The World Which Is

A class is available for your selection

How?

How is there a class available out here? There’s nothing.

“Hello?” I call out.

A class means someone instead of a node. How far do they have to be for the system to consider them as valid? A quarter kilometer or something? I don’t remember the number, but I know it’s one of those cases where the system isn’t working in treens of treens, like most of its large numbers.

“Hello!”

Shit, what if it’s Rich? Back to… what? Scare me to death? That can’t work, since this is telling me there’s someone.

I call up the list of available classes before they walk away.

Lists of available classes

Explorer

That’s… that could be Rich’s class, with him running all over the place.

Never heard of it, though.

I call up its basic description. Right now isn’t the time to get info dumped on.

System Query: Class, Explorer

Explorers are those who need to know what’s out there. They will research it, or go discover it, or confront it directly. Those who select this class rarely stay in one place for long, being driven to know what else is out there.

Explorers gain +1 in Intelligence, Health, Endurance, and 2 skill points per level

When selecting this class, you gain the skill Drawing(cartography specialization). If the skill is already present, it is increased by 3 levels.

Core Ability: Direction Sense(Locations)

That’s …not bad.

It would have been nice to get a strength bonus, but health and endurance means my stamina and hit points will go up without having to do anything about it. And who’d say no to more intelligence.

A direction sense is nice; not that I’ll need it once I’m back home.

“List the class abilities that don’t have prerequisites. Name only.”

System Query: Class Abilities, Explorer, truncated

Field Research, Maximum Ranks: 11

Momentum, Maximum Ranks: 16

Planning ahead, Maximum Ranks: 26

Taking it on the Nose, Maximum Ranks: 51

That looks research heavy, although Taking it on the Nose sounds fighting related, that would come in handy as a guard. I call up its description.

System Query: Ability, Taking it on the Nose

Your endurance is 50% more effective when soaking up physically related damage. Additional ranks increase the effectiveness by 1%

I whistle. That’s fifty ranks later, but a doubling of damage absorption is nothing to sneeze at, and while it’s not one for one, since I can get ability points from Quest more frequently than attribute points, my endurance will have gone up too.

With that, Dad’s not going to have a choice but to let me be a guard.

My enthusiasm dips. No, Dad might still force me to do crafting. Like they all tell me, my class doesn’t define what I do.

Stop. That’s for the future. Right now, I get to make a choice.

I glance at the timer.

Time remaining to make selection: 01h32m46s

And I have an hour and a half to make it, or until they move out of range, so how about I don’t waste time.

I hesitate. I do this and there’s no going back. I mean, this is better than anything my dad chose for me, but…

But the alternative is to take a chance on whoever I’ll walk across on the way back. If I can even find my way without that directions sense ability. I know Court’s somewhere north of here, but I have no idea where North is.

I select the class.

Class Selection made: Explorer

Are you certain? Yes/No

Yes.

Now, even if they move out of range, I have a class.

Class Selected: Explorer, Level 1

As an explorer, you gain 1 point in Endurance, Intelligence, and Health per level. As a human, you gain a point to assign where you desire per level.

You have 1 point to assign.

Do you want to assign your point at this time? Yes/No

No. I’m pretty sure I’m putting it in strength, but I’ve heard too many horror stories from back when the old folks didn’t know how this went, about those who put everything they had in what ended up being the wrong attribute for their class.

You gain the Skill: Drawing(Specialization: cartography)

As an Explorer, you gain 2 skill points per level. As a Human, you gain 1 skill point per level.

You have 3 Skill point to assign.

Do you want to assign your point at this time? Yes/No

No, Absolutely not. That’s going to require even more thoughts than the attribute, since buying a new skill with a point saves me months of training.

You have gained the Ability, Direction Sense(Locations)

When you think of a location you have cataloged, you know where it is. To catalog a location, all you need to do is enter its zone. The more you have explored the location, the clearer its direction will be.

Select your first Ability from those available to you

Field Research, Maximum Rank: 11

Any skills used to learn about creatures you have cataloged are 50% more effective. To catalog a creature, you only have to have fought it once. Additional Ranks increase the effectiveness by 5%

Momentum, Maximum ranks: 16

So long as you are running and maintain 2 points of contact on a surface, you can continue to move even if the surface is not horizontal. Maximum angle from horizontal where the ability can be used: 135 Degrees. Additional ranks increase the angle by 3 degrees.

Planning ahead: maximum Rank: 26

You gain the skill: Researching(specialization: Geography)

When researching geographical locations, you progress 50% faster. Additional ranks add 1%

Taking it on the Nose, Maximum Rank: 51

Your endurance is 50% more effective when soaking up physically related damage. Additional ranks increase the effectiveness by 1%

I almost curse the inability to tell it to just give me the ability names.

Almost. If I had. I would have missed my way out of here.

Momentum.

With that, I don’t have to worry about finding a hole I can climb out of. I can just go back to that last one, run up it and be out.

I select it. I can grab Taking it on the Nose with my next level.

You have selected the ability: Momentum

Are you certain? Yes/No

Yes.

Ability Selected: Momentum, Maximum ranks: 16

So long as you are running and maintain 2 points of contact on a surface, you can continue to move even if the surface is not horizontal. Maximum angle from horizontal where the ability can be used: 135 Degrees. Additional ranks increase the angle by 3 degrees.

Cost: 10 Stamina per second

That would have been nice to know ahead of time, but it explains the endurance bonus for a class that probably has a lot of sit down and read type of abilities. Two of the starting ones are almost pure research.

Class selection complete

Do you wish to update your Sheet at this time? Yes/No

Notice: you are at a Threshold moment(Choosing Day). Some changes to your Sheet can only be made on Threshold moments. This moment ends when the timer reaches zero or you finalize your Sheet. Choosing ‘no’ at this time finalizes your Sheet

Yes. Without the looming deadline, I have the time to look things over.

Name:

Dennis Micheal Carpenter

Species:

Human

Height: 173 cm

Weight: 81 kg

Class:

Explorer, Level 1

Experience:

0

Ability List

Direction Sense(locations), rank Not Applicable

Momentum, Rank 1

Available Points to Distribute: 0

Attributes

Strength:

10

Dexterity:

13

Endurance:

17

Intelligence:

13

Charisma:

13

Aether:

9

Health:

15

Available points to distribute: 1

Statistics pool

Hit Points:

165

Mana:

90

Will Power:

3000

Stamina:

195

Inventory Slots:

4

Base Weight capability:

115 kg

Base Damage:

11.5

Damage Soak:

15.55

Running Speed:

17.3 KPH

Skills List

Dexterity Training

13

Endurance Training

15

Health Training

15

Intelligence Training

15

Strength Training

15

Climbing

11

Cooking

12

Dodging

15

Drawing(Specialization: Cartography)

1

First Aid

15

Fishing

15

History

15

Jumping

12

Kicking

15

Knot Tying

3

Manipulation

6

Math

15

Oration

3

Parrying

15

Perceiving

15

Punching

15

Running

15

Swimming

11

Sword Fighting

15

Available points to distribute: 3

When I focus on my name, I get the option to change it. Not happening. It’s my name, and I’m keeping it.

No experience, of course, but from now on, that number’s going up. My attributes are… well, human. We all start with the same thing, with only our training to increase the effective pools, which look decent, although those four slots are going to be way too easy to fill. First investment of my own will be in a good backpack.

The skills relating to my attributes are still at the top of the list, so I’m always reminded I should work on them. Or so Grandmother’s always saying. They are as they’ve been for the last few months, but they’re no longer limited to fifteen, which was my age, or even sixteen. Now that I have a class and a level. The only limit to them is how much training I’m willing to give them and points I have to put in them.

Since I’m not assigning my points right now, and that’s not a Threshold thing, I approve my Sheet, and confirm it’s what I want.

With that action, the timer fades away.

My Choosing day is over. I am now, and will always be, an explorer.

You have Discovered a Ruin: Darlington Nuclear Power Station

This structure was built before the System and fell into disuse afterward, slowly being taken over by nature.

No relevant skill for additional information

Explorer Quest Completion, step 1: Discover a Ruin

After hard work, research, and a long trek, you have discovered your first ruin.

Rewards: 2197 experience, 1 ability point

Explorer Quest Completion, step 1: Find a Cache

After searching through the Ruin, you have come across your first cache.

Rewards: 1098 experience

You have gained a level. You are now level 2. Experience required to reach your next level: 3465

Well, that’s unexpected.

I mean, I know every class comes with some related quests. My dad’s about making wood items, the farmers about preparing the ground, planting and harvesting. I guess it makes sense that an explorer’s quests would be about finding places and things. But to complete it just by being here? Okay, I did discover it; I got the message. But the cache? They would be some sort of hidden place where I’d find loot. I didn’t get any…

I take the gloves out. I had to explore to find the locker they were in. I guess that how hidden they have to be to qualify as a cache varies? When those who go to the dungeon talk about caches, they always make it sound like one of the experts had to work at finding them. I pocket them again.

A second level means an ability point to assign, and that one I know where it goes. I don’t bother calling up the ability list. I’ll go through every ability once I’m home and dad locks me in my room. It’ll give me something to do.

I select Taking it on the Nose and Approve it.

Ability Selected: Taking it on the Nose, Maximum ranks: 51

Your endurance is 50% more effective when soaking up physically related damage. Additional ranks increase the effectiveness by 1%

Cost: None

There, now, I can be a guard.

With nothing else to take care of, I turn to head back to the last cracked ceiling and stop. On a hunch, I call the list of available class again, and Explorer comes up, with a note I can’t select a class. I set it to stay open and move it to the side and take a step. It disappears from the list. I step back, and it’s there again.

They haven’t moved in all the time I took to pick my class.

“Hello? Are you hurt?”

They probably can’t hear me. A quarter of a kilometer puts a lot of walls between me and them.

I look at where my way out is. The way back home to my dad and my friends and safety. Then into the darkness toward whoever is responsible for me getting a decent class and the help they must need.

It’s an easy choice. Court will still be there after I’ve helped them.

I crack my last light and set out into the dark—

No.

I am setting out to explore the unknown.

I am an explorer now.

That is what we do.