Beta testing. That's what Alan was promised as he received the letter from the creators of the RA (Reality Altering) game of V1CE. A fully immersive experience, players are given the choice to choose between a massive variety of creatures of mytholo...
He did it. Out of the tens of millions of applications, he was one of a thousand picked to Beta Test the new RAMMO, or Reality-Altering Massively Multiplayer Online game, V1CE. Players were given free rein to quest, form parties, and pick between nearly two thousand classes and skills. Most players picked humans, elves, or dwarves, finding familiarity with the perception of what a fantasy race should be.
Then there were the outliers like himself; those that sacrificed their dignity and customizability to instead play as a monstrous race, and give in to their base desires. The game took liberties with hundreds of creatures, but half of their levels were dedicated to their race, which limited their ability to make custom classes. Beta Testers were given max characters, in order to find any weaknesses in the game.
"Fifty levels in racial levels? That seems harsh," he said to himself as his eyes gleaned over the creation menu. "The problem is, there are way too many races. Maybe I should just pick a normal character, like a gnome or half-elf..."
His voice trailed off into the void of the menu screen. Monsters of mythology and folklore from every culture littered the menu. Many were in their native language, which he typically ignored. That shortened his choices greatly, which helped him feel more comfortable.
"A Rat-King? Sounds regal."
He mentally pressed his choice, activating a new screen that allowed him to allot his levels into the multitude of classes and racial skills. He was shocked how many different sub-classes the Rat-King allowed, though each could only contain ten levels. That meant he needed to choose five racial sub-classes, and five traditional ones. Several choices were listed in red, and as he highlighted one, an indicator screen popped up.
Prerequisite Required
Some prerequisites were simply needing a complimenting sub-class, while others were more complex and vaguer. The problem was, he didn't even know what type of player he wanted to be. The game allowed near-absolute freedom of choice, where a player could even choose to simply live a life farming crops for NPCs, or non-player characters, and players alike. The game was called V1CE for a reason. Many players figured there was a hidden meaning behind it and were excited to find out what that could be. The mystery created a demand unlike any other game before it.
Alan was a wandering mind, and hard choices typically confused him. Only bare minimum information about the game was available to the public, making sure that all players would be met with a cascade of confusion as they logged in. Beta Testers were feeling that in full force. He closed his virtual eyes, satisfied at his choices, though until he got into the game, he had no idea how effective they would even be. Fighting players wasn't his intended goal, so his focus was more personal.
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He looked at the screen, as his eyes hovered over the "finish" button. His starting gear is what solidified his choice, since he resembled a refined plague doctor in black leather and goggles to match. For weapons, he was given two plain daggers. Underneath his outfit, his form looked like a human-sized rat, with brown fur and jagged teeth. It was his true form, but his classes allowed him to take on the image of a slightly more human appearance, but his long tail gave away his true nature.
