Royal Realm

A sea of vibrant colors cascaded around me as the log-in sequence completed. A sea of people surrounded me as the blur of color slowly began to fade, bustling in a sea of noise and motion.

"Hi! Welcome to Royal Realm!" A small icon popped up in the corner of my vision, a miniature fairy that floated up and down slowly.

"I'm DEEP, the Directly Engaging Emotional Personality. I'm here to help you get started!"

I jumped, startled - this wasn't in any of the press releases.

"You can open your information screen by thinking about it. Try it!"

Just as the fairy said, the stat menu came up with just a thought, translucent but still somewhat an obstruction to my vision.

Sammy Danielle (Male)

Race: Fairy | Class: Mage | Archetype: N/A | Level: 1

Strength: 6 | Agility: 10 | Fortitude: 8 | Charm: 10 | Magic: 16 | Luck: 15

Traits:

- Royal Blood: A descendant of the Fairy Kingdom's royal family. Grants character the optional secondary surname "Rose" (of royal branch family Rose), which alters interactions with certain NPCs when equipped, and grants certain privileges.

- Served: Grants character a butler and two maids, none of which possess any combat ability.

- Toned: Prevents high strength from altering character appearance to become extremely muscular, remaining toned at all strength values above 10.

- Friendly: Alters tone of NPCs when speaking to character, but does not affect impression statistic and subsequent interaction results.

Skills:

- Mana attunement: Concentration-based skill. Recover 5 Mana per second. Duration: (2*Level) = 2 seconds. Cooldown: (15 - Level) = 14 seconds.

Spells:

- Mana Bolt: a rod of pure Mana launched at enemies. Damage: (10 + 5*Level) = 15, Casting Time: 2 seconds, Cooldown: None

Now that I had spawned in, all of the previously hidden elements had become available. A luck of 15 was well above the average of 10, but nothing superhuman - it would result in a few slightly better drops, but it would not give me a significant advantage. The traits were largely flavor based, though the first two could be useful - I quickly equipped the secondary surname of the first trait, resulting in my character name changing to "Sammy Danielle-Rose". At first glance "Friendly" seemed beneficial, but the note at the end meant that it would only change the dialogue in NPC interactions, not the outcome, so it was overall pretty pointless.

I also received the two basic Mage abilities, Mana attunement and Mana bolt. Each class received two abilities, and anything more than that I had to find on my own, buy, or learn from a trainer.

"Great! The next screen you'll want to have handy is your inventory. It includes both your items and a 3D view of yourself, so that you can see your current appearance even without a mirror. Try it now!"

Since I figured the fairy would just keep bothering me if I ignored it, I decided to keep going through the motions. The information screen faded away, and was replaced by an empty item grid with a 3D model of my character spinning slowly beside it. As my gaze drifted to that model, I paused, and my jaw dropped.

As if the game had based my character off of someone entirely different, the character looked nothing like me. Although it shared my hair color and eye color, that was where the similarities ended. With knee-length blonde hair that was twisted and shaped ornately behind me, and a figure that was decidedly androgynous, if I didn't know better I'd swear that the character was female. Pale white wings glittered behind me as well, sparkling and shaking in the simulated wind of the model screen. I swapped back to the information screen frantically, letting out a sigh when I saw the word "Male" still at the very top.

~I knew that the fairy race was being targeted towards women, but are all guys like this?~

I closed the screen, and peeked around the crowd, trying to pick out some other men. I wasn't going to try out my wings yet - better to save that for an open area where making a mistake isn't so dangerous. A brief glance confirmed my fears. There were several other men in the crowd, but none looked nearly as feminine as I - tall and muscular, with strong and dark wings as opposed to my fragile-appearing variant. I turned to the fairy floating in the corner of my vision, hoping for some kind of explanation.

"DEEP, can you explain the factors behind my character's generation?"

The miniature fairy smiled.

"There's a lot I can't reveal, as they're secrets of the Royal Realm algorithms, but I can break down some of your traits and tell you what I'm allowed to.

- Your Royal Blood trait activated the Heritage function, which meant that your appearance would be based on the Rose family's genetics. You can find the Rose family home marked on your map.

- The Toned trait reduced your muscle mass drastically, which was already below average with Strength value of 6.

- A Fortitude value of 8 decreased the size and strength of your frame compared to the average

The random aspects of the generation process also had an impact, but I can't go through the specifics of those."

I nodded and sighed, not exactly angry about it but concerned.

~This might make things a little awkward in interactions, both with players and NPCs.~

My current situation made me immediately think back to a certain anime that was almost half a century old, and seemed to replicate exactly the problem I currently faced.

~Well, I'll make sure I don't have any 2000's anime-style drama, that's for sure~

Resigned to my fate, I began to lay out what I needed to do. Before the mini-fairy could prompt me to do so, I pulled up my map with a thought, and found the Rose family residence. I reduced it to a minimap in the corner of my vision and set out at a jog, pushing through the now slightly less dense crowd.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Turning around the corner of one of many streets in the main city, I continued to be stunned by the beauty of the city. Through the map and street signs I quickly ascertained that this was the city of Aerqua, the capital of the Aer province of the Fairy Kingdom. The city was controlled by three branch families of the royal family, one of which was my Rose family.

I strolled up to a sprawling mansion, designed somewhat similar to that of a Roman pavilion. Flawless marble glinted in the sunlight, and detailed sculptures dotted a lush garden landscape. A guard stood at a pure white gate that I was approaching, but he opened the gate and stood aside when I came up to it.

"Welcome home, miss."

~Miss? GOD DAMMIT!~

~It's a 2000's anime after all…~

Sighing, I didn't correct the guard, which may explain why I have the problem in the first place, but I simply couldn't be bothered to deal with the NPC. I inhaled deeply as the scents of the many flowers and plants wafted around me, and I slowly strolled along the pathway leading to the main pavilion. It glowed slightly ahead of my feet, confirming that I was indeed on the correct path. A few young children appeared on occasion as I gazed around the massive landscape, likely NPC family members of my character.

But soon enough I came upon the main pavilion, a gigantic marble structure that towered over everything else in the area. The front doors, made of pure metal, were easily twenty feet tall, and two guards pushed them open as I approached. They were exerting visible effort to open the doors, and they were both far stronger than I - I shuddered at the thought of having to open such doors on my own. Nodding to me as I passed, they stepped aside, and I entered a grand hall.

A deep purple carpet lined my path forward, leading straight onward to a circle of ornate furniture at the center of the hall. Twelve chairs, one larger than the rest, were all occupied, and long tables sat between each. The tables were laden with ornate and expensive cuisine, and a servant stood behind each, ready to serve each chair's occupant.

"Sammy! Come forward, come forward."

The figure in the largest chair called out to me, beckoning me towards them with one hand. I picked up the pace, as any NPC in such a place would doubtless be very important. The figures in each chair became clearer as I drew nearer, and I took a brief look at each. A few caught my attention:

- Three identical women, sitting in three adjacent chairs. I couldn't note even a single difference between them.

- An extraordinarily overweight man who entirely filled his chair, covered in a flawless white robe and a golden circlet atop his bald head.

- A dark-haired man in full battle armor that looked to be of a very high level, a giant sword leaning against his chair

- Finally, the man in the large chair, with long blonde hair similar to mine, but a Herculean build, rippling muscles that were the exact opposite of mine. He wore a detailed golden crown with inset jewels, and smiled widely in my direction.

I passed by the chair of the overweight man as I approached the large chair, and heard him mutter to his servant.

"The 'boy' is back again, I see."

~Okay, first chance I get I'm cutting my hair and raising my strength. This is ridiculous.~

Seconds later I found myself standing in front of the large chair, the man smiling at me.

"It has been too long, my son. Your aunt was very complimentary of your behavior during your stay in Egyle."

I attempted what I imagined a slight formal bow should be, though I had never bowed to anyone in my life before. I also didn't have a clue where Egyle was, not that it mattered - I assumed it was just an inconsequential part of my character's backstory.

"Yes, father. I will relay my gratitude to my aunt at the next opportunity."

He smiled, shaking his head.

"No need to be so formal, Sammy. The council need not be so uptight behind closed doors."

The other members of the council nodded, murmuring to one another briefly.

The armored man finished some kind of sandwich, and his servant whisked his plate away, as he cleared his throat.

"My Lord, just as you, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we are thrilled that your son has returned. But don't you think that we should get to the matter at hand now that he has?"

Voices of agreement sounded from nearly every member of the council, the notable exceptions being the identical triplets that I had noticed at the beginning, and the man who was apparently my father. He sighed, but before he could speak he was cut off by the overweight man.

"Theodas is right, Alred, get to the point. We all have business of our own, and it's about time the brat showed up." He sneered at me, before shoving a sandwich similar to that of the armored man, who was apparently named Theodas.

"You will watch your tongue, Kellam, in the Lord's council!" A rather unremarkable man who had been sitting next to my father suddenly stood, shouting at the overweight man.

~I mean, I already knew this 'Kellam' guy didn't like me, thanks though random guy.~

"It's alright, Ayas, Kellam has well earned his place on this council. We must allow improprieties behind closed doors, just as I said just a moment ago." My father served as the calming influence in the clearly escalating situation, but I still had no clue what was happening. It was obvious that the system had fabricated some kind of "matter" that I was involved in, probably an intro quest, but I wasn't sure what it would be. I saw my father open his mouth once more, though, and knew that I would soon find out.

"Very well. Let us get to the point. I apologize, Sammy, I wish I could allow you time to rest after your journey, but the council has demanded that this matter be handled with utmost haste, and I am inclined to agree with them."

I stared in confusion, and he noticed it quickly, chuckling softly. Kellam stared both of us down, tapping his foot impatiently.

"We require you to take control of a region to the South that has previously been uninhabited thanks to the Wild Growth. Now that it has receded, we need to expand there before others can stake their claim. The council has nominated you, and I agreed - your siblings all have realms of their own, and it's time for you to start one."

"Old man's gotta get the brat out of the house some time."

The man next to my father sent yet another glare at Kellam, only receiving a smirk in response. I decided it was best to simply ignore the two of them, thinking over my father's words instead. This seemed like a good opportunity - assuming the system wasn't trying to mess with me, it sounded like I would have relatively few players in my starting location, which would help immensely, along with an entire region under my own control. I had no good reason to say no.

"I'm happy to accept this duty, though I am unsure of my ability to carry out such a task, depending upon the strength of the remaining creatures of the region."

Theodas nodded to me, smiling in approval.

"It is wise to consider your own strength, but you need not worry - monsters increase in strength as they approach the Wild Growth, so at least at the entrance of the region you should be facing enemies at your level. While we don't expect you to combat the Wild Growth itself, your goal is to strengthen your hold upon the territory and take as much of it as is feasible. You will naturally receive citizens to fill your realm as your hold on the territory expands."

~Mental note - find some information on this 'Wild Growth'. Sounds like I'm going to need it.~

"You're free to ask me any questions later, Sammy, you know where to find me. Your mother awaits you in your room, she wished to see you and to prepare you for your departure. I will have horses sent for you and your servants posthaste."

I gave him another bow and smiled, turning around to walk out of the hall. A few of the friendlier-looking council members nodded as I passed them, but Kellam's sneer quickly returned until I was long out of sight.