It's weird how quickly your mind processed it. You gave a start when you realized that you were a bard, or that's what the little blinky icon in your mind's eye told you, popping up a parchment that looked like a 'ID' with your name, a picture, and several other pieces of information on it. Your purple eyes widened in some shock, but after a moment, it felt like it was natural, despite you knowing it was unnatural. Just like your name, Nightshade. Nightshade, the Bard. Eugh.
"I-I'm...I'm a Dark Knight...apparently?" The towering woman grumbles out, having checked what seems to be her own mind's eye 'menu'. "Look, Night, I don't get what's going on here, so why don't we stick together until we find out, okay?"
You feel a faint tug from the large woman, like you can accept or reject it, and, not knowing what else to do, you accept it. You see another 'ding' of experience, another +100XP, with another parchment, with the writing 'Party Hard - Form a Party' on it. Another achievement. Lilac acks as she bats at her head. "The fuck?! I just leveled up?!" She frowns, shaking her head a bit, as if to clear it.
"Yeah, I got that too" you sigh out. "This...this is also new for me..." You trail off, but you can't help but think that your voice sounds quite musical and pretty, despite it. You sigh as you focus on the menu, on the blinking icon still highlighted in your mind's eye. Might as well get this over with.
You focus and in moments the world goes quiet and dark, your mind's eye entirely consumed by a glowing menu. There's a 'checked' tick box there that says 'enable automatic leveling', so it seems you just need to click the 'okay' button with your thoughts. Giving a mental sigh you think 'okay', grumbling about why even give you the option to level up if they're not going to let you pick anything. You only have a split second to complain though, for the moment your thoughts hit confirm, your world explodes in a burst of light and bliss, sending you rising off the ground and into the air, body feeling good but your soul feeling better, as if a wave of warmth and power filled it. Every nerve you have is alight with this feeling, from the tips of your boots to the ends of your hair, you feel *ALIVE*.
And then it ends, and you slump back to the ground, nearly all of the warmth having left. Oh, a bit remains, more than you had before, but hardly that feeling of endless possibility you experienced for that brief moment. Your purple eyes snap over with some unbidden jealousy as you watch Lilac experience her own 'leveling', the woman landing a moment after you, eyes wistful, much like your own.
"Is it like that EVERY TIME?!" her voice almost booming, eyes shining with eagerness.
"It was my first too." you admit, much to her shock. "I just got changed into this too."
That quiets her, though she seems to be thinking. "So...you're new to this too...and everyone remembers you as Nightshade so..." You can feel the gears turning in her head. After a few moments, the Dark Knight nods faintly to herself, reading a parchment that just got pulled up in your mind's eye. 'Make More Friends - Recruit Additional Party Members - 1000 XP per recruit'. You already know what she's thinking, she's going to be going next door, to your mutual friend Dave, and bringing him into the fold. Already getting up, Lilac is making for the door. Gritting your teeth, you...