Bonus starting sequence unlocked.

Kal barely had time to wonder what that meant. His surroundings blurred and restructured. The world slotted into place, segment by segment, building from the ground up. After several moments, Kal re-appeared within a large circular stone-walled room. In the centre, a raised dais held a throne carved from marble. The king of Alterion sat before Kal. Light shone down on him in a cascade of rainbows as it filtered through stained glass. The scene depicted a rainbow dragon rearing on its hind legs.

He'd expected walls lined with guards, a table of advisors in the rear, sycophants and courtiers. Instead, Kal and the king were the only occupants of the expansive hall. Had he been granted a lone audience with probably the most powerful NPC in the game?

“Welcome traveller,” the king smiled knowingly, a twinkle in his grey eyes. “I’m sorry to have you summoned here so abruptly.”

Should he kneel? Kal shifted his stature towards the mosaic floor.

“Do not bow,” his booming voice commanded, “your courage saved my life and many thousands more.”

Surely the battle would have ended the same way without him. Kal couldn’t know if every player had a similar experience until after the tutorial, so he decided he'd play along. Roleplaying with NPCs was often a necessity to get anywhere in MMOs.

“I couldn’t stand by and watch a would-be tyrant conquer the lands. Besides, no offence, but your son kinda seemed like a…” Dick, he added mentally.

“Entitled brat? Power-hungry madman? Psychopath?” The king finished for Kal with a faint smile. “Oh, I’m well aware,” he sighed, shrinking into the throne. “I just wish I’d known sooner. He was a scholar throughout his youth, could imagine that?”

“Why did you summon me?” Kal cut to the point.

“Ah, yes...” The king seemed to have aged at least a decade since the last encounter. “Your spirit was to pass on to the future. I had you brought to this place at this time. Intercepted, if you will.”

"What is the purpose of this audience?"

"I wish to grant you a boon," the king leaned forward, "of sorts."

“You mean to reward me?” Kal tried to keep his satisfaction from showing.

“Something like that.” The king glanced at the glass dragon motifs. “I’ve no doubt you’ve noticed my heraldry of the dragon. It's not just my royal insignia. It is something much older. Not all of their kind bear the resemblance, but the first dragons were the noblest and most virtuous of creatures. It is the mark of the oathkeepers. ”

“Are you an oathkeeper?” Kal asked.

The king nodded, “I am the last of what you’d call a class trainer for the oathkeepers. Only I can pass on the knowledge to keep my order alive.”

“You want me to reestablish the order in the future. Are there none in your time to teach?” Things began to click. This could be a unique opportunity.

“There are some,” the king admitted. “But I don’t have time. I must ensure the relics are hidden and guided. This is my duty. Your kind, however, can learn skills in a way mine cannot.”

“And so I’m to be your protege?” Kal admitted while being the first of a unique class would be pretty cool. Could he handle being pigeon-holed into a class so early into the game?

“My plans are more… Insurance.” The king paused, his clouded irises pierced deep. “Travellers like yourself only appear in times of great calamity, like the great battle. I hope that the structures and schemes I can devise can keep the relics hidden for a time.”

“And when the time comes that they fail, you think myself and others will once again enter your world," Kal concluded. Though the king's hopes may be misplaced. "Not all of my kind are as benevolent as these dragons you speak of.”

“Kalir. I’m part of the world in a more profound sense; the first gods had no input on the creation of many of my kind. Myself, I was blessed with being created, not born. I can see your true worth. Your actions have proved just that.”

He must mean the game developers. Most of the NPCs must be products of the game engine. But he could see the real Kal? Kal shuffled uncomfortably at that thought. He imagined the king scoffing at the contrast of the real Kalir Molyneux from the one standing in the throne room. Still, he'd saved the king... apparently.

“You look like you have some questions. I will answer what I can.”

Kal did have questions. A few too many. He paused for several moments to order his thoughts and work out what information he needed. The king wouldn’t act like this was a game. Kal had to word things in such a way to reveal the mechanics, without implying this wasn’t the real world.

“What do you mean you can see my true worth?” The statement sat at the forefront of his mind. Had the pod read his thoughts and passed them on to this NPC?

“My deep connection to this world allows me to see into your essence. Your spirit if you will. There is a person within you that is more than meets the eye.” The king spoke each word with deliberate care.

Though that raised another trail of questions, Kal left that line of thought alone. This technology linked with his brain. He didn’t want to creep himself out too much by digging further.

“You mentioned that oathkeeper is a kind of class,” Kal waited for the king to agree. “Does this become unchangeable?”

“You worry that it will become your only vocation. That’s an understandable concern. The class of oathkeeper, should you accept will always be a part of you. But it will not be all you are. Should you desire to walk another path, you may. There will always be certain," the king paused, "options available to you from your oaths. For example, I am also a proficient warrior and duelist, amongst other talents.”

So there’s some kind of multi-class or open spell system. The king has skills from at least three classes.

Kal preferred this method of class handling in an RPG. He liked to dabble in a bit of everything. Strict class restrictions made Kal feel a bit tied down with his gameplay.

“And if I were to accept, what would I be? What is an oathkeeper?”

“Oaths are words of binding and power. By taking and fulfilling them, a knight can bond themselves with others and share their power. The gods take notice when a man honours his oaths. They may grant boons or rewards for one accomplishing what they promise.”

The aspects didn’t sound like any class Kal had played before. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested. Though incurring the wrath of Alterion's gods both daunted and intrigued Kal. However, having the gods on his side. Now that was appealing.

“The relics, what are they?”

“They are concentrations of power that have been part of the world since its inception. That’s all I know as truth. They are semi-physical shards. Some believe each is part of a god which took part in the world’s creation. Thought to be myths; nothing more than folk legends. My son, originally a scholar, became obsessed with tracking them. I disbelieved his claims of their existence and power. To my great shame, and as you know, he succeeded in his quest.”

Kal weighed the options. A potentially unique class which may grant him rewards from the game’s gods. A potential questline from the king himself related to the most powerful artefacts in Alterion. The implication that he may be the class trainer himself for this.

“Okay, I accept your offer to become an oathkeeper. What do I need to do.”

The king laughed a thunderous bellow which echoed throughout the room. Kal felt half confused, half stupid. Did an NPC just mock him?

“An oath, of course.” The king finally said.

Would you like to gain class:

oathkeeper?

Yes / No

Kal wholeheartedly chose yes.