(Switching POV from 3rd person to 1st person - Sebastian's POV will always be in 1st person from now on. This is so I can emphasize his thought processes throughout the story)
When I opened my eyes, I could barely take it all in. I felt the world around me. It wasn't like the virtual reality of Valhalla, where you could obviously tell that, despite all the effort of the creators, the world around you was all artifical. You couldn't feel the wind on your skin, you couldn't smell the scents surrounding you. This was different. If I didn't know I was inside a game, it would be almost impossible to tell this wasn't real life.
I was standing on a circular platform, about 30 meters in diameter. On the edge of the circle, multiple different statues were standing, about four meters in height, made of shiny bronze material. The platform was made of marble like blocks, reflcting the light even with hundreds of years of dust covering it. The wind was blowing fiercely, almost as if the platform was... moving?
When I looked down at the edge of the circle, I realized that we were in fact flying in the sky. As far as I could see, there were mountains, rivers and forests in every direction beneath us, and I could see a deeper shade of blue right on the horizon: the ocean, most likely.
I was wearing a matte white, linen t-shirt and leather trousers, along with surprisingly comfortable boots and once again, I was amazed at how everything felt so genuine. This was truly groundbreaking. A new era for Virtual Reality has finally arrived. Despite hesitating to try Godsrealm, at this point I was already hooked.
-You'we awoken. - A woman spoke to me. I turned back to the middle of the circle, and looked for the source of the voice. The NPC was tall, with long white hair and blue skin, her eyes were glowing with a faint purple light. She was dressed in fine clothes, probably silk, that went all the way down to her ankles.
- Welcome to the world of Godsrealm! I will help you with your class choice. May I have your name please? - the woman said.
- Zephy... no, no...
- Zephynono is still available. Confirm?
- No! - I shouted, perhaps a little too loud. - My name is... - I was trying to think of another alias, something that wouldn't instantly reveal my identity. Zephyr was a well known name after all. I hoped that Ace was going to start in the Kingdom of Ravenloft too, and I knew that Ryder and all of Avalon chose the same, so if I want to stay close by, I have to be a little more discrete.
- My name is... Avenger. - It was fitting. My goal was to sabotage Ryder's attempt to succeed in this world, while getting revenge for what he has done to me and my friends.
- Avenger is already taken. Please, choose a new name. - of course it would be taken, almost two million players are choosing names right now. I need something unique. I started going through my mental notes. Zephyr comes from Zephyrus, greek god of the west wind. I chose it because wind is often associated with archery. The other three wind gods were called Boreas, Eorus and Notos, if I'm not mistaken, but those would be a little too obvious.
Of course, I could have chosen a random name. Any name. With the way I altered my looks in the character creation screen, nobody would recognize me instantly. Although I could only change my appereance to a certain degree, I still think I did a good job.
So why not xXDemonSlayer420Xx? Well, it might be a bit naive of me, but I did want a name that somehow connected to my legacy.
I was browsing through my, sadly pretty limited, list of known mythological figures associated with either wind, archery or bows in general, and almost gave up when I remembered a myth I read once upon a time, about the greek goddess Artemis, and her partner in the wild, Orion, a giant that was as good with the bow as the lady of the hunt herself. I only remembered that the story of their partnership ended in a tragedy, something along the lines of her blinding him, and also something related to the constellation of Orion as well, but at this point my knowledge about the topic ran out.
-My name is Orion. - I finally said, crossing my fingers, because if the name was not available, I might actually have to spend all day figuring out how to call myself.
- Orion is still available. Confirm?
- Yes. - I let out a deep breath, not even realizing I was holding it in.
- Welcome to the world of Godsrealm, Orion! My name is Ava, and I will help you choose your starting class.
- Starting class? - I asked, looking around and checking out all the fifteen statues located at the edge of the circle. - are there more classes other than these?
- Godsrealm is an ever changing and evolving world with many secrets to discover. - she avoided answering my question in a straight fashion, but still hinting at the possibilities of there being extra classes later. - would you like to take a look at the classes?
- Yes.
- There are fifteen starting classes in the world of Godsrealm. Five specialize in the Art of Might, five in the Art of Magic, and five in the Art of Finesse. - as she said, the statues glew up in groups of five. - let's see the Art of Might first!
We walked to the first group of statues. As I was standing beneath them I realized that they were a lot bigger than I first thought.
-The first class: Swordsman. Swordsmen are staples on every battlefield. Wielding short- or longswords, they move quickly, capable of taking on frontline fights or threataning the back row of the enemy alike. They are fast, though not the fastest, and strong, though not the strongest. A jack of all trades, and a master of what you achieve with them.
- The second is the Spearfighter. They fill a similar role as the Swordsmen, but are more explosive and strike quicker. In turn, they don't hold the line as well and are less sturdy. They are like a viper, striking fast and hard before retreating behind the frontline.
- The third class is the Guardian. Masters of the Shield, moving walls of the group, indomitable knights holding the very centers of the frontlines. They are fierce fighters capable of dealing damage in sustained fights, and are even better at mitigating the enemy's power. Their lack of speed and burst damage leaves them in need of their allies in some situations, but with the right composition, the Guardian might be the most devastating opponent.
- The next is the Berserker. The calamities of the battlefield. Few can match the Berserker's damage output, but beware! Sometimes it might be hard to handle it even for themselves. They break enemies and infrastructure alike, and their rage is felt from miles away.
- The last class in the Art of Might is the glorious Paladin. Similarly to Guardians, they excel at holding the frontline, and while they might fall off in the art of shieldfighting, they make up for it with the use of holy magic to heal allies or hurt foes, especially the undead.
All of the statues of the Might classes looked glorious. I had no doubt in my mind that just by looks alone, these five classes will probably lure in the most players. Who wouldn't want to be fighting close up, wielding mighty swords and shields in the most breathtaking VR game? I would lie if I said I didn't feel like I was drawn to some of these choices.
-Next up are the classes of Magic. Magic is abundant in the world of Godsrealm, and both continents, Cindaar and Yaetra rely on their talented magicians to hold up the balance of the world. - Ava said. Cindaar and Yaetra were probably the names of the two worlds, the former being the world for the western and southern countries, while the latter was meant for the players from Asia. It was still insane to me that only 2 million players were capable of experiencing all this, although I was pretty sure I read that the limit was only in place for the first week or so, and that there are already tens of millions of capsules manufactured. The player limit was meant to be helping the stress test of the first week, and if everything runs smoothly, more and more people will be able to join.
- The first class in the art of Magic is the Arcanist. They are the battlemages of war, wielding arcane and elemental magic to destroy their foes. Their damage output is their biggest strength, but they can easily control the battlefield from afar, and talented Arcanists can even change the layout of it using devastating magic.
- The next class is the Conjurer. Conjurers often enter contracts with spirits from other plains of existence, and they are capable of summoning these familiars to aid them in battle. They never stand alone, and strong Conjurers can summon more and stronger allies to do their deeds.
- The third class in the Art of Magic is the Cleric. They are blessed with holy magic, and use it to heal wounds and destroy foes alike. Often associated with one – or more- gods of their respective regions, they are oft part of religious orders, but some choose different paths and are more like wandering doctors or priests that ward against evil.
- The fourth class is the Druid, keepers of the grove, guardians of nature itself. Their wild natural magic is just as versatile as the environment itself. It can be used to heal, to protect or to destroy – a choice made by the wielder themselves.
- Last but not least, there's the Acolyte. Mages that chose to delve into the dark arts, they use spells that are often associated with sinful things, although they are not evil by nature. They manipulate the battlefield, deal damage or cause harm in other ways.
These classes were all awe inspiring, and seemed well thought out as well. Who knows what kind of powers one would be able to wield by choosing the Art of Magic? I couldn't wait to see fellow players perform spells, seeing all the effects in action.
-We've arrived to the last Art. The Art of Finesse. - Ava said. - First up is the agent of shadows, the Rogue. Rogues are thieves and assassins, using blades and daggers to quickly end the lives of foes, striking from behind before anyone could get a glimpse of them, and disappearing just as fast.
- The second class is the Ranger, masters of the bow. - I held my breath. - These archers strike at their targets from afar. They have the highest range, and are capable to remain unseen as long as they need to be, waiting for their prey to enter their deadly line of sight.
- Next up is the Swashbuckler. They excel at dueling their opponents. Few can match their speed and precision in a one on one encounter. Using their rapiers they can quickly strike vital spots similar to rogues, but they prefer to stay engaged in a honorable fight.
- The fourth Finesse class is the Brawler. Their muscles are like iron, and using Fists and Claws they excel at close quarter combat. Each of their punches is like a cannon, their kicks sound like thunder and their fighting spirit is unmatched. They move swiftly, strike even faster.
- And we've arrived at the last starter class of Godsrealm: the Bard. - Ava took a theatrical break after saying those words. - The Bard is a unique class that is not fit for everyone. It can use plenty of weapons, though not necessarily to their full extent. What the Bard does best is give support to their allies through the magic that is sound itself. With sonets and scherzos the Bard aids their comrades in the midst of battle, granting bonuses, healing wounds and disorienting foes in a quick fashion.
- These are your choices, Adventurer. Take your time. You will spawn in the Kingdom of Ravenloft, at a randomly selected starter village in 27 minutes and 32 seconds.
- In 27 minutes? Do all players spawn at the exact same time? - I asked, thinking that if that was the case, the servers will have to withstand huge traffic and might actually break.
- Spawntimes are set. You are within the first batch of adventurers that had arrived at the Plain of Choices. After you spawn, the following batches will spawn in 15 minute intervals. Don't worry about stability – Ava continued, as if she knew what I was thinking. - even if all 2 million adventurers spawned at the same time, the flow of Godsrealm would not be affected.
- Alright. I've made my choice. I would like to be a Ranger.
- Your chosen class is: Ranger. Confirm?