping for a brighter tomorrow”. While today's kids might need some discipline, death and suffering likely go too far. Pondering the staggering death toll, the voice resumed, 'Finally, you'll have the option of choosing a profession or a residence class. The profession choice is self-explanatory for the more reclusive among you, but for others, here are a couple of examples: You might choose to be a Mage who turns spells into tomes or scrolls, enabling you to sell knowledge for coin, not just power. Alternatively, become a mighty Warrior and forge armour with the strength of gods that you've refined for eons. The more intriguing option is the residence class. It may not seem powerful, but consider this: if a town mayor's population grows to 5000, they might become a city lord or a viscount under a King or Queen. This title would allow you to buy or rent mercenaries from the inter-dimensional marketplace or your local area to defend your holdings and the lives of your citizens."
"You could even become a deranged wizard investigating the mysteries of time itself, observing the river of time fold in on itself repeatedly, all from the privacy of your reclusive mountain tower or mystical temple within a mist-filled lake. The choice is limited only by your perception."
"So, everyone in existence, prepare yourselves. If you fail this test, the best you can hope for is eternity in oblivion. Good luck."
“What the fuck is that all about?” Some weird Overlord type has just told us that we fight and die but in the right way or fail and spend eternity in oblivion, and all he has to say is "Good Fucking Luck." What a Cunt of biblical proportions.
Well no time like the present to pick my future race because who wouldn't want to live as something a but more spicy. I pressed Yes on the race select option. The system warning that once race selection was initiated she would need to pick even if she chose the base human she would never be “herself” again. Pressing Okay she was greeted by literally couple hundred races and species but thousands of sub races for every type of person I guess. Selecting the elf race she was given a brief over view of their bonuses and skills.
Elves: They are slightly haughty and incredibly gifted with magic and mana of all kinds. Elves typically have 2 affinities that tie to their chosen deity or aspect depending if they follow a god or not. They have a variety of sub classes that give them less magical, natural means and arms orientated.( Multiple evolutions possible).
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While not incredibly interested in the elves it made sense to keep them as a back up as I really wanted to be a magic class. Killing people with my magical weed plants of life would be nice and help with fertilising my other crops a sinister smile began to creep on her face as he laughed “hahahaha”. Another race that might prove interesting is the dwarf race
Dwarves: They are known for being brawn over brains but that doesn't mean they have any less ingenuity as some of our Overlords favourite crafters. They are not particularly very strong in Magic, but excels at things that require physical strength. (Multiple evolutions possible).
The usual names like Humans, Gnomes, Pixies, Ents, Demonlings (select sin to embody), Angelings (select virtue to embody), and some more unusual ones like fenxin, dracoling, Lich (select obsession to pursue), Zombie, and many others. All these races could evolve depending on the class, profession, or residence taken, as well as some other factors that apparently would be unlocked at later levels.
While scrolling through the list, an interesting one appeared:
Vampling: This race is nearly identical to humans but is undead. Vamplings have the boost of the base race when turned through natural means, but any changes made through perks, spells/rituals, or integration of saved planets start as humans. To start, the human base has affinities to all types with a minor improvement to the Undeath, Death, Life, and Illusion affinities. Vamplings have access to minor hypnosis that affects small animals and birds to start, but upon evolving it becomes strong enough to kill. They can't turn the other races into Vamplings yet, but any of the base races that drink the Vamplings' blood every 24 hours will be enthralled for the following 48 days. Upon consumption of blood over 31 lunar cycles, the base race becomes forever enthralled with their master.
Selecting the Vampling class, I was greeted with a flash of light and suddenly darkness. Waking up on the floor, I felt cold — not uncomfortable, but cold — and not something a 26-year-old in a fluffy pink dressing gown should be feeling. Feeling groggy from the earlier goodies, I staggered to the mirror and found that I was unusually pale and had two small fangs protruding from underneath my top lip. Shocked at the fact that my top lip now had instant lip filler and a desperate need for a tan, all I could say was, “Fuck, it wasn't a dream.”
Another screen suddenly appeared in my sight, asking me to select my class and profession or residence class. Now, finally accepting my current reality, I slowly sat on the couch to take in my surroundings and find out what this timer in the corner of my vision was. First, the class. I already had some vague recollection of a powerful vampire mage slinging spells and controlling the very fabric of space, but let's be serious — that can't be possible. The classes were listed in four categories: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, and Cleric. Instantly disregarding the Warrior or Rogue categories, I clicked on Mage and scrolled through.
Psi Mage, Earth Mage, Elementalist, Water Mage, Summoner, Dragon Priest, Temporal Mage, Astro Mage, etc. Wondering about the Summoner, who could bring forth beings from other dimensions or even from a person's very imagination — whether they want to be up close or commanding from afar. Scrolling through the list, I found my own niche that would work with all the affinities of the human race. Affinity Summoner. This allowed me to summon one champion and associated armies and races from that affinity. All Champions summoned have undying loyalty to their summoner, but the armies and commoners might not. Remember, a country isn't built by one person but the whole kingdom, but one person can bring it down.
Excited about the first champion I could summon, I nearly forgot about the next class and perks. Looking at the list, I could probably summon the professions I needed, but a good residence somewhere that a Vampling Affinity Summoner can live and survive in peace. Bringing up the vast list of residence options (and I mean vast, as there was a residence for every conceivable type of person), holy grounds or churches for the good holy types, vast castles with fully geared-out barracks and villages ready for new people to move into. Unfortunately, having my own armies and citizens that come with my class, I should probably pick something that suits them. Scrolling and scrolling until I came across an interesting one,
Inner Universe: creates a small, separate universe that can store living and inanimate objects, which can be anchored to your current location or temporarily summon a portal as long as the caster remains near the portal. The user of this residence class can't actually enter their own universe, but it helps to be able to summon an army at the drop of a hat.
Despite the kind of sarcastic ending about not getting me a house, but housing the army might have been catty, but it was exactly what I needed. Nearly done with my creation, I finally noticed the time in the corner was nearly at 00:00, and I didn't want to not be ready by the time it hit, so on to the perks. I started reading the perk list and noticed the 2 I had were upgraded to Legendary and Epic, which was worrying because that more than likely meant that I would be dead nearly instantly. Scrolling through the Legendary perks, I noticed a Race evolution was present, and not seeing anything that would help with immediate survival, I went with that one. Another screen appeared, and it had 3 choices:
Vampire Lord: A being who Lords over all Vampires and Vamplings, able to organize vast amounts of minions and thralls, gaining undying loyalty from both. A Vampire Lord is only as strong as their minions. Affinities towards Undeath, Death, Life, Shadow.
Mist Walker: The Mist Walker is usually a basic evolution for Elven Vamplings, as the Mist Walker has a higher affinity for Undeath, Death, Water, Illusions than the Vampire Lord, giving a slimmer, more see-through body and appearance. They excel in magic that allows them to change into mist or animals.
Progenitor Vampire: A vampire that is the first of their kind. They are the parents to all Lords and Ladies of the court of Undeath. Nothing is higher than these ancient beings, except other more sinister ancients. These naturals are far more vicious than you will ever be, but you will be in the same ranks as these apocalyptic monstrosities, and that's something to be proud of. With higher affinities for a random selection of affinities, promising a chance at a truly unique Progenitor.
I hovered over Vampire Lord, hoping that thralls and minions would save me. A vast army of summons and a select group of thralls and minions cloaked in shadows really appealed to me, but I went with Progenitor Vampire. Upon clicking the option, my world clouded as a multitude of colours swirled around me, six growing brighter: Black for Death, Gray for Time, Teal for Nature, Purple for Illusion, Swirl of Gray, Red, and Blue for Space, and Gold for Holy.
Finally, it was time for the epic perk, and I knew what I needed. Hopefully, Lady Luck would smile upon my list, granting me the one thing necessary to survive, as I doubted my little house would last long. Going through the list of perks, I think I've finally found something – the Soul-Bound Mansion with 60 acres of land. It's claimed and fenced in, accessible only by me and the people I choose. The grounds come with undead guardians that upgrade in quality and defences as you progress and survive. It could be changed, but I believe my race is now affecting the defences. It's still better than nothing, and I'll soon have my own armies.
Now is the time for me to summon my first champion and search for a location to place my mansion