《Westward Soul: Duskwood Online》Chapter 2 - Character Creation
Advertisement
The room looked like it belonged in a doctors' office. All it needed was a fake skeleton and an exam table.
"Do I know you?" Samuel asked.
"In a way, yes," she said. "I'm constructed from memories of people you found assuring and honest in your life."
"Do you have a name?" Samuel asked.
"Yes," she said. "My name is Erica, I'm an employee here to help make your entry go smoothly."
Neither spoke for a moment.
"How long have I been dead?"
"Roughly sixty-eight years," she replied.
"Do you know how old I was when I died?" He asked.
A file appeared before her. She opened it and began to read.
"Samuel Lucas Black," she paused. "It's nice to meet you. Male, eighty-seven years of age," she paused again. It was much longer this time. "And you were acquired from New York State Prison Network."
"Huh," Samuel said. "I died as an old man in prison."
"It appears so," she said.
"I was born in twenty-twenty," he said. "That puts my death in twenty-one oh-seven."
"Well," she said. Her smile had turned tight. "The average life span hit one-hundred and fifty. As such, being in your eighties was closer to the early side of mid-life."
"That's not as bad," he said. "I guess."
They fell into another stretch of silence.
"Do you have any questions before we get started?" Erica asked.
"Is there anything you can tell me about this game?" Samuel asked.
"Yes," she replied with a smile. "The current game-world that needs people is set in something akin to what is commonly called The Wild West."
"As in cowboys?" He asked. "Why?"
"Our research shows that it has a steady interest and plenty of room to grow to maintain an audience," Erica replied. "There are plenty of fantasy elements to make it interesting."
Samuel cocked his head to the side.
"What happens now? I'll be an NPC?" Samuel asked.
"Do you have experience with games?" She asked perking up.
"I lived in a town in the middle of nowhere," he replied. "I know what video-games are."
Advertisement
"If you were to accept you would be a part of the D.A.R experience," she said. "You would be a part of the active cast, rather than a background member. Your adventures, whatever they turn out to be, will be broadcasted for people to watch. There is wide variety of content that catches interest. One of the top one-hundred channels is a merchant."
"Sign me up," he said. "What happens next?"
She smiled.
"We'll transfer you into the world," she replied. "After you create a character, that is."
"I get to create a character?" He asked. "I thought I was the character."
"In a way, yes, you are your character," she said. "But we like to give people a choice. The system will assign skills that correspond with those you had in life. Your stats will be something you can customize for yourself. Scanning your physical abilities doesn't translate effectively."
"Alright," Samuel said. "Let's get started."
"Great," Erica said. She flashed a bright smile. "Please step onto the plate."
The wall in front of him slid away as he stepped up onto the plate. A menu hovered in the air.
Beastkin - Dragonkin - Dwarf
Elf - Goblin - Human
Kobold - Ogre - Orc - Troll
"That's quite the list," Samuel said.
"These are the fun range of intelligent species. As a member of the Active Cast you have access to all of them. Players aren't able to choose Goblin, Ogre, Dragonkin, or Kobold. Just so you know, if you choose one of those you will start in their designated areas. Each option has a number of subsets," Erica continued. "Each race comes with extra skills and modifiers to your stats."
"Do I get to choose what I look like?" Samuel asked.
"Yes," she replied. "And you can choose your name."
Samuel smiled.
"I would hope so," he said. "What about classes?"
"The game is based on skill trees," she said. "You earn experience completing tasks. They can also give you reputation, negative or positive, which factions around the world. You buy new skills with your experience points."
Advertisement
"Thanks," Samuel said.
He selected Elf. The other listing faded away. Three options slid into place.
Moon Elf
Royal Elf
Wood Elf
"Royal," Samuel said. "As in they are tall, uptight, and pretty?"
"Pretty much," Erica replied.
"What are the differences between Moon and Wood Elves?" Samuel asked.
Wood Elf +2 Agility +2 Dexterity
Moon Elf +2 Agility +2 Wisdom
"Moon elves focus on magic while their woodland kin prefer shooting people with different means," Erica said.
"Is there an option for half-elves?" Samuel asked.
"That's under the Human option."
Samuel nodded as he let the information settle in. He selected Wood Elf. A short, lithe humanoid with rich golden skin stood before him. Its eyes were blank, it had no hair, and it looked more like it belonged at the North Pole than in the forest. The facial features were all sharp lines. A menu appeared next to the elf.
Replicate Appearance?
Yes/No
"What does Replicate Appearance mean?" He asked.
"The template will look like you do now, with some modifications due to race," Erica answered. "Skin tone, height, and some features have a limited range."
Samuel transferred his likeness onto the elf before him. It was definitely prettier. His new body had a diamond shaped face with a jaw that was accentuated with pointed ears.
Height – Build
Eyes – Nose – Face
Skin - Hair
Samuel added a little more muscle but kept the build athletic, aiming for a look that would fit for a middleweight boxer or gymnast. The eyes he set to a center glacier blue and an edge of green with a vertical slit. He kept the skin the default color since it looked good and reminded him of lion fur. The only option left was one he had dreaded.
Name
"I don't suppose I could just use Samuel?" He asked.
"You could," she replied. "It just doesn't sound very Elfy."
He studied the elf before him. Keeping something close to his name would make things easy. Shortening to Sam would be even better. Wood elves needed something forest sounding to finish things up.
"Sam'uel Willowthorn," he said.
"That is some clever use of an apostrophe. Now to the stats," Erica said. "Your racial bonuses will be added after you've assigned points. The scores are based on a scale of ten. They all start at five and you have a total of seven to assign."
"Can I lower a score for extra points?" He asked.
"Yes," she replied. "But five is the average, anything less and you will see some negative outcome."
Unspent Points - 7
Agility – 5 Charisma – 5 Constitution - 5
Dexterity – 5 Intelligence – 5 Strength – 5 Wisdom - 5
"What's the different between Agility and Dexterity?" Sam'uel asked. "They are usually the same thing."
"Agility refers to your movement while Dexterity is coordination," Erica clarified. "It's backflips versus card tricks."
"Got it," he said. "Anything else I should know?"
"Charisma effects how much reputation you earn per encounter," she said. "It can also determine the price of good and what services are available. Intelligence factors in to how much skills cost. If you want to do any sort of magic you will need a good Wisdom score."
Agility and Dexterity were already boosted once his racial bonus was applied. Not getting hit was important, but it was also a good idea to take some damage. Erica had gone out of her way to the importance of Intelligence and Charisma. He had no plans to use magic, which meant Wisdom was a dump stat.
Sam'uel Willow Thorn
Agility – 7 Charisma – 6 Constitution - 8
Dexterity – 7 Intelligence – 9 Strength – 5 Wisdom - 4
"Are you finished?" Erica asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"You're going to be stuck with these scores for a very long time," she cautioned.
"I'm good," Sam said.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," she said. "Let's move on to skills and equipment."
Advertisement
The Ruins of Rimnir
The full story can be found at RuinsofRimnir.com/TheAlchemist --- It's hard being the poor kid at a rich suburban school, and Darren Karofski knows that all too well. He's ostracized, alone, and wants nothing more than to help out his struggling family. And he has finally found a way. The Ruins of Rimnir, an advanced, technical marvel of a game which allows players to trade game currency for real world dollars, is the teen's answer. Darren has a plan: go into the game, work hard, and reap the rewards. But it all changes when Darren is the first to find a rare, elite World Perk. And now, everyone is after him. --- Sign up for our mailing list!
8 421Welcome to the Aurora Wasteland
Read at your own risk, The Aurora Wasteland is watching you.I’m going to tell you a storyIt's going to involve some short storiesAnd the ways they affect the people that read themOh and maybe a hint of the strange and the weirdWelcome to the Aurora WastelandA collection of short stories by Sci-Fi Horror author Vaughn Ashby spread across the literary universe unknown as The Aurora Wasteland.A hiker stumbles across some accidental time travelA town froze in place at the blink of an eyeA corn maze with a whale of a secret in itAn old woman forced to witness the tower of the deadA yoga class taking their lessons to a deadly endA subway hidden in the middle of nowhereA police officer who wants to taste your brainsCaution… any connection to the Aurora Wasteland is not recommended.
8 207The one who came back...
Its been 10 years since HE died. And now Voldemort rules the wizarding world freely without anyone being able to stop him. Every rebel has been beaten into submission. Seems like Ron and Hermione are living lavish lives along with Ginny and Molly. Sirius and Remus have been put in Azkaban and Dumbledore was killed. Pretty bad, no? Well Death isn't very happy either. His 'going to be master' was killed by his own. And he won't be forgiving people so soon. He has some very nasty and chilling tricks up his sleeve and he is going to put them to use now.HE will be back......... And soon......
8 177The Rebellious Lady Fallon: Historical Fiction
Lady Fallon Brightmore secretly thought the Earl of Hampton, Braeden Kerrich, rather dashing. But at their first encounter, it was to her elder, fair sister that he smiled with the attraction a gentleman has for a lady. Lady Fallon felt crushed and determined her heart will never rule her....even while a rebellious streak within her plotted to set to rights the damnable rogue who had the reputation of a libertine. She would never accept an offer from him... if he ever made one to her.Braeden Kerrich, Earl of Hampton is in need of a wife. It should not be too difficult to find a suitable maiden, not with his impeccable credentials. Infact there should be a list the size of his arm. So why is the most alluring debutant, Lady Fallon Brightmore, not falling for his unquestionable charm?
8 155The Feral, Alpha K
I snapped my eyes to his doing my best to give him the angriest glare I could.Something is his eyes flashed as he pushed me against the couch before climbing on top of me. "Get off of me!"His head dipped to the curve of my neck as he ran his nose along my skin, I felt him inhale slowly as he grabbed my hips roughly. "There's just something about you when you're angry that makes me want to fuck you."(Updates every Wednesday)Honourable Rankings:#bwwm: #1 (2021)#dark: #2 (2021)
8 161It's Just As Cold Outside -[ Sonic Reader Insert ]
MAIN STORY COMPLETE - BONUS CHAPTERS【 JOIN SONIC and other members of IDW Comics to stop the Metal Virus! 】You're paying for your past crimes, but your old enemies wouldn't leave you alone for long. You thought your prison was hell, but it soon began to shield you from the new wave of terror reigning outside.The Freedom Fighters have elected you, despite your crimes of the past, to help them save the world. The good doctor you all though was once gone has come back with a new, out of control super weapon that's plaguing the world.[[===================]][ OVERVIEW ]This story will follow the plot of the Metal Virus Saga. This versions of the story has a Female Reader!- Story is SFW! As the Franchise is SFW. ⚠️ HOWEVER There will be topic mentions of Death. ⚠️- MAIN STORY COMPLETE 6/11/22 - Because I love to draw, I will be making art pieces for certain scenes. I will be drawing my OC for these scenes, but I will offer the chance to readers as well!- TITLE COVER CREDIT to IDW Comics!! For the MVS. I made small edits to include the reader's spot.[ CREDITORS ] - SONIC the Hedgehog is a franchise owned by SEGA, almost all characters in this fanfiction are owned by SEGA other than the reader and a OC they befriend. SEGA also owns the rights to the canon plot of the Metal Virus Saga.[ TAG ACHIEVEMENTS?? ]- 🥇#sonicoc 04/05/22 - 🥇 #sonicfandom 03/30/22- 🥇 #sonicfanfiction 6/10/22- 🥇 #sonic 6/18/22
8 140