1:00
0:59
0:58
'Thank god, ten minutes feels like a lifetime when you're stuck in place. Was there a traffic overload or server issues? I couldn't even access any kind of interface.'
The group annoyance was palpable, Jonah had never been great at empathy having spent most of his life alone like any good introvert, but suddenly he could read emotions like they were words on a page.
Directly in front of him was a man that stood about five feet tall, scraggly brown hair in chainmail armour with a war-hammer resting on his back.
The annoyance radiating from him had been contagious and those around him had been starting to grow more annoyed, Jonah himself had felt it tugging at him but then he felt himself release some kind of counter and everyone in a good area was pacified.
It had happened so fluidly that Jonah wasn't even sure it was him, but his instincts had changed as much as his body and clued him in.
Even as he considered the incident, the clock ticked down.
0:03
0:02
0:01
The opening ceremony will now begin.
As the message displayed, the regimented rows of people found themselves transplanted into an enormous castle court yard.
"Finally I can move!"
"Sweet freedom!"
"Worst opening cinematic ever!... No offence but ten minutes of staring at your head ain't a good time."
The relief of being able to move was as alleviating as the annoyance was crushing.
Jonah was tempted to voice his own celebration, instead however he focused on the interface and went to the display settings like any good gamer.
"HP/MP set to orb with percentages... Move that to the bottom left... That to top right... That to the bottom right... Minimise chat and good to go."
"Excuse me, hello, sorry after staring at you for ten minutes this feels creepy. I just have to say your wings are beautiful, I never considered writing that."
Jonah hadn't turned around until he heard the words "your wings", but he was shocked when he did.
The woman was tall, heavy-set, with a greenish-hue to her skin. Long black hair rolled down from her head over her shoulders in a very non-fantasy wave.
She was dressed in a medium-light leather curious of pale brown, that had a few patches of chainmail studded in place with fur trimming around the shoulder length sleeve, collar and V-cut that exposed enough of her chest to make Jonah feel awkward, not that that took much.
From each wrist to half-way up her forearms was a studded leather vambrace, which was paired with a light buckler.
Around her waist was a belt that carried a few pouches and she only wore leather shorts that left a gap between their end and the leather boots that stopped just below her knees.
"Yeah, that AI, Greeter, said I was the only one."
"That's so cool! Think I might log out and restart, Orc was the first fantasy thing that came to mind, but it was so un-cute and I was just trying to save face by pretending I liked it."
She made a point of dabbing the tip of her finger on one of the two protruding tusks with the word un-cute, but all Jonah could think was, 'Am I really talking to a girl, or is this a cross-player?'
Deciding to play along and dip his toe into the art of sensitivity. "I wouldn't say un-cute, the hair and eyes distract from the tusks at least..." As he trailed off, her face scrunched up with uncertainty and he knew he'd missed the mark. "... Sorry, I'm not great with people, I guess that didn't come as a bonus with the wings.
To his surprise she chuckled. "No worries, I'm not much better, I actually hate MMOs but I had to be on the full-dive band-wagon from day one."
"Same!.." Jonah was surprised by his own exclamation. "...Hey, not to be weird, but these games punish solo players, want to add me so if either of us get stuck..."
Jonah lost the unexpected spurt of confidence before he even finished the sentence, but after a few seconds a notification popped up in front of him.
Orcette would like to be friends
Accept? Y / N
"I'll take you up on that sometimes, I wasn't just being nice, I kind of hate most people. I sense a bit of a kindred spirit in you, besides I could use a guardian angel."
"How did you know my class?" Jonah asked reflexively, forgetting that it was a common turn of phrase, until her expression left him feeling a little stupid.
"You can use all the privacy settings you want, but it won't change people learning what you tell them." She chuckled before telling him to accept the friend request.
As he tried to hold back the rising blush, he accepted the request and as if to celebrate the occasion, trumpets blared into life.
As the brass instruments filled the courtyard with their rhythmic blaring, drums rolled like thunder, followed quickly by what was either perfectly synchronised harps or one superbly loud one.
The unusual music was unexpectedly enrapturing, shifting between beautifully melodic during the harp symphonies, seizing during the percussion and demanding during the brass.
All the musicians serenaded the players from atop the ramparts, made from strictly uniformed stoned blocks that were decorated with a variety of banners in an array of colours. Some bore intricate patterns, whilst others carried various emblems which appeared as some manner of family crests, but exactly who they represented was a mystery.
The only thing Jonah could gleam was that the fact they draped down more than half of the seventy or so feet wall, likely meant that they were families of significant influence.
As everyone watched in entranced awe, the trumpets all swung towards the same direction, guiding everyone's eyes toward a balcony that could only be described as a masterpiece of stonework.
The long protruding structure was supported by twelve carved depictions of the twelve creatures that made up the zodiac. A choice that created a clash of cultures between the European architecture and the Asian themed decoration tied together with the exaggerated style of many fantasy worlds.
As their eyes all finally came to rest on the figure leaning on the balustrade, the music faded out and the one looking down on them gave a polite clap.
"A truly breathtaking rendition, was it not?" The man asked, somehow sounding as though he was standing right in front of each person.
"Greeter? So is he not just some start-up assistant?" Jonah asked himself aloud as every man around seemed to do the same.
"It truly was, Greeter!" A woman shouted with excitement as she came to rest on the balcony as he had.
"Greeter? That's the one that welcomed me, Jonah." Orcette said from behind him, but his eyes were squinted, wondering why those NPCs were even there.
"Hey, Orcette. Have you ever seen an NPC like that appear on the balcony of a castle like they're the king of the place?"
"No, not unless it was a betrayal scene or a dis-"
She didn't finish the Sentence, cut off by a single clap of Greeter's hands that shook the courtyard.
"Apologies, but you came here to play the game, so we'll keep this brief..." The Greeter who welcomed Jonah trailed off and looked to his female counterpart.
"...welcome to your new life, we apologise but this is less of a reincarnation simulator and more of an actual reincarnation..."
"...Indeed, you will find it quite impossible to leave here I'm afraid. However, we understand that some of you may not appreciate that finality and may want to change that..."
"...Not that we understand the sentiment, but we will respect it and if any of you can defeat the final boss then we will send you all back."
Jonah stared in stunned silence, a phantom smile spreading across his face as he remembered joking to himself about this exact eventuality.
The smile faded however when he sensed the growing anger and confusion spreading across the crowd he had mostly ignored.
What? Am I really the messed up one for not wanting to go back?' Jonah looked around for confirmation, he spotted a few people who seemed like-minded, but they were indisputably the minority.
The last person he clocked, was unsurprisingly the one who had already pegged them as a "kindred-spirit". Unlike Jonah, in the face of the situation she was unashamedly jubilant.
So much so it actually made him wonder what made the real world so easy for her to abandon, he found himself imagining the girl's life and involuntarily developing a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Jonah, I think you're overthinking it a little bit." She giggled.
The moment between the announcement and that moment seemed to last a while, but when another clap silenced them and the Greeters asked for quiet to bring the ceremony to a swift conclusion, it became clear it hadn't lasted that long.
"...To put it simply, your minds were completely captured by the headset. It will take time to adjust to the anatomy and sensations of your new bodies, but we look forward to seeing you master them..."
"Truly, especially the more unique among..." For a moment, Jonah could have sworn he felt the male greeter's eyes linger on him. "...As for exactly what you do, this world will truly come to life when we're done here..."
"...The AI NPCs will also be truly free to live as they see fit. You and they will be free to live, love and even reproduce if the species are compatible..."
"... Likewise, you will also be free to die, be assured, your death here will be irreversible and your "real" body will die too..."
"...If at any point you feel a sharp stab to the cerebellum, congratulations, you are a permanent resident. What it means is that someone removed the headset and broke the connection..."
"...With that, we will leave you to grow acquainted with the world. We hope you enjoy your new life and hope it is not one that ends too quickly."
With the conclusion of the speech, they disappeared and true to their word, the NPCs came to life, the king of the castle appearing where the Greeters had stood and all of them acting like he had just finished a long speech about a welcoming ceremony for foreign visitors.
Jonah could feel the discontent rising, the anger and anxiety of the trapped players reaching critical mass. Orcette grabbed Jonah's wrist and pulled him away at full speed, running through the streets to get away from the impending panic.
They weren't alone in that, several dozen made their way out of the courtyard, including every one of the players Jonah caught looking happy.
When they made it outside of the city centre, Orcette slid to a halt suddenly realising how much faster her new body was and turning back to find Jonah doubled over.
"Sorry, they weren't joking, this new body is pretty awesome."
"It's fine, honestly I'm not even that tired, I think I'll need to get used to these wings before I can keep up with you long-term."
Orcette chuckled. "Don't start writing our vows so soon."
"Yeah don't flatter yourself too much..." He chuckled back. "Look, I think it's gonna be better to split up the first week. I'm gonna draw a lot of attention being the only angel, what do you say we split up, do some research and meet back up to compare notes?"
"Very chivalrous, but I would rather stay together for the first week and get used to the bodies, then split for a week and reconvene."
"Sure, let's find somewhere to experiment..." Jonah hesitated. "...Look, I'm twenty five in this body, but thirty-one back on Earth. Not to be a creep, or rude, but how old are you? I'd like to know if I need to explain to you not to take candy from strangers."
"Relax, I'm twenty-eight back on Earth, twenty-two here. If you don't believe me, my identity car- well guess that isn't an option, haha!"
"I'll trust you, maybe there will be an info-share system somewhere, or a lie-detection item. Either way, I guess it doesn't matter, but let's get somewhere to experiment before we fall behind or get caught in the inevitable stampede."