Etiam - MMO(RP)G

OOC Link: http://kh-vids.net/threads/advanced-etiam-ooc.142519/​

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Etiam - Fantasy MMORPG has finally been released! Countless gamers have waited anxiously and impatiently for the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game whose graphics, story, and gameplay have shocked fans of the genre. Promising no lags, bugs, glitches, but a rewarding and fun 3D experience, Etiam has been preemptively hailed as "The Perfect MMO." Etiam is cross-platform (playable on any gaming console), completely interactive with every other player, and offers a "Haven" for gamers to associate with each other -as well as keep track of their characters- even when not playing! All the game requires is an internet connectivity and all of your free time! And now, you have your copy!​

Etiam ships with not just the game, but also a portable tablet where you can access Haven no matter where you are! Are you ready to lose yourself in the world of Etiam?​

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• Story
• MMO Mechanics
• Kingdoms and Races
• Orders and Classes
• Beastiary

• 
  
  Prologue​
  Fumus, utopia of fire.​
  Nubila, village of ice.​
  Tonitrui, city of lightning.​
  Lacum, island of water.​
  Petra, nation of earth.​
  Musa, settlement of air.​
  Sancti, empire of light.​
  Inanis, family of dark.​
  Charta, country of body.​
  9 kingdoms. Each centered around an element.​
  9 elements. Each restraining a god.​
  9 gods. Each able to destroy a world.​
  ​
  History​
  For thousands upon thousands of years after the evil sorcerer Barathrum the Living Abyss was sealed away, the world of Etiam was blessed with a serene peace. Suddenly, the ruler of the Earth nation called Petra became greedy, just as Barathrum had. She attacked the neighboring Fire kingdom of Fumus and started a war, wanting both kingdoms for herself. In her pursuit of victory, she tapped into Petra's crystal, the magical object that powered the nation, and revived its Gigas, a god-like embodiment of a single element, created by Barathrum and trapped within a crystal to power one of the 9 kingdom. The Gigas of Earth attacked Fumus, all but completely destroying the desert village. In turn -and learning from Petra- Fumus tapped into its own crystal and revived its personal Gigas. In the end, Petra and Fumus were devastated and the Gigas were mysteriously returned to their respective crystals. The two kingdoms agreed to end the war. Frightened with the realization that any kingdom could revive its Gigas and use it as a weapon, and seeing first-hand the damage they can do, all 9 kingdoms entered a treaty, swearing to never attack another for fear of the Gigas.​
  It has been hundreds of years since then and all is well...until a mysterious man became chief adviser to the emperor of Sancti, the empire of Light. Under the man's advice, the emperor summoned his own Gigas and attacked Charta, breaking the treaty. The president of Charta, with no other option, summoned the Gigas of Body to retaliate. However, Charta's Gigas was somehow defeated and the president surrendered to Sancti, giving sovereignty over both the country and the Gigas to the emperor of Sancti. With two Gigas at his disposal, along with the armies of both Sancti and Charta, the emperor seems to have his eye on the other kingdoms, though he has yet to make a move. All attempts for diplomatic relations have been refused, leaving the other 7 kingdoms clueless as to what the Emperor of Sancti is planning...and when he'll make his move.​
  ​
  Now​
  In the calm before the storm, many inhabitants of Etiam have taken to questing . Outlaws, treasure-hunters, and other adventurers are exploring the 9 kingdoms, seeking treasure, glory, fame, or simply fun. With the 9 leaders and their kingdoms preoccupied with the looming threat of inevitable war, these adventurers are free to their own devices, restricted only by each other. Laws mean little, authority is irrelevant, and glory...is up for the taking.​
  While the adventurers seek glory, the other kingdoms prepare for war.​
  While the other kingdoms prepare for war, Sancti's Emperor aims for power.​
  While Sancti's Emperor aims for power, his new adviser watches his plan unfold.​
• 
  As the most state-of-the-art MMO, Etiam - Fantasy MMORPG is already famous for being completely cross-platform and functioning on a single universal server, meaning that it can be played on any video game console and there is only one server where all players can interact all other players. It is entirely Player versus Player versus Environment, PvPvE, meaning anything and anyone can hurt you. When a character is defeated, a crystal representing the character will be left where the character fell while the character itself will return to Haven. If another player interacts with the crystal, he/she can revive the fallen character at the same spot! However, the character can also choose to be fully revived in Haven, but will not be able to instantaneously return to the where he/she fell and must travel once again.
  Players can choose up to two Classes to switch between for each character, regardless of whether or not the two Classes are in the same Order (more information in the Race/Class/Order section). Each Race has access to three of the four Orders. Armor, weapons, magic, and combat capabilities are determined by the current-equipped Class. No character can be a hybrid of Races; each character is only allowed one Race. All Races, except one, are available in both genders!
  Each character must have a Home Kingdom which decides the Race of the character and what type of Magic and Classes are available to it. NPCs of all Races are found in all kingdoms, however.
  Etiam - Fantasy MMORPG has an expanding bestiary! The bestiary will expand with more monsters, fiends, demons, and other types of opponents as you progress through the game! Most Classes/Races are allowed a single pet from the weaker levels of the bestiary while certain Classes can call upon other monsters. The Bestiary and Pet System will be unlocked early into your adventure!
  Finally, Haven! The most revolutionary aspect of Etiam! In-game, Haven is an interdimenionsal realm where no character can harm another. There are no wild monsters in Haven. Players can send their character directly from Haven to one of the 9 Kingdoms, as long as the character has already been to the Kingdom.
  Out-of-game, Haven refers to the personal tablet shipped to each player of Etiam. Through the Haven Tablet, players can access their character's stats and even enter the public Haven if they are not currently logged in through their console. However, players can access only Haven through the Haven Tablet and may not enter the rest of Etiam unless logged in via console.
  
• 
  
  The images below are a general guideline on how each Race looks. Honestly, you have full customization (pictures, descriptions, etc.) for each Race. I just like using images~
  The way that Races, Kingdoms, Magic, and Classes work in Etiam is as follows:
  Each Race is native to a specific Kingdom and specializes in ONE element. On top of that single element, each Race has access to three other elements; the Player may choose one of these as a secondary element.
  Classes are divided into four Orders: Sword (offense), Shield (defense), Staff (magic), and Path (other). However, each Race is constrained to three of the four Orders. Characters will have two Classes from the three Orders of their Race (you can pick from two of the Orders or double up from a single Order!). Some Classes will allow the character access to more than two elements. Characters are able to switch instantly between Classes and skilled Players will be able to master both Classes and use their abilities simultaneously!
  
  In Layman's term: Pick your Race out of the 9 Races. Then pick your secondary element! Then pick your two Classes from the three Orders!
  
  Fumus (Utopia of Fire)
  A small village located within an oasis deep within the desert. Life here is simple.
  
  Spoiler: Sprites

  
  The Sprites of Fumus are long-living, dwarf-like magic users who specialize in Fire magic.
  Available Orders: Staff, Shield, Path
  Available Elements: Lightning, Air, Light
  
  Nubila (Village of Ice)
  A series of huts and igloos found in the arctic mountains. The harsh weather toughens the natives.
  
  Spoiler: Bhurs

  
  Bhurs are massive, physically imposing warriors, yet their gentleness is unmatched. They specialize in Ice magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Shield, Staff
  Available Elements: Water, Air, Darkness
  
  Lacum (Island of Water)
  A large island actually composed of many small ones. Its dangerous creatures have turned the people into violent warriors.
  
  Spoiler: Saurians

  
  The amphibious Saurians of Lacum are known for their viciousness and love for battle. They specialize in Water magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Shield, Path
  Available Elements: Light, Air, Darkness
  
  Tonitrui (City of Lightning)
  A highly advanced and expansive city. Everything is automated and its people can interface with the city easily.
  
  Spoiler: Machina

  
  The Machina Race have evolved into robotic bodies and are able to enhance their bodies by integrating equipment into it instead of simply wearing it. Specialize in Lightning magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Shield, Path
  Available Elements: Fire, Light, Earth
  
  Petra (Nation of Earth)
  A series of massive caves carved into a mountain range. The seclusion is favored by its inhabitants, the only ones who can easily navigate through the tunnels.
  
  Spoiler: Colossi

  
  The Colossi are an entirely male Race, except for their Ruler who is the only living female of the race. It is unknown how they reproduce. They are fierce warriors that specialize in Earth magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Staff, Path
  Available Elements: Ice, Darkness, Lightning
  
  Musa (Settlement of Air)
  The power of its crystal has suspended the village as a small island above Etiam. Its people can come and go freely due to their wings.
  
  Spoiler: Fe Aths

  
  The winged Fe'Aths of Musa are the only people capable of unaided flight. They are kind travelers that specialize in Air magic.
  Available Orders: Staff, Shield, Path
  Available Elements: Light, Water, Lightning
  
  Sancti (Empire of Light)
  A city larger than Tonitrui, but with lesser technology, Sancti is the antagonistic force in the upcoming war. Its people are jack-of-all-trades, masters-of-none.
  
  Spoiler: Humes

  
  The Light Humes are the simplest and least physically imposing Race. However, they have the most balanced abilities and were able to conquer the country of Charti. Humes specialize in Light magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Shield, Staff
  Available Elements: Fire, Air, Lightning
  
  Inanis (family of Darkness)
  A small series of villages hidden away. Only the Lunari know how to arrive there.
  
  Spoiler: Lunari

  
  The mysterious Lunari are a close-knit Race, led by its "Chief." They're the race least in numbers, but their mysterious ways and seclusion have kept them in peace for eons. They specialize in the Darkness element.
  Available Orders: Sword, Staff, Path
  Available Elements: Ice, Earth, Water
  
  Charti (Country of Body)
  A large town integrated into the environment. Its various people now live under the thumb of the Sancti empire and the Humes.
  
  Spoiler: Animi

  
  The Animi are an animal-like species. Each one resembles a hybrid between a hume and an animal, granting them different abilities, depending on their animal. They are the only race capable of using non-elemental magic, for their crystal had no element to infuse them with. They specialize in Physical magic.
  Available Orders: Sword, Staff, Path
  Available Magic: Earth, Air, Water
• 
  The Classes of Etiam are divided into four Orders: The Order of the Sword is for attack-based classes, the Order of the Shield for defense-based classes, the Order of the Staff for magic-based classes, and the Order of the Path for classes with unique specialties.
  Each Race of Etiam naturally has access to three of the four Orders, and each Character can choose any two Classes from the three Orders of their respective Race.
  Each Character can switch between the Classes instantly with a brief "cool-down" period between each shift. This means Characters can switch Classes one per post.
  Eventually, Characters will be able to upgrade both their Classes to their second level.
  
  Spoiler: Order of the Sword

  "Those who live by the sword die by the sword. They are the first line of defense and main line of offense. Warriors through and through, the students of Order of the Sword excel in combat."
  
  

  • Soldier- A decently-armored, shield-equipped fighter, the Soldier uses various blades to cut down enemies. The well-balanced heart of the Sword Order, every Soldier aims to be a Knight to fight for their heart's desire.
  • Archer- A long-ranged fighter that equips light armor for quick movement and different bows for ranged combat. The Archer keeps enemies at bay from long distances and is known for its aim. Skilled Archers are named Assassins and their arrows are even deadlier with magic and close-combat weapons.
  • Viking - A combat-hungry aggressor, the Viking lives only to fight. Though its heavy armor slows its movement, the Viking is able to withstand much damage. Its love for large axes and spears mean a painful death for anyone who crosses its path. An aged Hunter is even deadlier to its enemies due to increased battle capabilities.

  • Gunner - Medieval blades mean nothing to ranged Gunners, gun-slinging fighters who choose damage over the Archer's accuracy. However, their preference of technology means little once a Gunmage learns to infuse its bullets with magic.
  Spoiler: Order of the Shield

  "He who chooses to protect only lives to die for others. Guardians of the Order of the Shield believe that the best offense is a great defense. The living shield of any party, the Guardians are a necessity for any group of adventurers."
  
  

  • Watchman/Watchwoman - The "bait" of the group, Watchmen (or Watchwomen!) call opponents to themselves so others can defeat them. Weaponless, but heavily armored, this fighter easily provokes enemies towards its large shield before using the shield itself as a close-quarter weapon. However, the Cannonneers of this class are known to blast enemies near and far.
  • Psychic - Strategists who believe that a fighter's greatest weapon is the mind. Masters of telekinesis, Psychics forsake weapons as they can mentally control any nearby object. Psychics need no shield as they are able to conjure a single forcefield around a target. The mystical Oracles have unlocked the mind's full potential, pushing its limits even further.
  • Defender - Gifted with a body like steel, this fighter has little need for armor. Equipped with physical-enhancing weapons such as shin-guards and gauntlets, the Defender throws itself at enemies while allies give support. Able to equip large weapons as a Gladiator, this class is the most aggressive of all Guardians.

  • Enhancer - These fighters are known for their ability to imbue targets with enhancements and elements. A behind-the-scenes augmenter, Undertakers can inflict status ailments and reduce a target's stats.
  Spoiler: Order of the Staff

  "Disciples of the rod believe in the manta 'knowledge beyond measure is Etiam's greatest treasure.' The Order of the Staff focuses on magic and their faith is unrivaled. Whether it is offense or healing that you prefer, this Order fits all. Usually the powerhouse of the party, Clerics are a force to be reckoned with."
  
  

  • Sage - Despite their low attack, Sages are well-known for their ability to heal most wounds and ailments using Holy Magic. Staff and rod wielders by nature, Sages tend to carry a small shield to defend themselves. Enlightened Bishops have learned offensive magic to be more versatile.
  • Sorcerer- Users of Destruction Magic, Sorcerers employ elemental magic to blast targets. Able to channel their black magic through bladed weapons, these fighters need little protection from others. The more powerful Blasters have an extensive arsenal of spells and elements as well as minor healing techniques.

  • Mimic - A living mirror, these fighters lack stats, armor, and weapons of their own. instead, their unique magic allows them to shroud themselves in a nearby target's class, copying equipment and abilities exactly. The Recollectors can mimic the information of any previously encountered target with certain limitations.

  • Evoker - Though every Evoker can naturally summon forth the weakest of monsters, each of these fighters can call upon any monster felled by their swords or staffs. Summoners are able to evoke the fallen spirit of Boss monsters as well as monsters from other worlds.
  Spoiler: Order of the Path

  "The Order of the Path revolves around chosen lifestyles. Not quite fitting into the other Orders, Rogues have very special abilities which make the disciples of the Path unique. Though the classes are difficult to master, their payoff is great."
  
  

  • Monk - Taught that the body can be one's greatest weapon, these fighters equip only light armor and small weapons. With hardened bodies, these masters of close-combat are at their best when facing small groups. Slayers have pushed their body to beast-like levels, adopting animal-like features to single-handedly bring down large monsters.

  • Beastmaster - While Evokers bring forth spirits of beasts, Beastmasters actually tame defeated monsters and magically summon them to the battlefield. Beastmasters can equip heavy armor and wield daggers, bows, and whips. These fighters are expert tamers that believe no one has the right to kill an animal. In complete unity with nature, Skinwalkers can change their bodies into that of a tamed beast to fight alongside their 'partners.'
  • Mystic Knight - Magical swordfighters that imbue their blades with mystic energy. Though inferior to both Soldiers and Sorcerers, these fighters are well-balanced and quick in combat. The more powerful Runefencers are able to use a target's own magic in battle.

  • Geomancer - Similar to Monks, these fighters are lightly-equipped. Geomancers direct their bodies' energy to control the planet's own energy to manipulate the environment. Elementalists can use the elements themselves to change the environment.
• 
  The catalog of all known monsters. The monsters are ranked Ranks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The weakest and most numerous monsters belong to Rank 1 while the strongest in Rank 6. Monsters can be tamed by certain classes and summoned by others. In addition, through the use of a Pet Crystal (accessible early into your adventure!), adventurers are able to use certain monsters as a pet. Only a few special types of monsters can speak. Rank 6 monsters are the rarest and are usually only seen with people in power. The Bestiary will expand into the higher Ranks as the story progresses.
  Pet Crystals are special gems that will permanently take the form and nature of a monster domesticated for its user. Pet Crystals can be upgraded into stronger monsters at certain points.
  
  Rank 1
  The weakest and most common monsters, these are usually small in size and tend to travel in pacts.
  
  Spoiler: R1

  Antlion​

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  This pit beast has needle-like limbs and powerful jaws.​

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  Blue Drop​

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  A slimy monster that splits when cut.​

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  Bomb​

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  A monster enveloped by raging flames that feed on the highly flammable oil exuded by its body. It's capable of exploding and reforming at will.​

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  Bomb Bee​

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  A large bee-like monster that shoots small, explosive stingers.​

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  Chocobo​

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  A bird-like creature with a pleasant temperament, often used as a mount.​

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  Dinofish​

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  An ancient toothed-fish that flies from the water to attack prey.​

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  Emberman​

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  A living shadow that attaches itself to its opponent's shadow for close combat.​

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  Eyespy​

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  The body of this monster is never seen from underground. It shoots beams from its single eye.​

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  Ghost​

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  A restless incorporeal spirit. A mere touch may suck the life from its target.​

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  Grave Bat​

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  An annoying bat-type monster that always travels in pacts.​

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  Mushgloom​

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  A living mushroom with an indestructible cap.​

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  Needlion​

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  This monster can shoot the needles on its back for dangerous effects.​

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  Panther​

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  A nimble quadruped that hunts using its sharp teeth. The fluid covering its fangs and claws causes status effects.​

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  Plague​

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  A peculiar monster whose body consists of one gigantic eye. It uses a baleful stare to attack its enemies.​

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  Rabite​

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  The most common pet among families, this bouncing monsters pose little harm, but are hard to defeat.​

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  Steelhawk​

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  A monstrous bird with a razor-sharp beak and giant wings. Although a skillful flier, it almost always walks on land.​

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  Swine​

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  A strangely endearing monster that resembles a domestic pig. Unlike a normal pig, however, it walks on two feet.​

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  Werewolf​

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  A wolf with the mind of a beast and body of a man.​

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  Zombie​

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  Dark magic animates these walking corpses.​

[tab=Beastiary][/tab]

 

"Hey, Faust~" The young man said quickly as he brushed past his furry best friend. The curious 'meow?' fell on deaf ears as Jack darted into his room. His apartment was small, yeah, but it was the perfect size for him. He quickly grabbed what he needed -the box containing his copy of Etiam- and quickly ran back into the living room, his pet cat following him the entire way. Wasting as little time as possible, Jack opened the game's case, took the disc out, and slid into his Playstation 3 before turning on his television. Excitedly, he then took off the bag strapped around his shoulder and pulled out his new purchase: a headset. Jack had wanted to start the game the day before, but a coworker suggested that he buy a headset first, to make it easier to communicate. Never having played an MMO before, Jack figured that he might as well. He had to wait until after work to buy one so it was pretty late...but what's a night spent playing video games? A damn good night, Jack thought. Taking a deep breath, he put on the headset and started the game.

Instantly, beautiful music that reminded Jack a little too much of Final Fantasy burst from his earphones. It was fast-paced, reminding the gamer of a battle's anthem. The introduction video started automatically with incredible graphics. Jack stared in awe at lizard-men traveling the seas on a ship, winged warriors flying through the skies before descending into battle against ogre-like men in a forest, massive figures casting magic against machines in the Arctic, different machines plugging themselves into buildings in a city, and more instances of the world's races. As the music slowed down, becoming more tense, Jack watched as a cloaked figure approached a human man in a suit. Jack could see the figure's eyes shine and a twisted smile, but the rest of the face was hidden. The next scene showed the Animi (Jack skimmed the instruction booklet) running in fear from an enormous shadow as their city fell around them. The music started to fade, as did the video until there was no sound or audio. That's when he heard the voice.

"Hello, young soul."

There was nothing on the screen, just black. If it wasn't for the fact that he was wearing the headset, Jack would have thought the voice was coming from somewhere in his apartment. It was kind of eerie, deep and with a slight echo...but somehow soothing.

"You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are."

Suddenly, a customization menu opened up, allowing Jack to edit his player profile. Typing quickly, he entered his age, uploaded a picture of himself, filled out some information about his gaming habits, and confirmed his time-zone and console. As soon as he pressed "Confirm," the voice started again.

"Hmm. How strange. Your world is so different from mine...You'll see soon enough. Now, it is time to meet your compatriots; new souls just like yourself!"

A glowing sphere, shining white, appeared in the middle of his screen, but the rest remained black. Above the sphere was the word 'JackHammer,' Jack's PSN and username for the game. Jack waited a second, but nothing happened. He pushed the analog stick and the sphere moved in the same direction. "Oh, I get it. I'm a 'soul'...I think," Jack mumbled to himself as Faust jumped onto his lap. He leaned back, allowing the cat to get comfortable while still allowing himself room to hold the controller and continued moving his 'soul' around. It only took a few moments before he found other 'souls,' each with a username above it. He realized these were other players, but no way to communicate with them was available; there was still no menu and the game wasn't picking up his voice. It seemed it wasn't yet time for the social aspect. After enough souls grouped together, Jack noticed one of the spheres was dark, glowing black, and no username. He wondered if it was an NPC or a glitch before all souls stopped moving.
Without warning, a figure started to materialize in the background. "What the hell-?"
The figure was extremely tall and slender...not to mention, skeletal. It was a skeleton...with large, curved horns...wearing a suit. Not what he expected to see. The skeleton gave off a red light, allowing it to stand out even more against the black background and the white-glowing souls. It moved its head, looking at each soul before an apple materialized in its hand, complete with a *chime* noise. The skeleton bit into it and started to chew...while Jack could hear it chewing. It moved so flawlessly. 'This game really is something else,' he thought before hearing a *gulp* and the voice from earlier.

[/url]








"You will be a part of this world," the skeleton spoke, its lipless mouth matching the syllables perfectly, "But I am not. I am merely an Outsider. An Outsider Looking In." The letters "OLI" appeared over the skeleton in red. "An outsider...and your teacher. I will grant you form in this new world...but only if you are ready. Are you ready?"




A dialogue box popped up over "JackHammer," with two simple choices: "Yes" and "No." Jack thought for maybe...a third of a second. "Hell yeah, let's do this!"

 

​

Sutton stared down at the box on the kitchen table. It was pretty big, which made sense since it would have two of everything in it. She poked at the sides and glanced around. Johnis wasn't here yet. He was the one that wanted to play this game super bad and told her she had to try it out. Sutton had been fighting him over it for weeks, but then finally caved. Now that it was physically inside the house, she just really wanted to get to it. He would be pretty mad if she started playing without him. On the other hand, if she got started now, then she could show off to him and go on about how much better at the game she was than him. That sounded like fun. She glanced around the house once more and walked into the living room. She was alone. "Johnis," she called out, "If you don't want me to start playing without you, then don't say anything.​

She cupped her hand to her ear and only received silence in return. "All right. I'm going to open the box now," Sutton announced to the empty house. She went to find a knife in the kitchen and sliced along the packing tape sealing the box shut. The knife was set down on the table and the box was filled with packing foam. Sutton had to rifle through it pretty thoroughly before being able to pull everything out. She looked at the matching tablets that were the Etiam Haven or whatever. She wasn't really good at this video game MMORPG stuff. She just really liked being better than her older brother. It was a hard decision trying to pick which of the two tablets she wanted. They were identical, and yet, it felt like if she didn't choose just the right one, it might make a world of difference to her gaming ability. She held them in separate hands and weighed them back and forth. Left or right? Sutton was always told this saying, "When in doubt, flip a coin." Left would be heads. Right would be tails.​

She set the tablets back down on the table and dug through her bag until she pulled out a nickel. Sutton flipped it up into the air and when it landed in her palm, she looked down to see the tail end of the nickel. The right one it is. She nodded confidently at her decision and picked up the tablet, along with everything else she would need, before heading to her room. Everything was set down on her bed and she grabbed the laptop off the computer desk. She arranged everything onto her bed in a half circle and started to set up a work station of sorts. When it was all done and booted up, Sutton took a deep breath before starting up the game. "Here we go," she whispered to herself.​

"You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are." This game was weird right off the bat. Sutton followed the instructions and was pretty confused as to why it would require an image of herself, but she complied anyway. It wasn't like she was shy or had any reason to keep her pictures private, it just genuinely seemed odd. Given that she was playing from a PC rather than some sort of console device, she had to pick a username. She glanced around the room for ideas and her reddish - brown eyes landed on the giant teddy bear on her bed.​

​

Username: Subtle Bear​

​

Sutton thought it was clever -- Subtle, because it sounded similar to Sutton; and Bear, because of her favorite stuffed animal that was about half her size. She followed the rest of the instructions and when the O.L.I. skeletal man asked if she was ready to begin, her cursor clicked on 'Yes' without a second thought. It was time to enter the world of Etiam and she was already starting to feel like as much of a super dork as her brother actually was. She would seriously need to consider limiting how much time she spent on this game because turning into him was just a great big No - No.​

 

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At last, he had waited so long for. Randall swirled for a moment in his black, custom-made swivel chair that kept his posture as firm as he needed to play online for hours without tiring; he wouldn’t allow himself to. Only moments before, and somewhere in the course of his 22 hour waking period, Randall had at last received his copy of “Etiam”. It was important to him not just because of the promises made by the developers, but because it was the singular game that he could not use his influence to get him Beta access prior to the release; not even him. He was all too comfy in his room, which was the extent of his world. His was a richly furnished room where everything from the small couch to the expensive refrigerator in the corner was either some shade of gray or black. The only coloration and the only light was combined in one as the blocky wires of red light that was built into the walls to enforce the technological identity of its contents. Everything was expensive in Randall “Rand” Royale’s possession, as he intended to live as lavishly as he pleased and could afford in his comfy upscale Programming job, but the most expensive and the most lavish of all things in the room was definitely the sizable computer that was ergonomically designed to be the center of the room; he could access it easily at any given moment from anywhere in the small room. The High Definition screen hung firmly in space on a black metallic arm that came from the ceiling and sat at an angle which Randall had worked through for hours before finally being content. He was a perfectionist and everything had to be perfect. Which was why he slowly removed the plastic wrapping that encased his own copy of the long-anticipated “Etiam”, and he took a lengthy whiff of what he considered the scent of a new game. Many things irked him of course, such as the fact that he was as much a Noob to “Etiam” as any of the Plebeians on the outside and what was worse: many of those Noobs he was joining would be populated with Console Vermin. No, this moment had to be perfect and free from fettered thought. Randall twitched away his agitation before slowly, sensually, and ceremoniously placing the disc perfectly into the CD port of his precious PC. The machine blinked silently to life, causing Randall to crack a smile.

“Like the taste?” He asked to the machine. “Start Game.” His tone was distinct and his pronunciation was perfect as he gave the command. Within mere moments, it all started before his hungry eyes. Beautiful music that was fast-paced, and toyed with his surmounting ego; this was his new anthem. The introduction video started automatically with graphics such as Randall had never seen. Used to the paramount of technological advances, even he was impressed by the lizard-men traveling the seas on a ship, winged warriors flying through the skies before descending into battle against ogre-like men in a forest, massive figures casting magic against machines in the Arctic, different machines plugging themselves into buildings in a city, and more instances of the world's races; races of people he was intent to rule over… Eventually, he would rule them, anyway. As the music slowed down, becoming tenser, Randall cocked a black, thin eyebrow as a cloaked figure approached a human man in a suit. The figure's eyes shone with the same brilliance that cast light in his lair and a twisted smile inspired Randall down to his core, but the rest of the face was opaque and hidden from sight. The next scene showed the Animi, which Randall had learned of extensively through a unhealthy amount of time spent studying everything he could learn, running in fear from an enormous shadow as their city fell around them; either he would become or rule such a phantom fog of shaded darkness. The music started to fade and there was not a sound within his enclosure; he barely breathed within that captivating moment. He heard a voice he quickly favored the sound of.

"Hello, young soul."

Well. The Middle-Aged Plebeians wouldn’t like the sound of that. That is, unless they considered themselves “Young at Heart”; foolish humanistic concepts to a genius at Randall Royale’s level. He really did like that voice though. Hollow and intellectual, which was what his own sounded like; there was serenity to this other voice though. Randall scoffed to himself. He knew already the sort of character this voice was to be: two-sided. Randall could communicate with others and get them to do his bidding, but why hide dominance in a soothing veil for the weaker?

"You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are."

This both pleased and displeased him. He was fearless because he didn’t have all those horrid little mortalities everyone in the unruly outside world had, save for the fact he needed sustenance and he was well aware of the fact he personally had to die and there wasn’t a respawning point on Earth; he was working on life extension, but that was more of a personal, side project with limited success. He was very eager to talk about himself. He put in his age of 20 and Upload a picture that displayed his wealth rather than his actually personage (He wanted people to know he had power, and they would see the shadow of him, but he did not want them to see his face). He tried to block the concept he had to actually input his console before he pressed “Confirm”. So many inferior options nearly enraged him if it wasn’t for the calm of his solitude.

"Hmm. How strange. Your world is so different from mine...You'll see soon enough. Now, it is time to meet your compatriots; new souls just like yourself!"

Username: Render. His aim was to make a name no one could ever forget. He chuckled to himself, which would sound strangely similar to a cackle to anyone else; if anyone else was listening. Those poor losers would be going about their normal, boring lives and then it would pop into their heads “Render”. He would invade their personal lives on a level no hacking could; he’d hack their feeble minds. He only stopped his contemplation when prompted by the sudden appearance of yet obligatory Skeleton in a video game… or at least, at least this one was interesting. Actually, Randall quickly turned to enjoy the design of an otherwise banal apparition; whatever the Skeleton had been was not human, that was for sure. Perhaps a Demon? Randall tried not to taint the newfound enjoyment by introducing the thought of the likewise obligatory Demon in a Video Game.

"You will be a part of this world," the skeleton spoke, its lipless mouth matching the syllables perfectly, "But I am not. I am merely an Outsider. An Outsider Looking In." The letters "OLI" appeared over the skeleton in red. "An outsider...and your teacher. I will grant you form in this new world...but only if you are ready. Are you ready?"

“Yes” or “No” rendered above “Render”. A smile as twisted as the cloaked figure’s cracked onto Randall Royale’s features as he quickly clicked “Yes”.

[/url]



Paine Rafe shut off the rest of the world through sound. Marche Funébre was coaxed out of the many finely tuned strings of her beloved Baby Grand piano by her own trained, springy fingertips. Well, rather her father’s Baby Grand, as her father was an influential film composer who rarely had time to give the instrument any time. Paine could relate to a piano far more than she could to anyone else, because the other was all whom ever paid either any mind. Widower Drake Rafe was rich, yes, and so was his daughter, but there was quite a surplus of empty space to their otherwise comfy home. She had been playing for somewhere around 9 minutes, and Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 segment was drawing to a close as Paine made the instrument softly release the last few notes that existed in her memory; the place where composition sheets usually sat was empty, to be filled when Pained felt like composing, or if she found a new work to chew through. However, so extensive was her memory of various songs from classical to popular that she barely ever found a piece she couldn’t find simply by ear anymore. All she had was music… and a PS3 with very few games. She selected her games purely for the musical aspect. She didn’t really care about systems or graphics, but would spend countless hours looking for any info on what she considered the most underrated and least valued aspect of most video games: The story, the Music, and how they clicked together. With the thought on her mind, she played “Dearly Beloved” as she thought. Even the most pointless game in her opinion, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, was salvaged by its formulated, tactically charged themes and she spent much more time committing several traffic laws in GTA V than she did firing anything, because the freedom to race with the music was spectacular. Did it surprise her when there was an entire article dedicated to the soundtrack of the upcoming game “Etiam”? It did surprise her, because she was so used to scouring for that single paragraph or sentence: “The music in the game is good too”. What was even better was: Her game was arriving that very day, and she picked it up from her sunny Californian doorstep no less than 3 minutes following the closing note of “Dearly Beloved”.

She took the game up to her room and jumped back into her cozy Queen-sized bed adorned with purple sheets with her PS3 controller in hand. Etiam was docked in the machine and the User Selection screen was visible, but Paine had to check her phone before immersion into the world of Etiam. Much like her phone case, much of her room was centered on a generally passionately purple, Gothic theme. She checked her Instagram account. Other people posted food; she posted memes and quotes about and from musicians everyone to no one knew about; mostly, people knew the name “Coldplay” much better than “Igor Stravinsky”. She did post personal pics, true, but where most girls of her age and enviable figure either posed half-naked or nude, she posted pictures of herself at an instrument. Sometimes the comments would be about what she was playing or it was a bawdy comment that made her want to drop her phone because she could almost feel the drool of the user who sent it coating it. Usually, she just continued to scan through. This time she actually dropped it from sheer fright and revulsion.

“@PAINRA Heyyyyy PaiPai! Wait til every1 knows ur account! Y U No tells ppl @ skool about ur account?!?! CYA, PaiPai! MWA! <3” by user Viandra267 made her want to lash out in an unforgiving rage.

A line of privacy had been crossed. She could just block all 600 of the classmates sure to get her account name by tomorrow. 41% of them ridiculed her daily while the rest either fell at her feet or actually respected her for her musical abilities. She’d be deleting her Instagram account later, but, for the moment, she needed to escape. She picked “Paine” from the list including only the icons “Turn Off System” and “Paine” and she motioned over to the game selection screen. She went down to the disc option and heard it for the first time: the music of Etiam. She let it soak into her veins before she recalled it was only a snippet in an endless loop; she had to click “X” to hear it all.

The Opening Cinematic was visually impressive, but she hardly saw any of it since her eyes were closed and her fingers were intricately “conducting” the new music. It was beautiful. She only noticed the cinematic was over when the silence crept in and she looked at her screen. “Oh…” She murmured in her embarrassment.

"Hello, young soul."

Surround sound did not do her nerves any favors as the cold voice entered her presence from every crevice of her solemnity. She was not irrational though, so she quickly realized the voice had come from the game, despite the blackness of the screen.

"You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are."

“PAINRA” had originally been her go to username (‘Oh no, that’s right… I have to delete my Tumblr now too…’), but recent developments had put a stopper in that concept. Everyone would be playing this game. “PARA-79”. She chose, justified, and memorized the number by the fact that her mother had been born in 1979, and, despite Brenda Thisbee Rafe passing in 2010, a sturdy Mother/Daughter relationship had been built up over the course of 12 years; almost a full 13 years. 1997-2010 was a big distance for a tiny dash to traverse, after all. She put in her age. It was funny to be 18. 18 was how old Brenda Thisbee had been when captivated by the genius and spirit of a penniless guitarist by the name of Drake Rafe who was touring in a band called “Drifting Snakes” from Norwood, New York. 18 was when Paine suddenly entered the picture. All in the same year and Paine had gotten her name from the mutual agreement they would live with a beautiful Paine in their hearts to combat the harsh pain that lived there in poverty. So far, it was late enough in the year for Paine to think “How did she do it?” in the back of her head as she pressed “Confirm”. A return of the same screen as before prompted her out of LaLa land as she noticed, via a red asterisk by a blank box, that she’d neglected to select her system. “PS3”; “Confirm”… Success.

"Hmm. How strange. Your world is so different from mine...You'll see soon enough. Now, it is time to meet your compatriots; new souls just like yourself!"

Curiously enough, a purple sphere appeared on her screen with the text “PARA-79” above it. She saw other spheres like hers, but her head couldn’t wrap around the color of hers. Had she put in some choice for an option somewhere as to what her favorite color was? She didn’t dwell on it. She saw names above those other spheres and summarized she was already amongst human company, but didn’t hear anything that resembled a human voice until that dark voice returned.

"You will be a part of this world," the skeleton spoke, its lipless mouth matching the syllables perfectly, "But I am not. I am merely an Outsider. An Outsider Looking In." The letters "OLI" appeared over the skeleton in red. "An outsider...and your teacher. I will grant you form in this new world...but only if you are ready. Are you ready?"

She moved the cursor over to the “Yes” that appeared above her name. ‘As I’ll ever be…’ She was starting to wonder if the score would be worth the nerves she was getting.

 

There was an odd sound coming from the man. It was one that occurred when someone was usually spending their day away in a blissful rest state. A sound usually used in television shows for comedic effect, to garner enjoyment off of a fictional character's frustration at the noise. In real life, however, the noise was usually associated with both annoyance and breathing issues. Yes, the man was indeed snoring on this day because yes, he was indeed asleep at this very moment. The sound of the wind rustling around and the birds chirping through the park did eventually manage to wake the weary man up, only for him to immediately shield his eyes from the burning light of the sun that greeted him. It was definitely not this bright when he fell asleep. Damn anticipation keeping him up all night, making his tired for the next day to come. He was out for a walk to the park and figured that a good five minute rest would do him some good. Man that was quite the rest though, he felt invigorated for only having been asleep for such a short time. He sat up on the bench he was sleeping at and covered his face as he let out a yawn. After a little bit of stretching out, the man looked down at the watch he was wearing. He proceeded to look to the sky, clearly brighter than it had been before, then he looked towards the bench he was sleeping on, and then finally his eyes made their way back to his watch..."Ah shit."

Johnis clearly was not having the greatest start to his mornings. He overslept, like really overslept. He just wanted to take a short walk around town, kill some time so that the mail could arrive and his anticipation wouldn't be brutally murdering him. He did not want to kill ALL the time however. The mail was probably already here, and Sut was probably already awaiting to play the game...or not playing it at all. He wasn't sure how excited she'd actually be to play it, but come on, it was supposedly the greatest MMORPG of its time and who could miss out on that? Plus it gave her another chance to show him up, which she was always willing to take (even if it was in a field that was clearly not her forte.) He made his way back home with the speed that rivaled that of a diving peregrine falcon and made it home safe and sound.

After opening the door he walked around a bit and wondered where Sut was. After a bit of searching around the place Johnis ended up in the kitchen. He saw something in there that left his mouth a gape in sheer awe. It was here. The package was here~! Johnis excitedly skipped over to the box that was filled with nothing more than what was promised. Etiam. The game that was going to shatter all dimensions of gaming and rise to a new tier of- hey wait a second. The box was open...why was the box open? Oh man, Sut had beaten him to it. How could he have let this happen? Welp, looked like he was just going to have to meet her in game or something. Not like it was going to be hard or something. Her user IDs usually had Ashwin Bear somewhere in there. Boy did she love that bear. Despite the slight let down of not being able to boot up the game when it arrived, Johnis was still stoked to set it up anyway. Taking the disc with him, Johnis went up to his room and booted up his Mac, ready and willing to play the game. Johnis loaded up the game on his computer, put on his headphones and went into the "zone."

The game launched and Johnis was immediately bombarded with a series of visuals and sounds. The soundtrack to this game, so far, from just the intro, was amazing. It was a clear sign of good things to come and he had really wished he knew who the composer to this stuff was. Oh well, he'd follow up on that later when he remembered. For now, though, he was going to enjoy the eye candy that were the visuals of this game. Oh man, all the glimpses at the world that were provided to them, they just fueled his indecision all that more, and boy oh boy did he want to get to the character creation. Eventually, he was greeted by some odd voice that told him that he would soon be going into the world of Etiam, and that it needed to learn a little more about the player. He simply complied with the wishes of the weird voice and customized the profile to match Johnis. The only thing left to decide on was what his username was going to be.

[Skyheart]...no, that username just sounded really dumb.

[Shirokaze]...no, too weeb. Who knew that choosing a username would be the most difficult part about this game?

[Stardust Walker]...there we go. It was a pretty random name, in fact it sounded like that of some weird protagonist, but hey, Stardust was always a cool word and ya know, Walker was a name he had a high affinity for for some reason.

"You will be a part of this world," the skeleton spoke, its lipless mouth matching the syllables perfectly, "But I am not. I am merely an Outsider. An Outsider Looking In." The letters "OLI" appeared over the skeleton in red. "An outsider...and your teacher. I will grant you form in this new world...but only if you are ready. Are you ready?"

Johnis was greeted with the same voice as before, only this time there was a face to go along with it. A sort of weird mechanical skeleton thing that appeared in front of him. It was good to know that there was going to be an instruction program, because truth be told, despite Johnis looking into all the classes and races he actually had no idea how the game actually worked. He was presented two options by this silver horned Skeletor, [YES] or [NO]. As if there was any doubt in the boy's mind, who basically said "take my money" when he first heard about the game, he pressed the [YES] option and proceeded on with what was to come.

 

[/url] "Dad, I'm home!"

The boy cried out as he walked into the empty and silent house. Tired and fatigued from the daily routine of school, he had hoped to have gotten a reply, but all that had responded was pure silence. "Oh right...he's at work..." Miles said with as his hand began to shake. His eyes widened as he stared down at his shaking hands before finally he let out a sigh "Everything will be alright..." Miles told himself before kicking off his shoes and head off to the kitchen to get a snack. He grabbed an apple and read the note that was placed on the kitchen table addressed to the young boy from his father. The note was nothing really special and it basically didn't inform him of anything special. All the note truly did was make him feel sheer sense of unnecessary fear deep within.

The note stated the usual, that his father would be working late as usual and that old man Demitri would be next door and check up on him. Ready to toss away the note his eyes caught sighed of something different from the norm. "Etiam?....no way" Miles said before his eyes darted over to a nearby table with a box on it. Running up to it happily Miles smiled smiled softly as he held the box up "thanks dad..." Miles said. He knew his father would have loved to join him, and he also knew that his father couldn't leave work, but he always wished things were the way it was before.

Cross legged, Miles sat upon the ground and began opening up the box that held the famed game. He had heard many great things about this game and he always wanted to try it out himself. Though he'd have liked to play the game on his Wii U his father had don as he had requested and gotten him the PC version. With the Wii U things would have been more comfy, but the PC held a lot of options for him that he could not turn down when it came to this game. Everything was taken out of it's packaging and in a hurry Miles went off and started up the PC.

"Alright, time to set everything up..." Miles muttered before placing on his head set along with setting up the voice changing program. It was true that there was no need for such a program when he could merely use the text feature, but he found using voice was much more effective. Regardless of this he wasn't going to really talk much in the chat. Most of these players were sure to be far older than him and he wasn't the most talkative person there. He didn't want friends...they would just leave him, and he didn't want that.

Finally ready, the moment had come at last and Miles placed the game into the PC. "This better not be a dud..." Miles muttered leaning back on his chair as he stared at the monitor. Immediately all sorts of magnificent and beautiful scenes and music began to play forth and Miles was quite amazed at it before it suddenly stopped. The beauty had turned to ruination and soon enough the screen turned blank.

"Hello, young soul."
"You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are."

The voice had caught him immediately off guard, but Miles recovered quite fast and placed his hand on his chin. The customization sections of games were always the most trickiest due to the fact that there were choices that would remain permanent. There were things that Miles filled truthfully like the console and timezone, but there were things he lied about like the age and just ignored like the profile pic. The last bit was the hardest and after taking a great deal of time he finally decided on something and pressed confirm. A mere second after pressing confirm Miles' eyes widened "oh no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOO" Miles yelled, but it was too late. In anguish he held his head and placed his head on the desk before him with a groan "ohhhhhhhh why did I choose such a stupid and lame name" Miles said with another groan.

"Hmm. How strange. Your world is so different from mine...You'll see soon enough. Now, it is time to meet your compatriots; new souls just like yourself!"

He raised his head upon hearing the voice and glanced up at the screen, but the moment he saw the white soul and the name "TwilightBlader" hovering over the soul, Miles just rested his head on the desk with another groan "dohhhhhhh and I even forgot the space...." Miles said sadly before turning his attention back over to the game. It seemed he could actually do something as he was able to control the soul and after moving around and finding other souls with usernames, another event occurred. Immediately Miles jumped back at the sudden sight of the skeleton business man and it took him a second before he could calm down.

"You will be a part of this world, But I am not. I am merely an Outsider. An Outsider Looking In. An outsider...and your teacher. I will grant you form in this new world...but only if you are ready. Are you ready?"

"Heh...why would I turn back now?" Miles said as he clicked yes and prepared to start his adventure.

 

​

As Simon stood in the kitchen, making a meal for himself, a package sat on the dinner table. It was one he had been expecting for quite a while. That package contained his copy of Etiam. He was really excited to get to it, though he wanted to eat before getting to it. Knowing how he usually was about playing video games, he wanted to get a bite now while he was not distracted by games. The thing about him is that whenever he started playing games, he would become so focused on the game that he would forget about everything else around him. A fire could start up around him and he wouldn't even take notice of it until it reached him. With that in mind, he continued to prepare his meal, trying his hardest not to think about the box. Soon, very soon he would be sitting at his computer and starting up the game that sat silently staring at him from its spot.

However, he needed to keep his attention on the food he was making. It was a pot of spaghetti that would be able to serve six. The bored cook had no intention of eating all of that spaghetti in one sitting, that would be insane. It was convenient for him to have a large batch of food prepared for himself. That way, he could eat it throughout the coming days until it was all gone. Plus, it would help him save money on his gas bill. Not to mention, the less time spent preparing his own meals, the more time he had to play games. Seeing as how Etiam was an MMORPG, it would be a good idea to have time to himself to play it.

At last, the pot of spaghetti was finished and ready to eat. That was good because as soon as he turned off the stove, Simon's stomach growled. Quickly, he plated some of the spaghetti, grabbed a fork from one of the kitchen drawers, and sat himself down at his little dining table. With a little bit of the pasta hanging from his silverware, he brought it to his mouth and bit down. The noodles were perfectly al dente and the freshly grated Parmesan Cheese was melted on top of the pile of spaghetti. He could still get a hint of the garlic, onions, and chili powder that he added to the sauce, and the ground meat added a wonderful contrast to the pasta itself. "Perfect." The young man was quite pleased with how he did and knew that he wouldn't mind eating only eating this for the next few meals.

When he cleared his plate and placed it in the sink, he grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge before making his way to the box. At long last he would finally be able to open the box that had been silently waiting to be opened. His heart began to race a little at the idea of finally playing the game. He'd been waiting for this package to come for a long time and it was finally there. With the food issue out of the way, he could finally get to the main event of the night. The eager young man pulled out his trusty little pocket knife and slid its edge across the tape that sealed the box. As if it were celebrating, the box's flaps sprung up after being freed from its restraints.

Excited, Simon dug into the box and pulled out everything it had to offer: The copy of the game itself and the Haven Tablet that came with it. He held the tablet up, inspecting it from every angle. This was definitely worth every penny he spent. He gently set the tablet next to the open box before picking up the game itself. Holding it in his hand now, it felt like a dream. All of the waiting was finally over, the game disc rested in his hand and all that stood between him and playing the game was popping it into his PC.

He couldn't wait any longer, with the game in hand, Simon made his way over to his computer and took it out of sleep mode. The tablet could wait, this was the main attraction and he couldn't miss out on it. At the press of a button, the disc tray popped out and the game was placed in its little resting place. Another button press and the tray disappeared into the tower. After going through the necessary installation processes, the game was finally booting up. The title banner stood in the middle of his screen, showing how far along the loading process was. He impatiently tapped his feet against the floor as he waited.

Simon sat there, waiting with his headphones resting on his ears. "Ugh, all of this waiting. I wanna play already!" At long last the game finished loading and the entirety of his formerly bright screen turned pitch black. It remained that way for a good chunk of time before the Opening Cinematic started to play. He watched in awe as the high quality graphics danced across his monitor, showcasing what the game was about. Beautiful was an understatement as the cinematic finally came to a close. Watching definitely put him in a serious mood to play some video games.

Everything returned to black on the screen as a voice greeted him. "Hello, Young soul," The deep, eerie, yet soothing voice called out. "You are being reborn into a new world...the world of Etiam. It is a world in mayhem, but you are fearless. Why are you fearless? Because you are born from the souls of the saviors of Etiam. Are you confused? No worry; all shall be revealed soon. However, before your new birth, I suggest you tell me about yourself -about the current soul that you think you are." The way the game was presenting itself made it worth the wait. Now he had to pick out a username.

[ Iron Chef ] He laughed at himself as he slowly erased that name. It was a good joke, but not one he'd stick with for the rest of the game.

[ Zinc Saucier ] Again, he laughed. Another joke he didn't want to have to stick with for the rest of the game. Besides, as much as he liked Futurama, he didn't want to make that old a reference.

[ Machine Gun Cook ] After thinking about it for a while, he stuck with it. He liked it since it was a pretty straight forward name. After getting through the rest of the dialogue and laying eyes on the O.L.I. for the first time, he got to the final dialogue box with the choices. As soon as it popped up, Simon clicked 'yes' without a second thought. It was really a predetermined choice. With the button clicked, he waited for what would come next.​

 

Another day another mundane activity to be had. The boy, Christopher Jenkins, was merely sitting around, staring at his package that had arrived. Sure, this was the MMO that everyone talked about, but Chris knew how this would probably go down. It would be intoxicating at the very first week of play; all other functions would stop mattering when compared to this game. Then as time went on slowly a very real objective look on the game would dawn on him. It would become so very repetitive and just another part of his mundane routine. He would grow to hate it and wish to never play it once more. Then he'd get more into the mechanics of the game and get into the PVP aspects only to realize how horribly imbalanced they were and ultimately loathe the thing he went in depth into. This was the unfortunate cycle of the MMORPG Genre.

Nevertheless, the bored man decided he'd give it a try anyway. One of his friends had gifted it to him, so he might as well play it. The only thing it would cost him would be time, and he really didn't have anything he cared to spend it on. And who knew, maybe it'd be the first to hold him past his initial impressions of it. Going down into his basement he took the disc out of the package and inserted it into his Wii U. He wasn't entirely into the whole console war and pc elitism that seemed to be going around the world, seeing as he was fairly content with his good old Nintendo product. Sure, it fell a bit prey to the downsides of the MMORPG Genre as well, but he was still able to find it as an effective time killer. Not to mention he could just play it wherever he was in the house. He just chose the basement because it was where all of his junk was exiled to. Not that he mined since it was pretty much the ultimate television gaming experience down there anyway.

As he started up the game he looked around and realized something very important. "No food. Damn." It was true, he had forgotten his gaming snacks and would not be able to function at one hundred percent solely because he would not have a stream of food being endlessly bored down his gullet. There wasn't much this man cared for in the world, but food was definitely close to number one in importance. Leaving the game running, he walked upstairs and into the kitchen. Once there, he grabbed a large bag of pretzel sticks, threw one in his mouth having it hang out like a cigarette, and walked back downstair with it in hand. As soon as he had made it back down there his ears were blasted by the loud music that was exploding out of his speaker system. As such, Chris moved his way through the pain and lowered his volume all before the odd voice started talking. Thank the lord that didn't happen yet.

Chris was apparently supposed to enter in some of his user information. He didn't really any purpose to entering all of his real information, but quite see the harm in it. He did leave the picture blank though; he hated being in pictures. Next up came the moment of entering a username. These things were always a pain to make since it would either be really hard to think of one, or the ones you did think of were already taken. Let's see what name would be good here. Kirito? What was this, a death game? How about, Chrono Phantasma? Now that just sounded arbitrarily confusing and convoluted.

Username: Chronica

He pressed confirm before trying to put any more thought into it and just floated his soul to where it should go. The voice then came back, belonging to an "Outsider Looking In" or OLI and presented him with two options. Really the way OLI was talking he was starting to make it sound more like a death game but, whatever. Chris then pressed the yes option and proceeded on with the tutorial.

 

"Final-freaking-ly!" The college student sighed as he sent the e-mail. Leaning back in his leather computer chair, Reigner placed a hand on his forehead, gripping his unkempt hair. He sighed, enjoying the moment before sitting straight up and staring at the disc on his desk: Etiam - Fantasy MMORPG. It had arrived that morning, just like Fed-Ex said it would. Pre-ordered months ago, Reigner had waited anxiously for this game. In fact, he wanted to make sure that he would have ample time to get engrossed in it. To that end, the freshman with a slightly-higher-than-average-but-still-nothing-to-brag-about IQ had worked hard on all of his assignments and even worked ahead to give himself a few days of game time. He had planned on finishing his last essay a few days early, but got distracted by Etiam information on-line, specifically the Classes and Races. Homework took a backseat to planning out his Character until he woke up to the deliveryman, prompting him to finish all of his current (and some future) assignments. Now that he was completely done, Reigner decided that it was time.

Taking a few minutes to prepare himself, he grabbed a few snacks from his mini-fridge by his desk, a couple of drinks, locked the door at the top of his stairs to alert his parents that he was not to be disturbed, and sat down at his PC, headset-clad. Cracking his knuckles, Reigner booted up the game with a grin on his face. Not an expert gamer by any means, Reigner still considered himself an aficionado and was pretty well-versed in MMOs. Watching the beautiful opening cinematic and going through with the short intro, Reigner acknowledged the outwordly (or should one say, outEtiamly) nature of O.L.I. before noticing his own crimson orb with "Blood-Reign" written over it. Yeah, including your own name in a gamertag wasn't original, but Reigner had his reason for enjoying his name. He studied the other souls for a moment, noticing the name-less black one and chuckling at a few of the usernames, before clicking "Yes." He grinned again, this time whispering to himself:

"And the king shall reign."

 

JackHammer, the pale-blue orb that belonged to Jack, floated near the left of the group of 'new souls,' waiting for the other souls to confirm their willingness to progress. As each soul seemingly clicked [Yes], the light surrounding them pulsated once. JackHammer wondered if one pulse meant yes and two pulses meant no as the Outsider started to speak again, its voice sounding like gravel crunching together inside your ear before turning into a smooth liquid that easily flowed in.

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"My excitement at your collective decision to join this world cannot be contained," the Outsider said without changing the tone of his voice. He paused for a moment to chew his apple, now reducing it to half, before continuing. "Before any of you take form, you must first decide the road that your life will take. Like all metaphysical roads of my own creation," the Outsider chuckled, "This path will paint a picture of yourself, perhaps a picture that you knew not exists. Until your new physical body is ready for you, your soul must take a form. Without form, there is no interaction with the world. You must now make a choice, young souls of Etiam: will you wield the sword of the warrior, defend with the shield of the guardian, pray with the staff of the cleric, or see through the eyes of the rogue? No worry, your choice will have no consequence on your eventual physical body. It is simply...an introduction to the laws of the land. However, your first form will grant you your first weapon, one that you will never betray you in combat and will always remain ready." The Outsider waved his non-apple holding hand as four symbols appeared between him and the souls, each with a floating weapon. "Now, choose, young souls. At your deepest, in your very core, beyond your heart, what is your true self?"

"Wait, what?" Jack thought, confused. The four symbols -a sword, shield, staff, and eyeball- were the icons used for the four Orders in the instruction manual. "But I'm not choosing my Classes yet, am I? I thought my Race came first?" He pondered for a moment.






<That's right.> appeared over Blood-Reign's soul. Reigner could hear JackHammer's speech and he realized that after clicking [Yes], they were now able to communicate. However, Reigner choose not to use his headset yet and simply typed. <OLI said this doesn't affect our future 'form.' Race and Classes must come later. This shouldn't matter.>Blood-Reign said as he started floating towards the shield icon. He was usually a 'Tank' player, but he wanted to try something different. Besides, if the Outsider was to be believed, he would get to pick his real Classes later. <This must be for the intro tutorial only. Or some special ability.> As he neared his chosen icon, Blood-Reign noticed that the other souls didn't move. 'That's pretty...cool,' he thought, realizing that each player was only going to see what they themselves chose and appear motionless to other players.

Jack's eyes widened at the dialogue that appeared in a bubble over this Blood-Reign guy. "Oh, you can hear me?" The inexperienced gamer didn't realize that chat was officially opened. But since he wasn't that quick of a typist, he decided to stick to his headset. "Well...alright, then. I know what I'm doing." JackHammer moved towards each of the floating icons, listening to the Outsider's description of each that started when JackHammer grew closer to each icon.

​

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"Do you choose to be a Soldier and strike down enemies with your steel blade?"​

[Yes] [No]​

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​

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"Perhaps you wish to a Guardian, defending your allies with mighty shield?"​

[Yes] [No]​

​

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"Is the way of the Cleric to your liking, channeling your faith through a sturdy rod for feats unheard of?" ​

[Yes] [No]​

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"Are you a Rogue that uses a pair of daggers for your own devices, whatever they may be?" ​

[Yes] [No] ​

 

​

Jake looked off to his side and shook his head. As he heard the voice of the other player, he muttered 'noob' under his breath with the microphone off. Now was the time for them to choose their primary Order. It was a tough decision. He was a little curious as to why they weren't picking races before orders, but Jake wasn't going to be dumb enough to voice it. Depending on what order was chosen, it would take away some of the race options. He had his manual out beside him to work around that problem. Jake hovered his finger over the ✖ button on his controller, double checking to make sure he would make the right decision. There probably wasn't any do - overs once you hit [Yes].​

Sword [Yes] [No]​

Shield [Yes] [No]​

Staff [Yes] [No]​

Path [Yes] [No]​

He pressed ✖, accepting his fate under the primary Order of Sword. Jake wanted to play as an Archer -- a Sancti Archer. He was totally stoked for the personal customizations that Etiam provided. Jake just hoped that this opening wouldn't take long. He was never a fan of tutorials. In his opinion, tutorials should never exist. Gamers should just jump in and figure it out on their own. It would make the experience more realistic.​

 

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(Credit to Nomes/Hyuge/Whatever she feels like going by for the banner. You're awesome.)​

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Johnis was sitting around looking at all of the people who were here. These "souls" as they were referred as were apparently all of the players waiting to be their race or class or something or other. He looked around and thought it was pretty interesting that this MMO tutorial stage was actually like a hub world or something for all new players. He was extremely stoked to pick whatever these things presented to him were. Apparently they didn't affect his race or his class, but was still quite curious about them regardless. As such Johnis knew exactly what he'd pick. It was quite obvious, really. He always had one track mind when it came to his weapon type preference in games. After going over to the option to do so, Johnis pressed yes next to the icon. That icon, of course, being the sword. Swords, swords, and more swords. Though since they hadn't picked a race or appearance or anything yet, and it was apparently coming after the tutorial, Johnis was a bit curious about how he was going to use this sword in game. Floating orbs don't have opposable thumbs after all.​

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Chris was having some off feeling about this computer program thing, OLI. No real reason, just the way the thing talked made it seem like some divine prophet or something. He disliked prophet speak, it was far too wordy and indirect in conveying points. Nevertheless he was still playing this game and still needed to actually get to the real game. Right now they were still locked in pre-tutorial things. He didn't even realize that was possible as he thought of it. Looking at the options that would apparently influence something or another about their character, Chris wasn't entirely which to choose. Nothing really seemed to interest him too greatly but he decided to go for the daggers. After clicking yes on that icon Chris then proceeded to sit back and wait for what happened next, all while munching on his pretzel sticks. ​

 

Another touch choice was to be made and Miles had to ponder hard on this choice. Choosing a name like TwilightBlader and being stuck with it just showed him how wrong it was to just choose something out of impulse. His eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing the words of another human and he was quite surprised the chat was opened up so early. He could have said hi but he decided to hold back and speak only when needed to.

There were many classes that seemed interesting, but the two orders that caught his attention were the sword order and the path order. It took him a short while before he finally made his choice and began to move the soul on the screen over to the sword icon. With the promp now up, Miles took a second to rethink his choice before accepting his choice and clicked yes.

 

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After making his choice, the O.L.I. began to speak once again.

"My excitement at your collective decision to join this world cannot be contained," the Outsider said without changing the tone of his voice. He paused for a moment to chew his apple, now reducing it to half, before continuing. "Before any of you take form, you must first decide the road that your life will take. Like all metaphysical roads of my own creation," the Outsider chuckled, "This path will paint a picture of yourself, perhaps a picture that you knew not exists. Until your new physical body is ready for you, your soul must take a form. Without form, there is no interaction with the world. You must now make a choice, young souls of Etiam: will you wield the sword of the warrior, defend with the shield of the guardian, pray with the staff of the cleric, or see through the eyes of the rogue? No worry, your choice will have no consequence on your eventual physical body. It is simply...an introduction to the laws of the land. However, your first form will grant you your first weapon, one that you will never betray you in combat and will always remain ready." The Outsider waved his non-apple holding hand as four symbols appeared between him and the souls, each with a floating weapon. "Now, choose, young souls. At your deepest, in your very core, beyond your heart, what is your true self?"

With that, four different choices appeared, with four weapons showing up along with them. He overheard some people discussing what this would do for them, though he figured it was for tutorial purposes only. After all, the Outsider did say the choice they made wouldn't have any consequence on their eventual physical form. Still, the issue of which one to choose still remained.

SWORD

[ Yes ] [ No ]

SHIELD

[ Yes] [ No ]

STAFF

[ Yes ] [ No ]

PATH

[ Yes ] [ No ]​

With his choice made, he eagerly awaited the next step of this intro to the game.​