Author's Corner: This is my first story submitted to RRL, and I make no promises on the frequency with which I will be able to maintain my updates. I shall, however, strive to do my best. I can honestly say I was inspired by the stories from authors such as VRDraco, Warhawx, and imaginexbreaker to finally write out my own idea.
Disclair: I have a tendency to not plan my story in advance, and write wherever it decides to take . As such, I may not always know why things happen in my story until it reaches its conclusion. My mind is like a steel trap, I swear! Sadly, I lost the key and can't find my way back in...
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So, where do I begin? I guess I can start with who I am, that's always a nice way to begin things. My na is John Hulett, just turned twenty and am what many have decided to refer to as a NEET. Unfortunately, this does not an that I am an excessively clean person, but rather that I am unemployed. A few years back, my parents decided to virtualize themselves, opting out of their physical lives to join the net communities. Legally, that leaves all of their assets to as their next of kin. I an, you can't drive a car if you don't have a body anymore, right?
Oh, so of you may be wondering what I an by virtualizing? Well, lately it's beco quite a trend, though the technology for it has existed for decades. Originally, it began during the onset of the VR age, when soone discovered that they were trapped in one of their video gas. That discovery seed to fuel scientific curiosity, until they discovered how to replicate and control such effects. Once it was completed, people were allowed to transfer their minds into an online world similar to a life simulator ga.
But just having that was boring, so people began making connections to allow the online communities to connect to others, or even connect to popular gas. For a while, there was talk of forcing people to work in gas to pay the server maintenance for their communities, but eventually it was just decided to apply a special tax that slightly limited what they received compared to others. After all, they are essentially immortal now.
At first, everyone was scared of this technology, because they saw it more as a death sentence than eternal life. So, it was offered to terminally ill patients as a ans to 'beta test' it, with overwhelmingly positive results. Soon, the families and friends of the initial testers were all signing up, and it just shot off from there. Nowadays, it is suspected that there are more people in the online communities than in the real world, but nobody has bothered to conduct an exact test.
But I got sidetracked. After my parents virtualized themselves, I was left with all of their worldly goods. And, I won't be humble, they were pretty well off. While they still have access to their bank accounts, everything from their ho to cars was transferred to . Normally, this still wouldn't be enough for to live a carefree life thanks to expenses such as bills and groceries. After all, why should I expect them to pay for services they don't even need anymore?
As such, I turned my attention to the fastest rising industry around, online gaming. Yup, it was actually a common job for people to play online and sell various items to earn a living. After all, what would the online communities need, since they don't require food, water, or electricity? They simply need people that will share the items that they have trouble getting on their own.
That plan worked for quite a while, actually. I was able to pay my bills and support myself, but recently that hasn't been enough. With more and more people going for the sa job, the demand has diminished, and so has my pay. Right now, I've probably got enough saved up for maybe six months before I have to look into other ways to earn money. Which brings to what I'm doing now, watching people unload a giant silver casket in my bedroom and plug it in.
Yes... a giant silver casket. The first VR devices actually looked quite similar to this, but nowadays they have been simplified to a small helt you can wear while you lay down. This device is one of the beta versions of the next generation of hardware, known as Seeds. According to Manifest Industries, one of the leading developers for online gas, the Seeds go above and beyond the limitations of Virtual Reality, augnting the experience to include 100% realism. If their advertisents hold true, these devices(and the initial ga released for them) will function so well that it will even simulate the results of your activities on your physical body.
Of course, this isn't always the case, or else players would die the first ti they died in a ga, but it does allow them to exercise in the ga by playing normally. The main point for , however, is that this is a new realm for video gas, and thus a new market. After spending roughly half my savings, three month's worth of expenses, I was able to reserve one of the first Seeds.
This is my gamble, my hope to earn enough to keep the lights on. If all else fails, I'll just virtualize like my parents. They've already assured that they would cover the costs to do so if I ever wanted to join them.
"Alright, Mr. Hulett." The technician walked up to with his electronic clipboard. "Everything is hooked up and ready to go. If I can just get your signature here."
I nodded to the man, taking the clipboard from him and signing it before handing it back. "Thanks... And it cos with the ga pre-installed, right?" I had to ask, since it would suck royally if I had to go and buy the ga separately.
"That's right, sir. After ten o'clock tonight, the servers should open up to the net community, and those with a Seed like yours." After he said that, I glanced to the clock, and saw that I still had about four hours left until then.
"Alright, guess I've got a bit to get ready." I thanked him again and let him out, before going about my nightly routine to take care of my physical needs. The Seeds promised to be capable of feeding the user, and even disposing of waste, but that doesn't an I felt comfortable trusting it with such yet. This was a new technology, after all, and still only in the beta stages.
So, an hour and a half later I was back in front of the Seed, staring at the device which looked all too much like a coffin. With a sigh of resignation, I opened it up and laid down inside. The interior was actually fairly comfortable, designed to have the user lay down on a padding that felt almost like a bed. The only unusual part was the mask I had to wear over my mouth, but even that was easy to adapt to. With a thought, the Seed activated itself, triggered by my brainwaves.
Welco to the Seed. As you are a new user, do you wish to be registered as the owner of this device?Yes.No.
Yes. I thought to the machine, which began emitting a high pitched noise for a mont in response to my answer.
User registered: John Verity Hulett
Yes... my middle na is Verity, get over it...
The servers for Neo Life are not yet online. Do you wish to go through the character creation process?Yes.No.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to for the genuine story.Yes.. I thought again with a sigh, and that's when the world seed to turn upside down. First, there was a bright flash of light, and then I was no longer lying down in my Seed, but rather standing in an empty world. It took a mont to realize that I had been logged in already, but that thought was drowned out the mont I heard a giggling from sowhere behind .
Whipping my head around, I saw a woman not far away, wearing a flowing blue robe, with similarly colored hair and eyes. Her proportions were a near perfect hourglass, and she was smirking mischievously at . It took several long monts before I realized why I was getting that look, as my eyes slowly moved down to look at my own body. Given how it was advertised, I naturally thought it was expected to go into the capsule naked. However, I was now regretting my decision as my attire(or lack thereof), was transferred to this empty world.
"Can we just agree to pretend that this part never happened?" I asked in a sowhat hopeful voice, to which she smirked wider, shaking her head. These days, self aware NPCs like this were fairly common, and in all rights were treated as any other mber of the online communities. That's why I wasn't surprised when this one displayed such a behavior. "Okay... then can I please get sothing to wear, miss? There's a bit of a draft."
She held her stomach, laughing at that, while at the sa ti a simple outfit ford around . A thin white shirt, brown cloth pants, and a rope belt holding it in place. No doubt the starter outfit for Neo Life, depending on the chosen race. "Sorry... Just can't believe so many people went and did that."
Well, at least it wasn't just , then... .
"Okay... so... character creation?" I asked hopefully, wanting to imdiately change the topic away from my previous nudity.
The AI imdiately assud a business-like pose, nodding her head seriously. "Right. So, welco to the character creation servers of Neo Life. The first Artificial Reality gaming experience. My na is Aria, one of the AIs in charge of the ga, and a local deity. I'll be assisting you throughout your tutorial. If you choose to follow my teachings once present in the ga world, I will continue to assist you as possible. Otherwise, it will be the task of one of the other local deities to do so."
"Right... let guess, a ton of different gods and goddesses, one for each aspect of the ga?" I asked, and she nodded her head with a smile. "And guessing you don't really choose us, we just 'choose' you based on what kind of character we develop?" Another question, another smiling nod. "Alright, then I'll just worry about that stuff later. Mind helping out with races for now?"
"As you wish. Are there any special requirents you have for your desired race, or shall I list all available options?"
"Hmm... well, let's keep it humanoid. Since I'm not virtualized, I don't want to have to keep switching between two and four legs." I answered with a nod. "Also, eliminate any races incapable of using magic. This is a fantasy ga, after all. It would suck if I didn't have access to magic."
As my first prerequisite was listed, a list of several dozen races appeared in front of . With my second requirent, that list was further narrowed as races such as Clockwork, Android, and other artificial life forms were removed. Right, I said that this was a fantasy ga, but really it's fantasy-scifi. Imagine it as one of those old fantasy gas, but fast forward it enough that they have space ships, beam sabers, and teleport pods. Of course, most of these things run on mana, but it is still a vast ga.
Looking through the remaining list, I instantly dismissed Human. I spent enough ti as a human already, I wanted sothing new. Though, not THAT new, since I wasn't going to play a dwarf. In the end, I eliminated all but the various elven races. Even here, there were seven different elf races to choose from. Highlighting them, I asked Aria for a comparison between their differences.
Woodland ElfThese elves have long since grown attached to their woods. Even those among this race that take to the stars will always prefer to remain in an environnt similar to that which they were raised.
10% All stats when in a 'Forest' environnt.
20% Growth rate with Nature Magic skills and Huntsman class skills.
High ElfElves which have grown in the presence of others, perhaps these are the closest to humans, aside from the half-blooded kin. Whether they have taken to the stars, or remained on the planet below, they always seek to mingle with others.
10% All stats when in an 'Urban' environnt.
10% Growth rate with Diplomatic skills or Mage class skills.
Dark ElfElves which have grown in the underground, at first they were believed to be an evil existence, but that prejudice has long since passed. Although they are not often seen among the other races, they are as willing to play their part as any others.
5% All stats when in a dark environnt.
Racial Darkvision
10% Growth rate with Shadow Magic skills and Thief class skills.Stellar ElfWhile many races of elves evolved on inhabited worlds, the Stellar elves are those who have spent so much ti among the stars that they have evolved to be more suited to living in space ships and stations, or even asteroid colonies.
20% Growth rate in all space-related skills.Void ElfFurther evolved from the Stellar elves, these creatures have again evolved in order to survive in the vaccuum of space. So Void Elves are even capable of harnessing the natural energies present in the vaccuum of space to aid them in their endeavors.
Ability to breathe and fly in outer space without the need of external devices.
15% Growth rate in Stellar Magic.
Core ElfWhile others sought the stars, these elves chose to remain behind, fully adapting to planetary life. It is rare indeed to see a Core Elf leaving their planet, and many who do find additional hardships await them.
10% All stats on ho planet.
-10% All stats away from ho planet.
10% Growth rate in all howorld skills.Half-ElfIt is not at all uncommon for love to blossom between people of different races, especially given the genetic adaptability of humans which enables them to couple with most any race. As such, this race is the result of a joining between an Elf and a Human. After selecting this race, it is necessary to choose the race of elf which sired the user.
Half of elf racial bonuses/penalties for selected elf race.
5% Growth rate with new skills.
I spent a good ten minutes looking over the seven listed races, much to the dismay of the AI goddess in front of . In the end, I selected the Half-Elf race, with a Woodland Elf heritage. After selecting that, I could feel my body shifting. "Finally, now, onto the next step. Your starting stats will be built on your existing body, and can be increased through the tutorial."
Looking down to myself, I saw that not much had really changed, aside from my body becoming more streamlined. My hair grew out several inches, turning a light brown color, and although I couldn't see my eyes, I knew they had changed into a dark green. I still kept the little bit of a belly I had previously acquired from my extended career of playing video gas, but with any luck I could work that off fairly easily.
"Now, would you like to begin the tutorial?" Aria asked with an innocent smile. How can you not trust that smile?!
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