LetMeKeelYou: You have been warned the MC is a bitch. Well, now i'm gonna say there's torture, humiliation (some gore maybe, but not certain), and tragedy tag isn't just a passerby. Oh yeah, and i know jack shit about coding, i'll probably look into it and try making blue panels for system messages, although it would be nice if anyone tell me how to. Enjoy!
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Sarah climbed the stairs and opened the door that led to her apartment.
Tiny rooms were linked by aluminum arches with half-moon casements at the top. Windows were part of each one of them, although only that of the main hall – which directed to the front door – remained open, the sun’s heavenly shine reaching the wooden floor diagonally, creating a feeling of a safe haven amidst the silent darkness.
Minus the floor, everything was made of a pure white and things were arranged neatly, like a hospital, or a hospice even.
Her quiet steps resounded, hitting the thin walls, as she entered her room and went to take a bath. It wasn’t like a usual teenager’s room. If anything, it was a plain office room with only the necessary.
The cellphone was up in the desk, near the computer. Her black leather bag was leaning on the chair’s leg. The windows were shut and the curtains didn’t allow any light to intrude. The shelves were swarming with books lined in alphabetical order, clean papers, cans of ink, pencils, pens and other materials of the sort.
The wardrobe occupied little space, as she didn’t have too much a variety of clothes. She didn’t like fancy things or stamps, rather preferring more comfortable and simple attire, so long as they were clean and looked well on her figure.
Her bed mattress was as stiff as an iron bar and was positioned near the window, so that she could feel the cool breeze of the night. The canvas covered a blank door in which she kept her game boards, paintings, drawings and items she could make use of.
Like a gun.
But worry not, she wouldn’t go Billy the Kid out in the streets, it was for self-defense.
As the drops of water stopped flowing down her body like a cascade, she seized a towel to dry herself. She walked, underlying her feet with sandals, looked at the mirror, combed her silky hair as to make it symmetric, and then got out of the bathroom.
As she covered her body mechanically, the doorbell rang, followed by a rash knocking.
“I’ll be there shortly!” she responded in a high tone, but without hurrying herself. In fact, Sarah slowed down a bit to make sure of appearing presentable.
As she clipped the distance to the door, she carefully slid an upper layer, revealing a tiny crevice in which the eyes could see through.
“Hello? We've come to deliver a package for Miss Sarah Maxwell. Is she home right now?”
Sarah sized up the two men that stood there clothed in blue uniforms and black shoes, a small rectangular box on the ground. She turned the doorknob and let them in.
“Hi, i’m Sarah Maxwell. Please come in and drop the box on the second room to the right. You may set up the machine near the bed.”
As she finished signing some documents, she went to see the one that entered the room. They were done unpacking it and were now putting together the parts.
It was the console for Talisman, a game that hit the market just recently.
VR Games, although new and interesting, were still in development. They were released not long ago, a year or so, and the high attached price made them unaffordable for the majority of people, Sarah included. Even renting one would be too costly in a long time perspective.
Talisman could be played on any machine released at the time, but the developer’s console was made especially for it, with just enough space to harbor the game and some extra for new contents and updates. The parts, however, were made of cheaper materials, which meant they were less durable than a normal console’s. You could say it was an alternative option rather than the optimal one.
As they tested and confirmed its functionality, they were taken outside, bidding their farewells.
“Remember, if there’s anything wrong with the product, you may check the guide on Console Problems and follow the instructions. If nothing works, call the company and we’ll send someone to look into it. The number is specified on that same section of the guide, as well as the helmet”
“Thank you for choosing our services, have a good day”
Sarah waved at them with an uninterested look, then closed the door as soon as they were off.
She walked calmly to the room and looked at the console. The helmet protruded multiple cables connected to a single source. In a way, it looked like jellyfish. Lying over the bed sheets, she put the helmet and turned the machine on, an iron wind noise throbbing below. Everything faded, like entering into a deep sleep.
Welcome to Talisman, we will guide you into creating a character, an avatar that you’ll incorporate during your entire journey. Touch the screen to proceed.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Sarah woke in a blank space with no horizon, she moved a little bit, flexed her arms and fingers, looked at herself and then at the blue screen at head-level. She lifted her arm and touched it with her fingertip. It undulated like shallow waters, then slid to the air, disappearing.
By manipulating the options, you’ll be able to model your character. Be aware that features such as weight, height, conceptual beauty and other aspects will affect the way some in-game abilities and mechanics interact with your character. For instance, a character with a high weight number would be less likely to be toppled, but would also move slower. Gender is part of such features, but it can only be changed under special circumstances.
First off, Sarah chose her ascendance, Fairy. Under the explained bonuses, fairies learned all skills 10% quicker at the expense of suffering physical damage with a 0.25 damage multiplier. One couldn’t turn around the tables by making the fairy the tiny insect we know about – it would only make it as squishy as a bug, getting them absolutely annihilated by any area skill in the game and whoever knows what they’re doing, really.
Sarah changed herself very little as she didn’t want to lose time in the character creation panel, just tweaking her hair for it to be wavy and scalloped with a distinct gleam. Afterwards, she removed the wings – they looked cool, but she thought it would be a pain to have the pair weighting on her back.
The system, however, didn’t allow her to completely take them down, making it so that the wings were broken, showing a few shattered feathers like a tree’s dead branches.
Now that you finished creating your character, you must name it
A digital keyboard showed up and she typed something: Mnemosyne.
With this, your character is complete. Now you must choose your soulmate, a companion that will follow you in your adventures
Most of them were known animals. She was trying to decide between the fox and the wolf, but ultimately chose the latter. The wolf was proud and cunning, but not as ferocious as a wild one.
Soulmates can’t be named till they develop a personality of their own. They will evolve based on your playstyle and on the way you interact with it
The wolf surged from the terrain, like being born from earth. It was attentive and its eyes were harsh. Sarah tried calling it to her side with a hand sign, and it strode decisively to her right. She then caressed its head to feel the fur as she read through another panel.
It was warm and furry.
Before you begin playing, you need to choose a Talisman. Talismans are special items that may appear in a myriad of forms, such as jewelry and miscellaneous objects like a doll. They don’t weigh anything and offer bonuses if specific circumstances are met. Only one talisman may be active at a time
There were four initial talismans: Sol, Ducta Luna, Quaternum and Klos.
The Sol talisman was a black jewel amulet that shone brightly under the sun and increased overall damage if the player’s temperature was high enough.
Ducta Luna was a stone compass that enhanced vision on dark places.
Quaternum was a tattered book with scribbled pages so old it would crumble to the touch. It improved gold given from NPCs through sales while also lowering item prices, both for a fixed amount that increased a little bit for each level.
Klos was a torn-out page in which was drawn a circumscribed pentagram and writings in an unknown language. It decreased mana cost for skills while reducing their cast time.
Since their requirements were low or none at all, they were called unspecialized talismans.
Sarah, or rather Mnemosyne, was puzzled as to which one she would choose. In the end, Quaternum was her choice. It was the most balanced option and also the best one for beginners.
This ends the character creation. You will now be ported to Ziemia, the starting city for fairies. Enjoy the game!