~‌‌ ‌‌2.28 G ‌‌-‌‌ Personal Island Resort ~‌‌

 

Cradle of Creation

Thursday, July 10th

“Wake up, Samantha.”

 

“Samantha, please respond.”

 

“I’m up. I’m up. What’s going on? Why is everything all white? Where am I?”

 

“Samantha, you are inside what is called the Cradle of Creation. You have been asleep for the last nine days inside the medical capsule. We are about to choose a world that will become your new home.”

 

“I remember everything now. It’s nice to hear your voice again, Sig.”

 

Samantha found herself floating in a void of pure white. After a few moments of looking around, the space seemed to shatter, and she found herself now gasping at the view around her. Stars, billions of them, twinkled in the distance. Samantha could see colorful clouds swirling around what looked to be a nearby galaxy. 

 

“It’s absolutely beautiful, Sig! I always imagined being an astronaut when I was a child. Going out to the stars on one of those one-way trips of discovery.”

 

“I’m glad you enjoy the view, Samantha. Could you describe the type of world you would wish to live on?”

 

“Oh my. I’m not sure, Sig. What are my options?”

 

“I show that there are currently around a million plants to choose from. There are many types. You can choose something close to Earth, a desert planet, tropical, frozen. There are also very alien types of worlds that would be hard to describe within your understanding. The system will allow me to present to you a random selection if you would like.”

 

“Let’s do that, please.”

 

Below Samantha, rows and rows of planets came into view.

 

“This is a random selection of twenty-five-hundred planets you can choose from. If you would like another random sample, you just have to ask.”

 

Samantha found she could move forward in space towards the planets. Looking at one particular world, she willed herself forward and found she teleported above the planet in an instant. Looking at the pure cyan ocean planet below, she had an idea of where she would love to spend her time.

 

“Sig, could you narrow down the selections to planets with tropical islands like Hawaii was fifty years ago?”

 

The planets below vanished, others replacing them. With a thought, she instantly moved back thousands of miles to get a better view of the worlds below her. There were so many possibilities she would never make her mind up by herself.

 

“Sig, could you please select a couple you like, and I’ll select one of those? I’ll never decide at this rate.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

Samantha watched as all of the planets vanished from view. Five planets popped into existence below her in a circle. Moving closer to them and studying each, she found the third to be a planet covered almost entirely in water. She could see thousands of islands dotting the surface.

 

“I like this particular island planet, Sig. Let’s go with that one, please.”

 

The other four planets vanished, and Samantha found the planet she had selected appear in front of her. It was the size of a large beach ball and spun in place.

 

“Please select the territory you wish to claim. I’ve marked the areas that are currently unavailable to you.”

 

Samantha chose a larger than average island in the northern hemisphere. The island had bright orange sand on its beaches and a short chain of small mountains on its western edge. She selected her home area in the southern part, not far from the island’s largest beach. Going through the selection of starter homes, she settled on a smaller modern cottage with a large stone terrace behind it.

 

Samantha rotated the cottage so its porch faced the ocean. The stone terrace was behind. She was happy to find the package came with many plants and trees for her to place. The rear terrace was quickly encircled by trees, with plants in between each. Happy with how things looked in the projected image, Samantha completed the build and moved outside the projection’s bounds.

 

She watched in fascination as the mechanical spiders came from the sky and began to build her cottage. The stone terrace took the longest for them to build. They placed each stone one by one in a type of spider chain gang, moving the stones from the large containers that came from the sky and to where they finally rested.

 

As the spiders left, Samatha looked to the lone black pillar in the center of the terrace. Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked towards it.

 

“What is that? It looks so out of place.”

 

“That is your connection to Fantasy. Walking through the door will start the creation of your future avatar.”

 

“Well, let’s go play!”

 

Samantha practically skipped to the tall pillar, opened its door. She passed straight tthrough, not even giving the cottage she had just built a single look over.

 

In an instant, she found herself in a large marbled room. Turning around, she could see many statues lined up in neat rows, though some of them looked to be destroyed. Against the wall at the end of the nice-looking red rug was a large mirror against the wall.

 

“Welcome to the Hall of Creation,'' a calming voice echoed in the air. “Here, you will craft your avatar for The Games. Those statues around the hall that remain standing are of the races you may choose to create your avatar. Take your time and choose wisely, as once you leave this hall, the chances of you changing its form are rare. On the base of each statue, you will find a plaque with the race's name and their leveling potential. If you have any questions, please ask them freely.”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“You may call me Bastiva.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Bastiva. I’m Samantha, but you may also call me Sammy.”

 

“Well met, Sammy. I must say, you’re the first of your kind to greet me.”

 

Samantha waved her hand in the air.

 

“Most of my kind only thinks about themselves. I’m more of the stop and smell the roses type. I love meeting new and interesting people.”

 

The room went quiet. Samantha, not skipping a beat, began walking around and looking over the statues. She found many of them to be interesting. The female minotaur caught her eye as she walked by, but kept moving. She stopped when she came to a tall humanoid cat. Reading the plate below, she found they were called Beastkin. She realized the statue before and others down the row were different animals in humanoid forms. Looking back down at the plate again, she read the rest of it.

 

 

Touching the plate, she was startled when the statue vanished, and a prompt materialized into her vision.

 

Samantha touched the yes, then turned around when she heard a tapping coming from behind her. Looking at the mirror, she could now see the white statue had become a silver-haired Beastkin.

 

“Why did it go into the mirror?”

 

“By touching the plate, you have selected that race to customize. You may go to the mirror to change the appearance of the avatar or touch the plate of another race to replace the Beastkin within the mirror.”

 

“Oh, let’s test that out.”

 

Samantha walked over to the mirror. She waved, the cat waved back at the same time she did.

 

“That’s neat!”

 

She tapped on the glass and found different styles of hair and colors shown in a grid to the side of the Beastkin. Samantha spent the next ten minutes, making the avatar look just like Operah. Stepping back, her eyes still affixed to the avatar in the mirror, she broke down and started crying. Falling to her knees, the tears came slowly at first, then a full-on ugly cry.

 

“Samantha, what’s wrong?” asked Sig.

 

“What is happening? I have never had someone become emotional during the creation of their avatar. What do I do?” Bastiva said, sounding worried.

 

In a flash of light, a very tall woman with a human appearance materialized inside the hall and looked down at the crying woman in front of her.

 

“What is wrong, Sammy? Are you ill? Has something happened to you during the transition?”

 

Samantha looked up at the tall looking human and wiped her eyes dry.

 

“Nothing is wrong with me. I just miss Operah so damn much.”

 

“Who is this, Operah? Was this your mate?”

 

Samantha let out a small laugh.

 

“Oh no, she was my pet cat. I had to put her to sleep not long ago.”

 

“What does ‘put to sleep’ mean? 

 

“Umm, the nicest way to explain it would be she was allowed to die peacefully. She was very old for a cat. She couldn’t stand on her own any longer, and even eating became too much for her. I didn’t want her to be in pain anymore.”

 

“I understand. Helping a loved one move on is a practice by many species. I am sorry for your loss.”

 

“Thank you. Can you tell me where the human statue is? I don’t think I could keep up the grooming of all that hair. I’m more of a low maintenance type of girl.”

 

“It is the last to your right on the other side of the room, Sammy.”

 

“Thank you, Bastiva.”

 

Samantha found the statue. Unlike the others, the human figure was just standing straight and wore simple clothes. It didn’t look like it had a class, weapon, or anything associated with it.

 

“Why are humans so boring looking, while others like the minotaur are holding a large ax and look like it’s charging?”

 

“Humans are a new species to The Games. Your race’s attributes have no positives or negatives. The statue will change as your race goes further into The Games.”

 

“Alright, I suppose.”

 

Samantha looked down at the plate.

 

 

Samantha touched the plate.

 

 

Selecting yes, she heard the tapping coming from the mirror once again. Though this time when Samantha walked over, she found an exact copy of herself looking back. Going through the various avatar options, she made herself look young again, around the age of twenty.

 

Looking at an almost perfect copy of herself from her time in college, she debated whether to change anything else. Getting a wild idea, she selected her hair and turned it to a bright emerald green. Happy with how she was going to look, Samantha stepped away from the mirror.

 

 

Thinking yes, the prompt vanished.

 

Oh, I don’t have to touch them.

 

Looking up, she found her younger self vanish, and another prompt came into view.

 

She thought about Ginka right away. It had been her name in games when she was a teenager in college. The name appeared in the box, and she mentally confirmed it. This brought up yet another prompt.

 

 

Confirming again, she heard an odd noise behind her. Turning around, she could see what looked like a rift in space in the center of the room. To the side stood Bastiva, looking at her.

 

“What do you plan on doing with your time in The Games, Sammy?”

 

“I honestly have no idea. I’ll be living the rest of my life inside Fantasy and the other games you create. I doubt I’ll play the zombie or space games, so I’ll probably be in Fantasy until the machines can’t keep me alive any longer.”

 

The tall woman stood there for a few moments contemplating.

 

“What is it you enjoy doing, Sammy.”

 

“Bartending and baking.”

 

“Bartending? Is this the same as a barkeep at an inn, or something else?”

 

“Yes, but a bit more complicated. Bartenders mix and create drinks for their patrons based on their individual tastes.”

 

“As a thank you for being the first of your species to be kind towards me, I’m going to send you to the city of Ravaryn. Find your way to an inn called Ziggy’s Thorn. Let the owner know I’ve sent you.”

 

“Thank you, I believe. It was nice meeting you, Bastiva. I’m happy you're as nice as Sig is. I never really got to know many AI.”

 

Bastiva had a complicated look on her face that quickly passed before Samantha could see it.

 

“I hope you do well in The Games, Sammy. Your kindness can prove to be a powerful tool if you let it. Please step through the portal, and make sure to register with the Crystal after getting your bag. Goodbye, Samantha.”

 

“Then I’m off, Bastiva.”

 

Samantha walked through the portal and immediately found herself next to a massive purple Crystal. The Crystal had to be at least fifty feet tall. She strained her neck, looking straight up to see the top of it. Thinking back to what Bastiva had said, she placed her hand onto the Crystal. 

 

 

Unphased, Ginka turned around and took in the sights and sounds from around her. It looked like she was in the middle of a large city. She could see massive walls in the distance encircling the metropolis. Turning her head slowly to take it all in, she could see a large castle dominating the city’s center. 

 

Taking a step away from the Crystal, a prompt chimed in the air.

 

 

Thinking ‘journal,’ a large window displayed about a foot away from her.

 

Quest Journal

Locate the Adventurers’ Guild, and register as an Adventurer to receive your identification tags and magic bag.

 

Smiling to herself, the now young, green-haired Ginka started walking down the bustling street.