Why the username Azrael?

Well, previously our main character Kade Evans used the name ‘Cain’ as his in game name, due to his former gaming buddies always claiming he caused ‘trouble’ or rather that he and trouble seemed to go hand in hand, whether he was the one who caused it or if he went out of his way to find it. (For explanation: To raise Cain means to raise trouble).

For Kade, New Earth is a new start, so he decides to use the name ‘Azrael’ (from the Archangel of Death) to symbolically show the death of Cain and the start of a peaceful new beginning in a game.

What was the time dilation ratio for New Earth?

The deep sleep technology of the full-dive VR gaming capsules have a time dilation of 1:4, meaning one real world day is four days in game, with six hours for each in game day and three months for a full in game year.

Why do players chant before casting spells?

In New Earth ‘intent’ is very important. Players gain and level up skills by doing or repeating actions with an ‘intent’. This also applies to magic. Unlike a skill, such as [Woodcutting], where the intent is demonstrated through the action, players use verbalisation to state their intent when manifesting magic. Players might also be verbalising their intent in order to borrow power from their patron deity. Another way of showing intent is through the use of runes when casting magic. Players might be able to minutely influence what magic occurs when using runes or chanting, but wouldn’t be able to force the spell in a completely different direction (such as a fire rune or chant casting an ice, earth, lightning or water spell). It is possible to cast magic without the use of chants and runes, but this is often slower and less powerful, as it takes the game more time to recognise players’ intent and as a consequence more mana is wasted.

Can players can stream?

A good question. At the beginning of the story it was mentioned that due to the dangers of connecting the vast intelligence of the network running the game to the internet it was accessible only from the gaming immersion capsules. In the last chapter it was revealed that Lilith – The Lightning Witch – is a streamer. (The definition of streamer becomes a little blurred here, since a live stream is impossible due to the time dilation between the game and the real world). So, while yes it is possible for players to get video footage of them playing, there is a process where they have to request the video files from the game company. This will also be elaborated on further in the story, at some point.

Why are there not more Rankers participating in such an important raid?

Well, as was previously established ‘Ranker’ is an unofficial title given to players recognised by the anonymously owned OneWorldGaming website. There are several criterion to being recognised as a Ranker, such as combat strength, wealth (in-game and in real life), popularity, technical skill and connections. Most importantly is recognition from the player base of that game and a moniker. Being good isn’t enough. You have to stand out to be recognised. Generally, you have to stand at some peak in the game.

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This however means that not all Rankers are combat specialists. You also have artificers, potion or poison specialists, alchemists, bankers, information brokers, artisans, smiths, chefs, explorers, priests and so on, alongside your mages, swordsmen, spear users, archers, assassins, necromancers, trap experts or whip wielders. So, while most Rankers will have a means of fighting or defending themselves (be it leading 100 men, hiring 100 men or being as strong as 100 men) not all Rankers fight. Of those that do fight, some may feel that the raid is too far away, some might be busy with other things, be uninterested or feel that they can increase their strength more efficiently doing something else.

Where is Sera?

Unfortunately, as much as I love and loved writing Sera and the interactions between Azrael and Sera, I felt that her constant presence as an assistant AI took away from Azrael’s in-game engagement. It was difficult balancing her being there and Azrael having moments to himself. I recognise that this is in part due to my own inexperience in writing such a companion character and hope that when I (If I ever do) edit and rewrite the story I can bring her in with the role and recognition she deserves. Until such a time, unfortunately, she will be silently letting Azrael live his journey. (Unless of course the readers go on a massive strike).

It's a Full-Dive game, but why doesn’t Azrael/Kade ever log out?

Azrael still does go out, as he needs to change out nutrition pouches in his capsule. He also still goes out for his regular jogs. I have, however, had difficulty finding chapters for him to log out, as I felt they interrupted the flow of the story. Working on this is one of my goals for part 2, as I don’t want to neglect such an important part of the world setting. So, we’ll probably see Azrael log out a little more often from here on.

Why does a former pro sometimes act so unprofessional??

A few readers commented that they felt Azrael could act too flighty sometimes and were confused. I thought I’d clear it up here. Firstly, Azrael has been out of the gaming scene for a while before New Earth. Not for an overly long period, but even before while he was part of The Holy Empire he was relegated to supporting roles and his actions were quite often dictated by either the advertisement part of the Holy Empire Guild or by Melissa, meaning his direction was quite often determined by them. Now, he’s taking the chance to explore and enjoy everything New Earth has to offer, especially since it’s the first full-dive VR game that replicates all five senses ever made. Similarly, due to having played both combat and crafting classes extensively in other games he has an interest in both. As a writer, I feel that Azrael is slowly growing into his interests and they are beginning to round out.

What happened for him to leave Holy Empire? Why isn’t it properly explained?

Well, originally I wanted to drop hints and have the player piece it together themselves, before it was revealed, but I got so into the rest of the story that the hints almost got buried. The reveal is still going to happen, though as to when I can’t say.

What is The Beast that Azrael mentally struggles with?

I had some readers quite curious about the ‘Beast’. As was mentioned early on in the story Azrael’s father was seriously injured by some muscle hired by loan sharks. Azrael fought back sending one of them to the hospital. It was his first time participating in violence in real life. His father never recovered from the injuries and died.

For Azrael, who enjoyed the excitement of fighting and action in game this was quite a shock, especially when he noticed that violence had extreme repercussions.

The ‘Beast’ is a form of disassociation, which Azrael uses as a coping mechanism, to split the two parts of him – the one that enjoys the thrill of combat and the one who pulls back and avoids confrontation. When The Beast takes over, it’s still Azrael, but he’s sort of ‘tuning out’, as if he’s watching from afar.

The game, which operates on the basis of ‘intent’ has picked up on this, giving his ‘alternate’ combat loving half a self. It doesn’t only hold the part of him that loves combat though, but also the part that is willing to step up and physically protect what it cares about.