Artisan Knight 2. Welcome to Gram

When the light faded from his vision all Gabriel saw was a tinted glass pane in front of his face. He tried to move around, but found that his surroundings were too cramped to actually move. Were he claustrophobic he may have actually started panicking, but he only felt uncomfortable. He heard a hissing noise, and the pressure around him quickly changed as the glass was lifted from him. His view was then occupied by a ceiling made from was looked like a muted grey steel. Out of the corner of his vision he noticed someone peering over at him.

It was a woman who wore a lab coat and a pair of glasses. She was rather unassuming looking, with brown hair and brown eyes that looked at him with an inquisitive nature. She noticed him looking at her and smiled.

“Greetings Awakened One,” she said.

He looked at her for a moment longer, waiting for any other kind of response. There wasn’t any, and she looked at him with the reading expression as before. It was easy to tell that this woman was an NPC, but there was an uncanny air about her that made him hesitant.

“Morning,” he finally said, not really sure if that was the right response.

The woman lifted a device, a pad of some sort, to her hand and swiped a few fingers across it, “No. 45567, Gabriel. That is your name correct?”

He nodded and sat up. It occurred to him that he was laying in some sort of capsule, one not unlike the one he had entered to play the game. It was the same muted grey as the ceiling, and there was a sleek aesthetic to it that made it look more like a torpedo than something to rest in.

“No. 45567? How many… Awakened Ones are there?”

She tapped a few keys on her pad, “That, I’m afraid I can’t answer. Now if you would confirm your name?”

He had more questions, but he decided to move on. There would be plenty of time to figure out things later, and there was probably some sort of lore log programmed into the game anyways for him to go over later.

“Yeah that right,” he said as he climbed out of the capsule. He was still wearing the same clothes given to him in the character creator, and quickly realized the absence of shoes as his feet touched the cold floor. He shivered at both the sensation and at how real it actually felt. It really was like living in another world, which was thrilling and strangely threatening to him at the same time. He decided to shrug off the feeling and deal with it later. There was probably a tutorial to go through or something first.

He looked over at the NPC as she fussed over her pad. Her movements weren’t robotic or anything that wasn’t too overly artificial, and looking at her you probably couldn’t tell she wasn’t real unless you heard her speak. The way she addressed him as Awakened One was enough to tell that she was programmed to live in this world. That or she was just a serious roleplayer.

“Right then, your registration is complete, shall we start getting you accustomed to the way things are then?”

He nodded at her, and she turned to walk down the pathway. He followed suit, taking a moment look around where he was. They were standing in what appeared to be a long path that stretched endlessly in one direction. Numerous capsules lined the walls, rotating and shuffling around as more people dressed in lab coats stood in front of capsules as they opened. People dressed in the same clothes as him got out of the capsules. Some were human, but he noticed a Dwarf, one of the Petra, and even an Infernal emerge from the capsules. Dwarves were already something he’d wrapped his head around, but seeing a Petra and an Infernal One took some getting used to for him. From what he could recall from the small amount of research he did on the game. the most part the Petra were human looking in nature, but their skin color generally coincided with the color of rocks, their eyes the color of gemstones and they usually had large metallic growths on part of their body. The one he saw had skin the color of sand with eyes that reflected the color of amethysts. His hand was covered in metal, looking more like a gauntlet rather than an abnormal growth. Beyond that  he looked relatively human. The Infernal, however, was a different story.

Infernals, for the most part, had the looks of demons. The player Gabriel was looking at was a woman with red skin that was covered in rough scaled that went up her neck and to the sides of her face. A pair of small horn peaked up from her long black hair, and her eyes had a bright yellow glow to them. He quickly noticed that she possessed a tail, which almost made him jump when it started to move. He shook his head and continued to go down the walkway.

“I never did catch your name,” he said to the woman in the lab coat.

“Call me Ayla,” she said.

“So Ayla, does this chamber go on forever?”

“As far as I know, yes, it is unknown how many pods are in this chamber, but enough shuffling happens to where we do not need to go far to greet those that wake up.”

Probably to keep up with the new players logging in…

They eventually reached a door at the end of the walkway, its appearance looking more akin to something found on a spaceship from some sci-fi show than the fantasy aesthetic he was expecting. When it slid open he followed Ayla into another large chamber, one lined with many windows, like a large pharmacy of sorts. Most of them were occupied by other players, with the others waiting in line. The bustle of excited chatter filled the room, with groups already forming in line. It was a far cry from the usual line waiting done in real life, but he supposed it was because it was a game rather than something menial.

Ayla swiped at her pad again, “A handler is waiting for us at window number 3. Follow me please,” she said as she motioned him for him to follow.

He did, wondering why he didn’t have to wait in line like the others. Waiting for them at the window was a middle aged man who had a rugged look to him, one that was formed from age and, given the man’s bulk, from experience out in the field. He regarded Gabriel with a tired expression.

“Gabriel?” He asked with half a sigh.

“Yes sir,” Gabriel responded.

“Don’t call me sir son. You’re making me feel older than I already am,” he said with a grumble.

“Ah, my bad,” Gabriel said with a small chuckle. He kept a small smile on his face. The clerk reminded him of his old drill instructor, albeit much older and with a little more bulk, but the gruffness was just the same.

“So you're a freeformer are ya?” the clerk asked, looking over a screen that sat to his right with a curious expression.

“Yeah, that strange?”

He shrugged, “No it's just that you don't see many that often.” The clerk pointed over to the large lines throughout the rest of the room. “Most of you Awakened Ones tend to be pursuit of some class nowadays.”

Gabriel looked at the lobby again, seeing the large lines the wound from each window.

“Well that's convenient for me then,” he said with a smile.

The clerk snorted, “If you say so,” he looked at Ayla and held a hand out, “you sort out all his info?”

She nodded and handed him her pad, “Yeah, all he needs is his starter pack and he should be set to go.”

“Right right, let me just…” the clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a black box. It was as big as Gabriel’s hand with a hexagonal pattern in the center made up of smaller shapes. It glowed with a dull blue color.

“That’s your Smart Box, it's standard issue to all Citizens of Gram,” the clerk explained.

“It functions as your inventory management system, communication device, and is linked to the Ethernet, all essential for whatever you choose to follow when you step out into the world,” Ayla elaborated.

So like a smartphone…

Gabriel picked up the Smart Box, “Right, so how do I activate it?”

“Simply press the top button on the side and an interactive display should appear,” said.

As he did as she said, the pattern in the middle flickered for a second before emitting a cone of blue light. It formed a window in front of him.

+++

Status

Inventory

Map

Social

Ethernet

Log Off

+++

He selected the status option. Which switched to a new window that had a series of submenus at the top. He decided to explore those later, and focused on the general stat screen in front of him.

+++

Name: Gabriel

Class: Freeform

Title: N/A

Health: 100

Mana: 10

Hunger: Sated

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Constitution: 10

Speed: 10

Wisdom: 10

Total Attack: 10

Total Defense: 10

Combat Fame: 0

Merchant Fame: 0

Craftsman Fame: 0

+++

He had a general idea of what all the information meant, but he looked at the Title category with some curiosity. It would be something he’d have to look up later.

“I think I got the idea,” he said as he closed the screen with another press of the button. “I'm guessing these other buttons down the side are shortcuts to the other menus right?”

“You would be correct,” Ayla said, “and on the note of inventory…” she picked up a bundle of folded clothes, “Hold up your Box please.”

Gabriel held out the device, pattern facing up. Ayla held the bundle above the pattern for a brief moment. The pattern flickered, and shot out a light that scanned over the clothes. A second later the clothes disappeared in a small flash of digitized light, as if nothing was there.

Gabriel whistled, “That’s pretty convenient.”

“It is, though your inventory space will be limited at first,” Ayla explained, “You’ll need to earn some fame before you are qualified for anymore space.”

He nodded, it made sense. Couldn’t really give players everything right off the bat, otherwise there would be no incentive. He pocketed the Smart Box and noticed that the clerk was giving him an inquisitive look.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“Tell me son… you have any military experience?” The clerk asked.

The made Gabriel pause.

How would he know that?

He decided to play along for now, “A little bit, why do you ask?”

“You just seem to have that air about you is all…” the clerk drummed his fingers against the counter, “tell you what, if you ever pick up a combat skill down at the barracks ask for a Cera. Tell them Dom sent you.”

Gabriel nodded, “Will do, gotta learn something to defend myself right?”

Dom cracked a smile, “Oh she’ll teach ya more than that son. It ain’t gonna be a walk in the park.”

“Well thanks for the heads up anyways,” Gabriel said.

“Not a problem, gotta help out a fellow military man when I can. Give it hell.”

“You got it.”

Gabriel followed Ayla out of the lobby and into another room lined with what looked to be dressing chambers. People were walking in an out of them regularly, and in surprisingly varied clothing. He’d expected everyone to have the same gear all around at the beginning.

“We can’t really just send Awakened Ones out into Ellios in just simple clothing such as yours, if you would please go change into the clothes I gave you earlier then you should be well equipped enough to get started.”

Gabriel nodded and walked into one of the chambers. He opened his inventory and saw that it was displayed like a grid. There was a small subwindow to the side of the grid, left blank for now. At the top of the grid lay a small icon, no bigger than his thumb. It was the clothes he was given earlier. He selected them, making the icon pop out from the rest of the grid. As it did so the small subwindow filled with text.

+++

Citizen’s Garb

Stats:

+5 to Defense

A simple set of clothes worn by civilians of Gram. Provides enough cover from the elements and a slight boost to defense. Note: Not wholly recommended for combat.

+++

He pressed the icon again and it disappeared. A moment later he felt a slight tingle around his hands. Blue, digitized light gathered at his hands and the clothing materialized in his palms. He whistled again.

He took off his current clothes and put the equipment on. Surprisingly enough, they fit perfectly to his figure, drawing a nod of approval from him and he slipped the last piece of clothing on. The clothes given to him consisted of a dark brown jacket with a hood and a pair of dark tan cargo pants. Thankfully, some boots came along with the clothes, as well as a pair of gloves. He kept the shirt he was wearing on beneath his jacket. Conveniently, there was a small clip on the waist of his pants that he could fit the Smart Box to, allowing for easy access. He took a moment to check his reflection in the mirror, digesting what was happening so far. Despite what Dom said, he wasn’t sure how an NPC knew he’d been in the military. He suspected it may have been the questionnaire that he had to fill out prior to creating his account, where it asked him all sorts of personal information. He found it suspicious at first, but if it was going to come into play like it had with Dom then he really didn’t have any reservations about it. With a satisfied nod he left the changing room. Ayla smiled at him as he walked out.

“Perfect, now if you would just hand me your Smart Box for a moment,” she said.

He did as she asked, and she attached the device to her tablet. A pulse of light went through the symbol on the Smart Box, and she handed it back to him.

“A map of Gram has been downloaded into your Smart Box, it should include some of the surrounding regions as well, but further details will have to be acquired on your own or from some of our scouts in the area.”

He strapped the Box back to his waist and clicked the map button. A holographic display appeared in front of his eyes. From a brief glance he could see that Gram was a circular city, with a large wall surrounding its perimeter.

“Right, sounds good to me, any recommendations on where I should go first?” Gabriel asked.

“I’d recommend the Craftsman’s District, there are a number of useful skills for a freeform Awakened One such as yourself,” she said.

“Right, and the Barracks are for combat skills correct?”

“For the most part, while it may be small, there is a small corner of the Barracks that specializes in the magical arts.”

That piqued his interest. “This place has magic?”

“Yes buuuuut,” she made an uneasy gesture with her hand, “it is not nearly as in depth as the magical research done in Retissia. I suspect that you’ll find enough there to get started but to find any really in depth knowledge of the subject you would have to cross the Chobin Desert, which isn’t recommended for an Awakened One right at the start.”

“Fair point,” he tapped his chin, “got any more pointers for me?”

“Not anymore than most can tell you I’m afraid, from this point on it's all up to your prerogative. Now, if you would please follow me to the exit.”

Gabriel nodded again and followed her out of the changing rooms and into another chamber. It was smaller than the others, and he could only see a few other players talking to their assistants around the room. Ayla led him to a door and stood beside it.

“Now then, do you have any further questions?” she asked with a polite smile.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head, “I’m all good to go. Thank you for your help Ayla.”

“You are most certainly welcome, now then...” she said, pressing the button next to the door. Sunlight poured into room as it opened with a swoosh and the sounds of bustling activity followed suit. “Allow me to be the first person to say welcome to Gram, and welcome to Ellios. I wish you the best of luck in your journey.”

He smiled at that, and stepped into the sunlight.

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