Satisfied at his Avatar's appearance, Alex stepped back into the center of the wooden panels on which he stood.
"I'd like to finalize my avatar."
As the words left his lips, the wooden panels slowly started to tremble, then rose back to form the familiar elevator chamber. Once the room was as it started, Web's voice echoed between the walls of the chamber.
*Your Avatar's appearance has been finalized. Now, you will select the realm in which your Dream will begin. Once you have chosen, you will be brought back to the Loading Room, where you will be able to enter that realm, and you will be left to experience the Dream firsthand.*
Once the sound of Web's voice ended, a menu appeared once again. A long list of realms ran down the right side, but Alex didn't bother going through them all, as he and G had already decided beforehand.
"I select Mosshaven."
Mosshaven was one of the recommended realms for those looking for a more action focused experience, and one that didn't contain many Dreamers focused on development of guilds or kingdoms, unlike some of the other fantastical realms. Being composed of various different terrains that all came with extensive plant life, Mosshaven was estimated to be the size of the old U.S.A. before it fell.
*Congratulations, Alex, on completing your Avatar. 10 seconds after this message, you will arrive back at your Loading Room, and be able to enter Mosshaven. Sweet dreams.*
Feeling the wooden chamber slowly coming to halt, Alex was feeling a bit giddy. Thinking of the endless possibilities during the customization process was fun, but that's not what he decided to dive into Heart of the Wild for. Being so close to his first steps into what is essentially a new world had him on edge, but in the best way possible.
The elevator finally coming to a stop, a clear ding rang out and the metallic doors opened, displaying his loading room. No longer a white walled room with the 2 couches and coffee table, what took its place was far more flavorful.
The once flawless white walls were gone, replaced by grey, mossy stone bricks like that of an ancient castle wall. The doors once leading to Alex and G's Home rooms were replaced by square, unadorned wooden doors with names (or letter) carved into the center. Dotting the perimeter of the room were tall, sparsely leaved trees towering above Alex, their canopy taking the place of the once ambiguously high ceiling.
In the center of the room was a large campfire made up of smooth stones surrounding a pit of burning leaves and branches, but they didn't seem to ever really burn. Around the campfire were 3 large logs, presumably formerly the trunks of the trees that occupied the room, though these ones were sanded down to a smooth surface.
When taking in the room, Alex finally noticed that he had something weighing down his arms. Lowering his eyes to his forearms, he saw dark, leathery flaps hanging from his arm, running along its surface and disappearing up his sleeve. Recoiling slightly, he quickly realized they were wings.
'A little warning would have been nice…I wonder when G will be good to go? I guess I should probably just shoot them a message.'
"Web, how do I access the menu in this Dream?"
*To access the menu of Heart of the Wild, simply say "Menu" aloud, and it will open. No one can see another dreamer's menu without their permission, but they can see when you have the menu open. You will not be able to access most of the normal features of the menu inside Heart of the Wild, as that would grant some an unfair advantage. Instead, all dreamers will have access to the message function, as well as other features unlocked with more experience. As always, you will be able to exit the Dream at any time, but you will always begin the Dream from a set location in the realm. This location will either be the place you last rested, or your residence in the realm you last presided in.*
'That may take some getting used to. At least messaging is still allowed, otherwise meeting up would be near impossible today.'
Just as Alex was going to send a message, the sound of the elevator alerted him to G finishing their avatar creation.
Exiting the elevator, G similarly looked different from their previous meeting. Wearing the same clothes and possessing all the same features, at first glance they looked normal, but a closer inspection revealed that their skin had striations like what you would see in metamorphic rock like marble. A slightly paler shade than before, their skin was flawless. G's "hair" was still tied in a ponytail, but didn't sway like hair normally would, like it was stuck in place. When they appraised the changed scenery of the Loading Room, a look of surprise crossed G's face for a moment before it returned to a neutral smile.
"I guess you finished first…are those wings? What'd you choose?"
Raising his arms, Alex's new wings unfolded, forming a sort of half circle with the lower half of his body.
"Pretty cool, right? I chose Batkin. I thought bats had poor eyesight, but I can see about the same as before. Anyway, what did you choose? It kind of looks like your skin is made of stone, but I thought gargoyles had wings."
Raising a hand to their face, G rubbed their cheek, taking in the cold, smooth feeling of stone rubbing against stone.
"I thought Stoneborn sounded cool, plus being durable is important for a frontliner. Flying isn't my thing, so gargoyle was a no. As for professions, I chose stonemason, like I said, and I chose Spearman for my primary. Basic, I know, but you can specialize more down the line, so it should get interesting options."
"Fair enough."
As they were discussing their decisions, Web's voice rang out once more.
*Congratulations on finalizing your avatars, both of you. You will now be able to enter Mosshaven via the "Elevator". Once inside, just say the name of your desired realm, and you will be brought there. For now, only Mosshaven is available for travel.*
Alex, hearing the announcement, directs their gaze to the elevator, then back to G.
"Well, about time we dove in, don't you think? Let's get to it."
Walking towards the elevator with G in tow, they both enter, letting the doors shut behind them.
"Mosshaven."
Suddenly, the chamber shook for a moment, then the wooden panels fell away, leaving them standing in the middle of a stone circle on the ground, glowing blue with runes inscrutable to the duo. The stone circle stood in the center of a well kept courtyard, decorated with wildflowers ranging a myriad of colors. Beyond the courtyard were lively grey brick roads with a variety of different humanoids walking, not paying the 2 newcomers any mind.
'So this is Mosshaven… I guess this is what parks used to look like back in the real world.'
Feeling his breath hitch slightly, it took a moment for Alex to realize that he had changed clothes. Gone were the casual clothes fit for around the house, replaced by purpose built boots, sturdy pants for treading in the wilderness, and a tunic with no sides as to not constrain his wings, all concealed by a thick cloak to protect from the elements. On his back was a wooden short bow and quiver, but he couldn't tell how many arrows without inspecting more closely.
G as well had undergone a wardrobe change, now wearing thick, leather pants and a doublet, as well as similar boots to his own and bracers protecting their forearms. Not provided with a cloak, a 4 foot long, simple wood-hafted spear was plainly visible on G's back.
Taking a moment to collect themselves and assess their surroundings, the duo left the circle and started to blend into the various peoples walking the stone streets.
Turning to G, Alex spoke in a somewhat subdued tone, their voice mostly being lost in the crowds ambient noise.
"If I remember correctly, the articles I saw on the Dreamweb said that Dreamers aren't provided with quests from the get go, so we should try and get some money first. Any ideas?"
Not bothering to look towards Alex and instead inspecting the architecture of the surrounding buildings, G thought for a moment, then responded in a similarly hushed voice.
"We should check if there is a cost to the basics in the city first, like if we need to pay when leaving or coming back into the city. I know we don't need an ID or anything like that here, but they might have a tax in the gate or something. If they don't, we could take a bet on the outside since we don't have anything to lose anyway."