First chapter: wolf?

I was just resting in the hall, waiting for the rest of our fanfare to get into position when I was dropped somewhere else.

“Huh?” Came out of my mouth. I was suddenly now inside a cabin, with light coming from the outside. There was no warning or preparation and when it didn’t change back to the hall after a few seconds, I went to inspect around me more. I was still sitting on my chair, but the environment was completely different. Log walls and planked roofs and floors, with square window sills showing an autumn forest outside. I was still just looking around when a screen popped up.

Welcome to the Woods, realm splitter! I am your personal guide to help you start your journey across the world!

It seemed excited somehow, even though it was just plain text on an orange background. When I asked myself what had happened and what it was, another message popped up.

You were chosen to come to this world and help it make a better place! You came here via your own will, chosen at random and willing to leave your life behind. You are the first lucky human from your realm to come here.

I am a part of what you would call “the system” which will guide you until you’ve finished your first mission! I have no name, so you can call me whatever!

To help you along, you must first pick one of two classes and one of five races.

I felt all my anxieties leave my body before they even appeared, like my confusion that was just there being physically sucked out and replaced with other emotions, for the most part. I still asked the questions like what mission did I have? What classes- and then, as I was thinking about them, the classes showed up.

Magic user - If you become a magic user, your muscles will weaken but you’ll be able to use magic! Isn’t that exciting! As a mage, you can eventually cast magic for all your chores and tasks like washing yourself and eating. You will be able to use the overpowering aspect of magic to quickly become one of the strongest people of your race!

Non-magic user - If you become one of these, you’ll be able to quickly grow strong! Though since it’s from a class, you’ll look just as weak as you are now if you don’t actually exercise. Non-magic users are just like normal humans, but because we want you to be able to do things here, you’ll still be stronger than most!

I read through the two options and immediately decided. I’d read enough fantasy novels that going for the magic user class was the only true option.

Would you like to see your new status, and get notified of any changes to it?

Yes, please.

That’s quite a lot to take in. But before that, there was another thing, some kind of race change?

Yes! It’s quite exciting, no? So your racial possibilities are bunae, wolov, harre, humae and harpeae. Which one? The bun, the birbs, the doggo or yourself? During your first mission, you can change any time outside a battle! Sadly for you, you can’t trick the system to make me switch it inside of a battle, because I’m a part of it!

E-ehm, maybe I’d need to see them first? And besides, what’s my mission?

Yes! Yes yes yes! You’ll hear about your first mission later!

Bunae - Buns use their strong legs to jump high and move fast. Even though they’re very passive, you don’t want to brawl with one as they’re good at using those feet not only to hop! Known to use magic very little, you would stand out as a special bun, but not an impossible bon. Their culture is very welcoming and open, but most don’t leave manaless regions.

Harpea - Harpies, the birdmen! They can sort of glide, have no true flight, they like their face clean with spite! Harpies are often found in and around human settlements – no matter the mana, but aren’t commonly open to conversation, not even their own kin. You’d fit in if it weren’t for your terrible face expressing all your thoughts!

Harre - These guys and gals are always prideful and full of colour! Not much else to say about them, except that they are actually capable of flight that is. These small birds are mostly found in small villages in the woods and generally don’t like to fight. They are the race on this list that has the largest amount of true mages, so good chances there!

Humae - Humans fight not with paw or claw, but with their knowledge and wisdom. They’ve found ways to make tools that can create spells without the holder being attuned and have made tools you can probably imagine. You’re one already!

Wolov - Can’t use magic, always use claws. You would stand out way too much. They are hostile to buns and hars but other than that, mostly like to keep to themselves even more than the harpses. They can be found mostly roaming the lands as nomads with few settling down.

Hm, as I see it, what reason would I have to stay a human rather than say a bunae or harre?

Ehm... well it is so that the humans are seen as the closest ally of all the other races, since they protect all of them and overall try to stop conflict between the other races. Along with the fact that humans are really the only one of the manaless species who travel outside of manaless lands. The other manaless race you’d sort of commonly come across would be harres with most of those being mages who can cast a spell and run away from the many dangers!

You keep talking about manaless areas and lands, and everything being dangerous outside of those, so...

And as I was formulating the thoughts, another window popped up, taking my attention. 

W- well, you’ll find out! Also, there are a few aspects that would change depending on your chosen race. Bunae and wolov make your eyes strong enough to surpass that of humae and the birdfolk, harpies and harre give you feathers of a colour similar to your hair - probably a light bronze! All other races will also correct your physique and change it to fit the respective race. As a humae, you will stay the way you are, with a bad spine, bad eyesight and way too thin to be healthy body!

How can you be so happy when insulting people, how do you even seem so happy when you’re just text!

Aw, don't act like that! Remember, for as long as you haven't completed the first mission you can switch between all five at any time, and even after you've completed it, you can choose two different race which I will turn into a skill*!

Okay.. I guess I'll look at them all first then and see which is bes-

No! That's boring! You're being too boring, too human! Humans are boring! For acting so human, you’ll get a penalty: you will be a wolov for the first day and you can’t switch back until midnight! 

As I dismissed the message, confusion apparent, I felt my body change. Mostly the ends of my limbs. They didn’t change all too much visually, but I could feel that the inside of my fingers and toes changed in one way or another. It felt grotesque and also not, somehow. Atop my head and above my bum I could feel things growing too, with something disappearing on the sides of my head... probably the ears and tail.

Before I could retort, a blue screen showed up.

Mission: find and destroy all (12) cores of evil.

First Mission Shard: find the core of evil in the Wested Halls ruins, united kingdom of Vylera.

... What?