Connect to Royal Road? Yes/No?

"yes", Dan almost shouted his answer

The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?

"yes!"

Select the Name of your Avatar

"Hmm maybe i should go with something Arthurian or possibly something more Tolkien like? Ah I know, Arthedain!" Best of both worlds Dan thought

Select gender from male, female or neutral

"Definitely male! I'll never live it down if Steve heard I'd chosen female or neutral"

Royal Road has 49 races currently 29 races are playable, please select your chosen race

"Hmm can i be a barbarian?"

That race is currently unavailable

"Okay then Human it is"

You may alter your appearance

This was the part Dan had been waiting for, a chance to change who he was and how others saw him.

"I'd like to be 6 foot 5 inches tall, with blond hair and can i have my muscle mass increased by 30%?"

"show image."

In front of Dan a large figure appeared looking like a Viking warrior from the depths of time.

"Add beard and change eye colour to deep blue" Dan said after examining his avatar

The eyes on the avatar became piercingly blue and a blond beard sprouted from its chin.

"excellent that's fine thanks"

Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road

Select a City and Kingdom you want to start in

"hmm somewhere with few people" Dan decided after a moments hesitation, he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with the thousands of other players just yet

City of Ymrheim in the Kingdom of Baldur selected

Very apt place to start considering my avatar looks like a viking Dan thought.

Welcome to Royal Road, Do you wish to go through the tutorial? Yes/No

"No thanks" Dan said. I can get used to my avatar body whilst questing, especially if there isn't any other players around to laugh at me when i start experimenting with my body in the middle of the street, he thought.

After a flash of intense light Dan, no Arthedain now, appeared in the middle of a plaza next to a fountain. He started to look around and saw some people walking around what looked like market stalls. He decided to head in the opposite direction as he wasn't quite ready to start playing for real yet. He just wanted to get used to his new body and explore this new world for a bit before heading out on adventures.

Whilst walking towards what he thought was a castle, he started to flex his limbs and admire his new found musculature. "Ha Steve's got nothing on this body, with it and with my well stocked brain i think I'm ready to brave a legion of Orcs!" Arthedain said.

(for convenience I'm going to shorten his name to Arthe from now on, too much hassle to write the whole thing out all the time.)

"Hahahahahaha!" Suddenly there was a loud laugh from a door at the side of the street. " A legion of Orcs Lad? have you ever seen a legion of Orcs, i bet you'd wet yourself if you came face to face with a single Orc let alone a legion of them!" This, hurtful and insulting, comment came from an old man sat on a chair polishing some armor.

"Excuse me sir, may i ask why you felt it necessary to spoil my daydream?" Arthe asked. He always had the habit of being excruciatingly polite to those he didn't know, which was half the reason he found it difficult to make friends in the real world. People found it weird and slightly creepy.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Well you're very polite for someone who looks like he'd pillage a monastery given half the chance, maybe you're the kind of person I've been looking for?" the old man said, whilst grinning like a mad man. "So Lad, how about it? Will you come help me with something?"

"Ding"

A Strange Old Man's Request

An old man has asked you to help him with a mysterious errand. Follow him to find out what it is that he wants

Quest Difficulty: E

Quest Requirements: Make the old man laugh and be nice to him even when insulted

Quest Rewards: Increased Friendship with old man, extra rewards if quest is completed without losing your Patience

Hmm this looks easy but the extra rewards bit makes me suspicious, still it's not like I have anything else to do and I've got to start my grand adventure somewhere, Arthe thought to himself.

"I'd be honored to help you with whatever it is that is troubling you sir"

You have accepted the Quest

"Excellent, first things first my old legs are to weak to get me up to the guardhouse and back but this breastplate has to be given to the Guard-captain there."

"Well sir, allow me to deliver it for you and rest yourself inside till i return" Arthe said, whilst thinking it can't be this easy.

"Oh no, I've spent too much time on this armor to just give it to some young sprout I've only just met. you'll have to carry me on your back. That way I can be assured it will arrive on time and I'll be able to get some other small errands done whilst we're walking about town" was the response form the old man, who had a very suspicious glint in his eye that Arthe completely missed.

Damn, I've got to carry him up to the guardhouse and back. I bet that's not a short journey either and those 'other small errands' sound damn suspicious as well, Arthe thought to himself while maintaining his polite smile.

"But of course sir, it would be my honour to carry you about town and to aid you with whatever errands you have" he said whilst internally grimacing.

"Excellent, well then what are you waiting for, an invitation? Bend that over sized heap you call a body down and let me climb up so we can get on with my errands. Come on boy I haven't got all day!"

Arthe bent over thinking about what a pain in the proverbial this old man and his quest were going to be, and when the old man was firmly situated on his shoulders he set off in the direction the old man pointed.

" Come on boy, stop dawdling. There's no time to lose. Run lad, use those tree trunks you call legs and get a move on! I'm not getting any younger while you shamble along at this pace, faster boy faster!"

These and various other comments and expletives rained down on Arthe's head until eventually he was almost flat out sprinting up the hill towards the Guardhouse. With a large grimace on his face and breath coming from his mouth in short sharp breaths Arthe ran on, oblivious to the staring of the people around him, only able to hear the biting comments of the sadistic old man perched on his shoulders.