Chapter 1 - Unwanted Happenings

After waiting and waiting, I finally got one of the headgears for Freestyle. I even went big and bought the most expensive version of them. Go big or go home as they say. (Oneleaf Tree created various different headgears to be available for gameplay in order to attract various different kinds of people. Each headgear comes with varying levels of pain and realism levels. Leah’s version gives her a 99.9% realism and a 10% pain level. It was the most expensive of the basic four kinds available.)

I could have ordered the pod version but then I’d have to wait for the installation process. Also the pod version meant I could only play in one place, which does not fit my erratic behavior. That ruins half the fun ya know?

Holding the box that contains within it my key to a future of fun, I dash onwards to my room not caring about prepping myself for the binge gaming. Setup was so quick and easy, I regret my expending of unneeded energy by running. I only had to plug the charging gear into the wall and put the headgear on to go through a series of random movements to sync with it. There was even a point I just had to stand there and not move. Boring~

Once the setup finished, I took off the helmet, placing it on the charging station. The game itself wouldn’t start until noon leaving me with several hours to set up the other electronic I bought.

In order to compliment the game, the company also released various accessories to the game. A phone app to raise a pixie, a card game, boardgames, and other things so you could understand the game better. I heard rumors of tournaments for the card game and board game being held later and high class game items being set as prizes.

But my favorite accessory had to be the glasses. No longer did I have to wear glasses just to look cool. I could also use them to gain money and defeat monsters when I’m not diving. I’m totally gonna use this whenever possible.

Setting them up took even less time than the helmet. Making it so it was just me squirming as I watched the clock tick by. Ugh, why does time have to pass so slowly.

*****

A loooooooooooooooooong wait later and and then it was noon. The headgear already on my head before I could even think.

*****

The world went dark and in the background a whirring noise sounded. Light blossomed into sight, illuminating the entire room and cutting the noise off. A melodious voice came out of nowhere and yet seemed to come from everywhere.

“Welcome to Freestyle. The world where you grasp your own wings to fly. The previous scan revealed that you are a new player. Would you like to begin the creation process?"

“Yes!”

“What gender would you like your avatar to be?”

I look down upon my body, noting my soft curves and no lower bulge. “Female! Obviously!”

“This is your final decision?”

“Should it not be?”

Silence follows. Okay, then. “Yes? It’s my final decision?”

“Gender; Female. Confirmed. Of the twelve main races; Angel, Beastm-”

“Gnome!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I’m sure!”

“Race; Gnome. Confirmed. Of the subraces of Gnome, will you choos-”

“Life!”

“Spirit Gnome is the correct subrace?”

“I guess? That’s the life subrace correct? And do you have to keep asking these questions? They’re getting kinda repetitive.”

Offense seemed to be taken from the last sentence as the voice started to speed up its talking in what I assume was an effort to end the conversation sooner. “Subrace; Spirit Gnome. Confirmed. You may now customize your automated version of yourself.”

A gnome version of myself floated before my eyes.

A shorter, smaller version of myself. My new self barely reached my chest (Leah being 5’6” or 1.67 m) even though the figure was floating a good foot(.3 m) above the ground. The gnome’s skin also being a lighter pallor seeming thin enough to see the capillaries beneath very clearly.

Even my hair looked slightly wrong. My originally shoulder length hair mirrored on my new self. Only instead of the dirty blond it became an almost black green.

“Mmmmmmmhmm. I can work with this.”

*****

Several hours later and a swipe to my head to wipe away an imaginary bead of sweat. The overall body shape didn’t change much, if a tad slimmer, but the impression it left was completely different.

The skin became slightly lighter with an undertone of sparkles added(Not like the dreaded vampire that looks like it’s sweating out jewels but instead enough to contrast the monochrome pale skin tone.)  Strands of clear, white, and random lighter colors of green sprinkled the spiked updo of hair to add some highlights.

The eyes went through the greatest change though, it was no longer the uniform viridian. Instead a molten gold swirled within the forest of deep trees and light leaves.

“Not the longest amount of time I’ve spent customizing a character, (She once spent 2 hours just debating on the noises her character would make as they moved about in a certain monster hunting game.) but I’m satisfied with the results.”

“Are you sure you’re done?” The voice asked clearly fed up with the process that should take a normal person, on average, 10 minutes.

“Hey, don’t give me that tone! I had to be sure it was perfect. I don’t want to become something I’m not proud of!”

“How vain.”

A shrug rolled to my shoulders, “That’s just how humans are. Especially human women.”

“But you’re no longer human, you’re a gnome.”

“True, but I’m still a women. Anyways are we gonna get on with the creation process or what? It’s been hours.”

I could hear the vein pop at that statement, but the voice seemed to hold the anger in check as its voice only slightly strained itself. My finely tuned ears only barely picked up the note.

“Why yes, let’s. Let’s get on with the process. What would you like your character name to be?”

“Lafayette.”

“Middle name?”

“Do I need one?”

Ah, there’s the anger. “Yes”

“Then make it Ellywn.”

“Lafayette Ellywn is correct?”

“Yes. Do you really have to keep asking these confirmation questions? And what about my last name?”

“Do you have to keep giving my backsass? I could just make your name be Smartass and throw you in some random corner of the world.”

“Nope, that’s okay.” I zip my mouth shut and throw away the key. “No more attitude from me until this is over.”

I could feel the hairs on my neck rise from an invisible glare.

“Until this is over?”

“Okay. No more attitude in your presence, oh Mighty One.”

“Better. Now all that’s left is where would you like to be born?”

(Unlike in normal games, players would be able to choose the village/city they start in. To prevent disparity between players and ‘NPCs’, the players would randomly be ‘born’ to a family in said village/city. Information about the family would be provided to players so they can mingle in their second homes without being an outsider. Their last name coming from their families. So that players could find each other though, players would go by the name ‘Blessed’ as they would be gifted with an easier time of learning skills than residents of the world.)

A map popped up with various dots showing multiple colors. Each one representing the races that lived in the town. Looking for green dots (Green being the color for Gnomes due to their Wood nature), I specifically wanted a green dot surrounded by various races.

Finally I found what I was looking for, a green dot surrounded by a rainbow of colors, if mostly blue.

“There, that’s where I’d like to be born.”

“You sure?”

“Yep!”

“Okay. Have fun!”

And with that my real body and gnome self were swiftly flung together. No pain happened as instead the two bodies fused and my vision became skewed from two different streams of sight. The odd experience quickly faded as my vision became one, though of lower height than I was used to. The darkness came back soon after and I swear, I saw a figure in the black smirking as I faded off into the dark.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

*****

It didn’t take long in reality, but god damn that black seemed to last for a little too long. I still have shivers . I think I’m gonna try and not die so I don’t have to go through that again.

The room I woke up in was of simple stone. Beds lining both sides, its overall appearance pretty bare and I seemed to be the only one left in the room.

I get up off the bed and check beneath its frame, where a chest takes up half the space beneath. Its soft leather barely making a noise as I glide it out.

Lifting the lid up gently(*music included*[mentally]), I’m stunned into silence at its contents.

Well that was a letdown. All I have are a spare set of clothes, nightclothes, and a book in my box. Seriously? Creators you wanted to make this as realistic as you could didn’t you? And the worn out book, I believe is a bible. I refuse to take that with me even if I was ‘raised’ in a church.

Yeah, you heard me. My new self was raised by the church or something. Maybe I should just sneak away in the middle of the night instead of having to deal with a nun. That sounds good.

Crap. When’d these little kids get in the room?

(Probably when you were having that internal monologue and going off into la-la land, I’d think.)

Oh my god, now they’re pulling on my clothes. (“mental” tears pouring down your face are they?) Please leave me alone. I don’t want to deal with you children. Even if you seem to be cute now, I know you’re just hiding your evil selves.

“Lala play?”

God no. Stop with the head tilts.

“Airplane?”

Not the puppy dog eyes!

“..........”

Gahhhhhhhhhhh!

*****

I am not proud to admit it but……..I fell. I fell to their overpoweringly high charisma. Because, it had to the systems fault! I didn’t have such a weak will that I couldn’t stop playing with the horde of children due to their cuteness. No, not their cuteness, their evilness! I refuse to fall again!

No. No. No. No. They’re looking over here again. Whyyyyyyy? Why’d I have to be born into an orphanage? Why’d it have to have such an abnormal amount of children in it? They just keep coming. Are these zombies? Zombie children?

A tap on my shoulder breaks me out of my trance. Please not another child please.

I look up ever so slightly. A sigh escaping my lips. I wouldn’t have to look up if they were a child. I mean gnomes are small but there was still a difference in height between the adults and children. But looking around not all of the children are gnomes, so I can’t be sure.

Focus!

Gahhhhhhhh. It’s the nun!

Wait, why was I afraid of her again? Cause this sudden stream of knowledge about her tells me that she was a very nice lady. As long as you did as she said, she was a regular ole Mother Teresa. Oh, that’s where the fear came from. The as long as you did as she said.

“Good morning dear. The children love it when their favorite elder sister Lafayette plays with them. Your morning chores are piling up though, so I’d hurry along now if you’d like to be done by breakfast.”

That shadow smile on her face scares me. And, did she just threaten my food? Just how good is that brain scan they did? Just how much did they find out about me through that simple scan.

A shiver runs down my spine. Scary.

Hearing the mother’s words, the children start to make their way off their favorite jungle gym, i.e. me. While I’m thankful for it, that nun seriously scares the heck out of me.

“Yes, Mother! Off I go!”

My feet carry me off by muscle memory, as though I really did do these chores everyday. Laundry got quickly washed and hung. Chickens fed, watered, cages cleaned and lightly pet as they were surprisingly docile unlike most of their brethren. I blame the nun. The few horses we had were brushed and given feed. Such cute things they were, if a little foamy at the mouth. Finally I got to my last chore of watering the vegetable garden. Just in time to be able to sprint into the mess hall and dash to the nearest empty seat, before the bells chimed signalling the beginning of breakfast.

Phew. Made in time for breakfast. I don’t know how I’d survive a day if I missed even a single meal. Even if the meal contained only a simple honey gruel and half a loaf of bread. Even if they call it honey gruel, when I saw as I was by the kitchen that only a single spoonful of honey got put into the entire pot of gruel.

How cruel getting my sweet tooth’s hopes up! (Stop pouting your lips, Leah Lafayette. It’s unsightly for an adult such as yourself. Pffftt, whom I kidding?)

I was just about to dig in when I realized something. Crap, this is a church. Doesn’t that mean we have to say grace or something before I can eat my food? How cruel. Putting food in front of me and not letting me eat it. Or at least that’s what I thought but then no one seemed to be doing that, so. Fooooooooooooooooddd!

Surprisingly, this honey gruel really does taste like honey. Damn that honey must actually be some really concentrated stuff. The bread was also and crisp and light on the tongue. Never thought that paltry amount of food would be able to fill me up.

Once I was finished with my food, I was going to get up. Before my butt even hovered off the bench a centimeter, a glare got shot my way. Reflex making me sit back down, back straight and eyes forward.

Then the information came into my head. A little late, I’d say. Why wait until after I got scolded by death stare to tell me. It seems I was hasty in my dismissal of grace saying, because it is said. Just instead of before the meal, it was actually after we finished eating. Wonderful.

I wouldn’t have eaten so fast if I knew this was going to happen. Why does everyone have to take so long eating. If I was at home, I’d plop myself over the table as wait.

Okay, I’d do that it I wasn’t at home too, but somehow I feel like the Mother nun wouldn’t appreciate my rather ‘unladylike’ wants.

A glare is sent my way as though she can feel my thoughts about her.

Scccaaaaaarrrryyyyyy.

The last bowl got placed into the center of the table along with the rest of its twins, showing that the owner finished its contents. Mother then started to say her thanks and forced us to say them too.

“As the Medley Tree bestowed life unto the world, the Ivy-Turtle blessed us with these woods so as to be comfortable in its embrace. The oldest trees surround us protecting us from the reaches of this corrupt world. Blocking the foul creatures bordering our lands, jealous of the beauty and riches given to us. Forever set on trying to take it from us.”

“We thank our Guardians, our Protectors, our Godbeasts for the lovely meal that graced our table and warmed our stomachs this morning, and every one that has come as well as yet to come. We thank them for our continued peace and for our safety. We thank them for never turning their backs on their unworthy sons and daughters. May the Woods of Life prosper and bloom within our hearts.”

“May the Woods of Life prosper and bloom within our hearts.”

Crap. Crap. Crap. I now get why that voice sounded so weird when it found out where I wanted to be born.

This was an isolated corner of the world. One closed off on purpose because all those dots/villages surrounding it wanted its resources. In other words, I was born into a treasure trove that wanted a piece of. Its borders probably being a highlevel warzone.

I’m screwed. I’m an adventuring type stuck in a blockaded area. I don’t wanna be born here anymore. I wanna leave. Crap.

________________________________________

Anyone else stoked for Heroes: Reborn?

Oh and check out the character sheet page to get a preview of Leah Lafayette's stats. You'll see them again in chapter 2 so you don't have to.