Build Sequence Is Key

Bonding

After Azeroth left, Jason tentatively approached the nest of eggs. It was built up from the dessert floor. The outside ring was made of stones, black obsidian, edges undulled. Coming up to Jason's waist he could see a very faint red glow like a dim star in the middle of each stone. Inside the circle of obsidian stones were the eggs sitting on fine sand. Slightly larger than chicken eggs they were all shades of white and pearl. Hesitantly Jason reached over the obsidian and touched the closest egg. Immediately it changed color, turning a bright yellow, and a pop up text screen appeared in front of his face. Annoyed he wished that he could change that default behavior.

--You have bonded with the dragonet--

--Please take care of your dragonet! Proper feeding, sleeping, and cleaning is required to further cement your bond--

--Name your creature: Y/N--

--A new bond tab will be created in order to track and monitor your bonded creature--

Multiple text screens popped. Surprise made Jason take a few steps back. Concern on his face. Jason couldn't believe how easy that was. Thinking that this was going to continue to be easy he moved forward again and more confidently reached out to touch another one of the eggs. This time nothing happened. He tried again, stroking it, picking it up, holding it close, but nothing changed. No other pop ups greeted his efforts.

Frustrated he pulled up his menu and looked for the Bond tab. Opening it he found that he had detailed information regarding the egg. The system presented him with the weight, height,  circumference, mass, time to hatching, and temperature requirements. It was way too much information. Unfortunately on top of the screen in large numerals was:

--1/1 Bond(s)--

The finality of the system information was clear to see. He could only bond with one creature. Carefully Jason read through all the information on the screen, checking each word and every blank area looking for some kind of hidden function. But there was nothing. It had taken him hours to go through it despite being a single screen. So when someone came up from behind him he cut the meat of his palm on one of the stones.

"Hello, human." 

Turning Jason was surprised to see the female orc shaman who had cast the translation magic the day before, "Hmmm, hi?"

"Well met, child, in all my days I never thought I would someday be the peon of one of the players. My name is Hezmet." She looked at him proudly.

"Peon?" Jason said, then went on when her countenance darkened, "No, I am sorry, well met! My name is..."

She interrupted him, "Yes, yes, your name is Jason Anderson. I know. Obviously you haven't been receiving your system notifications, have you?"

"Ummm, I guess I haven't, I wouldn't know." 

"What did you think the system just drops players into the world and lets them fend for themselves?" She asked unbelievingly.

He nodded, "Yes, I guess, I did, since that is what happened to me."

"No, not at all. You should have received detailed information about your 'country' and your buildings. Did you see anything like that?"

Jason shrugged in answer.

"Hmmm, let me guess, you are one of the errors?" Hezmet slowly limped around Jason, "Wow, to be a peon of an error. Just my luck."

"Error?" He asked.

"Yes, error, don't worry. It happens all the time." Her eyes stopped eating him alive once she had come full circle.

Jason scrunched his forehead, "But what does that mean?"

"Like I said, don't worry! When the tutorial is over this instance of reality will end and you will sent on to your opening ceremony. No problem."

"Instance of reality? What???"

"Yes, duface, this instance of reality. This is the game. Hello!!" She furrowed her own brow and looked down, "Why do I have to deal with all the non-transcended milk sops!"

After a moment she looked up, "Look, you have transmigrated after your death to another dimension. You must have seen something you shouldn't have and now you errored out of the system."

"Seen something I shouldn't have?" Jason kicked a rock in the dust at his feet, "What did I see?"

"What did you see?? Are you kidding me? How would I know what you saw!" Hezmet shook her hands at heaven, "Oh, great God of heaven and earth, ... , why me?!"

"I mean I saw a plane shoot some kind of missile and then something else, ... , but then the missile exploded right above our school."

"That's all you saw?" She crooked her head at Jason.

"Yeah, that is all. It happened so fast."

Putting her hands on her hips she declared, "You saw something else sonny, I guarantee it. But maybe you are just too slow to figure it out."

"I am not slow!" Jason protested.

"Let's put that discussion to the side for now. Listen, this is the game system called Jubilani and you are a student at Kahn'tan'cup. For some reason the fools that teach at Kahn'tan'cup always start out their semester with a deep immersion into the Jubilani system." Jason started to say something, but she overrode him, "Yeah, yeah, they say it is to ascertain certain characteristics and such, but really it is just annoying to us here in the system itself."

"But, I thought this instance of reality will end... Doesn't that mean that you will end too?" 

"No, no, what gave you that idea? Didn't I say I am transcended? I am one of the great and powerful mystics of the ages!" She raised an arm in triumph and carefully unkinked her back with the other so that she could stand taller. It was a pathetic sight.

"Oh..."

"'Oh', is right, young man. No don't interrupt me."

Jason stayed silent for a time.

"What was I saying?" She asked.

"Something about Jubilani and instances of reality." he prompted.

"Hmmm, well, I guess it escaped me. Sorry kid."

He starred at her, and then remembering the eggs, "Wait, so then, it doesn't matter if I can't bond with these eggs then right?"

Hezmet limped over to the egg nest and then exclaimed, "What!"

Hesitantly, "What??"

"You only bonded with one egg?" she demanded.

"Yes, only one."

"But there are hundreds! And this instance is going to end any minute now. Check out your screen. How many minutes are left?"

"Umm, how do I do that?" 

"For all the ... " Hezmet mumbled for a minute and then looked up, "I don't know anything about the menu. I don't have one, you see, all I know is the generals. Like that you should have a quest tab and it should give you the details about what you should be doing right now."

"Ummm, no, I don't see a quest tab."