“Not sure that message is having quite the effect you intend” murmured Jenny as she wrapped the sheet around her shoulders and slid off the bed. It didn’t give her much protection, but she was wearing raggedy pyjamas and no bra, so every extra layer of clothing made her feel better. Even if it was just a sheet cloak. “I really can’t believe this is happening” she sighed as she crossed the threshold into the dark room. “Here goes nothing!”
YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO BE REBORN IN A NEW WORLD. CONGRATULATIONS!
As the new words appeared on the screen, a small firework went off in the background.
Wow, who made this, an eight-year-old?” thought Jenny.
YOU WILL NOW CHOOSE TITLES AND SKILLS THAT WILL SERVE YOU IN YOUR NEW LIFE. TRAVELLING SOULS RECEIVE SEVERAL ADVANTAGES SO USE THEM WELL.
YOU MAY CHOOSE THREE TITLES. THE FIRST TITLE IS RELATED TO YOUR PURPOSE. THE SECOND TITLE TO YOUR OCCUPATION. THE THIRD TITLE TO YOUR MAGIC. CHOOSE WELL.
Okay so this is happening, Jenny gulped when suddenly the entire wall was full of lists of titles, it was completely overwhelming, she felt dizzy even trying to read them.
What do I do, how I am supposed to choose titles that will somehow guide my new life. I know nothing about where I’m going, Will I be a baby or an adult when I get there. I am missing some seriously important information. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the baffling quantity of options she was facing. So, I know I don’t want to do what the orb wants, so that is step one. I am going to build a life for myself, I will find skills and titles that will help me. I am going to be alright. I want to live a quiet life where I make things and read and sleep. I am going to choose my own path. Jenny gave herself a mental shake and took a deep breath before opening her eyes and staring up at the lists in front of her.
A huge number of gods were listed, covering every aspect of life, but there were several god-free options that seemed vaguely promising: Scholar, Creator, Artist. But then she saw it, Maker.
That seems like a good one, creator could be too impactful, but making things, that surely would lead to craft skills!
She scanned further down the list, there were several intriguing options, but Jenny was wary of anything that could lead to unforeseen difficulties.
She nodded and reached up to try and tap on Maker but nothing happened. Voice activated perhaps? She thought.
“Maker” she said softly, “I choose Maker.”
FIRST TITLE MAKER, PLEASE CONFIRM.
“Yes, Maker.”
CONFIRMED.
CHOOSE SECOND TITLE. TITLES CAN BE FILTERED.
“Oh, that is helpful” muttered Jenny as a new wall of text appeared in front of her. “Filter all craft related occupations please.” She was very surprised to see a single word appear in front of her. Crafter.
Well, I suppose that makes that choice easier thought Jenny. I suppose you can get specific in the skills section. Hey, it works for me!
“I choose Crafter” she declared.
SECOND TITLE CRAFTER, PLEASE CONFIRM.
“Yes, Crafter.”
CONFIRMED.
CHOOSE THIRD TITLE.
The list was shorter this time. Various kinds of Mage, Elementalists, Summoners, even Necromancer was an option. Ok, so this is where it gets tricky Jenny frowned at the list. Everything seemed potentially dangerous. I could pick healer, but since the bitchy orb said that was an option that makes it much less appealing to me. She pondered. Druid? That would be nature magic I suppose. Or some kind of animal magic. Ugh, I really don’t want to be drafted into some kind of war, and any of these powers could be used like that. She stared at her options, growing increasingly annoyed. “If I hadn’t met that orb, I would be so excited to try one of these. Maybe Healer, or Elementalist. But now I am so loath to choose something that could be used against me...” she trailed off, glaring at the list. She read through it a few times. Ok it has to be generalist. That must be the least interesting option, I don’t see what else I can choose.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Generalist” Jenny said sullenly.
THIRD TITLE GENERALIST, PLEASE CONFIRM.
“Generalist.”
CONFIRMED.
MAKER, CRAFTER, GENERALIST CONFIRMED.
ASSIGN ATTRIBUTES. YOU HAVE TEN ADDITIONAL POINTS TO ASSIGN.
Ooh now it’s getting good! Thought Jenny. I wonder what the average is. Is it normal to start at ten points or is this already boosted? They are all important traits. I need dexterity and strength for crafting, along with intelligence. Luck is always good. Charisma is mostly irrelevant for me, so I’ll ignore that one. Two to each of the others? Then maybe the last two to intelligence? Or luck? But how do you quantify luck? Lucky for who? Me hopefully, but still…
Jenny stared at the list as she tried to guess what distribution would serve her best in her new life.
“Four points to luck.” She decided. “Two points to strength, intelligence and dexterity” She finished. Hoping her stats would keep her safe.
The numbers on the screen changed accordingly.
PLEASE CONFIRM ATTRIBUTES.
“I confirm”
CONFIRMED
YOU WILL NOW CHOOSE SKILLS ACCORDING TO YOUR SECOND AND THIRD TITLES. YOU WILL CHOOSE A TOTAL OF SIX SKILLS AT THIS POINT. AT LEAST TWO SKILLS FOR EACH TITLE. SHOWING ALL RELEVANT SKILLS.
Once again the wall was filled with options and Jenny took a step back to try and take them all in.
“Filter skills for Generalist” she requested. The list halved.
Two of these to start with. Let’s see what we have. I don’t want anything too powerful or flashy, but it would be good to get something useful here.
She went through the list carefully, there were many options that seemed powerful, each specific element was listed, along with animal taming, summoning, cleansing and battle magic.
I don’t want these she thought, searching the list further, Aha! Appraise, I’ve seen that in books, that always ends up being useful. I’ll definitely take that one. Now time to find my second option. Jenny was tempted by several of the options on the list but restrained herself. Daily magic. That will hopefully cover the basics. Daily magic and Appraise, I’m happy with those. They seem a bit boring, but I’d rather be safe and inconspicuous.
“Filter skills for Crafter”
The list changed and Jenny smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Ok so I want everything on the wall. But I can choose up to four of them that’s still awesome! Ok immediate frontrunners, woodwork, metalwork, artist. I’m not sure about the sewing options, I never really managed to finish my sewing projects at home, but maybe a general needlework skill would be worth having, if nothing else I could make my own clothes. Hmm Stonemason? Architect? Blacksmith? Also very interesting. I never got to try those before, maybe this is my chance! Wild Crafter? I wonder what that could be. Mage Crafts is going to be a definite no for me. Same with Rune Craft and Body Craft. Culinary crafts, is that cooking or making pots and pans, how strange! Some of these skills are much more specific than others. Presumably jewellery making and blacksmithing both come under metal working even though they are also listed as separate skills.
Jenny was bouncing on her toes in excitement, overwhelmed by all the delights on offer.
“Ok I’ve got it” She declared.
“Daily Magic, Appraise, Woodwork, Metalwork, Artist, Needlework.
CONFIRM SKILLS; DAILY MAGIC, APPRAISE, WOODWORK, METALWORK, ARTIST, NEEDLEWORK.
“Confirmed” Replied Jenny, grinning.
YOU WILL CHOOSE YOUR RACE AND APPEARANCE.
A list of species appeared on the screen, each one accompanied by a small picture of Jenny as that species. The majority were at least half human, the other races being elf, dwarf, beastkin, dryad, merfolk, and demon. She was drawn to the demi beastkin, smiling at the idea of having fluffy ears and a tail. But eventually she decided.
“Demi Dryad” she said. The other options vanished from the screen, and she was left looking at herself as a half dryad. Her appearance didn’t change much, she was the same height and had the same shape. Her curly hair had slightly darkened to a chestnut brown and her eyes had changed from blue to a beautiful emerald green. Jenny pulled a face and laughed at her new self as it copied her.
CONFIRM RACE, DEMI DRYAD.
“Yes, I choose Demi Dryad”
DO YOU WISH TO MAKE ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO YOUR APPEARANCE?
Jenny frowned at her reflection, remembering a lifetime of insecurities. She’d always been tall and sturdy. And although as an adult she had managed to let go of a few of her issues, she was only human. I could change, she thought to herself, make myself smaller and slimmer, with a straighter nose. Ditch the freckles and the knobbly knees. Have glowing skin and silky hair. She looked doubtfully down at her body, still wrapped in the sheet, and then back up to her reflection. Her hair looked shiny and healthy, she looked strong and well. She liked her freckles and her nose had character. I feel like me, she thought, I think that’s important. Everything is changing, I don’t want my reflection to be a stranger too.
“No I don’t” She responded, shocked at her own assurance.
FINAL CONFIRMATION
RACE DEMI DRYAD
TITLES MAKER
CRAFTER
GENERALIST
SKILLS APPRAISE
DAILY MAGIC
ARTIST
METALWORK
NEEDLEWORK
WOODWORK
ATTRIBUTES
“Yes I confirm.”
CONFIRMED
Everything went dark.
