Fallen Lands,Chapter 1 - From the Sky to the Mountain,book card

  < Game Fallen Lands BETA V4.8 acknowledged. Installing...>





  < Download-while-playing process launched. Linking Fallen Lands BETA V4.8 to Gustav Neufell Radiance account... Completed>



  "Aye."







  < WARNING : As you're entering an yet-to-be-released version of a game named Fallen Lands BETA V4.8, please note that in no event shall Radiance or they respective directors, officers, partners, employess, representatives, contractors, affiliates, successors or assigns be held liable to you for accessing of this game. Under this agreement, Radiance may not be held liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, exemplary or consequential damage, may it be financial, physical, mental or may not be held liable for any physical or mental trauma caused.....>

  The wall of text kept going for what felt like a mile. Gustav sighed and scrolled to the end and accepted the unholy Terms & Conditions drafted by Radiance for experimental games. This wasn't the first time he had read them anyway.

  Gustav pressed Yes and relaxed his body, preparing himself for the weird sensation that came with every VR connection. Soon enough, he felt as if his conscience was pulled out of his body and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he was in a white space. He looked down and saw pixels swirling around him, giving form to a replica of his body, then constructing a brown shirt and pants to cover him.





  Gustav floated in this white space for a few minutes before a gust of wind came from behind. A sudden wave of pixels flew past him, devouring the emptiness and painting it with vivid colors, before he was dropped to the ground. The fall made him kneel and touch the ground with his hand. Immediatly, he recognized it as some sort of rock.

  He looked around while slowly getting up. 'Looks like a cave. Shit, I'll never get used to how real it looks. Well, not THAT real' he thought, seeing the walls were not exactly overdetailed. The feeling of the rocky ground on his feet, however... '

  Focus, you have stuff to do.' The cave had only one way out, a small tunnel with a gentle slope that he quickly entered. He soon saw the exit and its blinding light and ran toward it, excited to discover this world.

  Arriving outside, he found himself in the middle of a white mist and couldn't see further than an arm length. He carefully walked forward, arms stretched as not to slam into something. As he made his way through the fog, he sensed a resistance in front of him, but it didn't felt solid. Frowning, he tried to give a quick push with his hand, but it bounced back. 'Some kind of barrier, maybe ?'

  As he was pondering what to do, a strong wing suddenly rised, dispersing the fog and revealing an extraordinary scenery. Gustav opened his mouth in surprise and looked around. He was on a small floating island, barely half the size of a basketball court. Stretching over the horizon was The blue sky and a sea of clouds were. He soon noticed others floating islands in the distance, and wondered if all players had the same start.

  Left with more questions than answers, he decided to look under him. Maybe he could take a look at the land, or see something that would help him understand what he was supposed to do.

  He warily approached the edge of the platform, scared to fall. As he finally came near the edge, he felt the strange resistance again. 'So they won't let me fall. Thank god.'

  Reassured, he tried to peak over the edge but was blocked by the barrier. 'Ok, nothing to see here I guess.'

  Trying to understand what was expected of him, he turned around and looked for anything peculiar. He immediately took notice of something on the other side of the island. He approached it and discovered some sort of old altar. It was shaped like a sundial, except that the gnomon in it's center was missing. Only a broken base was there.



  'Alright, guess I know what to do now.' Gustav searched around for the gnomon and found nothing. After careful consideration, he went back in the cave to search the inside, and found it laying a few feet away from where he appeared. It was quite larger than what he expected, but nothing he couldn't transport back to the altar. Fixing the sundial, however, turned out to be an impossible task without tools. He tried to make it stand on its former base, but the wind would always make it fall again. He picked up small rocks on the island to create some basic support for the gnomon and, after 15 minutes of trials ending in frustration, he managed to stabilise it. The shadow was getting close to a pictogram showing a radiant sun, straight in front of the altar.



  "Ok, not really helpful... Guess I have to wait for something" he thought out loud. having nothing to do, he sat down and enjoyed the sun's warmth, glancing from time to time toward the sundial.

  A church bell suddenly started ringing in the distance, startling Gustav. He quickly got up and looked at the sundial. The shadow was exactly on the radiant sun. Still puzzled, he focused on the sound's origin. "Looks like it comes from that big cloud over the-" He never finished his sentence as the cloud started to slowly fade away, revealing a gigantic floating city. It was also build on an island, but a really large one, about 10 kilometers wide. The city surrounded a massive belltower that boasted just one bell. Since it was at a lower altitude than him, Gustav also saw fields outside, and even a lake and a forest. Some smaller islands with buildings on them were floating around, connected to the city by stone bridges. Strangely enough, he couldn't see anything move inside the city, or anyone in the fields for that matter.

  The thing that really caught his attention were three humongous chains buried in the island's sides and diving through the clouds. As he was still taking it all in, he noticed a glimmer in the city. Then ten another. In the space of 10 seconds, the entire city started to shine. Those strange lights slowly rose into the air as the bell continued to rang. The bell sound somehow grew more powerful, to the point it got deafening. After the 12th beat, all of those strange lights froze for an instant before bursting towards the floating islands he was earlier. Gustav quickly noticed one coming toward the one he was on.

  The ball of light took a long turn twice around the island before rising above it's center. It then slowly descended and settled on the sundial. Gustav noticed the small stones he set up earlier being pushed away, and the crack at the sundial's base slowly dissapearing. He carefully approached, confident but not yet sure this was the introduction event. Once he got closer, the light started to change, and luminous threads came together to form a vague face.

  "What is your name, wandering soul ?" A loud voice suddenly spoke into Gustav's head. "Woooooow, what the fuck !" he said while holding his head after feeling a sharp but short pain. The voice came back, but it was now calm and sweet. "Sorry, it's been a long time since I had to do this. Reincarnation isn't something that alwa- Oh my, how peculiar. You're not a wandering soul."

  'The voice is probably coming from the light, whatever it is. That or I'm the new Joan of Arc'. He discarded the latter, confident in his sanity and answered back. "Is that weird ? Whats a wandering soul anyways ?"

  A crystalline laughed echoed around him, and Gustav couldn't help but smile and feel joy hearing this. However he felt somehow empty when it ended. "This is something you will have to found out by yourself. It is not my role to reveal the secrets of life, nor those of this world. My role is to help you decide of a new life for yourself."

  The voice suddenly took a more serious tone. "Since you're not a wandering soul... I guess you have the privilege to see what you could... BECOME !" As it shouted the last word, small balls of swirling energy departed from it and dissapeared in the ground. A second later, the ground shook and Gustav watched in awe as statues emerged from the ground. "Go on, take a look. Although, be aware that you don't have many options available for now."





  "Hum, thanks." said Gustav after reading the prompt that popped in front of him. He dismissed the window and approached the first statue. He quickly recognised his human form, and confirmed it by reading a small sign at the base of the statue. There were a few generic lines on the race written on it, but there was nothing really different from other games, so he ignored it for now. He did the same for the Elf and the Dwarf, although the latter picked his interest as he read the sign. Nevertheless, he took a look at the rest of the statues.

  He came upon a small humanoid, maybe 80 cm tall. The skin was green with a rough texture, but was surprised him the most were the ears, very longs, sharp and... black. Hands and feet were also shaded with black. The nose was thin and crooked, giving off a nasty look enhanced by some sharp teeth and vicious eyes.




  Weak, prone to in-fighting and fearful of everything, they survived in the wild thanks to their fast growth, overwhelming numbers and natural stealth.

  They have a taken a liking in blood and warfare, and tend to have vicious minds.

  It is said that goblins are the descendant of an ancient race that once ruled the land.

  Considering the offspring, that's probably only a legend

  'Interesting...' Gustav started to look around, trying to see if there were others monster-like races. He saw a statue with wolf-like features, and a humanoid covered with scales. 'Probably Werewolf and Lizardman.' He noticed a grey flickering around some bodies. Approaching one who a lower body ressembling a horse, he called up the information window.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.



  It is said that a centaur's road is paved with the corpses of the fallen, for their are brutal creatures.

  Centaurs have been roaming the steppes since immemorial times, looking for strong opponents to battle with.

  For the proud Steppes Walkers, combat is an art they have to perfect, and their only reason to live.

  After all, what good is a warrior without a foe ?

  They possess extraordinary strength and vitality, and an endurance hardly matched by any race.

  Although they possess great affinity with nature and spirits, they have no magical power.

  Restrictions :

  Maximum Affinity with the Great Spirits affiliated

  Recognized as a great warrior by the Twelve Warchiefs

  'Looks like they took a lot of things on mythology. So the grey ones have restrictions on them.' Gustav though, looking at the Centaur Race and the massive body next to it.



  Legends talk about huge monsters with the body of a man and the head of a bull,

  protecting sacred places from the greed of outsiders. Sometimes, legends are accurate.

  Minotaurs were originally the warriors of a powerful kingdom that disappeared after a great disaster.

  The few survivors swore to protect the remnants of this Kingdom for the rest of their lives.

  Monsters to some, divine creatures to others, only fools battle against them.

  Minotaurs value Honor, Strength and Wisdom above all things.

  Restrictions :

  Maximum Affinity with the Great Spirits affiliated.

  Must have passed an Ancient Minotaur's Trial

  'There are definitely a lot of things to discover... Does the race restrictions means you revive level 1 if you change you race ? As for the Great Spirits... Some sort of beings ruling over elements and nature, I guess ?' Even if the game was somewhat different from what he was used to, there wasn't so many different things.

  He then found a body made of small worms. The sign displayed "Worm-Man". As the crawling and swarming almost made him sick, he quickly switched to another statue. This one had ears and a tail, as well as some sort of fur on the exposed part of the body. He saw that it was the Catman race. 'How many hybrid did they put in this ?'

  'Well, let's stop looking. It's not like I can pick a powerful right off the bat, I'm pretty much stuck with the 3 basics for now, all the others are restricted...'

  He went back to the three statues he started with : Human, Elf, and Dwarf. He kept thinking on what he wanted to do. Elf was tempting as a choice, but the sign talked about secluded kingdoms, which was no good for information gathering. This left him with Human and Dwarf. 'Oh fuck it, let's try something new.' He turned toward the light and pointed at the Dwarf Statue.

  "I made my choice ! I want to be a dwarf !" As he vocally expressed his choice, the statues started to crumble and the Light Spirit spoke again.

  "Very well. Close your eyes for a minute, I will tell you when you can open them again." Gustav did as he was told and sensed something wrapping around his body. He quickly panicked as his entire body started to itch like hell and he found out he could not open his eyes or move his limbs. After what seemed like a really really long minute of despair of not being able to scratch those itches, it ended.

  "Open your eyes, Mountain's Son !"

  < You selected the Dwarf Race ! >

  Dwarves are one of the three most populated race of the Lowlands, just behind Humans.

  Born from rock and stone, they have hardened bodies and great talent for crafting.

  They usually live in the mountain with their kin, but some decide to become adventurers.

  Less agile than others races but make up for it in strength and toughness.

  By tradition - but also by constitution - they can only use Dwarven magic.



  He could now see in front of him a mirror that reflected his naked dwarven body. He still had a body proportioned like a human one, only way more bulky and muscular, and way shorter - at first glance, he was about 1,30m tall. 'Not sure though, everything seems bigger now.' His nose was bigger as well, and his jaw felt and looked larger than before. A long and tressed brown beard was now falling on his chest, with small silver rings decorating it. His hair were fairly long and pulled behind his head in a ponytail. ? bulky build that was proportioned as a human He had a long tressed beard and and short hairs.

  "Make the muscles a little bit less visible. Turn the hair and beard to black. A bit darker than this, please. Make the hair in three thick braids joining together, and shaved on the side please. Add small rings tightening the braids. Change my eye color to green annnnnd we're done !"

  'Now that's a dwarf !' he thought, grinning at the sight of his reflection.

  "Alright. Time for you to depart," said the light. "Enjoy your new life in the Lowlands !"





  A swirl of light engulfed him, and he was taken away.

  "Oh... I forgot to make him choose his dwarven name" realised the light. "Oh well, he will figure it out by himself."

  *

  When Gustav opened his eyes, he found himself on a small plateau. Looking up, he realized he was on a mountain's pan, probably halfway to the top. Only other mountains were visible from there. He then noticed his new clothes : a simple linen shirt, some rough cotton trousers held with a rope and some sturdy looking leather shoes, reinforced with metal. By chance, there was no snow in the vinicity and the sun shone brightly. 'Maybe it's summer ?'

  He started to walk but instead fell down after tripping his feet on the ground. 'Crap. Guess I'll have to get used to my body before doing anything.' He started walking slowly, trying to adjust to his shorter and heavier frame. He tried running in circle and side jumping, throw a few punches and kicks and finally got a hang of it. 'Actually, it feels really natural now. Guess the system is adapting my sense of balance... Shit, is it tinkering that much with me ?'

  He decided to take a look at his status first.

  Name: (None - Choose Name*) | Race: Dwarf, Male | Clan: (None) | Neutral Alignement | LVL: 1

  Health: 130/130 | Mana: 70/70

  STR: 13 | TOU: 13 | DEX: 10 | PER: 10 | INT: 7 | WIS: 7

  Stat Points: 0

  Great Spirit Affinity: Earth (Strong)

  Titles

  -

  Racial Traits

  Mountain's Son | Dwarven Heritage

  'What, no stamina ? Oh shit I did not choose a name ! Well, looks like I can still do it though.' He pondered on it for a good ten minutes, but couldn't make a decision. 'Shit, I don't know what type of dwarven name they have here... I would like one similar to an NPC, so I can blend in. Guess I'll wait for now.' He called out his skill window, just to see if he had anything already.



  "Guess not" he sighed. "So, where is this city ?"

  Looking around, he saw absolutely no passage or signs of life. He was literally trapped in this area. 'Do I have to found the entrance by myself ? At least put me on a road, this is just a bad joke !'

  He approached the edge of the platform. No invisible wall was there to block him, so he grabbed a big rock with both of his hands before leaning forward. The mountainside wasn't perpendicular, but the fall would still be deadly. He considered sliding down, but the absence of snow and the numerous sharps rocks made the adventure perilous. 'I don't even know what is over there. Let's check around first.'

  He turned back and started inspecting the wall. If he was trapped on a natural platform when he was supposed to be in a Dwarven city, there obviously was some kind of secret entrance nearby.

  He started to feel the rock with his hands, slowly dragging his fingers on the bumps. He then put his right ear against the mountain and gave small taps on it, gradually advancing. He was trying to see if a cavity was hidden behind the wall, but so far no difference in sound could be perceived. As he kept moving forward, he suddenly heard a voice.

  "What ... the ...yeh..." The sound wasn't really clear, but he swore it was close. 'Aha, I knew it !' More determined than ever before, Gustav closed his eyes, hold his breath and blocked his left ear with a finger to concentrate on the wall.

  'I think I hear some... gravel rolling ? Yeah, some footsteps too. There definitely is someone on the other side of this wall !'

  Something suddenly grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn with great strength.

  "OY, YEH HEAR MEH THICKHEAD ?" The sudden burst left Gustav stone-deaf as he looked at the screaming face. Dark eyes that shone brightly, a bald head and a white shaggy beard. The individual was the same size than him and wore a thick leather armor. He could also see some spikes on the shoulder pads, and a rope on his back. 'Another dwarf ! Where the hell did he came from ?'

  As he was taking in all those informations, the dwarf suddenly punched him right in the face. Gustav sensed a crack and a violent pain before falling to the ground.

  <-20 hp !>



  "Aaaaaah, dhad freakin' hurd ! Whad is your probleb !" said Alvis, his words now distorted by the injury.

  "So yeh can talk after all ! Next time yeh'll answer instead of ignorin' those that are talkin' to you ! Now answer meh : what are yeh doin' here ?"

  "You cobe out of dowhere, break by dose and dow you wand be do answer your quesdions ? I SAY FACK YOU !"

  "Oh, small cub got some voice ! Then I suppose I should let yeh go back to yer wall-hugging ! Some folks get to this after spendin' too much time alone." said the dwarf while giving a light smirk. He then started to turn back.

  "Ah waid !"

  "What ? Thought yeh ain’t talkin' to someone who broke yer poor little nose ?"

  'I think I'm going to punch him. No, I REALLY want to punch him. Oh yeah, the bone cracking under my fist, the rictus of pain on his face, and his suffering cry... Oh, that would feel sooooo gooooood !'

  "Speechless again ? I ain’t wastin' time here."

  As he started to walk away toward the wall, Alvis had to swallow his pride and call out to the dwarf. Again. Right now, he had to learn more about the world get to the dwarven city. 'This guy looks like he knows his way around here, and I don't. Take it on yourself, you can get even later.'

  "Okay, i'll dell you ! Gibe be jusd a second do sdop dhe bleeding." shouted Gustav, ripping the end of his shirt and putting it on his nose. Rapidly, the fabric went scarlet red.

  "Yeh ain’t goin' far with that..." said the dwarf, his eyes slightly amused. "Well, guess it's partly meh fault. Oy, come with meh, I'll give yeh somethin'. Not like I can let a fellow dwarf outside just before a storm anyway."

  "How is dhad pardly your fau.... Waid whad ? A storb ?"

  "Well yeah, we're into the Runhak Mountains, of course there are storms. And not the small ones like what they get in the South Mountains, I tell yeh."

  Alvis gave him an interrogating look. "The Runhak Mountains ? The South Mountains ?"

  The dwarf paused and looked at him while frowning. "Say, yeh know where yeh are, right ? I mean, even a 10 years old Dwarf knows the different Mountains !"

  "I... kinda been libing under a rock." This caused the dwarf's eyes to stare at him wide-eyed before bursting in laughter.

  "Bwahahahaha ! A Dwarf livin' under a rock ! Yeh're quite the ironic fella, ain't ya ? The guys are goin' to love yeh ! Ok, let's see..."

  The dwarf then put down his backpack and started rummaging in while muttering. "Now, where did I put this ? Ah, here yeh go !" He then pulled out two strange looking hooks linked together with a short rope. They were made of steel and looked quite sturdy.

  "Catch that !" was the only warning Alvis got before seeing the hooks flying toward him. He managed to caught them, getting a scratch on his shirt in the process. 'Those are heavier than they look', he thought.

  "Ok, let's go - Oh wait, I still don't know who yeh are ! Meh name is Weylin, from the Drokarosh Clan ! Yeh can call meh Weylin ! Yeh ?"

  'Well shit... Ok, gotta make something up...'

  "I ab Bodrik." said Gustav in a panick.

  "Bobrik it is, then !" laughed Weylin before giving him a huge pat on the back.

  'What the fuck, he almost broke my back...' thought Gustav in pain. 'Wait a minute... that fuckface got it wrong !'

  "Bodrik, not Bodrik !"

  "Yeah yeah, I got yeh the first time yeh know ?"

  "Do ! B-O-D-R-I-K ! With a V !" Exasperated with his inability to pronounce the name, he made a V sign in the air.

  "So Bovrik ?"

  "Do !"

  "Bodvik ?"

  'Oh for fuck sake' thought Gustav, denying the dwarf with an headshake.

  "Vodrik then ?"

  "Yes !"



  <-1 HP>

  "Oh, okay then, not need to get pissed. Well Vodrik, onward !"

  "Onward ? Do where ? Dhere is do path." asked the puzzled Vodrik. Weylin turned toward him, a big grin on his face. He then took another pair of hooks and approached the wall.

  "What are you talking about ? It's just here !" he said, waving dismissively toward the wall.

  "Here ? Like a hidden door ?"

  "What ? No ! The entrance is up there, moron !"

  Vodrik looked at the wall, and slowly raised his eyes. 'No, not a wall. A cliff.' A freaking huge cliff. His eyes darted between the cliff, the clearly mad dwarf in front of him and the hooks in his hands. 'You're shitting me, right ?'

Chapter 1 - From the Sky to the Mountain

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