There are countless realities that exist.
Some realities are viewed as 'standard' in which they develop naturally without any sort of guidance beyond the natural forces that exist within it. What this means is that there is a lack of god, divinity, or magic.
Other realities are 'non-standard' in which they do possess gods, divinity, and/or mystical forces that go against the natural order.
Among these realities is the World of Alber. It is one where the forces that comprise its existence are tenuously woven together to give it form. However, this renders the reality unstable and likely to fall apart at the slightest inconvenience with notions of space and time becoming fluid.
Consisting of a single world, Alber does not possess a true 'sun', 'stars', 'moon', or anything else beyond its horizons. The land could go on forever or abruptly end.
Past, present, and future coincide.
However, while Alber does not possess any sort of god to oversee it, it does possess some measure of consciousness of its own. Among realities, there appears some sort of innate inclination toward finding stability and prosperity. As such, Alber strives for something that will bind the forces comprising it together.
Toward this end, souls begin appearing within the World of Alber. Brought into being from the frayed and tenuous bindings of this reality, these souls are not only granted knowledge drawn from existence itself but also the power to control the forces that be. These souls are called 'Soulemer'.
The forces that comprise the reality wrap around the Soulemer to use them as nodes to focus and bind them together. This is what gives them the power to exert their influence upon the world. However, because they are initially weak, their ability to influence and control the World of Alber is limited.
However, Soulemer are in essence extensions of Alber itself and inherit its desire to bring stability to the world. This desire drives them to grow stronger. Then, as they grow, they become further entwined with the forces of their reality. This further binds these forces together to more stabilize Alber and increases their power to influence the world.
Facilitating the Soulemer's growth, the World of Alber itself provides them with trials and tribulations to overcome. To aid them in this, Soulemer are joined by a companion to aid them. These companions are born as a result of the Soulemer splitting off a piece of their own soul. They have come to be known as Soulmek.
It is the hope of Alber itself that these Soulemer and their Soulmek companions can rise up and see to the stability and prosperity of Alber.
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My awakening is met with the nothingness around me. No color, no sound, nothing.
However, this changes as I suddenly feel something within me. This feeling quickly becomes uncomfortable as whatever it is begins proliferating. A pressure continues to build as it continues to grow. Eventually, it expands beyond my being. I feel as though I'm being smothered as it engulfs me.
I can then feel some areas harden and branch out while others split off and grow more complex. All the while, my being is being not only smothered by this thing but I can feel myself being pulled and stretched along whatever changes it is undergoing.
As if all this was not unpleasant enough, I am suddenly assaulted by a feeling of searing pain. Images, words, information floods my mind. I am over come by the inexplicable sensation of as though I'm about to burst at the seams yet also compressed under an unpleasant pressure at the same time.
Then, everything starts to become clear. The information flooding my mind stops and I gain a new understanding. My previous discomfort likewise disappears as I become acclimated to my situation. Bestowed wisdom and knowledge, I am Layfon.
I am but a soul on its way to being born into the World of Alber. But a simple soul, I cannot truly enter the world without a vessel - a body - to call my own. The thing that appeared to envelop and smother me I can now identify as flesh and bone. Opening my new eyes, I am introduce to the white void around me.
Floating in the white nothingness that surrounds me, the first thing I do is try and grow accustomed to the body I have been bestowed.
Stretching my new body, I look over myself with narrow, beady, dull grey eyes. I am male with a long, thin torso and limbs that lack any visible muscle with almost sickly pale skin. A flat nose in the middle of my face, I wiggle the long, thin, pointed ears on either side of my head. I raise my hand to grasp and look at my brittle white hair that reaches past my shoulders. The thin lips of my small mouth part to reveal the almost purple interior consisting of slightly pointed, white teeth and long, wide, blueish-purple tongue. Gazing at my nails reveal them to be slightly pointed - almost resembling claws.
Once I am accustomed to the sensations that accompany having a body, something happens. I feel a great warmth gathering within me. At the same time, I also feel weakness in my extremities. It is as though all my strength and energy is being pulled toward my abdomen. The information supplied to me tells me that this is the coming of my Soulmek. That a piece of myself is being split off to create another entity to protect me and help me grow stronger.
I place my hands over my abdomen. Concentrating on the building warmth, I will the energy out of my body and hold it between my hands. Once it has all been expelled and stabilized in my grasp, I let go of it and watch it float away. Understanding that I am to give this ball of energy a name, I quietly mutter the first thing to come to mind, "Rosabel."
The ball of energy suddenly expands to three-times its original size before condensing back down. As it shrinks, it begins to take shape and the light radiating from it fades to reveal a new creature - my Soulmek, Rosabel.
Only coming up to my waist, Rosabel's child-like figure was much healthier looking than my more gangly physique. She had bright green skin and bright, safety orange, buzzcut hair. Her face had a large and pointed nose and ears. Possessing a slight underbite, a pair of prominent, sharp canine teeth protruded from her plump lower lip. Like mine, her nails were more pointed and sharp - resembling claws. Slowly she opened her big, brown eyes to look at me before breaking out into a wide, toothy grin - revealing her sharp teeth.
I know she doesn't seem like much, but that is because of Rosabel's species. All new Soulmek belong to the species known as 'goblin'. The species is not known for anything or particularly outstanding in anyway. However, as a Soulmek, she will grow stronger overtime and it will be possible for her to undergo a process called 'species evolution' to become a superior race of creature. This will give her a stronger body and new abilities. As her Soulemer, it is my responsibility to make this happen.
Born from my essence, Rosabel and I share a bond, and through it, I can feel her joy. It's such a pure feeling I can't help but feel motivated by it. I swear to do my best and to protect this feeling.
However, there is no time to rest as the void around us suddenly changes. We are caught off guard as we go from floating in a white void to suddenly standing on a grassy plain. Then, a sandy desert. Then, a lush forest. This continues as our surroundings shift between various environments.
As we collect ourselves, Rosabel moves to guard me. I place my hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "It's okay," I tell her. "The world is just letting us decide on our home."
This is true. After getting over my initial surprise, I recall that newborn Soulemers like myself can choose one of eight areas to begin. Vast Plains, Desert Wasteland, Arctic Ocean, Jungle Forest, Mechanized City, Haunted Hollow, Holy Sanctuary, and Volcanic Mountain. I am to focus upon one of these and the surrounding area will 'settle' on that one.
To make my decision, I try and think about what I was informed of regarding each area. The available resources, difficulty, etc. Each one presents different challenges and different opportunities for us to grow. I can't be hasty. I have to think about the long term. Wherever I make my start will determine how I and Rosabel develop.
After a few minutes, I ultimately choose Vast Plains. Although it only possesses low quality resources and is arguably the easiest choice, it is the only area to possess multiple different types of resources - seeming to me as the most stable option.
My decision made, I close my eyes and focus. The scene around us stops changing and both Rosabel and I are partially enveloped in light. Now standing in a grassy plain, the light fades and reveals the both of us now wearing clothes.
I am dressed in loose fitting - almost baggy - white clothes consisting of a sleeveless top and pants.
Rosabel is now wearing a tunic that resembles a burlap sack and holding a stone club.
Rosabel seems overjoyed at the development and looks around in wonder - losing herself to her excitement.
I likewise marvel at my first steps into the World of Alber.
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After a while, Rosabel and I calm down.
I decide to take a moment and sit down. Closing my eyes, I turn my focus inward. Gazing into my soul, I can see something. It resembles a panel. On it is my name and a list of characteristics describing my power.
Layfon
STR 4
END 4
DEX 4
INT 11
WIS 11
CHA 8
SPT 8
Once that is done, I change my focus. Using our bond, I focus on Rosabel's soul to try and do the same with her.
Rosabel (1/10)
STR 10
END 10
DEX 10
INT 5
WIS 5
CHA 5
SPT 5
Recognizing that I'm to be the brains and she's the brawn, I open my eyes and look over to Rosabel. "Are you ready to get started?"
Eager to do something and seemingly having endless energy, Rosabel jumps up and holds her club at the ready.
I do not exactly share her enthusiasm and would rather enjoy the peace for a while as I know we won't have it forever, but we need food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, Vast Plains does not have much in way of shelter as it consists of nothing but expansive grassland and hills with no trees or caves or anything else we can use. We may be able to find a river for water, but otherwise, everything we need we will have to find a dungeon.
Dungeons are pocket dimensions formed across the world. They predominantly serve as reservoirs for Soulemer to draw resources from. However, they also serve as a proving ground. Crawling with various creatures, it is up to the Soulemer and their Soulmek to battle and overcome them. In doing so we either gain resources and grow stronger, or we die.
Standing up, I close my eyes again and focus my senses outward. I should be able to feel a tugging on my soul that will direct me toward the nearest dungeon. Once I feel that tugging, I open my eyes and tell Rosabel to follow me.
As we walk, Rosabel does her best to walk beside me - her club at the ready. Due to how much longer my legs are, I intentionally walk slower for her.
Part of me wants to tell her she doesn't have to be so vigilant. Alber provides new Soulemer a certain 'grace period' where no potential enemies will appear in their area until they are strong enough to handle it. However, I keep quiet as it will be good training for when she does need to be vigilant.
Eventually, we arrive at a pair of iron doors sticking out of the ground. On the doors is an insignia that designates what 'type' of dungeon it is. This relates to the sort of enemies we will encounter inside and the environment we will have to face. The insignia on these doors resembles a beast's head. This means it will be a beast dungeon set in the Desert Wastelands
Swallowing heavily, I look to Rosabel who nods assuringly to me.
Feeling more confident, I step forward and open the doors.