A Game of Heaven Part 1

You’re dead.
It was a statement, delivered in a matter of fact manner.
Gareth Hawthorne opened his eyes, squinting in the pure white of the space around him. He didn’t remember much, a step and a flash of pain before waking here. Wherever here was.
You fought bravely in your life, and have earned your reward.
A black door frame appeared a few steps away, a red door concealing what awaited on the other side.
When you are ready, you may pass beyond to your heaven.
Gareth blinked slowly, overcome by several thoughts. He glanced at his feet, realizing he was not standing on anything in particular. Memories seemed to float around his mind, but though he caught glimpses here and there, he was unable to grasp any solid idea of where he was, or even who he was.
The only absolute his mind could discern was the door before him.
Taking a tentative step, he moved closer to the portal. Reaching out with his hand, he felt the metal of the doorknob, neither cold nor warm. It turned in his palm with a barely audible click, and he slowly pushed forward.
A falling sensation overtook him, and then darkness.
GARETH LEVEL ZERO

“Wake up…”
Gareth moaned loudly. He was laying in some sort of bed, warm and comfortable. There was no way he was about to wake up.
Something cold closed around his right wrist, and he gasped, eyes opening with a start.
A young woman stood over him, a friendly look on her face. Her dark skin contrasted with her light blouse, and her shorts showed off a large amount of her legs.
“Come on, it’s time to get up,” she smiled.
“Wha-?”
Gareth coughed, his throat dry. His voice scraped in his ears, and he grimaced.
“Don’t worry, it will get better with time,” the woman said. “My name is Arabelle. I greet the newcomers, and get them started on their journeys.”
Gareth sat up, and took a look around. He was in a small room, consisting of just a bed and a chair. The bed he sat in, covered by a quilt from his neck down. As he straightened, the quilt fell to his lap, and he realized he was shirtless. His hands moved to cover his breasts instinctively.
“Ah,” Arabelle smiled kindly. “You were a different person before. You don’t have to worry here. No one will judge you.”
“What do you mean?”
His voice still scratched out, and he swallowed drily.
“In your life, you most likely had a girl’s body. Some actions are ingrained still. They will fade with time. Can you stand for me please?”
Gareth slid his legs off the bed, and felt the cool air touch his skin.
“I was a girl?” he asked cautiously.
“Oh no, you were a man the whole time. You just had the body of a girl. Or, I think you did. Here your true self is reflected. This is who you are.”
She gestured down Gareth’s body.
“Forgive me, I must be confusing you.”
“A little,” Gareth admitted.
“Let me restart. You are in the afterlife right now. I don’t know how you died. It is part of your past, and those are left at the door. The afterlife for people like you and I plays out like a game. Right now you can think of yourself as being in character creation, and myself as a tutorial of sorts. Have I lost you yet?”
“Um…”
Arabelle sat beside him.
“It’s okay. We can take as long as you need,” she said.
Questions flooded through Gareth’s mind. He took a minute to sort them out, before asking the first.
“What kind of game?”
“A fantasy game, full of elves, dragons, dwarves, the works. I have a theory that there’s a different afterlife for more high tech gamers, but I can’t be certain.”
“So… I could be an elf?”
“I’d say you’re more of a half elf,” Arabelle replied. “That’s a decision that is made for you, and it’s permanent, but no one has complained about their race so far.”
Gareth thought about it. He really didn’t mind being a half elf. Better than a human, and not as weird as a full elf.
“What if I didn’t want to be a half elf?”
“You wouldn’t be a half elf. It’s as simple as that,” Arabelle said.
She stood up and picked up something from the chair.
“This is what you look like,” she said, handing Gareth a small mirror.
Gareth studied himself. He seemed very bland, but as he watched, his face began shifting, becoming narrower. His ears stretched slightly, growing longer and more tapered, while his hair grew longer, changing colour from blond to red. Not even his eyes remained unchanged, turning a pale blue in colour.
“Whoa…” he whispered as his face finished its transformation.
“Better?” Arabelle asked.
“Much better,” Gareth smiled.
“Great. Next you need to get dressed. Head through this door and get your clothes. Then meet me in the room beyond.”
Arabelle walked through the door, leaving Gareth to himself.
The half elf lifted the quilt away from himself, examining the rest of his body. He was hairless, and his nether regions were… different than he expected. He waited for his body to shift like his face had, but nothing happened.
“I guess my body suits me,” he shrugged, standing.
He took a cautious step toward the door, getting used to moving, before passing through the doorway.
The other room contained a full length mirror and several clothes. The first thing he looked for was a pair of underpants, finding one that suited his needs quickly. Once he was no longer bare to the world, he began examining the rest of the clothes.
The tops seemed to be split between robes and jerkins of various designs. Gareth pulled out a black jerkin and slipped it over his head. His arms remained free of fabric, and the jerkin felt comfortable, almost as if it had been specifically tailored for him.
Next came a pair of knee long pants, also black in color, followed by a pair of leather boots. Looking in the mirror, Gareth nodded in satisfaction. He found a black ribbon and used it to tie his hair into a rogue knot, before making his way to the next door.
“Damn, looking good,” Arabelle said as he entered.
She was standing in what appeared to be an armory, large, with walls piled with weapons of various sorts.
“Every prospective hero needs a weapon to defend themselves with. Upon selection, you will gain the most basic understanding of the item, enough to use the thing without killing yourself.”
“You mean I get to pick one of these?” Gareth asked, his hand running over a maul.
“Yes, but you only get a single weapon for free. You can learn to use others, but you need to put work into it.”
Gareth made his way to where several swords hung in various shapes and sizes. None of them seemed right to him though, and he moved on. A selection of bows sat next to the swords, and while he wanted to try them out, he felt that there would be something better.
Then he spotted a pair of staves in the corner, oaken and strong. He ran his hand along one, and smiled.
Lifting the staff, he spun it in his hands, enjoying the weight and the balance.
“This one,” he said.
“Good choice. Unassuming and unobtrusive.”
They walked to the next door together, Gareth’s motions with the staff becoming more certain.
“So can you use weapons then?” he asked.
“Of course. I favor the dagger, but have been known to pick up a mace when the need arises.”
“Um, I have a question. This is the afterlife, right? What am I going to be fighting?”
“Oh, nothing if you do not wish it. You can work on your profession instead, if that is your desire. But the option is there, should you want a more violent occupation,” Arabelle explained. “Speaking of professions…”
They walked into another large room, startlingly bare after the armory.
“This is where you will pick your starting profession, like farmer, or gladiator. There are all kinds of options. Here you will also get your first look at what we refer to as the UI.”
“UI?” Gareth echoed uncertainly.
“Yes. For leveling up and stuff. You won't use it much other than that, though it can be helpful when you’re starting out. It’s mind controlled. Just think, and it will appear.”
Shrugging, Gareth closed his eyes, and thought. He felt ridiculous, but when a slight glow appeared behind his eyelids, he gasped.
Letters formed before him, and when he opened his eyes, they remained. He saw a picture of himself to the left of his vision, while his right was taken up by various numbers, labeled stamina, HP, and mana. A large 0 sat in the upper right of his vision.
“It’s a little intense the first time,” Arabelle said, and he turned to look at her.
A name appeared over her head, Arabelle Smith, and then a single word below it, Psion.
“When you look at others with the UI up, you can see what they choose to reveal about themselves. You can change all of that too, just think settings. Sometimes it helps to say it out loud too.”
“Um… settings?” Gareth said.
The information before him changed in an instant, becoming a series of checkboxes.
“You can make it as simple or complex as you’d like. I’ll let you get the hang of it yourself.”
Gareth felt overwhelmed, looking through the plethora of options. He spotted a box that read Simplify, and tried to touch it with his finger. To his surprise, it flashed a dull green, then several of the boxes vanished.
He scanned through the ones that remained, finding a section labeled Display. Reading through the options below it, he set everything so only his name, class, and level were visible.
“The whole thing is rather intuitive, once you know what you’re looking for. You can even pull up a map, or an inventory screen if you don’t want to organise by hand. But for now, try to get to the Profession page.”
‘Okay, I got this…’ Gareth thought, eyes closed.
A new screen appeared, and he saw a giant list.
“This can be sorted into various areas, like if you’re looking for a more hands on profession, or even a specific job like hunter,” Arabelle explained.
Gareth found a section labeled Scholar, under which he found options like scrivener and librarian.
“Can you have multiple professions?” he asked.
“Of course. You would learn them like you would learn a new weapon. Talk to someone and have them train you,” Arabelle replied.
Gareth thought scribe, and the option appeared before him. He selected it, and a bag appeared on his back, already weighed down.
“What happened?” he asked, taking the bag off his shoulders.
“Tools of the trade. You will have a very generalized idea of what to do with them, but I would suggest talking to someone who knows your profession eventually. Let’s move on to class. There are hundreds of choices, as generalized, or specialized as you want. For example, you could choose to be a barbarian, or you could choose to be a monk of the seven winds, learning to use nothing but your breath to take on opponents.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, I don’t understand that one either. But there has been at least one person to take the option, otherwise it wouldn’t be there. You can switch to a different class any time you level up. Many people have a main class and dozens of other classes they have tried out. You are never locked into any one option.”
“Damn… That’s a lot.”
“You choose your first class just like you chose your profession,” Arabelle continued.
Gareth thought briefly, and another list came up in front of him, this one simpler than the professions. Only two choices sat before him, Physical and Magic.
‘Well, who would not take a magical option?’ he shrugged.
The list changed, showing different magic sources.
“It says Divine magic is an option. Are there gods here?” he asked.
“Oh no, there are no religions. That is one of the few things lacking here actually, but most people don’t mind. I mean when you’re already dead, who cares what comes next? With the so called divine magic, it really just comes down to faith in yourself. You are your god.”
“Sounds complicated,” Garret muttered, as the Arcane option flashed before him.
An alphabet floated in front of him, and he thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to use magic, I might as well go with a wizard, right?’
The option appeared before him, and he took it. A small book appeared on his hip, as the UI closed.
“Hm, a mage. A very versatile class in itself. You should start with a single cantrip, but those don’t appear in your book,” Arabelle explained. “The cantrip itself depends on your favoured element.”
“So, fire?” Gareth asked.
“If that’s your element. Try to conjure a flame. You’ll have to speak the word, which probably should just be ‘Flame’.”
Gareth held out his hand, palm up.
“Flame,” he said, feeling stupid.
A spark appeared in his hand, and he gasped. It went out quickly, but it had been there.
“Flame,” he said again.
This time, the spark remained in his hand for a second,before sputtering out.
“You do have to watch your mana when you cast spells, but it replenishes, same with your health.”
“What happens when you reach zero health? I mean, we’re already dead, right?”
“You respawn in the nearest cathedral. It could be in a town, or it could be in the wilds. The NPCs take care of them for us.”
“NPCs? How are those-?”
“I don’t know how they exist. Probably the same way the monsters exist. They respawn like you do, but for them it isn’t instantaneous. It usually takes about a year for them to respawn.”
Arabelle took Gareth’s hand.
“Come on, there are two things left to do.”
Claiming his bag from the floor, Gareth followed the psion through yet another door.
The room he found himself in now appeared to be some sort of office. Two comfortable chairs sat with a large desk between them, and a sheet of paper lay on the desk, an inkwell beside it.
Arabelle took the chair behind the desk, and bade Gareth to take the other.
“Now you choose a name. You leave your old name behind you, though some do decide to keep their old names.”
“Can’t I go by Gareth?”
“You can. It’s not particularly elven, but it works for a human.”
Taking out a quill, she began writing on the parchment. A minute later, she finished, and slid the paper over to him.
“I just need your signature to finalize the process, and then you will be free to enjoy the afterlife. Your UI has a section where you can find an answer for many questions you have.”
Gareth read through the paper.
“I, Gareth Hawthorne, agree to start the afterlife as a level one wizard scribe. With me I will carry the tools of the scribe trade, and one oak quarterstaff. By my signature I swear the above is correct and of my own volition.”
“So, I just sign?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Gareth took the quill and dipped it in the inkwell. It felt weird in his hand, but in a comforting way. He set quill to parchment, and a strange feeling entered his hand, as if something was being pulled out of him.
“That’s just the last of your living memories,” Arabelle said at his gasp. “As sinister as it sounds, it’s normal. You enter the afterlife with no previous memories, save what you have learned in here.”
Gareth took a deep breath, then signed.
“Welcome to the afterlife Mr. Hawthorne,” Arabelle smiled, as a door appeared behind her. “Go on through, and enjoy your stay.”
Gareth stood up and collected his staff. He walked around the desk and paused before the door.
‘This is it I guess. Time to start a new life.’
Opening the door, he passed through into blackness.

GARETH WIZARD ONE

“Hey, we have a newcomer. Mythal, looks like this one’s on you.”
Gareth opened his eyes, blinking in the sudden brightness of his surroundings. He stood on a dais in the middle of a group of people, some of them decidedly nonhuman.
“Hi!” a man said cheerfully, holding up a hand. “I’m Mythal. I’m like the mage guide for this village.
Gareth’s hand tightened on his staff, and he used it to support himself as his knees threatened to collapse.
“Yeah, planar travel can leave you a little weak in the knees,” the man consoled. “So, you’re Gareth?”
“Uh, yeah,” Gareth said, extending a hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mythal.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. I’m sure you have many questions. Arabelle is not the know it all she may seem at first.”
“She seemed… nice.”
Gareth took a moment to study the group around him. A lizard stood behind him, a glaive in her hand. She smiled reassuringly at Gareth. Her scales shone a bright red, and she had some impressive frill on her head.
“My name’s Loreen,” she said. “I’m a cleric trained in resurrection magic.”
“I’m Bathan,” the next man, or elf in this case, said. “Ranger extraordinaire.”
He was armed with a bow and a pair of wicked looking daggers on his hips. With his long dark hair and red eyes, he unsettled Gareth.
“Terian Mathar, at your service,” the last man said. “I am a battlemind, a psion trained in projecting weapons.”
He was clad in a simple blue robe, and his face was strangely soothing.
“Alright guys, time to back up and let me do my thing,” Mythal chided them.
He gestured for Gareth to follow him, and took off.
As they walked, Gareth realized they were in a large open building. Sunlight streamed through stain glass windows depicting battles and sieges.
“Welcome to your first cathedral. These are the respawn points for when you die,” Mythal explained.
“So if you come here when you die, what’s a resurrection cleric for?” Gareth asked.
“Oh, she helps the process go faster. Normally you’d be out of it for a day after a death, but clerics and other healers can bring that time down considerably.”
They passed through a door into the outside world.
“That was a side passage. It’s quicker for where we are going.”
Gareth looked at the world around him, soaking in the new sights. They seemed to be in the main hub of the town, full of people chatting in groups of two or three. The buildings surrounding the area were short, and seemed to be made of plaster.
“It’s daub. It’s made out of mud or something,” Mythal said when questioned about it.
They made their way to an older man, his hair greying, but still long.
“Watch closely, and follow my lead,” Mythal said. “This is how the world works, quests and sub quests, xp and levels.”
He approached the man.
“Good day Ser Marthas, I have heard that you are having an issue with some moles.”
“Mythal! It’s good to see you again lad!” the man smiled. “Yes, I am having some issues. I let them be in the spring because their digging was helping the soil, but now that the crops have been planting, the moles digging have become a serious problem.”
“I’ve brought one of my pupils to see if he can help you clear them out.”
The man stared at Gareth.
“Huh. I didn’t hear that you had acquired an apprentice,” he said.
“Um, my name is Gareth Hawthorne. It’s a pleasure to meet you ser.” Gareth said, holding out his hand.
He withdrew it at a subtle shake of Mythal’s head.
“Well, I have to say I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you took the job Mythal, but I suppose your apprentice will work.” Ser Marthas said.
“Oh, don’t worry ser. I will be following him and making sure he gets it done properly,” Mythal smiled.
“That does my mind some good. They’re in the potatoes right now. I trust you know where it is,” Ser Marthas said with a gleam in his eyes.
“Aye, I’ve nicked enough of them over the years I should know where it is,” Mythal chuckled. “We will be back when the field has been cleared.”
He ushered Gareth away, and led him down a dirt road that ran out of town.
“So, I figure you don’t really know how to use that staff yet,” he mentioned as they passed through a wood palisade protecting the town.
“Hit the enemy with it?” Gareth shrugged.
“Well, that’s part of it. You’ll gain more force if you hold it near the base. Use it like you would a normal longsword, but without having to worry about your cutting angle.”
“I don’t see you carrying a weapon,” Gareth said.
“I don’t need one. This is a low level quest. I could finish this right now if I so desired, but this is about training you.”
They left the town behind them, moving on to fields that appeared freshly tilled. Mythal continued advising Gareth on the finer points of staff combat, assuring him that he would need to use the weapon.
“You have a fire cantrip. It’s useful, but it won’t do much damage,” he said.
“So, when can I learn something better?” Gareth asked.
“Not for a while. The cantrip costs, what, one mana, and you start with four, more if you chose a certain profession, like mage’s apprentice. You’re not a caster yet. You’ll gain four mana per level unless you choose another class, but for now, focus on your staff work.”
They turned off the road into a barren field.
“There’s nothing here,” Gareth said, looking around.
“Not yet. Get ready.”
Mythal knelt to the ground and stuck his fingers into a hole. Gareth heard the sound of water flooding underground, and a series of squeals as ten creatures scurried up from the dirt.
“Have fun,” Mythal smiled, backing away.
Gripping his staff, Gareth walked towards the first creature. It was dark and velvety, and its nose appeared to have little fingers on it. It sniffed the air and turned to face Gareth, showing a mouth full of pointy teeth.
Gareth raised his staff, and brought it down on the mole’s neck in one quick motion. He heard a loud crunch as the neck broke, and the staff bounced out of his hand at the contact.
Reclaiming the staff, he strode to the next mole and repeated the process nine more times. When the last of the moles fell, he returned to Mythal.
“Not bad,” the man said. “Let’s return and finish the quest.”
As they walked back to the village, Gareth murmured, “UI.”
His information appeared in front of him, showing he had gained fifty experience points out of a hundred necessary to level up.
He dismissed the UI, and focused back on his walk.
“Will I get more xp from turning in the quest?” he asked.
“Yeah, something like this should get you to level two. You can choose another cantrip to learn every level, and a normal spell every five levels. Personally I would suggest Prestidigitation. It’s so nice not having to scrub your clothes.”
“Um, what about bathrooms?”
“Oh, there’s no need for them. Your body absorbs everything. Waste not want not,” Mythal said with a grin.
They entered town and made a beeline for Ser Marthas.
“The task is completed ser,” Gareth said.
“I am glad to hear it. You have saved my crops for the year. You have my thanks, and what coin I can offer.”
Digging through a coin bag on his waist, the man pulled out five copper coins. Gareth accepted them, though he was unsure of where to put them, lacking a bag of his own.
“Don’t worry, that’s enough to get you a bag of your own,” Mythal clapped him on the back. “Come on. I’ll see you around Ser Marthas.”
As he was ushered away, Gareth saw a flash of green light behind his eyes.
“What was that?” he asked.
“I saw nothing. I’m guessing it was you leveling up though. Here,” Mythal said, pointing to the side of a building. “Take a moment here and level up.”
“Um, how?”
“Through your UI. That’s how you get a lot of things done. Just think level up.”
Garret took the advice and immediately his UI popped up, showing him the list of power sources once again.