“Holy shit! Run!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I stumbled backwards away from the explosive hot lava bomb. Barely escaping certain death I grabbed up my light handle, turning towards the bastard that casted that lava bomb, I casted [Celestial Sanctum], and immediately after I activated [Abyssal Retribution] which lobbed off one of the orc mage’s legs. With Celestial Sanctum surrounding the party I noticed everyone’s health slowly rising back up. Our Shadow Archer immediately fired two shots into the orc mage’s chest finishing off the job.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked exhaustedly, after seeing the threat was finally gone.
“Check.” Max responded with a bit of a chuckle.
“Yup, I think I’m good now” said Leo while looking around for any more threats that may appear.
“Fuckin’ hell mate, yeah, I think I’m good just a bit sore” Mel said rubbing her head.
“You have got to be kidding me; those bastards ruined my dress! This was my favorite dress; I swear I cannot keep anything nice in this world!” Trish said with exasperation.
“You act like you cannot just repair the dress with your tailoring skill” I responded with a smirk; while ducking away from the rock she threw at my head as I laughed. Noticing she smiled at my remark I moved to help Mel back to her feet.
Now I am betting whoever may be reading this is wondering what the hell is even going on. Well let’s rewind a bit and I will explain everything the best I can.
Once upon a… Haha I’m just messing with ya. About two weeks ago, my wife, friends, and I packed up for a Labor Day weekend camping trip. The air was crisp as we set up our campsite, the scent of pine needles and earth hanging in the air. After settling in, we decided to stretch our legs and explore the unfamiliar mountains around us. Excitement buzzed between us as we laced up our boots and started down the trail, eager to uncover whatever hidden gems these wilds had to offer.
Two hours into our hike, the trees parted to reveal a gaping cave mouth. Vines draped over the entrance like nature’s curtains, with ancient trees standing sentinel on either side. But what really caught our attention was the soft, eerie blue glow seeping out from within.
Naturally, we did the smart thing… yeah, you guessed it; we walked right in.
The cave was breathtaking, in that mysterious, otherworldly kind of way. The walls and ceiling were dotted with clusters of blue-glowing mushrooms, casting an ethereal light that made the stone around us shimmer. We couldn’t help but follow the path of mushrooms deeper into the cave, our curiosity guiding us as much as our feet.
Along the way, a strange purple moss clung to the stone, giving off the faintest scent of cinnamon. I know what you’re thinking, and no, I didn’t just lean down and sniff it. I got a face full when I tripped over a rock and landed right in it. Not my finest moment, but hey, at least now I know what the moss smells like now.
“Bro!” Max said loudly, laughing at my embarrassing fall into the moss. Max, who stood about six foot five, was middle-aged, like the rest of us. He was the tallest, with very dark skin and a lean, muscular build from our daily morning workouts. He kept his hair short and sported a well-kept beard.
As for me, I was a bit bulkier than Max but not by much. My head was shaved due to male pattern baldness, but I had a nice goatee and mustache, which I usually kept curled at the ends. I had hazel brown eyes.
Leo helped me up from the ground. “You alright, bud?” he asked. Leo was tall, around six feet, the same height as me. He was well-built, with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He kept his face clean-shaven.
“Yeah, I’m fine. No scrapes or anything. This moss kinda smells good, at least,” I responded with an embarrassed chuckle.
I looked over at Trish, who smiled as she wiped some moss off my shoulder. “At least the moss was there to break your fall,” she said. I laughed in response. My wife was the most stunning woman in my eyes. She stood around five foot eight, with long chestnut brown hair that had natural blonde highlights at the ends. Her skin was a dark tan, and she had golden brown eyes. She had fit and toned build.
“Hey, Mel, hold up a sec before we get too far in. We should probably take a quick water and snack break; I’m getting kind of hungry,” Leo said, grabbing his pack to fish out his water bottle and some snacks to share.
Mel walked back to us. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Sorry, mate, got a bit sidetracked. This place is just stunning!” Mel said. She was quite a bit shorter than the rest of us, around five foot three, with a strong and athletic build. She had green eyes, dark skin, and short raven black hair. Though younger than the rest of us, she fit in perfectly with our middle-aged group.
“This place is spooky and beautiful at the same time. I’ve never heard of anything like these mushrooms before. I am curious how deep this cave goes; I wonder if we should go back to camp. We can come back earlier in the morning to really get a fresh start on it. What do you guys think?” asked Max.
Trish looked down the cave for a few moments “I am ok with continuing the exploration for a bit more.”
Leo and Mel both responded at the same time “same,” I looked deep into the cave for a few moments then turned my head back to Max.
I lean over to smell one of the mushrooms next to me, shrug then respond, “Yea I’m down to keep exploring for a bit. This place is pretty cool, and I’m kinda curious what’s in here.” Everyone laughed when they see me smell the mushroom, well everyone but Trish, she just rolled her eyes with a smile.
The mushrooms smelled kinda good too. I figured if the moss smelled good, I had to know, we already know I’m curious ok. I walked into a mysterious cave without even questioning it. Back to the story now, as we got about thirty minutes into the cave, we found what looked like a bat, but they had a slight blue luminescence to them. They did not get aggressive or even move towards us, in fact they flew in front of us.
“Are these bat’s leading us somewhere, or am I crazy?” Trish asked, Mel took point in the cave. She was more experienced when it came to caves, she had done a lot of caving with her dad when she was younger.
She stopped for a moment “Aye, I think they are leading us. Seems a bit to convenient they keep flying passed us and stopping only a few feet ahead.”
“I’m not too certain we should be following these bats.” I responded while crouched down, I looked back to Max with a questioning look.
“There really isn’t any other direction to go, might as well follow them,” Max said with a casual shrug. Leo nodded in agreement, while Trish gave a more hesitant nod. I turned to Mel, matching Max’s shrug, and without a word, she took the lead, pressing on into the depths of the cave.
About forty minutes later, the narrow passage opened up into a massive chamber. The sight that greeted us was nothing short of mesmerizing. More faintly glowing bats clung to the ceiling, their eerie luminescence casting soft shadows across the cave. Mushrooms of all shapes and sizes dotted the ground, their pale glow mingling with the light from the bats above. Purple moss crept up the walls, its cinnamon scent faint but present. Red vines dangled from the ceiling, with small orange orbs scattered across them, pulsing with a gentle glow that seemed almost alive.
At the far end of the chamber, a small opening beckoned, though from this distance, it seemed impossibly tiny.
We couldn’t help but let out a few awestruck gasps as we moved through the chamber, our eyes wide, trying to take in every detail. The place felt like it was pulled from a dream, or maybe a forgotten fairy tale. Tiny bugs scuttled about, some of them familiar, others... not so much. Their bodies shimmered in strange hues, and a closer look revealed that they were unlike any insects we had ever seen before. Terrifyingly beautiful, their alien forms made us wary, and we instinctively kept our distance.
As we passed by the stalagmites, small critters darted out from their hiding spots only to vanish again in a blur of yellow and orange. I tried to get a good look at them, but they moved too quickly, their fuzzy bodies just a flash before disappearing into the shadows.
We kept moving, cautious of the creatures and the unsettling beauty that surrounded us, knowing that in this place, nothing was quite as it seemed.
“This place is wild.” I said as I spun in a circle still walking towards the other side of the chamber. Max just grunted in agreement, the others nodding slowly.
Mel stopped walking as we got within a few feet of the exit of the chamber, “Guys, something weird is going on in this other cave mouth.” I turned to see what she had meant by that, there were vines draped over the mouth like a curtain concealing a door, bats were flying into the vines disappearing. There was also a slight hint of light coming from between the vines.
“Do we see what it is or turn back and go to camp?” I asked everyone. Mel, still staring at the curtain of vines, did not really respond, just a slight twitch of a nod.
Leo looked back to the other side of the chamber where we came from, “I mean, we already came this far. I don’t see why we should turn back now. I say we set up here for a bit rest and recover than keep moving.”
Max also looked back at the other side than back to the obscured entrance, “Either we go all the way at this point, or we don’t even bother coming back.”
Trish looked at me, “I’m going to trust your judgement here babe. I will say I am curious where this goes though.”
“Alright, well I agree with Leo. Let’s rest for a moment, eat, and get some water, then we will move forward and see where the hell this goes.” We rested for about twenty minutes admiring the colors and the smells and had some small talk. When we finished our rest, we gathered our trash up and put it in the bag attached to my backpack and started towards the mouth.
“Let Leo, Mel, and I go first, Max, will you follow up the back with Trish?” Max nodded in response. I looked at Leo, then Mel and we all three nodded in confirmation and stepped into the curtain everything turned white, including my skin from how pale I turned from the sickening feeling that washed over me. It was as if all of my insides were readjusting to where they were supposed to be, and my skin was crawling back to its original position. Finally reorienting myself and shaking off the heebie-jeebies and feeling like my body wasn’t trying to build itself again, I took a look around me.
There was just vast stars surrounding me, within seconds Leo, Mel, Trish, then Max popped up next to me. I tried to speak but I could not move my mouth, I couldn’t move anything. The stars started to rush past me like a star trek hyper jump scene, they became blurs of whites and yellows, so I closed my eyes. Looking around I didn’t see anyone or anything when I came to a sudden stop after opening my eyes. Except a solitary star that seemed to be getting bigger by the second. After a few moments it stopped growing or getting closer. I never really did figure that part out, because all that was around me was just abyss, pure and utter nothingness. The star began to pulse, and when it started to pulse a voice came from the star.
“Welcome nephew, to what may I call thee?” The voice, a deep rumbling yet ever so soothing greeted me. I glanced around before looking back at the star.
“I am James, and what may I call… you… stranger… star… sir?” I asked stumbling over my words, not exactly sure what to refer to this entity as. I gazed at the star, and it began pulsing rapidly, taking the shape of a centaur. From all the different RPG games I’ve played in my time that was the only thing I could compare this creature to. The upper torso was more of an elf mixed with a Tiefling from that ever so popular tabletop game we all know and love. The bottom half, however, looked more like a bear body, but not quite, he had claws that were razor sharp, and the body was covered with a thick coat of golden yellow feathers, and massive wings that sprouted from the back. I say elf mixed with a Tiefling because the horns were exceedingly small, just barely points at the top of his forehead, and his skin was around the same color as mine maybe a shade lighter. Yet his eyes had a black sclera, and golden fire blazing in his iris, and his pupils were pearl white.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“I am called Jaq’Kuah, I am the God of this realm.” His intense eyes locked with mine, and a gentle smile on his face.
“I am glad my brother has sent us more aid in this war with our sister’s realm. If she continues on this raging path uncontested, I fear the worst for all of the realms.” He said as he walked close to me.
I stared at him in confusion, “ok… but where exactly am I, and where is my wife, and my friends?”
“They are safe James; I am speaking with all of you.”
“You what? But how…. Ohhh ok, never mind, that makes sense if you think about it, God powers… and stuff” I said trying to be funny, because if I weren’t trying to be humorous, I would be showing the terror within. I looked around awkwardly, still unable to move.
“My apologies little one.” He said as he waved his hand which evidently freed my movement, I fell a couple of inches to the ground slowly. What an interesting feeling that was, since I could not see the ground, I felt for that brief moment of time that I was going to fall into oblivion. I was in awe of the nothingness around me, I spun around slowly a couple of times. Which gave me a feeling of vertigo, you know that feeling you get when you spin around with your eyes closed in a shower? Yeah, it kind of felt like that.
I looked back up to Jaq’Kuah and mused “So… what exactly are we able to do to help with this, um, situation? We are not exactly… gods…”
“Oh, you may not be gods like my brother and I, but you are still a part of my brother, you were created in his image, were you not?” He responded slightly amused by the look on my face.
I fumbled over my words for a moment before responding, “I, uh, yes we are, but like, how can we do something that YOU two cannot do?” I was still trying to get past the fact that there were different realms. I mean I have always dreamt of other realms like video games, and tabletop games. To imagine that these possibilities were a reality, however, was mind boggling to me. I looked up to him, “ok I’m just gonna ask this to make sure I am not crazy…”
Before I could finish the thought, Jaq’Kuah interrupted me, “Yes, him.”
I stared at him for a moment, I was in shock. I did not know what to say or even how to move at that moment. So, I did what I do best… “Huh, well that hits ya right in the feel goods now doesn’t it” I blurted out to no one in particular. Jaq’Kuah laughed, which was oddly relaxing to hear. It was such a gentle laugh.
He put his hand on my shoulder, “I will not force you or your friends to stay and help…” I stopped him right there, “Look man… uh sir… I will obviously stay and help anyway I can.”
“I am not allowed to go down and deal with these forces my sister sends upon my realm, and my people are not able to face this alone. My brother has already sent many players to this realm, but our sister is relentless with her armies passing through and decimating my realm if she destroys all of my people. She will be able to invade my realm and kill me, afterwards she will have access to start sending her armies to the realm you hail from. We must stop her here, before she gets to the other realms.” Jaq’Kuah explained in a serious yet gentle tone. I was stuck on that one little word though, players. Now what the hell did he mean players? He meant people, right?
“Did you say… players? Like it’s a game?” I asked, to which he just smiled and responded, “My realm is a lot like those fantasy games, or tabletop games your people play.”
“Wait, hold up a minute. Like dragons, elves, and magic?!” I asked excitedly.
“Nephew, how do you think those ideas came to your realm? Our realms are close and have brushed against one another over the years, so your people see the creatures within my realm in your dreams as you sleep. The sparks of creativity that artists from your world have in creating different creatures for your games, are from your realm brushing against mine or my sisters.” He responded.
I could feel my eyes widen so wide it felt like they may pop out of my head. He just smiled as he waited for me to process the information. I sat down to soak it all in, “so magic, dragons, elves, centaurs, pixies, fairies, even mind flayers are all creatures that really exist. Just not in our world?” I said aloud mostly to myself. I felt a heat so intense it felt as if the hairs on my head may have burnt off.
Startled I looked up to Jaq’Kuah was burning with rage “Those… mind flayer abominations are a creation of my sister, that wench made those out of spite to torture our children as if they were just playthings!” He calmed himself after noticing the terror in my face and my scooting backwards from him. He rested his face back to the gentle and welcoming look he usually had. “My apologies nephew, those creatures have been used in many ways to torture and destroy a person’s soul to an end so unexplainably painful. She has sent them through mine and my brothers worlds to wreak havoc, they are sneaky and hard to decern with the eye of even us gods. We feel the pain that our people feel when those wretched creatures are released.” He explained with a sad look on his face.
I gathered my wits about me, and stood up, walked over to him, and placed my hand on his shoulder, “then I guess we should put a stop to your sister once and for all, what do I need to do?”
“I will send you down to a world within my realm, there you will begin your training and grow strong enough to face the armies of my sisters realm.” He said after placing his hand upon mine, “may you go with the wrath and vengeance of our realms… thank you James.”
My surroundings went white, within seconds there was what very much reminded me of a UI from video games I’ve played. The world around me was slightly blurred. A voice came from nowhere and yet everywhere, the voice was that of an elderly female. It was oddly comforting.
“Hello dear, welcome to Aterios. Take some time to get acquainted with your interface, when you’re ready please select continue.”
Afterwards menus became available.
OPTIONS
CLASS(not yet selected)
STATS
INVENTORY(must have bag equipped)
PROFESSION(must speak to a tradesman first)
First, I wanted to learn the skills.
STATS
LEVEL-(N/A)
STRENGTH- increases--physical damage, carry weight, physical build, knowledge with large martial/simple weapons.
DEXTERITY- increases--speed, reactive timing, critical damage, knowledge with poisons/antidote, knowledge with small martial/simple weapons.
INTELLECT- increases--spell damage, mana pool, chance to double cast damaging abilities with no extra mana cost, ability to direct conversations to your benefit (only if your intellect is ten levels higher than the intended targets)
WISDOM- increases--healing done, chance to craft spells, knowledge gained from spell books, knowledge gained from history books.
LUCK- increases--chance to detect traps, chance to find rare items, chance to discover hidden passages.
My stats had no points at all, nor did I have any to spend. Might have something to do with the fact I have no class, and my level is (N/A) so I proceeded to look at the options next. The options menu was literally only there to adjust how my UI was set up, so I took a moment to move my status bars, party bars with my friends names, and mini map to where they would be comfortable in my peripheral, though I noticed if I focused on them, it would make them clearer, and the mini map would open a much bigger easier to see map. Afterwards my only other choice was to hit the continue button and see what else there was.
“I hope you have a better understanding of how the UI, and menus work now. It is time you choose your race and class; you may also stay the race you are. Each race has different special benefits, so please read over them carefully.”
The menu quickly changed to racial choices, there were so many choices. I have always thought it would be cool to be so many of these different races. The benefits were kinda neat. Orcs had more starting strength and learned leather working and cooking skills with added bonuses. Taurens had stronger starting wisdom, and learned cooking, and totemic professions with added bonuses. The list is far too long to get into, I ultimately made the boring choice and stayed true to myself. The bonuses were fairly good as well, my starting intellect would be stronger by two points, and I could learn any profession with no hindrances, however I could not learn anything with added bonuses. I was okay with that though.
Next, there was class choices, that option list was far shorter. There were basics of what you would see in most games, then there was three other options I’ve never heard of
WARRIOR
MAGE
PALADIN
PRIEST
NECROMANCER
SUMMONER
ASSASSIN
THIEF
ARCHER
HUNTER
BEAST MASTER
DRUID
DEPTH ASURA
STARS ASCENT
MIST WALKER
The basics were roughly the same as any tabletop class or any MMORPG you may have played or read about, those last three, however. Those were intriguing, just as any new class you’ve never heard of would be. So, I focused on each one to get more information.
DEPTH ASURA—You’re one with the darkness, you control the deepest fears, and the darkest corners of the universe. You will be a blight upon your enemies, and their worst nightmare come to life. IF YOU CHOOSE THIS CLASS, YOU MAY HAVE NO AFFILIATIONS WITH CELESTIAL OR EARTHLY DWELLERS, PEOPLE IN TOWNS MAY BE TOO SCARED TO TRADE OR HELP YOU IN ANY WAY.
INITIAL STAT INCREASES—Wisdom+2, Intellect+2
STARS ASCENT—You leave a wake of ashes in your path, you have the strength of a dwarf stars metal, and the heat of a blue star at your fingertips. You carry the comforting and healing warmth of a sun on a frigid day. IF YOU CHOOSE THIS CLASS, YOU MAY HAVE NO AFFILIATIONS WITH DEPTHS OR DEMONIC BEINGS. DEMONS AND DEPTH DWELLERS MAY BE TOO SCARED TO TRADE OR HELP YOU IN ANY WAY.
INITIAL STAT INCREASES—Wisdom+1, Intellect+3
MIST WALKER—You have an innate ability to conjure mists as thick as any wall made of stone, you fool the minds of the weak with illusions of mists. Mists may be infused with elements in the immediate vicinity of the caster. IF YOU CHOOSE THIS CLASS, YOU MAY HAVE ISSUES WITH RANDOMLY TURNING INTO A CLOUD OF MIST THEREFORE FALLING THROUGH CERTAIN TYPES OF FLOORS UNTIL YOU FURTHER MASTER THIS CLASS.
INITIAL STAT INCREASES—Dexterity+1, Intellect+3
The descriptions were actually really awesome, in the end however I was more attracted to Stars Ascent and Mist walker. I liked the idea of Mist Walker. It seemed that it could be great in a lot of situations, and not losing affiliations with anything seemed that it could be beneficial as well. The downfall, however; was randomly turning to a cloud of mist until the class is mastered, that could be absolutely terrifying in some situations. Stars Ascent seemed to be a bit more tanky, and if I know anything about my friends and my wife, we will likely need a tank, which made me lean a bit to paladin as well, since I know that that class can be a tank in most situations of any game, but Stars Ascent sounded really awesome and more of a casting tank, I just couldn’t pass it up. Besides, being able to off heal, could be really helpful. So, I selected Stars Ascent by focusing on it.
“You will soon be transported to a small town well outside of Castle Ru’lique. There you will be able to speak to different tradesmen and begin your quest to grow stronger and defeat the Void Imperials. Goodluck adventurer.” The voice said.
A bright white light, almost blinding, flashed, then I was on a pathway just outside of a small town with a crafted wooden sign that said [Trades Town] I was kind of disappointed in the lack of creativity with the name of the town. I looked around at the buildings and the forest that surrounded me and the path, the trees were magnificently huge, taller than any tree I have ever seen before. They were purple and reddish colored, the scent in the air from the woods was a fresh sweet scent of flowers that were scattered about, stretching out to catch the light of the… blue sun? Well now, isn’t that interesting? A blue sun, and the sky has an orange tint to it, it’s like a reversal of Earth’s sky and sun. I thought to myself as I gazed at the sky above me, truly a remarkable sight. I noticed that my friends nor wife were around me, so I walked into the town thinking they were probably in town or just not done with the introduction to this strange new realm.
As I walked past the sign a gentleman approached me, “Welcome stranger! If you need any help finding your way around town, please do not hesitate to ask! Any of the residents here would be glad to help, to get you started, the Inn is just down this road and your first left you will see the sign hanging above the door that has two crossed feathers and an ale cup behind them. Jero would be glad to help you get set up with a room and some food if needed.”
Walking along the road I noticed a blacksmith’s shop, and walked up to the blacksmith outside that was working on what I assumed was a sword, he was definitely a dwarf, but he was made of stone and gems that sprouted from various parts of his arms, “Hello good sir.” I greeted him as I approached him. The clashing sound of the hammer hitting the object on the anvil sound stopped as he turned to face me.
“Hail there traveler, what may I do for ye?” he asked with a hearty greeting, the smile on his face well I assumed was a smile with the way the stones moved, his voice was gravelly, deep, and slightly gurgled as if he was speaking through a thick liquid.
I smiled back at him, “I was curious if you might have the time to teach me your craft good sir?” His magma eyes lit up with what I could only assume was excitement, and he motioned me over to a meticulously crafted table of gems and stone.
“Aye my boy, I be glad to teach ye some of me craft, come have a seat friend.” As he moved to sit at the table a notification popped up to the left side of my peripheral, so I focused on it to see what it was.
YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE PROFESSIONS TAB; WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN BLACKSMITHING? SELECT YES OR NO.
I opened the professions tab before hitting yes to anything to get a better idea of how this worked. It seems you could learn up to three professions if you wanted, though the more professions you learn the harder it is to focus and build your craft, but if you decided to become a grand master of a profession you could learn two of four master paths in that profession. However, if you took on two professions you could learn up to master, allowing you to only learn one master path. Lastly, if you picked three professions you could not learn any master paths at all.