Once, there was a beautiful woman. She sat, alone, staring off into the infinite horizon with her crystal blue eyes. They seemed... melancholic.

The shade of the oak tree gave was comfortable. With each gust of wind, the leaves would rustle and grass wave, creating a pleasant din, not unlike the gentle ebb and flow of an ocean's waves.

Yet, the woman was not appeased. She sat still and uncontented in paradise. The reason why could only be wondered after.

Then it happened.

A blinding white light exploded into existence, not seven yards away from the tree. Accompanying it was an intense, radial burst of wind. Grass near the epicenter was uprooted violently and some of the tree's leaves fell as a result of the whirlwind.

A single second hadn't passed before the blast resolved itself. In the center of the still smoking, charred crater was a crouching humanoid, whose appearance was concealed by the heavy smoke. The silhouette rose fluidly, immediately affixing its attention on the woman.

Nonplussed, the woman inspected the figure as leaves lazily drifted to the dirt.

After a moment, her plump lips morphed into a smile. She rose, clapping her hands slowly, mockingly.

"Quite an entrance", her melodius voice complimented, "Those are usually unique to each person. You must have quite the flair for the dramatic."

A deep, distinctly male voice emanated from the crater in response, "Interesting. I knew that Virtual Reality would be life-like, but this level of detail is... astounding."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I almost confused you for a human."

The smoke cleared, revealing a rather tall man. He was unkempt, with long black hair sticking out in random directions and unshaved stubble on prominent display. His frame was wiry, yet toned. He wore a plain white cotton t-shirt and blue denim jeans.

Both of them regarded each other for a moment.

"Quant", she intoned.

Unpeterbed, she waved her arms in a grandiose fashion, saying, "Welcome to Libertas Online. You are about to enter a world made for freedom in its truest and rawest form. Though that means great privileges, it also means great danger. Death lurks in this world, whether it be in the form of a simple goblin or painful starvation. Do you understand?'

He nodded.

"Very well", she said, lowering her arms, "That being said, we must set up a few things before you can start playing. First of all, what is your expected logged hours per day? Different bonuses will be allocated depending on how long you stay logged in a day. If your average time dips below your answer here, the appropriate changes will be made to compensate."

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"24 hours", he replied instantly.

Her eyebrow raised. "Are you certain?", she asked.

He nodded again.

Sighing lightly, she continued, "Alright. Next on the list, your race."

He looked down at his tanned arms for a moment before looking back up at her, questioningly.

"Not that kind of race", she said, unamused, "I mean the particular type of sentient being you wish to spawn as. The ones you are eligible for are: pixie, elf, beastkin, human, orc, goblin, skeleton, kobold, hobbit, naga, shade, mer folk, dwarf, or half-elf. Each one holds unique talents and cultures, leading them to be more fit for certain archetypes, though no race is entirely barred from any certain path. For example, an Elf is particularly talented in the magical arts, yet it is entirely possible for them to be barbarians. Hidden races are also available, but you must unlock those later on. I'll tell you the details of any race you are interested in."

The man considered this for long time. He stood as still as stone, contrasting the scenery of waving grass.

"Skeleton", finally he said.

"Hmm. That is a very difficult race to begin your adventure with. Although they don't need food, water, or sleep, they are also vilified by most other races, disallowing entry into most cities. This means you will be cut off from merchants to sell your loot to, and trainers to sharpen and harness skills with", she said with some concern, strangely.

"Alongside goblins and kobolds, they are the only ones able to evolve. Into what, you'll have to find out yourself, but each hold the potential to become extremely powerful beings, given the right circumstances. Of all the races, skeletons are the only entirely element-neutral beings, holding no true strengths nor weakness, magically. Though that might change, depending on what path you choose."

"Where do their talents lie?", he questioned.

"Skeletons are magically formed beings and as such, they hold some talent in the arcane, particularly in destruction magic and necromancy. Otherwise, they can become quite skilled in physical warfare, especially with polearms and shortswords. However, skeletons are most famous for their archery", she answered.

"I've decided", he said, "I choose Skeleton."

"An unusual choice, but one that I think fits, somehow", she said, tilting her head, "You may customize your character now."

An apparition materialized between them. It was an upright Skeleton, of the exact height and size as the man before it. The matte finish of the white bones was pristine, showing not even a slight chip or crack. In what should be empty eye sockets levitated green irises. They were startlingly intelligent.

"... Make the irises gray. Otherwise, it's perfect.", he stated simply.

In a moment, the color washed away, leaving ash gray were lively green once was.

"Alright", she said, "That concludes character creation. For additional information, refer to the in-game tutorial which lasts for your first three days. Other than that, we prefer to keep UI to a minimum, allowing for a more immersive experience. To see your character sheet and set a point-allocation system for when you level up, find a scryer."

She lazily rose her hand and pointed at him before her eyes widened in suprise. "Oh, I almost forgot. What will your name be?", she asked.

"Gray", he said, as he started to disappear in motes of light. The motes started to appear more frequently and brilliantly, soon eveloping his entire body.

It wasn't long before he was gone completely.

She stared off again, this time lost in thought.

"... Gray, huh?", she almost whispered.