As the elevator ascended, Alex couldn't help but let an excited grin cross his face. The anticipation was making him almost giddy, despite his usual suppressed demeanor.
As the elevator continued upward for about 10 more seconds, the sonorous voice of Web sounded from somewhere above.
*Now initializing Avatar Creation. Please select your Ancestry. You may confirm your choice by speaking aloud "I Select (fill in choice here)". Once you have confirmed your choice, you will be made to select your primary profession.*
After Web's voice ceased, the menu opened in front of Alex, showing an enormous list of just about every species he could think of. On the top left of the menu, a panel showing an example of the selected species, and just below it was a brief description of the species. The right side of the menu was dominated by the seemingly endless list of species.
'Thankfully, I have a decent idea of what I want my avatar to be, otherwise this would take me forever...'
Opening a submenu, Alex sent a message to G.
[Have you seen the amount of options? It's crazy! I'm sticking with something humanoid since adjusting to more limbs is a nightmare. What about you?]
Going back to the menu, Alex scrolled through the options, analyzing which would be the best for him.
'Since I'm planning on ranged, I should stick with high perception and decent mobility…Elf? It's a bit boring, but… No, too boring. Beastkin is always fun…'
Scrolling through the Beastkin options, a couple stuck out to Alex. Mentally marking Batkin, Rabbitkin, and Wolfkin, he checked each of their descriptions.
*Batkin are a nocturnal subspecies of Beastkin that typically reside in thick canopied forests and caverns. Capable of quiet flight, excellent night vision, and echolocation, Batkin often make lethal hunters and scouts at night, but are not commonly found.*
*Rabbitkin are one of the most populous subspecies of Beastkin, and inhabit many different environments, such as grasslands, forests, and savannahs. Possessing ears sensitive to sound and much larger proportionally than most creatures, they have excellent hearing. Rabbitkin also have strong legs and small frames, making them quick and capable of leaping large distances.*
*Wolfkin are a common subspecies of predatory Beastkin, often settling or traveling in larger groups. Having powerful senses of smell, razor sharp teeth and claws, and good survival instincts, Wolfkin prove to be a formidable threat in groups, but aren't to be underestimated alone either.*
'Wolfkin is tempting, but isn't exactly suited to archery. Rabbitkin is solid all around, but Batkin has more potential…'
Hearing a ding, Alex opens the chat window between himself and G.
[I'm getting choice paralysis from all these options:(. Should I just be a human? It's plain, but it would probably let me focus more on the profession side of things.]
Taking a moment to think, Alex quickly forms a response.
[I don't know. I think I'm going to choose Beastkin, but that still leaves a load of options. I guess you should look through the options and see what fits your build idea.]
Going back to thinking about his choice, Alex weighed the options. Batkin would be a far more interesting choice, but Rabbitkin did fall in line more with his aesthetic preferences.
'If I'm going to be an archer, all around perception should be the priority…Batkin it is.'
Sending G a message that he had decided on Batkin, Alex confirmed his choice.
"I select Batkin."
*Your choice of "Batkin" has been confirmed. Now that your Ancestry has been decided, you will now see a menu with the available choices for your primary profession. To confirm your choice, follow the previous instructions.*
Like for the species previously, a menu appeared listing numerous titles of professions. Most of them Alex recognized with a few exceptions, and they seemed to lean more towards combat. The left side of the menu remained the same, with the upper panel displaying an insignia representing the profession rather than a picture of someone with the profession.
'At least I can kick a good few of these options off immediately. Anything sight related is off the table, same with melee. All that should leave is magic at ranged weapon based professions.'
Using the filter at the top of the menu, Alex was left with 10's of choices still, but a lot less than before. Looking through the options for what felt like an hour, he finally had it down to 3 options: Assassin, Archer, Hunter.
*Assassins are silent and lethal, preferring to avoid a confrontation entirely by eliminating their targets before they even know they are targets. Often using poison, knives, and long range weaponry, they prefer either concealable or silent equipment.*
*Archers are marksmen first and foremost, focusing on well placed attacks with ranged weaponry to keep their enemies pinned down and far away from engaging themselves. Most archers often use short or longbows, but occasionally use crossbows of various builds.*
*Hunters track their quarry, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Not picky with their choice of weapon as long as it doesn't make them stick out, hunters prove to be versatile, hunters can be found in nearly any society for that reason.*
Surveying the options in front of him, Alex brought his hand to his chin inquisitively, processing their descriptions.
'I don't like the idea of using poison as a main resource. While it can do a lot of work weakening the enemy, it takes time and isn't very effective in a lot of different creatures. Archer is what I was planning on going for, but Hunter is just a less specialized version, giving more versatility.'
"I select Hunter."
*Your choice of "Hunter" has been confirmed. Now that your Profession has been decided, you will now see a menu with the available choices for your secondary profession. To confirm your choice, follow the previous instructions.*
Once again, a new menu appeared as the former displaying the primary professions flashes away. This menu was almost exactly the same as the previous, but showed a different list on the right side. Mostly made up of various mundane jobs like chef, blacksmith, writer, etc., these secondary professions were meant to serve as a means for people to gain experience and enjoy the Dream without having to experience conflict.
'G said they were going to choose stonemason beforehand, so that's out. I guess something to process enemies we kill would be good. Maybe leatherworker… or chef? Both are fine, but I doubt I'll do much with them.'
"I select Chef."
*Your choice of "Chef" has been confirmed. Now that your secondary profession has been decided, you will now see a menu with the available choices for your physical appearance. Of course, you may also choose to have your current appearance adapted to fit your choices. Once your Avatar has been finalized, your current appearance will change to that of your avatar, and will stay that way whenever you are in the Dream "Heart of the Wild".*
With the end of the Web's voice, the wood paneled chamber Alex previously stood in unfolded, revealing a bright blue, partially cloudy sky. The edges of the wood panels looked almost like a kite when contrasted against the sky.
About 15 feet in front of Alex stood a somewhat eerie silhouette of a humanoid with leather wings on its arms and large ears that ended in points at the top. Quickly recognizing the figure form the display panel of Batkin, he realized that this was the default form of the avatar for those who chose Batkin.
Deciding to use his current, normal appearance as the baseline for his Avatar, Alex approached the the silhouette.
"I'd like to adapt my current appearance please."
At once, a second figure appeared to the side of the first, which Alex recognized as himself. 5'8" tall, medium length, curly brown hair, blue eyes, and light, freckled skin that contrasted with his black and grey casual clothes. Not athletic or particularly large framed, he didn't appear to fill out his clothes.
"Damn synth-food."
As Alex appraised his appearance here, the to figure started to glow, then a flash of light briefly made him look away. When the light had faded, he looked back, seeing the new avatar.
The same slightly below average height, brown hair framing the face, and thin frame marked the figure, but then came the changes. Bright brown eyes matching his hair, arms with dark, leathery wings merging with the back as well as slight webbing in between the fingers, and larger, dark ears that stuck out further from the head than normal.
'Not too shabby.'