Laughter?

Who are they...?

Could something have happened? They won’t stop...it keeps getting louder...

Ahh, it’s me.

A vast expanse.

The floor was a deep midnight blue, deep enough that it tricked the eyes into mistaking it for black if one stared long enough. What really domineered attention, however, was the cyan grid pattern that cut across the floor. Impossibly and expertly precise cuts bleeding neon into the horizon. Stretching out until the curvature of the ground obscured any further view.

Miles stared at the floor for an embarrassingly long time before snapping out of his stupor.

This is...the loading screen? No, probably the character select screen. Huh. These days it’s popular for an AI to assist you and answer questions about the game. So, where’s the expertly crafted cute girl waiting to help me out?

Miles turned around to find a bulbous, gangly jester looming over him.

“FUCK ME, REDSOFT!”

His outburst was met with great mirth by the imposing nightmare fuel. “I assume this means you wouldn’t like the profanity filter to be turned on? Ah, where are my manners? I am the Amalgamate. A pleasure.” It gave an unnaturally fluid bow, and the theater mask covering its face broke out into a gleeful smile. Its hunched posture allowed Miles to notice that multiple masks wrapped around the entirety of its head, hiding any features from view. Its voice sounded like many people talking at once, a hodgepodge of all genders and ages melding into a single paradoxically soothing frequency. The Amalgamate completed its gesture by spinning its wrist around several times as a flourish. Before Miles could cringe at this he realized that its joints were entirely detached from each other, separated by a few centimeters of thin air.

“Jesus, the developers must be having a giggle imagining the reactions you’re getting out of new players...oh, wait, do you know what I’m talking about?”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t be very helpful if I wasn’t aware that we were inside a game. Though, I’d be a little more careful discussing such things with other NPCs.”

Miles’ eyes widened a little. “Really? Are they that advanced...?” He found his gaze wandering off towards the distance again. “Say, if I ran away in that direction as fast as possible, what would happen?”

The Amalgamate responded with a mischievous chuckle. “I’m afraid you’d end up running right back into me.” This made Miles break out into a weary smile.

He laughs like it’s happened before...

“So aside from sadism, why not just give the room walls?”

“An astute question. That would be because it’s used to help render draw distances before you begin your game. Of course, you can opt to load straight in, but the graphics would take some time to adjust. Do you have any more questions before we start character selection?”

Miles shook his head and the Amalgamate briskly clapped its hands, separating them in a “Ta-da!” fashion.

“Then, without any further ado, let us take your first step into conquering the world of Elutheria!”

Conquering? That’s a bit over the top...

A cylinder of translucent light sprouted up in front of Miles. In it, he found the spitting image of himself staring back at him.

“Because you own the Gennesi hardware, a full-body scan has been prepared for you. You may use this model as a base or start from scratch when creating your hero.”

“Just to confirm, I can only pick the race of Human, right?”

LIfting one finger up to its mask and tilting its head, the Amalgamate cooed, “My, you’re well informed, aren’t you? That is correct. It’s uncommon for a demihuman to be integrated within society in the world of Elutheria. As such, Human is the sole starting race of all players. Although a racial change is not out of the question, provided you meet the right conditions.”

Miles turned his attention back to the hologram, eyeing himself up and down. “Ehh...would it be possible to ask for general changes instead of tweaking them manually?”

The Amalgamate stood up as straight as an arrow for the first time, casting its slender hands into the air. “Certainly! It would be my pleasure to sculpt your immaculate body with my own hands, O Adventurer!”

I’m doing it myself. I’m definitely doing it myself no matter what.

After about 15 minutes of fiddling, everything was satisfactory enough for Miles. It more or less looked like him but with muscles and a slightly darker complexion.

“Alright, this should be fine.”

The Amalgamate stood at his side, hands clasped behind its back. It responded with an, “Ah.”

What? Do you disapprove or something?

“Then the next matter at hand is the allocation of your stats.” It gave a fanciful flick, prompting a screen to appear next to Miles’ avatar.

Remaining points: 49

Strength: 0

Governs damage dealt with STR based weapons. Also affects raw unarmed power. Dictates your capabilities in pushing, pulling, swimming, etc. Gain certain Martial Arts at higher levels.

Dexterity: 0

Governs damage dealt with DEX based weapons. Also affects weapon handling. Dictates your sleight of hand and lockpicking capabilities. Gain certain Martial Arts at higher levels.

Agility: 0

Governs damage dealt with thrown and ranged weapons. Also affects your reflexes. Dictates your stealth and movement capabilities. Gain certain Martial Arts at higher levels.

Fortitude: 0

Governs stamina recovery and equip load. Also affects hit stun. Dictates the effectiveness of potions. Gain certain Martial Arts at higher levels.

Intelligence: 0

Governs your aptitude in Thaumaturgy. Dictates your ability to understand different languages and texts, as well as detect certain traps. Opens up dialogue options with NPCs. Gain increased knowledge of magic at higher levels. Perhaps even forbidden secrets...

Faith: 0

Governs your aptitude in Divination. Dictates the effectiveness of spell buffs and debuffs. Allows for special bonuses if sworn to a deity. Gain increased favor in magic at higher levels. Perhaps even a miracle...

Charisma: 0

Governs your aptitude in character interaction. Dictates your ability to bluff and intimidate. Also increases relations with merchants. Opens up dialogue options with NPCs. Gain certain charms and creature affinities at higher levels.

Forty-nine? The OCD in me is screaming - ah, I get it. If I wanted a balanced build, everything would start at 7.

Miles squinted and read over the description for each stat again.

“I’m not seeing which of these increases my health...?”

“That would be because HP, MP, and Stamina are determined by level. You are given the option to increase one of the three upon leveling up.”

“Oh, interesting. Mm...is it okay if I ask how many stat points I can have total?”

“Absolutely, my dear. I will answer your question twofold.” The Amalgamate twisted its neck to display two masks at once as it said this. “First and foremost, the hard cap for each stat is 100 points. Incidentally, you are required to have a minimum of 1 in all fields. Second, the overall Level cap in Elutheria is 200. After reaching Level 5, there are breakpoints at every 15th Level where you will receive 5 stat points instead of 1, for a total of 300.”

“I-I see. So, err...that means I can only max out two of my stats at best, right? Am I allowed to respec?”

“Certainly, although it will come at a price.” For some reason, Miles felt a second smile breaking out behind the porcelain mask’s eerie grin. He envisioned angry parents around the world scrawling letters over this thing traumatizing their kids. Maybe he should go check out some gaming forums after making his character.

His character...wait, what kind of build did he want? In MMOs, he usually went for an off-tank hybrid, something that could dabble in multiple roles but didn’t put too much pressure on him as the focal point of the team. However, his memories brought him back to the retro games of ages long passed...decades ago, before RedSoft had its merger to become the gaming giant it was today...and the series of games made by one of its child companies. Archaic as they were, he found himself charmed when he played through them. Interpreting the lore, exploring the nooks and crannies of the world, and, of course...

Smashing things with a fuck-off massive club.

Remaining points: 0

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 7

Agility: 1

Fortitude: 14

Intelligence: 10

Faith: 1

Charisma: 1

Assuming the devs intended 7 to be the average starting stat, this seemed decently balanced. Miles figured it was good enough to wield a relatively large weapon from the get-go. As for Intelligence, the explanation regarding understanding texts was concerning. He would hate not being able to pour through any lore. The devs’ claims of Elutheria’s rich and expansive world was mostly what garnered his interest in the first place. He clicked Finalize to save his changes.

“Before we move on any further, would you like an explanation regarding classes and jobs?”

He had completely forgotten about his class. Miles gave a quick nod.

“Excellent! I just love the curious type...well, this may come as a shock, but you won’t be picking a class before entering the world of Elutheria. All players start out as a Commoner. At every starting town there are several buildings wherein you may learn a basic class. Soldiers’ barracks for warriors, churches for priests and clerics; and so on. For those willing to think outside the box, there are classes that can be earned through special means. To this end, classes come with their own rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Hybrid, and Legendary. Each class has a leveling system, with most going up to 20. Your first class is free, but any subsequent class changes will cost a sizable fee. As for jobs-“

“Okay, that’s enough, I’ll learn about jobs later.”

The Amalgamate responded with a haughty chuckle, leaning backwards until its spine folded in on itself. It fell silent in that exact position and murmured, “Eager, are we?”

Please, God, tell me this isn’t a monster in-game...

“Alright, then.” It righted itself in a way that spat in the face of physics. “Now, you have only to fret over your starting town. Fast traveling will not be easily available at Level 1, so please take this into careful consideration. Within the continent of Ta’Locriel, there are three countries that you may select. As for the number of cities...”

Miles flashed the first genuine grin since he had booted up the game. “Easy choice. Take me to the place that has the largest library.”