Ivan's body was covered in a bright blue flame; the pain coursing through his veins was unbearable. His mind was shattering from the torment he went through as his soul reformed to fit his new body. Never had he been in this much pain, he could barely hear the angel woman talking to him over his tormented screams.

"Ivan, you need to focus, push the pain away! Don't lose yourself to it. Remember, you are a hero, and heroes are strong!" The Valkyrie was trying to guide him out of his fracturing self. Her words seemed to soothe his tormented mind, golden light washing over his burning flesh!

"First, the fainting, now the screaming. Sometimes I wonder if this job is worth it, should just let you shatter, and Fate will find a new one." The Angel’s voice turned stern once more like she didn't care one way or the other if he lived or died. "You were a nobody in his first life; you’re going to be a nobody here."

The words echoed in Ivan's mind. A nobody? Who was this tiny freak with wings calling him a nobody!

Rage took over his body once more, pushing the pain away. Ivan focused on the angel before him. He was starting to take teetering steps toward the woman, his hands reaching out. He was going to strangle the life out of this little bitch! The pain slowly drained from him as he gained a focus on the floating glowlight.

"Who are you calling a nobody you Tinkerbell wanna-be!?" As Ivan spoke, his voice changed, from that of a meek man to the grizzled voice of a dwarf. “I am going to snap your neck like a twig and then eat your wings with barbecue sauce!” His fingers were growing thicker, rougher. Though he couldn't see, Ivan’s body was quickly changing shape while becoming more stable. He left behind his human form for the stocky form of a dwarf, beard and all.

"Good job Ivan!" The angel interrupted Ivan’s wrath by hitting him atop the head with her mace again!. "You have pushed past the pain and retained your sanity! As you can see pain is quite real here, it is something you will have to deal with as you go." Her voice was back to that angelic harp. The rage slowly vanished from the small blow to the head and her soothing tones.

"You have also finished your transformation into your new body. You are now a Hill Dwarf, see!" The woman waved her tiny hand, creating a mirror in front of him. Staring back was an unfamiliar face and body.

Before Ivan stood a man, who couldn't be taller than four and a half feet tall. His face was hidden behind a beard of fiery red hair, though he could see lines tattooed onto his skin from head to toe. He looked at the angel with a raised brow. “Why do I look like some bikers reject?”

"You have been given a lineage to belong to; those markings are so other dwarves can know your family. If we check your status page, we can see who you are now." The angel circles Ivan while she explains. "Just focus your mind on the status page, that should bring it up."

As Ivan focused his rage slowly subsided. Taking a few deep breaths, he found himself again, and his status page sprung up from his vision, along with a few other prompts.

You have become a Dwarf

Subrace Hill Dwarf.

You have earned the Class: Novice

You have unlocked:

Stats

Abilities

Skills

Alliances

Lineage

Name: Ivan Pyrebeard

Age: 48 (16 approximate)

Level: 1 0%

Hp: 120

Mp: 100

Stamina: 110

Race: Dwarf

Subrace: Hill Dwarf

Stats:

Strength: 11

Constitution: 11

Endurance: 11

Agility: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 10

Perception: 9

Charisma: 9

Luck: 10

Class:

Novice

Profession:

Locked LVL5

Abilities

Linguist

Gifted with the capacity to speak and write in all Common tongues.

Linked to Fate

Your soul is linked to fate and will be reborn after death.

Natural Gatherer

Your Subrace: Hill Dwarves have a natural affinity for gathering and build craft.

5% extra in gathering crafting materials. 1% better durability to Built Places.

Skills

None

Alliances/Factions

Pyra Clan.

Lineage

Pyra ClanHidden/Family): A Dwarven lineage of fire wielders and mighty warriors. Recently turmoil in the Dwarven kingdoms has caused this Lineage into Hiding.

Explore your family lineage to learn secrets and unlock more.

Now that Ivan had a chance to calm down. He took notice of how close to a video game this was. Though there were a lot of stats, he guessed it was pretty realistic. His eyes scanned over his stats, causing a small pop up describing each one.

Strength, Physical attack damage, and how much he could carry. Constitution, the amount of health, and physical resistances. Endurance was linked directly to Stamina. Agility was his speed, and Dexterity was his reflexes. Intelligence was how much he knew, and Wisdom was how well he used that knowledge. They both affected his amount of mana and how fast it regenerated. Perception was how sharp his senses were. Charisma was how well he got along with others. It seemed that he brought that over from his real life. He never got along well with people. Finally, Luck didn't have an explanation. It did seem self-explanatory.

"Pyrebeard," Ivan whispered to himself, testing it on his tongue. It felt natural, and with the hair hanging from his face, it fits well. He turned to the angel. "What is a Novice, and why do I have abilities but no skills?"

"A Novice is what you are; it is the beginner level job everyone starts with. Once you reach level 10, you can choose a new job, or Fate might choose one for you if you fit the conditions." The tiny woman explained as if reading from a prepared speech, her response mechanical and emotionless. "You are also born with those abilities, you might gain more with changes in Class and Profession, or if you meet other requirements. Skills come with practice and hard work; you just got here, so you haven't earned any yet."

"Now that we got all that done, we can move onto my favorite portion of this intro. First, let us get you some gear." The valkyrie pulled out a bag from beneath a bush and pointed to it with her mace. "Your equipment is in here; it should fit your new body. Fate is funny like that. Now hurry up and put it on."

Ivan looked at her with a raised brow before he went to the bag and started to rummage through it. The new dwarf pulled out what he could only describe as a padded leather shirt and a pair of pants that looked to be made of a scratch pad. As he put on the gear on, he thanked any god listening that his underwear still fit him. The boots looked good, solid leather boots. The only thing left in the bag was his weapon.

Only three feet in length, a wooden handle that ended in a metal head. Ivan looked at it, confused as he pulled it from the bag. On one side, a hammer, the other a spike. As he looked at the weapon, another prompt appeared next to the handle.

Amateurs War Pick, 8-10 damage (6-8 base damage)/10-14 damage two-handed (8-11 base damage)

Blunt/Pierce damage

With a nod, he pulled the bag over his shoulder and looked to the waiting angel. "So, what is your favorite portion of this?" A creepy smile crept across the woman's face as she flew at Ivan, stopping inches from him.

"I'm going to teach you how to kick some ass!"