Chapter 2: Starting Again!

A warm feeling of air rushing past him matches Sihle's jubilation. His brown hairless skin develops goosebumps as the sounds of majestic trumpets of the VRMMORPG: Odyssey dance in his ears. Inside a black inviting void, a machine voice chimes in, "Cantos Industries welcomes you to your Odyssey! Please state character name." Sihle is ecstatic at the all too familiar voice.

Seven days ago he had been reborn during his eighteenth birthday party. His past self had sent back some of his memories. The memory infusion process left him confused but also determined.

At the unreal prospect of being able to change his sister's life. Meaning that while his memories about Odyssey arrived safely the reason why such an extreme and dangerous method was necessary wasn't. It does worry him however he is focused on the money that is Odyssey has to offer. As the only combined project in the history of the solar system. Huge amounts of wealth and power will be determined by Odyssey.

What Sihle knows is that his wonderful bright-eyed and bushy-tailed baby sister. Will die in six months, next week she will come out of the folded land and he will find out the cause of her Illness is from Baron International. Unless he gets the money for treatment from Odyssey. He has no other short terms means to help even with his new knowledge.

Fortunately, in his village, his friends have plenty of reason to join him. Be it for debt relief, greed, fame or fun each of them has a reason to follow Sihle into the fray. With his memories, he can train them up to be deadly in the initial stages of the game. How far they grow will be up to their individual effort.

Sihle has spent the week preparing his friends for the upcoming challenges they will face. By taking advantage of his memories. He will build for them an empire to rival the Ten Glory Guilds. Plus with a few smart investments in the real-world companies that will make a killing from Odyssey. They too will become moguls in future.

Large bright stars begin to appear in the black void as the image of the seven main races show up. Seven bodies dance in front of Sihle. Unlike other games, Odyssey is truly expansive the seven races in front of him are only the main for his continent of Liguria.

The races each all of their gifts and deficiencies unable to do anything but pick a human. According to all their plans. Sihle has to play the human. Since as leader of the party he will need to register in the human kingdom they need to operate out of. In other games, they would all play as non-humans exclusively. While the small unimportant kingdom of Asrugo is ninety per cent human.

Sihle has convinced them because of the kingdoms' strategic location. Having access to three of the seven seas. The volcanic ridge called Dragon's Jaw secures the border from the eastern empires. The biggest of these Volcanos is also a rank 5 Dungeon but this is from his old memories plus. It's the only dungeon on the continent without a major power controlling it. In his past life, a rank zero guild. Managed to raise themselves to a rank five powerhouse by controlling this region.

Sihle scoffs as he can't pick any of the none human races. Quickly he picks the barren coast region as his starting point. After a few seconds, he is transferred to a dilapidated wooden hall. The building is made of old triangular wooden pieces at the doorway. Is a large plane of seven-coloured glass much like a rainbow. Sihle walks through this plane appearing in Odyssey for the first time again!

He quickly opens his character sheet. A window laced with golden florals borders displays his information. He laments the lack of a special racial trait, in fact, Sihles' character is an ordinary man in every sense. Neither tall nor short, short black hair, light brown eyes. The only thing that is outstanding on the man is his distinctive white beard a quirk from his hero in previous games.

Name: Tyr

Race: Human

Domain: None

Title: None

Class: None

Profession: None

Level: 0

Physical Attributes :

Strength - 1

Endurance -1

Dexterity - 1

Mental Attribute :

Intelligence - 1

Wisdom - 1

Willpower -1

Spiritual Attribute:

Power - 1

Force - 1

Balance - 1

Tyr sends his Risha or spirit pattern to his real-life friend list. Since he is now registered at this cathedral by walking through the multicoloured glass plane. First to join him is Maria Mei also eighteen like all his friend but critically his unrequited love interest. In his previous life, he lost touch with them all.

This time she is playing a higher realm being called Arkenia. She looks paler than her normal Asian self. But her bust is nice and plump just like her plump red cheeks and a wonderful smile. Her wings to his surprise are silver. He hadn't told her that the differences between Arkenia's mainly comes from their wings but she must have done her own research.

In his past life, they never played together since he only joined five years after launch when he had no other employment opportunities other than being a gold farmer. Her hair is also no longer pink but bright liquid silver something about it seems oddly familiar but as a former Viodless, he has nothing but painful memories of fighting Arkenians.

Mei goes by the in-game name Nineth Immortal as she believes she will become the ninth immortal and be forever remembered. Sihle smiles and with a teasing cow-tow says, "Sister nine it's an honour to meet I am Tyr." She has a deep interest in the complicated hundred-year history of competitive VRMMO's.

Maria places her thin soft hand on his shoulder smirking and says, "Brother Tyr? That is new why the change?" In past games, he has always gone by Fawx but in his past life, the name brought with it a lot of old enemies in this life he needs a clean slate if they are to succeed. Fawx is an evil character that kills first ask question after throwing a grenade.

This is his second concession in order to make sure they get their money back within the month he will not drag them down. After all, Fawx has been in conflict with a nationally ranked guild for over four years in six games. The conflict was started because Fawx has made a point to always kill any Sabre Affiliate guilds. his last victims are a ruthless bunch from Sabre - Rhino guild a local rank guild.

The biomimetic implants and Medigel mattress needed to enter Odyssey cost about thirty thousand credits. This money can support a family of four comfortably for over four months. He has leverage has had his friends leverage their ownership claims to afford the medical devices needed even upgrading his sick sisters' device to the Biomimetic implant. She plays Warworld Unlimited a folded space MMO.

Tyr says blushing, "It was time for a change, Fawx never wanted to rule the world only see it burn anyways..." The plane glass hums again as a big dripping Naga with blue scales and massive crocodile teeth slides out the cathedral. This is his best friend John Bapitest besides being just as tall as the Naga in real life at one point six meters. John looks nothing like his character.

John slithers closer snapping his jaw at his friends before saying, "I'm glad we did that one-week history course otherwise I don't think I would be able to breathe let alone adventure today." This is true right now all over the game. People who chose to skip the one-week in-game history course are sending a long-winded, violently worded message about how difficult none human races are to control.

With a small flutter of her wings and Nineth Immortal creates some distance between them so she can get a good look. She can see folded golden scales on his back that she thinks must be his fins when he swims.

Tyr says, "looking good man Raul is going to be so jealous. Ign?" Raul and John have a rivalry going back decades. Since they all attended the same Vr college. Due to the increase in demand for skilled labour, all kids from sixteen up attend colleges in a three-fold VR'Spaces. The fold is a simple system to describe the time dilation experienced in these spaces. Raul and John have known each other the longest having only moved to the village as part of their education and of course the governments' development program which earned them ownership rights in the village.

John says after breathing deeply and a little uncomfortably, " I think the simplest translation would be SKY Ocean Hunter, but during my history lesson the others just called me Sky." Unlike other games, players had a chance to learn the history of their people for a week before the game for two reasons. First months of protest by role players and secondly over seven billion letters written from earth to Jupiter all asking for this concession from Overwatch. The scope of Odyssey is so vast that the eight-player continents don't share a common history meaning that legendary classes were regional and needed some research.