“Great Hero it is time to awaken, we have much to do in little time….. Please Great Hero arise from your rest, I know it’s a shock, but we must move quickly if we are to save the world.” The mystical voice of the angel rung in Ivan's ears as he fought the coming consciousness. It was just a dream; he would wake up soon. Her words turned hard as iron in his ears as something made contact with the top of his skull. “I said WAKE UP YOU BASTARD!”

Ivan quickly sat up, taking hold of his forehead as the throbbing pain in his skull slowly wore away. He looked up at the angel once more, opening his eyes to the golden light. She floated there with a stern look on her face, holding what looked to be a small mace in her hands, tapping the round head against her tiny palm. The woman’s golden braid is flowing behind her in an unfelt wind, framing her robust Scandinavian facial features. A picture of beauty to many men in their dying breaths. Her skin porcelain white, yet her iris shone like polished steel.

Now that he was looking, he could make her out better. Her chest covered in what seemed to be an iron breastplate, etched with gold and silver leafing. Her legs were hidden behind a simple white dress, though he could see her feet covered in the same iron boots to match her top. Her arms bare, though they looked to be pure muscle as she held her mace. He found himself lost in her intense beauty, only pulled from his trance once the woman started speaking to him, while soft it still held the edge of iron in her voice. A tone that put Ivan on the defensive.

“As I was saying Hero,” The Angel cleared her throat. “We must move quickly to overcome the evil taking seed in this land! I am your Valkyrie guide through this realm; my job is to teach you all you need to know in order to move forward!” As she spoke, she struck, what most would call, a heroic pose. Pointing her mace toward a small path. “Forward Hero, onto glory!”

As the tiny woman finished her speech, Ivan started to repeat a mantra in his head, curling up slowly into himself. It’s not real. This isn't real; I'm just having a nervous breakdown. I need to breathe, relax. It's not real; “It's not real.” He started to repeat the words out loud, trying to bring himself back to reality. He had curled up in the fetal position underneath the winged hallucination.

"Oh, for the love of Freyja! Don't be pathetic; get up!" The Angel hit the back of his head, shocking him with pain once more. "I have much to teach you, and your sniveling is getting old."

Jabbing her mace in front of his face, a small screen appeared, labeled in the left corner as his ‘Character Screen”.

Character Screen

Name: Ivan ????

Race: ??

Subrace: ???

Stats: ???

Class: ????

Ivan looks at his screen in shock; it was like his video games. Why was everything empty? He reaches out to poke at his screen, finding it was solid against his touch. Race highlighted under his finger, a second screen appearing.

Would you like to pick a Race?

Yes/No

"But I'm human?" A confused note tints Ivan's' voice, concerned by the implications of choosing a race in a world like this. Yet something deep in him felt excited, just like one of his MMO’s. That feeling of excitement was slowly starting to swallow his fear.

"Not anymore, you are a figment of yourself. Let me explain." The woman pushed aside his screens. "You are in a land called Midgard. It runs parallel to your Earth. Your soul has been transferred here, leaving your body behind. You have...."

"Am I dead!?" Ivan screamed at the woman. Standing up and staring down at her, he focused on the steely eyes as they stared back at him. Fear and panic had once again set into his voice.

"No moron, your body is pretty much in a coma. Our counterparts in your land have probably already picked you up and brought you to the facility." The woman pushed him away with her hand, a growl in her voice, showing him she was losing patience with him. Ivan didn't care; he could already feel himself hyperventilating.

The woman’s expression softened "Like I was saying, your soul is was brought here by Fate, leaving your body behind. It is indeed in a coma-like state, but it's being taken care of by medical personnel." Ivan looked at himself for the first time since he got here. He was not fully there; he could almost see through himself, if only barely. It was another thing on the pile of crazy since he got here, driving him closer to insanity.

"While you are here, Fate has tasked you with being a hero. You will start to gain experience and find the other Fates Chosen. Let us first work out who you are going to be here." The Screens returned to his vision. "We shall start with your race."

Ivan looked at the screen, then back to the angel. "Can I go back? I don't wanna be here." His voice a soft whine. He was desperate; he wanted to go back to his life; this was too much. Despair and fear filled his eyes. "Please?"

The angel gently pets his hair with her small hand. A soothing wave washed over him, making him feel as if everything will once again be ok. "You will be able to go back once your work gets finished. Good news, time here flows faster than time in your world. A full lifetime might only take a month or two of your world's time."

Ivan looked back to his screen and clicked accept. His hand was shaking in fear as he fought to touch the button. His screens turned to a classic tome, floating into his open hands. It flipped open quickly by itself and settled on a table of contents.

-Human

The shortest-lived, but most prolific. Adaptable to a fault.

-Elf

The highest attunement for magic, one of the longer-lived species. Natural historians and mages!

-Dwarf

Strong, Hardy, Hairy! They live long and dig deep into the earth. Great warriors and craftsmen

-Orc-Ish

Short-lived like humans and their races are versatile. Not the smartest, but some of the strongest. Warning: No Dental Plan Included!

-Gnome

Geniuses in their chosen professions. Intellect is highly praised in Gnomes society. Never leave a gnome alone with time to think and a wrench.

-Fae

Creatures of nature, live all-around life. Promoting the cycle of Life and Death. Naturally mischievous.

-Djinn

Creatures of the elements. They burn of fire, stand sturdy like stone, flow like water, float like air. Cunning tricksters, be wary of making deals with Djinn.

-Giant

Lords of Land and Sea. Some are the longest-lived beings on this plane of existence. Many ancient Giants have taken to slumbering until called upon for battle or their wisdom.

-Cursed

Banished from the higher forms of life by gods of light. Blessed with savagery by the Lords of Darkness. Always be cautious around the Cursed Life.

-Angel

Beings of the Higher plane. Lords of Virtues. Alignments of these creatures lean towards Good

-Devil

Beings of the Lower plane. Princes of Sin. Alignments of these creatures lean towards Evil.

-Undead

Those that death could not hold back, whether, through magic or pure emotional will, they have returned to this world.

The last four had been grayed out. Ivan looked up to his angel guide, with a look of confusion in his eye. Before he could even ask his question, she interrupted. "Those are unattainable; not even Fate can give you those. Angels and Devils are of a different plane of existence, so you cannot be those. Cursed are lacking the real intelligence or structure of society to raise heroes. If you wish to be undead, though, I can think of a few ways we might accommodate that!" She flicked her mace around in front of him, a severe expression on her face. “Though Odin does frown on the undead races and their odorous magics.”

Ivan went back to his list, looking each over. In his past, he had always played the dwarf race. So he went with something familiar. It helped that in his real life, he looked like a dwarf, short and hairy all over. Choosing the Dwarf button, the book rapidly turned its pages once more. Settling open, Ivan looked over the new page. He felt a bit of excitement in his chest.

-Dwarf

Dwarves are a hardy race. They gain +1 to Strength, Constitution, and Endurance. Plus ,two more points to spread around as they please per level.

All Dwarven Society is based on your lineage, and where your family hails and how far you can trace it back. Clanless Dwarves are rarely seen. A traditional Dwarven game is to see how far back you can drink into your lineage.

SubRaces

Mountain Dwarves=Residents of the mountains, digging down into the deep earth for its gems and irons. Forging Weapons and Armor is a specialty.

Hill Dwarves= Dwarves of the surface, they spend their days carving stones, cutting down trees, and building mighty fortresses upon the land.

Deep Dwarves= A darker dwarf, residing deep in the earth where no light can be found. Not often seen on the surface for it damages their health to be in the sun. They specialize in Dark Magic and Crafts.

Elemental Dwarf= A dwarf that lives for stone and metal, often being made of living metal. They are held in high regard in dwarven society. Not born ,these dwarves are made!

Mithril Dwarf= A dwarf of high stature, having completed great tasks. They have ascended to a higher level. Whether through craft or battlefield glory!

This time it was just the last two that were grayed out. He could guess why. Ivan couldn't see a personal connection to any of the other races. Even when he was human, he didn't feel human. Something inside him reacted to the dwarf species. He looks up to the angel. "What happens if I die in this world?"

"Don’t fear! You will respawn, it is a feature of being a hero. The only way you can die is if another hero takes your life and captures your soul. Even then, that requires preparations and the help of a celestial being with tremendous power. You are linked to Fate, and as long as you are nothing can stop you permanently." The angel motioned with her hand over the book as she explained to him. "Have you made your choice, we have much to cover and little time to do it."

Ivan nodded slowly, turning back to the screen. He made his decision, He couldn’t see himself living underground, living in a cave. He did that in his old life enough. He chose Hill Dwarf. As soon as he accepted his choice, flames engulfed his body!