Tiny droplets of sweat beaded across Lucian’s brow as he slowly circled the clearing, three panels preceding his every step and softly glimmering in the corner of his eyes.
After the super impressive cinematic, he had found himself back in the starting clearing; the monotonous voice’s last words still ringing in his ears.
Almost in concert, the three panels had appeared in his line of sight, further elaborating on the three trails that had been shown off, moments prior.
«Trail of Iron-blooded Domination»
Let slip the dogs of war; cry havoc, the horns of conquest. Set your enemies to trembling and let your allies rejoice!
- Gain access to a small-sized Inventory.
- Receive a single-use soulbound Settlement Creation Token.
- Receive the basic noobie starter pack.
«Trail of Intrepid Freedom»
Unbound by laws; unfettered by convention. All the worlds are your oyster!
- Gain access to a moderate-sized Inventory.
- Gain access to a Minimap that automatically updates in real time.
- Receive the basic noobie starter pack.
«Trail of Hoard Agglomeration»
Grow your wealth; endlessly, without fail. But remember… guard your hoard from those who desire its bounty.
- Gain access to a large-sized Inventory.
- Receive an All-around Gatherer’s Toolkit and the novice, related know-how.
- Receive the basic noobie starter pack.
“Should I choose Intrepid Freedom or Hoard Agglomeration. Decisions, decisions…”
Though the cinematic had been undeniably impressive, he was glad for the panels.
Lucian had an inkling of what each Trail comprised, but the additional information provided timely clarity – especially after digesting each short, respective tagline and the accompanying benefits.
Immediately, he eliminated Iron-blooded Domination from his list of choices. While he didn’t have anything against a Trail that seemed to comprise territory creation and its subsequent management, it was never something he enjoyed to do.
Case in point, he was pretty sure he hadn’t ever intentionally gone down such a path in any of the past VRMMORPGs he had played, now that he thought about it.
The issue lay in selecting between what remained.
His brain lobbied for Hoard Agglomeration; his heart yearned for Intrepid Freedom.
Iona’s words from two weeks ago briefly flashed in his mind…
Do not forget your reason for entering NAoC, Cyan.
…It was hard though. So very hard.
While, yes, he wanted to transform the New Age of Champions into his new source of livelihood, two things stopped him from choosing Hoard Agglomeration immediately.
One was Iona’s whispered warning from a week ago. It was clear NAoC wasn’t as simple as it seemed on the surface. Then again, that should have been crystal clear from the get-go, considering how the United Government pushed for it so fervently.
Second was the simple fact that he didn’t want to choose it.
Shackled by circumstances wholly out of his control. Resigned to a job he neither wanted nor had a passion for. Emotionally tied down by a heartbreak he hoped, with all his heart, would remain buried in the past…
Chain upon chain upon chain. Was it surprising, then, that the mere imagining of going where he wanted, whenever he wanted, while doing whatever he wanted, appealed to him so?
In Lucian’s mind, rationality waged a war of dominion against desire.
All the while, a persistent, gentle breeze playfully flitted about his legs, cooling down his ardour while occasionally reminding him of his near-nakedness.
“Fuck it. Time to go big or go home!”
Firming his resolve, he voiced his choice…
“I choose the Trail of Intrepid Freedom.”
Though whether for good or for ill… well, who could really say?
“Understood.” The unknown being intoned. “Actualising items… activating system…”
In a gentle flash of light, a nondescript drawstring pouch appeared in midair before dropping onto the grass with a soft thump. Almost in concert, a fog-filled square appeared in the corner of his vision, single green dot blinking at its epicentre.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“To access your moderate-sized Inventory, simply interact with the spatial pouch and think about an item appearing in your hand. You can proceed with Character Creation once you are ready.”
The unknown being fell silent after having said its piece, becoming nothing more than a piece of scenery in the background, once again.
In the meantime, Lucian had retrieved the spatial pouch; a four row by five column grid blinking into existence in his mind’s eye, first two columns filled with items while a small line of text, 0 Gold 2 Silver 50 Copper, was neatly scrawled underneath.
Alongside their appearance came a small panel of information about what they were, appearing whenever his attention lingered for longer than a moment on one amongst the lot.
Cloth Tunic | Grade: G
A simple bronze-coloured tunic meant to clothe the wearer and nothing more.
Leather Pants | Grade: G
A simple pair of brown pants meant to clothe the wearer and nothing more.
Soft Wool Socks | Grade: G+
Fluffy socks to keep the wearer’s toes warm and comfortable even under the most adverse of conditions.
Sturdy Leather Boots | Grade: G+
Who needs an apple to keep the healers away when a good ol’ pair of sturdy boots are at one’s beck and call?
He willed the first four items to appear in his hand one by one after skimming over their details before relievedly donning them all in quick succession.
Lesser Healing Paste | Grade: G
A pale red paste able to be consumed or applied as a salve. Mends minor injuries and replenishes slight blood loss.
Explorer’s Grappling Hook | Grade: G+
A sturdy coil of rope exactly 21.7 metres long. Comes with a weighted, clawed piece of metal at one end.
Water Canteen | Grade: G
With this little beauty, dehydration will never become a problem ever again – assuming it is refilled on the regular.
With two Lesser Healing Pastes, a grappling hook, and an empty water canteen to round the items off, it was clear the basic noobie starter pack comprised eight items, all in all.
Lucian swiftly tied the spatial pouch’s drawstrings to one of his pants’ beltloops, securely tucking it away in a pocket afterwards; worried he might accidentally misplace it.
He turned his attention to the stationary, fog-filled panel in the corner of his vision, examining it curiously.
Though the unknown being hadn’t mentioned it explicitly, he assumed said panel was the promised Minimap.
Knowing how the mechanic usually functioned in a majority of previous VRMMORPGs, he willed the Minimap to vanish and caused it to do so instantly. Willing it to reappear got the Minimap to return instantaneously, while thinking about it expanding got it to do so without an issue, too.
Ironically enough, he faced a problem when trying to minimise it. It worked without problems initially, but refused to shrink further after only the blinking green dot—encaged by a little patch of fog—remained.
Though tempted to fiddle around with it further, he controlled himself and stopped; willing the Minimap panel to return back to its default state.
“Proceed, please.” Lucian said, directing his voice at the unknown being.
“Understood.” It intoned tonelessly. “Next, forge your foundation…”
Four new panels instantly appeared in his field of view, prompting him to rapidly read each one.
2-point Foundation | Physique: 8
Strength: Unassigned
Dexterity: Unassigned
Perception: Unassigned
3-point Foundation | Physique: 7
Strength: Unassigned
Dexterity: Unassigned
Perception: Unassigned
5-point Foundation | Physique: 5
Strength: Unassigned
Dexterity: Unassigned
Perception: Unassigned
7-point Foundation | Physique: 3
Strength: Unassigned
Dexterity: Unassigned
Perception: Unassigned
The unknown being continued. “Unlike other VRMMORPGs, skills in the New Age of Champions runs on a system of Gems, Shards, and Fragments.
“Depending on specific configurations, different capabilities will become accessible to the player.
“Here is the catch, however; the number of apertures for said loci of power are limited by the foundation one chooses.
“A Gem and a Shard for a 2-point Foundation. A gem and two Shards for a 3-pointer. One Gem, two Shards, and two Fragments for a 5-pointer, with a 7-point Foundation allowing for a Gem, two Shards, and four Fragments.
“At the same time, depending on your choice, assignable Physique points of varying amounts will be allocated.
“As a friendly tip, fill every aperture with the requisite Gem, Shard, and Fragment as soon as possible. Once you have reached a Physique statistic of 10 points, your journey in the New Age of Champions will truly begin.”
Lucian was left to digest the influx of information as quiet returned to the clearing.
While informative, it wasn’t enough by a long shot.
On one hand, the mentioning of Gems, Shards, and Fragments piqued his interest. Assuming he wasn’t wrong, NAoC’s vaunted customisation of one’s character could likely be laid at such a mechanic’s proverbial feet.
On the other, prodding at the hovering panels didn’t garner him more information. While Strength, Dexterity, and Perception were common parameters in VRMMORPGs of all stripes, it would have been great to get a definitive explanation on exactly what measurements they governed – especially with such a scarce supply.
Lucian’s eyes bounced between the four panels as he sank into thought. With nothing of substance to base his decision on, he guessed it was time to rely on his gut.
…
Strangely, his eyes kept getting drawn to the 5-point Foundation. While the 2- and 3- point Foundations placed him closer to the starting line, or so the unknown being said, he had a bad feeling about them – moreso with the former than latter.
Something his father—Champions bless his departed soul—told him long ago also resurfaced when he thought of selecting either option.
Haste makes waste.
Lucian’s attention turned towards the remaining two options. At this point, it was purely a game of which Foundation appealed to him more on a subconscious level.
With an in-game moniker like Equinox, it felt like selecting the most balanced Foundation was just meant to be.
Pausing for a moment, he mulled over his decision one last time before.
“I choose the 5-point Foundation.”
“Acknowledged. Forging a 5-point Foundation. Brace yourself for some discomfort.” The unknown being intoned – but he had long stopped listening.
Lucian choked on empty air and doubled over, struck by a sudden spell of vertigo. Out of the blue, He could feel five… holes, for lack of a better term, in places where there really should be none; somehow noticeable yet simultaneously unobtrusive.
One between his lungs; one an inch or two below his navel; and three in his head; near his crown, a point between his neckbones and spine, and the last right in between his eyebrows.
Straightening back up, Lucian tried to find the holes in question but failed.
He… probably should be freaking out more over this, but didn’t; understanding that the odd holes he felt were the aforementioned apertures.
What was of a greater concern was the lack of panels in his field of view. After making his choice, the four had disappeared but no others had taken their place.
Before he could wonder on that for too long, however, the unknown being begun speaking once more.
“Detected Player Iona Shimotsuki in Player Lucian Noxlear’s vicinity. Would you like to start in the same starting location after entering the New Age of Champions?”
Lucian nodded subconsciously. “Sure.”
While an unexpected surprise, it was a pleasant one. At least it neatly explained why his neuro gear wanted to connect to his holodevices.
What’s more, it would be nice to have a friendly face around once he was sent to whatever starting location he ended up in.
Two was better than one, and all that.
“Acknowledged. Awaiting player Iona Shimotsuki’s assent…”
Moments passed by in an awkward silence as Lucian stared at the unknown being.
Realising acquiring assent was probably going to take a while, he started fiddling with the spatial pouch, materialising and storing away a copper coin then a silver then another copper; an action that rapidly became like second nature, carving itself into muscle memory.
Just when Lucian was wondering how much longer it would take for Iona to assent, the unknown being made from the starry night sky finally broke its silence.
“Player Iona Shimotsuki has agreed. Randomising starting location…
“Location locked on. Sending in 3, 2, 1.”
As the world in Lucian’s eyes turned pitch black for a second time, he heard a last sentence from the monotonous voice; coming from far away, as if he were hearing someone speak to him while he was floundering underwater.
“Welcome to the New Age of Champions. May you succeed in your Trail.”