Registering...
Name: SEVERANCE
Designation: OUTSIDER
Class: ???
Affiliation: NONE
Time Remaining: 03:59:27
WARNING: further setup required to complete registration...
Severance lay flat on his back in a bed of wildflowers and scowled up at the strange sky hanging over him. Right now, rows of white text floated in front of him, and even though he wasn't sure what half of it meant, one thing was clear: his uncle had lied.
I've done all the set-up, the man had said.
Just plug and play, he'd said.
So what was the deal with the weird floating words telling him otherwise?
Gradually, the letters faded away, leaving him with an unobstructed view of the sky. Despite his misgivings, it captured his attention easily, because it was nothing short of stunning. A deep eggplant purple, it sparkled with a sea of stars so bright that he had no trouble seeing his surroundings.
He sat up so he could get a better look.
Tall grass peppered with yellow flowers swayed in a cool breeze and released a sweet scent into the air. Tiny pink butterflies fluttered above the flowers, their wings catching the starlight in silvery flashes. A steady drone rose over the meadow as thousands of insects gave voice to the night.
Some of Severance's dark mood eased, replaced by a sense of awe. He might have come here reluctantly, but he couldn't deny that this place was actually better than he'd expected. Never had air smelled so fresh, nor had mere grass been so nice. He didn't know how technology managed this, but it was very cool.
Curling fingers into dewy grass, he got to his feet. The meadow stretched out as far as he could see in any direction. There were no roads, no signs, and no one else. It was just him sitting beneath an alien sky in a virtual world.
If it weren't for the odd hue of the night sky and the luminescent flash of the butterflies, it almost could have been real enough to be somewhere on Earth.
Something brushed against his face, and he reached up to shove it away. It was hair—his hair—but the color was all wrong. He pinched a lock of it between fingers and pulled it in front so he could see it. In the starlight, it appeared silver-white, but the shadowed part of it looked earthy gray.
You're kidding me. Fenn gave me the hair of an old man?!
Maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. The man was good at analyzing and organizing complex data, but he failed to even wear matching socks most days. Designing a game character would definitely not be his forte.
Severance made a face. Fantastic. He probably looked like an old man, too. He was still staring at his own hair when a pleasant male voice interrupted him.
"Hello, Severance."
Severance spun. Where there had been nothing but endless meadows now stood a man, as suddenly present as if he'd teleported there.
There was nothing extraordinary about this person. He had a forgettable face and his clothes consisted of a plain short robe over gray trousers. He stood loosely, hands at his sides, as casual and relaxed as if he were meeting a friend.
"Who are you?" Severance asked warily. He took a step back, still silently freaked at how someone just appeared out of nowhere right next to him.
The man gave a slight smile. "I am a facet of the System Administrator, and my purpose is to help you complete the entry process."
"Okay," Severance said slowly. He didn't know what a facet was, but if he had to guess, this guy was part of the game. Maybe even one of those AI robot things. Either way, this entry process in question had to be the part that Fenn didn't set up. The liar. "What do I have to do?"
"You've already completed the preliminary character design," the facet-Administrator explained. "Now you must choose your role. I will warn you, you may only choose once, so consider carefully."
"Why?" Severance had a lot more questions, but that one word would have to suffice. It would have been exhausting to ask them all. Most of them started with why anyway, the biggest one being why did I ever agree to this?
The facet-Administrator tilted his head. "It is necessary. In order to survive in Eliona, you will need the skills of your chosen role."
"Right, okay. What are these roles?" To Severance, this sounded an awful lot like signing up for a job. He had no idea that so much effort went into playing games. Wasn't the key word play, not work?
It was obvious the facet-Administrator had just been waiting for such a question to come up, because he immediately launched into a spiel, an almost eager glint in his eyes.
"There are three main roles divided into several classes: defensive, support, and combative." Here, the facet-Administrator paused, and regarded Severance patiently. The gleam in his gaze grew brighter. "These were designed to be familiar to you. But if you require further explanations, please ask."
Severance coughed awkwardly into a hand. Can he tell I'm new to this? "Yeah, better explain everything. Please."
"Of course. Let's start with the defensive class." The facet-Administrator held up a hand, and a miniature holographic image of a tall man in heavy armor appeared. He was lean, with ashen hair and lavender eyes that stared grimly out into the world. With a sharp jaw line and higher cheekbones, the man appeared both elegant and handsome. And somehow, even with the odd-colored hair, he maintained the appearance of youth.
Wait a minute...
"This is the Guardian," said the facet-Administrator. "Their purpose is to be the shield for their team. They have many defensive skills to protect themselves and their teammates, but they are lacking in attack skills."
The holographic man hefted a sword that looked cumbersome onto an armored shoulder and took on an authoritative poise. He looked very heroic.
Severance pointed. "Is that...is that me?"
"It could be." The facet-Administrator smiled.
"No, I meant—is that what I look like right now? Without the sword and everything?"
"Yes," came the patient reply. "I'm using your likeness to demonstrate the classes."
Severance moved closer, leaning in to get a closer look at the little hologram version of himself. This wasn't as bad as he feared. Uncle Fenn had actually done a pretty decent job. The pale hair didn't make him look old at all. He poked a finger through the hologram and smiled when the image glitched. "This is actually cool."
The facet-Administrator cleared his throat.
Severance jerked back, suddenly realizing what he was doing. "Sorry."
"Next are the warrior classes. These have a purely combative role. The Rogue," and here, the holographic image changed to a version of Severance in dark, fitted clothing. The little mini-Severance slashed through a series of attacks with a pair of twin daggers. "Clever and versatile, they have a bit of everything."
Next was another version of him wielding a spear. This time, he had plates of metal armor fixed over brown leather, giving him a sturdy appearance. The spear was taller than him, yet he held it by his side in a regal pose.
"Fighters have the strongest combative strength, but are very straightforward when it comes to skills.
"The Archer." The mini version of Severance gained a bow and a green outfit, looking very much like Robin Hood. He almost snickered, because there even was a little green hat. "The most balanced class, and perhaps the best at surviving on their own."
The image morphed into one of him in robes, and with a flick of his wrist, a bolt of energy blasted from his palm. While that part looked awesome, Severance couldn't help but see the long robes as a sort of dress, and he felt that killed the heroic vibe the earlier versions had.
"The Scholar has high attack and utility, but they are fragile. They do best in teams."
The facet-Administrator paused, just long enough for Severance to nod, then continued.
"The last is the support class." A new mini-Severance appeared above his palm. He held a wooden staff that was as tall as he, and his white clothing was plain and similar to that of the Administrator's.
"The Cleric. Their attack capability is very poor, but they are superb healers. They alone have the skills to both revive and fully restore fallen teammates."
Finished, the facet-Administrator fell silent.
Severance took the time to consider everything. If he went by outfit alone, he liked the look of the Fighter the best. It was not a dress, nor was it the overly bulky mass of the Guardian. The image of him standing regally, a spear at the ready, was impressive..
However, there were more than just the appearances to consider. If he understood this correctly, it meant he'd be signing up for a job at the same time.
"If I choose the Fighter," he said, "do I have to do a lot of fighting?"
"All of the warriors' skills are combative in nature," the facet-Administrator said mildly. "It would be a waste to not use them, would it not?"
"I guess." Now Severance was a bit worried. Why were there so many warrior classes? Why couldn't there have been something simple and relaxed like a cart driver or even a farmer? What happened to those kinds of jobs? Was this world going through a horrible war that they needed that many fighters?
"What are we supposed to be fighting?"
"That's for you to decide," came the unhelpful reply. "Your purpose, your actions, and your choices in Eliona are yours alone. I cannot interfere."
Right. Of course you can't. This guy wasn't even real. He was just part of a computer game.
Severance scratched the side of his jaw. He just wanted to look awesome without all of the hassle. What was wrong with that?
"If I may suggest," the facet-Administrator glanced down at his palm, and the image of cleric Severance reappeared, "why not try the support class? If fighting is not to your preference, then you may find this role more enjoyable. Fighting is not a requirement for a cleric."
What the facet-Administrator said sounded very reasonable. Still, when Severance looked at the little cleric, he couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Out of all the classes, its attire looked the most boring. Even the robe-dress had more flair to it.
"Do we have to dress like that?" He couldn't help but ask.
The facet-Administrator looked at him. And just as Severance realized he was complaining about clothes, and that the man before him was wearing something very similar, the facet-Administrator cleared his throat yet again.
"What you wear will depend on your attributes," he said evenly. "So as long as you meet the requirements, you will be able to dress how you like."
"I mean, it's not bad, it's just, well, kind of plain." Severance tried to explain, but the more words came out, the more he got the feeling he was just making things worse. He might have been talking to a fake person, but that didn't stop him from feeling horribly embarrassed. So he hastily switched gears and nodded emphatically. "Okay, I've decided. I'll go with the cleric like you said."
Class updated to cleric.
You have gained:
Cleric's Staff
Skill: Mend
Skill: Bolt
Setup completed.
Registration completed.
Time Remaining: 03:51:38
"Whoa." At the sight of literal words scrolling up his vision in plain white text, Severance blinked. That would take some time to get used to.
"Congratulations," said the facet-Administrator. "As the System has just notified you, you have now completed registration. Before you venture into Eliona, please be aware that there is a daily time limit of 4 hours. This is for your safety, as the technology used is still in the testing phases. If you experience any issues, you may contact support by the System's messaging feature.
"To access the System menu as well as other features, vocal commands are required. A Guidebook has been placed in your Inventory with a complete list. To access it, simply say: System, Guidebook."
The facet-Administrator fell silent, while Severance nodded in silent acknowledgement. Wind stirred the grasses around them, while the deep drone of insects continued on, undisturbed.
Severance frowned. Was that it? It seemed like an odd place to end the conversation, but he was no video game designer. He folded his arms, eyes drifting out over the meadow. If only he could have found a little haven like this years ago, a quiet, peaceful place all his own that he could retreat to. It might have made things just a bit more bearable.
A quiet cough from the facet-Administrator broke the silence. "Try it, please."
Severance's attention flew back to the man. The guy hadn't left yet? "Try what?"
"Try accessing the System Guidebook. It's important you understand how the System menu functions before you leave here."
"Oh." So that's what they were waiting around for. "Okay then. System, Guidebook." Just saying it made him feel silly, but a book abruptly appeared before him, solid and real.
He gasped and hastily stepped back. The book tumbled into the grass, crushing a blue flower. He stared at it. That wasn't normal. Stuff just didn't pop into existence.
As if he'd seen it a thousand times before, the facet-Administrator didn't even blink an eye. "The Guidebook lists all the System commands, as well as giving you an overview of how the menu works. Please look it over at your earliest convenience. In addition, it will record any important information you discover, so it may be wise to check frequently for updates."
After a moment of hesitation, Severance leaned forward and picked the book up. Severance's Guidebook was even printed on the front cover. He was torn between smiling and rolling his eyes.
Upon flipping it open, he saw the promised list of commands. There were words like Inventory, Skill List, an Inbox, and World Chatroom, as well as Menu and Contact Support. Severance skimmed over them, then flipped the page.
It gave a basic overview of how to use Skills, and even listed the two skills he'd already had as a Cleric:
Mend – heals minor damage and cleanses infection. Cooldown: 6 sec
Bolt – ranged attack with neutral energy. Cooldown: 2 sec
It also had a brief introduction to attributes and leveling.
Severance looked at his attributes and felt like he was going cross-eyed from trying to make sense out of it. It appeared he was very wise but incredibly weak, and he had a lot of vitality but no fortitude. What exactly did that all mean? This was something he was going to have to ask Uncle Fenn about later.
Current Level: 1
WIS - 4
INT - 1
VIT - 4
AGI - 1
STR - 0
FOR - 0
By engaging in relevant activities, your attributes will improve and you will grow stronger. Work hard, Outsider, and you will be rewarded.
What exactly were relevant activities? He skimmed ahead, looking for an explanation, when a quiet clearing of a throat made him realize he'd just completely ignored the man standing nearby.
Whoops.
"Sorry." He looked up from the book, sticking his thumb in the page so he wouldn't lose it. "Is there anything else?"
"Well," said the facet-Administrator, "this concludes the introduction. The rest is for you to discover on your own. Before you leave, however, did you have any other questions?"
Severance looked down at the book. It would take a few minutes to read through it, but apparently all the basics were there. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit in over his head.
"What exactly am I supposed to do here?"
The facet-Administrator smiled. "The World of Eliona is open to you. Explore. Discover. Learn. Grow. How far you'll go is up to you."
"I see." Severance wasn't sure that he did. That sounded like a dangerous amount of freedom to dump on a guy who had no clue what he was doing. But he promised to give this a try, and so he would.
"Then I wish you success." The facet-Administrator's lips lifted. He abruptly burst into countless violet sparks, his body vanishing in an instant. All that remained was thousands of bright stars, and they floated above the meadow before winking out one by one.
Severance watched, fascinated. It was like being caught in the center of a huge firework explosion, but without the noise and unpleasant side effect of getting blown up.
When the last spark faded from the facet-Administrator's overly dramatic exit, Severance returned his attention to the Guidebook. Other than the System commands and overview on his skills, it didn't have a lot to offer. The rest of its pages were left blank.
Somewhat disappointed, Severance snapped the book shut. Then he carefully opened his hand and let go. Instead of falling, the Guidebook vanished. A small piece of information slipped into his awareness, and Severance somehow knew the book was now in his Inventory.
Cool, he thought, even though a part of him felt a little unsettled. It was like the System itself had its threads wrapped around his mind.
He didn't want to dwell on that, and so looked around for an exit. It wasn't hard to find. A simple wooden arch had appeared in the middle of the meadow, not far from where he stood. Cloudy gray light swirled in its center, preventing him from seeing through it.
"Freaky," he muttered. He went over and after a moment's hesitation, reached out to touch the light. It made his fingers tingle.
Well, he thought, here goes.
Severance stepped through the light.