Preface -
This “story” is something that I’ve had parts of written over the past 6 months as I’ve read lots of others both on this website and others. I’m picking and choosing different aspects of ones I like so some parts may seem similar but hopefully the overall picture will actually be a bit different.
I will warn you now I’m not actually sure where this story is going, I’ve just had the need to put parts of this story down as I see things here and there in other stories that either bother me or how I wish something else happened.
The main character will definitely have some wish fulfillment (because why not) but hopefully it won’t be overboard, nor will it show up immediately. He will also eventually be overpowered but I’m hoping that the arc of how it happens builds slowly and makes sense.
Please note also I’ve always had terrible spelling and grammar even though, yes, English is my first language. So I am attempting to utilize Google to play as my editor. If you notice an error feel free to let me know as it bugs me when I see mistakes also but don’t expect me to go back and fix them unless it’s something story related that needs to be fixed.
Thanks,
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Chapter 1
Today is the day.
It’s finally happening.
Today Accord of the Ages is going live and I get to be one of the first ones to join.
2 years ago today legendary game maker Leopold Enterprises announced that they would have a new state of the art VRMMO game coming out and with it a revolutionary rig to allow you to play. Other than that only two things were shown about it. First was a picture of a sort of pod that was a bit larger than a coffin and second a short video sequence that starts with a non-descript character in a cloak with their face covered on top of a mountain overlooking a valley. The video then zooms the slope of the mountain into the plains where figure after figure is lined up. They aren't all humans, elves, or dwarfs, no there looks to be dozens maybe even hundreds of races. After a quick flyby the video fades to black and shows "Accord of the Ages” and then the number 730 followed by a url which page just has a countdown timer.
After that there was nothing announced. While there was wild speculation from everyone, there was absolutely nobody that could provide evidence backing up any theories about what the picture or video meant.
This continued for 12 months, and just as people were starting to think that the entire thing was a hoax the website updated again. This time below the countdown timer there was a single link that said, “Join Us”. When you clicked on the link you were given the following information.
1. You must be at least 18 years of age
2. Fill out a 5 page questionnaire about yourself
3. You must have an enclosed space with at least 9 x 4 feet.
4. Sign the EULA linked
The commotion around AotA once again grew as everyone filled out the questionnaire and signed the EULA. People were both extremely excited and confused by the questions asked as it had everything from age, race, sex to dietary habits, hobbies, and living arrangements. People couldn’t figure out why over half of the questions were being asked by LE but they filled it out anyway just because of the companies past history in creating amazing games.
When the timer showed 6 months left another set of new information showed up. That is when you found out that the thing that looked like a large coffin was actually a VR capsule. That is when you found out that you could literally live in the rig for weeks at a time without taking a break. That is when you found out that a lucky 1,000 people would be sent a Capsule for free and have it delivered and installed by launch date whereas everyone else would have to purchase one and wouldn't be able to enter until 1 month had passed.
Obviously by now you have figured out I am one of those lucky 1,000 people. I honestly don’t know how I got so lucky. I grew up in a single parent household where my mom worked 2 jobs just to pay the rent and provide food for us. I had no great scholastic achievements to my name nor was I some sports prodigy. I was simply Matt(hew) Jaspers, a 20 year old suedo kid who won a roll of the dice.
I take a look at the clock and see that there is 30 minutes until launch. With that I open up the Capsule, lie down, and then close it while everything goes dark. I had lied down before in the Capsule so I knew that the gel like material would wrap itself around me making it seem like I was being held weightless on the most comfortable bed possible. This time however, a short time after the gel like substance contoured itself to my body, a screen appears in front of my face.
Initializing…
Please Wait
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Suddenly, the blackness is gone and I am in a room of all white. As I stand there and look around I hear a voice off over my right shoulder say, “Hello There! My name is Eva and I see that you have yet to set up your avatar. Would you like to do so now?”
I turn to my right and look at the woman who just spoke. As I look at her I try and take in all the details and as I try not to be overwhelmed. Eva seems to be about 5’4” with white hair and silver skin. As I look at her I smartly respond, “Huh?” (I’m a genius I know).
Eva giggles slightly and again says, “This seems to be your first time here. That means that you need to do your initial setup if you want to be able to get into Accord of the Ages on time.”
I quickly attempt to get my bearings and reply, “Sure, that sounds great. But who are you?”
Eva takes a closer look at me, as if she’s trying to figure out if I have a few screws loose at this point and says, “As I mentioned before, my name is Eva. I am the Artificial Intelligence that oversees AotA as well as walks you through the onboarding process.”
Now that I’ve had time to take in my surroundings, I try and assure Eva that I’m not a complete moron. “Oh cool, so let's get started then. What do we need to do first?”
“Well, to start I’ll need to ask you a few questions. This will help slim down the number of options available to something more manageable for you to make a decision off of. Of course after the questions, if you want to trust me to pick what I feel is the best starting location and race for you we can do that as well.”
Confused I look at her and ask, “Are there any benefits to allowing you to pick for me? Or is it more for the people who can’t figure out what they want on their own?”
“I suppose you could say it’s a little of both. While most people believe they know what they want, usually they are completely off base. This means that I am more likely to get you something that you will enjoy and feel more comfortable with. You should note though that either way you will not be able to make any changes once you lock in your choice. There is no ‘rerolling’ your character”
I look at her and ask, “Can I have a few minutes to think about it?”
She smiles widely replying, “Of course!”
I sit down on the white nothingness and close my eyes so that I can think. Do I know what I want? Do I trust myself to know what is best for me? I snort softly to myself. Can I trust her? How the hell can she really know what would be best for me? As these thoughts go through my head I slowly come to the conclusion that she’s probably right. I don’t know exactly what I want. Besides this is supposed to be an adventure, why not guarantee it starts off like one?
I stand up and open my eyes looking at Eva.
In turn she smiles again, more like a motherly smirk really, and promptly announces, “Let me guess, while you’re not sure you can trust me, you really don’t know what you want so you’ve decided to roll the dice.”
I look at her, shocked, and mumble, “Um...well mostly. It wasn’t really a matter of trust. I figure you’re there to help us get started. I was more working my way through figuring out if I knew what I wanted and concluded that if this was supposed to be an adventure I might as well start it off right.”
To this Eva puts a genuine smile on her face and says, “Well, then let us get started. The sooner we do this the sooner you can start that adventure.” She then looks a bit more serious and says, “Okay, I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions. I want you to respond as quickly as possible with the first thing that pops into your head.”
I nod my head expectantly.
“First up, what would you like to be called?”
“Mathias”
“Are you the life of the party, or do you sit in the corner and watch?”
“Umm…”
“Quickly now!”
“Corner.” I mumble.
“I know, but wanted to see if you did. Do you like the country, the suburbs, or the city?”
“Suburbs”
It went back and forth like that for what felt like forever. There didn’t seem to be any order to the questions, nor did it seem like she was looking for any particular answers. After what seems like hours she finally stops, looks at me, and the nods to herself. “Ok I guess that is enough to get a rough overview.”
By this point I was mentally exhausted and looked at her exasperated. “Hasn’t the game launched by now! Aren’t I late?”
Confused, she looked at me and then suddenly smiles cheerfully, “Nope! Did you forget? There is time compression of 4 to 1. 30 Minutes in real time is actually 2 hours here so you have about 10 more minutes here until launch.”
"Oh....in that case can I ask a few questions?"
"I don't see why not. What do you want to know?"
"Well, I'm curious as to how the whole magic and skill system works honestly. I love the idea about being able to call lightning down from the sky and teleporting all over the place but if it means I have to sound like a moron yelling 'Lightning Bolt!' or 'Charge!' every time I don't think I can handle that."
Eva gives me a strange look that I'm not quite sure how to interpret and says, "Now that is a really good question. To be completely honest pretty much everyone who wants to use magic or skills of any sort will have to do exactly that." She notices how dejected I look and quickly continues, "That being said there may be a way. Your path will be much, much harder, but if you stick with it you could end up being one of the most powerful people...if you don't get slaughtered by everyone wanting to learn your secrets that is."
When she says that I look at her and can tell she's not joking at all. If I choose that path things will be difficult. At the same time I knew right away that it was the path for me. I look right into her eyes and with all the conviction I can muster I say, "Then that's the path for me."
Eva goes back to giving me a big grin and says, "Great! In that case you're off on your adventure Mathias"
Just as my vision begins to go black I hear a faint sound that goes, "Well shit....eh, he'll manage just fine. And he'll thank me so long as he lives long enough"