Darin had spent the night reading up on Dreams of a Forgotten World, until sleep had caught up with him. He woke refreshed and eager to explore a new world. Stretching his arms, he climbed off the sofa and began to walk towards the restroom on reflex. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he looked around. The only door in sight was the exit. “Right, I’m back in the Net,” he muttered. Only the most eccentric and obsessive bothered to add a toilet here. Who would really waste Cores for the ‘privilege’ of needing to answer nature’s call?

Awake now he walked to the exit and placed his hand on the door. “Connect me to Dreams of a Forgotten World,” he commanded. His door melted away and he stepped into an ornate chamber with statues and mosaics on every wall. He took a moment to absorb the scenery, wondering who had created such breath taking art. Eager to take part in this new world, he made for the ornate archway that lead into the world. Finally, his epic journey would begin, or not.

“You shall not pass...until you read!” Declared the statue of a knight as it stepped forward. It was an impressive sight with its burning red eyes, armed with a black tower shield and war hammer. It was all the more intimidating due to the three letters carved into its hammer ‘B A N’. Even more disturbing was the inscription upon the knight’s helm. In four letters, it spelled out hours of pain and suffering ‘E U L A’. Darin sighed.

“Fine. Show me…” he requested. A moment later, the black tower shield filled with white text. As he began to read, the text crept up the shield, only to be replaced by more at the bottom.

“There may be a quiz afterward” the knight warned him. Someone had clearly taken great care to program it to act sadistic. Bastards…

* * * * *

Two excruciating hours later, Darin was able to escape the knights clutches. By then he was quite well versed in his rights, obligations and even the rules of the server. But there it was in front of him, the door to his new world. Ornate carvings and a warming glow drew him closer to it. As he reached for the door, he found himself faced with a system message.

Welcome, to Dreams of a Forgotten World

An active subscription is required to play, and you do not currently have one.

Subscriptions are for 30 Net days, based on server cycles.

If you wish to play, please choose an appropriate subscription:

1 Core - "Get Out Now" Damned Freeloaders!

2 Cores - "Budget Player" Lowest simulation levels, bland foods, low priority player.

3 Cores - "Basic Player" Average Player, normal priority and settings.

4 Cores - "Premium Player" Priority log in, high quality simulation.

5 Cores - "Are you an NPC?" All senses rendered at real world quality, priority log in, tiny perks.

Having plenty of Cores to spare, Darin went ahead and selected the NPC level. What he didn’t spend would just go to waste anyway. Once he confirmed his subscription, a bright light enveloped him with a sense of warmth. When it left moments later, he found himself in a smaller room with mirrors and an NPC. The NPC was easy on the eyes, but wore a strange white cloth with golden trim.

“Welcome to ‘Dreams of a Forgotten World’ or simply Dreams as most like to call it. My name is Muse, and I am here to help you create your new form. Yes, I am wearing a toga,” she stated. He opened his mouth but she gestured him to remain quite. “It’s usually the first question asked. And if you get fresh with me, I’ll let Eula know that you require a refresher course” she added with a impish grin. Darin couldn’t help but cringe.

“So do I start by picking a name?” he asked. It was the normal starting point for most games.

“Of course not. What good is a name that doesn’t fit your character? And you only get one character unless a restart is approved. And don’t hold your breath on it” she replied. Muse took a moment to play with the soft black curls of her hair, forcing him to wait. For a moment, he wondered if Muse had forgotten him, until she spoke again. “First, we need to find a Race that will fit you. If you had your heart set on one, I think you’d have told me by now. And no, I will not list them all. There are dozens of races and I’d be bored long before I was done. To find your the right character, I am going to focus on you”

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“On me?” Darin asked, his disappointment showing on his face. Somehow it seemed the exact opposite of what he was here to do. He hadn’t come here to be himself. He’d come to see something new, to be something new and to feel a new world around him.

She laughed at him. “Of course I am going to focus on you. Your character is an extension of you. What do you want? What do you want to see? What do you want to feel? You have entered the Dream. So what do you dream of, most of all?”

“To fly,” he responded, before taking a moment to think. “No, not just to fly. I want to soar, to kiss the sky and feel the wind again. I think…I think I miss the wind”

“Wonderful,” Muse exclaimed before she pulled a slate out from behind her. Her hand blurred as she refined her list, adding notes about what he’d stated. “Now, are you the type to follow the herd and keep to a predictable path? Or you adventurous type, who will take a harder road that feels more rewarding?”

He paused for a moment. But in the end it was an easy decision. If he followed the herd, he would never have gone topside for a double shift. He also would have had half as many Cores per month. “I’m feeling adventurous. I’d rather have fun, working towards a rewarding goal”

Muse worked away on her slate for a few moments and then offered him a smile. “Good. We are almost done here. I’ve set the parameters and it’s come down to a few interesting choices,” She paused for a dramatic effect, or perhaps she was simply programed with a poor attention span. “First, you can adjust your base stats in order to min/max. But if you do so, you will start with a slightly smaller stat pool in exchange. And second, if you accept base stats, you can accept a randomized sub race from my list. The sub race will fit my criteria, and you will be awarded a small bonus to your base stats. So what do you say?” she asked. She was doing her very best to look innocent, so he knew it was a trap. But he had no real plan, and stat points are a terrible thing to waste.

“No changes. I’ll accept a random sub race, after all I can-”

“Hurray! Not many people actually listen to me. Most of them just demand to play a copy of some build they found on the forums. It’s such a boring way to play,” she interrupted him. Never giving her actions a second thought. With a quick snap of her fingers the mirrors in the room melted and pooled around his feet.

“But what do I do if-” Darin tried to ask. Again, she cut him off to avoid unnecessary questions.

“No time to chat. Players to help, poets to inspire, nails to paint and you know,” Muse told him. He was about to protest, when the liquid mirrors swirled up and encased him. There was darkness, and a feeling of motion. A few moments later everything grew still. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, as if he’d forced into the fetal position. Dustin was trying to bring up the system help files, when a notification appeared.

You are trapped inside your egg shell.

The world awaits you, break free young one...

“That doesn’t sound very promising. Wait, how do I get out?”

- - - - -

Author’s note: It’s late, I’m tired. Here, have another 1300+ words.