Author's corner: Heeey folks! So I got a writers' block on the arc with Nysa, so to buy time, decided to write about Inas' side till the writers' block poofs away.
So, please don't forget to comment, do you want me to continue with Inas' sidestory for now, or you prefer Nysa's training arc? I'll do both, don't worry, all it changes is the order~!
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Inas POV
"Let's do this!" I shouted, with a rather excited tone. The game left the idea of progress for the players, not for the in-game mechanics...or so the internet said. A world where, no matter what you do, you are able to progress, a world where no effort ever goes to waste. It was truly dream-like, wasn't it?
But yet, I had a goal. A simple, mere goal that I doubted it'll ever change: the goal of staying two, maybe three steps ahead of my sister. Meaning there was no time to waste, no questions to ask, just plow through the tutorial and start beating things up!
Just as I got this pumped up, the game finally started, and here I was, on an island in an ocean of clouds. I couldn't help but grin, as I stared into the endless sky.
"Welcome to the ancient world of Apoph- wait, got my script mixed up, let me try again." The teenager-looking boy said, as he made a small handbook appear on his hand."Yeah, I knew it. Welcome to the world of Apophis, my name is Seth, the ancient god of foreigners!" He said, with a wide grin, as he made the book disappear.
'Technology is sure amazing, to make such unique A.I.' I thought to myself, as I stared at the god... "Right. I'm Inas fateburn, but in this game I'd prefer to go with the name of 'Stephany'." I declared bluntly, deciding to keep my name a secret from other users. Nothing good would come from people knowing my true name, and afterwards being able to get revenge on me in real life. I've seen far, far too many books which had the protagonist dealing with such situation after all!
"Riiight...but I'll continue calling you Inas anyways, since that is a cuter name." Seth said, with a wide grin on his face. No matter how much he acted, I knew his true intention though: Inas is easier to say than Stephany.
"Just don't call me that in front of the other players!" I shouted...and only then I noticed, that there was a 'secret' I've shared with him, that I don't plan to share with anybody else in this world. Because of that, my cheeks already turned slightly red. 'I-it is nothing. I've already shared much worse secrets around.' I thought to myself, my pout making my cheeks puff out a little bit.
"Ah, calm down will you?" The trickster god said, shaking his head, even rubbing his hand against his face, almost as if he was the one who is supposed to be tired... "We didn't even get around the introduction and you're already making us both sidetracked.." He added, sighing deeply.
"...fine, fine, let's do the introduction. " I declared, with a smile. "Then we'll do the character creation screen, right?" I added.
"Yup! So, basically the idea of the setting is that there are two major factions in war with each other, the hero and the demon lord. Some races are considered parts of the hero faction, or the demon faction, like for example the humans almost always being part of the 'hero' group. The former often preaches about protecting the weak and helpless, and put dozens of laws to try to stop people from doing 'unlawful' things. As for the demon lord, it is basically a 'fish eating fish' faction, where duels to death, robbery and so on are a common-place." He said, letting out a small yawn.
"But there is the wilder faction, that isn't allied with anybody, and instead lives their life in the wilderness, doing whatever they want, following whatever dreams they hold dear!" Seth said, with a wide smile.
"Excuse me but...shouldn't people like yourself be impartial to all three factions?" I asked, scratching my cheek awkwardly. Shouldn't the tutorial guy be completely impartial, instead of leaning to one specific side constantly?
"I'm not forcing you to join any other, I'm just saying what they are!" The god of partiality said, with a laugh, seemingly not offended by my words. "I can choose what I like or dislike, just like you can do yourself"
...Good point."Alright, then. If there is nothing else to speak, may I choose my kind already?" I asked curiously. "Also, I won't choose any faction yet, I want to see ALL races first!"
"Sure!" Seth replied.
...Never before I felt so much difficulty on choosing. The game easily had more than 100 races. To make things easier for myself, I decided to go for the ones that could potentially be good warriors, rather than tailored for other playstyles, such as elves being rogues or mages.
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And so, I was able to reduce my options to 4 different races that could work for me. Some more exotic than others, but I was still confident I would be able to master it.
DraconianA hybrid between a draconian and human, they are often feared in many regions. With a bigger body than most races, claws sharper than many, along with the ability of flight and breathing fire there are few who can stand this race's might...unarmored. As proud draconians, along with exotic body shape, there is little to no equipment that can fit them, and even less people willing to craft something for the already-powerful race.
20% STR bonus
20% CON bonus
Racial skill: Fire breath(lv1)
Penalties to wearing non-draconian armor
unable to wear breastplates.
Large body size
HumanThe classic jack-of-all-trades, no benefits and no weaknesses. Because of this, they trump any other race in adaptability, even if they are in a disadvantage in a straight fight. Always learning and always adaptating, the humans are often feared for their potential.
10% faster skill learning.
Faction: Hero
DwarfOne of the most hardy races, only losing to humans in terms of adaptability, they settled for living underground for the last few centuries, producing armors and weapons for the army. Often considered the best of all races in terms of crafting, the weapons and armors they produce are among the best in the known world.
Night-vision
10% CON bonus
10% STR bonus
10% AGI penalty
Faction: Hero
Starts with skills:
Blacksmithing(lv2, beginner)
heavy armor(lv2, beginner)
SlimeOften the simplest out of all creatures, lacking any organs, they are also
surprisingly hard to kill.Capable of regenerating from close to any physical
injury, the only two solutions universally accepted is to rely on magic, or
somehow hit the core.
500% bonus HP regeneration
Immune to critical hits on the slime body
Guaranteed critical hit in the slime core.
Racial skill: shape-shift(lv1, beginner)
medium body size(scales with current HP)