LISTEN ALONG WITH AUDIO BOOK HERE: https://youtu.be/HekAceJC5xM?si=RWb1hZodMmAirwSt
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CHAPTER 1:
"HELP!"
"PLEASE, SOMEONE, SAVE ME!"
"NOOOO!! I WANT MY MOMMY!"
Screams of sheer terror rang out through the night sky, alongside the clanking of metal and splashing of blood.
These sounds went on for only a few moments until there was nothing more but the faint winds, hollow pants, and a quiet voice, "How long has it been?"
High above the blood-soaked grass was a dull grey sky with a white crack running through the middle, as if the world were teetering on the edge.
From within the crack, there were sources of light; spheres that hung far beyond the clouds, each individually gleaming with its own rays of red, blue, green, violet, and yellow, among many other colors.
Yet, on the land below, the stench of iron and death reeked out.
Corpses were stacked atop one another like discarded laundry, mountaining so high as if they were trying to pierce through the heavens.
Yet, atop these bodies sat a caramel-skinned boy whose entire frame and face were coated in a thick coat of crimson, but as if unbothered by this, his gaze remained on the spheres in the sky.
An inexplicable expression was on his face, not one of sadness, anger, or delight, yet...
His lips parted as he mumbled into the sky, "Why me?"
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[Present Day]
Within a cramped, dilapidated one-room apartment lay a young boy on a bed with an electronic white sleep mask over his face.
The bedsheets were stained in blotches of red, green, and other unpleasant hues, evoking a sickening urge to vomit if one took even a single whiff of it.
The paint of the wall had long since begun to rip away from the surface, with black and green rot creeping alongside of it.
Within the kitchen, the sink had fungus sprouting about, clogging the faucet, slowly dripping out a viscous green liquid every so often. -
The fridge hung open, bare of any sustenance and without an ounce of cool air, a shadow cast onto every crevice of its interior.
The young boy on the bed was shirtless, revealing the skinny physique of his warm complexion with patches of black, purple, and red welts that were spread about and still leaking, further staining the bed.
Positioned directly in front of his bed was a short, round table with a miniature square TV placed on top.
Yet miraculously, despite the clear sign of any electricity in the building, its screen was lit with fuzzy visuals and cackling audio displaying news coverage.
There were two hosts, one man and one woman, talking excitedly to each other.
The male host spoke //Today is the Grand Opening of Omnerra, said to be the most innovative game to have ever been released! Such an exciting time!//
The female host followed up //Absolutely, 100% world immersion, and they're saying it's the potential for a 2nd life and even as a source of income for many!//
The boy smiled to himself, 'Another life...'
He thought back to the past few days leading up to this moment, 'I never really had one here to begin with.'
Strained breaths wheezed through the boy's nostrils as he parted his lips.
"START!"
With that, a loud boom resounded within his mind, and his consciousness went white.
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WHOOOOSH!
A bright flash erupted, and the boy found himself floating in an empty white space.
He looked down to see his body now resembled a white wisp that was nearly inconceivable among his all white surroundings.
He looked around in a daze before calming himself down, 'From what I've heard, there should be a way to select your race and class at the beginning of the game; this must be it.'
Sure enough, as he finished that thought, a soothing, female voice called out to him, snapping him back to the present and grabbing his attention.
"Welcome, New Player to Omnerra! Please select your starter class and race. Your affiliation can be chosen at a later time and will affect your experience, so please choose wisely."
The boy raised an eyebrow at this, 'Affiliation?'
Nonetheless, a menu appeared in front of him, asking him a question.
[What Will Your Name Be?}
[Name:_______}
The boy, upon seeing this, grinned to himself, 'This is a new world, so why even use my old name, but... at the same time.'
He silently entered his name as a voice responded to him, "Welcome to Omnerra, Crow. Please select your race."
After that a series of prompts appeared in the air before him, listing his options.
[Please Select Starter Race]
1. Slin (Multiple variants available): A tall race known for its beauty. They have a far stronger, some would say fervent, connection to the Gods and their Concepts, though at a cost. Their eyesight is better than most, with many even being able to see the Concepts themselves. Though tall and possessing a great connection to Concepts, their strength and stamina are known to be lacking. [UPDATE MAKE EM SCALEY BUTT BEAUTIFUL]
2. Stumps (Multiple variants available): A race that lacks in height but makes up for it in robust width and a hearty appetite for the unknown. Naturally nocturnal beings that can go extended periods of time without breathing. Their affinity with concepts is middling at best, yet better than the Beastkin. Their strength isn't physical combat; instead, they possess incomparable stamina alongside incredible dexterity with quicker minds to suit.
Beastkin (Multiple variants available): A race forsaken by most Gods and seen as ineligible to inherit their Concepts. Though they make up for this with a crushingly powerful physique, alongside enhanced reflexes and senses. There are even whispers that the Beastkin may possess their own connection to a powerful heritage.
4: Human: A neutral race by all accounts. Relatively short lifespans compared to their Slin and Stumpy counterparts; however, this neutrality is beneficial to making them favored by the Gods. Most humans are blank canvases for any Concept to thrive on, and average in all aspects unless trained or otherwise born gifted.
[*Note: Advanced Race may be obtained at a later time*.]
Crow pondered his decisions before ultimately deciding.
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"I'll choose a human. Though other Races may offer different, unique benefits, they also offer downsides and other hidden attributes that may come to bite me in the butt, yeah... I'll choose a human."
With that, a light emerged from his being before the body of a caramel-skinned youth, with black shoulder-length dreads and enthused onyx eyes appeared.
He looked down and examined his body in shock, "Woah... this is so real!"
A smile rose on his lips as he moved his attention to the next prompt.
[Please Select Starter Class]
[1. Warrior] - A Frontline class focused on defense and physical combat. Their strong suit is their Strength, while having little in the way of Dexterity or Concept control. Typical weapons used: Sword & Shield, Spear.
[2. Mage] - A class that has potential for incredible destruction through Concepts. A very fragile class that more than makes up for it in sheer firepower. Typical weapons used: Orbs, Staff.
[3. Healer]- The backbone of any team. This class provides ample buffs for the team and can, of course, recover teammates' and one's own health. However, they're lacking in much firepower and any meaningful means of defense starting off. Typical weapons used: Orbs, Staff.
[4. Ranger] - Hit and run personified. The ranger thrives in long sightlines, and though they may not reach the same destructive nature of their [Mage] counterparts, they make up for it with their incredible agility. Allowing them to flurry their foes with attacks while moving at a distance. Typical weapons used: Bow & Arrow, Crossbow.
[5. Thief] - A shadow in the night. Thieves combine strength and speed in a deadly combo, making for an unpredictable foe against any opponent caught off guard. Though this class has an incredibly high damage potential, it's met with an equally high-skill floor, requiring both coordination and timing. Typical weapons used: Daggers, Short blades.
[6. Fighter] Fighters see no need for weapons, seeing their own body as the best tool. A flexible class that has the benefit of not needing to maintain gear, but may also struggle against enemies that are much stronger than them. A more balanced allocation of Strength compared to their warrior counterparts [Warriors] allows this class to stay more adaptable in fights. Typical weapons: Gloves & Boots, Gauntlets.
[*Note: Advanced Classes may be obtained at a later time*.]
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Crow rubbed his chin as he took a look over his options.
'Even with the information here, it's hard to know how each class plays, or even how races will affect those classes...'
He shot a glance at the Thief class, 'Well, to say I don't have familiarity with Thieves would be a lie', a wry smirk forming on his lips.
He had made his decision, and so he leaned forward to select his option, yet at that moment:
{ERROR!}
{ERROR!}
{ERROR!}
{ERROR!}
{ERROR!}
The classes had gone awry, with error messages replacing them, and the previously white room now flashing red.
The soothing female voice of before was blaring loudly, shouting out, "ERROR! ERROR!"
The room began to shake as deafening horns blasted out, shaking against the boy and rocking him to his core.
Crow curled up into a fetal position, covering his ears and closing his eyes as the room spun around him, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!"
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WHOOOOOOSH!!!
With a flash of white light, Crow was stunned as he looked around to find himself in an unfamiliar location.
The air was ripe with a slight gust rippling against his flesh.
The sounds of bustling footsteps and the aroma of sweat and sweet pastries tickled the boy's nose as he sniffed.
The clear blue sky was without a speck to block a multitude of various colorful orbs above that each gave off their own light.
The boy looked around to see a bustling plaza area akin to a town of medieval days; however, along the sides of the cobblestone pathway that could fit 4 grown men standing side to side were particular entrances with stone walls and large wooden doors shut tight.
Each entrance had a stone block above with a symbol that looked to be carved with expert craftsmanship.
Above each entrance was a symbol engraved within the stone: a sword & shield, another had a pair of daggers, one had a staff, and so on and so forth.
Only a few moments had passed before he was bumped from behind, "Hey, where the hell'd you come from, buddy? Ya ain't the only one tryna see!" a man's voice called out.
Crow raised an eyebrow at this as he turned and looked behind him, "See what?"
The man who was a head shorter than him gave a cocky grin, "How naive can you be?" The arrival of the Blessed, of course!"
The whole plaza was bustling and overfilled, every person trying to shove or peer over one another at each of the entrances.
Yet, before Crow could even respond, a loud WHOOOOOOOOOSH rang out through the plaza as beams of white light struck down into each area behind the wooden doors.
The crowd let out "oohs" and "ahhs" of anticipation and excitement, awaiting what lay beyond those barricades.
EEEEER
Finally, the wooden doors whined as large metal chains coiled and pulled the gate upwards, revealing the new visitors.
The crowd stretched out their necks to peek on as swaths of people began to emerge from the gate alongside voices.
"Yooo, this game looks so realistic, even the sun feels warm."
"Dude, yeh, I can even smell the dirt."
Emerging from each gate was a group of individuals, all sporting grey shirts and pants with plain black shoes.
Yet, perhaps most peculiar was a nearly transparent, dim halo floating above their heads.
However, when the group of new arrivals came to the entrance only to see a large crowd waiting for them, shock was on their face.
....
"WELCOME, MIGHTY BLESSED!"
"WELCOME, SAVIORS!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, ushering the group out as they deeply bowed and made way for each passageway.
Crow, having witnessed all this, didn't budge from his spot, yet his eyes were nearly bursting from his eye sockets.
'Wait... those are players?.. So why didn't I come out that way too?'
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