Phoenix
Phoenix's heart swelled with excitement as she climbed over giant twisted tree roots, pushed herself from off one tree trunk covered in thick jagged bark to another with one powerful kick to another, and running as fast as she could through small clearings in the dense forest. At one point she had even tripped and caught herself with her hands, switching to running on hands and feet before leaping into the air to land back on just her feet.
Things that had become impossible to her in the past seven years has become possible again within the world of the game. No constant tingle or burning sensation in her left arm or leg. No stabbing pain between her shoulder blade and spine restricting her breathing. No bracing her weak damaged knees for fear of the ligaments giving out or her legs hyperextending excruciatingly. Just pure freedom to move with wild abandon.
After some time she tumbled into a small clearing where moonlight pierced through the canopy, basking in the soft glow as she laughed in elation from the thrill of regaining apart herself. [Ping] Her ears perked up at the sound of a notification. She opened her status window.
[Phoenix]
[Level 1]
[Race Locked] (unlock rate: 50%)
[STR 10]
[END 8]
[SPD 12]
[Skill: Untamed Agility (passive)]
[Allows the player to move freely at full speed]
[Skill: Moon's blessing (passive)]
[Boosts players stats (all) by 200% during a full moon, 100% during a waxing or waning moon, or 50% during a new moon.]
Phoenix brought her legs up, then used the momentum of them going back down to sit up. The semi clear status window lazily hovered before her following the movement. Her left ear pulled back slightly as she thought about the text glowing in front of her face. Untamed Agility and Moon's Blessing must have been unlocked while she was doing the things she enjoyed doing as a kid. Not only that, it seemed by unlocking those two skills her race had gotten to the half way mark to unlock it. Could the skills be the key to unlocking what her character is supposed to be?
A scent that was neither vegetation nor soil tickled her nose, pulling her from her thoughts. Thick. Heavy. The musk of an animal. She closed her eyes letting her other senses take over. She could feel the faintest shift in the air as something moved through the trees. Her ears twitched, picked up the soft sound of crushed leaves and soil shifting under the weight of a paw pad. Its breaths reached her ears in faint pants from nearby yet out of sight, even after her eyes cracked open. The air in the clearing became charged. Weariness. Curiosity. Yet a sense of familiarity had also laced the air.
A primal, haunting sound filled the night air.
"Awooooo?"
Not a challenge but at question.
She filled her lungs as her head lifted, eyes closing. Ears pulled as far back as humanly possible, she answered with her own cry. Notes smooth as silk yet wild, haunting, and strangely comforting. " Awoooooo aoooo."
[Ding] [Ding] [Ding]
[Skill: Keen Senses] (Passive)
[All senses heightened by 100%(heightened by 200% in beast form)]
[Call of the Wild] (active)
[Can be used to call any ally (beast class) for aid. The ally gains 50% boost to attack and speed (lasts for 3 minutes)]
[Polymorph] (Active)
[Player can freely choose to change between human and beast form (stats may vary between forms)]
[Race: Shifter] (can be evolved)
"Elysium Realms" Development Team
The only brightly lit monitor screen in the room illuminated Mark's tired face, as he stared unblinking at the white-haired 25-year-old woman moving with the unbound enthusiasm of an overexcited puppy.
2:00am was blinking in the bottom right corner of the screen, yet she showed no signs of logging out. He had already called the medical team to her room to carefully monitor her physical body. They had reported that she was stable and that they adjusted the position of her body to make her more comfortable. Even so, the real concern was whether she could log out safely or not.
His whole body had started to get jittery with nerves and lack of sleep. He had half a mind to pm her to log out and meet with the medical team when he heard her wild, yet soothing wolf howl, sending a chill down his spine while drawing him in. A second later, his jaw dropped. Her avatar's body gave off a subtle glow, a notification popped up with it.
[Phoenix]
[Race: Shifter]
[Error resolved]
Mark's heart pounded in his chest as the last notice sank in. She had just unlocked her race and repaired the damage herself. But how? He had to know. He began typing out a pm in the message box. Before he could send it, the time on the monitor flashed 2:06am. A reminder of just how late it was, so he deleted his barrage of questions for her and instead sent a gentle reminder of the time. As he paged the medic that she was no longer in danger, Mark watched her tap a few times on her in-game keyboard with a sweet little lopsided smile. [Ping] [Thanks! Good night!] She tapped a couple more times on her status screen before her Avatar vanished.
[Phoenix logged out]