For the first few seconds, all Cole saw was the word Fate Maker in metallic grey only a few feet in front of him, but it was as large as a flatscreen TV. He thought the game was already lagging. Out of habit, he tried to click on the title as if it would somehow unfreeze it. Not that he was sure that such a thing worked anyway. Instinctively, he tried to move his right hand to direct the mouse to the words. But instead of a pointer, he saw his finger, and when he tapped on it nothing happened since the words were too far away. He motioned to get closer to it but paused when he heard a sharp crack.
A split emerged that separated Fate from Marked, and the words slid from each other along the diagonal crack between them. Once the words disappeared, there was a bright flash and then he was flying at high speed over a large landscape. Houses, animals, and people zipped by beneath him. The scene then fixed on a battle between two men — one in red and one in black.
Their swords clashed and their feet danced. They seemed evenly matched until a glowing figure came between them and killed the warrior in the red cloak. The other smiled in satisfaction. A young man ran into the scene and knelt beside the fallen King. There’s a time-lapse as the boy ages. The castle disappeared and was replaced by a battlefield.
The boy, now a man, stood at the head of an army and the same man from before watched them from the city walls. The armies clashed and then there was another flash of white. The split title returns to the background of both men, their armies, and their kingdoms divided by the same crack.
Once the title screen faded to black the word ‘Orientation’ popped up and then flew into the left corner of the screen.
“Welcome to Fate Maker,” a female voice said. There’s a melodic tone to her speech that Cole found enchanting. “Let’s get you oriented in our virtual reality space.” The surroundings change from a black expanse to the inside of a room. “Take your time to walk around and stretch your limbs. If there are abnormalities, reset the Immerse, recalibrate the console, and try again.”
Cole did as he was instructed. As he walked he felt every movement as if he was actually walking. Even though it was minor it was a great feeling. It hasn’t been too long since he last walked so the feeling wasn’t completely unfamiliar to him. There was a confirmation button in front of him and he tapped it to indicate the motion mechanics were working perfectly.
“Great. Now it’s time to choose your character and your name.” The woman said.
Cole was whisked in front of a mirror where he could see himself. It wasn’t his body but just a caramel skin blob in the shape of a human. A rectangular pane appeared near the bottom of the screen. It was filled with five different characters. Cole’s attention was immediately drawn to the Barbarian class. Once he tapped it, his blob body transformed. He saw the reflection of a muscular man covered only in a reed skirt. Cole felt weird wearing a skirt but decided he would adjust that once he was properly in the game.
A prompt came up before him.
System
As a new adventurer, you have the chance to get a generous welcome gift, if Fate so wishes. You get one roll. Roll range 1 - 1000. A higher roll equals a better gift. Kiss your dice, and roll wisely.
Roll For Gift
Reject The Hospitality
Cole was never one to reject hospitality so he decided to roll. Plus, there was something about being mauled by a were-rabbit in the fine print at the bottom of the display.
Stolen story; please report.
Rolling…
Rolling…
Fate is on your side. You rolled: 610
Congratulations! You have been given a Legendary title:
Macho Dynamo (The Great Adapter)
Description: Your title grants you the ability to unlock and accrue skills dynamically through PvP or PvE interactions. Your ability to dynamically learn new skills is limited to your class only. Skill slots increase with player level. Mind increases the ability to learn new skills dynamically.
Besides his gender, name, and class, there were no other customization options. Cole found that weird but didn’t ruminate on it. Instead, he went straight into the game. There was a flash as the game transported him. Cole expected to see a sprawling magnificent city in front of him but was quickly disappointed.
When the light dimmed he stood at the entrance of a very small village. It was so small that he could easily see the other side from where he was. He thought the game must’ve sent him here by mistake. This was no place for a warrior. As Cole watched the people roam about, he was sure that there was nothing for him to do there. But the game proved him wrong.
Three ping sounds banged his eardrum in quick succession. With a swipe-down gesture, Cole summoned a vertical menu. He opened up the quests option and reviewed his current quests.
[Quest] Break in the Bed. As their new hero, the villagers have evicted a family so you can live comfortably. Visit your new house. +5 XP
[Quest] Talk to the Boss. The elder chief has been awaiting you for quite a while. Let him know you’ve arrived safely. +5 XP
[Quest] Don’t Turn Back Now. They might not pay much but it’s better than nothing. Enter the village. +5 XP
That confirmed he was indeed in the right village. And based on the third quest in the list, he was sure the game designers knew he wouldn’t be fond of this part. Cole tapped on the Talk to the Boss quest. A long, vibrant yellow line stretched from his chest and into the village. He followed it until he came to the chief who was standing outside of a straw brick house. Cole thought it cruel to leave NPCs in such a state. The man was nearly as muscular as Cole was. Even though he wasn’t aging, Cole was sure that the chief would easily take him in a fight.
The man scrutinized Cole with judgemental eyes. “They said you would be bigger.”
Cole had never known an NPC to talk like that. He could see the skepticism in the chief’s eyes as if the man had been mulling over the thought for quite a while.
“Not much food where I’m from.” Cole expected the NPC to ignore the jab and repeat the words.
“Not much food here either,” the chief grunted. “You will fix that.”
“Glad to be of service.”
“Now that most of our warriors are fighting the Great War, our village is vulnerable. Thieves and extortionists frequently invade us. We need you to drive away these thieves and stop the extortionists from preying on our village.” The chief paused. “But there is also the matter of our apprentice shaman’s cat. The cat ran off early this morning. It would relieve the shaman greatly if you retrieved it.”
After the man finished talking, Cole waited for response choices to pop up in front of him. None came and the chief eyed him curiously.
“Are you listening?” the chief asked.
Cole stuttered. “Yes.”
“So what will you do?”
“I will drive away the thieves.”
“Are you sure of this?”
“Yes.”
“Very well then. Bring me their heads in three days and you will be awarded 60 coins. Duranki?” The last word was said with an apparent expectancy. Cole wasn’t sure what for. He searched through his quest log for the new quest but saw nothing. He didn’t even hear a notification for the quest.
The chief grunted, “Duranki or no Duranki?”
What was he saying? It took Cole a while to figure it out. There was a pop-up at the bottom of his HUD that he figured would have the explanation. He didn’t open it since he realized the nature of the word. Forgetting basic stuff like this is what happens when you’re stuck below your learning level for too long. Cole frequently studied ancient languages at home just to keep himself preoccupied. But since he didn’t get the chance to use it in university, the knowledge slipped from him.
“Duranki,” Cole said accepting the offer.
The chief was pleased. The quest popped up in Cole’s log. He was about to read it when the chief interrupted.
“I don’t expect you to fight off bandits with your bare hands. No matter how strong they say you are. Where is your weapon?” The chief examined him. Cole didn’t remember getting a weapon. “I will not see you die on your first quest. Visit the Blacksmith so that he may forge you a blade.”