* * * Going back to the launch of the game * * *
Somewhere in a small city near Montreal, Québec, in Canada. Another person was excited to play 'New Eden'.
This person was Kary, a girl who liked to be low key. She was a secretary in a clinic by day, and a pro gamer by night.
Some may know her from her moniker in 'Tower of Babylon'. The Phoenix. The strongest fire sorceress in the game.
Spot ten in the 'Heavenly Thousand' and a force of nature, if given time to cast a spell.
She had pre-ordered a VR helmet when the company had promoted their new game. She was ready a good while before a certain someone, playing from his gaming chair.
Kary had a better setup, too. She had her bed near her competition PC and she was already lying on it browsing some forums about the game, the helmet near her head already booted.
Her phone vibrated. She had set herself an alarm for twenty minutes before the game launch.
She texted her mother that was upstairs, telling her she would game until late tonight and to not bother her.
Her mother simply replied "Ok. Don't stay in too long."
With that done, Kary got comfortable and slipped on the helmet. She looked at the internal clock and saw that it was 5:43 PM.
Only 2 minutes left before the pre-opening and character creation. She was buzzing with excitement.
'This is my chance.' She thought.
'I can finally go higher and reach first!' She thought, clenching her fist.
As soon as the clock flipped to 5:45, her helmet automatically launched 'New Eden'. She felt her body sink and then stabilize in a black expanse of nothing.
The only thing with her was a person. Or rather, an Elf. A man with a well-defined body but soft features. As soon as she was close to him, he spoke to her.
"Ahh, welcome to New Eden young maiden. Are you here to experience the adventure of a lifetime?" The elf said, smiling.
She simply nodded back.
"Very good. You look determined. That is good, as your adventure will be fraught with unknown dangers and enemies beyond mortal reason. Are you ready?" The elf asked.
"I am." She answered.
"Ahh but first, what should one call you, young adventurer?" The elf asked.
Before Kary appeared a floating bar with 'Enter your name' written on it.
She typed 'Phoenix' without hesitation. People already knew that name and she was comfortable with it.
"Phoenix, hmm. A fine name indeed, for a young ambitious woman like you. Young Phoenix, do you wish to pick a different race than human to start your adventure?" The elf continued.
Kary saw a window appear before her eyes. On it, the different races available for the game. She read all of them before choosing. This way she could make the optimal choice.
Elf:
Starting stat bonus: +1 Wisdom, +1 Agility
Racial Trait: ' One with nature '. Boosts Nature affinity for Druids, 15% damage/healing for nature spells, Grants starting passive 'Expert Tracker' for Archers. 'Expert Tracker' gives a 15% increased chance to find clues in nature when tracking.
Starting Classes: Druid, Archer
Dwarf:
Starting stat bonus: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
Racial Trait: ' Small but sturdy '. Dwarfs are small but extremely resilient people. Gain a 15% chance to resist any physical ailment (Poison, Bleed, Stuns included)
Starting classes: Shield Bearer, Warmonger
Human:
Starting stat bonus: 2 points that can be attributed at choice (even luck)
Racial trait: 'Improvise, Adapt, Overcome' Humans are not especially good at anything but can learn everything. Can learn even racial-specific skills and spells but at the cost of power (-10% less powerful)
Starting classes Archer, Warrior, Priest, Mage
Fey:
Starting stat bonus: +1 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence
Racial Trait: 'Can You Give Me Your Name?' Feys are creatures of trickery and deceit. If one gets your full name, they can force the person into a temporary slave contract for 24 hours.
Starting Classes: Illusionist, Psychic
Demonoid:
Starting stat bonuses: +1 Strength, +1 Agility
Racial Trait: 'Born In Blood' Demonoids are a race that thrives through war. Their bodies are their weapons of choice, and they sharpen them through battle. +15% physical damage reduction
Starting classes: Warrior, Warlock
Ash Elf:
Starting stat bonus: None
Racial trait: Rare race of elves rarely seen in the land. Not much is known about them.
Starting classes: None
Orc:
Starting stat bonus: +2 Strength
Racial trait: 'Orc Smash!' Orcs are battle maniacs and strength is absolute to them. +15% Physical damage.
Starting classes: Barbarian
Gnome:
Starting stat bonuses: +1 Agility, +1 Intelligence
Racial Trait: 'Machines Are The Way' Gnomes excel with technology. They advance it. The silly humans only use it. +15% damage/resistance of any mechanical structure/weapon a gnome crafts or summons.
Starting classes: Engineer, Technomancer, Gunner
Undead:
Starting stat bonuses: +2 Constitution/Strength/Intelligence (Depending on starting class)
Racial trait 'Undead Don't Know Fear' The undead have already died. They no longer have feelings. Total immunity to mental afflictions.
Starting classes: Zombie (Tank), Skeleton (Warrior), Wraith (Wizard)
Out of these, Elf tempted her, for aesthetics, but their affinity to nature would limit her class.
The next races with wizards were the humans, and then the undead. She shivered at the thought of being a Wraith. In the end, she picked Human.
She attributed both points to Intelligence, but as she was going to confirm, her finger hovered over the button. She doubled back and took a point away from Intelligence and redistributed it to Luck.
Her inside information had specified that luck was an important stat.
'Let's see where this goes' She thought, pressing confirm.
"Congratulations on finalizing your avatar, young maiden. I wish you luck on your grand quest. Know that whatever may happen on your journey, will all be defined by your decisions. Now off you go!" The elf said with a big smile, before waving his arm, making the scene before Kary, fade away.
In its place, a counter appeared. It showed less than one minute.
'Just in time' She thought.
When the counter reached zero, the surroundings changed. The black made way for bright colors.
The nothingness around Kary switched over to a flight view of a bright new world. She was flying over a continent in the world of New Eden and could see the cities, forests, mountains, and other sights to behold.
An announcement sounded all around her.
*WELCOME TO ALL, IN THIS NEW WORLD OF ADVENTURE CALLED NEW EDEN. MAY YOUR FUTURE BE BRIGHT AND YOUR PATH BE FILLED WITH THE BODIES OF YOUR ENEMIES. LET YOUR NEW LIVES BEGIN!*
Then she spun and disappeared, reappearing on the ground in a medieval city. Many people were walking around her, not even caring about how she just popped up on the street.
She turned on herself for a bit, taking in the sights. She then looked around to find a guard.
She noticed three of them not too far, walking on the streets, probably patrolling. She walked up to them.
"Excuse me, sirs. I would like to go to the nearest Mage tower. Could you kindly point me the way?" She asked them, pulling out her most charming smile.
The guards all looked gobsmacked for a few seconds looking at her. Then the one at the front coughed and pointed her to a tall black tower to the west.
"That's the Mage tower. Turn left on the next street and it will be a straight walk to it." The guard said, ogling her through his visor.
"Thank you, good sir." Kary responded, bowing slightly.
She then left and followed the directions he gave her. She reached the tower shortly and made her way inside.
She walked to a counter and spoke to the person in mage robes that was seated there.
"Hello. I would like to become a Pyromancer." She said, straightforwardly.
The sorcerer looked at her from over his spell book. His gaze went up and down on her.
"You seem to have some magic capacity. But you lack much to become an advanced class like Pyromancer, young lady. Maybe in a few decades." The sorcerer said, looking back down at his book.
'Bingo' Kary thought.
"But, great sorcerer, I am here to learn. Can no one teach me?" She said, using a pleading tone.
"Humph! Of course, someone can teach you! Although you will have to prove to us you are worth our time." The sorcerer harrumphed.
"What can I do to prove myself, oh great sorcerer?" She said, almost cooing at him.
The sorcerer looked at her for a moment. He then pointed to his right.
"Go into that mana room. If you can form your mana lobe in less than an hour, I will deem you worth our time. Now off you go!" He shooed her away, looking back down to his book.
Seeing that his attention was completely on his book, Kary smiled and walked to the room. She knew what she had to do now.
All that was left was to test her luck. She grinned. She had put a point there in good measure, so she was sure she would succeed.
"This is the rebirth of 'The Phoenix'!" She said, clenching her fist.
If you liked my story, add it to your library!
This story is in the Fantasy Carnival, so it needs Power Stones to up-rank. If I get into the top 100, I will drop an extra 2 chapters that day. Another 2 chapters for top 50. I will up the stakes at 5 bonus chapters for top 20, and another 5 for top 10! Please vote for me! :)
Also, I drop an extra chapter on Monday for every 100 PS I get in a week!
In date of today, we are in the 87th position. We are slowly inching toward our next objective! Let's keep this going! Sadly, the week has reset today, so the 100 PS bonus chapter starts again today. But I have faith in you all. We can do this!
* * * Back to current time * * *
Astaroth opened his eyes in-game and almost jumped up from the cot. He hurriedly ran to the barracks, excited like a kid about to go on a field trip.
Which was almost the truth. Except he would be in the danger zone, possibly surrounded by monsters over thirty levels higher than him. Pure Bliss.
He made it to the barracks in record time and ran straight to the trainer.
"Good morning, Teacher! Astaroth, reporting for patrol duty!" He yelled, cupping his fists in a martial salute.
"Pipe down, lad. I'm right in front of you." The trainer said, chuckling.
"Grab one of each of the weapons you trained with this week and follow me." He said, pointing at the racks.
Astaroth picked up a shortsword, a longsword, a polearm, a set of daggers, a wooden shield, a bow and quiver, and a war axe. All of which were training versions. He read their descriptions.
Basic Training Short Sword (1h):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 1
Durability: 10/10
Description: A short sword that is good only for training.
Basic Training Longsword (1h/2h):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 1 (1h)/2 (2h)
Durability: 10/10
Description: A longsword that is good only for training.
Basic Training War Axe (2h):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 3
Durability 10/10
Description: A war axe that is good only for training.
Basic Training Polearm (2h):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 1
Durability: 10/10
Description: A polearm that is good only for training.
Basic Training Daggers (2):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 1
Durability: 10/10, 10/10
Description: A set of daggers that are only good for training.
Basic Training Wooden Shield:
Grade: Common
Defense Power: 5%
Durability: 50/50
Description: A wooden shield that is only good for training.
Basic Training Bow and Quiver (50):
Grade: Common
Attack Power: 1
Durability: 10/10
Description: A bow and quiver that are only good for training.
These were junk items as far as he was concerned, but that was what the trainer wanted him to use, so that was what he would use. He could always enhance them with mana to deal more damage.
Kloud started walking towards the village entrance while Astaroth was inspecting the weapons, so he closed the interface and skipped to follow him. They exited the village and Astaroth got the same warning as last time.
*DING*
*You are leaving a safe zone. From here on out, creatures you meet will attack you on sight and you can die. Please be mindful of your environment and tread cautiously. Good luck adventurer!*
He swiped it away knowingly. He was with the trainer this time, so the risk was much smaller.
Although Kloud had told him about their itinerary beforehand, he still didn't know the exact location. He had just told him they were going to clean out the local wildlife, starting with the Dire Wolves to the east.
The man had told Astaroth that, although he was with him, to be on his toes at all moments, as the lowest the wolves' level would be, was level 30. He had tasked Astaroth with harassing only.
He could not try to confront a beast alone yet. Which was why he had trained with the bow.
Ranged attacks were his best way to harass without getting in too much danger.
They traveled for around half an hour before they started hearing howls in the distance.
"We have entered their territory. Be wary of your surroundings." Kloud said, unsheathing his longsword.
Astaroth only nodded.
They kept walking, albeit much slower, into the wolves' territory. It didn't take long before they found their first prey.
Just over a ridge, there was a river. And at the river, a wolf was crouching, lapping on the water. Astaroth inspected it.
Dire Wolf:
Level: 32
Grade: Common
Health: 5'750/5'750
Kloud looked to Astaroth and motioned him to pull out his bow. Once the bow was out and an arrow nocked, he motioned to wait and started walking without a sound towards the wolf.
When Astaroth felt like Kloud was close enough to the wolf, he raised the bow and pulled the bowstring. He inhaled, exhaled half his breath, and kept the other half in his lungs.
The bow became steady. Kloud barely turned his head to see if Astaroth was ready, and then lunged at the wolf.
He stabbed at his neck to get the maximum out of this surprise attack. Astaroth loosed his arrow aiming for the body.
He wasn't confident enough in his aim to go for the neck.
*-717!* *-15*
"Tsk!" Astaroth clicked his tongue.
He could tell which damage number was his. He nocked another arrow and used 'Ignite on the arrow tip.
He again breathed in and out and released. The arrow flew straight and hit the wolf's body again.
*-15* *Burn applied*
He looked at the wolf's info again.
Dire Wolf (Burning/29s):
Level: 32
Grade: Common
Health: 5'001/5'750 (-2/s)
*Sigh*
"Only two damage per second." He grumbled.
Kloud kept slashing at the creature a few more times, getting one more critical hit in. Astaroth fired five more arrows, all doing fifteen damage.
He lamented his damage, but there was nothing he could do about it. It took two minutes to take the wolf down, but the angle was never good enough to get a hit in because of the fast movements.
Astaroth could only do so much with the steep level difference. The wolf finally fell.
*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 32). 184 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (2.87% damage done)*
*Level up! Level up! You are now level 5. From leveling; you gained 2 skill points, 2 free Attribute points, and all Attributes increased by 2.*
'Yes!' Astaroth thought, throwing his fist in the air.
As the wolf died, they heard multiple howls at the same time in the distance. Followed by one louder howl, much graver in tone.
One could tell that the creature that howled last was bigger than the others. Probably stronger, too.
"We have to go. Now!" Kloud said, his face turning to a frown.
"Why, sir? They are just more wolves, right?" Astaroth questioned.
"We are leaving!" Kloud said again, turning around and starting a jog.
He could have run, but that would leave Astaroth alone in the woods. Astaroth just started running behind him and asked no more questions.
It didn't take long for him to understand why the trainer wanted him to run. The ground started rumbling and the birds in the trees all took flight in the same direction the two men were running.
Kloud barely looked behind and cursed.
"Shit! Keep running lad! Unless you want to die!" He yelled, halting and turning around, sword at the ready.
Astaroth kept running but looked over his shoulder as he bypassed the trainer. What he saw froze his blood.
A wolf, four times the size of the one they had just slain, all white. A dozen more wolves followed the monstrosity not far behind, similar to the one they had killed.
Now he realized. An Alpha.
And a huge one too. Astaroth didn't look more and turned his head back ahead.
He ran with all his might. Astaroth even opened up his status window and dumped all his free points into agility.
An exercise in futility most would think, but every point mattered.
Status:
Name: Astaroth
Race: Ash Elf
Level: 5 (54/150)
Stats:
HP: 110/110 MP: 210/210 Stamina: 100
Mana Regen: 1/second in combat, 5/second out of combat
Strength: 6 Agility: 7 Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 6 Wisdom: 6
Attack Power Str: 30 Attack Power Agi: 35 Magic Attack Power: 30 Healing Power: 30
Luck: 0 (Stat unaffected by Level up and free points)
Available stat points: 0
Available skill points: 4
Physical Condition: Fear (Fear grips at your body. Attack power -50%)
Mental Condition: Fear (Fear grips at your mind. Accuracy down)
Equipped gear:
Beginner clothes, Basic Training Short Sword, Basic Training Longsword, Basic Training War Axe, Basic Training Polearm, Basic Training Daggers (2), Basic Training Wooden Shield, Basic Training Bow and Quiver (43)
He felt his running speed get slightly faster. He looked back for a second and saw Kloud running behind him while fighting off the wolves.
The Alpha had yet to make a move. It had slowed down to follow them, but it wasn't trying to overtake them, either.
Astaroth could see the malicious glint in its eyes. It was smart enough to be enjoying this little hunt.
The run and fight lasted for a few minutes until they could see the trees being less prevalent. They were nearing the village!
The Alpha, seeing that the forest was running thin, moved into action. It sped up blazingly fast, lunging for Kloud's throat.
The man blocked the hit in the knick of time, and let the blow push him farther back.
They were only a few hundred meters away from the cave entrance, where the shield would protect them. They only needed one last Hail Mary.
Astaroth reached the cave entrance first, since he was further up ahead, thanks to Kloud's efforts. He turned around and got hit with another shock.
The smaller wolves surrounded Kloud, with the Alpha walking up to him slowly while growling.
"Teacher!" Astaroth yelled in horror.
Kloud didn't even look back. He kept his full focus on the real threat.
This would be a grand battle and an honorable death.
"Take care of yourself, lad. Become strong and avenge me." He said, without looking back.
Astaroth couldn't believe what he heard. This idiot wanted to sacrifice himself again.
Did he have hero syndrome or something? So he dashed into the cave.
He needed to find help quickly.
If you liked my story, add it to your library!
This story is in the Fantasy Carnival, so it needs Power Stones to up-rank. If I get into the top 100, I will drop an extra 2 chapters that day. Another 2 chapters for top 50. I will up the stakes at 5 bonus chapters for top 20, and another 5 for top 10! Please vote for me! :)
Also, I drop an extra chapter on Monday for every 100 PS I get in a week!
In date of today, we are in the 83rd position. We are slowly inching toward our next objective! Let's keep this going!
If you like the novel so far, or think something could use work, don't be scared to leave a review :)
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