《In the Name of God》 Chapter 1 – Prologue I ¡°¡­and despite minor setbacks, I¡¯m glad to announce that the flight of ¡®Svarog¡¯ will proceed as planned, in a month¡¯s time on the anniversary of Commonwealth¡¯s reformation. On that day, the tenth of May 2074, exactly fifty years ago, our three countries decided to forego their¡ª¡± Click. He turned to his father who now held a remote, his intentions obvious, as channels changed one by one. ¡° Why did you change it? It was getting interesting,¡± he said with an irritated voice. Sure, president Kuzma could get overly¡­excited when talking about Commonwealth, but it was still important news! They finally will send their own space mission to Mars for God¡¯s sake! His father didn¡¯t answer until on the TV was some new film he couldn¡¯t recall the name of. A book adaptation if he remembered correctly. ¡°Dariusz,¡± he started, his tone surprisingly serious. ¡°Do you really want to listen to that political babble rather than do¡­you know, something useful, like get wasted? Oh, woe is me! To think that I would raise my only son so poorly.¡± Dad finished with a melodramatic sigh, as if ashamed of himself for his parental failure. It wasn¡¯t funny after nth time, but Dariusz still chuckled. Probably after hearing similar ¡®tirades¡¯ so often it became a reflex. Or his sense of humour simply was terrible, could be too. ¡°No, but it¡¯s still important, Dad. Mars mission, we are one step closer to colonizing another planet!¡± Alright, he might be a little too enthusiastic, but still. ¡°And the reason you couldn¡¯t simply search for that info on the net?¡± Uh¡­ ¡°Speaking of, what¡¯d happened for you to even come down? It couldn¡¯t be to watch the TV with me, could it?¡± And now Dad was suspicious of him. Great. C¡¯mon Dariusz, you can salvage this. ¡°Is it so weird that I want to spend my time with you?¡± None of them looked convinced at that. Obviously. What the hell, man? ¡°I take it I don¡¯t have to comment what I think about it, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to¡­you know, take a little break from the workshop.¡± Sure, it wasn¡¯t anything big, but it still wasn¡¯t an easy thing to ask his dad for. Dariusz knew Dad would agree without any problem, but an illogical part of him was afraid he would disappoint his father. Plus, he technically was Dariusz employer. Still was stupid, though. And so thought Dad judging by the face he made. ¡° That¡¯s it?¡± He nodded. ¡° Yeah, for around¡­two weeks? Maybe a little more? I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± And what a glorious break it would be. ¡°Alright. I have to ask though, why now?¡± Dad looked genuinely curious, which shocked Dariusz. He¡­he couldn¡¯t have forgotten, right? His father was the biggest roleplay junkie he has ever known, to forget about the release of possibly the most amazing VRMMO to ever exist? So he waited for a few seconds, expecting some ¡®just kidding¡¯ moment, but to no avail. Alright, Dad is going to get seriously pissed at himself for this. ¡°Project Revelations.¡± Project Revelations. The most anticipated video game since¡­who knows, really. A state of the art, it was the first of its kind to use the recently released commercial version of Full Immersion Sarcophagus¡ªusually abbreviated to either ¡®FIS¡¯ or ¡®Sarc¡¯¡ªallowing a truly unique and, more importantly, realistic experience no game could before. And by realistic he didn¡¯t mean just amazing graphics; it was a whole new living and breathing world, with its own history, cultures, and languages. And the most important part to both Dariusz and his dad? The main philosophy of the team behind PR, DEM Entertainment, was to ¡®remind players what RP stand for in RPG¡¯. No endless grind, optimal classes and skills, the only one way to progress the story et cetera; every player would be the main character of their very own story, one that could lead anywhere depending on their actions. A game that rewarded first and foremost creativity¡­well, they both fell in love with the concept when they heard about it.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Which is Dariusz wasn¡¯t surprised when he saw his father¡¯s face slowly pale, and his eyes lose any lustre they had before as if he didn¡¯t have any will to live anymore. ¡°Fuck,¡± he finally murmured. Overdramatic, but he could understand. ¡°You took on a commission recently?¡± He wouldn¡¯t be surprised; when Dad focuses and his work, he always gives his all, spending most of his time until an order is finished. Which can result in situations like this, unfortunately He merely nodded. ¡°How important?¡± Maybe he could simply leave it to¡ªah, what was he saying/ There was no way it wasn¡¯t a big deal judging from his reaction. Dad closed his eyes, slowly inhaled through his nose and then sighed. After a moment he looked at Dariusz again. ¡°Very. Wedding rings for an Italian corporate oligarch. Just stared in fact.¡± He smiled despite his resigned expression. ¡°I¡­well, fuck.¡± Really, what else was he supposed to say? It was huge, even more so since it was an order from goddamn Italy out of all places. His father was a great goldsmith¡ªhe had to if he wanted to stay in business considering all the mechanisation¡ªbut commisions from abroad were still rare, and one from Italy, one of the few places where goldsmiths still are popular, was even more surprising. On the other hand, Dad is probably the best goldsmith in the entire Commonwealth¡ªit¡¯s time for him to finally get the respect he deserves. Dad chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Pretty unique pieces at that. Oh well.¡± He stood up and stretched for a second, before sending Dariusz a wry smile. ¡°Pretty sure your mother also forgot ¡®bout PR, so at least I won¡¯t be alone in my suffering. Eh, I guess the faster I work the earlier I could play?¡± ¡°Just¡­don¡¯t overwork yourself, Dad. We don¡¯t want you to collapse from exhaustion again.¡± It¡¯d happened, more times than he¡¯d like in fact. Which would be zero times, but alas, his father was too invested in his work sometimes. Dad¡¯s expression lightened and he smiled warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I won¡¯t. Too important. Heh, I just hope you¡¯ll be ready to work doubly as hard as before to get back in shape. I wouldn¡¯t want you to stop at being only a journeyman, you know?¡± ¡°Ha, as if. I¡¯m a Zargar, goldsmithing is in our blood.¡± Literally. That¡¯s how his family on Dad¡¯s side got their surname, after all. He heard the door open. Huh, Mum¡¯s earlier than usual; it was only five p.m. Well, he won¡¯t complain. After a short moment, she entered the living room. He still couldn¡¯t understand how his parents could be in their late forties and still look almost twenty years younger. Wait no, it could be some cosmetics now that he thought about it. Or magic, either of. She was fairly short, pale complexion with green eyes and long, dark blonde hair cascading down her back, still in shape despite¡ªthough one could argue exactly because of¡ªbeing a lawyer. Dad looked much more out of place, on the other hand¡ªtall, almost two meters high, brown eyed with a darker skin befitting his ancestry, and short, black hair. ¡°Eliza.¡± Dad didn¡¯t let Mum say anything, she only took one step into the room, and he instantly turned towards her with a grim expression. Looks like it¡¯s the time for re¡ªno, he would not make that pun. It was terrible. ¡°Y-yes? Something¡¯s happened Kurosh?¡± ¡°Project Revelations.¡± Time stopped. His parents both looked at each other with blank faces, neither allowing to show any emotion in front of the other. It started to feel awkward. Then his mother sighed, clearly irritated. ¡°And here I thought I would have a nice day¡­But no, of course not. Great. When is it going to launch?¡± They both looked at him then. Oh. He thought they would remember at least that piece of information after getting reminded of PR. No big deal, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything important. He rolled his eyes at that. ¡°Monday eight p.m, so two days from now.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to get buried with work in the next week¡­Ah, whatever. Come here Dariusz,¡± she finished with arms wide open. Hey, he may be twenty but you don¡¯t say no to your mother¡¯s hugs no matter the age. ¡°And before you start complaining, you too Kurosh.¡± ¡°Heh, you know me too well.¡± Though small, his family was unique with a story befitting them; it¡¯s not always that lovers meet at a cemetery, after all. ¡®Romantic, if morbid¡¯ his father often says. ¡°By the way Dariusz, I¡¯ve met a really nice young lady that you would like.¡± Why. God, why hath thou forsaken me? Mom laughed and Dad soon joined here. ¡°If we two have to suffer son, then you have too.¡± Yes, he definitely loves his family. Chapter 2 – Prologue II And so two days had passed without any noticeable event if one were to exclude the growing impatience; people can wait years for something they desire, but the moment they¡¯re close to obtaining it, the more impatient they get. A human nature, really. Which meant that Dariusz was desperately trying to keep his mind from PR in any way he could. Right now he was coming back from the kitchen after a quick breakfast with Dad; Mum, unfortunately, had to go to work already, something about ¡®important case¡¯, though he didn¡¯t ask for details. It was like the world itself decided to conspire against his parents, deciding to give them tasks too important to ignore or ¡®delegate¡¯ to others. He passed the living room before walking up the stairs to his room. While the first floor contained all the sleeping rooms¡ªhis, his parents, and two guest rooms¡ªon the ground floor was everything else: aforementioned kitchen and living room, but also a garage, small library, and their workshop. Though Dad had his own ¡®office¡¯ with its own workshop, he still wanted to have his own personal one at home. Much smaller, but still enough to craft whatever they wanted. All in all, it was a pretty big house¡ªsome might even say ¡®villa¡¯, though he didn¡¯t agree with that¡ªin the ¡®mixed district¡¯ of Lviv¡¯s suburbs. Dad told him he had never had much love for his country, even after White Revolution, so when he met Mum in Tehran he didn¡¯t have any problem leaving with her to Ruthenia. And so they¡¯ve decided to live here, with Poles, Ukrainians, Litvin and other nationalities of Commonwealth in Ruthenia Autonomous Region. Probably for the best. He opened the door of his room; it was fairly spacious, with light beige walls and dark wooden furniture. Old-fashioned compared to modern standards, but he liked it this way. A bed, wardrobe, a few bookshelves, and two joined desks¡ªone for his PC, and the second for his other hobbies, mostly calligraphy or bookbinding. He is a son of a goldsmith, it shouldn''t be too surprising he finds other types of handiwork interesting. Now, how could he kill time then? He stepped closer to his bookshelves, looking for anything he hadn¡¯t read before. Though they had many books in their library, they were mostly bought by his parents and fit their interests. But these? These belonged solely to him, paid with his money. Which he earned as his dad''s apprentice. Hey, it still counted. He had always been a bit of a collector, not surprising considering his parents were similar. As such, the books he had were about anything that interested him at the time of buying¡ªcalligraphy and bookbinding manuals; gold- and normal smiting, with the latter being much fewer in number, textbooks; books about mythologies and religions of the world; fantasy and sci-fi novels. Most of them were either in Polish or Persian, his two native languages, with a few other in either Ukrainian or English. Ah, the perks of not only having parents from different nations, but also living in a region with many nationalities. ¡­of course, he didn¡¯t find anything. Really, did he expect to suddenly find some kind of a book version of Holy Grail after checking same shelves nth time? He sighed, that was stupid of him. So what else could he do? He currently didn''t have enough patience for calligraphy, smithing would take too much of his time. The best choices would probably be to simple waste that time doing whatever on PC. Or sleep, that could work too. Or maybe¡­ He turned to the right side of his room. There, awkwardly situated between a wall and the bed, stood¡ªthough ¡®laid¡¯ might be a better word here¡ªthe recently installed FIS. Despite its name, it didn¡¯t bear much resemblance to an actual sarcophagus; if anything, it looked more like a suggested prototype of a cryo-pod he¡¯d seen some time ago. Around three meters long, more than enough to comfortably fit any human, with a slick, monochrome design and transparent glass. Futuristic, even today. He hated the fact that even after moving his bed he couldn¡¯t find any good place for FIS. Eh, at least he would have no problem getting from gaming to sleeping this way. Although couldn¡¯t a Sarcophagus also work as a bed? Food for thought. ¡°Might as well.¡± Dariusz turned to his desk where he¡¯d left a lengthy user manual and attached jumpsuit he was supposed to wear whenever he used FIS. It seemed weird to him, but hey; it¡¯s in the instruction. He had read it before¡ªor at least the most important parts¡ªso he skimmed past all the info until he got to the ¡®too long didn¡¯t read¡¯ page, with all the most important information to check if he remembered everything correctly. Both vocal and manual activation possible, always wear the provided jumpsuit and nothing else¡ªwait, does this include underwear? Huh, it does. Well, he was supposed to be engulfed in some kind of stasis gel, with a too complicated formal name he couldn¡¯t bother to remember, so it didn¡¯t surprise him too much, as uncomfortable that idea seemed to be. Alright, what next? No foreign materials, obvious; always wear the respirator before full activation, the same thing; don¡¯t use more than twelve hours, reasonable; before¡ª ¡­ Before activating FIS, please use a toilet first. He chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that seems like a really good advice.¡± Dariusz put down the user manual back on the desk and quickly changed his clothes into the dark red jumpsuit. Alright. Time for the moment of truth. ¡°Sarcophagus, open.¡± Voice commands worked as promised; FIS¡¯ hatch opened. He awkwardly crawled over his bed and took out the previously mentioned breathing mask from the now opened Sarcophagus. It protected his whole face and was connected to FIS through a flexible tube to pump air. Well, no reason to waste any more time. Dariusz put the mask on and laid down in FIS. Huh, he didn¡¯t expect it to be so comfortable. Maybe he really won¡¯t need that bed after all? ¡°Okay¡­not so bad so far. Sarcophagus, close.¡± Though his voice was muted because of the mask, it still listened to his commands, and the hatch closed. Curiously enough, the glass slowly turned opaque and over his head appeared a question with only one word.
Begin?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
A shiver went down his spine, his breath slowly getting heavier. It was¡­unnerving, actually. He¡¯s been awaiting this moment for over a year, but now when he was so close, the reality of this situation starting setting in. If what DEM had said and shown was true, then what awaited him was not a simple game but truly a new, alien world. This¡­ ¡°Ah damn, this is ridiculous,¡± he murmured in frustration. What was he getting all anxious for? Yes, it¡¯s natural for humans to be scared of alien and unknown, but at the same time they draw them, fuelling their desires and ambitions of great adventures or leaving a heritage. He may as well embrace that part. ¡°User?¡± The message above him changed, and with it, a feminine, clearly synthetic voice resounded around him. ¡°GAH!¡± he screamed, almost hitting his head against the hatch. Too close. ¡°Do you require help User?¡± Did he hear it wrong or was that a genuine concern for his well being? Was it an actual AI then, or just a well-made program? Wait, PR might have corrupted his idea what constitutes as ¡®real¡¯ a and what doesn''t. Well, whatever it was he definitely didn¡¯t expect it to talk to him. ¡°Ah¡­no. No, I¡¯m alright just¡­didn¡¯t expect to, you know, hear anything in here. No offence.¡± He added almost as an afterthought to not sound ungrateful; it did sound concerned, after all. Besides, there was no need to be rude to our future AI overlords, was there? ¡°None taken, though voice functions should be explained on page 173¡ª¡± Ah, damn. Should have read the manual much more closely then. ¡°I will file a report to include this section to the shortened manual. More importantly, I have detected an increase in your heartbeat and stress level. Did you feel unwell?¡± But still, how did¡ªwaaait. Jumpsuit maybe? Although its design was different, he had to wear something like that in hospitals before. If the jumpsuit¡¯s creators implemented sensors similar to those, then it would make sense for the manual to be so insistent about him wearing it. He really was starting to regret skimming over the manual. ¡°Nothing serious, I¡¯m okay now. Just was anxious for a second there.¡± He didn¡¯t really have to answer it, but¡­why not? He was talking with a real AI, after all. Well, maybe. ¡°I see.¡± There was a brief pause, probably to check the current state of his vitals. Or maybe just to make it appear as if it did so, to make it more human-like. ¡°Then are you ready to begin, User?¡± The big ¡®Begin¡¯ screen appeared again. Yeah. Yeah, he was. ¡°Yes.¡± And then there was darkness. Aaaand then he was back in his room, though with his previous clothes on rather than the jumpsuit.
Scan complete. Synchronisation complete. Welcome to your Personal Space, Dariusz S?awomir Zargar.
A blue, translucent windows message appeared in front of him. It followed his sight, moving to wherever he was currently looking at but not limiting his view. Huh, cool. Though he wondered why it included his second name. He looked around what appeared to be an exact copy of his room, his gaze stopping at the mirror on the wardrobe. ¡°It looks so real,¡± he whispered while looking at the mirror. Most of his features he had inherited from his father. Although not as tall as him, he still stood over metre eighty tall, with the same skin colour as Dad. His hair though, which he had recently decided to tie in a high ponytail as to not annoy him during the tedious process of letting it grow, was dark brown and a beginning of a stubble started appearing on his face. His most striking features were his eyes¡ªas if God decided to honour both his parents, the inner part of the iris was light brown while the outer part dark green. Central Heterochromia, if he remembered the name correctly. So¡­what was he supposed to do again? Oh, right. ¡°Options.¡± Because the first thing you always do after buying a new game or console is to check options.
Interface Configuration Personal Space Configuration Avatar Configuration Software Configuration Games Configuration
Another window appeared, making him all giddy. God, he felt like a kid with a new toy. He checked the first option. It was, as its name suggested, about the interface¡ªpopup colours, placement, additional info like date and time et cetera. Useful, if boring. On the other hand, now he knew he still had¡­ten hours before release. Joy. Ah, damn. Whatever, he might as well get used to all these options at least now that he had already entered FIS. The second option was all about his surrounding, be it changing the room into an entire mansion or maybe a homely cabin in a forest, with many presets and customization options available. It was nice, if not something he really cared about right now. He almost definitely will change it into something more to his liking, but right now he just didn¡¯t have any idea. Though¡­maybe a library preset? He did include his digital bookshelf to synchronise with FIS during installation, so why not try it, just to see if it works? Everything changed without waiting for him to say a word. No longer was he in his bedroom, but an ancient library filled with not only hundreds of books, but also modern magazines and comics saved in his cloud. This dissonance was a little bit jarring if he had to be honest. ¡°Thoughts are enough here apparently, good to know. And the next option waaaaas¡­Avatar.¡± A holographic version of himself appeared, with even more options and sliders than the previous category. Curiously enough, most of the more fantastical options were greyed out. When he focused on one of such options, some four-armed hybrid of a dog and a lizard called ¡®Towi¡¯, a new window showed up.
This Avatar is blocked until Project Revelations¡¯ Character Creation. Please wait.
Not helpful at all, though it wasn¡¯t like he actually wanted to change how he looked right now. Software then. This category didn¡¯t bring any interesting information, unfortunately. Well, FIS was only recently released so it¡¯s understandable. There was, however, one interesting feature: time dilation, up to three times slower or faster than in the real world. If he was a student then he sure as hell would love that feature. He stopped at that thought. Student, huh? He didn¡¯t think he would be able to attend a university before, but now he realised he could. If he wanted, which he wasn¡¯t entirely sure of. He already had a job he liked, and his future was essentially set so¡­was there any need for that? Maybe something linked? He shook his head, trying to get away stray thought; he didn¡¯t want to start worrying about this right now Time to check the last one, Game category. This one showed, naturally, only one position. Unlike the other options, however, when he focused on PR icon rather than a new hologram or window appearing, it was a new set of doors instead. One locked with heavy, brass chains and with a piece of paper attached to it. Huh. ¡®Official Opening - 8 p.m Character Creation - 4 p.m¡¯ Okaaay, that would be nice to know beforehand. Was it a recent decision, or what? He looked around the library once more. It really didn¡¯t fit. Hmm¡­Reset Personal Space? Immediately after, he was back again in his room, though the doors to PR didn¡¯t disappear, instead occupying the spot of the entrance door. Not that he¡¯d have to use them here He sighed. Still six hours of waiting¡­ Chapter 3 – Character Creation I As entertaining as FIS was, getting out of it was not something he enjoyed. Sure, most of the stasis gel had been sucked back to its container, but that was the crux of the problem¡ªmost, not all. Waking up all slimy wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling. Gah, will he have to shower every damn time he uses Sarcophagus? Great, just great. He looked at his bed for a second. So¡­the every time he finishes his FIS session, he¡¯ll have to inadvertently cover his bed with that damn slime as well? Wait, that sounded wrong. ¡­ Ah, fuck it. He¡¯ll just move the bed to the middle of the room. As awkward as it may be, it still was better than this. After he had changed his clothes, leaving the dirty jumpsuit in FIS, he took a quick shower, wanting to get the gel¡¯s remains out of his hair as fast as possible, a surprisingly easy task to do. To his wonder, when he returned to his bedroom, the gel on both the bed and the jumpsuit disappeared seemingly without any trace left. Evaporated? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Dariusz looked at a clock. Still five more hours, eh? Wasting time behind PC it is, then.
Apparently, opinions on FIS and PR were much more¡­divided, than he had previously expected. He had seen, both in person and in various media, how some people were wary of the new technology¡ªthat¡¯s what always happens with every new invention¡ªbut as if some kind of a floodgate has opened with the oncoming release, tons of new articles and comments appeared. Mostly negative. People were genuinely afraid. He¡­could understand them, in a way. All of the shown gameplay videos, just as his recent FIS experience, were realistic enough to mistake them for real life. And with a whole new world, one that is inhabited by not only humans but also completely different races, with their own history? With AI that could speak and think as any human could? A big change was coming, and change was almost always synonymous with unknown. But, ironically one may think, humanity doesn¡¯t only fear the unknown. It also seeks and tries to understand it. Yes, people were anxious and unsure, but so were they excited to explore this new world of Project Revelations. Heh, if only they actually knew what it¡¯s called; DEM Entertainment kept with their tight-lipped policy, which meant players didn¡¯t have any idea about the world itself other than the short gameplay teasers. Despite that, people were still extremely hyped, Dariusz and his dad being prime examples. And so did the most of the internet, he guessed. So, some people were scared of DEM essentially playing gods, while other people were too excited for various reasons to actually care. As far as FIS itself goes, he¡¯d found out he was not alone in his experience with almost getting a heart attack hearing its AI. Nor being disgusted with the stasis gel. The good news about the latter? It really does evaporate when not directly in contact with some kind of stabilizer installed in FIS. Other than that piece information, he had already found tons of news forums on PR, as rare as any news on the game¡¯s lore and mechanics were. It didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any, though. For lore, the most important information was the nature of players¡ªrather than being transported beings from another world, they were instead ¡®Awakened¡¯; people who have regained memories of their previous lives and through this gotten interest of one of many gods. Though nothing particularly novel, to Dariusz it still seemed more interesting. Mechanic wise, PR¡¯s creators decided to revolutionise the industry. Throwing away the old class system chosen at the character creation, DEM replaced it with¡­well, another class system. Though they all are called ¡®classes¡¯, player¡¯s skills, background, and current circumstances all take part in determining in one¡¯s class. For example, if your initial skills are mainly melee focused, you could get a ¡®Warrior¡¯ class which then could evolve depending on your future skills, into a ¡®Knight¡¯ if you learn horseback and other knightly skills. But, depending on your backstory you could be instead a ¡®Fallen Knight¡¯ as a disgraced noble, ¡®Knight of Insert God¡¯ if you worship any specific god, ¡®Royal Knight¡¯ if you get approved by the ruler of your country et cetera. This, alongside the possibility of having more than just one class, made the entire system much more flexible and player dependent than your usual kind. Now, his main problem? He had no idea what to make. He wasn¡¯t alone in this dilemma, as he saw countless other messages begging for some suggestions for making their characters. A shrewd archer? Ruthless gladiator? Wise mage? More tropes he was tired of Well, he still had almost five hours, it should be enough time to think of something interesting.
He was wrong, it wasn¡¯t enough; he still didn¡¯t find anything interesting and unique enough and it was already four p.m. Maybe a muse will strike him during the actual character creation? He could definitely hope. Or pray, praying could work too. Dariusz sighed in resignation, getting into FIS once again, this time without any more surprises. Immediately after he activated the machine, he was once again greeted by a blue window, though with a new addition.
Welcome to your Personal Space, Dariusz S?awomir Zargar Character Creation for Project Revelations has been opened.
Huh, cool. He turned to where PR¡¯s door was only to find it different. When before it looked exactly like the entry to his bedroom¡ªa dark wooden door with a simple design¡ªblocked by chains, now it looked much more regal. Though still made of wood, that much he was certain of, the material was of a much higher quality, something even he who had barely any knowledge of woodworking could say. Dark, almost black wood with intricate, silver geometric and floral designs that reminded him of Arabic art but no exactly. Masterfully done.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. In one word, beautiful. ¡°What am I doing, admiring a door of all things?¡± He laughed at the ridiculousness of this situation. Well, he still is a craftsman, albeit a journeyman goldsmith; he could be excused for cherishing a work of art, right? Dariusz opened the door, finding behind it¡­well, something even more awe-inspiring. A circular chamber with a domed ceiling, a structure that heavily reminded him of some kind of a temple to a foreign god. Everywhere he could see were murals, not even the tiniest piece of space was free from various depictions of what he presumed were the most important events to whoever built this structure¡ªepic battles between nations, heroes duelling with each other and slaying monsters, alliances and treaties being written, monuments to gods and kings being erected, and so many more. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Quite frankly, he was overwhelmed. Enough to forget it was ¡®just¡¯ a game. Or to miss the person in the centre of said work of art. ¡°It warms my heart to see someone appreciate Amyu¡¯s art, unlike my previous guest. Come, Wayfarer, take a seat.¡± Dariusz turned to his speaker, startled by the voice. There, near a long, rectangular table, sat the man who had just called to him. Being too focused on paintings on the wall to no notice a man directly in front of him? That wasn¡¯t smart, at all. ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± Dariusz said abashed, moving closer and doing as the man suggested. ¡°Dariusz Zargar, it¡¯s a pleasure,¡± he finished with a polite smile. Once again, just because he was an AI didn¡¯t mean Dariusz had to be rude. If he was an AI, that is¡ªhe could also be a DEM employee. ¡°I am Anahlya, the pleasure is all my.¡± He looked¡­peculiar; definitely human-like, but the colours were wrong¡ªtoo vibrant, too strong. Tall, definitely as high as his father if not more, with a skin so pale it couldn¡¯t be healthy, black messy hair that seemed to suck in the light as if made of vantablack, and vibrant, shining even, hazel eyes. He probably isn¡¯t a human. Some kind of a divinity then, perhaps? That¡¯s what often happens in such stories. His choice of attire wasn¡¯t something he would have expected either, although still relatively normal. A robe-like garment of what he presumed was silk, coloured deep Tyrian purple and decorated with the same silver designs he¡¯d found on the door leading here. Beneath it he could see a piece of scarlet clothing, a shirt most likely though he wasn¡¯t sure. The one thing that really stood out though, was the black half-mask he wore, completely hiding the lower part of his face. Unlike the rest of Anahlya¡¯s clothing, this mask was mundane, matte and without any decorations. Dariusz was almost certain he was amused right now. ¡°As you might have guessed already, I will be your Coordinator for Character Creation. Shall we begin?¡± He smiled cordially. Probably. His eyes definitely looked like he was smiling, but Dariusz couldn¡¯t be sure of it. This would get annoying quickly, wouldn¡¯t it? A new window appeared in front of him.
Character Creation
  • Questionnaire
  • Simplified
  • Detailed
  • User¡¯s Idea
Warning! The last option, User¡¯s Idea, would be under scrutinization of both your Coordinator and Grand Director and is not guaranteed to be accepted by either of them.
Huh. ¡°As you can see, there are four options.¡± Anahlya started with a jovial tone, hands on the table and supporting his head. ¡°The first one, Questionnaire, is fairly simple; you¡¯ll simply have to answer a set of questions after which I¡¯ll make a prototype character for you which we¡¯ll then further develop. In that case, you could say I¡¯d work as a Game Master of pen and paper RPGs.¡± That sounded nice actually. ¡°It¡¯s my preferred option because it gives me a better idea as to what kind of a person a player is.¡± Anahlya looked at him, any amusement disappearing from his face¡ªor rather eyes¡ªleaving only sternness reminding him of an old teacher of his. A good man who really cared for his students, but also someone who really didn¡¯t have any tolerance for bullshit. To end this image, he adopted a much more formal way of sitting.¡± Although all of us highly appreciate your willingness to play roles you haven¡¯t before, it¡¯s better to keep with something you¡¯re actually capable of.¡± Dariusz slowly nodded at that. Normally that wouldn¡¯t be as problematic, in PR? If, and that¡¯s a big if, Anahyla really is an AI, then he¡¯s a good foretaste of the rest of the World ¡°Like someone too nice deciding to play as an evil overlord, for example?¡± He actually could see something like that happen. Anahlya¡¯s eyes closed as leaned into his chair, losing any previous strictness and instead appearing to completely lose any remaining will to live. Ouch. ¡°You have no idea. A friend of mine, Anamiwi¡¯s her name, decided to vent her pent of frustration on me after exactly such case. Boy won¡¯t survive for long if he even makes it after his tutorial.¡± ¡°I see¡­So, other options?¡± As entertaining as learning that might be, he still had to make his own character. ¡°Yes, right.¡± He returned to the dignified, royal even, mannerism Dariusz witnessed when he first saw his Coordinator. He was shaking his head as if that act would magically make him forget the last minutes of conversation.¡± The Simplified method gives all tools to you and I don¡¯t have anything to say in that matter, so you can make whatever you want. Detailed is the same, but with everything more¡­well, detailed, rather than being your usual archetypes.¡± He sighed, clearly frustrated. ¡°The frustrating part of both these methods is that Players rarely ask any questions. But I have for time for memes, so I have that going for me, which is nice.¡± ¡­what. Dariusz looked at his Coordinator, bemused. Did he really hear it right? ¡°Personally, I prefer older ones, from the twenty-first century in particular.¡± Okay, he couldn¡¯t see his mouth, but Dariusz was sure Anahlya was grinning right now. He chuckled weakly, wondering if other Players had similar experiences with their own Coordinators. ¡°And the last one?¡± "Ah, this one is the most interesting. You see¡­¡± He leaned in a conspirational manner, speaking with a hushed voice. He could play along, why not. ¡°It¡¯s literally anything you want,¡± he finished, before once again sitting normally. He radiated smugness. Meanwhile, Dariusz was dumbfounded, which must have shown on his face as Anahlya continued talking after a moment. ¡°And I do mean anything. As long as both the Grand Director and I deem it interesting enough, it¡¯s fair play. So, go wild.¡± ¡­everything possible? ¡° You can¡¯t¡­no way there are no limits.¡± Right? ¡°Nooope. For example, one of the recent Players was a transmigrated crusader from Jerusalem. I can hear his chants of ¡®Deus Vult!¡¯ from here.¡± He laughed. Everything. Possible. ¡°Listen,¡± Anahlya started with a calm, almost fatherly tone. ¡°Your imagination is the limit. Perhaps you wish to bring your characters to life? Or maybe you wish to make gods from your mythologies and ancestors proud? It doesn¡¯t matter what exactly it is, as long as you make it interesting it¡¯s possible.¡± The dignified persona returned. At this point, Dariusz wasn¡¯t sure what to think of those behaviour changes. His gaze slowly turned towards his neck, gears of his mind spinning faster and faster. There it was, a pendant and his first creation as a journeyman goldsmith. A robed man with a crown holding a ring, the lower portion of his body hidden feathered wings. A Faravahar. Make his God and ancestors proud, huh? He grinned. That gave him an idea. Chapter 4 – Character Creation II ¡°I take it you already have something in mind?¡± Anahlya asked. Was it pride Dariusz heard? Possibly, though he couldn¡¯t say what exactly his Coordinator was proud of. Dariusz smiled again, still looking at his pendant. ¡°Yeah, just need some time for proper research and to gather my thoughts.¡± He frowned. ¡°Can I use the internet here, or will I have to go back?¡± Small inconvenience it may be, it would still annoy him. Besides, would he even have the same Coordinator then? Anahlya seemed like a decent, if unusual, pick so hopefully yes. ¡°Yes. This chamber isn¡¯t a part of Project Revelation¡¯s world, not in fully at least, and as such acts as a link between that world and your Personal Space. It was to be expected people would want to research before fully committing to their creations.¡± A notebook appeared on the table; nothing fancy but enough for what he wanted. And he wanted to research, to make his character as perfect, as unique, as he could. He heard more typing, though not from his laptop. Dariusz took his eyes off the screen to see Anahlya with the same notebook he had, murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like ¡®dank¡¯ or quietly chuckling to himself. Looks like he was serious about those memes. He turned again to the wall of text on his screen. Time for research.
¡°Hey Anahlya, can I ask you something?¡± He inquired while still typing on the keyboard. He had finished most of his research, now it was simply a matter of making it all into something that had sense. Which was easier to say than do. Still, he had almost finished. ¡°Depends and the nature of said question.¡± Dariusz stopped, it was as good as any moment for a small break. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to ask you, your nature. I mean, I guess you¡¯re some kind of a divinity, but I dunno for sure. ¡®He who asks does not wander¡¯ as they say, so why not.¡± He stretched after ending. God, he had no idea typing could be so exhausting! How long did it take him, anyway? Wait, what? Almost two hours? Damn. Anahlya hummed, before taking a more comfortable position, one leg on the other. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad question. I am what Amyu called Tskhiksmispeu, essentially a lesser divinity or something akin to your angels, forever in servitude to Grand Director. Does that answer your question?¡± It did, but it also made him want to ask even more. Which most likely was Anahlya¡¯s intention, judging by his smirk. He rolled his eyes. ¡°And that, of course, makes me curious what exactly are you. You know, the divinity of lighting, water, music.¡± His Coordinator laughed at his wild guessing. ¡°None of that, that I must say you were getting close with music. No, just as my name suggests, I¡¯m merely an actor and nothing more.¡± Ah, that confirmed whether he''s AI or not and explained his inconsistent behaviour. What puzzled him though, were two different emotions he heard in Anahlya¡¯s voice: gratitude, but also a disappointment. ¡°I see¡­And Grand Director? Who is he?¡± Considering he was one of the two beings responsible for his character¡¯s acceptance, it was prudent to ask. ¡°Ah, Analikst Nekki te losts Hlyekankyempu Syufa¡ª¡± What. ¡°Which loosely translates into ¡®Grand Director of the Life Spectacle¡¯. I trust you can guess what he symbolises? He¡¯s the current System Administrator.¡± He blinked in surprise. ¡°Current?¡± ¡°Current.¡± Anahlya nodded. ¡°Second, to be specific. Usually, it¡¯s the manifestation of the World that takes care of the most important systems in your world¡¯s stories, right? Well, it was the same here.¡± ¡­what was he supposed to do with this information? Seriously, this sounded like something of huge importance and he just¡ªoh. Unless it¡¯s actually a common knowledge. His Coordinator laughed at his unamused expression. Sure, laugh it out. ¡°Haaah¡­Alright, I guess that¡¯s enough. Here it is.¡± Might as well use this moment to show his creation. He really hoped it would be accepted after all his hard work. Anahlya took his notebook and started reading, either nodding alongside or making quiet comments he didn¡¯t manage to hear. After five minutes of waiting, he met the gaze of the divinity in front of him, both of their stares unyielding. ¡°I have no objections, but I want you to think twice before making this decision. Are you absolutely sure this is who you want to be? Some people, both divine and mortal, might not appreciate such¡­bold proclamation of allegiance.¡± He nodded. If a literal crusader was fair play, then why not this? No regrets. ¡°I see. And the answer is¡­¡±
Your character: Ashanemah, the Seeker of Truth has been accepted.
Your character: Ashanemah, the Seeker of Truth has been accepted.
Two windows? Oh right, it had to be accepted by both Coordinator and Grand Director. Does every Divine have their own windows colour, or is it only the case with Coordinators?
Your name was Dariush Zargar, a faithful if unordinary man. But when the gates to a new World have opened, you have found your calling. You have cast away your previous life and name, returning to the ancient customs of your people. Though they are no more the proud Aryans they were, conquered and changed, you like a few others still remember the Truth. And so you have dedicated your new life to your God and Asha, taking the name of ¡®one who shows reverence to the Truth¡¯, marking your body with the Holy words of Avesta to show the world who you serve. You are alone. Your journey will be hazardous, filled with many enemies not taking kindly to this ¡®upstart¡¯ God and few allies you''ll have to fight tooth and nail for. But you don''t mind. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. As long as you can serve Him, you''ll be happy. And perhaps this new World could be a new start not only for you?
Unique Race gained
Human (Aryan) - People from a bygone era of a different World. Attribute Affinity: Willpower, Wisdom Ability Affinity: Religious, Arts
Unique Religion gained
Mazdayasna - Worship of Ahura Mazda, God from a different world. Unknown No Enemies No Allies ??? ??? ???
Title Gained
Seeker of Truth - You have cast away your previous life, taking on the name of ¡®One who shows reverence to the Truth¡¯ and dedicating your life to finding Asha, the Truth. Higher chance of uncovering secrets. ??? ??? ???
Trait Gained
Wayfarer - A being not of this world, marked by a higher power. Easier time learning skills. Ignorance of the new world. The interest of other higher powers
Trait Gained
Faithful - You are a bulwark of Faith. Faith stat unlocked. Penalties for not adhering to faith¡¯s tenants.
Trait Gained
Wreathed in the Word - Your body is a canvas upon which the holy words of Avesta had been written. Distrust from certain people. Interest from certain people. ??? ??? ???
He stared at the messages, not fully comprehending what''s just happened. A cold shiver down his spine. It¡­it was still a game, right? Well, it obviously was, it had to be, but this¡­ What was he supposed to think about this? It was his creation, true, but in no way could he predict what exactly would be the consequences. Is this really who he''s going to become? He read everything once more. Heh, he could imagine the outrage if any of the more conservative parties were to see his messages. Did something similar happen to that Crusader Anahlya mentioned? Probably, though he wondered if that guy was as shaken by this as Dariusz currently was. He hesitantly moved his gaze to the right, where the image of his planned Avatar was shown. He didn¡¯t try to change it too much; he liked how he looked. Despite that, there were some subtle¡ªand some much more noticeable¡ªchanges. He had decided recently to let his hair grow as well as his beard, so Dariusz used this occasion as a preview, so to speak, of how he¡¯d look in the future. While the full beard certainly worked nicely, he might have overdone it with that hip-length braided hair. Eh, it still looked cool. But the one thing that was truly important, enough to even give him a trait apparently, were the tattoos on his entire body. Various excerpts from Avesta and Zoroastrian prayers, all written on his body in the Avestan alphabet. It filled him with pride but also apprehension. That was his idea for this character¡ªa man that has thrown away his old life in the name of his God and people, finding a new purpose in life. And maybe a new start for all of them. The moment his mind had given life to this character, this idea, he already loved it. But now that he looked at it again, at who he is going to become, he felt anxious. Unsure. And it annoyed the fuck out of him.
Are you certain you wish to create this Character?
Fuck it. ¡°Yes.¡± Then he just¡­changed. There was no warning, no fanfare; one moment he was Dariusz and the next he was Ashanemah. Just like that. He looked over his arms, gaze set on the sentence tattooed on his right arm. ¡°Righteousness is the best good and it is happiness,¡± he read aloud, fascinated. It wasn''t the best translation, far from it, but that''s what happens when one has to deal with words having multiple meaning. More importantly, he could read it. He didn''t know Avestan before, but now he apparently could read it. Kinda. It wasn''t right. As if something deep inside his mind was telling him how it read and what it meant; like he both knew and didn''t this language. Was it some kind of automatic translation? ¡°Are you satisfied? ¡± Anahlya asked, his curiosity palpable. He smiled at that. Despite some initial apprehension he was, wasn''t he? ¡°You have no idea. What now?¡± ¡°Weeeeell¡­¡± Why did he have a bad feeling right now. ¡°If you had chosen any of the normal methods, it would be simple¡ªI¡¯d show you a map, tell anything you may want to know about starting areas available to you and that would be it.¡± Anahlya waved his hand over the table in a clearly theatrical matter, soon followed by a map appearing out of thin air. It was made of parchment and old, if not ancient, depicting this new world he would be sent to. Four continents, many isles, various climates. All in all, it looked like, well, a world; definitely unfamiliar, but not something too alien. ¡°But since you''re not an Awakened, but a Wayfarer,¡± Anahlya continued, ¡°you don''t get a choice, I''m afraid.¡° Breath in, breath out. ¡°Be honest, how fucked am I here?¡± Might as well get it over with as quickly as possible. Like peeling off a band-aid. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about this!¡± His voice took on a cheerful tone again. ¡°Neither Grand Director nor I wish to see you die immediately after gracing our world; it would be too boring for a spectacle, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Boring, he says. Dar¡ªAshanemah, wasn¡¯t sure what to think of his Coordinator anymore. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good. Can you finally tell me what this ¡®World¡¯ is called? You never used any name here.¡± For some reason. Was he purposely avoiding it? Well, maybe? He couldn¡¯t guess as to why though, it¡¯s not like it changed anything. ¡°That is not possible.¡± Huh? ¡°You are a Wayfarer, an Ignorant one at that. Any further knowledge has to be gained in your new World, rather than from me.¡± Ah fuck. He may have underestimated what this trait meant. It would make the game much more difficult, quite possibly also frustrating, but he didn¡¯t actually mind that much. Sure, he could simply search all the info he¡¯d need on the internet, but it¡¯d feel like cheating, as stupid as it sounded. It didn¡¯t make much sense, what with him purposefully deciding to make his life harder, but he simply thought that exploring this new, nameless world would be more rewarding this way. ¡°Besides, it has too many names to just pick one. Please remember it¡¯s inhabited by multitudes of races, with each one differing from another through their language or culture.¡± Ashanemah sighed. Annoying, but it still was a good point. ¡°So, I guess that¡¯s it, yeah?¡± Anahlya only nodded and gestured to his right. Space itself distorted there, slowly forming a deep purple portal leading to who knew where. Time to finally start his Tutorial, huh? He stepped through the portal, but not before hearing Anahlya¡¯s last words of farewell. ¡°I only hope you are adept at learning new languages, Seeker of Truth. May your adventures be most interesting.¡± Wait, what was the first one about? Why would¡ªIgnorant. Oh God. He was fucked. Eh, whatever. He¡¯ll manage somehow. As long as it¡¯s going to be interesting, he could deal with it