Damon stood in and endless sea of white. At least, that’s the only colour that he could see. The floor he stood on was white, his surroundings were white and the sky was white. He stood there for long moments, staring around him trying to make out something, anything that wasn’t this damned whiteness.

“Hello Damon.” An old withered voice spoke from behind Damon and he whirled around. In front of him, stood a very old and decrepit man. He stood with his hand behind his back, but a clear bend in his back and the wrinkles on his face betrayed his extreme age. His eyes were sunken and he let off an air of confidence born from many, many years of experience. Damon was shocked he could see the figure so well and the surprise must have shown on his face, because the old man chuckled.

“You can see me fine because of who I am. I am a god. We appear to you as clear flesh and bone so you may understand what we are. My true form would be simply incomprehensible to you. Therefore, it does not matter whether you are deaf, blind and dumb, you would still see me clearly.” The old man watched Damon for a few moments, before continuing.

“My name is Soter, I am the god of protection, safety and security. The true meanings of these words have been lost to the civilisations of this world so I shall simply say that I am responsible for the preservation of those that cannot preserve themselves.”

Damon nodded. “OK, so why am I here?” he asked.

“You are here because it has been a very long time since someone has picked a class for the reason of protecting others. Not many would have chosen the class you did, Blind Protector. Do you understand what that means?” The God asked, looking carefully at Damon.

“That I’m blind but wish to protect people?” Damon guessed, wondering why the god had asked him such a thing.

“Yes and no. Protecting others is all well and good but how far would others go for you? It is a rare thing to see someone willing to die just to protect someone they’d only met a day or two before. Even more rare for someone to save an entire village that you had no obligations to. Being a Blind Protector means you are blind to the danger you are protecting from. Yes, you may be able to see it, able to identify it. But it doesn’t matter what that danger it, you will protect. That is simply your nature, it is who you are. It isn’t just a quality anymore, it is your being.” Soter’s words reverberated around Damon’s head and the power inside of them resonated with him. Damon suddenly appreciated that a true god stood before him, and looks could be very deceptive.

Suddenly taking this a lot more seriously, Damon asked: “You chose that class for me, didn’t you?”

“I did, I nudged the class cube in the right direction and I must have been right because you picked it. That was your choice, I am not allowed to make it for you. There are rules older than even I can remember that I must abide to. As must all the other gods.” Soter explained, smiling slightly at Damon.

“There are other gods?” Damon enquired.

“Of course, there are many gods. Some much more powerful than others, although that is mostly due to the amount of people who worship them. I am not one such god. I am one of the oldest, but unfortunately that means I am almost completely forgotten.” The old god replied.

“Are there good gods and bad gods?” Damon realised the question sounded childish but he needed to know.

“The gods can’t exactly be categorised as good or bad. You are trying to label a human instinct onto a god. It simply doesn’t work. Primarily a god wishes to exist, we were made by the races of this world, through belief and something much older that even we do not completely understand. Gods will do what they do through this primary function. How the god goes about doing that can then be labelled as good or evil. To them, the most effective method they have should be used and it is usually shaped through the people that worship them. So called good gods can still perform evil acts and visa versa. The races interpret the will of the gods in different ways, some performing good deeds to spread their belief, others bad deeds. To the gods it accomplishes the same goal. There is friction between gods due to the limited population of this world and serious clashes have occurred. The creature you fought outside the cave was a spawn of the dark god Tenebris. It had been corrupted by the energy that lies in the cave and would have devastated many areas in the north if it had been left to grow.” The god saw Damon’s expression at the memory of the fight and he paused for a moment to let him deal with his emotions.

“For the moment, understand this. I wish for you to spread the word of my existence. Show them that I am still here and you will gain my blessing. How you do that is up to you, but remember I am the god of protection, safety and security. If you bring those to the people around you, they will believe in me.” With that, the old god stopped and stared at Damon.

“I cannot force you to do this, however if you do, I will reward you with blessings as I grow stronger. So, will you accept my proposal? Know there will be no repercussions if you decline my offer, it will simply be harder for you to accomplish what you did to the wolf.” With that last statement, a blue window popped into Damon’s view and his eyes widened as he read it.

New Quest!

Soter's Followers I

Soter, the god of protection, safety and security, has asked you to spread the word of his existance and convince people to pray and follow him. It will be a long and hard road, many will reject this god and you must convince them he is real and willing to help them.

Convert 25 people to follow Soter.

Rewards:

Base 1000 Exp

Relationship points with Soter

A blessing from Soter

Damon thought for a moment. What this god was offering would help Damon a lot in game. He was certain there would be buffs involved with this blessing that Soter spoke of. He was basically going to try and help the small village he had spawned close to. The god complimented his class perfectly and he had chosen it of his own will. Something had drawn him to it and he knew it wasn’t the gods influence. He wanted to do something he’d never been able to do before, help others and protect them like his father had protected him. It was that last thought that decided it for Damon.

“I accept your offer.” Damon announced looking Soter in the eye and the old god smiled.

“Excellent, in that case you better get started. I must warn you your village is in quite a lot of danger and I suggest you go save it before it’s too late.” With that warning the god waved his hand and the world seemed to tip for a moment before Damon found himself stand in his original position in the cave. Like the conversation with the god had never taken place and Damon stood for several moments before his vision was flooded with notifications.

New Class Gained!

Blind Protector

Being a blind protector means you have been given the abilty to protect those in need. You may not have true sight with your eyes but there are many ways to see others.

Skill gained: Focus Body

Skill gained: Soul Perception

Trait gained: Focused I

Status gains per level:

+2 STR, +4 END, +1 AGL, +1 WIS, +1 CHR

New Skill!

Focus Body (Beginner 1 - 0%)

Being able to focus on one's body will allow for greater understanding and strengthening to it. Being able to compartmentalise injury and pain, will allow for a higher pain threshold.

5% Increase in physical damage resistance

25% Increase to pain threshold when active

Cost: 5 SP/sec

New Trait!

Focused I

Having so many skills that help you focus, has put you into a particular mindset.

Effects:

All focus related skills gain an added 15% efficiency to second trait

5% Increase to Mental Resistance

New Status Discovered!

Perception

Perception represents how you see the world around you. It allows for you to see the truth and see what others cannot.

+5 base perception due to race.

New Skill!

Soul Perception (Beginner 1 - 0%)

The souls of others call to you. Some are dark and corrupted, while others are white and pure. What colour will you leave your soul when you depart to the afterlife?

You can see souls up to 5 paces away.

You can feel the presence of souls up to 10 paces away

A Blessing From The Gods!

Soter has blessed you with the ability to use mana. Usually you would have to unlock this through an item or a sutably compitent trainer. However Soter has seen fit to grant you this ability. How will you use it?

Ability to use mana now granted.

Mana affinities unlocked.

New Spell: Earth Shield

New Spell!

Earth Shield (Novice 1 - 0%)

An Earth Shield is an effective way to protect yourslf or others. The size, shape and thickness of this shield is decided by the spells level, your affinity to Earth magic and your mana control level.

Cost: 20 MP

1 MP/sec to maintain

New Title!

Soter's Protector

Effect:

10% Increase in armour defence

10% Increase in physical damage

Damon swiped away the new messages. He knew they were all very beneficial and he knew he’d have to ponder them later but right now he needed to move. He turned to Diana, who jumped slightly at the sudden movement.

“We need to get back to the village, now!” Without explaining himself, Damon began running. Out through the entrance of the cave and back into the cool night air. He headed straight for the trees, not even throwing an explanation to Diana, who was following behind.

…

The village was on fire.

Damon could smell the smoke before it even came into view. The dark night was pierced by screams and shouts of distraught villagers. Damon increased his pace, but Diana over took him and seemed to pelt at a ridiculous speed in front of him.

Damon was breathing heavily when he finally reached the treeline that marked the border of the village. The strange light of the fires played havoc with his vision and he had to close his eyes and listen to the sounds of the chaos. Damon heard the sounds of metal ripping flesh then, the cry of pain that followed it hit something deep inside him and he sprinted towards the noise. The fire in his lungs forgotten as he neared the centre of the village. 7 men were shouting, they sounded angry and they smelt of blood and death. Damon realised they must be responsible for this mess.

Without even stopping to question what was happening, Damon drew the axe from his back. He was still running full pelt when he swung it down on the closest man. There was a sickening crunch as the axe landed and Damon knew the man was dead.

(Sneak attack)

(Critical hit)

You have dealt 54 physical damage to Human Male (Level 5).

Well, that description’s new? Damon thought as he wrenched the axe out and swivelled before bringing the axe rounded and swinging it horizontally into the man’s friend’s arm, almost completely severing it. Damon kicked the man away from him as he screeched in pain.

You have dealt 29 physical damage to Human Male (Level 4).

You have crippled Human Male (Level 4)’s right arm.

The man’s screams alerted the other men to the presence of Damon in their midst. One of them yelled and tried to lounge at Damon with a short sword. On instinct, Damon lent to the side and bringing his axe round in an upwards swing that caught the offending male just below the shoulder.

You have dealt 32 physical damage to Human Male (Level 4).

Damon could feel the ribs crack through the axe, but he couldn’t focus on it. He could feel something swinging towards his back but he was too of balance to do anything about it. Suddenly Damon heard a thump! He instantly recognised it as an arrow hitting flesh and then pain arced across his back.

You have received 19 physical damage from Human Male (Level 5).

Grunting at the pain, Damon shoved the axe back behind him and heard a gasp as it met resistance.

You have dealt 6 physical damage to Human Male (Level 5).

Damon turned, swinging his axe round, grunting as the wound in his back opened even more. He smashed the axe head into the side of the man behind, like a baseball player hitting a home run. The man almost flew from the force and Damon lost his grip on the axe as it stuck into the man.

(Critical Hit)

You have dealt 42 physical damage to Human Male (Level 5).

That guy wasn’t getting up any time soon. Damon both heard and felt two more men charging him at once and he rolled away trying to open up some space as he drew his dagger.

As Damon righted himself he focused on the noises and tried to take stock of the situation. He’d dealt with four of the men in the centre of the village but he could hear still more around in the surrounding huts. His attention then turned back to the two men in front of him. He furiously tried to come up with a way of dealing with them when suddenly one seemed to stop for a moment and then tip fall to the ground. The other paused for a moment to see what had happened to his friend and Damon took his chance.

While the man was distracted, Damon leapt forwards and slammed his left fist into the man’s face.

You have dealt 6 physical damage to Human Male (Level 6).

The man’s nose crunched as Damon’s fist connected and his face scrunched up as tears flooded his eyes. Damon didn’t see this though, all he did follow up the punch with a grapple as he rugby talked the man to the ground. Before he could react, Damon plunged his knife into the man’s chest again and again.

You have dealt 13 physical damage to Human Male (Level 6).

You have dealt 13 physical damage to Human Male (Level 6).

It took Damon a moment to realise he wasn’t doing much damage and he realised the man was wearing some sort of leather armour. So, Damon switched targets and went for the neck. Unfortunately for him, the man underneath him had recovered slightly and tried to tip Damon off him. This caused Damon to miss the neck and instead hit the ground. He fought to stay on top as the man wriggled and squirmed underneath him. Snarling, Damon plunged the knife into the side of the man’s head and wrenched it upwards. A sickening tearing noise ripped through the air and blood squirted in great fountains up into Damon’s face.

(Critical Hit)

You have dealt 64 physical damage to Human Male (Level 6).

That was a massive amount of damage and Damon gaped before blood pooled in his mouth and he began to gag. He quickly threw himself away from the dead man and clambered to his feet. He needed to get out of here. There were more men running around and the little massacre in the centre of the village wouldn’t go unnoticed for much longer.

“Damon!” Diana’s voice cut through to Damon and he quickly looked in the direction it had come from. “Come here, I’ve found a few people but we need to run now!” She sounded slightly panicked and Damon sprinted to her. She was hiding around the side of an already burning hut and Damon noted there were four other people with her.

“We need to move, now.” Damon said pointing into the trees. “We’ll head to the cave, it should be safe there for at least a little while.”

“My uncle-“ Diana began.

“There’s no time, he’s an old bastard, I’m sure he’ll find a way to survive.” Damon reassured her as he ushered everyone into the woods. He wasn’t sure he totally believed that but he let out a silent prayer that Benjy would stay safe.

The screams and the sound of burning wood began to fade as Damon and the others went deeper and deeper into the dark woods.