The next time I came to, the clinic was gone, replaced with a great black expanse stretching endlessly around me. When I reached out, nothing met my touch. Something solid but invisible supported my feet, and I walked forward, testing the unusual darkness. It followed, keeping me steady, but nothing appeared through the shroud around me. No light, no structures, no other people.
A kernel of unease twisted in my chest and I turned again, desperately hoping for some hint of where I was or what I was supposed to do. The last thing I remembered was Karma disappearing and the thug going still. She'd mentioned talking again in the plane between Earth and Nexus. Was that this place?
If that was the case, where was she?
As if in response, a light flashed and–just like in the clinic–Karma appeared. The power from before was notably absent, and lines of exhaustion dug in around her eyes.
“Are you alright?” I asked, years of being a doctor kicking in as I looked her over. She noticed my concern and snorted, shaking her head.
“You've hardly known me an hour and you're already concerned for my well-being. My husband will love you for that alone.”
Given my track record with people, males especially, I doubted that.
Then she smiled, pulling my focus back to her. “But you'll meet him later. For now, let's focus on getting you set for your new life.”
She waved a hand and the darkness around us disappeared. Towering stone walls and lush carpets replaced it. A castle. The style hinted at something medieval, and the suits of armor lining the halls certainly added to that. People were frozen around us too, and most of them weren't human.
A lady in a long brown dress had a basket of food balanced on her hip and two dark cat ears perched on her head. A long black bushy tail curled behind her, announcing her heritage. The other staff bore similar animalistic appendages, ranging from bear ears to rabbit legs.
When I finished taking them all in, I faced Karma and asked, “So, what does ‘getting me set for my new life’ mean?”
She flicked a long strand of hair over her shoulder and shrugged. “That depends on what you want. Nexus isn't like Earth. I've commonly heard it be compared to a video game from your world, if that helps.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
A video game? Well, it definitely had the fantasy setting down if what she showed me now was any indication.
She gestured toward the cat lady. “I guess this is as good a place as any to start. Focus on her until a menu appears.”
A menu?
I did as she said, dubious but willing to try. When a drop-down list appeared not a second later, I nearly choked on my own spit.
Nessa
Level 1
Hit Points: 10/10
Mana: 0/0
Status: Healthy
Okay, definitely like a video game then. At least that gave me some kind of reference point.
Karma hummed, drawing my focus back to her as she tapped Nessa's shoulder. “This is what we call ‘analyzing’ someone. It gives you a basic rundown of their health, level, and status, as you can see. While you can dig deeper by focusing on her, that's considered rude, so keep that in mind. Anything past this knowledge is private, and people will get a bit testy if they catch you looking up their proverbial skirt.”
Heat flushed through my cheeks and I shook my head. “I'll be sure not to do that then.” Her lips twitched upward, amusement warming her eyes, but she didn't comment, instead she continued with the explanation.
“There are many races in Nexus that don't exist on Earth, but I'll go over the main ones for you to choose from. After that, you can pick your specialty and I'll drop you in.”
I hesitantly held up a hand. When she saw it, she stared for a minute before barking a laugh. “Is that how your people ask a question?”
I nodded, the heat surging through my cheeks increasing. “It's considered a polite way to announce that you have a question, yes. I take it that doesn't exist in Nexus?”
She shook her head. “Nope. A lot of your mannerisms won't be a thing here, but you'll adjust quickly. Prepare for some weird looks along the way though. What's your question?”
This was going to be one heck of a learning curve, wasn't it? Putting that and my lingering embarrassment aside, I asked one of the many questions poking around in my head. “Are there pros and cons to the different races I should know about before choosing one?” Of the few games I'd played, that always seemed to be the case.
She nodded. “There are, and I'll go over them now. The races of Nexus are as follows: humans, elves, dwarves, beastfolk, dragonkin, fairy, giants, orcs, and last but not least, daemons. You can't choose to be a daemon, as they're biological half-children of a spirit, but the rest are on the table for you.”
I nodded, wishing I had paper and a pen to take notes as she plowed onward.
“Daemons gain natural abilities that vary depending on their spirit parent's powers, but they're also relatively rare, so you probably won't run into many, if any. Humans don't generally have racial bonuses, but they make up for that in their sheer adaptability. Nothing adapts, overcomes, and survives quite like a human.” Affection warmed her tone, along with a good helping of humor on the side. Honestly, the way she described humans made me think of something else hardy and tough to kill.
I didn't bite back a snort in time, and when she raised a brow, I spoke the highly inappropriate–but hilarious–thought out loud. “So, you're saying humans are like cockroaches. Tough to kill and capable of surviving anything?”
She seemed to have a running theme with cockroaches…