Welcome Brian Reed, to The Di Game.

I blink as my vision clears. I am standing in a neutral grey space. In front of me, in an unseen spotlight, the tallest women I've ever seen stands. A goddess. Her simple white dress collects around her feet and long silver hair dangles down to her lower back.

I am the prime goddess of this world. It is my charge to oversee your introduction and journey during your time here. You may refer to me as Evian.

The corners of her mouth pull up into a smile as her voice reverberates through the empty space like a chorus of bells. But never once does she open her mouth to speak.

For a moment I just stand there stunned. I look down at my hands, inspecting the pores of my skin as I wiggle my fingers. Turning my hands over I look at my nails. Yup, ripped at and chewed, just like in real life (I really gotta try and fix that habit). I look down at my outfit, a clean, white pair of pants covers my legs and a t-shirt of matching material covers my chest. I finger the material, the lightweight, stretchy cloth is soft to the touch, it folds and bends in my hands just as a real fabric would. I lift the hem of my shirt close to my face, stretching the material as far as I could, I marvel at the individual threads. This is one of the best indications of a truly realistic virtual reality, perfect details.

Ahem.

With a start I look up to the goddess, her smile seems a little tighter than before.

Now, let's start with a brief overview of this world.

She waves her hand, conjuring a simple wooden desk and chair into the grey space in front of me. Motioning for me to take a seat.

Carefully, ever so delicately as to not damage the wood, I pull the chair back, letting the vibrations from moving it travel up my arm. Seeing that I'm seated, the goddess gives a little nod and straightens her shoulders, starting her explanation.

I'm not listening though, I lean forward and trace my fingers along the grains. Wood is a precious rarity on the station, metal and rock can be easily mined from nearby planets and asteroids but wood takes time, something that nobody seemed to have in this chaotic world. Letting my gaze travel along the grains, I quickly become obsessed to committing this rare resource to memory.

My daze is broken by a clap from the goddess. Transforming the precious wood into cold, hard metal. I look up to her in horror. Does she have any idea what she's just done?

Quite the eccentric one, aren't you?

Her words are playful but there's an icy tone to her voice. Her lips are pressed together in a thin line as she looks at me in annoyance. I match her expression.

"Do you have any ide-"

Yes, she cuts me off, I replaced the VIRTUAL wooden desk with a VIRTUAL metal one. This is just a GAME, after all.

She crosses her arms, staring down at me with eyes like silver daggers. I cower in embarrassment. You can also tell it's true virtual reality when you forget you're in a game.

Now, I'm going to start the introduction over again. You will listen this time, yes?

I nod weakly, avoiding eye contact and I slouch down in my chair.

Good.

She waves her hands, conjuring a blackboard and chalk. I watched, determined to pay attention as she begins to draw on the blackboard, filling the grey space with echoing scratchy sounds.

When this world was first created by the other gods and myself, we introduced a wide variety of life. Primitive beasts and plants that survived and evolved on instinct alone. But slowly, over the course of hundreds of thousands of years some of the races began to grow aware of their existence, and of their place in the world around them.

She draws a circle, seemingly to represent the world, then beside it scribbles a couple of strange creatures, unlike anything I've seen. One kinda looks like what I assume to be a panther, but seemed to have a large feathery pair of wings. Another was a giant spider-like creature that appears to drip with acid. Unless historical documents are incorrect, panthers didn't have wings, and spiders weren't giant and acid-ey.

Astonished at their newfound sentience, the other gods and I decided to reward them with a gift. We created a new species of creatures, one already blessed with sentience and also with another gift, the power of gods, magic.

She draws a picture of a couple of cute little creatures. They seemed to be made up of the elements themselves and had a strangely cartoonish quality about them.

We named this species the Sprites, and for every creature that fought their way to sentience we created a Sprite. Their companion and protector for life. With the aid of these Sprites, each and every creature could borrow the power of the gods, and create their own little miracles for protection and survival.

Her drawings show three pairs of Sprites and people. One of the pairs is a young child and a Sprite playing with hovering spheres of water, the child is giggling as the Sprite splashes her with water. Another is an old tailor who sits working in the dark, at his side a Sprite emits a pure white light, helping him see. The final pair is facing away, toward a large shadowy beast. With a fire Sprite at his side, the young man seems more than ready for the danger.

For eras, life was peaceful. Sprites and creatures coexisted in a beautiful harmony. But as the eldest of creatures slowly passed away, more and more of the immortal Sprites were without companions, left to roam the world in search of a new purpose. Eventually, the oldest of Sprites couldn't take it anymore, and were driven mad by their meaningless, purposeless existence. These Sprites, desperate for companionship turned toward the only things that didn't already have companions. The beasts and plants that still relied on instinct instead of awareness for survival.

This time she draws a boar, its eyes seem to glow with a dark red energy and fire erupts across its body.

In their frenzied madness they forced bonding rituals upon these creatures. Empowering them with their power but also their madness. These Sprite-Beasts now roam this world, leaving trails of destruction in their wake. The only way to defeat them and put the Sprites to rest is by using the same power that created them, the power of the gods, magic.

At one side of her image she draws a large horde of possessed beasts. Acid spiders melting and feasting upon unsuspecting people, large wolf like creatures lunging out of the ground to tear out throats, and winged panthers hiding in the shadows. Beasts of all types slaughtering helpless innocent people.

At the other side of her image, a large army of people charge into battle against the beasts. At their sides Sprites fly, imbuing them with powers and launching attacks of their own. The people are of all different races, some made of rock or covered entirely in hair. A couple people were towering above the others, and even more are almost being trampled beneath their feet. Some have extra limbs and others have only two. Each person was uniquely different, and used their differences to their advantage in the battle.

She suddenly stops scribbling and stares at me with an intense gaze.

Realizing our mistakes, we gods did all we could to fix it, but ancient laws prevented us from directly interfering with the world. We did what we could, and called back all of the still sane wandering Sprites, giving them one final gift. A second chance.

This is where you travelers come in. When you finish choosing your body for this world, instead of us creating a new sprite for you, you will be paired with one of these former wandering Sprites. Already with a lifetime of experience, these Sprites are much more powerful than normal, as such it will be up to you and your newfound companion to put the ravaging Sprite-Beasts to rest.

Please traveler, we beg of you. Join our cause and help save the poor souls of the mad Sprite-Beasts!

She is basically kneeling at this point. Her silver eyes seem to be brimming with tears as she stares at me, waiting for my response. I turn her words over in my head. Something seems amiss.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Didn't you say that this was 'just a game' earlier. Why are you so committed to this act? If it is 'just a game', why is it so important for us players to be ‘fixing’ your mistake? Or is your 'mistake' just a convenient plot point to get new players interested into your story?"

She seems shocked by my questions, the blood drains from her face as, for the first time she talks with her actual mouth.

"Ah! Er, Ahem, I'm sorry Playe- erm, Traveller. I- I'm not sure I understand what you mean! Hahah..." She frantically waves her hands as she backs away, bumping into her chalkboard she disappears into a cloud of chalk dust.

I sit there for a minute, stunned. I'm not sure why she was so flustered, perhaps I was a little too inquisitive? Maybe I could have tried phrasing the questions in a simpler manner. My thoughts wander for a while before I notice a small blue window had popped up in front of me.

Brian Reed,

It has been brought to our attention that the staff member in charge of your introduction has made a mistake. She is being spoken too and disciplined for her actions. Another staff member will be sent to complete your introduction momentarily. We thank you for your consideration and apologize for our staff's behaviour.

-The Friendly Administrators of The Di Game

I read over the message confused, what sort of mistake did she make? I certainly didn't notice anything. Shaking my head, I wave away the box and idly drum my fingers on the desk as I wait for the next person to arrive.

Eventually, a bright slit of light catches my attention. I watch, curious as it lengthens, twists and turns to form the outline of a doorway. As suddenly as it appears, it goes dark, and a white gloved hand reaches through the edge of the darkness to push it open.

Bending down to step through the abyssal doorway, a tall man enters the grey space. Taller than the woman, he wears an entirely white suit with matching pants and tie. Thick lensed glasses sit atop his large nose, slipping down only to be pushed up by a gloved white hand. His face seems to be quite youthful, but his hair is white like that of an old man.

Stolen novel; please report.

He bows lightly as he introduces himself.

“Greetings traveler, my name is Oren, I will be in charge of the final portion of your introduction.”

I speak up, “Before we start, I have a quick question.”

Oren looks down at me, a concerned expression flashing on his face before being replaced with a cool professional smile.

“It's not one of the questions you attempted to ask Evian, I hope.”

“No, no. I was just wondering why the gods didn't directly give magic to the sentient races?”

Relief floods his features and he lets out a sigh.

“Although these races were mighty with their newfound sentience, they were not powerful enough to wield the power of the gods. Sprites were created as a way to allow them access to the power without destroying their mortal forms.”

He removes a handkerchief from his suit pocket and dabs at his brow, “Now if that's your only question, shall we proceed to character creation?” He begins to move away, but I raise a finger to stop him.

“Actually, I have one more. This game was created by the Erta, yet both of staff members I've seen appear to be human.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk and lacing my fingers. “Care to explain?”

A strange expression, one I don't recognize flashes across his face for a brief second before once again being replaced with his cool smile.

“The head office in charge of managing this game’s release decided that all staff members were to take human like appearances as to not frighten travelers. Now, is that everything?”

“Hmm,” I make a noise and frown, dissatisfied with my answer. Nodding anyways, I stand up.

“Yeah, let's go.”

Well, I actually had a couple more questions, but I doubt he'd be able to answer them.

“Very well, please follow me.”

The doorway that he entered from reopened, this time leading into a white space. He motions for me to follow as he steps through the door. I walk after him through, a strange shiver passing through my back as we move from one space to another.

Stepping into the white space I notice that, unlike the grey space, this one is occupied. Rows of hundreds of familiar figures stand on slightly elevated pedestals, staring forward blankly. Each and every one a perfect copy of myself, only with slight variations. Some of them only had slightly pointed ears, but other more extreme ones seemed to loom over the others.

Oren speaks up, “Here you will chose the race and customize the body through which you will be inhabiting this world. Each race has its own unique advantages and abilities, you can see these as well as a brief description of each race by standing in front of its representative.”

I begin walking down the aisles, inspecting each figure in turn. I see many typical fantasy races. Different types of Elves who have greater affinity for certain elements of Sprites, Dwarves who receive bonuses when crafting, beastmen, who have increased agility and dexterity. Large, hulking, scale covered forms who have incredible defence. Small fae folk who can flutter several meters off the ground. I even notice the really tall race that the staff members are, ‘High Humans’ they're called. A few strange ones catch my attention.

Slimekin

One of the youngest of the sentient races, these anthropomorphic slimes form nomadic tribes which wander the wastelands. Slimekin have the ability to alter their form, allowing them to change their appearance and fit into smaller spaces. The degree to which one can use this ability increases with use. Slimekin may also store small amounts of materials or items within their body, storing too many items will decrease mobility.

Possible Sprite Elements: everything but darkness

Abilities: Slime Shape, Body Storage

Affinities: none

Traits: none

Florae

A species of living plants, these long lived creatures spend their entire lives in one place, living in small communities. Few members of this species participate in the adventurer lifestyle, but those who do live a life of greatness. When creating a Florae character, one may choose what subspecies they wish to be. Each subspecies has the ability to grow different types of materials off their body, some produce fruits while others produce medical ingredients. The speed at which they grow depends on nutrient intake. Florae are able to ‘eat’ through their roots in the soil and through their leaves in the sun.

Possible Sprite Elements: nature, earth, water, light

Abilities: Material Production, Nutrient absorption

Affinities: None

Traits: None

Venomling

Small vicious humanoids, venomlings stand only a foot tall. Their entire body is capable of exuding a dangerous poison, with can be fatal if introduced into another creature’s bloodstream or ingested. Venomlings live in large underground cities and can be very hostile toward outsiders. Their diet consists entirely of meat and their sharp teeth can easily rip through flesh.

Possible Sprite Elements: darkness, fire, nature, earth

Abilities: Poison Production

Affinities: none

Traits: Sharp Teeth

Centaur

These proud half-horse, half-human creatures live in large kingdoms across the world. They value honor and justice, exiling those who break their moral code. Because of their horse body, centaurs have extreme top speeds and incredible stamina. They often travel from city to city, defending innocents and villages they find along the way.

Possible Sprite Elements: light, fire, earth, wind

Abilities: none

Affinities: none

Traits: High Stamina, High Speed

Walking down the last row, I ponder my options. The Slimekin and the Florae seem very interesting, but I'm not sure how helpful their abilities would actually be. Being a Centaur would be useful if I'm planning on long distance travel, but these underground cities and the poison abilities of the Venomlings really interest me.

Inspecting the last couple races, I let my gaze sweep over the white space, checking to see if I missed any races. Hmm, wait, what's that?

In the distance stands a lone figure, a mere speck on the white horizon. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been looking. I begin to walk toward it, marveling at its features as they come into view.

It's unlike any other race I've seen. It stands a bit taller than the average human, but instead of normal hair it has long brightly coloured quills, which curl down and back along its head like those of a porcupine or hedgehog. Its ears are slightly pointed, similar to those of a half elf, and its skin tone is a shade or two lighter than even my naturally pale skin. Two conical, obsidian black horns poke out of its forehead, which although small, seem razor sharp. Its teeth and nails are pointed, like those of a wild animals, and emerging from the base of its spine is a long thin black tail, at the end of which is a diamond shaped blade. Razor sharp just like the horns, it seems to absorb any light that touches it.

This isn't what set it apart from other races though. Unlike to the other races, it seemed to exude an oppressive aura of dread. Its eyes seemed to shine with an intelligence and realism that the other races lacked.

I bring up its description.

Thorn Fiends

A race of secluded warriors, these creatures possesses incredible combat abilities and senses. Feared and hated for their unparalleled strength, speed and brutality, these Fiends once terrorized the entire wasteland, but their reign was abruptly ended with the creation of the Sprites, when their weakness was finally revealed. Any form of magic can easily incapacitate and kill the Spriteless Thorn Fiends. Nowadays, Thorn Fiends are believed to be extinct, but the world still remembers their fearsome abilities.

WARNING: choosing this race will bar your entrance from all large cities. Natives fear and detest members of this race, players will be permitted (and encouraged) to kill Thorn Fiends without consequence. You will not receive a Sprite companion.

Possible Sprite Elements:

Abilities: Combat Sense, Enhanced Senses

Affinities: none

Traits: Greater Strength, Greater Speed

Weaknesses: Magic

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. No Sprite companion, whatever happened to giving every sentient creature a Sprite friend?

“Oren.”

“Yes, Brian?”

I hadn't seen or heard him walk with me, but suddenly he was hovering over my shoulder, uncomfortably close.

“Why doesn't this race get a Sprite? Didn't Evian say that every sentient race was gifted Sprite companions?”

I take a step away and turn to face him. Straightening his suit jacket, he clears his throat.

“Yes that is correct. Sprites were created for every creature that gained sentience. These Fiends however, are an exception.”

“Exception?”

He gives a rueful smile.

“I'm not permitted to say anything further. I can however, congratulate you for finding this race. Only thirteen other people have found it so far.”

That reminds me, “Why is it so far away anyways? It seems to have more negatives than benefits.”

He smiles again.

“I think you can figure that out on your own.”

I look back to its description. It really doesn't seem any good. The lack of magic and entrance into cities seems to remove 90% of the game, there's no way that the developers would include a useless race though, right?

I was hit by a wave of curiosity. Every other race had seemed pretty balanced so far. Surely there must be something about this race that they were not telling us. After all, if it was a perfectly normal race, they wouldn't have hidden it so far away.

“Hey Oren.”

“Yes Brian?”

Looking back up to the figure of the Thorn Fiend, I quietly say, “How many of the people who have found this have chosen it as their race?”

Oren chuckles, “None yet.”

“I guess I'll just have to be the first!”

With a grin, I tap the description window.

Are you sure you wish to choose the race: ‘Thorn Fiend’?

(Yes / No)

Yes.