Chapter 1: Pulling the First String

“Welcome Young Warrior! What is your name?”

Daniel awoke and found himself in a pitch-black room. So dark that he couldn’t see anything no matter which direction his gaze drifted. A light shown directly above him illuminating the space a few feet out, yet when he looked up the light was strangely absent.

A loud, booming voice echoed through the nothingness. “Young Warrior, I wish to learn your name.” The voice commanded with such confidence and power that it made his existence shake. It didn’t matter what it asked, the voice conveyed itself so that Daniel would have obeyed without question.

“My name is Daniel.” He paused a moment, not sure whether to could continue talking. “Who are you?”

“I am Grim, one of the 12 Artificial Intelligences that preside over this kingdom. I am the embodiment of murder and that which intertwines bloodshed and savagery—the red harbinger that no living being can claim to have seen. Those fleeting moments, when the last flicker of life leaves a soul, are my domain. I am not death but her deliverer. I am the object of hate and the kindling of war. It is not often I take heed of new arrivals to this world, but you seem to harbor a will akin to my own.”

At the mention of AI, or artificial intelligence, Daniel realized he stood in the virtual world that Dr. Smith mentioned. He still had his doubts since everything seemed so real. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that they had transferred him to another room and projected the voice through surround-sound speakers.

“Young Warrior, the name you have selected has been deemed restricted. Choose another.”

He took a moment to think. The only reason his name would be restricted was if this world allowed others to interact with him. He laughed at the controversy that would ensue around a player looking identical to and having the same name as a former, death row inmate.

“Then call me Baron,” Daniel said. His old nickname sounded as good as any. At least this way a sliver of hope remained for recognition.

“That name is acceptable. Tell me Baron, what race would you like? As a god I may grant you the body of any of the 27 sentient races.”

At first he thought the AI’s question referred to what type of ethnicity he wanted, but dismissed the thought. He finally accepted his lack of knowledge pertaining to the fantasy genre and decided to inquire.

“Can you show me my options?”

The room lit up to reveal 27 versions of himself standing in rows. Upon closer inspection he saw the names of each race above their heads. Most of them kept his face recognizable, but the body types varied widely. Behind the human version of himself stood a race called hobbits. Nothing appeared altered aside from its height; the half-man’s face came to an average human’s chest. To its right was an elf. It looked taller and had a slender figure. Its hair went down to narrow shoulders and straightened to accentuate its streamline figure. The elf’s most striking difference was its handsome features and elegant, elongated ears.

The giant caught his eye more than any other. It looked to be over eight feet tall with intimidation that would make a grown man’s body tremble. Baron never considered himself short, but he paled in comparison to this monstrosity. Along with its height an unmistakable gut drew attention; it was as large and round as the giant stood tall. The behemoth's features looked distorted and asymmetrical, displaying the opposite of the elf’s beauty.

After sizing up the giant, Baron turned his attention to the next, closest thing—a barbarian. It was a single foot shorter than the giant, yet it kept all of the intimidation. It took Baron’s muscular body, built from ten years of weight training in prison, and sculpted it into something only seen in action movies. There stood the male image every girl dreams of: tall, muscular, and Baron’s average looks didn’t hurt. For him, no race existed that he’d rather have.

“The perfect race of warriors. There have been many barbarians that stood at the pinnacle of war. Now tell me, where would you like to start? You may choose a capital from the five currently available states in the Alvarez Kingdom,” said Grim.

“Chicago”

“There is no city that goes by that name. Choose the capital of one of the five available states.”

Baron teetered on the thought to object, before he remembered it was a game. He almost asked for his options before descriptions of each state appeared.

State of Aria

Named after its late queen, the state of Aria is one of the Alvarez Kingdom’s main powers. It is the second largest state and by far the wealthiest. Known as the Regal State, the Royal Family has bloodlines descending back to the first King of Alvarez. The upper class hold vast amounts of gold that pay for its grand military. Due to the large amount of funds its military consumes, the common people suffer. Poverty and disease run rampant more so than in any other state. Due to its large, standing military, there are few artisans free to work their crafts. Weapons, food, and other resources are all imported from its allies in return for military protection.

EstonHaven

One of the smaller and less powerful states, EstonHaven is a den of the immoral. Rather than a traditional monarchy that many states have, it is governed by the chief of a bandit tribe that managed to gain power and influence. The tribe controls the state through intimidation with few laws and regulations. Outlaws of the other kingdoms flock to the state to escape punishment for their crimes. These criminals make up the majority of the citizens. It isn’t a wealthy place, but its’ people make enough money to eat by raiding at the borders of surrounding states. EstonHaven has no allies and is often scoffed at by the other states as being a disgrace. Many have tried to conquer it, however, the unusual army composition of thieves, rogues, warlocks, and assassins has proven EstonHaven a state not to be trifled with.

Wheldrake

Another of the Alvarez Kingdom’s main powers, Wheldrake isn’t known for anything other than its vast power and influence. Both soldiers and artisans are commonplace, while there are low numbers of thieves and other less desirables. The Royal Drake family is loved by the people for the high standard of living they have achieved. Although they fall short of the State of Aria in both wealth and military might, they are still considered a major power. They have a longstanding rivalry with the State of Aria with whom they share a border. Skirmishes are a daily occurrence, and many believe full-scale war is approaching.

Lockridge

A state known for its artisans, Lockridge is located in the mountains in the south of Alvarez. The state doesn’t have a military, but instead relies on the natural defense of the mountains for protection. The citizens are reclusive, but they do venture out to trade. Lockridge goods are considered top tier and are desired throughout Alvarez. Little is known about the its rulers, however some speculate it is run by the highest level artisans who preside over the state and treat it like a company.

The Warren Isles

Unlocked by player: Atlas

Spanning across thousands of islands, the Warren Isles occupy nearly five times the area of the State of Aria. The Isles stretch along every coast in Alvarez, ruling the ocean. Most citizens have marine related professions, as the ocean is the dominating feature of the state. The Warren Isles are the only state to have a navy, but they mainly rely on the ocean’s natural defense to isolate themselves from conflict. They don’t have any enemies or allies, but do trade with every state along the coast. Due to the geography of the Isles, the Warren monarchy has little control outside of the major cities and larger islands. Because of this, the Isles have the highest crime rate aside from EstonHaven. The State’s navy is mainly used to intercept pirate groups and black-market trading, however they aren’t large enough to patrol any locations other the highly populated areas.

“I recommend Wullenshire, the capital of Wheldrake. The looming war with Aria will provide ample opportunity for you to show your supremacy in battle.” Baron thought it was weird how Grim naturally assumed he is a war monger, but without an inclination to the other states there existed no particular reason to ignore the advice.

“Welcome to the Alvarez kingdom, Baron. I await the day you grow bored of the plights of men and come forth to challenge me in the realm of gods.”

The darkness grew and enveloped Baron until nothingness remained, completely devoid of stimuli. He couldn’t tell how much time passed until a new world materialized around him. First the ground, next the buildings started constructing themselves. Once the framework was laid out, textures appeared, followed by the sky and sun that gave life to the scene. Lastly, birds flying above and people in the streets materialized. Then all at once Baron’s senses became overwhelmed.

A butcher’s stall sitting in the sun for the meat to fester left a stench hanging in the air. A player walked past in the crowded streets letting the hilt of his sheathed sword scratch Baron’s skin. The voices of hundreds fought for dominance in his ears as each tried to scream louder than their competitors.

"No restriction swords! cheapest you'll find! 30 coppers!"

"Custom made leather boots! 3 defense, 17 coppers! You won't find boots so cheap anywhere in Wullenshire!”

"Level 3 rogue looking for a party!"

“All praise the goddess Teresa! Let all others burn as blasphemers!”

"Beginner sword, only 29 coppers!"

Baron couldn’t help but just stand there in awe. No doubt lingered to refute this was a virtual world. He still couldn’t believe it. The scene looked exactly how he imagined a picturesque medieval city would, yet it was too perfect. His expression of awe faded as a message window popped up.

New title has been acquired: Grim’s Puppet

Rarity: S+

Players with this title: N/A, title is only given once

Conditions: ???

Effects: Increased Battle Instincts

With nothing to do, and not fully comprehending the situation, Baron decided to wander aimlessly. By the time the sun set, he had traversed the entire length of the market streets several times over, though he never ventured into the surrounding city. He started to get a feel for how the game worked and even picked up bits of information here and there. The concept of a role playing game eluded him. The closest he had ever come to playing video games had been the likes of Tetris and Pacman.

Several hours went by and he started to feel a familiar sensation. His stomach growled and twisted in the absence of food. With all that had transpired it felt like days since he last ate. He suffered through the hunger until a message popped up. It informed him his satiety dropped to 10% along with a slew of stat reductions. He didn’t understand what it was talking about, but he understood he needed something to eat.

Haphazardly, Baron walked past a street vendor selling rabbit shish kabobs; the aroma aroused his hunger to the max. Resolved to quell his growing appetite, he thought back to a conversation he overheard. The players, who were beginners like him, discussed the best place to sell their starter bread. With a little experimentation he figured out how to open his inventory. Inside he found five loaves of poor-quality, wheat bread, and a refillable canteen. Without pause Baron began to bore into the bread, only to spit it out after the first bite.

“Like I’d ever eat this tasteless shit!” Baron said aloud. Several players standing around began to snicker at his remark.

The bread bordered unedible. The crust tasted like leather and the inside had the consistency of cotton. It had no flavor to speak of and only served to soak up his saliva. Thankfully the canteen served its purpose, allowing Baron to rinse out the stale taste. When he looked around the crowd of people laughed at him. Some were whispering to each other, while others flat out mocked him.

“The fuck you laughing at?” Baron snarled.

It came off as a threat not a question. The laughter died out. Ladies took a step behind their escorts, and men made a subtle grasp for their weapons. Something about the novice barbarian intimidated them. It wasn’t his stature, or his attitude. All of them knew he was a beginner, yet something unmistakable permeated the air around him, turning their feet to stone with fear. Without waiting for a reply he dumped all of his bread into a pile on the street and sauntered away. A glance back revealed several players fighting over the unsavory food.

“Pathetic.” Baron spoke loud enough to let the players behind him hear.

Without anything to do and nothing to eat, Baron found a spot to sit and wallow in his hunger. He wasn’t the slightest bit tired, but the events that transpired left him mentally exhausted. The realization of what happened in the past day had yet to sink in, so he sat there. Hours went by and nothing happened. He didn’t move; he just sat there.

The smell of stew cooking came from a food stand next to him. Every time the cook stirred the pot it enticed his senses a hair more. Each hand motion caused his hunger to grow stronger. It constantly teased his stomach until an opportunity arose and he seized it.

A kid that looked to be around 12 got in line for the stew. He dressed in beginners clothing similar to what Baron wore. A cheap sword slung across his back looked tattered from recent combat, and his clothes displayed their scars from battle. What caught Baron’s attention was the large bag of coins hanging out the kid’s back pocket.

With renewed vigor Baron hurried into line. In the process he tripped and stumbled into the unsuspecting kid. Quickly excusing himself, he waited in line.

“I’ll take half a loaf of bread and a bowl of stew, please,” said the kid, ordering his food. His voice brimmed with excitement. After a long day of hunting rabbits nothing is better to quell your hunger than a hot bowl of stew.

“That’ll be five coppers,” the vendor said, unenthusiastic at the kids excitement. He cut the loaf and poured the stew. When he finished the boy stood teary eyed; he frantically searched every pocket for the missing money.

‘Typical,’ the cook thought to himself before expressing his stance on the issue, “Listen kid. If you don’t have the money, you don’t get the food. I ain't running no pity service.” It may have seemed cruel, but that’s what it took to stay in business.

The boy went through and rechecked every pocket to no avail. Earning more than 20 coppers in a day had made him feel accomplished, but now that feeling vanished. The kid learned a life lesson about hard work that Baron learned at the same age: it isn’t always worth something.

“Here’s the five coppers,” said Baron. He stepped up and lent the kid some money; it was the least he could do. The extremely, well-mannered child thanked his savior with tears streaming down each cheek.

After the kid left and it was Baron’s turn to order, the cook spoke up. He was moved by the display. “That was a nice thing you did.”

"It was nothing. Can I get two bowls of that stew? You can keep the bread."

House of Wolves

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Thanks to Xetaro and ZekeKai4 for proof reading this chapter.

Authors notes

Thanks to everyone for reading this story. Chapter 2 will be uploaded tomorrow so be sure to check back. Any comments, criticisms, or questions please put them in the comment section below. I enjoy any and all feedback.

If you want to proof read this chapter, click the link here. The more the merrier when it comes to ripping apart my work and finding every little mistake :)