World Game

World Game. A world that is eerily similar to a mmorpg. The only difference is that there is no logging out. And no respawning. Once you enter the world and create your character there is no going back. World Game becomes your new reality.

This new reality is very different from earth. Some of the laws of physics are either warped or completely different.

Each person must choose a race and three skills upon entering the World as well as a profession. In the case of those who are born into World Game, they can get any mix of their ancestors skills, racial passives, and appearances. The amount of different skills and races to choose from are astronomical.

The dimension of World Game is home to many worlds all linked via warp gates. Many of the worlds are inhabited by diffrent civilizations. Some of whom have historys stretching back a millennium.

Now the biggest difference between the dimension you came from and this one is, that you're immortal here. As in you dont age past 30. You can still die, but just not from old age.

That last fact in itself has drawn many people to seek out World Game. Now with so many different ways to get here from Earth dimension, how did you get here? That will give me a place to start helping you.

The blue orb of light in front of me finally stopped talking. It had only told me stuff I already knew which was irritating, but the thought of getting some kind of help brightened my day a little.

" I got here via the federal prison system."

The blue orb turned red as soon as the words left my mouth.

" Your energy dosent look anything like the usual lifers" It said while it seemed to be inspecting me. Which Is funny because as far as I can tell I have no body! "Your energy signature is much to unique for you to be one of them though. And malice dosent seem to be in your nature." it turned green which I will take as a good sign.

"So how can you help me exactly? The Prisons warden told me I was going to be a slave in World Game for an eternity or until they killed me... theres not a whole lot you can do to make that sound better.."

"Well usually you would be correct. The guide that would have gotten sent here if you were like the usual convicts would not be nearly as helpful, or intelligent for that matter." while the orb was saying this it grew continuously brighter until all I can see is green light.

All of a sudden the green light disappears to be replaced by a large circular room built of what appears to be plasma screen TVs. Each tv seems to be spaced apart by about 3 inchs. The space between the screens was a void of white light that I feel I could wander through and find nothing but madness. All the screens were black and reflective just as an actual tv screen would be if it was turned off.

Such a sight left my mind blank, all I can do is take in the sight of such a bizarre place, until the Guide says "but lucky for both of us that is not the case. Now unfortunately I still have to spawn you on the world that corresponds with the way you got here. But.. .I dont have to spawn you at the coordinates that the prison has imputed. Which will make it so you wont be slapped with a slave collar right away."

I feel a huge rush of elation at those words! I thought I was going to have to be a slave for who knows how long until I figured out how to free myself!

When I got framed for murder I didnt think i had any kind of life ahead of me. Losing my freedom and being kept behind bars might as well have been a death sentence for such a free spirit.

Then I found out about World Game from the Warden, which sounded only a little better until he got to the ETERNITY part.. but if I can believe this Guide, which dosent really matter because I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, then I can at least start my life in this new world free!

"And I can bypass the race, skills, and specialty they had picked out for you"

This just keeps getting better! It's much more luck than I'm used to receiving though which is making my paranoia sky rocket!

"but like everyone else you can still only pick skills ect. based upon your energy signature. Looking at yours though you should have plenty of options."

After saying that four vertical rows of screens turn on, each one depicts what appears to be a profession. I see blacksmiths, healers, builders, knights, assassins and all kinds of other professions on the screen. Each screen also has 3 words on it with circles around each one.

" The words correspond with 2 passives and 1 active skill that you get from your specialty. If you press the word then you will be able to see a demonstration of the skill."

That's when I became aware of having a body again. I wasn't breathing, but I could feel my feet touching the ground, which appears to be a sheet of glass with more white void underneath.

Looking at my arms and legs i see a golden outline where inside is a light whose green color reminded me of sitting in middle of the forest looking up at the leaves just as the sun was setting, so many different shades of green blending together seamlessly but each one unique.

Stepping past the guide I touch one of the words on a screen depicting a man using a pick ax to mine some mysterious resource.

When I touch it the image changes to show the guy swinging the pick with a timer over his head, when the timer hit ten seconds the miner, who appeared to be tired stopped and sat down to take a break.

Then the image resets to the miner hitting the rock again but this time his body was glowing slightly red. Instead of being able to mine the resource for 10 seconds before he took a break he was able to mine for 15 seconds.

" As you can see this is showing a passive where it increases your endurance." explained the guide. "Its funny you looked at that one because that's what the prison had picked for you. Based on everything that was picked out for you, it seemed you were going to be mining resources for quite some time. Even if you'd have escaped your options would've been quite limited. They had basically made you into a pack mule!" he said that last bit with a chuckle that makes me wonder just how alive the Guide is and where it goes when it's done here. And also made me a little worried I was so easy to read..

"Now instead of you clicking and scrolling through these ones individually let me just narrow it down for you, and then tell you what each skill does."

After those words two rows of screens went black

" Now I narrowed your choices down based upon survival. You won't be spawned where you were intended to but you will still be on their world. Which means you wont be safe until you reach the warp gates and get off world. Preferably to a neutral world because you can get an i.d there the easiest. Once you pass the warp stations barrier you will be safe so time wont have to factor into your decision. I didn't think it was possible for a being made of energy to blanch!" he exclaimed

Now I'm definitely worried I'm an easy read. I think to myself.. anxiety dosent seem to care what type of body I have..

" Usually i guide artisans, philosophers, researchers ect. through their Beginning. They get here through a much diffrent method, it allows them to be spawned anywhere I deem safe. Which means they have time to get used to their skills while you do not." With what I swear was a snapthe Guide stopped talking and another row of screens turned off. "These are the specialties with skills that I think you will be able to make use of right away. That does not make them simple or weak but just means they're more attuned to your thought process and energy than other skills."

The screen at eye level shows a man dressed in a dark coat with a knife in his hand sneaking up on a man. When he reaches the man he slowly raises the knife, holding it in a reverse grip, and plunges it downward into the top of the man's head, burying it several inches deep and not making a sound. Then the image reset. Such a gruesome scene filled me with dread at the reality I was in. Despite being framed for murder Iv never killed anyone... just the thought of extinguishing someones consciousness felt profoundly wrong.

Without thinking about it I reach out and begin scrolling through the screens as if it was a touch screen. If I missed the screen though my hand would push into the white nothingness and leave my hand feeling numb.

Most of the screens where very similar and all included murder... until I came to a series of screens where a guy is carefully walking along a dusty corridor. His body language was that of a cat watching birds in a tree, just waiting to leap at the slightest movement. So when the movement came in the form of a bunch of icicles shooting out from the wall, the man was ready and in the blink of an eye calculated their trajectory, jumping through the gap, feet following head, following hands, gracefully falling into a combat roll to stand back up safe and sound. The image reset.

"What specialty is this?" I ask my guide

" That one is the explorer specialty. There are 5 different combinations of skills you can pick from for it. Now remember your specialty is nothing more than a set of skills. Just because you're a Explorer doesn't mean you cant be an assassin or paladin in the World. Though all of your choices together can hurt or hinder you in many ways depending on how you want to live your life." Guide says as he scrolls through the other for explorer options.

So far the explorer is the only one I found that doesn't portray me killing someone. "Any suggestions on which of the five i should pick?" I ask.

" I think explorer number three would be ideal for your situation. The passive skills are enhanced reflexes, and Premonition. Enhanced reflexes allows you to take in information a little faster and react accordingly. Premonition is like a sixth sense. It's best used for avoiding danger. The usable skill is Fleet Footed, when active it allows you to increase your speed by 25% and also makes you much more agile at the cost of Energy."

"At the cost of energy?" I ask

"Yes. It's the equivalent of how your world perceives mana. All skills that are not passives require Energy to use. The more energy you use the more tired and hungry you will become. If you use up all of your energy you will die. Sleeping and eating restore energy."

This profession definitely seems right up my alley! It seems like exactly what I need to get out of a tough situation as well.

"If you have made your selection then just reach out, grab the screen, and pull it to you "

I do as he instructs and all the screens go black again. A moment later four more rows of screens light up. This time each screen showed a diffrent kind of creature walking. Most were humanoid, but there were still plenty that ran on four legs, or even slithered, more akin to beasts than humans.

Just as quickly as the four rows appeared, three disappeared, leaving only the one row.

"I took the liberty of narrowing down your search based on your current needs, just like last time. If you want my opinion though I would choose one of these. All of them have unique skills that I think would help your survival." The list narrowed itself down to four selections. The first one was a reptilian person with two small horns on either side of there head. Their scales were a muddy shade of red and it had very sharp cheek bones with another horn growing out of each. Its nose looked just like a raised bump on its face, the two holes the only thing truly marking it for what it was. Its lips were practically no existent and its mouth was filled with two rows of razor sharp teeth, both on the top and bottom. Over all it gave me the creeps... and I hated the sight of it. Scrolling through the other options I see theres only really one that I can stand looking at. It's a humanoid creature that looks almost exactly like a human. The only differences were that the creature on the screen had two canine teeth that ever so slightly poked out. As well as having a couple silver scales flecked across its face, which sometime glowed with a faint white light. which was really weird because the rest if its skin was completely human like. The other differences were the eyes and ears. Each eye actually had two colors. The additional color was wrapped around the iris, exactly like a limbal ring but a little thicker. The Male humanoids iris was green with a yellow border. The ears were slightly pointed, just like how elves are depicted on earth. Every other feature seems to be the same as a regular human. Even it's long chestnut brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail seemed normal.

"I think I'll choose this one. What do I need to know about them?" I still feel weird deciding a race. If it wasn't for the fact that I could feel everything so vividly, I would think I'm dreaming.

" For starters, your race determines you general starting physique and attributes. Your attributes will never decline over time and neither will your skills power, but your physique will. So you still have to keep yourself in shape. This race call themselves Ashura. You'll start with an excellent physique, a little more durable than your earthly body. While your attributes are Speed and Agility. So you'll be faster and more agile in all of your movements coming out of the gate, which will complement your Adventurer profession well. Now every race also comes with a passive skill. Ashuras passive is called Stone Resolve, it gives you a stronger mental fortitude which makes you more resistant to energy attacks. Especially mental ones. As well as makes your own mental skills stronger."

He honestly had me after talking about how my race and profession would compliment eachother, but the passive seemed really good if I could get some Mental skills!

I reach my hand out and grab the screen. As soon as my hand closes the world goes white. To quickly return back to normal.

I look at my hand that is outstretched to see that my body made of energy was replaced. In its place is a body almost identical to what I saw on the screen. At least from what I can see anyway. The skin of my arms are flecked with the occasional shiny white scales. Besides that its identical to a humans arm.

I look back to the screens to see that two rows are now lit up. Each one showing humanoids using diffrent skills.

"Ok iv already narrowed it down for you as I have done previously. These skills are the ones i think you'll be able to make use of right away. As well as help you survive."

I already had a general idea of what I wanted so i asked my Guide "Can you show me only the Mental ones please?"

Immediately the screens changed. What was left makes my heart sink... theres only one screen left..

"Mental skills are notoriously hard to understand and control. They require alot of practice to use them effectively in combat."

The screen that is left showed an Ashura pointing at a rock whith his hand, the rock shakes and then rises to his eye level before he tosses it into the distance with a flick if his wrist. The rock flew much farther than I could've thrown it with my earth body. Deciding that it being a Mental skill will make the second part of the Ashuras passive not go to waste, I select it. And the two rows of screens return.

I start to browse the screens, but there are so many options its overwhelming. I dont know what to pick now that my plan for Mental skills didnt completely work out.

My hesitation made my Guide speak "If I may be so bold, I think these two skills would be perfect for your needs." all the screens disappeard besides two. " The first one is Shadow Meld. It makes it so you can become one with shadows at the cost of energy. When you're in a shadow you cannot take any damage from physical attacks, but if the shadows you're in get destroyed then you will be force out of the shadow world. Second we have Solid Energy. It allows you to make simple things out of your energy and harden it. Its very useful for creating shields. though the more damage the hardened energy takes the quicker it depletes your energy."

I acquire both skills trusting my guide. The Guide dosent really gain anything by deceiving me and he knows alot more than I do about what I am going to face. Besides both skills seem quite useful.

"Ok that's about it! All that's left now is to say good luck!" my Guide exclaims " now remember to not trust anyone on the planet you spawn on. When you spawn in you will be just a day away from the Warp Gates. They will be in the direction of the setting sun. The sun sets in the north and rises in the west on Otakon. By the time night fall hits on the second night you should be able to see the barrier of the Warp Gates town."

After giving me all this knowledge and more importantly hope, I didn't know what to say to my Guide. Having been imprisoned for a crime I didn't commit and everyone abandoning me, left me more jaded than I alraedy was... but still no one has helped me in a long time, so som gratitude must be shown. "Thank you very much Guide for all the help you're giving me. Without you I would already be mining resources somewhere probably, and for that I will be eternally grateful... I wish there was a way I could repay you somehow... My name is Cole by the way." I say with a smile. Probably the first smile on my face in quite awhile.

"Oh dont smile yet! You still have alot ahead of you!" he laughs hard and loud at a joke that must've went over my head. His laughter set me at ease for some reason. " And I'm sure you'll be able to repay me back someday! I'll be watching you!" at the end of those confusing words everything goes black...