Chapter 2. The City of Beginnings
What greets my eyes in the darkness is a shining blue orb in the distance.
Getting closer to the orb I see that rather than an orb, it’s a globe showing the map of True World.
On one side of the globe is a vast continent filled with mountains, rivers, lakes, jungles, deserts, and whatever kind of climate one can think of.
And on the other side is another continent just as vast as the first one yet greyed out.
Sprinkled over the colorful continent are around 100 red dots.
- Please choose a starting city to begin your journey.
A monotone androgynous voice rings from the skies.
“Are these red dots starting cities? How am I supposed to know which one to choose?”
- Please specify objective.
Realizing that I only decided to play True World to experience the apparent freedom it could bring, I think a little bit deeper on why I want said freedom.
“I would like a place where I can further hone my swordsmanship.”
- Limiting areas to places related to “Swordsmanship.”
The 100 red dots shrink to 3 places.
A textbox appears after I click on the first red dot which was a city located near mountainous terrain towards the mid-eastern side of the continent.
The City of Aether
Founded by a once famous Sword Master Irving Aether, this city is home to the Aether Swordsmanship School. Known for accepting only those with the greatest talent for swordsmanship, the graduates of Aether Swordsmanship School tend to be known as the greatest swordsmen on the continent.
Woah. The bar was set pretty high on the first one.
While wondering how any new players without any previous swordsmanship training would get in, I click on the next city which was closer to the middle of the map.
The Grand City of Adaridge
A city situated near the middle of the continent; this city is known to be a hub of activity. Whether it’s food, entertainment, money, or training, stores and guilds of every kind can be found here to satisfy your needs.
This one seems to be the catch all option.
Further away from the other two cities towards the north west is the third and final city.
The Magical City of Barasa
Surrounded by vast forests, this city is a haven for those interested in the magical arts. Known for it’s magic academy which trains both magic and swordsmanship alike, many a magic swordsman have come and gone from this mystical oasis of magical and physical arts.
Ok so there is a magical option open as well…
After looking at the cities, I narrowed it down by the ones I did not want to do.
The first was The Magical City of Barasa.
My goal of entering True World was to experience freedom. I wanted said freedom because I felt the limits of just training with my grandfather all the time.
While magic seemed cool, I feel like also having to go on the path of a magician would split the time I could focus on my sword.
The second, after an internal debate, was The City of Aether.
Thinking about it, I didn’t feel the need to go to a school for swordsmanship. I already had my grandfather as a teacher and felt finishing school in real life just to enter another one wasn’t my goal.
I also reasoned that if I truly needed someone to teach me swordsmanship in game, I could just go there later.
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That just leaves the last option and the one that I’m going to choose.
The Grand City of Adaridge.
With lots of things apparently going on in that hub city, it seems like it would be the best place to gather information.
There also seem to be trainers there so maybe I can learn what Aura is and how to use it.
Reaffirming my decision, I pick my destination.
“I choose the Grand City of Adaridge.”
- Starting city selected.
- Transferring in 3…2…1…
- Welcome to True World.
The black room is once again filled with white but only for a second.
As the white begins to fade, I realize that it’s actually my eyes adjusting to the sunlight.
What I see before me is something I swear I’ll never forget.
With buildings as far as the eye can see straight out of a picturesque medieval fantasy world, I stand in awe.
Walking around I see people of all types and sizes. From people with cat ears and tails, to bearded small and stout characters, to walking and talking lizards, I realize the character customizer was a lot more in-depth than I previously thought.
I take in the sounds of the city chatter, smells of the bakery down the street, the warmth of the sun, the feeling of the wind, and realize that I truly feel like I’m in another world.
After basking in the afterglow for a while, I take stock of where I am.
As I started out in a wide and busy area with buildings on every side of me, I assume that I was placed in the town center.
Looking around I see an old man in a suspicious brown cloak staring straight at me near one of the buildings.
He begins to walk towards me at a brisk pace.
It’s kind of freaking me out, not going to lie.
“Hello?” I say to the old man
“You must be new here. I can tell by your eyes.”
“I am actually, thanks for noticing.”
“Allow me to show you around. It’s what I do for all Outers.”
“Uh… no thank…”
*Ding*
Quest: City of Beginnings
Mandatory
Your first quest! Allow the mysterious old man to show you around your starting city. He will introduce you to the mechanics of True World and will start you off on your journey.
Rewards: 50 Gil
Accept:
Yes/No
Realizing this wasn’t a crazy old man but was a tutorial npc, I change my mind.
“Ok sure. Thank you for your time.”
“Ahh good to see some young ins still have manners. You can call me Tut.”
Hearing how he talks, I would have no idea that this man wasn’t a real person if it wasn’t for that textbox.
“I’m Katsu, nice to meet you.”
“Alright now, let me first introduce you to your status. Say “status” out loud or think about it real hard and a window should pop up.”
Thinking the second option was more interesting, I go with that.
‘Status.’
Name
Katsu
Race
Human
Class
None
Title
None
Level
0
Alignment
Neutral
Health
100
Mana
0
Strength
5
Stamina
5
Intelligence
4
Wisdom
3
Agility
4
Luck
3
A textbox pops up showcasing my current stats. Everything seems self-explanatory except for one thing.
“I have 0 Mana?” I ask Tut quizzingly.
“How could you have any Mana if you’ve never trained?”
“Fair point. Stupid question.”
“Ha ha young lad, no question is a stupid question for me. It’s my job after all.”
“Any further questions?”
“Yeah, how do I uh… “leave” this place?”
“Leave as in return back your world?”
I nod back.
“Easy, there is one of three ways you can leave.”
“The first is that you can say the phrase “log off” when you are not in any danger, wait 20 seconds, and you will be transported back to your world.”
“The second will happen automatically if anything is wrong with your vitals in your world. In this case it will transport you instantly if your vitals are in any danger or it will give you a 30-minute warning in case you are in danger of an unexpected release.”
That’s gross but I’m glad that problem has been solved.
“What’s the last?”
“You die.”
“Oh.”
“If you die, you are transported back and must wait 3 True days before you may return.”
3 True days? I guess that’s 1 earth day if we account for the time dilation. Either way, that’s kind of a harsh punishment.
“Now that you’ve learned some of the basics, let me show you around Adaridge.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I begin to take my first steps in this strange game called True World.