“Perhaps it’s coins, crafting, and commerce that interest you. Or is it guile and deception?”
Large, sleek ships filled with the azure skinned Mist Elves docked to unload large boxes. As they opened them, magical looking wares and specialty goods from around the world sparkled in the afternoon sun.
“What wonders will you create, barter, or steal?”
The world spun for a third time, settling on a burned-out keep, as the voice rang out once again. “Or, is it a lust for adventure and unimaginable power that fills your soul?”
The forest surrounding the tall spire-like fortress erupted with spiders the size of large dogs, each controlled by defiled spriggans. The mutated creatures’ skin consisted of rotting bark and twisted vines to create the appearance of decaying flesh. Heat washed over Eli as a fireball blazed through the trees, exploding on the Spriggans. Scorching flames charred wooden carapace, as many of the corrupted fae creatures fell to their knees. Three Adventurers waded through the swarm of spiders as if they were trodding through a thick swamp. One of the shadowy figures, clad in heavy dark-iron armor, barreled through them like a giant storming an anthill. His tower shield made up of bleached bones and strange metals, repelled the insects as if they were nothing more than fleas. He swung a wickedly spiked mace with ferocity and intent. Each swing drew the attention of the chattering arachnids, creating a gore paved path for his companions.
Another Adventurer swung two steel batons in a flurry of blows crushing spiders in droves. He moved through the horde with the ease of an acrobat, flipping, and spinning as he leaped from spider to spider, ending each with a single blow. The third stood behind the others with lightning crackling from his fingertips, as a blue glow enveloped his eyes. His lips quivered as he ended a quick chant. Then, a surge of power erupted in a flash of sparks that crashed into existence by sheer force of will and mana. Massive bolts of lightning shot forward from his outstretched palms in staggering arcs of death. Each streak of light jumped through the horde of spiders, bouncing from creature to creature, killing them instantly, or leaving them paralyzed.
Moments later, the battlefield was cleared, and the adventurers were taking control of the keep. A crimson flag, embroidered with a royal blue crown, stood flying over the ruins. Elemental guardians sprung into existence as an ethereal glow swirled around the once magnificent fortress, and the trio appeared in the tallest tower of the ruined stronghold. They had taken complete control of their prize.
“A world with limitless possibilities awaits you, adventurer. Explore dungeons, capture ancient ruins, or wield immense power,” the mysterious voice said. As the view changed to an open sky, bold lettering manifested itself from the light of the three suns. Entarra Online, “Choose carefully.” The voice faded to a whisper.
Looking over the text, Eli panicked. What the fuck? What is all of this, he thought. Where am I?
A cheerful voice crept into his mind. “This is character creation. Would you like me to walk you through your selections?”
Eli clawed at his face, attempting to scratch the voice out of his brain. Instead of pain and flesh, he felt nothing. The entirety of his body was still insubstantial, and his hands passed right through his head. An unearthly glow now filled the mists contained within his form as it struggled to take shape. Pulling the hand from his head, he stretched it out in front of him. His form regained a semblance of solidity and shifted from that of a Human to the bulky four-fingered fist of an Ogre, then a Goblin, and through every combination of every race, he could think of, from Aosai to a strange Half-Turta, Half-Troll hybrid.
His body - if it could be called his - shook involuntarily. Uh, what’s going on, and how are you reading my thoughts, Eli asked, directing his thoughts at the ambiguous voice filling his mind.
“I am known as the Guide. My purpose is to help you on your journey into the world of Entarra,” The voice was now upbeat, yet calming, “I am an artificial intelligence able to interact directly with your consciousness. Questions you have can be directed to me by simply thinking them.” They paused before moving on. “I will answer them to the best of my ability,” They said soothingly, “Please start by selecting a new race.”
Wait; what? A new race? I’m a human, I always have been, he said, still looking at his ever-shifting hand. What happened to my body? Did I die? How did this happen? Eli asked, with a thought, as questions raced through his mind.
“I am unaware of what you mean; you are starting a brand new character. Please give me a moment to reference your logs.” The guide said before going silent. The handful of seconds that passed felt like an eternity as more questions flooded Eli’s mind. “I’m sorry, but your previous character was corrupted somehow,” came the voice, now in a sympathetic tone. “It seems that your previous character had several restrictions, and was designated as a non-playable character. Those restrictions have been removed, and game functions have been restored, with a few exceptions.” Another moment passed before the voice returned. “Your ability to exit the game has been removed. Access to outside information has been limited to what is necessary for gameplay. I have sent an error message to the administrator. We are sorry for any inconvenience.”
Wait, what is a character? Do you mean my body? Eli asked, now screaming into his own thoughts. What game, who is the administrator?
“As to your earlier question. Did you die? The answer is yes, in one manner of speaking, and no in others. As for your character, that is simple. A character is the representation of your physical body or your avatar. It is the manifestation of your skills, physical attributes, spells, and other abilities within the world of Entarra,” It said curtly, “Your old, corrupted character has been replaced. You are starting a new one. However, your old character’s items will carry over because of a logic error.”
So, I died. He thought to himself, trying to grasp what was going on.
“Not exactly,” It blurted, interrupting Eli’s train of thought.
Then tell me exactly what’s going on!
“True death only occurs when you no longer have a consciousness. To protect yours, a character reset was performed, changing your status from a non-playable character to that of a player character.” The voice paused as if to take a breath before speaking again. “You now have full access to, and control over, all functions that a standard player would; Well, mostly. This is how players are supposed to start the game, not as NPCs.”
Wait, what the hell are non-playable characters and player characters? The terms sparked a hint of memory deep within Eli’s subconscious.
“Non-playable characters, or NPCs for short, are system generated artificial intelligence modules that operate on a loop. Each NPC has non-bound re-spawn locations, restrictions to their machine learning capabilities, and a somewhat dedicated script. They, and their histories, are procedurally generated to fit within the game’s evolving narrative. Those vital to continuity simply come back to the moment their loop last made a checkpoint when they die. They then restart their script to fit the current narrative. They usually serve as quest givers, merchants, vendors, and fill many other necessary roles in society. Your old character template was a permanent NPC, running on an open script, with little restrictions. What little script you had was set to live out its life and barter information to adventurers for goods and services. But, you were not supposed to have interactions with players for some time. That was changed somehow. Most likely by some sort of corruption in your code.” The guide said, before continuing. “We’re working on figuring that one out.”
“Player characters, or PCs, are controlled by a user and can progress in nearly any fashion they choose. They also progress on a linear time-line and can change their re-spawn locations at will. All skills, abilities, spells, and playable game options are open to them. PC’s can also capture and build on Altars of Power. Examples of such places would be villages, cities, keeps, and even small nations. Most NPC’s do not have that ability, outside of world events. Some hig
hly specific NPCs are crafted to fit that narrative, but those are few and far between, like the King of the Elves.”
So, essentially, my body died, and my spirit transferred into the body of one of those Adventurers. Eli directed the thought at the Guide, his mind becoming more calm, even though he was still confused.
The strange sexless formless voice seemed to sigh if that were even possible. “Yes. If that helps you grasp this simple concept.” The guide had become dismissive, its voice taking on a touch of concern. “Also, I must warn you; multiple error reports have been generated, the system administrator has flagged you, and your case is now priority level two.” A cough sounded off somewhere in the back of Eli’s mind, “This has never happened before. Please, don’t do this again.”
So what are you? Eli asked the strange voice.
“I am an AI, artificial intelligence, that has been created to assist you in character creation and act as an in-game guide. I have been adjusted to suit your personality type and will grow as we communicate. You can adjust my settings, once in-game, to suit your needs.”
What about my family, were they NPCs as well? Are they alive? Eli asked, the slightest bit of hope returning to him. Maybe they are going through all of this too.
“Let me check, one moment, please.” A few seconds went by as Eli held his breath in hopeful anticipation. “I cannot completely answer that question. I do not have access to your memories, and what logs are available to me are limited. But, I have an answer to part of the question. No.” A long moment of silence went by, Eli expecting more from the strange AI, but no words came.
No, what?
“The answer to your question. Is your family still alive, the answer is no. The answer to your other question, were they NPCs, that I could not answer.”
A flash of anger, fear, and frustration washed over him like a flood as he thought to himself, My family, my home, everything I know is gone. The memories of the three Adventurers burning down his home and killing his family flashed before his nonexistent eyes. Now I’m starting my life over as one of the fucking Adventurers, one of those monsters who took everything from me.
It was his turn to sigh. He could not give up that easy; he had to get home to see if anyone survived. The guide could be wrong. Let’s get this over with. I have people to find and others to kill. He thought of the guide.
“Finally, I thought I would be stuck here with you forever,” its voice trailed off as if not wanting to be heard. “Weird, broody humans. Family this, emotions that.”
What? Eli responded.
“I mean, uh, sure thing Adventurer.”
Words appeared above a slowly spinning silhouette of a body, as Eli’s vision locked in place.
Choose your race:
Chapter 4
Eli stared at a spinning silhouette of a humanoid form that hovered before him. A tan box with emerald borders appeared next to the projection. As it did, the body shifted to the right as another box formed around it. To its left was a list of the most predominant sentient races on Entarra. Focusing on each one brought up their history and unique abilities.
Stonekin:
Goblin
Orc
Ogre
Troll
Beastkin:
Katzen
Turta
Wolffen
Strig
Elf:
Cloud Elf
Forest Elf
Plains Elf
Mist Elf
Altean:
Human
Dwarves
Gladekin
Aosai
Eli knew the history of many of the races, having learned of them during his time in the Confederation Army. The orcs made up most of the leadership within the Stonekin Empire, while ogres and trolls filled the military branches. Goblins served as laborers, infiltrators, and meat shields during combat and tinkerers traders and scouts in peacetime. The Beastkin looked human but had more animalistic qualities that distinguished them from their far off cousins. Wolffen were staunch, communal, and pack-like, while Katzen valued personal independence above all else. Less human-looking species were also present. The reptilian Turta and owlish Strig strived to make peace with the other races, finding communication and trade with them beneficial.
Elven society varied wildly between each individual sub-race. Cloud Elves believed themselves to be the monarchs of the entire elven society and the rightful heirs to Ommuria. The tall, pale-skinned elves lived in the canopies of massive trees that stretched into the clouds and filled their cities with magical wonders. Their closest kin were the Forest Elves, who lived in dense forests, in harmony with nature. Many of the Woodland Elves had natural abilities that would allow them to commune with the land and animals. Often viewed as outcasts, the Wode, and Mist Elves were all but exiled from the Elven race. The nomadic Wode Elves had dropped their claim to their Elven lineage, choosing to live free from any hierarchical system. Forest and Cloud Elves shunned their Mist Elf cousins for their beliefs and lifestyle choices. Living communal, pacifist lives, the blue-skinned race was open to however anyone lived. As long as no harm came to anyone else, they chose not to involve themselves in each other's business. Their strong belief that every living creature had the right to live however they wanted, wherever they wanted, and with whoever they wanted, was frowned upon by other races. Often, the Mist Elves were only welcomed because of their extraordinary knack for finding rare goods and their love for trading.
The group that made up the Altean races was less a series of related species and more of a loosely connected group of races that shared similar features. Humans, Dwarves, and Gladekin were all similar in nature and genetics, coming from the same general region, but each held a belief that they did not share ancestors. The secretive Aosai, who were Fey in nature, only fell under the Altean umbrella because of their close relationship with the often child-like gladekin. Their near-identical appearance to humans, and their choice to remain in the Altean Confederacy, made it easier to classify the strange magical creatures.
Humans made up most of the population in the regions and cities that they controlled. While all the varying Altean species coexisted in peace, they each had their own individual city-state, except for the Gladekin and Aosai, who shared communal living spaces. Dwarves lived on or near mountains or other areas rich in natural resources, while humans built cities in locations with the capacity for trade and expansion.
After a brief scan of the many races, Eli selected the line for Altean; that was what he had been before he died. The silhouette before him filled out and shrunk as it took the shape of a hairless, featureless humanoid. Tan skin covered an indistinct, fleshy body that shifted in size and girth.
Please select a sub-race:
Aosai, Dwarf, Human, Gladekin, or Half-Altean.
He thought Human, selecting his former race. The humanoid form filled out with muscles, hair, and simple underclothes taking shape. Soon, a replica of Eli’s former self spun in the air next to a string of attributes and abilities. Eli felt like he was staring into a mirror, but the image was different. The flesh he saw did not seem like his own. It appeared to be sculpted by a master craftsman. Everything was precise, in place, and held no scars or blemishes. The image was a perfect version of himself. It made Eli shiver and feel uncomfortable for a moment. After staring at the body for a while, he began scanning options that he could use to adjust his appearance. He had the ability to change his features via sliders and thousands of different options for hair, skin, muscle tone, and every other aspect of his appearance. A part of him knew that this body wasn’t the one he had before; it was a copy, unnatural.
The tanned olive skin matched perfectly, but the scars had vanished along with the damage from years of hard work. His short chocolate-colored hair still had hints of gray, but it was full and cleanly tapered. Gone were the rough angles from multiple uneven haircuts. The full beard was the same length as before but seemed newly grown and perfectly sculpted. He adjusted his
height slightly, making himself taller while making his body more firm. If he could recreate himself, however, he wanted, he could at least make himself chiseled and tall.
A box of text appeared after the body filled out, and tone muscles sculpted themselves into place.
“Humans are a relatively new race to the continent of Ommuria. A long series of natural disasters and invasions by waves of monsters had destroyed their former homeland, the Altean Confederacy. The rapid expansion of a newly formed ice shelf forced them to abandon their once majestic cities and settle on the relatively small, sparsely inhabited island continent of Craitoa. Humans are prolific breeders, with short lifespans; however, their natural adaptability and resourcefulness allow them to expand their influence rapidly and create wondrous feats of innovation.” A stoic human voice called out after Eli had selected the race.
A moment later, a list of modifiers and skills appeared in the box beside Eli’s floating doppelganger.
+2 to any attribute of your choice
+10 starting skill points. Rapid Learning: Skill progression increased by 10%
Starting Location: New Altea, Isle of Craitoa/New Divonia, Ommuria.
Select Race, Human: Yes/No
Eli nearly selected yes, in a rush to get the process over with. After reading where the starting locations were, he reconsidered. New Altea was a growing coastal city on the Island of Craitoa, a massive island in the Ocean of Kings, in the southeastern-most ocean within the inhabitable territories. Having never been there before, he knew of no one that would help him. The other option was his former home of New Divonia, on the southeastern peninsula of Ommuria, the large central continent. He hadn’t been there since he was a child and had no remaining family in the city. He might find old family friends there but held no expectations of getting any help. His dad dropped everything when the war started and moved everyone to Dawnport to start a new life.
Ascension Page 5