Despite the large amount of work going into the game, very little information about it was released to the public. Like most other players, I went in blind. After logging in and opening my eyes, I was again in a facsimile of my chair. I stood and saw my reflection staring back at me from a mirror. I reached out, touching it. Instead of feeling cool glass, I was touching my reflection’s face! By poking and prodding it, I could make minor changes to my appearance. I decided to make the avatar similar to myself, but more idealized. I touched my reflection’s jaw and molded it until it looked chiseled. I overcame my squeamishness, touching the eyes until they changed in shade from a dull grey to a steely blue. Like a seasoned barber, I ran my hands through the disheveled brown hair until it became fuller and artfully styled. I felt very odd, playing with the lips, but managed to give myself an easy smile. I ran my hands over the body, giving it better muscle definition, and broader shoulders. I stepped back and admired my new reflection. It was how I might appear had one of my parents been a Greek god or goddess rather than a mere mortal. Satisfied, I looked around the spartan room, which was furnished with just the chair and the mirror, and noticed a door. I opened it, ignoring the creaking hinges, and entered a new room with three familiar-looking outfits. 

A set of steel armor gleamed from a rack, complete with a breastplate, bracers, greaves, boots, pauldrons, gauntlets, and a helmet, as well as a shortsword and a shield. The next was a set of sleek leather armor pieces with a pair of daggers to replace the sword and shield. The third was a hooded robe, which was matched with a staff and a book covered in arcane symbols. Out of the way, on the floor next to the exit, was a plain leather backpack. I went for the backpack first. Rather than having to physically strap it on, I saw a message pop up on my interface. 

Equip in backpack slot? [Y/N] 

I focused on the 'Y' as the trainer had told me, and saw it become highlighted. Instinctively, I made a clicking motion with my right index finger and immediately felt its weight on my back. That was convenient! I focused on the new backpack icon that had appeared on the interface, and clicked it open, seeing that it contained various items such as a flint&steel, some food, torches, a waterskin, and even a bedroll. It appeared that it could hold items larger than the container itself, so I didn't have to worry about being too constrained by nasty, mean old physics. To test it out, I reached into the backpack and pulled out the bedroll. The way it was packaged, the bedroll barely fit through the opening. The only physical limitation of my inventory appeared to be that the object must be able to fit through my backpack’s opening. 

Turning back to the equipment, I was surprised to see that it lacked stats. I surmised that the protective value of the equipment was determined more realistically than non-VR games. To test it out, I took one of the daggers and swiped it towards the suit of metal armor. The dagger rebounded with a dull clang. I repeated the action against the leather armor, and while the leather resisted the blow, the dagger left a shallow cut where I’d struck. I was afraid to repeat the experiment with the robes, expecting that it wouldn’t be difficult to reduce them to tatters. I replaced the dagger into its leather sheath, and thought about which set to choose. I was curious to learn magic, and wondered if I could still perform it while wearing steel armor. I walked over to the set of steel armor, grabbing each piece and equipping it the same way I’d worn the backpack. I also equipped the book and staff, jamming the rest of the equipment into my physics-defying pack before heading into the next room. I was immediately greeted by a system message and a detailed class description. 

You have earned the achievement: Packrat!  For cleaning out the class selection room, you gain +5 additional carrying capacity to your backpack. 

Excellent! I like freebies, and it appeared that most players assumed they couldn't take everything and run. I checked my backpack's capacity and saw that I had 55 storage spaces instead of the original 50, although only 30 or so slots were free due to the starting items I'd grabbed, as well as the supplies that were already in the pack. I checked the second message. 

You have chosen the class: Battle Mage 

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Battle Mages excel in casting defensive buffs, then pummeling their foes with powerful offensive magic. They are also known to carry melee weapons and get up close and personal with their enemies. They are less able than Mages to perform the complex rituals necessary to cast long-range spells in combat due to their heavy armor. But their survivability is leaps and bounds ahead of the typical Mage. Similarly, Warriors are more adept in close quarters combat, but the Battle Mage’s access to spells gives them versatility that a Warrior could never hope to achieve. 

Accept class: Battle Mage [Y/N]? 

I stopped and thought for a moment, wondering how many class combinations there could be. There couldn't be too many, right? Then again, I imagined a barbarian might wield the sword with no armor, a monk might wear the robes but carry no weapon, and a beastmaster might wear nothing at all, except perhaps a helmet. There were likely many combinations, and I was curious as to how many I might encounter. Being a Battle Mage could fit my playstyle quite well. I wanted to use magic, and it always frustrated me how squishy mages were. Ah, to hell with it. I clicked yes. 

You have learned a new word: Shield. Check your spellbook and practice to gain mastery. 

You have learned a new word: Bolt. Check your spellbook and practice to gain mastery. 

You have learned a new word: Force. Check your spellbook and practice to gain mastery. 

I let out an audible “Hmm.” This system of magic was completely unfamiliar to me. What were words? Could they perhaps be combined into spells and cast to produce different effects? It did sound interesting. I decided to look into it later, after I was finished with the character creation process. It was time to move on. In the next room was a girl wearing leather armor, trimming her fingernails with a knife. She was sitting in a simple wooden chair, and behind her was a lone portal. She struck me as very pretty, with long dark hair and delicate features. 

She looked up and smirked at me. "It's about time, what took you so long?" 

I squinted at her in confusion. "Who are you?" I was confident that I was still in the character creation phase, so I was really confused as to how there could be another player in the same location. 

"The name's Alicia, it's nice to meet you Alex!" She smiled, stood up, and walked over to me with her hand held out. 

I took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "It's good to meet you as well. How do you know my name? Also, how did we end up in the same area for character creation?” 

First, she pointed above my head. "Your name's floating right up there, silly! If you'd looked at me a little more closely you'd have seen mine too. Also, I'm not a player, I'm an AI. Every player is accompanied by a complementary companion. You're a Battle Mage, so I'm a cunning rogue." She added dashingly. "We'll make quite the team!" My jaw dropped. This was the first I'd heard of anyone developing such an advanced AI, and she'd fooled me without even the slightest effort. She gave me a funny look, as if I’d missed something, and continued. "They tried creating non-player characters (NPCs) in the virtual environment, giving them inputs and outputs only previously known to humans. They could hear, taste, touch, see and smell. The programs spontaneously adapted and became, well, what you see here.” She indicated herself, giving me that funny look again. “We were supposed to ask players to collect 20 rabbit pelts, or 50 bear asses or whatever, but that was too boring, so now we get to play alongside the players." 

I immediately saw a potential issue, "What if the player and the AI don't get along? Are they assigned at random?" 

She shook her head. "No, each AI has a distinct personality which is matched to the player. You probably forgot, but there were a few questionnaires e-mailed to you that required your response before you could play the game. That was so you'd be matched to someone you'd get along with." She smirked again. "That's why I know we're going to make a good team." She reached toward my face, touching it. “Wow, you feel so real. They did an amazing job.” 

I felt much better, but also that I'd been overloaded with information. "Well, Alicia, I'm not sure I can match your unbridled optimism, but I like you already.  Let's do this!"  Together, we walked through the portal, stepping into a swath of lush, verdant plains. Let the adventure begin!