It smells terrible in the compartment I left the dead wolf in and I quickly go up and poke my head up. There’s no sign of Morrigan anywhere.
“CAW.”
I look up and realize she’s halfway up a neighboring tree. OK I can come up there. Instead of my usual climb of reaching a limb, waiting for mana to recover and going again and run a circular path up the tree to her. This is crazy, my mana isn’t even dropping! I guess the plan isn’t to fight these wolves. I look out for them as I circle up and am pleased that they seem to be normal wolves. I inspect them one by one.
LVL 10 Wolf
LVL 9 Wolf
LVL 8 Wolf
LVL 19 Wolf
One on the cusp of an upgrade and three way behind. The pattern is obvious. It’s a family and I killed their daddy. I guess no matter what I’ll always be killing the child of something, maybe the parent. I feel a little lip quiver but I’m able to stop it. They would have killed me given the chance. I have to remember that’s how the world works now.
I reach the limb Morrigan is standing on and she speaks, “There are two things we need to do. The first is getting you a long ranged skill. Secondly it’s time you learned some proper witchcraft. Hecate told me the instruction she gave you and I assume you began studying electricity on your own, yes?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to think of other ways to use it, split paths or homing or something but lightning doesn’t work that way. I still haven’t mastered what she taught me, I can only do it without zapping myself every couple of times.”
“Yes, I’ve seen,” she says. The issue isn’t that lightning doesn’t work that way, it’s that you aren’t using natural lightning or electricity. You’re using mana and mana can do about anything you can think of if you understand it. She gave you a shortcut with the understanding that mana control is difficult. Knowing what we know now I believe she would have instructed you differently. There’s nothing wrong with thinking of an electric attack as unfulfilled potential needing a spark. That being said, there's no reason that spark should originate from your body.”
Lightbulb. I’ve been so stupid, I could just make the mana have a different trigger, I could even make it something I say. Picking out one of the wolves I start making the pathway to it. The issue is that it’s moving so I have to-
“Stop.”
I was so focused I almost fire off the bolt on accident. Instead I just let my focus drop and the mana go back into its natural state.
“I don’t mean to be brash child, but have a little patience. Those wolves my be fast and strong for their level but they have no way to reach you here. Is that not how you chose to mark their leader?”
“Sorry,” I said, trying not to fidget.
“That attack was fine for small prey at the beginning, but you quickly outgrew it. I won’t deny that your solution had some fair but that was hardly a fight you could repeat with most enemies. Now, I can point out your short fallings with basic information but I can’t create your skills for you. You want to be able to fight at range, what is the best long range weapon in your opinion?”
Lightning had been my initial reaction when Hecate led me down a similar path. I hadn’t thought of the issues then though. I need to be able to aim, I need some kind of quick projectile or way to home in on targets. Wait a minute, hadn’t I made something like that? I thought back to the ant hill, my make shift railgun. How in the world would I shoot lightning out of a mana railgun though? Why am I not asking her?
“How would I shoot lightning out of a rail gun?”
“That’s an interesting question that I can’t answer. I can barely deal with hypotheticals and common knowledge without breaking the rules. It reminds me of an archer from long ago, he had some skill with fire mana and kept coming up with increasingly odd ways to make fire arrows hotter, or make the fire stick to things. At one point he’d created this contraption he fit on the end of an arrow that would burst on impact, throwing oil all over the place and providing a spark. I could never get him to understand how much extra work he was doing.”
A contraption on the end of an arrow? This is hard. OK, think, what did she tell me? The trap I made wasn’t going to work in the future. I don’t think that means I can never use traps but it wouldn’t help against an enemy I couldn’t watch and avoid. When the contraption burst it made fire. So, maybe I could put the potential for lightning inside something? Maybe I could carve out some shells or something from a tree using my mana knife? No, she said he was working too hard. What would a shell containing lightning even look like? Actually forget about that, could I even make something like that?
I push mana out into the open air and start making pathways, then I push them as close together as possible and add some more. That’s not going to work, I need to make them into a ball. I let it go and start over trying to think in three dimensions. I get about 60 points of mana in and notice my mana is ticking back up quickly, almost 4 points a second. That’s nuts! OK, this could work but I need to hold it while I make the trigger. I consolidate solid mana around the mess I just made and breathe out as it holds. It’s roughly the size of a soft ball now, and I can feel the mana on the inside trying to get out. This thing is so unstable if I just let it out it might blow. Oh. I wonder if I can take credit for accidentally figuring out what Morrigan is talking about. Just to be safe I create a fault line all the way around my new lightning ball. I should get a skill for this right?
The skill doesn’t come. I hold out my arm and remake my mana cannon as a wrist attachment. Why not, there’s no combustion or kick back to worry about. Wait, I can do it better. Holding my hand flat in front of me I construct what looks like a laser blaster from a mech. This isn’t just a fantasy world after all, maybe one day I can get some tech that can hold these balls. I look for the wolves again and zero in on one.
“Stop,” Morrigan says again. I keep my focus on my constructs, not letting them go. I’m going to fire this thing even if it’s at a tree. “I have plans for the wolves, however if you’d so kindly direct your attention up three limbs and to the right I believe you’ll find a suitable target.”
Looking up in the direction she told me I spot something off about the trunk of a neighboring tree. It takes a moment to understand that those are feathers and not bark. I can only see the back of the bird but the System has taken the mystery out of unidentified stationary objects.
LVL 12 Owl
I aimed my hand canon at the poor unsuspecting bird and fired. I get a system before the mana ball even hits followed by a pained hoot, and then ZAP! A ball of electricity expands from where the ball hit, frying the bird and surrounding area. CRACK, The limb blackens as the charred remains of the owl falls to the forest floor, and I check my messages.
*DING*
Voltaic Railblaster
You are talking a lot of smack for someone within railgun range. Mimicking magnetic propulsion you construct a hand blaster that launches lightning in a capsule. Damage dependent on mana investment. Branching.
LVL 12 Owl defeated
“No experience awarded?” I had a good idea what that meant.
“Would you expect experience for stepping on an insect? Even before you change class you’ve entered into a new tier of power. Well, what passes for power on newly integrated planets. I assume you gained a new skill? It looks to be quite decent, if you keep working on your mana manipulation you might end up being pretty powerful in your own right. Don’t get too full of yourself though, that wolf would be able to take at least a few of those. Don’t forget you depleted your mana attacking it with electricity before having to stab it repeatedly in the face. Quite honestly you were very close to losing that fight.
So let’s make sure you’re more ready for the next one. You’re going to need four hairs from that wolf you killed. I expect you to collect them without moving. Begin.”
From here the trap containing the dead wolf had to be over two hundred feet away. That was a long way to stretch mana. Usually when I pushed mana out around me it was only maybe ten feet. I could make strings longer than that, and of course I could make mana paths but most of that was done long distance. I would move mana in a way that would move more mana down the path. How could I use that to get hairs from the wolf? Wait, the wolf was covered in algae. Did it even have hairs?
I pushed mana down the path I had made when climbing towards the tree. There were remnants still of the mana constructs that had been under my feet. Oddly it was as though each one extended my range as though I was actually there. This could be useful in setting up traps. Finally making my way into the tree containing the wolf I spread my mana out. The tree was practically full of my mana and my six months of daily practice paid off. It was like I could see inside the tree. I covered the wolf in a thin layer and realized that yes it did have hairs, right on its snout. I hardened a little mana around one and tugged, the hair coming right out. It made sense as whatever made animals tough stopped working after death.
The other three come easy and I pull them along the trail of mana left behind dragging a little from the tree with me. This is definitely not something I could use in a fight. I wouldn’t even try this out of the tent unless I had made sure there was nothing anywhere near me, but I had decided to trust Morrigan. If I was wrong, better that I go down sooner than later. The hairs landed in my hand as another System message arrived.
*DING*
Psychokinesis
I’m not touching you! Move objects with mana, any attuned mana can act as a source. Mana usage depends on weight or resistance of object.
What does that mean? I started to push my mana out again when I nearly fell off the limb from dizziness. I could “feel” the entire path I had walked as well as inside the tree. It was like I was actively touching every spot that had my mana. I stopped and held on to the tree before trying again, this time was a little better but still overwhelming, this was going to take some time to get used to. Later. I opened my eyes and showed Morrigan the hairs.
“Good job child. I assume you got telekinesis for your troubles? We were getting tired of watching you do everything the hard way but you barely interacted with anything exclusively with your mana, often sitting it on you or picking it up or making it part of something else like this rail gun. You must remember the System isn’t all that bright and while it’s certainly gotten better since the beginning much of that is through a slow process of us gods telling it how to fix its programming. In some ways it’s still like a child, almost afraid to make changes. Sometimes I think it’s afraid Mordred will return and reprimand it.”
“Psychokinesis actually.”
“Child you are a wonder. To have put in that much work and not met the threshold should be aggravating to you as it is to me. I hope you learn from today not to get caught in linear thinking. Perhaps my next lesson will help with that. As this is mostly history the System will not impede it.
It’s time you learn a little about real witchcraft. Before the System created skills, before mana was so easily wielded by the masses there were several types of magic users. Not including actual gods the oldest were the shamans, priests and sorcerers. These three types of magic are linked in that they borrow power.
Shamans would wield the collective power of their ancestors. Not true ghosts but mana remnants of their forefathers. Most of this kind of magic was extremely wasteful as they could collect and direct the power but it mostly had a mind of its own and a shaman who acted against the will of his ancestors might find themselves turned into a ghost by their power.
Priests or priestesses would use the power of gods. When they worshipped true gods this power was narrow in scope and could only do whatever the god wanted. If they displeased the god then they might find themselves powerless or in the worst case dead. When they worshipped false gods the power was often dangerous to them and would kill or ruin them in odd ways. As odd as it would seem coming from me, beware Fae creatures promising power.
Finally there are sorcerers. Sorcerers would get direct power in trade for something, normally service to whatever being they got their power for. While souls have been traded for power this was always very uncommon as few people are stupid enough to give up their soul when they’re aware they have one. I’ll take this moment to point out that the idea of a wholly evil being is somewhat dumb on the face of itself. The few I’ve ever met were either extremely mentally damaged, cursed or so idiotic as to be mostly harmless. Much more terrifying than them are the truly amoral. They won’t go slaughtering worlds for the entertainment of pain and suffering, but they will absolutely commit genocide in exchange for power or possesions with nary a wink of sleep lost.
Next come the elementals. Most of these are born not made. They control an aspect of the world and in that aspect are often without peer. As a Fae queen I am powerful, as a goddess even more so. With that power I can control nature in ways uncanny and awesome. Before the god Pan, who is both a god and elemental I would be a mere novice and any control I had would be pitiful before him. Put him on a bloodied field of battle where the fates of soldiers are open to chance and our positions would be quite reversed. The point, as I hope you have quickly discerned, is fighting elementals on their own territory is a bad idea.
Next come the wizards and witches. Two halves to the same coin it’s often that a person is both of these. A wizard is a collector of artifacts and lost knowledge. Rarely having innate powers of their own they either develop them artificially or use magical tools to mimic having them. They are amongst some of the most dangerous magic users in history because they often know what it’s like to feel weak. That is a strength that cannot be taught. I would take a single warrior who came from nothing over an army of coddled peerage knights because that warrior has earned and knows intimately every muscle.
Witches also traffic in artifacts and secret knowledge but they utilize an entirely different school of magic. What I’m about to teach you is called sympathetic magic. Sympathetic magic is the principle that like things are connected. Those hairs are part of a wolf, the wolf is part of the pack. Before the System you could take the heart of that wolf, a poison gland from a snake and a ritual dagger to poison the entire family. Things take more killing now. So what can you do with four hairs? Create a connection you can exploit at range.
You’re going to hold those hair in your hand and run mana through it to make your weapon, that railgun. Then you’re going to reach out with your mana and grab onto everything like it. Now close your eyes and make your weapon.”
With a thought my weapon appears and I have to dismiss it. Skills are ridiculous, it took me two months after learning what a railgun was to kind of make one and it wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as a real rail gun. Shaping the ammo for it was something I’d been doing since the tutorial, even if it was a simpler version. I take the hairs in my left hand and try to push the idea of the skill through them. I make them part of the gun and they appear on top of it as four lines separated by a couple of inches. They almost feel itchy, as though the weapon is my skin. I close my eyes and concentrate on the hairs.
“Time was,” Morrigan says, “You might call on the name of a goddess to help your magic. It’s not quite like sorcery or divine powers, more just invoking a name to make the mana pay attention and do something for you. I can’t recall many using my name for such, they were always asking me to change their fate. There were others though that might be household names amongst all witches. You could say to them “guide my magic” or “strengthen my potions” or maybe just call their name before you began a working. Ritual magic is odd, and the System doesn’t know exactly what to do with it. It’s been weakened in many areas but in some it works just fine”
She had to be pushing the line here. Her speech even changed, sounding almost sarcastic. This had to be the crow version of winking at me and nudging me with her wing. “Hecate guide my shot,” I said. Suddenly the outline of four wolves appeared below me. This was really weird since my eyes were closed. As they stalked around the tree with the one I killed I could see their mana leaking out of them. Looking closer I could see small amounts of trailing mana where they stepped. I almost opened them before squeezing them tightly. None of these would give me experience but Morrigan’s expectations were clear. I remembered something I had just read in a story about someone else’s ‘system’. No idea if this would work, but maybe it would show how much I appreciated her. “I dedicate these kills to my godmother,” I said before firing the first shot. 40 points of mana disappeared, the skill clearly being better at mana management than I was. I felt like I could load more into it but it felt as full as the last one. One wolf disappears
*DING*
LVL 10 Wolf defeated
Next shot. Then the next and the next. I try not to feel bad about what I’m doing. I try not to think of the wolves like me and my family, being picked off one at a time by something beyond our understanding. I try to stop a tear from falling down my face. I’m thankful that Morrigan decides not to mention it as the other System messages roll in.
LVL 9 Wolf defeated
LVL 8 Wolf defeated
LVL 19 Wolf defeated
If a crow can look pleased with itself it must look like this. She preened her feathers and looked up at me slightly hopping, readjusting her position, standing a little straighter. Is it bad manners to tell a goddess they’re cute?
“CAW. Very good child. It’s a little magic but extremely useful if your enemy is hard to track or can become invisible. I have given you the principle I expect that you can grow from here. I also appreciate the dedicated kills, though unfortunately they gain neither of us anything. Even if they weren’t base level animals you’re not that kind of magic user. Still, the thought does mean something. Now bring your bag up here and let’s return inside. It’s time for your final gift and for you to finally choose your rewards from your hard work.”
Closing my eyes I can feel my bag from the mana in the trapped tree, I reach out and start moving the bag to me. It comes so quick I almost get mad. If something distracted me I might drop it but if I needed to pick up something close it would be so simple. I could design complex traps that used psychokinetically controlled pins to fall. Or maybe not, Maybe I was once again making this too complex when the simple solution was to get stronger and upgrade skills.
I pulled off the tent zipper and stuck it to the tree. This time Morrigan flew in after I opened the door instead of disappearing and reappearing. I brought my bag in since this limb didn’t have anything nearby to conveniently hang it from and checked the charge on my tent. Still full? Morrigan must be recharging it somehow. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything since she didn’t. Maybe she can get away with it as long as it’s not ‘for’ me. For that matter maybe I should spend more time thinking before making any decisions, not just when I’m trying to say the right thing.
*DING*
Wisdom +1
Really?
“What’s the matter child?” Morrigan asks from the back of my desk chair.
“The System is making fun of me again.”
“Yes, child it will do that. Best not to pay it any mind. Now that you have some idea about pre-System magic I would ask a favor of you. This is purely your decision and while this last present will serve to fulfill this request you will receive your present regardless of your answer. Will you do a favor for me?”
“What’s the favor?”
“I can’t say directly though, no I’m afraid I can’t even hint at it. It’s something that could help you in the long run, but may require you to do things to help others in the future. Your present, ugh, I’m sorry that’s the best I can do. I believe the System has become more stringent since the last integration.”
“If I do, will you answer another question for me? I mean if you can. If we make it a trade maybe the System won’t be so strict.”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“I’m afraid not, I’m forbidden from making that kind of deal with you. I find it unnecessary but it is for your protection. How about I answer your question, if possible, anyway.”
“Ok. I’ll do it, “ I said, still bothered by the system making fun of me. Is that childish? To do the opposite of what you know you should do just because someone made fun of you for doing the right thing? It was like something I had read a few weeks ago about someone who had a hard time being around other people. Every time they would come out of their room their family had to make some sarcastic comment to try to embarrass them. They even tried to tell their family this made it harder and their concerns were dismissed. When I thought about stuff too hard I made things way too complicated. When I didn’t think about it and just rushed in I may be in a bad spot but I kept getting myself out of them.
“Not to look a gift horse in the mouth dear but are you sure? You didn’t consider that long.”
“Yes. I either have to trust that you and Hecate are trying to help me or not. Maybe I’m just scared and alone and hoping that you two can be family like you say you want to be. Maybe I’m just a little kid making little kid decisions. I don’t…” I start choking up but manage to swallow it. “I can’t care if I’m wrong. I choose hope. Things aren’t like the homework, the, the books or the movies or any of that but they all have the same message. I choose hope. And if that’s what I choose, that's how I have to live. I can’t be half in. You're my godmother and she’s my master and that’s not mom or dad or Benji. I won’t pretend they aren’t gone and I don’t miss them anymore.
I wish they were here. I wish you could be family to them too. I think mom would really like you, she was always trying to show me new stuff and teach me to be better. I bet Benji would have loved Hecate like an older sister, he would get into so much trouble and run to her. Dad would just. Dad would just love us all. Can I hug you? I wish you could be more human but I understand you can’t and I just have to accept it and it’s hard and it’s stupid and I hate it. I just want to be held. I just want mom to come in here and tell me everything is alright. So tell me. Please. Is there a way to bring them back?”
I knew the answer. I had known the answer all along. I had to grow up and I had to do it months ago. I had made myself a schedule and thought myself a big girl, all the while waiting for something to change, for someone to save me. For someone to tell me what I was doing was right. I had to start making real decisions. Not just trying to copy books and comics and act like I had a real plan. I made a bunch of hideouts in trees. For what? What was the end goal? I had to figure it out, no more being a little kid.
“Close your eyes.”
“Huh?”
“Close your eyes tight and do not open till I say it’s ok. Do it now.”
I closed my eyes, scrunched them real tight. Warm arms wrapped all the way around me. I could see light through my eyelids, like I was looking up at the sun. I feel my blanket cover the top of my head and my eyes and she starts rocking me and singing softly. For the first time I’m reminded of the Natural Linguist skill because she’s definitely singing in another language. If I try I can hear the sounds she’s making but it’s translating so I can understand it. She tells me I’m safe and to dream of fairy tales. She talks about the moon and her love and tells me everything is going to be ok. I let out months of what I've been holding in. I didn’t know what crying was. I’m full on wailing by the end and descend into sobbing.
No one wants to hear about baby crying, I know. Get over it, you never know when the last time you’ll be held is. Many don’t know when it was. I do. I know the last time they held me, the last time they kissed me goodnight, and I will never ever forget. This is the end though. I know it as I quiet down. I’m about to grow up because she’s going to answer me.
“I can’t bring them back. Best case scenario, and also the likeliest is that their souls are recycled. There’s a core part of who they are that exists without will or memory or time. That part was irrevocably changed by you. Know that the love that you gave them and that they gave you was meaningful. It changed you both for the better and that love is eternally marked by the changes in their souls. And yours.”
I feel the arms move off of me, the weight on the bed lessen, and know its over. I was OK. Well not really, but ok as I was going to be. I said I was going to have to live my decision and that was about to start. No more playing grown up, it’s time to do it for real.
“You can open your eyes.”
I open them, vision blurry and accept a tissue from a beak. No reason to even ask. I clean myself up and get my breathing back to something that doesn’t sound like a panic attack. “I meant what I said,” I say.
“Very well then, take this.” Nothing more to be said about what just happened.
I find something wrapped in paper in her beak. The paper is just wrapped around what appears to be blue street chalk. Opening it up I realize there’s a drawing of a rectangle with some sort of weird writing outside of every line.
“Under the light of the full moon or Solstice sun, preferably the first as the Solstice has passed this year, I want you to draw this at your rock quarry. It needs to be big enough for an adult to pass through the rectangle but not so big you can’t fill the lines with mana. You have a decent amount so that should not be an issue. There’s also a list of ingredients if you keep unrolling it. You’ll stir those together and boil them, adding a drop of your blood. Once the water is boiled out you will let it dry and then draw the last symbol in the middle of the circle and call for my aid seven times.”
I unroll the paper and see a triangle that looks kind of like a left arrow, with a single spiral line coming out of each point. The list is below it:
Eye of Cat
Butterfly Wings
3 Caps of King Oyster
Heart of a Wolf
Feather of a Crow
Bear fat
7 Hawthorne berries
“I told you Fae was its own realm but it's more complicated than that. This will allow the local roots of Fae to pass into this world, giving me influence in the long run. In the short term it will give you some people to talk to. Be warned though, do not make any deals other than straight trades with no stipulations. For instance you may trade a wolf heart for a gem, but never trade for favors. Never give them your hair or blood or finger nails. Never lie to them, but tricking them is fine and in fact would be considered good fun. Beware their tricks. Do not take or give boons. Finally, only refer to me as godmother. If some of them learn what I am to you they might try to use you to get a boon from me. The System prevents me from most help.
They’ll know you're from my court though, and remember what I told you about rendering assistance. three times asked from my court, Seven from the Seelie courts. You do not have to force them to ask that many times but if you think they won’t then make them. You can ask them something three times to force an answer but they’ll expect the same in return. Remember to add learning about Fey to your homework but watch out for obvious lies like us being demons from hell. Don’t rely on any weaknesses either as most of them were neutered by the system. Do you understand?”
“Yes godmother,” I say.
“Good girl. Now I think I’ve spoken enough, given enough gifts and stalled you long enough. I can stay the full time or I can give you a secret gift. This won’t be like the others and will not help you the same way. This isn’t a permanent gift and will only last while you upgrade your class. I seriously urge you to take it, and not just on my behalf.”
It was only late afternoon. I could have her basically until tomorrow. Or I could do what she told me. Be a big girl. Act like an adult and be responsible. I really wanted her to hold me again but that was over. Maybe it would be easier without that being even remotely possible. I had to get used to being alone again. Why? I wanted to kick and scream that it wasn’t fair. Still. I still wanted to throw a tantrum as though it would change the whole world to make me feel better. It was so easy to think it had worked the first time. I threw a little fit and was held.
No. I can’t keep being this weak. If I want to live I have to live. It’s too late to lay down and die. Hecate was helping me and now Morrigan. They expected better of me and I had to do better. Big girl time.
“I’ll take the secret gift then. Thank you Godmother. I wish you could stay all night but if you say this is what I should do then I’ll do it. Will I get to see you again next birthday?”
“Child if I can swing it you’ll see me again before that.” She sounded softer. I wish she would go back to more stern. It’s so much easier to handle when she’s Miss Business. I almost forget she’s a goddess and a queen.
“It’s time then child,” she says. “Think on upgrading your class and remember me often. I’ll be watching and rooting for you. We both will.”
I close my eyes and think ‘upgrade class” and suddenly everything goes dark. I open my eyes to find myself sitting on a couch. There’s a tablet in my lap and and as I go to swipe it I get tackled by a bear hug from the person I didn’t know was beside me.
“Suprise! Happy birthday!”
Hecate. My secret gift. I let go of the tablet and I’m hugging her back. This is different from when Morrigan held me. This is a good hug. The hug Nana gave every time we came to visit. The hugs my friends would have given me after Christmas break. It lasts forever in just a few seconds. She holds me out and looks at me.
“Look how you’ve grown! In such a short time too. This isn’t like last time though, our time is really short this go around. I just wanted to be able to see you and tell you happy birthday. I convinced the System that since you just picked the skills I told you last time that I didn’t do an ‘adequate job’ of explaining them.
I gotta be quick and I’m so sorry but remember when you get your species upgrade we can talk again. Now if I don’t start telling you about skills I’m gonna get thrown out but I wanted you to know I’m proud of you and you’re doing fine.
Now, I told you about earning skills and you’ve been doing ok picking them up. I think Morrigan told you but I’ll remind you that skills related to your class are easier to pick up and upgrade. None of your skills are poor, which is great. That’s basically the System taking mercy on you when you’re bad at something. It’ll happen eventually but so far you haven’t found anything outside your ability. I know it seems like there are tons and tons and there kind of are but you’ll reach a wall pretty soon, if you haven’t already. Work on upgrading what you have.
Class skills are different. Class skills are a reward from the System for playing the game ‘correctly’. Like the skills you’ve earned they’re easier to level up in combat. All of them get harder and harder to level up and you’re still kind of in easy mode. When you take your class you’re going to start with one level’s worth of attributes as well as one skill. Your class will then reward skills every so many levels depending on how good it is. Technically the first class you get can do that but only like 8 people on earth got a skill like that and they were all because of what they had done pre-System. There’s a gun dude and a couple of martial arts people as well as this one woman with a scimitar. It doesn’t matter, those people were obsessed pre-System and they’re outright monsters now.
That doesn’t mean you can’t catch up. You have skills specifically to help you catch up because the System saw how unfair this whole thing is to you. I think Morrigan already made suggestions about what to pick, she’s pretty smart so if you’re sure that’s the way you want go then do it. Funny enough I can’t remember ever seeing anyone do what you were telling her about. You’d think it would be more common, but outside of integrations you could literally just buy heavy clothes. But then people start sinking into the ground when they walk or cracking sidewalks. Which is probably why she said- Ow ok nevermind. Just do what feels right and know we’re cheering you on. Sorry, I’m getting kicked now.”
Her last word echoed in the space. I made the mistake of looking down and realizing there was absolutely nothing. Just me, a plushy couch and a tablet. I bet she had intended on looking at skills with me. I wish Morrigan would teach her how to cheat the system better.
Looking down at the table I see two buttons:
Classes
Skills
Out of curiosity I click the Skill button. A window pops up.
No Skill points available
Then why even make a button? Fine. I click the Classes button. This is somewhat like my stories, there are only five classes available.
Available Classes:
Mage (Range)
Advanced Mage (Melee)
Advanced Mana Warrior
Master Autological Mage
Master Mana Wielder
From my reading I know the first class is trash. The second two will be something simple that I earned getting to this level. The last two will be the best. I wish I knew how this compared to others, but the System never answered questions like that. But maybe I could ask something else like what are the tiers of classes?
Poor
Basic
No title
Advanced
Master
Epic
Divine
Unique
OK so my first class wasn’t at the very bottom. I vaguely remembered Hecate telling me some people forced awakenings and got bad classes. It was before I really had the stats to remember perfectly so I couldn’t remember exactly what she said, just the general gist. So I had improved enough to get a class that was three levels better than the one I had. Enough stalling maybe they would tell me how I got them or something. Might as well start with the garbage.
Mage (Range)
Upgraded from Basic Mage (Range), Mana control range extended by half
Stat points per level
Strength 5
Dexterity 5
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 12
Vitality 9
Skill point on class accept and per 10 levels
And that was it. That was it? I knew it was trash but I expected something. Maybe the classes don’t have descriptions like the skills though. Or maybe this is so basic the System doesn’t think it needs to explain. Whatever, next! On to the advanced version of a class I didn’t even pick.
Advanced Mage (Melee)
Live by the mana sword, die by the mana sword. Weapon constructs cost less and are permanent until destroyed. Sharpness and hardness dependent on mana investment.
Stat points per level
Strength 7
Dexterity 12
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 10
Vitality 15
Skill point on class accept and per 10 levels
What in the world? This one gets a dumb description. There’s also more points. It's 11 points more total but I don’t want to lose intelligence or wisdom. From what I could tell, intelligence affects my mana pool and wisdom makes it easier to control. I want to be able to fight melee too, but only because I don’t want to be helpless if someone gets close to me. It might also be nice to stop shocking myself with Pyrrhic Shock. Either way I’m passing this one up.
Advanced Mana Warrior
Prerequisites: Overachiever Title, 10 different mana constructs created, 10 enemies killed with mana constructs
Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality. All constructs are permanent until destroyed. Mana can be used to increase Physical stats up to 15%
Strength 6
Dexterity 6
Intelligence 15
Wisdom 15
Vitality 12
Skill point on class accept and per 10 levels
Whoa. This is a cool class. It’s outside the basic classes from the tutorial for sure. I think this is a pure mana construct class. I can imagine it, going around and just making all kinds of different things with mana to use as weapons. You could probably make a tank or something eventually. I think about my blaster for a minute. I could do stuff in this class, really cool stuff. But then again I made that blaster without this class. Maybe this would just make it easier. Same amount of points as the last one though. Ok, I can come back to it if there’s something wrong with the next two.
Master Autological Mage
Prerequisites: Child Prodigy Title, Overachiever Title, Disciple Blessing, Increase a stat by at least 10 outside of leveling, create a new skill
There is no Spoon. Skill leveling increased, Mana Manipulation increased, construct permanency increased, mana recovery increased.
Strength 10
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 17
Wisdom 17
Vitality 13
Skill point on class accept and per 5 levels
And just like that all the former classes are ruled out. 67 points per level sounds awesome. Way better than 43 for that first class or 54 for the two advanced ones. That’s nothing though. This one gives twice the amount of skills. I bet if I got an even better class it would be a skill every 4 levels and then one every 2 for the one after that. Is there a class that gives a skill every level or even multiple skills every level? Well wait, maybe not. The range mage and the advanced only gave one every 10 levels. Basic and poor might only give one in 20 levels. Which means Epic probably only gives one every 5, and Divine and Unique may only give on every 4. I bet if any of them give more it’s Unique though.
I don’t quite understand the point differences either. It increased by one and then three? Who knows what the others would have given. I want to find a pattern, my brain keeps throwing numbers out but I don’t think I have enough points to get it. If there’s even a pattern I’d be able to see. Maybe these are statically set by the System based on whatever game the System started out at. Makes sense for Unique to be on the end, the System is trying to make its own decisions on what things deserve. I just wish I knew what autological means. Automatically logical? Maybe constructs will take a shape that works easier? Or does it mean that I’m autological? My brain hurts, I can come back to this.
OK, the last one is usually the best, let's see what we have.
Master Mana Wielder
Prerequisites: Greater Mana Manipulation, Mana Sense. 20 different mana constructs created, 20 enemies killed with mana, create a new skill (mana related) Increase intelligence and wisdom by 5 points outside of leveling,
Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become mana. Mana Skill leveling increased, Constructs are permanent until destroyed. Mana recovery somewhat increased.
Strength 5
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 20
Wisdom 20
Vitality 10
Skill point on class accept and per 5 levels
So many prerequisites. Shouldn’t that make this skill the most powerful? Looking at it though, those prerequisites are kind of more specific than the last one. It gives me the same amount of skills but I really don’t like how little strength that gives me. I’m going to be lopsided no matter what but I’m still terrified of something like that wolf getting in close and not having a way to stop it.
This feels like a quiz on everything I’ve learned. OK what’s good about this one? Constructs are permanent, the other one just makes them last longer I think. Any skill related to mana will level faster versus better mana manipulation. I’m not even sure what it means, is it like double my skill or something? The last part is even more difficult to score. Mana recovery increased versus somewhat increased. What’s the difference? Can’t the stupid System at least use the same terms for everything? Like basic increase versus increase?
Looks like the answer is no. As much as I concentrate on it nothing is happening. I don’t want to make a stupid decision here but my gut says the one I don’t understand is better. That’s a stupid reason to pick something though. I try to access the archive to see if I can get a definition.
Archive not available during Upgrades
That’s a dumb design flaw. Unless this is more like a test than I thought. It’s between those two for sure. I make a mana coin and flip it. My mana sense is too good, I know what it’s going to land on as soon as I flip. Ugh that’s not going to work. It was going to land on Master Mana Wielder. And I was disappointed. I thought I was going to choose that and I wanted the other one. That works. Lock it in before you start doubting yourself again!
Class Upgraded
Master Autological Mage
Skill Point Available
Congratulations on Completing your Tutorial Class!
The class list closes and a lot of things suddenly made sense. I thought the tutorial ended when Hecate helped me choose my class and skills. Oh wow. So basically everything I had learned except maybe Pyrrhic Shock and Voltaic Railblaster were cantrips. And they’re just like level one spells. I’ve been playing on easy mode. Hecate even told me that. That water wolf was my first real enemy and I almost died. Most of us are dead according to Morrigan. I don’t know if I’m doing bad or good or somewhere in between. I’m going to have to work a lot harder from now on.
Stop it Marie. I lightly slap both sides of my face like I saw in an anime and immediately feel silly for doing it. Whatever, it worked and I’m not thinking bad things any more. Let’s see that Skill list.
Oh wow. I thought there’d be a couple of skills, like 5 or 10. There are hundreds. Maybe more. Worse was the order. Turns out you can save up your points and get higher level skills for more than a point. I look on the screen for some way of making this make sense and then find the pancake button in the top right of the screen. OK I don’t know what that button with three parallel lines is called but Benji said it looked like a stack of pancakes so we all call it the pancake button. There’s a magnifying glass, that must be the search. Sort is below that, then Hide unaffordable skills. I hit the next one and most of the skills disappear. There’s still a ton though. There’s stuff like Basic Heavy Weapon Proficiency and Basic Martial Arts of course. Then there’s everything in between including stuff like Basic Archery and Basic Ballistics. A lot of my skills are there but greyed out. I also can’t get anything I have the upgraded version of, which makes sense. I could look through these forever but I know what I want and I have a basic idea of what's being offered here. Plus I scrolled through them so I can remember what was here.
I’m so happy godmother came to see me before I got here. I would have been looking for a lightning combat skill. In fact I probably would have tried to wait until I had multiple skill points to get a really good one and died. The fact that it was possible meant that eventually it was probably a good idea to do, but definitely not yet. In fact, this makes the amount of skill points I’m getting way less exciting. I almost start questioning myself again about the skill choice before I use the search button to find “space”. Once again there are a bunch but I hide the ones I can’t afford and am left with five.
Poor Space Magic
Basic Space Magic (Time)
Basic Space Magic (Gravity)
Basic Space Magic (Movement)
Basic Space Magic (Containment)
The first one doesn’t have a descriptor. Does that mean? I look closer at it.
Poor Space Magic
Upgradeable
Not Branching. No real description. Oh that’s confusing, can I see what it can upgrade into? Nope. Why couldn’t Hecate have warned me about this? I take a look at the one I’m pretty sure I want.
Basic Space Magic (Gravity)
That's pretty heavy man. Slightly increase or decrease gravity in one spot. Amount of change dependent on Wisdom. Branching. Upgradeable.
What in the world? This seems so much better than the other. I think I get it. I bet if you get all of them you can put them together into Space Magic. Since they’re branching, getting one lets me maybe get the others with practice. Getting the first one probably lets me sense and use space mana a little but I have to figure out everything on my own, and it’s probably way harder to upgrade. OK, let's stick to the plan. This is the last time for a while I’ll get advice I better take it.
Basic Space Magic (Gravity)
Everything fades to black and I’m back in the tent. And exhausted. I think the energy to upgrade me came mostly from me. No wonder Morrigan told me to take the secret gift, I don’t think I can keep my eyes open. I make it over to the bed and my head hits the pillow. I’ll look at my stats tomorrow.
…..
“That boon is toeing the line on making a Fae deal with her. If it was anyone else I might be more than a little annoyed,” Hecate says from her recliner.
“If it was anyone else you never would have let them be that girl’s godmother,” Morrigan replies walking into the clearing. “Is that chair for me?” She asks, pointing at an almost identical recliner a few feet away from Hecate’s. The only difference between the two is the empty one is dark grey and Hecate’s a royal purple.
“Sure is. Since you’re staying for a while. At least till your people are good and settled I thought you could use a place to hang out.”
“Hang out. As though we were a couple of gal pals going to the cinema. This world really did a number on your speech patterns.”
“Oh yeah? Did a number did they?”
“I heard it as soon as I said it,” Morrigan said, shaking her head. “That girl is really something. Good call on making her your disciple. I almost forgot her youth a time or two as we talked. She’d sound a little older, like a preteen, sometimes even like an adult. Then she’d slip right back and I felt like I was attending a pretend tea party.”
“Hey! Go easy on her. You know what intelligence and wisdom stats do to people normally. This is the same, just a little more extreme,” Hecate said putting on a serious face.
“I truly didn’t mean it as a slight. Most people would give up. Most people have given up. It’s disorienting every time to see how many people that we knew in this world just die like that. It was hard enough watching them grow old and die before the integration but losing so many at once is rough.
Remember Gary? That guy who spent all his extra time volunteering and building houses for the poor? His wife got taken out by a pack of dogs and he took his own life. The man could have done a lot of good in this world but he couldn’t envision a life without her. It’s the kind of story my counterpart would love but I hate.”
“Jeff is still out there. He used to help Gary quite a bit.”
“Thank us for small favors,” Morrigan said with a grin.
“There’s my gal pal.”
Morrigan sauntered over and sat down leaning over conspiratorily. “She’s quite mad you know, but I’ve always found the best witches to be a little crazy.”
“Anyone would be a little crazy after what happened to her. Besides there really aren’t witches anymore. Wizards either for that matter, symbolic magic was nearly destroyed by the System.”
“If only there was someone who had no idea what was possible out there doing crazy things like letting the Fae into a newly integrated world. Fae who could still use old magic for a little while longer. Who knows what she might accomplish?”
“You can’t really expect-”
“What class did she choose?” Morrigan asked.
“Master Autological Mage, but even then I don’t think that’s enough to integrate it into the system.” Already the argument was out of Hecate’s voice.
“Remind me, the first Shaman in the System, what was their first class upgrade?” Morrigan raised her eyebrows, askance. “I’ve been wrong before, but I don’t think I’m wrong in saying she’s going to do something interesting. He only got Advanced Autological Mage and ended up changing everything.”
“I hear you Mor, but let's be honest here. Others have gotten that class, most of them end up with a more classic class later. Others die.”
“This one won’t.”
“I hope not, I’m really investing here and I’m not talking about power.”
“I’m a Goddess of Fate.”
“And I’m a Goddess of Choice. We never really discuss the issue with those two co-existing. I hope you’re right Morrigan, and we’re gonna cheer her on, but ultimately she lives or dies by her choices.”
“No goddaughter of mine will be put down so easily,” Morrigan declared, ending the discussion.
For once, instead of continuing to egg on her friend Hecate let Morrigan have the last word. It felt lucky to let a Goddess of Fate have the last word. Maybe Hecate could believe in her and the girl. She certainly hoped so.
