Chapter 1: Welcome

  His eyes opened. Uh. His eyes… opened. Well, at least it felt like they opened. Maybe it was dark?

  What happened?

  Did he have a heart attack? A Stroke? It wouldn't surprise him. His health had been failing him lately. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. He felt something. Something lumpy, long and… he shuttered.

  Focus. I can feel something. I can't see. I can't smell. I can’t taste. I can’t hear. I told her to pull the plug if I ever was in a state like this. I knew it! She hates me!

  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound, no, the sensation of sloshing. Was it a sound? It was like a deep rumble he felt in his core. He focused on listening more intently.

  There it was again. A growl. An engine of sorts? No, too organic. Was that his... stomach?

  Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Almost involuntarily, he went to sleep for what seemed like ages.

  A chiming of trumpets and stringed instruments yanked him out of his slumber.

  [Welcome to Orrey! A system-run world, uh…]

  A prompt box appeared in front of his eyes. As a clearly computerized voice rang out in his head. Confetti rained in a cheesy loop in the background.

  Holy… I’m in a…

  His words sputtered out and died before they could even form as a new menu popped up.

  [System error detected]

  [calculating] [compensating, reconciling]

  The horns played again. [Welcome to Orrey! It appears you were harvested illegally. Unfortunately this process is irreversible and you are now dead to your old life. Not to worry! The System is nothing if not fair. As compensation, the following concessions will be made prior to memory wipe and soul imprint: 1. User shall choose name 2. User shall choose Race 3. User shall choose Class]

  The system left very little to the imagination when it came to its intent. It was going to wipe his memory? So much for being a fair… system. Luckily Leo grew up on audiobooks and video games, so he had a pretty good idea of what was happening to him. Part of him was like a kid in a candy store, the adult side of him, however, was freaking all the way out.

  Focus Leo. What can you do?

  He tried all the usual tricks. He still couldn't speak, so he thought [status] and a system message came up.

  [New soul Detected. No access to status. Please select an identity before proceeding]

  Ok, well it’s not going to wipe me right away, let’s put that aside for now. If anything i can set myself up for success even if I don’t remember who I am.

  With a thought leo pulled up the racial selection menu and holy crap! The menu extended to the depths. He scrolled through and saw races like: Merman, Manticore, Fish-folk, Centaur, a few that seemed like they were copyright infringement, and all sorts of kin species. He’d have to come back to this, there was just way too much to process right now. He focused on the other two concessions the system gave him.

  Let’s check out class.

  He pulled up the menu, expecting a mile-long list only to be surprised with a few options: Mage, Warrior, Scrapper, Healer, Rogue, Ranger, non combat. He focused on the description for Scraper and was surprised to see a lengthy explanation of the class.

  [Scrapper: You are a fighter that specializes in dual wielding blades, agility and speed are your allies. You harness your Physical and External Stats to deliver continuous direct damage to your foes. Scrappers gain an extra boost to agility and endurance as they level up and have unique class skills like [Quicken] and [Burndown] what boost speed and endurance]

  Interesting, but not Leo’s style. Similarly, he didn't even bother checking the non-combat selection. Warrior was interesting. It offered a class perk that essentially revived the user after a fatal blow, but it could only be used once a year. From the looks of it, these core classes offered specialization later down the road, meaning he could choose now based on the general direction he wants to go. He pulled up Ranger as it was the most appealing to his play style and personal life.

  [Ranger: You are one with the environment. You strike from medium range or up close. You harness Physical and Mental stats to maximize your class. Rangers gain perks for multiple summoning slots and an innate boost to endurance by 10%]

  There wasn’t much deliberation once the description finished. He mentally selected the Ranger class. A light surrounded him, enveloping him in warmth and comfort. Penetrating his being. He could tell this was the process of the ranger class imprinting on him. The light faded, and before he could move on to the name selection, his world shook, violently.

  Again? He thought, but then, before he could get too upset the din ceased. And his world went back to a dark red cocoon he came to find comforting. He moved on to the name selection.

  Maybe he should name himself something ridiculous to signify that he should remember something as he gets older. No, that’s weird and could just as easily backfire. He could always go with his name, but why? There wasn’t really anything wrong with his name, but, this is such an opportunity to start from scratch! Why waste it on a stuffy name like Leo Douglass? No, this was an opportunity to re-define himself.

  What about: Harnax The Destroyer? He thought.

  [Harnax The Destroyer selected. Are you sure?]

  He chuckled to himself, The System said that last part with what seemed to be a bit of cringe.

  He focused on declining the name and he could swear he felt like the system let loose a sigh of relief.

  He thought about different user names he used in his video games. None worked. They were all… ugh, so-so. Then he thought of one particular character he made that seemed to break the entire game. He made his selection, and If he had a mouth, he’d smile as the system message came up

  [Error, Null time set.]

  [Error, Null title applied]

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  [Error, target lost, return, Null]

  It worked! Now that his naming hack was in place, it was time to choose his race and see what he could squeeze out of this system..

  He focused on the racial menu. Again the same gigantic list appeared.

  [Please select a race]

  This thing has to have a filter, he thought. Almost as soon as he finished the thought, a box appeared at the top of the list. Well that’s convenient. He modified the search to exclude all the races he commonly associated with darkness and evil, like vampires, demons, Ifrits.

  Who in their right mind would choose to be a goblin anyway?

  Dismissing those choices out of hand, he focused on the much shorter, but still unwieldy list:

  Unicorn seemed… interesting. Would that mean he’d turn into a horse? Probably, since most of the creature names were almost always followed by a few variants. In this case, Unicorn Kin and an odd race named Uniman were subspecies of Unicorn. Scratch that, rainbow farts and glitter were not particularly enticing considering he’s likely to be battling trolls and other fantastical creatures. He scrolled down the list and stopped at Nephilim, focusing on the details.

  [Nephilim- error, advanced race. Restricted to: Null]

  [reconciling]

  [Access granted for: Null]

  [Description- Nephilim are the higher order system administrators. They may adjust minor aspects of reality bound by parameters space and time. Stats are adjustable and appearance is standard. Admin only. Requires Soul bonded entity]

  Awesome. His name hack was already paying off!. But what’s a ‘soul bonded entity?’ sounds like it's some sort of restriction. Some games require that you soul bond a pet in order to make them grow stronger. Would he be a pet to the system if he made this choice? Maybe Nephlim was too risky. But that Null hack gave him a bit of wiggle room. He went back to the main list. This time, there was a small box next to each race. Experimentally, he focused on Werewolf. A small check filled in the box. He focused on de-selecting it.

  Nothing. The check stayed. He focused again, and again, nothing.

  Shit!

  Well, werewolves aren’t too bad, are they? They’re strong, can shape shift, and are still human… ish. Not his top choice, but he liked wolves- or at least the concept of them. He recalled his tattoo of the wolf on his arm. It was a silly, maybe rash decision to get it, but he didn’t exactly regret it. He pondered his next steps, with the selection made, what would he do now? The screen stayed, somehow implicitly urging him to confirm his selections were made.

  Selections.

  He scrolled, this time cautiously.

  Well, Might as well go with the theme of my tattoo. No ragrets! He chuckled to himself at his terrible sense of humor.

  He looked at the Ursine group: Werebear, Bearman, Ursyd. He focused on Ursyd

  [Ursyd: a Humanoid race known for their vaguely ursine features and habits. Do you like hibernating? Do you have a love for protecting the defenseless? Don’t mind being the biggest in the room aside from half-giants? Well then Ursyd is the way to go! Ursyd boast an impressive +2 to base Physical stats,. - 1 to all Mental stats, and carry base External Stats.]

  Hmm. not bad, pretty much a defensive build. What was up with the used car salesman pitch though? Hibernation would be nice, maybe it’ll boost vitality or have some sort of survival perk? He exited the details, still careful to not select the race.

  Whenever he played a game, he always emphasized balance. The Ursyd seemed cool, but he had to consider the werewolf side of him. He’s pretty much be a brute. Not his favorite playstyle and that wouldn't exactly go well with a ranger build. The description did say the Ursyd is mostly human in appearance, though,and he's already a large man by earth standards.

  So much for escaping the archetype of a large brown man. He thought.

  He kept scrolling to his next and final tattoo theme, the fox, or as the the list had it at the very bottom, Vulpids. In this category, there were many more subspecies. Some of these didn't even make sense. How many flavors of a fox could there possibly be? He narrowed it down to the same as his other candidates: Warefox, Fox-kin, and Vulpritch. That last one seemed interesting. He focused on it.

  [Vulpritch: an elusive Red-copper skinned humanoid race thought to be extinct due to system-sanctioned extermination. The Vulpritch are master artificers and warriors known for their elaborate creations and political scheming. Are you crafty, sneaky, aloof? Do you consider yourself a super genius? Are you so smart it’s scary- no like horrifyingly scary? Then The Vulpritch is just the race for you. +5 to base Mental stats, -1 to base Physical stats, +2 to Base External Stats. Racial skill, Wireframe unlocked]

  Uh, yes please! He thought to himself. The box filled in with a check.

  Wait, I meant that rhetorically! Crap. Somehow he knew he only had one more choice before the system would detect his exploit.

  Now, he had selected Werewolf and Vulpritch. So, he’s going to be a weird canid looking nerd? screw that, he went to Ursyd and selected it. Now he’s a buff nerd.

  Perfect. Even if most of his selection was due to sheer bone-headedness, he was happy with his pick. The screen began to fade.

  [Processing. Error detected. Racial incongruence detected. Racial descriptor definition set as: Null. True. Racial path exception granted]

  He held back a childish snicker. That naming hack was already worth it.

  [ Memory wipe in progress]

  He panicked. Would he still be… him? Would he-

  [Memory wipe set to Null. Complete. Defining Racial parameters.]

  More trumpets sounded and a flash of white light enveloped him before fading to a scenic mountain view. The words ‘Welcome to Orrey, Null!’ floated in the clouds, emblazoned in Gold.

  [I am the System. You are about to embark on a Journey of adventure, wonder, danger, and intrigue. You have been selected from the pool of souls to enter Orrey and try your hand at making the most of this life. Never let it be said that The System is nothing but fair! Please enjoy the scenery as you are being conceived]

  Elevator music played. Seriously? Null thought. I have to wait for this?

  [this process may take a moment] the system said in a polite voice. [ Processing.] The trumpeting music droned on as the scenery scrolled by. Vast meadows and ranges colored the ground. This place was much bigger than… Than earth.

  I’m still me! I’m still Null. no, I’m Null. I mean- my name is Null now, but before, it was L- Null.

  Null sighed. Well, you can't win them all. He indeed knew his old name, but something always changed it when he thought about it.

  [I’m sorry for the delay, the race Half-Vulupursyd appears to be in short supply. Not to worry, you will instead be born to an adaptive race. The Golems. Searching, please hold]

  The scenery lurched to the right, going away from the idyllic pasturelands to the desert, to tundra, finally slowing as it approached a barren volcanic landscape. His perspective descended. A small village of rock huts came into view. His heart fluttered as he appeared to be falling toward a rooftop. There was nothing he could do. He was going to- His rate of descent slowed to a gentle glide, like a leaf on the wind.

  [ please be advised, some may find this next portion disturbing. You are free to close your eyes.]

  Before he had a chance to process the warning, he floated through the roof. Right into what appeared to be a very intimate moment between two people made of… clay? Rock? He tried to turn his head as he approached even closer. The sounds intensified as he approached the man’s- erm, backside? With a shout from both, he was pulled into the man as if by a vortex. And all went dark. Again.

  Did I just? Get… If he had a stomach he would be dry heaving. Poor choice of words. He’d be blowing chunks. His skin crawled. Another poor choice of words. As he processed what just happened to him, his mind raced. The racing turned into panic. Time had no meaning. He was. Stuck, confined, trapped, he pushed, and pushed, and then blinding light. He had had enough, he let loose an ear splitting scream. Then warmth. A gentle hand caressed his face.

  “Hello little Null.” the most soothing voice he’d ever heard flowed into his mind. “Welcome! Aren’t you a fascinating little fellow?” The voice was accompanied by another, lesser voice. He knew that voice, too. It was… the man whose ass he- a tidal wave of emotions rushed to the surface and he again started screaming.