The entire cosmos went ablaze with light the second Nick sat down. Looking up at the night sky, Nick's eyes became filled with death. All of the gods he knew were dead. Only one part of them remained–their will.
He watched as a single ball of light floated down from the cosmos and landed right next to his face. Realizing he was probably in deep crap, he instantly tried to fling himself off the chair. 'I don't want some demon to eat me!' He screamed in his mind, unable to move because a strand of light held him down.
Doing a little twirl in front of his face, the ball seemed to be almost taunting Nick. Then, it did an inexplicable thing, one that balls don't usually do in Nick's world– it began speaking.
"Worry not, Progenitor. The divines themselves have developed a system for you. If you want, you can think of it as their dying wish. Now, I'm going to go inside you so please don't panic."
'Inside me-'
Then the ball turned impossibly small and shot up Nick's nose and into his brain. His eyes grew wide as he felt the ball fill his head with all kinds of information–most of it indecipherable. In the next instance, his entire world became dark.
...
"Hello, thief. Long way from home, eh?" Some voice called from the darkness. His voice was rough, as though he spent an entire lifetime cutting lumber.
Nick tried to open his eyes but they felt far too heavy at the moment. It was like those times he'd spend multiple days in a row awake to grind for some new Valkyrie or weapon.
Wherever he was, it was pretty still though. And rocky. It was nothing like the tutorial he had known, where they started in the middle of a town. Demons slaughtered civilians as the character moved through the level, so maybe it would be best if he didn't have to go through that tutorial.
'Wait...'
At the same time, he didn't want to die! Not again! Even if it would be a much cooler death, he preferred living. Living was cool!
"Where do you come from? Maybe you're a dwarf from the Losthian mountains, or maybe you're an elf from the Chestian meadows?"
'Actually, I'm a human from 'Merica. Pennsylvania, to be exact.' Nick thought, thoroughly confused.
He was pretty sure neither of those places existed anywhere in the game Aether Babes. Even amongst his clan, he was probably the biggest weeb, even reading the logs for various characters. Because of this, he knew a lot of the lore in the game. And none of the planes he had conquered in the game ever held some 'Lesbian mountain' or 'Christian meadow'.
"Sir, we don't have all day. Soon, the goblins will be upon us."
--(In order to select your race, think of it in your mind. You have 8 options available to you, Progenitor.)--
Nick barely had any time to comprehend the flashing message as a list of races was immediately shown to him. It was like an RPG, where the left side had the names of the races and the right side showed how they looked and the boosts their race gave.
--(Races)--
--[A nature elf is one with all things pertaining to life. They are often found amongst animals and plants, nourishing the world around them. A nature elf has a natural affinity with all life, allowing them to create a deeper connection with nature. Additionally, they regenerate mana faster and heal twice as much from potions]--
A nature elf had auburn skin and a long lanky build, like a swimmer. On its chest was some strange kind of gem that was completely dark.
'If it was alive, that gem would be glowing.' Nick mused, unsure how he knew that information. Maybe the glowing ball that possessed him?
--[A dwarf is one with all things pertaining to forging. They are often found in mountains and mines, taking any gems or metals they find for themselves. A dwarf has a natural affinity with blacksmithing, allowing them to instantly appraise metals. Additionally, they regenerate stamina faster and mine 10% more ore]--
The dwarf was small with paper-white teeth, but its hair was raven black. Without any sunlight to bleach its hair, even the hair on its arms and legs was completely dark. Nick shuddered, thinking they looked hideous. There was no way he'd get a Valkyrie looking like that.
--[An orc is one with all things pertaining to combat. They are often found on the battlefield, slicing and maiming all of their enemies. An orc has a natural affinity with war, granting them a 5% increase in damage when using weapons.]--
The orc was gargantuan, easily over 8 feet tall. Somehow, it was still able to cover its body with millions of tattoos. It had a huge axe strung along its back and was dual-wielding axes. All in all, it looked like a machine of war more than a race or anything.
--[A Mizukai is one with all things pertaining to the sea. They are often found on or near bodies of water, purifying them while also communicating with the fish. A Mizukai has a natural affinity with the ocean, granting them the ability to breathe easily underwater and heal when near water.]--
The Mizukai looked like a fish person. Nick hated fish.
--[A Vakir is one with all things pertaining to beasts. They are often found in the deepest parts of a forest, where only the strongest beasts dwell. A Vakir has a natural affinity with beasts, granting them the ability to converse with animals and gain 20% more experience by killing wildlife.]--
The Vakir had the lower half of a goat and the upper half of a human. It really could've been called a Satyr, but maybe the game wanted to be different. Still, he doubted a Valkyrie would want to tango with an animal.
--[The Fallen is one with all things pertaining to the Dead. They are often found at gravesites and other naturally decrepit locations. The Fallen has a natural affinity with death, granting them a passive necromantic ability that works on any corpse 5 levels or more below them.]--
Well, that's a strong ability. The only problem is... Nick didn't feel like becoming a skeleton. The Fallen didn't have any skin or muscles. Instead, it was bone covered with a purple aura.
--[The Dragon Walker is the only one that can truly be defined as the embodiment of Destruction. It is found everywhere, at scorching forest fires, boiling oceans, ashen fallen. Anywhere life exists, the Dragon Walker's shadow follows, strengthened by its scourging fire. All attacks deal 20% more damage and have a 50% chance to cause a combustion debuff.]--
Nick's eyes grew wide as the perfect specimen appeared before him. Not only was it beyond strong, but unlike some of the other stronger races it was also physically aesthetic. The dragon walker looked mostly human, except it was beyond buff. It had a longer snake tongue and a reptilian's eyes, as well as 2 large, red dragon wings protruding from its back. Honestly, it looked like every RPG fan's greatest dream character. It would be impossible for the last class to compare.
--[Choosing a human shows a complete lack of creativity. Come on, you're better than this. You can literally be a fudging DRAGON WALKER!!!]--
'Yeah, whoever picked a human would be stupid.' Nick thought as he selected the RACE Dragon Walker.
[Requirement: Reach level 50.]
'FUDGE!'