by James Patton
***
As the darkness faded, she found herself standing in a banquet hall made of rough-hewn stone. There were no doors or windows, and the room was unnaturally bright. The most important feature was the amount of people that were crammed into the space.
None of the people were alike, ranging from short to tall and big too small. Skin hues ranging through the entire spectrum of colors, not to mention the ones with pointed ears, tails, gills, fins, and more.
All of them were incredibly lifelike, and they were all staring at her. As she moved among them, their heads and eyes followed her. It made her uncomfortable, but not as much as their faces. They all had her face, and she nearly fainted when they all smiled at her simultaneously.
“Choose your race.” A chorus of voices said as each humanoid spoke to her at the same time. Knowing that this was a character selection process did not make her any less anxious.
“How do I see the stats or abilities or whatever?” She asked and felt chills riding her spine.
The head of the closest version of her turned and spoke in a guttural voice that she found displeasing. The woman had massive shoulders, green skin, and tusks. She knew it was an orc without any aid. “Ya touch ‘em.”
Afraid the orc might eat her, she walked over to a short bearded version of herself and touched her on the shoulder.
Dwarf
Hearty people that live below the surface working with stone and metal. They love Sex on the Beach, the drink and the deed, and while they enjoy a good fight, they would much rather woo the opposite sex. They are a free loving bunch and have the reputations for being the most prominent perverts in Seventh Talon.
They rarely come above ground except to trade or to find a lover. Dwarves have no cities above ground, and they have an affinity towards crafting with metal and stone. They are a stout race that is not very fast, and they suffer ‘Unease’ while above ground.
Base Attributes:
Strength: 6
Agility: 2
Speed: 1
Cognitive: 4
Magic: 1
These are assessed after the Champion Trial:
Charisma: ??
Luck: ??
Faith: ??
Willpower: ??
“Do you wish to be a dwarf?” The dwarf version of her had a deep voice and sounded more like a man than a woman. The other versions of her were frowning at the question, and once again she felt at a loss to explain what was happening.
“No.”
“Would you like to eliminate me from your choices?”
“Yes.” She told the dwarf woman. The dwarf faded as well as several others, many of which seemed to be variant sub-races. ”Can I eliminate other choices?”
“Ja.” The guttural voice of the green woman spoke up again.
“Eliminate all races that cannot ride Dragons.”
“Ya shure? I get rid o’ race wit’out dragons as Drache. Ya?” The green woman’s mouth struggled to form some of those words, and the tusks looked uncomfortable as her lips stretched across them.
“What did she just say?” She asked a slimy looking woman with webbed hands and feet.
“She asked if you wanted to get rid of all races that do not have dragons as their Primary Drache.” The fish girl had a surprisingly melodious voice.
“What does that mean?”
“There are four types of Drache. Dragon, drake, wyvern, and salamander. Dragons own the air, wyverns own the sea, drakes own the land, and salamanders are lava beasts. Every race has a Primary Drache, mine is wyvern. It just means my bond is stronger and more powerful with that type. You can still bond with other Drache, it just does not provide the same benefits.”
“Ok, so yes, eliminate all races that do not have a dragon as its primary Drache.” She told the orc, and versions of her started disappearing until the room was a lot less crowded. The fewer of them staring at her, the better.
The orc remained, and their warlike nature probably made them highly sought after for a Dragonrider. There were even a few finned people, which she would have thought had to stay below the surface of the water. Upon inspecting them, they suffered no penalties on the surface. She eliminated those with the orc and whittled through most of the others. After about ten minutes she had only surface dwellers left, and all of good alignment.
Wood Elf
Tribal people who are comfortable in forests and anywhere the sun could reach. They suffer ‘Unease’ while underground, cut off from the thriving life in the forests and the fields. They are a fast race and agile but are not very hearty. Wood Elves gain bonuses when using earth magic.
Base Attributes:
Strength: 2
Agility: 5
Speed: 5
Cognitive: 3
Magic: 4
These are assessed after the Champion Trial:
Charisma: ??
Luck: ??
Faith: ??
Willpower: ??
“How come I do not see my health?”
“You will. After you choose your race.” The wood elf had a smoky voice that was pleasant to her ears. Speaking of ears, she reached out and touched the tip of the Wood Elf’s ear and the elf slapped her hand away. If the interaction bothered the wood elf, her impassive face did not show it.
Behind the wood elf, she saw a pale elf with dark hair and silver eyes. Her lips appeared metallic, but it was not lipstick. The elf was tall, lithe, and had an angular face that made it look more fierce than angelic.
Mercury Elf
All elves have a chance to be born with mercury blood, which can be a blessing and a curse. Like all elves, they are quick and agile, but lack heartiness. Unlike other elves, this one has high Affinities in all Elements. They suffer from Wanderlust as a consequence.
Wanderlust is the reason there are so few of these types of elves. If they stay in one place too long or gain 100% in an element, they become an elf of that aspect. Earth becomes a Wood Elf, Darkness becomes a Dark Elf, etc.
Base Attributes:
Strength: 1
Agility: 4
Speed: 5
Cognitive: 3
Magic: 6
These are assessed after the Champion Trial:
Charisma: ??
Luck: ??
Faith: ??
Willpower: ??
The Mercury Elf raised an eyebrow at her and silver lips smirked but said nothing.
Boh
Chapter 3
Feedback
I am the mother of the defiant, those brave souls that faced the darkness. You think to defy me from the shadows? I will show you why I received my name, why the darkness fears me.
-from Matriarch of Sorrows
All the avatars were staring at her, waiting, but she needed information. “I want to know how magic works,” She told the Mercury Elf, who arched her brow in return.
“Energy is how it works. It is all around us, and it is inside of us, which is the first thing you need to understand. Casting spells incur Feedback.”
“So Feedback is my mana?”
“I have no idea what mana is, but if you mean Elemental Energy, then no. Feedback is the damage you are doing to your body because you are using the energy stored at a cellular level. You have a threshold, but nothing is stopping from casting beyond it.”
“Back up a second, are you saying I can cast unlimited spells?”
“No. You do not have unlimited energy,” the elf admonished. “Spells pull energy out of you at a cellular level, which is why you have a Threshold. Up to 100% is safe, going beyond it and you are damaging your body, and it is painful. If you have low Willpower, do not even attempt it, because it will damage your cells, kill you, or burn magic out of you altogether.”
“Alright, so how do I increase my threshold?”
“By using spells,” the elf shifted, and her brows came together in thought. “Magic expands your awareness, which aids your energy flow, and it allows your cells to expand increasing your
Feedback capacity.”
“So using spells increases my energy regeneration and max Feedback.”
“Yes, its much more complicated than that. A Mage can explain it better. It is not a fast process, and it is slowed every time you go beyond your threshold. Increasing your Magic does not automatically change you, only by casting does your body change to its new limits.”
“Because my cells replicate.” She replied, starting to catch on to how it worked. The idea that her body was a vessel of Elemental Energy was intriguing, and the ability to expand the vessel to hold more energy made it necessary to use spells. “But how do my cells increase their capacity?”
“Spellcasting temporarily increases your cells ability to draw in energy. Low-rank spells use a lot of internal energy, but all spells require some external energy too. So as you cast you are pulling more energy into your body than your current capacity allows.”
“Ahhh. So I am replicating the cell’s expanded capacity.” Magic always fascinated her, even street magicians were fun. This magic system was something new, and she liked the idea of Elemental Energy as a cosmic link to all things. The system promoted continual use, and she wondered if she would lose her ability if she stopped casting spells. “So how do I cast a spell?”
“Spells are crafted using three gestures: Drawing, Shaping, and Casting. Some spells deviate, but all of them have these three stages. Your first gesture draws energy into you from internal and external sources. The second creates the shape of the spell by using some of that energy, like creating a container. Then your final gesture fills the shape, or container, with the remaining energy and releases it.”
“I see why everyone uses strength builds,” but her sarcasm fell on deaf ears. “Sorry, keep going.”
“Spells require imagination. Seeing the spell is just as important as going through the gestures. However, that gets into spell mastery, which you are not even close to achieving. Most beginner mages struggle with the timing and energy flow, so until you can cast without thinking about it, do not rush it.”
“Like speaking when the head words come out of my mouth, but not the words in my head. Right?”
“Is— is that a real question?” The silvered lips turned into a slight frown.
“No,” she deadpanned with a face as smooth as glass. It was the simple things that she enjoyed in life. “Is each spell always triggered by gestures?”
“Not all spells. Most are, and without complicating it too much, there is also verbal casting. Once you have successfully cast a spell, if it has a verbal cast, you can use it. Speaking the spell weakens it, so I do not recommend it.”
She lifted the Mercury Elf’s hand to look at the long slender fingers. The elf looked at her strangely, and she just shrugged in return.
“Sorry. Just wanted to see your fingers,” she sheepishly tried to disguise her embarrassment with more questions. “How does speaking a spell weaken it?”
“You cannot slow or pause your words during the spell cast, but you can with a gesture. Slowing or holding the first gesture gives you time to draw more power. Taking the time to shape the spell will make it more efficient, so less Feedback. Later on, you can modify the shape of the spell, but you have to master the spell line first. Also, once the spell is shaped, you can hold it until you are ready to use it.”
“Why use a verbal cast at all?”
“It will not fail, it’s fast, and does not impact Feedback as much. Then again, you could speed up the first gesture and throttle back how much energy you draw.”
“Got it, so it's like the generic version of the spell, but how do the other attributes affect spell casting?”
“Speed helps with drawing energy and shaping the spell faster. Agility rivals magic for importance because you need nimble fingers. Low Agility creates clumsy spells. Cognitive is like the glue that helps keep it all together from draw to cast. And finally, Magic, which we have already discussed.”
“So I get Magic increases my cells overall ability to store energy, which increases my Threshold. Where does the other energy for spells come from?”
“Magic expands your awareness of ambient energy too, which is how it increases your regeneration. You sense more of it and can draw on it.” The Mercury Elf had another one of those looks, the faraway one. “I think I need to clarify something. Magic does not increase your Threshold, but it does increase your overall Feedback. Your Threshold is a portion of that, so it will go up but not because of Magic. It is important you understand the difference because there are ways to raise your Threshold independent of your Magic attribute.”
This spell system was intense, and she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. It did not feel complicated, but she had played games with a mana bar and just thinking about the spell was enough to cast it.
“Ok, that makes sense. So I can raise my Magic all I want, but if I don’t cast spells, it does not increase my Feedback. Which in turn, keeps my Threshold lower than I want it.”
“Exactly. Most mages practice with low-rank spells because its safe. There are short cuts to maxing out your overall Feedback using high level spells, but I’d consult with a mage about it. A high-rank spell uses a lot of external energy, which is also why they are dangerous and should not be used until you are ready.”
“So it's dangerous to push my threshold limits, which I understand. So why is a high-ranked spell dangerous if I’m pulling mostly external energy?”
“I’ll give you an answer, but you need to find a mage that can explain it better. You can attempt to cast any spell, even high-level ones, but the issue is whether you have the capacity for all that energy. If you don’t the spell fails and the energy you did draw has to go somewhere. That is my extent of the knowledge, but Wild Magic might be involved too.”
“That’s a frightening thought,” she replied feeling an uncontrollable shiver rippled across her skin.
Using her hand, she pretended to cast a spell, and she felt powerful doing it. She liked beating on things, but all this magical theory had her hooked. She knew she was going to focus on being a mage.
“You said some spells affect your Feedback differently, what did you mean?”
“As an example, everyone has an Elemental Shield, and it does not have a third gesture. The damage it receives is the cast phase. You gain Feedback for each strike against it until your Feedback is too high for you to maintain the spell.”
“What about my health points?”
“First, The main attribute for that is Strength. Combine my low Strength with my Wanderlust; I am not exactly a favorite choice of Champions. Agility and Willpower also play a part in your health points. Where your Strength gives you the toughness to survive attacks, Agility helps you avoid critical damage, and Willpower helps you ignore damage. All three are equally important.”
“And Speed?”
“Oh come on! Just make out with her so we can go,” the dark elf hissed at her from over the Mercury Elf’s shoulder. The sharp high pitched sound caused the hair on the back of her neck to rise.
The Dark Elf’s avatar was a dark shade of purple, and her bone white hair was long straight. While they both shared a face, the Dark Elf had tilted eyes that made her face look pinched and striking at the same time.
“Ignore her. She is mad because the airhead over there is the new favorite choice of female Champions,” the Wood Elf said.
“I am not an airhead,” the High Elf snapped back.
She was finding the communication between the avatars unsettling, but she had to admit they had a point. The blond elf had a vacant look in her eyes, and she saw that the blond was a High Elf with an Affinity to Air, which caused her to laugh out loud.
“Whatever. I’m leaving,” the High Elf said, and true to her word she faded out of existence. The Dark Elf followed shortly after.
“Are they allowed to do that?” She asked the Mercury Elf.
“They know you are going to pick me. Look at them, the only one that doesn’t know i
s you,” and the Mercury Elf smiled broadly at her.
Now that it was pointed out she could see the disappointment and disapproval written on their faces. Oddly, the Wood Elf was the only one smiling. She had to admit this was the strangest character selection ever.
“You are making a mistake, but you will figure it out soon enough,” the human woman said, and she too faded out of existence.
“Ignore her, and let us get back on topic. Speed adds to your run speed and boosts your riding speed. It also impacts how fast you draw your weapons, swing, or pull the trigger. As stated, in the case of Magic, it increases gesture and spellcasting speed too. Speed does scale down as you raise it, so you get diminishing returns.”
Rubbing the back of her head, she thought about it, and the Mercury Elf had a great base setup for a mage. Sure it had little strength, but she felt it was an ideal choice.
“I choose the Mercury Elf.”
“Are you sure?” A male voice spoke through the Mercury Elf’s mouth, which was confusing. “Mercury Elves are not very popular for a reason.”
“They seem pretty strong to me.”
“They lack strength. Most battles use long ranged rifles, which you cannot wield with your starting Strength. Not to mention your Health Points will remain low.”
“Yes, but the elf has a lot of Agility. Not to mention they also have the highest Magic stat of any race I saw, which means shielding. I plan to be a mage, not a sniper.”
“Shields are tough to use. Even the strongest mages might survive six shots from a handgun, maybe two shots from a large bore weapon, and forget about surviving a sniper round or a shotgun blast. The shielding might help you survive a few shots, but as you advance the worse that gets.”
“A Mercury Elf starts out with twice as much Magic as your common races. That means I can take twice as many of those shots you stated, and probably a shotgun blast as well.”