Chapter 2

Choose Your Weapon (Or Whatever)

“Keep up!” Kip’s voice rang out, cutting through the haze that enveloped Alex’s thoughts.

Alex ran to catch up with the tiny figure as they weaved through the market and down an endless series of narrow, cobbled streets. The sun was still high in the sky but the streets were so narrow here that the light struggled to reach the ground. Small oil lamps were mounted to the walls at uneven intervals and offered some relief, but the flickering pools of light they cast were small and Alex spent most of the journey trying not to step on anything in the near-darkness.

Kip was keeping a brisk pace, his stubby legs moving at a blinding speed. This, combined with the shaky slight from the oil lamps, gave the whole scene an eerie, almost dreamlike quality, which was probably appropriate considering the circumstances.

“Where are we going?” Alex asked, stumbling over a discarded clay pot.

“My place,” Kip said without slowing. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. You might have noticed that I paused your heads-up display for now. I figured you didn’t need all that extra noise right out of the gate. I’ll turn it back on after I get you up to speed, don’t worry.”

Alex wasn’t sure what to make of that. The floating text boxes that had appeared so abruptly in his vision were weird and overwhelming, but now that they were gone, the world felt too quiet, too real. Without those boxes, he was having a harder time convincing himself that this was just a psychotic episode.

Kip led him down yet another alley, finally stopping in front of a small weather-beaten wooden door. The little man fumbled in his vest pocket for a key and unlocked the door.

“Home sweet home,” he said.

The place was…well, Alex wouldn’t exactly call it a home. The single room was small and cluttered, with piles of trash and broken furniture stacked haphazardly against the walls. In the corner, a low fire crackled and cast long shadows over a crowded bookshelf. There was a sharp smell in the air, like something had crawled under one of those piles and promptly died.

“Charming,” Alex said. He stepped gingerly through the small door and had to fight the urge to cover his nose.

Kip closed the door behind him and pointed to a rickety stool that looked like it might collapse if he breathed too hard. Slowly, Alex sat. The stool groaned under his weight, but it held.

“Alright,” Kip said, leaning against a broken wheelbarrow and crossing his hairy arms. “So, where should we start?”

“How about-“

“That was a rhetorical question,” Kip interrupted. “I know the script. Okay, first, you’re in Echo. Second, you’re dead. Sorry about that.”

Alex blinked at him. In the flickering firelight, Kip's orange hair looked like it was dancing across the top of his head. “Sorry, did you say dead?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s not possible. Look at me. I’m obviously alive.”

“You’re alive here. Out there, in your world, you’re as dead as they come. I know it’s hard to hear and you probably don’t believe me. That’s fine. No one believes the truth at this stage. But you can trust me when I say you are no longer drawing breath back where you come from.”

“But I...” Alex struggled to find the words. Of all the things he had seen and heard since waking up in that alley, this was the hardest to wrap his head around. “I don’t remember dying.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Your memories have been wiped for your protection. It’s all part of the process.”

“Process? What are you talking about? What the hell does any of this mean?”

“Echo is sort of like an afterlife. Think of it as a second chance.” Kip's tone was matter-of-fact, like he had given this same speech a hundred times before. “You get a do-over, Alex. A fresh start.”

Alex’s brain was struggling to keep up. The stink in the air, combined with the smoke from the fire, was making his eyes water and he scrubbed his face furiously. “Alright, alright. Let’s say I believe you. I’m dead and this renaissance fair bull shit is the afterlife. How did I die?”

“Sorry, I can’t answer that,” Kip said with an apologetic shrug.

“Am I married? Do I have a family?”

“I can’t answer that either.”

“Then what the hell can you tell me?”

“I can tell you how this is going to work. And I can tell you how to get your memories back.”

Alex sat up on the stool, his back tensing. There was a way to get his memories back? If that was true, if he could remember who he was before all of this, before he died, then maybe there was some glimmer of hope. Maybe he could even figure out a way back home, wherever that might be.

“I’m listening.”

Kip rubbed his hands together, a sudden glint in his eye. “Alright, this is the good stuff. I want you to think of Echo like a game. You’ve seen some of the mechanics within the heads-up display, but there’s more. Much, much more. Your goal in this game is to advance however you can. You do that by gaining experience and leveling up. You can do that through combat, quests, potions, and completing specific tasks. The how isn’t as important as the what. Experience is the name of the game. With each new level, you’ll get points that you’ll put toward certain skills and you’ll unlock your memories. You may not remember everything, but eventually, you’ll remember enough to at least know who you were. Are.”

“I’m sorry, but what the fuck are you talking about?”

Some of the gleam in Kip’s eyes faded. He stood against the wall, surprise obvious on his face. “What part did you not understand?”

“Every goddamn word you just said.”

“Oh…really? You didn’t get any of it?”

“I heard I could unlock my memories. Other than that, you might as well have been speaking Chinese.”

“Chinese isn’t technically a single language but that’s not the point. Okay…” Kip started pacing around the small and cluttered room. While he collected his thoughts, Alex examined his surroundings. The room was full of all manner of junk, but the one thing that seemed to be missing was a bed. There were no blankets, no padding on the floor, nowhere for Kip to sleep, which made Alex suspect that Kip didn’t actually live here. It was also not lost on Alex that Kip not only knew what Chinese was, but knew enough to argue the semantics of the Chinese language. What was the deal with this guy and what was his role in this whole nightmare?

Before Alex could ask, Kip stopped pacing and spun around. “Okay, this isn’t exactly part of the script but you’re obviously denser than I thought you were. Are you a gamer? Do you play games?”

“How the fuck should I know?”

“Right,” Kip said. “No memories. This is harder than I thought it would be. Okay, so in your world, there are these things called Role Playing Games. Basically, you create a character and go fight bad guys. With me so far?”

“Yes.”

“Great. There are a lot of different variations; somewhere you track stats and come up with back stories, and somewhere you can act out your character with all your nerd friends. This isn’t that. In this game, you pick your character class, which we’ll get to, and then once you start leveling up, you decide what to specialize in. It's called a subclass. So, as an example, you could start out as a Paladin and then later on, specialize in the Order of Vengeance, where you basically focus all your energy on hunting down the people who wronged you. That’s not important. Right now, all you need to know is that to unlock your memories, you need to level up. The rest will come to you in time.”

“And what if I don’t? What if I just sit here and wait for this all to end.”

“Well, you can’t. First, because I have stuff to do. And second, because the system won’t let you. It’s designed to have you out there, killing some bad guys. If you sit here, the system will just eject you from town and you’ll be out there alone, with no class and no weapon and no idea what you’re doing. And then you’ll just simply be dead.”

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“You said I’m already dead.”

“You’re dead back in your world. Here, in Echo, you’re very much alive. But if you die here, that’s it. This is your one second chance, Alex. And…well, I can see you’re still not convinced so I’m going to break protocol for a second and tell you that there’s somewhere very important to you out there somewhere.”

This caught Alex’s attention. Someone important? A wife, maybe? Or a friend? It didn’t matter. If they were out there somewhere, it meant he wasn’t alone. Reality hit him as he realized that it also meant that, back in the real world, this person had died.

“Okay,” Alex finally said. “I’ll play your stupid game. What do I do?”

“Our first step is for you to pick a class. I have a scroll here somewhere…” Kip started rummaging through the bookshelf, pulling thick volumes off and tossing them onto the floor. “Here it is.”

He held out a tattered roll of yellowing paper. It looked like it would crumble to dust at any moment. Alex unrolled it carefully. The scroll was blank, but as soon as it was open, blue text filled Alex’s vision. His heads-up display was back on.

1. Warrior: A battle-hardened fighter, skilled with weapons and armor, specializing in brute force and endurance. Warriors are the front line in any battle, capable of soaking up damage and dishing it out in equal measure. As they level up, they can specialize into classes like Battlemaster or Warlord, becoming tacticians who can turn the tide of battle with a single command.

2. Rogue: A master of stealth and cunning, excelling in sneaking, lock-picking, and assassination. Rogues rely on agility and precision, striking from the shadows to take down enemies before they even realize they’re there. Advanced subclasses include the Shadowdancer, who can teleport through darkness, and the Assassin, who can eliminate targets with lethal efficiency.

3. Mage: A wielder of arcane magic, able to cast powerful spells to decimate foes or protect allies. Mages are the glass cannons of the world, frail but capable of unleashing devastating attacks. As they grow, they can specialize into powerful spellcasters like the Archmage, who wields the raw forces of the universe, or the Elementalist, who commands the forces of nature itself.

4. Ranger: An expert marksman with a bow, able to track and hunt with deadly precision. Rangers are survivalists, capable of thriving in the wilderness and taking down prey from a distance. They can evolve into classes like the Beastmaster, who commands a loyal animal companion, or the Gloomstalker, who excels in hunting creatures of the night.

5. Cleric: A healer and protector, calling on divine powers to mend wounds and shield comrades. Clerics are the moral compass of any party, with abilities that can turn the tide of battle by saving allies from the brink of death. They can choose to specialize in domains like War, becoming formidable warriors in their own right, or Light, focusing on healing and protection.

6. Berserker: A wild, frenzied warrior who thrives on chaos, becoming stronger the more damage they take. Berserkers are unstoppable forces on the battlefield, using their rage to power through even the most grievous wounds. As they progress, they can become a Frenzied Ravager, whose fury knows no bounds, or a Totem Warrior, drawing strength from the spirits of the wild.

7. Paladin: A holy warrior bound by a sacred oath, capable of both martial prowess and divine magic. Paladins are paragons of virtue, but their strict code of ethics can be a double-edged sword. They can choose oaths that define their path, such as the Oath of Vengeance, which allows them to relentlessly pursue those who have wronged them, or the Oath of Conquest, focusing on domination and fear.

8. Monk: A master of martial arts, using their body as a weapon and channeling inner energy to perform supernatural feats. Monks are disciplined and focused, able to dodge blows and strike with lightning speed. As they train, they can unlock paths like the Way of the Open Hand, emphasizing unarmed combat, or the Way of the Shadow, blending stealth with martial prowess.

9. Necromancer: A dark sorcerer who wields the power of death, raising the dead to fight for them. Necromancers walk a perilous path, their power growing stronger as they embrace the darkness. Advanced classes include the Death Knight, a fearsome warrior who channels necromantic energy through their blade, and the Lich, a mage who has achieved immortality by becoming one with death.

10. Summoner: A conjurer who calls forth creatures from other planes to fight on their behalf. Summoners are versatile, able to adapt to any situation by choosing the right creature for the job. As they level up, they can specialize in paths like the Elemental Master, focusing on summoning elemental beings, or the Demonologist, who taps into the infernal powers of the underworld.

11. Mystic: A rare class that blends psionics and magic, using their mind to manipulate the world around them. Mystics are enigmatic and powerful, able to bend reality with sheer willpower. They can evolve into Soulblades, combining psychic powers with physical combat, or Seers, who can foresee and alter the course of events.

12. Engineer: A creator and innovator, using technology and alchemy to craft gadgets and weapons. Engineers are the tinkerers of the world, able to build constructs and traps that can turn the tide of battle. Advanced paths include the Artificer, who specializes in magical inventions, and the Machinist, focusing on mechanical constructs and firearms.

Alex’s mind reeled at the possibilities. Each class offered something unique, something that appealed to different aspects of his personality—or at least what he assumed his personality was. The choices were overwhelming, and each seemed to carry its own weight of responsibility.

“You’ll need to think carefully,” Kip advised. “Your choice will define your path forward. Once you pick, there’s no going back.”

Alex reviewed the list three times, reading each entry carefully, but he was no closer to making up his mind.

“You look lost,” Kip said. “Do you need some help?”

Alex nodded dumbly and Kip snatched the scroll out of his hand. Even though the parchment was blank, Kip stared at it and pointed animatedly at the different options.

“Okay, each class has its own advantages and drawbacks. You could be a dual-wielding rogue with poison abilities, or a heavy-armored tank with crowd control skills, or even a summoner who calls forth creatures to fight for him. The possibilities are endless.”

“Which is the best? The most powerful?”

Kip chuckled. “There is no most powerful class, man. It’s all about how you build it and which skill set you invest in. Mages can blow stuff up from a distance, but they’re squishy—low health, low defense. Rogues can sneak around and deal massive damage from the shadows, but they’re fragile too. Every class has its strengths and weaknesses. It’s up to you to figure out what fits your style.”

Alex hung his head. It was overwhelming, not to mention frustrating. He had no idea what any of this meant and Kip wasn’t exactly being helpful.

“You’ve got options,” Kip said, his tone softening a bit. “But given your… lack of experience, let’s start simple. I’d recommend going with a Warrior. You get a sword, some basic armor—eventually—and you can take a hit.”

Alex rubbed his temple, feeling a headache forming. “So, what does a Warrior do?”

Kip shrugged. “Hits things with a sword, mostly. You’ll get better at it as you go, but for now, it’s the most straightforward path. Trust me.”

With a resigned sigh, Alex nodded. “Fine, I’ll take it. Warrior it is.”

“Perfect.” Kip rolled up the scroll and the list of options disappeared. In its place, a floating chart appeared. It looked like a pyramid of boxes, some connected with a line, others not. Everything was grayed out except for the box at the top, [BASIC STRIKE].

“This is your skill tree,” Kip said. “The warrior has access to all of the melee skills. As you level up, you’ll gain access to different branches and specialties. For now, you’ve got basic strike. The next row opens up at level five. And you need a weapon. Let’s see…”

He moved to one of the piles of trash on the floor and plunged his arm inside it. He felt around for a moment, his tongue between his teeth, and then pulled out an old, battered sword and handed it to Alex.

“Here you go,” he said with a grin.

Alex took the sword, eyeing it doubtfully. The blade was dull, the hilt was wrapped in frayed leather, and it was only about two feet long.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Go forth and prosper! Kill some stuff. Stick ‘em with the pointy end!”

“There is no pointy end. This thing is as dull as a rock.”

“It’s better than nothing. Besides, you’ll get better gear soon enough. For now, it’ll do the job. You’ll also need these.”

He handed Alex two bottles, one red and one blue.

“The red one is your health potion, the blue one is mana. Mana is what you use to cast spells, which you don’t have but I’m supposed to give you the potion anyway. Stick them in your belt and they’ll appear in your heads up display. You’ll also notice two new bars down there at the bottom of your field of vision. The full bar is your health. The empty one is your experience. Keep an eye on them. If your health bar drops too low, slam the red potion and it will jump back up.”

Alex tried to stick the potions under his waistband but they were too thick. Instead, he slipped them into his pocket. As soon as he did, they disappeared and reappeared in his heads up display as two tiny bottle-shaped icons.

“Alright,” Kip said. “You’ve got a class, you’ve got a weapon, now all you need to do is go out there and have your first taste of combat. I want you to head out of town, find a goblin or a kobold or something simple, and kill it. Get some experience. Remember, experience is everything. The more you fight, the stronger you get and the more you’ll remember.”

“Wait,” Alex said as Kip shoved him through the door. “I’m not ready!”

“Sure you are. I have faith in you. Just follow the road until you’re outside the city gates, then hit stuff. Off you go.”

He slammed the door, leaving Alone on the deserted street. His heads-up display blinked back into life. This time, a transparent map hung in the air in front of him. He tried to see through it, but the map obscured his vision. How was he supposed to do anything with this blocking his view? He was about to pound on Kip's door when the map blinked and shrunk into the bottom right corner of his vision, as if he was looking at a screen.

“Alright,” Alex said. “Here goes nothing.”

He felt a surge of nerves as he followed the cobbled street toward the gates and what he could only assume would be a painful and embarrassing second death.