Chapter 5: Starry Skies

The white landscape melted away, revealing a night sky, full of twinkling stars. I stood in a weathered courtyard, the broken walls of buildings eroded by time surrounded me. Behind me, the courtyard dropped off into an ocean of stars. At some points within the courtyard, wide cracks in the stone revealed the same endless night. I walked over to one of the gaps in the floor, staring through, into the abyss.

“Where am I..?” I asked aloud.

Not expecting a reply, I jumped when a familiar voice filled the ruins.

“It’s beautiful, isn't it Locke?”

Turning around, I came face to face with a figure whose skin was a shifting tapestry of the same night sky that backlit them. Why do people keep appearing behind me..

“You sound familiar.. are you?” I trailed off, unsure about how to ask a Non-player character about their existence in the real world.

“I am. But our meeting is not about me, it is about you. Or rather, about who you wish to become.” They said, smiling at me.

They beckoned me forward, extending a hand, palm skyward.

“Take my hand, Locke.”

I did.

“When you dream, who do you see yourself as?”

The world fell away.

“A hero perchance? Destined to save thousands through their courageous actions?” They asked.

Silhouettes of black encircled a toppled carriage, from inside, a few huddled shapes made whimpering noises. Before any of the figures surrounding the carriage could act, a golden light erupted from the ground, another silhouette striding forth, this time wreathed in golden light. Those in black made guttural noises, and threw themselves at the beacon of light. The hero slew them with ease, one after another, until the scene faded.

Replacing it, a castle, walls sporting massive cracks, with hundreds of shadowy figures crashing into it like waves against a shore. At their back, the antithesis of the previous hero stood. Black and red energy twisted inside his form, behind him a mantle of liquid night flowed like cloth sinking in a pool.

“Perhaps, yours is a future intertwined with darkness?” They asked, voice never changing from calm impartiality.

I stood silently, pondering their question. In a blink the courtyard had appeared around us once more.

“So Locke. Who.. are you?”

Six figures materialized in front of us. Their specifics were blurry, and I was unable to make out facial features or race.

One figure boasted a heavy looking bastard sword in one hand, a buckler in the other. Star light glistened off their chain mail.

Some kind of warrior type class.

Another brandished a staff and wore light looking rustic clothing. The next sported a pair of cruel looking curved daggers. Shadows pooled around them like fog, making it difficult to take in their flickering form.

I had trouble identifying the fourth form. They held what seemed to be a tome of some kind in one hand, a short and blunt mace in the other.

“What class is this?” I asked, only realizing my mistake after I had spoken.

“This one's path is one of worship. They draw power from their chosen deity to strike down their foes, mend their allies, or empower themselves.

Nodding in understanding, I laid my eyes on the next “path”.

Similar to the warrior, but instead of heavy armor, their armor more closely resembled that of the shadowy figure. They wielded a sword in each hand, one curved, one straight. Their form was lithe and wraithlike, and yet they carried themselves with the poise of a knight.

Maybe some kind of mix between the warrior and the rogue..

Lastly, a massive longbow held in both hands, the fletching of arrows sticking out over one shoulder, stood what must be this game's variation of an archer, ranger, or hunter.

Taking a step back, I considered my choices. I was likely to be going at it alone, at least until dungeons or raids forced me to group. This meant I should pick something that was fairly independent. As tempting as they were, this meant that vulnerable, squishy classes were probably not a good idea. Ruling out the rogue and wizard like classes was a little sad, but probably for the best.

Tanking was not really my style, and so the sword and board class went as well. The bow wielding class might be able to keep its distance with the bow, but I worried about its weakness to ambushes. The cleric interested me as well, but its clothlike armor likely meant it wouldn’t be a bastion of resilience. That left only the rogue-warrior hybrid. I really, really wanted to try magic out in such a lifelike game, but I just couldn’t risk being unable to solo content at the pace I would need to in order to remain competitive.

Looking away from the mage, I took a few tentative steps towards my intended class, unsure of what to do next.

I glanced at my guide, and they nodded.

“Take their hand, as you did mine.” they said.

When I got within a few steps of the fighter, they held out their hand, palm up. I laid my hand on top of theirs.

All of the other figures vanished. Several copies of the fighter replaced them, this time with varying facial features, body structure, and skin color.

The one whose hand I took was clearly human, and with a face identical to mine. To its left stood a hulking brute, tusks jutting from its lower jaw. Its skin was pale green, and its appendages were tipped with three inch long claws. The strangest part was its face. It was a twisted, monsterlike version of my own face. Disgusted but curious, I quickly glanced at all the other figures. They were clearly all fantasy races, and every single one had a face that was eerily similar to my own.

Stumbling a couple steps back, a voice spoke from behind me.

“The river troll. Very sturdy, and capable of impressive regenerative feats.

Despite dwelling in water, their scales secrete an oil that renders them extremely vulnerable to flame.

I nodded without turning.

To the trolls left was a tall, pointy eared man, who was clearly some variety of elf.

I wonder if the NPC can help me shorten the process…

"Hey… guide?" I asked, turning around to face the NPC.

"You may call me Nereph" they said, smiling warmly.

"Ah, Nereph, which one of the races is most suited towards my class? Uh, I mean, my path."

"You may speak plainly Locke, myself and others you may meet will know what you mean" they said.

"To answer your question, I cannot direct you on your path. However, you may glean information about aspects of this world by inspecting. Simply focus on what you wish to know about with the intent of revealing information."

I blinked. "Could I have inspected each of the classes..?" I asked in disbelief.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Indeed. In fact, you still may. Is that something you are interested in?" They asked serenely.

I considered if there was a need to inspect all of the classes, knowing my choice was unlikely to change. Although it would be nice to know what other potential enemies could do, I really didn't want to waste more time on character creation. As a veteran of many an MMORPG launch, I knew the first few days could be of utmost importance in determining who sat at the top.

"No thanks, I appreciate the heads up though." I said.

They nodded.

Focusing on the human fighter in front of me, I willed their information to my mind.

{Blank Slate}

Type: ???

Race: Human

Level: ???

Class: Swashbuckler

I focused on the race specifically, and information about it populated my vision.

{Human}

Description:

One of the most common races in Eterra, they are a true Jack of all trades, master of none.

Stat Growth:

+5 Free points per level

Traits:

Ravenous learner (Passive): 8% increased experience from all sources.

Expansive memory (Passive): Humans may learn one extra profession.

Fatal Flaws:

Humans possess no fatal flaws.

Humans seemed ideal for rushing content with their increased experience gain, as well as their free stats, which allowed them to be paired effectively with any class. While I wasn’t sure how professionals worked in this game, I imagined having an additional one would be quite powerful.

Next, I inspected the Troll. I didn't foresee myself picking something so brutish, but if it matched my class well enough I would consider it.

{Troll}

Description:

Extremely hardy creatures, they are far more intelligent than other races give them credit for. Possessing powerful innate effects, they also have dangerous drawbacks.

Stat Growth:

+2 Strength per level, +2 Constitution per level, + 1 Wisdom per level

Traits:

Lifebinder Veins: Trolls are magical beings. As such, mana runs through their veins, increasing their natural life regeneration by up to 8% of their maximum life per second. This effect drains the same amount of mana while active, and will not occur if the mana cost cannot be paid. This affects regeneration scales positively with missing health.

Claws that catch (Active):

Mana pulses through your veins, collecting at the tips of your fingers. Your next melee attack slows the target by 30% for 5 seconds, as well as dealing 15% additional physical damage. This trait has a 3 minute cool down.

Fatal flaws:

Flashfire hide: Receiving fire damage causes Trolls to take a damage over time effect (Damage type: Fire) equal to 10% of the initial hit received (This effect has a 1 second cool down, and can only be applied once per attack). Additionally, while affected by Flashfire Hide, Lifebinder Veins is disabled.

I balked at the significantly more complex racials bonuses and flaws the Troll possessed. Definitely not what I was expecting, and honestly not at all a bad pairing for my class.

..I think..?

I really needed to check out what my class actually did. I focused on the Swashbuckler part of the Trolls initial inspect window.

{Swashbuckler}

Class evolution Stage: 1

Description: The swashbuckler specializes in dealing high sustained damage, and possesses solid defenses through evasion based damage negation. Highly mobile, they can maneuver the battlefield with ease.

Suitable Armor Types: Chain, Leather.

Strengths: High mobility, high sustained damage, high evasion

Weaknesses: Low burst capabilities, Low damage mitigation, Low crowd control capabilities.

Happy with my choice of class, I just needed to find a race that had synergy with the strengths of the Swashbuckler, and helped shore up the weaknesses. Also, what was a Class Evolution Stage?

I spent the next couple minutes quickly analyzing the available races, and figuring out how they would work with Swashbuckler. I figured that any class that had stat growth for Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution could be good picks. I also noted races that possess traits that would help increase my character's survivability.

There was a short, muscular Dwarf who had high bonuses to Strength and Constitution, with traits tailored towards durability, mining, and smithing. Interesting, but I had no desire to make a character with such a large focus on professions.

To my utter shock, the tall and lithe figure turned out to be an Elf, possessing moderate bonuses to Wisdom, Intelligence, and Dexterity. Their traits focused on Perception based abilities, and magical prowess. While the magical part of the Elf was certainly interesting, I wasn’t sure it was a good fit for a swashbuckler. Nor did the seeming lack of any durability based traits bode well for my survivability.

The very small Fae was similar to the Elf, but even more tailored towards magic, and so was not a realistic option either.

A pair of green humanoids, one short and agile-looking, the other tall and stocky. A pair of short tusks sprouted from each of their lower jaws. After skimming through their Inspect windows, they both seemed like good fits for my class. The goblin had bonuses to Intelligence and Dexterity, and surprisingly also possessed Traits focused around increased durability. The Orc on the other hand, provided Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, with a Trait that allowed for the use of heavier armor with no penalty.

The ability to remain highly mobile, while still benefiting from the protection heavy plate armor possessed seemed extremely powerful to me. As I pondered if an Orc was the correct choice, my eyes wandered to the last option. With a height and build similar to that of a Human, the last option had mottled gray skin, with small curved horns jutting out of their forehead. Curious, I inspected the man.

{Demifiend}

Description:

Born from the union of Human and Demon, Demfiends are often shunned by both sides of their ancestry. Possessing characteristics from each highly variable race, no two Demifiends are the same. Demifiends mutate as they grow in experience, allowing for powerful quirks, and dangerous disabilities.

Stat Growth:

+5 free points per level.

Traits:

Mutation: 5% of experience gained is instead invested into the Demifiends mutation threshold. When the threshold is met, the Demifiend undergoes mutation. During mutation, a list of three or more beneficial mutations is presented, from which the Demifiend must pick one. Next, a list of 3 or more negative options is presented, from which the Demifiend must pick one.

Fatal Flaws:

Shared Revulsion: Neither completely Human, nor Demon, these hybrid offspring are seen not only as a scandalous abomination, but also as inherently untrustworthy. Base reputation with Human factions is lowered by one tier, and Demon factions by two.

I liked the free points gained at each level, as well as the interesting Mutation mechanic. The reputation penalty seemed potentially dangerous, but perhaps workable. The ability to fine tune my character towards my desired playstyle with the Mutation Trait seemed like an extremely powerful tool, but only if I was able to offset the downsides.

While some of the other races seemed like solid choices, with quantifiable strengths and weaknesses, something about the unknown of the Demifiend drew me in.

Impulsively, I imagined becoming the Demifiend, and the race vanished from where it stood.

My skin flared with a sudden prickling sensation, which quickly faded. I looked down at my hands, which were now a mottled gray color.

“Nephet, do you have some kind of mir-” I said, looking up and cutting myself off as I noticed a shimmering reflective plane floating beside Nephet.

I looked like a cross between a lizard, human, and dragon. A pair of stubby horns protruded from my forehead, and my pupils had shifted to vertical slits. Besides the very apparent physical changes, I actually looked quite similar to Earth Locke.

They smiled warmly, and nodded towards my new form.

“Your new form suits you, Locke.” they said, “Would you like to make any alterations?”

I thought about it for a minute.

“No thanks, I’m fine with how I look.”

“One last step, before you enter Eterra.” She said, “Where would your story begin?”

They swiped their hand horizontally through the air, and five crackling portals as tall as Nereph manifested. Through one, I could see grassy plains, packs of semi-familiar animals wandering about. Another held a collection of tightly packed trees forming a dark forest. The third a savanna, the blistering sun baking the packed dirt. To its right, the fourth portal displayed a tropical beach, verdant waves crashing across the beach. Finally, a Tundra, howling winds slicing through the snow covered trees.

“Each of the portals are ordered with respect to the comparative difficulty you will experience at the beginning of your journey.” Nereph said, “From easiest, ” she said, gesturing to the Plains, “to hardest,” she said, hand moving to encompass the Tundra’s portal.

“Each area has the potential to challenge you. The Rightmost options are designed for those who wish for a true test of their prowess. Do not overestimate your abilities, Locke. There is no cowardice in the safe pick.” she said, for the first time adopting a more serious look.

I assumed that the harder the starting zone, the more potential for loot and faster progression. With no hesitation, I walked towards the portal to the Tundra, stopping a few yards back from the portal's swirling face.

I faced Nereph, ready to say goodbyes.

"From these choices, countless others will spring. But do not fear. You will forge yourself into who you were meant to be. " She said, putting emphasis on each of the last words.

"Good luck, Locke."

One last time, my world plunged into darkness, and I lost consciousness.