The First Archmage

(Gavin)

"Did you hear?" Bryan, one of the other boys in our little village, pokes his head into the hut I'm currently whistling in. "The Adventurers what came through here a couple months back are passing through again, their quest completed. Seems they lost a few doing it, though."

"No, I didn't," I answer. "But it's not surprising – even the best of parties usually lose someone in the wyverns' territory. It's not like they're us. Let's go see ‘em."

"Ya," he nods.

We race down the path and into the village, stopping at the square, where the Adventurers have stopped to speak with our village elders.

They're strong, powerful beings who have been bestowed with Access to the System. No one knows how they are selected to have Access to the System, but it makes them stronger, faster, more powerful, and gives them access to all kinds of magics we can't normally learn.

Well, Skills. There's no such thing as a magic-class Adventurer, even if they can use better magics than before they gained access to the System. Supposedly, no one knows why there are no Classes for magicians.

These Adventurers are all Knights, I think. They're all wearing armor and have swords, anyway.

"We'll be resting here tonight," the Adventurer speaking with Chief informs him. "After, we'll be on our way. Could you ask the shops to stay for us, as it's late already? We'll need to restock before we leave on a couple of items, to tide us until we reach Nevinsword."

"Consider it done," Chief nods. "Adventurers are always welcome in these areas."

I love how easily Chief fools them. He has an issue with most Adventurers, though I think he doesn't have an issue with the one he's speaking with. He's too good of an actor to let it show, though. I'll ask him later.

"Thank you, Chief," the Adventurer dips his head a little. "Not all places are as hospitable as here."

"Were it not for you Adventurers," Chief tells him. "This village would have ceased to exist long ago. As you pass through the mountains nearby, you hunt the monsters and deter the larger threats. It's not often, but it's often enough to deter them from attacking our village. They see us as a place where you Adventurers rest, and to destroy it would be to anger the Adventurers. And so, the more intelligent of the monsters keep us protected from the smaller, warning them away. For that, we are much grateful to the Adventurers who serve the crown."

All others are traitors. Criminals. Exiles. Enemies. Only those who serve the crown are legal, and I hate that. We all do. Chief says that Jozan is not meant to be a place for prisoners, and that anyone who is truly Jozan would never enslave another just because they're stronger.

If I had Access to the System, I would change that.

Congratulations!

You now have access to the System!

Species: Human (Level 1)

Species Traits:

+1 INT, AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF, MNA, HLT per Level

You may select two Classes. Set one to Primary.

Classes Available:

Wizard (Level 1)(Mythical)

Scout (Level 1)(Uncommon)

Archer (Level 1)(Common)

Thief (Level 1)(Uncommon)

Squire (Level 1)(Common)

Blacksmith (Level 1)(Common)

Tailor (Level 1)(Common)

Mixer (Level 1)(Common)

Woodcarver (Level 1)(Common)

Cook (Level 1)(Common)

Huh. Guess I should get working on changing that. But reading through that list…

I'm a bit confused. I can understand why I have most of those Classes available, due to my lifestyle in this village – probably everyone would have them available – but the first one?

I… thought there wasn't a magic Class?

Does that mean I'm rare or something? Especially since it's labeled as a Mythical Class. Chief said that there are five levels to a Class's rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, Mythical. Mythical Classes are ones that can't be trained for, and can only be attained through certain actions. How did I qualify for Wizard?

Hrm.

You know… most kids my age would probably be confused, not trying to decide what Classes to pick right now.

But whatever. I'm not most kids, according to Chief. I'm not even like most kids in our village, which is pretty damn different from outside of it, according to Chief.

Back to what I'm focusing on. I just gained Access to the System, and also have a Class that supposedly doesn't exist.

Is it illegal?

If so, then why aren't there magicians in the System? Adventurers don't always gain Access with others around, so you can't stop them from picking Classes they want.

Plus, it's hard to imagine every land has outlawed them, and that every magician who gained access to the System wouldn't have picked a magician Class immediately.

So…

Guess I'm rare!

Shame I'm just a human, though. I'm not that rare.

You have selected Wizard as your Primary Class.

You now have the Wizard Class!

+1 to all Stats each Level, +10% to learning and leveling all Skills, +10% to learning and leveling all magical Skills.

You have selected the Scout Class!

You now have the Scout Class!

+1 AGI, PER every fifth Level.

There we go! Wizard, ‘cause it's obviously rare, and Scout, because if I remember correctly, Scouts are the ones who move all stealthy like, and I'm good at that. Well, I'm good at lotsa things, growing up here, but definitely moving all stealthy like is one of my skills. With how hard gaining Levels is, according to Chief, it'd be good to have the agility and perception boosts that Scout grants, as it means I'll be able to react faster with my magic.

Now… how do I pull up my stats and stuff? I think it was called status.

Name: Gavin

Age: 13 years

Titles: None

Species: Human Level 1 0/25

Classes: Wizard 1 0/25, Scout 0/25

INT: 18, AGI: 14, CHA: 12, STR: 15, CON: 21, PER: 20, LIF: 22, LUK 29

HLT: 15

Health: 38/36

Mana: 49/47

There we go!

Would Thief have been a better choice than Scout? Pretty sure they can move all stealthy like, too, and they'd probs be good in dungeons, with disarming traps and stuff. Maybe Scouts can do that, too?

"You look like you have questions," the Adventurer with whom Chief was speaking with walks over to me, then crouches down so he's more on my level, which is cool, because most Adventurers just talk down to us, they're so full of themselves. I think it's weird that slaves can be full of themselves, but it's probably because of their power and the fact that they do have plenty of freedom, they're just forced to work for the king, even if they don't want to. "Do you have any questions for Adventurers? I can't imagine you see many around these parts."

"Ya," I say. "Would Thief have been a better pick than Scout?"

"What?" He looks confused.

"Well," I say. "I just gained Access to the System, and I picked Scout, but I also had Thief available, and now I'm thinking that maybe I should have picked Thief instead of Scout. I dun really know the difference between the two, other than that Scouts move all stealthy like and look at stuff, and Thieves move all stealthy like and nick stuff, and didn't think about Thieves probs being better than Scouts until after I made the choice to be a Scout."

"Forgive him," Chief walks over. "He's always had a fair bit of an imagination, and it's gotten him into quite the trouble, too. Gavin, if you have questions for the Adventurers, then simply ask them, don't-"

"If you have access to the System," the Adventurer says. "Say status, then focus on me and say share status, and I can view your status screen."

"Already gots it open," I say, then focus on him. "Share status."

"Interesting," the Adventurer says. "You only just gained access to the System?"

"Yes, sir!"

He laughs as Chief scrutinizes me, and I feel like he's looking into my soul. It's creepy, how he does that.

"I can see you're quite the character already," he smiles. "Thief might have been a better Class to pick, but you can pick it when your second slot opens up."

But I already have two Classes? Can't he see that?

He'd have to know that… unless he can only see the Primary Class, but if so, then he'd know I have Wizard. In which case… he's hiding that I have Wizard.

Can he see both Classes? Or just my Primary Class?

"Share status," he says, and I can see some of his stuff.

Name: Bryant Bravesword

Age: 68 years

Titles: He Who Defies Frost

Species: Human Level 12

Classes: Knight (Tier 2) 4, Scout 23

INT: 25, AGI: 43, CHA: 29, STR: 59, CON: 56, PER: 43, LIF: 22, LUK: 14

Health: 109

Mana: 69

"What's L-U-K?" I ask. "And why's mine higher?"

"Luck," he answers. "Everyone has a varied amount of it, and no one knows how to increase it. We think that having lucky things happen affects it, but have never been able to successfully train it. It affects how good of a drop you'll get, if you get a drop from a monster, as well as the chance for critical hits and other things. Very useful for rogue-based classes, such as Scouts and Thieves."

"You don't look like you're sixty-eight."

"You don't have a filter, do you?" He asks.

"Not once I get going!"

"Oh, dear," Chief mutters, putting a hand to his head.

"You see your LIF?" The Frost-Defier asks.

"Ya, what's that?"

"Lifespan," he answers. "Each point of it is five years. Most people without the System would probably have between six and twelve LIF, and those who gain access to it generally do. The higher your LIF, the longer you'll live before a natural death. That means that you sort of age slower. Combine that with CHA, or charisma, and CON, or constitution, and you'll live longer. Charisma is your charm, both physical and verbal, and constitution affects your Health and how resilient you are to damage, which also affects your appearance. There's also VIT, or vitality, which affects how healthy your body is, how young you look. It's the primary factor in deciding how old you appear, outside of your actual age.

"To your Health," he continues. "It's a mix of natural level, any buffs to it, and your CON and HLT. Most humans start off with around ten to twenty, and around four to ten Mana, though magicians often have up twenty-five to thirty Mana if they gain access to the System. Still no magic Classes, though."

He's telling me not to share that I have the Wizard Class, isn't he?

+1 INT!

Oh, cool!

"Normally," he says. "People start in the single-digits for all of their stats, which is why you're interesting."

"Because I have stats in the double-digits?" I ask. "And my LUK is really high, and my LIF is the same as someone who's probably been an Adventurer for a long time?"

"Yes!" He laughs. "That is, indeed, why you're interesting."

"Seriously?" One of the other Adventurers walks over.

"Indeed," Bryant nods. "22 LIF and 29 LUK. He has 15 STR on that skinny frame of his."

"High AGI?" The Adventurer asks.

"Fourteen," Bryant nods. "He probably climbs trees a lot, and built up strength and agility from that."

"And from working in the forge," I add. "Us kids are all trained in everyone's fields around here, so we's got skills, in case the monsters decide to risk angering Adventurers, if too long a time passes ‘tween Adventurers passing through. Makes sures we can survive out on our own, if we gets scattered. So, nows I'm an Adventurer, do I have to leave with you? I ain't planning on being no criminal, that's for sure!"

"Yes," the Adventurer nods. "By law, you'll have to return with us. As you're a minor, your parents-"

"Oh, they's dead," I say. "They's been dead for years. I mostly sleep at Bryan's. His name's real similar to yours. Sometimes, I sleep on Chief's roof."

"And whistles until he falls asleep," Chief mutters, then focuses on Bryant. "We found Gavin when he was a toddler, abandoned in the woods, stark naked. We've never known his age, only an approximate. We believe him to be around twelve."

"The System says he's thirteen," Bryant states. "So you aren't too far from it. He'll receive a notification on his birthday, wishing him a happy one. Say your goodbyes to everyone tonight, Gavin, then meet us at the gate at sunrise."

"So sleep on Chief's roof tonight," I say. "And then wait for you to show up at the gate tomorrow. Got it."

"I think I'm going to like this kid," one of the other Adventurers laughs.

"You probably will!" Bryant laughs. "His CHA is already at 12."

"Only twelve?" I pout. "Damn! I'm not cute enough yet!"

+1 CHA!

That worked!

"Rest up," Bryant ruffles my hair. "You have quite the journey ahead of you, for a new Adventurer."