Tala

 

Tala darted down the street, hugging the walls to dodge the broad patches of moonlight. Her soft leather boots barely made a sound as her feet fell lightly on the rough stone pavement.

 

She may have grown up in the slums of Myrin’s Keep, but that didn’t mean she could be careless. On the contrary, it merely made her far more cautious of the denizens that prowled the streets after dark.

 

But while her eyes and ears were constantly searching the darkest corners and the most likely ambush spots, it was with a breathless lightness that filled her chest. A thrill that had begun when she had watched Donavan Asterford falling into that dark hole and heard the cascade of notifications that had echoed in her mind, clear despite the roaring crash of rock and stone.

 

Dagger Rogue was a fantastic natural path class, but her heart was set on something a little… stronger.

 

She dodged out from her hiding spot and dashed across the rest of the street, through an alleyway, and then emerged onto the main thoroughfare.

 

“Hey,” she called out, keeping her voice low as she announced herself to the two armored figures standing guard at the Town Hall. “Class candidate returning for the shrine.”

 

“It’s late to be out,” one of the guards said, calling attention to the obvious danger. But then he shifted his feet. “Successful, I hope?”

 

“Yup,” Tala said, plastering a grin on her face that did not even need to be faked.

 

“Congratulations,” the other guard said, inclining his head. “Go on in, they’re still in there waiting for the stragglers.”

 

“Thanks,” she said, walking up between them and opening the doors.

 

Heads snapped around as she stepped into the Town Hall, and eyes instantly glued themselves to her. Despite her best intentions of showing confidence, she froze on the spot.

 

“Oh, Tala!” the mayor, William Turner, said, rising to his feet. He let out a deep sigh and then beckoned. “Come, come, we’re so glad to see you. I was beginning to worry – is the rest of your group…” He trailed off, his eyes flicking briefly to the still-empty doorway behind her.

 

This was a question she was prepared for. Her body straightened up and she stepped forward as her habits kicked in.

 

“We split up when we got back to town,” she said, as smoothly as she could manage. “They didn’t want to risk the streets at night.” It was an obvious lie, but one they wouldn’t figure out until later. And by then, it shouldn’t matter. Hopefully.

 

She nodded politely to the others sitting at the table, the idealistic Guildmaster of the nascent Adventurers Guild, and the suspicious eyes of Commander Brand’s aide. But the mayor ushered her up to the table and the stone shrine prominently displayed in the center.

 

Now let’s see if Kieran Mori lives up to his reputation.

 

She remembered just how terrified she had been when she had first met him. The sense of his presence had overwhelmed her, leaving her trembling and shaking. It was a common reaction from the unclassed toward certain high-level classes, but she had never experienced it quite so intensely before.

 

But when she had pitched her proposal to him, he had agreed to take her under his wing, setting up some easy marks for her. He claimed he knew how to force an Assassin class and was confident enough to stake his offer on her getting one. If this shrine offered her the class when she touched it, she would have a mentor and a job – and access to all the accelerated experience that came with it. And if she didn’t… well, she could make do with Dagger Rogue. It would just take longer to reach her goals.

 

“Ok, Tala, it’s ready for you,” the mayor said, gesturing toward the stone artifact, inviting her to use it.

 

“Thanks,” she said, putting her hand on the cool stone surface. She channeled just a little mana into it as she had been instructed, and the shrine lit up with glowing purple runes.

 

[Shrine of the Second Path] Reserved mana reduced by 3,500
Alternate class found.

Natural class:
- Dagger Rogue

Available alternate magic combat class options:
- Silent Assassin

 

***

 

Tala enjoyed the crisp air on her face as she sprinted effortlessly across the slate rooftop with her Stealth and Concealment skills both active. She was effectively invisible even in the moonlit night. No longer were the footfalls of her soft leather boots merely quiet – they were entirely silent. She couldn’t even hear her own breathing.

 

Silent Assassin.

 

The name still caused her heart to flutter with excitement – it was just about the strongest Assassin class she could have unlocked – and well beyond her reasonable expectations. Beyond even what Kieran Mori had promised.

 

Kieran Mori’s plan had been remarkably simple – a few easy assassinations before embarking upon the Class Trial as a regular combat candidate and finishing it with a few monster kills. With the experience earned from those assassinations already under her belt, she was expected to unlock her class faster than the other candidates.

 

Tala hadn’t fully trusted Kieran Mori’s confidence, despite his sheer presence and reputation. However, his trial had clearly worked.

 

That and killing Donavan, she thought. Donavan had been a rather perfect stroke of luck. He had been standing right in front of her, stunned by the suddenly collapsing floor in front of them. And while he would have been fine where he had been standing, it had been so easy to push the entitled prat into the hole as the sewer disintegrated.

 

 

All it took was quick thinking and resourcefulness, she hadn’t even needed to bloody her daggers. Why dirty your hands down in sewers slaying monsters when you could simply take the experience from the people who did? The only reason she had stuck with the group from then on was that she wanted to stab that Street Rat girl in the back during a fight.

 

She frowned at the memory. They had had several fights, but Malika had an uncanny awareness of her surroundings, and try as she might, she had not been able to create an opportunity. She had just resolved to switch her target to that Beastkin boy, Mato, before he went charging off into an unwinnable battle, condemning himself and his friends to death, trying to save some dying Fae.

 

Fucking bleeding hearts. Dying had the unfortunate property of killing you, and then all your experience and hard work was gone, taken to feed whoever killed you. There was no way she was going to risk that for anyone – certainly not a stranger in some undiscovered cavern underground. No. And now that she had her class, it was she who would be at the top of the food chain, preying on the stupid or the unprepared to fuel her own growth.

 

While she was still somewhat terrified of Kieran Mori, at least he had his priorities straight. Experience and growth at all costs. Class levels meant power, and with power came the only reliable way to choose your fate. Nothing less from the man who had earned the title ‘Sudden Death’.

 

Allying herself with the Town Watch and taking Kieran Mori as her personal mentor was the fastest path to growth. And with her class, she could now ensure it. The money would be good – Kieran had allowed her to keep twenty percent of any loot she found on her assassinations.

 

Too bad Donavan was buried under a rock, she thought. He had been wearing some expensive gear and she could always use some more coin. She hopped across to the next building, making the jump easily with her class bonuses to agility, heading further into the abandoned and rundown warehouse district where the Town Watch had set up their headquarters.

 

It had been remarkably easy to fool the mayor with her fluttery-eyed excitement about choosing her ‘Dagger Rogue’ common class. And as soon as she had announced that, Commander Brand’s aide had lost all interest in her. Dagger-based melee classes were not well suited to manning battlements and Tala well knew that Dagger Rogue did not even boast any scouting skills.

 

The new Guildmaster, Vivian Ross, had seemed rather disappointed when she had turned down her offer of guild membership. But there was no way she was going to join any guild like that. What was she thinking anyway? Myrin’s Keep will eat her guild and spit out the pieces. It didn’t even matter that she was one of the few three-mark people in town. Kieran was too, and he was far more dangerous than any do-gooder adventurer.

 

Besides, there was a sense of brokenness that followed the woman like a faint miasma, a stark contrast to the sheer raw power that radiated from Mori.

 

She shook off her thoughts, coming at last to the nondescript building that was the de facto headquarters of the Town Watch. Tala had done her research. The Town Watch was no mere local guard operation for some two-bit town. If it were, there would be no reason for someone like Kieran Mori to run it, nor would someone like him be content to remain there. It had taken a significant amount of digging, but learning that the entire outfit was secretly the tool of the Hawkhurst Trading Company had been the final detail that sealed her decision.

 

Even though he had not said as much, she knew that taking Kieran Mori’s offer would expose her to far more opportunities than she had initially imagined.

 

She hopped down from the roof, marveling at the perfect silence of her landing, and crept forward using the cover of trash and broken walls to sneak closer, reveling in her new skills. Just as she was about to drop her concealment skills and stealth and announce herself to the guard standing before the nondescript door in the middle of a decrepit wall covered with graffiti, it swung open on well-oiled hinges.

 

Tala froze.

 

A man with a stocky frame, wearing a professional smile and an expensive tan business suit stepped out.

 

What is he doing here? He never gets his hands dirty. I thought that’s what he used Mori for.

 

Tala had seen Jax Hawkhurst only a few times – mostly at town council formal events, but she instantly recognized him.

 

He stepped into the street, not even looking at the guard now standing at attention, and then the leather-clad figure of Kieran Mori emerged, his steps speaking of restrained power and his presence radiating into the alleyways. The guard by the entrance flinched. Kieran dismissed him, and he fled inside the building.

 

And then a third figure appeared, making Tala’s heart jump to her throat as blood drained from her face. The elegantly dressed man walked up to Jax and shook his hand.

 

Bastian Asterford!

 

“Thank you, Jax,” Bastian said. “Good doing business with you as always. Know you can count on the Asterford family’s support in this matter.”

 

Tala knew him. As did everyone in the town. He was the head of the Asterford family and one of the royal representatives on the town council. One of the most powerful nobles in Myrin’s Keep.

 

Fuck. I just killed his son.

 

Obviously, she had known who Donavan Asterford was. And she had no compunctions about killing the entitled son of a noble. But she hadn’t been aware that his father was Jax Hawkhurst’s secret business partner. If Jax found out what Tala had done down in the sewers, not only would her job with Kieran Mori be forfeit, but likely also her life. He was not a man with a reputation for mercy or understanding – it wouldn’t matter one bit that she had no way of knowing their clandestine dealings – if she was discovered hurting his business or allies, she would find herself, like so many others, floating down the river in many pieces. Or forced to cripple her class and be sold off to the next Kel’darran caravan.

 

She stood rooted in the shadows, her mind racing with half-baked plans of running away, her jaw clenched to the point of cramping. A discreet unmarked carriage appeared and Bastian left. Jax spoke a few words to Kieran, who simply nodded, and then Jax vanished using some magic teleportation spell.

 

“What are you doing?” Kieran Mori still faced away from her, but he was clearly addressing her directly. There was nobody else in the newly deserted alley.

 

She dropped her stealth immediately. “Practicing my skills, sir,” she said quickly, hiding her relief that her voice hadn’t betrayed her fear.

 

“Your stealth is too good for Assassin,” he said. There was no question in his flat and unemotional tone, and Tala knew instinctively that she was treading on treacherous ground.

 

“I got Silent Assassin,” she said, not willing to risk making up a lie. “It’s an uncommon class with a further stealth specialization. I get advanced stealth and concealment, dagger specialization, and ambush.”

 

He turned slowly and fixed her with a piercing gaze while she squirmed under the pressure, trying desperately to appear calm. Taking initiative on class choice was strictly prohibited in his organization, and he brutally enforced the rule, but this was a significant upgrade, so she hadn’t expected him to be angry. Nor had she even been offered the Assassin class he had told her to take.

 

“Good,” he said finally. “Do not mention what you saw to anyone, not even other members of the Watch.” He spun on his heel and entered the building, clearly expecting her to follow.

 

She scrambled into motion, racing to catch up with his long stride.

 

“I have your first job already,” he said.

 

Kieran Mori offers his patronage.

 

Tala’s eyes widened suddenly as her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She instantly accepted the contracted Tithe Enchantment of his patronage, without even pausing to see the details. Tendrils of magic settled within her chest, a vaguely nauseating discomfort, like runes inscribed directly upon the parchment of her soul.

 

Malika

 

Malika lowered herself gingerly to the damp mossy ground beside the corpse of the massive shaggy Alpha wolf, caring nothing for the blood and dirt she was sitting in.

 

She hurt.

 

Everywhere.

 

The fight had been exactly as dangerous as she had feared, and now she was covered in bite wounds, cuts, and gashes, many of which were still bleeding. In fact, the only thing she had not predicted correctly was the astonishing fact that, despite all odds, she was still breathing.

 

Facing monstrous fangs in a tattered cotton shirt is not a recipe for a good time, she reflected wryly. Without that last healing potion, she would certainly have died mid-battle. She had literally used the full duration of the slow pulsing tick of its healing magic to outlast the wolves tearing at her flesh. For all that she was sitting in pain, drenched in her own slowly drying blood, she was simply glad to be alive.

 

Your group has defeated Starving Wolf – level 1-3 x4.
Your group has defeated Starving Alpha – Wolf – level 5.

 

Tough bastards. The starkly simple notifications listing what had died seemed woefully inadequate to convey just how close it had been. Even in death, the Starving Alpha seemed to exude raw strength and power. Fighting a level five monster without a class was a recipe for suicide – anyone would agree – even with all four of them. As she reflected on the fight, her notification chime sounded once again, surprising her with several new messages glowing blueish-white in her mind.

 

Requirements met for class advancement.

Primary class slot available.
Experience threshold reached.

Class: Thief unlocked.
This class will be permanently affixed in one week.
Additional class options may be available at a shrine.

 

While she had been expecting it sometime soon, she still recoiled from the notification as the bile rose, burning in her throat.

 

Thief.

 

Her shoulders slumped at the sight she had been dreading for so long, dragged down by a sudden heaviness that seemed to hang from her neck.

 

Ten years of indentured servitude to the Town Watch mattered more than her family, her passion growing up, and her very sense of self. That single notification at once defined her by her actions, and simultaneously ignited a deep frustrated anger within her heart. While she had expected something like this, she was still terrified that when she used the shrine back at the Town Hall, her second choice would be revealed to be just as awful.

 

Her natural path, the Thief class, was just about the worst possible option for her. A non-combat class focused on burglary – clearly coerced by the Appraise, Lockpicking, and Pickpocket skills she had been forced to learn. Adrik and Edrik would be so happy – she could already hear their gloating in her mind – and that alone was plenty of reason to hate the class.

 

The biggest problem was that she would identify as ‘Thief’ to anyone who bothered to use Identify on her – a skill possessed by at least a third of the town – which meant she would be shunned from normal society. Far more than even the distrust she was afforded from just her Street Rat title – and would require the support of an organization just like Kieran Mori’s Town Watch to shield her.

 

No decent person picked Thief unless they had no choice. Unfortunately, that happened all too often in the slums of Myrin’s Keep.

 

Why must I be defined by them?

 

The rest of her life’s direction hinged on whatever was available at that shrine, and the sheer terror threatened to overwhelm the small spark of hope in her heart. She felt within her the powerful need to shift her fate, but it felt as hopeless as trying to push a mountain aside.

 

“Did you…” she began.

 

“I got a class…” Calen spoke quietly.

 

“Yes!” Mato announced, his excitement echoing loudly in the small cave.

 

They all spoke over each other in a rush. Her stomach twisted at the sight of their grinning faces and, perhaps uncharitably, she envied their excitement, but she chose not to share her private anxiety over her class.

 

That fight must have been worth a lot of experience, she thought, realizing that they had all earned their classes at the same time. Tuning out the excited chatter of the two boys, she glanced again at the wolf corpses strewn across the cave, recalling the wild struggle of the fight and the odds stacked against them.

 

It has got to be worth at least a warrior class, she told herself, driven by a powerful need to control her anxiety. I get one more shot. Malika deliberately steadied her breathing. Hopefully the Ancestors have a sense of fairness, she thought, ignoring the fact that she had stopped praying to them precisely because of the unfairness of her life. If she got any decent class, she would finally be able to work her way free of Adrik and Edrik and the rest of the despicable Town Watch, pay off her debts, and earn an honest living.

 

Now all I have to do is make it back to the Town Hall, avoid Adrik and Edrik, and get lucky with a good class. And then avoid them for long enough to get some levels. That’s all. No big deal … right?

 

It was with a small sense of rekindled hope that she looked up curiously at Aliandra now standing before her, speaking in her strange language.

 

Did she get a class, too? Of their little improbable group, she looked the worst. Amber and red blood mingled, drenching her tattered clothes, and matting her long green hair. Her eyes still held a dazed wideness as she tried to speak yet again.

 

Probably still in shock.

 

As Malika tried to make sense of her strange lyrical words, the Fae girl reached out and took her hand, tugging insistently. Malika studied the delicate frown and the huge earnest eyes peering out from behind the mask of dried blood that caked her face, trying to decipher her meaning. Her kind were rare – far rarer than the stories would have you believe – and Malika had never seen a Fae in person before. Her long green hair was so vibrant it almost seemed luminous with natural golden highlights that matched her eyes.

 

And those eyes… She’d be so pretty without all the dirt and blood. Even the tiny golden wings that were twitching with suppressed emotion as she struggled to make herself understood were stunning, glowing a soft golden hue.

 

Why didn’t she just… oh. She can’t fly. The wings were tiny even on her frame, and if she could have just taken to the air, she would never have been trapped fighting those wolves.

 

Aliandra spoke again and pulled. It was the tired pull of a tiny person almost entirely spent.

 

Slowly, Malika stood up. “What do you need?” she asked. It was clear that Aliandra wanted her to follow but was unable to tell her why. And it’s more important to her than resting. As soon as Malika began to move, Aliandra repeated her gesture with the boys.

 

“I think she wants us to go with her,” Malika told them. Whatever she wanted, it seemed important, but not the kind of urgency that told of imminent danger.

 

“Can’t hurt to see what she wants,” Mato said, grunting as he heaved himself to his feet.

 

His voice was back to his usual friendly self, and Malika frowned briefly. She hadn’t forgiven him for getting them all into this mess in the first place, but for now, she was willing to let it slide. And probably, once she returned to town and figured out her class, she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

 

She limped out of the cave, careful to avoid the patches of blood-slicked stone, grimacing as she was forced to put weight on her more injured leg. That one will definitely need proper healing, she thought. The deep lacerations inflicted by the sharp wolf canines would probably require a trip to the Temple of Lunaré if she didn’t want to be permanently crippled. And that meant she would need to find money. She sighed. Another problem for later.

 

She followed the tiny barefoot Fae out of the cave and on into the ancient dead forest, her thoughts, for once, not consumed with possible danger. Instead, her mind raced, running in incessant circles like a dog chasing its own tail. Hope, and the promise of deliverance from her miserable existence at the hands of Adrik and Edrik – if the shrine showed her a good class. Despair at the inevitability of another class like Thief. Surely it would give her something worse. Around and around her thoughts spiraled, like muddy water circling the drain of despair.

 

We just need to get back to town safely, she thought, trying to quash the maelstrom within her through sheer power of will. With no potions, she added. Maybe then life will stop kicking me in the teeth?

 

It was easy to follow Aliandra in the darkness and Malika’s injuries appreciated the slower pace. Golden light shone from the tiny disk of mana that hovered above her head, and from the short, stubby wings that jutted out, protruding from the back of her torn t-shirt.

 

Just like that golden butterfly… The thought popped right into her head, along with an inexplicable pang of sadness. A sudden juxtaposition of freedom and clipped wings. What happened to her?

 

And yet Malika could not help but marvel at the floating construct. It was rare for people to have a mana affinity, let alone before they earned their class. Even though Aliandra’s magic seemed fragile and delicate, Malika owed her life to that Fae magic. Somehow, Aliandra – a person of such tiny stature that Mato’s biceps were probably bigger than her torso – had managed to turn the tide of the battle at the most critical moment. She had courage, that was for certain.

 

Their winding path took them around ancient fallen trees, thick trunks lying taller than houses, with piles of shattered bones nestled up against the dark and blackened wood. Black mushrooms and fungus grew everywhere, adding to the ominous sense of death and the stench of decay.

 

Somewhere during the fight, Malika had lost her shoes. Not that they had been particularly sturdy or secure in the first place. But she felt the transition as her feet left the squishy damp earth and found purchase on a stone pathway hidden beneath a thin layer of dirt.

 

A path?

 

Suddenly, they rounded a massive decaying blackened stump, bigger than most they had passed so far, and emerged into a large clearing. Malika stopped and stared. All about the dead grove, golden glowing shards sparkled brightly in the darkness, embedded into trees and stone in a radial pattern around the epicenter of what must have been an enormous explosion.

 

Aliandra’s magic faded, unneeded in the bright glow, and Malika couldn’t help but notice that it had been exactly the same golden color. The same color as the explosion that had woken her up in that alleyway.

 

What happened here? It was clearly the aftermath of some tremendously powerful arcane event, and yet she couldn’t fathom what it might have been. Did she do this? she wondered, glancing at Aliandra. But the profound sadness etched upon the Fae’s face told her in an instant that it was something infinitely more personal. This place held a deep meaning for their strange companion.

 

“Look,” Calen said, pointing, his voice hushed.

 

Raising her head, Malika found a tall obelisk of black stone looming up out of the darkness beyond the shattered golden shards. It was smooth, the surface highly polished, and it stood far taller than even Mato or Calen. With a black so dark it stood out even against the darkness of the cavern, seeming to consume every trace of light. Faintly glowing markings covered the surface, runes etched in soft green and gold.

 

Is that a shrine? she thought, suddenly struck by the similarity to the artifact William Turner used back in the Town Hall. Once so impressive to her, the small artifact she had used to unlock her experience seemed but a toy beside the immense construct looming before her. Even as she stepped forward, she sensed the pressure radiating from it, a tangible force prickling against her skin.

 

Is this why she brought us here?

 

“It looks like a class shrine,” Calen said, moving up to stand beside her, his eyes glued to the stone.

 

Even though he echoed her own thoughts, Malika struggled to believe it. “If that’s a class shrine, we would still need the owner to activate it for us,” she said. The mayor’s class shrine had remained worthless, inert until he had specifically activated it for her.

 

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Calen answered, “Look at the owner.”

 

She used Appraise.

 

Shrine of the Ancient Grove
An ancient mystical shrine of unknown origin. Offers advanced class features and attunement of latent mana affinity.
Owner: Aliandra Amariel
Mana Siphon (Active)
Mana: Unlock class experience
Mana: Unlock or enhance latent magical affinities
Mana: Unlock alternate classes
Owner’s Mana: Recharge the shrine’s mana reserve. 308,050/1,250,000
Quality: Unique
Value: Soulbound
Shrine – Artifact

 

“By the ancestors…” she whispered, her feet forgetting how to walk in the moment as she stared openmouthed at the monumental artifact.

 

She’s the owner?

 

Malika glanced over at Aliandra in surprise, finding that she had turned and was watching her as if waiting for her response. As soon as she met her eyes, Aliandra made an inviting gesture towards her and pointed to the shrine.

 

Malika turned back to study the shrine carefully, her heart beginning to thump within her chest as a mix of apprehension and anticipation spiked within her. It’s got a lot more options than the town shrine, she thought. It was the second time she had ever appraised a soulbound item – the first being William Turner’s shrine. And the first time she had ever seen something of unique-grade quality. And what’s with that insane amount of mana reserved?

 

Even without language, Aliandra’s intention was clear, and Malika knew she was procrastinating. Wrestling with nerves that threatened to spiral out of control, Malika stepped up and placed her hand on the cool stone surface of the shrine.

 

Please, please… a good class. Just one.

 

She channeled her mana into the shrine taking the option to unlock an alternate class, and a sudden chime sounded in her mind.

 

[Shrine of the Ancient Grove] Reserved mana reduced by 35,000
6 Alternate classes found.

Natural class:
- Thief

Available alternate non-combat class options:
- Pickpocket
- Smuggler
- Con Artist
- Swindler

Available alternate combat class options:
- Assassin
- Thug

 

Oh… fuck… The world dropped out from under her as she stared at her options. The nightmare she had dreaded had come true – all her available choices were related to her last few years of forced crime and larceny. She stared dumbfounded at the crushing reality – she hadn’t even realized this shrine would unlock more than one alternate class choice, but even so, every single one of her choices was equally awful.

 

Clamping down on the powerful urge to cry, she lowered her head trying to hide her shame. I’m not even worth a single common warrior class? Not even for all that blood and pain? Even if she refused the choices, the Thief class would be forced on her, and then she would be stuck, forced unfairly into a life of crime.

 

Perhaps it’s not entirely hopeless, she thought, trying desperately to believe it. The Assassin class would at least identify as a ‘Rogue’. But the thought of taking a class that was best used for murder filled her with a wave of nausea as her guts twisted into a knot.

 

She looked at the Thug. At least it’s a combat class? She tried to make it seem better, but she was absolutely certain that this was Adrik and Edrik’s class.  

 

Just as she was about to break down, a tiny hand shook her by the shoulder, a small touch that reached through her shame insistent that she notice. What does she want? Malika tried to focus on Aliandra who was speaking quickly and showing a hand with two fingers raised in a ‘V’ and gesturing urgently to the shrine. She repeated the gesture several times, clearly frustrated with her inability to communicate.

 

“What are you trying to say?” Malika’s frustration and despair crept out into her voice.

 

“I think she’s saying the shrine has two options we can use,” Calen said.

 

Two? Surprised, Malika looked again. Sure enough, there was a second option. It had been there all along, and in her focus and anxiety about class choices, she had not even seen it. Struggling to prevent an irrational surge of hope, she let a little of her mana flow into the mysteriously worded option for latent magical affinity.

 

[Shrine of the Ancient Grove] Exposing latent magical affinities may permanently alter your current and future class choices. Proceed?

 

I have nothing to lose. She confirmed the choice.

 

The shrine hummed and a deep resonant gong sounded within her mind.

 

Sudden power thrummed through her body, and she felt the hair stand up on the back of her arms and neck. The entire clearing flared into noon brightness as her body began to emit a powerful bluish-white light that seemed to burst out from within. Her ears filled with a roaring like a powerful waterfall crashing down, around, and through her. The energy coursing through her tore through her body, mind, and soul, raising her like a ragdoll several feet into the air, blasting open hidden doors within her mind, doors to places at once familiar and simultaneously entirely foreign to her.

 

Suddenly the power vanished, and the shrine fell silent once again. She dropped to the ground in a heap, her legs momentarily unresponsive, as darkness returned to the clearing.

 

[Shrine of the Ancient Grove] Reserved mana reduced by 50,000
You have gained an affinity for Soul Magic.
Your Aptitudes have been updated.
New class options are available.

 

Her hand shook with the aftereffects of the rush of power and no small amount of nervousness as she touched the shrine once again to see how her class choices might have changed.

 

[Shrine of the Ancient Grove] Reserved mana reduced by 9,500
2 Additional alternate classes found.

Natural class:
- Thief

Available alternate non-combat class options:
- Pickpocket
- Con Artist
- Swindler

Available alternate combat class options:
- Thug

Available alternate magic combat class options:
- Soul Assassin
- Soul Monk

 

It changed! She clutched at her heart, holding her breath against the flutters that exploded in her belly. It had changed, but was it enough?

 

It seemed she had lost the Smuggler and Assassin class offerings, and in their place, she had gained two magic combat class choices, presumably based on her newly discovered latent affinity for soul magic. In trepidation she opened the first new offering, the Soul Assassin class, but immediately discarded it as simply a more powerful version of the basic Assassin.

 

With a trembling hand touching the cold stone of the shrine, she opened her final class choice.

 

Soul Monk
The Soul Monk walks the Nine Paths of the ancient Ahn Khen, striving for balance both within and without. Proficient at controlling her energy, she is confident, facing even the strongest enemies without balking. Holding body and soul in harmony, she fights with clarity and power, a master of the styles of unarmed and unarmored fighting.
Requirements:
Ahn Khen bloodline.
Soul Magic affinity.
Meditation skill.
Fought multiple enemies unarmed and unarmored.
Used martial arts and acrobatic techniques in combat.
Saved a companion’s life in combat.
Has received extensive training in Martial Arts.
Attributes: +10 per level.
Traits: Soul, Bloodline, Combat, Melee, Defense, Healing, Dexterity, Wisdom, Endurance.
Quality: Rare.
Class – Combat

Would you like to change your class to Soul Monk?

 

Her breath caught in her throat as she frantically reread the description looking for that detail that would show it to be a lie and destroy her hope. But she could find nothing. She was looking at a rare martial artist class with the backing of soul magic rooted in her ancestral heritage.

 

The Nine Paths?

 

She had never even seen the sacred texts, but the elders spoke sagely of the wisdom contained in their pages.

 

Moments ticked away while she stared, scarcely believing what she was being offered. Memories of her childhood in the dojo flickered through her mind, practicing her forms and drills, listening to her parents’ instruction, and dreaming of the future.

 

The years since the destruction of her hometown and her family had been harsh, brutally crushing her dreams and grinding them to dust. In this one moment, all her hopes and dreams reignited with an intensity that made her heart race. And for the first time in ten years, she did not instantly squash them.

 

Quickly, before something else changed, or the unbelievable glowing words vanished back to wherever they had come from, she confirmed the class choice.

 

You have gained the class: Soul Monk.
Soul Monk has reached level 1.
+10 attribute points.

You have lost the general skill: Basic Martial Arts.
You have lost the general skill: Acrobatics.
You have lost the general skill: Pickpocket.

You have gained the Relentless aptitude.

 

Malika stumbled away from the shrine, landing on the stone of the path as her new class absorbed all her hard-earned combat skills in a wave of vision-blurring dizziness that made her queasy.

 

But the chimes continued, heralding the brightly shining lines of blue-white script that marched across her mind’s eye, a relentless searing song of change that burned itself into her very soul.

 

You have gained the class skill Martial Artist.

Martial Artist – level 1
Requires: Unarmed.
You are proficient with unarmed and acrobatic martial arts fighting styles. Your reaction speed is enhanced.
Stamina: Deliver a Melee Attack with any part of your body. Attack damage is increased by +42.7% [40 + skill + dexterity / 10].
Physical, Melee, Attack, Mastery, Dexterity

You have gained the class skill Soul Strike.

Soul Strike – level 1
Mana: Enhance a Melee Attack with your Soul magic, striking directly at the life energy of your opponent. A portion of this health is returned to you. Your Attack gains +54% [40 + skill + wisdom] additional Soul damage. Range: Touch.
Soul, Melee, Support, Wisdom

You have gained the class skill Healing Mantra.

Healing Mantra – level 1
Mana: The connection between your body and soul is strong. Instantly regenerate mortal wounds and restore health to anyone you touch. Range: Touch.
Soul, Melee, Healing, Wisdom

You have gained the class skill Perfect Body.

Perfect Body – level 1
Mana: Your Endurance, Wisdom, and Dexterity are increased by +42.3% [40 + skill + base wisdom / 10]. Reserve: 20%
Soul, Buff, Wisdom


You have gained the class skill Soul Armor.

Soul Armor – level 1
Requires: No body armor or shield equipped.
Mana: Your soul reinforces your body increasing your Armor by +7 [skill x 7]. Reserve: 10%
Soul, Melee, Defense, Endurance

You have gained the class skill Enlightened Evasion.

Enlightened Evasion – level 1
Requires: No body armor or shield equipped.
Stamina: Your martial arts grants insight into avoiding physical attacks. While unencumbered by armor, your Evasion is increased by +7 [skill x 7]. Reserve: 10%
Physical, Melee, Defense, Dexterity

 

She sat in the middle of the path overcome with emotion, letting the tears of joy and relief spill unnoticed down her face. Through the haze of her vision, she could make out a concerned expression as Aliandra hovered nearby.

 

“Thank you,” Malika said, giving words to the upwelling surge of gratitude in her heart, and reached out her hand, knowing she would not be understood. If it had not been for Aliandra’s shrine, she knew she would be up in the Town Hall trying to decide which of her initial class choices was the least awful. As soon as her fingers touched Aliandra’s hand, she used her new Healing Mantra skill. A surge of energy flowed through her, passing through her hands and into the Fae girl, and, with a flash of blueish-white light, instantly erased the scrapes and bruises she had sustained in the fight.

 

Wow, that is incredible! She had just healed someone instantly, and all it took was a little of her mana. Even Aliandra yelped with surprise, examining her now unblemished skin.

 

She channeled her mana a second time, this time healing herself. It cost significantly more mana, and she felt the burning energy searing through her own body as her wounds closed and her health recovered in a rush. The sudden lack of pain was almost shocking, her mind seeming to refuse to believe it for a moment. But when she rose to her feet, she could walk without limping.

 

Quickly, she healed Calen and then Mato. For all his jovial and friendly outward attitude, the Beastkin had been severely injured and he took even more mana to heal than she had spent on herself.

 

“Thanks,” he said with a straightforward honest smile.

 

“You were hiding some serious wounds,” she said. “You should have said something.” Given what she had sensed from her skill, he must have been ignoring an enormous amount of pain.

 

“Not much use complaining,” he answered with a shrug. “We were out of healing potions.”

 

Malika finally found a large flat rock and sat, landing heavily, her head spinning with all the new information and changes. “I need a minute.” Closing her eyes, she settled herself with her Meditation skill for a few moments. With her new, calmer perspective, she reviewed all the changes, trying to get an overall sense of what she had unlocked.

 

My class has a strong focus on martial arts and unarmed combat.

 

Everything Malika had dreamed of was wrapped up in her new Martial Artist attack skill. She would put her training to good use and develop her technique and style. Soul Strike seemed to be a powerful support skill that could turn any kick or punch she made with her Martial Artist skill into potent attacks enhanced with her new soul magic. But the ability to recover health on each attack was extraordinary, she couldn’t think of one example of a fighting class that started with such an ability.

 

I have a heal, an attribute boost, and two defense skills for dodging and armor. She continued her cataloging, slowly forming her overall impression of what she had gained. An unarmed martial artist with a magic damage strike and healing. But I can’t use armor or weapons. Malika considered the implications carefully. She didn’t quite know how, but she felt that this class really resonated with who she was, almost as if it had been created for her.

 

Perhaps it’s more about who I’ve allowed myself to be, she thought soberly. Suppressing her dreams for so long might just be the reason she had been offered classes that were so antithetical to her view of herself. Those classes had been offered to the person she had allowed herself to become.

 

It had to have been her actions in that last fight that finally resulted in a class that matched her heart’s desire. The Street Rat would have run, cementing her path forever. But she had thrown herself into an impossible fight against a wolf pack to save Aliandra, and somehow, she had reconnected to the core of herself: her hopes, dreams, her identity, and her life before Myrin’s Keep, all rolled up into one. It was the first time she had put her life on the line and used her martial arts training to save someone.

 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 

Looks like I will need to invest in dexterity, wisdom, and endurance mostly. Considering her rough day, and the advice her parents had always given, she spent two of her ten attribute points on vitality. Then she put four into dexterity and two each into wisdom and endurance.

 

That looks like a good start. She smiled as she looked over her status, finding the familiar blue-white floating text to have dramatically updated.

 

Name: Malika
Race: Human
Titles: Street Rat

Class: Soul Monk – level 1
- Martial Artist – level 1
- Soul Strike – level 1
- Healing Mantra – level 1
- Perfect Body – level 1
- Soul Armor – level 1
- Enlightened Evasion – level 1
- [Locked]
- [Locked]
- [Locked]
- [Locked]

General Skills
- Meditation – level 3
- Dancing – level 4
- Calligraphy – level 3
- Lockpicking – level 4
- Appraise – level 5

Aptitudes
- Languages: Common
- Bloodline (Ahn Khen): Dormant
- Mana (Affinity): Soul
- Relentless (Class): +100% to Stamina Regeneration
- Relentless (Class): You can pay for any abilities with stamina instead of mana

Attributes
- Vitality: 10
- Strength: 7
- Endurance: 14
- Dexterity: 17
- Perception: 10
- Intelligence: 9
- Wisdom: 13

Health: 100/100
Stamina: 140/140
Mana: 130/130

 

I might still be a Street Rat, but I’m so much more than that, she thought. I’ll never suppress my values or dreams again.

 

She had a lot to think about.

 

Relentless. Her class had given her quite the extraordinary Aptitude – enhanced stamina regeneration and the ability to substitute stamina for mana would mean quite a lot of flexibility in using her skills.

 

She continued down the sheet, examining each detail. One of the primary traits for her Soul Monk class was defense, and it seemed this manifested in her Soul Armor and Enlightened Evasion skills – both of which were passive defense skills. I guess they’re not precisely passive skills, she thought, her eyes drawn to the mana and stamina reserve cost for each respectively. Will they stay on as long as I set aside that resource to power them?

 

How does this even work?

 

She recalled the description for her Soul Armor to her mind, prodding the glowing blue-white words that appeared, trying to dislodge a hint or two, but nothing was forthcoming. No instructions?

 

The skill clearly indicated that it needed mana, but the entire ‘reserve’ concept was new to her. Maybe it works like Appraise? Or the shrine? Both of those had taken mana to power them.

 

She cleared her mind and focused on the glowing text of the description and tried to shove a little mana at it. Nothing happened, but… what was that? It wasn’t the text, but she had felt something hidden seemingly beyond it. She refocused on whatever that was and fed it a little mana.

 

In a sudden surge that filled her body, that something shifted, and a sizeable chunk of her mana vanished, diverted and drawn into whatever it was in an instant.  

 

Reserved mana has increased by 13.
You have gained Soul Armor.

 

Pale blue-white runes shimmered across her skin, soaking in, and quickly fading away, leaving her feeling somewhat… denser? She flexed her arms, but her movement felt the same as normal. She poked herself with a finger. Whoa, that’s different! Instead of giving like normal, her skin and muscle seemed to resist the pressure of her finger, refusing to bend.

 

Excitement mounting, she tried Enlightened Evasion. Instead of mana, she fed it stamina, but besides that, she found the skill quickly, and just like Soul Armor, it consumed a big chunk.

 

Reserved stamina has increased by 14.
You have gained Enlightened Evasion.

 

A bit pretentious, this one, she thought. Only the Ancestors, or perhaps some of the Elders, could credibly claim enlightenment. But her thought vanished at the sensation of the runes once again alighting on her skin and imbuing her body with their power. This time, as they faded into her, she sensed responsiveness rather than denseness. She waved her arm back and forth, trying to capture the feeling of what had changed. She wasn’t exactly faster, but the movements definitely seemed to come easier.

 

As her skills turned on, her mana and stamina available for other skills decreased by the amount reserved. Ten percent reserve each, she thought, confirming her understanding of how the cost worked. Turning the skills on and off seemed intuitive enough, now that she had figured it out, but then an idea occurred to her.

 

Relentless should work for Soul Armor, right? It does cost mana…

 

She found it surprisingly straightforward to switch her Soul Armor from using mana to using stamina instead.

 

Reserved mana has decreased by 13.
Reserved stamina has increased by 14.

 

She switched it back to mana. I probably need stamina more, she thought, considering that she would likely always be using her Martial Artist skill, spending stamina to empower her training. And the reserve is slightly smaller for mana.

 

Satisfied that she understood her defense skills, at least in principle, she moved on to her Perfect Body skill. This looks strong. She remembered her lessons stressing the importance of increasing your skills by investing in the appropriate attributes. This skill would increase all her attributes and it would grow as she leveled. Curious, she activated the skill. Her skin flickered briefly with the glowing runes that gently faded away after a few moments. Her body immediately felt lighter and faster.

 

She opened her status once again to see the effects. The first thing she noticed was a new line that had appeared right below her Street Rat title.

 

Name: Malika
Race: Human
Titles: Street Rat

Active Buffs: Perfect Body, Soul Armor, Enlightened Evasion

 

So, they do stay on, she thought. Her eyes strayed down the much longer list of text to find her attributes.

 

Attributes
- Vitality: 10
- Strength: 7
- Endurance: 19 (+5)
- Dexterity: 24 (+7)
- Perception: 10
- Intelligence: 9
- Wisdom: 18 (+5)

Armor: 7
Physical Damage Reduction: 20%
Evasion: 7
Dodge: 20%

Health: 100/100
Stamina: 171/190 (19 Reserved)
Mana: 126/180 (54 Reserved)

 

That’s… incredible. No wonder she felt lighter and faster. Her endurance, dexterity, and wisdom were indeed significantly higher with the skill activated, just as the skill description indicated. As a result of the attribute increases to endurance and wisdom, her maximum stamina and mana had risen to one hundred and ninety and one hundred and eighty respectively, although the available totals were shown as lower because of the cost of running her Perfect Body, Enlightened Evasion, and Soul Armor simultaneously. The reservation costs for her defense skills had risen proportionally too. Additionally, every single skill that was tagged with one of the boosted attributes had presumably improved because of it. Well, apart from Perfect Body. But she felt it made sense that the skill wouldn’t boost itself. It’s also the only skill that says it scales off the base wisdom attribute.

 

Her status sheet had been updated to reflect the effects of her two defense skills now that she was using them. From her training, she knew that her Dodge and Damage Reduction percentages represented her abilities versus an attacker of the same level. The effectiveness would decline against higher-level monsters or against skills that were designed to oppose her defenses. However, ‘always on’ skills like hers had substantial advantages over crafted armor. It would not be possible to avoid her armor with accuracy, for example, unlike the leather armor Mato was wearing which necessarily left some portions of the body exposed to attacks, and hence vulnerable to precision strikes or area damage.

 

It felt a little like being in math class all over again, but this time the numbers would mean the difference between life and death. Soul Monk was far better than anything she could have hoped for. Feeling uncharacteristically whimsical, she gave herself a good, hard pinch just to check she wasn’t still asleep on that wood pile. Damn, it’s real. One day she might even have a chance to settle the score with Adrik and Edrik.

 

Right, back to business. I will be fighting with a ten percent stamina deficit, and a thirty percent mana deficit, and in exchange I’m much harder to kill, she summarized for herself. The big picture made more sense to her than the details, but she was happy she had made herself understand the specifics too – who knew when she would need to change something in an emergency?

 

I’ll worry about the rest of the details later, she thought, deciding that the seemingly expensive total reservation costs were easily worth it for what her skills gave her. She got up and moved through several kicking and punching drills to get a sense of the enhanced speed and how it would affect her. Her grin grew as she flew through the drills faster than she had ever moved, and with more precision than she believed possible.

 

The remainder of her abilities would have to wait for an enemy before she could test them properly, so she sat and watched her companions using the shrine, resonating with the excitement on Calen’s face as he lit up the entire clearing with an intense pure white light, and Mato’s joyous exclamation as his latent mana affinity turned the space into a green glowing aura with ethereal floating leaves.