So this is what death is like, Aster thought. A slate-white room and a creepy uncanny valley person sitting across the table from her. Could this be God?
“You don’t look like God,” she said, taking in the… mannequin? What the hell was this thing?
It stared at her with all-white eyes beneath a bald head. No… ‘bald’ sounded like it could have had hair at some point. The head was like porcelain.
“Greetings, human.” The mouthless being said in a voice that sounded like an amalgamation of a thousand choirs speaking at once. “I am not a god, but the entity in charge of greeting you and overseeing this introduction. In this introduction I shall explain the circumstances of your new reality.”
“Wait,” Aster frowned. She leaned forward, “Is this heaven?”
“No.”
The being did not elaborate, so she pushed, “Hell, then? But wait, who sends cancer kids to hell?” A terrifying thought shot through her mind. “Wait, it’s not because I’m—”
“This is not hell,” it interrupted her. “This is your new reality, named by the first enlightened races as ‘The System’.”
She let out a sigh. “Well, that’s something… What is this sys—” Before she managed to complete the thought aloud a screen appeared before her eyes:
Status
Name: Aster Rose
Race: [Human (G) – lvl 0]
Class: N/A
Profession: N/A
Health Points (HP): 50/50
Mana Points (MP): 80/80
Stamina: 70/70
Stats
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Endurance: 7
Vitality: 5
Toughness: 10
Wisdom: 8
Intelligence: 8
Perception: 8
Willpower: 10
Free points: 0
Titles
N/A
Redacted
Redacted
Well, that answers that question, Aster thought, and raises a thousand others. “Why is the afterlife built like a video game?” She started looking at the stats, figuring them out. Strength was pretty obvious, as were agility and endurance. Why was vitality so low? Probably because she was sick, right?
And then she felt it, or rather the lack of it. I don’t have cancer anymore!
She jumped to her feet with the realization, noticing the stark contrast of being able to breathe. No elevated heart rate, no sore joints, no burning feet—she was dead, but whole again. Why that came as such a surprise to her she didn’t know. What sort of a ghost has cancer? But holy shit did it feel nice!
“Is there a mirror?” She asked, her voice catching. “Please?”
“We do have limited time for the introduction, human.”
“Please!” Aster begged. She couldn’t feel any hair on her head, and her body still felt too small and not the right shape, but she had to see herself.
Suddenly a perfect copy of herself appeared before her, slowly spinning about an inch in the air. She saw that while she was still bald, her face had regained its original color. Her ribs still protruded and her body as a whole looked nearly prepubescent with how little meat she had on her, but it was still different, as if some vacuum that had been sucking the life out of her had been cut off.
“Can you confirm for me that I’m no longer sick?” Her voice was hardly a whisper.
“Your deduction is correct. While some maladies may transfer over to the tutorial, the one you had was not one of the kinds that would. Please continue with the orientation as we have limited time left.”
Aster sat again as the image of her disappeared. “Is my cancer why my vitality is so low? That’s related to health, right?”
The being sat in silence for a moment. “Many of your stats are related to your life before Integration. But your future is determined by your actions and your class.”
Before she could ask the obvious question, a list of options appeared before her. She swiped with her finger and the options rotated around.
Warrior (Light) – Basic starting class. A light-class warrior focused on quick attacks, evasion, and finesse. While faster than both the medium and heavy variants, it comes with a decrease in attack power and survivability. Mainly uses weapons such as rapiers, daggers, small hatchets, and throwing weapons. Stat bonuses: +2 Agi, +1 End, +1 Str, +1 Vit, +1 Free point.
Aster knocked her memory for her understanding of video game classes. She knew of Dungeons & Dragons and had played some games like The Elder Scrolls, so she wasn’t going in entirely blind. Looking at the next two options, however, she got a good idea as to what each of these first classes were meant for.
Warrior (Medium) - Basic starting class. A medium-class warrior, focused on a balanced approach to combat, finding a compromise between speed and power. While faster than the heavy variant, it is slower than the light-class warriors. While survivability and power are higher than the light-class variant, it is lower than the heavy-class warriors. Able to use a vast array of weapons of both the heavy and light variants. Stat bonuses per level: +1 Agi, +1 End, +1 Vit, +1 Str +1 Tough, +1 Free Point.
And;
Warrior (Heavy) – Basic starting class. A heavy-class warrior, focused on power and survivability while sacrificing speed and variance. The heavy warrior is slower, with a less varied approach than both the light and medium class, but in turn, gains great power and survivability. Mainly uses a combo of one-handed weapons and a shield or a two-handed weapon. Generally lacking solid ranged options. Stat bonuses per level: +2 Str, +1 Tough, +1 Vit, +1 End, +1 Free Point.
So three options for melee builds. Probably your average rogueish class, fighting class, and tanky class… Okay, so maybe she knew a little more about nerdy stuff than she let on. After all, what was a girl to do for months on end of limited outside interaction than play games, read books and listen to podcasts?
She moved on to the next option, which appeared to be a ranged fighter.
Archer – Basic starting class. A class focused on ranged combat, mainly using bow and arrow, coupled with light options for melee such as shortswords and daggers. The class is fast and flexible, focusing on Agility over Strength. Stat bonuses per level: +2 Per, +1 Agi, +1 End, +1 Str, +1 Free Point.
Eh, too stereotypical, she dismissed it. Besides, who wanted to fight things from such a distance? When she’d played volleyball in high school and during her undergrad years at college her preferred position had always been middle hitter, right up against the net. Sure it was nice to make a big save or deliver a good serve, but nothing beat being that first line of defense or going up to spike the ball. Her smaller than average stature for the position often made others underestimate her, but then they saw her jump.
Okay, she thought. Enough reminiscing, let’s see what’s next. What was next was a casting class, confirming beyond a doubt that magic was indeed a thing in this afterlife.
Caster – Basic starting class. The caster is focused on magical combat, favoring wisdom and knowledge over brawn and speed. The basic class is non-attuned, meaning not yet specialized in any element or type of magic, thus limited in power but wide in scope. Casters wield powerful destructive abilities, though often lack in defensive options. The class mainly uses catalysts such as staves, idols, relics, or wands in order to amplify the power of magic. Stat bonuses per level: +2 Int, +1 Wis, +1 Will, +1 Per, +1 Free Point.
Had she always wanted to cast spells? Sure. Obviously. Who hadn’t read Harry Potter and wished for a letter from Hogwarts? But was that something she wanted to do with the rest of her afterlife? …Maybe, actually. But it didn’t seem like a good starting point. Casters were notoriously fragile in any sort of fiction she’d read of them. What was that descriptor for them? ‘Glass cannons?’ That didn’t exactly strike confidence in her heart with Vitality being by far her lowest stat.
Last was a healer class.
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Healer – Basic starting class. The healer can mend injuries, remove afflictions, and amplify the power of themselves and/or their comrades. The basic class is non-attuned, meaning not yet specialized in any deific powers or types of magic, thus limited in power but wide in scope. The class is weak in solo combat, lacking offensive options, but powerful when surrounded by allies. Stat bonuses per level: +2 Will, +2 Wis, +1 Int, +1 Free Point.
“Deific powers?” She read aloud. “So there are definitely gods then,” she baited the entity across from her.
Despite the being’s uncanny lack of facial expressions, let alone a mouth with which to perform such expressions, she received a distinct feeling the thing was growing impatient.
“Jesus,” muttered Aster as she turned back to her choices. “I’d find more stimulating conversations with a corpse.” When the entity neither commented on her use of a god’s name or her completely original wit she continued to her selection. After all, she couldn’t keep the afterlife waiting. Who cared if instead of heaven or hell you got a video game? As far as she was concerned, this was about as good as it could get.
She took a breath and considered. The caster classes didn’t feel like her, and the archer class definitely wasn’t her, so she went back to the melee classes and read through them. Light warrior seemed more her speed, but she was worried about a lack of defensive capability. This especially considering her lack of health points, which she figured was pulled directly from her Vitality stat at a 10:1 ratio.
Heavy warrior seemed the safest, but the descriptor of sacrificing speed rubbed her the wrong way. Her speed had always been a strong suit of hers, also likely reflected in her Agility stat compared to her Strength stat.
That left her with the medium warrior class, which once again caught her eye with its offering of a more balanced style that would help keep her safe until she got stronger, while also letting her play to her strengths of being a more versatile competitor. Not that she knew what she’d be ‘competing’ against, mind. But the classes were stuff like “warrior” and “healer”, not “office worker”, so she considered it a safe bet that getting into fights and getting hurt would be commonalities in this life.
“Medium warrior it is,” she tapped the icon.
You have chosen the Warrior (Medium) class. Confirm?
Aster let a grin cross her face as she made her choice.
You have obtained the Warrior (Medium) class.
Before she could finishing processing the words, Aster felt a weight descend upon her mind like a blanket as novel information became known to her. Items appeared on the table in front of her and she received several notifications at once.
*Gained Skill*: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)] – The Warrior’s best friend is the weapon in their hand and the fury in their heart. Unlocks basic proficiency with most one-handed weapons and adds a minuscule bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a fitting melee weapon.
*Gained Skill*: [Basic Two-Handed Weapons (Inferior)] - The Warrior keeps their enemies at a distance or in the ground when using two-handed weapons. Unlocks basic proficiency with most two-handed weapons and adds a minuscule bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a fitting melee weapon.
*Gained Skill*: [Basic Sword & Shield (Inferior)] - The bread and butter for many Warriors, offering time-tested offense and defense in tandem. Unlocks basic proficiency with most sword & shield combos and adds a minuscule bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a fitting sword & shield.
*Gained Skill*: [Basic Throwing Weapons (Inferior)] - Some situations call for an improvised throw of your weapon, while others are better answered with a javelin. Unlocks basic proficiency with most thrown weapons and adds a minuscule bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when throwing a fitting weapon.
*Gained Skill*: [Balanced Approach (Inferior)] - A jack of all weapons, master of none. Adds a 5% bonus to stat effects while wielding any weapon you possess proficiency with.
The five System notifications were easy enough to understand, though some of the wording confused her. 5% bonus to stat effects? Not to stats themselves? There were definitely mechanics here she didn’t know about, but when she asked Mr. Talkative he had nothing to say on the matter.
On the table in front of her were a collection of items that seemed tied to her class. Inside a satchel were a collection of red bottles. Definitely potions, Aster thought, and then another notification appeared.
*Gained skill*: [Identify (Inferior)] – Basic identification skill, known by all but the smallest of children of the myriad races. The skill allows you to attempt to identify any object or creature you are focusing on.
Let’s give it a shot, she thought as she focused on the bottles. After a few seconds she received an answer:
[Health Potion (Inferior)] – Restores health when consumed.
Honestly she didn’t know what she’d expected.
A simple chain jacket that once donned went down to just above her knees, with long, loose sleeves. Leather buckles held it together in the front. A leather belt like the cloth ones on her bathrobes back home— in the living world?—buckled in front of her and had several little metal loops on it which she used to hold the potion pouch.
Comfortable leather boots fit over what she would call “hospital socks”— nothing more than a tube-shaped cloth. Her shirt and trousers were a comfortable-enough material, with the shirt providing built-in support, for which she was thankful, though she didn’t particularly need it at the moment. Hopefully everything grows back… she thought.
“There are two minutes remaining until the Tutorial commences.” Said the being. “Please choose a starting weapon.”
Where her new armor had been on the table now sat several swords of varying sizes, two choices of shield including a larger, wooden one and a smaller, circular one made of some indeterminate metal, four axes of varying lengths from a double-headed battleaxe to a tomahawk, a halberd longer than she was tall, several hammers that seemed to mirror the axes in size, and several spears.
“I have to choose just one?” Aster walked around the table, perusing her options and trying to get used to the feel of the chain mail.
“You may choose a one-handed weapon and shield or a two-handed weapon, as well as a throwing weapon.”
Simple enough, thought Aster. She looked at the smaller selection of throwing weapons first and settled on the tomahawk as she could imagine a million uses for the small axe. It fit perfectly into one of the loops on her belt. Now for a big weapon…
“You have thirty seconds until the Tutorial commences.”
Well shit. Aster ruled out the sword & shield combo, the greatsword, axes and hammers simply based on preference. The halberd was interesting but seemed more difficult to get the hang of than the other options. Thinking back on her limited knowledge of warfare history, she recalled that most infantry wielded spears as they were significantly easier to master than swords and offered defense as well as offense.
In the end she grabbed a simple wooden spear with a leaf-shaped blade at one end and a matching pommel of sorts on the other. Once she had it in her hand she did a last once-over and couldn’t find anything out of place.
“Alright,” she looked up at the being. “So far the afterlife has been pretty okay, save for a distinct lack of decent conversational partners. Is there anything else I should kn—”
The world went white.
Introduction sequence completed. Transporting to tutorial…
----
Maria Castle was just finishing the introduction, and she was not having a good time. Having selected the Warrior (Heavy) class, she had finished putting on her chestplate when the weird robot thing told her she had only a few minutes left before some big “tutorial” started.
It was all complete horseshit. Just a few minutes ago she’d finally been getting through to that Rose girl when she had to go and die in an elevator collapse of all things. Or at least that’s what she thought had happened, but with the weird screen that had appeared right before they fell down the shaft, coupled with the weirdest and nerdiest fucking afterlife apparently being her new reality, she’d nearly believed it when the robot said she hadn’t actually died at all and was instead part of some universe-wide orientation thing.
“Thirty seconds until the Tutorial commences.” The robot said.
“Yeah, I got you,” Castle muttered as she finished with the straps holding her armor on. “Now, where’s my weapon?”
She chose the halberd, because it was the coolest and let her smash things with the hammer side of it, and then sighed. “This is like my nephew’s version of heaven. The dork used to spend more time playing WoW than breathing fresh—”
Introduction sequence completed. Transporting to Tutorial