A rough draft. Please express your thoughts
Alexander peered up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Bleary-eyed, he slowly rose up from his resting position.
Surrounding Alexander was a large, ornately decorated room. The furnishings resembled something out of a Victorian-era film.
Thick patterned carpets littered the floors, the bed large enough for a king and his harem to sleep in, the wooden frame a dark lacquered mahogany with gold inlay.
Alexander then caught sight of his hands. Fair, olive-skinned and not a hair in sight. They bared no resemblance to his previous ghoulish, sunlight-deprived arms.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Alexander's heart raced with anticipation. He peered at the door frame, waiting to see who would come through.
"Young Master Casimir, are you awake?"
'Casimir... Why does that name sound familiar?' Without fanfare, the door opened, and a youthful maid entered.
"Young master, are you well?"
'I was tongue-tied at the sight before my eyes, how could someone look so drop-dead gorgeous?'
Alexander couldn't help but stare at her large breasts. 'Those are definitely H-cups, and that mole on her cheek, she resembles a French beauty from a classic Noir film. And those eyes, a deep red... why are they red?'
"Young Master," The maid raised an eyebrow. Alexander was confused but decided to play along.
'Ye-Yesss... I am f-fine.' The maid peered into my eyes; her expression easily conveyed her skepticism.
"Young Master, it is not my place to pry into your business, but I suggest not doing anything foolish. Lord Starlight, is already upset with your previous escapades."
Alexander was only getting more confused by the second. 'Lord Starlight? That definitely sounds familiar.'
"Do you need any assistance getting dressed, young master? Breakfast is in half an hour, and the patriarch is not a man of patience."
'No, I can dress myself. Please give me some privacy.' The maid frowned but left without comment.
Alexander slowly calmed down and pondered his situation. 'She called me Casimir and mentioned a Lord Starlight.'
Alexander then caught sight of a large ornate mirror, pressed against a wall. As if being tugged by an unknown thread, he moved towards the mirrored surface.
Dark Violet eyes looked searchingly back at him, midnight black hair slicked back, a tanned physique that would have put the old Alexander to shame.
Why do I look like some wannabe Arabian prince? Alexander was then hit with the mother of all headaches.
Memories flooded his mind. Memories of another life, another world... It felt like hours went by but in reality, only a few seconds had passed. Breathing in and out, the pain quickly subsided.
'I- I am Casimir Starlight. No, I was Casimir Starlight. I have his memories but I still think of myself as Alexander. I am finally getting some answers, I am inside Hero's Ascension. The video game I pored thousands of hours dissecting. My obsession for the past 5 years.'
Despite grasping the situation, my confusion continued to persist. 'Why am I here? Sure, I was obsessed with the game but that doesn't give some random god a license to whisk me away from my life. Granted, there was little life to leave behind besides my PC. Terabytes of anime waifus, gone. Sigh… I should move on before I start contemplating whoever finds my search history.'
Alexander pondered, 'given how this usually goes, some of Casimir's habits may bleed through if I am not careful. It helps I am a few decades older, eclipsing the now 17-year-old Casimir.'
Casimir Starlight was supposedly your typical minor villain, a temporary setback for the player to overcome. A single stepping stone among thousands.
But I knew better. Hero's Ascension was detailed beyond what I thought was possible for a relatively obscure indie release. Even if Casimir himself was a footnote in the story, the Starlight's are one of the 4 great ducal houses in the human kingdom of Lumaria.
Casimir's lore entry stated his mother passed away due to sickness when Casimir was only 10 years old. His father, the duke, offered little if any emotional support. Remarrying a year later to increase political ties with another one of the great houses. The Ducal House Praxios.
His stepmother, the new duchess, took a distant approach to their relationship. This culminated in Casimir spiraling down a path of self-destruction.
Noblesse Oblige was a foreign concept to Casimir. Women, Drugs and Gambling was his entire world. Casimir's associations were no better, other young masters, high on what little authority they possessed, mistreating commoners as if it was their birthright.
Casimir's only redeeming quality was his love for his little sister, Lilianna. 6-years-old and brimming with energy, Casimir found no small amount of solace playing with her.
Casimir was self-aware enough to isolate his destructive tendencies from Lilianna's view. Even if he lacked the strength of will to change for the better. He couldn't bear the thought of Lilianna being disappointed him. Putting up a respectable front before inevitably leaving to indulge in his excesses.
'Casimir's memories seem to corroborate my knowledge from the game.'
During the story campaign, the player enters Northbound academy, the premier institution for magical learning and combat instruction. Casimir as the dukes only male heir, was enrolled into the academy at 18 years of age. The minimum age humans can awaken their core. Barring a few exceptions.
The game introduced a cut scene of Casimir attempting to sexually assault a romanceable female character. As the player, we were given the choice to intervene, which starts a minor quest chain involving Casimir sending assassins after you.
Long story short, the female lead, Amelia, is Casimir's fiancée. The player character defeats Casimir in an honor duel, his arranged marriage with Ameilia is annulled and Casimir commits suicide.
'Despite Casimir's relative unimportance in the grand scheme of things, I took the time to research his character. His lore entry shifted my perspective; I saw Casimir as less of a villain and more a victim of his own circumstances. He was still responsible for all the mistakes he made, but this exemplifies just how easily someone can go down the wrong path when not exposed to the right influences.'
Alexander walked towards the wardrobe and began undressing. 'Better not keep the duke waiting. No wonder Elizabeth was looking at me strangely, the old Casimir would have demanded she dress him while unashamedly starting at her 'assets' I don't think I will be following in his footsteps.'
More importantly, this world has a system. This was one of the reasons why I was so obsessed with Hero's Ascension. 'My exact situation exemplifies why being a geek pays off'
Alexander willed his status to appear before him.
Status | Mana: 9/9 | [Effects] Liver Disease (3) Addiction (4) STD (7) Alcohol Poisoning (2)
Name: Casimir Starlight (Alexander)
Race: Human
Age: 17
Core: -
Affinities: -
Bloodline: -
Strength: 2 (10)
Vitality: 1 (10)
Dexterity: 2 (10)
Endurance: 3 (10)
Intelligence: 9 (10)
Willpower: 8 (10)
charm: 6 (10)
Racial Abilities:
- Fast Learner: (10% increase to learning speed)
Blessings: -
Spells/Contracts/Techniques: -
Shit… This is awful.
Casimir's high mental attributes are likely my doing. His accumulated status effects have severely impacted his physical attributes. It's a miracle Casimir hasn't collapsed already, despite having a vitality score of 1. But even if I use a high-grade healing potion to remove the status effects. I doubt it would change much given Casimir's lack of training.'
Each species has a theoretical genetic limit before other variables are factored in like bloodlines, mana cores, blessings and racial evolutions. Humans are considered adaptive generalists with the system listing our maximum potential at 10 attributes for every stat.
Unfortunately, attribute growth plateaus the higher you increase your stats. So, most humans tend to cut their losses before switching to forming their mana cores. 'Idiots the lot of them'
The other enlightened races have their maximum attributes skewed towards specific builds. Elves for instance, have a higher base dexterity and intelligence. Orks skew towards Strength and endurance, Dwarves, Vitality and endurance, Vampires, Charm and wisdom and so on and so forth.
The affinities you are born with determine which schools of magic you have access to. Excluding humans, most races are born with a preference towards a specific element. For elves its wind and water, dwarves' earths and fire, Gnomes lightning and earth.
Around 60% of any given population is born with at least 1 affinity. 10% are born with 2 affinities, 5% are born with 3 affinities, 1% with 4 or more affinities and 14% are born with no affinities whatsoever. Those born without affinities can still access ambient mana and cast non-elemental spells.
'It sucks having no affinities but that can be remedied at a later date. I should purchase a lesser magic missile spell scroll before leaving the city'
As for the known elements, they are Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Light, Dark, Space and Time.
Bloodlines are unique hereditary abilities that are mostly passed down through noble houses and royal lines. House Starlight has a bloodline related to the light and lightning affinity. 'The duke is likely aware I do not possess the StarBurst bloodline.
I got to give it to the man, he may be emotionally neglectful, but Casimir was never left wanting at least in terms of material wealth. Some bloodlines grant minor increases in strength while others possess the potential to level entire cities to the ground. The Starburst bloodline grants the light and lightning affinity and imbues its holders with unparalleled speed.
'I don't possess a bloodline but that can be remedied after I change my race and evolve it down the line.'
Your racial ability is determined by your race. Humans possess [fast learner], which increases our learning speed by 10%. Elves possess, [Natures Grace], which gives them a 15% increase in agility and the ability to traverse forest biomes without navigational tools. Gnomes possess [Tinkerers mind] which gives a 40% increased learning speed towards crafting.
Blessings can only be granted by the gods. Yes, gods exist in this world. Blessings are less unique compared to bloodlines but they undeniably play a role in the overall hierarchy of society. Gods are typically attracted to those who possess a similar disposition to them. This was one of the only semi-reliable methods to gain a blessing in the game. Slay 50 warriors and you may grab the attention of a war god.
That or visiting the temple ruins of a long-forgotten god and providing a sacrifice. 'Taking advantage of a gods loneliness is more effective than one would think.'
The last category lists the spells and magical techniques you learn along with any magical contracts initiated through the system or external magical rituals. 'Casimir is clearly lacking in this area as well. Filthy rich and he didn't bother contracting with a familiar. Bound ego weapons I understand, they are worth more than entire kingdoms.'
'Sigh… I have a lot of work to do.'