THE MOMENT
Dante followed the old wizard down the narrow spiral staircase. The wizard's stone tower felt cold and drafty. The wizard held a staff up in front of him with a glowing ball of light on the tip; it made it a lot easier to see than the few dim candles embedded in the walls. The entire experience so far had been exciting, and he couldn't help but grin to himself as he traveled down the steps. He was still at the beginning of his adventures.
"In the early days of Sorcery, enchanted swords were used as a focus. It required a great deal of magic power to imbue metal and over time they discovered other, easier materials to imbue...," he laughed with a wheezing chuckle. "...now any dolt with a wand thinks he's an arch-sorcerer. Wood's a great conductor for magic; but, it's horrible for storing it. "
"Is that why my wands keep breaking?" Dante asked. He knew he didn't need to say anything. He could have rushed the old wizard and skipped the backstory altogether; but, he was enjoying himself. Dante had the ability to replay moments of time like save files, and he spent a lot of years replaying a lot of the same ones over and over. He'd forgotten how novel new experiences could be, and he was in the right place to take advantage of them.
"Even the best conductor can be overloaded with too much energy," the old wizard replied with a nod. "Some wizards might tell you that you're lacking control; don't listen to them," he chuckled as they reached the bottom of the stairs. A long narrow hallway led to a single golden door; they continued forward. "Does a waterfall lack control? A raging river?"
"No...?" Dante chose to answer the rhetorical question. They seemed like poor examples though, and he wasn't sure the wizard was using the right analogy.
"YES! They do!" the wizard cackled as they reached the golden door. He tapped the glowing staff to it, and the door disintegrated into white dust. "But, that is the nature of their existence; to control it would fundamentally change it. Such things can't be controlled; but, they can be harnessed."
He stepped into a small stone room with a wooden table in the center. Three different swords lay on the table, a short sword, a rapier, and a large great sword.
"Which one will you choose to harness your magic?" the wizard asked as he gestured at the three weapons.
"What can you tell me about them?" Dante asked. He already had a choice in mind before meeting the old trainer. But, he still wanted to hear what the wizard had to say.
"The short sword is an ideal starting place for a Sword Mage," he said. "It has the perfect balance of power and speed if you don't know what you're looking for. And, of course, you can change your mind at any time and use a different one. The rapier is the quickest weapon Sword Mages can use, both for spellcasting and swordplay. But, if you want power, the Great Sword is for you. It can be tempered with two spells simultaneously for even greater flexibility."
Dante was slightly disappointed that he didn't learn any new information. But, it did make his decision easier. He stepped forward and grabbed the rapier handle. The sword he chose began to glow with golden light as the other two disintegrated into nothing.
"Excellent choice!" the wizard smiled. "Now, let's head outside and see what you can do...," he added. He walked past Dante and out of the room again. Dante lingered for a moment to play with the heft of the sword. It felt solid. It felt real, and deadly as he twisted it and thrust it forward. Then, the golden glow dissipated and a line of red text appeared in his vision.
[Sword Mage spec - Rapier] equipped.
"Oh, I can't wait for this anymore...," Dante chuckled. He turned to see the old wizard waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. He stepped to the door and shouted across the narrow hall. "SKIP!" he said. The wizard disintegrated and a new line appeared in Dante's vision.
[Tutorial Complete]
"Yeah! Now, I gotta go see what this can do!" he smiled as he wiggled his fingers at the air and a tall black portal opened. He stepped into it and disappeared.