Chapter 3

A flat world popped into existence around me, stretching out as far as I could see. There was no sun or moon, but the sky was gloomy like it was the hour before sunrise. There was a slight breeze, which rustled through my hair and refreshed me with the scent of pine. I breathed it in, trying to force out the smell of the shipping container . . . which apparently was my Soul Space. Whatever that was. This new place was so unlike the Soul Space, and the place before that, that the sudden openness made me feel small and cold.

When I tried to move, I once again couldn’t. I could look around and it felt like I had a body, but when I looked down, I couldn’t see myself. It looked like one of those poorly designed virtual reality games where the body of your own character wasn’t rendered.

Suddenly, dark shapes started to rise up vertically out of the ground in front of me from a long row of circular indentations as if they were holographic or had no real substance. Each shape I realized contained a figure. Most were humanoid, but some were not. They stretched in a horizontal line as far as my eyes could see in both directions.

As the figures within the shapes finished rising, their feet now at ground level, a bright spotlight flicked on, highlighting just the one in front of me. I couldn’t help but appreciate the backlighting. It outlined the figure and allowed me to fully grasp the details of the subject.

A familiar bubbly feeling rose up in my chest. This reminded me of playing a new game with Phil. Phil and I went way back. He was a gamer buddy of mine, and if he saw something like this . . . in real life . . . he would be shitting his pants with excitement right now. I knew exactly what this was. Character Creation. I had done it a million times. Now, to be clear, while I play all sorts of games, I am not the sweaty . . . competitive type. Let me tell you something about those types . . .

They’re fucking annoying.

But uhh, yeah, I’m not even really the competent type of gamer. I’m more along the lines of the ‘just barely okay’ type of gamer. But I’m not dumb. Well. Okay. Maybe that’s debatable.

But anyways, I guess what I was originally trying to say is that Phil is going to be pumped when he dies.

The figure in front of me was tall, muscular, and wore a dark black robe. He had long hair that blew slowly with the wind and was also pierced with pointed ears. I looked at his eyes and saw nothing but malice. I knew instantly that this was some sort of evil elf, and as my eyes adjusted to the sudden lighting and I fully focused on the figure, a dark gray description box opened in midair with easy-to-read white text. I also noticed that the window was slightly transparent so that I could still see behind him. Nice.

I read the text, and as I did a breathy, excited, nerdy male voice started narrating within my mind. Like he had just pushed up his glasses.

Race: Dark Elf

Description: It is said the Bringer of Light herself created the elves. These once fair folk walked the woodlands of Therindel for ages before corruption and pride rooted in their hearts. They have been granted elegance, speed, and endurance that other races cannot compete with.

Racial Passive: When standing still in shadows, dark elves become difficult to detect.

The detail of the elf was lifelike. indication of what to do next and realized there was a search box above him, as well as two arrows pointed both left and right down the endless line of options. I mentally swiped the left arrow, and the figures all shifted that direction which put a new familiar four-footed option in front of me.

Race: Tundra Wolf

Description: This majestic—

I swiped left. I wasn’t going to play a fucking wolf.

“Wait c’mon, I was reading that,” said Mie’s voice.

“Hold on a sec. You’re here too?” I said, looking around for her. I felt her eyes go wide and felt her do something like a little shrug.

“Uh yeah. You think I was going to stick around with Greg? Haha! Yeah no. Also, to be clear . . . I’m not sure I had a choice? But if I did, this would definitely have been it.”

“Okay, well sweet,” I said. Part of me, I realized, was relieved I hadn’t left her alone with Greg.

“Aw, you like me?”

“What? No. I mean yes, but not, like, like you . . . that would be messed up, since you are a baby and all that. Not that babies aren’t likeable. I like babies. Uhhh that sounds weird. No I mean I like you as like, a friend. A new friend. You know what I mean!”

“Yeah, I get it. You’re a perv. I mean . . . Greg being a pervert was one thing . . . but you too?” I felt her go smug.

“Okay. Well played, but c’mon, you know what I meant! Anyways . . . any thoughts here?” I said, trying to change the subject. I tried to gesture to the long row of figures and again failed, my invisible arm stuck in place.

“You mean like, what race you should pick?” I felt her shrug once again. “I don’t know what’s going on any better than you do, but I’d prefer you didn’t totally suck at this game as my existence depends on it, I think.”

“Mkay . . . so uhh, no pressure then?” I asked.

“No pressure. Sure.”

The next figure, part metal and part flesh, slid in, so I continued reading. I noticed underneath an option to expand a section the system called Battle Arts, which consisted of what looked like weapons proficiencies. I thought of it as a class but I wasn’t sure if that was the intention.

Race: Bio Mech

Description: Forged in the core of a planet, from ore granted by the gods, this race of half-lives rose from the deepest places in existence having become one with their machinery. Tinkering-creative minds combined with their steel-forged skeletons make this race a worthy opponent. While they are strong defensively due to their metal skeleton, they lack in biological strength and endurance.

Racial Passive: 30% reduction to Poison and Bleed effects.

Battle Arts, pick one of the following:

Two Handed Sword Art: You acquire skill with the two-handed sword.

Shield Art: You acquire skill with the shield.

Okay, I had to admit, I was starting to get excited. I wished I was able to dig into these Battle Arts more or use a web browser to figure out what build I should start with, but I wasn’t exactly at my dual monitor gaming setup. I narrowed my eyes on the words “Battle Arts” and was pleased when an additional informational window appeared.

Battle Arts:

Description: Battle Arts determine the potential ability trees that your character is able to progress through. All starting characters are limited to a single Battle Art to start. They also determine what weapons you are able to wield. There are four primary Battle Art categories: Damage, Defensive, Healing, and Support. Starting Battle Arts land squarely in one of these categories, but at level 10 additional Battle Arts become available for pick up based on your starting Battle Art.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

In most MMORPG games I tended to play supportive roles, like a paladin or priest for shields and heals, a tank to grab aggro, or something with crowd control for stuns. I told Phil I liked playing those types . . . but I just sucked at critical damage-dealing roles. Since this was a survival game of some sort . . . I figured I should probably start with some damage. And if I could manage it, solid health . . . and also speed. So, something well rounded or just . . . OP would be great. I had no idea where I was going to pop up and what challenges I would face, but I figured if I wasn’t able to do damage early game, I was going to have a bad time.

I glanced at the search bar above the line of character races again. Could it be? I mentally selected it, and a cursor appeared within it as well as in a text input right below my system feed. My question appeared in both places as I typed it out in my head and sent a mental “enter” command.

~: What are the top damage outputting races that are also somewhat fast and have solid starting health?

Query Complete

The figures in the line of races in front of me popped away and shifted until only twenty now stood in front of me. Too many.

~: Can you filter those down to only those that have magic based Battle Arts?

Error, no results.

Huh, it looked like physical damage in this game trumped magical damage. Since all these races didn’t have any magical Battle Art options and they were the highest damage- . . . odds were physical damage was king here . . . at least in terms of pure damage output. That was refreshing. Usually, magic was always way, way better than swinging a sword around in most games, especially when it came to sheer numbers. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe this . . . was all real. I really needed a solid race. If I didn’t pick well here . . . I was fucked. Going with a hunch, I typed up my next query.

~: Okay. Let’s start over. Send me some races that are ethereal in nature / have a history in magic, but have high physical damage output, with high stats in Agility and Health.

Query Complete

I couldn’t be sure magic wasn’t good. I just knew the query system thought it wasn’t. But I didn’t know what parameters it was searching by. Maybe it was just searching by raw starting DPS, and not DPS down the road. I didn’t even know if it was considering abilities. I didn’t want to lock myself out of a potential pivot to an OP magic tree, if I could help it. When I looked up, I knew I was onto something immediately by the fact that only three figures stood before me. One a combination of plant and tiger, one a burly warrior with braided hair, and one that was hooded and seemed to fade in and out. I swiped through them, taking my time.

Race: Grassland Sylvan

Description: Emerging from the fertile grasslands, the sylvans are a unique fusion of plant and flesh. They have a deep connection to nature, drawing strength from the earth and the sun. Their keen senses and powerful limbs make them formidable in combat, while their plant-like qualities provide natural camouflage and regenerative abilities.

Racial Passive: 20% increased movement speed in natural environments.

Battle Arts, pick one of the following:

Dart Gun Art: You acquire skill with the dart gun.

Bow Art: You acquire skill with the bow.

Race: Mountain Elf

Description: Descendants of both elven grace and dwarven might, the Mountain Elves are a fierce and noble race who find their place in the world on the highest peaks. With the strength of the dwarves and the agility of elves, they dominate both land and sea. Their deep connection to the winds grants them unparalleled speed and agility, while their formidable combat skills make them deadly opponents. They are known for their resilience and their ability to harness the power of the elements.

Racial Passive: 25% improvement to base sight.

Battle Arts, pick one of the following:

One-Handed Axe Art: You acquire skill with the one-handed axe.

Spear Art: You acquire skill with the spear.

Race: Forest Shade

Description: The Forest Shades are mysterious, shadowy humanoids who dwell deep within ancient forests. Their bodies are partially ethereal, blending seamlessly with the shadows and foliage around them. Masters of stealth and deception, they are agile and quick, striking from the darkness with precision. Their intimate connection to the forest grants them unique abilities to manipulate their surroundings and remain unseen.

Racial Passive: Immune to all forms of tracking.

Battle Arts, pick one of the following:

Bow Art: You acquire skill with the bow.

Dagger Art: You acquire skill with the dagger.

“Yeah . . . this is starting to feel like a no-brainer. I mean part elf, part dwarf?” I said.

I looked across my options. The Mountain Elf gave me the vibe of an absolute badass. His skin was fair but marked with some minor scars, his hair in a single braid, leaving most of it to catch in the simulated wind. He wasn’t too skinny like an elf, and not too short like a dwarf, but his ears were still pointed and he just looked . . . awesome.

“The other two options are good but . . .” I read back through their descriptions. “Both of those are more stealth based, and I absolutely despise stealth mechanics in any multiplayer game. We didn’t even know what kind of survival game this was. What if stealth is useless?” I stopped talking and started thinking, all these races did seem fantasy based. That didn’t tell me much, but it at least seemed to suggest there wouldn’t be machine guns or tanks or anything . . . I hoped.

One thing caught my attention over everything else though. His enhanced eyesight. Enhanced perception was almost always the way to go. With that, I made up my mind.

“Wait . . . so let me get this straight. You are going to pick the part elf, part dwarf?” Mie asked.

“I can’t help it. I mean . . . look at him.”

“Oh, yeah I see him. I just think . . . that maybe . . . you’re basically picking a human.”

“What? No, I’m picking—Oh. Yeah. I see it now.” The figure did look basically human. “Uh, the ears are different.”

“I’m not judging.”

“It sort of feels like you are.”

I went ahead and selected Mountain Elf with the Spear Battle Art option and confirmed my choice.

System: You received a new character of race, {Mountain Elf}!

System: What is your name?

The system paused there, and I realized I could reply right in line.

~: Sam

System: Error, name already in use. Use Sam#42400201100390 {Accept}?

Of course. Literally every popular game developer was using this hash tag convention now. I looked back at the prompt. That number was staggering. Were there really over forty-two million Sams? That couldn’t be right. I tried one of my gamer tags.

~: KingSlayer

System: Error, name already in use. Use KingSlayer#230002 {Accept}?

~: KingKiller

System: Error, name already in use. Use KingKiller#9404021 {Accept}?

Huh. That was odd. Each one suggested the same thing with a hashtag after it. I tried a couple more with similar results. Who was picking KingSlayer06 as their name? I tried a few other variations, trying to keep it short until finally I said screw it as I thought about what Greg had said earlier. I typed in something random in order to get rid of the hash tag. It was a pride thing. I wanted my own name.

~: AnythingButSquished

System: Approved

System: Long identifier detected. What is your character’s nickname?

~: Sam

Character 1/2 confirmed

Huh. That was nifty. I felt myself suddenly pop into the flat world. I could feel my body again, and I was able to move around the flat character creation area. I stretched and noticed a reflective pool a couple yards off. I went over to it, and I was surprised that my face was mostly my own outside of a couple scars that lined my chin. I also looked more . . . epic. My long elf hair flowed down my back, my shoulders were broad, and my nicely tanned arms were thickly muscled. I was bare chested, with no shirt to speak of, but my basic Chubbie-like shorts felt incredible. I just looked so . . . cool.

“Woah there, lets calm down a bit,” Mie said and I realized she must be able to see me checking myself out.

“Huh? Why? This is sweet,” I said. I did a little jump which turned out to be pretty big. Four feet or so. After getting used to my new body for a few minutes, I glanced back at the system log.

“What are we waiting for?” Then it hit me. “Wait. I think we get two-character slots.” I looked back at the system log again. Yep. One out of two characters confirmed. I looked back at the row of races, and was about to start swiping, when all of a sudden, the figures started moving. That was when I felt Mie weighing her options. Swipe. Swipe. Swipe. I tried to swipe too, but it seemed I was locked out from interacting with the interface.

“Mie, wait. Don’t confirm anything until we have talked this—”

I cut off as I felt her throw a sidelong glance at me, and then her emotions did something like a little smirk.

“Hmm? What was that?” she asked innocently.

Then the notification popped up.

Character 2/2 confirmed